ARTICLE I-Name

The name of the organization shall be the Alumni Association of Grinnell
College, spoken of here as the Association.

ARTICLE II-Objectives

The Association shall have as it objectives:

1. To unite the graduates and former students of Grinnell College in the cause of education for themselves and for others.
2. To support the President, Trustees, Faculty, Staff, and Students in the advancement of the College, and
3. To foster a spirit of fellowship among its members for their mutual enjoyment and welfare.

Intercollegiate amity and cooperation shall be fostered by this Association and its members whenever opportunity offers, and the cooperation of other institutions shall be invited whenever circumstances permit in matters of mutual interest.

ARTICLE III-Members

All persons holding degrees or diplomas from Iowa College or Grinnell College, either in course or honorary; all former students who attended at least one semester; all members of the faculty who are on record as honorary or associate members of College classes; and the Presidents of the College are members of the Association. The term Alumnus/a when used in the Constitution includes all members of the Association as defined herein.

ARTICLE IV-Meetings of Members

The stated annual meeting of members of the Association shall be held in Grinnell at the time of Reunion Weekend, on a day and at an hour named by the President of the Association. Meetings of members at other time and places may be called by vote of the Association or by vote of the Council of the Association.

ARTICLE V-Council Members and Officers

Section 1. Members of the Council: The governance of the Association shall be vested in the Alumni Council, which shall consist of 26 elected members of the Association. The President of the Student Government Association of the College shall be a member ex officio of the Council. The Alumni members of the Council shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the Council present at a duly convened meeting of the Council. Each member elected to a position on the council shall serve for a period of two years, with no more than three terms to be served consecutively, except as specified in Section 2 of this Article. Council members are required to attend three full council meetings within their two-year term. A member is eligible for election to additional terms once an interval of four years has passed since he or she last served as a member.

Section 2. Officers: The officers of the Council shall be the elected President, President-Elect and Past President. The President-Elect shall be elected annually and shall succeed in sequence annually to the offices of President and Past President upon the annual completion of the term. All officers shall take office following the spring meeting of the Council but prior to the spring meeting of the Board of Trustees of the College. Any member of the Council who has completed one year of service on the Council and is in his or her first or second term shall be eligible to be elected an officer. The term of any member elected as an officer shall be extended, if necessary to allow such member to complete the term of office to which he or she has been elected. No member shall be eligible to be elected as an officer if, in fulfilling such term of office, his or her time on the Council shall exceed seven consecutive years. The President of the Council shall preside over the meetings of the Council. The Pre sident-Elect shall serve in place of the President if the President is absent or unable to perform the duties of the office. The President and President-Elect shall serve as members of the Board of Trustees of the College. The Past President shall chair the Nominating Committee and take responsibility for the review and distribution of minutes of Council meetings.

Section 3. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee, consisting of the Past President, senior staff liaison to the Council (ex officio) and two other Council members named by the Executive Committee shall present in writing a slate of officers to the Council no later than four weeks prior to the spring meeting of each year.

Section 4. Vacancies: In the case of a vacancy in the office of President, the President-Elect shall become President for the remainder of that year and the term for which originally elected. An eligible member of the Council shall be appointed by the Executive Committee as President-Elect pro tem to serve until the spring meeting. In the case of a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, an eligible member of the Council shall be appointed by the Executive Committee as President-Elect pro tem to serve until the spring meeting. At the spring meeting an eligible member shall be elected as President. In the case of a vacancy in the office of Past President, a member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee to serve the completion of the term as Past President pro tem.

Section 5. Executive Committee: The President, President-Elect, Past President and the chairs of the standing committees of the Council shall constitute the Executive Committee. The President shall preside over the Executive Committee.

Section 6. Council meetings and proxy voting: The Council shall meet on campus or elsewhere, at such time and place as it may determine. Council members may vote by proxy or in writing at meetings on all matters that have been submitted to them in writing at least ten days in advance of the meeting.

Section 7. Quorum: A quorum of the Council shall consist of 14 members.

Section 8. Removal of members: A Council member may be removed upon a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Council at a regular or special meeting of the council upon fifteen days notice in advance of such meeting.

Section 9. Standing Committees: Each member of the Council, except the President, shall be a member of at least one standing committee. Each standing committee shall, at the Spring meeting of the Council, designate from among the members of the council on that committee a member to serve as chair for the following year. The standing committees may meet in conjunction with the full Council at a duly called meeting of the Council, or may meet independently at a time and location to be designated by the committee chair. In addition to members of the Council, the committee membership may include other members of the Association and currently enrolled students, as determined by the members of the Council serving on that committee. The composition of the standing committees of the Council shall be determined by the members of the Council as they deem necessary for the effective operation of the Council.

Section 10. Operating rules: The Council and its standing committees shall adopt such operating rules as the members from time to time deem necessary.

ARTICLE VI-Amendments

Once approved by the Council as initially constituted and upon its publication to the members of the Association, the Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the Council of Directors at any regular or special meeting of the Council. The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended thereafter after notice to the membership in writing at least 30 days prior to the meeting at which a vote on the amendment is proposed. Amendments shall be thereafter published to the members of the Association in the official media of the College. Any announcement or notice to the members of the Association shall be deemed sufficient if published in the official media of the College and distributed among the members of the Association.

ARTICLE VII-Implementation

At the fall meeting following the adoption of these amendments to the Constitution and By-laws, the Council size shall increase from 21 to 24, with a quorum of 13 (from 12). At the second fall meeting following the adoption, the Council size shall be 26, with a quorum of 14. All officers at the time of adoption of these amendments shall complete their terms, except that the current vice president shall become President-Elect, to rise to the presidency in the normal course of activities. A Nominating Committee -- consisting of the member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Continuity remaining on the Council and those members of the Executive Committee whose final term expires in that year and the senior staff liaison to the Council -- shall be convened to create a slate for the next President-Elect. The President shall remain the sole representative to the Board of Trustees pending trustee approval of the additional representative. Only those Council members serving their first terms at the time of the adoption of the amendments shall be eligible for as many as three terms. This article shall no longer exist twenty months after the adoption of these amendments.


Revised March 8, 2003