Constitution

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the Morningside Woman’s Club.

Article II - Objective

The objective of the Club shall be to stimulate intellectual and moral development, to promote good fellowship among its members and to strengthen their individual efforts for the humanity by efficient organization.

Article III - Membership

Anyone who has a sincere desire to belong and contribute actively to the Club is eligible for membership.

Article IV - Sections

Section 1: Members of the Club may form sections to pursue common interests.

Section 2: Each section shall elect or appoint its own chairwoman, to serve until the end of the current program year.

Article V - Meetings

Section 1: Regular meetings of the Club shall be held monthly, September through May, except in December.

Section 2: The April meeting shall be the annual meeting.

Article VI - Officers

Section 1: Officers shall be president, first vice president, second vice president, secretary, treasurer, program chairwoman, membership chairwoman, press chairwoman, historian, fundraising chairwoman, reservationist and annual communications chairwoman.

Section 2: These officers, together with the chairwomen of the various sections and the past president, shall compose the executive board.

Section 3: The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting.

Section 4: A nominating committee, approved by the executive board, shall present a slate of candidates to the membership at the annual meeting. Nominations also may be made from the floor.

Section 5: In the event that there is only one candidate for an office, the vote for that office may be made by acclamation. In the event there is more than one candidate for an office, election shall be by majority vote of those members voting.

Section 6: Officers shall be elected for a term of one year, commencing with their installation in May.

Section 7: A vacancy in an elected office shall be filled by appointment by the executive board.

Article VII - Amendments

This Constitution may be amended at the annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of those members voting, provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership in writing at a previous meeting.

By-Laws

Article I - Membership

Section 1: Any person wishing to join the Club may complete a membership application and submit it to the membership chairwoman. Upon payment of dues as specified below, an applicant shall become a member in good standing.

Section 2: Any member in good standing who becomes unable to participate in Club and section activities, but who wishes to continue to receive Club publications and to be listed in the Club directory, may become an inactive member.

Section 3: Any member who wishes to resign shall provide written notice of resignation to the membership chairwoman.

Section 4: Any member in good standing who resigns from the Club by written notice may be reinstated.

Section 5: The membership of the Morningside Woman’s Club shall be limited to 225 members.

Article II - Dues

Section 1: Annual dues shall be $35.00, $5.00 of which shall be transferred by the treasurer into the scholarship fund.

Section 2: Annual dues for inactive members shall be $10.00.

Section 3: Annual dues shall be payable by the May meeting for the next program year.

Section 4: Any person who joins the Club between February 1 and the annual meeting shall pay one-half the annual dues for the balance of that program year.

Section 5: Annual dues paid by any person who joins the Club at or after the annual meeting shall apply to the next program year.

Section 6: Only members whose dues are paid are eligible to vote.

Section 7: Any member one year in arrears in the payment of annual dues shall be dropped from the membership after due notification by letter.

Section 8: Each section shall collect $2.00 from each of its members each year to pay to the Club to meet section-related expenses. Additional section dues may be determined by each section according to its needs.

Article III - Duties of Officers

Section 1: The president shall preside at all meetings and shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Club.

Section 2: The first vice-president shall assume the duties of the president in the latter’s absence.

Section 3: The second vice-president shall be hospitality chairwoman, shall make arrangements for all luncheons and teas, and shall have charge of all Club properties.

Section 4: The secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings and shall conduct all correspondence of the Club.

Section 5: The treasurer shall be responsible for the receipts and disbursements of the Club. The president shall serve as co-signator when necessary.

Section 6: The membership chairwoman shall receive all applications for membership and present them to the executive board and shall keep a record of members.

Section 7: The press chairwoman shall arrange that the activities of the Club have proper publicity and shall issue notices of meetings.

Section 8: The program chairwoman shall arrange all programs for the regular meetings of the Club.

Section 9: The historian shall maintain and add to the Club’s historical records.

Section 10: The past president shall serve in an advisory capacity.

Section 11: The fundraising chairwoman shall be responsible for the organization of all fundraising events for the Club.

Section 12: The reservationist shall manage the reservations process for the regular meetings of the Club.

Section 13: The annual communications chairwoman shall maintain general communications materials for the Club and be responsible for the preparation of the yearbook.

Section 14: The executive board shall transact all business of the Club, presenting only business of importance to the membership.

Article IV - Meetings

Section 1: Regular meetings of the Club shall be held the third Monday of each month from September through May, except that there shall be no meeting in the month of December. The Executive Board may change meeting dates, at its discretion, upon at least ten (10) days’ written notice to the membership.

Section 2: Each section shall determine the date, time and place of its own meetings.

Section 3: The executive board shall meet during the week preceding each meeting of the Club.

Article V - Sections and Committees

Section 1: A new section may be formed whenever a group wishes to take up a new activity or subject for study. The president shall appoint a chairwoman to lead such a group until the group elects its own chairwoman.

Section 2: The president may appoint all special committees.

Article VI - Quorum

Ten percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum.

Article VII - Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority of the Club.

Article VIII - Amendments

Section 1: These by-laws may be amended at any meeting of the Club by a two-thirds vote of those members voting, provided the proposed amendment has been submitted to the membership in writing at a previous meeting.

Resolutions by the Board

1. Resolved that section chairwomen of the Morningside Woman’s Club do invite each new member of the Club to visit their section some time during the year.

2. Resolved that the president of the Morningside Woman’s Club be excused from taking an active part in the program or entertainment of any section to which she belongs at the regular meeting.

3. Resolved that the Oakland Heron Student Loan Fund be revised into an annual scholarship of $500.00 or more to be made available to a senior student residing in Morningside for furthering his or her education after graduating from Edina High School, if his or her application is accepted and approved by the scholarship committee of Edina High School.