CENJARS Bylaws

Central New Jersey Area Rocketry Society Bylaws

  1. Name: The name of this organization shall be the Central New Jersey Area Rocketry Society(CENJARS) NAR section 698.
  2. Purpose: CENJARS shall have as its purpose the promotion and development of sport and competition model rocketry, and furtherance of the aims and policies of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). This organization shall be maintained as a chartered section of NAR.
  3. Membership: The membership of CENJARS shall include, but is not restricted to, those persons residing in the area broadly described as “Central New Jersey”. Interested persons residing outside of this area are also welcome.
  4. Meetings: CENJARS shall hold periodic meetings at a time and place made known to all club members. The decision of when and where to hold a meeting shall rest with the President. In lieu of actual meetings, key business, and transmittal of information to members, can be conducted via E-mail.
  5. Executive Board: The principle officers of the club shall form the Executive Board. The membership of the Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Senior Advisor, Secretary, Treasurer, Range Safety Officer and Webmaster. These individuals shall be jointly responsible for the normal operations of the club. The post of Senior Advisor will be combined with that of the President unless the elected President is not a Senior member [not 21] of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). In such case, a Senior Advisor shall be elected or appointed by the Executive Board.
  6. Officers: The operation of the CENJARS shall be governed by the officers as follows:
    • President — The President shall have ultimate authority over, and shall take responsibility for, all operations of the club. The President shall preside over club meetings. It shall be the responsibility of the President to procure and to keep in force the Section Charter. Public announcements of the club activities shall be made under the President’s name and consent. The President shall also serve as Senior Advisor to the National Association of Rocketry. In such case as the President is not a Senior member of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), a Senior Advisor shall be elected or appointed by the Executive Board. All official material relating to the Section charter, and all other official correspondence from the National Association of Rocketry, shall reside with the President. The President may delegate his (her) duties to other officers or members of the club, as needed. Such delegation shall be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
    • Vice-President — The duties of the Vice-President shall be to carry all of those duties ascribed to the President, in the case of the absence or illness of the President.
    • Secretary — The duties of the Secretary shall include the keeping of minutes regarding the proceedings of club meetings. The Secretary shall make these proceedings available for distribution to the general membership by means of E-mail and our web page. It shall further be the duty of the Secretary to maintain an accurate and detailed list of the membership and officers of the club. Such list shall be made available to interested persons upon written request or via E-mail. Privacy of the membership shall be preserved. Those members not wishing to have their names, addresses or phone numbers made public shall notify the Secretary of such desire. This relates to printed lists as well as names included in E-Mail or web pages.
    • Treasurer — It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to maintain detailed and accurate records regarding the financial transactions of the club. The Treasurer shall be the official repository of all club funds, including, but not limited to, dues money, on-field contributions , entry fees, etc. The Treasurer shall disburse club funds for any activities or projects voted upon by the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall make his records available for inspection by any club member, upon written or E-mail request.
    • Webmaster — It shall be the duty of the Web Page Editor to maintain and update the Web Page as appropriate. Information placed there is at the discretion of this person, but it should clearly reflect the activities of the club and include pertinent information, such as flight cards, useful to members and those looking for information about our club. [This person can also hold another position.]
  1. Term of Office and Election of Officers: All officers shall serve a term of one year, concurrent with the National Association of Rocketry Contest Year. The term shall begin Jan 1st of the year, and end on December 31st of the same year. Nomination of officers shall take place at the November general meeting/launch or via E-mail. All nominees for office must be members in good standing of the Central New Jersey Area Rocketry Society. Any member may nominate any other, or himself. Election of the officers shall take place by mail ballot to all members or via E-mail or actual vote at a meeting or launch. Ballots and or count will be tabulated by the Secretary. The membership shall be informed of election results as soon as practicable following the election, but in no case later than Jan 1st.
  2. Launches: Club launches shall be held on a monthly basis, weather permitting. The time and date of all launches and rain dates shall be made known to the membership via E-mail and the CENJAR’s web page. Persons desiring to fly at these launches need not be members of CENJARS they but will be asked to join if present on a regular basis. Users of engines higher than C must be both a CENJARS and a NAR member. A launch fee may be requested which includes funds for equipment updates and contributions to the farm or land owner for use of the field. All rocket motors used at CENJARS launches must appear on the most recent certified motor lists published by the National Association of Rocketry (NAR). Launches will be under the ultimate authority of the Range Safety Officer (RSO), if appointed, the Launch Control Officer (LCO), or the highest ranking club officer present. No person may serve as RSO or LCO unless that person is a current CENJARS member and insured by NAR. In other words, only insured flyers may “push the button” to initiate a launch. Launches shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable NAR Safety Codes, and in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations. A copy of Range Rules must be available at launches to detail all launch requirements.
  3. Discipline of Members: Any member that violates launch safety regulations (available at launch), initiates fighting, racial slurs or ethnic epithets or causes other disruptions on the field will be asked to leave. And further, any member that inaccurately accuses CENJARS of violating safety regulations or other situations that can harm the Club, including on field situations, use of regular mail or E-mail, can be expelled from CENJARS, with a majority vote from the Executive Board. This expulsion means that this person will not be allowed at any CENJARS activities. This member would be informed of this action via regular mail or E-mail. Return of any dues by that member is not required.
  4. Revision of Bylaws: Bylaws shall be revised by means of the following process:
    1. The proposed change shall be formulated in writing or E-mail and submitted to the Executive Board.
    2. The Executive Board shall distribute the proposed change(s), via appropriate means, to the membership within 7 days of submission.
    3. A thirty day comment period will commence upon distribution of the proposal. All comments shall be directed to the Executive Board.
    4. At the end of the thirty day comment period, the Executive Board shall review and discuss the comments received.
    5. No earlier than thirty days, but no later than sixty days following the submission of the proposed change, the Executive Board shall vote on the proposal. A simple majority shall be required in order to pass the proposal.
    6. Should the proposal pass, it shall be incorporated immediately into the bylaws.
    7. The revised bylaws shall be published and distributed to the membership within sixty days of the vote.
    8. Whether the proposal shall pass or fail, the submitter shall be notified of the decision of the Executive Board within fourteen days of the vote.
[Revised January 1, 2010]