1. CAMWS POLICY ON PUBLIC STATEMENTS
The CAMWS Executive Committee has the right to issue public statements concerning important matters related to the organization. Occasionally the Committee receives requests from CAMWS members or non-members to issue official public statements on a particular issue. To ensure that the Committee handles all such requests fairly and in a timely fashion, the following Policy on Public Statements has been adopted.
CAMWS may issue a public statement when an issue is identified as consistent with the organization’s Mission Statement:
“The Classical Association of the Middle West and South, Inc., is a professional organization for anyone interested in the classical world, including classicists at all levels of instruction, that promotes the knowledge and appreciation of classical antiquity through support of pedagogy, original research and public outreach.”
These goals include the preservation of historical documents and artifacts, fostering communication and exchange among teachers and scholars, defending the fair and professional treatment of all members of the profession, and advocacy for the study of Classics and the humanities in general.
Anyone may petition the Executive Committee to issue a formal public statement about an issue of concern. Such requests should be forwarded to the President or Secretary-Treasurer. Requests must provide a clear and compelling reason for the proposed course of action, and demonstrate how it falls within the mission of CAMWS and conforms to the stated policies of the Association.
The President will refer the matter for discussion to the Executive Committee, who must approve any public statement to be issued on behalf of CAMWS. When, however, a speedy response is necessary, at his or her discretion the President may issue a statement upon recommendation in consultation with the Secretary-Treasurer only. As with other decisions of the Executive Committee, only the President or the Secretary-Treasurer is authorized to issue the statement in the appropriate venues.
Policy approved by the Executive Committee, August 24, 2017
2. CAMWS POLICY ON PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND CODE OF CONDUCT
The CAMWS Executive Committee has voted to endorse the Statement on Professional Ethics of the Society for Classical Studies (https://classicalstudies.org/about/scs-statement-professional-ethics) and approved a CAMWS Code of Conduct at Meetings (camws.org/codeofconduct).
CAMWS CODE OF CONDUCT
CAMWS Code Of Conduct At Meetings*
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South is an international organization, with representation in the United States and Canada, whose mission is to support and advance Classical Studies. Our meetings are open to members of CAMWS and to those interested in Classical Studies from around the globe. We are committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all who participate in our meetings. All participants, including but not limited to attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, CAMWS staff, service providers, and others present at the meeting, are expected to abide by this CAMWS Code of Conduct at Meetings. This Code applies to all CAMWS meetings, including those held jointly with other organizations. It should be noted that CAMWS supports, and has formally endorsed, the Statement on Professional Ethics of the Society for Classical Studies (https://classicalstudies.org/about/scs-statement-professional-ethics).
Expected Behavior
- All participants are to be treated with respect and consideration.
- Communication should be polite and courteous, critiquing ideas rather than individuals.
- Participants must be mindful of their surroundings and fellow participants. It is expected that participants will notify CAMWS officers if they notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.
- Participants must respect the rules, policies, and laws of the meeting venue and location.
Unacceptable Behavior
- Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.
- Physical or verbal abuse of any participants or others present at the meeting venue will not be tolerated.
- Examples of unacceptable behavior include but are not limited to: pejorative verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, national origin, disability, or physical appearance; the inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images, as well as sexual harassment of any kind; physical threats or stalking. Ad hominem attacks of any kind will not be tolerated.
- Recording still images, video, or audio of individuals, whether in their presentation or in any other venue of the conference, without the individual’s and the Association’s explicit permission is expressly forbidden.[1]
- Unwarranted disruption of talks, presentations, meetings, or exhibitions.
Consequences
- Anyone requested to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
- CAMWS officers and security officers acting on behalf of CAMWS or the meeting venue may remove from the meeting, without warning or refund, any person who engages in unacceptable behavior.
- CAMWS reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting.
Reporting Unacceptable Behavior
- If you are the subject of unacceptable behavior or have witnessed any such behavior, please immediately notify a CAMWS officer.
- Unacceptable behavior can be reported to any CAMWS officer on-site or at any time, during or after the meeting, by e-mailing the CAMWS President (president@camws.org) or Secretary-Treasurer (stcamws@camws.org).
- Anyone experiencing or witnessing behavior that constitutes an immediate or serious threat to public safety should without delay contact local security or law enforcement.
*This document is adapted from the Ecological Society of America’s Code of Conduct for their events (https://www.esa.org/esa/code-of-conduct-for-esa-events/).
Approved by the CAMWS Executive Committee on January 20, 2019.
[1] Please note that presence at CAMWS meetings and events allows CAMWS to record still images, video, or audio of any attendee and include them on the CAMWS website, in other social media and in print publications.
3. CAMWS AFFILIATED GROUPS
CAMWS recognizes affiliated groups organized by membership status (student, contingent, retired, etc.) or by academic interest (drama, epic, history, art, etc.).
Only groups which advance the mission of the organization (Mission Statement) can become affiliated with CAMWS. Members of the affiliated group are also expected to abide by the CAMWS Policy on Public Statements, Statement on CAMWS and Political Involvement, and Policy on Professional Ethics and Code of Conduct.
A group must request affiliated status from the CAMWS Executive Committee.
An affiliated group determines the members of its own managing committee. All members of the managing committee must be current CAMWS members, but regular members of an affiliated group are not required to be CAMWS members.
The affiliated group identifies a member of its managing committee to serve as its spokesperson (chair). This spokesperson submits annually to the Executive Committee a written report of committee activities. This spokesperson (or another representative from the group) gives an oral report at the annual CAMWS Business Meeting. Failure to make either of these reports for two years in a row will place the group in deactivated status and require the group to submit a new request for affiliation.
The affiliated group maintains its own social media, but can submit notices for posting on the CAMWS website or Facebook page and in the Newsletter.
An affiliated group is encouraged to submit to the CAMWS Program Committee proposals for panels, workshops, round-table discussions, and other events at the CAMWS Annual Meeting. Proposals for panels, workshops and round-table discussions must be submitted through the regular (anonymous) submission process, but these events, if approved, can be identified by affiliated sponsorship in the program.
The CAMWS Executive Committee reserves the right to cancel a group’s affiliation for any reason.
Current Affiliated Groups:
Graduate Student Issues Committee
Graduate Student Issues Committee
Approved by the CAMWS Executive Committee on February 10, 2020
4. CONSTITUTION
Article I. Name And Purpose.
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, Inc. (hereinafter, CAMWS or the Association). Its territory shall be defined as the geographical area embracing its constituent states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming) and provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan).
Section 2. The purposes of the Association shall be to advance classical scholarship and teaching, to foster appreciation of the classical world, and to promote the common interests of its members through meetings, publications, and other appropriate activities.
Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
Section 3. The Southern Section of CAMWS elects its own officers, and schedules and holds its own meetings.
Article II. Officers.
Section 1. The elected officers of the Association shall be a President; a President-Elect; a Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; and the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages. The office of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be executive in character. In case of a vacancy in the office of President or if the President is unable to act, the President-Elect shall succeed to that office. If the vacancy occurs before October 1, a new President-Elect shall be elected by the Executive Committee; if it occurs after October 1, the President-Elect shall serve his/her regular term in addition to the remainder of the preceding term.
Section 2. The President and the President-Elect shall serve for a term of one year and shall not be eligible to succeed themselves immediately. The President-Elect shall be elected at the Annual Business Meeting and shall automatically become the President for the following year. The Secretary-Treasurer, the Editor of The Classical Journal, and the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages shall be recommended by the Executive Committee, each for a term normally of five years and renewable only once, subject to election by the membership at the next Annual Business Meeting.
Section 3. The appointed officers of the Association shall be the regional and state/provincial Vice-Presidents. Each shall serve a term of three years, which may be renewed. The President shall appoint the Vice-Presidents in consultation with the Chair of the Committee for the Promotion of Latin.
Section 4. The duties of the officers of the Association shall be those which normally devolve upon such officials, except as provided in this instrument. Further definition of these duties shall be within the powers of the Executive Committee.
Section 5. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President; the President-Elect; the immediate Past President; the Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages; the Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter; the Chairs of the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Finance Committee, and the Membership Committee; and three elected Members-at-Large, who shall serve for renewable terms of three years each, one term expiring each year. The Executive Committee shall meet in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association, except as provided under Article V.2. Election of Members-at-Large shall take place at the Annual Business Meeting.
Amended to:
Article II. Section 5. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President; the President-Elect; the immediate Past President; the Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages; the Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter; the Chairs of the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin and Greek, the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the Finance Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee; and three elected Members-at-Large, who shall serve for renewable terms of three years each, one term expiring each year. (approved at the 116th Annual meeting, Virtual, May 30, 2020).
Section 6. The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies occurring among the officers or within its own membership between Annual Business Meetings. All such appointments shall be deemed interim in character, the appointee to serve only until the time of the next Annual Business Meeting, but persons so appointed to any office shall be eligible to succeed themselves directly by election at the next Annual Business Meeting. A President-Elect so designated by interim action of the Executive Committee shall not succeed automatically the next year to the office of President, but his or her name shall automatically be placed in nomination for election to that office at the next Annual Business Meeting.
Section 7. All terms of office shall begin on July 1 following the Annual Business Meeting, to coincide with the start of the Association’s fiscal year.
Article III. Committees.
Section 1. The standing committees of the Association include the Executive Committee, the Development Committee, the Finance Committee, the Membership Committee, the Merit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Resolutions Committee, and the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships.
Amended to:
Article III. Section 1. The standing committees of the Association include the Executive Committee, the Finance Committee, , the Merit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin and Greek, the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the Resolutions Committee, the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, and the Strategic Planning Committee. (Approved at the 116th Annual Meeting, Virtual, May 30, 2020.)
Section 2. New standing committees may be created by the Executive Committee, subject to approval by the vote of the membership at the next Annual Meeting.
Section 3. The Executive Committee may create ad hoc committees at its discretion.
Section 4. It is the duty of the President to appoint the Chair and the other members of each standing committee. The usual term of service is three years, which may be renewed.
Section 5. Each of the standing committees shall report its activities annually at the meeting of the Executive Committee held prior to the Annual Business Meeting of the Association.
Article IV. Membership.
Section 1. Any person who wishes to join the Association may become a member on payment of the annual dues for the current fiscal year. Residence in CAMWS territory is not a requirement for membership.
Section 2. The Membership Committee shall propose membership categories and annual membership fees to be approved at the Annual Business Meeting. Membership shall normally include a subscription to The Classical Journal.
Article V. Meetings.
Section 1. There shall normally be a regular Annual Meeting, including the Annual Business Meeting, at such time and place as the Association shall have determined at a previous Annual Business Meeting.
Section 2. If, however, under exceptional circumstances, the Executive Committee concludes that conditions are such as to render the holding of the Annual Meeting impracticable, the Executive Committee shall have the power to cancel the Meeting, and itself to transact all business that would come before the Annual Business Meeting except the adoption of amendments to this Constitution and the election of new officers. In such a case, the annual election shall be conducted by a mail ballot.
Article VI. Program.
The program to be presented at the Annual Meeting shall be arranged by the President. All presenters must be members of the Association in good standing.
Article VII. Publications.
Section 1. The regular publications of the Association are The Classical Journal and Teaching Classical Languages.
Section 1. The Editor of The Classical Journal and the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages shall be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee. The members of the Board of Editors for each publication shall be named by its Editor, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. When a vacancy for the Editor of The Classical Journal or the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages occurs, the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall establish a search committee which shall announce the availability of the position, receive nominations and applications, and conduct interviews with the finalists for the position. The search committee shall present its report and recommendations to the President and the Executive Committee.
Section 4. The Executive Committee shall set rates for subscriptions to The Classical Journal for subscribers who are not members of the Association and may provide for reciprocal subscription agreements with other classical associations.
Section 5. The Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter shall be appointed for a term of three years, renewable, and subject to annual review by the Executive Committee.
Section 6. The Executive Committee shall provide oversight for all CAMWS publications and approve all contractual agreements pertaining to them.
Article VIII. Amendment.
This Constitution may be revised or amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any Annual Business Meeting, provided that the text of all revisions or amendments is distributed to the membership at least thirty days before the time of the meeting.
Approved at the Annual Business Meeting
April 9, 2011
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, Michigan
On April 5, 2014, at the Business Meeting of the 110th meeting in Waco, Texas, the following amendment was approved by two-thirds vote of the members present
that Section I of Article III of the CAMWS by-laws which currently reads as
The standing committees of the Association include the Executive Committee, the Development Committee, the Finance Committee, the Membership Committee, the Merit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Resolutions Committee, and the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships.
be amended to read as follows (addition marked in bold):
The standing committees of the Association include the Executive Committee, the Development Committee, the Finance Committee, the History Committee, the Membership Committee, the Merit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Resolutions Committee, and the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships.
Section 5. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President; the President-Elect; the immediate Past President; the Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages; the Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter; the Chairs of the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Finance Committee, and the Membership Committee; and three elected Members-at-Large, who shall serve for renewable terms of three years each, one term expiring each year. The Executive Committee shall meet in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association, except as provided under Article V.2. Election of Members-at-Large shall take place at the Annual Business Meeting.