BRANDEIS DEMOCRATS CONSTITUTION

As Amended April 29, 1999

Mission Statement: We, as members of the Brandeis community, hope and aspire to bring students to the Democratic party and bring the Democratic party to the students by increasing the awareness and advocacy of such ideals as compassion, diversity and equality of opportunity for all.

Section One: Officers

A) Administrative Board (AB)

1. The AB shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Political Affairs Coordinator

2. Shall meet no less than once per month (excluding Summer break)

3. Votes shall be run by a simple majority. A quorum of four people is needed in order for a vote to be called

4. All decisions of the AB should be made public to the entire club at the following general meeting

5. Decide what members to send to various conferences

6. Authorize the creation of additional positions and appoint temporary vacancies until a general vote is called

7. Each AB member is responsible to check the status of and review the other administrative positions

8. Selects faculty advisor

9. May create interim coordinating positions

B) President

1. Supervise general meetings

2. Be official contact in attendance to on-campus organizations (i.e. Student Senate) and off-campus organizations (i.e. CDM)

3. Oversee and assist the other officers in fulfilling their respective duties

4. Call meetings under the advice of the club

5. Make emergency/immediate decisions

6. Authorize allocations of club funds under the advisement of the Treasurer

7. Call for annual elections

8. Serve as elections commissioner (if not a candidate for an elected position) and call special elections

C) Vice President

1. Assist the President in all aforementioned responsibilities

2. In case of temporary absence of the President, serve as acting-President

3. In case of permanent absence of the President, organize elections in a timely manner and serve as acting-President until permanent elections are held

4. Act as liaison between AB and Coordinators

5. Attend CDM leadership meetings with the President

D) Secretary

1. Record minutes at AB meetings to be made available and informally presented at general meetings

2. Record minutes at general meetings to be made available at all subsequent meetings

3. Maintain and make available member list (i.e. mailing list)

4. Inform members of meetings by various communications media

5. Record attendance at AB and general meetings

6. Work with PR Coordinator to publicize meetings

7. Maintain files of all official club correspondence

8. Maintain club supplies

9. Maintain active recruitment of Brandeis Democrats membership throughout the school year

E) Treasurer

1. Provide AB with report of financial status

2. Serve as financial liaison to Student Senate/Allocations Board

3. Maintain all financial records and ensure financial viability of Brandeis Democrats

4. Advise club on all funding allocations

5. Oversee all fundraising efforts, planning at least one per semester

6. Plan and coordinate on-campus events

7. Recruit sponsorship for on-campus events

F) Political Affairs Coordinator

1. Oversee campaign-related activities for local, state and federal offices

2. Establish contacts for such campaigns among members of the Brandeis Democrats

3. Maintain contact with various state-wide political affairs officials (i.e. Mass Democratic Party, CDM)

4. Proceed with all responsibilities in conjunction with the President

5. Research candidates, current issues and ballot initiatives to present in general meetings

6. Make campaign activities available to the Secretary for distribution

7. Maintain database of information on all Democratic-oriented internships to be made available to the general club and campus

8. Make periodic report at general meetings on available internships

G) Public Relations Coordinator

1. Responsible for providing press releases to all appropriate media

2. Maintain all published reports on Brandeis Democrats

3. Publicize events and functions of the club

H) Voter Registration Coordinator

1. Represent Brandeis Democrats on any existing voter registration organization, both on and off campus

2. Continue active voter registration of all Brandeis students, with at least one one-day voter registration drive per month of the school year

3. Maintain pertinent voting information for Brandeis students (i.e. absentee ballots for out-of-state students and list of Democratic candidates/issues)

Section Two: Membership

A) Qualifications for membership

1. Open to entire Brandeis community

2. Non-discriminatory on basis of race, creed, ethnic origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, handicap, religion or marital status

3. Fair and reputable representation given to all members

B) Qualifications for active membership

1. Must attend three meetings per semester and will have voting privileges in all elections

2. Any active member at the end of a semester will be considered an active member at the beginning of the following semester

Section Three: Elections

A) Leadership positions

1. Elections for AB and other Coordinators to be held at the end of the spring semester

2. Positions will be determined by simple majority

3. Without a clear majority, the top two candidates for a single office will face a run-off

4. Proxy votes are permitted if a letter is signed by the absent member and carried to the Secretary by an active member before the official election is held

5. Votes will be held in the following order: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Political Affairs Coordinator, Public Relations Coordinator, Voter Registration Coordinator

B) Constitutional amendments

1. An amendment to the Brandeis Democrats Constitution may be made if it is supported by a 2/3 majority of active members present at the meeting in which the vote is held

2. Votes by proxy for constitutional amendments are consistent with those for leadership elections

C) Administration of elections

1. All members must be notified of upcoming votes at least two days in advance

2. Every candidate may send a representative to watch while ballots are counted

3. All elections are held by secret ballot

D) Removal from office

1. A 2/3 majority of active members present at the meeting in which the vote is held may vote to remove any person from a leadership position

Section Four: Affiliation

A) The Brandeis Democrats are required to retain club membership of the following organizations:

1. CDM

2. CDA

B) A friend relationship is recommended with:

1) YDA

2) DNC

3) Mass State Democratic Party

4) MCDF

Section Five: Bylaws

1. Controversies concerning the permanent or extensive leaves of absence by leadership should be under the jurisdiction of the AB

2. If either the President or Vice President is unable to attend a meeting of the CDM or is a board-member of the CDM, the officer whose position is in question may choose an active member to represent him/her

3. Club must meet at least once per month (excluding summer break) under the responsibility of the President