Documents
By-laws of the
Harvard Club of Armenia
1. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Harvard Club of Armenia, with its principal place of activity in Armenia.
2. Purpose
This Club is organized and shall be operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes as an unregistered voluntary association. In furtherance of such purposes, the Club shall foster a spirit of friendship and goodwill among graduates and former students of Harvard University; serve in extending knowledge of the aims and achievements of Harvard University; promote the interest of all alumni in the academic and extracurricular activities of Harvard; represent the interests of the University in Armenia; encourage recreational activities for its members; and generally promote and encourage communication between Harvard University and its alumni resident in Armenia, and cooperate with the Harvard Alumni Association (“HAA”).
3. Membership Eligibility
Any person who has completed an executive course, a fellowship, or at least one semester at Harvard University or Radcliffe College as a student, as a researcher or as an instructor, or who has received an honorary degree from Harvard or Radcliffe shall be eligible.
Current undergraduate and graduate students at Harvard University and Radcliffe College shall also be eligible for membership. They are exempted from membership dues as long as they are enrolled as students.
Parents of current undergraduates at Harvard University shall also be eligible for membership at half the regular dues while their children are in school. Upon graduation of their children, parents will remain eligible for membership at the regular full dues rate.
4. Officers
4.1 The Board
The Club shall have it’s elected Board of Directors, comprised of the
-
President,
-
Vice-President and
-
Treasurer.
The President shall serve as the Club’s Secretary as well.
The Vice-President shall serve as the Club’s Outreach Officer.
4.2 Election of Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Club and hold office for (2) two years thereafter. Notice of the candidates will be sent to the membership at least 10 (ten) days before the Annual Meeting. No officer may serve more than two successive terms.
The Board of Directors shall organize the next elections of its directors.
4.3 Officer Vacancy
Vacancies occurring in any office, except the office of the President, shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by the Board of Directors. In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of the President, the Vice President then in office shall serve as President for the remainder of the unexpired term, and the Board of Directors shall fill the vacancy of the Vice President for the remainder of the unexpired term.
4.4 Removal of Officers
An officer may be removed from office without cause by 2/3 (two thirds) vote of the Club’s Members.
5. Duties of Officers
5.1 President
The President, or in his/her absence the Vice President, shall preside at all meetings of the Club and Board of Directors, and perform such other duties as may be required by custom or by the welfare of the Club or by request from the Harvard Alumni Association.
The President shall keep a record of all meetings of the Club and Board of Directors.
The President shall keep a roll of the membership and give notice of all meetings of the Club
5.2 Vice President
The Vice President shall, in the absence of the President, preside at all meetings of the Club and of the Board of Directors and assume all other duties of the President as stated in the By-Laws or directed by the Board of Directors.
5.3 Treasurer
The Treasurer shall collect and disburse all funds of the Club in a bank approved by the Board of Directors and held in trust for the Club.
The Treasurer shall make an annual statement and report to the Club, or, when required, to the Board of Directors; and perform other duties of the office and as assigned by the Board of Directors or President.
6. Duties of Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall have full power to carry out the purposes of the Club, and shall have general charge and control of its affairs, funds, and property.
The Board of Directors shall not have the right to amend these By-Laws on its own.
The Board of Directors shall meet periodically to plan the activities of the Club and to review the general Club situation, or at any time designated by the President.
The Board of Directors shall have full power to act on all applications for membership.
7. Other Committees.
7.1 Scholarship Committee
The Board of Directors itself, or through an established Scholarship Committee work on raising money for student scholarships. The Board of Directors shall be the founder of Scholarship Committee, which shall be comprised of Club members voluntarily.
7.2 Other Committee
Additional committees may be appointed by the Board of Directors to carry out the purposes of the Club. (For example, publicity, recent graduates, summer employment)
8. Meetings
8.1 Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting shall be held at a time and place to be determined by the Board of Directors, no sooner than 10 (ten) nor later than 13 (thirteen) months after the last Annual Meeting.
The Annual Meetings may be held online. Voting at Annual meetings may be held by email or other software acceptable to the Board of Directors.
8.2 Stated and Special Meetings
The Board of Directors may establish a schedule of stated meetings for business as well as social purposes open to the entire membership. Special meetings of any subgroup such as graduate/undergraduate alumni or dues paying members only may also be determined by the Board of Directors as part of the alumni calendar of events.
Business may be transacted by electronic means as determined by the Board of Directors.
9. Annual Dues
The rate of annual dues (Membership Fee) shall be reviewed and set from time to time by the Board of Directors.
Dues notices for the coming year shall be sent to each member by the Treasurer in the fall of the year. The fiscal year shall run from January 1 to December 31.
The current Membership Fee is 15,000 AMD. This may be changed by the Board of Directors, not more than once in a fiscal year.
Only members who have no monetary obligations towards the Club (including the current year) may cast votes on matter open to voting and be elected on the Board of Directors
10. Harvard Alumni Association (HAA)
Officers and committees of the Harvard Club of Armenia shall cooperate with officers, Regional Directors, and committees of the HAA in carrying out the purposes of the latter Association.
11. Funds of the Club
In the event of dissolution of the Harvard Club of Armenia, all its funds and other property, if any, remaining after the payment of its liabilities, shall be donated to a local Armenian educational fund (selected at the point of vote for dissolution by the members). 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, as the Board of Directors 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 pay
12. No political activity
The activities of the Club shall not consist in carrying on partisan political activity or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Club shall not participate in, or intervene in (including publishing or distributing statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
Nothing contained in these By-Laws 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 these By-Laws shall authorize or permit the Club to be organized or operated other than exclusively for the stated purposes.
13. Amendments
Articles and sections of these bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed at any duly constituted annual or stated meeting of the Club by a 2/3 (two thirds) vote of those present or who have cast their votes, provided that notice of the proposed amendment, alteration or repeal has been sent at least 10 (ten) days prior to such meetings to Club members with voting rights.
Adopted by the Annual Meeting
On December 31, 2017