Bylaws of The Women’s Classical Caucus (official)

Revised and approved by vote of the membership January 2022

DESCRIPTION

1. The Women’s Classical Caucus, Inc. (hereinafter called the “WCC”) is a not-for-profit membership corporation formed exclusively for cultural, literary, scientific, educational, charitable, and advocacy purposes and affiliated with the Society for Classical Studies (formerly known as the American Philological Association).

GENERAL

2. The purposes of the WCC are:

a) to promulgate a fuller understanding of the contributions of women to classical culture and to promote the study of gender in antiquity and feminist scholarship in all areas of Classics;

b) to promote professional conditions that encourage scholars from historically marginalized groups, such as women, trans, and non-binary people, to enter and to remain in the field of Classics;

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

d) to foster supportive professional relationships among classicists concerned with questions of gender and to forge links with feminist scholars in other disciplines;

e) in support of the foregoing purposes, to engage in the activities of organizing, supporting and participating in public lectures, seminars, conferences and panels, including panels at the annual meetings of the Society for Classical Studies, at meetings of regional classical conferences, and at other similar scholarly conferences; to disseminate information through the publication of newsletters or journals containing articles, book reviews, and current information relating to the above topics and acting as a clearinghouse for such information; to distribute prizes and awards for outstanding feminist scholarship relating to classical antiquity; to distribute Equity Fund grants to promote just and equitable treatment within the profession of Classics.

OFFICES

3. The registered offices shall be at the residence of the Treasurer of the WCC.

MEMBERSHIP

4. Any person interested in the purposes stated in Article Second hereof may become a member of the WCC upon payment of the proper fees. All membership dues are payable at the time of submitting a membership application in accordance with the schedule of dues determined by the WCC Executive Committee.

5. Membership in good standing is determined by timely payment of dues. Any member who has not paid dues shall be dropped from the membership roster, at the discretion of the Membership Director. The WCC Steering Committee may by majority vote expel any member who is abusive or disruptive to other members or to the mission of the WCC.

MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

6. There will be at least one Annual Business Meeting of members called by the WCC Co-Chairs, which ideally 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, including via electronic formats. The Executive Committee will submit an annual report once per year to its members. All reports will be made available to members on the website or by email at the Annual Business Meeting, which usually will either coincide with the annual meeting of the Society for Classical Studies (SCS) or be soon thereafter. Venue and date of the Annual Business Meeting can be changed by a majority vote of the WCC Executive Committee with notification of the meeting and items to be voted sent to WCC members at least ten days in advance of the meeting.

7. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote at official WCC Business Meetings. Except for amending the bylaws (see #18 below), passage of motions requires a simple majority vote of members present at the meeting.

ELECTIONS

8. The election procedures for the Directors of the WCC shall be provided for by the Steering Committee in the WCC Operations & Policies Document (OPD), with voting announced to the membership and remaining open for at least twenty days.

a) Candidates shall be nominated by members via e-mail (or other electronic means) and elected by electronic ballot of the membership as per #8 above for four-year terms, with eligibility for re-election to the Steering Committee after four (4) years out of office;

b) Members of the Steering Committee serve for four years with two new members elected each year to assist in the duties of the organization. Co-Chairs will be chosen from the elected Steering Committee members and determined by a majority vote of the Executive Committee based on the needs of the organization. Procedures for this process will reside in the Operational Procedures Document. During their four-year term, members of the Steering Committee are expected to serve on the Executive Committee, usually with at least one year in the role of Co-Chair.

STEERING COMMITTEE

9. The Steering Committee is the board of directors for the WCC. Its voting members consist of the Executive Committee (as defined in Section 11, below) and all other elected members serving their four-year terms. It generally has two additional non-voting members: former Co-Chairs who have completed their four-year terms and are serving for an additional year in an advisory capacity. At the request of the Co-Chairs, additional non-voting Steering Committee seats may be held for former Co-Chairs beyond their four-year term to serve in an advisory capacity for one year. The Steering Committee shall meet as a body at Business Meetings, which should be held twice per academic year, at minimum (as defined in Section 15, below).

10. Steering Committee members will be assigned tasks and roles, which will be delineated in a separate Operational Procedures Document. The Executive Committee will maintain the Operational Procedures Document with input from Directors and make it available to the membership on the website. 

Each member of the Steering Committee shall have one vote. If a Steering Committee member leaves office during their term, a replacement will be appointed for the remainder of the term by the Co-Chairs with a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Further guidelines and procedures for replacement will be in the Operational Procedures Document.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

11.  The Executive Committee shall consist of the Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee, the Treasurer, and the Director of Membership. The Executive Committee is authorized to act on behalf of the Steering Committee in matters requiring immediate attention and with notification to the Steering Committee soon thereafter. Co-Chairs (generally two) shall share the authority and responsibility of directing the WCC organization and must be elected members of the Steering Committee. The Co-Chairs split the duties of managing the WCC, and the authority of the Co-Chairs is to be equal. Their job is to assign leadership roles and functions to Steering Committee members and fill any other needed leadership positions with other WCC members. They also determine the schedule for regular meetings of the Steering Committee throughout the year. 

12. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of and shall receive all monies of the WCC and shall maintain an address list of all WCC members in good standing. The Treasurer is also in charge of posting an annual financial statement to the WCC membership. Usually, the Treasurer should be an elected member of the Steering Committee. If this is not possible, the Co-Chairs have discretion to appoint a Treasurer, who will then be on the Executive Committee as a voting member. Specific procedures for appointing a Treasurer (whether from the Steering Committee or not) will be set in the Operational Procedures Document. The Treasurer ideally will perform in this role for four years, with the first and final years focused on transition. The Treasurer may also serve in other leadership capacities.

13. The Director of Membership manages all aspects of WCC Membership and works closely with the Treasurer collecting revenue from various sources (e.g., membership dues, donations, merchandise, etc.) and disbursing funds (e.g., refunds, awards, etc.). Announcements and event planning may also fall under the purview of the Director of Membership, who will work in conjunction with the Co-Chairs and other Steering Committee members to ensure smooth communications and administration of programming to the larger WCC membership.

14. The Executive Committee shall serve as Executives of the Corporation, which manage the day-to-day operations of the WCC. While the Steering Committee will vote on the general direction of the organization, leadership roles necessary for the operations of the WCC as an organization are to be assigned by the Co-Chairs based on organizational need (e.g. Director of Mentorship, Director of Events, etc.). The Executive Committee can assign short-term Directors in operational roles by a simple majority vote of Executive Committee members.

MEETINGS OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

15. The Steering Committee shall convene in person or electronically at least twice per year, with one meeting being in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Classical Studies. The Steering Committee may also meet at such other times and places as the Co-Chairs shall designate, with notice of any such meeting sent to Steering Committee members ten days in advance of the meeting. Should advance notice not be possible, the Steering Committee may convene with less notice if a majority of the voting members of the Steering Committee can attend the meeting.

16. Motions of the Steering Committee shall be approved by consensus or by a majority vote of the Steering Committee. Five voting members present synchronously shall be requisite at a Steering Committee meeting to constitute a quorum for the purpose of transacting business. The Steering Committee may conduct business electronically. The formats will be outlined and updated in the Operational Procedures Document. 

17. Any member of the Steering Committee or appointed Director who does not respond to direct communications by email from members of the Executive Committee related to WCC business and their operational role for two (2) months or otherwise hinders WCC operations may be removed from that position by majority vote of the Executive Committee, who may then appoint a replacement whose term can be renewed at the next election.

WCC ASSOCIATES

18. The Steering Committee shall appoint Associates (e.g., Election Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Liaison with the SCS Committee on the Status of Women and Minorities, Liaison with the AIA, Prize Coordinator, etc.) to help manage the affairs of the WCC. Associates may participate in Steering Committee meetings at the discretion of the Executive Committee. The list of duties for each Associate will be added to the Operational Procedures Document, and assigned Associates must acknowledge their understanding of their duties when they take on this role.  Terms for Associates shall be for a maximum of one year, but may be renewed by the Executive Committee after a formal review. Associates may be removed from their position by majority vote of the Executive Committee for failure to perform their assigned role.

OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES DOCUMENT

19. The Operational Procedures Document delineates the specific duties for various roles in the organization, including the Executive Committee members. It also includes procedures and instructions for administering WCC programming, voting, and the general operations necessary to keep the WCC in good standing as a nonprofit and affiliate of the Society for Classical Studies. The Executive Committee can make changes to the Operational Procedures Document by a majority vote and then must notify the Steering Committee of any changes.

AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS

20. Any member in good standing may propose an amendment or amendments to these By-laws. Action on the By-laws requires a voting period of no less than two weeks with a ballot, usually electronic, made available to all members in good standing. Specific details for the voting process will be kept in the Operational Procedures Document. Amendments can be proposed to the Steering Committee by any member in good standing and can be put on the ballot to the larger membership with a majority vote of the Steering Committee. All amendments to the By-laws must be voted on and approved by a majority of members who submit votes through the election process.