The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Alliance

Transcription

1 The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Alliance The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill April 15, 2010 Article I: Mission, Diversity, and Vision Section 1: Mission The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight Alliance strives to connect, inform, and advance LGBTIQ-individuals and their allies. We realize, however, that oppression does not happen in isolation and actively work to promote social justice wherever systematic oppression occurs. Section 2: Pledge to Diversity The GLBTSA embraces diversity beyond sexuality and gender, and is committed to being relevant to and inclusive of all people. Section 3: Vision Statement The GLBTSA envisions a world in which diversity of gender identity and sexual orientation is accepted and embraced by all. Article II: Membership Section 1: Non-Discrimination Statement Membership and participation is open to all persons regardless of their ability, age, class, color, creed, ethnicity, gender expression, gender identity, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexuality, or veteran s status. Section 2: Definition of Membership A member shall be defined as an individual who has been to three (3) or more meetings during the semester, including GLBTSA meetings, meetings of its programs, special events sponsored by GLBTSA or a program of GLBTSA, and planning meetings.

2 Article III: Organizational Structure and the Executive Board Section 1: General Organizational Structure a. The GLBTSA shall be composed of the General Body, the Executive Board, and five programs: Fruit Bowl, Colors, Lambda Magazine, Unity Conference, and Committee for a Queerer Carolina. b. The Executive Board shall have financial and administrative oversight over the General Body and the programs. Section 2: The Executive Board and Its Responsibilities a. The Executive Board of the GLBTSA shall be composed of two (2) Co-Presidents, two (2) Programming Coordinators, one or two (1 or 2) Outreach Coordinators, one or two (1 or 2) Publicity Coordinators, one (1) Secretary, one (1) Treasurer, the Director of Fruit Bowl, the Editor-in-Chief of Lambda, the Director of Unity Conference, the Director of Colors, the Director of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina, as well as honorary non-voting positions for the presidents of Blue Devils United at Duke University and the GLBT Community Alliance at North Carolina State University. b. The Co-Presidents shall be responsible for: representing the organization to the public; facilitating communication between GLBTSA members and the Executive Board; facilitating communication among the programs and the Executive Board; working with members to create opportunities for involvement; and ensuring that the organization is adhering to the GLBTSA mission statement. c. The Programming Coordinators shall be responsible for: organizing and facilitating general body meetings; working with other groups to put on joint programming. d. The Outreach Coordinators shall be responsible for: involving GLBTSA members in activities beyond the organization that promote the cause of social justice. e. The Publicity Coordinators shall be responsible for: informing the campus and community of GLBTSA events; creating flyers, posters, and/or other printed materials that publicize or promote the organization and its events; and organizing members to paint the cube and table in the pit for major events. f. The Secretary shall be responsible for: taking minutes at GLBTSA meetings; maintaining the GLBTSA website; maintaining and preserving the organization s files, records, and historical documents; coordinating members to staff the GLBTSA office; and ensuring that the organization maintains its status as a student organization at the University. g. The Treasurer shall be responsible for: ensuring that s/he is a certified treasurer as required by the Student Body Treasurer; compiling the annual

3 organizational budget that will be submitted and presented to Student Congress for annual appropriations; presenting any subsequent appropriation requests to the Student Congress Finance Committee and Student Congress; organizing fundraising opportunities for the organization; collecting and depositing fees for other GLBTSA events for which admission is charged; submitting check requests, collecting checks, and, if needed, mailing the checks to the appropriate parties; maintaining an accurate and current general ledger for GLBTSA accounts including the programs. h. The Director of Fruit Bowl shall be responsible for: coordinating the programming of Fruit Bowl; facilitating communication between Fruit Bowl and the Executive Board; securing funding and other assistance for the program; ensuring the continuity and success of Fruit Bowl. i. The Editor-in-Chief of Lambda shall be responsible for: coordinating the publication of Lambda; facilitating communication between Lambda and the Executive Board; securing funding and other assistance for the program; ensuring the continuity and success of Lambda. j. The Director for the Committee for a Queerer Carolina shall be responsible for: coordinating the programming of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina; facilitating communication between the Committee for a Queerer Carolina and the Executive Board; securing funding and other assistance for the program; ensuring the continuity and success of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina. k. The Director of the Unity Conference shall be responsible for: coordinating the Unity Conference; facilitating communication between the Unity Conference program and the Executive Board; securing funding and other assistance for the program; ensuring the continuity and success of the Unity Conference. l. The Director of Colors shall be responsible for: coordinating the programming of Colors; facilitating communication between Colors and the Executive Board; securing funding and other assistance for the program; ensuring the continuity and success of Colors. Section 3: Impeachment or Resignation from Executive Office a. Should members or Executive Board members hold grievances against any executive officer of the GLBTSA, they should follow the following steps to address their grievances: i. Send a complaint to the facilitator of the next general body meeting requesting that this matter be added to the next meeting s agenda. Attend the next general body meeting prepared to discuss the matter with other members. i Should anyone feel uncomfortable discussing this matter at the general body meeting, s/he may contact another Executive Board member and that Board member will be required to speak on her/his behalf iv. Once that matter has been adequately discussed with members, a vote shall be taken on the appropriate course of action:

4 1. Letter of Censure: Should one-half of those members attending the general body meeting approve, a letter of censure stating that the Board member in question has fallen out of good standing with the membership shall be sent to the Board member in question. 2. Impeachment: Should two-thirds of those members attending the general body meeting approve, the Board member in question shall be removed from her/his office and relieved of all the responsibilities accompanying her/his office. 3. Other Action: Should two-thirds of those members attending the general body meeting approve, those in attendance may devise an appropriate course of action in response to grievances brought against the Board member in question. b. Should a Board member be removed or remove her/himself from office, the following steps should immediately be taken to find a replacement for that person: i. A call for nominations should be sent over the GLBTSA listserv. Members may nominate themselves or others. If more than one candidate is found for this office, an election shall be held no later than two (2) weeks following the impeachment of the Board member. i If the impeachment occurs within one calendar month of Executive Board Elections, that office should remain vacant until it is filled at that time. Article IV: Decision Making Section 1: Types of Votes and Eligibility Official votes or elections shall include the following: a. Executive Board Elections Elected by a simple majority b. Candidate endorsements Elected by a simple majority c. Votes on official organizational positions or stances Elected by two-thirds consent d. Impeachment proceedings Elected by two-thirds consent e. Votes to ratify, amend, or change the constitution Elected by two-thirds consent f. Other votes deemed especially important by a majority of members Section 2: Quorum 1. In order for official votes or elections to proceed, at least two-thirds of the average number of members who have attended the last three general body meetings must be present or voting absentee. If this number is less than ten, at least eight people must be present for the vote or election to proceed. 2. All votes must be announced at least five days prior to the meeting at which they will take place.

5 3. Members who are unable to attend the meeting may submit their vote to the facilitator prior to the meeting so long as they feel they understand the matter at hand sufficiently. Article V: Elections Section 1: Executive Board Member Elections a. Elections shall be held each semester at least two weeks before the end of classes. b. In case of a mid-year vacancy, follow the steps outlined in Article III.3.b. c. A listserv announcement calling for nominations shall be sent no later than ten (10) days prior to elections. d. Winners shall be determined by secret ballot and elected by at least one-half of attending members. i. In the case of a tie, the outgoing Executive Board shall determine, by no less than two-thirds consent, the new officer. Should either of the candidates be members of the outgoing Executive Board, they must excuse themselves from voting. In the case of one candidate not receiving at least one-half of the votes, a runoff election of the two candidates receiving the most votes shall be held immediately. Section 2: Program Elections, Appointments, and Approvals a. Election and approval of the Lambda Editor-in-Chief i. The candidate for the Editor-in-Chief of Lambda shall be elected by the staff members of the publication and approved by no less than one-half of the general body before the end of the semester. If the candidate-elect fails to be approved by the GLBTSA membership, then that decision shall be reported to the Lambda staff and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, elect a new candidate for the Editor-in-Chief. The membership shall approve this new candidate-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate. b. Election and approval of the Director of the Unity Conference i. There shall be an application process for Director of the Unity Conference. A candidate shall be selected jointly by the Executive Board and the Unity Conference committee. i The candidate must be approved by no less than one-half of the general body before the end of the semester. iv. If the candidate fails to be approved by the GLBTSA membership, then that decision shall be reported to the Executive Board and the Unity Conference committee and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, select a new candidate for Director. The membership shall

6 approve this new candidate-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate. c. Election and approval of the Director of Colors i. The candidate for Director of Colors shall be elected by Colors and approved by no less than one-half of the general body before the end of the semester. If the candidate-elect fails to be approved by the GLBTSA membership, then that decision shall be reported to Colors and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, elect a new candidate for Director. The membership shall approve this new candidate-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate. d. Election and approval of the Director of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina i. The candidate for Director of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina shall be elected by the Committee for a Queerer Carolina and approved by no less than one-half of the general body before the end of the semester. If the candidate-elect fails to be approved by the GLBTSA membership, then that decision shall be reported to the Committee for a Queerer Carolina and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, elect a new candidate for Director. The membership shall approve this new candidate-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate. e. Election and approval of the Director and Assistant Director of Fruit Bowl i. The candidates for Director and Assistant Director of Fruit Bowl shall be elected by Fruit Bowl and approved by no less than one-half of the general body before the end of the semester. If a candidate-elect fails to be approved by the GLBTSA membership, then that decision shall be reported to Fruit Bowl and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, elect a new candidate for the position. The membership shall approve this new candidate-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate.