CONSTITUTION and BY LAWS
of the
ROUND DANCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION of Greater Washington DC
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of this organization
shall be the Round Dance Teachers Association of Greater Washington
D.C.
ARTICLE II - PURPOSE
Section 1:
The Round Dance Teachers
Association (RDTA) is a non-profit organization formed for the
purpose of bringing together the Round Dance teachers/leaders in the
National Capitol Region as a collective body to promote a positive
influence on all aspects of Round Dancing. The National Capitol
Region is defined as Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Delaware,
South Eastern Pennsylvania, and the panhandle of West Virginia. The
National Capitol Region is also defined as “Greater Washington D.C.”
Section 2:
Leadership in the promotion of
Round Dancing is the prime reason for the existence of Round Dance
teachers. RDTA will maintain an active role in the following
associated activities:
a. Coordinate Round Dance related
functions with other Round or Square dance organizations.
b. Promote the growth of Round
Dancing anywhere an opportunity exists.
c. Provide an environment for
peer Round Dance leaders to share ideas, dance material and
information valuable to the improvement of Round Dancing.
d. Promote the discovery and
development of new Round Dance leaders.
e. Encourage member leaders to
continuously upgrade and improve their leader skills.
f. Encourage all Round Dance
Leaders in our area to become or maintain membership in RDTA.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1:
Full Member.
a. Currently teaching Round
Dancing in our area.
b. Completed one year as an RDTA
associate member.
c. Completed RDTA training
syllabus.
d. Current year RDTA dues paid.
e. Attended at least one RDTA
meeting within the last year.
(1) Requirements b. and c. above
could be waived for experienced leaders seeking membership in RDTA
by majority vote at an RDTA association meeting.
Section 2:
Associate member.
Currently teaching or cueing
Round Dancing in our area but do not meet all the requirements for
member status.
Section 3:
Apprentice Member.
Candidates for Apprentice
Membership may have little or no cueing and/or teaching experience
but demonstrate, by actively working with a Full Member in good
standing, an intent to cue and/or teach Round Dance basics.
Apprentice Members may not be elected to an office of RDTA or have
voting rights.
Section 4:
Junior Member.
Candidates for Junior Membership
shall be under the age of 22, express a desire to cue and/or teach
round dancing and have a sponsoring RDTA full member under whose
direct supervision the candidate will conduct all their round dance
teaching activities. Junior Members may not be elected to office of
RDTA or have voting rights. Junior membership will terminate when
member becomes 22 years old.
Section 5:
Life Member.
Round Dance teacher who retires
while active RDTA member in good standing.
Section 6:
Honorary Member.
An individual who is not already
a part of the association that has significantly contributed to
round dancing in the Greater Washington DC Area and with whom a
membership bond to the association is deemed beneficial by both the
individual and the association
Section 7:
Dues.
Shall be an amount voted on by
the membership. Members and Associate Members pay full dues.
Apprentice Members pay half dues. Junior, Life and Honorary Members
pay no dues. Anyone who owes dues for more than one year will be
dropped from the association.
Cuer Couples.
Teaching units in which both
teachers/cuers cue, may choose to be recognized as individual
teachers/cuers and hold individual, membership in the association.
In this case both members of the unit must pay annual dues and will
have separate entries in the RDTA Dance Directory database.
ARTICLE IV - MEETINGS
Section 1:
Board. The board consists of the elected officers, the past President, and the
standing Committee Chairpersons. Each office and the past President
will have one vote. A minimum of three Board meetings shall be held
each year.
Section 2:
Association.
The Association consists of full, associate, apprentice, junior,
life and honorary members. Each full, life and honorary member shall
have one vote. Associate, apprentice and junior members do not have
a vote. There shall be a minimum of one association business meeting
a year.
Section 3:
Voting. The majority vote of eligible voters present at any meeting will carry a
motion.
ARTICLE V - OFFICES AND
COMMITTEES
Section 1:
a. Terms.
All elected offices begin upon election at the RDTA meeting at the
annual WASCA festival. All elected offices are for two-year terms.
b.
Nominations. At the election meeting, each eligible RDTA member
unit will be asked to write down on a piece of paper which offices
that they are willing to run for (President, VP, Secretary, or
Treasurer, all, none, or any combination). The outgoing President or
someone impartial that the President has designated shall collect
the self-nomination papers and compile the list of those willing to
serve in each office.
c. Elections.
Beginning with the office of President, it shall be announced who
has been nominated to run for office. A vote will then be taken with
the candidate gaining the majority of votes winning. If no candidate
wins a majority, a second vote will be taken considering only the
candidates who received the most and second most votes on the first
ballot. After the President has been elected, the election of the
Vice President will proceed, then that of Secretary and then that of
Treasurer.
Section 2:
Elected Offices.
a. The President.
The duties of the President shall
include the following:
(1) Preside at all association
meetings.
(2) Coordinate all RDTA sponsored
functions.
(3) Appoint all committee
chairpersons and ensure the functions of these committees are
properly carried out.
(4) Appoint interim officers for
vacated board positions.
(5) Act as initial point of
contact and represent the association on any functions with other
organizations involving Round Dancing.
(6)
Write a
monthly "RDTA President's Message" to be published in the WASCA
Calls 'n Cues.
b. The Vice President.
The duties of the Vice President
shall include the following:
(1) Preside over all association
functions in the absence of the President.
(2) Responsible for ensuring that
necessary functions of all absent board members are carried out
during association meetings.
(3) Assume the office of the
President for the balance of the original term if that office were
vacated.
c. The Secretary.
The duties of the Secretary shall
include the following:
(1) Take minutes at all
association meetings.
(2) Prepare and provide "smooth"
copy of meeting minutes to all RDTA associates no more than two
weeks following an association meeting.
(3) Prepare and maintain record
of all association correspondence.
(4) Maintain and provide copies
of the association roster to all RDTA associates.
d. The Treasurer.
The duties of the Treasurer shall
include the following:
(1) Conduct and maintain a record
of all association financial transactions.
(2) Collect annual dues from
association members.
(3) Collect donations and prepare
attendance report at all RDTA sponsored dances.
(4) Investigate facility costs
for planned RDTA sponsored dances.
Section 3:
Committees.
a. Standing.
(1) Education Coordinator.
The Education Coordinator will
coordinate all training opportunities for the association. The
Education Coordinator will be responsible for the development and
utilization of the Association Training Syllabus Program for new
leaders brought into the Association.
b. Special
(1) WASCA Liaison.
Represent RDTA at WASCA Meetings.
(2) Dance Program Coordinator:
The duties of the dance program
coordinator are as follows:
(a)
Coordinate the dance facility
(b) Produce
the flyer, get it into Calls “N’ Cues and send it out to RDTA members for
duplicating
