2010 ussvi mid-termnc pat householder started a discussion on putting member’s photos on life...

2010

USSVI MID-TERM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

April 23 & 24, 2010

Springfield, MO

Minutes:

Meeting called by: C&B

Facilitator: Pat Householder, NC

Note Taker: Al Singleman, Jr. NS

Friday’s Dinner Meeting Minutes

Location: Hotel Meeting space

Call to order - NC Pat Householder @ 2004

A moment of silence for the 354 shipmates, 17 civilians and 5 boats lost in April aboard

Gudgeon, Grenadier, Pickerel, Snook, & Thresher

Invocation - CRD Carl Schmidt

Pledge to the flag - NJVC Michael Bircumshaw

Recite our Creed: ”To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in

the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds and

supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward greater accomplishments.

Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its Constitution."

Introduction of Officers and Guests in attendance:

IPNC-Tom Conlon ERND- Paul Orstad

NSVC-Jon Jaques ESRD- George Boyle

NJVC- Michael Bircumshaw CRD- Carl Schmidt

NS- Al Singleman, Jr. WRD- Jim Dunn

NT- John Markiewicz M&C chair- Ray Wewers

SVWWII- Bud Burchell

Agenda items:

NC Pat Householder: Quick Questions, Issues and Comments:

PA Question-Do we put PA’s on this year’s ballot?

Since the Constitution & Bylaws changes are considered as PA’s for 2008, the 3 year

rule applied. This required the Board to make an exception ruling to allow these years

PAs on the 2010 Ballot.

NT- John Markiewicz

Made the Motion that we include the new PAs on this 2010 Ballot.

2

nd

by Carl Schmidt. A short discussion followed.

The consensus of the E-BOD was to override the 3 year rule

The motion was passed with none opposed!

Members Photos on Life Membership Cards:

NC Pat Householder started a discussion on putting member’s photos on Life

Membership cards as a fund raiser. The E-Board agreed that this was a good idea and

the cards would cost $50.00 each.

National Officers Coins:

IPNC Tom Conlon stated that it was a great idea for the 4 National Officers to have a

Challenge Coin. A short discussion followed with most of the E-Board agreeing with

this idea. A suggestion was made to make 200 coins and split them between the 4

National Officers.

A motion was made to: Create a National Officers Coin, separate from the NC coin in a

quantity of 200 coins. Seconded by IPNC Ton Conlon. A short discussion ensued. The

vote: ESRD yes, ENRD yes, WRD yes, CRD yes, NS yes, NT no, NSVC yes, NJVC yes,

IPNC yes. Motion passed - one opposed.

2010 Calendar Sales- 2011 Calendars:

NC Pat Householder stated that Huey Hahn had sold 4750 calendars in 2010 for about

$23,000. We made about $5.00 profit on each calendar.

The 2011 Calendar is photos of foreign diesel submarines.

Tom Conlon made a suggestion that USSVI set up a table at the Convention & have the

National Officers take a shift to sell the 2011 Calendars. A short discussion followed on

how we sold calendars at conventions & about other ways to increase calendars sales.

The cost of this years’ calendar is $2.38 plus tax & S & H. We are projecting to sell

them again at a cost of $9.95.

NC Pat Householder suggested selling calendars on E-Bay. Al Singleman stated that

this was a great idea & you just have to put it under the topic of submarines and

submarine. Jon Jaques stated that since we are a not for profit military organization,

we might be able to list this for free on E-Bay.

Budget Reguests:

NSVC Jon Jaques stated that he needs the Budget requests by 15 June 2010. Jon listed

the past years regional budget requests.

1- Regional administration costs - $300 per region

2- Regional travel budgets - $5500 per region, with the exception of the Eastern

Regions which are split in half to $2750 each.

Jon Jaques stated we have to have true expenses. You need to have the members put in

the actual cost even if they do not want to be reimbursed for the expense.

This way his replacement can see the true expenses. A short discussion followed on

expenses. Jon Jaques stated we should be very close to doing what we did last year.

Line Item for National Officer Travel Budget to Visit District & Regional Meetings:

CRD Carl Schmidt stated the 4 National Officers should have a line item travel budget

to visit DC/Regional meetings & other special activities. Carl Schmidt expressed his

opinion that the 4 National Officers need to have their own travel budget to travel to

District / Regional meetings to meet the members and represent the Board. Carl

suggested giving each National Officer a $1500 yearly travel budget for this purpose.

This would benefit the organization and the membership. Tom Conlon suggested

putting the IPNC on this list. National Officers can teach the troops and meet different

district commanders and base members to improve USSVI. A short discussion

followed. George Boyle made a motion to create a line item travel budget for the

National Officers for $1500 to go to District/Regional Meetings & special events. 2

nd

by

Paul Orstad. The Vote: ESRD yes, ENRD yes, CRD yes, WRD yes, NT yes, NJVC yes,

NSVC yes, NS yes, IPNC yes. The motion passed – none opposed.

A short discussion on the RD budget followed.

Jon Jaques made a motion to include the RD election process as part of the 2010

Election Ballot.

2

nd

by Tom Conlon – The vote of the Board was unanimous in the affirmative.

Motion passed - none opposed

A short discussion followed. Tom Conlon stated that in the next election cycle we

should create a PA to cover this.

State of the Organization of SubVets WWII:

Bud Burchell read a letter concerning the future of SubVets WWII. The letter follows:

A short discussion followed. Jon Jaques suggested giving the SVWWII a free

membership in USSVI as most of them are over 84 years old. Pat asked how many

would do that? We must consider the cost and the difference between our purpose and

theirs. War patrols and combat bind them together, whereas, having dolphins binds us

together. A discussion ensued. The consensus of the E-Board was that we will make a

decision on what to do when SVWWII gets closer to shutting down its magazine and its

organization.

American Submariner Issues/Concerns/Comments:

NJVC Michael Bircumshaw made a report on the American Submariner. He has

reduced bad change of address returns. There is a cost savings of $600 by having the

ballots sent out in the AS vs mailing them out individually to the membership. We have

had an upswing in advertising income & the base sponsorship program is doing well.

Postage costs are constantly going up & we have 700 members who get the AS online.

Jon Jaques asked what was Michael’s status if he wins the NC election? Michael stated

he would not do the AS & has some people in mind as replacements. He also stated he

would keep his hand in the AS even if he wins the election and he does not want the AS

to take a step backwards. It needs new blood after 5 years.

Long Range Planning, Recruiting & Retention:

NJVC Michael Bircumshaw gave a report on long range planning & the surveys that

he had done.

Base Survey Results:

43 out of 156 bases responding, 4 out of 5 favored conventions every 2 years

There is too much communications from National – the POC’s and other

communications get sent from National, then the RD’s & then from the DC’s.

The members want to hear from their RD’s and DC’s, and think they need to put

out a newsletter.

They need new ideas for recruiting

50

th

Anniversary of SubVets- Planning for 2014:

NC Pat Householder stated that we need as many sub vet floats in the 2014 Veterans

Day Parade in DC as possible. We have to have National recognition, we need to start a

project to put a submariners memorial in DC, a plaque at the Navy Memorial in DC,

develop a 50

th

Anniversary Patch & Coin and get a large parade banner for the DC

Parade.

Recruiting:

NJVC Michael Bircumshaw is sending the unsold 2010 calendars to all the National

Power Stations & Nuclear Societies as that is where some of the Nuclear Submariners

are hiding. We are bringing in more new members than ever before. First quarter of

this year we got 246 and the 2

nd

quarter, 451. We are hoping to double our membership

in the next 5 years.

Recruiting methods:

Troll for Squids at a Mall

Ask an old shipmate to join

Ask at reunions for members to join

Sea Daddy Program:

Community outreach programs such as Eagle Scouts & Kapps4Kidds

Press releases in local newspapers for base events

Retention:

Use the Sea Daddy Program

Start your renewals in Sept.

Get the new guy to great the members at the door

Give the new guy a job

People want to see the National Officers, so get out among the troops

Car Schmidt stated “ If we get 1200 new members a year, and if we loose 700 members

a year, are we going to reach our magic numbers?” We need to get base membership

chairs to start the renewal process in Sept. and get the DC’s to work with the bases on

retention so that we keep the members that we have. We need to have training

packages for the base membership chairs. A short discussion followed.

Motion to adjourn. 2

nd

& passed. Meeting adjourned at 2230.

Saturday’s meeting to start at 0800.

Saturday’s Meeting

RESUME MEETING: Meeting started at 0805.

Wagon Master- RVer’s concern for Conventions:

Pete Rathmell gave a report on the Rver’s concerns. There are 250 RV members; 30

RVer’s went to San Diego; the RVer’s would like to be in sites within a 20 mile round

trip with possible shuttle service. A short discussion on the parks, hook up rates,

distance from the host hotel & shuttle service followed. Pete would like to see a

proposed amendment to Bylaws Article VI, Section 14, C

i. RV parks in the area, with approximate distances from the host hotel. A brief

description of the park, facilities, group rates and availability of shuttle

service to & from the host hotel if more than 5 miles away.

Mike Bircumshaw asked if rooms were made available for those who dry camp for

showers, etc., would that help? Pete stated that the RVers would like 10 miles one way

to an RV park. They usually average 30 rigs & they would like free parking at the host

hotel.

Carl Schmidt will work with Pete to work on the concerns of the RVer’s & get these

concerns put into a handbook or PA’s. Pat asked how many RVer’s were USSVI

members? Pete stated over 80 were USSVI members.

Vanity Plates:

ERND Paul Orstad gave a report on the PA plate issue. The main problem was lack of

communications between the Philly Base & the other bases in PA, which caused things

to get out of hand. Mike White was asked to step down from running the plate

program and as Base Commander, because of all the animosity he was creating.

National should not get involved in state vanity programs. Paul Orstad will appoint a

coordinator in the future, but right now he is handling it.

John Markiewicz gave a short history on the plate issue, the book issue & what he

found while doing an unofficial review of these issues. Tom Conlon also added his

opinion on the past history. This was a base issue & not a national issue. A discussion

followed.

The 2010 Proposed C & B Amendments:

NC Pat Householder reviewed the PA process. The PA’s go to the C&B chair and C&B

Committee for review & grammar correction. They then go to the Board for

acceptance or rejection. Pat asked for the Board to review the 10 PA’s for 2010.

Proposed Amendment 2010-1 Bylaw change Article II Section 2 –Campaigning

Submitted by Steve Jackson

Tom Conlon stated that we need to maintain the data base. John Markiewicz stated

that DC’s do not forward all the candidates information to the members if they do not

like the candidate & may be censoring this information. Carl Schmidt stated you can

get all that information from the website. Al Singleman stated we could do this with a

policy statement as part of a new PPM section on online voting. Mike Bircumshaw

stated we should put the candidates’ bio & information on the website & he would like

to see campaigning start with Issue 2 of the American Submariner. A discussion

followed. Jon Jaques stated that the Board had the right to reject the PA. John

Markiewicz made a motion to put this PA on the ballot, recommending that this PA not

be approved. 2

nd

by Mike Bircumshaw. John Markiewicz stated that he did not think

it was right for the Board to withhold a PA from the membership vote. Pat

Householder stated he was usually for their voting, but he was against this, as it would

compromise the data base. A discussion followed on the whole PA process & the E-

Boards responsibility of reviewing PA’s and accepting or rejecting them from being

put on the ballot. The consensus of the Board was that they have the right to accept or

reject a PA from being put on the ballot.

Mike Bircumshaw stated we should put all the PA’s in the AS with the reasons for

accepting or rejecting. The Board agreed.

The vote on the motion to put PA 2010-1 on the ballot recommending that this PA not

be approved.: ESRD no, ENRD no, WRD no, CRD no, NS no, NT yes, NSVC no, NJVC

no, IPNC no. The motion was not passed. PA 2010-1 was rejected & will not appear on

the ballot. PA below:

Proposed Change #2010-01

Change: Add new paragraph C to Bylaws Article II, Section 2 – Campaigning for Biennial National

Elections as follows:

Section 2: CAMPAIGNING

A. Each candidate for National Office will be provided one full column of space in the second quarter

Issue of the National Publication free of charge for campaign purposes.

B. Candidates may purchase additional space in the National Publication at the rate and terms

provided for in the National Publication.

C. Full and open communication by candidates with USSVI Members is encouraged. Persons

currently serving in leadership positions within USSVI, from Base Officers to National Officers,

should support the free exchange of information from candidates. Such persons in leadership

positions shall not knowingly inhibit or restrict a candidate’s communication with the members,

and they shall provide competing candidates with equivalent access to databases of Members’

addresses and emails.

Purpose: To allow all candidates to have an fair opportunity to freely campaign by contacting the

membership directly via email or other communication means. In the past some candidates have

been restricted from contacting members via email, while providing an incumbent such email

access, thus perceived as giving the incumbent an unfair advantage. The proposed change is

intended to level the communications playing field.

Cost to the organization: Negligible

Submitted by: Steve Jackson

Proposed Amendment 2010-2- Constitutional Change Article IX – Officers

Submitted by Steve Jackson

Pat Householder stated this would put us back by 8 years when we were kind of

chaotic. Tom Conlon stated the author shot down his own argument, the PA is

unnecessary, it takes 2 years to learn your job on the board and you need corporate

knowledge. Al Singleman stated you need time on the board to learn the history & have

the experience to move up to the different positions leading to National Commander.

You do not take an Ensign out of the Academy & make him CO of a 688 boat. He starts

at the bottom & works his way up over time.

We need to inform the authors of all the PA’s that their PA was accepted or rejected &

call them so that they understand why. A discussion followed. Tom made a motion to

reject PA 2010-2 and not put it on the ballot. 2

nd

by Paul Orstad. John Markiewicz

stated it should be put on the ballot to let the members decide.

The vote to reject PA 2010-2: ESRD yes, ERND yes, NSVC yes, NJVC yes, NT no,

NS yes, CRD yes, WRD yes, IPNC yes. PA 2010-2 was rejected with one opposed.

Proposed Change #2010-02

Change: Constitution Change: ARTICLE XI – OFFICERS regarding qualification to run for a National

Office as follows:

Section 1: NATIONAL OFFICERS

A. Nationally elected officers of the organization will be: National Commander (NC), National

Senior Vice-Commander (NSVC), National Junior Vice-Commander (NJVC), National

Secretary (NS), and National Treasurer (NT).

B. All candidates for National Office must be a Regular or Life Member in good standing for at

least 36 consecutive months

a.

C. The term of office for all National officers will be two years or until a successor is elected.

D. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms as National Commander.

E. Other than the position of National Commander, there are no restrictions on the number of

terms an individual may be elected to any office.

F. The term of office for a National elected officer will begin immediately after the annual

business meeting.

G. The following Officers will be appointed by the National Commander and confirmed by the

Board of Directors: Chaplain, Historian, Parliamentarian, Editor of the National Publication,

Boat Sponsor Program Chair, National Storekeeper, Chief Technology Officer and

Webmaster. The Committee Chairmanships will be appointed as outlined in Bylaws Article VI

and with Board of Directors confirmation.

H. The term of office for appointed officers will begin immediately after confirmation by the Board

of Directors and notification by the National Commander.

I. Nationally elected and appointed officers will carry out their duties as prescribed by the

National Bylaws.

J. No officer elected or appointed shall be paid any salary for services rendered on behalf of the

organization.

Purpose: To encourage more members to become actively involved in the organization. At present to serve on

the national board is very restrictive and is believed to perpetuate the image of an “old boys club.” The organization

would be better served if all members with 3-years or more or continuous membership were allowed to run for any

office they desire. Organizational corporate knowledge is insured by the past National Commander being part of the

Executive Board thus the need for candidates for National Commander, Senior Vice Commander or Junior Vice

Commander having served as a member of the Board of Directors for two years i s not necessary. By comparison,

we presently have more members eligible to run for President of the United States than for National Commander of

United States Submarine Veterans. Our members will be able to consider and evaluate the qualifications of persons

running for office and will choose who they believe is best.

Cost to the organization : Negligible

Submitted by: Steve Jackson

Proposed Amendment 2010-3 Constitution Article VII Section 4 - Holland Club:

Submitted by Wayne Standerfer

The Board reviewed and modified this amendment and made the following motion, to

accept this PA as amended: remove old E & G, in F, remove MAL and replace with all

members. In H, after National Board, add of Directors. Motion 2

nd

by Jon Jaques. All

members of the Board voted to accept this PA as amended and put it on the Ballot.

Proposed Change (C1-10)

Change: Revise section 4 to Constitution Article VII regarding Holland Club qualifications, dues requirements, and

continuity of the Holland Club Chairman as follows:

Section 4: HOLLAND CLUB

A. Any Regular Member in good standing who has been designated “Qualified in Submarines” for

fifty (50) years or more is eligible to become a member of the Holland Club within the organization .

B. Holland Club members are subject to National and Bas e Dues to the same extent as other Regular

Members of the organization. Holland Club members inducted prior to the effective date of this

change (date) are ‘grandfathered’ and will continue to be designated as National Life Members, but

they may be required to pay Base dues as per Base Bylaws.

C. Holland Club member's membership cards will be appropriately stamped HOLLAND CLUB on the front.

D. The members of the Holland Club will elect Holland Club officers including a Holland Club Chairman who

will represent them directly to the organization's National Commander.

E. The Membership Chairman will periodically review ALL MEMBERS for eligibility and initiate the

admission process as Members become eligible, including a notification to the Holland Club Chairman.

F. If the Holland Club Chairman pos ition becomes vacant due to death, incapacity or resignation, the

National Commander will appoint an interim H olland Club Chairman, subject to confirmation by

the National Board of Directors, to serve until the next scheduled meeting of the national Hollan d

Club.

Purpose: Recognize that the purpose of Holland Club is to honor those men who have been qualified 50 years,

rather than years associated with USSVI. Due to the increasing number of Holland Club members the dues change

is necessary for our organization to maintain a sound financial position. Whatever the member's dues status is before

HC induction should remain the same after induction. Finally, a process is added to assure continuity of the Holland

Club chairman.

Cost to the organization: This change will have a positive financial impact on USSVI, by halting the increase of non-

dues paying members.

Submitted by: Wayne Standerfer

Accepted by the E-BOD at the 2010 Mid-Term as Amended.

E-BOD recommends that the membership approve this change!

Pros- To make it easier for members to enter HC without a time limit.

Cons- New HC members pay National dues unless they become life members.

Proposed Amendment 2010-4 Bylaws Article VII Section 5 – Biennial Election of

Regional Directors: Submitted by Pat Householder

The Board reviewed and modified this amendment and made the following motion, to

accept this PA as amended: A-add as part of the National Election, take out old C & G,

have D become C, E to become D, F to become E. Motion 2

nd

by John Markiewicz. All

members of the Board voted yes to accept & place on the Ballot as amended.

Proposed Change (B2-10)

Change: Revise Article VII, Section 5 of the USSVI Bylaws regarding election ties, regular member

eligibility, and a process to dispute an election as follows:

Section 5: BIENNIAL ELECTION FOR REGIONAL DIRECTORS

A. The National Senior Vice-Commander shall conduct the Regional elections in the even numbered

years as part of the National Election.

B. The Regional Directors shall be elected by a majority vote, or where appropriate, the plurality vote

shall rule, of the voting primary base members in good standing within the Region; prior to the

National Convention and Annual Business Meeting of the even numbered years. Each member

must have at least 30 days to cast his ballot.

C. Any regular member in good standing of a Base within a Region may nominate any other

regular member residing within the same Region and in good standing for Regional Director of

that region providing that:

a. The nomination is accompanied by a letter from the Nominee indicating he has read and

understands the requirements of the position and indicates his willingness to accept

the nomination and willingness to serve if elected.

b. The Nomination Letter includes details of the nominee’s qualifications in less than one

hundred (100) words.

c. The Nomination is received by the National Election Master on or by April 30

th

or 100

days prior to the ABM, whichever comes first, of the election year.

D. Any Region Director vacancy shall be filled by the National Commander by appointment, within

ninety (90) days

E. In the case of a newly created Region, the NSVC shall then conduct a special election within 90

days of its creation, the term of which will run through the completion of the current Region

election cycle.

Intent of Author: This revision clarifies that the Region Director candidate must be a regular member

and also must live in the Region he is running in. It also provides a way for an aggrieved party to protest

an election result for cause.

Cost to the organization: Insignificant

Submitted by: Pat Householder



Pros- Move the election of the RDs to National Election and clarify the requirement for RD.

Cons- NONE!

Proposed Amendment 2010-5 Bylaws Article VII Section 6- Biennial Election of District Commanders

– Submitted by Pat Householder

The Board reviewed and modified this amendment and made the following motion, to accept this PA

as amended: B- Change 15 days to 30, C- remove the first sentence, G- added Subject to majority vote

of the base commanders in that district, remove H. Motion 2

nd

by John Markiewicz. All members of

the Board voted yes to accept & place on the Ballot as amended.


Change: Revise Article VII, Section 6 of the USSVI Bylaws regarding District Commander elections by Base

Commanders instead of regular members, election ties, authority for Region Director to terminate a District

Commander, and a process to dispute an election or termination as follows:

Section 6: BIENNIAL ELECTION FOR DISTRICT COMMANDERS

A. The appropriate Regional Director shall conduct the District Elections every two years during the odd

numbered years.

B. The District Commanders shall be elected by a majority vote, or where appropriate, the plurality vote shall

rule, of the Base Commanders in good standing within the district; the call for candidates to begin on March

1

st

and the results to be announced on September 1

st

of the election year. The Region Director will set the

start and close date for the election, and each Base Commander must have at least 30 days to cast

his written or electronic ballot.

C. Proxy voting is not allowed, and late ballots will not be counted. The Region Director shall retain the

ballots for inspection until January 1

st

of the following year.

D. The Region Director and any regular member in good standing within a District may nominate any

other regular member in good standing living within the same District for District Commander of that

District providing that:

a. The nominee is currently serving or has served as a Base commander.

b. The nomination is accompanied by a letter from the Nominee indicating that he has read and

understands the requirements of the position and indicates his willingness to accept the

nomination and willingness t o serve if elected

c. The Nomination Letter includes details of the nominee’s qualifications in less than one hundred

(100) words.

E. Prior to or following the nomination, the Region Director shall discuss the needs of the District with

the candidate(s).

F. In the event that no nominations are received, or if a vacancy occurs during the term of a District

Commander, that vacancy shall be filled by the appropriate Regional Director appointment, normally

within ninety (90) days, to run until the next election cycle.

G. The Region Director has the authority to terminate a sitting District Commander’s term for non -

performance or malfeasance subject to majority of the vote of the Base Commanders within that

District.

Intent of Author:

The current system of District Commander elections is not working on several levels. Deckplate members are not

interested or involved with the day-to-day duties of the District Commander, while the Base Commanders are

directly affected and are or should be interested in seeing that the best candidate selected. The proposed

changes limit the voting to those most impacted by the election i.e. the Base Commanders; eliminate skewing

caused by ‘favorite son’ bloc voting; and help clarify to the candidate the requirements of the position. This

revision also provides a way for an aggrieved party to protest an election result for cause





Change: Revise USSVI Bylaws, Article V, Section 7 to update duties.

Section 7. DISTRICT COMMANDERS:

The District Commander is directly responsible to the Region Director for the conduct of

organizational business within his district.

The duties of the District Commanders shall include but not be limited to:

a. Serve as non voting members of the Board of Directors

b. Assist the Base Commanders within their respective districts in the performance of their

duties, to include providing assistance as required to insure the proper operation of base

meetings and events, recruiting and retention.

c. Appoint all District committees, committee chairman and appointed officers as required to

conduct District business.

d. Represent his respective District at official functions.

e. Assist the Region Director with the oversight of the performance of all Base Commanders

within his district; the performance guidelines having been established by the Region

Director.

f. Approve Base Constitution and Bylaws, insuring compliance with National and State laws

regulating the operation of the organization within his district (i.e. chartering, maintaining

non-profit status, etc.)

g. Actively promote the establishment of new bases with the assistance of the New Base

Development Committee (NBDC), including, with the assistance of the NBDC sending in

to the Regional Director and NJVC a report on the well being of any new base six months

after it has been formed.

h. In coordination with his Region Director, may perform as liaison with other veteran

organizations including Submarine Veterans of World War II (SVWWII) in their respective

areas.

i. Annually prepare a written report on the 'state of his district' to be given to his Regional

Director with copies for publication in each of the District’s Base Newsletters.

j. If selected, may serve as a member of the New Base Development Committee.

k. Prepare a “Turn Over” folder for his relief, containing all information and correspondence

relative to his office.

l. Require the District Commander to create a news letter for the Base Commanders

within his district on a quarterly basis.

Intent of the Author : This changes Section “h” to an option rather than being mandatory, and corrects

section ‘j’ to match it with another section in the bylaws relating to the New Base Development

Committee.


Submitted by: Pat Householder



Pros- Further defines the duties of the DC

Cons- NONE!

Pros- To improve the election of the DCs and expand removal from office procedure.

Cons- NONE!

Proposed Amendment 2010-6 Bylaws Article V Section 7 - District Commanders Submitted by Pat

Householder

The Board reviewed and modified this amendment and made the fol lowing motion, to accept this PA

as amended: Added L-require the District Commanders to create a newsletter for the Base

Commanders in his District on a Quarterly Basis. Motion 2

nd

by John Markiewicz. All members of

the Board voted yes to accept & place on the Ballot as amended.


Change: Amend USSVI Bylaws Article V to add new Section 8 titled “APPOINTED OFFICERS” with detailed

discussion for the National Parliamentarian as follows:

Section 8. APPOINTED OFFICERS

The Constitution identifies several positions to be filled by appointment by the National Commander as

follows:

A. National Parliamentarian: The National Parliamentarian is a consultant who advises the National

Commander and other officers, committees, and members on matters of parliamentary procedure. The

National Parliamentarian shall be appointed and confirmed in accordance with the USSVI Constitution.

Desirable qualifications for this position are:

1. Relevant experience, such as Chairman or Parliamentarian of an organization, council, committee,

or board

2. Good working knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order

3. Good working knowledge of the USSVI Constitution and Bylaws

4. Membership in the National Association of Parliamentarians.

The duties of the National Parliamentarian shall include, but not be limited to:

1. Attend National Conventions, Annual Business Meetings and other meetings as may be requested

by the National Commander. [The National Parliamentarian is customarily seated next to the

National Commander at all such meetings to facilitate rendering procedural advice.]

2. Provide advice upon request to all Elected National Officers, Regional Officers and Committee

Chairmen on matters regarding the parliamentary procedures of USSVI.

3. Assist Base and District Commanders upon request in resolving issues pertaining to USSVI

parliamentary procedures as they affect their operations after FIRST consulting with their

respective Regional Director regarding same.

4. Prepare and deliver a “Turn Over” file to his relief, containing all information and correspondence

relating to his office.

B. Other Appointed Officers: The desirable qualifications and duties for other National Appointed Officers

identified in the Constitution shall be as mutually determined and agreed upon by the National Commander

and the appointed officer. In each case, the appointed officer shall prepare and deliver a “Turn Over” file to

his relief, containing all information and correspondence relating to his office.

Intent of the Author: The Position of National Parliamentarian is already established in the Constitution, Article XI,

Section 1(g), along with several other appointed positions. This Proposed Amendment to the Bylaws defines the

purpose and duties of the position of National Parliamentarian and desirable qualifications to fill the position; and it

also provides that the qualifications and duties for other positions be mutually agreed by the National Commander and

the appointed officer.


Submitted by: Ed Yoder/Patrick Householder

Accepted by the E-BOD at the 2010 Mid-Term as written.


Pros- Adds Parliamentarian as an appointed officer of USSVI.

Cons- NONE!

Proposed Amendemnt 2010-7 Bylaws Article V – New Section 8-Appointed Officers Submitted by

Pat Householder & Ed Yoder

Motion made & 2

nd

to accept this PA as written & place it on the ballot. All members of the Board

voted yes to this motion.

Proposed Amendment 2010 -8 Constitution Article XII Section 1 – National Convention - Submitted

by Pat Householder

The Board modified this PA as follows: Section 2 Change National to Annual, Section 3 Change

National to Annual , Section 4, removed “but preferably to occur during odd numbered years”. A long

discussion on the merits of this PA followed. The consensus of the Board was that we have to put this

PA on the ballot, even though the Board voted against the merits of this PA and voted against

recommending this PA for passage by the membership. A motion was made to accept this PA as

amended & placed on the ballot and 2

nd

. All members voted yes to accept this PA as modified & place

it on the ballot. A motion was made to not recommend the PA be adopted by the membership because

the Annual Business Meeting is necessary for business & the social interaction of the membership is

too important to eliminate on a yearly basis. Motion 2

nd

and the entire Board voted to accept this

motion. Motion passed.


Change: Amend USSVI Constitution to provide Bienniall meetings conventions, instead of annual conventions, as

follows:

ARTICLE XII – MEETINGS

Section 1. A National Convention will be held on even numbered years and shall be hosted by a Base.

A. Bases desiring to host a national convention must place their bid, in the form of a written proposal,

four years prior to the National Convention they wish to host, for purposes of adequate planning.

The written proposal must be submitted to the Board of Directors, via the National Senior Vice-

Commander at least thirty days prior to the Base’s presentation to the membership for vote at the

next Annual Business Meeting.

B. Should there be multiple bids; a vote will be conducted on the floor of the Annual business meeting

to determine the Host Base, date and the location.

C. Should there be no bid by a Base, the Board of Directors shall have the option to host the National

Convention using professional operatives.

D. The locations and time periods for National Convention sites may be pre -determined by the

Board of Directors to best meet the needs of the organization’s m embership

Section 2. An Annual Business Meeting, open to all members in good standing, shall be held during the

National Convention.

Section 3: The Board of Directors shall meet immediately following the Annual Business Meeting of

members and at such other times as the Board of Directors may determine.

Section 4: Regions and Districts may hold meetings as Regional Directors or District Commanders deem

necessary.

Section 5: Local Bases must conduct at least one meeting per fiscal year to retain their Charter.

Section 6: All meetings of this organization, whether they are by Base, District, Region, or National will

observe a moment of silence in memory of our departed shipmates.

Intent of the Author: The Annual Conventions are becoming a significant financial burden to the participants,

especially since they must by their nature be held in costly large cities where the facilities for a large convention are

available, In addition, families wish the option of attending USSVI conventions AND attending other vacation plans at

least every other year. The expectation is that Region and/or District Conventions, held in smaller cities where costs

are lower, would serve our area shipmates to gather and renew friendships on the off years of the national

convention.

Cost to the organization : Insignificant

Submitted by: Patrick Householder

E-BOD recommends:

E-BOD voted against the adoption of this PA, ABM is necessary for business and annual social interaction

of the membership is too important to eliminate.

Pros- reduced the financial burden for participants and USSVI.

Cons- we don’t see shipmates on a yearly basis and few member will attends ABM on off year.

Proposed Amendment 2010 -9 Constitution Article XI Section 2 Board of Directors

Submitted by Dick Kanning and Carl Schmidt

Motion made & 2

nd




Change: Amend USSVI Constitution, Article XI, Section 2 to provide Voting Privileges on the Board of Directors to

the recipient of the District Commanders National Award, as follows:

Section 2. BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BOD)

A.The Board of Directors shall have the control and general management of the affairs and business of the

organization.

B. The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the National elected officers, the Regional Directors, and the

District Commanders, the immediate Past National Commander, the President of the Ladies Auxiliary and

the Commander of the Holland Club.

C. The only members of the Board of Directors with voting privileges are the National elected officers, the

Regional Directors (RDs), the Immediate Past National Commander (IPNC), and the most recent

recipient of the USSVI District Commanders National Award as of the date of the meeting, or the

runner-up for the USSVI District Commanders National Award in the event that the most recent

recipient of the award is already a voting member.

D. Any member of the Board of Directors may be removed from office for cause by two-thirds (66 2/3 %)

vote of the Board of Directors. (C2/06)

E. Duties of the Board of Directors shall include but not be limited to all normal business that the board takes

care of in the routine management of the organization. It shall also include approving those appointments

the National Commander and others shall make. The National Secretary will receive reports for

distribution from all committees as specified in the bylaws, and will receive and present to the Board for

approval the operational manuals that the committees may choose to create. Such manuals must be

approved by the board before they are released to the membership. Special care will be taken both by

the committee and the board to ensure that such manuals do not supersede or contradict the Constitution

and Bylaws of the organization.”

F. Regardless of cause, a replacement for a voting member may be appointed from the general membership

by the National Commander, providing that the member appointed meets all the requirements for that

position, or the sitting officer next in seniority, or the vacated duties may be absorbed or distributed

between the remaining members as the Board of Directors approves.

G. No member of the Board of Directors with voting privileges shall have more than one vote.

Intent of the Author: Although District Commanders are currently on the Board of Directors, they have no vote. This

change is intended to provide District Commanders with a more direct and influential voice into the affairs of USSVI by

providing one voting membership to the Board of Directors.

Cost to the organization: Negligible – just the additional expenses for the additional person to travel to the Board

meeting(s).

Submitted by: Dick Kanning & Carl Schmidt Accepted by the E-BOD at the 2010 Mid-Term as written.


Pros- Adds (1) voting DC to the E -BOD representing all DCs.Cons- Increases the travel budget.

Proposed Amendment 2010 -10 Bylaws Article VI add section 20 Disciplinary Committee

Submitted by NC Pat Householder

Motion made & 2

nd




Change: Amend USSVI Bylaws, Article VI to add a Disciplinary Committee as follows:

Section 20: Disciplinary Committee

A. The Disciplinary Committee shall be a Special Committee.

B. Upon receipt of an allegation, considered credible by the National Commander, that a Member’s action(s) was

contrary to the Purpose and Creed of the USSVI Constitution and constitutes malfeasance of official duties or

brings discredit upon USSVI, the National Commander will appoint and convene the Disciplinary Committee and

provide an appropriate budget for its deliberations.

C. The Disciplinary Committee will consist of 3 regular members in good standing who, in the judgment of the

National Commander, have the experience and judgment appropriate to handling disciplinary matters and who

are not parties to the situation to be reviewed.

D. The Disciplinary Committee shall review the facts alleged and related documentation. It has the discretion to

interview any persons who are believed to have knowledge of the situation and to review additional

documentation as the Committee may judge to be relevant. The accused member shall be afforded the

opportunity to confront his accuser and to present his version of the situation and any mitigating factors.

Interviews may be via telephone or in person at the discretion of the Disciplinary Committee. The use of email for

communications and providing documentation is encouraged.

E. The Disciplinary Committee shall render its judgment in writing. The Committee may clear the subject Member,

determine that the Member’s action(s) does not warrant disciplinary action, or it may determine that the allegation

is accurate and warrants disciplinary action. Discipline is at the discretion of the Disciplinary Committee and may

range from a reprimand to removal from elected office or expulsion from USSVI.

F. A Member that receives discipline has the right to appeal the judgments of the Disciplinary Committee and the

disciplinary action to the USSVI Board of Directors, which may reverse or affirm the decisions of the Disciplinary

Committee. The USSVI Board of Directors may also revise the disciplinary action to increase or decrease the

severity of discipline. The decision of the USSVI Board of Directors is final.

G. Records of the Disciplinary Committee shall be held by the National Secretary for at least 3-years.

Intent of the Author: To provide a formal and established process to review allegations of wrong doing and to hold

people accountable for such actions.

Cost to the organization: Negligible.

Submitted by: Dick Kanning

Accepted by the E-BOD at the 2010 Mid-Term as written.


Pros- USSVI will have a fair means for disciplinary action.

Cons- NONE!

The Board took a break for lunch & then toured the Convention facilities.

Brief Overview of the NSVC Activities by Jon Jaques:

Ways & Means budget requests need to be in by June 15

th

. R & R requests need to

conform to pages 18 & 19 of the PPM. R & R requests need to be signed by the RD and

you need to have receipts that add up & you need to follow the PPM Guidelines. If the

DC sends in an R & R without the proper RD signature Jon will send it back to be

approved by the RD. Mileage rate is 35 cents a mile & per diem is $35.00 per day. No

changes there. A discuss on district travel followed.

Building Fund:

Jon Jaques proposed a 10 year building program that will start on our annual meeting

date of Sept. 4, 2010 through Sept. 4, 2020. We should have a minimum goal of

$350,000 over that 10 year window. Anyone who donates $1000 over a 5 year period

will be considered a plank owner. If you want a room in our building named after you,

you have to donate $50,000 in a donation or a bequest. If you want the whole building

named after you, you have to donate or bequest $250,000. If we do not reach our goal,

the CF Board can reallocate that money between the CF funds as appropriate. A

discussion followed. Jon Jaques made a motion to add the above proposal to our

building fund program. A discussion followed & Jon Jaques deferred his motion to the

online meeting.

Submarine Legacy Society:

This will benefit USSVI – 70% of our members do not pay dues & this legacy society

will help to get members to bequest USSVI in their wills. There are 4 levels to this

society: $1000 Member, $2500 LT, $5000 Captain, and $10,000 Admiral. Monies will

go into an endowment fund and the earnings will go into funding USSVI. Michael

Bircumshaw asked Jon to give him an article for the AS concerning the Submarine

Legacy. Jon also stated that in 5 years 85% of our present members will not be paying

dues.

Treasurers Activities:

EOY Reports – 6 bases have not sent in their EOY reports and our taxes are due May

15

th

. John has submitted a request for an extension until Aug. 15

th

. This is not being put

our so those bases can get them in ASAP. For those bases who do not send in an EOY,

they will have to answer to the IRS on their own.

John stated we need to review and approve our renewal of the USSVI Hold Harmless

Policy. John explained the policy requirements and brought up the fact that we also

need to have a policy for the CF. Jon Jaques stated it would be easier to have the CF as

a subsidiary of USSVI on the same policy than have two separate policies.

Mike Bircumshaw made a motion to have the policy cover both UXXVI & the CF in a

single policy. Motion 2

nd

. No discussion. Vote: all members present voted yes. Motion

passed.

Investments – Moving Investments – Signature Investments & Merrill Lynch Accounts

We need to get rid of our Merrill Lynch accounts, as we get only $25 interest on

$5525.00 and we pay $150.00 in fees. We want to move it to a Charles Schwab account

& do it online.

Jon Jaques made a motion to move the investments to a Charles Schwab account. John

Markiewicz gave a short report on the investments and the USSVI profits & losses. The

vote: all members voted yes and the motion passed.

2009 San Diego Convention Report:

Originally the second page it the report the Convention Committee submitted. John

stated he sent it back with requests for more information on the items highlighted in

blue. John stated he got an email with all the data and they said you figure it out. He

gave a report on their data. John put the data in our standard report form, and with

their data it looked like they lost $1922.00 He also stated he created a new Convention

Financial Report Form, and gave a review of the form. The San Diego Convention

Committee stated they did not get any forms from Don Brown, had no guidance on

what to report and what items to report. We are not pointing fingers with them, but we

worked it out. In summary, National has to get more involved in the Convention

process, use our own planner Don Brown & others, so that we don’t have problems like

this in the future. This was the first Convention using a professionally hired reunion

planner and they lost money. This should be a big concern for USSVI. Pat asked why

there was an ISA expense. John stated that the ISA had $13,500 in expenses and the

SDCC only received $11,755 in payments. Johns understanding about this was the ISA

had some cancellations from overseas members, but for whatever reasons, the SDCC

did not ask the ISA for the money. John did not understand why the SDCC did not

make a profit, as the ISA made a profit on this convention. Again, in summary the

SDCC did not get reimbursements from the ISA, did a poor job negotiating with the

hotel and using a professional convention planner does not guarantee a profitable

convention.

National Secretary Activities:

Al Singleman stated that he chartered 4 new bases, has been updating documents,

doing some housecleaning on documents & has been working with Bill Andrea on

taking care of some issues with the new Base Development Handbook which needs to

be updated.

Online Voting Report:

It is the same system as 2008 with security updates & John Peters is the Election

Master. Target date for voting is June 5

th

, end date is Aug. 24

th

, 10 days before the

ABM. We are actually a day ahead of the 90 day required by the Bylaws. The paper

ballot will be up on the website well before the 30 day deadline and the AS will be out

before the 30 day deadline as well. Al gave a report on voting. You can use a computer

at a meeting but the member must vote by himself. The base commander cannot mail

in paper ballots for members and the member using a paper ballot must sign the ballot

and mail it in himself. For Regional Voting, you can only vote for the Regional Director

of your Primary Base. If your Primary Base is Groton, you vote in the Eastern

Regional North election only. We may have a way to let the voter know that his vote

has been counted- Tim is working on this.

(Post note: Since these minutes are coming out after the voting has started, you will see

a name screen with who you voted for after you have clicked on the Submit your vote

button).

A short discussion followed. Tom Conlon had an issue with voting parties. Al stated

you cannot stop voting parties or base voting slates and you can only hope the members

vote individually. By having the paper ballot mailed by the member, you hopefully are

cutting down on voter fraud. The online voting security now cuts most of this out of the

picture, but you will never be 100% sure.

New Convention Handbook:

Al stated the Convention Bidding HB is about 6 years old & is kind of well written, but

it is only a Bidding Handbook. What we need to do is to combine this into a new HB

covering the whole Convention process: that is the Bidding, Hosting and Financial

Reporting of a Convention. We need to tell them how to run a Convention, put in

lessons learned from past conventions and give them a guide on what meetings need to

be scheduled & when they need to be held. Last year we voted to move the CF meeting

to later in the week & got away from having our pre ABM meeting on Tues. Al stated

the Board should reconsider this change. In the Bylaws it states that the Convention

Committee should comp the E-Board whenever possible. Al stated that we should

require them to comp the E-Board one night, so that we can go back to the Tues.

meeting for the pre ABM. With us coming in at the start of the Convention, we conflict

with the Holland Club Breakfast, leaves little time for scheduling breakout meetings

and this all gets worse when we combine our Convention with Sub Vets WWII. The pre

ABMCF meeting was only moved back one day & that was into the heart of the

Convention week & that is ridiculous. It should have been moved to Fri. afternoon or

to Sat. after the post ABM meeting, as this meeting is usually on 30 min. long. This way

the CF members can come in later in the week. This way we do not conflict with trips,

break out meetings, a trip or two and be more available to the membership. By not

conflicting with trips & other events, you will make it more profitable to the Host base

& USSVI. From the financial side, we should require the Host base to use Quick Books,

Access, Excel or some other financial program to keep track of financial expenses &

reports.

Pat’s only concern was that if we held the CF meeting after the post ABM meeting,

some of us could be burnt out & not at our best. John Markiewicz stated that most post

meetings were to set the board and elect CF members & appointed officers. He also

was against any CF meeting after the ABM. Al stated you could move the CF meeting

to Fri. afternoon as in most conventions, that time was set aside for boat reunions. A

discussion followed. The consensus of the Board was, we need to have a new

Convention Handbook, so that we do not have to keep reinventing the wheel at each

convention.

Scholarship Program:

Paul Orstad gave a report on this years’ scholarships. So far he has rated 7

applications & there are others at the house. The biggest problem this year is having

the fathers & grandfathers handing out the applications after Mar. 15

th

and not telling

them when they are due. Another big problem is that they are googleing USSVI and

using the application from past years. Paul gave a report on the various scholarship

funds. Donations are way down this year, as we only have $12,000 this year and he

stated that a lot of this due to the lack of printing donators in the AS. At this time he

cannot say how many scholarships he will have this year.

John Markiewicz stated that in other organizations that he is in, the donations are all

down 40% over the previous year. Carl Schmidt asked how the Art Randall

scholarship was doing. Paul said the fund had $1460 in it and his wife will increase that

in the future.

NC Pat Householder asked everyone to make comments on the meeting. The consensus

was that we got a lot of work done, it was very productive, we need to have these face to

face meetings to conduct the work of USSVI and it was a lot better than an online

meeting. Bud Burchell, from SubVets WWII, stated that he really liked the interaction

between the Board & that we did really great job. Ron Athey, from the host base,

stated that it was an honor to be here & learned a lot about how things worked. He also

thanked the Board for letting him be a part of the meeting.

NC Pat Householder thanked everyone for a great job & asked for a motion to

adjourn. Carl Schmidt gave the Benediction.

Motion to adjourn 2

nd

and passed.

Meeting adjourned at 1740.

2010 ussvi mid-termnc pat householder started a discussion on putting member’s photos on life...

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