CONSTITUTION FOR
THE CHARLOTTE CHAPTER OF
THE PENN STATE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The name of this organization
shall be "The Charlotte Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association"
(the “Chapter”).
The objective of
the Chapter shall be to promote and enhance the stature of the Pennsylvania
State University. This shall include,
but not be limited to, the alumni, students, applicants and administration of
the Pennsylvania State University.
Membership is
extended to any alumnus, student, parent or spouse of an alumnus or student, or
friend who shares a common interest in Penn State. The Chapter will not discriminate against any member or potential
member because of age, ancestry, color,
disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual
orientation, or veteran status.
General
membership is defined as Penn State alumni who live in the geographic area of
the Chapter as determined by the Penn State Alumni Association (the “Alumni
Association”). The general membership
will be a list provided by the Alumni Association once a year. The national Penn State Alumni Chapter
Office (the “Alumni Office”) or the Membership Committee may provide new
members to be added to the list.
General members will only be guaranteed one annual mailing in
conjunction with the annual membership drive.
A person will be
considered an active member if Chapter dues as established by the Board of
Directors are paid in full. Active
members are entitled to regular updates concerning specific Chapter
activities. These updates will be
issued at the discretion of the Communications Committee and the Board of
Directors.
The Chapter
year shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30.
The Board of
Directors (the “Board”) shall be responsible for conducting and governing the
Chapter business to achieve its purpose as stated in Article II.
The Board shall consist
of a minimum of eight and a maximum of twelve members. A term on the Board shall consist of three
years. No more than four Board members
may be elected in any one year. A board member must be an active member of the
Alumni Association and the Chapter. No
board member shall be eligible for re-election until one year after the
expiration of his or her current term.
An exception to this rule is the case in which a person is appointed to
fulfill an unexpired term. This person
may run for his or her own three-year term.
Nominations for
the Board must be submitted to the Chapter Secretary thirty days prior to the
Annual Meeting. Nominations will not be
accepted at the Annual Meeting unless fewer than three nominations are submitted. The nominee must be an active member of the
Chapter and from the general membership.
The Board will be
elected by a majority vote of the active membership via mail or in person at
the Annual Meeting. If a tie shall arise for the twelfth Board seat, then a
special run-off between the tied nominees will be held and voted on by those in
attendance at the Annual Meeting.
The Board, by a
majority vote, may select a qualified replacement nominee to fill a vacancy
(for whatever reason) on the Board. The
President or, in his absence, any officer may nominate one or more person(s) to
fill a vacancy. The replacement nominee
must meet the same qualifications as set forth in Section 5.3.
The Chapter
officers shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The term
for these offices shall be two years.
Only two offices may be open for election in any year.
An officer must
meet the same requirements as the Board.
The Board will elect officers at the last regular meeting of the chapter
year. Nominees for Chapter officers
must be submitted to the Board thirty days in advance of the election
meeting. Nominations will not be
accepted at the election meeting unless no nominations are submitted for one or
more offices.
The President can
nominate a replacement if a vacancy arises in any office except his own. The Board must approve any nominee. In the event of a vacancy in the office of
President, the Vice-President will assume the vacant office and then nominate a
replacement to fill the position of Vice-President.
Below are the
general duties and powers of the Chapter Officers. The President, with the Board’s approval, may assign additional
duties.
A.
PRESIDENT -
The President is the Chapter leader, responsible for the control and direction
of the Chapter. This officer presides
at all Chapter meetings and appoints chairmen of all established committees and
activities. He or she may also actively
seek volunteers for those committees.
The president shall inform the Alumni Office of Chapter activities and
shall submit to that office an annual “State of the Chapter” report.
B.
VICE
PRESIDENT - The Vice President assumes the presidential responsibilities in the
President's absence, temporarily or permanently. Furthermore, this officer will assist the President in any way in
order to achieve the duties and responsibilities of the President.
C.
SECRETARY -
The Secretary keeps the minutes of all Chapter meetings. He or she shall
maintain the official copy of the Chapter’s Charter, Constitution, and minutes
of past board meetings.
D.
TREASURER -
The Treasurer is responsible for the accountability of all Chapter revenues and
expenditures. Only this officer or the
President can sign checks on behalf of the Chapter. He or she shall be responsible for submitting a current financial
statement at each board meeting. He or
she shall submit an annual financial report at the annual meeting of the
Chapter and shall send a copy to the Alumni Office.
Up to eight
committees shall be appointed from the active members of the Chapter. These shall include six standing committees
(Membership, Communications, Event, Community Service, Career Services, and
Student Interaction). Each committee
shall consist of at least three members, at least one of which shall be a
member of the Board of Directors.
The functions of
the committees shall be those set forth below.
Additional functions may be assigned if agreed upon by the Board.
B.
Communications:
The communications committee shall publish a quarterly newsletter to the active
members of the Chapter and maintain a Chapter web site. The committee shall update the Chapter
hotline regularly and send out periodic e-mails as necessary.
C.
Event: The Event
Committee shall propose an annual schedule of Chapter activities. The committee shall assure that the schedule
of activities consists of a well-rounded series of events. It shall also
propose an annual schedule of informal social gatherings, including gatherings
to watch Penn State athletics events on television.
NOTE: Social gatherings are
distinguished from Chapter events in that they do not require advanced
registration and are not restricted to active members.
D.
Community
Service: The Community Service committee shall serve as a liaison between the
Chapter and non-profit community service organizations for the purpose of
providing Chapter members an opportunity to assist in community projects. The committee shall select organizations
from the greater Charlotte area to assist.
E.
Career
Services: The Career Services Committee shall encourage career networking
through diversified programming and assist the membership committee in
publishing an annual Chapter directory.
F.
Student
Interaction: The Student Interaction Committee shall serve as a liaison between
the Chapter and area recruiters. The
committee shall also serve as a liaison between the Chapter and families of
Charlotte area students attending Penn State or planning to attend Penn State.
The Chapter shall
hold an annual meeting at a time and place set by the Board. The purpose of this meeting is to elect new
board members. This meeting may be held
in conjunction with a Chapter event.
At least one
board meeting per quarter will be held to discuss Chapter business. This meeting shall include the prior
meeting's minutes for approval, the Treasurer's Report, any committee reports,
and past or future Chapter activities. The Chapter President shall announce the time, date and place to
all board members and officers at least thirty days in advance.
Any eligible
member is welcome to attend board meetings.
Only members of the Board and Chapter Officers have voting rights at the
meetings.
A quorum of the
Board shall be required at all board meetings.
A quorum of the Board shall consist of at least two-thirds of the Board
members and officers. If a quorum of the
Board is not present, the meeting will need to be rescheduled.
The budget year
shall follow the same time period as the Chapter year.
All funds
received by the Chapter must be deposited into a Chapter account at a financial
institution. All disbursements shall be
made by a check signed by the Treasurer or President. All disbursements should be supported by documentation disclosing
the cost of such disbursement.
A simple revenue
less expense report should be prepared after each Chapter event to determine
the event resulted in a profit or a loss.
The number of attendees should also be included in this report. This report should be submitted to the
President at the next board meeting.
Any section or
article of this Constitution may be amended, repealed, replaced or added to by
a two-thirds majority vote of the Board and Officers at any board meeting. The party or parties desiring an amendment
should notify the President in writing as to the nature of and reason for the
change. The President shall include a
copy of the proposed change(s) with the Chapter meeting notice sent to each
board member and officer.
Should the
Chapter be dissolved, by decision of the Board of Directors, all non-cash
assets shall be converted to cash at the best available price. All Chapter debts and liabilities are to be
settled. Should any cash remain, it
shall be forwarded to the Alumni Association.