Constitution By Laws Policies & Procedures
Constitution of the Clarkson Club
Adopted by vote of the membership on April 25, 2008
The name of this organization shall be The Clarkson Club.
Article II. PURPOSE
The purpose of the Club shall be to promote both social interaction and service within the University and strengthen its ties to the community.
Article III. MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. Membership shall be open to all Clarkson employees* and their spouses.
SECTION 2. Honorary members of the Club shall include: the President of the University and spouse and members of the University Board of Trustees and spouses.
SECTION 3. Active membership rights and privileges shall be dependent upon payment of annual dues. Honorary members and retired Club members shall enjoy the rights and privileges of Active Members, but without the obligation of paying dues.
*This category shall include: administration, faculty, staff and all those individuals or groups whose activities support the University’s overall mission, i.e. ROTC, Food Service Managers, Research Associates, etc.
Article IV. OFFICERS
SECTION 1. The active officers of the Club shall be the two Co-Presidents, the Vice-President (or the President, 1st Vice President, and the 2nd Vice-President), the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
SECTION 2. The officers shall be elected at the Annual Business Meeting. Officers shall begin their terms of office on June 1st and shall hold their offices for a period of one year. With the following exceptions:
1. if a conscientious search does not yield a nominee for an office, then the person currently holding that office may be re-elected;
2. if an office is vacated between elections and the term of the unexpired office is less than nine months, the Executive Committee shall have power to fill that vacancy;
3. if a search for the Office of President is unsuccessful, Co-Chairs for the office shall be considered.
SECTION 3. The Co-Presidents shall preside at all meetings of the Club and Executive Committee. The Co-Presidents shall appoint the Chairs of all committees, with the exception of the Service Committee. The Co-Presidents shall also serve as ex-officio member of all committees.
1. The Vice-President (or 1st Vice President) shall, in the absence of the Co-Presidents, perform the duties of the Co-Presidents and assist the Co-Presidents in conducting the Club’s business. The Vice-President (or 1st Vice President) shall be responsible for publicizing the Club’s activities in the media.
2. The Vice-President (or 2nd Vice President) shall serve as Service Committee Chair. In the event of the absence of the Co-Presidents, the Vice-President, shall assume the duties of the Co-Presidents. The Vice-President (or 2nd Vice President) shall also, after consultation with the Executive Committee, be responsible for identifying the Club’s annual Scholarship Recipient.
3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Club and Executive Committee meetings, shall conduct the Club’s correspondence, and shall have charge of notifying all members of the Executive Committee of each meeting.
4. The Treasurer shall contact the Comptroller of the Clarkson University Finance Department to learn about the Club’s account procedures. The Treasurer shall also prepare the annual budget, collect dues, pay all bills on authorization of the President, collect money at special Club events and maintain an up-to-date membership list.
Article V. COMMITTEES
SECTION 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Club, the past Co-Presidents, and the Chairs of the Standing Committees. A majority of the members of this Committee shall constitute a quorum. This Committee shall make policy and transact any business that may come before it between the Club’s Annual Meetings.
SECTION 2. The Head of the Interest Groups will be responsible for organizing a meeting once a year (typically in February), with the heads of each individual interest group. If the head of the interest group in not available, a representative from the group may come to the meeting in the place of the interest group leader. The attendees of this meeting shall come with names of their members who might like to serve on the executive and standing committees.
SECTION 3. The Chairs of the Standing Committees, with the exception of the Service Committee, shall be appointed by the Co-Presidents (or President), after consultation with the other officers. Terms of Office of the Standing Committees shall be one year.
SECTION 4. Prior approval must be obtained from the Co-Presidents (or President) in the case of any financial expenditure anticipated or incurred by any Standing Committee or any member of the Club. All expenditure shall be reported at each executive board meeting.
Article VI. BUSINESS MEETINGS
Members shall receive prior notification of all business meetings. The Annual Business Meeting shall be the final meeting of the year.
Article VII. AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended at any business meeting by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present. Such amendments must be proposed at a previous business meeting or be presented to the membership in writing at least four weeks prior to the vote.
SECTION 1. The business meeting of the Club shall be conducted in a way that allows divergent views to be heard and the orderly transaction of business to proceed.
SECTION 2. A quorum shall consist of ten percent of the paid members, but not fewer than fifteen members.
Article II. STANDING COMMITTEES
1. The Historical Committee shall record the Club's accomplishments in a journal or scrapbook and serve as the Club's photographer.
2. The Hospitality Committee shall contact the relevant Clarkson offices and departments to acquire the names of new Clarkson personnel, The committee members shall contact the new personnel and help them become acquainted with the Club and the resources of the community and region.
3. The Interest Group Committee shall coordinate communications between the various Interest Groups and between these groups and the Executive Board. Interest Group members shall select their own group Co-ordinators; the Chair of the Standing Committee will assist in this process only upon the request of the Interest group members or as needed to maintain the continued operations of the Interest Group. All Interest Groups must be financially self-sufficient.
4. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for keeping an current data base/mailing list of the Club's past, present and potential members, for distributing the Faculty-Staff telephone directory and Handbook to members and be responsible for telephoning members as directed by the Executive Committee. In addition to the current responsibilities, the Membership Chair will also be responsible for preparing the Club's annual handbook.
5. The Interest Group Chair, the Executive Committee and the Standing Committee members shall present the names of the officers to be voted on at the Annual Business Meeting. The slate of officers shall be presented to the Club membership in writing at least four weeks before the Annual Business Meeting.
6. The Service Committee shall promote projects for the welfare of the University and the community. The Vice-President (or 2nd Vice President) shall serve as Chair of the Service Committee.
7. The Social/Program Committee shall arrange for the refreshments, entertainment and decorations for all Club functions.
8. The Website Committee shall post the Clarkson club activities on the club website.
Article III. DUES
SECTION 1. The Clarkson Club is a non-profit organization. All moneys it raises or is issued shall be used to support the purposes of the Club, as stated under Article II of the Constitution. The annual dues shall be set by membership vote at the Annual Business Meeting, and shall be assessed on either an Individual or Household Membership basis. Household Memberships shall be assessed at a slightly higher rate than Individual Memberships. Honorary Members and Retired Members are encouraged to pay dues, but are not required to do so. All dues are payable to the Treasurer at the beginning of the academic year.
SECTION 2. The fiscal year shall run from July 1st to June 30th.
Article IV. AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended at any business meeting by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present. Such amendments must be proposed at a previous Business Meeting or be presented to the membership in writing at least four weeks prior to the vote.
Article V. REVISIONS
The Constitution and By-laws shall be considered for revision every five years, or as needed. The Secretary shall distribute up-to-date copies of the Constitution and By-laws to the new Club officers. Changes in the Constitution or By-laws shall be dated.
1. All Interest Groups sponsored by The Clarkson Club are open to everyone in the Clarkson community. Community members are welcome as space and circumstances permit.
2. All Interest Groups must be chaired by a member of the Clarkson Club.
3. No Interest Group leader or chair shall charge a fee to teach/lead/or coordinate an Interest Group. All Interest Group participation is purely voluntary in nature.
AWARDS AND HONORS POLICY
1. In order to recognize outstanding service to the Club, a Service Award shall be instituted. The name of this award shall be the Helen Lindsay Service Award and it shall be presented to the recipient at the Annual Business Meeting. Nominations for this award shall be open to the whole membership of the Club. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for taking nominations for the Helen Lindsay Service Award and the nominations will be presented at the Executive Committee Board Meetings. The outcome, in case of multiple nominations, shall be decided by a majority vote of the Executive Board. This award shall be given as appropriate. The award shall carry with it no monetary reward.
2. In order to fulfill the Club's stated goal of providing a variety of services to the Clarkson community, a scholarship shall be awarded to an outstanding Clarkson student on a yearly basis, or as the Club's financial status permits. The qualifications for the scholarship shall be determined by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and responsibility for locating the appropriate candidate will fall to the Vice-President (2nd Vice President). This award shall be presented to the Recipient on the University Recognition Day, if possible.
