Board Standing Rules

I. Meetings.

A. The Board shall meet annually at the National Tournament and at a publicized autumn meeting.

B. Any additional meetings may be called by the Chair.

II. Officers and Duties. In addition to the provisions of Article V., Section A.4. of the Charter:

A. The Chairperson and Treasurer shall be elected at the meeting of the Board at the National Tournament.

B. Terms of officers begin on July 1 of each year.

III. Rules of Procedure.
A. Four voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

B. Business of the Board shall require a simple majority.

IV. Financial Rules. To implement Article V, Section B of the Charter:
A. Sources of Income.
Subsidy from the American Forensic Association.
a. The amount of the subsidy requested is determined by the Board of Trustees meeting at the National Tournament.
b. The request for the subsidy is to be made by the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
c. The appropriate channel for the request is the Executive Secretary of the AFA.
Subscription fees.
a. The amount of the subscription fee for the following year is to be established by the Board of Trustees meeting at the National Tournament.

b. Subscription fees are to be paid to the Treasurer, or the AFA Treasurer, no later than November 1. The Treasurer will periodically publish a list of schools from which subscription fees have been collected. Receipts for subscription fees are to be issued by the Treasurer or AFA Treasurer. Any school subscribing between the dates of November 1 and December 15, will be charged double the base subscription fee. Any school subscribing between the dates of December 15 and January 15, will be charged triple the base subscription fee.

c. Only subscribing schools from a district may take part in the at-large or district qualification processes. Verification of payment shall be determined and published by the Treasurer.

d. No subscription fees will be accepted after January 15 unless approval is given by the District and National Committees and the Board of Trustees.

e. The Chair will appoint a committee from the Board of Trustees to hear appeals.”

At-Large Bid Application Fees.
a. The amount of the bid-application fee will be established by the Board of Trustees in consultation with the electronic bid-application director at the autumn meeting.

b. Bid application fees are to be collected by the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees or a person designated by the Treasurer. The bid application fees must be received by the Treasurer by the deadline published in the Director’s Letter. The Treasurer is responsible for verifying receipt of payment and communicating that information to the Director before the official ballot is sent out to the NDT Committee. District Chairs are encouraged to facilitate the collection of bid application fees for the Second-Round bid process at their district tournaments. The District Chair is responsible for notifying the Treasurer of any fees collected and mailing the fees to the Treasurer.

c. Receipts are to be issued by the Treasurer.

d. The Treasurer shall issue a check to the electronic-bid application director for half of the total bid application fees collected.

Registration fees.

a. The amount of the registration fee for the National Tournament is to be established by the Board of Trustees and announced in the Director’s Letter and to the NDT Committee at the latter’s February meeting.

b. Registration fees are to be collected by the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees or a person designated by the Treasurer. Fees for the tournament may be paid in cash, institutional checks, traveler’s checks, cashier’s checks, certified checks, or approved credit cards.

c. Receipts are to be issued by the Treasurer.”

Grants and other subsidies. The Board of Trustees is authorized to determine potential sources of support for the National Tournament, to contact such sources, and to negotiate details of any support.
B. The Budget for the National Tournament.

The budget for the NDT is to be developed by the Treasurer and the Chair of the Board of Trustees in consultation with the Tournament Director, the Tournament Host, and the National Committee.

The budget must be approved by the Board of Trustees during its autumn meeting.”

C. Indebtedness. Only the Chair of the National Committee, the Tournament Director, and the Tournament Host are authorized to incur indebtedness in the name of the Board of Trustees.
Such indebtedness may not exceed the sum specified in the budget line item without approval by the Board of Trustees.
Request for expenditure of funds in excess of a line item must be made to the Board Chair who will poll the Board.

D. Disbursement of Funds.

The Treasurer is authorized to receive and disburse funds in the name of the Board of Trustees.
The Treasurer is authorized to make cash advances to the Chair of the National Committee, the Tournament Director, and the Tournament Host.
a. Any cash advances on budget items are to be covered by receipts and any balances are to be received by the Treasurer no later than June 1 following the tournament for which the advance was made.
b. The Treasurer is authorized to make payments on receipt of invoice for goods and services listed as line items in the budget.

E. Accounting. A written report of income and disbursements is to be prepared by the Treasurer and forwarded to the members of the Board and the National Committee no later than July 1.

V. Site Arrangements.

A. The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for soliciting invitations, investigating, and negotiating sites for the National Tournaments, and reporting to the National Committee on their findings and suggestions consistent with the document, “Hosting Obligations for a National Debate Tournament.”
B. Prior to final approval of a site, the Board of Trustees shall obtain the following documents:

a letter of invitation from the principal officer of the institution seeking to host the National Tournament;
a statement of all goods and services to be provided by the hosting institution, consistent with the document “Hosting Obligations for a National Debate Tournament”;
a statement of all costs and charges by the host institution consistent with the document “Hosting Obligations for a National Debate Tournament”;
a detailed report concerning hotel facilities.

C. Final acceptance of an invitation from a host institution shall require approval of both the National Committee and the Board of Trustees.

D. The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for periodic review of the document, “Hosting Obligations for a National Debate Tournament.” Revisions to said document shall be approved by the National Committee and the Board of Trustees.

IV. Contractual Obligations.

A. The Board of Trustees is the sole agency designated by the American Forensic Association to negotiate with sponsoring individuals, groups, organizations, or institutions. All negotiations must be conducted by or at the direction of the Board.

B. The official acceptance of an invitation to host the National Tournament will be written by the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

C. The contract with the hotel must be signed by the Board Chair or a designated representative.

VII. Amendment. These standing rules may be amended by a majority vote of the Board present and voting at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board.
Updated April 2007