Harvard Club of Cape Cod

Harvard Club of Cape Cod Constitution
 

Article I – Name

 The name of this organization shall be the Harvard Club of Cape Cod.
 

Article II – Purpose

This club is organized and shall be operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes. In furtherance of such purposes, the Club shall foster a spirit of fraternity among graduates and former students of Harvard University; encourage recreational activities for its members; serve in extending knowledge of the aims and achievements of Harvard University in general, and Harvard College in particular; promote the interests of all alumni and alumnae in the academic and extracurricular activities of Harvard University, represent the interests of Harvard University on Cape Cod; and generally do all things to promote and encourage communications between Harvard University and its alumni/ae residents on Cape Cod.
 

Article III – Membership Eligibility

Any person who has been connected with any department of Harvard University or Radcliffe College as a student or an instructor, or has received an honorary degree from Harvard or Radcliffe  College shall be eligible. Spouses (including  widows and widowers)  of members shall be eligible for associate membership.  Parents of students attending Harvard University and parents of alumni/alumnae of Harvard University or Radcliffe College shall be eligible for associate membership  Such associate membership includes all privileges of the Club except those of voting or becoming an Officer of the Club.
 

Article IV - Officers

The Officers of the Club shall be  the President, the Vice President, the Vice President for Schools, the Vice President for Membership, the Vice President for Communications, the Secretary and the Treasurer  The Executive Committee shall have the authority to appoint such additional Officers (to be elected at the next Annual Meeting) as appropriate to properly manage the affairs of the Club.   They shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Club and shall hold office for one (1) year.  The President and the Vice President may serve no more than two consecutive terms except that either may serve up to two additional terms if the Executive Committee determines that a successor is not available..  There are no term limits for other Officers.
 Vacancies occurring in any office, except the office of President, shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by the Executive Committee.  In  case of  vacancy occurring in the office of President, the Vice President then in office shall serve as President for the remainder of the unexpired term, and the Executive Committee shall fill the vacancy thus occasioned in the office of the Vice President for the remainder of the unexpired term.
 

Article V - Duties of Officers

 Section 1. The President, or in that Officer’s absence, the Vice President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Executive Committee.  The President shall appoint all committees, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, and shall perform such other duties as may be required by custom or the welfare of the Club or by request of the Executive Committee.
 Section 2. The Vice President shall be responsible for chairing important committees of the Club as assigned by the President and the Executive Committee.  In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall preside at all meetings of the Club and the Executive Committee and assume all other duties  of the President as stated in the Constitution or directed by the Executive Committee.
 Section 3. The Vice President for Schools shall be responsible to chair the Schools Committee and to perform all duties specified in Article VII, paragraph one.
 Section 4. The Vice President for Membership shall discharge such duties as belong to this office or may be assigned by the Executive Committee or the President.
 Section 5. The Vice President for Communications shall discharge such duties as belong to this office or may be assigned by the Executive Committee or the President.
 Section 6. The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and of the Executive Committee  and other duties as may be assigned by the Executive committee or the President.
 Section 7. The Treasurer shall maintain an account in a bank or banks approved by the Executive Committee and shall collect and disburse all funds of the Club.  The Treasurer shall make an annual  statement and report to the Club or, when required, to the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall also maintain the Club’s  accounting, tax and organizational records and shall perform such other duties as belong to this office or may be assigned by the Executive Committee or the President.
 

Article VI – Executive Committee

 The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected Officers of the Club, ex-officio, and nine (9) additional members.  The additional members shall be elected for three-year terms, and shall be divided into three classes so that the terms of three additional members shall expire and the successors be elected each year at the Annual Meeting. The additional members shall serve no more than a total of nine years as such additional members; provided, however, that time served as an interim appointee shall not be counted in determining the nine year limit. Both ex-officio and additional members shall have the right to vote.
 The Executive Committee shall have the full power to carry out the purposes of the Club, and shall have general charge and control of its affairs, funds, and property, except that the Executive Committee shall have no power to amend this Constitution.

The Executive Committee shall meet at least four(4) times per year to plan the activities of the Club and to review the general Club situation, or at any time designated by the President.
 The Secretary shall be responsible for notifying each member of the Executive Committee. At such meeting a majority shall constitute a quorum.
 Vacancies occurring in any of the additional member positions shall be filled by the Executive Committee until the next Annual Meeting at which time a person will be elected to complete the unexpired term.
 The Executive Committee shall have full power to act on all applications for membership.
 

Article VII – Other Committees

 Schools Committee. There shall be a Schools Committee to carry out the purpose of the Harvard Admissions Office. The purpose of the Committee shall be to maintain close relations with the Harvard Admissions Office, organize local interviewing of the student candidates by alumni/ae and to arrange whatever programs are deemed necessary to enhance Harvard recruiting efforts.  The Vice President for Schools shall, on consultation with the President, and subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, select the members of the Schools Committee.
 Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President with the consent of the Executive Committee and shall consist of five(5) members, at least two (2) of whom shall be members of the Executive Committee.  Members of the Nominating Committee shall serve for one (1) year.
 Additional Committees. Additional Committees may be appointed by the President as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee to carry out the purposes of the Club.
 

Article VIII – Meetings

 The Annual Meeting shall be held at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee.
 Notice of all meetings shall be given in the manner directed by the Executive Committee.
 The members present at any meeting of the Club shall constitute a quorum, and a vote of the majority of the members present shall decide any matter brought before such a meeting.
 

Article IX – Annual Dues

 The rate of annual dues for regular and associate members shall be reviewed and set from time to time by the Executive Committee. Dues notices to existing and potential members shall be sent annually.
 The fiscal year shall run from January First to December Thirty-first.
 

Article X – Harvard Alumni Association

 The Officers and Committees of the Harvard Club of Cape Cod shall cooperate with the Officers, Regional Directors and Committees of the Harvard Alumni Association in carrying out the purposes of that association.
 

Article XI - Funds of the Club

 In the event of the dissolution of the Harvard Club of Cape Cod, all of its funds and other property, if any, remaining after the payment of all its liabilities, shall be paid over and transferred to the Harvard Alumni Association or any successor organization, provided the Harvard alumni association or such successor organization has been determined to be  (or to be an integral part of) any organization described in 501(c) (3) in the  Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or any successor provision.  If the above requirement is not met, the assets of the Club shall be transferred to the President and Fellows of Harvard College, provided it is then exempt from Federal income tax and organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes, and if it is not, or if that corporation is not then in existence, or if  the corporation is unwilling to accept the assets, then to, and only to, such one or more  organizations then exempt from federal income tax and organized exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes, as the Executive Committee may by vote determine.  No part of the net earnings of the Club shall inure to the benefit of any member, director, officer or other private individual except that the Club shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation  for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes stated in article II.  No substantial part of the activities of the Club shall consist in carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the  Club shall not participate in, or intervene in (including publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.  Nothing contained in this Constitution shall be read as authorizing or permitting the Club to operate other  than exclusively for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes and no amendment of the Constitution shall authorize or permit the Club to be organized or operated other than exclusively for the aforesaid purposes.
 

Article XII – Amendments

 Articles and sections of the Constitution may be amended, altered, or repealed at any annual or special meeting of the Club by a two-thirds vote of those present, provided that notice of the proposed amendment, alteration, or repeal shall have been sent at least (10) days prior to such meetings to all current members of the Club.
 

Article XIII

 The parliamentary authority followed by this Club shall be Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
                                   
As Amended 6-14-2019