Orientals West Constitution

Article I: Name
This organization shall be known as Orientals West.


Article II: Affiliation
This organization shall be a non-profit club affiliated with The Cat Fanciers' Association, 
Inc. ("CFA").  No part of any profit, dues or donations to the organization shall be used 
to the benefit of any member or individual.


Article III: Objectives
The objectives of the organization shall be:

   a. To promote the breeding and exhibiting of Orientals, both Longhair and Shorthair, 
to the show standards as accepted by CFA.
   b. To educate the cat fancy and general public about Orientals by sponsoring breed 
exhibits, specialty rings and awards.
   c. To promote communication and friendship among breeders and exhibitors of 
Orientals, primarily through use of the Internet.
   d. To encourage sportsmanship, responsible breeding, ethical and professional 
business practices, and the mentoring of new breeders.
   e. To promote the welfare of all cats.


Article IV: Membership

Persons interested in the objectives of this organization shall be eligible for 
membership.  Requirements for attaining membership and grounds for termination of 
membership are delineated in Articles I and IX of the By-Laws, respectively.


Article V: Officers 

The officers of this organization shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, 
and Treasurer.   There shall be three (3) Directors in addition to the four (4) officers.  
These seven (7) individuals shall be elected by the membership and shall serve as the 
Executive Board, of which the President shall be chairperson.

  
Article VI: Meetings

The annual meeting of this organization shall be held on the last Tuesday in April 
before the close of the CFA show season.  Other meetings shall be held as provided in 
Article II of the By-Laws.


Article VII: Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of this organization, any funds belonging to the 
organization shall be distributed to a reputable non-profit organization devoted to feline 
health or welfare consistent with the policy of the Cat Fanciers' Association, Inc.  In no 
event shall such funds be distributed to any member of the organization, or to any 
private individual.

  
Article VIII: Amendments

This Constitution and the accompanying By-Laws may be amended at the annual 
meeting of the organization by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members in good standing, 
provided that the text of the amendment shall have been sent to all members at least 
thirty (30) days days prior to that meeting.

 
Orientals West By-Laws

Article I: Membership

Section 1: Persons interested in the objectives of this organization and in good 
standing with CFA shall be eligible to apply for membership.  Persons under the age of 
18 are eligible for membership but may not serve as an officer or director of the club 
until reaching majority. 

Section 2: Application for membership shall be made in writing to the Secretary and be 
accompanied by one (1) year's dues.  The Secretary shall post the names and eligibility 
information of prospective members to all current members.   An applicant for 
membership must receive favorable votes from a simple majority of the membership.  A 
tie vote shall be considered a rejection.   If fewer than the required number of votes are 
cast, the application(s) shall be tabled until the next scheduled meeting or the club's 
annual meeting, whichever comes first.

Section 3:  Dues of $15.00 per year are due on May 1 of each year.  Any member who 
fails to pay his/her dues by that date shall be dropped from membership; however, if 
he/she pays his/her dues within the following three (3) months, such person shall be 
automatically restored as a member provided he/she is in good standing with both the 
club and CFA.   Former members who are not reinstated as set forth above must 
reapply for membership.


Article II: Meetings

Section 1: The club's annual meeting for the election of officers and directors shall be 
held on the last Tuesday in April before the close of the CFA show season.

Section 2: Meetings other than the club's annual meeting may be called as necessary 
for transaction of important business, and may be called by the President, the 
Executive Board or upon written demand of five (5) members.  The business of such a 
meeting shall be limited to that mentioned in the meeting notice.   Five (5) members 
shall constitute a quorum, at least three (3) of whom must be members of the Executive 
Board.
   
Section 3: Executive Board meetings shall be held (preferably by online conference) 
once every six (6) months, the exact dates to be determined by the Board.  A quorum 
for a Board meeting shall be four (4) members of the Executive Board.  Board meetings 
shall be open to all members, but voting is restricted to Board members.
   
Section 4: All meetings, including the club's annual meeting, may be held by online 
conference, by telephone conference call or in person.   The meeting notice shall 
specify the type of meeting to be held.  Meeting notices shall be posted to the 
membership by the Secretary at least ten (10) business days prior to the scheduled 
date of the meeting.

Section 5: All meetings shall be governed by the parliamentary authority of Roberts 
Rules of Order Revised (1981 edition).
   
Section 6: The Secretary shall post the meeting minutes to the membership within 
seven (7) days following the conclusion of the meeting.


Article III: Elections

The election procedures shall be as follows:

  a. Officers and directors shall be nominated no later than thirty (30) days prior to the 
club's annual meeting. Nominees must be members in good standing with the club and 
with CFA.  Members shall send nominations to the Secretary.

  b. The ballot listing the candidates for each position shall be posted by the Secretary 
to the membership within five (5) business days of the close of nominations.

  c. Members may vote by U.S. Mail, facsimile or by e-mail.  All ballots must be received 
by the Secretary prior to the scheduled start time of the club's annual meeting.  E-mail 
votes should be sent to the Secretary within forty-eight (48) hours of the scheduled 
start time.

  d. Each member voting by e-mail shall vote by sending a private e-mail to the 
Secretary, stating his/her choices for the elected positions. Members are asked to use 
one message to vote for all the positions. Votes may be changed once cast if the new 
vote is received by the Secretary before the close of voting; however, members are 
encouraged to avoid doing so if possible.

  e. If two or more members share one e-mail account, each member must vote in 
separate messages, and each message must clearly identify which member is casting 
the vote.

  f. The votes shall be counted by the Secretary when voting is completed, who shall 
then announce the results within twenty-four (24) hours of the conclusion of the club's 
annual meeting. In the event of a tie between two or more candidates for an office, a 
second ballot shall be held, using the same procedures.


Article IV: Voting Procedures

Voting procedures for all ballots except the election of officers and directors shall be as 
follows:

   a. The Secretary shall post to the membership a message clearly stating the issue(s) 
and the choices, or, in the case of membership applications, the names and eligibility 
information of prospective members.  The message shall specify a date and time for 
the close of voting, which shall be no less than five (5) business days from the date of 
posting.
  
   b. In order to vote, a member must either:

	(1) E-mail or fax the Secretary, clearly stating the issue on which he/she is 
voting and how he/she chooses to cast his/her vote.  Late votes or votes cast by 
ineligible parties shall be disregarded.  Members shall not use such messages/faxes to 
discuss any other issues or topics;
OR
	(2) Be available by telephone if he/she does not have e-mail or fax capability.  
The Secretary will conduct a telephone poll of those members on or about 5:00 p.m. 
PST/PDT on the last day for voting.
   
   c. The Secretary shall count the votes and post a message with the results of the 
voting. Except as otherwise provided in the club's Constitution or By-Laws, all issues 
require a simple majority vote to become effective. The results shall be posted within 
twenty-four (24) hours of the close of voting. 
   
  
Article V: National/Regional Ballots

Orientals West is an international breed club. The club's historical and official region of 
residence is the Southwest Region, in which the club Secretary resides.

Section 1: The club may vote for its CFA Regional Director; the CFA President, Vice-
President, Secretary, Treasurer and Directors-at-Large; and on all CFA ballots (at the  
Annual, regional meetings, etc.). The candidates for CFA offices shall be presented to 
the membership and voted upon in a timely fashion.  Proposals to be voted on at the 
Annual shall be presented to the membership and voted upon prior to the Annual.
   
Section 2: At the club's annual meeting the President shall solicit volunteers and 
appoint from them the club delegate to the CFA Annual Meeting. The delegate will vote 
according to the wishes of the club membership as determined by its vote.
   

Article VI: Elected Officials

Section 1: The term of office for any elected official of this club is one (1) year, 
commencing May 1 and ending April 30. Should a vacancy occur in any office except 
President, the Executive Board shall appoint a member to that office for the balance of 
the unexpired term. The Vice-President shall fill the office of President for the 
remainder of the term should the President be unable to serve for whatever reason. All 
officials of this club must be at least 18 years of age and members in good standing 
with the club and with CFA. 
   
Section 2: The elected officers of this club are as follows:
   
   a.  President: The President shall be the chief executive officer, and shall preside as 
leader/conference leader for all meetings. He/she shall be a member ex-officio of all 
committees, shall appoint the club delegate, and shall perform all other functions 
consistent with his office.
      
   b. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall serve as the chairperson of major 
committees as appointed by the President, and shall act in the stead of the President in 
all respects whenever the President is absent or unable to fulfill his/her duties.
 
  c. Secretary: The Secretary shall be the organization's recording and corresponding 
officer, as well as the official contact person for CFA.  Transcripts of club meetings and 
club-related information shall be posted by the Secretary to the membership.  The 
Secretary is responsible for maintaining a current and accurate membership list with 
U.S. Mail addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses; notifying new members 
of election/rejection; and for periodically producing and posting a newsletter.  
Correspondence in the club's name shall be conducted at the instruction of the 
President.  The Secretary shall be in charge of all voting and balloting.
      
  d. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer. He/she shall keep 
account of all receipts and expenditures and shall present the membership with a 
yearly financial report before the club's annual meeting.  The Treasurer shall have 
custody of all club moneys and shall open a bank account in the name of the club when 
the assets of the club exceed Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00).
      
Section 3: Directors: Three (3) Directors of the club shall also be elected. They shall 
join with the officers to compose the Executive Board, and shall serve to represent the 
interests of the membership.  Directors shall serve on committees as needed, and use 
their skills to best promote the interests of the club.

 
Article VII: Finances

Section 1: An accounting year of this club shall run from May 1 to April 30.
   
Section 2: In the conduct of the affairs of this club, the Executive Board is authorized to 
spend, as required, sums of money not to exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) 
during any one accounting year without prior approval of the membership.
   
Section 3: In the conduct of the affairs of this club, the Secretary is authorized to 
purchase required postage and clerical supplies without prior approval. Statements of 
expenditures will be promptly reimbursed without fanfare. The Secretary shall include a 
financial report of all such expenditures in the club's meeting minutes and newsletters.
   
Section 4: No other club funds will be disbursed without the prior approval of the 
Executive Board.
   
Section 5: As stated in Article VII of the Constitution, in the event that this club is 
dissolved, any accumulated funds will be donated to a reputable non-profit organization 
devoted to feline health or welfare. Dissolution will be deemed to have occurred when 
the membership elects to disband or the officers have not been elected as provided in 
the Constitution and By-Laws.


Article VIII: Ring Sponsorship

Section 1: The club may produce individual rings in cooperation with other CFA clubs 
holding show licenses. Two types of rings may be produced.
   
  a. The club may sponsor a scored allbreed, specialty or breed specialty ring by 
providing assistance to a club licensed to hold a CFA show. This may include financial 
assistance, i.e. paying for the expenses of a judge, and/or other forms of assistance as 
needed by the licensed club.
      
  b. The club may sponsor an educational ring to be held during a cat show licensed by 
another CFA club. The theme of the educational ring shall be determined in conjunction 
with the other club.
      
Section 2: This club may not sponsor any show rings except in cooperation with an 
existing CFA club.  It may not sponsor more than one (1) ring per show, nor four (4) 
rings per year. It may not obtain a show license to produce its own show.


Article IX: Discipline

Section 1: The club as a whole shall have the power, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, to expel 
from membership any person who, after a fair hearing of both accuser and accused, 
shall be found guilty of (a) violating a club rule; (b) committing a dishonest, fraudulent 
act in any transaction involving cats; or (c) conduct detrimental to the interests of the 
club or the cat fancy at large. Charges against any member must be sent both by an e-
mail to the President and by certified return receipt letter to the Secretary, who shall in 
turn inform the Executive Board. The Board shall then schedule a hearing at which both 
the accuser and the accused must be present.
   
Section 2: If charges are filed against a member of the Executive Board, the procedure 
shall be the same, except that the accused Board member may not vote for or against 
the charges.  The accuser may send the charges to a different member of the 
Executive Board if either the President or the Secretary is the person being accused.
   
Section 3: If the membership determines that charges brought against a member by 
another member are fraudulent and that the accuser had malicious or slanderous 
intent, the accuser shall in turn be subject to immediate discipline from the membership.
   
Section 4: If a member is temporarily or permanently suspended by CFA, he/she is 
automatically suspended from this club for the same period of time.


Article X: Amendments

These By-Laws may be amended as provided in the Constitution.


Article XI: Definitions

  a. "E-mail" -- private written correspondence sent to a member's computer mailbox via 
the Internet.  E-mail is the club's preferred communications method. 

  b. "Online conference" -- real-time discussion among members via computer modem, 
which may take place in a "conference room" in the Cats Forum on Compuserve or in a 
"chat room" on the Internet. These discussions may be open to the general public or 
limited to members only.  They will usually start at 4:00 p.m. PST/PDT.
   
  c. "Post", "posting" -- sending club-related information to the membership by: (1) e-
mail; (2) facsimile; (3) U.S. Mail; or (4) uploading to a Web page.

  d. "Web page"  -- Internet address (URL) where members using a Web browser can 
review/download meeting transcripts and club-related information maintained by the 
Secretary.  This Web page is open to the general public.

 
July 1997