CHARTER & BYLAWS

*NOTE: THE ASTRA CHARTER AND BYLAWS ARE IN DEVELOPMENT.*

ASTRA BYLAWS

Article I (Members)

1. Individuals in North America in the field of Swedish studies shall be regarded as members in good standing of ASTRA upon the payment of membership dues.

2. All members in good standing shall be entitled to vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members.

3. An affiliate (non-voting) membership is available to individuals interested in or active in Swedish studies outside of North America

4. The Secretary shall maintain an updated membership roster of ASTRA.

Article II (Officers)

1. ASTRA shall be managed by an Executive Committee consisting of five members to be elected by the membership every three years. The election of the members to the Executive Committee shall be staggered to ensure institutional memory.

2. The membership shall elect for a three-year term a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and one Member-At-Large who together will form the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint a Webmaster who may be an elected member of the Executive Committee or an ex-officio appointment. In the event of an interim vacancy or of a committee member’s inability to fulfill the responsibilities of office, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement for the unexpired portion of the term.

3. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to create, fill, and dissolve both ad hoc and standing committees.

5. At the expiration of his/her three-year term, the President shall present to the members of ASTRA a written report of its activities to be published on the webpage.

Article III (Meetings)

1. Regular meetings of ASTRA will take place at least once a year. Such meetings may be held in conjunction with larger meetings attended by members of ASTRA. Unless members assembled for the meetings determine otherwise, Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall be followed in procedural matters.

2. In the event a general meeting cannot be arranged, the Executive Committee shall be responsible for conducting the necessary business of ASTRA through written communication.

Article IV (Changes in Charter or Bylaws)

1. Changes in the Charter or Bylaws of the organization may be proposed by members in good standing to the Executive Committee, which will in turn submit them to the entire membership for a vote by email ballot.. Changes in the Charter or Bylaws take effect with the approval of two-thirds of the voting membership. The voting membership consists of all North American members in good standing who return ballots by the specified date to the specified ballot-counters.

Article V (Dissolution)

1. Upon the dissolution of ASTRA, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of ASTRA, dispose of all the assets of ASTRA in such a manner or to such an organization or organizations as determined by the Executive Committee. The recipient or recipients of the assets of ASTRA must be operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations by the current Internal Revenue Code.

THE ASTRA CHARTER

Article I

The name of the organization is the Association of Swedish Teachers and Researchers in North America (ASTRA).

Article II

The purpose of the organization is:

To engage in all activities that will enhance Swedish studies in North America, and which will prove to be of mutual benefit to teachers of Swedish,and researchers working within Swedish studies, and the instructional programs that support this field. By way of example, these activities include the preparation and publication of teaching materials; the sharing of information ; the acquisition of funds to finance conferences, workshops, and seminars that will encourage a spirit of cooperation and collegiality among the instructors of Swedish studies.

Article III

The organization is a nonprofit educational organization and does not afford pecuniary gain, incidentally or otherwise, to its members and officers or to the institutions they serve. This does not, however, rule out stipends, grants, commissions or salaries to persons performing tasks that have been duly authorized by the governing body of the Association.