BYLAWS
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF
THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL FOR BLIND CHILDREN
As Amended through September 22nd, 2011
ARTICLE I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Alumni Association of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purposes of this organization are:
(1) To furnish its Alma Mater with observations, experiences and accomplishments that may be of practical and educational value;
(2) To promote a spirit of cooperation between the School and its graduates;
(3) To foster good fellowship and create unity of purpose among the graduates.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Candidates for membership in this Association shall be recommended to the Convention by the Membership Committee.
Section 2. Candidates for membership shall be of good moral character and of respectable standing. They shall either have graduated from the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children or shall have completed four and one-half years of elementary education or two and one-half years of high school at the School.
Section 3. If spouses of Alumni members who are not themselves members wish to join the Alumni Association, they must communicate their request, orally or in writing, to the Membership Committee. Acceptance into the Association will entitle them to the right to debate and vote at all meetings, but they may not hold any elective office.
Section 4. In order to have the right to debate and vote at meetings of this Association, members must be officially registered. To be officially registered requires paying membership dues, unless such payment has been waived in particular cases by the Board. .
Section 5. The dues for this Association shall be determined by the membership from time to time and shall be payable before the first session of any regular or special convention of the Association.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION
Section 1. The officers of this Association shall be President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. In addition to the aforementioned officers, there shall be an Archivist who shall be appointed by the President. As of September, 2011, the slate of officers is as follows:
- President: Tom Hesley
- Vice President: Ed Facemeyer
- Recording Secretary: Bonnie Newland
- Corresponding Secretary: Hope Petrilongo
- Treasurer: Joe Wassermann
- Parliamentarian: Rod Frisk
- Board Member #1: Anna Smith
- Board Member #2: Arnold Bowser
- Board Member #3: Janice Miller
Section 2. Election of officers shall be held at biennial conventions of the Association, and voting shall be by standing vote, unless otherwise agreed upon by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present at such meeting.
Section 3. The elected officers shall hold office for a period of four (4) years, until their successors are elected and duly sworn in, except for the Treasurer, whose term shall expire when the receipts from the convention have been properly allocated and entered into the books of the Association.
Section 4. Each officer may succeed him/herself in the same office for only one additional consecutive four-year term. The Parliamentarian may not succeed him/herself in that office, but may run for any other elective office during the election which takes place immediately following the expiration of his/her term. The Archivist shall hold office for an indefinite term at the discretion of the Board. During his/her tenure in office, he/she shall not be excluded from holding any elective office in this Association.
ARTICLE V. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The duties of the President shall be:
(1) To preside at all regular and special meetings of the Association and of the Board;
(2) To call all special meetings of the Board;
(3) To keep informed of all committee work and of all activities of the Association;
(4) To appoint members to serve on all functioning standing committees and to establish other committees, whenever necessary, to help to study or resolve particular problems or matters of interest and concern to this Association;
(5) To serve ex officio as a member of all committees with the right to vote;
(6) To countersign, with the Treasurer, whenever required, all checks drawn on funds of the Association in the transaction of official business of the Association.
Section 2. The Vice-President shall assist the President in any way requested by him/her, and shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence.
Section 3. The duties of the Recording Secretary shall be:
(1) To keep an accurate roll of the membership of the Association;
(2) To keep accurate records of all convention proceedings and meetings of the Board;
(3) To have charge of all official papers and other property of the Association, excluding the documents and material in the custody of the Treasurer.
Section 4. The duties of the Corresponding Secretary shall be:
(1) To receive and file all correspondence addressed to the Association, after it has been made known to the addressee or to the Board;
(2) To be responsible for all out-going correspondence of the Association;
(3) To countersign with the Treasurer, whenever necessary, all checks drawn on funds of the Association in the transaction of official business of the Association.
Section 5. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:
(1) To have charge of all monies belonging to the Association, and to deposit same promptly in bank accounts designated by the Board;
(2) To collect all dues and all fees or charges imposed upon members at the direction of the Board;
(3) To pay promptly by check all bills incurred by the Association upon approval of the Board;
(4) To sign, with the President or the Corresponding Secretary, all checks drawn on accounts of the Association for the payment of bills/debts incurred by the Association.
(5) To keep accurate books and records of the financial affairs of this Association.
Section 6. The Parliamentarian shall have the duty of deciding all questions of parliamentary procedure during meetings of the Association and of the Board. His/her authorities, the bases for his/her decisions, shall be “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised” and the Bylaws of this Association. When necessary, he/she may employ an assistant, appointed by him/her, who will provide whatever aid the Parliamentarian requires. The Parliamentarian shall also serve as the Chair of the Bylaws Committee.
Section 7. The duties of the Archivist shall be:
(1) To assess and identify the documents and materials to be found in the archives of the Association;
(2) To organize and catalogue said documents and maintain them in a secure location;
(3) to take charge of any material given to him/her by the Board, to dispose of unwanted materials with the approval of the Board, and to give custody of materials to any member of the Board or to any other person(s) connected with this Association as authorized by the Board;
(4) To keep the membership informed as to the nature, extent and disposition of the archives of the Association.
ARTICLE VI. The BOARD
Section 1. The Board shall consist of the officers of this Association and three (3) Directors elected by and from the membership at biennial conventions of the Association.
Section 2. The Board shall formulate and execute the policies and procedures of the Association with a view to promoting greater efficiency in accomplishing the purposes and goals of the Association.
Section 3. The Board shall conduct the business of the Association between conventions and shall hold three (3) meetings annually at a time and place determined by the Board.
Section 4. One of the Directors shall be elected for a two-year term; the second for a four-year term; and the third Director for a six-year term. Thereafter, one (1) director shall be elected for a six-year term at each biennial convention, and no Director may succeed him/herself in that office.
Section 5. Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of that Board. Notice of such election shall be given to the membership by an announcement in the Alumni Bulletin.
ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS
Section 1. This Association shall meet biennially in convention at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children unless otherwise provided by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Board.
Section 2. In order for a convention of the Association to be valid, at least thirty (30) members must have been officially registered.
Section 3. At least fifty percent plus one (50% plus 1) of those members officially registered for a convention must be present at any business meeting in order to transact the official business of the Association.
Section 4. Special meetings of the Association may be called by the Board whenever necessary for specified purposes. However, such meetings may transact only such business as was specified in the call to convention, and such business may not supersede action taken by the regular convention.
ARTICLE VIII. PUBLIC ACTION
No member of the Association shall represent the Association either in correspondence, publicity, or in person without the expressed authority of the Association or the Board.
ARTICLE IX. STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Standing Committees of this Association shall be the Arrangements Committee, the Audit Committee, the Bylaws Committee, the Membership Committee, the Necrology Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Publicity Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, and the Welfare Committee.
Section 2. The Arrangements Committee shall take charge of all physical arrangements necessary to insure the comfort of all in attendance at biennial and special conventions of the Association and at all events, activities or meetings of the Association which are held in addition to such biennial and special conventions.
Section 3. The Audit Committee shall examine the books of accounts and financial records of the Association which are kept by the Treasurer.
Section 4. The Bylaws Committee shall make recommendations to the Association from time to time for changes to be made to its Bylaws. Any member desiring to submit to the membership a proposed amendment to the Bylaws shall do so through the Bylaws Committee.
Section 5. The Membership Committee shall process all applications for membership in this Association and shall introduce prospective members to the Association prior to their being accepted as new members.
Section 6. The Necrology Committee shall compile a list of the deceased members of the Association and represent the Association in conveying appropriate sentiments to Alumni members or their families in times of illness or death.
Section 7. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of candidates to fill all open elective positions on the Board.
Section 8. The Program Committee shall have charge of the actual programming of biennial and special conventions of the Association and the programming of any events, activities or meetings of the Association which are held in addition to such biennial or special conventions.
Section 9. The Publicity Committee shall have the task of publicizing judiciously, accurately and adequately all projects and activities of the Association.
Section 10. The Resolutions Committee shall submit to the Association for consideration recommendations and resolutions which will expedite meetings or promote the interests and general welfare of the Association.
Section 11. The Ways and Means Committee shall plan organize and promote fund-raising activities in behalf of the Association, with the approval of the Board.
Section 12. The Welfare Committee shall work with the School’s social services personnel for the purpose of promoting the comfort and the welfare of needy children at the School. The committee shall also perform acts of kindness for Alumni members in times of distress in order to promote their welfare and comfort.
ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Association by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall have been sent to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to said regular or special meeting.
ARTICLE XI. DISSOLUTION
Section 1. If in the opinion of the majority of the members of the Board the Alumni Association of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children no longer serves the purposes for which it was intended, the dissolution of the organization may be considered. The date, place, and purpose of the meeting at which this matter will be acted upon shall be communicated to as many Alumni members as possible at least thirty (30) days in advance. Upon the affirmative vote of three-quarters (3/4) of the members present at this special meeting, the Board shall proceed with the dissolution of the Association in accordance with applicable laws of the Commonwealth.
Section 2. Upon dissolution, the funds of the Association shall be disbursed in accordance with a plan which must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members voting at a meeting held for that purpose. In formulating this plan the membership shall consider that one (1) purpose of the Association has been to provide financial support for programs and services to children at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children.