ELVISH LANGUAGE CLUB AT UVM
Article I. Name
Section 1. This organization shall be known as the �UVM Elvish Language Club�, and referenced throughout this Constitution as "UVMELC".
Article II. Purposes and Goals
Section 1. The purpose of this organization is to spread knowledge and love of JRR Tolkien�s two primary constructed languages, Quenya (�High- Elven�) and Sindarin (�Grey-Elven�) and to bring members to fluency in one or ideally both languages.
Section 2. The primary goal of this organization is for members to achieve a working grasp of Quenya, the simpler of the two languages, and then moving on to Sindarin, the more complex language, once they feel comfortable with Quenya. Discussion of books and movies as related to their use of the Elvish languages will also be undertaken.
Article III. Expectations of Members
Section 1. Members are expected to be willing to learn an Elvish language.
Article IV. Officers
Section 1. President
The President shall direct the activities of the club and run meetings. He/she has the prerogative to set the agenda for each week but may delegate that responsibility. It is expected that the President have spent enough time with the language(s) that he/she be able to take the lead in teaching the other members at each meeting. He/she shall organize officers' meeting with the other officers for the purpose of planning club events
Section 2. Vice-President
The Vice-President shall run meetings of the club on the absence of the President. He/she is expected to have a moderate grasp of the language, to the ability to teach basic concepts of Quenya/Sindarin to members beginning their study of the language. He/she shall co- operate with the other officers to plan club events.
Section 3. Secretary
The Secretary shall keep the club event calendar and Elvish wordlist. He/she shall also carry on all necessary club correspondence and maintain a copy of the current club constitution.
Section 4. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for monitoring and maintaining the financial situation of the UVMELC. He/she shall be responsible for completing all SGA required forms which pertain to the organization�s finances.
Section 5. The Election of Officers
Election of officers shall take place in the month of March for the next year�s officers. To run for an office, a member must be nominated and seconded by two other members. The candidates shall leave the room while votes are counted. If two members are running for the same office, a simple majority vote is enough to win the office. If more than two members run for the same office and none receive a majority, then the top two candidates shall compete in a runoff election and the candidate with the majority shall be declared the winner. Elected officers shall hold their office for one school year (fall, spring, and summer semesters)
Section 6. Temporary Committees and Officers.
The President may appoint ad hoc committees and committee chairs as he/she may deem necessary for the successful operation of the UVMELC. Such appointments may also be made and approved by consensus among the members of the UVMELC.
Article V. Meetings and Quorum
Section 1. Frequency
UVMELC shall meet once a week at a date and time to be determined by the majority of members of the UVMELC. The first meeting of the school year shall take place within the first 5 weeks of the Fall semester.
Section 2. Quorum
2/3 of the registered members of the club shall constitute a quorum necessary to conduct business.
Article VI. Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by any member. The proposal must be seconded.
Section 2. After the amendment is proposed and seconded, it must be voted on within two (2) meetings of it having been proposed.
Section 3. If a 2/3 majority of those present in a quorum vote to adopt the amendment, it shall be added to the constitution.
Article VII. Removal of Officers
Section 1. An officer may be removed from his/her office if members of the club do not feel he/she is fulfilling the requirements of their office, or if that officer resigns for any reason.
Section 2. A member of the club wishing to impeach an officer must voice their desire to a different officer, seconded by two other members. The officer so informed, having determined the desire to be valid, shall notify the officer in danger of removal that a motion has been made to remove them.
Section 3. Within two meetings, the officer whose removal has been requested shall have the opportunity to speak to the general membership about why he deserves to remain. Upon the conclusion of his speech, he shall exit the room and a vote shall be taken. If 2/3 of the members vote against the officer, he/she shall be removed.
Section 4. At the next meeting after an officer has resigned or been removed, elections shall be held to fill the vacancy. If the President resigns or is removed, the Vice-President shall become President and elections shall be held to fill the Vice-Presidential vacancy.
Article VIII. By-Laws
Section 1: The general format of each meeting shall be as follows, though it may be altered if necessary.
A. Discussion of coming events (5-10 minutes)
B. Questions about language concepts from the last meeting
C. General meeting - concepts in Elvish that everyone may benefit from (15-20 minutes)
D. Meetings by skill level - meeting is broken into two groups, roughly by skill-level, for closer, more individual instruction (20- 30 minutes)
Section 2 : Wordlist
A. The club secretary shall keep a wordlist or dictionary (or have ready access to one) of acceptable words in both Quenya and Sindarin
B. Acceptable words shall meet the following criteria:
1. They were invented by Tolkien, or can be shown to logically derive from a word invented by Tolkien.
2. They are "standard" Quenya/Sindarin; i.e., they enjoyed common usage in the Third Age of Middle-Earth.
C. New words may be added to the wordlist only if they meet the definition of an acceptable word, and are approved as such by the majority of the officers of the club.
Article IX. Ratification
This constitution shall become effective on the approval of a 2/3 majority of the members of UVMELC. A copy of this constitution shall be kept by the secretary of the club.
Adopted 10/04.