Venture Crew 130 Bylaws

I. Preamble

    A. Venturing Oath

        As a Venturer, I promise to help strengthen America, to be faithful in my religious duties, to help others, and to seek truth, fairness, and
        adventure in our world.

    B. Venturing Code

        As a Venturer, I believe that America's strength lies in our trust in God and in the courage, strength, and traditions of our people.
        I will, therefore, be faithful in my religious duties and will maintain a personal sense of honor in my own life.
        I will treasure my American heritage and will do all I can to preserve and enrich it.
        I will recognize the dignity and worth of all humanity and will use fair play and goodwill in my daily life.
        I will acquire the Venturing attitude that seeks the truth in all things and adventure on the frontiers of our changing world.

II. Crew Bylaws

    A. Objectives

        1. To always put fun as the main objective in everything we do.
        2. To experience and participate in High Adventure activities.
        3. To always share opinions, ideas, and thoughts to help influence the outcome of a crew decision.
        4. To have a crew activity at least once every two months.
        5. To hold a full crew meeting at least once per month.
        6. To have at least one High Adventure activity per year.

    B. Charter

        Venture Crew 130 will hold its charter to the Union Congregational Church, Maynard, Massachusetts. We will abide by any rules or requests
        that our charter organization makes of us. The charter organization representative will handle communication between the charter
        organization and Venture Crew 130.

    C. Membership

        Membership will be open to all young adults of high school age who are at least 14 years of age and have completed the eighth grade. No
        prospective member will be disqualified because of race, color, creed, or sex. All members must be registered as Venturers and agree to
        the crew oath, code, and bylaws.

        1. Attendance and Expectations

            All members are expected to attend the monthly crew meeting. If a member will be unable to attend the crew meeting for any
            reason, it is the member's responsibility to inform the crew President in advance of the meeting. All members absent from a
            crew meeting will be required to provide an excuse for their absence. Acceptable excuses include sickness, prior family
            engagement, family emergency, and religious services. Unacceptable excuses include homework, baby-sitting, and social
            events (parties, concerts, etc.) Members unable to provide an acceptable excuse will be placed in inactive status. These rules
            and expectations also apply for officers’ meetings and fundraisers. It is the duty of the Secretary to take attendance at all crew
            activities.

        2. Inactive Members

            Members who are classified as “inactive” will be returned to active status provided that they (1) are up to date in payment of
            dues; AND (2) attend or have an excused absence for the current month's crew meeting. Inactive members are not permitted to
            participate in any crew activities, except crew meetings and fundraisers. It is the duty of the Secretary to maintain the list of
            inactive members.
            Officers who are inactive may be removed from office by a two thirds majority of active members present at a crew meeting.

    D. Officers

        The elected officers are: President, Vice President - Administration, Vice President - Program, Secretary, and Treasurer.
        The President, with the approval of the senior crew Advisor, will appoint activity chairs and make other assignments as needed. The duties
        of the officers will be as stated in the Venturing Leader Manual.
        The normal term of office will be for one year starting with election at the September crew meeting. Elections will be held at the September
        crew meeting. All contested ballots will be secret.

    E. Meetings

        1. Crew Meetings

            Crew meetings will be held at least once per month. The day and time of the meetings will be determined at the previous
            month's crew or officers’ meeting or by the crew President and/or senior Advisor.

        2. Crew Business

            Voting on all issues will be by simple majority of active members present, with the exception of changes or amendments to the
            bylaws, which require a two thirds majority of active members present. At crew meetings, a quorum of two thirds of the active
            membership is required for a vote.

        3. Officers’ Meetings

            Officers' meetings will be held at least once a month, prior to the crew meeting of that month. Officers’ meetings will be
            scheduled at the previous officers’ meeting or by the crew President and/or senior Advisor. At officers’ meetings, a quorum of
            three of the five elected officers is required for a vote.

    F. Finance

        1. Dues

            Dues for youth will be $10 per quarter, paid at the December, March, June, and September crew meetings. A payment plan has been installed so that for the first and second months of the quarter $3 is paid and in the third month the remaining $4 is paid.
             The Treasurer is responsible for the collection and accounting of dues. Any member not up to date in payment of dues will be placed in inactive status. Dues may be paid at any time to the Treasurer, provided that the funds are suitably presented in an envelope clearly labeled with the crewmember's name.
   
        2. Fundraisers

            All fundraisers must be approved by majority vote at the crew meeting, must be approved by the Advisor(s), and must meet
            BSA requirements. Participation in fundraisers is expected of all crew members.

    G. Code of Conduct

        1. Dress Code

            Class A uniform will be worn (1) during travel to and from crew activities and (2) at crew and officers’ meetings.
            For events, including fundraisers, where we are representing Crew 130 to the public, Class A uniform will be worn with khaki or
            gray shorts or pants.  If the weather calls for the wearing of a long sleeved shirt beneath the green Class A shirt, the shirt must be white or gray in color.  Those wearing a tan Class A shirt will wear green shorts or pants.
            Class A uniform is defined as the green Venturing shirt with all correct insignia; OR the tan Boy Scouting shirt with all correct
            insignia, including the Venture patrol insignia.
            Class B uniform is defined as any Scouting related shirt, preferably the Crew 130 T-shirt.

        2. Guidelines for Coed Behavior

            All crew members, youth and adult, will be cognizant of the fact that both sexes are present for all functions. As such, the
            following will be expected:

                Use common sense.
                Be respectful and considerate of each other.
                Tents in use by members of one gender are off limits to members of the other gender at all times. Rooms, cabins,
                lean-tos, etc. in use by members of one gender may be entered by members of the other gender only with permission.
                Every effort will be made to accommodate separate toilet facilities for each gender, as determined appropriate at the time.
                Public display of affection (PDA), including but not limited to kissing, hand holding, or excessive touching, is prohibited at all crew activities.
                Two persons of opposite genders should always be supervised and/or accompanied by one or more other persons.

 This document was drafted on December 29, 1999, and is based on the Suggested Crew Code and Bylaws and on the Code and Bylaws of Venture Crew 464,
Woodland Hills, California.