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CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS |
| 69th NYSV Historical Association By-Laws - revised October 2007 |
| ARTICLE ONE ORGANIZATION |
| 1. The name of the organization will be The 69th N.Y.S.V. Historical Association, Inc., 2. The organization will be referred to as the Association in this document. 3. The Association will contain within it a military component to be known as Company A, 69th New York State Volunteers, hereinafter referred to as the Regiment. Additional military organizations may be added contingent upon approval by the Board. |
| ARTICLE TWO PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION |
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1. The purpose of the Association is to preserve the memory and heritage of the 69th Regiment, N.Y.S.V., as it existed during the American Civil War. 2. The Regiment will participate in ceremonies, parades, memorial observances, encampments, battle re-enactments, living history displays and other civic functions related to its purpose. 3. The Association will assist in efforts to preserve battlefields and other historic sites and relics associated with the 69th NYSV and other Irish units of the Civil War. This assistance may be in the form of volunteer work or financial assistance contingent upon board approval. |
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ARTICLE THREE MEMBERSHIP |
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1. Membership in the Association is open to all persons who are interested in advancing the purpose described above. 2. Membership in the Association shall be as follows: a.) Individual membership available to anyone regardless of age interested in furtherance of the Association’s purpose as herein before stated; b.) Family membership available to any member, his/her spouse and dependent children. 3. A member in good standing is one who has paid his/her dues as required and has not been suspended from membership or subject to any decision of the Board resulting from disciplinary action under Article Eleven herein. 4. Membership in the Regiment is open to all members of the Association capable of accurately portraying soldiers of the 69th Regiment N.Y.S.V. as it existed during the American Civil War. To bear arms, members of the Regiment must be at least 16 years of age. Musicians must be at least 12 years of age. Each new member of the Regiment will serve a probationary period of three (3) months, after which the membership of the probationary member will be voted on by the Board. Any probationary member of the Regiment who is rejected by the Board will receive a full refund of all dues paid during the probationary period. Approval or rejection will be made by majority vote of the Board of Directors. Members of the Regiment, while on probationary status, do not have voting rights within the Regiment concerning regimental matters. 5. Individual members of the Regiment will be encouraged to attend two-thirds of the annual events scheduled for the Regiment each year, to remain in good standing. The Officer in Charge/Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (OIC/NCOIC) can excuse this requirement at their discretion. 6. Applications for membership in the Association must be made on the appropriate form, accompanied by the annual dues. 7. Associate Membership: Members of other Civil War historical associations and re-enacting units and other individuals may apply for associate membership in the Association, upon payment of the appropriate dues. Associate members desiring to participate with the Regiment in a military role will abide by the same standards as other members of the Regiment and will serve in the rank of Private, unless otherwise permitted for a specific event by the Military Director or OIC/NCIC. An associate member shall not be eligible to vote within the Association or Regiment and is ineligible to hold elected office on the Board of Directors. |
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ARTICLE FOUR DUES |
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1. Dues are payable on or before March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) of the calendar year for which the dues are being paid.
If dues are not paid by April 17, the Treasurer shall issue a suspension notice to any delinquent members. If dues are not
received by the expiration of thirty (30) days after the suspension notice has been sent, the delinquent member will be dropped. 2. Dues will be twenty-five ($25) dollars per individual member, and thirty-five ($35) dollars for each family membership for each year or part of a year, subject to change by the Board of Directors. 3. Associate members will be assessed dues in the amount of fifteen ($15) dollars per associate member. Associate members are not eligible for family membership. 4. The amount of dues can only change by a vote of the membership, by a simple majority of those members voting. |
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ARTICLE FIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
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1. The activities of the Association will be managed by the Board of Directors, elected by the regular and family members.
Elections shall take place at regular membership meetings or as otherwise provided by the Constitution and By-laws. Members
of the Board shall serve one year terms or until they are replaced by a vote of the members, or are removed for due cause upon
a vote of a majority of the members of the Board. 2. The Board shall be made up of the following positions: a.) President b.) Vice-President c.) Secretary d.) Treasurer e.) Three other members who shall be denominated directors 3. The members of the Board of Directors will not necessarily be the commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the Regiment when it is on duty. 4. The President will preside at membership meetings and meetings of the Board. Committee meetings will be presided over by a Chairman, do be appointed by the President. The President will be elected by a secret ballot of the membership. The President and Vice-President shall not serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. Any previously serving President may be elected to additional terms as President, provided that another member has served at least one (1) term as President in the interim. 5. The Vice-President will, in the event of the absence or incapacity of the President, become acting President with all of the duties and responsibilities of the President. 6. The Secretary will keep the non-financial books and records of the Association and will be responsible for correspondence between the Association and the membership, and between the Association and other organizations and event sponsors. 7. The Treasurer will maintain the membership records of the Association, keep the books and records of the Association’s Treasury, and will be the custodian of that Treasury. The Treasurer will prepare and maintain financial and operational analyses as required by the President, and as required by law, and will maintain records of dues payment by members. 8. In the event an officer is unable to complete his/her term in office, the Board will appoint a temporary successor until a membership meeting is called to vote on a permanent successor. 9. A member of the Board may be removed when sufficient cause exists and upon the vote of a majority of the other members of the Board. 10. A member of the Board may resign upon individual written notification to all other Board members. 11. The Board will appoint a member to a position of Association Historian and such other posts as may be identified in the future. 12. Any adult individual or family member is eligible to serve on the Board. Adult family member are those over the age of eighteen (18). |
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ARTICLE SIX MEETINGS |
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1. General membership meetings of the Association will be held at least once each year to elect members of the Board, specifically during
the Remembrance Day weekend, unless otherwise scheduled by the Board. Other meeting dates for the Board, committees or the general membership
will be determined by a vote of the Board or the Board-elect. 2. The presence of at least fifty percent (50%) of the voting members of the Association will constitute a quorum. 3. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the President with sufficient notice given to all members. 4. No meeting can be called without the consent of at least two members of the Board. 5. No event can be scheduled or can use the name of the Association or the Regiment without the permission of the Board. |
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ARTICLE SEVEN VOTING |
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1. All members in good standing will have the right to vote at all meetings relative to all matters of concern
to the Association not specifically reserved by this document or by the customs and/or practice of the military
to members of the Regiment. Voting via email will be permitted as needed, at the discretion of the Board. Said
votes by email, shall be held upon email notice to all voting members, providing at least one week notice was
given to the last known email addresses of the voting members. The Secretary will be responsible for conducting
and recording the results of all elections and votes on matters/issues of concern to the Association and the
Regiment. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote or hold elected office in the Association. 2. Matters of Regimental business shall be presided over by the Military Director. Only those members of the Regiment shall be entitled to vote on matters of Regimental concern. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote. |
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ARTICLE EIGHT ORDER OF BUSINESS |
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1. Roberts Rules of Order shall be followed for all business to conducted relative to the Association. All
military/regimental business shall be conducted in accordance with U.S. Army Regulations of 1861, as amended. a.) Call to order b.) Reading of minutes of the last meeting c.) Reports of Committees d.) Reports of Board members e.) Elections (as needed) f.) Old or unfinished business g.) New business h.) Adjournments |
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ARTICLE NINE PUBLICITY |
| 1. All publicity for and about the Association or the Regiment must be presented and be approved by the Board prior to publication or public exposure. |
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ARTICLE TEN CONDUCT OF MEMBERS |
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1. In keeping with the purpose of this Association, it is expected that members will
at all times conduct themselves in a manner suitable to the memory of those whom we honor. 2.The Association is non-partisan and non-sectarian and will not adopt a position on any subject of modern concern outside of Association matters. 3. The use of any illegal substance is strictly forbidden at any event attended by the Association. 4. The use of alcoholic beverages is strictly forbidden during periods when the public is in attendance at Regimental events. Alcoholic beverages are forbidden any member before engaging in the use of weapons during any Regimental event. 5. All children (under the age of eighteen) of members participating in Regimental events must be under the supervision of those adult members. Children of non- members will not be permitted to participate in Regimental activities and events, without the express permission of OIC/NCOIC, to be determined upon a case-by-case basis, upon forty-eight (48) hours notice to OIC/NCOIC. Such children as are approved under this section shall be supervised by, or otherwise the responsibility of the parent of said child, or, if said parent is not in attendance, then the Association member, whether regular, associate or family, who either brought the child to the event, or who expressly agrees to assume such responsibility and supervision. 6. Any member of the Association, whether regular, family or associate, who acts in any way or with any purpose, so as to bring shame, embarrassment, discredit or ridicule to any other member of the Association, or to the Association, in general, whether within or without the re-enacting and historical communities shall be subject to disciplinary action, as set forth in Article Eleven, herein, including expulsion from the Association and Regiment. 7. Members of the Association are prohibited from acting as purchasing agents for the Association, or from purchasing uniforms and/or equipment for resale to other members of the Association without the express approval of the Board, and provided that such uniforms and/or equipment meet the standards for authenticity and correctness of impression established by the Association for the Regiment, as set forth in Article Thirteen, herein. The Board must approve of the quality, style, quantity, manufacturer, and price of the equipment. Under no circumstances is any member to make a profit or fee from the sale of such approved equipment, beyond a reasonable reimbursement for expenses incurred by the member in connection with the acquisition of the equipment. Specifically excluded from this provision, are sales of single items of equipment, individually and personally owned by the seller, such as items of intrinsic historical, antique and/or collectible value. Any member acting as an agent or “middle-man” for another individual, whether a member of the Association or not, must disclose the agency status to the prospective, purchasing member, and shall not make a profit, or fee from the transaction, except recovery of reasonable expenses in connection with the transaction. Any member determined to be in violation of this provision may be subject to disciplinary action, as set forth in Article Eleven, herein, including expulsion from the Association and the Regiment.” |
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ARTICLE ELEVEN DISCIPLINARY ACTION |
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1. Disciplinary action for any breach of the Association By-laws, rules and regulations may be taken against any member. 2. Any and all complaints must be made in writing to the Board, which will investigate the matter and make recommendations for action to the Secretary. 3. The Board will provide the person charged, with a copy of the allegations and the recommended action, and will provide the person with the opportunity to answer the charges. After final disposition, the only record kept will be that the person resigned or was discharged for cause. Such other records as are necessary to support the cause of a member’s discharge shall also be retained. 4. If the person charged is a member of the Board, that member shall have no vote with respect to the charges, and the remaining members of the Board shall constitute the sole body for purposes of adjudicating the charges. 5. Members determined by the Board to be guilty of the infraction or breach charged, shall be subject to such disciplinary action as the Board shall determine. |
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ARTICLE TWELVE MILITARY COMMAND STRUCTURE |
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1. Each year, the Board shall appoint a Military Director to serve for that year. The Military Director will designate the OIC/NCIC
for each event in which the Regiment participates. The remainder of the command structure will be appointed from the officer/NCO pool
by the OIC/NCIC with the assistance of the Military Director. 2. An officer pool and NCO pool will be appointed by the Military Director and appoved by the Board from members of the Regiment. 3. All ranks are required to obey the legitimate orders of those appointed over them, including the orders of officers and non-coms of other units with which the Regiment is brigaded. 4. The Regiment will always extend proper military courtesy to each other and to the members of other units. All Federal officers will be saluted by members of the Regiment. 5. The Military Director may from time to time appoint additional military positions, with the approval of the Board. Such appointment by the Military Director will be based upon unique qualifications of the person appointed, including physical abilities, knowledge of the specific area of needed for the appointed position, and general experience or expertise in that area. |
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ARTICLE THIRTEEN UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT |
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1. All members of the Regiment will wear the approved uniform at all events. Commissioned and non-commissioned officers’ uniforms
will follow common practices 1862 or the time appropriate for the specific scenario being depicted. Such uniforms are to be approved by
the Military Commander, prior to being worn at any event to be attended by the Regiment. 2. All uniforms and equipment will be in accordance with the Regiment's current Authenticity Standards. The Authenticity Standards shall be updated periodically by the Authenticity Standards Committee, which should include the President, the Military Commander and at least three other members of the Regiment. Upon approval of any changes to the Authenticity Standards, they shall be published to the membership via email and placed on the Association's website. |
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ARTICLE FOURTEEN AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS |
| 1. Except for any increases in the payment of dues, proposed amendments or other changes to this Constitution and these By-Laws shall be approved and ratified by a majority vote of the Board, which may be done at a meeting of the Board or via email with each vote being sent to all other Board members. An amendment or change in this Constitution and these By-Laws for the increase in dues can only be approved and ratified by a vote of the general membership at a meeting of the membership or via email; approval and ratification of same will be by a majority of those members voting. Voting via email should be held open for at least one week from the time the issue is presented to the membership. |
| 69th NYSV Historical Association By-Laws - revised October 2007 |