Constitution Chadron Rotary Club

Article I   Name

The name of this organization shall be Rotary Club of Chadron, Nebraska (Member of Rotary International) 

Article II   Territorial Limits

The territorial limits of this club are as follows:

• City of Chadron
• Trade area around the city of Chadron

Article III   Object

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:First. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;Second. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;Third. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business and community life;Fourth. The advancement of international understanding. goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business rid professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Article IV   Meetings

Section 1

1. This club shall hold a regular meeting once each week on the day and at the time provided in its bylaws.

2. In an emergency or for good cause, the board of directors of this club may change a regular meeting to any day during the period com­mencing with the day following the preceding regular meeting and ending with the day pre­ceding the next regular meeting, or to a different hour of the regular day, or to a different place.

3. If a regular meeting falls on a legal holiday or in case of the death of the club president, or of an epidemic or of a disaster affecting the whole community, the board may cancel such regular meeting. The board of directors of this club, at its discretion, may cancel not more than two regular meetings in anyone Rotary year for causes not otherwise specified herein provided always that the club should not fail to meet for more than two consecutive meetings. 

Section 2 - An annual meeting for the election of officers of this club shall be held the third meeting  in July of each year as provided in the bylaws of this club.

Article V   Membership

Section 1 - General Qualifications. This club shall be com­posed of adult persons of good character and good busi­ness or professional reputation. 

Section 2 - Kinds. This Rotary club shall have four kinds of membership, namely: active and honorary. 

Section 3 - Active Membership. A person possessing the qualifications set forth in article V, section 3 of the RI con­stitution may be elected to active membership in this club. A person possessing the qualifications for active member­ship, but who is in the same classification of business or profession as an active member of this club, may be elected as an additional member under the provisions of this sec­tion. Such additional persons are active members with all the privileges of active membership. However, such addi­tional persons shall not be holders of their classifications and may not propose other additional active members un­der their own classifications. 

Section 4 - Categories of Additional Active Members. This club may elect three categories of additional active members. This club may have one additional active with the same classification in each of the three categories. 

(a) First Category - Same Classification as Proposer. An active member may propose to active membership a person who is actively engaged in the same classification as that of the proposer.

(b) Second Category -Former Rntarian. An active member may propose to active membership a former member of a club, with the consent of the active member hold­ing the classification, if the proposed member termi­nated such membership in the former club due to no longer being engaged in the formerly assigned classifi­cation of business or profession within the territorial limits of the former club.

(c) Third Category - Former Rntaractor. An active member may propose to active membership a former member of a Rotaract club, with the consent of the active mem­ber who holds the classification. The former Rotaractor must live or work within the territorial limits of this club, have maintained membership in one or more Rotaract clubs for at least four years, and have termi­nated membership in the former Rotaract club due to reaching the age limit for membership or relocating outside the territorial limits of the former Rotaract club.

(d) Change in Classification Holder. All additional active members must have the same classification as one of the active members of this club, who is the holder of the classification. If the active member holding the classification ceases to hold the classification for any reason, including a transition to senior active or past service membership. then one of the additional mem­bers with the same classification will become the holder of the classification. If there is only one addi­tional active member with such classification, the additional active automatically becomes the classifica­tion holder. If there are two or three additional active members with such classification, then this club eleclS one of them to be the classification holder, and the other member(s) remain as additional actives. 

Section 5 - Dual Membership. No person shall simulta­neously hold active Membership in this and another club. No person shall simultaneously be a member and an honorary member in this club.  

 

 

 

Section 6 - Honorary Membership.

(a) Eligibility for Honorary Membership. Persons who have dis­tinguished themselves by meritorious service in the furtherance of Rotary ideals may be elected to honor­ary membership in this club. Persons may hold honor­ary membership in more than one club.

(b) Rights and Privileges. Honorary members shall be ex­empt from the payment of admission fees and dues, shall have no vote and shall not be eligible to hold any office in this club. Such members shall not hold classi­fications, but shall be entitled to attend all meetings and enjoy all the other privileges of this club. No hon­orary member of this club is entitled to any rights and privileges in any other club.

Section 7 -  Religion, News Media and Diplomatic Service. Rep­resentatives of more than one religious denomination, representatives of more than one newspaper and/ or other news media, and diplomatic representatives of more than one government may be eligible to active membership under such classifications, provided that such representa­tives otherwise possess the qualifications as set forth in the constitutional documents. 

Section 8 - Holders of Public Office. Persons elected or ap­pointed to public office for a specified time shall not be eligible to active membership in this club under the classi­fication of such office. This restriction shall not apply to persons holding positions or offices in schools, colleges or other institutions of learning or to persons who are elected or appointed to the judiciary. Active members who are elected or appointed to public office for a specified period may continue as such active members in their existing clas­sifications during the period in which they hold such of­fice.

Section 9 - Rotary International Employment. This club may retain in its membership any member employed by RI. 

Article VI   Classifications

Section 1 - Classifications.

(a) Each active member of this club shall be classified in accordance with the member's business or profession.

(b) The classification of each active member of this club shall be that which covers the principal and recognized activity of the firm, company or institution with which such member is connected or that which covers such member's principal and recognized business or profes­sional activity.

(c) How Corrected. The board, in its discretion, may correct or adjust the classification of any member whose mem­bership has not terminated, if the circumstances war­rant such action. Due notice of such proposed correction or adjustment shall be given to the member and the member shall be allowed a hearing thereon.

Section 2 - Limitations. The active membership shall consist of but one person from each classification of business or profession, excepting the religion, news media, and diplo­matic services classifications, which may have more than one person in each such classification, and excepting the provision for additional active members. 

Article VII   Attendance

Section 1 - Every member of this club should attend its regular meetings. A member shall be counted as attending a regular meeting of this club if such member is present for at least 60 percent of the time devoted for the regular meeting or makes up for an absence in any of the follow­ing ways:

(a) If at any time within 14 days before or after the usual time for that meeting such member

(i) attends at least 60 percent of the time de­voted for the regular meeting of another club or of a provisional club, or

(ii) by direction of this club, attends a regular meeting of a Rotaract or Interact club or Rotary Village Corps or of a provisional Rot.aract or Interact club or Rotary Village Corps, or

(iii) attends a convention of RI, a council on legislation, an international assembly, a Rotary institute for past and present offic­ers of RI, a Rotary institute for past, present, and incoming officers of RI, or any other meeting convened with the ap­proval of the board, the president acting for the board of RI, a Rotary multizone conference, a RI committee meeting, a Rotary district conference, a Rotary district assembly, any district meeting held by di­rection of the board of directors of RI, any district committee meeting held by direc­tion of the district governor, or a regularly announced intercity meeting of Rotary clubs, or

(iv) is present at the usual time and place of a regular meeting of another club for the purpose of attending such meeting, and that club is not meeting at the time and place, or

(v) except that where a member is traveling outside the member's country of residence for a period exceeding fourteen days, the time restriction shall not be imposed by this subsection inasmuch as a member may attend meetings in another country at any time during the period of travel, and each such attendance shall count as a valid make-up for any regular meeting missed at this club during the member's time abroad, or

(vi) attends a club service project authorized by the board of this club. 

(b) If, at the time of such meeting, a member is

(i) traveling with reasonable directness to or from one of the meetings mentioned in paragraph (a) (iii) of this section, or

(ii) on Rotary business serving as an officer or member of a committee of RI, or a trustee of The Rotary Foundation, or

(iii) on Rotary business serving as the special representative of the district governor in the formation of a new club, or

(iv) on Rotary business in the employ of RI, or (v) directly and actively engaged in a district sponsored or a RI or Rotary Foundation­ sponsored service project in a remote area where the opportunity for making up at­tendance is completely impossible, or

(vi) engaged in Rotary business duly autho­rized by the board of this club if this pre­cludes attendance at a meeting of this club, or

(vii) working in bona fide circumstances within the member's own country of residence for extended periods on outposted assign­ments when, by mutual agreement be­tween the member's home club and a nominated club, the member may attend such nominated club for the period of as­signment, validated by an appropriate form of advice by the secretary of said club to the member's home club where such at­tendance shall be credited in the member's name. 

Section 2 - Notice of Make-up. In the cases set out in subsec­tion (a) (ii), (a) (iii) or subsection (b) of section 1 of this article, the member shall only be counted as being in at­tendance if notice of the fact is given by the member per­sonally to the club. In the cases set out in subparagraphs (a) (i) and (iv) , such notice may be given by the member personally or by the secretary of the club visited.

Section 3 - Exemptions. A member's absence shall be ex­cused if (a)    

(i) the absence is caused by protracted ill health or impairment or by stay of more than two weeks in a coun try in which Ro­tary clubs do not exist so that such mem­ber is physically unable to attend a regular meeting and the board approves such ab­sence.

(ii) In the case of intended absence in a coun­try in which there are no Rotary clubs, the member shall inform the secretary of this club before starting the journey or, if that is impossible, in writing from that country. Before approving such absence, the board shall satisfy itself that the journey will pre­vent the member from making up an ab­sence in accordance with section 1 (a) of this article, or

(b) a member is a senior active member and the aggregate of the member's years of age and years of membership in one or more clubs is 85 years or more and the mem­ber has notified the club secretary in writing of the member's desire to be excused from attendance and the board has approved. 

The absences of members who fall into categories (a) (i) and (ii) above and whose absences have been excused shall not be included in the club's attendance records for the period in question. Members who fall into category (b) above shall not be included in the membership figure used to compute the club's attendance; further, neither their absences nor attendances shall be used for that purpose.

Article VIII   Directors and Officers

Section 1 - The governing body of this club shall be a board of directors to be constituted as the bylaws of the club may provide. 

Section 2 - Except as herein otherwise specifically pro­vided, the decision of the board in all club matters shall be final, subject only to an appeal to the club. The board shall have general control over all officers and committees and may, for good cause, declare any office vacant. It shall con­stitute a board of appeal from the rulings of all officers and actions of all committees. Appeal may be taken from any decision of the board to the club. On such appeal, the de­cision appealed from shall be reversed only by a two-thirds vote of the members present, at a regular meeting speci­fied by the board, a quorum being present, notice of such appeal having been given by the secretary to all members of the club at least five (5) days previous to such meeting.

Section 3 - The officers of this club shall be a president, a president-elect, one or more vice-presidents, all of whom shall be members of the board, and a secretary, a treasurer, and a sergeant-at-arms, any or all of whom mayor may not be members of the board as the bylaws of the club shall provide. 

Section 4­

1. Each officer shall be elected as provided in the bylaws of the club and, except as may otherwise be provided in relation to the president, shall take office on the first day of July immediately following election to office and shall serve for the term of office or until a successor shall have been elected and qualified.

2. The president shall be elected, as the bylaws of the club may provide, within the period of not more than two years but not less than eighteen months prior to the day of taking office as presi­dent. The president shall be a director of the board and shall serve as president-elect for the year immediately preceding the year in which the term as president shall commence. The president shall take office on the first day of July in the Rotary year for which the president is elected to serve and shall serve for the period of election or until a successor shall have been elected and qualified.

 3. Each officer and each director shall be an active (including additional active), senior active, or a past service member in good standing of this club. For a better understanding of the duties and responsibilities of club president, the presi­dent-elect shall attend the district presidents­elect training seminar and the district assembly unless excused by the governor-elect. If so ex­cused, the president-elect shall send a desig­nated representative from the club whose duty it will be to report back to the president-elect 

Article IX Admission Fees and Dues

Every active, senior active, and past service member of this club shall pay as an admission fee and as annual dues such sums as may be prescribed in the bylaws of this club, except that a senior active or past service member who has held ac­tive membership in this club shall not be required to pay a second admission fee. 

Article X Duration of Membership

Section 1 - Period. Membership shall continue during the existence of the club unless terminated as hereinafter pro­vided. 

Section 2 - How Terminated.

(a) Membership shall automatically terminate when a member ceases to have the necessary qualifications for membership, except that

(i) active members who, through no fault of their own, would otherwise lose their clas­sifications may, by action of the board of directors of this club, be elected to past ser­vice membership; or

(ii) by permission of the board, active mem­bers moving from the territorial limits of the club may be given special leave of ab­sence for a period not exceeding one year to enable them to visit and become known to a Rotary club in the community to which they move, providing they are still active in the same classifications of busi­ness or profession and continue to comply with the attendance and all other condi­tions of Rotary membership; or

 (iii) by permission of the board, active mem­bers moving from the territorial limits of the club may retain membership providing they are still active in the same classifica­tions of business or profession and con­tinue to comply with attendance and all other conditions of Rotary membership; or (iv) active members who would be losing their classifications without default on their part may retain their classifications and be given special leaves of absence for periods not exceeding one year to enable them to obtain new employment in their classifica­tions or in new classifications providing they continue to comply with the attend­ance and all other conditions of Rotary membership. The termination of their membership would take effect only at the end of the period ofleave granted to them.  

(b) When past service members reenter active business or professional life, their memberships automatically be­come active memberships if the classifications are va­cant. If the classifications are not vacant, they continue as past service members.

(c) Honorary membership shaH automatically terminate on the thirtieth day of June next after the date of elec­tion. However, the board in its discretion may, by reso­lution, from year to year continue such honorary membership for the ensuing year. 

Section 3 - How to Rejoin. When the membership of an ac­tive member has terminated as provided in the foregoing section 2, such person may make new application for membership, under the same classification or another classification. If elected to membership, a second admis­sion fee shall not be required. 

Section 4 - Termination - Non-Payment of Dues.

1. Any member failing to pay dues within thirty (30) days after the prescribed time shall be no­tified in writing by the secretary at the member's last known address. If the dues are not paid on or before ten (10) days from the date of notification, said membership shall automatically terminate.

2. Such former member, at the discretion of the board, may be reinstated to membership upon the former member's petition, and upon the payment of all indebtedness to the club, pro­vided that no former member can be reinstated to active membership if the classification of the former member has been filled. 

Section 5 - Termination - Non-Attendance.

(a) Each member, other than an honorary member of this club, must

(1) attend or make up at least 60 percent of club regu­lar meetings in each half of the Rotary year;

(2) attend at least 30 percent of the regular meetings of this club in each half of the Rotary year.  If such a member fails to attend as required above, that person's membership shall automatically terminate unless the board consents to such non-attendance for good and sufficient reason. If such member is a cur­rent officer of RI, that member shall be excused from attending the regular meetings of such member's club until the member's current term of office expires.

Section 6 - Termination for Other Causes.

(a) The membership of any member who shall cease to have the qualifications for membership in this club may be terminated by the board by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the members thereof, at a meeting called for that purpose.

(b) The membership of any member may be terminated by the board, for a reason which the board may deem to be sufficient, by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the members thereof, at a meeting called for that purpose.

(c) In either case (a) or (b), the member shall be given at least ten (10) days' notice in writing of such pending action and an opportunity to submit to the board a written answer. The member shall also have the privi­lege of appearing before the board to state the member's case. Service of such notice shall be made by personal delivery or by registered letter to the member's last known address.

(d) In case ofa decision to terminate membership, the sec­retary shall, within seven days after the date of the board's decision, notify the member in writing of the decision of the board. Such member may, within four­teen days after the date of such notice, give written notice to the secretary of the intention either to appeal to the club or to arbitrate as provided in article XIV of this constitution. In the event of an appeal, the board shall set a date for the hearing of the appeal at a regu­lar meeting of the club, to be held within twenty-one (21) days after the receipt of such written notice of appeal. At least five (5) days' notice of such club meet­ing and its special business shall be given in writing to every member of the club, and only members of the club shall be permitted to be present when such ap­peal is considered at such meeting.

(e) When the board has terminated the membership of an active member as provided for in this section, the club shall not elect a new member under the former classi­fication until the time for hearing the appeal, if any, has expired and the club's decision or the decision of the arbitrators has been announced.

 (f) The action of the board shall be final if no appeal to the club is taken and no arbitration is requested. If an appeal is taken, the action of the club shall be final Section 7 - Resignation. The resignation of any member from the club shall be in writing (addressed to the presi­dent or secretary) and shall be accepted by the board, pro­vided that all indebtedness of said member to the club has been paid. 

Section 8 - Property Interest - Forfeiture of. Any person whose membership in this club has been terminated in any man­ner shall forfeit all interest in any funds or other property belonging to the club.  

Article XI Community, National and International Affairs

Section 1 - The general welfare of the community, the na­tion and the world is a concern to the members of this club, and the merits of any public question involving such welfare shall be proper subjects of fair an<;l intelligent study and discussion before a club meeting for the enlight­enment of its members in forming their individual opin­ions. However, this club shall not express an opinion on any pending controversial public measure. 

Section 2 - This club shall not endorse or recommend any candidate for public office and shall not discuss at any club meeting the merits or demerits of any such candidate. 

Section 3 ­

(a) This club shall neither adopt nor circulate resolutions or views, nor take corporate action dealing with world affairs or international policies of a political nature.

(b) This club shall not direct appeals to clubs, peoples or governments, or circulate letters, speeches, or pro­posed plans for the solution of specific international problems of a political nature. 

Section 4 - Recognizing Rotary’s Beginning.

1. This club will strive to emphasize aspects of Ro­tary service during a special week of cele­brations commencing on the anniversary of Rotary's establishment. The week commencing on 23 February of each year shall be known as World Understanding and Peace Week.

2. While the special week will provide opportunity to reflect upon past achievements, it is appro­priate to focus upon programs of peace, under­standing and goodwill within the community and throughout the world. 

Article XII   Rotary Magazines

Section 1 - Unless this club is excused by the board of di­rectors of RI from complying with the provisions of this article in accordance with the bylaws of RI, every active, senior active or past service member of this club, by accep­tance of such membership, shall become, and so remain for the duration of such membership, a paid subscriber to the official magazine or to the approved magazine pre­scribed for this club by the board of directors of RI. The subscription shall be handled in six (6) month periods and shall continue for the duration of membership in this club and to the end of any six (6) month period during which membership may cease.

Section 2 - The amount of the subscription shall be col­lected by the club from each member semiannually in ad­vance and remitted to the Secretariat of RI or to the office of such regional publications as may be determined by the board of directors of RI. 

Article XIII Acceptance of Object and Compliance with Constitution and Bylaws

A member, by payment of an admission fee and dues, thereby accepts the principles of Rotary as expressed in its object and submits to and agrees to comply with and be bound by the constitution and bylaws of this club, and on these conditions alone is entitled to the privileges of the club. No member shall be absolved from the observance of the constitution and bylaws on the plea that such member has not received a copy of them. 

Article XIV   Arbitration

Should any dispute arise between any member or members, or a former member or members, and the club, or any of­ficer or the board of the club, relative to membership or to any alleged breach of the constitution or bylaws, or the ex­pulsion of any member from the club, or on any account whatsoever which cannot be satisfactorily settled under the procedure already provided for such purpose, the matters in difference shall be settled by arbitration. Each party shall appoint an arbitrator and the arbitrators shall appoint an umpire. Only members of a Rotary club may be appointed as umpire or as arbitrators. The decision arrived at by the arbitrators, or, in the event of their disagreement, by the umpire, shall be final and binding on all parties.  

Article XV   Bylaws

This club shall adopt bylaws not inconsistent with the consti­tution and bylaws of RI (and the rules of procedure for an area administration where established) and with this consti­tution, embodying additional provisions for the government of this club. Such bylaws may be amended from time to time as therein provided. 

Article XVI   Interpretation

Throughout this constitution, pronouns of either the mas­culine or feminine gender shall include the other. 

Article XVII   Amendments

Section 1 - Time. Except as provided in section 4 of this ar­ticle, this constitution maybe amended only by the coun­cil on legislation in the same manner as is established in the bylaws of RI for the amendment of its bylaws.

Section 2 - Who May Propose. Amendments to this constitu­tion, except as provided in section 4 of this article, may be proposed only by a club, by a district conference, by the general councilor the conference of RI in Great Britain and Ireland, by the council on legislation, or by the board of directors of RI. 

Section 3 - Procedure.

1. Any proposal to amend this constitution shall be delivered to the general secretary of RI not later than 30 June in the year preceding that in which the council on legislation is to meet.

2. The general secretary of RI shall mail five cop­ies of all duly proposed amendments to each governor, one copy to all members of the coun­cil on legislation and one copy to the secretary of any club that requests it, no later than 31 December in the year the council shall be con­vened. The proposed amendments also will be made available via the Rotary World Wide Web home page. Resumes of all proposed enact­ments, with details of the deletions and addi­tions to the Manual of Procedure omitted, shall be sent to each club.3. The council shall consider and act upon each duly proposed amendment transmitted to the council and any duly proffered amendment thereof.

Section 4 - Article! (Name) and Article II (Territorial Lim­its) of this constitution shall be amended at any regular meeting of this club, a quorum being present by the affir­mative vote of a m~ority of members present and voting, provided that notice of such proposed amendment shall have been mailed to each member at least ten (10) days before such meeting, and provided further, that such amendment shall be submitted to the board of directors of RI for its approval and shall become effective only when so approved. In the event of reconsideration of a decision not to relinquish or share territory for the orga­nization of an additional club, as directed by the board of directors of RI, as provided in subsection 2.020.4. of the bylaws of RI a two-thirds vote is required to sustain the previous negative decision.