Bylaws of USMC Gamers, Inc.

ARTICLE I - ORGANIZATION

Section 1. The name of the organization shall be United States Marine Corps Gamers, Inc., also referred to as USMCG.

Section 2. The organization shall have a seal, which shall be in the following form:

Section 3. The organization may, at its pleasure by a vote of the membership body, change its name or seal.

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ARTICLE II - PURPOSES

Section 1. The following are the purposes for which this organization has been organized:

1. USMCG was founded as a place for Marines to share brotherhood and play on-line games. We are proud of being an organization of Marines, for Marines, and run by Marines. We play on-line games, but realize our real strength is in our members and the camaraderie we share.
2. USMCG provides services to its members including, but not limited to: managed Internet Forums, Game Servers, and Communications Servers. The costs for these services are born by the members, and any excess funds from member donations will be utilized to benefit the membership as a whole or advance USMCG's purposes.
3. USMCG as an organization of Marines is dedicated to the faithful service exhibited by Citizens who choose to serve their nation; as such USMCG will support the morale and well-being of the United States Armed Services. This support may include the use of member donations to support charitable causes supporting serving members and veterans of the United States Armed Services.

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ARTICLE III - STATUS

Section 1. USMCG shall be a nonprofit Corporation, operated exclusively for the purposes specified in Article II above.

Section 2. Officers, Directors and Administrators shall not receive any stated compensation for their services, but the Board of Directors may authorize reimbursement of expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

Section 3. USMCG shall use its funds only to accomplish the purposes specified in Article II above, and no part of said funds shall incur or be distributed to members, unless for services or goods rendered.

Section 4. In the event of dissolution of USMCG, and after the discharge of all its liabilities, the remaining assets shall be given to a nonprofit organization whose purposes and objectives are similar to those purposes specified in Article II above, such organization will be designated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

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ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in this organization shall be open to the following.

1. All Marines active, reserve, former and retired. Our ranks represent Marines who have served in the Corps during war and peace, from all ranks and MOS’s and includes members who have recently stepped off the Parade Grounds at Parris Island and San Diego to those whose recollections of Boot Camp include Springfield ‘03s. To be a member, you must have earned the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor and have never received a dishonorable discharge. We do not care about gaming frequency, skill level, and length of service or rank. We only care that you are a Marine and individual of honor.
2. All members must subscribe to the code of conduct of United States Marine Corps Gamers as written in Article XIII of these By-Laws. Additional rules and regulations may apply to hosted/donated resources. The Administrators of these resources will post the individual rules and regulations after approval by the USMCG Board of Directors.

Section 2. New Members will be requested to conduct a phone interview with a USMCG Recruiting Administrator to verify their honorable Marine Corps service. There is no requirement to submit official documentation to USMCG concerning length or character of Marine Corps service. Members will be required to personally attest to their honorable Marine Corps service for purposes of recording keeping.

Section 3. Each member will be allowed to choose a unique Username.

1. Adding numbers, spaces, and non-alpha characters, or varying the spelling slightly is not sufficient to make a user name "unique.”
2. User names that are vulgar, racist, sexist, support or endorse hacking, the use of exploits, terrorism, or communism will not be allowed.
3. Final approval of a user name will reside with the Board of Directors.
4. If a member changes his user name or resigns, it cannot be used by any other member for a period of 1 year.
5. Members are expected to match as closely as possible their chosen user name for game names, call-signs, and communication program ID's to ensure proper identification in all activities.

Section 4. An annual census will be conducted the second week of September each year to determine the number of active members for purposes of annual reporting and voting procedures. The census will be conducted in the following manner:

1. A mass e-mail message will be sent to the registered e-mail address of all members, requesting a reply to the Adjutant Officer within thirty (30) days for purposes of annual reporting and voting registration. All members replying will be confirmed on the active roster.
2. In addition a post in the member’s only area will identify the start and end of the census as well as the e-mail address to the Adjutant Officer in order to ensure they are placed on the active roster.
3. New members who join during the census period will automatically be placed on the active roster.
4. Members who do not respond to the census will be placed on the inactive roster. They will not be eligible to run for office, nominate new officers or directors, and vote for officers and directors while on the inactive roster.
5. Members on the inactive roster may be returned to the active roster by simply contacting the Adjutant Officer via e-mail.

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ARTICLE V - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. The business of this organization shall be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of the four (4) Officers and five (5) Directors elected by the organization.

Section 2. The individual Directors shall be elected by secret ballot as defined in Article VIII of these By-Laws and they shall serve for a term of one (1) year starting the day after USMCGs Annual Meeting. The Directors will be elected by secret ballot. Elections for Directors will be conducted in October every year for a period of one (1) year starting November 10th, or as soon as practical.

Section 3. The Board of Directors shall have the control and management of the affairs and business of this organization. As such, the Board of Directors shall only act in the name of the organization when it shall be regularly convened by the Commanding Officer after due notice to all the members of the Board of Directors of such meeting.

Section 4. Fifty-one percent (51%) of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum, and the meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held regularly on the first Sunday of each month.

Section 5. Each Director shall have one vote, and such voting may not be done by proxy.

Section 6. The Board of Directors may make such rules and regulations covering its meetings as it may in its discretion determine necessary.

Section 7. Directors who are unable to complete their term or are removed for cause will be replaced by the Board of Directors by appointing a new Director from the active membership. This appointed Director will fill the position until the next annual election. The Board of Directors must make a unanimous decision when appointing a replacement Director. If the Board of Directors is unable to make a unanimous decision, a special election will be held to elect a replacement for the balance of the remaining term.

Section 8. The Commanding Officer of USMCG is by virtue of his office, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Section 9. Incompetence, abuse of privileges, or disregard for USMCG Policies by a Director will be dealt with by the Board of Directors. They may discharge, reprimand, or remove from their position Directors for proven offenses in accordance with Article XII of these By-Laws. However, a cohesive attempt to verbally communicate and address problems before said person/s get to the point of a necessary dismissal, must be made. This process will be done over a Voice over IP program. This will be done to allow a chance for said Director to improve, change or correct behavior before a final dismissal of said duties, is absolutely necessary.

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ARTICLE VI - OFFICERS

Section 1. The Officers of USMCG shall by virtue of their office be members of the Board of Directors. These Officers shall be elected by secret ballot. Elections for Officers will be conducted in October every two (2) years, as defined in Article VIII of these By-Laws and they shall serve for a term of two (2) years starting November 10th of the year the ballot occurs, or as soon as practicable. The elected officers of the organization shall be as follows:

1. Commanding Officer. The Commanding Officer shall preside at all membership meetings. He shall be, by virtue of his office, the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He shall present at each annual meeting of the organization an annual report of the work of the organization. He shall appoint all committees, temporary or permanent. He shall see all books, reports and certificates required by law are properly kept or filed. He shall be one of the officers who may sign the checks or drafts of the organization. He shall have such powers as may be reasonably construed as belonging to the chief executive of any organization.
2. Executive Officer. The Executive Officer shall in the event of the absence or inability of the Commanding Officer to exercise his office become acting Commanding Officer of the organization with all the rights, privileges and powers as if he had been the duly elected Commanding Officer.
3. Adjutant Officer. The Adjutant Officer shall keep the minutes and records of the organization in appropriate books. It shall be his duty to file any certificate required by any statute, federal or state. He shall give and serve all notices to members of this organization. He shall be the official custodian of the records and seal of this organization. He may be one of the officers required to sign the checks and drafts of the organization. He shall present to the membership at any meetings any communication addressed to him as Secretary of the organization. He shall submit to the Board of Directors any communications which shall be addressed to him as Secretary of the organization. He shall attend to all correspondence of the organization and shall exercise all duties incident to the office of Adjutant Officer.
4. Finance Officer. The Finance Officer shall have the care and custody of all monies belonging to the organization, and shall be solely responsible for such monies or securities of the organization. He shall cause to be deposited in a regular business bank or trust company a sum not exceeding $1000 and the balance of the funds of the organization shall be deposited in a savings bank except that the Board of Directors may cause such funds to be invested in such investments as shall be legal for a non-profit corporation in this state. He must be one of the officers who shall sign checks or drafts of the organization. No special fund may be set aside that shall make it unnecessary for the Finance Officer to sign the checks issued upon it. He shall render a finance report on a quarterly basis or as the Board of Directors shall determine as a written account of the finances of the organization and such report shall be physically affixed to the minutes of the Board of Directors of such meeting. The quarterly finance report will also be displayed for public viewing to the membership by the first day of October, January, April and July during every year. He shall exercise all duties incident to the office of Finance Officer.

Section 2. The Administrators of USMCG shall be selected by the Commanding Officer and approved by the Board of Directors and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. When a new Commanding Officer is elected, he may maintain the current Administrators from the past Commanding Officer, or replace them as he see fits with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors. The Administrators of USMCG consists of those members who serve to recruit new members, supervise competitive activities, maintain site and game servers, assist in group communications, assist members with technical problems and resolve internal/external problems as they arise.

The Administrators of USMCG will consist of the following:

1. Site and Server Administrators. The Site and Server Administrators shall create, maintain, administer and organize the USMCG web presence, by performing the following tasks:
1. Keeping links up to date.
2. Working with other related organizations to create a relationship that will enhance the community’s growth.
3. Basic PHP, HTML, CGI and MySQL database Knowledge.
4. Ensure forum rules are being upheld.
5. Implementing new features as requested by the population whenever deemed appropriate with a fair amount of interest.
6. Set permissions for Visitors, Guests, Members, Officers, Directors and Administrators of USMCG as required by their approved level of access and duty requirements.
7. All other website development and creation duties not listed here that would benefit this website and its success.

Note: Some Graphics abilities are recommended for this Administrator, but not required.

2. Game Server Administrators. The Game Server Administrators will be designated as required to administer and supervise specific Game Servers operated by USMCG, by performing the following tasks.
1. Ensuring the Game Server they are responsible for has appropriate rules posted to ensure fair play and respect are maintained by all users and that cheating in any form will not be tolerated.
2. The user access information is posted in the USMCG Forums for all members.
3. The Game Server hardware and software is kept up to date, especially all anti-cheat software required.
4. Ensuring the Board of Directors is informed of operating costs and identifies costs for required or desired upgrades.
3. Recruiting Administrators. The Recruiting Administrators will be responsible for bringing new members into USMCG by performing the following tasks.
1. When prospective members request membership via the public recruiting forum, a Recruiting Administrator will contact them via e-mail and arrange a phone interview. During this phone interview the Recruiting Administrator will verify the prospective member’s honorable Marine Corps service. They may use personal references from existing members to verify honorable service also. Once satisfied, the Recruiting Administrator will change the member’s status on the forums and place the USMCG tag before the new member’s user name.
2. Will identify venues and events where USMCG can actively recruit new members and organize USMCG participation in such events approved by the Board of Directors.
4. Sergeant Major. The Sergeant Major shall perform organizational and leadership tasks as directed by the Commanding Officer. Primarily he will ensure meetings of USMCG and its Board of Directors are conducted properly and efficiently.

The Administrators will NOT be voting members of the Board of Directors, unless elected by the membership in their own right to the Board of Directors.

New Administrators will be appointed and additional Administrators will be added as needed by the Commanding Officer and after approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors. An Administrator may be removed by a simple majority (51%) vote of the Board of Directors in accordance with Section 4 of this Article.

Section 3. Officers who are unable to complete their term or are removed for cause will be replaced on a temporary basis using the following chain of command: Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Adjutant Officer and Finance Officer. The next Officer below or above the vacancy as directed by the Commanding Officer will assume the duties of the vacancy for the period of 60 days during which a special election will be held to elect a replacement for the balance of the remaining term. If the vacancy occurs with less than 6 months remaining in the term there will be no special election and the designated Officer will continue to perform the additional required duties.

Section 4. Incompetence, abuse of privileges, or disregard for USMCG Policies by an Officer or Administrator will be dealt with by the Board of Directors. They may discharge, reprimand, or remove from their position Officers or Administrators for proven offenses in accordance with this Article. However, a cohesive attempt to verbally communicate and address problems, before said person(s) is/are at the point of a necessary dismissal, must be made. This process will be done over a Voice over IP program. This will be done to allow a chance for said Officer or Administrator to improve, change or correct behavior before a final dismissal of said duties, is absolutely necessary.

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ARTICLE VII - MEETINGS

Section 1. The annual business meeting of this organization shall be held on the ninth day of November each and every year except if such day is a legal holiday, then and in that event, the Board of Directors shall fix the day but it shall not be more than two weeks from the date fixed by these By-Laws.

Section 2. The annual social meeting of this organization shall be held on the tenth day of November each and every year except if such day is a legal holiday, then and in that event, the Board of Directors shall fix the day but it shall not be more than two weeks from the date fixed by these By-Laws.

Section 3. The Adjutant Officer with the support of the Sergeant Major shall cause to be E-mailed to every member in good standing at his E-mail address as it appears in the active membership list a notice telling the time and place of such annual meeting.

Section 4. Regular meetings of this organization shall be held on the internet via USMCG's Voice over IP Server. The Executive Officer will be the master of ceremonies for all meetings. All meetings will follow the schedule listed below:

1. Roll Call.
2. Reading of the Minutes of the preceding meeting.
3. Reports of Committees.
4. Reports of Officers.
5. Old and Unfinished Business.
6. New Business.
7. Adjournment.

Section 5. The presence of not less than 51% percent of the members shall constitute a quorum and shall be necessary to conduct the business of this organization; but a lesser percentage may adjourn the meeting for a period of not more than two weeks from the date scheduled by these By-Laws, and the secretary shall cause a notice of this scheduled meeting to be sent to all those members who were not present at the meeting originally called. A quorum as herein before set forth shall be required at any adjourned meeting.

Section 6. Special meetings of this organization may be called by the Commanding Officer when he deems it for the best interest of the organization. Notices of such meeting shall be E-mailed to all members at their addresses as they appear in the membership roll book at least ten (10) days before the scheduled date set for such special meeting. Such notice shall state the reasons that such meeting has been called, the business to be transacted at such meeting and by whom it was called. At the request of 51% percent of the members of the Board of Directors or 51% percent of the members of the organization, the Commanding Officer shall cause a special meeting to be called but such request must be made in writing at least ten (10) days before the requested scheduled date.

Section 7. No other business but that specified in the notice may be transacted at such special meeting without the unanimous consent of all present at such meeting.

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ARTICLE VIII - VOTING

Section 1. At all meetings, except for the election of officers and directors, all votes shall be by voice.

Section 2. At any regular or special meeting, if a majority (51% or more of the members on the active roster) so requires, any question may be voted upon.

Section 3. At all votes by ballot the Commanding Officer or his designated representative, prior to the commencement of balloting, will appoint a committee of three who shall act as Inspectors of Election and who shall, at the conclusion of such balloting, certify in writing via E-mail to the Commanding Officer the results and all records turned over to the adjutant for recording Official results will also be posted online. No inspector of election shall be a candidate for office or shall be personally interested in the question voted upon.

Section 4. A member can be nominated for an elected officer or board of director’s position only by petition of five (5) members on the active roster as determined in the Annual Census conducted as described in Article IV Section 3. This petition will be in the form of a Forum Post opened 30 days prior to the election date, where each member may post his support of the nomination. No other types of posts will be allowed. Once the minimum number of members for the petition has been attained and the candidate has accepted the nomination, the post will be locked. The confirmed nominee will be added to the ballot.

Section 5. For the annual election of officers and directors, the following is the basic procedure to be followed. It will be utilized with the appropriate changing of dates to meet special election requirements. In no case will the process take longer than forty-five (45) days.

1. The Inspectors of Election will verify the results of the nomination process identified in Section 5 above and forward the confirmed nominees to the Adjutant Officer at the close of nomination period.
2. The ballot for election of officers and directors will then be sent by the Adjutant Officer to each active members e-mail address. The closing date of the ballot will be no later than 24 October each year.
3. The Adjutant Officer will provide a list of the members' e-mail address to the Inspectors of Elections to verify the validity of ballots.
4. The member will simply vote using their registered e-mail address and return it to the designated e-mail address for the Inspectors of the Election.
5. The Inspectors of Election will count the ballots as they arrive and report the results no later than the last day of October each year.
6. In the case of two or more ballots from the same e-mail address, only the first ballot will be counted. The original and any additional ballots will be provided to the Adjutant Officer for investigation.

Section 6. Elections for Directors will be conducted in October every year for a period of one (1) year. The ballot will be of the form identified in Section 5 above.

Section 7. Elections for Officers will be conducted in October every other year starting in 2008 for a period of two (2) years. The ballot will be of the form identified in Section 5 above.

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ARTICLE IX - COMMITTEES

Section 1. All committees of this organization shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and their term of office shall be for a period of one (1) year or less if sooner terminated by the action of the Board of Directors.

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ARTICLE X - DONATIONS

Section 1. The operating funds for USMCG will be solely through donations. This is no obligation on any member to provide donations or pay dues of any sort to maintain their membership.

Section 2. The Finance Officer will be responsible as identified in these By-Laws to have the care and custody of all monies belonging to the organization and shall be solely responsible for such monies or securities of the organization. These monies will be utilized solely for the support of the purposes of USMCG as stated in these By-Laws.

Section 3. The Finance Officer shall render a finance report on a quarterly basis or as the Board of Directors shall determine as a written account of the finances of the organization and such report shall be physically affixed to the minutes of the Board of Directors of such meeting. The quarterly finance report will be displayed for public viewing to the membership by the first day of October, January, April and July during every year.

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ARTICLE XI - AMENDMENTS

Section 1. These By-Laws may be altered, amended, repealed or added to by an affirmative vote of not less than Fifty one (51%) percent of the members.

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ARTICLE XII - REPRIMAND, CENSURE AND DISCHARGE

Section 1. Violations of the USMCG Code of Conduct or Forum Rules are grounds for Reprimand, Censure, or Discharge.

Section 2. If charges are made against a member of USMCG, the following procedure will be utilized to adjudicate the matter:

1. The Officers and Directors will vote if the Members access to USMCG resources need to be restricted. A simple majority (51%) vote of the Board of Directors in accordance with Section 3 of this Article is required to restrict the Members access.
2. The Commanding and Executive Officers will appoint a jury of three (3) members of the Board of Directors and three (3) members at large and in good standing to review the charges.
3. All jury voting will be anonymous.
4. A two-thirds (2/3) or four (4) out of six (6) vote of the jury is required for all jury decisions.
5. All decisions of the jury will be final.
6. The jury will first elect a captain of the jurors and then decide if the charges are valid and against USMCG’s Code of Conduct. This will be done on-line in a Voice over IP session not to last more than 60 minutes.
7. Once the jury has determined an infraction of the USMCG Code of Conduct has been committed, the accused individual will be given the opportunity to plead his case to the jury in a Voice over IP session, not to last more than 60 minutes. The accused may accept or decline.
8. Following his appeal or decline the jury will decide and vote on an appropriate punishment. The available punishments in order of severity are:
1. Banning from USMCG
2. Suspension for X numbers of days.
3. Probation for X numbers of days.
1. The jury will then present their findings and any punishment to the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer for execution.

Section 3. Incompetence, abuse of privileges, or disregard for USMCG Policies by an Officer, Director or Administrator will be dealt with by the Board of Directors. They may discharge, reprimand, or remove from their position Officers, Directors or Administrators for proven offenses in accordance with this Article. However, a cohesive attempt to verbally communicate and address problems before said person(s) get to the point of a necessary dismissal, must be made. This process will be done over a Voice over IP program. This will be done to allow a chance for said Director, Officer or Administrator to improve, change or correct behavior before a final dismissal of said duties, is absolutely necessary.

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ARTICLE XIII - CODE OF CONDUCT

Respect. Marines respect each other and the country and citizens we defend. USMCG is an organization of Marines based on mutual respect. Disagreements may arise, however in the end we are a Brotherhood and it is expected all Marines will find common ground and put disagreements behind them as quickly as possible.

Professionalism. Marines are consummate professionals. All Members of USMCG maintain a professional, decent and respectful demeanor; commensurate with the conduct expected of active-duty Marines. Demeaning individuals or groups in any way is counter to the professionalism expected of Marines and the beliefs of USMCG.

Excellence. Marines strive for excellence in all they do. Their excellence is based on hard work, dedication and natural ability. USMCG participates in a number of different on-line computer games and simulations; our pursuit of excellence has no place for those who unnaturally enhance their ability by cheating or glitching.

Leadership. Marines are Leaders and Leadership is based on service. All Members of USMCG will be strong leaders and strive to maintain, promote and display the highest standards of personal conduct.

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