OUR CONSTITUTION
Boston University College Democrats
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
NAME:
This organization is known as the Boston University College Democrats, also referred to as BUCD.
ARTICLE II
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission statement of The Boston University College Democrats is to:
1. Promote Democratic ideals and educate and energize students on campus
2. Translate activism into civic involvement, community service, and helping elect Democrats to every level of government
3. Create a network of young Democrats on Boston University’s campus
4. Expand the representation of young Democratic voices in the organization in addition to amplifying the voices of students from underrepresented communities
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP:
1. Membership in BUCD will be equally available to all students at Boston University.
2. An official member of this organization is one who has been present and counted at 2 meetings in one semester or 5 meetings in two consecutive semesters as well as previously included on the membership list.
3. The benefits of membership include voting rights and preference for inclusion in trips and other events.
4. A member may request a leave of absence in order to maintain their membership if they are going to be away for a significant period of time such as for study abroad. The request must be approved by a simple majority of the executive board.
ARTICLE IV
PRIMARY OFFICERS:
This organization will consist of four SAO-required and SAO-recognized primary officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
PRIMARY OFFICER’S RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. President
A. The President is the leader of the College Democrats.
B. The President is responsible for representing Boston University students in the larger community.
C. The President is responsible for the overall policy and operational direction of the BUCD.
D. The President determines the calendar of all meetings (both general meetings and meetings of the executive board).
E. The President is responsible for running all meetings but may delegate this responsibility to other members of the organization.
F. The President appoints to fill vacancies on the E-Board. All appointments require a simple majority of the executive board.
2. Vice President
A. The Vice President is responsible for the day-to-day operations of BUCD and for long-term operational planning.
B. In the case that the President cannot fulfill the duties of the office, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President for the remainder of the year.
C. The Vice President is in charge of enforcing the duties of the Executive Board.
D. The Vice President will assist the President with crafting weekly presentations.
E. The Vice President will manage all media requests sent to the organization and delegate as needed.
3. Secretary
A. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining policy documentation, voting and attendance records, and other related records of the College Democrats.
B. The Secretary works closely with the Vice President in managing the daily operations of the College Democrats.
C. The Secretary will oversee all website and email correspondence with members of the College Democrats.
D. The Secretary will be in charge of making all reservations with SAO and has sole access to 25live.
E. The Secretary will compile notes from all meetings of the Executive Board and send the notes out to all E-Board members.
4. Treasurer
A. The Treasurer is responsible for creating and managing the College Democrats’ budget and all monetary concerns.
B. The Treasurer is responsible for all paperwork required by the Student Activities Office.
C. The Treasurer is required to attend training with SAO.
D. The Treasurer is responsible for club fundraising efforts, such as Giving Day.
E. The Treasurer will oversee merchandise manufacturing and purchasing.
ARTICLE V
SECONDARY OFFICERS:
In addition to the SAO-required primary officers mentioned in Article IV, this organization will also include two secondary officers with equal rights and powers as the primary officers: Political Director and Social Media Director. Both of these positions will be elected in the Spring semester.
SECONDARY OFFICERS RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Political Director
A. The Political Director must be in contact with all political campaigns relating to the College Democrats on a local, statewide, and national level.
B. The Political Director will be the primary point of contact for all events with political candidates.
C. The Political Director will have access to BUCD’s email and social media pages in order to communicate with political contacts.
D. The Political Director should be available to moderate and lead all political events.
2. Social Media Director
A. The Social Media Director is in charge of the creation and distribution of advertising and publicity. This includes but is not limited to posters, dealing with the media, and managing the link table.
B. The Social Media Director is responsible for designing and posting all graphics for social media on our accounts (Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
C. The Social Media Director will have access to all social media accounts.
D. The Social Media Director will be in charge of taking photos at events and updating our social media followers.
3. Campus Coordinator
The Campus Coordinator is in charge of maintaining relationships and reaching out to other clubs on campus.
The Campus Coordinator must answer emails and inquiries from other clubs on campus.
The Campus Coordinator shares posts and promotes other clubs events including the weekly club spotlight.
The Campus Coordinator helps post on social media in coordination with the Social Media Director.
ARTICLE VI
EVENT BOARD:
The Event Board will be a supplemental leadership team for BUCD. The size of the event board may fluctuate depending on interest amongst members. All Event Board members will be appointed during the fall semester by the Primary and Secondary Officers of the Executive Board. In order to be appointed, a member of BUCD must declare their interest formally to the Executive Board and participate in an informal interview. One appointed, the Event Board will be responsible for assisting with event planning and providing support during events in any capacity possible. The Event Board will also attend meetings of the Executive Board and contribute ideas to better the organization.
ARTICLE VII
ELECTIONS:
1. Elections for officers should be held before the last day of classes. The schedule of elections shall be determined by the President and the Vice President.
2. The President will name graduating members of the BUCD to administer the election. The President can administer the election if they are a graduating senior.
3. If there are no graduating seniors, the President can nominate any member to administer the election. That person must be approved by two-thirds of the executive board.
4. A list of nominated candidates must be provided to the full membership of the BUCD at least a week before the election.
5. The candidates receiving a plurality of votes will be deemed the winner.
6. In the case of a tie, the two candidates with the most votes will be voted on in a second vote. If this second vote does not break the tie, or there are more than two candidates tied, or there are only two candidates running, ties will be broken by a vote by the members of the executive board present at the voting site. Ties within the executive board will be broken by the highest ranking officer not running for that specific position.
7. In order to be involved in the election process – including nomination, candidacy and voting – one must be a member as described in Article III.
ARTICLE VIII
VOTING:
1. All official members of the BUCD are allowed to vote.
2. Official status requires that you meet the membership obligation of BUCD (see Article III).
ARTICLE IX
MEETINGS:
1. The executive board of BUCD will meet weekly. General members of the organization will also meet weekly.
2. Meeting dates, times, and locations will be set by the President.
3. The President, or majority consensus of the executive board, will have the authority to order a special meeting whenever deemed necessary.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS:
1. Two-thirds of the executive board is required in order to vote on changes to the Constitution.
2. All amendments after being successfully voted on by BUCD must then be forwarded for approval to the Director of the Student Activities Office.
ARTICLE XI
IMPEACHMENT:
1. An executive board member may be impeached by a three-fourths vote of the rest of the executive board held at an executive board meeting. It must be an absolute majority of the executive board.
2. An executive board member must be made aware of the reason for impeachment and be given a chance to defend himself at the executive board meeting when the impeachment hearing and vote is to be held.
3. An executive board member is not allowed to vote on their own impeachment.
4. An impeachment hearing and vote must occur if an executive board member loses official membership status as defined in Article III or if they miss more than three executive board meetings in a semester.
5. At a general meeting, any member may initiate a vote of no confidence. The motion must be immediately seconded by three other members. A vote must take place at the next scheduled meeting. At that meeting, members may make cases for and against the current BUCD government. An absolute three-fourths is required for the vote of no confidence to pass. If the vote passes, a new executive board election will be held at the time of the next scheduled meeting. The election will be administered jointly by the former President and the member that initiated the vote of no confidence.
6. In order to be involved in the impeachment or no confidence process – including initiating, supporting, and voting – one must be a member as described by Article III.
7. All impeachments, after being successfully voted on by BUCD, must then be forwarded for approval to the Director of the Student Activities Office.