The Harvard Club of Southern California - By-Laws
A Message from Club Presidents Past, Present, and Future
(04/07/21) - By-laws guide the proper functioning of any organization, and the Harvard Club of Southern California is no exception! The Club has been operating pursuant to the current by-laws for the past 7 years. To update, modernize, and add some needed content, the HCSC formed a By-Laws Revision Committee to review and amend the current version: Co-Chairs Steven M. Arkow ’84 (Immediate Past President) and Joan Chu Reese ’85 (Executive Vice-President and President-Elect), and Board members George Newhouse, Jr. ’76 (former president), Pooja Nair JD ’11 (VP, Communications), Kay Park (VP, Radcliffe and former president), Eva Plaza ’80 (VP, Schools), and Peter Shimamoto JD ’85. The Committee worked in close consultation with Patric M. Verrone ’81 (President).
The Committee, in true Harvard tradition, did its homework — in a collaborative process that solicited contributions from multiple sources in the community. Comparisons were made to and best practices were adopted from model by-laws of the Harvard Alumni Association, by-laws of Harvard clubs of similar size from other regions, and those of other Ivy League clubs. The Committee proposed revisions in the following key areas: removal of antiquated/outdated provisions, updating to account for the times (e.g., virtual meetings), general editing for clarity and conciseness, and incorporation of important club documents (conflict-of-interest guidelines, board member duties and responsibilities, Title IX training, and a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging statement). After comprehensive review and input from the Board of Directors, the new by-laws were adopted by unanimous vote of the board at its meeting on April 7, 2021. The new by-laws are effective July 1, 2021.