By-Laws

of  the
63rd OFFICER CANDIDATE WING ASSOCIATION

GLOSSARY

The following terms, used in both the Constitution and these By-Laws, are explained as shown:

  1. Business meeting – A General Assembly of eligible voters of the Association.
  2. By-Laws – The operating guidelines of the Association.
  3. Class/Group Commander – Individual who held the position during OCS, his Deputy or an individual selected by that class to provide leadership and coordination of activities within that specific class.
  4. Comptroller – The chief financial officer of the Association
  5. Constitution – The organizational and operating rules of the Association.
  6. Director of Communications – The chief administrator of the Association.
  7. Director of Operations – The chief operating officer of the Association.
  8. Electronic Mail – Mail sent through the Internet or World Wide Web.
  9. Executive Officer – In non-military terms, the individual entrusted with the day-to-day operations of the entity. For the Association it is the Wing Commander.
  10. Full Members – Those individuals who attended USAF Officer Candidate School and/or their spouses.
  11. Funds Accounting – Process of accounting for the receipt, control and expenditure of funds designated for a specific objective or agreement.
  12. General Assembly – A meeting of full members. Usually only occurring at the Association’s Reunion.
  13. Honor Code – A sacred code within the OCS community which establishes the agreement that Officer Candidates will not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do.
  14. Immediate Past Commander – Last person elected to serve as Wing Commander prior to the current Wing Commander.
  15. OCS – USAF Officer Candidate School. A program of the United Sates Air Force dedicated to the objective of identifying exceptional enlisted personnel who could better serve the Air Force as officers and training those individuals to be commissioned as Second Lieutenants.
  16. Standing Committees – A committee formed in accordance with the Constitution and which continues to exist until terminated by the Constitution.
  17. Surface Mail – Mail sent through the US Postal Service or one of the similar commercial mail delivery services.
  18. Term of Office – Up to a three year period as defined by the Constitution.
  19. Association Reunion – A reunion of Association members every two to three years. Within these documents it is abbreviated to “reunion”.
  20.  SAF – United States Air Force
  21. Vice Wing Commander – The second most senior officer by position within the Association.
  22. Wing Commander – The presiding officer of the Association; the senior-most officer by position within the Association. Equivalent to the capacity of a Chairman/CEO/President with industry.

ARTICLE I: Membership

  1.  Membership is available to individuals or organizations in the following categories:
    1. Full membership
    2. Auxiliary membership
    3. Honorary membership
    4. Associate membership
    5. Patronage membership
  1. Full membership eligibility is available to:
    1. Any enlisted man or woman who entered the United States Air Force Officer Candidate School in any class beginning with the first class entering in 1948 through the last class graduating in 1963. Graduation is not a requirement. Exception: Any Officer Candidate dismissed from OCS as a result of an Honor Code violation is not eligible for membership.
    2. Any spouse of a man or woman eligible in 2.a, above, whether having participated in the OCS experience or not, is eligible for membership. This shall include spouses of deceased Officer Candidates, divorcees and spouses of marriages entered into subsequent to the OCS period.
  1. Auxiliary membership eligibility is available to any parent or child of an individual eligible in 2.a. above.
  2. Honorary membership eligibility is available to any Air Force Officer who served as part of the Commissioned Staff of the Officer Candidate School during any period from the start of OCS in 1948 to its closure in 1963.
  3. Associate Membership eligibility is available to any individual interested in promoting the History of the USAF Officer Candidate School.
  4. Patronage membership eligibility is automatically extended to any individual or organization offering financial or material support to the association.
  5. Full members shall have full and equal rights within the association including one vote each in all voting situations. All other members shall have full and equal rights except they shall not have voting rights nor shall they be allowed participation in governance of the Association.
  6. If the association decides to charge membership fees and/or dues, then the following paragraphs will apply, as appropriate:
    1. Any person shall be considered for membership upon filling out the membership form and, if a full member, payment of the initiation fee.
    2. Annual renewal of membership is required and is accomplished by completing the renewal form and, if a full member, payment of the annual dues.
    3. Lifetime membership is available to full members upon application and payment of the lifetime membership fee.
    4. Membership shall begin January 1st of each year. There shall be no prorating of the initiation fee. The full fee is due regardless of date of application.
  1. All member applications require the approval of the Membership Committee for acceptance.

ARTICLE II: Revenues

  1. This Association is a non-profit association and may derive its revenues from the following potential sources:
    1. Membership fees
    2. Membership dues
    3. Reunion operational fees
    4. Member donations
    5. Non-member donations
    6. Miscellaneous
  1. Funds received and expended will be recorded under the concept of Funds Accounting.
  2. Funds received will be used for the following purposes:
    1. Website development, maintenance and operation
    2. Memorial or Remembrance projects or activities reflecting on the Officer Candidate School or its members.
    3. Reunion event expenses
    4. Lackland Air Force Base historical activities reflecting on the Officer Candidate School
    5. Miscellaneous needs as approved by the Board of Directors

ARTICLE III: Duties of Officers

  1. The Wing Commander shall:
    1. Preside at all meetings of the Association, serve as chairperson of the Board of Directors and prepare the agenda for all Board of Directors meetings and the General Assembly.
    2. Act as ex-officio member of all committees
    3. Serve as Chair of the Membership Committee
    4. Accept nominations and make appointments to various committees including appointing Chairpersons for the Finance Committee, the Museum and Memorial Committee and the Nominating Committee and the Reunion committee
    5. Take charge of the day-to-day operation of the Association and serve as its spokesperson
    6. Appoint up to five additional individuals to serve as needed, including such areas as Legal, Public Affairs, Historian and Chaplain.
    7. Perform all other duties that regularly pertain to the office
  1. The Vice Wing Commander shall:
    1. Perform the duties of the Wing Commander when the Wing Commander cannot perform those duties
    2. Oversee the activities of the Nominating Committee
    3. Perform all other duties as assigned by the Wing Commander
  1. The Director of Operations Shall:
    1. Oversee the operations of the Group/Class commands to assure compliance with the Association policies
    2. Oversee the activities of the Memorial and Museum Committee and the Reunion Committee
    3. Perform all other duties as assigned by the Wing Commander.
  1. The Director of Communications shall:
    1. Be responsible for the official correspondence of the Association
    2. Keep accurate permanent records of meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors
    3. Serve as Chair of the Communications Committee
    4. Keep an up-to-date file and mailing list of members and potential members and oversee website development, maintenance and operations.
    5. Perform all other duties as may be assigned by the Wing Commander
  1. The Comptroller shall:
    1. Be responsible for the financial records and funds of the Association
    2. Be in charge of all receipts and disbursements of the Association and keep accurate records of the same
    3. Make a financial report at the Reunion General Assembly
    4. Make an annual report reflecting the financial status of the Association as of December 31st, audited by a supervisory committee, and transmit the report to each member by March 1st of the following year.
    5. Oversee and support the activities of the Finance Committee

ARTICLE IV: Duties of Others

  1. Group/Class Commanders Shall:
    1. Preside over all activities of their respective groups.
    2. Serve as members of the Board of Directors.
    3. Serve on such committees as may be appointed a member by the Wing Commander.
    4. Present issues and concerns of their respective groups/classes to the Wing Commander or Board of Directors.
    5. Maintain a current roster of all members of their respective groups/classes to include: name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and spouse’s name.
  1. Immediate Past Commander shall:
    1. Serve as advisor to the Wing Commander and the Board of Directors
    2. Serve on the Nominating Committee
    3. In the absence of the Wing Commander and the Vice Wing Commander, serve as acting Wing Commander. This duty shall not exceed 60 days duration.
  1. Directors at Large shall serve as Senior Advisors to the Wing Commander and the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V: Committee Responsibilities

  1. The Finance Committee, when formed, shall:
    1. Review the annual budget as presented by the Comptroller and, after appropriate deliberations, recommend its approval or non-approval to the Board of Directors
    2. Review and approve or disapprove any proposed disbursement exceeding $500.00 that is not specifically identified in the annual budget
    3. Receive the annual Financial Statements before they are made public, review them for accuracy, consistency and appropriateness and recommend approval or non-approval to the Board of Directors
    4. Determine the appropriate procedure for the annual audits of the Financial Records and Financial Statements and forward recommendations to the Board of Directors
  1. The Membership Committee shall:
    1. Confirm the membership categories and eligibility criteria, modify or add new categories and eligibility criteria, as appropriate.
    2. Evaluate each individual application for membership, confirming category and eligibility, and recommend to the Board of Directors approval or non-approval of the candidate’s application
    3. Be responsible for such other related duties as may be assigned by the Wing Commander.
  1. The Nominating Committee shall:
    1. Develop and publicize the qualifying criteria for each elected position.
    2. Seek applications for all elected positions.
    3. Evaluate qualifications of all applicants for elected positions and prepare a slate of candidates for each position.
    4. Develop and prepare the election ballot for each election in accordance with the policies of the Constitution and these By-Laws.
    5. Receive all completed election ballots, tally the count and notify the Board of Directors of the results.
  1. The Communications Committee shall:
    1. Determine the methods for maintaining communications with allmembers.
    2. Oversee the operation and maintenance of the Association’s internet web site to assure its accuracy, confidential nature and ease of use.
    3. Develop such publicity materials, as may be needed from time to time, that relate the objectives, history and/or plans of the Association.
    4. Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Wing Commander.
  1. The Memorial and Museum Committee shall:
    1. Establish appropriate relations with the Lackland Air Force Base Historian and Museum personnel.
    2. Determine the goals and objectives of the Association in its efforts to record and enhance the history of the United States Air Force Officer Candidate School and its students.
    3. Develop an appropriate method for memorializing the service of those members who have given their lives in the defense of the United States.
    4. Develop an appropriate method for memorializing the names of those members who have passed away.
    5. Determine, on an annual basis, the funding needs of the Association to meet the goals established above and recommend possible sources of revenue.
    6. Perform such other related duties as may be assigned by the Wing Commander.
  1. The Reunion Committee shall:
    1. At least two years prior to the anticipated date of the Association Reunion, begin planning the event.
    2. Negotiate with hotels at the selected Reunion site for pricing, accommodations, meals and other needs necessary for the Reunion and its attendees.
    3. Develop a budget and spending plan to meet the obligations of the Association for the Reunion.
    4. Establish the dates, locations, schedule of activities, and attendee fees.
    5. Prepare and mail the announcement and registration materials highlighting response time limits and such other information a member may need to know. (Note: the mailing is to include the election material as specified in the Constitution).
    6. Set up and operate a Registration and Greeting table at the Reunion site for the benefit of incoming attendees.
    7. Evaluate possible locations for the next reunion and prepare for the Wing Commander a recommendation, including three possible sites and their advantages.

ARTICLE VI: Election Procedures

  1. The Nominating Committee (Normally, the Chair & Class Communicators) shall select a slate of nominees for each office, and multiple nominations for each position are encouraged.
  2. Six months prior to the Reunion Business Meeting, the Nominating Chair shall initiate the process by:
    1. Polling each of the current five elected officers to ascertain who is interested and willing to continue in his or hers current office or run for another office.
    2. Asking the Class Communicators to poll their respective classmates for nominations for any of the five positions. The poll must be completed and results forwarded to the Nominating Committee no later than four months prior to the Reunion Business Meeting.
  1. Each nominee must have indicated a willingness to serve.
  2. If the Nomination Call results in only one candidate for each of the five positions, the Chairman shall call the nominations closed and present the results at the Business Meeting during the Reunion.
  3. If there are multiple candidate(s) for any of the positions, the Chair shall:
    1. Prepare a ballot to include the names of all nominees, and a short BIO for the multiple candidates for a position.
    2. Send the ballot and BIOs out to the membership via the Class Communicators, who for the election process are considered Trusted Agents. A return envelope addressed to the Committee Chair, will be included for those individuals not using email. Other members can send their choices via email to the Class Communicators, who will send their totals to the Chair, after the cut-off time (30 days prior to the Reunion).
  1. The Chair will:
    1. Tally the votes from each Class Communicators and mail votes received, and determine the winning candidate for each position.
    2. Report the results, in confidence, to the Wing Vice Commander.
    3. Prepare a report of election results for posting at the Reunion Business Meeting, and distribute the results, via the Class Communicators, after the Reunion.
  1. During the Business Meeting, a vote will be called to accept the results. A simple majority of attending members is needed for approval.
  2. The results will also be announced at the Reunion Banquet, after which the elected officers will assume their offices. When selected, new Group/Class Commander names will also be announced.
  3. New Group/Class Commanders can determine who their Class Communicator will be for the future.

ARTICLE VII: Amendment to the By-Laws

    Amendments to the By-Laws may be proposed by a majority vote of the General Assembly. The proposed changes become part of the By-Laws by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of members responding by mail ballot by the deadline date stated on the ballot. Ballots will be prepared, distributed and tallied by the Board of Directors through the Director of Communications.

Revised & Effective 26 May 2013