Fort Wayne TurnerS
Constitution
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Fort Wayne TurnerS
Constitution |
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Last update 3/7/2008
Fort Wayne Turners 3636 Parnell Avenue P.O. Box 5013 Fort Wayne, IN 46895 Founded March 10, 1865
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWSApproved June 19, 1968Reprinted March, 2008 This Constitution & By-Laws includes Amendments dated: 02/71; 02/73; 03/73; 06/80; 08/80; 04/82; 06/87; 02/88; 11/89; 12/91; 02/01; 02/02 and 1/08
CONSTITUTIONARTICLE I- CPlatform: A. The Society adheres to the platform and Constitution of the American Turners. B. The Society is incorporated under the laws of the State of Indiana, as a nonprofit organization.
ARTICLE II- CName and Objectives: A. The Society is named The Fort Wayne Turners Inc. B. The objectives of the organization are to promote physical and mental efficiency, to support all endeavors to improve the standard of the human race, to support civic affairs and to promote sociability among the members. We plan to assist one another through voluntary contributions in case of sickness or accident as circumstances may permit and demand, to be loyal citizens of the United States of America and to support its Constitution. The Society considers Health, Physical Education and Cultural Education as means to accomplish its purpose.
ARTICLE III- CImplementation of Objectives: A. Health and Physical Education: The society shall conduct athletic classes for men, women and children and urges its members to participate in these classes. B. Cultural Education: For the furtherance of Cultural Education there shall be conducted lectures, debates, instruction in educational subjects, entertainment for our members and participation in the movements as advocated in the Principles and Statutes of the American Turners.
ARTICLE IV- CAffiliations: A. The Fort Wayne Turners shall maintain its membership in the American Turners, a national voluntary organization. The members of the Fort Wayne Turners shall pay per capita taxes levied by the American Turners and the Central States District of the American Turners and other charges as they become due.
ARTICLE V- CMembership: A. An applicant may become a member of the organization in accordance with this Constitution and by-Laws providing he/she is morally sound and is a citizen of the United States of America when of age or has declared in court his/her intention to become a citizen of the United States of America. B. An applicant for membership must provide the information required by the application for membership form of the American Turners/Fort Wayne Society. C. Upon the report of the membership committee the applicant shall receive the benefit of the ballot at the next regular meeting of the Society, and shall be considered a member unless 1/3 of members present vote against him/her. D. A member of another organization, which is affiliated with American Turners, may transfer to this organization in accordance with Statutes of American Turners. E. The membership committee shall investigate all applicants for membership, and their applications with the committee’s recommendations endorsed thereon shall be submitted to the Board of Directors at its next regular meeting for consideration and recommendation. The names of applicants shall be posted on the bulletin board for at least two weeks prior to the membership meeting at which the applications are to be considered. F. Applications for membership from applicants who have been previously rejected shall not be accepted for a period of six months following the date of rejection. G. Wherever a masculine pronoun occurs in the Constitution or By-Laws, the addition of the feminine form of the pronoun shall be assumed.
ARTICLE VI- CAdministration: A. The affairs of this Society shall be conducted in accordance with its Constitution and By-Laws by a Board of Directors which shall include the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, General Secretary, Financial Secretary and four Trustees, all of whom shall be designated as “Officers” of the Society. B. The President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, General Secretary, Financial Secretary and one or two Trustee(s) shall be elected annually by ballot. The Trustee shall be elected for a period of three years. Every year the Trustee(s) who has (have) served three years shall retire. C. Complete records of the transactions of the Board of Directors shall be kept, and they shall be available for inspection by any member at any reasonable time. D. The Board of Directors shall meet regularly as stipulated in the By-Laws. E. Upon request to the President, any member may attend any portion of a Board of Director’s meeting during which deliberations in which he/she has an interest are to be held F. At any regular meeting of the Society the membership shall have the power by 2/3 vote to change, alter, modify or revoke any action taken by the Board of Directors previous to the meeting. G. Major Asset expenditures beyond a dollar amount, stipulated in the By-Laws, Article X, shall not be made except as approved by the General Membership. H. The employment of all paid personnel shall be subject to approval of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VII- CNomination and Election of Officers: A. Within 30 days after the June meeting at which he/she was elected, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee chairperson who shall select five members, none of whom shall then be a member of the Board of Directors. B. The Nominating Committee shall nominate two eligible candidates for each vacancy to be filled, and this slate shall be posted on the bulletin board 10 days prior to the May general membership meeting. C. At the general membership meeting in May, the Presiding Officer shall ask for additional nominations from the floor. In order to be valid, the nominations must be seconded and must be accepted by the nominees prior to adjournment of the meeting. Acceptance may be verbal or by signed statement. Nominations thus made shall be referred to the Nominating Committee, and the names of the nominees shall be added to the slate. Any nominee for the office of President must have served at least one year on the Board of Directors. D. The complete slate shall be posted on the bulletin board for a period of 20 days preceding the day of the June meeting. E. After the complete slate has been posted, the General Secretary shall cause the name of all candidates to be printed on a ballot. The ballot so printed shall be available at the Turner Society during the balloting hours listed in G, together with a short biographical sketch of each candidate. No other form of ballot other than the one herein provided shall be voted or counted. F. The election shall be publicized in the monthly newsletter and on the website. G. The ballots shall be available at the Turner Society on the Friday, 3-9 p.m.; Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Monday, 3-9 p.m.; Tuesday, 3-9 p.m. and Wednesday, 3-7 p.m. prior to the election at the June meeting. H. The voting rules are as follows: 1. Only members in good standing are permitted to vote; their names will be on a master list compiled by the Membership Chairperson. 2. Voting by proxy is prohibited. 3. A Voting Regulatory Committee, appointed by the President, shall be present to regulate the distribution of the ballots, verify the signing of the Master Voting List, and the deposit of the ballots. The committee person verifying the member’s vote shall then initial behind the voter’s name on the Master Voting List. 4. The member requesting the ballot will sign his/her name on the master voting list, mark the ballot, and deposit it before leaving the premises. No ballots will leave the premises. 5. If a member cannot come to the club during the specified voting times, he/she may request a ballot from the Membership Chairperson. The Membership Chairperson shall provide the ballot(s), along with a ballot envelope marked with the appropriate number of ballots allowed. The ballots must be returned to the club in the ballot envelope to be counted. The Membership Chairperson shall indicate a mailed ballot beside the person’s name on the Master Voting List. 6. At 7:00 p.m. in the evening of the June meeting, the ballot box shall be removed to a room secured against entry by anyone except members of the election committee, and the election committee shall determine by counting the votes, the identity of the successful candidates for office. 7. The chairman of the Voting Regulatory Committee, when asked by the presiding officer of the June meeting, and in the presence of the other members of the election committee, shall announce names of the successful candidates and total number of ballots, and the General Secretary shall duly record the announcement in the minutes of the meeting. 8. The presiding officer shall instruct the election committee to destroy ballots. I. The Presiding officer shall conduct the installation of the successful candidates by asking them if they will “adhere to the platform and objectives of Fort Wayne Turners and its Constitution and By-Laws”. Upon affirmative response, the presiding officer shall declare the successful candidates to be duly elected to the offices for which they were nominated. J. The terms of offices shall begin after adjournment of the June meeting and shall continue until successors are elected. The terms of office of Trustees elected at the first election hereunder shall be adjusted in accordance with the By-Laws. K. The presiding officer shall dismiss all committees prior to adjournment of the June meeting.
ARTICLE VIII- CDuties of Officers: A. PRESIDENT: It shall be the duty of the President to represent the Society in all its undertakings, to preside at the meetings of the Society and the Board of Directors, to sign all documents in conjunction with the General Secretary, to execute all orders on the Treasury in conformity with the Constitution and By-Laws, to report the condition of the Society at its regular meetings, to vote when there is equality of votes and to appoint all standing and special committees. Standing committees shall be appointed within 30 days after the June meeting. The President can serve a maximum of two consecutive one-year terms. B. 1st VICE PRESIDENT: It shall be the duty of the 1st Vice President to assist the President and in his/her absence take his/her place and assume the responsibilities of his/her office. He/she shall also supervise the Awards Dinner and Johnny Appleseed Parking. C. 2nd VICE PRESIDENT It shall be the duty of the 2nd Vice President to keep himself/herself informed regarding the duties of other officers and assist in case of their absence, incapacitation or resignation as directed by the President. In event of the absence of the President and 1st Vice President, he/she shall preside at membership meetings and Board of Directors meetings. He/she will be in charge of the Society’s calendar and scheduling of all events. D. GENERAL SECRETARY: It shall be the duty of the General Secretary to record the minutes of all meetings of the Society and the Board of Directors, to maintain a file of all correspondence and minutes, to receive and open all mail addressed to the Society, to respond to all correspondence in accordance with the intentions of the Board of Directors and to sign all documents in conjunction with the President. E. FINANCIAL SECRETARY: It shall be the duty of the Financial Secretary to receive membership dues and all monies from committees and offices authorized to conduct activities that involve receipt of monies and to turn them over to the Treasurer. He/she shall submit an income statement for the previous month’s operations at each general membership meeting. F. TREASURER: It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive all monies from the Financial Secretary, to pay all bills approved for payment by the Board of Directors, to maintain accounts in the bank selected by the Board of Directors, to adopt and maintain an accounting system which shows the income received from the Financial Secretary, money expended, gross and net profit, net worth, funds, escrow accounts and other items pertinent to professional accounting system necessary to reflect the true financial status of the Society. He/she shall at each monthly meeting submit a report of the financial status of the Society of the last day of the previous month and shall cause to be posted on the bulletin board a copy of his/her report. It shall be his/her responsibility to cause a schedule of all tax liabilities, permit fees and insurance premiums to be maintained and to submit them to the Board of Directors for approval of their payment when due. He/she shall at the last meeting of the Board of Directors prior to the June meeting each year submit an audited report as of May 31 of the financial transactions of the Society for the previous 12 months. Any member upon request shall make copies of the report available for inspection. The Board of Directors shall retain a Professional Accountant to assist the Treasurer in the discharge of his/her duties. F. TRUSTEES: The Trustees shall be elected for a three-year term and shall be identified as Maintenance Trustee, Kitchen Trustee and Bar Trustee and Athletic Trustee. They shall be responsible for the business management of their respective areas. They will cooperate in the management of the Society’s property, maintaining the same in good condition and maintaining a complete and accurate inventory of the Society’s property and goods. They shall elect a chairman, shall have regular meetings. They shall remit all income to the custody of the Financial Secretary except that a reasonable sum may be retained for payment of legitimate minor expenses ($500.00) without prior approval of the Board of Directors. They shall make a financial report of each month’s business activity at each meeting of the Board of Directors and General Membership. ARTICLE IX- CStanding Committees: A. All committee functions shall be subject to the rules of the Board of Directors, and all committees shall report their activities at each meeting of the general membership and Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of the committee chairperson to submit reports required by the National and District offices to the General Secretary for transmittal. B. HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to conduct gymnasium classes for men, women and children and to promote other activities that contribute to the furtherance of physical efficiency. It shall have control of all matters pertaining to Physical Education, Athletics, Gymnastics and all events connected with this department. C. CULTURAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to promote lectures, debates, musical presentations, theatricals and other such activities that contribute to the furtherance of mental efficiency. D. ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to arrange and manage all entertainment. E. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to make diligent and careful inquiry into the character and eligibility of candidates for membership and to acquaint the candidate with the aims and objectives of the Society. It shall announce each application to the general membership at its monthly meeting and recommend acceptance or rejection of the candidate as determined by its investigation. F. MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: It shall be the duty of the Membership Secretary to maintain the database of member names adding and deleting names as necessary, to send invoices to all members by November 15 requesting payment of dues by January 31, to order 25 and 40 year awards from National Turners, and to update National Turner records. G. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to publicize the activities of the Society and be responsible for all publications and printed matter. H. AUDITING COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to audit the books and reports of officers, employees and committees of the Society and report to the Board of Directors regarding them. I. BOWLING COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of this committee to organize, conduct and govern all activities pertaining to bowling. J. NOMINATING COMMITTEE: This committee shall be appointed and shall function, as set forth in Article VII excepting that the first nominating committee appointed under this Constitution shall be appointed immediately upon its adoption. K. AWARDS COMMITTEE: The Awards Committee shall formulate programs for honoring members who have performed meritorious service and shall administrate those programs after the General Membership has adopted them. K. Golf Committee: It shall be the duty of this committee to organize, conduct and govern all activities pertaining to golf. L. Historic Committee: It shall be the duty of this committee to organize, conduct and govern all activities pertaining to the history of Fort Wayne Turners. M. GERMANFEST COMMITTEE: The committee will consist of 2 people, who will attend Germanfest meetings with the other clubs and the Board of Directors shall appoint 4 additional members to be responsible for calling and obtaining volunteers. N. HOCKEY COMMITTEE It shall be the duty of this committee to organize, conduct and govern all activities pertaining to hockey.
ARTICLE X- CNegligence to Duty and Appointment to Vacancy: A. If any member of the Board of Directors shall be negligent in performing the duties of his/her office which may be evidenced by refusal to accept assignments duly made or other substantive reason, the Board of Directors by majority vote may declare the subject member of the Board of Directors to be, in fact, negligent. Upon such declaration it shall be the duty of the President or Vice-President to inform the subject member of the Board of Directors to appear at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors to hear and respond to the declaration. Subsequent to the time set and allowed for the subject member of the Board of Directors to hear and respond to the declaration, the original voter to declare him/her negligent shall be subject to ratification. If the original vote is sustained by six (6) votes of the Board of Directors, the President or Vice-President shall declare the office held by the negligent member of the Board of Directors to be vacant. B. In the event that the office of President is vacated for any reason, the 1st Vice President shall succeed to that office. In the event that the office of 1st Vice President is vacated for any reason the 2nd Vice President shall succeed to that office. In the event that any other office is vacated for any reason, that office shall be filled by nomination of an eligible member by the President, and confirmed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and installation according to Article VII-I. ARTICLE XI- CSuspension and Expulsion of Members: A. Any demand to suspend or expel a member from the organization shall be made in writing, with the signature of the complainant to the Board of Directors and must contain a clear statement of the cause of such action. B. Dishonesty or indecent conduct of a member or minor child of a member shall be considered causes for expulsion. C. Violation of rules after sufficient notice, or non-payment of dues as provided herein, shall be considered causes for suspension or expulsion. D. Any member who has been expelled for dishonest or for indecent conduct cannot be again admitted to membership. The Board of Directors shall have power to suspend or expel members for causes stated by six (6) negative votes. E. The Board of Directors shall decide the reinstatement of a member who has been suspended for disobeying the rules. F. In hearing and determining complaints, the Statutes of the American Turners shall apply; likewise in case of appeal from the Board of Directors decision. G. Termination of membership from any cause whatever shall operate as a release of all right or title to or interest in the property and assets of the Society, which interest shall thereupon become vested in the Society.
ARTICLE XII- CSpecial Rules: A. The accommodations and privileges of the Society are for members only, but a member may introduce a guest under such Rules and Regulations as are laid down by the Board of Directors. B. All such cases in the management of this Society, as are not covered herein, are left for the decision by the Board of Directors. C. No real property (over $500.00) in value shall be acquired or disposed of except upon approval of the general membership at a general meeting and/or special meeting called for that purpose. The Board of Directors will determine emergency repairs. D. Each member shall be furnished a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws. Copies of the Principles and Statutes of the American Turners shall be made available to members upon request. E. The operation of the affairs of the Society shall adhere to applicable rulings of the Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission. F. The Board of Directors is authorized to establish a schedule of fees for the use of the Society’s services and facilities. The fee schedule shall be subject to approval by the general membership. All fees shall be payable in advance. ARTICLE XIII- CDissolution: A. This Society shall be considered an organization until its members have become less than twenty-five (25) members. B. In case of dissolution of this organization, any remaining assets shall become the property of the American Turners. ARTICLE X1V - CConstitution Amendments: A. This Constitution may be revised, changed or amended, at a special meeting of the Society called for that purpose, by a 2/3 vote of those present. Suggestions for revising, changing or amending this Constitution must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors by at least twenty-five (25) members in good standing. The Board of Directors shall call a special meeting of the Society within sixty (60) days after receiving such suggestions and shall submit it for approval or disapproval at the special meeting. ARTICLE XV- CA. By-Laws may be revised, changed or amended, at a special meeting of the Society called for that purpose, by a 2/3 vote of those present. Suggestions for revising, changing or amending the By-Laws must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors by at least twenty-five (25) members in good standing. The Board of Directors shall call a special meeting of the Society within sixty (60) days after receiving such suggestions and shall submit it for approval or disapproval at the special meeting.
Amended: January 28, 2008
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