Club By Laws

BYLAWS of THE NATIONAL CAPITAL TEXAS A&M CLUB

Updated January 16, 2008

ARTICLE I: Name

Section 1/Nonprofit:

The name of this nonprofit organization shall be the National Capital Texas A&M Club.

ARTICLE II

Charter

The National Capital Texas A&M Club shall not be financially obligated to or by the Association of Former Students nor shall the Association in any way be obligated or responsible for the financial affairs of the Club.

In the event of dissolution of the Club, all assets of the Club remaining after payment or settlement of the indebtedness of the club shall be allocated to such organizations the Board of Directors select as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 as amended.

ARTICLE III

Purpose

The purposes of the Club are to: (1) serve as a focal point for and promote kinship among former students of Texas A&M University and their families in Washington, D.C. and adjacent areas, (2) establish and maintain scholarships for worthy students to attend the University (3) and assist the community, the University and the Association of Former Students in any worthy undertaking to the best of its ability as a Club and as individual former students.

ARTICLE IV

Membership

Section 1/Regular Members:

Any person of Washington, D.C. and adjacent areas who at one time was enrolled in any of the regular undergraduate courses of Texas A&M University or who has received a degree from the university shall be eligible for regular membership in the Club. Regular members shall have the right to vote for officers and directors of the club and to hold office.

 Section 2/Associate Members:

Any person not eligible under Article IV, Section 1 who has demonstrated interest in the University and in the activities of the Club shall be eligible for associate membership. Associate members shall have the right to vote for officers and directors of the club and they shall have all of the privileges of membership, except the right to hold office.

Section 3/Lifetime Members:

Any regular or associate member of the Club who has rendered outstanding service to the Club, may, with the unanimous approval of the Board of Directors, be elected a Lifetime member. This position is designed to be the highest honor that can be given by this Club. Lifetime members shall have all the privileges of membership, including the right to vote and hold office. Lifetime members are exempt from payment of membership dues. Newly selected Lifetime Members will be announced at the Annual Business meeting.

 Section 4/Dues:

Receipt of periodic dues may be a prerequisite for regular and associate membership in good standing. The amount of dues and frequency of its collection shall be at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The Club’s membership year runs from 21 April to 20 April (Muster to Muster). Individuals who join the Club after 1 January will pay half the normal dues rate for the remainder of that membership year.

ARTICLE V

Officers and Board of Directors

Section 1/Officers:

The officers of the Club shall consist of:

1. President

2. First Vice President

3. Immediate Past President

4. Vice President - Activities

5. Vice President - Finance

6. Vice President – Student Development

7. Vice President - Membership and Board Secretary

 8. Vice President - Communications

Section 2/Duties of the Officers:

President: The President is the Chairperson of the Board and presides at all meetings of the Club, the Board of Directors, and Executive Committee. Appoints all committees (except nominating committee) and serves as ex-officio member of all committees. The President also acts as liaison with the Association of Former Student.

First Vice President: Presides at meetings in the absence of the President. Serves on the Executive Committee. Assists the President as needed. Title may be concurrent with another position.

Immediate Past President: Serves on the Executive Committee and budget committee.

Vice President - Activities: Chairs the Program Committee. Oversees the planning and execution of the Club’s activities and programs. Provides recommendations to the President for the appointment of chairpersons of Aggie Muster, the Annual Barbeque and other activity committees as needed.

Vice President - Finance: Serves as treasurer of the Club. Chairs the Budget Committee. Serves as Vice Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee. Oversees development of the annual Club budget. Collects dues, as required.

Vice President - Student Development: Chairs the Scholarship Committee. Represents the Club in matters pertaining to the continuing relationship with the University and area high schools, and coordinates club sponsored scholarship fundraising functions.

Vice President - Membership and Board Secretary: Serves as secretary of the Board of Directors. Chairs the Membership Committee. Directs membership drives. Maintains a roster of current members and distributes membership ballots for annual elections.

Vice President - Communications: Plans and directs local publicity and press relations to enhance the Club's public image. Functions directly with the Association of Former Students to keep local Club membership informed as to state, national and international activities of the University. Maintains and regularly updates all club promotional vehicles – not limited to newsletters and the website.

Section 3/Terms of Office for Officers:

All officers shall serve for a term of 1 year although nothing in this section shall prohibit an individual from serving more than one term.

Section 4/Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors shall consist of up to seventeen (17) members. Eight (8) of these directors will consist of the duly elected officers of the Club and nine (9) are the duly elected Directors of the Club.

Section 5/Responsibility of Directors:

Provide overall guidelines for the Club and overall governance of the Club. Attend all meetings of the Board of Directors.

Section 6/Term of Office of Directors:

The directors who are not officers shall be elected for staggered terms, 3 years in length, with three (3) vacancies being filled each year.

Section 7/Method of Nomination:

Each year, but not later than 90 days before the annual business meeting, the Executive Committee shall appoint a nominating committee to prepare a slate of officers and directors for the following year. The nominating committee will report to the Board not later than 60 days before the annual business meeting. Only one (1) person will be placed on the ballot for each vacancy, but provision will be made on the ballot for write-in candidates.

Section 8/Method of Election:

The Officers and Directors shall be elected by membership ballot prior to the annual business meeting. They will assume office at the annual business meeting following the election. The chairperson of the nominating committee, in conjunction with the Vice President - Membership and Board Secretary, will ensure that ballots are prepared and mailed or e-mailed to each club member no later than 30 days prior to the annual business meeting and shall be responsible for tabulating the ballots and notifying the President of the results.

Section 9/Filling of Vacancies:

With the exception of the Office of President and First Vice President, if a vacancy occurs in the 90 day period prior to the annual business meeting, the vacancy will not be filled. If a vacancy occurs among the Officers or Directors more than 90 days before the annual business meeting, the vacancy shall be filled in the following manner:

Directors other than Officers: The President, with the approval of two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors, shall appoint a successor to serve until the next election. The individual elected at the next election will serve the balance of the term of the director who created the vacancy.

Officers Other Than the President or First Vice President: The President, with approval of two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors, shall appoint a successor to serve until the next election.

Immediate Past President: In the event that the office of Immediate Past President becomes vacant, this position will not be filled until the normal succession of the President.

President: If the office of the President becomes vacant, the First Vice President shall immediately assume this position and will serve until the next regular election. This does not preclude the individual from running for the office of President in the next election.

First Vice President: If the office of the First Vice President becomes vacant, the Board of Directors, by a two-thirds vote, may decide to fill the vacant position. If the Board decides to fill the position, the nominating committee shall provide the Board of Directors with a recommendation of a person to serve as First Vice President. Upon approval of two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors, this person will serve as First Vice President until the next election.   

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

Section 1/Club Meetings:

The regular membership meetings of the Club shall be held at Aggie Muster, the Annual Barbecue and at such other times and places designated by the Board. The annual business meeting will be held at Muster.

Section 2/Aggie Muster:

The annual Muster of the Club will be held on or near April 21. A report of the Muster held will be made to the Association of Former Students by the Aggie Muster Chairperson with full details of the function.

Section 3/Meetings of Officers and Directors:

Meetings of the officers and/or directors may be called at any time by the President or the Executive Committee. These meetings may be in addition to or in lieu of any regularly scheduled meetings.

Section 4/Regular Meetings of the Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors shall have at least four (4) meetings each year. The President shall designate one of these meetings to present and review the overall plans and policies of the Club.

ARTICLE VII

Committees

Section 1/Appointment:

The President shall appoint standing committees and such other committees as may become necessary.

 Section 2/Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, First Vice President, Immediate Past President, Vice President - Finance, and two members of the Board of Directors. The two members of the Board shall be chosen as follows: one by the Board and the other by the President. The Executive Committee shall meet at any time, and shall guide the annual activities of the Club. In instances where a meeting of all Directors is impractical, the Executive Committee may take action on its own, subject to the responsibility of the Executive Committee to make a full report of such actions via email to all members of the Board of Directors as soon as possible and at the next meeting of the Board of Directors; and further subject to the limitation that the Executive Committee may not spend funds in excess of $500.00 without Board approval.

Section 3/Program Committee:

The Program Committee, under the chair of the Vice President - Activities, shall provide interesting and diversified programs, planned well in advance, and backed up by alternate stand-by programs. The committee shall work with the Muster and Barbecue Committees to help ensure the success of these events.


Section 4/Scholarship Committee:

This committee, under the chair of the Vice President – Student Development, will conduct a program to receive and review scholarship applications and then recommend to the Board of Directors the recipients of scholarships from the Club. At least one (1) scholarship is authorized to be awarded by the Club annually. Applications for the scholarship must be received not later than 30 June of each year. The Vice President - Finance serves as Vice Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee.

Section 5/Membership Committee:

This committee, under the chair of the Vice President – Membership, should encourage active, participating members. The Committee should periodically check the mailing list of the Club for accuracy and to add prospective members.

Section 6/Bylaws Committee:

The Bylaws Committee, composed of the First Vice President and two board members, will review the bylaws at least once each year and recommend needed changes to the Board of Directors.   Recommendations shall be kept in such form that it aids the officers and directors in the efficient operation of the Club

Section 7/Budget Committee:

The Budget Committee shall be comprised of the Executive Committee plus the Vice President - Activities. The committee will prepare an annual budget and present it to the Board of Directors for approval before the start of the Club’s fiscal year. The Club’s fiscal year will run from 1 July to 30 June.

Section 8/Nominating Committee:

The nominating committee shall consist of: the Immediate Past President, President, First Vice President, a member of the Executive Committee (who is not an officer), a member of the Board (who is neither an officer nor a member of the Executive Committee), and any two additional officers, directors, or club members appointed by the Executive Committee. The President shall appoint a chairperson of the nominating committee. Vacancies in any of the above positions will not prohibit the Executive Committee from appointing a nominating committee.

ARTICLE VIII

Advisory Council

The Board of Directors may choose an unlimited number of individuals to serve as an advisory council to the board and executive committee. Individuals selected to this advisory council must otherwise qualify for club membership. Although not subject to the Club’s formal nomination and election process, these individuals must be approved by the Board of Directors and serve terms that expire annually on the date of the Club’s annual business meeting.

ARTICLE IX

Amendments

Section 1/Vote by Board:

The Bylaws of this Club may be amended or changed by a three-quarters vote of the elected Board of Directors.

Section 2/Vote by Membership:

The Bylaws of this Club may be amended or changed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the next regular membership meeting after the motion was originally made and the Board of Directors has approved such changes by a majority vote.

These Bylaws were amended by the Board of Directors on 16 January 2008.

Bridger Roy '02
President, 2007-2008TEST