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Bylaws
By-Laws
as Revised February 26, 2002
ARTICLE
I. NAME
The official name of this organization shall be
the
Tennessee Technology Student Association and may be
referred to as "Tennessee TSA."
ARTICLE II. PURPOSES
Section
1
The general purposes of this organization are
to:
-
Assist
local chapters in the growth and development of TSA.
-
Assist
local chapters in the development and leadership in social,
economic, educational and community
activities.
-
Increase
the knowledge and understanding of our technological world.
-
Assist
technology education students in the making of informed and
meaningful career goals.
Section 2
The specific purposes of this organization are
to:
-
Develop,
through individual and team work, the ability of members to
plan, organize, and use a variety of resources to solve
problems.
-
Explore
technology and develop an understanding of technological
literacy.
-
Promote
high standards of learning through curricular resource
activities.
-
Encourage students in expressing creativity.
-
Develop
consumer awareness.
-
Provide
career opportunity information pertaining to a broad range of
occupations, including training requisites, working
conditions, salaries or wages, and other relevant
information.
-
Provide
exploratory experiences in classrooms and laboratories, and
develop partnerships in business or industry to acquaint
students with career opportunities.
-
Assist
in providing guidance and counseling for students enrolled in
technology education programs in making informed and
meaningful career choices.
-
Expose
students to the responsibility of representing a large
membership.
-
Instill
desirable work habits and attitudes toward the positive way
of life in students and foster a deep respect for the dignity
of work.
-
Prepare
individuals for enrollment in advanced or highly skilled
vocational and technical education programs.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP AND
ORGANIZATION
Section 1
The Tennessee Technology Student Association is
an organization of local chapters each operating in accordance
with a charter granted by TSA, Inc.
Section 2
Each chartered chapter of Tennessee TSA will be
responsible for all TSA operational activities within that
school under the direction of the local technology education
teacher or an appointed representative meeting the advisor
guidelines set by National TSA.
Section 3
Membership in TSA shall be through a chartered
state delegation. Each chapter will consist of individual
members meeting the following descriptions:
-
Active.
Active members shall be students who are presently enrolled
in, or have been previously enrolled in technology education
programs. An active member shall pay dues as established by
the TSA, Inc., Board of Directors and Tennessee TSA Executive
Council, and may be declared eligible to hold a state office,
to participate in state competitive events or projects, to
serve as a state voting delegate, or to otherwise represent
their chapters in Tennessee TSA affairs as may be approved by
their chapters.
-
Associate. Associate members shall be students who are
enrolled in related fields of instruction with emphasis in
technology education or who have been previously enrolled in
technology education programs. An associate member shall pay
dues as established by the Tennessee TSA Executive Council.
Associate members shall not vote or hold office.
-
Alumni.
Alumni members shall consist of those individuals who have
completed an industrial arts/technology education program
(have been former active or associate TSA members) who have
graduated from or left school. Alumni members shall pay dues
as established by the Tennessee TSA Executive Council.
-
Professional. Professional members are those individuals
engaged in education, business, and industry who have
interest in Tennessee TSA and in the welfare of technology
education. Professional members shall pay dues as established
by the Tennessee TSA Executive Council. Professional members
shall not vote or hold office.
-
Honorary/Honorary Life. Honorary/Honorary Life members may be
individuals who have made or are making contributions to the
advancement of technology education as may be approved by the
Tennessee TSA Executive Council and shall be exempt from
annual dues.
Section 4
Tennessee TSA is an organization of regional and
local chartered associations, each operating in accordance with
a charter granted by TSA and Tennessee TSA.
Section 5
Tennessee TSA shall be broken into regions and
local chapters. The four regions are known as East, Southeast,
Middle, and West. The county in which the chapter is located
shall define its region. The counties in each region are as
follows:
-
East: Anderson,
Blount, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene,
Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox,
Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan,
Unicoi, Union, and Washington.
-
Southeast: Bedford,
Bledsoe, Bradley, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, McMinn,
Marion, Meigs, Moore, Polk, Rhea, and Sequatchie.
-
Middle: Cannon,
Cheatham, Clay, Cumberland, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson,
Fentress, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson,
Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery,
Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford,
Stewart, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne,
White, Williamson, and Wilson.
-
West: Benton,
Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson,
Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake,
Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, and
Weakley.
Section 6
Annual Tennessee TSA membership dues shall be
determined by the Tennessee TSA Executive Council and the local
chapters. Members must be affiliated with State and National
TSA prior to any TSA competition in which they want to compete.
Section 7
In order to attend conferences, participants
must agree to follow the Tennessee TSA codes of conduct and
dress.
Section 8
In order to be considered to be in good standing
in Tennessee TSA, a chapter must have at least ten (10)
affiliated active members.
Section 9
The membership year shall be August 1 to July
31.
Section 10
The fiscal year shall be July 1 to June 30.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Section 1
State Offices.
The Tennessee TSA officers shall consist of a
president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, reporter,
and sergeant-at-arms. No individual may be elected to more
than one full term as a state officer in the same office.
These officers and the Tennessee TSA advisor(s) will be known
collectively as the Executive Committee of Tennessee TSA.
Section 2
Officer Duties
-
President: It
shall be the duty of the president of Tennessee TSA to
preside at all meetings; to make necessary committee
appointments including the designation of committee
chairpersons; to develop with the Executive Committee a
program of work for the term of office; and to be available,
as necessary, in promoting the general welfare of Tennessee
TSA.
-
Vice-president:
It shall be the duty of the vice-president to serve in any
capacity as directed by the president; to accept the
responsibility of the president as occasion may demand; to
serve as chairperson of the Tennessee TSA Council of Chapter
Presidents; and to be available, as necessary, in promoting
the general welfare of Tennessee TSA.
-
Secretary: It
shall be the duty of the secretary to serve in any capacity
as directed by the president; to record proceedings of all
meetings; and to be available, as necessary, in promoting the
general welfare of Tennessee TSA.
-
Treasurer: It
shall be the duty of the treasurer to serve in any capacity
as directed by the president; to keep records and membership
reports; and to be available, as necessary, promoting the
general welfare of Tennessee TSA.
-
Reporter: It
shall be the duty of the reporter to serve in any capacity as
directed by the president; to accumulate and keep up-to-date
information on the history of the state association; to
prepare articles for national and state TSA publications,
professional magazines and journals, newspapers and other
news media; to contact other association members concerning
news items for publication; and to be available, as
necessary, in promoting the general welfare of Tennessee TSA.
-
Sergeant-at-Arms:
It shall be the duty of the sergeant-at-arms to serve in any
capacity as directed by the president; to assist in the
preparation and control of the meeting place; and to be
available, as necessary, in promoting the general welfare of
Tennessee TSA.
Section 3
Qualifications
for a state office
-
Only an active member of Tennessee TSA will be
eligible to run for a state office. Students must have at
least one (1) year of high school eligibility remaining to
run for state office. A student elected as a state officer at
the annual meeting may not hold a national or local TSA
office concurrently with the term as state officer.
-
A student must be a member of TSA for at least
one year before seeking a state office. A Tennessee TSA
member must have completed the seventh grade and at least one
technology education class to be qualified for a state
office. He/she must have attended at least one regional,
state, national, or leadership conference. A Tennessee TSA
member must have served as an officer or delegate
representative of his/her local chapter to be qualified as a
state officer candidate. No more than three (3) TSA members
from the same local chapter may run for a state office in the
same year.
-
Tennessee TSA members must have submitted an
officer candidate form and must have been approved by the
nominations committee in order to run for state office.
Section 4
Candidates
-
The Tennessee TSA President shall appoint a
nominations committee consisting of the state advisor and/or
youth consultant; a state officer not seeking re-election; a
chapter president who, while serving on this committee, has
no state officers or state officer candidates from his/her
chapter; a past state officer; and the chairman of the
Tennessee Technology Education Association.
-
This committee shall review all state officer
candidates and their qualifications and will submit to the
voting delegates a slate of all candidates declared eligible
for each state office.
-
There will be no additional nominations from
the floor.
-
Due to the nature of the offices, the
nominations committee shall have the authority to prevent
under-qualified students from becoming candidates.
Section 5
Elections
-
State officers shall be elected by a majority
vote of the voting delegates at the annual business meeting.
-
Election of officers shall be by ballot vote.
-
If there are more than two candidates for an
office and a majority is not reached on the first ballot, the
candidate receiving the lowest number of votes shall be
dropped, and the candidate receiving the lowest number of
votes on each succeeding ballot will be dropped until a
majority is reached.
-
If a candidate is unopposed, he/she must
obtain a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the voting
delegates at the annual business meeting.
Section 6
Vacancies
The nominations committee may fill by
appointment any vacancy occurring among the state officers for
the unexpired term except the office of president, which shall
be filled by the vice-president. If no one applies for a
particular office by the official deadline date for state
officer candidate application, the nominations committee will
appoint a qualified TSA member to fill the position.
Section 7
Terms of Service
A full state officer term is defined as
follows: state officers’ terms will begin at the close of the
national conference after the state conference at which they
were elected, and they will serve until the close of the
following year’s national conference. The newly elected
officers will serve as the Tennessee TSA State Officer
Team-Elect while at the national conference of the year in
which they were elected.
Section 8
Officer Obligations
State officers are required to follow the
requirements listed on the State Officer Application. They must
perform the duties of their office; attend required meetings;
meet deadlines satisfactorily; follow Tennessee TSA rules and
responsibilities; and act in a professional manner.
Section 9
Removal of Officers
Failure to fulfill the obligations of a state
office without legitimate cause will result in the removal from
office by the state advisor and youth consultant. If an
officer is removed from office for any reason, he/she will not
be allowed to run for state office again.
ARTICLE
V. MEETINGS
Section 1
A Tennessee TSA state conference will be held
each year with the time, date, and place designated by the
Tennessee TSA Executive Council.
Section 2
Each
chapter will be entitled to two votes for their first ten (10)
members present. For every additional five (5) members
present, they will receive one (1) additional vote. Each state
officer and national officer (from Tennessee)
in attendance will also have one vote. Votes cast by any
chapter not in good standing will be considered non-binding.
Section 3
A majority of the registered voting delegates
for the state conference shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VI. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Section 1
The Tennessee TSA Executive Council shall
consist of the state officer team, the state advisor, youth
consultant, and TTEA president.
Section 2
Meetings can be requested by the president and
must be approved by the Tennessee TSA State Advisor(s).
Section 3
A majority of the members shall constitute a
quorum.
Section 4
The Tennessee TSA Executive Council shall
appoint standing and special committees as deemed necessary.
Section 5
The Tennessee TSA Executive Council is the
policy-making body for the administration of Tennessee TSA
activities and programs.
ARTICLE VII. THE LOCAL TSA
ADVISOR
It is recommended that a technology education
teacher serve as a chapter TSA advisor; however, in cases where
there is no such interested teacher, an advisor may be
appointed by the school’s principal. The appointed advisor
would have all the rights and privileges of a regular advisor
as long as that chapter is in good standing.
ARTICLE VIII. COUNCIL OF CHAPTER
PRESIDENTS
The Tennessee TSA Council of Chapter Presidents
shall be a non-voting body of Tennessee TSA consisting of
chapter presidents from each of the chartered local chapters.
The Tennessee TSA Council of Chapter Presidents shall be
chaired by the state vice-president. It shall be the duty of
the Tennessee TSA Council of Chapter Presidents to promote the
general welfare of Tennessee TSA through representative
interaction among local TSA chapters.
ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY
AUTHORITY
The rules contained in the current edition of
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern Tennessee
TSA in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they
are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of
order the organization may adopt.
ARTICLE X. EMBLEM AND COLORS
Section 1
The TSA emblem is a rectangular shape with
three parts. The middle section and largest part of the
emblem contains the letters TSA in a very large, bold print.
The letters are white on a blue background. Below these
letters and about one-third (1/3) the size, is the name of
the association–Technology Student Association–in white
letters on a red background. The top portion of the emblem is
a blank, red, rectangular shape, the same size as the bottom
area. This portion is intentionally left blank so that each
state can put its own name on the emblem if desired.
Section 2
The colors of TSA shall be scarlet (red),
white, and blue (navy). Scarlet (red) represents the strength
and determination of the technology education students and
teachers to obtain their goal. White represents high
standards, morals, and religious beliefs. Blue (navy)
represents the sincerity of the technology education students
and teachers in obtaining a greater knowledge of our
technological world.
ARTICLE XI. MOTTO AND CREED
Section 1
The motto of the Technology Student
Association will be "Learning to live in a technical world."
Section 2
The creed of the Technology Student
Association will be:
I believe that Technology Education holds an
important place in my life in the technical world. I believe
there is a need for the development of good attitudes
concerning work, tools, materials, experimentation, and
processes of industry.
Guided by my teachers, artisans from industry,
and my own initiative, I will strive to do my best in making
my school, community, state, and nation better places in
which to live.
I will accept the responsibilities that are
mine. I will accept the theories that are supported by proper
evidence. I will explore on my own for safer, more effective
methods of working and living.
I will strive to develop a cooperative
attitude and will exercise tact and respect for other
individuals.
Through the work of my hands and mind, I will
express my ideas to the best of my ability.
I will make it my goal to do better each day
the task before me and to be steadfast in my belief in my
God, and my fellow Americans.
ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS
Section 1
To amend these bylaws, local chapters must
submit proposed amendments, typed on school stationery, to
the Tennessee TSA president and the state advisor. Proposals
must be signed by a chapter advisor and two members and must
be postmarked at least ninety (90) days prior to the annual
business meeting.
Section 2
The Executive Council of Tennessee TSA will
review all proposed amendments. The state advisor will
submit all approved amendments to the local chapters at least
thirty (30) days prior to the annual business meeting.
Section 3
The proposed amendments must be approved by
two-thirds (2/3) of the chapter delegates present and voting
at the annual business meeting.
Section 4
Each chapter in good standing will be entitled
to two votes for their first ten (10) members. For every
additional five (5) members present, they will receive one
(1) additional vote. Votes cast by any chapter not in good
standing will be considered non-binding. Every state officer
and national officer (from Tennessee) will also be given one
vote.
Section 5
The state advisor of Tennessee TSA will be
responsible for notifying the local chapters, in writing,
about adopted amendments within sixty (60) days of the annual
business meeting.
Section 6
Amendments will become effective sixty (60)
days after adoption unless a different time period is
stipulated in the amendment.
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