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Membership Rules
Article II
Membership
Section 1. Eligibility.
There shall be four types of memberships, open to
those persons who qualify for membership as described below and who are in good
standing with The American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of this
Club.
(a) Individual Membership. An individual membership is a person who is
living in the United States of America and is at least 18 years old. The member
shall enjoy all the privileges and obligations of the Club, including voting and
holding office.
(b) Family Membership. A family membership is two persons living in the
same household in the United States of America and at least 18 years old. Each
member shall enjoy all the privileges and obligations of the Club, and each
shall have a separate vote.
(c) Associate Membership. An associate membership is a person not living
in the United States of America and is at least 18 years old. The member shall
enjoy all the privileges and obligations of the Club, except voting and holding
office. The associate member is not computed in determining a quorum. Dues are
assessed at a rate to cover printing and postal expenses. Applications are filed
with the Secretary but need not require the sponsors or approval process
applicable to prospective regular members. Regular membership may be sought in
accordance with the provisions outlined in Section 3 of this Article.
(d) Junior Membership. A junior membership is a person who is living in
the United States of America, who is between the ages of 10 and 17 inclusive,
and shall be sponsored by a parent, grandparent or guardian who is a regular
active member. He shall enjoy all the privileges of the Club, except that he
shall not hold elective office, nor shall he vote. He may automatically convert
to regular membership upon his eighteenth birthday. A regular active member/
member in good standing is a person who has qualified for membership under
paragraph (a) or (b) above, whose dues are paid for the current year and who is
not currently subject to disciplinary action under Article VII.
Section 2. Dues. Membership dues are currently as follows: Individual -
$45; Family - $50; Associate - (Canada) $50 and (all other foreign) $60; payable
on or before the first day of July each year. No member may vote whose dues are
not paid for the current year. During the month of May, the Membership Secretary
shall send to each member a statement of dues for the ensuing year. The amount
of yearly dues may be changed by 2/3 vote of the entire Board of Directors, but
in no case shall the dues exceed twice the current amount.
Section 3. Election to membership. Each applicant for membership shall
apply on a form approved by the Board of Directors which shall provide that the
applicant agrees to abide by the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and the Rules
and Regulations of the Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America, Inc. and the rules of
The American Kennel Club. With the application the applicant shall submit the
dues payment for the current year. The applicant for individual or family
membership (Article II, Section 1, Sub-paragraphs (a) and (b)) shall be endorsed
by two sponsors who are members in good standing. If the membership application
is complete in all respects except that the applicant(s) lacks sponsors, the
Membership Secretary will list in (I)The Barker the names of pending applicants
without sponsors. Members in good standing may oppose accepting any applicant by
advising the Membership Secretary within 60 days of the mailing of (I)The
Barker. In such cases, the application and objection will be considered by the
Board of Directors and their decision will be final. At the conclusion of 60
days all other listed applicants will be advised by the Membership Secretary of
their acceptance to membership. Applicants may be elected by secret ballot at
any meeting of the Board of Directors or by secret vote of the Directors by
mail. Affirmative votes of not less than 2/3 of the entire Board voting by mail,
shall be required to elect an applicant. An applicant who has been denied
membership may be proposed by a regular member at the next Annual Meeting of the
Club, and the Club may elect to membership such applicant by a favorable vote of
75% of the members present.
Section 4. Termination of membership. Membership may be terminated: (a)
by resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the Club upon
written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the
Club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the Club and they become
incurred on the first day after the membership term expires. (b)
by lapsing. A membership will be considered lapsed
and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid 30 days after
the membership term expires; however; the Board may grant an additional 90 days
of grace to such delinquent members in meritorious cases. In no case may a
person be entitled to vote at any club meeting whose dues are unpaid as of the
date of the meeting. (c) by expulsion. A
member may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VII, Section 4 of
these bylaws.