Kwahadi Lodge #78
By Laws:
I. Name and Affiliation of the Lodge
A. The name of this Lodge of the Order of the Arrow shall be
known as the:
Kwahadi Lodge W. W. W. #78.
B. The lodge shall be affiliated with the Conquistador Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Lodge shall be under the supervision of the Council Camping Committee and the administrative authority of the Council Scout Executive.
C. The totem of this Lodge shall be the Pronghorn Antelope.
D. The call of this Lodge shall be the call of the Pronghorn
Antelope.E. The Lodge shall have Chapters. The Chapters shall be under the supervision of the District Camping Committee and the District Executive.
II. Membership
*A. Requirement for membership to this Lodge are as required in the latest edition of the Order of the Arrow handbook.
*B. The procedures for the Ordeal shall be as stated in the latest edition of the Order of the Arrow Handbook.
*C. Brotherhood membership will be in accordance with the requirements in the latest edition of the Order of the Arrow handbook.
*D. Vigil honor will be in accordance with the requirements in the latest edition of the Order of the Arrow handbook.
*E. Members must be registered in the Boy Scouts of America.
*F. Membership in more than one lodge is not permitted.
III. Lodge and Chapter Officers
A. The Lodge Officers of this Lodge shall be:
- Lodge Chief
- Lodge Vice Chief (Administration)
- Lodge Vice Chief (Program)
- Lodge Secretary
- Lodge Treasurer
- Feathermaster
B. Chapter Officers of this Lodge shall be:
- Chapter Chief
- Chapter Vice Chief
- Chapter Secretary
- Treasurer (optional)
- Feathermaster (optional)
C. Lodge and Chapter Officer Elections
1. Elections of Lodge and Chapter Officers will be held at the Council of Chiefs meeting during the Summer Ordeal. The Lodge Officer election shall be held first then Chapter elections. All elected Officers must be approved by the Supreme Chief of the Fire or a designee of his choice.
*2. The elected officers must be under 21 years of age for their entire term of office, and must have achieved 1st Class Rank.
3. Lodge and Chapter officer term of office shall be from
Summer Ordeal to Summer Ordeal.4. Candidacy for Lodge office.
a. Candidates must submit in writing their intention to run for lodge office no later than twelve (12) midnight prior to the election.
b. The candidate must be a current dues paying member of the lodge.
c. The candidate must be registered in the Boy Scouts of America.
d. Lodge officers may not hold chapter, section, region, or national office at the same time.
D. Lodge and Chapter Committees
1. The Lodge shall appoint such committees as required, with
the approval of the lodge Council of Chiefs, to coordinate special lodge activities during the year. The Lodge Chief shall appoint chairman to supervise committees. The following are examples of such committees:a. Camp Promotion Chairman
b. Candidate Elections Chairman
c. Ordeal Master
d. Elangomat Master
e. Newsletter Editor
f. Banquet Coordinator
g. Fellowship Coordinator
IV. Voting
A. Only those current dues paying youth members of the Lodge will be allowed to vote in Lodge elections and special Lodge activities.
V. Lodge Dues
A. All Order of the Arrow funds will be handled through the Council Office and will go through all normal accounting
procedures.B. Dues will be set by the Council of Chiefs.
C. Dues will run from calendar year to calendar year.
D. Dues for the succeeding year will be paid on or before the Annual Banquet.
E. Previous members may become active by paying the present calendar year dues.
F. Members transferring into the Lodge will pay current year dues, present their membership card from their previous
Lodge and will furnish records information from the previous Lodge.*G. Lifetime dues are not in accordance with Lodge policy and
will not be accepted.H. The Council of Chiefs shall approve all expenses paid by the Council Office.
I. Members who have not paid the current years dues by January 31, will be dropped from the lodge active roster.
VI. Uniforming
A. Lodge Insignia
1. Lodge insignia (pocket flaps, sashes, coup necklaces, etc...) shall be worn correctly and only by current members of this Lodge.
2. Lodge Trading Post
a. Trading post material will be available at the Council office and during all Lodge special activities.
b. The Lodge Trading Post will maintain an adequate
supply of Lodge insignia including but not limited
to Lodge pocket flaps, hats, tee-shirts, neckerchiefs, back-patches, pins, sashes, handbooks, coffee mugs,
etc.c. The Lodge Trading Post will maintained by the Lodge Treasure and/or Feathermaster and the Lodge Financial Adviser.
*3. The Arrowman sash shall be worn on the right shoulder and
only while in proper B.S.A. uniform. The sash shall not be
worn tucked in the belt.*a. No additional items, patches sash backs etc. shall be worn on the sash, except for approved National Anniversary patches.
VII. Lodge activities
A. The Lodge will hold the following scheduled yearly activities:
1. Annual Planning Conference and Banquet
2. Spring Ordeal
3. Summer Ordeal
4. Fall Fellowship
B. The Lodge will hold at least six (6) Council of Chiefs
meetings per year.1. A Council of Chiefs meeting will be held at each of the above activities. the Council will meet on the Sunday of each special activity, and before that activity is
dismissed.2. The Council will hold all other regular meetings on scheduled Sundays, at 1:00 p.m., at the Council Office in Roswell.
*C. All meetings of the Lodge shall be opened with the Obligation
of the Order of the Arrow.
VIII. Ordeal
A. The Lodge will hold two Ordeals each year to allow every
opportunity for all candidates to attend and ordeal weekend.1. Spring Ordeal
a. The Spring Ordeal will be held prior to the opening
of summer camp. The primary purpose of this
ordeal will be to set up summer camp. The balance
of those candidates that were called out during
summer camp of the previous year will be invited
to attend this Ordeal to complete their Ordeal
membership.2. Summer Ordeal
a. The Summer Ordeal will be held following the closing
of Wehinahpay Mountain Camp. The primary purpose
of this Ordeal will be to prepare camp for the long
winter months and set up camp for the winter
camping season.b. During the Summer Ordeal the Lodge will hold Lodge
and Chapter Officer elections.B. Call outs
1. Call out ceremonies will be held at summer camp
(during the council camp awards program). Each Chapter is allowed
to hold their own call out ceremony at their district
Camp-o-ree, or other district special activity.2. Should a candidate not receive their call out before
their Ordeal. A special call out ceremony will be held
prior to the Pre-ordeal ceremony.C. New Candidate Notification
1. The Lodge Secretary will notify each candidate in
writing prior to their arrival at the Ordeal of the
equipment they will need to bring.2. Every effort shall be made to insure proper health
and safety concerns of each candidate. Those
candidates with physical or medical conditions will
be identified as soon as possible upon arrival at the
Ordeal.a. Heavy Jacket
b. Ground cover and/or poncho
c. Sleeping bag
d. Work clothes
e. Work gloves
f. Scout uniform
g. Canteen
h. Knife
i. Emergency Flashlight
j. Necessary Medication
k. Matches (ARE NOT ALLOWED)D. New Candidate Packet
1. Each new candidate upon completion of the Ordeal
will receive a packet containing the following material:*a. OA Handbook
*b. Membership card (to expire December 31st of that year.)
*c. Ordeal Sash
d. Ordeal Pocket Flap
e. Special Lodge Patch
f. Coup Necklace
g. Copy of Lodge By-Laws
h. Welcome letter from the current Lodge Chief or Secretary.
IX. Council of Chiefs
A. The executive committee of the Lodge shall be known as the Council of Chiefs. The Council of Chiefs shall be composed of the elected Lodge Officers, the immediate past Lodge Chief, Chapter Chiefs, Lodge and Chapter Advisers, and the Supreme Chief of the Fire.
1. The Council Scout Executive shall be known as the
Supreme Chief of the Fire.2. The Lodge Adviser shall be known as the Deputy
Supreme Chief of the Fire.3. The Lodge Chief shall be known as the Chief of the Fire.
B. The Council of Chiefs meetings shall be open to all members
of the Lodge.C. The Council of Chiefs meetings will follow the most recent
edition of Robert's Rules of Order.D. Voting
1. Only those current dues paying youth members of
the Lodge will be allowed to vote in Lodge elections
and special lodge activities.2. Only youth members of the Council of Chiefs will be
allowed to vote in Lodge business. Those members
with voting power shall consist of the following officers.a. Lodge Officers (each officer will have one vote)
1. Lodge Vice Chief (administration)
2. Lodge Vice Chief (program)
3. Lodge Secretary
4. Lodge Treasurer
b. Chapter Officers
1. Each Chapter Chief or Chapter Representative
will have one vote in Lodge business.c. The Lodge Chief will abstain from voting unless
there is a tie vote. The Chief will cast the tie
breaking vote.d. A minimum of two/thirds (2/3) of the Lodge Officers
must be present to vote on Lodge business.e. A majority of fifty-one percent (51%) is needed in
order to pass.3. The Supreme Chief of the Fire will have final approval
of all Lodge business.
X. Removal of Lodge and Chapter Officers
A. Lodge Chief, Vice-Chiefs, Secretary, Treasurer, Feathermaster
1. When it becomes apparent that a Lodge Officer is not carrying out their responsibilities as officer.
Said activities may include but are not limited to the following example:
The Chief has missed two activities or Council of Chiefs meetings during his term of office. The Vice Chief of Administration will be appointed to act as Chief by the Lodge Adviser or Supreme Chief of the Fire. The Vice Chief will call a special Council of Chiefs meeting to remove or retain the elected Lodge Chief. The Vice Chief will give a minimum of seven (7) days notice of this meeting. The Lodge Chief will be permitted to present his defense at this meeting if he feels his removal is unjustified.
2. This section shall not be misconstrued to prohibit an
officer from missing an activity or Council of Chiefs
meeting, in the event of a family or other type of
emergency.3. The Lodge Adviser should counsel with the Officer to
find out the problem as to why they are not performing
his duties as he had agreed.a. If the Officer who is being counseled desires to
resign, the Lodge Chief will present his resignation
letter at the next Council of Chiefs meeting.
The Council of Chiefs will then appoint a new
officer to serve the remainder of the term.4. If for any reason the above officers fail to perform
their duties or to fulfill their responsibilities, the
Council of Chiefs will vote to remove or retain the
elected Lodge officer.B. Chapter Chief
1. One of the duties of the Chapter Chief is to represent
his Chapter at the Council of Chiefs meetings. If he
is going to be absent from these meetings, he will
contact his Vice Chief or designee to represent him
and the Chapter.2. If the Chapter Chief or Officers are not carrying out
their responsibilities, the Chapter would recommend
that they appoint a new Chapter Officer at the next
Chapter meeting and will follow the same rules as
the removal of a Lodge Officer except on a Chapter
level.
XI. Lodge and Chapter Advisers
*A. The Lodge Adviser will be appointed by the Supreme Chief
of the Fire and will be responsible for all Lodge business
and activities.B. The term of office will be determined by the Supreme Chief
of the Fire.C. The Chapter Advisers will be appointed by the Supreme
Chief of the Fire and recommended by the Lodge Adviser
and will be responsible for the activities in each chapter.D. The Lodge Financial Adviser will be appointed by the
Supreme Chief of the Fire and the Lodge Adviser will be
responsible for all Lodge financial accounts, monies and
property.1. The Financial Adviser will be responsible to report all
Lodge financial transactions and the status of the
Lodge/Council financial accounts at Council of Chiefs
meetings.2. The Financial Adviser will be responsible to inventory
all Lodge property and trading post materials.
XII. Lodge Publication
A. The Lodge publication shall be known as the "Pronghorn".
1. The Lodge Secretary and/or Editor shall be responsible
for publication items for the newsletter.2. The Pronghorn shall be published on a quarterly basis
and will promote upcoming Lodge activities.3. The council office will be responsible for printing and mailing.
XIII. Amending Sections
A. All unmarked sections are subject to amendment at any regular or special meeting of this lodge.
B. All sections marked with a * indicates rules that cannot be changed by lodge vote. These sections are required by
national policy and the Order of the Arrow Handbook.C. Amendments to the Lodge By-Laws may be made by a majority vote at any special or Lodge Council of Chiefs meetings.
XIV. Amendments