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Cornell Class of 91
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Class of 1991 Constitution

  • Article I: Name
    This organization shall be known as the Cornell University Class of 1991 (the "Class").
  • Article II: Purpose
    The purpose of this Class shall be to promote the interests of Cornell and its own identity through the exchange of information and the performance of mutually beneficial activities.
  • Article III: Membership
    Any person listed on the official records of Cornell University as having entered with, transferred into, or graduated with (including graduate and professional degree holders) the Class of 1991 is automatically a member. All others may affiliate with and become members of the Class by contacting the Class Secretary or Office of Alumni Affairs. All members of the Class who pay the annual Class Dues are considered members in good standing for the relevant fiscal year.
  • Article IV: Class Organization and Governance
    • Section 1. The Class shall be governed by executive officers that shall include, but not be limited to: President, Vice-president, Cornell Fund Representative, Secretary, Treasurer, Class council, Reunion chair, Class correspondent, and Webmaster (collectively "Class Officers").
    • Section 2. The Class Officers shall meet at least once a year and shall be responsible for all policy matters affecting the Class. Meetings may be conducted face-to-face or via teleconference.
    • Section 3. To assist in its programs, the Class Officers may appoint additional Class members on the basis of their interest and special abilities.
    • Section 4. The Class may establish regional organizations to coordinate Class activities with the regional offices of the University.
    • Section 5. Class Officers shall be installed at the designated quinquennial Class meeting for a term of five consecutive years. Six to nine months prior to that Class meeting, the President and Vice President shall appoint a nominating committee of at least three members to develop a slate of nominees for each class officer position. Nominees shall be approved by the current executive officers and nominating committee prior to the Class meeting. Guidelines established by the Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO) should be followed for class officer nominations.
  • Article V: Voting and Meetings
    • Section 1. All members of the Class have the right to vote at Class meetings that they attend.
    • Section 2. In case of absence, only members in good standing shall have the right to vote by proxy.
    • Section 3. The President must call a Class meeting at least once every five years that shall coincide with the University-sponsored Class Reunion in Ithaca.
    • Section 4. A 3/4 majority vote by the Class Officers may suspend any executive officer for cause and may appoint a replacement until the subsequent installation of new class officers. Any vacancy due to resignation or other valid reason may be filled in a like manner.
  • Article VI: Duties of Class Officers
    • Section 1. The duties and responsibilities of the Class Officers shall be followed according to the detailed descriptions provided by CACO, which are summarized below.
    • Section 2. All positions may be filled by more than one individual, based on the interests and abilities of prospective candidates and needs of the Class, as determined by the nominating committee.
  • President: The class president provides leadership, initiates class activities and programs, oversees the reunion chair with reunion plans, and develops strategies for strengthening the class. The president meets regularly with all class officers and is responsible for ensuring that all officers are fulfilling the duties of their office. The president is responsible for coordinating this communication and may use letters, phone calls, e-mail, or regularly scheduled officer updates for this purpose.

    The class president monitors class status by reviewing criteria on membership, subscribers, reunion and other activity attendance, and class fundraising. The president communicates regularly with a mentor from the CACO Board of Directors regarding the status of the class, and is responsible for seeking help if the class is experiencing problems. It is also vital for presidents to communicate the success of class programs and strategies, so that other classes can benefit from this knowledge.
  • Vice President: The vice president assists the president in planning and implementing class programs and activities. In the absence of the class president, the vice president must assume all responsibilities of the president's office, and may be required to run class meetings, write class letters, and facilitate communication among the entire class leadership.
  • Secretary: The class secretary plays an important role in facilitating communication among class officers and maintaining a formal structure for class organizations. The secretary takes minutes of class meetings and distributes these minutes to all class officers and Alumni Affairs. The secretary maintains the class constitution and bylaws. The secretary may also write all class sympathy, congratulatory, and thank you notes.
  • Cornell Fund Representative: With the partnership of the Cornell Fund staff, the role of the Cornell Fund Representative is to provide leadership in encouraging classmates to be involved in fundraising, to encourage classmates to provide annual support for Cornell and to support class fundraising objectives - including increased participation of classmates in reunion campaigns and the identification of future leaders and contributors. The Cornell Fund Representative should maintain communication with the other class officers about class fundraising efforts.
  • Class Correspondent: Each class has at least one correspondent who writes the class column in Cornell Magazine. When classmates send their dues to Alumni House, they include news about their jobs, hobbies, friends, activities, etc. These news forms are forwarded to Cornell Magazine and then mailed to the class correspondent who will be writing the class column in the next issue. Reunion planners and other class officers often supply advance information on class events for publication in the class column. Class correspondents must be very committed to spending time reading news of classmates and then writing about it in a lively, entertaining, and friendly tone. They must meet hard-and-fast deadlines six times each year. Correspondents should enjoy the challenge of making interesting reading from often overwhelmingly similar news items-weddings, babies, and new jobs in the more recent classes; grandchildren, travel, and retirement plans in the earlier classes.
  • Treasurer: The treasurer's job can be summarized into four general categories: work with class officers to establish an annual budget; monitor class funds and expenditures; keep class officers and members informed about class finances; assess the financial affordability and feasibility of proposed class programs and initiatives. Each class should establish its own policy about officer expenses based on recommendations from the treasurer. It is the treasurer's responsibility to review the class account statement for accuracy. The treasurer should review expenses that were submitted to Alumni Affairs for processing to the items that appear on the account statements.

    The class is considered to be in "Reunion mode" beginning July 1 in the year prior to their Reunion until December 1 following their Reunion. Account statements will be mailed to a class in a "Reunion mode" beginning in July in preparation for Reunion planning. Generally one or both of the reunion chairs serve as the reunion treasurer, meaning they budget and monitor the Reunion account for Reunion-related transactions. Reunion chairs are responsible for overseeing any transactions in the Reunion account. Class presidents and treasurers will also receive a copy of the monthly Reunion account statement. The class account may come into play if the Reunion committee requests some start up monies until fees are collected later that year. In addition, many classes now use the class treasury to cover the Reunion mailing expenses since these publications are sent to the entire class.
  • Reunion Chair: The Reunion Chair is responsible for planning and executing the class reunion in Ithaca every five years. This event is a major activity that requires the support of all class officers and other class volunteers. The officer should enjoy event planning and be able to design an overall plan of action and adhere to deadlines. They must make a commitment to work closely with the Reunion & Alumni Programs staff on a day-to-day basis the year prior to their reunion. Reunion Chairs can strengthen their class by helping their fellow class officers with their on-going efforts - finding lost classmates and updating addresses; feeding information to the webmaster for the class webpage and the class correspondent for the Cornell Magazine class column; hosting class events; and affinity networking. Reunion chairs should attend CACO's Mid-Winter Meeting 18 months prior to reunion so that they can participate in a two-part reunion planning workshop. Following this, reunion chairs should work on getting their committee members in place so that they are fully prepared before they begin their "reunion mode." Chairs and committee members should attend their "sister" class' reunion in June.

    The class is in a reunion mode beginning July 1 in the year prior to their reunion, until December 1 following their reunion. It is imperative that reunion chairs attend Reunion Kickoff Weekend in Ithaca in September prior to the Class Reunion, consisting of workshops, class meetings, building tours and caterer meetings. From this point forward, reunion chairs will be actively planning their class reunion. CACO Mid-Winter Meeting in January of reunion year is another critical time for reunion chairs and their committee members to gather with staff for a two-day workshop. Planning a class reunion is a time consuming but very rewarding experience.
  • Class Historian: The class historian collects and stores a written, pictorial, and videotaped record of class events, officer succession, mailings, reunions, etc. This person will work closely with the class council to communicate the importance of the archive and ensure that records, photos and other memorabilia of all class events (both on and off campus) are preserved. The historian will work with reunion chairs for appropriate display of class history at reunions.
  • Webmaster: The webmaster creates, monitors and manages online initiatives, including but not limited to the creation, enhancement and maintenance of the class website. This person works very closely with other communication efforts by the class - namely with the president, reunion chair(s) and class correspondent(s).
  • Class Council: The class council coordinates regional class activities and maintains class interest and strength during non-reunion years. Because classmates are scattered throughout the country and world, class activities organized regionally are very popular. Regional events encourage participation in class activities and may be used for leadership development.
  • Article VII: Finances & Expenditures
    • Section 1. The fiscal year for the Class shall commence on July 1 and end on the succeeding June 30. The fiscal year dictates the inaugural and terminal dates of any five-year Class Officer position.
    • Section 2. The amount of Class dues shall be determined by the Class Officers based on advice from the Office of Alumni Affairs.
    • Section 3. All expenditures, whether paid directly or reimbursed, require either prior notification of the Treasurer or prior approval from the Treasurer or Class Officers, as follows:
      • Expenses up to $150 require prior notification of Treasurer by email or telephone ["prior" meaning the time before expense is irrevocably committed or incurred].
      • Expenses over $150 require either (i) prior Treasurer approval, with President notification, or (ii) 2/3 affirmative vote from Class Officers attending a planned officer meeting, with Treasurer notification, if Treasurer is not present at the same officer meeting.
      • Reunion expenses are not subject to the requirements of this Section; however, the entire proposed reunion budget must be approved by 2/3 majority of Class Officers attending a planned officer meeting prior to incurring expense or irrevocable commitment thereof.
  • Article VIII: Amendment
    This Constitution may be amended at any general meeting of the Class by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members present and voting, or by acceptance of a 2/3 majority of the Class Officers at any regular meeting upon prior notice of at least 30 days to Class members.
  • Article IX: Enactment
    This Constitution was approved by acclamation and without dissent by all Executive Officers of the Class of 1991 on 18 February 2004. Coincident with this action, any existing constitution governing this Class of 1991 shall be abrogated.