MITESOL Standing Rules

Revised June 2004

 Pursuant to Article II - Purpose

 MITESOL's mission statement follows:

MITESOL's mission is to provide leadership and support for persons involved in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). MITESOL will achieve this mission by:

  1. advocating for quality standards in instructional programs of ESOL;
  2. fostering improvement of programs for the education of pre- and in-service teachers of ESOL;
  3. providing opportunities for the professional development of educators of ESOL;
  4. collaborating with educational institutions and agencies as well as professional associations to create a forum for the identification and resolution of issues of ESOL instruction.

Pursuant to Article III Membership

Section 2 - Types of Membership

There are two kinds of individual members: Regular and Adjunct
Regular Members are persons who pay regular membership fees.
Adjunct Members are students engaged in at least half-time graduate or undergraduate study, paraprofessionals and other instructional support staff, and retired ESOL professionals who qualify for reduced membership dues.

Section 4 - Termination of Membership

The actions for which membership may be terminated are defined in the Bylaws, Article III, Sections 4 and 5. The procedures for the termination of membership are:

For Cause:

  1. The Executive Committee will investigate concerns to determine whether a member's activities may be detrimental to MITESOL.
  2. If, in the opinion of the majority of the members of the Executive Committee, the activity is deemed detrimental to the interests of MITESOL, the Executive Committee may then recommend termination of membership.
  3. The member will be notified by one of the members of the Executive Committee regarding the status of his/her membership.

For Non-Payment of Dues:

If a member fails to submit dues within two [2] months of the membership expiration date, the member's name will be removed from the active MITESOL lists.

Pursuant to Article III, Section 3

Article III, Section 3 establishes the Advisory board of MITESOL, which with the Executive Commitee constitutes the Executive Board.

The Advisory Board consists of six elected and four appointed members.

The Special Interest Group Representatives are elected for two year terms. Current SIG's are: Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL); Workplace & English for Special Purposes; K-12; Professional Development, Research, and Teacher Resources; Adult Education; and Post-Secondary Student Programs.

The duties of SIG Representatives include but are not limited to

  • Encouraging interaction among and between SIG members
  • Notifying their members of news of interest
  • Ensuring that there is at least one presentation at the Fall MITESOL Conference which will be of interest to members of their SIG
  • Communicating with the Executive Committee concerns and issues important to the members of that particular SIG.

Four members of the Advisory Board are appointed by the Executive Committee for a two year-term: the E-List Manager; the Exhibits Manager; the Newletter Editor, and the Webmaster.

The E-List Manager works with the Communications Coordinator is responsible for maintaining two electronic lists:

  1. MITESOLannouncements
  2. MITESOLlistserv

The Exhibits Manager works with the Fall Conference Chair and is responsible for

  • Negotiating contracts with publishers who want to exhibit at the Fall MITESOL Conference
  • Determining space requirements for exhibits
  • Facilitating the setup and teardown of exhibits

The Newsletter Editor works with the Communications Coordinator and is responsible for

  • Soliciting, gathering and editing articles of interest to the membership
  • Arranging advertising for the newsletter
  • Page layout and printing of the newsletter
  • Having the newsletter photocopied and mailed to the membership

The Webmaster works with the Communications Coordinator and is responsible for

  • Keeping the information on the website current
  • Revising the structure of the website as needed

Pursuant to Article IV - Dues, Fees, Assessments

Dues

Adjustments in dues will be determined by a majority of the Executive Committee and explained at the Annual Business Meeting or in the Newsletter.

For New and Renewing Members

The 12 month membership year runs September to September. Dues may be paid when registering for the fall conference. Reminders for renewing members will be mailed periodically prior to the commencement of the next membership year.

Section 2 - Fees and Special Assessments:

The Executive Committee may authorize (1) fees for MITESOL-sponsored activities, and (2) a special assessment to members. A fee or assessment is a temporary, one-time adjustment to membership dues. This adjustment can be made at any time during the m embership year. In order for a fee to be assessed, a majority of the members of the Executive Committee must vote in favor of the additional fee, providing good reason. 

Pursuant to Article V, Other Organizations

Procedure for establishing (and terminating) relationships (e.g. ATECR): Collaboration and termination between MITESOL and other organizations shall be approved by the majority vote of a quorum (see Article VII, Section 9) of the Executive Committee at scheduled Executive Committee meetings and/or telephone, fax, and E-mail polls. Formal documentation of any such interrelationships must be formally documented and signed by the presidents of both organizations. 

Pursuant to Article VII, Officers and Executive Committee

Section 5 - Composition

The Executive Committee consists of the five officers (President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, TESOL Liaison) and two other elected members: Communications Coordinator and Membership Development Coordinator.

Section 6 - Term of Office

The terms of the members of the Executive Committee are specified in the matrix on the following page.

Section 7 - Termination of Executive Committee Officers and Members

A member of the Executive Committee may be relieved of his/her position if the majority of the Executive Committee determines that there is cause (see Article III, Section 4) or 1) if he/she has two unexcused absences from the Executive Committee meetings during his/her term; or 2) if essential duties of the position have not been carried out. A designee of the Executive Committee will inform the member in question of the termination of his/her Executive Committee responsibilities. 

Pursuant to Article VIII, Nominations to Executive Office

Section 1 - Nominations.

In advising the Executive Committee of the nominees, the Nominating Committee shall be responsible for securing advance consent from all nominees before presenting the slate to the Executive Committee and for obtaining a biographical statement for each nominee which shall accompany the ballots to the membership. Recommendations for nominees should be made to the Nominating Committee by the membership-at-large. 

Pursuant to Article X, Amendment Procedures

Any member of the Executive Committee may propose to amend a procedure of MITESOL by telephone, fax or e-mail poll. Amendments will only be considered at scheduled Executive Committee meeting via a move under "new business" and accepted only by a majority vote of the quorum (see ARTICLE VII, Section 9) of the Executive Committee. 

Pursuant to Article Xl, Duties of Officers

The duties of each of the officers include the general responsibilities described in the Bylaws as well as the specific functions outlined in the position descriptions below. The specific functions will be periodically reviewed and modified as necessary to meet the current needs of MITESOL. 

Pursuant to Article XII Committees and Task Forces

Composition of Committees

Committee structure and selection will be specified by the Committee Chair and is subject to the approval of the President. 

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee will assume primary responsibility for designing and maintaining communications through print and electronic media to the membership, the general public, publishers and other professional organizations to include MITESOL Messages (newsletter), the MITESOL web site and the e-mail list. Responsibility for scheduling and monitoring the functions of this committee will that of the Communications Coordinator.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee will consist of the TESOL Liaison (Past President) and two other members and function as defined in Article VIII, Section 1.

Professional Development Committee

This Committee will assume primary responsibility for statewide conferences, regional workshops, and other educational activities which benefit the membership and will be coordinated by the Vice President.

Membership Development Committee

The primary responsibilities of the Membership Development Committee are recruiting and retaining new members and keep the membership data current.

Key Committee Members Are:

  • Membership Information Manager (appointed)
  • Adult Ed Representative (elected)
  • K-12 Representative (elected)
  • Workplace and English for Specific Purposes Representative (elected)
  • Professional Development, Research and Teacher Resources Representative (elected)
  • Post-Secondary Student Programs Representative (elected)
  • Computer Assisted Language Learning Representative (elected)

Number of Members of Standing Committees

The number of members of each standing committee shall be determined provided that each committee shall not have fewer than three (3) members.