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CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
OF
GODDARD CHINESE AMERICAN CLUB
AT
NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
Adopted
July 24, 1987
Revised July 15, 2003
Revised December 18, 2020
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of this organization shall be THE GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER CHINESE AMERICAN CLUB (GCAC), and shall be located at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland.
ARTICLE II
OBJECTIVE
SECTION 1
The organization shall be a nonprofit organization with capital stock.
SECTION 2
The objective of this organization is to promote and provide professional, social and cultural activities among the club members and in the GSFC community.
SECTION 3
The organization seeks to provide knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture and history to all members of the GSFC community through meetings, events and other outreach activities, both within and outside of Goddard, and, in so doing, to promote a more inclusive workplace for all employees.
SECTION 4
The organization actively supports the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, advisory committees, and Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) activities and celebrations within Goddard.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERS
SECTION 1
The membership of this club shall be limited to the civil service and contractor employees at the GSFC, including visiting scholars and resident research associates, and shall be governed in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of this club. The "contractor" term shall include employees from corporate agreement, visiting scholars and resident research associates. Retired and Emeritus employees of GSFC shall also be eligible for membership.
SECTION 2
“Active member” is defined as an individual who has joined the club and is current on any dues that may be assessed.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
SECTION 1
The executive officers of this club shall consist, as a minimum, of a president, a vice president, a secretary, and a treasurer At least one of the officers shall be a civil service employee. The terms of office of these officers shall be two years. Only active members shall be eligible for election as executive officers. In addition, the member shall have volunteered for at least one club event within the year prior to election.
SECTION 2
In addition to the standard requirements of Section 1 above, the president shall have served as an executive officer prior to election.
SECTION 3
In addition to the standard requirements of Section 1 above, the president shall have served as an executive officer prior to election.
SECTION 4
The primary duties of the executive officers are:
- President: the president is the senior board member, and shall chair all official club meetings and other events.
- Vice President: the vice president assists the president in administering club functions, and shall chair all official club meetings and events in the absence of the president.
- Treasurer: the treasurer shall maintain records of all club income and expenditures, and verify that all such expenditures are consistent with any approved budget.
- Secretary: the secretary shall maintain records of all official meetings, including any actions approved or assigned at such meetings.
SECTION 5
At the discretion of the executive officers, additional officers may be appointed to fulfill specific duties as required. Examples of such potential positions include publicist for advertising club events or a webmaster for maintaining the club website. Any such additional officers shall not require election by the membership. The term of office for any such officers shall be as specified by the executive officers, but shall not exceed two years. The duties of such officers shall be defined by the executive officers prior to appointment.
SECTION 6
At the discretion of the executive officers, special committees may be appointed to fulfill specific needs, such as planning club events or soliciting nominations for election as executive officers. Members of such committees shall not require election by the membership. The term of office shall be only what is necessary for the specific function but shall not exceed two years.
SECTION 7
Elections shall be held every two years, typically in the fall, with the new terms of office beginning on January 1.
SECTION 8
In the event an executive officer cannot complete their term, the executive committee shall have the power to appoint a replacement for the remainder of said term. This appointment does not require election by the membership, and is an exception to the rules of Section 1.
SECTION 9
If at the time of adoption of these by-laws other officers shall be in place, or if their terms will extend beyond the period for the normal election, these officers shall at their discretion continue in their present positions to the end of their existing terms.
SECTION 10
Officers shall serve without compensation.
ARTICLE V
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
SECTION 1
At least one General Membership meeting shall be held each year. This meeting may be held in conjunction with some other organization event, such as a Mid-Autumn Festival or Chinese New Year celebration.
SECTION 2
To conduct formal business, a General Membership meeting shall require the presence of at least 20 active members, not including any executive committee members.
ARTICLE VI
BUDGET AND FEES
SECTION 1
An annual budget shall be approved by the executive committee. At the discretion of the executive committee, chairs of any special committees created may also be included in the budget approval process. This budget shall be available for review by any organization member following approval.
SECTION 2
The budget may include a discretionary fund for use for special occasions such as retirement or special recognition for members. Expenditures from this discretionary fund of $100 or less shall require only approval of the president and treasurer. Expenditures of greater than this amount shall require approval by the full executive committee, plus any special committee chairs who voted on the original budget.
SECTION 3
Annual membership dues may be assessed by the executive committee.
ARTICLE VII
VOTING
A majority vote of the club members voting is required for electing the club's executive officers.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
Revisions to these by-laws shall be subject to review by the club membership. This review may be conducted by in-person review or electronic review. The membership shall have at least 7 days to review and comment on any by-laws changes before a vote on approval is taken. These Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a two-third (2/3) vote attending, providing that the amendment is recommended by the executive committee or has been submitted to the executive committee in writing with more than ten club members' signatures. A minimum of 25% of the active membership shall have participated in the voting in order for the amendment to be approved.