Clarion University Student Veteran’s Association
BYLAWS
ARTICLE 1. - NAME
The name of this organization shall be: Clarion University Student Veterans
Association.
ARTICLE 2. – PURPOSE
The purpose of the Clarion University Student Veteran’s Association is to serve as an
advocate for student veterans by:
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supporting veterans in the cultural transition from military service to higher
education
working with military unit representatives to address student veteran
concerns
providing networking opportunities and educational opportunities to
prepare veterans for their post-college careers
improve retention among veterans by providing a supportive social
environment
in keeping with the spirit of service in the United States Department of
Defense, this organization is strictly apolitical and seeks only to support
student veterans and not to promote one political agenda over another

A supporting purpose of the Clarion University Student Veteran’s Association is to
provide community service opportunities for student veterans to continue with
their lifetime of service.
ARTICLE 3. – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. – Members. Full membership in the Clarion University Student Veteran’s
Association is reserved for current students at Clarion University (any location, any
amount of credits, distance learning or face to face). The privilege of full
membership is the ability to participate in the voting for the officers and shaping
any adjustments to the bylaws as the association matures.
Associate membership in the Clarion University Student Veteran’s Association is
unrestricted. Associate members are welcome to participate in the life of the
association, engage in association sponsored events, but may not vote nor hold
office.
Officers of the association are limited to full members who also hold veteran status
in either the U.S. or foreign military organizations.

Section 2. – Fees. Annual membership dues may be incorporated into the
organization but must be subject to a majority vote of those present at a general
membership meeting and approved through the bylaw change process.
Section 3. – Removal of Members. Any member who seeks to make partisan political
statements through the group or seeks to use the group or attempts to represent the
group for the advancement of a specific political agenda may be removed from full
membership by a unanimous vote of the executive committee.
Members who refuse to honor the colors of the United States of America may be
removed by a unanimous vote of the executive committee.
Recommendations for removal of a member may be presented to any member of the
executive committee. After consultation with the association advisor, substantiated
requests will go before a formal hearing of the executive committee The formal
hearing may be incorporated into any regular meeting of the executive committee in
order to expedite the process. Members who are considered for removal must be
informed via university email that they are being considered for removal and must
be informed of the issues that have raised this situation to the executive committee.
Members of the executive committee may be considered for removal from the
organization, at the recommendation of any full member to the executive committee
or to the advisor of the association. The removal of an executive committee member
must be presented to the membership at large and requires a super majority vote of
2/3 of those in full membership, present to vote.
ARTICLE 4. DUTIES AND ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS
Section 1. – Officers and duties
President. The president of the association must be a veteran of the U.S. or
foreign military organization. The president provides direction and
leadership to meet the stated purpose of the organization. The president
presides over meetings and casts the tie-breaking vote on any proposal
before the executive committee or general membership. President serves for
a 12-month term January-December. Serves as President of the executive
committee.
Operations Officer. Assumes the role of president in the absence of the
president. Is the coordinating officer for all campus-wide events sponsored
by the association. Elected for a 12-month term January-December. Serves on
the executive committee.
Secretary. Maintains all records of the organization. Records the minuets of
meetings and presents meeting minuets to the executive committee for

approval. The secretary ensures approved minuets are published and
available to the general membership.
Treasurer. Maintains all financial records, requests and disperses funds with
the approval of the executive committee.
Communications/Technology. Maintains web presence, coordinates Skype or
other distance connectivity of meetings and events with distance members,
responsible for coordinating the production of advertising for organizational
and university-wide events.
Section 2. – Election of Officers. Nominations for officers of the association shall be
made during the first regularly scheduled general membership meeting in
November of any given year. Elections shall occur at the first regularly scheduled
general membership meeting of the association following the Thanksgiving break.
The currently serving president and the association advisor will serve as the
election committee, create and count the ballots.
Section 3. – Balloting process. Officers will be elected by secret ballot and must have
a majority vote of full members. Distance members may make their choices known
via email or other online method. Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure the
secrecy of online voting however only the confidentiality of online ballots can be
expected.
ARTICLE 5. – ROLE OF CAMPUS ADVISOR.
Section 1. – Selection. The campus advisor serves as a point of continuity for the
association. They are selected among the faculty, staff or administrators currently
serving the University. Veteran status is not a requirement for the advisor however
it is highly encouraged. Nominating and electing an individual to serve as the
advisor shall be incorporated into the election process for officers of the
organization.
Section 2. – Role of the Advisor. Due to the multiple responsibilities that veteran
students have, the campus advisor may provide direction for the executive
committee. The campus advisor also serves as a mediator for membership issues
and challenges on executive committee membership. The campus advisor also
assures the validity of officer elections and arranges for and counts votes from
members who are online students.
Section 3. – Removal of the Advisor. The advisor of the association may resign their
position at any time. It is expected that the departing advisor provide a minimum of
30 days notice to the executive committee. Removing a fairly elected advisor by
members of the association follows the same process as removing a member of the
executive committee.

ARTICLE 6. – MEETINGS
Section 1. General membership meetings. The general membership of the
association will meet a minimum of monthly in the fall semester and as needed in
the spring semester. The executive committee will meet monthly throughout the
fall and spring semester. The executive committee and any sub-committees will
plan, promote, and execute all meetings and events of the association.
Section 2. Quorum. Quorum will be reached for an executive committee meeting
when more than 50% officers are present. Due to the distributed nature of the
student veterans, quorum for full membership decisions faces a challenge of both
space and time. Quorum may be reached through any technological service that
permits individuals to play an active role in the meeting (synchronous vs.
asynchronous technologies). As this is an organization in its infancy, quorum at any
meeting requiring a vote of the full members shall be reached with at least 30% of
the full membership.
Section 3. Majority. With the exception of the removal of an association officer, a
majority is defined by a simple majority of full members present, including those
present via technological resources. A supermajority is required for the removal of
an executive officer as noted in Article 3, Section 3.
Section 4. Procedures. Roberts Rules of Order will provide the guiding principles for
the conduct of every meeting.
Section 5. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the executive
committee. A minimum of 7 days notice is required for a special meeting. Postings
on facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media, plus a general membership email will
be sent out announcing a special meeting.
ARTICLE 7. – FINANCES AND FUNDING
Section 1. Membership Dues. Membership dues are not required (See Article 3,
Section 2).
Section 2. Funding from Student Senate will be requested to support promotion of
campus-wide events and association service projects.
Section 3. The association will support its activities through various fundraising
events. A veteran’s service organization will be selected each year as the
association’s fundraising beneficiary. Regardless of event, a minimum of 10% of all
funds raised will be designated to the selected veterans benefit organization.
Organizations must be a non-profit organization with less than 30% of funding
going to operating expenses of the organization (e.g. The Special Operations Warrior
Foundation, The Green Beret Foundation, The Wounded Warrior Project). This
criteria does not preclude the association from raising funds for other veteran’s

service organizations or other causes, it only defines the fundraising partner
organization for the association (to whom 10% of all funds raised will be allocated).
The same veteran’s benefit organization may be selected for an indeterminate
number of years.
ARTICLE 8. – AMENDING, SUSPENDING, AND ACCEPTING.
Changes to the bylaws of the association are to be presented to the executive
committee for discussion and approval. A majority vote of the executive committee
is required to bring changes of the bylaws to the general membership. Bylaw
changes must be presented to the general membership at least one week prior to
voting on the change by the general membership. This will be accomplished by
posting changes on available social media and through email contact.
ARTICLE 9. – RATIFICATION.
These Bylaws, and its amendments shall become effective upon ratification by the
members of the Clarion University Student Veteran’s Association and following the
approval of the Student Senate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, the vice
president for student and university affairs, and the president of Clarion University.