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Layout By: Steve Londre
Preamble: In order to
promote a better America, with equality, opportunity, and freedom within a
just and strong society, we dedicate ourselves to organizing the
participation of Democratic college students at the University of Wisconsin-
La Crosse. In the mission, we call for full participation of all UW-L
students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion,
physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.
Understanding the importance of participation in the Democratic Party to the
preservation of our values and principles, we, Democratic college students,
do herby associate ourselves and adopt this Constitution as the UW-L College
Democrats.
Article 1: Name and Purpose A. Name: The name of this organization shall be the UW-L College Democrats, hereafter referred to in this document as the "College Democrats". B. Purpose: The College Democrats pledge itself to support the candidates and philosophy of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the College Democrats declares its intention to support all efforts to increase the participation of college students in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the College Democrats shall educate and train its members so that they may be better able to: 1. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party. 2. Assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic candidates. 3. Affect political change on the local, state, and national level
Article 2: Membership A. Members: Membership in the College Democrats shall be open to any college student currently enrolled at UW-L who wishes to be known as a College Democrat and who has the best interests of the College Democrats and the Democratic Party at heart, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. B. Dues shall be collected at the beginning of each school year 1. The fiscal year of the organization shall be from September 1 to May 1 of the following year. 2. The amount of annual dues shall be determined each year by discretionary funds available at the start of each year. 3. The disbursement of dues shall not be based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. 4. Officers shall be exempt from dues for all work they put in
Article 3: The Executive Board A. Composition: The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Director, Web Designer, and Faculty Advisor. All positions, with the exception of the Advisor, will be elected once yearly at the General Elections held every spring. B. The Executive Board shall determine the agenda and policy of the College Democrats and coordinate all activities and events.
Article 4: Duties of the Executive Board Members A. All Executive Board members must maintain active involvement in all of the College Democrats activities and endeavors. B. Duties of the Board are as written: 1. The President shall: a. Be the chief executive officer b. Define the agendas during his or her tenure c. Preside over all meetings d. With approval of the executive board, direct the budget e. Appoint all committee chairpersons f. Carry out all mandates, policies, and directives of the executive board g. Fill vacancies in officers' positions by appointment with approval of the general membership h. Act as the official representative of the College Democrats to other groups, organizations, and the media. 2. The Vice President shall:a. Be the parliamentarian for the organization b. Assume the office of the President upon the Presidents death, resignation, removal, or inability to perform duties c. Will keep and have available current copies of the constitution and bylaws d. Will be responsible for scheduling programs e. Take on projects of his or her choosing f. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 3. The Secretary shall: a. Be responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings and distribute them to members b. Communicate with individual members through campus e-mail c. Maintain a complete and accurate account of attendance and membership status d. Maintain communication with faculty advisor e. Make sure members have a copy of the constitution f. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 4. The Treasurer shall: a. Keep a current record of all financial transactions by managing the bank account and budget b. Direct fundraising activities and prepare all grants with cooperation of the executive team c. Will be responsible for checking the accuracy of all bills and invoices and paying them correctly and on time d. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 5. The Public Relations director shall: a. Coordinate all publicity of activities b. Formulate and communicate the message of the College Democrats and the Democratic Party c. Notify the media of all events of the College Democrats in an attempt to ensure media coverage d. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 6. The Web Designer shall: a. Produce a clear and user friendly web site that is easily navigable b. Update the site in a timely manor as to keep interest in visitors and keep updated on events c. Provide an online signup section for all interested visitors to the site d. Provide links to other helpful or interesting democratic sites 7. The Faculty Advisor shall: a. Assist the group in their execution of roles and responsibilities b. Provide feedback to the organization regarding its operation and functioning c. Serves as a resource d. Provide advice upon request, and also should share knowledge, expertise, and experiences with the group e. Be a nonvoting member of the organization
Article 5: Elections A. Elections shall occur yearly in the spring of each school year. B. Eligibility to run for a position and vote must be: 1. Be a due paying member 2. An involved member in the organization 3. Give speech on why they would make a good executive member C. Secretive ballots- one vote per person per election. Candidates cannot vote in their own elections. D. Candidates are nominated directly before their election and must then present a speech. Requirements for speeches" 1. Speech length: f. President- 4 minutes g. Vice President- 3 minutes h. Others- 2 minutes 2. Question and Answer session: a. President- 7 minutes b. Others- 5 minutes 3. Supporting speakers: a. President- 5 minutes b. Others- 3 minutes c. Each speaker has 45 seconds to support their candidate. Order of speakers will alternate among candidates. They are forbidden to make any derogatory statements about any candidate. Candidates are prohibited from the election room during the time of supporting statements. 4. Vote counting and declaration of winner will occur directly after that election.
Article 6: Removal A. Cause for removal: Cause for removal shall be defined as malcontent or nonconformists of duties assigned by the Executive Board or delineated within this document, or as ineligibility for Executive Board membership pursuant to Article 2. Cause for removal shall also include grounds found by ¾ members of the Executive Board to constitute good and sufficient cause. B. Process for removal: To begin the process for removal, another member of the Executive Board must charge the officer with the reasons for his or her removal publicly at a meeting of the Executive Board. The officer in question must be offered an opportunity to defend himself or herself at that meeting. After a period of two weeks the issue shall be put to a vote. Three-fourths members of the Executive Board must vote for removal for an officer to be removed.
Article 7: Vacancies A. Declaration of vacancy: A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board dies, resigns, or is removed from office. It the vacancy occurs in and Executive Board position other than the President; with a 2/3 majority consent of the remaining Executive Board the President shall appoint a successor. If the vacancy is the President, then the Vice President shall automatically be the replacement. Article 8: Amendments A. Procedure: The Constitution can be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the Executive Board with 2/3 approval by the dues-paying membership constituency.
Article 1: Name and Purpose A. Name: The name of this organization shall be the UW-L College Democrats, hereafter referred to in this document as the "College Democrats". B. Purpose: The College Democrats pledge itself to support the candidates and philosophy of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the College Democrats declares its intention to support all efforts to increase the participation of college students in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the College Democrats shall educate and train its members so that they may be better able to: 1. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party. 2. Assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic candidates. 3. Affect political change on the local, state, and national level
Article 2: Membership A. Members: Membership in the College Democrats shall be open to any college student currently enrolled at UW-L who wishes to be known as a College Democrat and who has the best interests of the College Democrats and the Democratic Party at heart, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. B. Dues shall be collected at the beginning of each school year 1. The fiscal year of the organization shall be from September 1 to May 1 of the following year. 2. The amount of annual dues shall be determined each year by discretionary funds available at the start of each year. 3. The disbursement of dues shall not be based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. 4. Officers shall be exempt from dues for all work they put in
Article 3: The Executive Board A. Composition: The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Director, Web Designer, and Faculty Advisor. All positions, with the exception of the Advisor, will be elected once yearly at the General Elections held every spring. B. The Executive Board shall determine the agenda and policy of the College Democrats and coordinate all activities and events.
Article 4: Duties of the Executive Board Members A. All Executive Board members must maintain active involvement in all of the College Democrats activities and endeavors. B. Duties of the Board are as written: 1. The President shall: a. Be the chief executive officer b. Define the agendas during his or her tenure c. Preside over all meetings d. With approval of the executive board, direct the budget e. Appoint all committee chairpersons f. Carry out all mandates, policies, and directives of the executive board g. Fill vacancies in officers' positions by appointment with approval of the general membership h. Act as the official representative of the College Democrats to other groups, organizations, and the media. 2. The Vice President shall:a. Be the parliamentarian for the organization b. Assume the office of the President upon the Presidents death, resignation, removal, or inability to perform duties c. Will keep and have available current copies of the constitution and bylaws d. Will be responsible for scheduling programs e. Take on projects of his or her choosing f. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 3. The Secretary shall: a. Be responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings and distribute them to members b. Communicate with individual members through campus e-mail c. Maintain a complete and accurate account of attendance and membership status d. Maintain communication with faculty advisor e. Make sure members have a copy of the constitution f. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 4. The Treasurer shall: a. Keep a current record of all financial transactions by managing the bank account and budget b. Direct fundraising activities and prepare all grants with cooperation of the executive team c. Will be responsible for checking the accuracy of all bills and invoices and paying them correctly and on time d. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 5. The Public Relations director shall: a. Coordinate all publicity of activities b. Formulate and communicate the message of the College Democrats and the Democratic Party c. Notify the media of all events of the College Democrats in an attempt to ensure media coverage d. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her choosing 6. The Web Designer shall: a. Produce a clear and user friendly web site that is easily navigable b. Update the site in a timely manor as to keep interest in visitors and keep updated on events c. Provide an online signup section for all interested visitors to the site d. Provide links to other helpful or interesting democratic sites 7. The Faculty Advisor shall: a. Assist the group in their execution of roles and responsibilities b. Provide feedback to the organization regarding its operation and functioning c. Serves as a resource d. Provide advice upon request, and also should share knowledge, expertise, and experiences with the group e. Be a nonvoting member of the organization
Article 5: Elections A. Elections shall occur yearly in the spring of each school year. B. Eligibility to run for a position and vote must be: 1. Be a due paying member 2. An involved member in the organization 3. Give speech on why they would make a good executive member C. Secretive ballots- one vote per person per election. Candidates cannot vote in their own elections. D. Candidates are nominated directly before their election and must then present a speech. Requirements for speeches" 1. Speech length: f. President- 4 minutes g. Vice President- 3 minutes h. Others- 2 minutes 2. Question and Answer session: a. President- 7 minutes b. Others- 5 minutes 3. Supporting speakers: a. President- 5 minutes b. Others- 3 minutes c. Each speaker has 45 seconds to support their candidate. Order of speakers will alternate among candidates. They are forbidden to make any derogatory statements about any candidate. Candidates are prohibited from the election room during the time of supporting statements. 4. Vote counting and declaration of winner will occur directly after that election.
Article 6: Removal A. Cause for removal: Cause for removal shall be defined as malcontent or nonconformists of duties assigned by the Executive Board or delineated within this document, or as ineligibility for Executive Board membership pursuant to Article 2. Cause for removal shall also include grounds found by ¾ members of the Executive Board to constitute good and sufficient cause. B. Process for removal: To begin the process for removal, another member of the Executive Board must charge the officer with the reasons for his or her removal publicly at a meeting of the Executive Board. The officer in question must be offered an opportunity to defend himself or herself at that meeting. After a period of two weeks the issue shall be put to a vote. Three-fourths members of the Executive Board must vote for removal for an officer to be removed.
Article 7: Vacancies A. Declaration of vacancy: A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board dies, resigns, or is removed from office. It the vacancy occurs in and Executive Board position other than the President; with a 2/3 majority consent of the remaining Executive Board the President shall appoint a successor. If the vacancy is the President, then the Vice President shall automatically be the replacement. Article 8: Amendments A. Procedure: The Constitution can be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the Executive Board with 2/3 approval by the dues-paying membership constituency.