CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE USMMA
NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND PARENTS ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I. Name
As a Chapter of the USMMA Parents Association, the name of this organization shall be the United States Merchant Marine Academy Northern New England Parents Association.
The Chapter name shall be abbreviated as USMMA-NNEPA or NNEPA.
ARTICLE II. Purpose and Powers
The mission of the Northern New England Parents Association (hereinafter called NNEPA or USMMANNEPA) is to promote and support the Academy, its goals, programs and objectives, its Regiment of Plebe Candidates, Midshipmen, Faculty, Staff and Alumni. The primary focus of support will be for those Midshipmen and their families from the States of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The Association, through its Officers, Coordinators, Committees, and other duly authorized representatives, acting under the direction and authority of the Office of the Director of External Affairs of the Academy, shall carry out the purposes set forth in this Article.
ARTICLE III. Seal, Logo and Emblem
NNEPA shall use its own developed Logo and may also utilize the Academy Seal, Logo or Emblem for its newsletter, letterhead, banner or other affinity items officially sanctioned by NNEP A. Any use of the NNEP A name, Seal, Logo or Emblem or the Academy Name, Seal, Logo or Emblem used in conjunction with NNEPA must be authorized by NNEPA's President or Membership at a regularly scheduled meeting.
ARTICLE IV. Membership
4.1 Classification: Membership shall be Regular and Associate.
4.2 Regular: Any person who is the parent of a currently enrolled USMMA Plebe Candidate or Midshipman; or the parent of a USMMA Midshipman who has graduated from the Academy; or any person who is themselves an Academy graduate shall be eligible for Regular Membership. The Regular Membership of NNEPA shall consist of all of the Regular Members. Only Regular Members may be elected or appointed to be Officers of the Association.
4.3 Associate: Any person evidencing favorable interest in the Academy, its Regiment of Midshipmen or USMMA-NNEPA, or any person who has rendered distinguished service to or in advancement of the Academy, its Regiment of Midshipmen or USMMA-NNEPA may be eligible for Associate membership. The Associate Membership of NNEP A shall consist of all of the Associate Members.
4.4 Any Member's Membership is subject to approval by NNEPA's President and Regular Membership and may be revoked at any time by a majority vote of the Regular Membership at a regularly scheduled meeting. The President may temporarily revoke any Member's Membership until the next regularly scheduled meeting.
4.4 Dues: Dues shall be established for each classification of membership by a majority vote of the Membership present during any regularly scheduled meeting of the Association and thereafter may be changed at any annual meeting by a majority of the Membership present. Each Member shall pay dues within 60 days of the beginning of each academic year or upon their request for membership in the Association in order to retain or establish their Official Membership. The Treasurer shall collect and account for all dues.
4.5 Voting: Each paid regular member shall have one vote on any issue brought before the membership in a regularly called meeting.
ARTICLE V. Meetings
5.1 USMMA-NNEPA shall meet quarterly or as determined by the officers. Written notices shall be sent to members and prospective members via U.S. Mail or via e-Mail as agreed upon by the Membership. A notice sent via U.S. Mail shall be considered sufficient notice of a meeting.
5.2 The Annual Meeting shall be held in the second quarter of each year for the election of Officers, the Board of Directors and other business as prescribed in the By-Laws.
5.3 The order of business at other meetings shall be the same except the Annual Report and the election of officers are not included.
ARTICLE VI. Officers
6.1 The Officers of USMMA-NNEPA shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. These officers will form The Executive Committee of NNEPA.
6.2 The Executive Committee, as needed, may appoint other officers or directors from time to time.
6.3 Officers shall be Official Regular Members who meet all of the membership requirements of theAssociation.
6.4 All Officers of the Association shall be elected by a plurality of the voting members of the chapter at the Annual Meeting or such meeting as designated in the By-Laws. Any vacancy in the Executive Committee may be filled at any regularly scheduled meeting.
6.5 The term of office of each Officer shall be one year. Officers may be re-elected, but for no more than four consecutive terms in any one Office.
6.6 Removal of Officers. A special election may be called by petition agreed to by 1/3 of the Official Regular membership of the Association and presented to the Secretary. The Special Election shall be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting and all Officer positions shall be voted upon.
6.7 The President or designee shall preside at all meetings and events of the organization, and shall have such powers and duties usually associated with the Office of President. The President shall sign all written contracts and obligations of the chapter.
6.8 The Vice-President shall have such powers and duties as prescribed by the President and will discharge the duties of the President in his/her absence. The Vice-President shall temporarily succeed to the Presidency in case of a vacancy in that office, and in this event, an election for all Officers shall occur at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
6.9 The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of meetings (minutes), conduct the correspondence of the Organization as assigned by the President, keep non-financial records and prepare necessary reports. The Secretary shall also notify Officers of the Association of their election. The Secretary shall also keep a roster of all parents in the area of the Association, and all Official Members of the Association. It shall also be the responsibility of the Secretary to publish the lists of Officers of the chapter, the Constitution and By-Laws, Committee Members, and shall present to any Official Member a list of all of Association's Official Members upon their request.
6.10 The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the Association and shall be responsible for collecting dues and assessments of the Association, maintaining records of the individuals from whom collections have been made and for what purpose, disbursing funds to defray expenses authorized by the chapter or the Executive Committee, reporting the status of the funds at each meeting of the chapter and presenting an annual financial report to the members at the Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE VII. Executive Committee
7.1 The Executive Committee shall consist of duly elected and appointed officers of NNEPA. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to oversee the Association's treasury in the manner it deems prudent.
7.2 The Executive Committee shall meet at the Annual Meeting and at such other times as may be deemed necessary on the call of the President or any two members of the Executive Committee. At any such special meeting, the business is to be confined to that specified in the call for the meeting.
7.3 A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of three members.
7.4 The Executive Committee shall establish operating committees, as it deems necessary.
7.5 At the Association's Annual Meeting, the Executive Committee shall report the affairs of the Association, the previous year's financial performance and the coming year's budget.
ARTICLE VIII. Committees
8.1 The Executive Committee or the President may appoint Committees for the purpose of managing NNEPA's various affairs.
8.2 All Committees shall report to the President or Executive Committee as requested by same.
8.3 All activities undertaken on behalf of the organization shall be presented to the general membership for approval by a majority vote of those present at any regularly scheduled meeting of the organization.
ARTICLE IX. Amendments to the By-Laws
9.1 Any member of the Executive Committee may propose amendments to these By-Laws. Such proposed amendments must be approved by the Executive Committee and then presented to the membership in written form as an attachment to the announcement of any regular or special meeting of the organization, provided that the proposed amendment has been made available to the membership at least 10 days prior to that meeting.
9.2 Any Official Member of the organization may propose amendments to the Executive Committee for approval in accordance with the terms of Article 9.1 above.
9.3 Amendments thus presented require approval by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present at such a meeting of the organization.
9.4 Amendments shall come into force immediately upon adoption by the members.
ARTICLE X. Coming Into Force
On the coming into force of this revised and restated Constitution and By-Laws, the Executive Committee shall cause to be made all necessary changes in the Association's organization and procedures as may be required to bring same into compliance with said amended Constitution and By-Laws.
ARTICLE XI. Dissolution
In the event of dissolution of the organization, all assets remaining, after meeting all liabilities, shall be distributed to the USMMA Foundation to be used for the further benefit of the USMMA and its Midshipmen.
This constitution and by-laws were adopted at a meeting of the Northern New England Parents Association Chapter on 14 September 2007 and approved by unanimous vote by the members present and voting.
This Constitution and By-Laws went into effect on 14 September 2007.
