Carnegie Mellon University. Constitution of the Carnegie Mellon Model United Nations Organization

Transcription

1 Carnegie Mellon University Constitution of the Carnegie Mellon Model United Nations Organization CMU Statement of Assurance The Carnegie Mellon Model United Nations Organization abides by the CMU Statement of Assurance, which is stated below: Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap or disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, or genetic information. Furthermore, Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate and is required not to discriminate in violation of federal, state, or local laws or executive orders. I. Preamble This Constitution, written in June 2013, supersedes and voids the previous constitution of the CMU Model United Nations Organization. Since its inception, the organization has been affiliated with the Center for International Relations and Politics at the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Science and continues to do so currently. At this time, the organization consists of a handful of members attempting to rebuild the club so that it has the basis to fulfill all its endeavors. The members have deemed redrafting the Constitution a logical and necessary first step in this process of reestablishment as it will help bring order and organization to the club. II. Name The organization will be known as the Carnegie Mellon Model United Nations Organization, which can henceforth be referred to CMUMUN. III. Purpose The general purpose of this organization is to promote global awareness, educate about issues regarding international relations, and expose students to the art of diplomacy. The main vehicle by which CMUMUN carries out this task is Model United Nations (MUN). CMUMUN seeks to serve both its own members from the CMU community and high school students. Accordingly, it holds an annual Model United Nations conference in which high school students can participate in UN simulations, but in addition, it sends its own members to participate in one or more collegiate-level MUN conferences during the academic year. IV. Membership Eligibility and Requirements

2 Membership is open to all members of the Carnegie Mellon community (including part-time and graduate students) who express interest in Model United Nations and/or international relations. Members are expected to attend meetings, complete any assignments given to them by officers, and help staff the organization's MUN conference if necessary. Moreover, members represent Carnegie Mellon in collegiate MUN conferences, high-school MUN conferences, and other onor off-campus events. Thus, they are required to act professionally in the spirit of Carnegie Mellon University at these events. V. Structure Carnegie Mellon Model United Nations is a democratic organization governed by majority rule. It is composed of an executive body of five officers and a general body that participates in voting and club activities. The officer positions are filled through a combination of nomination and elections. Officers are elected at the end of the academic year unless there are extenuating circumstances (elaborated upon in article VII). The Offices of CMUMUN are the following: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations Officer. VI. Description of Offices A person is eligible to run for an officer position in the Model United Nations Organization if he or she has been a member for one academic year. Each office is described below. These descriptions define the minimum responsibilities of each office and do not signify the total responsibility or authority afforded to each office. President - The office of the President holds the most authority of any position in the organization. As such, it is also given the most responsibility. The officer holding this office is charged with ensuring that all officers in CMUMUN are fulfilling their responsibilities. The President's other duties include but are not limited to running both officer and general-body meetings, serving as the main contact for CMUMUN, and managing the organization's activities. He or she also acts as the main liaison between the University, the Office of Student Activities, the Student Senate, and CMUMUN. Vice-President - The office of the Vice-President holds the most authority after the President. The Vice-President is responsible for managing the activities of non-officer members. However, the main role of this office is to support the activities of the President. Thus, the President and Vice-President may perform some of the same tasks or share the responsibility in certain activities. The responsibilities of the two offices are divided largely at the discretion of the President and Vice-President though the Vice- President always maintains a role of assistance. Secretary - The Secretary supports both the offices of the President and Vice-President by scheduling meetings and events as well as keeping record of meeting minutes. This office is also responsible for keeping an accurate membership roster, the Constitution of CMUMUN, and the organization's account. Furthermore, the Secretary plays the

3 role of parliamentarian: he or she runs any programs to educate members about Model United Nations. Treasurer - The Treasurer's main purpose is to accurately manage the finances of the organization. This office is responsible for making transactions necessary for the events through CMUMUN s university organization account as well as keeping account of these transactions. In addition, this officer is responsible for fundraising if this is necessary for the club. Public Relations Officer - This office is charged with informing the university community of CMUMUN activities and promoting the purpose of CMUMUN. The Public Relations Officer is also the main officer responsible for recruiting new members and managing the contact list of CMUMUN. Moreover, he or she must maintain the CMUMUN webpage. Each of the officers holding these positions have the ability to appoint an understudy to assist him/her in his/her duties. Each understudy must be approved by three-fifths of the officers. VII. Term of Office i. Length of Term - Once an officer is elected, his or her term will last until one of the three following criteria is met: (1) The officer graduates and/or leaves Carnegie Mellon, (2) The officer voluntarily steps down due to some inability to continue holding his or her position, or (3) The officer is removed from office for a failure or incapability to fulfill his or her duties. ii. Elections a. Elections are held whenever an officer leaves office, and the remaining officers nominate members for election to the vacant position(s) though other members can still run for office. In case (1), elections are held during the final general-body meeting of the year, but in cases (2) and (3) elections are held as soon as possible after an officer leaves. b. Elections are scheduled and managed by the Secretary. c. Once an officer leaves his or her position, all other eligible members are notified of the election and can submit their candidacy to the Secretary. During the meeting in which the election is being held, the candidates are each allowed at most five minutes to inform the club of their plan for office. The general body then votes for candidates by secret ballot. d. A simple majority (over half) of the present members must vote for a candidate for that candidate to win. If no candidate receives at least half the votes, a run-off must be held between the two candidates with the most votes. If only one member is running for office, a vote of confidence is taken.

4 iii. e. If the Secretary position is vacant, the President is in charge of the election. Removal from Office - If an officer is deemed incapable of carrying out the duties of his or her office for reasons including but not limited to medical issues, prolonged absence from meetings and club events, or negligence of his or her duties, the officer is eligible for removal. An officer can be considered for removal at anytime during the academic year. Any member (officer or otherwise) can nominate an officer for removal given that this member provides sufficient reason for such action in writing to an officer. This officer introduces the removal request in the next officers' meeting. Before the matter of removal can be introduced to the general body, all officers (besides the one whose removal is pending) must unanimously approve the request for removal. If the request is approved, it is introduced and voted upon in the next general-body meeting. In the event the officer is removed, he or she can appeal this decision. The removed officer is allowed to make his or her case in the next general-body meeting, and after this, the members revote on his or her removal. If the ruling stands, elections must be held to replace the officer. VIII. Finances i. Dues Members will be required to pay dues to be considered official members of CMUMUN and attend CMUMUN events. The officers will determine dues amounts at the beginning of each semester. The amount will be in accordance with the amount budgeted in order to sustain the normal functions of the organization. Year-long memberships in the organization may warrant different dues than semester-long memberships, so the officers will determine both amounts accordingly in each case. ii. Budget The Vice President and Treasurer will be responsible for creating the budget, submitting it the Joint Funding Committee (JFC), and meeting with JFC representatives to discuss the budget. The all officers must approve the budget before being submitted. Moreover, the budget must include all predicted expenditures and revenue that CMUMUN will incur in the fiscal year. The budget will be formatted in accordance with the policies of the JFC. iii. Authorized Signer The organization will maintain two authorized signers. Usually, these should be the President and Treasurer. If either of these officers are unable to fulfill this role, another officer can take over his/her position at the beginning of a semester, provided they take and pass the authorized signer training. IX. Amendment Process Amendments to the CMUMUN Constitution must be submitted to the Secretary at least one week before the next general-body meeting. This amendment is made available to all the club members and is voted on during the next general-body meeting in which at least half of the club's members are present. Two-thirds of the present voting members must vote for the amendment

5 for it to become part of the Constitution. Amendments can consist of changes to existing articles and clauses or an entirely new article or clause. X. Ratification Once it has been approved by at least four of the five members of the executive body, this Constitution supersedes the existing CMUMUN constitution. Officers at the time of Ratification: President - Kais Kudrolli, Vice-President - David Moss, Secretary - Jacqueline Lee, Treasurer - Shannon Burke, Public Relations Officer - Nathaniel Fruchter Respectfully Submitted by Kais Kudrolli - June 6, 2013 XI. Amendments i. Vice President of Operations a. Having been given special powers by a unanimous vote of the general body, the executive board of officers of the CMUMUN creates the office of Vice President of Operations. Furthermore, the general body, again by a unanimous vote, has afforded the executive body the one-time power to immediately fill this office. b. The officer who holds the aforementioned position will have a multi-purpose role, serving in any operations-related capacity required by the organization. c. Given that the addition of a sixth officer to the executive board has introduced the possibility of a tie during a vote of the executive board, a method to break ties is necessary. Henceforth in the event of a tie during an executive vote, one officer will randomly be picked to have two votes instead of one. The officer will be chosen as follows: each of the six members will be assigned a number one through six. A die will then be rolled once. The officer whose number corresponds to the one face up on the die will have two votes. d. Clauses pertaining but not limited to Removal from Office, Terms of Office, and Membership and Eligibility Requirements apply to this new office. Respectfully Submitted by Kais Kudrolli April 2, 2014; Ratified April 7, 2014 ii. Return to Five-officer System a. Recognizing that the changes made to the constitution in Amendment (i) are superfluous and unnecessary, the general body and executive board repeal Amendment (i).

6 b. The position of Vice President of Operations is hereby abolished, and the voting procedure will return to the procedure laid out in the original, un-amended constitution. Respectfully Submitted by Kais Kudrolli October 29, 2014; Ratified October 29, 2014