Louisiana Junior Classical League
Chapter Handbook
Revised 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. LJCL Constitution …………………………………………………………………………………………… 5
II. Policy and Procedure ……………………………………………………………………………………………12
JCL Creed ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...……... 13
JCL Song…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………... 13
The Executive Board of the LJCL ……………………………………………………………..………………....… 14
LJCL State Chairs …………………………………………………………………………………………… 14
LJCL President …………………………………….………………….………………………………………14
LJCL First Vice-President ……………………….………….………………………………………………...15
LJCL Second Vice-President …………………….……………………….……………………………………15
LJCL Secretary………………………..…………………….………………………………………………….16
LJCL Historian ………….………………………………………………………………….………………….16
LJCL Parliamentarian.…………………………………………………………………………………………16
LJCL Editor …………………………………………………………………………………………………..16
Executive Board Guidelines …………………………………………………………………………………17
Local Sponsor………………………………..…………………………………………….……………….…...17
LJCL Scholarship Guidelines………………………………………………………………………..…..…………….19
Guidelines for New Sponsors ……………………………………………………………….……………………… 20
Leading a JCL Chapter ………………………………………………………..…………………….……… 20
Fall Forum ……………………………………………………………………………………..…………… 21
Local Club Events. ……………………………………………...………………………………………...…… 22
LJCL Convention ………………………………….………………………………………..………………… 23
NJCL Convention ……………………..……………………………………………………………………... 26
Guidelines for Writing a School Constitution ……..……………………………………………………………… 27
Annual Handbook Changes ………………………...………………………………………………………….…… 28
Annual Budget ………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… 29
Important Dates …………………………………………..………………………………………………..………… 32
Contact Information ……………………………………..………………………………………….……………… 33
Forms …………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………. 35
LJCL Club of the Month Contest …………………………………………………………………….……… 35
LJCL Scholarship Application……………………………………………………………………..………… 36
III. LJCL Convention …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 41
LJCL Convention Contests ……………………………………………………………………………...... 42
Academic Contest Guidelines………………………………………………………………….………………… 42
Levels of Competition …………………………………………………………………………………… 44
Rules ………………….…………………………………………………………………………………44
Test Format ……………..…………………………………………………………………………………44
Sources for Academic Tests …………………………………………………………………………….. 45
Graphic Arts Contest Guidelines…………………………………………………………………………………46
Registration. …………………………………………………………………………………………… 46
Categories of Graphic Arts……………………………………………………………………………… 47
Creative Arts Contest Guidelines ……………………………………………………………………………… 53
Latin Oratory………………………………………………………………………………………………53
English Oratory.……………………………………………………………………………………………53
Sight Latin Reading………..……………………………………………………………………………… 53
Costume Contest …………………………………………………………………………………………. 55
Modern Myth Contest ……………………………………………………………………………………. 56
Slogan Contest ……………………………………………………………………………………… 56
Olympika Guidelines ……………………………………………………………….…………………………… 57
General……………………………..……………………………………………………………………… 57
Miscellaneous Event Rules ……….…………………………………………………………………………57
Certamen Guidelines…………………………………………………………………………………………………59
Spirit Competition Guidelines ……………………………………………………………………………………59
Spirit Contest ……………………..…………………………………………………………………………60
Roll Call………………………………………………………………………………………………………60
Procession……………………………………………………………………………………………………60
Banner Contest Guidelines ………………………………………………………………...…………………… 61
Drama Contest Guidelines……………………………………………………………………..…………………… 61
Membership Contest Guidelines ...…………………………………………...…………………..…………… 61
Publicity Contest Guidelines ……………………………………………………………………...……………… 62
Publications Contest Guidelines …………………………………..,………………………………………………64
Scrapbook Contest Guidelines ………………………...……………………………………………………… 65
T-shirt Contest Guidelines ………………………………………….………………………………………… 66
Sweepstakes Contest Guidelines ……………………………………………………………………………… 66
Bazaar Guidelines ……………………………………………………………………………………………………66
Convention Rules………………………………...…………………………………………………………… 68
LJCL Dress and Behavior Guidelines…………………………………………………………………………… 71
Sponsor/Chaperone Responsibilities………………………………………………………………………… 72
Campaign and Election Rules ………………………………………………………………………………… 74
Convention Responsibilities ...... 76
State Chairs...... 76
President ...... …...... 78
First Vice-President ...... 79
Second Vice-President ...... 80
Secretary ...... 81
Historian ...... … . .83
Parliamentarian...... …. . 82
Editor ...... 84
Academic Chair ...... 85
Certamen Chair ...... 86
Creative Arts Chair ...... 87
Graphic Arts Chair ...... 88
Olympika Chair ...... 89
Pre-Convention Contests Chair ...... 90
Convention Packet Guidelines ...... 91
Summary of Awards to Be Given at LJCL Convention...... 92
Guidelines for Convention Awards ...... 93
Forms ...... …. . . 96
School Registration Form...... 96
Hotel Room Assignment Form ...... 98
Sponsor/Chaperone Responsibility Form...... ,,,,,...... 99
Individual Student Entry Form ...... 100
Parental Permission Form ...... 101
Nominating Form for LJCL State Chair ...... 102
Candidates’ Nominating Form ...... 103
Permission Form for Candidates...... 104
JCL Publicity Form ...... 105
SCL Registration Form ...... 106
Convention Evaluation Form ...... 107
IV. NJCL Convention...... 109
NJCL Convention Guidelines ...... 110
NJCL Convention Planning Checklist ...... 111
NJCL Convention Rules of Conduct ...... 113
Forms ...... 114
Application to Attend NJCL Convention...... 114
LJCL
Constitution
This Constitution, in conjunction with the State Bylaws, shall be the authority for the operation of the Louisiana Junior Classical League, and no section of it or its bylaws shall be construed so as to conflict with the Constitution and bylaws of the National Junior Classical League.
LOUISIANA JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE CONSTITUTION
We, the members of the Louisiana Junior Classical League, in order to create and to promote interest among the students in classical languages, to further our knowledge of Roman civilization, and to realize the practical and cultural values of Latin, do hereby adopt the following constitution and agree to abide by its rules.
Article I
Section 1:The name of this organization shall be the Louisiana Junior Classical League.
Section 2:The emblem, pin, and colors of this organization shall be those of the National Junior Classical League.
Section 3:The purpose of this organization shall be to coordinate the activities of the different chapters of the National Junior Classical League with those of the state of Louisiana.
Section 4:The Louisiana Junior Classical League shall not discriminate upon any basis, including race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability.
Article II
Section 1:The membership of this organization shall be of four kinds: chapter, individual, long-distance, and member-at-large.
Section 2:Chapter membership shall be made up of at least five individual members who qualify and shall affiliate properly with National Junior Classical League and with the Louisiana Junior Classical League. These chapters shall have a qualified sponsor.
Section 3:Individual membership shall include the active members of the respective chapters.
Section 4:Long-distance membership shall include students who take Latin via long-distance communication, due to the lack of a local program/teacher.
Section 5:Members-at-large shall include any qualified persons who have no local chapter but wish to join the Junior Classical League.
Section 6:Annual dues shall be fixed by the executive board.
Section 7:A chapter shall be further defined as that organization which follows the guidelines and rules set forth in the Louisiana Junior Classical League constitution, the bylaws of said constitution, and the State Board. In order to be in good standing, no chapter may change or omit the aforementioned guidelines and rules.
Article III
Section 1:There shall be a State Board composed of the state officers, the State Chairs, and the sponsors of each chapter. Any chapter not represented by an officer shall elect (2) representatives to serve on the State Board; any chapter represented by one (1) officer shall elect one (1) representative to serve on the State Board. Each member shall have one vote.
Section 2:The State Board shall convene once in the fall and shall meet otherwise whenever it is deemed necessary. It shall transact all business of this organization between annual conventions. The State Board shall have the power to interpret this constitution as it sees fit and to enact any bylaws which it deems necessary for the efficient operation of the organization.
Section 3:A quorum of the State Board will consist of fifty percent of the voting members.
Section 4:The President will serve as chair of the State Board.
Section 5:The term “State Board” shall be used when referring to the state officers, State Chairs, and sponsors of each chapter.
Article IV
Section 1: There will be two state chairs of LJCL.
Section 2: The term of office for each state chair will be two years beginning at the election at the LJCL Convention and ending at the election to choose the state chair’s successor. The state chairs’ terms should be staggered so that both chairs do not rotate off in the same year.
Section 3: To be eligible for state chair a person must be a member in good standing of the American Classical League and have reached the age of majority (18). If the candidate is also an LJCL sponsor, his or her chapter must be in good standing with LJCL and NJCL.
Section 4:Candidates for state chair must submit a nominations form for distribution to all ACL members in good standing prior to the first general assembly at the LJCL Convention. The state chairs are responsible for deadlines and additional guidelines concerning nominations forms and their distribution.
Section 5:The candidates shall be voted on by a secret ballot at a meeting of all ACL members at the LJCL Convention. Each member shall have one (1) vote. Candidates must carry a majority of votes, including abstaining votes, to be elected. In case of a tie or run-off, ballots shall be recast after short speeches by candidates. The LJCL Parliamentarian shall prepare, collect, and count the ballots.
Section 6: A state chair may be removed from office for reasons included but not limited to the following: serious negligence of duties as defined in the LJCL Handbook, misuse of LJCL funds, moral turpitude, or failure to maintain good standing in LJCL, NJCL, or ACL. Proceedings to remove a state chair will be initiated by a written petition for removal, including specific charges, signed by three LJCL sponsors. The petition must be submitted to a designated sponsor who consents to handle the removal proceedings under this article. The designated sponsor shall immediately notify the state chair that removal proceedings have begun. The designated sponsor shall immediately notify LJCL sponsors that removal proceedings have begun. The petition for removal and the addresses of the designated sponsor shall be distributed to all LJCL sponsors. The charged state chair shall have fourteen (14) days upon notification to prepare a defense to the LJCL sponsors. Ballots shall be submitted to the designated sponsor in the manner designated by the sponsor. S/he shall notify the LJCL sponsors of the results. A two-thirds affirmative vote is required to remove a state chair from office.
Section 7: Should a vacancy occur in either state chair position for any reason, the remaining state chair shall call for elections for an interim state chair to fill the term of the vacant position. If both state chair positions are vacant simultaneously, or the remaining state chair is the object of removal proceedings, then the sponsor of the LJCL President will temporarily assume the duties of state chair until elections can be held.
Section 8:Should a State Chair abuse his/her power over the LJCL officers but not sufficiently enough as to deserve dismissal from office, an appeals process may be made by the state officers to overturn the State Chair’s decision. To appeal a decision made by a State Chair, a state officer must have three other officers and two sponsors in agreement with him/her. He/she must notify the State Chair of the appeal and give him/her 21 days to reply.
Article V
Section 1:There shall be elected at each annual convention a president, first-vice president, second vice-president, parliamentarian, secretary, historian, and editor.
Section 2:The term of office for each officer shall be the period between election at the Louisiana Junior Classical League Convention to the election choosing the officer’s successor at the next LJCL Convention.
Section 3:To be eligible for office a student must be enrolled in Latin for his entire term of office, or have completed four (4) years of Latin, or have completed all of the Latin which his school offers. Additionally, to be eligible for the office of President or Second Vice-President, the candidate must have attended at least one NJCL Convention.
Section 4:Candidates for elective offices are advised to pre-file with the parliamentarian, acknowledging their intent to run for office. They must be present at the Nominating Committee meeting during LJCL Convention. The Nominating Committee shall consist of two (2) representatives from each chapter present at the convention. The names of the members must be submitted to the parliamentarian prior to the committee meeting. The committee shall nominate no less than two (2) or no more than three (3) candidates for each office. If more than three (3) candidates have been nominated for one office, those that have pre-filed shall become candidates and the remaining slots shall be chosen from those nominated from the floor of the meeting. No chapter may have more than three (3) of its members running for office at one convention. Any chapter not present at the meeting will be given no votes in the election and if only one delegate from a chapter is present, that chapter shall be given only one (1) vote. Once a candidate is passed through, he may begin campaigning, following all campaigning rules set by the parliamentarian. If campaign rules are not followed, the candidate shall be disqualified.
Section 5:The candidates shall be voted upon by a secret ballot. Each chapter present shall be allotted two (2) votes cast as the delegation desires. A maximum ten (10)-minute caucus shall be held before voting so that the individual chapters may decide how to cast their votes. A candidate shall carry a majority of votes including abstaining votes to be elected to office. In case of a tie or a run-off, ballots shall be recast by the delegates after another caucus. If a tie prevails, the other newly elected state officers and State Chairs shall each vote for either candidate.
Section 6:Should a vacancy occur in any office for any reason, the sponsor of the vacant office may appoint a successor with the approval of the newly elected officers and two state sponsors. Otherwise, the newly elected officers will select a successor that applies for the position. The newly elected President will design the application and send it to each chapter that is affiliated with both the NJCL and LJCL.
Section 7:Candidates are required to be present at Candidates’ Open Forum as are ten percent of every delegation present at the convention. Chapters that do not send ten percent will not have voting rights.
Section 8:The annual voting specified in Section 5 will be conducted by the parliamentarian. The Parliamentarian (supervised by the State Chairs) will count the votes for the officer election as well as for the approval of amendments. If the Parliamentarian is running for an office, the President will replace him/her.
Article VI
Section 1:The duties of the President shall include: presiding at all meetings of the organization and the State Board; appointing all committees and being an ex officio member thereof; planning the annual LJCL Convention; overseeing registration at the LJCL Convention; representing this organization at annual meetings of the National Junior Classical League. Also, s/he must have attended at least one NJCL Convention. This rule shall not apply when the office is in a state of emergency.
Section 2:The duties of the First Vice-President shall include: assuming the role of the President in the event of his/her absence; obtaining publicity for this organization with all news media; coordinating state entries for the National Junior Classical League publicity contest; promoting membership in the national, state, and local chapters; performing all duties assigned to him/her by the President.
Section 3:The duties of the Second Vice-President shall include: overseeing the workshops at the LJCL Convention; overseeing all Louisiana Junior Classical League fundraising, including the bazaar at LJCL Convention; overseeing the Louisiana Junior Classical League booth at the annual NJCL Convention; planning and coordinating activities for the National Junior Classical League spirit contest; performing all duties assigned to him/her by the President. Also, s/he must have attended at least one NJCL Convention. This rule shall not apply when the office is in a state of emergency.
Section 4:The duties of the Parliamentarian shall include: keeping order at all meetings; presiding at the Nominating Committee meetings, the Constitutional Amendments Committee meetings, and at the Candidates’ Open Forum; giving rules for voting at LJCL Convention; counting the votes at LJCL Convention with the State Chairs; National Certamen matches; overseeing the updating of the Louisiana Junior Classical League chapter constitution annually; providing each chapter with an official record of the amendments passed at the LJCL Convention.
Section 5:The duties of the Secretary shall include: taking minutes at all meetings of this organization and relaying them to each chapter as soon as possible; carrying on all statewide correspondence; managing the Olympika at LJCL Convention and organizing participants in the National Olympika.
Section 6:The duties of the Historian shall include: making a state scrapbook and displaying it at LJCL and NJCL Conventions; designing the state t-shirt and cover for the LJCLConvention booklet; overseeing the graphic arts contest at the annual convention; organizing the graphic arts registration for the entire Louisiana delegation at the NJCL Convention.
Section 7:The duties of the Editor shall include: the editing and publishing of the state newsletter at least four (4) times a year (September, November, January and April); sending copies of the state newspaper to the National Junior Classical League Publications Contest; publishing and distributing the Convention Ear during the LJCL Convention.
Section 8:The state officers will conduct simple (majority rules) voting to decide whether each member has adequately performed the duties assigned to his or her office as specified above. If and only if the results affirm that each member has done so, he or she will be reimbursed the cost of LJCL Convention.
Article VII
Section 1:The President may create ad hoc committees as times and circumstances necessitate for whatever purpose s/he may prescribe.
Section 2:Members of said committee shall be appointed by the President and/or State Chairs.
Section 3:The chairs of each committee shall be appointed by the President with the approval of a majority of the State Board. The chairs shall call and preside over all committee meetings and present the findings and recommendations of said committees to the State Board.
Section 4:The position of Editor will be permanently aided by a Torch committee. This committee will function as a working division of the LJCL Executive Board. Consisting of a number appointed by each year’s editor, the committee will be entirely appointed by the Editor, approved by the President, and held accountable to the production and publication of at least 4 Torch issues throughout the year in which they serve. The Editor will serve as the committee chair.
Article VIII
Section 1:An annual convention of this organization shall be held, and its time and place fixed to suit the convenience of the State Chairs and officers. Whenever possible, the site of the convention should rotate annually so as to cover each section of the state.
Section 2:A quorum at the annual convention shall consist of the chapter members present.
Section 3:At the annual convention, a caucus shall be formed consisting of all the members-at-large and long-distance members present and shall be presided over by one of the nominating and voting powers of the regular state chapters for the length of the convention.
Article IX
Section 1:All proposed amendments must be submitted to the President, Parliamentarian, and the State Chairs at least thirty (30) days prior to LJCL Convention.