Students for Justice in Palestine Constitution University of Texas at Arlington. Article I: Official Name. Article II: Purpose/Mission

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1 Students for Justice in Palestine Constitution University of Texas at Arlington S[p 1020/4 Article I: Official Name Students for Justice in Palestine {SJP) At UTA Article II: Purpose/Mission Part and parcel of the larger student movement sweeping university campuses across the United States, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and community members centered at the University of Texas at Arlington and organized in accordance with democratic principles to promote justice, human rights, and the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people. SJP at UTA is a nonprofit student organization. Article Ill: Membership A. Eligibility for membership SJP's strength is in the great diversity of its membership. SJP welcomes individuals of all backgrounds to join in solidarity with the struggle for justice in Palestine. This includes all UTA students, faculty, and staff. This organization will not deny membership on any basis prohibited by applicable law, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual preference, age, disability, or veteran status. B. Criteria or qualification for membership All active members must attend at least 5 meetings per quarter and participate in two events. C. Categories for membership All members will enjoy the same privileges and are expected to contribute as much as they can to the organization, they must also uphold SJP principles as stated in Article II. D. Withdrawal or removal of members Members may withdraw from the organization at any time and for any reason, however they must first notify the organization of their withdrawal at the time they wish to leave. Members may be removed in the instance that they violate the principles or the established code of conduct of the organization. If the person wishes to stay, the members ofthe organization will hear the person's case and then vote on whether or not the person may remain a member. A two-thirds majority in favor of the member is required to keep them in the club.

2 I I Article IV: Consultants SJP at UTA encourages supporters of Palestinian solidarity to join in on certain demonstrations, events, and other group activities. Consultants can include alumni, honorary affiliates, local/off-campus advisors, etc. Consultants can neither vote nor hold office in SJP at UTA. Article V: Officers Duties and Responsibilities President o Oversee internal affairs and relations with students, faculty, and administration Vice President o Oversee external affairs and relations with organizations on campus Treasurer Secretary o handles the finances of the organization, including plans for fund raising activities, etc. o keeps notes of all the board and general body meeting meetings and forwards the minutes of every meeting to the board and members. Marketing Director o Representative of SJP, in charge of making the events of the organization known, including posting flyers for meetings, events, sending reminders, handling media accounts, and any other marketing necessities. Elections: A. Times and Period when elections occur. Elections will occur at the second to last meeting of the spring semester. The winners of the elections will be required to work with the current person holding their office in order to effectively transition responsibilities. B. Nominations Self-nominations will be made, the person nominating her/himself will provide the members with a speech expressing their reasons for running. C. Notification and the posting of elections Members will be notified of results of the elections at the last meeting of the Spring semester. D. Election Procedure Elections will be held by secret ballot, a two-thirds majority wins.

3 1. All persons that are eligible to be members of the organization may run for an office, also they must abide by SJP principles as stated within Article II. 2. Terms of Office One term will last an entire academic year; officers assume positions in the fall. The founding officers ( school year), having established SJP in the middle of the academic year, will resume their positions until the end of the school year. 3. Procedure for filling vacated offices In the instance that an office is vacated before term, members of the organization will be notified and may apply to fill the position. The officers, in a majority vote, will select the replacing officer. 4. Procedure for removing officers The procedure for removing officers will be the same as the procedure for removing members: a two-thirds vote of the elected officers. There is a two week time period in which an officer or member may appeal. The officer or member will provide a justified argument to the members of the organization, which will be followed immediately by an anonymous vote. Again a two-thirds majority is required to keep them in the club. Article VI: Meetings & Committees A. Time and occurrence of meetings There will be regular meetings for all members held every even week of the semester; attendance of active members is preferred. There will also be executive meetings held every odd week of the semester; attendance of all officers is required. B. Special Meetings Special meetings may be called a few days before a scheduled event. C. Quorum No quorum will be used in the organization, unless an administrative decision is being made. In which case a majori_ty of the officers must be present. 0. Methods of conducting meetings Members must respect each other when the other is speaking. The president will conduct the meetings.

4 Article VII: Cost of Membership/Budget A. Dues/membership fees No dues are required. B. Budget Expenditure The treasurer and the president are responsible for authorizing expenditures and reimbursements. A vote of all the officers is required for expenditures over $100. Remaining funds will be kept for the following academic year. Article VIII: Committees A. Types of meetings Special committees will be publicity, events, and fundraising. Publicity will be headed by the publicity coordinator; this committee will be in charge of notifying UTA students of activities and events of the organization. Events will be headed by the events coordinator, this committee will be in charge of organizing various events and activities, they will obtain permits and contact speakers, etc. Fundraising will be headed by the treasurer; this committee will be in charge of organizing fundraisers, etc. Members are welcome to join these committees by contacting head of the committee. B. Temporary/special committees These will be formed if needed by the president. The head and members of these committees will be voted on by the members of the organization. Article IX: Advisors ADVISORS A. Selection of Advisors The advisor will be elected by the persons holding office. B. Qualifications The advisor must share the principles of SJP. C. Terms of Office The advisor will remain in office for one academic year. There no limitation on the number of terms they may serve as long as they are elected.

5 D. Roles and Duties of an advisor The advisor must meet with the president twice a month. A. Provisions Article X: Amendments Any member of the organization may propose a written amendment to the officers. The person must explain their proposal and why they think it will benefit the organization. This amendment will then be voted upon by the officers and will require a two-thirds majority in order to be passed. Article XI: Rules and Regulations CODE OF CONDUCT a. SJP's activities include educational events, film screenings, discussion forums, and demonstrations meant to promote awareness of the plight of the Palestinian people and encourage activism in solidarity with their struggle. SJP will also initiate a campaign urging the University of Texas at Arlington to divest from companies complicit in Israeli violations of human rights or international law. SJP will conduct only nonviolent actions, and rejects actions that violate its guiding principles, to which all individuals or groups acting as members, representatives, or sponsors of SJP are required to adhere. More broadly, SJP will work to link the pro Palestine movement with other movements seeking political, social, economic, or environmental justice in the Middle East and across the world. To this end, SJP may elect to endorse the programs or activities of other organizations whose principles and objectives are consistent with its own. b. SJP at UTA refuses to take part in whitewashing Israel's public image and therefore reject any Israeli-Palestinian meetings that do not recognize our inalienable rights, and explicitly aim to resist Israel's occupation, colonization and apartheid. Israeli-Palestinian meetings that are not committed to such principles give a false picture of equality between the two parties by ignoring and legitimizing Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people. We will not contribute to any event that undermines our rights, or portrays Israel as anything but what it really is: an apartheid state. {As taken from Columbia University chapter of SJP} GUIDING PRINCIPLES c. As an advocacy group, SJP believes that key principles grounded in international law, human rights, and basic standards of justice, dictate concrete steps that will be fundamental to a fair and lasting resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Most important among those steps are:

6 i. An end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. ii. An end to Israel's system of apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as its system of discrimination against the Arab population within its own borders A just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. d. Just as SJP condemns the racism and discrimination underlying many of the policies ofthe state of Israel, SJP also categorically opposes any form of prejudice or discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. At the same time, SJP manifestly rejects attempts to equate principled criticism of Zionism, or of the character or policies of Israel, with anti-semitism. e. Furthermore, SJP condemns all acts of unlawful violence, or violence that indiscriminately targets civilians or civilian infrastructure, committed by either side in the course of the conflict. f. Ultimately, SJ P's strength flows from the diversity of its membership, comprising individuals of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds and political orientations, all united under these stated principles in the struggle for peace through justice in Palestine. SJP at UTA will function with University rules. Article XII: Bylaws The bylaws can be amended at any regular meeting of the organization by a twothirds vote of members present. President: Abraham Assi Organization Advisor: Adam Stein ~. x? -. '1/9/ly Date: