Adopted as approved at the May 19, 2012, Spring Conclave.

 I. Name and Affiliation

A.   The name of this lodge of the Order of the Arrow shall be the Wenasa Quenhotan Lodge #23, W.W.W.

B.   The lodge shall be affiliated with the W.D. Boyce Council, Boy Scouts of America, and shall stand as an operating committee of the council under the supervision of the council vice-president for program and properties, and the administrative authority of the Scout executive.

C.   The totem of this lodge shall be an ear of maize.

D.   This lodge shall be divided into chapters, corresponding to each district in the council.

E.   The home camp of the lodge shall be Ingersoll Scout Reservation.

II. Lodge Mission

It is the mission of this lodge to promote Scout camping, to assist in year-round camp maintenance and improvement, to provide an opportunity for young men to develop leadership abilities, and for each member to set an example of the high ideals of Scouting and the Order to each of our units.

III. Election to Membership


* A.   The requirements for membership in this lodge are as stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisors.

* B.   Procedure for the Ordeal shall be as stated in the Order of the Arrow Handbook and Administration Guide for the Ordeal.

IV. Officers

A.   The Officers of this lodge shall be lodge chief, vice chief of program, vice chief of communication, and vice chief of administration. These elected officers must be younger than 21 years of age during their entire term of office and elected by the youth membership at the preannounced annual meeting of the lodge.

1. The Vice Chief of Program shall be responsible for: the planning and coordinating of all lodge events, including the Winter Banquet, Spring and Fall Conclave, and any other lodge events, as well as other responsibilities as may be assigned by the Lodge Chief. He shall also work directly with a minimum of four chairmen.

2. The Vice Chief of Communications shall be responsible for: the recording of all meeting minutes, all lodge communications, including, but not limited to, The Arrow newsletter, website, and social media, as well as other responsibilities as may be assigned by the Lodge Chief. He shall also work directly with a minimum of four chairmen.

3. The Vice Chief of Administration shall be responsible for the reporting and maintenance of all lodge finances, membership statistics, progress towards the Journey to Excellence program, and event registration. He shall also work directly with a minimum of four chairmen.

B.   The officers of each chapter shall be the same as the above lodge officers with the same age requirement, except the secretary and the treasurer are combined.

C.   Lodge and chapter officers will be elected at the fall annual meetings of the lodge. The chapters will meet and vote for their officers sometime after the lodge officer elections, but before the Winter Banquet. The term of lodge and chapter officers shall be one year. The officers will be installed at the lodge Winter Banquet.

D.   The lodge executive committee shall be composed of the elected lodge officers, immediate past lodge chief, lodge operating committee chairmen, lodge operating committee advisors, lodge advisor, council vice-president for program and properties, chapter chiefs, chapter advisors, Scout executive, and lodge staff advisor.

E.   The Lodge Chief shall appoint such operating committee chairmen as may be required from time to time with the approval of the voting lodge executive committee. All chairmen shall be under 21 years of age.

F.    The chapter chiefs may appoint such operating committee chairmen as may be required with the approval of the voting chapter executive committee. All chairmen must be under 21 years of age. All chapter committee chairmen will be members of the respective lodge committees.

G.   If a lodge officer is found unfit for office or cannot complete his duties, the lodge chief shall appoint another executive committee member to take his place with approval of the executive committee. If a chapter officer is found unfit for office or cannot complete his duties, the lodge chief shall appoint another lodge member in his place with approval of the executive committee. If the lodge chief is found unfit for office, the vice chief of program shall take his place with approval from the executive committee. If the lodge chief cannot complete his duties, he may recommend a replacement for himself with approval from the executive committee.

V. Officer Nominations

A.   An election chairman shall be appointed by the Lodge Chief to run the lodge officers election. Each chapter chief will appoint one for his chapter as well, with approval of the Lodge Chief.

B.   Candidates for lodge officer position must have submitted his name to the election chairman no less than one hour before the election, in order for the chairman to validate his eligibility to run for office. The candidate must be then nominated by another lodge member.

C.   The process for nominating chapter officers will be the same as stated above.

D.   The election chairman may review decisions of the chapter nomination committees and may recommend reconsideration. The lodge chief shall appoint the three chapter officers if the chapter committees fail to do so.

VI. Officer Elections

A.   Elections for Lodge Officers shall be at the Fall Conclave directly after dinner and before the Ordeal Ceremony. The election is considered an official lodge meeting with the election chairman presiding as head of this meeting.

B.   The elections shall be held in the following order:
1. Lodge Chief
2. Lodge Vice Chief of Program
3. Lodge Vice Chief of Communication
4. Lodge Vice Chief of Administration

C.   Each candidate will be given the opportunity before the election to prepare a bid for his desired position. The bids can include, but are not limited to, goals, experiences, involvements, and recommendation letters. Bids do not have a minimum page limit; however they may not exceed four pages (2 pages front and back).

D.   Each candidate will be able to give a three-minute speech that will be timed by the election chairman. The speeches will be in the order in which they were nominated. Candidates are encouraged to have notes.

E.   Following each candidates speech, there will be time for members to ask questions to the candidate, followed by a five minute pro-con session after the candidate has left the room, where voting members of the lodge state facts on each candidate. Following the pro-con session, there will be a ten minute discussion on all candidates.

F.   Requirements to run for a Lodge Officer:

1. A youth member of Wenasa Quenhotan 23 in good standing.

2. Have acquired the status of Brotherhood.

3. Have been on the lodge executive committee for at least one year.

G.   If no candidate is nominated for lodge officer, the lodge executive committee shall nominate one.

H.   Chapter elections will run like officer elections except without the pro/con session and bids.

I.   No slate committee may be created with the purpose of slating candidates for lodge or chapter office.

VII. Brotherhood Membership

* Completion of the Brotherhood membership shall be in accordance with the requirements in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisors.

VIII. Awards and Recognition

A. The Vigil Honor.

*1. Attainment of the Vigil Honor shall be in accordance with the requirements in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisors.

2. All members shall be polled annually for recommendations of potential Vigil Honor candidates.

B. Founder’s Award

1. Committee

a)  The chairman, who is appointed by the Lodge Chief, is the overseer and tiebreaker of the committee, but is a non-voting member.

b)  Youths will consist of one youth from each chapter (four total) appointed by the chairman.

c)  Two adults will be on it, both appointed by the Lodge Chief.

d)  All of the above must be current members of the Lodge.

e)  If a person on the committee is nominated, that person must relinquish their seat. He must be replaced by a person approved by the chief and be of the same chapter as the person removed.

2. Nomination

a)Must have a form turned in to Lodge in order to be considered.

b)Must be a current member of the Lodge.

c)The Committee is to convene Saturday at the Fall Conclave.

d) The committee is to follow the criteria set by National.

C. James E. West Award

1.  A person considered for this award is someone who shows outstanding leadership on the LEC level.

2.  The recipient is considered by the same committee as the Founder’s Award, with the same committee qualifications and restrictions.

3.  Same rules apply as the Founder’s Award, except only youth vote.

4.  No form is necessary.

5.  The act of giving this award will be approved on a year-by-year basis by the LEC.

6.  The recipient must be approved by the Lodge Chief, Lodge Advisor, and Supreme Chief of the Fire.

IX. Meetings

A. Lodge and chapter activities during the year shall include:

1.Fall Conclave with business meeting

2.Spring Conclave weekend

3.Winter Banquet

4.Optional activities might include work weekends, meetings, fellowships, Ordeal Weekends, etc.

B. The executive committee of this lodge shall hold no less than 8 meetings per year. Special lodge meetings or lodge executive committee meetings may be called by the Lodge Chief with the approval of the Lodge Advisor or Scout Executive.

C. Meetings of the lodge and chapter shall be opened with the obligation of the Order of the Arrow, or by some other appropriate ceremony.

D. One half of the voting membership of the lodge executive committee must be present to constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not present, then the executive committee may not vote on issues.

X. Finance

A.   All Order of the Arrow funds shall be handled through the council service center and go through all normal council accounting procedures.

B.   Funds shall be dispersed only with written consent of the Lodge Chief, Lodge Treasurer, Lodge Advisor, Scout Executive, and/or, council vice-president for program and properties.

C.   An annual budget will be presented to the lodge executive committee during the last quarter of the preceding calendar year and shall be approved by the lodge executive committee.

D.   The Lodge shall not spend more money than it takes in during any given year. An exception would be spending from the service project fund or NOAC subsidy fund.

XI. Maintaining Membership

A.   Current membership registration with the W.D. Boyce Council, BSA, and paid dues are required to be considered an active member of the lodge.

B.   Members whose dues have lapsed will be dropped automatically from the lodge’s master list and will be considered an inactive member of the lodge.

XII. Lodge Planbook

Each year the Lodge Chief shall present a Lodge Planbook to the lodge executive committee at the first meeting of the calendar year outlining the lodge executive committee and its purpose, and also goals for the upcoming year.

XIII. Lodge Rules Amendments and Lodge Policies

A.These rules and regulations may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the lodge. A two-thirds vote is required from the youth attending this meeting to amend these rules and regulations.

B. Proposed rules amendments must be submitted to the lodge executive committee and approved prior to being submitted to the lodge for adoption.

C. The lodge executive committee is responsible for setting additional lodge policy beyond these lodge rules and regulations. The policies of this lodge shall conform to all National policies. In the event National policies change and it is found the Lodge Rules and Regulations or Lodge policies conflict, the lodge executive committee will modify them to conform without vote and prior notification of the lodge membership.

THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE ORDER OF THE ARROW REQUIRES RULES MARKED ABOVE WITH AN ASTERICK (*) MUST BE PART OF ALL LODGE RULES. THEY ARE NATIONAL POLICY AND NEITHER THE POLICY NOR THE PROCEDURE TO WHICH THEY REFER MAY BE CHANGED IN ANY MANNER BY THE COUNCIL OR LODGE.