INFORMATION AND SCHEDULE

*Please note that the schedule can be changed, even without a warning. That is why it is important to attend the meatings!

------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Constitution and By-Laws of the Timber Creek H.S. Debate Team

  ORIGINALLY ADOPTED DECEMBER 5th, 2002

REVISED/AMENDED IN FULL ACCORDANCE WITH PROCEDURES OUTLINED HEREIN

2002-Present

1st Amended on April 3rd, 2007 

 All members are urged to read this carefully. All elements will be strictly enforced to provide optimal and legitimate equity and a reasonable alternative to chaos. Please contact a TCHS Debate Team officer if you have questions.

 Article I--Name

The name of this co-curricular team shall be the Timber Creek High School Debate Team. Hereafter, it shall be referred to as the team.  

 Article II--Purpose

It shall be the purpose of the team to Train Students in Public Speaking, Argumentation, Rhetorical Analysis, Research, Critical Thinking and Performing Arts by Providing Opportunities to Compete in Local, State, and National Forensic Tournaments. 

 Article III--Membership

     A.       Admission is limited to students in grades 9-12 actively attending Timber Creek HS.  

2. An active member is one who attends 50% of the team meetings, participates in team activities and at least two tournaments, maintains a 2.5 G.P.A., & complies with this constitution.

Article IV--Team Organization  

1. Organization/Operation: All students that have attained membership shall constitute the Team.  

2. Function: The Team shall compete at least five tournaments beginning as early as September and ending in March.  

Article V--Executive Committee

1. Members: The Executive Committee of the Team shall be composed of the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Parliamentarian, and the Historian/Webmaster. All members shall be students of Timber Creek High School enrolled on the debate team. The Executive Committee wields all executive powers of the Team.  

2. Election: The election of the members of the Executive Committee shall occur after the last regular season tournament. All members who have been in good standing for a minimum of one year and have met all the membership requirements of the team shall be eligible to run. Each member shall be allowed one vote. Special elections to fill vacancies will be conducted. Vacancies in the office of TCHS Debate Team President will be filled as specified below.  

3. Term of Office: The term of office for all members of the Executive Committee shall be one calendar school year.  

4. Vacancies: Vaccancies on the Executive Committee in all offices except that of the President shall be filled by election within two weeks according to the above criteria. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice-President with that office being filled by an election.  

      E. Duties:

1)      President: The President presides over all meetings, attends I.C.C. meetings, has the power to make executive decisions (within reason), and represent the sponsor when unavailable.  

2)      Vice-President: The Vice-President presides over meetings when the president is unavailable, attends I.C.C. meetings, and oversees the election for the following year.  

3)      Treasurer: The Treasurer maintains the treasury records, organizes and directs fundraisers, has the power to sign money-related documents, & reports to the team at the monthly meetings.    

4)      Secretary: The Secretary takes minutes at all meetings, provides all information to the advisor, works with the Parliamentarian on all non-school individual & organization correspondences, & shares the duties of keeping records of all member activities.  

5)      Webmaster/Parliamentarian: The webmaster / parliamentarian enforces Robert’s Rules of Order & this Constitution, works with the Secretary on all non-school individual & organization correspondences, and oversees elections with the Vice-President.  He is also responsible for updating and maintaining the official team website.

6)       Historian: The historian is responsible for updating our awards section, creating and updating yearly scrapbook and/or other team displays.  

6. Impeachment Procedures:  

1)      Sponsor warning  

2)      Petition for Impeachment sign by 50% of active members  

3)      Petition put to a 2/3 Vote  

4)      Officer relinquishes all powers of the office  

Article VI--Team Meetings

The monthly meetings of the Team shall be held on the first Thursday of each month. This meeting shall be considered the business meeting. All members are required to attend. The meetings shall be open to all members and shall be chaired by the President. Each member shall be allowed one vote. Voting privileges shall be extended only to those members that have fully finalized their memberships in the Team. Robert’s Rules of Order-Revised shall serve as the basis for the conduct of the meeting except that a quorum shall consist of the members present. All action taken at the meeting will be regarded as the will of the Team. All other weekly meetings shall be considered case constructing meetings.  

Article VII--General  

A.          Financial Records: The Treasurer shall make the monthly report as noted above. In addition, the financial records shall be open to any member upon written request to the Executive Committee.  

B.           Sponsor’s Right: The Sponsor reserves all rights to expel any member whose conduct is deemed inappropriate or in serious violation of the O.C.P.S. Code of Student Conduct  

Article VIII--Initiative and Referendum

Any question shall, at the request of two members of the Executive Committee or twenty percent of the members, be submitted to a vote of all members. If a majority of all eligible votes (2/3) is cast in favor of the proposed question, it shall be declared effective as the will of the Team. The ballot will provide for the opportunity to abstain any action by a member concerning the Team activities deemed incorrect, inappropriate, or in violation of this constitution and/or its by-laws and/or established Team procedures shall, at the request of two members of the Executive Committee or twenty percent of the members, be submitted to a vote of all members. If a majority of all eligible votes (2/3) is cast in favor of censuring such action, a letter of censure will be prepared by the Executive Committee and distributed to all members. In cases of both initiative and referendum:  

                A.    Each petitioning member must submit his/her request by separate letter. It must                                   be signed by the coach.  

B.     When an issue is put up for a vote, a position paper explaining the pros and cons of the proposition must be prepared by the Executive Committee and must accompany the ballot.  

C.     3. No action by initiative or referendum shall be valid if it is contrary to any provision of the constitution or its by-laws.  

Article IX--Amendment

Amendments or additions may be made to this constitution and its by-laws when supported by two members of the Executive Committee and ratified by a majority vote (2/3) of active members. The procedure dealing with unsubmitted ballots and abstentions described above shall apply to amendments and additions.  

1. By-Law Number 1:

1)      All ballots shall be prepared by the Executive Committee and given to members.  

2)      Each member shall be entitled to one vote in all elections and on all questions.  

3)      All ballots shall be returned to and tabulated by the Parliamentarian.

     B.    By-Law Number 2:

1)      A residentially appointed nominating committee composed of the Vice-President and the Parliamentarian shall serve as a conduit for members to nominate themselves or others for positions on the Executive Committee. The nominating committee shall function commencing at least two weeks prior to voting for all regular elections of the Executive Committee.  

2)      All members nominated for the office of President must be in good standing as an active member of the team.

3. By-Law Number 3:

1)      On all votes within the Executive Committee, the President must vote.  

4. By-Law Number 4:

1)      All competitors and at least one member of the Executive Committee shall be present at all tournaments from the opening of registration until the end of the awards assembly unless extenuating circumstances are approved by the sponsor.  

5. By-Law Number 5:

1)      No student shall be allowed to compete in the Grand Final Tournament if he/she has not attained Team membership through participation in at least two complete regular-season tournaments. A complete tournament is constituted of active participation in all rounds or sessions of a given NFCFL one-day tournament.  

6. By-Law Number 6:

1)      All provisions of this constitution and these by-laws shall become effective immediately upon adoption except for those provisions relating to events that have already transpired during the season in which said documents are adopted.