Download Constitution - Florida State University

Constitution
of the
Anthropology Society at Florida State University
Article I
The Anthropology Society at Florida State University (ASFSU) is a student-driven organization not
currently affiliated with any other regional, state, or national anthropology clubs. It is unique to the
FSU community, but does interact with other organizations in order to promote the anthropological
goals and endeavors of the organization.
Article II—Purpose
The purpose of ASFSU is to promote research, awareness, and overall interest in anthropology, past,
present, and future, within the FSU community.
Article III—Membership Requirements, Discrimination Statement, and Revocation of
Membership
All who share a common interest in the study of anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and any or all
human endeavors are eligible for membership within ASFSU. Recruitment shall take place throughout
the year and membership is open at all times.
Membership is limited only to students who are enrolled at Florida State University. This organization
agrees to adhere to the University non-discrimination statement: No university student may be denied
membership on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veterans’ or
marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other protected group
status.
Only active members can participate in the voting process. To be considered an active member,
students must attend at least three meetings or events a semester.
Membership may be revoked without mutual agreement for misconduct or violations of any provisions
of the constitution. A person will be notified of revocation within 72 hours prior to the revocation vote
in order to relate to members any relevant defense. A person's membership is revoked under a 2/3
majority vote of eligible members. Revocation is valid for the remainder of the academic year, at
which point the member can be reinstated.
Revocation can be appealed within 7 days of revocation. Written appeal must be submitted to the
President and academic advisor, who will consider and decide upon the appeal with 7 days of the
submission of the appeal.
Grievances are encouraged to be reported to any officer. The officer will then notify the president and
the faculty advisor of the grievance and a plan of action will be developed. Grievances may not be
posted on any form of social media. Slander and libel on any member of ASFSU will not be tolerated
and will result in disciplinary action determined by 2/3 vote at the monthly administrative meeting.
Article IV—Officers
The following includes the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the officer positions within
ASFSU. All officers are expected to comply with a strict chain of command in following their
individual responsibilities and duties throughout the semester. Official responsibilities for all officers is
to first, promote the development and growth of ASFSU and the interests of its members.
A) President:
 Overseeing the activities of the other officers such that the club maintains a highstandard for achievement and structure
 Setting the assigned agenda for each meeting and leading the meetings
 Coordinate and delegate responsibilities to officers and members during events and
meetings
 Primary contact between the faculty and professional advisor(s), officers, and members
 Final approval of all published materials
B) Vice-President:
 Assisting the President in the coordination of activities and meetings
 Oversee the promotion and logistics of club activities on and off campus
 Assist in the monitoring of the responsibilities and duties of the other officers and
members
 Act as secondary contact between faculty and professional advisors along with the
president
C) Secretary:
 Maintaining a record of the group’s major activities, including taking minutes during
meetings and events.
 Develop and maintain an accurate schedule of events and meetings for each semester
 Coordinate advertising for upcoming meetings and events
 Monitoring all social media posting and maintenance of an active member roster /
contact list
 Final approval of all published materials
D) Treasurer:
 Maintaining the budget records each academic year
 Establishing a realistic budget for the organization events as they are proposed and voted
on by the members
 Coordinate fundraising efforts
E) Administrative Liaison
 Determine compliance issues of proposed events, including budgets, advertising,
vendors, and publications per SGA and ASFSU regulations.
 Primary contact with SGA and Anthropology Department
Selection of Officers
The nomination of officers shall occur at the end of the Spring semester by majority vote at an
administrative meeting (by the 10th week). Any eligible member may verbally nominate themselves or
another individual.
Ballots will be circulated to eligible members, who will submit their ballots at the conclusion of the
meeting. The faculty advisor will then collect and tally the counts to determine the future officers.
Absentee ballots can be given directly to the faculty adviser within 24 hours of the voting. The faculty
advisor will then post the names of the winning officers on the ASFSU facebook group.
The new officers will then be trained starting at the end of the Spring semester, while the officers’ terms
begin in the Fall semester and lasts until the end of the Summer semester.
Officer Vacancies
Officer vacancies will be filled at the first meeting after a position has been vacated. Election
procedures are identical to those outlined in the previous section. Individuals elected to a vacant
position will serve for the remainder of the current academic year.
Removal of Officers
Officers can be removed for misconduct or violations of any provisions of the constitution. This
includes any behavior that reflects poorly on ASFSU (to its members or the public), overstepping
responsibilities and duties, nonperformance of listed responsibilities and duties, behavioral misconduct
at any meeting or event (public or private), improper use of social media, and not adhering to the
procedures laid out in the constitution.
A written proposal must be submitted to the officers prior to the next scheduled administrative meeting.
A person will be notified of removal request within 72 hours prior of submission in order to relate to
members any relevant defense during the next monthly administrative meeting. A person's officer
position is revoked under a 2/3 majority vote of eligible members. Removal is valid for the remainder
of the academic year, at which point the member can be nominated for and voted into the same or
another office.
Removal can be appealed within 7 days of removal. Written appeal must be submitted to the academic
advisor, who will consider and decide upon the appeal with 7 days of the submission of the appeal.
Officer Resignation
Any officer expressing the need to abdicate their post due to academic or personal conflict shall be
allowed to do so, as long as another qualified individual is capable to fill the position efficiently.
Officers no longer wishing to serve on the board must submit their resignation to the president at least
two weeks in advance.
Officer Eligibility
All officers must be active members and enrolled at least part-time at Florida State University and must
maintain a 2.3 grade point average.
Article V– Advisor Statement
The advisor shall be selected by ASFSU and will be approved by a simple majority vote of eligible
members. The advisor shall serve as a mentor for the organization providing guidance to the officers
and members. The advisor has no voting rights. The advisor position has no term limit other than he
or she must be a current FSU faculty member.
Article VI—Meetings and Event Planning
Meetings shall be held at least once per month in an appropriate location agreed upon by the officers
and reserved by the President or Vice-President. The meetings are to be organized and conducted by the
President and should be open to the students, staff, and faculty. At each meeting the President is
responsible for providing the attendees with an itemized schedule of topics and the associated person
presenting the information. It is up to the President and the Vice-President to maintain the schedule and
timing of the meetings. At the end of each meeting, time will be reserved for member questions and
discussion.
“Administrative Meetings”
Once a month ASFSU will hold an Administrative Meeting attended by the officers and the
faculty advisor (required) and open to any non-officer member. The meeting will primarily
focus on administrative issues that concern the officers and the club. Topics of discussion
include: event planning, budget issues, grievances (only meeting where grievances will be
addressed), concerns held by the officers and members. This meeting will also be the primary
avenue in which members can suggest and develop event proposals. All proposed events will be
submitted in writing (with proposed budgets) and then be voted on at the end of the meeting as
a potential event for development. A 2/3 vote (when a minimum of 5+ non-officer members are
present) is required for the event to move forward.
At the first Administrative meeting of each semester a tentative schedule of events will be created
through voting on proposed projects. A 2/3 majority vote (when there are 5+ non-officer members
present) will put a proposed event in the schedule for the semester. Additional events / meetings can be
proposed throughout the semester (only at Administrative meetings) and also require a 2/3 majority
vote with 5+ non-officer members present. All events must go through a submission process in which
the member or officer proposing the event provides a tentative summary of the event (including details
about time and location) along with a preliminary budget request. Event requests will be submitted to
the Vice-President at the beginning of any administrative meeting. Reserved time at the end of the
meeting will be used to propose and vote on the event by the present members. It is up to the President
and Vice-president’s discretion whether or not to allow a non-officer member to run an event. If a nonofficer(s) are organizing and running an event it is the responsibility of all of the officers to support
them. The Vice-president will act as a direct sponsor to the non-officer to assure the event’s compliance
with ASFSU standards.
Article VII—Budgets, Finances, and Dues
At the beginning of each semester, during the first Administrative Meeting, the semester budget will be
discussed and proportioned out into categories. Of the total funds available a voted on percentage will
be allocated to events, meeting, t-shirts, pig roast, fish fry, and any extra programs. Once an event has
been voted on, the President, Vice-president, and Treasurer will determine a viable budget to provide.
Dues shall be considered in the Fall of each academic year as concerns the needs and expenses of the
organization. No University student shall be denied admission due to inability to pay dues. If a student
is unable to pay dues, other arrangements will be made via the Treasurer.
Article VIII—Amendments
Amendments and revisions to this constitution shall be enacted when addressed at an administrative
meeting, wherein the officers and students present shall vote on the concerns at hand. Quorum for the
amendment process requires the presence of all faculty advisors, all club officers, and at least five
additional club members when possible.
Article IX-Hazing
No hazing or discrimination will be used as a condition of membership in this organization. This
organization agrees to adhere to the University non-discrimination statement: No university student
may be denied membership on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age,
disability, veterans’ or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any
other protected group status.
Failure to uphold these rules should be reported directly to the faculty advisor and the university and
may result in strict disciplinary actions and revocation from ASFSU.
Article X – Publication
Compliance
All advertisements of the organization must comply with the University positing polity:
http://posting.fsu.edu The Secretary and President must approve all publications, fliers, t-shirts, etc..
prior to duplication and distribution.