USMA Class of 1979 Constitution

August 5, 2003

ARTICLE I
Preamble

SECTION 1. The name of this organization is the United States Military Academy Class of 1979 (USMA Class of 1979), hereinafter referred to as the Class.

SECTION 2. The Class is a non-profit, self-sustaining, private organization, and will exist until the death of its last Regular Member.

SECTION 3. The Class is not an instrument of the United States Government. It exists solely to serve the members of the Class and, through the Class, the United States Military Academy. It shall be administered by individuals not acting within their official capacities as officers, employees, or agents of the United States Government.

SECTION 4. The purpose of this Constitution is to provide a vehicle for the administration of the Class after graduation from the United States Military Academy.

ARTICLE II
Purpose and Object

SECTION 1. Purpose. The purpose of the Class shall be to perpetuate the association of the members begun as Cadets and to support and further the ideals of the United States Military Academy.

SECTION 2. Object. The objective of the Class is to provide a means for administering Class affairs, to define membership, to deal with Class-related financial matters, and to provide a point of contact, through Class Officers, with the Association of Graduates (AOG). The Class shall be its members' association supported by contributions or fund-raising activities and shall not be carried on for profit as that term is defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ARTICLE III
Membership

SECTION 1. The regular membership of the Class will automatically include all graduates of the USMA, Class of 1979. In addition, it may include Associate and Honorary Members.

a. Regular Members shall be all USMA graduates from the year 1979 who are officially recorded by the Association of Graduates, to include those cadets who were reassigned to the Class from a higher class and who subsequently completed the requirements for graduation.

b. Associate Members shall include those persons who were members of the Class of 1979 at the time of acceptance of the Class into the Corps of Cadets but who are not Regular Members. Associate Members must be nominated by a Regular Member and approved by the Executive Board, otherwise referred to as the Board.

c. Honorary Members shall consist of all persons to whom the Executive Board has offered membership and who have accepted this offer. The Board must have a majority vote to approve an offer for Honorary Membership.

SECTION 2. Regular members shall have all rights guaranteed them by this Constitution.

SECTION 3. Associate and Honorary members shall have all rights of Regular Members, except the right to vote in Class matters.

SECTION 4. Resignation. Members of the Class may withdraw from this association, if desired. Resignation will be effective upon receipt by the Board of a letter from a member, the subject of which shall be "Request to Resign from the USMA Class of 1979."

ARTICLE IV
Officers

SECTION 1. Classification. The Officers shall be comprised of Honorary and Regular Officers.

SECTION 2. Honorary Class Officers. The Honorary Officers are the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian/Scribe, who were elected by the Class while Cadets at the United States Military Academy, and any and all persons who previously served as Regular Class Officers. The initial group of Honorary Officers shall serve from the Class' graduation until the twenty-five (25) year reunion, at which time Regular Class Officers shall be elected during the Class Reunion Business Meeting. Honorary Officers may run for re-election to office (or for election to another office) if they so desire.  Unless re-elected as Regular Officers, Honorary Officers shall have no further responsibility for Class administration, but they shall become members of an Emeritus Committee that the Regular Class Officers may consult for advice; provided, however, that for the purposes of continuity the Honorary Class Officers shall elect one of their members to serve on the Executive Board. Honorary Class Officers shall hold their positions for life. Vacancies in these positions will not be filled.

SECTION 3. Regular Class Officers. The Regular Officers shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Historian/Scribe, and an Information Systems Officer. These officers shall perform the duties as prescribed by the By-laws and in accordance with the parliamentary authority adopted by the Class.

a. Election. The Regular Officers shall be elected from the Regular Members of the Class to serve for five (5) years or until their successors are elected, unless they should sooner die, resign, or be removed. The election of Regular Class Officers shall occur at each Class Reunion Business Meeting. Notification of such election (including the names of the nominees and a proxy form) shall be sent to each Regular Class Member by United States Mail and/or by electronic mail no later than sixty (60) days prior to the commencement of the next Class Reunion. The five-year term of office for Regular Class Officers shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the Class Reunion at which they are elected.

b. Vacancies. Vacancies resulting from the resignation, removal, or death of a Regular Officer may be filled by majority vote of the Board, and the officer so chosen shall hold office until the next Reunion. Should the Presidency become vacant, the Vice President shall assume the office of President, and the vacancy shall exist in the office of the Vice President. The Board may then fill the Vice President's vacancy.

SECTION 4. Impeachment Procedures.

a. Impeachment proceedings may be brought against Class Officers for the following reasons:

1. Extended negligence of duties. Negligence is defined as any dereliction of duty that is related to one's responsibilities.

2. A lack of desire to serve in the best interests of the Class.

3. An inability to perform in the best interest of the Class, or an inability to properly represent the members of the Class.

b. Any Regular Member may request impeachment proceedings against a Class Officer. Such request must be submitted in writing to the Board in order to initiate proceedings. Such request must include explicit reasons for which impeachment procedures are requested.

c. Within thirty (30) days of receipt of such request, the Board shall designate a Committee not comprised of any Regular Officers to investigate the matter. The Committee shall number no less than five (5) Regular Members, and not more than nine (9) members.

d. The Committee shall determine whether sufficient cause exists to remove the Class Officer. A two-thirds vote of the Committee is required to proceed to a Class vote.

e. The Class will be notified of the impeachment proceedings by mail or e-mail. Notification will include explicit reasons for which impeachment proceedings have been brought against the Class Officer and that the Committee has found sufficient cause to initiate a Class vote.

f. Voting will be done by ballot. All ballots returned within forty-five (45) days of the ballot mailing date shall constitute a quorum. A two-thirds vote is required to remove a Class Officer. The Class Officer against whom impeachment proceedings have been brought may not vote.

g. In case of impeachment, the vacant office will be filled in accordance with Article IV, Section 3.b., of the Class Constitution.

ARTICLE V
Executive Board

SECTION 1. Membership.  The Executive Board shall be comprised of the Regular Officers, one member from the Emeritus Committee/Honorary Class Officers (as described above), and one representative elected from each of the geographic regions listed in the Bylaws.  The elections of the regional Executive Board representatives shall also occur at the Class Reunion Business Meeting as described above. 

SECTION 2. Voting. More than one-half of the total members of the Board shall be present for business to constitute a quorum. The phrase "present for business" shall mean any of the following:  physically present, participating by video conference or conference call, or participating by any other means that allows for meaningful interactive participation during the meeting.  Board decisions shall be determined by majority vote when a quorum is present. Votes may be made in person, in writing, or by telephonic or electronic means.

SECTION 3. Responsibilities. The Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Class between its business meetings, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Class, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in the By-laws. The Board has responsibility for organizing class activities and for directing use of the Class Administration Fund. The Board shall make a formal report of its activities available to the Class at least once annually. The Board shall be subject to the orders of the Class, and none of its acts shall conflict with the actions taken by the Class.  The Board may seek opinions and advice from the Emeritus Committee or from any outside consultants (e.g., accountants, attorneys, etc.) for which a majority of the Board votes to pay.

SECTION 4. Meetings. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, its regular meetings shall be held on the first day of each quinquennial reunion.

ARTICLE VI
The Class Ring

The retention and wear of the Class Ring shall be governed by the tradition of the United States Military Academy.

a. Only Regular Members may wear the USMA Class of 1979 Class Ring.

b. The family of any deceased member of the Class may retain the Class Ring.

ARTICLE VII
The Class Crest

The Class Crest shall be the property of the Class. All rights are reserved by the Class.

ARTICLE VIII
Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Class in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Constitution, and any special rules of order the Class may adopt.

ARTICLE IX
Adoption of Constitution

This Constitution shall become effective immediately upon approval by two-thirds of the Regular Members voting by mail (email).

ARTICLE X
Amendment of Constitution

This Constitution may be amended at any Regular Meeting of the Class by a two-thirds vote of the Regular Members present in person and by returned proxy ballots, provided that at least 50% of the members of the Class (considered to be "active" members by the Association of Graduates and have a good address on file) vote. Proposed amendments shall be submitted by the Board to Regular Members for approval, together with a written explanation of the amendment's purpose and a proposed ballot. The Constitution may also be amended between Regular Meetings of the Class by the same submission of the proposed amendment and proposed ballot to the Board.  The Board shall then give notice of the proposed amendment to the Class by United States Mail and/or electronic mail.  The notice of proposed amendment will provide not less than sixty (60) days for Regular Members to return their ballots. A two-thirds count of those Regular Class Members voting will be required to approve the proposed amendment, again provided that at least 50% of the members of the Class (considered to be "active" members by the Association of Graduates and have a good address on file) vote.

ARTICLE XI
Dissolution

The Class shall be dissolved and all assets remaining shall become the property of the Association of Graduates upon the death of the last Regular Member of the Class.