International Executive Committee

By-Laws

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE

BY-LAWS and ORGANIZING DOCUMENT

Download By Laws as Word 6.0 document (34 kB)

Status of the International Committee with regard to Department of the Navy is discussed in NAVCOMPTMAN Section VII, paragraph 075261. The Committee falls under the classification of "Type 3 Independent Private Organization".

NAME OF ORGANIZATION:
The official name of this non-profit organization shall be the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) International Committee (IC).
PURPOSE:
To promote good relations between the U.S. and international officers and their families, to assist with adaptation to American life and to support international officers and their families when needed and where possible.
MEMBERSHIP:
All international students attending NPS and their spouses, sponsors of international students and their spouses shall automatically be considered members of this organization and shall constitute the NPS IC.
OFFICERS:
1. International Executive Committee (IEC).
  The IEC shall administer the general activities of the organization. It shall consist of the members of the NPS International Community NPS elected to serve for one year. The IEC shall:
2. Officer Responsibilities.
  1. International and U.S. Co-chairpersons shall coordinate the activities of the IC and its subcommittees, working for increased communication, effectiveness and harmony within the IC. Their duties shall include the following:
    1. Oversee the IC's program.
    2. Preside at all meetings.
    3. Act as liaisons between the IC and the staff at NPS.
    4. Appoint special committee chairpersons as needed.
    5. Act as members, ex-officio, of all committees including the Electoral Committee.
    6. Chair a subcommittee to organize International Day. Shall maintain year round liaison with representatives of each country with the aim of those countries being to prepare and deliver displays and/or performances for this annual event.
    7. Chair the IC Electoral Committee and such NPS IC meetings as are called. In this capacity the Co-chairpersons shall alternate and be entitled to vote at the IEC meetings in the event of a tie.
    8. The responsibility for publishing a quarterly calendar the month prior to each quarter.
    9. The responsibility for creating and balancing the budget.
    10. Attend the quarterly Senior Officer meetings to give a briefing of IC activities and needs.
    11. Present the IEC election plan to the Electoral Committee for approval.
  2. Treasurer shall maintain all necessary records and all receipts and disbursements in accordance with Section VI of these by-laws and any other pertinent regulations. Shall keep records of furniture locker inventories. Shall report financial status at each IEC and NPS IC meeting.
  3. Secretary shall keep minutes of IEC and NPS IC meetings. Keep records of all incoming and outgoing IC and IEC correspondence. Record all financial decisions made by the IC and IEC. Submit a copy of the minutes of each meeting including the Treasurer's report to the NPS Director of Students and Programs via the Director of International Programs. Represent the IC at Officer Student Advisory Council (OSAC) meetings.
  4. Furniture Committee Chairperson shall maintain an inventory of furniture and household goods for use by international students. The chairperson shall submit to the Treasurer a monthly accounting of revenues collected from the rental of furniture and purchase replacement furniture as necessary. The chairperson shall submit budget input and long range plan to the IEC at least one month prior to the preparation of the next fiscal year IC budget.
  5. Hospitality Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for preplanning Welcome Aboard packets/bags, sending get well cards upon notification of hospitalization of a family member, sending baby cards for newborns, and conducting such other activities as may make members feel welcome. The Welcome Aboard packet shall include a current copy of the by-laws.
  6. Language Committee Chairperson shall recruit volunteers to assist with the editing, translation, and tutoring needs of IC members. Keep up-to-date with the 'English as a Second Language' (ESL) and advanced English classes available in Monterey. Maintain a list of volunteers willing to assist international students in editing their theses and match the student with the most appropriate volunteer.
  7. Publicity Committee Chairperson shall collect input and publish a newsletter quarterly to disseminate information to IC members. Shall provide assistance to other committees in publicizing committee events. Shall be responsible for organizing "Welcome Aboard" displays.
  8. Social Committee Chairperson shall assist International Programs (IP) office in planning activities for the annual picnic and shall coordinate several other social events such as parties and dances not supported by IP funding.
  9. Cultural Committee Chairperson shall assist IP office in organizing cultural activities not supported by IP funding. Make arrangements for cooking classes every other academic quarter. Organize the publication and supervise the sale of international cookbooks and submit proceeds and accounting to the Treasurer, monthly.
  10. Family Committee Chairperson shall plan children's activities, at least two per year. Research children's activities in the area, advise newly arrived families of information about children's activities. Coordinate with Officer Student Spouse's Club (OSSC) as the official representative of the IC. Organize meetings of international spouses and sponsor spouses and present their concerns to the IEC. Shall maintain a list of spouses available to help in the IP office.
3. The Director of International Programs is an "Ex Officio" member of the IEC.
- ELECTIONS:
  1. Electoral Committee.
    This committee is chaired jointly by the U.S. and International Co-chairpersons and also includes one representative from each nation including the United States, represented at NPS. These representatives will be appointed by their senior officers. The U.S. representative shall be appointed by the senior U.S. sponsoring officer. The Electoral Committee shall oversee the conduct of elections in the following manner:
    1. Consider for approval and revision, as necessary, the election plans presented by the Co-chairpersons on behalf of the IEC.
    2. Ensure that the IEC election plan includes at least two people from different countries at the election table at all times during elections, to monitor and ensure fair election proceedings. If possible, the monitors should be from countries with no candidate standing for election.
    3. Ensure that at least five persons (not candidates for a position), each from different countries, are available to count the votes and record the results.
  2. Nominees for offices on the IEC must be associated with the Naval Postgraduate School. Associated individuals are international students, spouses of international students, and sponsors of International students and their spouses. To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be able to serve at least one year of the scheduled term of office. In the event that no person with the qualifications listed in these by-laws is available for a position, a waiver will be requested by the IEC from the Dean of Students/Director of Programs (Code 03) on an individual case basis for candidates possessing unique qualifications or mitigating circumstances.
  3. Nominees for U.S. and International Co-chairs must have been members of the NPS International Community for at least three months prior to the elections and shall have attended at least three IEC meetings prior to the elections. No member from the same country as the International Co-chairperson who was elected at the previous regular election shall be eligible to be a candidate.
  4. The list of positions for which the elections shall be held will be published by the Co-chairpersons not later than one month before the date of the elections. The only permissible change is the addition of positions to be elected due to resignation.
  5. Nominations of candidates shall be submitted not later than 48 hours prior to the date of the election. Nominations shall be submitted to the IC Student Mail Center Post Office Box #1179, delivered by hand/email to either of the Co-chairpersons, or deposited with the IEC.
  6. Elections shall be held semi-annually, in May and November. The U.S. Co-chairperson, Treasurer, Furniture, Publicity and Family Committee Chairpersons shall be elected in May. The International Co-chairperson, Secretary, Hospitality, Language, Social and Cultural Chairpersons shall be elected in November. The newly slated officers shall take office 01 June and 01 December respectively, and serve until the next elections scheduled for their position.
  7. Elections shall be by secret ballot. Eligible voters are members of the NPS IC.
  8. Members must vote individually. No one may cast a vote for another. There shall be no voting by proxy.
  9. In the event that there is at least one eligible nominee, as determined by the Electoral Committee, then no write-in votes shall be accepted for that position. In the event that there are no nominees for a particular position, write-in votes shall be accepted In this case, the IEC may elect, by a simple majority vote, a replacement to serve until the next election scheduled for that position.
  10. Should a person resign a position due to illness, transfer, graduation, or some other grounds before the next scheduled election, the IEC may elect, by simple majority vote, a replacement to serve until the next election scheduled for that position.
  11. No nation may have representatives who fill more than three positions on the IEC. The United States has the position of U.S. Co-chairperson reserved.
  12. In the event that candidates from a single nation poll the majority of votes for positions on more than three committees, the three members of that nation who poll the most votes shall assume office and the other members shall step down in favor of the runners-up for their positions. In the event that there are no other nominees for the vacant positions, the Electoral Committee may authorize representatives of a nation to fill more than three positions on the IEC.
- FINANCES:
  1. The Treasurer shall maintain all necessary records of all receipts, disbursements and asset accounts. The fiscal year budget and any revision thereto shall be submitted for approval to the Superintendent via the Director of International Programs and the Director of Students and Programs. The proposed budget shall be submitted not later than 01 September following a vote by the NPS IC.
  2. All checks from the IC must be signed by the Treasurer and one of the Co-chairpersons.
  3. The Treasurer shall receipt all money and pay all bills on time unless approved by the IEC.
  4. Within seven days of the change of each term the present and succeeding Treasurers, Co-chairperson, and Director of International Programs shall meet to turn over their books to their satisfaction.
  5. The Command Evaluation Office will audit the books in conjunction with the Treasurer's turn-over.
  6. Any tax returns required by the IRS code will be submitted by the Treasurer.
- TAX STATUS:
  The following amendments are required for the IC to receive status for tax purposes as a "nonprofit organization" in the eyes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
  1. No substantial part of the activities of this organization shall consist of carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign, (including the publishing or distribution of statements) on behalf of any candidate for public office.
  2. Not withstanding any other provision of these articles, the IC shall not carry on any activities not permitted:
    1. By an organization, exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future U.S. Internal Revenue Law), or,
    2. By an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c)(2) of the internal revenue code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future U.S. Internal Revenue Law).
  3. The property of this IC is irrevocably dedicated to the purposes described in article II above, and no part of the net income or assets of this organization shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer or member thereof or to the benefit of any private person. Upon the dissolution or winding up of the organization, its assets remaining after payment, or provision for payment, of all debts and liabilities of the organization shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation or corporation which is organized and operated exclusively for the purposes of assisting military members and/or their dependents attached to NPS and which has established its tax exempt status under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- MEETINGS:
  1. Meetings of theNPS IC:
    1. Shall be held semi-annually, in the Spring and Fall (normally in conjunction with the semi-annual elections).
    2. A quorum is not required, a plurality vote will be used (the majority of votes).
    3. The Treasurer shall openly report the status of the IC finances and an estimate of the IC's ability to meet its future financial plans.
    4. The floor shall be opened to comments and questions addressed to the IEC from the NPS IC.
  2. Meetings of the IEC
    1. Shall be held at least monthly.
    2. A quorum shall consist of one more than half of the number of IEC officers.
    3. Shall be chaired on a rotating basis by the International and U.S. Co-chairpersons.
    4. Members of the NPS IC have the right to attend and make motions at any IEC meeting.
  3. Meetings of the Electoral Committee
    1. On the occasion of each scheduled semi-annual election of Officers, the International and U.S. Co-chairpersons shall hold a meeting of the Electoral Committee, with the purpose of ruling on the eligibility of nominees and and implementing an election plan. The meeting shall be held after the deadline for the filing of nominations and before the elections themselves.
    2. If for any reason, a member objects to the election results within one week of the elections, a meeting of the Electoral Committee shall be called immediately, providing that a simple majority of the outgoing (old) IEC votes to do so, or if a petition calling for an Electoral Committee meeting is signed by a quorum of Electoral Committee members.
    3. A quorum shall consist of one more than a third of the total number of the nations represented at NPS, including the U.S.,International and U.S. Co-chairpersons.
    4. Shall be chaired on a rotating basis by the U.S. and International Co-chairpersons.
- AMENDMENTS:
  1. These by-laws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the IEC provided that the amendments have been approved by a simple majority of the senior officers.
  2. A copy of the amendments or revisions to the by-laws shall be submitted to the command of NPS for approval before being voted on by the IEC.
  3. These by-laws shall be reviewed annually.
- RULES OF ORDER:
  1. The rules obtained in the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the International Committee in all situations not addressed by the by-laws or by standing rules and shall be used to clarify any doubtful interpretation.
  2. IC activities are subject to NPS regulations. Activities which may be controversial or which might involve the image of the school are subject to written approval by the command.
  3. The IC shall not take a stand on local, state, or national political issues.
  4. The members of the IC, with the approval of the IEC may solicit funds, gifts, and merchandise for previously approved events.
  5. Details of all newly proposed fund-raising projects shall be submitted to the Command for approval.