Note: At the business meeting during ALA 2001, certain changes to the Constitution were voted into effect. These changes appear in bold, and the text they have replaced appears in brackets. Explanations of the common standards and practices of the Society will appear as links.
Constitution of The Edith Wharton Society
I. Name the Organization
The name of this organization shall be the Edith Wharton Society
II. Purpose
The purpose of the Edith Wharton Society is to offer Wharton scholars and other interested persons an opportunity to share in the study and appreciation of the life and works of this author. Through annual meetings, special conferences, and its journal, the Edith Wharton Society provides a forum for Wharton studies.
III. Membership
A. Membership is open to anyone interested
in the study and appreciation of Edith Wharton's life work. Individuals
become members upon payment of dues to the Treasurer.
B. Membership dues shall be set by the Executive
Board.
IV. Meetings
A. An annual membership meeting shall be held
for reporting to the membership and conducting business. The meetings shall
take place concurrently with the annual meeting of the Modern Language
Association of America.
B. Special meetings of the Society may be
called by the Executive Board. Members shall be given at least sixty days
notice of such meetings.
V. Officers and Their Responsibilities
A. The officers of the Wharton Society shall
be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Editor
and Associate Editor of the Edith Wharton Review.
B. The President shall serve as the head
of the Executive Board, preside at the annual meeting of the Society and
at special Society meetings, organize and chair the annual Edith Wharton
session(s) at the Modern Language Association convention, and have general
supervision of the Society, including the appointment of committee chairs
and members as appropriate, and the assignment of tasks to other officers
as needed. In consultation with the Executive Board, the President shall
prepare an agenda for the annual meeting and any special Society meetings.
The President or his/her designee shall act as representative of the Society
to other organizations. If the President is incapacitated, the Vice-President
shall perform these duties.
C. The Vice-President shall propose the topic(s)
for the Edith Wharton session(s) at the annual convention of the Modern
Language Association. The Vice-President may select the topic for one of
these sessions from proposals made by any member at the annual meeting,
in which case the proposer, in consultation with the Vice-President, may
organize and chair that session.
D. The Secretary shall take and distribute
minutes of the annual meeting of the Society and of the Executive Board
meetings, communicate with others, tabulate election results, and chair
the Membership and Nominations Committee.
E. The Treasurer shall collect membership
dues, keep membership records, and chair the Budget Committee.
F. The Editor of the Edith Wharton Review
shall prepare, publish, and distribute the Review.
G. The Associate Editor of the Edith Wharton
Review shall help the Editor with the above functions.
H. [Officers and members of the Executive
Board shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Edith Wharton Society.
The Membership and Nominations Committee shall submit a slate of nominees
that may be augmented from the floor.] Officers and members of the Executive
Board shall be elected by mail-in ballot. The Election Committee
shall prepare ballots, mail them to members, establish deadlines for voting,
tabulate results, and announce results at semi-annual meetings [i.e., MLA
and ALA] and, afterward, on the Edith Wharton Society website.
I. Each officer shall serve for a term of
two years, excepting the Treasurer, the Editor, and the Associate Editor
of the Review. To achieve continuity, other officers shall ordinarily succeed
one another, the Vice-President becoming President, and the Secretary,
Vice-President.
VI. Executive Board
A. The governing body of the Edith Wharton
Society shall be the Executive Board. The Board shall be composed of the
six officers, the Past President, and at least two at-large elected representatives
who are also members of the Edith Wharton Society.
B. The Executive Board shall not exceed eleven
members. A majority of the members of the Board shall be considered a quorum.
C. The Executive Board shall meet at least
once a year.
D. The Board shall review the financial status
of the Society at each annual meeting and be empowered to appropriate funds
from the Treasury for Society business. The Board shall supervise the actions
of the standing committees and exercise all powers not herein assigned
to other parties.
E. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the
Executive Board and the Society in all parliamentary situations.
VII. Standing Committees
A. The Executive Board on behalf of the society will create or dissolve standing committees as it sees fit.
[A. There shall be three standing committees
formed from the Society membership.
1. Program: This committee shall plan, publicize,
and organize Society activities that do not fall within the responsibilities
of the Society officers and the Executive Board. Among these are conferences
on Edith Wharton and activities such as the Spring Walking Tour in New
York.
2. Membership and Nominations: This committee
shall promote membership in the Society, encourage attendance at the Society-sponsored
events, and prepare a slate of nominees for the annual election.
3. Budget: This committee shall prepare a
yearly budget for the Society to present at the annual meeting.]
B. Members may nominate themselves or other
members for committee appointments to be made by the President at least
one month prior to the annual meeting.
VIII. Amendments
A. Amendments to the Society constitution
may be proposed by the Executive Board or by any Society member presenting
a petition signed by at least five other members. All proposed amendments
must be presented to the President at least one month prior to the annual
meeting.
B. The Edith Wharton Society constitution
may be amended by two-thirds of the members voting at the annual meeting.
Rev. Dec. 1995, May 2001