ARTICLE 1. NAME.

The name of this organization shall be the North Carolina Folklore Society.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES.

Section 1. The Society shall be organized and operated for the educational purpose of preserving, presenting and serving as advocate for the folklife of North Carolina. Believing that folklife is central to community health and cross-cultural understanding, we seek to foster awareness of folklife issues among members and the broader public.

Section 2 No part of any net earnings accruing from the execution of these purposes shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

Section 1. Membership in this organization shall be open to all citizens and institutions of North Carolina and to any others who may desire to aid the organization by becoming members.

Section 2. There shall be four categories of members: honorary members, life members, annual members (including student members), and institutional members.

Section 3. Honorary members. On nomination of the Board, the Society may at any regular meeting elect to honorary membership persons whose affiliation with the organization the members may regard especially helpful and on whom they may wish to confer this honor. There shall be no dues for honorary membership. All such members shall enjoy full privileges of membership, and shall receive all of the Society's publications and communications.

Section 4. Life members. Those who pay $200 at one time shall be designated life members, and no further dues shall be collected.

Section 5. Annual members. Regular members shall pay annual dues of $12.00. Student members shall pay annual dues of $8.00.

Section 6. Institutional Members. Institutional members shall pay annual dues of $15.00

Section 7. The amount of annual dues is subject to change if, by a majority vote of the Board, an adjustment is advisable in order to ensure efficient operations of the Society and to keep in line with fluctuating costs of printing and mailing publications of the Society.

Section 8. Members in arrears may be dropped by the Board, provided that proper notice be sent to them by the Society. Second notification to pay annual dues shall serve as appropriate notice.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS AND GOVERNMENT.

Section 1. The affairs of this Society shall be managed by a Board composed of the following persons: a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, third vice-president, secretary-treasurer and publication editor(s). The president and three vice-presidents shall be elected for terms of two years at the regular annual meeting. Their terms will be staggered. The president and second vice-president will be elected in the same year and the first and third vice-presidents elected the following year. The Secretary-Treasurer will be elected for a five-year term. Editors are appointed by the Board. Duties and responsibilities of all officers are fully outlined in the operational guidelines of the Society.

Section 2. President. The president shall oversee the running of the society and insure that all of officers complete the duties of their office in a timely manner. The president shall preside at the regular meetings of the Society, and shall be ex-officio member of all committees. During the absence of the president at any regular meeting, one of the vice-presidents shall serve; in case of death or resignation of the president the first vice-president shall become president for the remaining part of the term.

Secretary-Treasurer. The secretary-treasurer shall gather records of all the meetings of the committees, collect all dues, keep a careful account of the finances of the organization and make full report to the Board once a year and at any time that they may call for such reports. The secretary-treasurer shall receive no compensation for his or her work, but shall be reimbursed for expenditures for stationery, postage, and other expenses as shall be authorized by the Board at any regular or special meeting. Other specific duties of the secretary-treasurer are outlined in the job description and may be amended by a vote of the Board with the agreement of the secretary-treasurer.

First vice-president. The first vice-president shall be responsible for arranging the annual meeting and may form a committee to assist with arrangements.

Second vice-president. The second vice-president shall be responsible for the administration of the Brown-Hudson Awards and the Community Traditions Award. The selection of the awardees should be made by a committee composed of the Board, and any other Society members appointed by the second vice-president. The second vice-president may also compose a committee to assist with the award arrangements.

Third vice-president. The third vice-president shall be responsible for outreach and public relations.

Section 3. Duties of the Board. Board members shall manage the interests of the Society, appoint committees as outlined in Article V, fix the time and place of the annual meeting, recommend policies that might lead to the wider influence and more effective working of the Society, and provide programs for the annual meetings. The Board will appoint editors for all publications.

Section 4. The fiscal year of the Society shall be established by a vote of the Board.

Section 5. Disposition of Funds. UNC, Chapel Hill is the designated archival repository of the Society. Upon dissolution of the Society, for whatever purpose, all records and all assets belonging thereto shall become the property of the Southern Folklife Collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES AND THEIR DUTIES.

Section 1. The Board shall appoint at least three committees, one on publications, one to audit the accounts of the secretary-treasurer, and one to oversee membership.

Section 2. The committee on publications shall include the editors of the Newsletter and the Journal, and other members appointed by the Board. The committee shall provide support and assistance to each of these editors, especially concerning obtaining appropriate submissions. The student essay contest shall be the responsibility of the editor of the Journal, or the editor may designate a member of the committee to be responsible.

Section 3. The Auditing Committee shall make a careful examination of the accounts of the secretary-treasurer just before each annual meeting.

Section 4. The membership committee shall oversee the production and distribution of membership materials and shall solicit prospective members and other purposes approved by the Board.

ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS.

The society shall hold each year at least one regular business meeting, the time and place of which shall be fixed by the Board. The regular business of the Society shall be transacted at that meeting.

ARTICLE VII. PUBLICATIONS.

In keeping with the purposes and objectives of the Society as stated in Article II, Section 1, the Society shall issue such regular publications and communications as are judged by the Board and the Committee on Publications to be appropriate and worthy of distribution. The format, regularity of publication, and contents of such publications shall be left to the judgment of said Board and Committee.

ARTICLE VIII. OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS.

All members of the Society shall be expected to make efforts to interest others in the work of the Society, to see that the publications of the Society have as wide circulation in the State as possible, and exert efforts to widen and make effective the work of the organization.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS.

The Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Society by a two-thirds vote of the membership present, provided that the proposed amendments have been sent to each member of the Society at least two weeks before the time of the annual meeting.

All contents copyright © 1996, North Carolina Folklore Society Site maintained by Joyce Joines Newman. Revised: May 25, 2002 URL: http://www.ecu.edu/ncfolk/