The
Constitution of the Gustavus College Democrats
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 Gustavus Adolphus
College. In this mission, we call for full participation of all
Gustavus 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 Gustavus College Democrats.
Article
1: Name and Purpose
A: Name:
The name of this organization shall be the Gustavus College Democrats,
hereafter referred to in this document as the “College Democrats”.
B: Purpose: The College Democrats pledges itself to support the
philosophy and candidates of the Democratic Party. Furthermore,
the 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 college
student currently enrolled in Gustavus Adolphus College 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.
Article
3: The Executive Board
A: Composition:
The Executive Board shall be composed of the Chair, Vice Chair,
(or two Co-Chairs), Treasurer, Secretary, Campaign Manager(s), Communications
Director, and Technical Director. All positions will be elected
once yearly at the General Elections. Mid-term elections may take
place between semesters as necessary.
B: The Executive Board shall determine the agenda and policy of
the College Democrats and coordinate all activities and events.
Article
4: Duties of the Executive Board Positions
A: All Executive Board members must maintain active involvement in
all of the College Democrats activities and endeavors.
B: Duties of the Chair(s). The Chair(s) shall:
1: Be the Chief Executive Officer(s) of the College Democrats;
2: Define the agenda of the College Democrats during his or her (their)
tenure;
3: Act as the official representative(s) of the College Democrats
to other groups and the media;
4: Carry out the mandates, policies, an directives of the Executive
Board;
5: Preside over all meetings of the College Democrats.
C: Duties of the Vice Chair. The Vice Chair shall:
1: Assist the Chair in the performance of his or her duties; including
brainstorming ideas and evaluating the progress of the Executive Board
and organization as a whole;
2: Act as Chair when the Chair is unable to perform his or her duties;
3: Assume the office of the Chair upon the Chair’s death, resignation,
removal, or inability to perform duties;
4: Take on projects of his or her choosing.
D: Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall:
1: Direct fundraising activities and prepare all grants;
2: Manage the bank account and budget;
3: Perform such duties as the Chair may assign and take on projects
of his or her choosing.
E: Duties of the Secretary. He or she shall:
1: Record minutes at events of the College Democrats
2: Send the minutes to all College Democrats members via the College
Democrats email list.
3: Post the minutes on the College Democrats website "minutes"
page, found at http://gustavus.edu/orgs/dems/minutes.htm.
4: Send reminders of College Democrats meetings and events to all
College Democrats members via the College Democrats email list.
F: Duties of the Campaign Managers. He or she (they) shall:
1: Communicate events pertaining to Democratic political officials
with members of the College Democrats.
2: Communicate with political officials in order to arrange scheduling
for campus visits.
3: Organize campaigning on campus on behalf of Democratic political
officials and contenders.
G: Duties of the Communications Director. He or she shall:
1: Coordinate all postering and publicity activities;
2: Notify media of all events of the College Democrats in an attempt
to ensure media coverage;
3: Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects
of his or her choosing.
H: Duties of the Technical Director(s). He or she (they) shall:
1: Maintain the College Democrats email lists: democrats@gac.edu,
gac-dems-board@gac.edu, and gac-dems@gac.edu.
2: Maintaing the College Democrats website: http://gustavus.edu/orgs/dems/index.htm.
Article
5: Elections
A:
Elections shall occur Once a year. An additional election may take
place between semesters if necessary.
B: Eligibility to run for a position and vote: All active members
are eligible to run for a position and vote. Member be in attendance
at the election meeting in order to vote.
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: Chair - 4min; VC - 3min; Other - 2min
2. Q & A: Chair - 7min; Other - 5min
3. Supporting speakers: Chair - 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.
Article
6: 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 3/4 members of the Executive Board to constitute good and
sufficient cause.
B: Process for removal: 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. After a period of two weeks the issue
shall be put to a vote. Three-fourths members of the Executive Board
must vote for removal for an officer to be removed.
Article
7: Vacancies
A: Declaration of vacancy: 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 Chair,
the Chair shall appoint a successor with a 2/3 majority consent of
the remaining Executive Board. If the vacancy is the Chair, then the
Vice-Chair shall automatically be the replacement.
Article
8: Amendments
A: Procedure: The Constitution can be amended by a 2/3 majority vote
of the Executive Board with 2/3 approval by the active membership.
