Venturing Crew 101 Bylaws

Preamble

Venturing Oath: As a Venturer, I promise to be faithful in my religious duties, to help strengthen America, to help others, and to seek truth, fairness, and adventure in our world.
Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
Venturing Code: As a Venturer, I believe that America's strength lies in our trust of 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 acquire the Venturing attitude that seeks the truth in all things and adventure on the frontier of our changing world.
Venturing crew 101 Vision Statement:
• I will live by the Venturing Oath, Code and Scout Law both in and out of Venturing.
• I will grow to know and trust my fellow crewmembers and work to be worthy of their trust.
• I will work as member of the team, doing my part that we might become one in purpose and achieve great things individually and collectively.
• I will achieve my full potential, confront my fears and develop my expertise in our crew area of interest.
• I will be a man / woman of honor by keeping my word and fulfilling my responsibilities to the crew, to our charter organization, to BSA, to our community, to our nation and most of all to God.

Affiliation and Focus

Name. The official name of this organization shall be Venturing Crew 101 (hereafter referred to as “crew”). Our crew nickname shall be “The Rescue Crew.”
Affiliation. This crew is affiliated with and chartered to Fox Kits, Inc., by the Shiloh District, West Tennessee Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.
Area of Interest. This crew shall be classified as High Adventure Outdoor with a special emphasis on Search and Rescue and Wilderness Survival.

Membership

All members must register with the BSA and agree to follow BSA policies, crew rules and these bylaws. It is expressly understood that the crew is not required to accept any youth or adult as a member, or having accepted them, to retain them as a member if, in the opinion of the Crew Advisor and Committee, their membership is not in the best interest of the crew.
Youth members. This crew will adopt the current youth membership policy of the B.S.A. for Venturing. There will be no discriminatory practices for membership, however, any youth member may be limited in the level of participation for some activities based on age or physical ability to safely participate when such restrictions are placed by outside agencies, the crew Committee or by a youth’s parents. When such limitations exist they will be applied fairly to all members who do not meet the criteria for participation.
Adult members / leaders will be recruited from the parents of youth members, the charter organization and from respectable and knowledgeable members of the community by the crew committee. All adults will meet the requirements of the BSA to serve as youth leaders before they are allowed to serve and will be approved by the crew committee, the chartered organization and the BSA.
Inactive members are those who fail to attend at least 50% of the scheduled meetings and activities over the previous year or have not paid their dues.
Partially active members are those who have failed to attend at least 75% of the meetings and activities over the previous year but are fully paid on their dues.
Active members are those who have attend more than 75% of the meetings and activities and are fully paid on dues.

Conducting Crew Business

Rules of Order that apply to decision making of the crew (inactive members may not vote):
• A motion may be made at any general crew meeting by any crewmember. The motion must be seconded or it is lost.
• A quorum of youth must be present to make a crew decision. A quorum consists of one more than the majority of the active youth membership. If a quorum is not present the issue must be held until the next meeting at which a quorum is present.
• An open discussion will be held where all in attendance get the opportunity to voice their opinion.
• A motion must then be made and seconded to close discussions and conduct a vote. The Crew President will preside and insure that everyone has actually had the opportunity to speak before discussions are closed.
• An issue requires a majority of the quorum for approval.
Bylaw Amendment Procedures (inactive members may not vote)
• A motion to amend the bylaws may be brought to the floor of any general crew meeting by any crewmember. The motion must be seconded or it is lost.
• The President must repeat an amendment motion that is seconded in full, schedule a date for discussion, and have the Secretary post the proposed amendment and discussion date in the crew newsletter.
• On the scheduled date the President will open the motion for discussion. The person who made the motion is usually given the opportunity to open and close the discussion. A bylaw amendment quorum must be present. A bylaw amendment quorum consists of one more than the majority of active and partially active youth membership.
• An open discussion will be held where all who attend get the opportunity to voice their opinion. Any who are not able to attend may have another member read their written comments.
• A motion must then be made and seconded to close discussions and conduct a vote. The Crew President will preside and insure that everyone has actually had the opportunity to speak before discussions are closed.
• All active and partially active youth crewmembers must vote for or against the measure or abstain. Youth who are not present may vote prior to the night of discussion by sealed written ballot that they may give to any crew officer in advance. Voting will be by secret ballot and determined by a 2/3 majority. If the amendment passes it is sent to the crew committee for final approval. Any disapproved amendments will be returned to the crew president by the committee with a written explanation as to why it was not approved.

Youth Officers

To ensure that all crew members have an opportunity to serve in a leadership position, the following crew officers will be elected for a term of 6 months:
• President
• Vice President (Administration)
• Vice President (Program)
• Secretary
• Treasurer
The duties of these officers are outlined in the Venturing Handbook and Venturing Leader Manual. Additionally, the Crew President, with the counsel of the Vice Presidents and approval of the Crew Advisor, may appoint a Quartermaster, Activity Chairpersons and other posts as needed.
Attendance. Officers are required to be in attendance at all meetings (both general crew and officer’s meetings.) If unable to attend, they must contact the Advisor before the meeting. Two (2) unexcused or a total of three (3) absences shall be grounds for review and/or removal from office. An excused absence is defined as contacting the Advisor at least one hour before the meeting with a valid excuse. In the event of other ongoing activities that interfere with Venturing leadership obligations members should think of the welfare of the group before their own desires and run for office when there are no outside activities competing for their time.
Chain of Command. Each officer has an obligation to their duties. In the event of their absence or inability to perform assigned duties, the next officer in succession will assume that officer’s position. In so far as the senior officer is able, they will inform the next in line of the responsibilities for that activity.

Election Procedures

Eligibility. A nominee shall be an active member of the crew for six (6) months prior to the election. This requirement may be waived when there are not adequate numbers of candidates available for the required positions. In such a case all youth members with less than six months activity or tenure will be eligible for nomination to the following posts in order: Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President (Program), Vice President (Administration) and lastly President. In any case, members with activity and tenure will be considered for the higher positions first. The nominee must be under 21 years of age at the time of the election and will only be allowed to serve in a youth position until their 21st birthday. All nominees must also meet the term limitations requirements listed below.
Nominations. Nominations will be open to the eligible youth membership present at the meeting one month prior to the Election meeting. Potential candidates who are at the meeting may announce their desire to serve in a particular position and will be given a set and equal time block to express to the crew why they would like to serve and what they hope to accomplish for the crew. Nominations may be presented from the floor by any youth member for potential candidates whether they express an interest in advance or not. If the nomination is seconded and the candidate agrees to serve, he or she must be included on the ballot. If they have not yet been given the floor they will then be given the same opportunity as those earlier. While members can be nominated to more than one office (and therefore on the ballot), they may only be elected to one office. Candidates may remove themselves from any ballot at anytime prior to election night.
Election night. The election will be held the first meeting in January and of June. A quorum must be present to conduct a vote. Final nominations may be presented from the floor by any youth member. If the nomination is seconded and the candidate agrees to serve, he or she must be added to the ballot. Officers shall be elected in order of precedence from highest to lowest beginning with the President. If a candidate wins an office their name will automatically be removed from any subsequent ballots.
Voting will be by secret ballot and determined by a simple majority of votes from youth members (inactive members may not vote.)
Acclimation. Uncontested nominees will be elected by acclimation.
Terms and Limitations. The term of office shall be six months beginning at the election meeting and ending at the following election meeting. No member shall be elected to more than two terms in a row to the same office. There are no limits to the total number of times a member can hold an office.
Removal and Replacement of Officers. An officer can be subject to review and/or removal from office for lack of participation/attendance or for failing to fulfill responsibilities or living by the Venturing Oath and Code and the Scout Law. All four remaining officers must be present and vote to remove said officer by a ¾ majority. The Advisor must also be present at the meeting and concur with the decision based on the facts.
Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs in an office, the President appoints a replacement who is not currently in office until the next scheduled elections.

Activities & Meetings

Crew Meetings. Meetings for the general membership shall be held on every other Saturday (unless scheduled otherwise) from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Fox Kits, Inc., 4933 Purdy Road, Selmer, TN. Meetings will last three hours.
Officer’s Meetings. An officer’s meeting will be held 1 hour after to each crew meeting. Officers will discuss the next meeting’s agenda, upcoming activities, and other business. Activity chairpersons will be invited to report on their activity.
Activities. An activity is defined as any event, other than a regularly scheduled bi-weekly meeting, planned by the crew where members are invited to attend. Only members who have paid their dues in full and have turned-in their medical and other attendance forms may attend activities.
Day Activities. Day activities are defined as activities that do not require an overnight stay.
Short-Term Camping Activities. Shall last less than 3 night’s stay.
Long-Term Camping Activities. Shall last 3 night’s stay or longer.
Medical Forms. A Health History Form is required for everyone in attendance for every activity. A new form must be filled out again each year at re-charter. A Physical Form is required for everyone in attendance for long-term camping activities.
Activity Chairmen. Each super activity or other activity scheduled by the crew will be assigned an Activity Chairman by the President (inactive members may not be appointed as chairmen.) No one may be assigned to chair more than one activity at a time.

Transportation & Travel

Parents and adult leaders are the primary resource for driving to activities and outings. Youth drivers may not drive other Venturers from outside of their immediate family without written permission from the parents of both the youth driver and passenger.
Licensed drivers 18 - 21: May drive themselves to any activity or location and may drive other Venturers with written permission from both sets of parents. Registered adult leaders at the activity reserve the right to revoke this privilege when safety is a concern. Keys must be turned-over to the Advisor upon request.
Licensed drivers Under 18: May drive themselves and other Venturers to bi-weekly meetings at the normal meeting location with written permission from both sets of parents. Registered adult leaders reserve the right to revoke this privilege when safety is a concern. Keys must be turned-over to the Advisor upon request. Driving to other activities is not allowed without special coordination.

General Safety

As minimum, the crew will abide by the rules, regulations, and policies of the Boy Scouts of America. Particular attention will be paid to guidelines published in The Guide to Safe Scouting. The buddy system will be used at all times during crew activities. Individuals desiring to tent alone must do so within easy sight and sound of the crew and advisors. Gear shake-downs will be conducted prior to outings and whenever necessary to ensure the safety of the crew and its members.

Uniforms

Class “A” Uniform. The official crew uniform shall be the BSA Venturing Forest Green Shirt (tucked in) with appropriate insignia, khaki pants/shorts, hiking boots or dark shoes, and an optional khaki hat of the wearer’s choice either displaying the crew patch or no insignia. This uniform should be worn at training events, boards of review, courts of honor, traveling, Venturing activities, and District and Council events.
Class “B” Uniform. Each new member will receive a blaze orange crew t-shirt upon receipt of his/her registration paperwork and fees. To be worn (tucked in) with the khaki shorts/pants and boots on occasions where the Class “A” Uniform is not appropriate. Other class “B” shirt options that will be available for purchase include a blaze orange long-sleeve t-shirt and a blaze orange sweat shirt. All class “B” shirts will have a copy of the crew patch insignia on the left breast and “Search and Rescue” across the back in large black letters.
Non-uniform Dress Code. When participating in any Venturing activity one of the uniform options should be worn. When a uniform is not available or is not appropriate then safety, modesty and respect for ourselves and those around us must be considered in our selection of attire.
• No sagging pants are allowed and no underwear showing.
• Jewelry may have to be removed for safety reasons regardless of attire (even piercings that are covered by clothing.)
• Shorts should extend to mid thigh; long pants are preferred.
• Shirts must have sleeves and remain tucked in at all times. No low-cut collars or backless tops. Long sleeves are highly recommended while in the wilderness.
• Bathing attire must be modest as to not distract the opposite sex from the purpose of the activity and provide protection from sun burn. Males must wear trunks (a t-shirt is recommended) and females must either wear a one-piece suit or a t-shirt over their suit. No string fastened suits, thongs or french-cut bottoms.

Awards

Members of the crew have the opportunity to earn awards in several advancement programs. The awards represent skills learned and accomplishments completed. All members are expected to take part in these programs.
Boy Scout Advancement Program. As outlined in the Boy Scout Handbook; the awards available are divided into seven progress ranks and over 125 merit badges. A member must have earned the Boy Scout rank of First Class before joining the Crew in order to advance to the rank of Eagle Scout. This advancement may be worked on until a member’s 18th birthday. This program is only available to prior Boy Scouts.
Venturing Advancement. As outlined in the Venturing Manual advancement consists of three progressive ranks: Bronze, Gold, and Silver. The highest of which is the Silver Award, and may be worked on until a member’s 21st birthday. The Silver Award is the Venturing equivalent of Eagle Scout. The Ranger award is outlined in the Ranger Handbook. It consists of eight core requirements and four of eighteen elective outdoor activities. The Ranger Award represents outstanding achievement in high adventure disciplines and may be worked on until a member’s 21st birthday. Other awards are available through the Venturing Program.
Boards of Review. Boards should be conducted quarterly unless they are not needed by any youth. Members of the board must be at least 21 years old and should be members of the committee or parents of crewmembers. Relatives of youth going before the board may not sit on the board; neither may the Advisor or Associate Advisors.
Courts of Honor. Throughout the year the crew will schedule and hold Courts of Honor. The Court of Honor is an awards ceremony at which all of the crew’s major awards are presented. Parents, relatives and friends are invited and encouraged to attend.

Code of Conduct

General Behavior. Each youth and adult shall act in a manner that is becoming of a member of Venturing Crew 101.
• Crew members shall neither use nor possess alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, nor paraphernalia during Venturing activities. As Venturers we strongly encourage each other and our friends to live a drug, alcohol, and tobacco free life, both in and out of Scouting.
• Members taking any over-the-counter or prescription medication must inform the Advisor so he/she is aware of it’s presence at crew activities. The Advisor has the right to request a doctor’s or parent’s note of use before allowing the youth to bring the medication.
• All crew members must submit to the rules set by the BSA and as set by these bylaws.
• All crew members will follow any directive given to them by an officer unless unsafe, illegal, unethical or immoral. In such case the said directive should be taken to an Advisor.
• All crew members will show respect to one another regardless of age or position.
• No member will be forced to participate in any activity against his or her own will. Efforts will be made to find a way for each member who wishes, to participate in all activities, to some degree if at all possible.
• If another crew member asks for help, and one possesses the ability to help, the spirit of teamwork and Venturing dictates to do so.
• On an outing, everyone is involved in (camp) cleanup.
• At no time will violence be tolerated at any Venturing activity.
CO-ED Behavior: All crew members, youth and adult, will be aware of the fact that both sexes are present for all functions. Co-ed behavior expectations include the following:
• Use common sense and courtesy.
• No going off alone as a couple.
• Be respectful and considerate of each other in and out of Venturing.
• When females are using bathroom facilities, males are not allowed, and vise versa.
• No public displays of affection at any crew activity.
• No co-ed buddies unless it is 4 or more people; Advisors will decide on specific activities and functions.
• No entering the domiciles (tents, dorms, rooms, etc) of the opposite sex. Exceptions include married couples and parent / child relationships.
• Clinging to one another instead of participating in the activity or interacting with others is not acceptable.
Violations. Any act that violates BSA policy or these bylaws or infringes on another member’s rights shall be considered a violation and is subject to the following procedures:
• First Offense shall be reprimanded by a verbal warning from the President.
• Subsequent Offenses. The current officers will consider each violation on a case-by-case basis and recommend possible disciplinary action to the Advisor. Disciplinary actions should reflect the severity of the violation and include but are not limited to the following:
o Probation. Member formally warned against their action. Any further actions may result in suspension from activities or expulsion from the crew.
o Service. Member is assigned a service project related to the offense.
o Suspension. Member is prohibited from participating in crew activities for a determined amount of time.
o Expulsion. Member is removed from the crew. A letter shall be sent to the member’s parents and to council stating why the member was expelled from the crew.
• Serious Offenses. Serious offenses shall be reported directly to the Advisor immediately and shall be considered under the rules for “Subsequent Offenses” even if no prior offense has occurred.
o Sexual misconduct is absolutely prohibited and shall be considered a serious offense.
o Violent acts shall be considered a serious offense.
o Use or possession of alcohol or illegal drugs shall be considered a serious offense.
o Any transgressions against local, state, or federal law shall be considered serious offenses.
• A record of all offenses and outcomes will be kept on file with the crew by the Secretary.

Finances

General Crew Account. General crew funds will be held by the crew as a unit.
• Income. Funds are generated by profits from crew patches and shirts, donations and money left in departing or inactive crewmembers’ “personal accounts” at the end of the charter year. If funds are to be raised for the general account through a fund raiser the fixed amount or percentage will be determined by a vote of the youth members prior to the fundraiser event.
• Expenditures. The general crew account will be used to purchase items and equipment for the good of the entire crew. The use of these funds will be approved by the youth officers and the adult committee.
Personal Accounts. Personal accounts are funds held by the crew in the name of a particular crewmember, both youth and adult. The money is property of the crew but is held and will only be used for the benefit of the crewmember so long as they are an active member.
• Income. Funds are generated by dues, participation in fundraisers or by directly depositing money into the account. Money deposited by a crewmember will be used before any other funds.
• Expenditures. A crewmember may use funds from their account for any Venturing related expenditures. This will include, but is not limited to: Venturing activities, camping equipment, uniforms, awards, manuals, insurance, re-charter, etc. If the expense is not handled directly through the crew (i.e. crew activities, etc.), then the crewmember must present a receipt to the treasurer for approval and reimbursement.
Inactivity. If a member is inactive for a period of one full year, or elects not to re-charter the crew may absorb that inactive member’s personal account funds into the general crew account at the one-year mark (for inactivity) or at re-charter (when electing not to re-charter), whichever comes first. A member who wishes to maintain membership but take a leave of absence needs only to pay their dues at the re-charter meeting to keep their membership active. Once a member’s personal account funds have been absorbed into the general crew account they may not be refunded if the individual joins the crew again.
Dues. Dues shall be $24 annually and paid at re-charter in October. $10 of that covers the registration fee paid to National Council of the BSA. The remaining $14 will go into the personal fund for insurance and other expenditures.
Fund Raisers. In the spirit of building character and productive citizens, fund raising events will generally be fees earned for services provided. Products may be sold but the materials and the labor involved should be provided by the membership. Parents may pay their youth for work rendered but are strongly discouraged from simply giving them money to cover activity costs. Members will only receive money from crew fund raisers if they actively participate in the event.

Communications

Under the direction of the President, the Secretary shall publish a newsletter every other month, which shall include all meeting dates and other information of interest to the membership. The newsletter will be posted on the website provided by the chartered organization and serve as the historical record and central information dissemination point for the crew.

Adult Committee

The positions and duties of these officers are outlined in the Venturing Leader Manual.
Obligations of Adult Committee.
• Program. The adult committee will ensure that the crew has a quality program under capable leadership. It reviews, supports, and approves the crew’s program plans.
• Leadership. The crew committee sees to it that the crew has an Advisor and at least one associate advisor at all times and that they are performing their duties IAW BSA policies and the Venturing Leader Manual.
Vacancy. If a vacancy occurs, a crew committee member becomes the temporary Advisor. The committee takes immediate steps to recruit the right person to fill the vacancy and recommend them to the charter organization for approval.
Terms and Limitations. The term of office shall be for the charter year. Each officer will be invited to return to the same position or accept a new position by the Chartered Organization Representative and may accept or decline any offer without limit to the number of terms. Remaining in an office is not guaranteed.

Venturing Crew 101 was chartered by Fox Kits, Inc. in November of 2007.