Constitution of the Rascals, Rogues, and Rapscallions
CONSTITUTION OF THE RASCALS, ROGUES, AND RAPSCALLIONS
Article I
NAME
The name of this society is the Rascals, Rogues, and Rapscallions (RR&R).
Article II
OBJECT
The Rascals, Rogues, and Rapscallions is a fraternal society dedicated to exploration and discovery. This society of intellectually curious men seeks to challenge its members to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary, the heroic in the mundane, and the historic in the forgotten.
It improves the life and well-being of its members by adhering to the following principles: the world is more interesting than most people imagine, self-discover is a product of other-discovery, the fun begins where the road ends, and real life can be stranger than fiction.
Article III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. .Members shall be males of at least 21 years of age.
Section 2. Members are chosen in regard only to their character and their desire to participate in the above stated objectives of the society. There may be no discrimination based on any characteristic other than stated in section I.
Section 3. Candidates for membership must demonstrate service and participation in the society and firmly hold to the above stated objectives to be considered for membership. Such a candidate shall be proposed at any regular meeting by two members of the lair. Election to membership shall be by a unanimous vote of the members present and voting at the meeting.
Section 4. Regular members of the lair shall consist of those members who demonstrate continued commitment to the objectives and well-being of the society, including but not limited to prompt payment of dues, adequate attendance at meetings and service to the RR&R.
Section 5. Associate members of the lair shall consist of former regular members who can no longer actively participate in the life of their lair. Regular members may transfer to associate membership by informing the Board of Governors in writing. Associate members are not permitted to vote in any context.
Section 6. All members will belong to a lair and may not be members of more than one lair. All RR&R members are encouraged to attend meetings of other lairs.
Section 7. A member who fails to fulfill his duty as a Rascal or causes injury to a fellow Rascal, lair, or the RR&R may be removed from membership by approval of two-thirds of the regular membership of his lair. Having been so removed, he may not become a member of another lair. He may appeal his removal to the Ephorate.
Article IV
EPHORATE
Section 1. There shall be an Ephorate to adjudicate disputes between members, officers, governors, and lairs so as to preserve the traditions and advance the cause and ideals of the RR&R.
Section 2. The Ephorate shall be composed of not less than three members who shall serve a maximum of twelve years. It shall be composed of members who demonstrate a sustained and zealous commitment to the ideals and well-being of the RR&R.
Section 3. The Ephorate shall be bound by the Constitution and will establish their own rules of order including the induction and expulsion of members of the Ephorate.
Section 4. All members of the Ephorate shall be in the Order of the Rapscallion (Article IX).
Section 5. The Ephorate shall establish and maintain charters of the lairs. It may withdraw the charter of a lair if that lair substantially deviates from the traditions and ideals of the RR&R.
Section 6. The Ephorate shall receive no funds from the central administration or lairs.
Section 7. Members of the Ephorate may also serve the RR&R as officers or governors within the central administration or lair.
Section 8. The Ephorate shall make an annual report of its activities in the past year to the lairs.
Article V
CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. There shall be a central administration which shall minimally consist of a Secretary General and which will provide communication and coordinate activities amongst the several lairs of the RR&R.
Section 2. The Secretary General shall control central finances and will maintain the central archives of the R R&R. He shall receive and record all legislation and resolutions from the lairs. He shall receive and record all disputes between members, officers, governors, and lairs and forward them to the Ephorate for adjudication.
Section 3. The Secretary General shall petition the lairs and the Ephorate for sufficient funds to fulfill the mission of the central administration.
Section 4. The Secretary General may create additional central offices or committees as the need arises. These additional officers and committeemen will be appointed by the Secretary General.
Section 5. The Secretary General shall be elected by a simple majority of votes cast by the regular members of the lairs and will serve a term of two years. The lairs will vote at their last regular meeting of the calendar year. Terms will begin on the fist day of January of the next year.
Section 6. A recall election for the Secretary General will be held if twenty-five percent of the regular membership or two-thirds of a single lair petition the Ephorate for his removal. This election must occur within one month of the receipt of the petition. Approval by two-thirds of all regular members of the lairs is required for his removal. The Ephorate shall supervise the election.
Article VI
LAIRS
Section 1. The basic unit of the RR&R is the lair. A minimum of six men may charter a lair by petitioning the Ephorate. They must adopt the constitution and symbols of the RR&R. No group may use the name or symbol of the RR&R without a charter.
Section 2. A lair shall consist of no more than twenty-four regular members. Should a lair reach this size, or if two thirds of the regular members believe the lair is too large to fulfill its function, it shall split into two lairs within six months. The Director and Assistant Director (Article VII) will each become the director of one of the new lairs. The remainder of the regular and associate members will be randomly assigned to one of the new lairs by a mechanism which ensure equal distribution of members by rank. Both lairs will hold elections to fill the remainder of offices. A lair may appeal to the Ephorate to maintain more than twenty-four regular members.
Section 3. Each lair shall have a regular meeting at least four times a year.
Section 4. No business extraneous to the RR&R may be conducted at any meeting.
Section 5. The membership may call an emergency meeting if twenty-five percent of the membership of that lair petition the Board of Governors (Article VIII). The meeting will occur within two weeks of the receipt of the petition.
Section 6. Full jurisdiction, control, and supervision over the business of the lair shall be exercised by the regular members of the lair at any meeting. The lair may establish offices, reassign responsibilities of officers, and constitute ad hoc committees as it deems necessary. Decisions will be made by simple majority of votes cast by the regular members.
Article VII
LAIR ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. There shall be a Director who presides at all business and social meetings of the lair. He shall serve a term of one year.
Section 2. There shall be an Assistant Director who arranges and coordinates all business and social activities of the lair. He shall preside at meetings when the Director is not available. He shall serve a term of one year and become the Director the following year.
Section 3. There shall be a Secretary who corresponds and communicates with the membership, other lairs, the central administration, the Ephorate, and the community. He shall keep the minutes of any meetings and keep the records of the lair. He shall serve a term of one year.
Section 4. There shall be an Archivist/Historian who maintains the archives and history of the lair. He shall serve a term of one year.
Section 5. There shall be a Treasurer who collects dues, pays bills, and keeps the accounts of the lair. He shall serve a term of one year.
Section 6. Officers must be regular members of the lair and, with the exception of the Director, will be elected by a simple majority of votes cast by the members at the last regular meeting of the calendar year. Terms will begin on the first day of January of the next year.
Section 7. Any officer may be removed from office by the approval of two-thirds of the regular members of the lair.
Section 8. Any vacancy within the offices shall be filled by the Board of Governors for the duration of the term.
Article VIII
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Section 1. The Board of Governors shall consist of the Director, Assistant Director and two At-Large members.
Section 2. The At-Large governors must be regular members who are elected or removed from the Board of Governors in the same manner as the officers (Article VII, sections 6, 7, and 8). They will serve a term of two years, with one elected each calendar year.
Section 3. The Board of Governors may exercise full jurisdiction, control, and supervision over the business of the lair in case of urgent need.
Section 4. The Board of Governors may call an emergency meeting of the lair.
Section 5. The Board of Governors may constitute ad hoc and standing committees as it sees fit.
Article IX
RANKS & ORDERS
Section 1. Members will join at the rank of Rascal.
Section 2. Each lair will specify accomplishments which allow the promotion of a Rascal to the rank of Rogue.
Section 3. Rogues are admitted to the Order of the Rapscallion by the existing members of the Order. The Order will be common to all the lairs.
Article X
AMENDMENTS AND BYLAWS
Section 1. Amendments to this constitution can be made if ten percent of the regular membership petition the Secretary General with a proposed amendment. This will be circulated amongst the membership within two weeks. Approval by two thirds of the regular members in two thirds of the lairs is required to adopt the amendment.
Section 2. Each lair may adopt its own set of bylaws in as much as they do not contradict the letter or spirit of this constitution. Prospective bylaws will be submitted in writing to the director of the lair not less than one month before the next meeting. The prospective bylaw will be circulated throughout the membership of the lair within two weeks. Bylaws are adopted by a majority vote cast by the regular members of the lair.
Signed:
Dan Morrison
John McGeoy
Dennis Looney
Karl Williams
Lee Wolfson
Jeff Campbell
Don Kellander
Robert Edmunds
Jeffrey Sivek
Brian Holly
[Note: This constitution was adopted by the RR&R membership on December 1, 1995 and came into force January 1, 1996. It was superceded by the constitution adopted by the RR&R membership on June 8, 2019.]
