Cal Animage Alpha Constitution (2/28/2018) Student Organization Name: Cal Animage Alpha Date Prepared: 3/15/2015 Date Amended: 2/28/2018 Article I - Name The name of this organization is Cal Animage Alpha, common acronym CAA. Article II - Purpose Cal Animage Alpha is a community formed around the common interest of anime and Japanese visual culture. Our main purpose is to bring together people who enjoy any of the various aspects of anime and Japanese culture. To further that purpose, the centerpiece of Cal Animage Alpha s ongoing activities is our weekly showings, where our members gather and watch anime as a group and our game nights, where we play video, board and card games. We also provide our members with a weekly newsletter (Konshuu), in addition access to regular events like office tours, screenings, and group outings. It is our mission to bring our community together, and Cal Animage Alpha s officers will explore any other activities or events that our members may show interest in. Article III - Membership Only currently registered students, faculty, and staff may be active members in a registered student organization. Only active members may vote or hold office. Cal Animage Alpha refers to such active members as officers. These officers are responsible for the day to day and long-term administration of the club. Only officers may vote or hold positions of authority in the club. The hierarchy of that authority is discussed in Article IV, below. In order to become an officer in Cal Animage Alpha, those interested must submit an officer application to be reviewed and approved by a board consisting of the CAA President, Vice-President, and Heads of Departments. Becoming an officer comes with certain responsibilities, described in Article IV. However, Cal Animage Alpha will recognize anyone who would like to participate. Those who would like to participate but not take on the responsibilities of an officer, or are not registered students, faculty, or staff, may join our club as associate members. Cal Animage Alpha does not discriminate with respect to associate membership. Anyone, including those not associated with the university, may hold associate membership. Associate members will receive free weekly copies of our club newsletter, have access to game nights and showings, and have permission to attend any other hosted events. We will not haze according to California State Law. We will not restrict membership based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy
or childbirth), physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services (including membership, application for membership, performance of service, application for service, or obligation for service in the uniformed services). Article IV - Officers & Elections Section I: Definition of an Officer and General Officer Responsibilities Definition of an Officer: The term officer refers to any staff member of Cal Animage Alpha. All proposed amendments that guide officers and provide rules and regulation for their employment also refer to department heads, Konshuu staff, and the executive board. All officers are held equally responsible under the constitution. Officer Responsibilities: Officers are required to attend all general Cal Animage Alpha officer meetings, Department Heads are required to attend all Department Head meetings, and Konshuu staff are required to attend all Konshuu meetings, unless in the case of a reasonable excuse. In the case of an unexcused absence, the officer in question will be issued a strike, as indicated and as follows in the expulsion section of the constitution. Per every two weeks of tabling held either at the start of each semester or for event promotion, every officer (including Department Heads, Konshuu Staff, and Executive Board) will be required to sign up for four slots (two hours) on the tabling schedule. Failure to sign up for shifts or failure to show up to shifts will result in the same strike given as an unexcused meeting absence. Unless in the case of a reasonable excuse (sent prior to the date to a Department Head, Executive officer, or Event Organizer) officers will be required to attend a minimum of one CAA event outside of game nights, CAA social hour, and showings. Failure to attend one event per semester will result in a strike, treated the same as an unexcused meeting absence. Officers will be required to attend one showing or one game night a month for half the duration of the event. When attending said event, the officer will either have to find the Vice President at the event and indicate their presence, or directly message them about their attendance. The Vice President will then record their attendance. Officers who miss this monthly obligation will be issued a strike, treated the same as an unexcused meeting absence. Definition of reasonable excuse : A reasonable excuse is defined as an absence either I. indicated at least five days before the obligation in question for a work, school, family, or travel related circumstance, or II. an unplanned absence due to emergency circumstances or illness that is indicated within one day of
the absence. In the case of pre-planned absences, it is suggested the party in question let a department head know as soon as possible to the start of the semester so no confusion arises. In the case of an excused absence, when a department head is informed of it, they must let the rest of the department heads know before the obligation in question arises. The Vice President is responsible for keeping track of excused and unexcused absences for meetings, events, tabling, and other indicated responsibilities in a spreadsheet that is viewable by the rest of the officers. Section II: Department Heads The larger grouping of Department Heads includes Heads of respective committees in Cal Animage Alpha in addition to the Executive Board. The members of this category, by title, includes the President, Vice President, Events and Marketing Head, Publicity Head, Technology Head, and Konshuu Head. The responsibilities of each respective Department Head, in addition to the normal responsibilities of Cal Animage Alpha officers, are as follows: 1. President 1. Enforce the constitution, facilitate disciplinary meetings, and regulate organizational discourse through the use of the constitution s laws. 2. Book rooms for, plan, and facilitate every CAA officer meeting. 3. Book rooms for and plan every on-campus CAA event, including game nights, showings, First General Meeting, Anime Destiny, and the end of semester marathon. 4. Assisting with the hiring of all new officers for all departments, including scheduling and attending interviews and decision-making. 5. Manage the club funding for events, keep a record of payments, and hold the club credit card. 6. Keeping track of officer hiatuses and facilitating elections/re-elections for unfilled positions. 7. Answering CAA emails not related to publicity decisions or promotions. 2. Vice President 1. Create and enforce tabling schedules at the start of each semester and for Anime Destiny promotion. 2. Assist the President in the booking of rooms and event space when necessary. 3. Creating and sharing meeting notes for Cal Animage Alpha meetings. 4. Keep track of unexcused and excused absences on a spreadsheet visible to all other officers. 5. In the case of the Vice President s absence or expulsion, the President will assume their responsibilities temporarily until a new Vice President is elected. 3. Events and Marketing Head 1. Maintaining the events calendar for Cal Animage Alpha that is shared on the website. 2. Creating Facebook event pages for on and off campus events that require an event page at least a week in advance so it may be forwarded to the Publicity committee. 3. Messaging officer and general Facebook chats about upcoming off-campus events.
4. Facilitating all off-campus events, including transportation and supplies, and maintaining an open channel of communication with non-officers that wish to attend these events. 5. Hosting at least two off-campus events per semester unless in the case of an irregular schedule or club emergency. 6. In the case of the Events and Marketing Head s absence or expulsion, an Events and Marketing committee member will assume their responsibilities temporarily until a new Events and Marketing Head is elected. 4. Publicity Head 1. Maintain the Cal Animage Alpha Facebook page. 2. Maintain the Cal Animage Alpha Twitter page. 3. Maintain the Cal Animage Alpha Instagram page. 4. Maintain the Cal Animage Alpha email account and email newsletters. 5. Promote on and off-campus events for Cal Animage Alpha through utilization of its social media pages and email accounts. 6. Manage the relationship of Cal Animage Alpha with any partnered organizations. 7. In the case of the Publicity Head s absence or expulsion, a Publicity committee member will assume their responsibilities temporarily until a new Publicity Head is elected. 5. Technology Head 1. Running showings, including setting up equipment and downloading the necessary files for the showing. 2. Maintaining the Cal Animage Alpha website, including keeping design and formatting functional and modern, keeping locations and event times and dates up to date, keeping staff bios up to date, and making sure all links on the website are functioning. 3. Maintaining the Anime Destiny website, including keeping design and formatting functional and modern, keeping locations and event time and date up to date, keeping website resources up to date, and making sure all links on the website are functioning. 4. Setting up technological equipment at other on campus Cal Animage Alpha events that require it. 5. Documenting club technology and files. 6. In the case of the Technology Head s absence or expulsion, a Technology committee member will assume their responsibilities temporarily until a new Technology Head is elected. 6. Konshuu Head 1. Managing the printing and distribution of Konshuu. 2. Leading Konshuu department meetings and keeping track of absences for Konshuuonly meetings in a document visible to all other officers. 3. Managing the printing and distribution of printed promotional materials for Cal Animage Alpha. 4. Managing the creation of badges, signs, banners, and all promotional art for Anime Destiny by Konshuu staff, including their printing. 5. Editor-in-chief responsibilities of the Konshuu publication, including final editing and proofreading.
6. In the case of the Konshuu Head s absence or expulsion, a Konshuu staff member will assume their responsibilities temporarily until a new Konshuu Head is elected. Department Head Term Length: All Department Heads term length will be equal to one year, upon which at the first meeting of the next semester elections will be held for that position. If the old Department Head chooses to run again, they may do so. Elected presidents may serve only one year as president, from Spring to Fall, upon which the position must be given to another candidate through the democratic process stated in Section Two of the Cal Animage Alpha Constitution or the current president must be re-elected in the same manner. Section III: Impeachment and Expulsion Expulsion: After an officer has missed a mandatory meeting or neglected a mandatory responsibility (such as tabling or event attendance requirement) without reasonable excuse provided prior to the absence, they will be issued a strike. The Vice President, President, and Konshuu Head will have access to a spreadsheet wherein strikes are marked and monitored. This will be the point of reference for managing attendance and subsequent absences. Arriving later than thirty minutes to a meeting without a reasonable excuse will be counted as an unexcused absence. After two strikes, the officer will be warned about their absences. After a third, they will be put on probation until the end of the semester. During this time period, if the questioned officer misses anymore necessary responsibilities, a meeting will be held to determine if the officer will be expelled. A meeting with a council made up of Cal Animage Alpha s Department Heads and Executive Board will be held with the officer in question, where they will be presented the opportunity to explain themselves. After the meeting, the council will vote upon the expulsion of the officer. As with ratification, a ⅔ anonymous majority vote makes the decision to expel. In the case of concerns that an officer feels necessitates executive action and a subsequent meeting in regards to an officer outside of absences, a meeting will first be held with the concerned party(ies) and then with the offending party(ies). An executive officer or department head uninvolved in the conflict will mediate the meetings. An additional mediated final meeting will be held between the two parties to address concerns and propose a change in behavior or structure. If evidence presents a greater cause for concern, such as a violation of school rules, a concern about safety, a concern about harassment, or any visible threat to one s comfort in the club as caused by another officer arises in these discussions, more serious action will be taken. A meeting with a council made up of Cal Animage Alpha s Department Heads and Executive Board (barring concerned parties) will be held with the offending officer in question, where they will be presented the opportunity to explain themselves. After the meeting, the council will vote anonymously upon the expulsion of the officer. As with ratification, a ⅔ majority vote makes the decision to expel.
Impeachment: If any Department Head has been found to be neglecting their duties, misusing their position, or behaving inappropriately by another officer, the issue must be brought up at the next Cal Animage Alpha officer meeting with the accusing parties providing prior indication to all Department Heads. If the accuser decides to move forwards with the impeachment, the next all officer meeting must allow sufficient time in the meeting plans for the impeachment vote to take place. The accuser must outline the grievances committed within the allotted time, the accused may provide a defense afterwards if they so choose, and then the offending party must leave the room for other officers to anonymously vote upon their expulsion. If a ⅔ majority vote is achieved, the offending officer will be expelled from that position permanently. If the grievance is deemed severe enough (conduct that threatens the health or safety of the club or another member) the accused may not be allowed back into the club. Otherwise, the officer may re-apply the next semester for a committee member or Konshuu staff position if they so choose. In the case of a Department Head s impeachment, the position will be temporarily filled by the Vice President (in case of the President s impeachment), the President (in case of the Vice President s impeachment), or a committee member from the Department Heads respective committee (Events and Marketing, Publicity, Technology, or Konshuu). The next meeting must have time dedicated to the election of a new Department Head for the empty position. Section IV: Voting At the beginning of each semester, open department head or executive positions from which promoted, resigned, or graduated officers have left, or positions which have been previously created but remain unfilled, shall be open to fill by anyone who has served one or more term(s) within a previously held officer position. These candidates may announce their candidacy at the first meeting of the semester, followed by up to a two minute presentation of their perceived qualifications if they so choose. After all candidates have spoken, the officers present at the meeting will participate in a blind vote with slips of paper selecting their preferred candidate. The votes will be announced publicly by the current president at the meeting and made transparent to all present officers. After the votes have been vocally counted and tallied by the current president, the majority candidate will be announced and subsequently step up to fill the position for the rest of the semester. Section V: Hiatus At the beginning of the semester, before the First General Meeting, an officer may elect to go on hiatus for the semester for health, school, work, or other obligation related reasons. This officer must say in advance how many semesters the hiatus will be. If the hiatus is longer than one semester but this is not indicated, all further absences past the first semester will not be seen as valid. In the case of a hiatus of a committee member or Konshuu staff, the officer may take up their same position upon their return to the club the next semester, so long as they have indicated the hiatus before the deadline. If the hiatus begins after the deadline, they will have to re-apply the next semester as a new officer. If a Department Head goes on hiatus, they may not assume
their Head position automatically the next semester, but if the hiatus is announced before the deadline they may rejoin the club the next semester as a committee member or Konshuu staff member (whatever they were previously). If they wish to run for re-election at the start of the next semester, they may also do so, even if their replacement has served less than a year or has not stepped down. In the case of a Department Head going on hiatus, the next meeting after they announce their leave will be dedicated to the election of a replacement. In time between the hiatus and the new election, the position will be temporarily filled by the Vice President (in case of the President s impeachment), the President (in case of the Vice President s impeachment), or a committee member from the Department Heads respective committee (Events and Marketing, Publicity, Technology, or Konshuu). In the case of a committee member or Konshuu staff going on hiatus, there will be no elected replacement, but if the respective Department Head of the individual on hiatus deems it necessary that another officer be added in their stead, the hiring process may open up for a new candidate for that position. Section VI: Senior Advisors Outgoing Heads and Executive Officers can become Senior Advisors for the duration of their time at the university and Cal Animage Alpha if they so choose. Senior Advisors retain their privileges as officers, but are not subject to the General Responsibilities listed in Section 1. They may however volunteer to undertake such responsibilities, if they wish. If the outgoing Head s last semester is in the fall, an election for their replacement must take place in October and the outgoing Head is obligated to train that replacement until they leave the club. If the outgoing Head s last semester is in the spring, an election for their replacement must take place in March and the outgoing Head is obligated to train that replacement until they leave the club. Article V - Meetings Cal Animage Alpha will meet, at a minimum, once a week during the academic year (except holidays or extenuating circumstances). Officers may also be called upon to attend other, mandatory meetings as needed to conduct club business. Any Department Head or Executive member may call a meeting of the Executive and Department Heads, but only the President or Vice-President may call a meeting of all officers. Individual officers may raise concerns or issues either through their Department Heads, or at weekly showings. Article VI - Constitutional Amendments Any officer may propose an Amendment to the Constitution. An Amendment may be proposed by raising the issue at a gathering of all officers, such as at weekly showings or a meeting called by the President. At the time of an Amendment proposal, the Executive is to make a note to put the proposal to a vote at the next all-officer meeting. At that time, the proposal will be restated and a vote taken if a quorum of 2/3 of current officers is met. A 2/3 majority vote from all officers present at the meeting is required to pass the amendment.
All amendments, additions or deletions to this document must be filed with the LEAD Center in 432 Eshleman Hall. Article VII - Dissolution Dissolution of the group is decided if a ¾ vote of current officers is met. Include the following required language as determined by your organization s preference: If the organization is ASUC or GA Sponsored, all unspent ASUC funds shall return to the ASUC; all Graduate Assembly funds shall return to the Graduate Assembly. If the organization is defunct for five (5) or more years, any privately obtained funds (including any funds left in miscellaneous accounts) shall be A: donated to the ASUC. In the event that the designated nonprofit organization no longer exists or has ceased to be a nonprofit, then the unspent funds shall be donated to the ASUC."