Mission San Jose High School Speech and Debate Constitution:

Transcription

1 Mission San Jose High School Speech and Debate Constitution: Article 1: Organization Section 1: Name of Organization A. The name of this organization shall be the Mission San Jose High School Speech and Debate, also referred to as MSJSD. Section 2: Purpose and Means of Accomplishment A. The Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club will serve the student body through instruction in Speech and Debate and participation in said disciplines. B. To fulfill the purpose of the club, labs will be held on a weekly basis and opportunities for competing in a tournament setting will be attended throughout the school year. 1. Labs will be held in order to further the skills and techniques necessary to compete in Speech or Debate. Policy Debate labs, Lincoln Douglas Debate labs, and Speech labs will be led by the respective captains. 2. The acquired knowledge will be implemented through participation in Speech and Debate tournaments. The organized tournaments will benefit the students abilities to compete in Speech and Debate and will further Mission San Jose s standing in the Speech and Debate community. Article 2: Meetings and Events Section 1: Meeting Profile A. Meetings at lunch shall be weekly and take place in C120. Section 2: A Typical Meeting A. A general member meeting will consist of the following aspects: 1. The President will introduce to all members the goals of that day s meetings. 2. If there are notable achievements from recent tournaments, these will be recognized. 3. Any relevant general announcements will be made. 4. Tournament information (i.e. dates, fees, field trip forms) shall be provided. 5. Necessary forms and fees will be collected. B. The following points state the purpose of a typical lab: 1. The purpose of a debate lab is to teach the structure of debate to participants in each respective style.

2 2. The purpose of a speech lab is to make participants aware of all available speech events and to help students succeed in their respective events. Section 3: Announcement of Meeting A. Meetings will mainly be announced through s, morning announcements, and announcements at lunch. Other means of communication, however, may arise and be utilized. Section 4: Definition of Quorum A. A minimum of one advisor, three officers and ten members is required to run a general member meeting. Section 5: Ideas of Events A. Speech and Debate fundraisers may be held to provide profits for the school club. B. Mock tournaments may be run by MSJSD captains. C. League and other official tournaments will be attended. A Mission San Jose Speech and Debate member may only attend MSJSD sponsored tournaments. Article 3: Membership Section 1: Eligibility for Membership A. Members will be required to pay partially or wholly for the tournaments they choose to attend. B. A contract will be distributed to all prospective members at the beginning of every year. The incoming member and their parent or guardian must sign this form. By signing the contract the member acknowledges that by participating in any activities perceived as illicit, the stated member shall be removed permanently from the club after due process of investigation. This form must be signed every year a student wishes to participate in the Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club. Section 2: Membership Dues A. Each year a student wishes to be a part of the Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club, they must pay a $10 membership fee. Money earned form this fee will be used to help hire coaches, subsidize tournament costs, and help pay for any other Speech and Debate activities. Section 3: Membership Exclusion A. A violation of the guidelines set forth by the provided contract will result in the permanent exclusion of the violator. Article 4: Officer and Elections

3 Section 1: Titles and Duties of Officers A. President: The President resident shall take on the position of leadership within the club. He or she will possess the authority to call meetings, formally begin all member and officer meetings, and inform members and officers of rules and the ways in which they will be enforced. The President must also be comfortable with contacting members and officers, along with talking to and referring questions to advisors and administrators. The role of the President is to also responsibly delegate tasks to his/her respective officers as the need arises. The President will keep organized records of reconciliation reports, tournament forms, tournament chaperones, and student fees. While the President has records of club finances, they cannot in any circumstance handle said finances. The Secretary will collect the majority of the stated forms, but they must be reported to the President within a two-day period. The President must train the newly elected President in all duties, and may take on other responsibilities as the need arises. B. Lincoln Douglas Captain (LD Captain): The Lincoln Douglas Captain is responsible for registering their team section for related tournaments. The LD Captain shall be available to answer any questions or concerns of Mission San Jose Speech and Debate members. He or she is also responsible for reporting to the President any comments, concerns, or questions. The LD Captain is responsible for hosting weekly labs for Varsity and Novice Lincoln Douglas participants. The LD Captain is responsible for organizing Mock Lincoln Douglas Tournaments. He or she must keep track of their students progress. This captain is responsible for training the newly elected LD Captain in all duties. 1. LD Lab Information: If the Novice pool is large enough (more than 15 members) the Novice pool will be split into Novice and JV. JV will be defined as members who have not debated a year but have previous debate experience, i.e. have attended a camp and have basic knowledge of LD function. C. Policy Captain: The Policy Captain is responsible for registering their team section for related tournaments. The Policy Captain will also be available to answer any questions or concerns of Mission San Jose Speech and Debate members. He or she is also responsible for reporting to the President any comments, concerns, or questions. The Policy Captain is responsible for hosting weekly labs for Varsity and Novice Policy debaters. The Policy Captain is responsible for organizing Mock Policy Tournaments. The captain must keep track of their students progress, and is responsible for training the newly elected Policy Captain in all duties. 1. Policy Lab Information: If the Novice pool is large enough (more than 15 members) the Novice pool will be split into Novice and JV. JV will be defined as members who have not debated a year but have previous debate experience, i.e. have attended a camp and have basic knowledge of policy function.

4 D. Speech Captain: The Speech Captain will sign up for Individual Events at the chosen tournaments. The individual will be available to answer any questions and concerns of the members. The Speech Captain is responsible for reporting any comments, concerns, or questions to the President. The Speech Captain must host weekly labs for all Varsity and Novice Speech Participants. The Speech Captain may host Mock Tournaments if the need arises. The captain must keep track of students progress, and is responsible for training the newly elected Speech Captain. 1. Speech Lab Information: If Novice pool is large enough (more than 10 members) Novice pool will be split into Novice and JV. JV will be defined as members who have not achieved Varsity but have previous Speech experience, i.e. have attended a camp or have basic knowledge of Speech events. Varsity in Speech is defined as participants who have either placed 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd at any tournament, or they have participated in Speech for at least one year. E. Secretary: The Secretary will be available to answer any questions or concerns members may have. The individual will also need to report any comments, concerns, or questions to the President. The Secretary will take minutes at each member and officer meeting. These minutes will be sent to all club officers and advisors of MSJSD. He or she will handle all mass communication (i.e. s informing all members, officers, and advisors of upcoming events). He or she will handle club paperwork, and must give the forms listed under the President s duties to the President within a two-day time frame. The Secretary is responsible for training the newly elected Secretary. Section 2: Election of Officers A. Any member who meets the officer qualifications may apply for an officer position. A person may apply by filling out a generated application provided to all interested members at election time, which will be screened by all officers and interested advisors. If the applicant passes the screening process, a panel of all current officers and at least two advisors will interview them. Please note that officers may not be on an interview panel for the position of which they have applied. Section 3: Requirements for Officer Eligibility A. General Officer Requirements: All applicants must agree to the rules outlined in the contract and any restrictions outlined by the advisors (see restrictions for school year attached at end of constitution). B. President: An eligible applicant must be an active member for at least one year and be available for weekly member and officer meetings.

5 C. Lincoln Douglas Captain: An eligible applicant must be an active Lincoln Douglas Debater for at least one year, be available for weekly member and officer meetings, and be available to teach labs weekly. D. Policy Captain: An eligible applicant must be an active Policy Debater for at least one year, be available for weekly member and officer meetings, and be available to teach labs weekly. E. Speech Captain: An eligible applicant must be an active participant in Speech for at least one year, be available for weekly member and officer meetings, and be available to teach labs weekly. F. Secretary: An eligible applicant must have access to a computer, have basic knowledge of e- mail and word processing documents, and be available for weekly member and officer meetings. Section 4: Term of Office A. Each officer is elected to his or her position for one term. A term is defined as the day after the officer is elected to the day after the next year s officer elections. B. Every year each position reopens, and all qualified members may apply. Section 5: Officer Removal A. An officer impeachment may be recommended if any of the following behaviors are noted: Continual absence of meetings, continual failure to teach labs, other neglect of officer duties, shown desire to leave office, or abuse of office. B. Impeachment Process: 1. Officers may submit a recommendation for impeachment to any Speech and Debate advisor. This form must list the reasons why the accused officer should be impeached. 2. The advisor must inform the accused of the claim. Please note that the accuser may choose to remain anonymous. The stated warning may be given up to two times. 3. If there is a failure to comply after the second warning, an impeachment court will be held. Depending on the offence, court may be held in two ways: a. All officers minus the accused and the accuser may vote. The accused officer will be impeached if the vote in unanimous for said action. Advisors may overturn the decision if they feel it is unfair and can state their reasons for overturning the vote. b. All officers and advisors may vote. This vote will be a majority required in order to impeach the accused. Majority is defined as more than 50% agreeing to impeach the accused. Section 6: Vacancy of Office

6 A. If there is a vacancy because no member has applied for the position, the remaining most qualified officer may take over, if only temporarily. B. If there is a vacancy because an officer was impeached or left voluntarily, the application process will be repeated (see Article 4, Section 2). Section 7: Appointment of a Representative of Leadership Council A. Officers may volunteer each week to attend the council meetings. If no officer volunteers, the President is appointed by default. Article 5: Adult Advisors Section 1: Names of Adult Advisors A. The advisors for the Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club are Mr. Thomsen, Mrs. Krishna, and Mrs. Carroll. Section 2: Duties of Adult Advisors A. Between the club s three advisors, there must be at least one advisor at every club and officer meeting and at least two present at the panel for each year s officer elections. The advisors must also act as club treasurers and handle all club finances. All advisors must oversee officers as they perform Speech and Debate duties and oversee Mission San Jose Speech and Debate club functions. Article 6: Safety and Liability Section 1: Physical Injury A. The [Fremont Unified School] District does not provide insurance to cover student accidents or injuries while the student is at school, going to or from school, or while attending District-sponsored activities (Parent/Guardian & Student Handbook and Notice of Rights and Responsibilities: Pg. 13). Section 2: Property Damage A. Any violation or destruction of property or school facilities will be turned over to a school resource officer who will decide what penalties and/or punishments will be enforced. Further investigation may also be handled by law enforcement. For any acts of vandalism, the circumstance will be investigated, and those who vandalized will be responsible for the costs of the damage. Section 3: Liability A. All Mission San Jose High School Speech and Debate participants are expected to display exemplary citizenship and behavior during all times on and off campus. All school rules outlined in FUSD handbook will be followed, along with the rules outlined on the contract distributed to all Mission San Jose Speech and Debate participants at the beginning of each year. Please note that any act, tournament, or form of communication under the Mission San Jose Speech and

7 Debate name not approved by MSJSD officers and advisors is considered a breach of this contract. Article 7: Financial Activities Section 1: Revenues and Fundraisers A. Fundraisers must be overseen by at least one club advisor, and the event must follow all school fundraiser regulations. B. All funds must be immediately placed into the school club account. Section 2: Expenditures A. Officers will vote on the expenditures of the club. The proposition will be passed by a majority of officers voting to put the expenditure into action. A majority is here defined as over 50%. B. The officers must obtain the approval of the advisors before acting upon any expenditure. Section 3: Transactions A. All actual transactions must be approved by a majority of officers, majority defined as over 50%, and conducted by club advisors. Article 8: Amendments Section 1: Proposition A. Any MSJSD club member may suggest an amendment to the constitution. This suggestion should be made to the President, who will proceed to discuss the idea with all officers at the next officer meeting. Section 2: Requirements for the Amendment to be Passed/Reification A. At the officer meeting all officers will vote on the suggested amendment. The vote must be unanimous in order to be passed. The amendment must not conflict with school, league, or NFL policies or the mission of Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club. Mission San Jose Speech and Debate advisors and administrators must also approve the amendment.

8 Tournament Restrictions: Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club Administrative Club Restrictions The number of tournaments the club attends, along with the location of these tournaments will be determined by the Administration Staff and the Speech and Debate Club Advisors. The Speech and Debate Club may be restricted to attending only local tournaments. Speech and Debate Club Members who excel at tournaments and are in good standing may be allowed to participate in other tournaments. This would include state qualifying tournaments. Speech and Debate Club members may only attend those tournaments that are sponsored by the MSJHS Speech and Debate Club. No club members may attend tournaments as unattached. Members may not enter tournaments under the Mission San Jose Speech and Debate Club if it is not a MSJHS Speech and Debate Club sponsored event. Members who violate tournament guidelines will be removed from the club. Rules and Policies Restrictions: Officers or club members are restricted from the collection of any money. All money will be turned into club advisors. Only club approved fundraisers may be held. Officers and club members may not hold private fundraisers to generate funds for the Speech and Debate Club. Officers and club members who violate any club or school rules and policies would be removed from the club. All established school discipline codes will be enforced once the officer or club member is removed from the club. Officers and club members who fail to report club or school violations by any club members or officers and, who later are found to have known of the violations, will also be removed from the club. The club member or officer will be disciplined by the administrators in accordance will all school rules and regulations.

9 SIGNATURES: Sarah Thomsen MSJSD President Mr. Larsen MSJSD Administrator Colette Jayox MSJSD Lincoln Douglas Captain Dawei Liu MSJSD Policy Captain Sonia Dhawan MSJSD Secretary Mr. Thomsen MSJSD Advisor Mrs. Krishna MSJSD Advisor Mrs. Carroll MSJSD Advisor