Download By-Laws Of Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre “Championing the

By-Laws
Of
Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre
“Championing the Cause of Student Theatre”
ARTICLE 1
Offices
Section 1. Office Location
Currently, Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theater (SALT)
does not have a permanent location. Information is
posted in the student lounge of the Performing Arts
Center (PAC) and written communication can be left in
the SALT mailbox in the mail room on the second floor
of PAC.
ARTICLE 2
Organization Purposes
Section 1. Purposes and Objectives of Organization
The Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre
(SALT) is a registered student organization
at Virginia Commonwealth University. SALT
facilitates, encourages, and promotes the
public performance of student theatre at the
Shafer Street Playhouse, offering opportunities for students to supplement their education within the University.
SALT champions the cause of collaborative
student theatre that reflects the overall diversity of the student body and the vast spectrum of theatrical possibility. This encourages all students in the University to take
charge of their education and artistic growth
by integrating their education before an
audience. SALT's goal is that students will
take personal and artistic risks, which will
result in engaging, quality theatre that challenges and enriches the students involved
and the community alike.
SALT's mission is provide all students with
an equal opportunity to create quality theatre.
All students enrolled in the TheatreVCU
department are members of SALT. Only
Board Members have operating and functioning authority.
Section 2. Proposal Evaluation
All projects will be considered. Projects will be evaluated based on the directors experience and the show’s
adherence to the SALT mission statement.
Proposals will be assigned a slot within the season according to the following scale, organized highest to
lowest:
Faculty/class presentations
Graduate Theses
Final year Graduate student independent projects
Senior Undergraduate Independent projects/1st or 2nd
year Graduate Student
Third Year Undergraduate
Second Year Undergraduate
First Year Undergraduate, post Freshman Discovery
Project
When proposing a Graduate thesis project, one must
state the nature of the project and how it will directly
correlate to the written thesis.
All proposals must be accompanied with a signed copy
of director’s agreement.
Directors will be notified of the following necessary
requirements for all shows:
- The director will hold an open audition for
all VCU students. No pre-casting is accepted.
- The directors will provide a thorough list of
technical needs. They can be denied access or use of
anything not included on this list.
ARTICLE 3
Board Members
Section 1. Number of Members
This organization shall have no more than eight (8)
members (not including subsitute/shadow members)
and collectively they shall be known as the Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre Board Members.
One Board position shall be filled by one of each of the
following: technical theatre major, stage management
major, undergraduate performance major, and one by a
graduate student. All other positions shall be filled as
needed.
Section 2. Qualification of Members
Qualifications for members of this organization shall
be as follows:
Must be in their second semester of study or higher in
the Virginia Commonwealth University Theatre Department
Must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA
Section 3. Duties
Active participation in the SALT Board includes,
but is not limited to:
Attendance at the majority of meetings is necessary.
Any member who misses more than two (2) consecutive meetings will be considered for discontinuation.
Members should keep an overall attendance of 3/4
meetings.
Maintaining a positive image of SALT within the student body
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Acting as Production Manager for at least one show
per season and actively participating in season selection
Checking email/maintaining email communication
with the Board. This includes reading all emails, including attachments, and participating in email discussions when necessary.
Following the rules and guidelines set forth by the
SALT Board.
Duties of Production Manager:
All Board members shall serve as production manager
for one or more shows throughout the Shafer season.
As Production Manager of the Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theatre Board, his/her duties include but are not
limited to:
Maintaining communication with the Director(s)
through consistent meetings with production staff
Aiding the director and answering questions about logistical aspects of production
Keeping track of all technical aspects in each show as
to ensure that each production is in compliance with
SALT rules and regulations, VCU Theatre Department
regulations and University rules.
Obtaining all required technical and safety paperwork
as outlined by the VCU Theatre Technical Director.
This paperwork will be given to the TD through the
faculty liaison.
Acting as liaison between each production and Board
of directors
Please see the Production Manager Check List for a
greater explanation of PM duties.
Section 4. Term of Office
Each member shall hold office for a term of two (2)
years. At the end of the term, Board members will be
given the option to either re-apply or step down from
the Board.
Section 5. Meetings
1.Meetings shall be held in the Shafer Street
Playhouse unless otherwise decided be the Board.
2. At the end of each meeting, the Board will
approve the time for the following meeting.
3. Regular meetings shall be held at a time
and day agreed upon by consensus of the Board at the
begin
ning of each VCU semester.
Board members shall be notified of meetings in this
fashion:
Regular Meetings: The Secretary shall notify members via email regarding regular meetings.
Special Meetings: If need be, any member may call
for a special meeting to address immediate concerns.
In this case, said member will be in charge or notifying
the Board.
A quorum is a majority of Board members.
No business shall be considered by the Board at any
meeting at which the required quorum is not present.
Informal meetings may be held with the absence of a
quorum.
Conduct at Meetings
Meetings shall be conducted by a Facilitator appointed
at the previous week's meeting. The Secretary shall
record all meeting minutes. In the Secretary’s absence,
the Board members shall appoint another member to
act as Secretary. In the Facilitator’s absence, the Default Facilitator shall conduct the meeting.
Section 6. Consensus
All board decisions are decided through the consensus
process. All board members must be in agreement for a
motion to pass. An outline of the formal consensus
processes are available at
http://www.consensus.net/ocaccontents.html
Section 7. Accepting New Members to the Board
Two months prior to the end of the Spring semester (or
as needed), the SALT Board shall accept applications
for new Board members. All interested parties shall
fill out the application in its entirety and provide the
Board with any necessary supplemental documents. At
one month prior to the end of the Spring semester, the
SALT Board shall close the application process and
begin the interview process of all applicants. Depending on the number of vacancies, the SALT Board shall
appoint as many members as needed to fulfill the requirements set forth by Article 3, Section 1.
Section 12. Vacancies
Vacancies on the Board shall exist (1) on the death,
resignation, or removal of any member, and (2) in the
case that the number of authorized members is increased.
Any member may resign effective upon giving written
notice to the entire Board.
If any member of the Board fails to uphold their duties,
the Board will address the situation at the next scheduled meeting. It may be determined that a special meeting is necessary.
Members may be removed from office in the event a
quorum of members agrees to remove such person. If
the quorum agrees to remove the member from office,
said member may appeal the decision. In such a circumstance, the entire Board, including the member
under consideration of removal, must convene a special meeting to discuss the current situation. At the end
of such special meeting, the Board members shall vote
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by secret ballot. The secretary will tally the votes and
reveal the decision. This decision is final.
All vacancies shall be filled as needed with approval
by consensus of the Board members.
Failure to adhere to the guidelines set forth will result
in a performance review by the Board.
Article 4
Officers
Section 1. Designation
The officers of this organization shall be filled by the
Board members and shall be:
Student Government Association Liaison
Treasurer
Faculty Liaison
External Communications Director
Space Manager
Secretary
Default Facilitator
Archivist
Technical Advisor.
These positions may be combined.
Section 2. Qualifications
Any Board member qualifies for an officer position.
The student Government Association Liaison and
Treasurer must maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
Section 3. Election & Term of Office
Officers shall be chosen by consensus at the end of
each VCU Spring semester for the following academic
year. Each officer shall hold that office until the following year, until he/she resigns, is removed, is otherwise disqualified to serve, or until his or her successor
shall be elected. The treasurer and student government
liaison must always remain for an entire year cycle due
to student government association rules.
Section 4. Removal & Resignation
Removal & resignation shall run concurrent with the
removal & resignation of Board member. In special
cases, considered by consensus of the Board members
excluding the member in question, a member may step
down or be removed from his or her officer duties but
still remain on the Board. In such cases a special meeting shall be called by one or more Board member(s)
without the presence of the member in question. The
Board member in question must be notified of the
meeting and outcome of the meeting within 12 hours
of meeting taken place. The special meeting must be
attended by a quorum of the Board members.
Section 5. Duties of Student Government Association Representative
Maintain SALT in Good Standing with the SGA
Know/understand/follow all rules and guidelines set
forth by the VCU Student Organization Handbook
Renew SALT registration as a VCU Student Organization annually
Act as liaison between SALT Board and SGA
Section 6. Duties of Treasurer
Track all SALT finances
Maintain SALT in Good Standing in regards to funding
from SGA
Develop budget and be present at SGA Budget Hearings
Know/understand/follow all rules and guidelines set
forth by the VCU Student Organization Handbook
Section 6. Duties of Faculty Liaison
Maintain SALT in good standing with the faculty
Be available to attend faculty meetings and advisor
meetings regarding any problems
This position is reserved for the Graduate student
Board member.
Periodically send a faculty update to faculty and staff.
Pass along necessary technical and safety information
for every production to the Technical Director
Section 7. Duties of External Communications Director
E-mail listserv and TWIST when necessary
Keep SALT callBoard updated
Maintain SALT Gmail account
Produce the season announcement
Primary maintainer of the Facebook, Twitter and website
Section 8. Duties of Space Manager
Keep track of the keys
Make sure Newdick is not violating firecode
Facilitate an explanatory Equity meeting/workshop
every semester for all directors and interested students
Section 10. Duties of Secretary
Track all minutes of meetings
Coordinate all internal communications within the
Board
Type minutes and send electronically to all Board
members
Contact and deliver by-laws to incoming members
Update by-laws and Board contact sheet and any other
such necessary items as needed as by consensus of the
Board
Section 11. Duties of Technical Advisor
Oversee the execution and maintenance of all technical
aspects within the Newdick Theatre
Assure compliance of faculty and director regulations
and guidelines as set forth by the space
Section 12: Default Facilitator
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Facilitate in the absence of assigned rotating facilitator
Maintain knowledge of the formal consensus process
as is outlined in
http://www.consensus.net/ocaccontents.html
Ensure the formal consensus is followed during all
Board meetings
Section 13: Archivist
Arrange a photo call with each show
Maintain printed records of minutes, agendas, and
other important documents to be stored at the Kenneth
Campbell Library
Maintain a scrap book, detailing SALTs activities
throughout the year (Do we want to remove this and
change it to an electronic system)
Article 5.
Committees
Section 1. Designation
If members see need, a committee may be formed by a
consensus to address issue outside of a regularly called
meeting of the Board. A committee must consist of
three or more Board members. The committee shall
report its conclusions to the Board, which will then
vote for stated conclusions. Dissolution of the committee will take place when all matters have been resolved.
Article 6.
Records and Reports
Section 1. Maintenance of Records
For access to records contact the SALT archivist.
Minutes of all meetings, filed chronologically
All records of business and monetary transactions
A copy of the organization’s bylaws.
All other archival materials.
All of the above materials are available for inspection
by anyone by making an appointment with the Board.
Article 8.
No Shame Variety Show
Section 1. Management
No Shame will be run by a dedicated Host / Director
and Stage Manager for a period of two academic semesters. Each show will take place every other Friday
at 11pm in the Newdick Theatre. Tech rehearsal for
each show will begin at 10pm the night of each show
and end no later than 10:50pm, at which point doors
will be opened.
Shows will last no later than 1am and each act will last
no longer than ten minutes.
The day before each show, the Host and Stage Manager will meet to finalize and confirm that week's act
list.
Section 2. Relationship with SALT
The No Shame Variety Show shall be proposed as a
SALT Show at the beginning of every Fall semester for
the following two semesters. It shall be treated as any
other SALT-sponsored production except for the following stipulations:
-No PM, Board Operator or other technical
staff shall be assigned by SALT
-Either the Host or Stage Manager shall be a
SALT Board member
Section 3. Conduct
All in attendance (performers and audience members)
must adhere to the University's policy regarding drugs
and alcohol. The administrators of No Shame as well
as SALT Board members reserve the right to ask anyone violating these or any other rules to leave. Repeat
offenders will be reported to the VCU Police and TheatreVCU faculty.
Article 9.
Pepper Season
In the event that our Newdick season is full and / or the
director does not wish to direct in that space, we will
offer the opportunity to facilitate a show that is produced in one of the Shafer Street Playhouse classrooms. The show will receive the same treatment and
will be held to the same standards as our standard season shows.
Article 10.
Amendment of Bylaws
Section 1. Amendment
These bylaws may be amended and new bylaws may
be adopted by approval of the Board members at any
regular meeting.
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ADOPTION OF BYLAWS
We, the undersigned, as members of Shafer Alliance
Laboratory Theatre Board, adopt these bylaws.
Dated: ________________
_________________________________________
Katelyn Davis
_________________________________________
Michael Farmer
_________________________________________
Lisa Hardt
_________________________________________
Jeremy Hilgert
_________________________________________
Martha Johnson
_________________________________________
Emily Marsh
_________________________________________
Sarah Stepahin
________________________________________
Timothy Widmer
_________________________________________
Sarah Worden
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