About Us

Constitution and By-laws
National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association (NYSCAA)

Ratified 8/19/1995 Philadelphia, PA
Revised 2/04/2019
Revised 8/30/2022

PREAMBLE

We, the members of the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association (NYSCAA), in order to support the ideals and activities of the National Youth Science Camp (NYSC), keep the alumni of the camp informed and united, and express gratitude to the State of West Virginia for the operation of the NYSC, do hereby establish this Constitution and By-laws of the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association, Incorporated. This Corporation is organized for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including such purposes as the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.


ARTICLE I. BOARD OF ADVISORS

Section 1. The supervisory and legislative power of this corporation shall be vested in a Board of Advisors. The Board of Advisors shall be composed of seven members elected by the members of the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association and must be dues-paying members. The elected members of the Board of Advisors shall select one of their number to preside as Chair of the Board. A representative selected by the National Youth Science Foundation Board of Trustees Chair shall also sit on the Board of Advisors as a non-voting, ex officio member.

Section 2. The Board of Advisors shall meet at least once each year. The Chair or a majority of the Board of Advisors may call additional meetings as necessary. At meetings of the Board, a simple majority of the total Board must be present to transact business, provided that a member may be deemed to be present at the meeting if connected through a real-time method of communication such as telephone conference call or simultaneous computer link. Except as otherwise provided herein, votes shall require a majority of those present for passage.

Section 3. Members of the Board of Advisors shall serve for a period of three years and may serve more than one term, provided that members may not serve consecutive terms and must allow a full three-year term to elapse before serving again on the Board. The terms of the members shall be staggered so that one-third of the members shall be elected per year.

Section 4. The Board of Advisors shall have the following powers and responsibilities:

  1. The power to establish policies for the NYSCAA;

  2. The duty to advise the Executive Officers of the NYSCAA and the administrative committees they may establish;

  3. In consultation with the Treasurer, establish a budget and under said budget, allocate money collected from all sources for the NYSCAA.

  4. The power to enact by-laws in the implementation and interpretation of this Constitution subject to rescission by the Committee of Members at its next annual meeting; and

  5. The power to propose amendments to the Constitution pursuant to the provisions of Article IV, Section 3 of this Constitution.

Section 5. In the event that a position on the Board of Advisors becomes vacant, the remaining members of the Board shall elect a replacement who shall serve until the next regularly scheduled national election.


ARTICLE II. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Section 1. The executive power of the NYSCAA shall be vested in five elected officers to be known as the Executive Officers. The Executive Officers shall consist of National President, President-Elect, Past-President, National Secretary and National Treasurer.

Section 2. Executive Officers must have been delegates to the National Youth Science Camp and must be dues-paying members of the NYSCAA. A member may not serve as an Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Advisors at the same time.

Section 3. Elections shall be conducted annually for the offices of National President, National Secretary and National Treasurer. The National Secretary and National Treasurer shall take office at the start of the fiscal year immediately following their election. The person elected to be the National President shall first serve as President-Elect for one year prior to taking the office of National President for one year and thereafter shall assume the office of Past-President for one year.

Section 4. The National President may not serve consecutive terms, but the Secretary and Treasurer may serve as many consecutive terms as they are re-elected to office.

Section 5. Should the office of National President become vacant, the President-elect shall become National President. Should the offices of National President and President-elect become vacant at the same time, the Past President shall become the National President. Should the office of National Secretary or National Treasurer become vacant, a replacement shall be selected by the National President and approved by the Board of Advisors.

Section 6. The Executive Officers shall have the following general powers and responsibilities:

  1. Coordinating the members of the NYSCAA towards attaining the goals established in this Constitution and the policies defined by the Board of Advisors;

  2. Executing the programs, policies and duties as outlined in the NYSCAA Constitution and By-laws;

  3. Coordinating all national reunions of the NYSCAA;

  4. Maintaining an accurate record of the current addresses, contact information, occupations and experiences of the members of the NYSCAA;

  5. Establishing any and all additional committees to carry out these responsibilities and to dissolve such committees when they are no longer needed;

  6. Providing support, to the extent possible, for regional and delegate year subsidiary groups; and

  7. Safeguarding the property, assets, records and historical artifacts of the NYSCAA.

Section 7. The Executive Officers shall have powers and responsibilities specific to each office as follows:

  1. The National President shall:

    1. Coordinate the activities of the membership of the NYSCAA and ensure that the annual activities of the Association reflect this Constitution, the By-laws and the mission of the NYSCAA;

    2. Represent the NYSCAA in any contacts with the National Youth Science Foundation, the State of West Virginia or any other organization, corporation or government body;

    3. Execute and enforce contracts on behalf of the NYSCAA; and

    4. In cooperation with the Chair of the Board of Advisors, establish the agenda for meetings of the Board of Advisors.

  2. The President-elect shall represent and assist the National President in such matters as the National President shall delegate and direct and, under the direction and with the full knowledge of the National President, serve as liaison to the members of the NYSCAA.

  3. The Past President shall represent and assist the National President in such matters as the National President shall delegate and direct and, under the direction and with the full knowledge of the National President, serve as liaison to the director and staff of the National Youth Science Camp.

  4. The Secretary shall:

    1. Maintain all records of the NYSCAA other than those of a financial nature;

    2. Keep the minutes of meetings of the Board of Advisors;

    3. Supervise all communications of the NYSCAA and provide for a regular means of communication to all members; and

    4. Maintain an accurate record of the names, addresses and other information, deemed pertinent by the members.

  5. The Treasurer shall:

    1. Maintain and have an accurate record of the money collected, held, and expended by the NYSCAA;

    2. Deposit all money collected by the NYSCAA into appropriate accounts, and make payment or advance therefrom in accordance with the budget established by the Board of Advisors ; provided that any payment or advance shall require the approval of at least one other Executive Officer and any payment or advance made to an Executive Officer shall require the approval of two other Executive Officers;

    3. Make regular financial reports, on at least an annual basis, to the Board of Advisors; and

    4. In consultation with the Board of Advisors, prepare a budget for the Board to approve.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. The National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association shall consist of all persons who have served as official delegates to the National Youth Science Camp from one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, as an international delegate or have served on the staff of the NYSC. Honorary membership may be awarded to others associated with the NYSC upon approval of the Board of Advisors.

Section 2. All members of the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association shall be members of a body known as the Committee of Members. A portion of time of the annual meeting of the Board of Advisors shall be set aside for a meeting of the Committee of Members. Additional meetings (in-person or held virtually) of the Committee of Members may be called by any of the Executive Officers upon notice at least thirty days in advance of the date of the meeting requested. Any meeting of the Committee of Members may be held virtually or in person. No quorum is required for the Committee of Members to conduct business. The President-Elect or, in the absence of the President-Elect, any other Executive Officer, shall preside at meetings of the Committee of Members. Votes of the Committee of Members shall require a simple majority of the members present for passage.

Section 3. The Committee of Members shall have the following powers:

  1. Adopt resolutions containing recommendations for, or statements of concerns to, the Board of Advisors;

  2. Submit issues to be included on the agenda of the next meeting of the Board of Advisors;

  3. Call for a referendum to be submitted for a nationwide vote of all members upon any issue, including amendments to the Constitution;

  4. Proposing changes to the By-laws.

Section 4. It is explicitly recognized that the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association supports the organization of subsidiary groups and associations of members by delegate year and nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to prohibit, or to disfavor, the organization of subsidiary groups of the members of the NYSCAA by region, delegate year or other lawful designation.


ARTICLE IV. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1. This Constitution and By-laws shall be the governing authority of the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association. No legislation, or any action by any officer or subsidiary organization, shall be in conflict with this governing document. This Constitution and By-laws shall not be in conflict with any national legislation or legislation of the state in which it was incorporated. Should any provision of this Constitution and By-laws be held to be void or in violation of state or federal law, all other provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Section 2. For purposes of filling vacant offices, an office shall be deemed "vacant" upon the death or resignation of an office holder or upon the failure of an elected official to fulfill the responsibilities of the office. In the event that any individual elected to an office shall fail to fulfill the duties of the office, the Executive Officers shall bring notice of such failure to the attention of the Board of Advisors, and the Board of Advisors shall determine whether the office shall be deemed vacant.

Section 3. Amendments to this Constitution and By-laws may be proposed by any member of the NYSCAA. An amendment shall be presented to the Board of Advisors, and upon approval of two-thirds of the voting representatives present, the amendment shall become part of this Constitution and By-laws.

Section 4. This Constitution and By-laws and all subsequent legislation shall supersede all other constitutions and legislation established previously by the NYSCAA.

Section 5. No part of the net earnings of the NYSCAA shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the NYSCAA shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes described in section 501(c)(3). No substantial part of the activities of the NYSCAA shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the NYSCAA shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the NYSCAA shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Section 6. Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.