AAACC Bylaws

Created March 14, 2021

Approved by the Board of Directors on April 3, 2021

DESCRIPTION:

1. The Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus (hereinafter called the “AAACC”) is a not-for-profit membership organization for students and scholars of classical antiquity interested in studying the reception of the classical tradition in contemporary Asian and Asian American culture and committed to increasing the diversity of the field of Classics.  The AAACC is an affiliated group with the Society for Classical Studies.

GENERAL:

2. The purposes of the AAACC are:

a) to bring together and build the vibrant community of Asian and Asian American classicists; 

b) to promote scholarship that explores classical reception in Asian and Asian American culture, contact with eastern cultures, modern pedagogy, and critical race studies; 

c) to advance the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion within the profession of Classics;

e) in support of the foregoing purposes, to organize panels at the annual meetings of the Society for Classical Studies, public outreach events, and relevant reading and writing groups; to provide a mentorship program for scholars of all stages; to distribute paper prizes for outstanding scholarship relating to classical reception in Asian and diasporic Asian cultures, broadly defined. 

MEMBERSHIP:

3. Any person interested in the purposes stated in Article Two may become a member of the AAACC upon the acceptance of their membership application. 

4. If a member violates the ethical standards of the field, membership will be revoked by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.

5. Membership must be renewed annually. 

MEETINGS OF MEMBERS:

6. The annual Business Meeting of members shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Classical Studies, at a time and place to be determined by that association. Notification of the meeting and items to be voted upon shall be sent to AAACC members at least ten days in advance.

7. Each member shall be entitled to one vote in person or by written proxy at the annual Business Meeting. Except for amending the bylaws (see #17 below), passage of motions requires a simple majority of members voting in person or by written proxy.

ELECTIONS:

8. The election of Officers of the AAACC shall be by majority of voting members every two years, with voting announced to the membership and remaining open for at least 10 business days.

a) Candidates shall be nominated by members via e-mail and elected by electronic ballot of the membership as per #8 above for two-year terms.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

9. The AAACC Executive Committee shall serve as Officers of the Organization and shall manage the affairs of the AAACC. The Executive Committee shall be composed of at least seven members, as follows:

a) Co-chairs (2), whose duties include

  1. Organizing meetings with the other officers (every other month) and the Board of Directors (trimesterly w/ Board; once a year with both officers & Board);

  2. Working with the Board on future directives of the organization;

  3. Cultivating relationships with leaders from other Classics organizations and developing potential collaborations;

  4. Overseeing logistical/organizational details (e.g. manage organization’s email account, run elections, renew charter, co-sign financial responsibilities, etc.);

  5. Curating and managing the trimesterly newsletter (Spring, Summer, Fall) that updates our members on our latest and upcoming events;

  6. Directing regular programming (e.g. assist with running elections, organize AIA/SCS reception, delegate program facilitators throughout the year, etc.) and managing annual workflow;

  7. Promoting the AAACC using various multimedia in academic and nonacademic contexts.

b) Financial officer, whose duties include

  1. Keeping the financial records of the AAACC and submit regular budget and expenditure reports;

  2. When necessary, filing the paperwork to be in compliance with the appropriate financial or governmental institutions;

  3. Maintaining the monetary service accounts necessary for the financial operation of the AAACC;

  4. Steering fundraising initiatives and advising on the economic feasibility of AAACC initiatives;

  5. Directing the annual membership drive (Lunar New Year);

  6. Managing the membership platform.

c) Programming officer, whose duties include

  1. Overseeing administration of paper prizes;

  2. Organizing and hosting events related to member needs (e.g. preparing for graduate school, preparing for the job market, etc.)

d) Outreach officer, whose duties include

  1. Helping organize AIA/SCS panel: collect abstracts, anonymize submissions for review and selection; 

  2. Hosting one annual event of their choosing; 

  3. Updating and maintaining the website;

    • Changing headlines, events, press links

    • Adding/removing job openings, scholarship opportunities, and bulletin

    • Keep track of and manage yearly web hosting fees;

    • Counsel on strategy and feasibility of other tech-related outreach

  4. Curating social media content for AAACC (including but not limited to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter);

  5. Taking meeting minutes.

e) Secondary education liaison (must be secondary educator; 1-2 positions), whose duties include

  1. Engaging secondary educators in AAACC membership and programming;

  2. Connecting APIDA secondary educators with each other informally (i.e., in-person or online introductions) and through events (e.g. certamen) 

  3. Hosting one annual event.

f) Mentorship Coordinator, whose duties include

  1. Managing the mentorship program by 

  • Publicizing the mentorship program through all channels (e.g. social media, newsletter, emails, website)

  • Creating and collecting the registration forms for mentors and mentees

  • Creating and disseminating facilitation guides for mentoring sessions 

  • Creating and collecting mid-program and end-of-year program feedback forms

  • Matching mentor-mentee pairs based on their stated preferences (e.g. research interests, professional and personal goals, strengths/weaknesses, etc)

  • Mediating any mentor-mentee conflicts 

  • Organizing and leading program-wide meetings each semester (usually October and February)

10. If an Officer resigns during their term, a replacement will be appointed for the remainder of the term by majority vote of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, after solicitation of nominations from the membership.

11. Each member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors shall have one vote.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

12. At least six members shall serve on the Board of Directors and shall share the authority and responsibility of guiding the Executive Committee on topics including programming, membership, the mentorship program, and the use of the organization’s funds.

13. Members of the Board of Directors serve for 4 years.

14. New members of the Board of Directors may be nominated by members of the Executive Committee or current members of the Board of Directors with appointment requiring a majority vote of the current members of the Board of Directors. 

MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

15. The Executive Committee shall convene in person or electronically approximately bimonthly. The Executive Committee may also meet at such other times and places as the Co-Chairs shall designate, with notice of any such meeting sent to Executive Committee members ten days in advance of the meeting. Should advance notice not be possible, the Executive Committee may convene with less notice if a 2/3 majority of Officers agrees to the meeting.

AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS:

16. Any member in good standing may propose an amendment or amendments to these by-laws. Action on the by-laws requires a 10% quorum of members (as per Wild Apricot) to vote. All amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of those members who voted.