Version: 23 September 2004
ARTICLE I: PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND APPOINTMENT OF STANDING COMMITTEES
1. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. Nominations
1. Nominations for officers and executive committee members shall come from the Board membership for the upcoming year at its annual meeting.
2. If a Board member cannot be present at the annual meeting, it is his/her duty to submit to the Board a letter stating which nomination he/she would prefer.
3. A Board member may accept nomination to a single office and to the executive committee.
2. Elections
1. The election of officers shall occur at the annual meeting after the close of nominations.
2. A candidate for Board officer receiving a majority of the votes cast at the annual meeting is elected.
3. Nominations and elections of the executive committee shall follow the election of officers.
4. Officers and members of the executive committee shall assume office upon election at the annual meeting, or, if a newly elected Governor, on July 1.
5. Notice of the election results shall be made to the entire membership at the next most convenient time.
3. Vacancies
1. In case of a vacancy arising in any office of the executive committee, the Board shall fill the vacancy by holding an election by those members present at the next meeting.
2. STANDING COMMITTEES
1. The members of the standing committees will be appointed at the June Board meeting.
ARTICLE II: POWERS AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. PRESIDENT
1. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the Association and shall, in general, supervise and direct all the business and affairs of the Association.
2. The President shall preside at meetings of the Board of Governors and perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Governors from time to time.
3. The President shall chair the Executive Committee.
2. VICE-PRESIDENT
1. The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting shall have all the powers of the President.
2. The Vice-President shall guide, supervise and be responsible for the development of chapters as directed by these Bylaws.
3. The Vice-President shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the President or the Board of Governors.
3. TREASURER
1. The Treasurer shall guide, supervise and be responsible for all activities involving funds and securities of the Association. This will include the preparation of an annual report or budget to be presented to the Board of Governors at the conclusion of each fund raising campaign. This report will also be submitted to the Alumni Association.
2. The Treasurer in coordination with the Development Office shall direct and administer all solicitations for funds from the Alumni and will be specifically responsible for the campaign which each year raises funds from the Alumni for the benefit of the college.
3. The Treasurer shall chair the Alumni Fundd Committee.
4. The Treasurer shall perform all the duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the Board of Governors.
4. SECRETARY
1. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Governors.
2. The Secretary is responsible for the records and correspondence of the Association, and shall perform all duties as from time to time may be assigned by the President or the Board of Governors.
ARTICLE III: CHAPTERS AND CLASSES
1. CHAPTERS
1. The purpose of a regional or special chapter is to promote the objectives of the Association through a local or special interest organization of its members. These provisions do not apply to classes.
2. Upon receipt and approval of a constitution, a regional chapter of the Alumni Association may be formed by action of the Board of Governors on petition of fifteen or more members of the Association. Each region chapter charter will specify the geographical area within which it is to function.
3. Upon receipt and approval of a constitution, a special chapter of the Alumni Association may be formed by action of the Board of Governors on petition of fifteen or more members of the Association. Each special chapter charter will specify the subset of the Alumni Association from which its members will be drawn.
4. Membership of a chapter shall be composed exclusively of members of the Association, as defined by the Articles and Bylaws.
5. Any and all activities of each chapter shall be undertaken in its own name as the designated chapter of the Harvey Mudd College Alumni Association. No action or obligation of any such chapter shall be considered nor be an action or obligation of the Association as a whole.
6. The Board of Governors of the Association may upon sufficient cause, and upon a sixty-day written notice, suspend or disband any chapter.
2. CLASSES
1. Each graduating class shall be asked during its senior year to elect an executive committee consisting of a Chairman, an Historian, and at most three members-at-large. The executive committee shall represent and conduct the affairs of the class.
2. In the absence of an elected executive committee, the Senior Class President, Secretary, Treasurer, or their designees to a maximum of five shall be recognized by the Alumni Association as the class executive committee.
ARTICLE IV: NOMINATION, ELECTION, TERMS OF OFFICE, AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
1. NOMINATIONS
1. The Selections Committee shall nominate as candidate for Board of Governors at least enough alumni to fill the pending vacancies. The committee shall ascertain that, from among these nominees, it will be possible to comply with Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution. In addition, candidates may be nominated by written petition of five or more alumni. Nomination, both by the committee and by petition, must be received by the Chair of the Selections Committee by April 1. Not later than April 7, the Chair shall notify nominees of their nomination.
2. Should one or more nominees fail to accept the nomination before April 21, no additional nominations shall be made unless the number of remaining candidates is insufficient to fill the pending vacancies, in which case the Selections Committee shall name sufficient additional nominees.
2. ELECTIONS
1. On or before May 1, the Secretary shall cause a ballot to be mailed to all alumni containing the names of the candidates nominated as in Section 1, together with instructions for voting. Each alumnus may vote for as many candidates as there are Governors to be elected but no candidate may receive more than one vote per ballot. Write-in votes will be allowed.
2. To be valid, a correctly marked ballot must be received on or before May 31 by the Development Office Alumni Secretary who will then determine the results of the election in manner designated in Article V, Section 3 of the Constitution. The Alumni Secretary shall notify those elected of their election, invite them to the annual meeting, and the results of the election shall be published in the next issue of an alumni publication.
3. NON-VOTING MEMBERS
1. For the period beginning at graduation and lasting two years, a maximum of three alumni appointed by the class executive committee shall be non-voting members.
2. Any alumnus elected to the Board of Trustees of Harvey Mudd College who is not a member of the Board of Governors, shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Governors.
4. PROXIES
1. Proxies appointed according to Article IV, Section 9 of the HMCAA Constitution shall have full voting rights in all issues before the Board.
5. INACTIVE GOVERNORS
1. Governors who have not attended or sent proxies for two consecutive regular meetings of the HMCAA Board of Governors shall be considered inactive and may, with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Governors present at a meeting, be removed from office and another HMCAA member be appointed to fill the remaining term of the inactive Governor.
6. DUTIES
1. Officers and committee chairs shall:
1. Ensure their committees hold regular meetings,
2. Assign responsibilities and activities to all committee members.
2. Governors will be expected to:
1. Accept assignments and fulfill them,
2. Attend Board meetings in person.
ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES
1. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The Board of Governors shall annually elect from its membership three persons who with the President and Vice-President of the Board of Governors shall form the Executive Committee. The President shall preside at its meetings.
2. This committee shall have the power to act on the behalf of the Board of Governors in conducting routine business of the Association, in advising the college on alumni matters, proposing the long-term direction of the Board of Governors, subject to the approval of the Board of Governors at large, and in circumstances which prevent action by the Board.
3. The quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of a majority of its members. No proxies shall be allowed.
2. ALUMNI FUNDD COMMITTEE
1. The Treasurer shall chair the Alumni Fundd Committee.
2. The Board of Governors shall annually appoint an Alumni Fundd Committee whose members need not be members of the Board of Governors.
3. The Committee shall be responsible for setting and achieving its annual fund raising goal.
4. The Committee shall meet at least monthly during the fund raising campaign.
3. ALUMNI EVENTS COMMITTEE
1. The Board of Governors shall appoint annually an Alumni Events Committee.
2. This Committee shall be concerned with Alumni events both on and off campus, shall advise the college in those matters in which alumni have an interest, and help to inform alumni of events happening on campus which may be of interest to them.
3. This Committee shall appoint such other persons as may be necessary. It is not necessary that these persons be members of the Board of Governors.
4. SELECTIONS COMMITTEE
1. The Board of Governors shall annually appoint a Selections Committee.
2. The Selections Committee shall receive, review, and forward to the Board of Governors its recommendations for:
1. Board of Governors candidates
2. Honorary Alumni
3. Outstanding Alumni
4. Alumni attendees to the Saddle Rock Conference
5. Students for the receipt of the Platt Scholarships
6. Order of the Wart Candidates
7. Hall of Fame Candidates
5. OTHER COMMITTEES
1. Such other Committees shall be appointed by the President as the Board of Governors or its Executive Committee from time to time deem necessary to carry on the work of the Association.
ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS
1. There shall be four meetings of the Board of Governors each year (during the months of September, January, March, and June), three of which shall take place in Southern California. The June meeting shall be designated the annual meeting. When the annual meeting is held prior to July 1, the newly elected Governors shall be invited to attend and will have full voting rights only for nominations and elections; Board members whose terms are expiring July 1 retain full voting rights for all business except nominations and elections.
2. The date of a meeting may be changed by the Executive Committee provided that notice of such a change is sent to the Governors four weeks before the original or amended meeting date, whichever is earlier.
3. Special meetings shall be called as deemed necessary by the President or at the request of three members of the Board of Governors.
4. A summary description of items of business requiring a vote of the Board of Governors must be presented to the Governors in writing at least one week in advance of the scheduled meeting. On items of new business requiring a vote and raised at a meeting without prior written notice to the Governors, discussion shall be limited to ten (10) minutes. If the item is not disposed of in that time, it shall be either set as an agenda item for a forthcoming meeting or referred to the Executive Committee. This time limit may be overridden by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Governors present and voting.
ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENT OF THE BYLAWS
These bylaws can be amended at any meeting of the Board of Governors by a majority vote of the Board provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the members of the Board two weeks before the date of the meeting.
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