Constitution and Bylaws of the Jamhour Alumni, US Incorporated
Preamble:
Whereas the Jamhour Alumni, US Inc. is a non-profit alumni association
organized under the laws of the state of New York.
Whereas its purpose is to create a link amongst former students of the ND of
Jamhour (Jamhour, Lebanon), to organize fund raising activities and to
provide the ND of Jamhour Alumni in Lebanon with money and support to help
the school in its Christian educational goal.
Whereas the sole objective of this non-profit association is a charitable
purpose in helping the school to provide quality education for
underprivileged families unable to meet the tuition expenses for their
child.
Therefore the alumni of the school have delegated to the present Board of
Directors the necessary power to carry its functions according to these
bylaws which will be reviewed and amended as necessary.
Article I: Name
The name of the organization is:
Jamhour Alumni, US Incorporated
Article II: Purpose
Section 1
As outlined in the preamble the organization has a charitable purpose to
help the school ND of Jamhour (Jamhour, Lebanon) run by the Jesuit order of
the Catholic Church through fund raising. The money gathered will be used
for the help in the tuition of deserving and gifted students whose family is
unable to meet the tuition expenses and for scholarships and special awards.
Section 2
The organization will help in the alumni meetings.
Section 3
The organization will set up the functions needed for its fund raising
activities.
Article III: Membership
Section 1 Qualifications:
The membership in the Jamhour Alumni, US Inc is a privilege which shall be
extended only to former students from the ND of Jamhour School as well as
from its predecessor: The College of Saint Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon) and all
the card holding alumni.
Section 2
Non alumni are welcome to be a part of the association, but cannot vote in
the election of the Board of Directors or on any decision relating to the
running or decision making that are brought to vote.
Section 3
Non alumni can participate in meetings, fund raising, or assistance to the
Board of Directors.
Section 4
Only the member alumni can bring an issue to the vote and can request a
change in the bylaws.
Section 5 Ethics
Acceptance of membership in the Jamhour Alumni, US Inc shall constitute the
staff member agreement that he/she will strictly abide by the code of ethics
between the members.
Section 6 Duration of Membership/Conditions and Duration of Appointment
Once a member has qualified for appointment to the Jamhour Alumni, US Inc
he/she will become a life member.
Section 7 Membership dues
Members are not required to pay any dues to the association. Their
contributions are voluntary as a tax-deductible donation to the association.
Section 8 New Members
New Graduates or students from the ND of Jamhour College who are temporary
or permanent residents of the USA are encouraged to contact the Alumni
Association and are automatically granted membership with voting privileges.
Section 9 Leave of Absence
Once a member is no longer a resident of the USA, he/she is encouraged to
notify the Alumni Association of his/her departure and he/she is encouraged
to join the local alumni in his new country of residence.
Section 10 Honorary Associate Members
Non alumni who decide to actively help the Jamhour Alumni, US Inc in its
activity can be granted Honorary Associate Membership for a limited period
of four years, renewable by decision of the Board of Directors.
Section 11 Suspension of Membership
If a member of the Alumni Association conduct is deemed to be a breach of
ethics either on moral basis or based on his/her poor behavior or
interaction with the majority membership, the issue will be brought to the
attention of the Board of Directors in writing and a temporary suspension of
membership can be issued until further classification of the conduct. The
issue of suspension shall be brought up to the annual membership meeting for
voting to reinstate the member or for a long term suspension for a duration
to be determined by the association and/or until the member sends a written
letter requesting his reinstatement with a corrective action to the issue
that has brought his/her suspension.
Section 12 Request for Hearing
If the member disagrees with the decision of the board of directors for a
temporary suspension he/she is entitled to a hearing by the Board of
Directors in the presence of six members at large to form a total hearing
panel of nine. The panel will decide by majority vote to confirm the
suspension or to reinstate the member.
Section 13 Appeal of Suspension
If the majority of the panel decide to maintain the suspension and the
member requests an appeal, he/she can refer his case to the Secretary
General of the Association based in Jamhour, Lebanon, who will make the
final decision according to its bylaws.
Article IV: Organization of the Board of Directors
Section 1 Officers
1 - President
2 - Vice President
3 - Secretary
4 - Treasurer
Section 2 Qualifications of Officers
The officers must be active voting members of the Jamhour Alumni, US Inc.
Section 3 Election of Officers
The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Alumni in October
and shall hold office until the next election or until a successor is
elected.
At least three months prior to the October election the candidates for
office should submit their names to the Board of Directors. The candidates
will submit a short biographical data with their credentials. The secretary
of the association, with the help of other members, will do his/her best to
send the names and data to the members at large.
After the current Board of Directors serves two years, the next Board of
Directors shall be elected by vote of the members at large and the current
Board of Directors will transfer the directorship to the new Board.
Section 4 Term of Office
The officers shall serve a term of two years or until a successor is
elected, unless he/she shall sooner resign.
At no time shall a member serve more than two consecutive years (one term).
The officers shall take office on the day following the annual election
meeting.
Section 5 Stipend
The Board of Directors serves as a voluntary board and no fee or stipend
will be paid to the officers.
Section 6 Removal from Office
Procedures leading to removal of an officer can be initiated by one or more
officers of the Board of Directors in writing for causes including: failure
to fulfill his/her responsibilities, malfeasance while in office, physical
or mental infirmity to a degree that renders him/her incapable of fulfilling
the duties of the office, or conduct detrimental to the interests of the
Alumni Association.
The Board of Directors will meet and will appoint a special committee
consisting of four members at large and the other three members of the Board
of Directors to conduct a hearing (total of seven).
At the end of the hearing a decision will be reached by majority vote.
After the removal of the officer from office the three remaining members
will nominate a new officer to fill the vacancy from the members at large.
The nominated officer will fill the position until the next election of the
Board of Directors.
Section 7 Board Position
Once the new Board is elected the officers, by mutual agreement, will assign
the positions to the new members. In case of disagreement, the vote for each
position will be made by majority amongst the officers.
Section 8 Duties of the Officers
PRESIDENT: The following duties are expected from the President:
To call, preside at, and be responsible for the agenda of the meetings and
the yearly general membership meeting.
To be responsible for enforcement of the bylaws, rules and regulations, for
implementation of sanctions and all corrective action agreed upon by the
Board and/or the members.
The appointment of Ad Hoc Committee when necessary.
To coordinate the activities of the US Alumni Board of Directors with the
General Secretary in Jamhour, Lebanon as needed.
VICE PRESIDENT:
To assume all the duties of the President when the President is absent
To coordinate the Board activities with the members at large.
To assist the President in the enforcement of the bylaws and all corrective
actions agreed upon by the Board and/or the members.
SECRETARY:
Will keep accurate and complete minutes of the Board meetings as well as the
general meeting.
To attend to all the correspondence for the Board.
To assist the President and the Vice President in preparing the meeting and
in follow-up at the Ad Hoc Committee presentation.
TREASURER:
Will keep an accurate record of the financial activities of the Corporation.
To present the financial records to the general committee.
To pay bills as agreed upon by the Board of Directors.
To sign checks and money transfer to the General Secretary in Jamhour,
Lebanon, as a donation for student scholarships, awards, etc. (see Article
II, section 1)
To collect the donations from the contributors to the Alumni, and for the
deposit in the Corporation Bank Account - Interaudi Bank)
Article V: Ad Hoc Committees
Ad Hoc committees will be nominated by the Board of Directors to assist the
officers to a specific purpose. They will report their findings to the Board
of Directors who will present it at the general annual meeting to the
members at large.
Article VI: Schedule of Meetings
Board of Directors: The Board of Directors will schedule its meetings
according to its schedule at least once a month. The meetings can be also
done through a teleconference.
General Meeting: In October of each year a general meeting will be called by
the Board of Directors to be attended by the members of the US Alumni.
Special Meetings: Special meetings can be scheduled by the Board of
Directors to address issues as deemed necessary.
Article VII: Amendment or Change in the Bylaws
If an amendment or a change of the bylaws is needed the Board of Directors
will meet and will propose the change to be voted on at a majority vote by
the membership at the annual meeting.
If an emergency change in the bylaws is deemed necessary for the proper
function of the corporation a temporary amendment will be made until the
next general meeting. The amendment will be presented for vote at the next
general meeting.
Article VIII: Bylaws Availability
These bylaws will be available for distribution to all officers and members
at large. They will be posted on the JamhourUS.com website.
Nagi J. Bustros, M.D.
President, Jamhour Alumni, US Incorporated
August 30, 2004