Harvard Club of New Jersey

 

BY-LAWS OF THE HARVARD CLUB OF NEW JERSEY

A Nonprofit Corporation

(As revised November 2019)

 

1.  Name

 

The name of this organization is the HARVARD CLUB OF NEW JERSEY (hereinafter the “HCNJ”).

 

2.  Purpose

 

This club is organized and shall be operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes.  In furtherance of such purposes, the club shall foster a spirit of fraternity among graduates and former students of Harvard University; promote the interest of all alumni and alumnae in the academic and extracurricular activities of Harvard; represent the interests of the University in the New Jersey region; encourage recreational activities for its members; and generally do all things to promote and encourage communication between Harvard University and its alumni/ae residents in New Jersey.

 

3.  Qualifications for Membership

 

Any person who is eligible for listing in the Official Harvard Alumni Directory shall be eligible for membership in the HCNJ.  Anyone eligible for membership shall be a member in good standing in the HCNJ upon compliance with such requirements as the Executive Committee may from time to time establish.  While undergraduates of Harvard College, such undergraduates and their parents shall also be eligible for membership.

 

4. Officers 

 

The officers of the HCNJ shall be a President, a President-Elect/Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer.  The officers shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.  All officers shall be elected at the annual meeting of the HCNJ and shall hold office until the next annual meeting and until their successors are elected. The newly elected officers shall take office on July 1st following the annual meeting at which  such officers were elected. The incumbent officers shall retain their respective offices until the end of the HCNJ’s fiscal year (June 30) in which their successors are elected.

 

5. President and President-Elect/Vice President

 

The President, or in the absence of the President, the President-Elect, shall preside at the meetings of the HCNJ and of the Executive Committee.  If both the President and the President-Elect are absent, those present at the meeting may elect a member to preside at such meeting.  Upon expiration of the term of the President or upon resignation, death or inability to act as the President, the President-Elect shall serve as President until the annual meeting in the calendar year two years after the calendar year of the President-Elect’s election as President-Elect.  In the event both the President and the President-Elect are unable to serve, the Executive Committee shall elect two temporary officers to fill these positions for the unexpired term.  The President shall insure that contact is maintained with the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA), the Regional Director of the HAA, and other Club Presidents in the region.

 

6. Treasurer 

 

The Treasurer shall collect all dues, contributions and other receivables, disburse the funds of the HCNJ under direction of the Executive Committee, keep the accounts of the HCNJ and report thereon at regular meetings of the Executive Committee and at the annual meeting.  The Treasurer’s accounts shall be audited annually by the Audit Committee or its designees.

 

All funds collected as contributions for specific purposes (Scholarship Fund, Summer Intern Fund, etc.) shall be accounted for separately and shall be disbursed only as authorized by the Executive Committee.  In the event that the HCNJ shall discontinue the practice of making scholarship awards or stop promoting a Summer Intern Program the Treasurer shall pay over any unexpended scholarship funds and Summer Internship funds held by the HCNJ to Harvard University for its general purposes.

 

Although the Treasurer’s term shall begin at the beginning of the HCNJ’s fiscal year (July 1), the outgoing Treasurer is still responsible for timely filing of the HCNJ’s annual tax return for the year just ended.

 

7. Secretary 

 

The Secretary shall give or post notice of all Executive Committee meetings and shall keep the minutes of such meetings.  Notice of meetings shall state the place, day and hour of the meeting and shall be given not less than three days before the date of the meeting.  The Secretary shall conduct or maintain copies of HCNJ correspondence and keep the records of the HCNJ.

 

8. Executive Committee

 

There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of twenty members elected to two-year terms as well as the current officers and all ex-Presidents who are general members in good standing and who express their desire to receive notices of the Executive Committee meetings.  One half of the elected members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at each annual meeting of the HCNJ, and shall hold office for two years and until their successors are elected.  Vacancies that occur among officers or members of the Executive Committee shall be filled by the Executive Committee for the unexpired term.

 

The Executive Committee is the primary operating management of the HCNJ; shall have general charge, management and control of the affairs, funds and property of the HCNJ; and shall authorize and control all expenditures.  It is therefore necessary and critical that Executive Committee members take an active role in the HCNJ’s affairs.  For this reason, each Executive Committee member is required to apply annually for membership in the HCNJ, pay all applicable dues by the begining of the HCNJ fiscal year (July 1), and attend at least four Executive Committee meetings per year or coordinate at least one HCNJ event open to the general membership during the year. This last requirement for Executive Committee Members shall also be considered to have been met if the Executive Committee member serves as an Area Chairperson for the Schools Committee.

 

Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by order of the President or by the Secretary on request of three members of the Committee.  Eleven members, whether elected or otherwise, shall constitute a quorum of the Committee.

 

9. Standing Committees

 

There shall be the following mandatory standing committees, the presiding officer of which shall be appointed by the President.  These appointments shall be announced at the first meeting of the Executive Committee after the annual meeting of the HCNJ.  The members of each standing committee shall be appointed by the presiding officer of the committee from among the HCNJ membership.  The committees shall have powers and duties as follows:

 

 A.  Schools Committee.  The Schools Committee shall have the responsibility for public relations and promotional activities in New Jersey with the object of encouraging outstanding high school students to make application for admission to Harvard.  The Schools Committee, consisting of a Club Chairperson and one or more Area Chairpersons, shall also be responsible for the interviewing of all applicants to Harvard College and may adopt rules governing its own procedures.  The Chairperson and Area Chairpersons of the Schools Committee shall maintain contact and cooperate with the Harvard Undergraduate Admissions Office and other appropriate offices of Harvard College.

 

B.  Auditing Committee.  The Auditing Committee shall conduct annual audits of the accounts of the Treasurer and shall report its findings thereon to the Executive Committee members.  The audit shall be conducted as soon as possible after the annual tax filing has been completed.

 

C.  Membership Committee.  The Membership Committee shall track and record all current year members (both manual and online) and report the numbers to the Executive Committee at each meeting as requested.  The chairperson of the Committee shall work with the President and other Committee chairs to coordinate efforts to recruit and retain members.  The Membership Committee shall work to ensure that a newsletter, with an enclosed membership application, is mailed or otherwise sent to all Harvard/Radcliffe alumni in the Club’s geographic area, before Labor Day, if possible, every year.

 

D.  Nominating Committee.  At least sixty days before the annual meeting, the incumbent President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three or more persons.  The Committee shall report the names of candidates for office to be voted at the next annual meeting.  Such report shall be printed and sent, or posted at a publicly available site, to each general member at least five days before the annual meeting.  The only restriction for candidates is that they be members in good standing in the HCNJ.  If the Nominating Committee wishes, and the candidate is willing, any candidate may be nominated to multiple terms.  The Nominating Committee shall also recommend to the Executive Committee, for their approval, candidates to fill vacancies which may occur among officers or members of the Executive Committee. 

 

 

 

10. Ad Hoc Committees

 

By resolution of the Executive Committee, ad hoc committees may be formed to serve the needs of the club and its members.  Such committees may include, but are not limited to, communications, liaison and programs activities.  The presiding officer of any ad hoc committee shall be appointed by the president.  Other members of any Committee shall be appointed by the presiding officer and drawn from the general membership of the HCNJ.  The committees shall have powers and duties as described below, or as authorized by a resolution of the Executive Committee.

A.  Comunications Committee.  The Communications Committee shall maintain the HCNJ's website or other publicly available mass-communication mechanisms, and shall facilitate contact (using both electronic and paper mail as needed) between the HCNJ's officers and chairpersons and its members and prospective members.  This Committee is a vital link to inform and solicit participation in the HCNJ membership and activities. The chairperson shall be the primary link with the HAA communication staff.

​B.  Liaison Committee. The Liaison Committee shall direct its efforts specifically on behalf of Harvard University alumni graduating from the various graduate programs at Harvard/Radcliffe (such as the Medical School, Law School, Business School, Graduate School of Arts & Science, Graduate School of Design, Kennedy School of Government, etc.).  The Committee’s core functions are to recruit members to the HCNJ from the Harvard graduate schools and to coordinate HCNJ events that might be of particular interest or concern to the alumni of these schools.

 

​C.  Programs Committee.  The Programs Committee shall work with the President and the Chair of the Liaison Committee to develop a variety of diverse HCNJ events which will appeal to the many diverse interest groups represented in the Club’s membership. No event, program or activity shall be undertaken in the name of the HCNJ unless the same shall first be approved by the Executive Committee and the Executive Committee shall have appointed one of its members to oversee the same.

 

11. Meetings

 

There shall be meetings of the HCNJ as may be arranged by the Executive Committee.  All current members of the Club are welcome to attend Executive Committee meetings.  There shall be an annual meeting of the HCNJ in the spring of each calendar year.

 

The agenda for the Executive Committee meetings shall be determined by the President or his/her designee and shall be circulated by the same.  The order of business at a meeting of the Executive Committee shall, in general, consist of the following

 

 

12.  Amendments To the By-Laws

 

Any proposed amendment to these By-Laws shall be proposed in writing to the Executive Committee at one of its meetings thereof with a quorum in attendance.  The Secretary shall provide prior notice to the Executive Committee that the proposed amendment will be discussed, and voted upon at the next meeting of the Executive Committee.  If the Executive Committee votes to approve the proposed amendment by at least a majority-plus-one at its next meeting with a quorum in attendance, the proposed amendment shall then go in to full effect.

 

 

 

Social Media Policy and Guidelines

INtroduction

This document is intended to be a set of general principles for dealing with ever-changing social media concerns, an acknowledgement that there will be developments in the social media realm that will be unable to be anticipated but will need to be addressed. This document only represents relevant issues in the world today and thus is a useful guide in current times. This club reserves the right to deal with the unanticipated developments using the general principles set forth.

 

This social media policy governs the publication of and commentary on social media by the Executive Committee (“EC”) of the Harvard Club of New Jersey (“HCNJ” or “Club”). Social media platforms are currently in use by the Club to support the Club’s mission to provide educational and charitable functions for Harvard alumni/ae in northern New Jersey and surrounding areas.

 

For the purposes of this policy, “social media” means any facility for online publication and commentary, including without limitation blogs, wiki's, social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, websites, and mobile platforms (including mobile apps), that enable collaboration and sharing of information.

This policy is in addition to and complements any existing or future policies regarding the use of technology, computers, e-mail and the internet.

 

PURPOSE

This policy is intended to set standards for the acceptable use of all social media platforms associated with HCNJ; to provide the EC with guidance for using social media to communicate about HCNJ events; and to provide guidelines and procedures for posting and monitoring Club owned, hosted or sponsored social media projects, publications, and communications.

 

SCOPE

Communications made via social media are not exempt from the expectations and obligations set forth in existing Harvard University and Harvard Alumni Association policies, or from the laws and regulations that govern personal liability across general and traditional forms of communication. HCNJ officers and EC members should only post on behalf of the HCNJ in an official capacity where they have been explicitly authorized to do so.

 

Persons are subject to this social media policy to the extent they identify themselves as representatives of the EC of the HCNJ. All uses of social media must follow the same legal and ethical standards that the EC must otherwise follow.

 

Responsibilities 

 

1.     Club Officers (“CO”): President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, are generally responsible for:

a.     ensuring the timely delivery of event information to an appointed Communications Committee (“CC”)

b.     answering all reasonable emails or inquiries directed to the HCNJ

c.     reviewing all HCNJ website content, Facebook postings, emails, EventBrite, etc.

2.     Membership Chairperson, or any other sub-committee chair, is generally responsible for:

a.     answering emails directed to HCNJ regarding membership

b.     sending emails to members in connection with membership/renewals matters

3.     Communications Committee, is generally responsible for:

a.     updating and maintain the HCNJ website

b.     ensuring timely emails and other notices to membership regarding sponsored events

c.     assisting in answering emails or inquiries directed to the HCNJ

d.     creating and maintaining EventBrite for events

e.     submitting Facebook postings after event

4.     EC contact for sponsored event is generally responsible for:

a.     providing all necessary event information to the CO and CC in a timely manner

b.     providing event pictures to CO and CC where possible

                                      i.     informing event participants of use of their picture on HCNJ social media

c.     following-up on emails to event participants

 

 

GUIDELINES

 

Accessibility

In accordance with Harvard University and Harvard Alumni Association policies, the HCNJ is committed to ensuring effective and timely access to communications materials for all members of the Harvard alumni community, including individuals with disabilities. Accordingly, the CC should take as steps where feasible to reduce barriers to access for individuals with disabilities. For example, the CC should enable, when it can, screen reader compatibility, captioning and descriptive tags on images, which can help reduce barriers to accessing information for certain individuals with disabilities. The CC should similarly enable access solutions on major social media platforms (including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter) where feasible when posting materials on such platforms.

 

Accuracy

Content provided through social media should be timely, relevant and accurate. Posted materials should be proofread for spelling and grammar.

 

Association
On many social networking websites, personal names and photo/icons may appear next to posted content and may therefore inadvertently be associated with HCNJ.  Whenever possible, clear distinctions should be made when the CC is specifically representing HCNJ (see Section on “Personal Responsibility and Liability”).

 

Appropriate language and content
Posting of obscene or vulgar materials or use of obscene or vulgar language, or use of abusive, defamatory, profane, or threatening language of any kind, will constitute a violation of the HCNJ social media policy and will be removed immediately. Determination of whether specific postings violate these policies shall be at the sole discretion of the EC.

 

Copyright laws
All postings of the HCNJ must respect the laws governing copyright and fair use or fair dealing of copyrighted material. HCNJ communications should always attribute work to an original author/source, and where possible, link or direct to others' work rather than reproduce it.

 

Disclaimers

The following disclaimers shall be used on official communications or information postings of the HCNJ:

Website: “This site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. HCNJ makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the site’s operation or the information, content or materials included on this site. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, HCNJ hereby disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose. HCNJ will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of or inability to use this site. You expressly agree that you use this site solely at your own risk.”

Emails: “HCNJ accepts no liability for the content of this email, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.”

Facebook: “By submitting content to any of HCNJ social media sites, you understand and acknowledge that this information is available to the public, and that we may use this information for internal and external promotional purposes and fundraising purposes. Please note that other participants may use your posted information beyond the control of HCNJ. If you do not wish to have the information you have made available via this site used, published, copied and/or reprinted, please do not post on this page.”

 

Personal Responsibility and Liability
Communications made via social media are not exempt from the expectations and obligations set forth in polices of Harvard University or the Harvard Alumni Association, or from the state and Federal laws and regulations that govern personal liability across general and traditional forms of communication. The CC should only post on behalf of HCNJ in an official capacity where explicitly authorized to do so.

 

Postings and Communications
Social media postings and communications about specific events sent to the broader HCNJ membership (including all Harvard alumni in the HCNJ’s territory) should be limited to events that the HCNJ is itself hosting or sponsoring, or to events that other nearby Harvard Clubs (or on rare occasion, other University Clubs) are hosting or sponsoring.  Exceptions to this policy may be made on a case-by-case basis by agreement of the EC, or the CO if a vote of the EC cannot be conducted in a timely manner.

 

Privacy
Permission is to be obtained from the relevant parties prior the public posting or dissemination of images or discussion of such parties on any HCNJ social media site.

 

Transparency
To both protect the Harvard name and build trust with users, social media such as blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, etc. that are established on behalf of Harvard entities (including the HCNJ), should be explicit regarding the nature of their relationship to Harvard. Social media representatives of HCNJ should, whenever possible (and certainly when queried), clearly state their position within the HCNJ and the limits of their authority to speak on behalf of the Club.

 

In keeping with the Club’s non-profit status, social media should not be used to promote or transact any commercial business or financial transactions, including revenue from advertising, nor should any individual EC member realize any personal monetary profit from club-related social media. When sharing information via social media, the CC should avoid promoting vendors or other commercial operations not related specifically to Club activities.

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTs

·      Harvard Law School, “Terms of Use”, http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/terms-of-use/

·      Harvard Alumni Association, “Terms of Use”, http://alumni.harvard.edu/terms

·      Harvard University, Guidelines and Best Practices, “Guidelines for Using Social Media”, http://provost.harvard.edu/policies_guidelines/Social_Media_Guidelines_FINAL_Version_1_0_effective_080112.pdf

·      http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies/

·      http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2010/05/03/rough-draft-of-a-nonprofit-social-media-policy/

·      Anne Cushing, HAA Online Programs

·      Lisa Unangst, Clubs and SIGs Summer Community Service Fellowships

·      Warren Hrung, President HCNJ 2013-2014

·      Don Snow, HCNJ Executive Committee member