CONSTITUTION ADOPTED NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Transcription

1 CONSTITUTION ADOPTED NOVEMBER 15, 2012

2 We, the founding members of the Georgetown University Roosevelt Institute, do hereby establish this for the Institute on the fifteenth of November, two thousand and twelve. I. Name, Nature, and Location The name of this organization is The Georgetown University Roosevelt Institute. This organization is the chapter of the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network at Georgetown University in Washington, District of Columbia. Herein, this organization shall be referred to as the Institute or by its full name. II. Mission Statement The mission of the Georgetown University Roosevelt Institute is to engage young people at Georgetown University, in the District of Columbia area, across the United States, and around the world in a unique form of political activism that empowers members of the younger generations as leaders and promotes their ideas for change through the research, discussion, and advocacy of innovative and concrete policy ideas. III. Membership 1. General Membership (a) A general member of the Institute is a person who has registered his or her membership with the relevant officer of the Institute. (b) A person s status as a general member must be certified by the relevant officer of the Institute. (c) The Executive Board shall keep a register of general membership, which shall be the official list of general members of the Institute. (d) The Institute does not discriminate against members on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, wealth, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or faith, or disability. (e) Any student enrolled at Georgetown University may register as a general member of the Institute. 2. Voting Membership (a) A voting member of the Institute is a member who has contributed substantively to policy activities or participated in the administrative operations of the Institute. (b) A member s status as a voting member must be certified by the relevant officer of the Institute. (c) Only voting members may run or apply to become an officer of the Institute. (d) The Executive Board shall keep a register of voting membership, which shall be the official list of voting members of the Institute. 3. Termination of Membership 1

3 The Leadership Council, with a two- third vote, may revoke the membership of an individual on the grounds of detrimental behavior to the Institute. IV. Leadership 1. Officers of the Institute (a) The highest- ranking officers of the Institute shall be the President and the Executive Director of the Institute. (b) The remaining officers of the Institute are the Treasurer, the policy chairs, and the administrative directors of the Institute. 2. President of the Institute (a) The President of the Institute is responsible for the policy activities of the Institute. (b) The President shall lead, supervise, and advise the activities of the Policy Board. (c) The President shall, together with the Executive Director, oversee and implement the annual transition of leadership of the Institute. (d) The President may not serve concurrently as Executive Director, unless in the special circumstances described elsewhere herein. (e) The President may appoint a Vice President, who shall be an officer of the Institute and a member of the Policy Board, to assist him or her in fulfilling his or her responsibilities. 3. Executive Director of the Institute (a) The Executive Director of the Institute is responsible for the administrative operations of the Institute. (b) The Executive Director shall lead, supervise, and advise the operations of the Executive Board. (c) The Executive Director shall, together with the President, oversee and implement the annual transition of leadership of the Institute. (d) The Executive Director may not serve concurrently as President, unless in the special circumstances described elsewhere herein. (e) The Executive Director may appoint a Deputy Executive Director, who shall be an officer of the Institute and a member of the Executive Board, to assist him or her in fulfilling his or her responsibilities. 4. Powers of the President and the Executive Director (a) The President and the Executive Director shall have the power to jointly issue bylaws that pertain in general to the Institute. (b) The President and the Executive Director shall have the power to jointly appoint members of the Policy Board and Executive Board. 2

4 (c) The President shall have the power, with the advice and consent of the Policy Board, to issue bylaws that pertain to the composition, structure, activities, and power of the Policy Board or its individual members. (d) The Executive Director shall have the power, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, to issue bylaws that pertain to the composition, structure, activities, and power of the Executive Board or its individual members. (e) The President shall have the power, to guide policy activities by issuing directives. (f) The Executive Director shall have the power, to guide administrative operations by issuing directives. 5. Term and Election of the President and the Executive Director (a) A term for the President and the Executive Director shall coincide and have the length of approximately one year, starting in the month of April of each year, and ending in the month of April of the subsequent year. The exact day on which the term starts and ends may vary from year to year. (b) The President and Executive Director shall be elected by the voting members of the Institute. The candidate receiving a majority of the vote shall be elected. (c) No later than March 1 of each year, an application for the position of President and an application for the position of Executive Director shall be made available to the voting members of the Institute. (d) Any voting member of the Institute shall be eligible to apply. Members who are seniors at the time of the election process shall not be eligible to apply. (e) No later than March 15 of each year, the Leadership Council shall meet to nominate two candidates for President, chosen from the voting members who have applied for the Presidency. At the same meeting, the Leadership Council shall also nominate two candidates for Executive Director, chosen from the voting members who have applied for the Executive Directorship. (f) No later than March 31 of each year, the election shall be conducted in a manner deemed appropriate and expedient by the Leadership Council. (g) The President- elect and the Executive Director- elect shall assume office within twenty days of their election. 6. Transition (a) The transition of the leadership of the Institute shall take place between the election of the President and the Executive Director and the conclusion of the academic year. (b) The specific process for the transition of leadership shall be determined by the bylaws. 7. Removal of the President or Executive Director (a) If the President or Executive Director fails to fulfill his or her duties, or causes detrimental harm to the Institute, he or she can be removed through the passage of a motion of no confidence. 3

5 (b) The Policy Board may initiate a motion of no confidence in the President with a majority vote. (c) The Executive Board my initiate a motion of no confidence in the Executive Director with a majority vote. (d) Once a motion of no confidence is initiated, the Leadership Council shall meet to consider the motion. (e) The motion of no confidence shall be passed if at least two- thirds of the Leadership Council not counting the votes of the President and Executive Director vote in favor of the motion. (f) The motion of no confidence shall explicitly state the date and time at which it takes effect. 8. Vacancies (a) If, for any reason, the office of President becomes vacant, the Executive Director shall act as President or appoint a person to act as President, and the Leadership Council shall elect a new President within three weeks of the start of the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs within one month of the scheduled start of the election process, then the Executive Director shall act as President or appoint a person to act as President for the remainder of the term. (b) If, for any reason, the office of Executive Director becomes vacant, the President shall act as Executive Director or appoint a person to act as Executive Director, and the Leadership Council shall elect a new Executive Director within three weeks of the start of the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs within one month of the scheduled start of the election process, then the President shall act as Executive Director or appoint a person to act as Executive Director for the remainder of the term. 9. Policy Board (a) The Policy Board shall be the leadership board responsible for the policy research and advocacy of the Institute. (b) The Policy Board, together with the Executive Board, has the responsibility to oversee and implement the transition of leadership of the Institute. (c) The Policy Board shall consist of the President, the policy chairs, and other officers as determined by the President. (d) Each member of the Policy Board, except for the President, shall have a vote. (e) Each policy chair, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Executive Director, shall be responsible for a policy area as the head of a policy group, as organized and regulated by the bylaws. (f) The Executive Director may attend any meeting of the Policy Board. 10. Executive Board 4

6 (a) The Executive Board shall be the leadership board responsible for the administration of the Institute, handling matters that include but are not limited to membership, communications, external relations, and finance. (b) The Executive Board, together with the Policy Board, has the responsibility to oversee and implement the transition of leadership of the Institute. (c) The Executive Board shall consist of the Executive Director, the Treasurer, the administrative directors, and other officers as determined by the Executive Director. (d) Each member of the Executive Board, except for the Executive Director, shall have a vote. (e) The Treasurer, appointed jointly by the President and the Executive Director, shall take charge of all financial matters of the Institute. (f) Each administrative director, appointed by the Executive Director with the advice and consent of the President, shall be responsible for an administrative area. (g) The President may attend any meeting of the Executive Board. 11. Leadership Council (a) The Leadership Council shall comprise the officers of the Institute. (b) Either the President or the Executive Director shall preside over meetings of the Leadership Council, unless it is a meeting to consider a motion of no confidence. In the case of a motion of no confidence in the President, the Executive Director shall preside. In the case of a motion of no confidence in the Executive Director, the President shall preside. (c) Each member of the Leadership Council shall have a vote, unless otherwise specified in this Constitution. (d) A member of one leadership board cannot serve as a member of the other leadership board. (e) The Leadership Council shall have the responsibilities and powers as outlined in other sections of this Constitution. (f) The Leadership Council shall be the only and final arbiter on disputes arising under this or the bylaws issued pursuant to this Constitution. V. Amendments 1. Proposal (a) Any three voting members of the Institute may propose an amendment to this Constitution. (b) A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Executive Director. 2. Adoption 5

7 (a) Upon receiving a proposed amendment, the Executive Director shall call for a meeting of the Leadership Council, to take place within thirty days of the receipt of the proposed amendment by the Executive Director. (b) An amendment shall be adopted if at least two- thirds of the Leadership Council vote in favor of such adoption. (c) The Leadership Council shall specify the date and time when the amendment shall take effect. VI. Supremacy All bylaws, directives, and any other acts of any officer or member of the Institute on behalf of the Institute must conform to this Constitution. VII. Promulgation and Effect This shall take effect once promulgated by the majority of the founding members. The acting President and Executive Director at the time of promulgation shall be considered to have been elected to the term of office that shall end in the nearest April. 6