The College Democrats of America
at the University of Tennessee
Constitution
Preamble
In order to promote a better America, with equality,
opportunity, and freedom within a just and strong society, we dedicate
ourselves to organizing the participation of Democratic college students at the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In this mission, we call for full
participation of all UT students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity,
national origin, religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual
orientation. Understanding the
importance of participation in the Democratic Party to the preservation of
our values and principles, we, Democratic college students, do hereby
associate ourselves and adopt this Constitution as the College Democrats of
America at the University of Tennessee.
Article I: Name and Purpose
A: Name:
The name of this organization shall be the College Democrats
of America at the University of Tennessee, hereafter referred to in this
document as the “UTK College Democrats.”
B: Purpose:
The UTK College Democrats pledges itself to support the
philosophy and candidates of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the UTK
College Democrats declares its intention to support all efforts to increase the
participation of college students in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the
College Democrats shall educate and train its members so that they may be
better able to:
1.
Educate students about the
philosophy of the Democratic Party;
2.
Assist in the election of local,
state, and national Democratic candidates.
3.
Affect political change on the
local, state, and national level.
Article 2: Membership
A: Members:
Membership in the College Democrats shall be open to any
undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in The University of
Tennessee who wishes to be known as a College Democrat and who has the best
interests of the College Democrats and the Democratic Party at heart,
regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical
handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.
B: Semester dues shall be decided on at the first Executive
meeting of the semester based on Treasurer’s recommendation and then voted on
immediately during the next General Body meeting.
Article 3: The Executive Board
A: Composition:
The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Campaign Liaison. These five (5) spots
shall be referred to collectively as the “Core Executive Board.” If a
qualifying member, subject to Article 2, expresses interest, the positions of
Communications Director, Membership
Director, and Events Coordinator (hereby referred to as the “Extended Executive
Board”) shall be added to the Executive Board and bestowed with all rights and
privileges of the Core Executive Board.
B: The President may
choose to appoint Senior Advisors from former officers of past Executive Boards
who no longer have the time to commit to a full Executive Board member role.
These appointments are subject to approval by a majority of the Executive Board
and be given all the rights and privileges of the Executive Board, but will not
be voting members.
C: At the beginning of each academic year, the
Executive Board will hold a special election for Freshman Representative to the
Executive Board. Members interested in seeking this role must be a freshman at
UT and qualify for membership. The role will follow the same election
guidelines as the Executive Board elections with the caveat that the student
must announce their intention to run at the second (2) meeting of the year and
the vote will follow on the third (3) meeting of the year.
D: The Executive
Board shall determine the agenda and policy of the College Democrats and
coordinate all activities and events.
E: Executive Board
shall vote on the initial proposed semester budget by the Treasurer no later
than the third (3) Executive Meeting of the given semester.
1.
If the proposed budget fails to pass
by a simple majority, the Executive Board is to recommend changes to the
budget. The revised budget shall then be
voted on the following Executive Board meeting.
F: Executive Board
meetings shall be open to the general assembly attendance, but only Executive
Board members will be eligible to participate and vote on initiatives and
issues presented to the Board. A brief
question and answer/suggestion session may follow Executive Board meetings to
allow general assembly to address questions or concerns.
Article 4: Duties of the Executive
Board Positions
A: All Executive Board members must maintain active
involvement in all of the UTK College Democrats activities and endeavors.
B: Duties of the President.
The President shall:
1.
Be the Chief Executive Officer of
the UTK College Democrats;
2.
Establish and define the agenda for
all meetings with recommendations from Executive Board;
3.
Act as the official
representative of the UTK College Democrats to all campus groups, media, and
state and local groups (including, but not limited to, the Knox
County Democratic Party, Tennessee Democratic Party, Tennessee Federation
of College Democrats, and the College Democrats of America) or to delegate this
responsibility out when necessary;
4.
Preside over all meetings (general
and executive);
5.
Carry out Mandates, Policies, and
Directives issued by the Executive Board.
C: Duties of the Vice President.
The Vice President shall:
1.
Assume the role of President in the
event the current President is unable for any reason;
2.
Arrange meeting times;
3.
Serve as Sergeant-at-Arms (maintains
order) for all meetings;
4.
Serve as Chairman of Issues
Caucuses.
D: Duties of the Secretary.
The Secretary shall:
1.
Record meeting minutes and publish
them in a timely manner;
2.
Maintain correspondence with members
through the organization’s email;
3.
Maintain website and online events
calendar.
E: Duties of the Treasurer.
The Treasurer Shall:
1.
Create the organization’s Semester
budget;
2.
Manage bank account;
3.
Approve or deny all claims for
reimbursement;
a.
A majority of the exec board must
approve any purchase over $40, adjust for inflation.
b.
Receipts are necessary for
reimbursement.
4.
Once a month the Treasurer must
present to the general membership a report on the accounts of the UTKCD. This
shall include the balance of all accounts and a summary of all expenses;
5.
Maintain accurate financial
documentation;
6.
Serve as chairman of the Fundraising
Committee;
7.
Appoint members to the Fundraising
Committee;
8.
Organize and oversee all fundraising
efforts;
9.
Maintain list of UTK College
Democrat alumni.
F: Duties of the Campaign Liaison.
The Campaign Liaison shall:
1.
Attend or find a substitute to
attend all state and local Democratic party functions;
2.
Ensure meetings have speakers.
G: Duties of the Communications
Director.
The Communications Director shall:
1.
Alert campus and local media to UTK
College Democrats sponsored events;
2.
Update group blog.
I: Duties of the Membership
Director.
The Membership Director shall:
1.
Serve as primary contact for all new
and prospective members;
2.
Coordinate UTK College Democrats’
presence at UT campus’s yearly Involvement Fair;
3.
Validate eligibility of all members
who desire an elected position on the Executive Board.
J: Duties of the Events Chair.
The Events Chair shall:
1.
Coordinate all events sanctioned by
UTK College Democrats Executive Board;
2.
Serve as Chief Promoter of all
events hosted or co-hosted by the UTK College Democrats (including meetings).
Article 5: Elections
A: Elections shall occur once a year and the declaration of
an election must be made public two (2) weeks prior to the day of
elections.
B: Members are
eligible to vote as long as they are listed on the year’s official role (email
list) and have paid at minimum 1 semester’s dues for that Academic year. This
eligibility shall be determined by the Membership Director in coordination with
the Treasurer. If the decision of the Membership Director is challenged, the
Membership Director’s finding will be put to a vote by the Executive Board. The
decision by the majority of the Executive Board is final.
C: Secretive ballots:
One vote per person per election. Candidates cannot vote in
their own election.
D: Procedure:
Candidates are nominated directly before their election.1.
Speech length: Pres - 4min; VP - 3min; Other - 2min2. Q & A: Pres - 7min;
Other - 5min3. Supporting speakers: Pres - 5; Other - 3. Each supporting
speaker has 45 seconds to support his candidate. Order of speakers will
alternate among candidates. They are forbidden to make any derogatory
statements about any candidate. Candidates are prohibited from the election
room during the time of supporting statements.4. Vote counting and declaration
of winner will occur directly after that election.
E: Positions:
The positions of President, Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and Campaign Liaison must be filled to constitute a full Executive
Board. Events Coordinator, Membership
Director, and Communications Director are optional positions and their
inclusion in the Executive Board is only mandatory when a qualifying member
desires to run for one of the positions.
F: Office restrictions:
1.
No one may occupy multiple positions
in the Core Executive Board; however, members may hold multiple titles from the
list of Extended Executive Board positions. Regardless of the number of titles
held, a single person may only have one (1) vote on the Executive Board;
2.
Must have a minimum of one (1)
semester of involvement with College Democrats and paid one (1) semester of
dues.
G: Term limits:
No one may hold the same Core Executive Board title for more
than 3 years.
Article 6: Committees and
Caucuses
A: The Executive Board may approve as many committees as they
deem necessary.
B: Upon the first meeting of the year, the general assembly
will be given the opportunity to create as many Issue-specific caucuses as they
desire. The Caucuses will become official at the second meeting of the year and
the Vice President will serve as the Chairman of each Issue Caucus.
C: Committee Chairs
Responsibilities:
Committee chairs shall issue monthly reports to the Executive
Board as well as the general assembly.
They are also able to attend and participate in executive meetings but
do not having voting power on the Executive Board. If they also have an Executive title, they
remain to have voting rights.
Article 7: Meetings
A: General Meetings:
The UTK College Democrats must hold three (3) meetings per
semester (6 every year). The meetings must be declared publicly (ie. Facebook) five
(5) days before the official meeting time, whenever possible. It is advised to
hold meetings every week but not mandatory.
B: Participation:
Any and all eligible members are encouraged to participate
in general meetings. If any existing member desires to have an issue
discussed in the meeting, the member may request to be recognized in the
meeting or they may post the agenda item in a public forum (ie. Facebook) forty-eight
(48) hours prior to the meeting and it shall be added to the agenda. If the
item is missing from the agenda, it shall become the first agenda item to
be discussed in the next meeting.
C: Executive Board Meetings:
The Executive Board may meet as often as they choose.
Meeting times and places must be agreed upon by a quorum of the Executive
Board (two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Executive Board or five (5) members,
whichever is less). Executive Board meetings need not be declared publicly nor
are their minutes required to be published; however, if a eligible member
requests to observe an Executive Board meeting, they may attend and observe the
meeting, but they are not permitted to participate unless recognized by the
President.
D: Executive Board Participation:
Decisions made by the Executive Board need not be voted on
to be approved unless an Executive Board member requests a vote. In the event
of a request, a simple majority of the present Executive Board members will
suffice to pass or reject a discussion item.
Article 8: Removal
A: Cause for removal:
Cause for removal shall be defined as malfeasance or
nonfeasance of duties assigned by the Executive Board or delineated within this
document, or as ineligibility for Executive Board membership pursuant to
Article 2. Cause for removal shall also include grounds found
by three-fourths (3/4) members of the Executive Board to constitute good
and sufficient cause.
B: Process for removal:
A: To begin the
process for removal, another member of the Executive Board must charge the
officer with the reasons for his or her removal publicly at a meeting of the Executive
Board. The officer in question must be offered an opportunity to defend himself
or herself at that meeting. In the event the charged officer is not in
attendance, every attempt (ie. Email, phone, and/or Facebook) shall be made to
ensure the charged officer is made aware of the charges and given the
opportunity to defend himself or herself. After a period of two weeks the issue
shall be put to a vote. Three-fourths (3/4) members of the present Executive
Board must vote for removal for an officer to be removed;
B: After the initial
vote of approval of dismissal, a total of one (1) week must pass before a
second vote for confirmation;
C: Executive Members
will be evaluated at the end of each semester for attendance. If a member’s attendance falls below making
fifty (50) percent of general meetings and Executive meetings they shall be
automatically put to a vote for dismissal.
Article 9: Vacancies
A: Declaration of vacancy:
1.
A vacancy shall be declared when a
member of the Executive Board dies, resigns, or is removed from office. If the
vacancy occurs in an Executive Board position other than the President or Vice
President, the President shall appoint a successor with majority consent of the
remaining Executive Board. If the vacancy is the President, then
the Vice-President shall automatically be the replacement. If the vacancy
is the Vice-President, then the Secretary shall automatically be the
replacement. In the event that both the President and Vice President positions
are vacant at the same time, the Secretary will assume the Presidency and
the Campaign Liaison will assume the Vice Presidency. For multiple
vacancies, the line of succession will follow the order of Executive Board
positions listed in this document until the President and Vice President
Positions are filled, discounting the Treasurer position which shall remain
steady year round;
2.
Treasurer shall remain stagnant
unless the case of three (3) or more vacancies arise in which case the
Treasurer shall act as interim president until special Elections are concluded.
3.
In the event of multiple vacant
positions (three (3) or more), special elections will be held at the following
General Assembly meeting following the format of normal elections with
nominations occurring from the floor.
Elections shall be tabled for one (1) week after nomination process.
Article 10: Amendments
A: Procedure:
The Constitution can only be amended at the beginning of
each academic year. At the second meeting of the year, the President will
declare an Amendment Committee which will be made up of two (2) Executive Board
members and one (1) general body member that will be appointed by the President
and confirmed by a majority of the Executive Board. They will be given two (2)
weeks to suggest amendments to the Constitution. The Amendment Committee must
pass all potential amendments unanimously. The proposed amendments will then be
presented to the Executive Board and must pass a two-thirds (2/3) majority
Executive Board vote. The proposed amendments will then be presented at the
next meeting to the general body where the proposed amendments must pass by a
majority of the general body. Upon the completion of this process, the amendments
will be adopted and become enforceable immediately.
Late amended: January 2015
