Download The Constitution of the University at Albany College Republicans

The Constitution of the University at Albany College Republicans
November 13th, 2013
Statement of Purpose
SECTION 1: The purpose of the University at Albany College Republicans is:
A. To educate and promote to the University at Albany community the principles and platform of
the Republican Party;
B. To instruct its members in the political process, and to foster ethical and honorable civic
participation;
C. To develop and coordinate activities to recruit and unite students who show interest the
Republican Party, and in doing so provide a voice for Republicans at the University at Albany;
D. To engage actively in the promotion of ideas of the Republican Party;
E. To render service as an auxiliary unit of the several committees of the Republican Party,
towards the advancement of its candidates and platform in the elections and actions of student
and civil government at all levels;
F. To maintain an organization guided by the ideals, standards, traditions, and laws of the
University at Albany and the Republican Party, so to train its members in political process
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be known as the University at Albany College Republicans.
This organization falls under the title College Republicans, University Republicans, Republican
Club, Club of Republicans and/or any other form of GOP or Republican on the campus. For the
sake of this document, University at Albany College Republicans shall be referred to as the CRs.
This will be the sole representation of the Republican Party on the University at Albany campus
and within any form of its community.
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: Any person affiliated with the University at Albany community may become a
member of the College Republicans.
SECTION 2: Membership Requirements- Members are required to attend three (3) consecutive
business meetings to reach Active Membership status. This status gives the member the right to
vote on organizational issues. A member may lose Active Membership after missing more than
three (3) consecutive meetings, unless the President excuses these absences, at his/her discretion.
SECTION 3: Quorum shall consist of a minimum of five (5) members.
SECTION 4: Membership rolls over from a previous semester; however, active membership
must be maintained in order for these members to continue to have voting privileges.
SECTION 5: Neither non-active members nor “guests” shall be permitted to attend group trips in
which club funding is used.
ARTICLE III - OFFICERS
SECTION 1: The elected officers of the Executive Board shall be the President, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Public Relations Chair, who shall constitute the voting
members of the College Republican Executive Board (CREB).
SECTION 2: All officers shall be elected at a regular CR meeting in the Spring Semester of each
year.
A. Active membership is required to run or be nominated for an officer position. All Executive
Board members must be active members.
B. To run for an Executive Board position, an active member must formally declare their
candidacy—and another active member must second it—one regular business meeting before the
elections. If no active member decides to run for a particular position, open nominations may be
conducted as follows in Part C.
C. Nominations of candidates for the CREB shall be made from the floor by an active member
and must be seconded by an active member.
D. Officers shall be elected by a majority of those active members present and voting. All
candidates will be permitted to make a speech. Voting shall take place on secret ballot. If no
candidate receives a 50%+1 majority on the first ballot, a runoff shall be declared between the
two candidates receiving the most votes.
SECTION 3: Vacancies occurring among the officers shall be filled by the President, subject to
the approval of the club, by a simple majority vote of present Active Members. If the
appointment is not approved by the club, there will be a special election, in which all other
normal election procedures are observed. A person elected to fill a vacancy shall serve as officer
until the next annual election.
ARTICLE IV - EXECUTIVE BOARD
SECTION 1: There shall be an Executive Board which shall govern the CRs. The Executive
Board shall consist of the officers of the CRs and the non-voting officers (appointed by the
President). There may be no more than 4 appointees per Executive Board.
SECTION 2: The Executive Board shall introduce, approve, and implement all actions and
activities necessary and proper for the functioning of the CRs and not inconsistent with this
Constitution.
ARTICLE V – AMENDMENTS
Any Active Member of the organization may propose an amendment. An amendment may be
passed into law on a 2/3 majority vote of present Active Members.
ARTICLE VI - IMPEACHMENTS
SECTION 1: Any officer who, during his term in office, has demonstrated negligence or
incompetence in the performance of his prescribed duties, or has willfully impeded the CR
Program, may be impeached and removed from office.
SECTION 2: Any active member may bring charges against an officer during a regular business
meeting as an in-session motion. Another active member must second the charges.
SECTION 3: After charges are brought against an officer, a vote of impeachment shall be held at
the next meeting following the motion. The meeting shall be at the established regular time and
place, and neither the President nor any member of the Executive Board may cancel this
meeting.
SECTION 4: The quorum for an impeachment vote shall consist of at least ten (10) active
members or 2/3 of the total Active Membership (not including the Executive Board), whichever
is fewer.
SECTION 5: If the officer in question is impeached, he shall, at this same business meeting,
present his defense to the remaining members of the regular membership. A 3/4 vote of the
quorum of this meeting is required to remove the impeached officer from their position.
Absentee votes of any kind shall not be permitted.
SECTION 6: No member of the Executive Board is permitted to vote in an impeachment trial.
ARTICLE VII- EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS
A: Meetings of the Executive Board shall be called at the request of the President, or at the
request of any officer. Such meetings shall be called to order no less than once in any one school
semester.
B: Notice of each meeting shall be given to all Executive Board members, in a timely manner, by
the President, or by the officer who requests the meeting.
C: A quorum for all official Executive Board meetings shall be 3/5 of the Board membership.
D: Any officer who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings of the Executive Board shall
have vacated his seat on the Board. This vacancy shall not occur when the officer is prohibited
from attendance by University at Albany rules.
E: Written proxies shall not be recognized nor accepted as constituting the necessary quorum.
ARTICLE VIII- DUTIES OF OFFICERS
A: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Board and at all general meetings.
He/she shall have the authority to appoint or remove project coordinators, subject to the approval
of the Executive Board. The President shall have the right to fill vacant positions as needed with
the consent of the Executive Board and a simple majority of the quorum of a regular meeting.
The President shall also have the power to excuse members from meetings at his discretion. The
President shall also have the power to appoint chair positions within the group. These positions
will be considered non-voting members of the Executive Board.
B: The Vice President shall assume all duties of the President in his absence or upon his
resignation or death. He/she shall perform the duties assigned to him by the President, subject to
the approval of the Executive Board. He/she shall perform additional duties as assigned by the
President, subject to the approval of the Executive Board.
C: The Secretary shall keep the official records of the CRs and shall record the business of all
Executive Board meetings and the annual election. He/she shall distribute the minutes of all
official CR meetings to the members of the Executive Board within a reasonable time after such
meetings. The Secretary shall be responsible for receiving and sending all official
correspondence of the CRs, to the extent directed by the President. He/she shall be responsible
for receiving, compiling, and recording the CR membership roster.
D: The Treasurer shall keep the official financial records of the CRs and submit an accurate
report of his records to the President, or any other member of the Executive Board, upon request.
The Treasurer shall submit to each Board meeting a detailed statement of expenses and income
with current balance to be included in the minutes by the Secretary. The Treasurer shall also pay
all funds as directed by the Executive Board. He/she shall also prepare a budget to be submitted
to the Student Association for the following year, pending review and approval by the Executive
Board.
E: The Parliamentarian shall ensure that all actions taken by the CRs do not conflict with this
Constitution. He/she shall perform any other duties assigned by the President.
F: The Public Relations Chair shall manage any and all College Republican chapter social media,
including but not limited to official Facebook and Twitter pages. He/she shall also deal directly
with the Student Association as a liaison. He or she shall perform any other duties assigned by
the President.
ARTICLE IX- ELECTIONS
Elections for each position shall be in the Spring Semester of each year, except in the case of a
special election. Only active members shall have the right to vote. Only active members shall be
allowed to run for a position. The officers take full control of their position immediately upon
their election. In addition they will be done by secret ballot. In all elections, a majority plus one
is required to win. If no majority is won, then a runoff election shall be held as soon as it is
deemed possible. Absentee ballots will not be a tolerated method of voting; no exception. Special
elections will only be held in the event that a President’s appointment of a member to a vacant
position is vetoed by the club.
ARTICLE X- MEETINGS
A. Normal Meeting Times:
The President of the organization, with recommendations from the membership when possible,
shall determine meeting times and locations and have the Secretary publicize the information
accordingly. The general membership will have a timely notice before each meeting. The
President will run meetings. A member may be excused from any given meeting due to medical,
educational, or family issues. An excused absence will not count against his or her membership
of the group.
B. Emergency Meetings:
If needed, the President or any five (5) members of the membership can call an emergency
meeting but must give the entire membership notification prior to the meeting. No member shall
be penalized for failing to attend an emergency meeting.
ARTICLE VII - ADOPTION
SECTION 1: Adoption of the CRs constitution shall require a two-thirds majority decision of the
Active Membership. All members of the Executive Board and the Student Association shall hold
a copy of this constitution.
SECTION 2: Any active member may call for a Constitutional Convention to write a new
Constitution, if 2/3 of the quorum is unopposed. For the purpose of maintaining a stable
organization, no new Constitution may be introduced until at least the Fall of 2015.
SECTION 3: With the adoption of a new Constitution, all current members will be grandfathered
in. Therefore, their membership is upheld.