MSUM College Democrats – Constitution
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
(All changes are in italics)
Article 1. Name and Purpose
Section
A. 1. The name of this Minnesota State University Moorhead
student
organization, shall be the MSUM College Democrats.
Section
B. 2. MSUM College Democrats shall prepare young Minnesotans to
lead in local, state and national Democratic politics through education and
leadership opportunities. We shall empower young people to have a voice
advocating for the issues they care about.
3. MSUM
College Democrats shall focus our activities within the area of Fargo/Moorhead
as well as Cass County, North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota
Article 2. Membership
Section
A. Membership Eligibility
1. Membership
in the MSUM College Democrats at Minnesota State University Moorhead shall be
open to any and all currently enrolled students at Minnesota State University
Moorhead, Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni, faculty and staff, and
Democratic legislators.
Section
B. Membership Criteria
2. An
annual membership fee of five dollars shall be required of each member. (Vote
will be held every academic year by general membership to propose retaining
previous year’s membership fee, or to increase or decrease the membership
fee.)—Add this section (The executive board shall have the power to
waive this fee in exchange for doing volunteering to help out in MSUM College
Democrats events and activities.)—Remove this section (MSUM Alumni, as
well as City, State and Federal Democratic legislators, can be made Honorary
Members, but are not allowed to vote on MSUM College Democrats business, nor
are any Honorary Members allowed to directly represent
MSUM College Democrats.) –Add this section
Section
C. Non-Discrimination Statements
3. Equal
Opportunity Statement: Minnesota State University Moorhead is committed to
a policy of nondiscrimination in employment and education opportunity. No
person shall be discriminated against in the terms and conditions of
employment, personnel practices, or access to and participation in, programs,
services, and activities with regard to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age,
national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public
assistance, sexual orientation, or membership or activity in a local commission
as defined by law.
Section D. Student Code of Conduct
4. This
organization shall abide by the Minnesota State University Moorhead Student
Conduct Code.
Section
E. Statement of Non-Hazing
5. Hazing
is prohibited by MnSCU Board of Trustee’s policy.
Minnesota State University Moorhead will investigate all allegations of hazing
and will utilize appropriate judicial, disciplinary and criminal processes in
our efforts to eradicate hazing. The MnSCU Board of
Trustees Policy and the MSUM Student Code of Conduct define hazing as an act
which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a person, subjects a
person to public humiliation or ridicule, or which destroys or removes public
or private property for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation
with, or as a condition for continued membership in a student group,
organization, or athletic team. Such activities and situations include,
but are not limited to sleep deprivation or causing excessive fatigue; engaging
in public stunts, jokes, or degrading games and activities; compelled ingestion
of any substance; forced servitude; paddling in any form; forced tattooing or
branding; or late night activities that interfere with academic and
occupational activities. The express or implied consent of the victim to
any activity covered by the foregoing definition does not validate or excuse
the activity.
Section
F. Affiliations
6. This
organization shall be affiliated with the College Democrats of America. The
rules and regulations of the national constitution shall be followed when not
inconsistent with the rules and regulations of Minnesota State University
Moorhead. When inconsistencies are present, this organization shall adhere
to the rules and regulations of Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Section
G. Voting Privileges
7. Any
enrolled student at Minnesota State University Moorhead is eligible to be an
active member, may vote, and may hold office.
8. Non-students
that meet the organization’s criteria may act as associate members, but may not
vote, hold office, or act on the organization’s behalf.
Section H. Member Removal
9. Any
member may be removed from the organization:
1.
For actions which violate the purpose or principles of the
organization.
2.
For actions which violate MSUM Student Conduct Code.
3.
For actions which violate University policies.
4.
When no longer enrolled as a student.
10. To revoke anyone’s
membership in this organization, written charges by a member shall be presented
to all general members at a meeting. The member who is accused shall be
given the opportunity to respond to the charges and to have people speak on his
or her behalf. Voting for removal is to be done by secret ballot within
two weeks of the initial meeting. A 2/3-majority vote by the general
member is required for removal.
11. The accused member
shall be immediately notified of the outcome, if he or she is not present when
the vote occurs.
Section
I. Member Appeal
12. If the member wishes
to appeal the vote for removal they must send a written letter of appeal to the
MSUM College Democrats advisor within two weeks of the decision.
13. The advisor shall have
the power to overturn the removal decision and will notify the executive board
of his or her decision.
Article 3. Elections
Section
A. When Elections Are Held
14. Annual
elections shall be held sometime within the last two full
weeks that MSUM has classes in the spring
semester.
Section
B. Nominations
15. Any individual that is
qualified to be an officer shall self-nominate
or may be nominated by a simple majority of the general
members.
16. A period of time shall
be designated in which qualified individuals
shall be permitted to file as a candidate and thus
be entitled to
inclusion on the election ballot. This period
shall be at least two
consecutive weeks.
17. Any individual that is
qualified to be an officer may be elected as a
write-in candidate.
Section
C. Announcement of Elections
18. The general members
shall decide by a simple majority vote the
precise date of the election provided that at least
thirty consecutive
days occur from when the election date is
announced to when
the vote shall occur.
19. All matters pertaining
to elections shall be announced on the
organization’s email list, and posted on the organizations
web page.
Section
D. Election Procedure
20. The officers shall be
elected by means of a secret ballot. Officers
shall be elected by a simple majority vote. All general
members who
are present shall be entitled to cast a vote.
Section
E. Term Of Office
21. The term of an officer
shall begin as soon as they are elected and shall last until the next election
is held in the spring or until they resign or are removed from office. No
term limits shall exist.
Article 4. Officers
Section
A. Officer Qualifications
22. MSU Moorhead requires
a minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA for all officers
Section
B. Officer Duties
23. The Officers shall
consist of a President, Vice President, and a Secretary and Treasurer. The
officers shall be responsible for all the administrative duties of the MSUM
College Democrats and shall collectively be known as the Executive Board.
24. The President shall
the power to:
a.
Establish and maintain operation procedures of the MSUM College
Democrats.
b.
Call meetings to order and operate meetings in accordance with
Roberts Rules of Order unless a majority of the general members decide to use a
more informal process.
c.
Vote in all decisions affecting the MSUM College Democrats,
excluding cases of his or her own removal from office.
25.
The Vice President shall have the power to:
a.
Assist the President with all administrative duties and assume those duties in
the absence of the President.
b.
Act as the liaison to Democratic Party, College Democrats, Young Democrats,
Democratic organizations in Fargo/Moorhead and Cass-Clay County, and to other
student or community
organizations of interest to the organization. To accomplish
these
duties, this officer, along with the President, may
appoint individuals to focus on a particular area and report back to the
officer and to the organization as needed. (All candidates will be interviewed
by the Executive Board and appointed by the President and Vice President.)—Add
this section
26. The Treasurer shall
have the power to:
a.
Receive and distribute this organization’s funds upon
authorization of the executive board, in accordance with the financial rules
and regulations of the University.
b.
Make financial reports at the regular meetings of this
organization and coordinate all fundraising activities.
c.
If the student organization receives Student Activity Budget
Committee funding, the treasurer will remain in contact with the Activities
Manager.
27.
The Secretary shall have the power to:
d.
Keep accurate and detailed records of all meetings and affairs.
e.
Send and transmit all official correspondence to the general
members about such matters as meeting minutes, upcoming events, meeting times
and locations, and upcoming organizational elections.
f.
Coordinate preparation and distribution of this organization’s
flyers, hand outs and related publications.
Section
C. Vacancy in Office
27. Vacancies occurring in
any elected offices other than President shall be officially filled by a
special election that shall follow the same rules and regulations as a normal
election except that an election must occur within a week of the vacancy.
28. In the event of a
vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President will become the
President and there will be a special election to fill the Vice Presidential
office.
Section
D. Officer Removal
29. Any officer may be
removed from office:
a.
For failure to carry out the responsibilities of that office.
b.
For actions which violate the purpose or principles of the
organization.
c.
For actions which violate the MSUM Student Conduct Code.
d.
When no longer enrolled as a student.
Section
E. Procedure To Remove An Officer
30. Any officer may be
removed through the following procedure;
1.
Written charges by a member are to be presented at a regular
meeting. Time for discussion and debate shall be allotted.
2.
The Officer in question shall be given the opportunity to speak
on his behalf. If the officer is not present then he or she must be
informed of the charges, and be given the opportunity to speak at a scheduled
meeting or to have some one speak on his or her own behalf, before a vote may
occur.
3.
An Officer shall be removed by a majority vote of the
members. The Officer in question shall be notified immediately out of the
outcome of the vote.
Section
F. Officer Appeal
31. If the officer wishes
to appeal the vote for removal they must send a written letter of appeal to the
organization’s advisor within two weeks of the decision.
32. The advisor will then
review the appeal and notify the organization and the officer of his or her
decision within four weeks.
Section
G. Issues of Equal Opportunity and Student Conduct
33. The officers must
inform the members of the Issues of Equal Opportunity and Student Conduct at
the initial meeting. Thereafter, all members shall be responsible for
knowing and abiding by these polices.
Article 5. Committees
Section
A. Creation and Disbanding of Committees
34. The Executive Board
shall have the power to create committees or abolish committees at its own
discretion by a simple majority vote provided that the general members are made
aware of newly created and disbanded committees.
Article 6. Meetings
Section
A. Announcement of Meetings
35. The official
organizational email list and web page shall announce when and where the regular
meetings are held. The organization’s advertisements shall also list the
meeting time and location. This shall be one of the duties of the
Secretary.
Section
B. Time, Manner and Place of Meetings
36. Meetings shall occur
at a time and place that is convenient for a majority of the general members,
with a goal of establishing a regular time, place and location for
meetings.
37. At least one meeting
must occur each month that MSUM classes are in session. More meetings may
be scheduled with the agreement of a majority of the general members.
38. Meetings should occur
on campus or, if space is not available, within the Fargo-Moorhead area.
39. Quorum is any level of
membership at scheduled meeting.—Add this section
Article 7. Finances
Section
A. Student Organization Accounts
40. All student
organization accounts must be kept in an on-campus University account.
a)
Student Activity Budget Committee funds will be kept in an activity
account.
b)
All other student organization funds, whether fundraised, donated,
or collected dues, will be kept in an agency account.
c)
It is against University policy for student organizations to have off-
campus accounts.
Article 8. Constitutional
Amendments
Section
A. Proposing Amendments
41. Any general member of
the organization can propose an amendment to the constitution by submitting a
written request to the executive board for consideration. The following
procedure must then be followed:
Section
B. Amendment Process
42. If the Executive Board
approves, by a majority vote, the amendment they must inform the general
members of their decision, and give them thirty consecutive days for comment.
43. Within the thirty day
comment period, the general members can reject the amendment by a majority
vote. If they approve the amendment then it shall become immediately
ratified. If they take no action then the amendment shall become ratified
after the comment period.
Section
C. Student Organization Advisory Committee Approval
44. All amendments must be
submitted to the Student Organization
Advisory
Committee for final approval and a revised copy of the constitution will be
placed on permanent file in the Office of Student Activities.
Article 9. Advisor
Section
A. Role of the Advisor
45.
All student organizations are required to have a currently employed MSUM
faculty or staff advisor working on-campus during the semester(s) of
advisement.
46.
If the student organization maintains a University account, the Advisor(s) is
responsible for overseeing said account.
47.
If the student organization receives Student Activity Budget Committee funding,
the advisor will remain in contact with the Activities Business Manager.
Section
B. Advisor Removal
48.
An advisor may be removed from the position:
1.
For failure to carry out the responsibilities of that
position.
2.
For actions which violate the purpose or principles of the
organization.
3.
For actions which violate University policy.
Section
C. Advisor Removal Process
49. An advisor shall be
removed using the following process:
1.
Written charges, by a member, shall be presented to the
Executive Board.
2.
The Executive Board will notify the advisor of an opportunity
for the advisor to respond to the charges at the next regular meeting.
3.
Voting for removal is done by secret ballot within four weeks of
the charges being submitted to the advisor.
4.
The advisor in question must be notified immediately of the
outcome of the vote.
Section
D. Advisor Appeal Process
50.
If the advisor wishes to appeal the vote for removal they must send a letter or
appeal to the executive board within two weeks of the decision.
51.
The Executive Board will review the letter of appeal and make a decision within
two weeks.
Article 10. Ratification
Section
A. Ratification
52. This Constitution can
be ratified by a simple majority vote of this
organization's members.