Constitution of
Madison Scottish Country Dancers

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I -- NAME

ARTICLE II -- AIMS

1. To practice and preserve Country Dancing as danced in Scotland.
2. To contribute to the cultural life of the community by promoting interest in and enjoyment of Scottish Country Dancing.
3. To maintain a close association with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, and encourage membership in that society.

ARTICLE III -- MEMBERSHIP

ARTICLE IV -- GOVERNMENT

1. The Dancers shall be guided and governed by the Executive Committee consisting of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, up to two (2) At Large members and one (1) Teacher serving as an additional ex officio At Large member.
2. The term of office shall be one (1) year for the Chair, Vice-Chair and the two (2) voting Members At Large. The Vice-Chair shall succeed the Chair each year. The Treasurer and the Secretary shall serve terms of two (2) years. The Treasurer shall be elected in odd numbered years and the Secretary shall be elected in even numbered years. After two (2) consecutive terms of office, a year must elapse before an officer may be re-elected to the same position, except in the event that person is appointed to the Committee for the purpose of completing the term of a person who has resigned, in which case the remainder of the term will not be considered to be a part of the limitation. No member shall serve on the Committee for more than five (5) consecutive years, teacher excepted.
3. A quorum of the Committee shall be as set down in the By-laws.
4. The Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees as required.
5. Should a vacancy occur on the Committee between Annual General Meetings, the Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy.

ARTICLE V -- DUTIES OF OFFICERS

1. CHAIR The Chair shall preside at all meetings. The Chair shall have a casting vote to break ties. He/she will call regular Committee meetings in the best interests of the Dancers and lead the discussion with accurate statements of fact. With the advice and assistance of the Committee, he/she shall be responsible for the delegation of the organization of all dances with the exception of the regular weekly classes.
2. VICE-CHAIR The Vice-Chair shall assist the Chair in the performances of his/her responsibilities and shall preside over committee meetings in the absence of the Chair. Reservations for rooms for regular classes and dancing and for special events shall be the responsibility of the Vice-Chair. Announcements and publicity shall be his/her responsibility.
3. SECRETARY The Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings. He/she shall attend to all correspondence. He/she shall ensure that all the members receive adequate notice of all social events and business relating to the Dancers. He/she shall bring to the attention of the Chair all outside correspondence with other branches, societies or persons.
4. TREASURER The Treasurer shall collect and bank monies and account for all finances of the Dancers. He/she shall make payments and settle accounts as approved at a Committee meeting. He/she will present the account report at Committee meetings.
5. MEMBERS AT LARGE Up to two (2) MEMBERS AT LARGE shall assume duties as defined by the committee. The number of MEMBERS AT LARGE shall be determined by the outgoing committee.
6. TEACHER Teachers must have the full teaching certificate of the RSCDS and shall guide and instruct the dancers in the true form as prescribed by the manual of the RSCDS. In the absence of fully qualified teachers, persons holding preliminary certificates of the Society may serve. These teachers shall be the ruling authority as to teaching and in consultation with each other, shall assess the progress of individuals and determine their place in groups. In matters of policy, the teachers shall be bound by the decision of the Committee.

ARTICLE VI -- ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION

1. The Dancers shall be governed by the Constitution and By-laws approved by the Dancers at a General meeting.
2. Any proposal to alter the Constitution shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing four (4) weeks before an Annual General Meeting. The Secretary shall inform the membership of the proposal at least three (3) weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. Acceptance of the proposed alteration of the Constitution shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present.

BY-LAWS

1. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS

2. FISCAL YEAR

3. FEES

4. REGISTER OF MEMBERS

5. NOMINATIONS

6. ELECTIONS

7. ELECTION TO OFFICE IN ABSENTIA

8. MEETINGS

1. By the majority of the Executive Committee or
2. By twenty (20) per cent of the members signifying their desire for such in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall inform the membership of either General meeting at least three (3) weeks prior to the meeting.

1. Call to order.
2. Business arising from minutes.
3. Election of Executive Committee.
4. New business.
5. Announcements.
6. Adjournment.

1. Call to order.
2. Reading of notice of meeting.
3. Business arising therefrom.
4. Adjournment.

9. QUORUM

10. MAJORITY VOTE

11. FINANCES

1. The Executive Committee shall establish guidelines for reimbursement for expenses incurred in the interest of the Dancers .
2. The Treasury accounts for the Dancers shall be audited during the last three (3) months of the Treasurer's term of office.
3. The treasurer shall provide the Executive Committee with a written summary accounting of the group's finances semi-annually (with a breakdown of assets, income, and expenditures by event and major operating categories). The treasurer shall provide this accounting to the Executive Committee for approval prior to the annual meeting, and copies shall be provided to the membership at the annual meeting.(1)

12. AMENDING THE BY-LAWS

13. DISSOLUTION OF THE DANCERS

14. AUTHORITY OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

The foregoing Constitution and By-Laws shall guide and rule the actions of the Dancers until modified in General Meeting, as outlined in Article 12 of the By-Laws.

GUIDELINES

Philosophy: It is the goal of the MSCD to share the enjoyment of Scottish country dancing with as many participants as possible, regardless of income. To achieve this, all members should perform tasks for the group as economically as possible, and the executive committee will develop and maintain guidelines for partial and full scholarships for workshops, balls dances and other events.

Procedures: The executive committee will adopt an annual budget and may adopt budgets for specific events in the interim. Expenditures authorized in a budget or by prior executive committee approval may be reimbursed by the treasurer when the claim is accompanied by receipts. Members are encouraged to report expenditures incurred on behalf of the group for which no claim for reimbursement is made. The treasurer will record these expenditures (as gifts to the group) as an aid to future budgeting. Unanticipated or emergency expenditures for group purposes may be authorized between executive committee meetings by not less than three executive committee members. Claims for expenditures not previously authorized (together with receipts) may be made to the executive committee, which may refuse the claim entirely or approve partial or full reimbursement. Any out-of-area demonstration for which claimed expenses may exceed projected income must be authorized by the executive committee ahead of time.

Reporting: The treasurer shall provide the executive committee with a summary accounting of the group's finances at least quarterly (with a breakdown by assets, income and expenditures by budget category) and a full written accounting annually (the full accounting to be shared with all members) in June.

The treasurer shall keep all receipts and claims for reimbursement, marked by claimant's name and authorization, until at least one month after the annual accounting has been made to the group. All reimbursements shall be made with a MSCD check.

Out-of-Area Demonstration Expenses: "Out-of-area" means any place more than 30 miles from Madison. No receipts are necessary for these expenses:

Drivers may be reimbursed at 5c a mile for each dancer or musician transported to the demonstration. (Amended to set a maximum of $.25 per mile.)

When total time involved is 4 to 7 hours, out of Madison, meal expenses of $4 a person may be reimbursed; when time out of Madison exceeds 7 hours, up to $8 a day is reimbursable.

For demonstrations where live music is required and income is earned, each musician may earn up to $20 for playing.

Live Music For Dances, Workshops: For a full evening of dancing, a Scottish country dance band may be paid $350 for playing live music with amplification at no extra cost to the group. Payment for less than a full evening will be prorated. Live music for a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hour workshop may be paid a maximum of $30 per workshop. Whenever possible, costs for live music and work shop teachers will be met from admission costs of $4 a person for each dance or workshop.

Workshop Teachers: A teacher at a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hour workshop may be paid up to $30 and reimbursed for authorized expenses for travel and meals. A gift costing less than $10 may be given to each teacher.

Ghillies: Orders for ghillies will be taken on prepayment of $25.

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