Article I. Definitions

 This Clubs official name is Saturn Rocketry Club (SRC). Here after referred to as the Club. 

 The Club's purpose is to be a gathering place for fellow model rocket  builders to share ideas, experiences, learn from one another in a  structured setting, have fun and promote the safe use of model rocketry. 

 The Club is a section in the National Association of Rocketry (NAR).  

In order to be a member, a person must:

A.     Have paid Club dues.

B.     Have filled out the membership form.

C.    Have both parents that were born on planet Earth.

General membership of the Club shall constitute the Model Rocketry Council.

All peoples will be allowed to participate in meetings and  launches.

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Historian, Treasurer, Range Safety Officer, Senior Advisor, and any Department Chiefs. The Executive Committee shall carry out the executive and administrative activities of the Club.

The officers shall have the authority to make routine daily business decisions without the specific approval of the Model Rocketry Council, but changes in the Club?s policies must be approved by the Council.

Only active members may serve as officers or Department Chiefs. An active member is a member who contributes regularly to the Club meetings, and who participates in club functions.

This Club's dues will be five (5) dollars per year. Dues are to be paid each year by the first of June. If a new member joins between June first (1) and January thirty-first (31) their dues will be five (5) dollars for that year. If a new member joins between February first (1) and May thirty-first (31) their dues are free.

Any and all matters not addressed in this Constitution are deferred to the NAR and the Model Rocketry Council.

The President shall:

a)      be the official representative of the Club;

b)      be responsible for making members aware of changes in the NAR;

c)      be responsible for interactions and relations between organizations and the Club;

d)      preside over Club meetings and events, or appoint other members to preside over Club meetings (preferably other officers);

e)      manage membership records of the Club;

The President may solicit the aid of other officers, department heads, and other members to help in carrying out his/her duties

 The President can be removed from office by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The Vice-President shall preside over the proceedings governing the removal of the President from office.

The Vice-President assists the President in carrying out his/her duties, including overseeing and coordinating the local activities of the Club. The Vice-President shall assume the responsibilities and authority of the President in the President?s absence, and therefore must be qualified, willing, and able to take over the responsibilities of the President.

Vice-President may solicit other members for aid in carrying out his/her duties.

Vice-President may be removed from office by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The President shall preside over the proceedings governing the removal of the Vice-President from office.

The Historian assists the President and Vice-President in carrying out their duties. He/she would also be responsible for the taking of minutes, coordinating the Club?s charitable activities, manage all paper work concerning the Club charter by the NAR, and manage membership records of the Club. The Historian shall assume the responsibilities and authority of Vice-President in the Vice-President?s absence, and therefore must be qualified, willing, and able to take over the responsibilities of the Vice-President.

Historian must solicit other members for aid in carrying out his/her duties.

Historian may be removed from office by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The President shall preside over the proceedings governing the removal of the Historian from office.

The Treasurer assists the Historian in carrying out his/her duties. He/she is responsible for the collection of dues from Club members, membership payment to the NAR for the First Five listed officers (President, Vice-President, Historian, Treasurer, and Range Safety Officer), collection of the proceeds from charitable activities, any fund raisers the Club participates in. The Treasurer shall assume the responsibilities and authority of Historian in the Historian?s absence, and therefore must be qualified, willing, and able to take over the responsibilities of the Historian.

Treasurer must solicit other members for aid in carrying out his/her duties.

Treasurer may be removed from office by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The President shall preside over the proceedings governing the removal of the Treasure from office.

During all operations concerned with the launching and flight of model rockets, all authority for the safety of operations on the flying field shall be vested in a Range Safety Officer (RSO) who must be a member of the NAR in good standing.  The RSO's duties shall consist of informing the members and Turf Mountain Sod of launch dates and times. He/she will have read the NAR?s rocketry safety code. The RSO shall be in charge of making sure there is the appropriate amount of range officers to work the launch site. He/she will be responsible for making sure operations run smoothly throughout the launch. Deputy Range Safety Officers who are members of the Club and in good standing may have this authority delegated to them by the RSO, but this delegation of partial authority does not relieve the RSO of the overall responsibility and authority on the flying field.

Range Safety Officer may solicit other members for aid in carrying out his/her duties.

Range Safety Officer may be removed from office by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The President shall preside over the proceedings governing the removal of the Range Safety Officer from office.

The Senior Advisor will be an Adult outside of high school at least 5 years and be a member of the NAR for at least 2 years.

The Senior Advisor may also be the Range Safety Officer.

The Senior Advisor may be removed from office by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The President shall preside over the proceedings governing the removal of the Senior Advisor from office.

In meetings authority shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Senior Advisor, Historian, Treasurer, Range Safety Officer.

At launches Authority shall be as follows: Range Safety Officer, who will have the final say in all matters concerning the safety and smooth operation of the launch.

If an office becomes vacant the next lowest officer may assume the new position. They will not retain their former office as well. If the next lower officer does not wish to take the responsibility of the new office, elections will be held for empty office(s). No member may serve more than one officer position (Except RSO).

Vacancy Elections shall be held as follows: nominations will be held for those that wish to assume the vacancy. Nominations shall be held in open forum. Notification of nominations must be sent to all members by phone, email, or US Postal Mail Service. Those nominated will be placed on a ballot and the election will be held via a secret ballot. Eligibility and procedures will follow the Annual Election of Officers procedures (refer to Section 10).

All OFFICERS will be elected by majority vote of the Model Rocketry Council. The following procedures will be followed during officer elections and vacancy elections:

1.      Elections for all officers will be held once every year.

2.      Each member is eligible for only one office unless the Senior Advisor is also nominated as RSO.

3.      Officer Qualifications;

A)    Candidates for all offices must be active members who have been members for at least one year.

B)  Candidate(s) for the office of Range Safety Officer must be members of the Club for two years and the NAR for at least one year and be 15 years old or older, unless they are the Senior Advisor.

C)  A qualified member must be nominated for an office by a member, with the nomination seconded by another member, in order to become a candidate.  Incumbent officers are automatically candidates to their office unless they decide not to run for re-election.

D)   Nominations of candidates must be made at least one month prior to the election, to allow notice of said candidates to be made by email and at meetings.

E)   The elections will take place via written secret ballot at the first meeting after October 1st. Mail-in balloting (using authorized ballots) will be allowed for members who cannot attend the meeting (A request for this ballot must be made by the September meeting).

F)  If there is more than one candidate for an office, then the candidate with the majority of votes cast is elected. (Simple majority will decide the vote.)

      1f) If there is only one candidate for an office, then the vote will be a confidence vote for that candidate (with the voters indicating yes or no) and the candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast (yes) to be elected.

      2f) If there are 2 or more candidates for an office and no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, then the outgoing President will select one of the candidates as the provisional winner. This provisional winner will then be subject to a confidence vote as in 1f.

      3f) In the event the candidate subject to a confidence vote is not elected, then the outgoing President will select a qualified member (who is able and willing to serve) as the provisional winner. This provisional winner will then be subject to a confidence vote as in 1f.

      4f) In the event the procedures outlined in (1f-3f) do not succeed in filling a position during an election cycle, then the position will be considered vacant and succession will occur per Article II Section 8.

 Due to the different officer qualifications, the Senior Advisor may serve as the RSO.  But the RSO may not serve as the Senior Advisor if not qualified.  The Senior Advisor must be willing and able to accept nomination. Follow normal vacancy procedures if the nomination is declined or the Senior Advisor position is empty. 

The Model Rocketry Council shall be comprised of the general membership and shall be responsible for approving the election and removal of an officer, confirming the revocation of membership, voting on proposed Amendments, and voting on business matters.

a)      Must be a member to vote

b)      Each member has one vote

          Sub-Section A. Quorum

A Quorum of members must be present before voting at meetings may take place. A quorum is defined as at least one half of the average of the last three meetings including one elected officer.

          Sub-Section B. Ballots

Votes cast for the election of officers shall be made by written secret ballot. Approval of Constitutional Amendments shall be by written ballot. Voting on all other matters requiring a vote shall be conducted by a show of hands for votes taking place at meetings or in writing for votes being cast through the US Postal Mail Service.       

This Constitution may be amended, altered, repealed, or superseded, either in whole or in part, by three/fourths majority vote (secret ballot) of the Model Rocketry Council. Any member may propose an amendment. Proposed amendments must be made by the member in writing and must be mailed and emailed before voting takes place. A discussion period of at least two months must follow the proposal before voting takes place.

            Amendments shall be worded so that they replace the amended section(s) in their entirety with the new wording of the proposed amendment.        

Proposed bills must be made by the member in writing and must be mailed and emailed before voting takes place. A discussion period of at least two months must follow the proposal before voting takes place. A simple majority vote (secret ballot) of the Model Rocketry Council (i.e. more than one half) will pass the bill.