Arab Student Association The University of Michigan 4314 Michigan Union 530 S. State Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109

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1 Arab Student Association The University of Michigan 4314 Michigan Union 530 S. State Ann Arbor, Michigan THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ARAB STUDENT ASSOCIATION (ASA) Mission Statement The Arab Student Association is an organization aiming to unite and serve the Arab community on campus while educating the general student body of the University of Michigan about Arab culture. The association is committed to benefiting both Arab and non-arab communities while promoting Arabic culture and heritage, thus adding to the diversity of the campus, as well as increasing public awareness about Arabs.

2 Article I Definitions Absolute Majority: Cultural: Member: Political: Run-off election: Service: Simple Majority: Social: The absolute majority is considered to be at least two-thirds of the executive board members. Of or relating to the shared knowledge and values of the Arab society. Any individual whose name appears on the list for ASA. Involving the structure or affairs of any government, state, or legal body; of or pertaining to any law or policy. Each candidate is ranked in order of preference, with one being the most preferred, continuing until the least preferred candidate is ranked according to the number of total candidates. The candidate with the lowest overall score wins. Efforts volunteered by individuals to benefit the community. The simple majority is considered to be at least one half of the executive board members. Inclined to seek out or enjoy the company of others. Article II Objectives The Arab Student Association will work to serve Arab students on campus during the process of acquiring knowledge by participating in campus cultural events and presenting members with opportunities to enrich their college experience. The Arab Student Association will work to educate non-arabs by promoting Arab culture and heritage in a positive manner and helping to eliminate stereotypes, thus contributing to the campus cultural fulfillment and increasing the general public awareness about Arabs. The Arab Student Association shall make every effort to support the views of Arabs on campus as well as maintain and improve the integrity of the campus community as a whole.

3 Section IV: Section V: The Arab Student Association will make every effort to represent Arabs in a respectful and intelligent manner and work towards the unification of domestic and international students. The Arab Student Association will be led by the members of the Executive Board, who will plan and organize the organization s involvement in events, while making every effort to include all members and their views and ideas. Article III The Lemon Test for Political and Religious Stances Due to the fact that ASA is a social, cultural, non-political, and nonreligious organization, caution must be taken when co-sponsoring or participating in events, decisions, and stances on matters involving politics and religion. When ASA is considering involvement in an event, decision, or stance regarding political or religious matters, the following questions must be taken into consideration by the entire Executive Board: Question 1: Is there a secular/non-political purpose? In order for ASA to consider involvement in an event, decision, or stance, the answer to this question should be yes. Question 2: Is the principal or primary effect one that advances or inhibits religion or politics? In order for ASA to consider involvement in an event, decision, or stance, the answer to this question should be no. Question 3: Is there any endorsement for any particular one religion or political affiliation? In order for ASA to consider involvement in an event, decision, or stance, the answer to this question should be no. Section IV: The Executive Board should meticulously evaluate and discuss the situation based on these three questions. The Executive Board has the obligation to ensure that decisions are made based on the above criteria for the sake of consistency and credibility of the organization. After discussing the situation at hand, the Executive Board will vote on whether or not to partake in the event, decision, or stance. An absolute majority is needed in order for ASA to participate.

4 Article IV Organizational Structure Section IV: Section V: The Arab Student Association shall be composed of executive board members who will be instated into power by the procedures defined in Article V. Upon election, all executive board members and delegates shall assume the responsibilities detailed in Article VI. To avoid possible conflicts or potential ties during the election process, the number of executive board members should ideally be 11 members. These positions shall be: President External Relations Secretary Treasurer Outreach Chair Two Social Chairs Two Cultural Chairs Two Community Service Chairs The responsibilities of the Webmaster shall be undertaken by either an interested delegate or a willing executive board member. In the event that the absolute majority of the executive board sees fit, they reserve the right to add, remove, and/or change the positions or responsibilities of the executive board as long as the number of board members is an odd number. Article V Elections The Arab Student Association shall hold elections to vote in the President and other executive board members. Membership in the executive board must be renewed every year through the election process. In order to amend any election process, the executive board may do so by the procedure outlined in Article X. The general procedure for election nominations will proceed as follows:

5 A. The current President will send out an to the Arab Student Association mailing list announcing the upcoming elections. Individuals interested in running for either President or an Executive Board position must reply and indicate the position(s) they are interested in running for. B. The current President will compile a list of the candidates before the elections. Interested candidates must nominate themselves before the day of the elections, or they will no longer be eligible. C. The term of office will begin immediately after the election and will continue until elections the following school year. D. Elections will be open to members of the Arab Student Association who are students at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, as detailed below in Section III. The election process for the ASA Executive Board will proceed as follows: A. Timing The elections will be held at the end of the winter term, ideally in April for both the President and the following year s Executive Board. The Presidential election will be held first so that any runners-up will have the opportunity to run for an Executive Board position, which will immediately follow Presidential elections. B. Qualifications Presidential Candidates must have served at least one year on the Executive Board. Executive Board Candidates are not required to have any qualifications, but it is recommended to have been active in some form. C. Presidential Election Process The Presidential candidates will be given the opportunity to speak briefly on their qualifications and goals before the election takes place. Any members (defined in Article I) of ASA are eligible to vote for the President as long as they are present at the election meeting. The entire general body of ASA as a whole, including current Executive Board members, votes for one individual.

6 Current Executive Board members are given a second vote in which they vote for one individual. The general body vote is equal to 50% of the total vote, and the Executive Board s second vote is equal to 50% of the total vote. In the event of a tie, the current Executive Board reserves the right to conduct a run-off election (defined in Article I) between those individuals who tied to determine the new President. The current President along with one agreed upon individual will count the ballots and announce the winner. The following is an example of the way in which the votes will be calculated: 30 general body members are present, 11 of which are Executive Board members, and the remaining 19 are members. There are three Presidential candidates. Candidates 1st Vote 50% of 2nd Vote 50% of Total Vote General Body Vote Executive Board Vote A 10 10*0.5 = = 7 B 10 10*0.5 = = 6.5 C 10 10*0.5 = = 7 Because there is a tie between candidates A and C, the current Executive Board will conduct a run-off vote between these two members, and a new President can be determined. D. Executive Board Member Process The Executive Board candidates will be given the opportunity to speak briefly on their qualifications and goals before the election takes place. Absolutely everyone present at the elections can vote for the new Executive Board. In this process, each individual has an equally weighted vote. In the case of a tie, the method of run-off voting can be employed. Freshmen students and candidates who were not elected have the opportunity to serve as delegates, which are defined in Article VII. Because delegates are not given set responsibilities, it is recommended that they be designated to the chair of their choice

7 (i.e. Delegate of Social Chairs) in order to better understand the position they are interested in. The current President along with one agreed upon individual will count the ballots and announce the winners. Article VI Duties of Executive Board Members Section IV: The duties and responsibilities of the President are as follows: Oversee, organize, and delegate responsibility of or pertaining to ASA Handle all administrative details of ASA including maintenance of the listserv, application for office space, registration with the Michigan Student Assembly, registration with SOAS, office hours list, and an office key list Call for, prepare an agenda, and lead all executive board meetings Ensure a smooth election process and transition from one executive board to the next Serve as a representative of ASA in any necessary situation Owner of the ASA listserv The duties and responsibilities of the External Relations Chair are as follows: Serve as the liaison between ASA and the administration, the Ann Arbor community, the Arab community, other student organizations, and the general public Serve as a representative of ASA in all inter-group discussions, events, and public relations Owner of the ASA listserv The duties and responsibilities of the Secretary are as follows: Record meeting minutes at each executive board meeting Send out meeting minutes to the executive board before the next meeting Keep an organized log of the events ASA participates in Owner of the listserv The duties and responsibilities of the Treasurer are as follows: Keep track of all financial details of ASA, including funds that enter and funds that are removed from the ASA SOAS account Submit necessary forms for funding in a timely manner Be prepared to make a financial report regarding ASA s monetary standing at each meeting

8 Section V: Section VI: Section VII: The duties and responsibilities of the Cultural Chair(s) are as follows: Plan, organize, and ensure ASA s involvement in campus cultural activities Plan events within ASA that promote cultural awareness The duties and responsibilities of the Community Service Chair(s) are as follows: Plan, organize, and ensure ASA s involvement in community service activities pertaining to both Arab and non-arab communities, both on and off campus Ensure that ASA is seen as an organization dedicated to participation in community service events The duties and responsibilities of the Social Chair(s) are as follows: Plan and organize social events for ASA members Ensure ASA s participation in campus social events Section VIII: The duties and responsibilities of the Webmaster are as follows: Keep the ASA website up-to-date and informative Ensure that the website is easily accessible to both members and nonmembers who are interested in learning about the organization and Arab culture in general Section IX: The duties and responsibilities of the Outreach Chair are as follows: Reach out to freshmen, new students, and Arabs on campus who are unaware of ASA Recruit new members and increase enthusiasm regarding ASA events Ensure the continued participation of new and old ASA members Article VII Delegates Delegates are defined as members who are not elected into the executive board, but take on responsibilities exceeding those of a typical ASA member. Delegates may be individuals who ran for an executive board position and were not elected, or individuals who have a desire to be very involved in ASA. Due to the fact that delegates are unelected members without set duties and responsibilities, they shall not have voting privileges in any ASA matter.

9 Article VIII Attendance Policies Executive Board members are expected to participate in ASA events unless there are other time conflicts due to classes or personal circumstances. All executive board members must be present at the elections. In the event of an emergency, an executive board member may their vote for the election to an individual counting the ballots, prior to or on the day of the election. This must be printed so that it may be used as their official ballot. Article IX Impeachment of Executive Board Members If an executive board member fails to comply with their duties and responsibilities, as well as attending and helping with ASA functions, they will be notified, informally, of their lack of participation. If the member continues to ignore their participation with ASA, the rest of the executive board reserves the right to call for an absolute majority vote of impeachment for that individual. Article X Amendments The executive board reserves the right to enforce amendments to the ASA Constitution if necessary. The amendment must be submitted in written form, and approved by an absolute majority vote of the executive board.

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