National Society of Scabbard and Blade
___ Company, __ Regiment Bylaws
BYLAWS OF ___ Company, ___ Regiment, National Society of Scabbard and Blade, a Professional Military
Society.
ARTICLE I - NAME, PURPOSE
Section 1: The name of the organization shall be ____ Company, ____ Regiment, National Society of Scabbard and
Blade.
Section 2: This organization is formed exclusively for service, professional and educational purposes.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Membership shall conform to the Constitution of the National Society. Insert this statement or list
requirements from constitution. “Refer to Article I of the Constitution for complete information.”
Section 2: Membership shall be further restricted to Cadets/Midshipmen who meet the following requirements:
Insert additional requirements that your company may place. For example, must have at least a B average in all
Military Science classes. This is something that must be thoroughly vetted with the company advisor and members.
Section 3: Guidance on new member selection.
Describe how and when members will be selected and initiated.
Section 4: Probation of a member.
Insert requirements that active members must maintain to stay active
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS
Section 1: Quorum.
Recommended language:
A meeting shall be attended by a quorum before business can be transacted or motions made or passed. A quorum is
defined as two thirds (2/3) of the active membership and at least 1 company officer.
Section 2: Regular Meetings.
Insert frequency and the general order of business.
Example text – Members of the Company shall meet weekly to conduct company business. The order of company
business shall be as follows:
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Roll call and excuses for absence.
Reading of minutes of previous meeting and first sergeant’s report.
Second lieutenant’s report of all moneys due and unpaid, received, disbursed or on hand and of all
liabilities outstanding.
Reports of other officers and committees, except membership.
Unfinished business.
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New business.
Proposal of new members.
Report of membership committee and balloting on candidates formerly proposed.
Initiation of new members.
Election and installation of captain, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, and/or first sergeant.
Presentation of paper on and/or discussion of military subjects.
Announcements.
Section 3: Special Meetings.
Recommended language – Special meetings may be called by the Company Captain.
Section 4: Notice.
Recommended language – Notice of each meeting shall be given in advance by the Company First Lieutenant no
later than 4 days in advance of the meeting date.
ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS
Section 1: Positions.
Recommended language The officer positions will conform to the National Constitution, and shall be:
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Company Captain. The captain shall be the chief executive officer of the company and shall be the channel
for all communications from the company and to the company.
Company First Lieutenant. The first lieutenant shall during the absence, disqualification, or disability of the
captain perform the duties of the captain. Additionally, he/she shall assist the captain in the performance of
his/her duties as directed.
Company Second Lieutenant. The second lieutenant shall be the treasurer of the company, collecting all
fees, dues, fines, and assessments and make such disbursements as may be required.
Company First Sergeant. The first sergeant shall be secretary or clerk of the company.
Section 2: Elections.
Example text:
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Election of officers will occur in turn at two consecutive meetings of the company.
o The Company Captain shall be elected one meeting in advance of the other officers.
o Nominations for an office shall be taken one week in advance of the meeting at which a vote is to
take place.
o These nominations shall be sent out to members with the regular meeting announcement.
Candidates for a position shall be provided with opportunity for a three minute speech, followed by a two
minute question and answer period immediately prior to the vote.
Officers will be elected by a majority vote of the current membership.
o A failure of any candidate to receive a majority of votes cast will result in an immediate run-off
election between the two candidates with the highest vote count.
Voting shall be by secret ballot.
o Counting of votes cast shall be the responsibility of the Company First Sergeant.
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Election and instillation of officers shall be completed by the end of the spring semester of each academic
year.
Section 3: Terms.
List the length of terms for officers. At a minimum, we recommend 2 semesters for the company captian.
Recommended language: All officers shall serve one-year terms and are eligible for re-election.
Section 4: Officers and Duties. As a minimum, officers shall perform the following duties:
This is a chance to describe the officer positions. We recommend that you highlight the responsibilities and describe
them in detail in a separate document.
Example language:
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The Captain shall convene regularly scheduled meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the
officer group to preside at each meeting in the following order: first lieutenant, second lieutenant, first
sergeant.
The first lieutenant will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the membership.
The second lieutenant shall make a report at each meeting. The second lieutenant shall chair the finance
committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial
information available to company members and the public.
The first sergeant shall be responsible for keeping records of company actions, including overseeing the
taking of minutes at all company meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of
minutes and the agenda to each member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.
Section 5: Vacancies.
Example text:
When a vacancy of the officers exists, nominations for new officers may be received from present members by the
first sergeant one week in advance of a meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to members with the regular
meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next meeting. These vacancies will be filled only to the end of the
current term.
Section 6: Resignation, Termination and Absences.
Example text:
Resignation from the company must be in writing and received by the first sergeant. A member shall be dropped for
excess absences from the roster if he/she has three unexcused absences from meetings in a year. Excused absences
are granted at the discretion of the Company Commander. Any member may be removed for other reasons by a
three-fourths (3/4) vote of the remaining members.
Section 7: Special Meetings.
Example text –
Special meetings of the Company shall be called upon the request of the Captain or one-third of the membership.
Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the first sergeant.
ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES
We recommend using subcommittees (i.e. fundraising, community service) if your company has more than fifteen
active members. This will allow for additional opportunities for members to be involved and stay engaged. Keeping
this section very general will allow you to meet the needs of your company as it develops without constantly
amending the bylaws.
Section 1: General.
The company may create committees as needed, such as fundraising, community service, etc. The Captain appoints
all committee chairs.
Section 2: Named Committees.
Executive Committee – The Company Captain, First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, and First Sergeant serve as the
members of the Executive Committee. Except for the power to amend the Company Bylaws, the Executive
Committee shall have all of the powers and authority of the Company in the intervals between meetings of the
Company, subject to the direction and control of the entire membership.
Membership Committee – A membership committee will be formed to execute the selection and initiation of
company members.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
Section 1: New Amendments.
These Bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the company membership.
Proposed amendments must be submitted to the first sergeant to be sent out with regular company announcements.
These Bylaws were approved at a meeting of this Company on Insert Date
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Company Captain
Date
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Company Advisor
Date