Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA, USA

CSA News

The Constitution of Chinese Student Association

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Article I: Name

The name of this club shall be the Chinese Student Association (CSA) of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Article II: Purpose

The purpose of this club is to promote awareness of Chinese culture and customs in the WPI community, and to help students members adapt to WPI’s social life and pursue academic excellence.

Article III: Membership

Section 1: General Members
Membership is open to all WPI students who are genuinely interested in Chinese culture. Membership is confirmed by the executive committee at its first meeting each semester.

Section 2: Active members
Any member who has participated in at least two CSA events since the previous election is an active member for that year.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1
The officers of this association shall include: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, public-relations, member liaison, and webmaster.

Section 2
The term of an officer is one academic year.

Section 3
The executive committee of CSA shall consist of the above mentioned officers.

Section 4
The executive committee shall have the authority to create a temporary position which shall last no more than two academic terms.

Article V: Officer Duties and Responsibilities

Section 1: President
A. Run all meetings of the association.
B. Be the official spokesperson for the association.
C. Be in charge of all executive duties.

Section 2: Vice-president
A. Assumes presidency in the absence of the president.
B. Assist the president in all areas necessary.

Section 3: Secretary
A. Records minutes of the association at each meeting.
B. Distribute copies of each meeting within one week after the meeting.
C. Responsible for finding meeting locations.
D. Update the constitution as needed.

Section 4: Treasurer
A. Maintains all financial records of the association.
B. Becomes the sole determiner of reimbursements to members who have incurred an expense affiliated with the association. The treasurer has no expenditure.
C. Collect dues.
D. Administer the budget with the approval of the president.
E. Submit the president a financial report of the association at the beginning of each term.

Section 5: Public relations
A. Responsible for inner school publicity for any CSA events.
B. Act as the liaison between CSA and other WPI organizations and departments.
C. Act as the liaison between CSA and organizations outside WPI if necessary.

Section 6: Member liaison
A. Act as the liaison between CSA officers and other members.
B. Inform CSA members of CSA events.
C. Collect feedback from CSA members after each event.
D. Keep in contact with leaders of CSA-sponsored programs or projects.
E. Take attendance at each event.
F. Keep track of active membership.

Section 7: Webmaster
A. Update the CSA website when necessary.
B. Add event information onto the webpage at least two weeks prior to the event.
C. Add meeting date at least three days prior to the meeting.
D. Update the CSA mail list

Section 8: All officers
A. All officers are required to carry out the duties stated above as well as assist the president in organizing and participating in events.
B. All officers are required to attend all the GBMs.
C. All officers besides the president and vice-president are equal in all regards.
D. Officers work together as a team. In the absence of an officer, the other officers should distribute the share or work

Article VI: Election

Section 1:
All officers of this association are elected. Each member who has held membership for more than two academic terms shall have one vote for each officer position.

Section 2:
The election shall be held in C term of every academic year; but when less than half of all general members are present at the election, the election may be rescheduled upon agreement of one-third of the current executive committee.

Section 3: Candidacy
Any candidate for president and for vice president must be a CSA active member in that academic year, and have contributed to CSA events since the previous election. Any candidate for other officer positions must be a CSA active member in that academic year. The GBM where the election is held does not count toward the aforesaid GBM attendance requirement. All candidates must be planning to fulfill their entire term of office as a WPI undergraduate and be on campus for at least two academic terms.

Section 4:
If any officer position, with the exception of the president, is vacant after an election, the president-elect shall announce the vacancy, call for nominations, and organize a selection as directed by Article VI, Section 5. If the position of president is vacant after an election, the official advisor and the officers- elect of CSA shall appoint a president from the officers-elect and the active members.

Article VII: Resignation, Termination, and Temporary Replacement of Officer

Section 1:
In the case of the permanent resignation of an officer, with the exception of the president, the post shall be refilled as directed in Article VI, Section 5.

Section 2:
In the case of the permanent resignation of the president, the vice-president shall become president, and the post of vice president shall be refilled as directed in Article VI, Section 5.

Section 3:
If an officer, with the exception of the president, fails to fulfill his or her duties and does not resign, the president shall have the authority to propose the officer’s removal from office. The proposal shall be brought to an officer meeting, and the removal shall only be enacted by over half of all officers. After the removal is confirmed, the post shall be refilled as directed in Article VI, Section 5.

Section 4:
If the president fails to fulfill his or her duties and does not resign, any officer shall have the authority to propose the officer’s removal from office. The proposal shall be brought to an officer meeting, and the removal shall only be enacted by the approval of all officers except the president. After the removal is confirmed, the vice-president shall become president, and the post of vice president shall be refilled as directed in Article VI, Section 5.

Section 5:
In the case of long-term vacancy of a position other than the president, the president shall announce the vacancy to all CSA members and call for nominations. Nominees should meet the candidacy requirement in Article Section 3. The new officer shall be selected by over half vote of all officers. If no qualified member is nominated, the president shall redistribute the duties of that officer to remaining members of the executive committee.

Section 6:
If, for just reason, an officer other than the president cannot fulfill his or her duty for a period no more than one academic term, he or she shall inform the executive committee at least one week in advance, and the president shall appoint a temporary officer for the post. The temporary officer should meet the candidacy requirement in Article VII, Section 3.

If, for just reason, the president cannot fulfill his or her duty for a period no more than one academic term, he or she shall inform the executive committee at least one week in advance, and the vice-president shall become temporary president.

Article VIII: Meetings

A General Body Meeting shall be held at least once each semester except summer.

Article IX: Amendments to constitution

Section 1
Amendments to the constitution may be submitted in writing by any CSA member to the president.

Section 2
The submitted amendment will take at least one week after submission before consideration.

Section 3
The amendment shall be discussed at the next officer meeting. The executive committee shall submit the amendment to the next GBM only upon approval of two-thirds of all officers.

Section 4
The amendment shall be enacted by two-thirds of all active members.

Section 5
Once the amendment is passed, the secretary will update on the constitution and resubmit it to event office.

Article X: SOC Enabling Clause

The Chinese Student Association agrees to abide by the policies of Worcester Polytechnic Institute as well as all federal, state and local laws. Any changes to this constitution and/or by laws will follow, in word and spirit, all WPI policies and all federal, state and local laws.