Constitution of Stage III Revised January 7, 2016 PREAMBLE We, the members of Stage III at Siena College, in the interest of providing entertainment and education for the Siena community and the general public, while providing the opportunity to act, direct, develop technical and artistic skills associated with the theatre production and recognizing the values of these skills to any career, do hereby adopt and establish the following Constitution. Article I Name Hereafter the name of this organization shall be Stage III. Article II Mission The primary objective of Stage III is to provide the opportunity for members of the Siena community to enjoy, learn from, connect with, and engage with all aspects of theatre during their college years. Stage III is committed to providing a supportive environment for students to expand their knowledge of the theatre, along with helping students understand and appreciate the importance of all aspects of a production, whether in rehearsals, on stage, or not. In addition to the aforementioned, Stage III serves as Executive Co-Producers of the Siena College Theatre Season through assisting the staffing of the productions and any other support required to produce the season. Article III Membership Stage III is open to all denominations and cultures. No one will be barred from Stage III because of race, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or religious preference. Any member of the student body (as defined in the Constitution of the Siena College Student Body) who expresses an interest in the mission of Stage III may join.
Section 1. Active Members are defined as those who have filled out a membership form and whose names are found on the Stage III Active Membership List. To be included on this list, members must satisfy at least two of the following requirements before the start of the election process as defined in Article X, Section 5: 1) Attend 50% of the Stage III General Meetings 2) Usher/House Manage/Box Office at least 3 times. 3) Serve on the technical crew, in a volunteer capacity (carpentry, lighting, sound, stage crew, wardrobe, etc.). 4) Act in, design, assistant design, direct, assistant direct, dramaturge, stage manage, assistant stage manage, property master, or assistant property master a production. a) A Production is defined as any of the shows produced in collaboration with the Creative Arts Department, the Student Life Plays, Haunted House, and Trashion Fashion Shows. 5) Serve on the Season Selection Committee or Stage III Executive Board. 6) Serve as Class Representative to the Stage III Executive Board. Students who feel they should qualify, but do not meet the above requirements, have a right to petition their status at an Stage III Executive Board meeting. The student s status will then be decided by a vote by the Stage III Executive Board. If the Stage III Executive Board comes to a majority vote, the student shall be granted active membership status. Furthermore, students who study abroad shall have their active membership status carry over from their most recent semester on Siena s campus. Section 2. An Active Member of Stage III is entitled to certain rights that will be upheld by the Stage III Executive Board. Those rights include: 1) The right to participate in all Stage III sponsored activities, including highly encouraged Community Service Events. 2) The right to be kept informed of all theatre related activities at Siena College. 3) The right to fair and equal treatment at auditions and at any Stage III supported event. 4) The right to bring grievances to the Stage III Executive Board and Class Representatives concerning Stage III productions and events. 5) The right to vote in all official Stage III matters brought before the club.
All members of Stage III, regardless of Active Membership status, shall be entitled to these rights, excluding Section 2-5, the right to vote. Monthly, an update of the Active Membership List will be conducted. If a member does not fulfill one of the above functions within the course of an academic year, the result will be removal from the Active Membership List. If an Active Member wishes to no longer maintain that status, he or she may have his or her name removed from the Active Membership List. Article IV Stage III Executive Board The Stage III Executive Board, hereafter known as the Stage III Board, consists of students who are elected by Stage III as a whole to represent the organization s needs and to protect their rights equally and fairly. The Stage III Board will support the faculty, staff, students and alumni to the best of their ability and will also support all Stage III and Creative Arts/Theatre Department productions at Siena. Any full-time student who is an Active Member of Stage III has the right to be an elected member of the Stage III Board, hereafter known as a Board Member. Only students planning to be at Siena for the full academic year are eligible to be a Board Member. It is the duty of the Stage III Board to uphold this Constitution. The Stage III Board will consist of five members who shall have the following titles and duties: Section 1. President 1) Producer Contact: Serve as the main contact between the Stage III Board and the Producer of the Theatre Department, hereafter known as the Producer. The President is charged to hold regularly scheduled meetings with the Producer to exchange information about ongoing issues and concerns of the theatre faculty and Stage III. The President will report all issues that arise at these meeting to the Stage III Board at each Board Meeting. 2) The President is charged to represent the needs and concerns of the Stage III Board and is expected to act in consideration of the greater good of Stage III. With this responsibility comes the right to act on behalf of the Stage III Board in emergency situations requiring a decision in short order, when the other Board Members cannot be contacted. Abuse of this duty may be handled through the issuance of a grievance (see Article XI). 3) Attend Production Meetings of the Theatre Program, or designate a Board Member or other Active Member of the club to attend as needed, such as when the President is
involved with the production or unable to attend. In principal, the Board Member or Active Member attending the Production meetings is designated on a semester basis. 4) Call regular Stage III General Meetings and Board Meetings. 5) Preside over regularly scheduled Stage III Board Meetings. 6) Make and distribute agendas for the Stage III Board Meetings. 7) Update the Stage III General Calendar. 8) Attend the Club Training session run by Student Senate with the Stage III Treasurer. Section 2. Vice President 1) Recruit new members to Stage III. 2) Maintain an email list for all current Stage III members, organized by class year. 3) Organize and manage all exclusively internal club affiliated events, included but not limited to Movie Nights, Craft Nights, Holiday Banquet, End of the Year Banquet, and other club bonding events. 4) Delegate the roles of Front-of-House staff for all Stage III affiliated productions. a. In the case of positions not being filled the Vice President must donate their time to House Manage, Usher, or Box Office unless they are previously committed to: i. Conflicting Production ii. Academics 1. Class 2. Exam 3. Previously scheduled group project 4. Field Trip iii. Paid Work/Job iv. Family Commitments v. or have unexpected Family or Medical Emergency 5) Preside over regularly scheduled Stage III General Meetings. 6) Make agendas for the Stage III General Meetings. 7) Coordinate club apparel e.g. design, order forms, design approval from appropriate parties (club members and school officials), distribution, and any other requirements 8) Act as producer of the Student Life Plays. Duties include ensuring Early Arrival Housing for participating Club Members, getting the script approved by appropriate school officials, and directing the production. Section 3. Secretary 1) Serve as the primary record keeper for Stage III, including the taking of all minutes at all Stage III Board Meetings and General Meetings and the distribution of these minutes to the club 2) Maintain the Script Library located in Foy 212, which is a compilation of theatre related literature for use of the Stage III club members.
3) Represent the Stage III Board on the Season Selection Committee as a non-voting member, known as a Board Rep. If the Secretary is unable to do this for any reason, then they must appoint an available Board Member or Active Member to do so. The Secretary may not be a voting member of this committee. 4) Create and update an Active Membership List monthly. This will be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board before distribution to the club at large. Section 4. Treasurer 1) Manage all fundraising activities, including but not limited to the maintenance of Stage III affiliated concession supply and concession finances. 2) Maintain specific and accurate records of all Stage III financial transactions, and other general Stage III financial bookkeeping. 3) Present a financial report to the Stage III Board on a monthly basis. 4) Coordinate the annual trip to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival including but not limited to: gathering driver information, making hotel accommodations, procuring vehicles for transport, acquiring a list of nominees to send to CURCA, tracking money expenditures for duration of the festival, and maintaining communication with all parties involved, including the faculty advisor. 5) Make a budget proposal second semester and represent the club at the Budget Defense meeting. 6) If necessary, attend Budget Allocation Committee meetings to request additional funds. a. Needs unanimous Stage III Board approval 7) Attend Club Training session run by Student Senate with the Stage III President. Section 5. Public Relations 1) Organize and manage all public, external club events at which Stage III is represented, including but not limited to the Siena College Club Fair. 2) Manage all public press releases regarding Stage III and productions associated with it. 3) Distribute a pre-meeting agenda for the Stage III General Meetings. 4) Ensure strong, positive publicity for Stage III and the Theatre Department, and organize the distribution of all posters, leaflets, or other public announcements regarding current productions or other Stage III affiliated events. 5) Represent Stage III at inter-organizational events and committees, including but not limited to the House of Clubs Meetings. 6) Maintain and regularly update Stage III s website, and other social media websites or resources where Stage III may be an account holder. Section 6. Special Rights and Responsibilities of the Stage III Board
1) Represent Stage III s needs and protect the rights of all members equally and fairly. 2) Work as a mutually supportive team to ensure the accomplishment of the aforementioned Mission of Stage III (see Article II of this Constitution). 3) A Board Member not directly involved with the audition process must be present at all Theatre Program auditions, including callbacks. If a Board Member cannot be present, an Active Member at large will be appointed. This Board Representative will make sure that the auditions are conducted fairly. If the Stage III Board has doubts as to the fairness of the auditions, the doubts should be discussed with the director before the cast list is posted. If these doubts are not resolved in a timely manner, the concerns will be forwarded to the Producer. Final casting authority rests with the Producer (see Article VII of this Constitution). 4) Board Members are charged to establish any Committees deemed necessary to aid in the efficiency of Stage III. All Committees should report directly to an Active Member that is not on the Stage III Board and is appointed by the Board Member(s) responsible for those Committees. The Committee head should attend Stage III Board meetings to update the Board on progress and discuss any obstacles. 5) The Stage III Board is charged to hold regular Board Meetings and General Meetings to take care of the business of Stage III (see Article V). 6) Board Members will be listed, but not granted bios, in the programs of all Stage III affiliated productions. Section 1. General Meetings Article V Meetings 1) General Meetings are to be held once a week while classes are in session and are open to the entire student body (as defined in the Constitution of the Siena College Student Body) of Siena College. 2) Minutes of each meeting shall be made public. 3) Agendas for the General Meetings shall be made by the Vice President of Stage III. Section 2. Board Meetings 1) Board meetings are to be held at least once a week while classes are in session and are open to all Active Members of Stage III. 2) The Stage III Board reserves the right to close these meetings at any time by a unanimous vote only. The vote will be taken with an individually cast vote. 3) Board Meetings regarding budget, disciplinary action or grievances must be closed to those not involved, regardless of vote. 4) Minutes of each open meeting shall be made public. 5) Minutes of each closed meeting are strictly confidential. 6) Agendas for the Board Meetings shall be made and distributed by the President of Stage III.
7) Board Meetings must be conducted with at least 4 Board Members present. 8) The Stage III Faculty Advisor should be at all Board Meetings when possible. It shall be the President s responsibility to update the Stage III Advisor of the Board Meeting Agenda. Article VI Faculty Advisor 1) The Faculty Advisor shall work with Stage III to help achieve their Mission. 2) Nominations for the Faculty Advisor shall be submitted to the Stage III Board at the first Board Meeting of the academic year by the Creative Arts faculty and/or current member of Stage III. There shall be no more than two nominees up for vote each year. 3) These nominees shall then be voted on by the Stage III Board at the next Board Meeting. A simple majority vote is required to appoint the Faculty Advisor. The vote will be taken with a roll call vote. 4) In the event of prolonged absence of the Faculty Advisor, by means of resignation, removal or other vacancy, the Stage III Board shall appoint a new Faculty Advisor as outlined in Article VI, Sections 2 & 3 of this Constitution. Section 1. Directing Article VII Student Production Staff Any student at Siena College, by this Constitution, will receive an equal chance to direct a Student Slot for Stage III and the Creative Arts Department. 1) Eligibility: There are multiple conditions that the student(s) must meet in order to be eligible to direct the Student Slot show. Students may co-direct shows together as well, but both must meet the requirements. a) Must be a current Siena College student(s). i. In the event that no current student is eligible, Stage III alum will be permitted to direct. b) Must have completed and satisfactorily passed Acting I (or the equivalent at an institution other than Siena). c) Must be qualified to act as a student designer as outlined in Article VII Section 2. d) A student must complete one of the following: i. The student(s) must have taken and satisfactorily passed the CREA-349-Directing class and Assistant Directed a show ii. The student(s) must have Assistant Directed two Siena College productions
2) Submission of a Show: There is a process that aspiring student directors must follow in order to submit a show to direct for the Student Slot. a) The student(s) must submit a formal proposal to the Season Selection Committee, as described in Article XII and the Creative Arts Department Faculty which must include but is not limited to the show title, cast breakdown, concept, and the script to the show. b) A confirmation of receipt of proposal will be sent to all applicants stating dates of future meetings and deadlines. c) A meeting will be held between the Season Selection Committee, the Creative Arts Department Faculty, and the student directors to discuss all options for the season. Upon the start of the meeting the Season Selection Committee will submit their opinion to what the student directed show(s) should be. A discussion will then happen at said meeting. Section 2. Student Designers Any student at Siena College, by this Constitution, will receive an equal chance to design a Student Slot for Stage III and the Creative Arts Department. 1) Eligibility: There are multiple conditions that the student(s) must meet in order to be eligible to design the Student Slot show. Students may co-design shows together as well, but both must meet the requirements. Section 3. Student Stage Managers Any student at Siena College, by this Constitution, will receive an equal chance to stage manage a production for Stage III and the Creative Arts Department. 1) Eligibility: There are multiple conditions that the student(s) must meet in order to be eligible to stage manage the show. a) The student must have completed two productions as an Assistant Stage Manager. b) Article VIII Audition Process The audition process of Stage III will ensure fairness in competition to all members. Section 1. Directors are required to cast shows from the Siena community unless special arrangements are made in advance with the Producer and the Stage III Board, or if special circumstances arise that the show cannot be cast in all fairness to those involved. The Stage III Board will be contacted as soon as the special circumstances arise. Section 2. A Board Member not directly involved with the audition process will be present at the auditions to make sure they are conducted fairly. If a Board Member cannot be present, an Active Member at large will be appointed. If the Stage III Board has doubts as to the fairness of the auditions, the doubts should be discussed with the director before the cast list is posted. If
these doubts are not resolved, the concerns will be forwarded to the Producer. Final casting authority rests with the Producer. Article IX House Managing, Ushering, and Box Office For every performance at Siena College, Stage III will provide one House Manager, two Ushers, and two Box Office Persons. Assignment of said positions will follow the procedures of Article IV, Section II. Section 1. House Managing 1) Any person not already involved with a production may House Manage for a performance. 2) In order to House Manage, one must have previously Ushered at least three times and not be already involved with the production. 3) The House Manager is responsible for the Front of House, defined as the Foy Lobby and the Foy Foyer, as well as the audience seating area. 4) The House Manager is to overlook and manage the Ushers for the evening. 5) The House Manager should abide by all guidelines set by the production team, and communicated by the Stage Manager 6) The House Manager should follow the business casual dress code and uphold this standard for the ushers that evening. 7) The House Manager should hand the Concessions cash box into the Box Office Manager, as described in Article IX Section 3-3, so it can be given to the appropriate Faculty member. Section 2. Ushering 1) Any person not already involved with a production may Usher for a performance. 2) Ushers must report to the House Manager for their assignments for the evening. 3) Ushers should abide by all instructions given by the House Manager 4) Ushers should follow the business casual dress code, as directed by the House Manager Section 3. Box Office 1) Any person not already involved with a production may Box Office for a performance. 2) There shall be a Box Office Manager and Box Office Assistant for each production. 3) The Box Office Manager must remain consistent for the duration of a production s run. This person must be a member of the Stage III Board or an Active Member as delegated by the Stage III Board. 4) The Box Office Assistant may be any member of the club who has ushered for two performances.
5) The Box Office Manager will turn the Box Office and Concessions cash boxes into the Producer at the end of each weekend of a show s run. If the Producer is not present, the cash boxes will be given to the Faculty Supervisor for the performance. Article X Voting Procedures Section 1. A Quorum is defined as a minimum of 40% of the total Active Membership of Stage III. Section 2. Significant club matters can be brought to a ballot vote of the club. The voting procedure is as follows: 1) The motion must be proposed and seconded by Active Members at a Stage III General Meeting. 2) One week must pass from that point before the matter is voted on. 3) On the day the matter is to be voted on, a Quorum, as defined in Article X, Section 1 of this Constitution, must be present or the business at hand cannot be conducted. 4) A ballot is taken and tabulated by the President and the Faculty Advisor. With the exception of the voting procedures listed in the following Sections, a simple majority is sufficient to pass the measure. 5) All tabulations are to be kept in the voting records by the Secretary. Section 3. Only Active Members are eligible to vote in any Stage III voting procedure. Section 4. In the case where an Active Member cannot be present to cast a vote a proxy can be authorized by written permission from the Active Member to be represented. Only an Active Member can act as a proxy, and can only represent one other Active Member. Section 5. The Election of the Stage III Board 1) All Active Members who will have Sophomore, Junior or Senior status in the following fall semester and who are planning on remaining at Siena for the duration of the following academic year are eligible to run for a Stage III Board position. In the event that a Nominee possesses an Academic standing that is of concern, a meeting with the Stage III Faculty Advisor and said Nominee will be conducted to determine the Nominee s further involvement in the Election Process. All nominees must nominate themselves and must announce which position on the Stage III Board they will be running for by placing a biography in the Stage III Voting/Submission Box. All biographies must be submitted prior to the Stage III Board Meeting for that designated voting period. The Stage III Board will then send a Confirmation Email which must be replied to within 24 hours. Exceptions for replies may be changed due to the times of the Board Meetings in relation to the General Meeting. 2) Nominations shall take place one week prior to the opening of elections. The Election Process shall last for approximately seven weeks. The vote shall be a registered secret
ballot in which Active Members can vote for a candidate for each position over the course of the entire Election Process. A plurality vote wins. At the end of an election week, the votes shall be tabulated by the President and the Faculty Advisor; the results will be announced by the President in the presence of the Stage III Faculty Advisor. In the event of a tie, a new vote will be conducted for all candidates who are part of the tie. The Board elect is required to attend all Board Meetings for the remainder of the semester if possible. 3) The following table illustrates the Election Process Timeline. (Nominations for Presidency are determined in Week 1, Voted on in Week 2, and Announced in Week 3 of the Election Process. Nominations for Vice Presidency are determined in Week 2, Voted on in Week 3, and Announced in Week 4 of the Election Process, etc.) Week President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Public Relations 1 Nominations 2 Voting Nominations 3 Announcement Voting Nominations 4 Announcement Voting Nominations 5 Announcement Voting Nomination 6 Announcement Voting 7 Announcement 4) This Voting Process gives Stage III Active Members the opportunity to run for more than one position. However, any given member may not run for more than three positions and may only ever hold one position per given Academic year. Section 6. Substantial Circumstances In the case where one or more Inactive Members of Stage III or a student not involved with Stage III votes for the election of the Stage III board, the current Faculty Advisor and the current President will count the votes and determine if the invalid votes could influence the results of the election. If the inclusion of invalid votes results in a different outcome, then a revote should be cast for another week and should follow the voting procedures as outlined in Article X, Section 5. The overall Election Process is not stalled and an additional ballot is added to that current week. If after two complete weeks voting issues are not resolved, the President and the Faculty Advisor must meet with any and all involved to discuss possible solutions. If after that third week issues still arise then the Stage III President and Faculty Advisor should meet and discuss who should be elected into that position and will choose the candidate best suited for the position. That candidate will then be the elected member of the Stage III Board. Section 7. The Removal of a Board Member Any Board Member who neglects or abuses their duties or authority may be removed from their position by a vote of the club.
1) If an Active Member of Stage III has a complaint about a Stage III Board Member, that member shall submit a formal complaint to the Stage III Faculty Advisor. 2) If the Stage III Faculty Advisor deems the complaint is reasonable then it will be discussed at a closed Board Meeting. 3) If the Stage III Board finds the complaint valid, then the Board will present their findings at the Stage III General Meeting. 4) A secret ballot will then open for one week of voting and the results will be announced at the following Stage III General Meeting. A Quorum must be met and a two-thirds vote in favor of the removal is needed to successfully remove said Board Member. Section 8. Board Member Vacancy In the event of prolonged absence of any Board Member, by means of resignation, removal or other vacancy, that vacancy shall be filled by the runner-up from the election that determined the current Stage III Board if willing. If no such Active Member exists, then the vacancy shall be filled as the current Stage III Board sees fit. Section 1. Class Representative Selection Article XI Class Representatives In the event that the Stage III Board is primarily consisted upperclassmen, the Stage III Board has the option to elect a Class Representative from different class years to enhance early involvement and understanding of the Stage III Board at Siena College. If there are zero or one members of a specific class year on the Stage III Board, then a Class Representative must be chosen. Members of the class year(s) with zero or one members on the Stage III Board may submit a nomination to be considered for Class Representative. The Stage III Board must unanimously vote on who that representative should be. In order for a student to become a class representative they must meet the following criteria: 1) They must be a full time Siena student and must commit to a full Academic Year. 2) They must be an Active Member of Stage III as outlined in Article III, Section II. 1) A freshman class representative is exempt from this requirement and must only have completed the Membership Form. 3) There may not be any more than one member of the current Stage III Board in their same class year, unless an exception is made and voted on unanimously by the Stage III Board. Section 2. Duties of the Class Representative
The Class Representative will be able to attend open board meetings, as all Stage III Active Members are allowed, and may have the opportunity to attend closed board meetings based on a unanimous vote by the Stage III Board which general Stage III Active Members are not allowed to attend, as stated in Article V, Section 2. 1) The Class Representative may act as a liaison between any Stage III Member and the Stage III Board and may announce issues that the Board may not be aware of. 2) The Class Representative is not a Stage III Board position and will not be granted the right to vote on issues in which only the Stage III Board votes. 3) The Class Representative must attend 50% of the Stage III Board meetings per semester in order to retain their position. a. If a Class Representative is unable to attend the meetings due to previous engagements, exceptions can be made. 4) If a Class Representative is at risk of removal, the representative will receive a warning. The Class Representative will have three weeks to remedy the issue, otherwise they will be removed from the position. 5) The Class Representatives will be responsible for the coordination of certain club events as delegated by the Stage III Board. Article XII Season Selection Committee The annual Season Selection Committee shall consist of students and faculty who will choose the Theatre Season for the following academic year. The Secretary or an Active Member appointed by the Secretary will represent the Stage III Board as a non-voting member on this committee. 1) Any Active Member of Stage III, except for the Stage III Board, is eligible to be on the Season Selection Committee. 2) The Board Representative is charged with making sure the Season Selection process is conducted fairly. If the Stage III Board has doubts as to the fairness of the Season Selection process, the doubts should be discussed with the Producer before the process continues any further. 3) It is recommended that the committee being formed from a diverse selection of Active Members mostly by their involvement in Theatre (actors, technicians, stage managers, etc.). 1) It is recommended that the committee consists of one freshman, one sophomore, two juniors, and one senior. 4) It is recommended that the Season include at least one drama and one comedy. Furthermore, it is recommended that each year the seasons alternate between including a Shakespeare and a Musical. There should be a world premiere show once every four years. This is to maintain a diverse season and to enforce the educational aspects of the Theatre at Siena College. 5) The Season Selection Committee is responsible for the selection of the four play Stage III season each year. For the main stage productions, they may submit a shortlist of up to six
plays for the faculty s approval, selection, and direction. For the student slots, the Season Selection Committee may select and approve the plays and student directors. 1) To clarify, the Committee is responsible for selecting the student directors but may not force said directors to direct a play they do not agree to. There must be some form of consensus between committee and director. Article XIII Fees and Dues No fees or dues are required for membership in Stage III. Article XIV Grievances Should an Active Member have a complaint about an issue directly connected to a Stage III Production or other Stage III backed event, he or she, may present those concerns to the Stage III Board at an open Board Meeting. A mediator will be mutually agreed upon by the aggrieved and the individual(s) being charged, and the matter will be brought before the Stage III Board. In the case of a Production matter, the Stage III Board in collaboration with the mediator will then write an advisement to the Producer about the recommended resolution. Final authority in all matters regarding a Production of the Theatre Series rests with the Producers. In the case of a Stage III backed event that is not a Production of the Theatre Series, the mediator will make a recommendation to the Stage III Board regarding the resolution and the Stage III Board will have final say on the matter. Article XV Amending the Constitution Section 1. Additions or modifications to this Constitution shall be appended to it and enforced under it. Section 2. An amendment of this Constitution must be proposed at a General Meeting by an Active Member. At the following Board Meeting the proposal will be accepted or rejected by the Stage III Board. This will be done by a roll call vote with a four-fifths majority required to accept the proposal. Then at the following General Meeting the proposal will be voted on. A Quorum, as defined in Article X, Section 1 of this Constitution, is required to vote on the proposed amendment. This vote will also be a roll call vote. A three-fourths majority vote is required to pass the amendment.
Section 3. Changes or major revisions to this Constitution shall follow the same process as outlined for an amendment in Article XV, Section 2 of this Constitution.