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The organization shall be known as the St. Mary's County Camera Club, and will be referred to hereinafter as "the Club".
The purpose of the Club shall be to promote the art of photography as a hobby, providing a forum for exchanging knowledge of the subject and inspiring photographers toward improving their art. Toward this end, activities such as photo competitions, workshops, lectures, demonstrations and field trips shall be held as described in the Committee Rules (described in Article IV, paragraph 3).
All persons interested in photography and the purposes of the Club shall be eligible for membership in the Club. There shall be no discrimination by age, gender, race, position, ability, handicap or social or other creed. Membership dues shall be established in the Committee Rules, but shall always be limited to an affordable rate. A "member in good standing" shall be defined as one whose membership dues for the current season (defined in the Committee Rules) have been paid.
1. The Constitution: The Constitution shall be the final authority for all aspects of the Club's operations and activities. Each member shall be provided a copy of the Constitution when he or she joins the Club, and at the beginning of each season.
2. Amendments to the Constitution Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed at any time by the members of the governing board (established in paragraph 4). Members not on the board may suggest amendments to the Constitution at any time, and the board shall consider such proposals at the next scheduled board meeting. If the board agrees by simple majority vote of the full board to pursue the adoption of an amendment, it must present the proposal to all members in good standing, in writing, by mail or hand delivery. Members may respond within one calendar month by return mail or hand delivery ballot indicating a "yes" or "no" vote. If at least 2/3 of the votes received within one month are "yes", then the amendment shall be incorporated into the Constitution, effective with the start of the next season.
3. Committee Rules The governing board shall establish the Committee Rules before the first general membership meeting of each season. The Committee Rules shall not be changed thereafter, unless agreed upon by the membership in the same manner as described in paragraph 2. Each member shall be provided a copy of the Committee Rules when he or she joins the Club, and at the beginning of each season.
4. The Governing Board The governing board shall consist of a President and other officers defined by the Committee Rules. Other officers may include treasurer, membership director, meetings director, competition director, publicity director, secretary or others agreed upon by the incumbent governing board. All members in good standing and at least 16 years of age shall be eligible to hold office. The term of each office shall be one season. An officer may succeed him/herself. Each officer shall be permitted to appoint committee members to assist in carrying out the duties of the office, but the committee members shall not be considered as voting members of the governing board.
5. Elections All officers for the following season shall be selected by the membership in a general election to be completed during the last meeting of the current season.
The timetable of events for the election shall be as follows:
6. Unfulfilled Terms / Open Positions Should an officer be unable or unwilling to complete his term for any reason, the governing board shall appoint a successor, or may agree to delegate the tasks of that office to other officers for the remainder of the term. Should no candidates be found for an office, the governing board shall be authorized to appoint a successor, or may agree to delegate the tasks of that office to other officers for the full term.
There were no changes for the 2005-2006 season, except for the competition rules.
Rules of the Governing Board These rules will define the offices and duties of the members of the governing board, and establish the starting date of the season. The season shall start at the close of the last general membership meeting of the previous season. The governing board shall consist of the president, vice-president, program director, membership director, competition director, publicity director, treasurer and secretary. Each board member shall establish, with the approval of the entire board, committee rules for his/her office.
Duties of the President: The President shall call officer meetings as required throughout the year. The President shall preside over board and general meetings. The President shall conduct communications with officers, members, and other organizations. The President shall be liaison with general meeting site representatives.
Duties of the Vice-President: The Vice-President shall preside over meetings in the President's absence. The Vice-President shall assist the President throughout the year as needed. The Vice-President shall form an elections committee to coordinate and conduct the elections.
Duties of the Program Director: The Program Director shall arrange all general membership meetings, including obtaining special speakers and entertainment and arranging for refreshments, in accordance with the rules of the Program Committee. The Program Director shall be responsible for coordinating field trips.
Duties of the Competition Director: The Competition Director shall carry out competitions, including arranging for judging, ensuring that projection equipment is available, and maintaining a database of competition results, in accordance with the rules of the Competition Committee. The director shall provide a summary of competition results to the publicity director immediately after each competition.
Duties of the Treasurer: The treasurer shall maintain the club's financial accounts including depositing dues, writing checks to pay all club expenses and balancing the club's accounts. To support this task, the treasurer shall create an annual budget to be approved by the officers. The treasurer shall assist the membership committee in collecting dues. The treasurer shall submit financial status reports to the membership at meetings, to include a final end of year balance sheet.
Duties of the Membership Director: The Membership Director shall collect membership dues and maintain a database of membership information, in accordance with the rules of the Membership Committee. The director shall also maintain the members' nametags, and have available an updated membership list at each competition. The Membership Director is responsible for electronic communications with the membership.
Duties of the Publicity Director: The Publicity Director shall provide publicity for the Club in local newspapers, radio stations and other media prior to each meeting. In addition, the Director shall report competition results to the media. The Publicity Director shall have responsibility for maintaining a Club website that presents club activities, events and significant information. The Publicity director shall publish an annual brochure to be mailed to all members two weeks before the first meeting of the season.
Duties of the Secretary: The secretary shall take minutes at general membership meetings and provide them to the board before the next meeting. The secretary shall take minutes at the board meetings and report them at the next board meeting. The Secretary has responsibility for general correspondence and supporting the President in communications with the officers, general membership and other organizations. The Secretary shall maintain club records to include: past years' meeting minutes, annual Treasury reports and maintain an archive of significant events and publications for historical purposes.
Rules of the Meetings Committee General membership meetings shall be held on the first Wednesday of each month from September through June, starting at 7:00 PM. Meetings shall be held in the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center in Lexington Park, Maryland. If, for any reason, the meeting place should be unavailable for one or more meetings, the meetings director shall be responsible for finding a new temporary or permanent meeting place. At each meeting, some event advancing the purpose of the Club shall be held. A schedule of events for general membership meetings shall be published and provided to all members before the first meeting of the season. At each meeting, refreshments in the form of light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages shall be provided. Members will be asked to volunteer to bring snacks and beverages. A schedule of refreshment providers shall be maintained.
Rules of the Membership Committee Annual membership dues shall be $20.00. All members of an immediate family including husband, wife and children under 18 years of age shall be included in a family membership. Dues for joining the Club after the first competition shall be reduced by $5. Dues for individuals or families joining the Club after the second competition shall be reduced by $10. Club membership shall be required for participation in all photographic competitions, to vote in Club elections, to hold an office in the Club, and to receive mailings of any Club literature. In addition, members must be at least age 16 to vote or hold office in the Club. Club membership shall not be required for attendance at general membership meetings or field trips.
Rules of the Competition Committee Competitions shall be held and officiated as described in the Competition Rules, which can be found here. The Competition Entry Rules can be found here.