MIT Syncopasian. Group Constitution Approved: September 17, 2015

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1 MIT Syncopasian Group Constitution Approved: September 17, Article I: Purpose 1.1. The name of this organization shall be MIT Syncopasian, henceforth Syncopasian The purpose of Syncopasian is to spread awareness and appreciation of East Asian popular culture throughout MIT and the Greater Boston community with East Asian a cappella performances. Concurrently, practicing for these performances will provide members the opportunity to improve individual singing abilities as well as leadership roles where applicable. 2. Article II: Membership 2.1. Any member of the MIT community is eligible to become a member of Syncopasian. An MIT community member is defined as: A current MIT student. An MIT faculty or staff member One is considered a member of this organization in any given academic term if: S/he actively sings with the group. S/he attends all performances except in extreme circumstances The organization s roster will at all times consist of no more than 20 members. At least 5 of the members must be MIT students. At least half of the members of the current group must be MIT students To become a member of Syncopasian, MIT community members must audition for the group. The following terms dictate the audition process: Auditions will occur once at the beginning of each fall semester of every academic year. Spring auditions can be held under the discretion of the current members of Syncopasian.

2 Any MIT community member may audition for Syncopasian. Auditions will consist of each prospective member singing a song or a fragment of a song to an audience of current Syncopasian members. The song does not have to be Asian in origin. Members will be selected on the basis of singing ability, musicality, and fit to the current group Syncopasian will not discriminate on membership based on any characteristic listed in MIT s Nondiscrimination Statement Syncopasian will not charge dues for membership into the group If, in the course of the semester, any member feels that s/he is no longer able to satisfy the conditions of Section 2, then s/he may choose give up his/her position in the group. If such an individual wishes to rejoin Syncopasian, it is at the discretion of the current members whether to re audition the individual or not If the behavior of an individual is seen as a problem by multiple members of the group after the individual has been given two official warnings, a motion to vote to eject a member requires quorum (of three quarters of membership) and a two thirds majority of those present to pass the motion. A vote of two thirds majority of current members may revoke any individual s membership for failing to fulfill responsibilities of membership If a member of Syncopasian misses more than one third of a semester s total rehearsal hours before the semester concert, a motion to vote to revoke his/her membership automatically passes unless overridden by two thirds majority of quorum. If a member has missed one third of the rehearsals for two consecutive semesters, s/he is ejected from the group unless overridden by a unanimous vote of all current members. 3. Article III: Executive Board 3.1. The Syncopasian executive board shall include all current officers Syncopasian shall have the following elected officer positions: President

3 Treasurer Music Director Assistant Music Director Stage Director Publicity Chair Social Chair Concert Chair Recording Chair Archives Chair 3.3. Responsibilities of the President: The President shall be the official representative of the group to other organizations, to MIT, and to any other communities which request a performance by Syncopasian. The President is responsible for scheduling rehearsals and performances. The President, together with the Treasurer, shall be responsible for the allocation of Syncopasian funds. In any given year, there may be a pair of co Presidents sharing these duties Responsibilities of the Treasurer: The Treasurer, together with the President, shall be responsible for the allocation of Syncopasian funds. The Treasurer is responsible for keeping track of the finances of the group. It shall be the Treasurer s duty to ensure appropriate communication with organizations that provide funding for Syncopasian. The Treasurer is required to sign all checks/vouchers of the group Responsibilities of the Music Director: The Music Director, together with the Assistant Music Director, is responsible for planning and running rehearsals. The Music Director, together with the Assistant Music Director, oversees the arrangement of pieces for semester repertoire.

4 3.6. Responsibilities of the Assistant Music Director: The Assistant Music Director, together with the Music Director, is responsible for planning and running rehearsals Responsibilities of the Stage Director: The Stage Director is responsible for designing and teaching choreography. In any given year, there may be a pair of co Stage Directors sharing these duties Responsibilities of the Publicity Chair: The Publicity Chair is responsible for publicizing Syncopasian performances through paper and electronic media Responsibilities of the Social Chair: The Social Chair is responsible for organizing social events for the group outside of rehearsals and performances. The Social Chair is responsible for maintaining a positive group dynamic Responsibilities of the Concert Chair: The Concert Chair is responsible for registering and organizing semester end Concerts. The Concert Chair is responsible for concert teching involving all stage effects Responsibilities of the Recording Chair: The Recording Chair is responsible for Syncopasian studio recording, mixing and mastering, and the production of albums or singles Responsibilities of the Archives Chair: The Archives Chair is responsible for constructing and maintaining a comprehensive history of Syncopasian and its members All officers of this organization must be distinct persons and MIT students Each officer s term of office shall extend a full year from the meeting when s/he is elected. Outgoing officers shall collaborate with

5 incoming officers following elections to ensure a smooth transition between executive boards The executive board may appoint members to additional positions, (including but not limited to Technical Director, Webmaster, Publicity Designer, and Skits Director). Members appointed to such positions shall not be officers and shall not form part of the executive board. 4. Article IV: Elections 4.1. Elections of officers shall occur once a year at the end of the spring semester during a general body meeting Any member of the group is eligible to run for office Only current members of the group may vote at elections Any member is elected if s/he wins more votes than all other individuals running for the position Voting may be held by show of hands or by a secret ballot, as determined by the executive board at the time of the election Quorum for elections is three fourths of the total number of current members of Syncopasian. 5. Article V: Rehearsals 5.1. Rehearsals shall be held 6 hours per week, except for holidays and extreme circumstances Each rehearsal shall be at least an hour in length All rehearsals shall be presided over by at least one Music Director Decisions regarding regular group rehearsals, end of semester concerts, and specific mandatory performances shall be made by a simple majority vote of all members Soloists for semester repertoire will be chosen by an audition during rehearsal followed by a vote of all members present. Additional restrictions on the voting process are at the discretion of the President and Music Directors Quorum for a group rehearsal shall be three fourths of the members of Syncopasian. 6. Article VI: Amendments

6 6.1. Amendments to the Syncopasian Constitution may be proposed by any member The proposing member(s) of a constitutional amendment must be present at the meeting during which the amendment is presented for a vote Amendments must be passed by a two thirds majority of members present Quorum for amending this Constitution is one half of all current Syncopasian members. 7. Article VII: Performances 7.1. Syncopasian will hold at least one concert per semester towards the end of the semester. These concerts will henceforth be the Winter Concert and the Spring Concert (or, Concerts) Other performances may be requested by any group at any venue. These performances will henceforth be known as gigs. A committed gig is defined as a gig for which Syncopasian has created an official contract or invoice Concert location and time at MIT will not conflict with those of any other a cappella group on campus All members are required to participate in all concerts, GBIS, and SGBIS except in extreme circumstances, which will be evaluated on a case by case basis All members will vote whether or not to do a gig. If there are enough votes for the gig (up to the discretion of Music Directors and President), then the group will commit to the gig. Barring extreme circumstances, members who voted yes must commit to the gig and those who voted no must indicate whether they will attend Non members may be guest performers at Syncopasian Concerts, and these must be approved by the majority of the group members at least one month in advance of the Concert. 8. Article VIII: Miscellaneous 8.1. Syncopasian agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities (ASA) and its executive board. This

7 Constitution, amendments to it, and the by laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Board to ensure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations Only members, current and past, may be on the Syncopasian mailing list. A mailing list may be maintained for the general MIT community to be informed about Syncopasian events. A member of Syncopasian shall be responsible for maintenance of all mailing lists.