Welcome to Rotary...
Congratulations on being invited to join the Rotary Club of College Station. Someone you know has proposed you for membership. This is probably no secret to you, and before you decide to accept this invitation, we wish to tell you about us: our objectives and rules, so that you can make a thoughtful decision.
Our club is part of Rotary International, a more than 90-year-old service organization consisting of nearly 1,200,000 members, in over 29,000 clubs, in 159 nations. Its members are men and women who hold leadership positions in government, businesses, and charities, and those who provide professional services. Rotarians believe that we can attain worldwide fellowship and peace through an organization of business and professional men and women united under the banner of service.
Rotary employs a "classification" form of membership in order to spread its membership throughout the community where each club is located. You were, like every other Rotarian, chosen to represent your particular vocation in your club. Rotary stands for the highest standards of character and integrity in your family, in your club, and in your vocation.
Rotary requires that you attend substantially all of the weekly meetings of your club. This rule reinforces the classification form of membership, and when a member must miss a meeting, that member is called upon to visit promptly the meeting of another club as a make-up. A Rotarian is always welcome at any meeting of any other Rotary club in the world, and you will find there are many opportunities to visit other clubs. Many Rotarians who travel frequently have found that with some preparation they are able to maintain their attendance and also meet a greater variety of people. By visiting other clubs you will discover a wealth of diversification among our clubs.
Rotary is not a political, religious, or "secret" organization. Rotarys structure, charter, and bylaws are open to all. Rotary does not exist to serve any creed or political objective. Rotary does not exist to promote you in your business or profession; our members should never advertise their membership to attract business or for advancement.
All Rotarians should strive to be of service to their vocations, their communities, and to the world community itself. As you learn about Rotary and Rotarians, you will probably be surprised at the scope and depth of the service we give. You will also find that many of the leaders of other charitable and volunteer organizations are also Rotarians. You will have many choices and opportunities for your service. Remember that someone wanted you to join the Rotary Club of College Station. If you can live up to their expectations, then we encourage your membership.
Congratulations! You have been adopted into the great family of Rotary. Not only do you represent your classification to Rotary, but you are also an ambassador of Rotary to your business, craft, or profession. Rotary can not be adequately described or explained, but it is lived and felt. Rotary is a way of life. We believe, so you believe, that your lifes activity is an honorable and worthy one, and you will find Rotary a healthy and congenial influence, to which you are expected to contribute in fair measure.
Rotary is not a political organization, but all Rotarians everywhere are vitally concerned with all matters pertaining to good citizenship. As a good citizen, you will want to see good men and women in public office, and once they are there, they should be worthy of your loyalty and cooperation.
Rotary is not a charitable organization, but within its kind and comprehensive grasp will be found all the charity and all the sacrifices you would expect from men and women who believe that the Golden Rule is more than a mere theory.
Rotary is not a religious organization; it knows no race or creed. Yet behind it are all those eternal principles, which have made religion the vital influence that it has been on the destinies of men and women through the ages. Religion and denomination are manmade but the love for God is very personal.
Rotary is an organization of business and professional men and women pledged to the highest business and professional standards. They are earnest people who believe, and whose lives should be run parallel with the belief, that the development of the sacred thing called character is the supreme achievement of life. They are men and women who believe that worldwide fellowship and international peace can be secured through an organization of business and professional men and women united under the banner of service.
On entering Rotary you will assume many obligations, but we believe you are a person who realizes that our responsibilities are the greatest gifts that God can give to many. Our Mottoes are "Service Above Self" and "He profits most who serves best." As already indicated to you, we believe that the Golden Rule is applicable even in these modern days of highly organized business and professional competition.
You will take these principles with you into your home and personal life; you will take them into your business life; into the relations between yourself and the men and women whom you employ; and more than that, you will take them into your business, professional, or craft organization, for you are a Rotary missionary, carrying the gospel of unselfish service to all with whom you may come in contact.
by Past District Governor Chester L. Rossi
TOP Club Attendance:
Attendance is a very important part of a Rotarian membership. If one is not consistently at the meetings, it is impossible to be an active member. While the club knows that it would be almost impossible to attend every meeting, they expect a member to try to make up when possible. The requirements for attendance come from our bylaws and are as follows:
Article X Section 5 of the club constitution indicates that the membership of any member other than an honorary member of this club shall automatically terminate if, without consent of the board for good and sufficient reason, he/she fails:
a) to attend or make-up four consecutive regular meetings, or
b) to attend or make-up at least sixty percent of the regular meetings in the first or second six months of the fiscal year, or
c) to attend or make-up at least thirty percent of the regular meetings of this club in the first or second six months of the fiscal year. The make-up period for a missed meeting starts fourteen days prior to the meeting missed and extends an additional fourteen days after the meeting was missed.
Example: If you are going to miss Tuesday, July 11, you can make-up that meeting beginning the night of Tuesday, June 27th, through the morning of Tuesday, July 25th. When a member misses two consecutive meetings of the College Station Club, he/she is contacted by the chairperson of the attendance committee, to indicate to the member that he/she was missed, and to also make sure that the member is not losing interest in Rotary.
TOP
Membership Requirements and Procedures:
Every Rotarian shares the responsibility of seeking qualified men/women for unified classifications. In this way every club member can help his/her club achieve a full representation of the business and professional life of the community.
In assessing qualifications for club membership, here are points to consider:
- Is the individuals character above reproach?
- Is the reputation of the individuals firm exemplary?
- Is the person "service-minded"?
- Can the candidate meet the financial obligations of membership and attend weekly meetings?
TOP
Membership in Clubs:
Each club consists of persons with the qualifications provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International. Membership in a Rotary Club is considered to be the personal membership of the individual and not of the partnership or corporation which the individual member represents.
TOP
Location of Business or Residence:
Each active member of the club shall be personally and actively engaged in the business or profession on which he is classified in the club and, except as otherwise provided, have his place of business or residence located within the territorial limits of the club.
For the information and guidance of clubs in implementing provisions of the constitutional documents for active membership in a club on the basis of place of business or place of residence, in considering prospective active members in the club, all other qualifications being equal, preference should be given by the club to the prospective member who is personally and actively engaged within the territorial limits of the club in the business or profession in which he/she is to be classified in the club, and who has his/her place of business located within the territorial limits of the club.
In relation to active membership in a club, "place of business" is understood to mean the establishment from which the active member or proposed active member normally administers his/her business or professional responsibilities and activities.
The reference to "residence" in the constitutional documents, relating to the qualifications for active membership in a club, and references to a Rotarian residing within the territorial limits of his club or within the surrounding area, are understood to mean the individuals principle place of residence.
A club may admit to retain, as member, a person whose residence or place of business is within the territorial limits of the club or within the corporation limits of the city in which the club is located or within the territorial limits of an immediately adjoining club.
TOP
Method of Electing Members:
The following procedure is in accordance with the provisions of Article XI of the "Recommended Rotary Club Bylaws." Each step should be observed:
The name of a prospective member, proposed by an active, senior active, or past service member of the club or by the Membership Development Committee, is submitted to the board in writing through the club secretary. The proposal is kept confidential throughout the preliminary procedure, and the candidate is not aware of being considered.
The board requests the Classification Committee to report on the eligibility of the proposed member from the standpoint of classification, and the Membership Committee to investigate and report on the persons eligibility from the standpoint of character, business, and social standing, and general eligibility.
The board considers and approves or disapproves the recommendations of the Classifications and Membership Committees and then notifies the proposer, through the club secretary, of its decision.
If the boards decision is favorable, the proposer, together with one or more members of the Rotary Information Committee, informs the prospective member of the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of membership in the club. The prospective Rotarian is then asked to fill out and submit an application form for membership and to give permission for the candidates name and proposed classification to be published to the club. It is a sound practice to invite the candidate to several regular club meetings prior to presenting the application card.
If no written objection to the proposal is received by the board from any club member within ten days after the publication of the name of the prospective member, he/she is considered to be elected to membership. If an objection is filed, the board considers it at a regular or special meeting and votes on the proposed member. If the "no" votes fall below a set number (fixed by the club), the candidate is elected to membership. The club secretary then issues a membership card and reports the new members name to the RI General Secretary. The individual is then formally introduced at a regular club meeting.
Revised DG 20000103
TOP
Getting Your Blue Badge
Every new Rotarian will receive a red badge upon induction into the club. In order to earn your blue badge, you are required to complete 8 of the items listed below. For your convenience, a form will be provided for you in your new member packet. This form should be completed and returned to the club secretary. You can also download the form in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) or MS Word (.doc) format.
- Act as a greeter prior to the meeting, greeting all members and making sure guests are given proper attention.
- Lead the Pledge of Allegiance or Invocation.
- Do a "Who am I?"
- Make up at another club or Rotaract or Interact meeting.
- Participate in a fund raising event or community service event.
- Attend a Rotary Information meeting.
- Propose a new member into the club.
- Read the ABCs of Rotary.
- Participate in a committee function.
- Attend a Fellowship meeting (Holiday, VIVA Award, or Induction banquet).
Rev DRG 20000102
TOP
Financial Contributions
A member's contributions start with Quarterly dues ($130), that include our
breakfast, and a contribution ($20) to the Rotary Foundation.
If a member is not, but wishes to become, a Paul Harris member, there will be an additional contribution required until $500 is reached.
During the year there will be additional, discretionary, opportunities to contribute to various specific projects.
TOP
In Memory
1999
Norm Grine passed away on June 23, 1999. Norm was classified Senior Active after retiring from Texas A&M University as the Director of Institutional Purchasing in the mid '80's. He was a veteran of both WWII and Korea. He was a Rotarian for much of the time since the 1960's. Norm insisted on maintaining his membership in the club during his long illness. He will be remembered as being cheerful despite his discomfort, and always having a kind word. Norm was 73. Services were held on June 27, at First Presbyterian Church in Bryan. |