ACQS Constitution
Constitution of the American Council for Québec Studies
1. NAME
The name of this organization is The American Council for Québec Studies (ACQS).
For legal purposes, the ACQS is organized as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of the State of New Hampshire.
2. AIMS AND PURPOSES
The ACQS aspires to promote the study of Québec, francophone Canada, and Franco-America in the United States and abroad. Since 1982, it has organized an academic conference every other year. It also publishes the journal Québec Studies. The ACQS periodically sponsors other activities, such as a series of Outreach Seminars for teachers and scholars, to further its aims and purposes.
The President, in consultation with the members of the Executive Board, will choose the location of the biennial meeting, and the Vice President will have full charge of conducting it, or will delegate responsibility for the meeting, subject only to general guidelines laid down by the Executive Board.
Meetings of the Executive Board may be held semi-annually; a General Business Meeting, open to all members, will be held during the biennial conference.
The ACQS will publish from time to time an electronic newsletter about matters of interest to members of the ACQS.
In addition, the ACQS may sponsor or encourage other scholarly publications.
3. MEMBERSHIP
a) Any permanent resident of the United States, other than those included in Section 3, part c, is entitled to Regular Membership on payment of such dues as may from time to time be duly authorized in accordance with this Constitution. Regular Membership will entitle a person to participate in all the activities of the ACQS, to hold office in it, to attend and vote at its business meetings (subject to the payment of any registration fees as may be duly prescribed for such meetings or activities), and to receive all publications of the ACQS on terms laid down for such Members.
b) Any person not a permanent resident of the United States may become an Associate Member on payment of such dues as may from time to time be duly assessed in accordance with this Constitution. Associate Members will enjoy all the rights of Regular Members except the right to hold office.
c) Any person who is a civil servant of the United States Government, the government of a U.S. state, of the Canadian Government, or of any provincial government of Canada is eligible for Associate Membership, but may neither vote in elections nor hold office on the Executive Board.
4. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE ACQS
The Executive Board of the ACQS will consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President, the Editor-in-Chief of Québec Studies, and others as designated in the bylaws.
a) The President will hold office for a term of two years, will be elected by the Regular Members of the ACQS, and may not be re-elected to a second consecutive term.
b) The Vice President will hold office for two years, will be elected by the Regular Members of the ACQS, and may not be re-elected to a second consecutive term.
c) The Secretary will be elected for two years by the Regular Members of the ACQS, and, if re-elected, may serve a second consecutive term.
d) The Treasurer will be elected for two years by the Regular Members of the ACQS, and, if re-elected, may serve additional terms.
e) The immediate Past President will continue as a member of the Executive Board for two years after the expiration of his or her term as President.
f) The Editor-in-Chief of the ACQS’s journal, Québec Studies, will be appointed by the President, upon the advice of the Executive Board, and will serve at their pleasure.
g) The Executive Board shall have the right to appoint or dissolve ad hoc committees as required. Such committees may be composed of Regular and Associate Members as the Board deems appropriate, and shall report directly to the Board.
All officers will have equal voting rights in the business of the Executive Board.
5. ELECTIONS
The election of Officers will take place at two-year intervals in non-conference years by electronic ballot, or by another method of communication specified in advance by the Executive Board.
The Executive Board will appoint a Nominating Committee of three persons to prepare a slate of candidates. The Executive Board will also invite nominations for officers from the membership. Nominations must be seconded and supported by at least two other Regular Members, and submitted to the Secretary for inclusion on the ballot. Nominations will close two months from the time they are sought.
The Nominating Committee will submit the candidates to the appropriate electors after the closing of nominations and will allow one month for the return of the ballots.
The result of the election will be announced to the membership electronically, or in another easily available manner chosen by the Board.
6. RULES OF PROCEDURE
In the absence of other provisions, Robert’s Rules of Order, as most recently revised, shall govern the conduct of all official meetings of the ACQS.
7. FEES
A membership fee will be collected regularly from all Members to support appropriate business of the ACQS.
8. ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT OF THIS CONSTITUTION
The original Constitution became provisionally effective immediately upon adoption by the Executive Committee set up for the purpose of drafting a Constitution and administering the business of the Council in the years 1980 and 1981. The Officers of that Committee constituted the Executive Board of the Council until the General Meeting of 1981. Upon adoption by the Executive Board, the Constitution was circulated by the Secretary to all Members of the Council for discussion and revisions. The Constitution and revisions submitted by Members were discussed at the 1981 General Meeting of the Council, after which it was submitted for final approval by a majority vote of all Regular Members present.
The Constitution was originally compiled by C. Stewart Doty and adopted on October 2, 1981, for the Northeast Council for Quebec Studies; it has since been amended in October 1984, March 2003, October 2014, and October 2022.
Future constitutional amendments must be called for at the time of the call for nomination of candidates for office, must be circulated at the time of the election, discussed at the General Meeting, and approved by a two-thirds majority of those voting members who are present at the meeting.
The ACQS Executive Board may establish and amend the bylaws of the organization, as needed, from time to time.
9. DISSOLUTION
In the event that the American Council for Québec Studies ceases to exist as a legal organization, its assets shall be distributed as follows:
Option 1: Disbursed as scholarship assistance to regular members in good standing who are pursuing graduate study at the time of dissolution; and/or
Option 2: Donated to a U.S. library that collects and preserves materials on the francophone experience in North America.