Universal Ship Cancellation Society

Constitution of the Universal Ship Cancellation Society
(Revised February 2000)

1. Name. This Society shall be known as the Universal Ship Cancellation Society.	(5) The Board of Directors shall prescribe procedures to transition to these classes of membership from other classes that may have existed in the past.
2. Headquarters. The official headquarters of the Society shall be at the residence of the Secretary or such place as he shall designate.	5. Membership Dues. Membership dues shall be as specified bythe Board of Directors. Payment shall be made in U.S. funds only.
3. Purpose. The purpose of the Society is to promote the study of the history of the United States Navy and its ships; to promote and develop the collection and study of the postal markings of the United States Navy and other maritime organizations of the world; to disseminate knowledge relative to such material; and to foster a spirit of fellowship and cooperation among collectors.	6. Unpaid Membership Dues. Any member whose membership dues for the current fiscal year are not paid by April 1 shall no longer be a member in good standing and their names shall be removed from membership and mailing lists after mailing of the April Log.
4. Membership. Membership in the Society shall be open to any person, unless such person shall be denied membership for cause in accordance with the procedure set forth below. a. Applications for membership shall be made on a form provided by the Society; they shall be accompanied by membership dues in the amount required on the date of application. Upon receipt of an application for membership, the Secretary shall assign a membership number and place the new member's name upon the rolls of the Society. The Secretary shall send a monthly report of new members to the Log Editor for publication in the next issue of the Log. b. Any member of the Society may challenge a new member within sixty days of the mailing of the Log listing such membership by writing to the Secretary, who shall then forward the challenge to the President. Challenges shall be acted upon by the Board of Directors, a majority of which may order the membership voided and the membership dues refunded. c. There shall be four classes of membership: (1) Subscribing members shall receive a subscription to the USCS Log and shall have all rights and privileges of membership, including the right to vote in elections and hold office (2) Life members are members 21 or older who have paid a one time membership fee in lieu of further annual membership dues. Life members shall have all the rights and privileges of Subscribing members. Life membership is non-transferable and terminates upon the death of the member. (3)Youth members, age under 18, shall receive a subscription to the USCS Log and may vote in elections but may not hold office. A youth member automatically becomes a Subscribing member at the dues renewal date following the member's eighteenth birthday. Date of birth must be provided with applications for Youth membership. (4) Family members are adult or children, aged 12-18, family members residing at the same address as the Subscribing or Life member. Family members do not receive a subscription to the USCS Log and may not vote in elections or hold office, but have all other rights and privileges of membership.	a. A former member may be reinstated by paying membership dues at the same rate as required for a new member, except that any former member applying for reinstatement in the year immediately following the year in which he was in good standing shall be required to pay the full membership dues for the year. Reinstated members shall be assigned the same membership numbers previously held. b. Members are expected to resign when they wish to terminate their membership. Resignations should be sent to the Secretary. 7. Officers. The officers of the Society shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and nine Directors. The officers shall be designated as the Board of Directors. They shall have duties, responsibilities and privileges as set forth in this Constitution and all powers requisite to the proper performance of their duties. They shall be elected in the manner hereinafter provided for a term of two years, which term shall commence at 12 o'clock noon on the first day of April of every odd year. a. Any officer may be removed for cause from office by a two-thirds vote of all the officers. 8. President. The President shall be the chief executive of this Society and shall be responsible for the observance and enforcement of this Constitution. He shall perform the various duties assigned to him in this Constitution. He may appoint committees for such purposes as he deems necessary and require reports from the chairmen. He shall appoint the Log Editor and all other appointive officers, and shall keep the Board of Directors informed of appointments and other matters of interest. 9. Vice President. The Vice President shall advise the President and perform such duties as required of him by the President. The Vice President shall coordinate recruiting for the Society. 10. Secretary and Treasurer. a. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the membership of the Society and shall make a monthly report to the Log Editor listing new members, reinstatements, changes of address, resignations, deceased members and members dropped for cause for publication in the next issue of the Log. b. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of and be
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