PREAMBLE
As graduates and students from St. Peter Claver’s High School, Buchanan, Liberia, we agree to come together to form this Association so that we may be of benefit to our Alma Mater, and to the society of which we are part.

NAME
The Association shall be known as The Association of St. Peter Claver’s Alumni and Former Students (ASPCAFS).

The Name of the Association was changed at the Detroit Convention to St. Peter Claver’s High School Alumni Association – Americas, Inc.

MISSION STATEMENT
St. Peter Claver’s High School Alumni Association – America, Inc. is a non-profit, non-religious organization that seeks to bring together graduates and former students to promote St. Peter Claver’s High School and extend networking opportunities for students, alumni, and Friends.

GOALS

1. To assist St. Peter Claver’s School in Liberia
2. To seek each person’s welfare
3. To assist Liberia in any way possible
4. To continue fostering good working relations among members of the Association in Liberia and abroad.
5. To be a check and balance for educational institutions in Liberia, relevant to this Association.
6. To improve the foundation for education in Liberia

OBJECTIVES

1. Assisting St. Peter Claver’s High School graduates and former students to create a standard of academic excellence and to use our intellect for mutual interaction;
2. Promoting and fostering cordial relations between the association and other organizations;
3. Providing academic merit scholarships and other forms of fellowships to students of St. Peter Claver’s High School.
4. Organizing social and other fellowship activities annually.
5. Organizing the annual convention- where the state of Association and other business activities take place.
6. Helping each other during emergency times;
7. Teaching and learning from each other.

These Objectives will be accomplished through, although not limited to, the following initiatives: Agriculture, Economic Empowerment; Health; Immigration and Citizenship Issues, Cultural Exchange, Teaching, Social Issues, and Sports and Physical Fitness.

MEMBERSHIP
Members shall be graduates of the school in the Junior High division, up to 1976, and the high school division of the school, as well as former students who express interest and agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association.  The category of membership shall be:

1. General Membership
2. Honorary Membership
3. Faculty/ Staff Membership

Membership Dues
General Membership: Shall include graduates and former students, who shall be required to pay an annual or monthly membership due of $120.00 or $10.00, respectively.

Honorary Membership:  Shall include the following categories:

Gold, Platinum and Diamond Memberships. These membership categories shall be based on donations to the organization.

Faculty and Staff Membership: Shall be open to all current and former Staff and faculty of St. Peter Claver’s High School.

The payment of dues shall be accepted through August 31 of each fiscal year, which begins September 1 and runs until August 31 of the following year.

OFFICERS
There shall be officers elected and appointed in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

The Elected Positions are:

1. President
2. Vice-President
3. General Secretary
4. Financial Secretary
5. Treasurer
6. Chaplain

The Appointed Positions are Standing Committees Chairs:

1. Ways and Means
2. Recreation and Sports
3. Education and Scholarship
4. Publicity
5. Business Marketing and Budget

Secretariat shall include the following: Assistant General Secretary, Recording Secretary, Publicity, Archives and History.

FUNCTIONS OF OFFICERS
The Executive Committee shall include the Elected Officers and Chairs of Standing Committees.

Duties of Officers

The President:

• Presides over the General Assembly and National Convention;
• Presides over all meetings unless he/ she designate someone.
• Is member Ex-officio on all committees.
• Runs the day –to-day functions of the Association; serves as Chief Executive in this responsibility.
• Is it a signatory to all of the Association’s accounts?
• Exercises the authority to appoint committees, their chairs, as well as Ad-hoc committees.
• He/ She is the official spokesperson for the Association.  
• He / She (or a designee) can represent the Association in official matters, such as legal proceedings, negotiations, etc.
• May authorize the Vice-President to act on behalf of the Association where the President is incapacitated.

The Vice-President:

• Assists the President in all functions.
• May act as President in situation where the President is indisposed, incapacitated, insane, crazy, or dead.
• In such extreme cases, the Veep will convene the Executive Committee into an emergency session to elect a successor from the list of members.

General Secretary:

•  Coordinates the records of the Association by recording through print, digital, or oral communications of the Association.
• Secretary of the Executive Committee.
• Prepares and reads minutes of all proceedings of the Association.
• Is designated as official spokesperson of Association.

Financial Secretary:

• Responsible for keeping financial records of the Association.
• Handle and disburses petty cash for the Association.
• Maintains records of petty cash, and other income to the Association.

Treasurer / Bursar:

• Keep the monies of the Association in bank.
• Is signatory to the Association’s account.
• Coordinates and maintains a voucher system for any financial transaction.
• Works in conjunction with the Financial Secretary.

Standing Committees Functions

Way and Means Committee:

• Shall recommend, offer research and fact – findings, how the Association should implement its programs.
• Shall develop fund raising programs and ideas to sustain the smooth operations of the Association.

Recreation and Sports Committee:

• This committee shall encourage and initiate sporting activities and other activities to keep the Association healthy.
• Assist in locating sporting materials, facilities; equipment for the school’s sporting programs.

Education and Scholarship:

• Shall recommend who can be eligible for ASPCAFS scholarship.
• Recommend, for implementation by the Association, educational programs, scholarship programs, and other forms of educational initiatives.

Publicity Committee:

• Promote programs of the Association.
• Journalistic Arm of the Association.
• Member of the Association’s Secretariat.

Business Marketing and Budget Committee:

• Shall promote Association to various financial institutions.
• Shall prepare all budget allocations
• Shall be the only designated committee to sell products of the Association including, but not limited to: T-Shirts, Shirts, Caps, Swear Suits, Badges, ID Cards, etc.

General Assembly / Convention

Duties:

• There shall be General Assembly / National Convention at which major decisions of the Association are taken.
• It shall be the highest decision-making body of the Association.
• The Executive Committee, headed by the President, is responsible to plan and hold the National Convention.
• The Constitution of the Association can be amended at the National Convention by a 2/3 majority of eligible voters, provided that said amendment proposal had been presented to the Secretariat at least ninety days before the date of the National Convention.
• Annual Convention of the Association shall be held on the weekend of the 9th of September when the school was founded.
• Venue of all other convention shall be decided at the annual convention.

The Executive Committee

• The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a year except in the case of emergency.
• It shall formally plan the Annual National Convention. Their meetings shall be held at least three months apart, but not less than ninety days before the National Convention.

Elections

All elected positions shall be held for two years and a term limit of two consecutive terms. The President, with the advice of the Executive Committee, shall appoint an Ad-hoc Election Commission for the sole purpose of conducting an election.

Qualifications:

• All General members of the Association in good financial standing and authenticated by a current membership ID card shall be eligible to vote.
• Members who meet all requirements as indicated by the Ad-hoc Election Commission shall contest for any elected positions.
• Ad-hoc Election Commission reserves (reverse) the right to disqualify any candidate(s) it deems incompetent to seek any elected position(s).

Amendment to the Constitution
This constitution shall be amended by a 2/3 majority of eligible voters at the National Convention, provided that amendment proposals had been submitted and received by the Secretariat at least ninety days before the date of the convention.

Procedure for Amending the Constitution

• When an issue for amendment becomes necessary, the proponent shall formally inform the Executive, through the Secretariat, the portion of the constitution to be amended.
• The Proponent(s) shall submit his/her proposal in writing
• The proponent(s) shall indicate that he / she wants the proposal to be discussed at the pending or ensuring convention at least ninety days before the actual date of the convention.
• The proponent(s) shall provide rationale or reasoning as to why he/ she is proposing said amendment. 
• The proponent shall present his / her proposal in the form of an argument worthy of debate on the convention floor.
• Once received by the Secretariat, the Secretariat shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee, submit the proposal to all members of the Association.
• The Proposal shall then form a part of the agenda for the convention. At the convention the presiding chairman or president shall introduce the proponent and the proposal, and leave it for debate.
• Following the debate, a vote shall be taken to determine the approval or rejection of the proposal. If the proposal is approved by a 2/3 majority, it shall form part of the records and the amendment noted.
• If rejected, the proponent is given the opportunity at the next convention, provided he / she follows the procedure outlined in the document. A second rejection by the National Convention automatically kills the proposal. The proponent is commended, and the issue is buried.

Ad-Hoc Committees

1. Constitution
2. Elections
3. Convention
4. Audit
5. Miscellaneous

Approval / Acceptance of the Constitution Proposal

• Once additions and corrections to this proposal are considered, this document shall be voted upon and approved by a majority of the National Convention, before this can become the Association’s Official Constitution.

Recommended Board of Advisors

• The Principal / Vice Principal, St. Peter Claver’s High School (2)
• Catholic Archdiocese Representative (2) 
• St. Peter Claver’s Student Representative (2)
• Community Leaders (4)
• Bassa County Leadership (1)
• USA, etc. Exiled community (3)
• Executive Committee: President, General Secretary and Financial Secretary (3).

Done in the City of Austell, Georgia,
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Submitted by

Constitution Committee

1. Pianapue T.K. Early    Chairman
2. D. Goffa Wreh Kieh, II         Secretary
3. Amin Dean                    Member