The Cavalier Daily Alumni Association Constitution

(As amended September 28, 1991 by The Cavalier Daily Alumni Association.)

Knowing that a vigorous and independent student press is vital to the University of Virginia community and that The Cavalier Daily has ably filled that role since 1890 we, the alumni of The Cavalier Daily and College Topics, join in forming The Cavalier Daily Alumni Association to foster The Cavalier Daily’s continued well being, to provide assistance to its student editors and to encourage the highest standards of journalistic integrity among its staff.

ARTICLE I:

The name of this organization shall be The Cavalier Daily Alumni Association.

ARTICLE II:

The aim of this association shall be to render moral, technical and financial assistance to The Cavalier Daily and its student staff and to facilitate continued fellowship among the newspaper’s alumni.

ARTICLE III:

Any former or current member of The Cavalier Daily or College Topics staff may be a member of The Cavalier Daily’s Alumni Association. Membership may be extended to friends of The Cavalier Daily by action of the association’s board of directors.

ARTICLE IV:

1. The business and affairs of the association shall be managed by a board of directors of not more than 21 members. The Cavalier Daily’s editor-in-chief shall be a member of the board of directors. The other directors shall be former Cavalier Daily or College Topics staff members or friends of The Cavalier Daily.

2. Directors shall be elected for three-year, staggered terms by the association’s membership. Nominations for new directors shall originate with the current board of directors or from any member of the association.

3. The board of directors shall meet annually at a time and place designated by the association’s executive committee. At the association’s annual meeting, the association’s officers and directors shall be elected.

4. A majority of the association’s directors shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business by the board of directors. In the presence of a quorum, a majority vote of those directors present and voting shall be required to take action.

5. Impeachment proceedings against an association director may be initiated by a vote of two-thirds of the board of directors or by a petition containing the signatures of at least 15 percent of the association membership. A simple majority vote of the association membership is required to remove a director.

ARTICLE V:

1. An executive committee of the association’s board of directors may conduct the affairs of the association between annual meetings.

2. The executive committee shall be composed of the association’s officers who shall be elected by the board of directors from among its own members.

3. Agreement among a majority of the executive committee’s members shall be sufficient to carry out the association’s business without a formal meeting.

ARTICLE VI:

1. The association shall have seven officers: one president, two vice presidents (vice president of fundraising and vice president of outreach), one secretary, one treasurer, one program director and one executive director. The president, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer and program director shall be elected to one-year terms by the board of directors at its annual meeting. The executive director shall be the current editor-in-chief of The Cavalier Daily.

2. The president shall act as the association’s spokesman and chair meetings of the board of directors and executive committee.

3. The vice president of fundraising shall oversee all association fundraising strategy and execution, including but not limited to: annual giving campaigns, donor segmentation, maintenance of fundraising and donor data, and the creation of an annual fundraising report for the association. The association’s fundraising committee and committee chair shall report to the vice president of fundraising.

The vice president of outreach shall oversee all association outreach strategy and execution, including but not limited to: alumni communications, programming, networking, events, scholarships, association recruitment, and maintenance of membership data. The following committees and committee chairs shall report to the vice president of outreach: Communications, Events, Networking, Programming, and Scholarships.

In the president’s absence, the vice president of fundraising shall fulfill the president’s duties. In the absence of both the president and the vice president of fundraising, the vice president of outreach shall fulfill the president’s duties.

4. The secretary shall be responsible for keeping a record of the actions of the board of directors and the executive committee and making such records available to any association member.

5. The treasurer shall monitor the association’s finances.

6. The executive director shall oversee the association’s communications with its members and shall be the association’s liaison with The Cavalier Daily student staff. The executive director also shall have such duties and responsibilities as are delegated to him/her by the executive committee.

7. The program director shall be responsible for organizing all association programming designated for the benefit of The Cavalier Daily staff.

8. An association officer may be removed from office by a 2/3 vote of the board of directors.

ARTICLE VII:

An annual report of the association’s activities shall be prepared by the executive committee for approval of the board of directors at its annual meeting. Following the board of directors’ annual meeting, the annual report shall be made available to all association members.

ARTICLE VIII:

1. An amendment to the association constitution may be presented to the association membership for consideration either by the board of directors or by a petition containing the signatures of 15 percent of the association membership. A vote of 2/3 of the association membership voting shall be required to amend the constitution.

2. The board of directors may adopt a set of bylaws in accordance with the constitution.