Constitution of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German

I. Name
The name of the Chapter shall be The Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German.

II. Purpose
The purpose of the Chapter conforms to that of the National Organization. It proposes to promote and improve the teaching of German in the area covered by this Chapter and to encourage a spirit of cooperation and fellowship among its members.

III. Membership
1. Any teacher of German or anyone interested in the teaching of German may join the Minnesota Chapter after becoming a member of the National Organization upon payment of the annual dues as specified by the By-Laws of the National Organization. No one can be a member of the Minnesota Chapter alone. All chapter members must first belong to the National Organization. Membership will be retained by the continued payment of the annual dues.

2. The annual dues, which include subscriptions to THE GERMAN QUARTERLY or DIE UNTERRICHTSPRAXIS, are payable in September of the membership year for which they are intended. Only members in good standing may exercise the privileges of membership.

3. Associate membership applies to graduate and undergraduate students, as verified by the chairpersons of their departments, and to part-time secondary and elementary teachers of German.

4. A teacher who at the time of retirement has been a member for at least fifteen years may elect Emeritus Membership. The dues for this type of membership are defined in the By-Laws of the National Organization.

5. Honorary membership in the AATG may be granted only in accordance with the stipulations in the national constitution.

6. The Minnesota Chapter may levy a membership fee, subject to approval of the membership.

IV. Officers
1. The officers of the Chapter are a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer (or Secretary-Treasurer). All officers shall be elected for two years, and are eligible for reelection to the same office for the immediately succeeding term once only. The Vice-President shall become President after conclusion of his/her term as Vice-President.

2. These officers shall be elected at the meetings of the Chapter, on the basis of nominations made by a nominating committee and/or by nominations from the floor.

3. Officers should include representatives from various levels of German instruction. Candidates for president shall be chosen alternately from the elementary/secondary school level and the college/university level.

4. Election shall be made by secret ballot of all chapter members.

5. The Past President of the Chapter shall serve ex-oficio on the Executive Council for two years.

V. Administration


1. The administration of the Chapter shall be in the hands of the Executive Council, which shall have voting powers in all administrative decisions, and the Executive Board, which shall advise in all administrative matters.

2. The Executive Council shall consist of the officers provided for in Section IV.

3. The Executive Board shall consist of the following: Testing Chair, Laiaison to other language teaching organizations, Historian of the Chapter, the Editor of the Staatsbrief, the Editor of the Electronic Staatsbrief, the Chair of the Minnesota-Baden-Württemberg Exchange, and the Chairs of Deutsches Fest. The job descriptions of these positions shall be included in the Chapter By-Laws.


VI. Meetings


1. The Chapter shall meet at least twice each year. The time and place of meeting shall be determined by the President after due consultation with the executive council. The members present at any session shall constitute a quorum.

2. The Executive Council and Board whall meet together four times yearly to administer the Chapter.

VII. Change of Constitution

The Constitution of the Chapter may be amended by a two-thirds vote of active members present at any regular meeting. Such amendments may be proposed by the executive council or by written notice to the executive council by at least four members of the chapter not later than one month in advance of the meeting at which action is to be taken. The Secretary shall submit such proposed amendment/amendments by written notice to the membership at least three weeks prior to the time of final action.

VIII. By-Laws

The By-Laws may be adopted or changed at any annual meeting of the Chapter by majority of the active members present, provided written notice of the proposed changes is sent to all members at least three weeks prior to such action.


Posted on the MinnesINFObahn on: December 8, 2000

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