Dear members,
During the 2016 Annual Meeting, President Nancy Kelly introduced the idea of changing our name from Alliance Française – Michigan Capital Area Chapter to Alliance Française – Lansing Chapter. AF-Lansing is easier to search, more consistent with other chapters and identification across the country. At that time, everybody agreed with this decision. The next step was to resubmit our by-laws with the new name to the Fondation Alliance Française. To do so, President Anne Tonson worked countless hours on the French version of the new by-laws. When I joined the AF-Lansing as a President in January 2018, I finalized the French version and submitted it to Nelly Sedoun, general delegate of the Fondation Alliance Française – USA. Fast forward, we finally have a version that was approved by the general delegation of the Fondation Alliance Française – USA. The next step is to submit the name change to the Fondation Alliance Française in France. This is the last step of a long process and we need you to be part of it. We need you to vote online by November 20th, 2018.
Please note that all the changes were made to reflect the new standards that the Fondation Alliance Française has set. You can read an updated version of the by-laws in English or in French at the website. Please, take a minute to read them. If you have any question, you can email any of the board members. To help you get to the point, I highlighted the major changes in italics (see below).
Article I (former Article IX): Relations with the Fondation Alliance Française
Section 1. This corporation is established in conformity with the rules and goals of Alliance Française founded in Paris in 1883, of which the continuity is assured from the first of January 2008 by the Fondation Alliance Française to which Alliance Française-Lansing shall be affiliated.
Section 2. No person or group shall be entitled to use the name of the Alliance Française without the prior consent of the Fondation Alliance Française.
This article was moved up to serve as a preamble. There is no change but the location.
Article II : Mission Statement of Alliance Française-Lansing
The mission of Alliance Française – Lansing is to promote, share and enjoy the culture, language and friendship of the French-speaking world. The forms of the mission are most notably:
- French language teaching
- Making available French or French-speaking items by the creation of appropriate structures and by the participation in French and other activities of cultural diffusion
- Organizing French cultural meetings and gatherings
A description of our coming programs has been added. Again, please keep in mind that to remain an Alliance Française, we have to follow their mission. However, these programs are not mandatory. FYI, here is the mission of the Alliance Française:
“The Alliance Française’s mission in the United States is to encourage and develop knowledge of the French language and French and Francophone cultures, and to foster cultural, intellectual and artistic exchanges between the USA and France and the French-speaking countries.” ~ General Delegation of the Fondation Alliance Française in USA.
Article V: Administration
Section 2. Each Board member shall serve for a term of two years or until his or her successor is elected. Each member can serve a maximum of three (3) terms.
We added a maximum of terms that can be served by each board member.
I am looking forward to seeing all at the Christmas party.
A bientôt,
Gaëlle Cassin-Ross
