Sections
Organization of the Office of Alumni Support Class By-laws Class Support Other Alumni Support Class Rings  
Gifts to West Point Communications Class Reunions Death Notification Program West Point Memory Book
Handbook for Graduated Class Officersreturn to AOG homepage
Annexes
Address Changes
Mailing Support
Class Funds
Administrative Funds
World Wide Web
Reunion Planning
Class / Cullum Files
Class Notes
Memorial Articles / Burials
DCA Merchandise ~ Howitzers / Bugle Notes
Cadet Store
USMA Books
2001 Key Dates
AOG Assistance
Summary of Changes to this Handbook
Section 2: Constitution and By-Laws / Sample Constitution

CONSTITUTION for the USMA Class of ____

ARTICLE I
Preamble

SECTION 1. The name of this organization is the United States Military Academy Class of ____ (USMA Class of ____), 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 object 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.

ARTICLE III
Membership

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

  1. Regular Members shall be all USMA graduates from the year ____ 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.

  2. Associate Members shall include those persons who were members of the Class of ____ 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.

  3. 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 ____.”

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, Historian/Scribe, and Information Systems Officer, who were elected by the Class while Cadets at the United States Military Academy. Honorary Officers shall serve from the Class’ graduation until the ten (10) year reunion. Unless re-elected as Regular Officers, Honorary Officers shall have no further responsibility for Class administration. They 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.

  1. 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. Their five-year term of office shall begin immediately at the conclusion of the Class Reunion at which they are elected.

  2. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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. As a minimum, the Executive Board shall be comprised of the Regular Officers. The Board shall not number more than nine Regular Members of the Class.

SECTION 2. Voting. More than one-half of the total members of the Board shall be present for business to constitute a quorum. 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.

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.

  1. The USMA Class of ____ Class Ring may be worn only by Regular Members.

  2. 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, as approved by two-thirds of the Cadet Class, will become effective upon the Class’ graduation from the United States Military Academy.

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 returned ballots. Proposed amendments will be submitted by the Board to Regular Members for approval, together with a written explanation of the amendment’s purpose and a ballot. In case of an amendment’s submittal being between Regular Meetings, the notice of proposed amendment will provide not less than sixty (60) days for Regular Members to return their ballots. A two-thirds vote will be required to approve the proposed amendment.

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.

Sample By-Laws