The Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholar Constitution
as of June 2017
Article I. Name and Purpose
This organization shall be known as the Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholars of Wellesley College. Its purpose is to preserve the unity of the class as an effective alumnae body of the College, and in furtherance of that purpose, it shall operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.
Article II. Composition and Membership
Section 1. Active Members
Any student who matriculates as a Continuing Education or Davis Scholar and completed four classes and left in good standing is considered an active member of the Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholars as defined by the College unless they notify the WCAA otherwise.
Section 2. Honorary Members
Any person who is nominated by the executive board of the class may become an honorary member upon election by a two-thirds majority vote of the executive board. Honorary members are non-voting members of the class.
Article III. Eligibility to Hold Office
All active members of the class, as defined in Article II, Section 1, shall be eligible for election to any office in this organization. All offices described in this Constitution must be filled by members of the class. All officers are required to keep their contact information current with the College and must provide both a current phone number and an email address.
Article IV. Officers
Section 1. Executive Board
The class officers shall be a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, student liaison representative, and annual giving representative. These officers shall constitute the executive board of the class, which shall have the authority to transact all class business between class meetings. Should there be a vacancy(ies) on the executive board, the board shall issue a call to action by email to fill said vacancy(ies) for the remainder of the term. Should there be multiple candidates for a position, the executive board (excluding any member under consideration for said position) will make the final decision to fill the open position. More than one member of the class may be elected or appointed to serve as co-officers in specific roles.
Section 2. Tenure
Class officers shall serve a five-year term from the time of installation at a class meeting until the next Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholars reunion, whichever comes first.
Section 3. Duties
a. President. The president shall call and preside over executive board meetings. The president shall remain informed of College and Alumnae Association activities and organize methods for disseminating that information to classmates. In consultation with the executive board, the president may appoint chairs of other committees not specifically described in this Constitution as shall be needed to fulfill the business of the class, including website chair, newsletter chair, and other positions as needed. The president shall serve ex officio on all class committees except the nominating committee. The president is responsible for submitting an annual report to the WCAA.
b. Vice President. The vice president directs the Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholars event programming and may appoint regional, state, and local volunteers to assist with implementation of programs. The vice president shall, in the event of the absence or disability of the president, perform the duties of the president. In the event of the resignation of the president, the vice president shall act as interim president until a new president is appointed.
c. Secretary. The secretary shall preserve all minutes of class and executive board meetings, copies of publications, and documents of importance to the class, and shall perform other duties pertaining to that office. The officer shall prepare class notes for the Wellesley magazine, according to the schedule and guidelines published by the magazine staff, currently four times per year.
d. Treasurer. The treasurer shall receive class funds and disburse class funds in accordance with their duties. The officer shall submit an annual financial report to the class president and WCAA. In addition, the officer must make arrangements to file a statement annually with the IRS following the guidelines provided by the WCAA and adhere to all regulations governing non-profit 501 (c) (3) organizations.
e. Wellesley Fund Representative. The Wellesley Fund representative shall serve as the fundraising officer for the class. In that capacity, the Wellesley Fund Representative shall work with the Wellesley Fund office in encouraging classmates to make an annual gift to the College.
f. Student Liaison Representative. This alumnae officer will be responsible for outreach to current Davis Scholars students and facilitating their transition to the alumnae class. This may involve education, programming and/or mentoring.
Article V. Reporting
Section 1. Annual Report
Each officer shall publish a report of activities to the class at least annually in a class newsletter, to be distributed via email with other options available for alumnae without email.
Article VI. Appointment and Removal of Officers
Section 1. Appointment
a. Executive officers terms begin at the designated quinquennial class meeting at reunion for a term of five consecutive years, ending at the next class reunion. By the end of April, one year prior to the reunion class meeting, the executive board must solicit the class for volunteers for the nominating chair and reunion chair. The current executive board appoints a nominating committee chair. The chair puts together an independent nominating committee of at least two additional members to manage the nominations process. Neither the chair, nor the committee members may stand for election. By the end of September, a call to action will be sent to solicit candidates for the executive board. Information about the process for slate selection and nomination by petition will be sent at this time. It is the duty of the nominating committee to select candidates to fill the offices of president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, student liaison representative, and Wellesley Fund representative. It is strongly recommended that candidates be drawn from across the decades that comprise the Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholars. The final slate shall be published on the class website and sent via email to all class members as soon as the slate is complete, no later than December 15th.
b. Wellesley Fund Representative
The Wellesley Fund representative position presents a special case, as the nominating committee must submit the names of several qualified candidates to the Wellesley Fund office for approval. The nominating committee shall then select the final candidate for Wellesley Fund representative from the list of those who have been approved by the Wellesley Fund office. This must coincide with the other officer nomination procedure.
c. Final Slate with Nomination by Petition
Nominations may also be made by not less than fifteen (15) members of the Class and submitted to the Nominating Committee no later than January 15. In the event of nominations by petition, an election shall take place as follows: The final slate of nominees shall be submitted to the Alumnae Office by January 31. The election will take place via Google form or other electronic means, with other options available for alumnae without email. The officers are installed during the class meeting at reunion.
d. Final Slate without Nomination by Petition
Without nomination by petition, the completed slate must be submitted to the Alumnae Office no later than January 31. The slate shall be presented to the class for approval no less than 60 days prior to Reunion. The election will take place via Google form or other electronic means, with other options available for alumnae without email. The officers are installed during the class meeting at reunion.
Section 2. Removal of Officers
a. Any class officer may resign by delivering a written resignation by mail or email to the other members of the executive board. Such resignation is effective upon receipt unless it is specified to be effective at some later time. A class officer may be removed from office by the affirmative vote of all other members of the executive board or by the WCAA in the case of dereliction of duties. Upon removal of an officer, please refer to Article VI, Section 1. A class member may call or email any board member or WCAA with concerns.
Article VII. Committees
Section 1. Standing Committees
There shall be the following standing committees:
a. Nominating Committee. It shall be the duty of this committee to nominate a slate of candidates for offices of the class. In accordance with Article VI, Section 1, neither the chair nor any nominating committee member may be eligible for office for that election.
b. Reunion Committee. It shall be the duty of this committee to organize and oversee reunion, including an optional sub-committee for a record book.
Section 2. Appointment and Tenure of Standing Committees
The chairs of standing committees shall be appointed by the president in consultation with the executive board. Each chair shall appoint their own committee. The terms of all standing committee members shall expire when the executive board leaves office.
Section 3. Special Committees
The president, in consultation with the executive board, may appoint special committees needed to fulfill the business of the class, such as website chair, newsletter chair, by-laws chair, and other positions as needed.
Article VIII. Meetings
Section 1. Executive Board Meetings
Executive board meetings shall be held at least four times a year.
Section 2. Class Meetings
Class meetings shall be held at the time of reunion, which follows the quinquennial plan, or unless otherwise called by the Executive Board.
Section 3. Interim Class Meetings and Resolutions
The executive board may call an interim class meeting, to be held whenever and wherever it designates, or may instead submit resolutions to class members electronically with other options available for alumnae without email. Both require the secretary to give notice of the board’s action to classmates. The notice must be sent to class members at least 30 days before (a) the date of the meeting, or (b) the date by which completed ballots must be received in order to be counted. In the case of a special meeting, the notice shall state the meeting’s time, place, and purpose; in the case of a virtual meeting the notice shall be accompanied by a ballot and shall set forth the text of each resolution, briefly stating its effect and purpose.
Section 4. Quorum and Majority
One-tenth of the living members of the class shall constitute a quorum. Once a quorum is achieved:
- A two-thirds majority of votes is required for passage for all legislative resolutions.
- A simple majority of votes will determine officer elections.
Article IX. Activities
The class shall not perform any activities not permitted by (a) a corporation exempt from federal income taxes under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States internal revenue law) or (b) a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States internal revenue law). This provision includes that the class shall not circulate propaganda or otherwise attempt to influence public legislation, nor shall it participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of a candidate for public office (including the publishing or distributing of statements).
Article X. Class Dues and Other Monies
Section 1. Class Alumnae Donation
The Class of Continuing Education/Davis Scholar Alumnae Donation (WCAA refers to this as Class Lifetime Membership) is a one time gift that directly supports the alumnae class activities. The opportunity to invest in the class through the Class Alumnae Donation is available at any time. The Class Alumnae Donation is invested with the College, and the interest generated is used to support alumnae class activities.
Section 2. Optional Annual Dues may be increased, decreased, or eliminated pending unanimous approval of the class executive board. Dues are optional and not required to be a member of the alumnae class.
Section 3. Bank Accounts
All bank accounts shall stand in the name of the alumnae class, with funds payable on order of the treasurer or the president, both of whose signatures must be on any bank accounts. A record of all account numbers and locations must be submitted to the WCAA to be kept in the permanent class file.
Section 4. Earnings
All earnings from alumnae class funds should be used to support alumnae class activities, or the College. No part of the net earnings of the class shall be used to benefit any individual.
Section 5. Disposition of Assets
Should the class treasury be dissolved, all of its net assets shall be distributed to the Wellesley College Alumnae Association or, if the Wellesley College Alumnae Association is no longer in existence, solely to organizations qualified as exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States internal revenue law) as decided by the Executive Board.
Article XI. Governing Rules of Organization
Roberts’ Rules of Order Revised govern this organization in all cases to which it applies and is consistent with this Constitution and the class by-laws. Should there be a conflict, the class constitution and by-laws shall prevail.
Article XII. Amendments
This Constitution may be amended at any business or special meeting, provided that:
1. Notice of the proposed amendment, with ballot, is sent to the class via Google form or other electronic means (with other options available for alumnae without email) at least 30 days before the meeting or date by which ballots must be received to be counted.
2. A quorum is reached and two-thirds of all ballots received before the meeting favor the amendment as stated in Article VIII, Section 4.