Catalina Mountain Elk Lodge #2815 Scholarship Program Administered by the Catalina Mountain Elk Lodge Past Exalted Ruler's Association (PERA) October 7, 2006 Bylaws Article I - Scholarship Program The Catalina Mountain Elk Lodge #2815 PER Scholarship Program was established by unanimous vote of the Catalina Mountain Elk Lodge #2815 Past Exalted Rulers (PER) Association on August 12, 2006, to assist students in the pursuit of a higher education. Article II - Scholastic Eligibility The recipient of the award must already have successfully completed one grading period of study in a United States post-secondary educational institution of learning; be enrolled in a United States post-secondary educational institution of learning; and pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree or pursuing post-secondary vocational/technical certification in a vocational institution or college. Article III - Scholarship Funds Disbursement Prior to the regularly scheduled meeting of the PER Association in July, a meeting agenda item will address the issue of how scholarship funds will be allocated for the current year and delineate the members of the Scholarship Selection Committee. The award monies will be given directly to the educational institution of the selected student at the beginning of the appropriate grading period. The monies will be allocated only after the student has presented the Committee with official documentation from the educational institution that states that the student has formally enrolled for the next grading period. Article IV - Selection Criteria The Scholarship will be awarded based on the applicant's merits only. No financial statement will be required for the applicant or the applicant's family. Although scholastic excellence will weigh more heavily in the selection process, other factors will also be considered. These factors are (but not limited to): community service, special needs, and extra-curricular activities (e.g. class officer, school clubs, yearbook staff, other organizations, etc). Article V - Selection Committee The Selection Committee will consist of three voting members plus the President of the PER Association who will act as chairperson, and the installed Exalted Ruler who will assist the chairperson in the administrative work related to the applications. The PER Association President and the Exalted Ruler will not have voting privileges. They will be responsible to ensure that the selection process is conducted fairly; to see that the applications are held in strictest confidence; and to assure that the voting members of the committee cannot identify the applicant's name or sex from the material presented to them. The voting members of the Selection Committee shall be comprised of two PERs and a member of Catalina Elks Lodge 2815 at large, who will be chosen from the Lodge population, excluding the PER Association. The voting members shall serve for three years. The President of the PER Association will replace one voting member each year the member's term expires. The PER President shall be responsible to fill any vacancies that may occur in order to maintain a total of three voting members. In the event a member of the voting committee is sponsoring an applicant for the award, that member will participate in the entire selection process and make known to the committee that he/she is a sponsor only at the time of the final vote by abstaining from the vote. This is to ensure total anonymity of the applicant. The Selection Committee and the Selection Committee only, shall evaluate applications for the scholarship. The PER Association shall provide the Selection Committee with a secure drawer or cabinet for storage of the applications and said applications shall remain on file for a period of no less than five years and a list of scholarship applicants will be kept permanently. The Selection Committee will be the only body with access to the applications after they have been submitted to the PER Association. The applications shall be kept confidential and the committee's decision as to the selected recipient will be final. The Selection Committee will choose both a primary and a secondary recipient. The secondary recipient will receive the award in the event that the primary winner, for any reason, becomes ineligible, e.g. drops out of school. The secondary winner's name will be held in confidence by the committee and shall be made known only in the event the primary winner becomes ineligible. The Selection Committee will have the authority to withhold the issuance of a scholarship in any given year should they deem that none of the applicants which have applied meet the necessary criteria. Article VI - Availability of Applications It will be the responsibility of the President of the PER Association to ensure that application forms are available at the beginning of August of each year. No applications will be accepted later than the end of October of the award year. The Committee will designate an eligible recipient in December of each year. Article VII - The Application The format of the application and the criteria of the required documentation to be submitted shall be as set forth by the PER Association. Article VIII - Revision of Bylaws Any changes in or revision of these Bylaws governing the administration of the Catalina Mountain Elk Lodge #2815 PER Scholarship Program, sponsored by the Past Exalted Ruler Association of Catalina Mountain Elk Lodge #2815, shall be by amendment and requires a favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the PERs present at a regularly scheduled PER meeting at which a quorum was in attendance. Bylaws Approved by: __________________________ _________ __________________________ __________ Neal Patronski Date Jim Cox Date President (PER 2003-2004) Vice President (PER 2005-2006) _____________________________ _________ _____________________________ ___________ Kathy Anderson Date Victor Garcia Date Secretary (PER 2002-2003) Treasurer (PER 2001-2002) _____________________________ _________ _____________________________ _________ Frank Fieldhouse Date Stan Simard Date Member (PER 2004-2005) Member (PER Lodge _____) _____________________________ _________ _____________________________ _________ Jon Walker Date Dave Webster Date Member /Sponsor (PER Lodge 385) Member (PER Lodge 1084; 1987-1988) _____________________________ _________ Jack Baillargeon, Lodge #2815 Date Exalted Ruler 2006-2007