Georgetown International Relations Club Constitution Last amended by the Board of Directors Spring 2012

Transcription

1 Georgetown International Relations Club Georgetown International Relations Club Constitution Last amended by the Board of Directors Spring 2012 WE, THE STUDENTS OF GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, Aware of the need to educate both ourselves and others about these international forces and their impacts, Recognizing the impact of the necessity of cooperation and understanding among all people for the shared future of humanity, Declaring our commitment to international institutions and the need for greater understanding of their purposes, DO HEREBY ESTABLISH THE GEORGETOWN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CLUB: Article One Name 1. The organization shall be hereafter referred to as the Georgetown International Relations Club (IRC). Article Two Purpose 1. The purposes of the IRC are: a. To provide a relaxed and constructive forum for Members of the IRC to discuss contemporary international issues; b. To offer Members of the IRC and the University community opportunities for education and reflection on international affairs through engagement with expert sources and simulation of the international and simulation of the international system through such activities as Model United Nations and other related programs; c. To foster and nurture interest in international affairs and the undertaking of related independent research; d. To respect and honor our alma mater, Georgetown University, and its commitment to the ideal of cura personalis.

2 Article Three Activities 1. In pursuit of the purposes outlines in Article Two, the IRC shall: a. Invite distinguished persons to Georgetown University to address the University community on pertinent aspects of international affairs; b. Participate in various conferences to further knowledge of international affairs; c. Provide staff for such projects as the North American Invitational Model United Nations, the National Collegiate Security Conference, and other conferences and activities hosted by organizations such as the United Nations Association. 2. The above enumeration of activities shall in no way be interpreted as limiting the programs undertaken, planned, and executed by the IRC in order to accomplish the purposes outlined in Article Two, especially those activities designed to involve the University community as a whole. Article Four Membership 1. The IRC openly admits undergraduate students to its membership and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. 2. A Member shall be any undergraduate of Georgetown University whose name has been registered with the club and who has paid annual dues. 3. Upon registration and payment of dues, the Member shall be entered in the annual roll of the club membership to facilitate participation in conferences, elections, and activities. The official roll of the club membership shall be kept by the Executive Secretary or another officer if the Board of Directors should so designate. 4. Dues shall be payable to Georgetown University for the Georgetown International Relations Club account. 5. The IRC will conduct all financial activities in accordance with university policy and place all club funds in its university account. 6. No less than twice a semester, the Board of Directors shall host a General Membership Meeting, where club members will have the opportunity to hear from invited speakers, receive an introduction or updates about upcoming club events, activities, and initiatives, as well as provide feedback about the direction of the overall direction of the club. Article Five Officers

3 1. The Board of Directors of the Georgetown International Relations Club shall be composed of the following officers: a. The CHAIR, whose duties shall include presiding over meetings of the Board of Directors, General Membership Meetings, and IRC Leadership Meetings, as well as overseeing the activities of the IRC. The Chair shall serve as the chief executive of the IRC and possess wide executive powers, subject to review by the Board of Directors and the club membership; b. The CONFERENCES COORDINATOR, whose duties shall include organizing and overseeing the IRC s participation in various conferences which further the purposes of the IRC and serving as Chair of the Conferences Committee, and holding the title and duties of Vice Chairman of the IRC ex officio; c. The DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING, whose duties shall include inviting speakers to the University to discuss various aspects of international affairs, fostering relations between the IRC and University departments and other student organizations to further the purposes of the IRC, establishing relationships with external organizations for the purpose of enriching the membership s understanding of international issues, hosting other academically-oriented events for the membership, and serving as Chair of the Academic Programming Committee; d. The DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH, whose duties shall include raising funds to complement the IRC Budget, serving as the primary contact for IRC alumni, coordinating the IRC s participation in non-academic campus-wide initiatives, coordinating community service initiatives, and serving as Chair of the Outreach Committee; e. The DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, whose duties shall include publicizing club events to the club membership and University community through appropriate means, including, but not limited to the IRC Weekly , Flyering, Social Media, maintaining the official website of the club, contacting external and University media outlets regarding the accomplishments of the IRC and serving as Chair of the Communications Committee; f. The DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS, whose duties shall include serving as liaison between the general club membership and the Board of Directors, organizing and executing cultural and social activities to explore international affairs, and other activities as may further the purposes of the IRC, with particular focus on the involvement of the University community in consultation with the Director of Academic Programming, and serving as Chair of the Special Events Committee. 2. Each elected Member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote. The Board of Directors shall meet at least biweekly. Members of the Board of Directors of the Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA) shall be invited to all meetings of the IRC Board of Directors to participate in an advisory fashion.

4 3. The Chair shall nominate a TREASURER, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote, whose duties shall include maintaining the finances of the IRC preparing and submitting the IRC s budget to the Board of Directors for approval at least two weeks prior to the date requested by the Student Activities Commission, presenting at the Student Activities Commission when necessary, disbursing funds for club operations, collecting all dues and fees, and maintaining an accurate list of members of the club. 4. The Chair shall nominate an EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote, whose duties shall include recording and distributing in a timely manner minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors, and maintaining all records pertinent to the operations of the IRC, and who shall be invited to all meetings of the Board of Directors as a non-voting appointed officer of the Board. 5. The Chair shall nominate a CHIEF OF STAFF, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote. The Chief of Staff shall be a full voting member of The Board. His/her duties shall include co-ordination between the various standing committees, oversight of ad-hoc projects as assigned by the Chair, day-to-day support of other directors and oversight of the general wellbeing of club members. 6. The Chair shall nominate a GDISC COORDINATOR, subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote, whose duties shall include the planning and execution of any number of GDISC conferences per academic year. His/her responsibilities will concern the overall leadership of the GDISC program as well as chairing the GDISC committee. 7. The IRC shall have a number of standing committees, containing no fewer than three (3) individuals excluding the Committee Chair, including: a. The Conferences Committee, which shall assist the Conferences Coordinator in the logistical and substantive preparation of teams sent to competitive conferences, b. The Academic Committee, which shall assist the Academic Coordinator in inviting speakers to speak to club membership, reaching out to University centers and other campus organizations, making logistical preparations for such events, leading groups to events of interest within the Washington, DC community, and organizing other major events relevant to the club membership, c. The Outreach Committee, which shall assist the Director of Outreach in maintaining communication with IRC Alumni, raising funds for the club, organizing community service events, and coordinating the IRC s participation in campus-wide initiatives, d. The Communications Committee, which shall assist the Director of Communications in publicizing club events, maintaining and preparing content for the official club website, and contacting external and University media outlets about the accomplishments of the IRC, e. The Special Events Committee, which shall assist the Director of Special Events in organizing and executing cultural and social activities to explore international affairs, and fostering ties between the members of the club.

5 f. The GDISC Committee, which shall assist the GDISC coordinator in organizing any number of conferences during the academic year. Their roles shall include developing the academic program for the conference as well as its logistical organization. g. The Treasury Committee shall be responsible for assisting the Treasurer in all of his/her duties. The Treasurer will be responsible for assigning projects and responsibilities to the committee as he/she sees fit. This committee is exempt from the second clause of Article 5, Section Positions on the standing committees shall be jointly selected by the IRC Chair and Committee Chair prior to the end of the academic year. The Committee Chair shall nominate candidates for the standing committees for approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors no later than September 30 th, after a suitable interview process decided upon by the Board of Directors. 9. Each standing committee shall meet biweekly, and the Chair of each committee will provide meeting minutes to the Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors shall receive adequate notice of the meeting time and location, and may attend any meeting of a standing committee, except closed meetings of the Conferences Committee, such as Conference selection meetings. 10. All members of standing committees must attend at least one General Membership Meeting and one meeting of the Board of Directors each semester. 11. The Chair shall appoint any other officers of committees of the Board necessary for the proper implementation of IRC decisions and/or for efficient procedure in addition to the standing committees. Appointed officers shall not serve on the Board of Directors except pursuant to Section 9. Members of the Board of Directors may hold a position on one committee (excluding the position of Committee Chair). 12. The Chair shall, with the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors, have the discretion to appoint any standing committee members to the position of a non-voting member of the IRC board. 13. No Member of the Board of Directors may hold more than one position on the Board of Directors simultaneously. 14. All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be open and adequately publicized to the IRC Membership. 15. IRC Leadership shall be defined as all of the members of the Board of Directors and all the members on standing committees of the club. The IRC Chair shall hold an IRC Leadership meeting no less than once a semester to discuss issues related to the general direction of the club.

6 16. If the Board of Directors determines that a member of the Board or any standing committee member has neglected their duties or committed other misconduct, the member may be removed from their position by a two-thirds vote of the Board. 17. If, for any reason, any Board position becomes vacated, the Chair, with approval from a majority of the Board of Directors, may either appoint an IRC Member or hold elections in accordance with Article Six of this Constitution to fill the position for the remainder of the academic year. 18. If, for any reason, the position of Chair becomes vacated, the Conferences Coordinator shall become acting Chair of the IRC, with full powers, until the Board, with a two-thirds majority, decides upon further action. Article Six Voting 1. The elected officers of the International Relations Club (as described in Article Five, Section 1) shall be elected from, by, and among the members of the International Relations Club who have acquired membership, as definied in Article Four, Section 2, at least one week prior to the election. 2. No candidate for an elected office may be a candidate for more than one elected position. 3. The election shall be administered by the Election Commission, composed of senior members of the IRC, appointed by the Chair no later than March 1, with approval by simple majority of the Board of Directors: a. No member of the Georgetown International Relations Club Board of Directors shall sit on the Elections Commission who is not a graduating senior; b. The Chair of the Board of Directors shall serve as an ex officio member of the Election Commission, but may not serve as Chair of the Election Commission; c. The Election Commission shall consist of no more than seven, but no less than five, senior members of the IRC. The Commission must certify all election results, and has the authority to sanction IRC members who are found in violation of election rules. 4. The date and format of the election, as well as any other election-related events, shall be determined by the Election Commission and ratified by a majority of the Board of Directors of the IRC with consideration for an appropriate period of transition before the closure of the academic year and the provision of qualified officers for the Board of Directors of the IRC. 5. The standard rules for elections of the International Relations Club are as follows: a. No members of the International Relations Club may begin campaigning for any elected position until the Elections Commission has established a date for the start of

7 campaigning. Any violation of this rule will lead to immediate disqualification of the candidate; b. No members of the International Relations Club may campaign after the close of the campaign period, as established by the Election Commission. Any violation of this rule will lead to immediate disqualification of the candidate; c. The Election Commission shall have the authority to establish other rules that are necessary for the successful administration of the International Relations Club elections. 6. In the election of all positions, the candidate who receives an absolute majority of the votes cast shall be considered elected. The Election Commission shall determine how to structure the election in order to ensure an absolute majority is accurately measured. Article Seven Amendments 1. All changes or amendments made to this constitution must be suggested by a member of the IRC and must achieve at least a two-thirds approval of the IRC Board at a previously publicized and open Board meeting. a. The amendment will take effect 15 days after approval by the Board of Directors b. If the club membership disapproves of the Board s action, expressed through a petition bearing the signatures of ten percent of the club membership deposited with the Board of Directors within 15 days of the Board s approval, the amendment will be referred to the entire club membership in a general meeting for a vote to be decided by a majority of those members present and voting. 2. A majority vote of the Board of Directors may approve annexes, bylaws, or statutes as deemed necessary. Such documents shall not be considered amendments to the constitution and as such may not contradict or override anything in the above articles.