1 The Constitution and Bylaws of the

2 FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE

3 Amended March, 2008
4
5 CONSTITUTION
6
7 ARTICLE I
8 General
9
10 Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE.
11
12 Section 2. The objectives of this organization shall be to enhance and promote the appreciation of the
13 classics, and culturally enrich both the subscribers hereto and the community, as well as govern inter
14 chapter affairs on a statewide level.
15
16 Section 3. This organization shall represent the National Junior Classical League in the State of
17 Florida, and the authority of its constitution and the adjuncts thereto is hereby recognized as the basis
18 for the administration of League affairs.
19
20 Section 4. The provisions included in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the
21 proceedings hereunder in all cases to which they may be applicable, not being inconsistent with the
22 provision of the policies and/or regulations of any administrative or governmental entity exercising
23 jurisdiction over this organization, or with this constitution or any bylaw adopted by the league.
24
25 Section 5. The activities of this organization shall be regulated by the determination of the Florida
26 High School Activities Association. (1981)
27
28 Section 6. The state emblem of this organization shall be a map of Florida offset to the right slightly
29 with FJCL inscribed beside it. Both of these shall be totally encircled by a wreath of laurel leaves with
30 the exception of a small open space at the top of the circle. (1986)
31
32 Section 7. No act of this organization or section of this constitution or it bylaws may conflict or be
33 construed so as to conflict with the constitution, bylaws, or acts of the National Junior Classical
34 League, the Classical Association of Florida, or the American Classical League. (2008)
35
36 Section 8. The Board of Advisors shall have the authority to nullify, by unanimous vote, any act of
37 this organization, which it feels will greatly interfere with the legitimate operations of this organization.
38 (2008)
39
40 ARTICLE II
41 Membership
42
43 Section 1. Any member of the National Junior Classical League studying classical language and/or
44 with a sincere interest in the classics shall be eligible for membership in this organization. (1984)
45
46 Section 2. Any local chapter of the National Junior Classical League established in the State of Florida
47 shall become a local chapter of this organization upon proper registration with the treasurer.
48
49 Section 3. Any member-at-large of the National Junior Classical League established in the State of
50 Florida shall become a member-at-large of this organization upon proper registration with the
 51 treasurer, provided that no student attending a school with a local chapter already established shall
52 acquire such membership, and the members-at-large shall be considered as one chapter for electoral
53 purposes.
54
55 Section 4. The Board of Directors shall set the annual dues, upon payment of which each local
56 chapter and members-at-large shall enjoy the privileges and rights of membership throughout that
57 year. (1982, 1987)
58
59 ARTICLE III
60 Officers
61
62 Section 1. The officers will be a president, vice-president, recording secretary, corresponding
63 secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, historian, editor-in-chief of the state newspaper, and the
64 technology coordinator. (2003)
65
66 Section 2. The elected officers' terms shall commence at the conclusion of the state convention and
67 the appointed officers at the conclusion of the national convention, and expire on the corresponding
68 date in the following year.
69
70 Section 3. No more than two members from the same school shall serve as officers of this
71 organization simultaneously. (2008)
72
73 Section 4. Each officer will be in good standing with his school at the time of his election/
74 appointment/confirmation and must remain in good standing with his/her school throughout his/her
75 term of office; and at the start of his/her term of office will have completed one year of a classical
76 language, if possible. In addition, all candidates for FJCL office must have previously attended a
77 FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE Forum or a National Junior Classical League Convention;
78 candidates for president and vice-president must have attended at least one NJCL Convention. (1980,
79 1987, 1993, 1994, 2002)
80
81 Section 5. No person shall be eligible as a candidate who, at the time of his election, shall have
82 exceeded the eleventh grade.
83
84 Section 6. The officers elected at the business meeting of the State Latin Forum will be the President,
85 vice-president, recording secretary, parliamentarian, and historian. (1991)
86
87 Section 7. Delegates will have an opportunity to view scrapbooks of candidates for the office of
88 historian sometime during the State Latin Forum. (1994)
89
90 Section 8. The treasurer and corresponding secretary will be appointed by and from the chapter(s)
91 which host the State Latin Forum for that year.
92
93 Section 9. The editor-in-chief of the state newspaper will be appointed by and from the chapter,
94 which publishes the newspaper.
95
96 Section 10. The technology coordinator will be appointed by the newly elected FJCL officers at state
97 forum through an application process. (2003)
98
99 Section 11. Each officer of the FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE must be enrolled in a Latin, Greek,
100 or Classical Humanities class at least half of the year during which his office is held, or completed all
101 Latin, Greek, or Classical Humanities classes offered at his school. (2003)
102
103 Section 12. All officers of this organization will comprise the Board of Directors with the president of
104 this organization serving as its chairman.
105
106 Section 13. Any member of the FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE wishing to run for an office of the
107 National Junior Classical League must be present at the State Latin Forum immediately preceding the
108 national convention at which the member is to run. This member must be confirmed by the majority
109 of voting delegates to be allowed to run for NJCL office. The member may, at his discretion, engage
110 in any campaign activity allowed for State office candidates. Should an emergency allow a candidate
111 to be nominated at the national convention, this section may be suspended by a majority of the
112 Florida delegates present at the national convention. (1985)
113
114 ARTICLE IV
115 Duties of Officers
116
117 Section 1. It will be the duties of the president to preside and preserve order at all general assemblies,
118 business meetings, officers' meetings and National Junior Classical League Convention state
119 fellowships and caucuses, to represent the organization at all public occasions, to appoint all necessary
120 committees and to serve as an ex officio member of all committees, to appoint the chapter that will be
121 responsible for the publishing the state newspaper, to confirm the appointments of the treasurer,
122 corresponding secretary, editor-in-chief for the state newspaper, and the technology coordinator, and
123 to serve as the chairman of the Board of Directors. (1980, 1982, 1991)
124
125 Section 2. It will be the duties of the vice-president to chair all standing committees and to perform
126 the duties of the president in the event of his absence. If the president is removed, the vice-president
127 will be the president.
128
129 Section 3. It will be the duties of the recording secretary to record and keep a permanent record of
130 the minutes of the fall planning meeting, the business meeting and the general assemblies of the State
131 Latin Forum and all other officers' meetings and to submit a copy of the minutes to the vice-president
132 of the Classical Association of Florida within four weeks of each meeting. (1980, 1989, 1991)
133
134 Section 4. It will be the duty of the corresponding secretary to conduct the correspondence of this
135 organization.
136
137 Section 5. It will be the duties of the treasurer to receive and disburse funds and to keep a record of
138 all financial transactions.
139
140 Section 6. It will be the duties of the parliamentarian to interpret the constitution, as necessary and
141 proper, and to submit in writing the rationale for interpretations to the president of this organization
142 and the vice-president of the Classical Association of Florida. (1977, 1982, 1991)
143
144 Section 7. It will be the duty of the editor-in-chief to be responsible for publishing the state
145 newspaper. (1977)
146
147 Section 8. It will be the duties of the historian to create and maintain the state scrapbook for display at
148 the State Latin Forum and competition at the National Junior Classical League Convention. (1980)
149
150 Section 9. It will be the duties of the Technology Coordinator to update the FJCL website with
151 pertinent information provided by the other officers, the CAF, and members of the FJCL Planning
152 Committee. In addition, the website will be submitted into the National Website competition. The
153 vice-president of the CAF as well as the student’s sponsor will serve as advisors for the web page. All
154 materials for the web page must be forwarded to the CAF vice-president to be uploaded to the
155 website. (2003)
156
157 Section 10. It will be the duty of the Board of Directors and the host chapter(s), with the aid of the
158 Board of Advisors, to plan the State Latin Forum.
159
160 Section 11. It will be the duties of the president of this organization and the vice-president of the
161 Classical Association of Florida to compile the agenda for the business meeting of the State Latin
162 Forum and to publish and distribute this material to reach the voting delegates of each chapter at least
163 three weeks before the State Latin Forum. (1980)
164
165 ARTICLE V
166 Board of Advisors
167
168 A Board of Advisors, consisting of the officers of the Classical Association of Florida and the last
169 year's State Latin Forum sponsor(s), will serve as advisors to this organization.
170
171 ARTICLE VI
172 Finances
173
174 Section 1. The amount of the debt of this organization will never exceed its anticipated assets.
175
176 Section 2. A registration fee, which will be set by the sponsor(s) of the State Latin Forum and Board
177 of Advisors, will be charged for the State Latin Forum. This registration will cover all costs of the
178 State Latin Forum.
179
180 Section 3. No expense account will be accepted until a detailed report of these expenses is presented
181 at the business meeting of the State Latin Forum.
182
183 Section 4. Reimbursement of funds spent by all officers shall take place after a detailed report has
184 been sent to the treasurer and has been approved by the officers' sponsor, the vice-president of the
185 Classical Association of Florida. The expenses of the vice-president of the Classical Association of
186 Florida will be reimbursed upon the approval of the Board of Advisors. (1979, 1982, 1991)
187
188 Section 5. This organization will pay the FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE President's registration
189 expenses to the National Junior Classical League Convention. In addition, all other FJCL officers will
190 have 40% of their NJCL registration paid. If the president is unable to attend the NJCL Convention,
191 then the vice president or an alternate officer shall fulfill the president's responsibilities and will be
192 compensated the full NJCL registration expense. The FJCL will also reimburse him for the
193 registration packet and travel expenses for national forum. Travel expenses will be determined by the
194 least expensive way that the Florida delegation is traveling. (1980, 1981, 1993, 2003)
195
196 Section 6. This organization will pay the State Chairman's registration, planning, and one-half of his
197 travel expenses for the National Junior Classical League Convention. (1980, 1981)
198
199 Section 7. The state officers will be reimbursed for certain expenses at the fall planning meeting and
200 other officers' meetings. The treasury will pay fifteen cents per mile for transportation if the officer is
201 unable to ride in his sponsor's car; a set price for food, to be decided upon by those present at the
202 meeting depending upon the expense of motel accommodations when he is unable to stay in a private
203 home, will also be paid. (1980, 1982, 1986)
204
205 Section 8. The vice-president of the Classical Association of Florida will be reimbursed for certain
206 expenses when meeting with the officers of this organization. The treasury will pay fifteen cents per
207 mile for transportation; a set price for food, not to exceed five dollars per meal and expenses for
208 motel accommodations when he is unable to stay in a private home, will also be paid. (1982, 1986)
209
210 Section 9. The host chapter(s) will present a budget to the State Forum Planning Committee and the
211 state officers at the fall planning; a detailed financial statement will be presented by the host chapter(s)
212 to all Florida Junior Classical League chapters through the state newspaper by June 1. (1977, 1986)
213
214 Section 10. This organization will subsidize the cost of the publication of the state newspaper and will
215 send four copies to each school chapter. (1992)
216
217 Section 11. There shall be a biennially awarded teacher travel scholarship of one thousand dollars,
218 known as the Geraldine Hodges Scholarship. When funds are not available, the existing funds will be
219 retained in the treasury to accumulate. (1980, 1981, 1984)
220
221 Section 12. There will be two annually awarded student scholarships, called the Vivia Craig
222 Scholarships, each not to exceed six hundred fifty dollars. These scholarships will be awarded by the
223 Scholarship Committee of the Classical Association of Florida. (1984)
224
225 Section 13. The FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE shall allot a sum, not exceeding five hundred
226 dollars per year, to gather and train an upper and lower division certamen team to compete at the
227 national convention. These funds shall be used for the purpose of providing lodging for all interested
228 members. (198?)
229
230 Section 14. Any FJCL delegate receiving two firsts in State Latin Forum academic or creative
231 competition will receive a cash award. The amount will be determined by the number of firsts; the
232 total amount to be spent of these cash awards not to exceed $500.00. (1993)
233
234 Section 15. In the event that the FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE ceases to exist as an organization,
235 any funds remaining after all obligations have been paid will be sent to the National Junior Classical
236 League for use as college scholarships for Florida Latin Students. (1987, 1993)
237
238 ARTICLE VII
239 Meetings
240
241 Section 1. The State of Florida shall be divided into regions suitable for holding area meetings.
242 (1993)
243
244 Section 2. The officers will hold a meeting in the fall when the State Forum Planning Committee
245 meets. (1986)
246
247 Section 3. A meeting, called the State Latin Forum, will be held annually.
248
249 Section 4. A host chapter(s) shall be defined as any chapter or chapters whose sponsors and members
250 are to be responsible for preparation and coordination of the State Latin Forum. These sponsors
251 shall be called the State Forum Planning Committee and will advise the Board of Directors. The host
252 chapter(s) of the forthcoming State Latin Forum will decide, with the president of this organization,
253 the time of the State Latin Forum. This will be entered on the principals' calendar for the coming
254 year. (1987)
255
256 Section 5. The host chapter(s) will have the authority to set up rules governing the State Latin Forum.
257
258 Section 6. The retiring and new officers will have a meeting on the last day of the State Latin Forum.
259
260 Section 7. A meeting of the Board of Directors may be called on notice of two weeks either by the
261 president of the Board of Advisors or by the chairman of the Board of Directors. (1977)
262
263 ARTICLE VIII
264 Elections
265
266 Section 1. In order to be eligible for candidacy for an elected office an individual must be eligible to
267 hold the office for which he intends to run; must be a member of chapter running no more than one
268 other candidate for an elective office; must submit a completed declaration of candidacy form to the
269 parliamentarian, postmarked not later than six weeks before the State Latin Forum, which shall
270 include his declaration of the office for which he intends to seek candidacy, his affirmation of his
271 eligibility to hold office and intent to serve if elected, and the signed approval of the individual’s
272 parent or legal guardian, sponsor, and school principal. (1982, 1992, 2008)
273
274 Section 2. Each chapter will be entitled to send three voting delegates to the State Latin Forum. The
275 power to vote will be vested solely in these delegates. Secret ballots will be used exclusively in this
276 vote.
277
278 Section 3. A tally committee shall be formed of the current FJCL President, Vice-President, and
279 Parliamentarian overseen by the CAF Vice President and another CAF officer. In the event that one
280 or more of the current FJCL officers of the committee are candidates for office, they shall be replaced
281 by another current FJCL officer at the discretion of the CAF. This committee shall hold the
282 responsibility of counting the secret ballots cast by the voting delegates and announcing the winners of
283 elections. Those ballots shall be kept in the care of the CAF Vice President until the time of the
284 NJCL National Convention. (2008)
285
286 Section 4. All candidates for office shall be present at the business meeting of the State Latin Forum
287 but will have no votes unless they are voting delegates.
288
289 Section 5. Campaign expenditures shall not exceed twenty-five dollars, with the receipts thereof being
290 submitted to the vice-president of the Classical Association of Florida; any discounted or donated
291 items shall be counted at full value for the purpose of determining expenditures. (1981, 1991)
292
293 Section 6. The president, vice-president, and recording secretary will be elected by a simple majority
294 of the voting delegates to the State Latin Forum. (1980)
295
296 Section 7. The Board of Directors will, by appointment, fill any vacancies that occur in elective offices
297 with the exception of the presidency (Refer to Article Four, Section 2). If the Executive Board fails to
298 fill the vacant position within one month’s time, this will considered official negligence on the part of
299 the Parliamentarian. (2008)
300
301 Section 8. Each officer, upon installation, shall affirm:
302
303 "I, (name), do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of (office) of
304 the FLORIDA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE ; will diligently work to serve the best interests of the
305 league; and will defend, protect, and uphold its constitution, to the best of my ability."
306
307 However, absence from the installation ceremony shall not prevent any legitimately elected, duly
308 qualified officer from assumption of the duties of his office. (1981)
309
310 Section 9. In the event that there should be no State Latin Forum, the president of this organization in
311 conjunction with the vice-president of the Classical Association of Florida shall provide for the
312 election of officers by mail-in ballot. (1981, 1991)
313
314 Section 10. If there is one or no candidate for an elected office, nominations for the office will be
315 accepted at the first meeting for voting delegates. (1993)
316
317 ARTICLE IX
318 Impeachment
319
320 Section 1. Whenever two state officers, or the executive officers representing five local chapters,
321 should transmit a petition for the impeachment of any officer to the vice-president of the Classical
322 Association of Florida, he shall then notify the accused and initiate impeachment proceedings within
323 two weeks. (1991)
324
325 Section 2. The petition shall specify charges based on the following classes of misconduct:
326
327 A. abuse of office;
328
329 B. hampering this organization of any of its agencies in its legitimate
330 endeavors;
331
332 C. official negligence;
333
334 D. violation of this constitution, its bylaws, or convention rules; and
335
336 E. any behavior unbecoming an officer. (1994)
337
338 Section 3. The charges shall be distributed to every officer by the vice-president of the Classical
339 Association of Florida, who shall guarantee the right of the accused to an adequate defense. No
340 conviction may occur until the vice-president of the Classical Association of Florida should be
341 satisfied that adequate defense has been made. (1991)
342
343 Section 4. The Board of Directors shall try the accused, whose privileges as a member shall be
344 suspended for that meeting. A two-thirds majority vote by secret ballot shall be required for
345 conviction, in which case the accused shall immediately relinquish his office.
346
347 Section 5. The dismissal of an officer for any reason must be accompanied by the reasons for
348 dismissal, submitted in writing to the president of this organization and the vice-president of the
349 Classical Association of Florida. (1981, 1991)
350
351 ARTICLE X
352 Amendments
353
354 Section 1. This constitution and its bylaws may be amended at any business meeting of this
355 organization held at the State Latin Forum by a two-thirds vote of the voting delegates present. These
356 amendments will take effect at the close of the business meeting.
357
358 Section 2. In the event that there should be no State Latin Forum, the parliamentarian of this
359 organization shall provide for the voting on amendments to this constitution by mail-in ballot. (1982)
360
361 Section 3. All further amendments to this constitution and its bylaws will be dated. (1977)
362
363 ARTICLE XI
364 Ratification
365
366 This constitution will go into effect as soon as two-thirds of the voting delegates of this organization
367 have ratified it.
368
369 BYLAWS
370
371 Section 1. The sponsors of this organization will have no vote in pending matters but may enter into
372 discussion.
373
374 Section 2. Duplicates of all official correspondence of this organization will be sent to the vice-
375 president of the Classical Association of Florida. (1991)
376
377 Section 3. The invocation and benediction of each general assembly of this organization will be given
378 by individuals to be chosen previous to the State Latin Forum by the president of this organization.
379 (1979)
380
381 Section 4. In the event of a violation of State Latin Forum rules, a disciplinary board shall be formed.
382 It shall consist of the sponsor(s) of the host chapter(s), the president and vice-president of the
383 Classical Association of Florida, the State Chairman, and the president of this organization. If the
384 offender is from the same chapter as one of the board, that member shall be replaced by another
385 officer of this organization. The offender and his sponsor shall be summoned promptly to appear
386 before the board. Punishment of the offender shall be determined by the board after reviewing all the
387 evidence presented. The principal of the offender's school shall be notified of these proceedings.
388 (1981, 1991)