WPI College Republicans Constitution

Article I. Name

WPI College Republicans (hereafter to be called the Club)

Article II. Purpose

To promote the conservative ideals of the Republican Party by actively promoting campus speakers, distributing publications (including voter guides) to enlighten students, providing help with club-endorsed campaigns, and encouraging students to become politically active and join the Republican Party. The Club is associated with the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans (MACR) and the College Republican National Committees (CRNC). The Club promotes greater civic contribution, leadership, and the betterment of society by increasing political awareness and involvement. The club strives to encourage political awareness, encourage enlightened discussion on political and social issues, and promote positive change both locally and nationally.

Article III. Membership

All Members must be students at WPI. Membership in the Club shall not be based on any of the following criteria: ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, creed, religion, color, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or national origin. Voting Members shall be those who have attended at least 50% of all meetings per semester, and have demonstrated their commitment to Conservative principles, and if dues are imposed, have paid their dues. Executive members, may, by a majority vote, waive attendance requirements for extenuating circumstances. Members who meet the eligibility requirements as defined in Section 1 but not the requirements of Section 3 shall be non-voting Members. Members may voluntarily discontinue membership at any time by notifying an officer in writing. In addition, officers have the authority to discharge members via majority vote of the executive board in accordance with Article III., Section 2. The Club will neither practice nor condone behavior that is physically or psychologically abusive to members or non-members.

Article IV. Officers' Duties and Requirements

The Executive Board shall consist of the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The duties of the officers are as follows:

1. President: The President shall preside over all meetings and be Chief Executive of the Executive Board. The President shall bear the responsibility to call meetings, determine agendas with the assistance of the Executive Board, and approve all Club expenses.
2. Vice President: The Vice President shall serve as an assistant to the President. In the event of the President's absence, the Vice President will temporarily assume the duties of the President.
3. Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for all fiscal operations and accounting of the Club. The treasurer will be required to keep detailed records of all transactions. Should dues be enforced, it will be the responsibility of the Treasurer to collect them and report any delinquencies to the Executive Board.
4. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings and perform any necessary clerical tasks. Should the constitution be amended, (s)he is responsible for publishing and distributing the new constitution to all voting members prior to the next regularly scheduled general club meeting.

The Board shall consist of all members of the Executive Board, and all other members of the Board.

1. The Executive Board, shall, by unanimous vote, create new positions on the Board as necessary to perform needed responsibilities.

Officers of the Board shall:

• Be Voting Members of the club
• Be registered as an independent or with a conservative minded party.
• Be full time students of WPI

Article V. Meetings

General club meetings will be held no less than once a term with time and date to be determined by the Executive Board at the beginning of each term. The President or Vice President has the authority to call additional meetings. General club meetings will be carried out in a format agreed upon by the Executive Board. General club and Board meetings shall be open to all members. An Executive session may be called by any executive member during a club or Board meeting. The motion for Executive session must be seconded by a second Executive Board member for the motion to carry. Executive sessions are privy only to Executive Board members. Executive Board meetings shall be carried out using Robert's Rules of Order. A quorum of two-thirds of the voting membership is required for a vote at general club meetings. Absentee voters shall count toward the quorum, provided they give their completed ballot to the secretary before the vote. The quorum for an Executive Board session shall consist of three-fourths of all Executive Board members.

Article VI. Elections and Officer Replacement/Removal

Club elections will be carried out democratically with the popular candidate elected to the Executive Board during the last general meeting of C- term. Any voting member may nominate any other eligible voting member for a Board position during the first meeting of C term (or in their absence, they may send their nomination to the club secretary prior to the first meeting of C term). The club secretary will notify each of the nominees at the meeting (or if they are absent, by email within 24 hrs of the meeting), of their nomination. The nominees shall send the secretary notification of their acceptance within one week. Nominees who do not respond shall be considered to have declined nomination. The secretary shall then notify the club membership of the final nominees by email within three weeks of the last meeting of C-term. Executive Board terms run from the beginning of D-term to the end of C-term the following academic year. Officers cannot hold office for more than two consecutive terms per position, unless necessitated by a shortage of candidates. Neglect of duties, misuse of power, and/or failure to adhere to conservative republican ideals justifies removal from office by impeachment. The impeachment process for an officer may be initiated by any voting member and seconded by another voting member at any general meeting. The impeachment of said officer will be put to vote at the following general meeting. The highest ranked officer present who is not facing impeachment charges will preside over the meeting. Directly prior to any impeachment vote, the officer facing the charges will have five uninterrupted minutes to address the Club. Following the officer's address the floor will be opened to discussion among all voting members. After ten minutes of debate, the presiding officer will call for a vote of closure. A two-thirds majority is required for closure. If the required majority is not achieved, the impeachment charges will be dropped. If closure is achieved, impeachment proceedings will conclude with a secret ballot. Absentee ballots will be provided by the secretary and will be counted provided they are returned prior to the formal impeachment vote. A three-fourths majority is required to remove the officer by impeachment. Results of the impeachment vote are effective immediately. Any vacancies in office (impeachment or otherwise) will be filled in the following manner:

• Vacancy in the Presidency: Vice President will become the President
• All other Vacancies: An eligible candidate will be elected to the position by a majority vote of all voting members at the next general meeting.

Article VII. Finances

Required funds shall be obtained through Club fund raising, requests to the Student Government Association, dues (at the discretion of the Executive Board), outside donations, and/or other methods approved by the Executive Board.

Article VIII. Advisor

A club advisor shall be selected (and if necessary, removed) with unanimous approval of the Executive Board. The duties and requirements of the advisor shall be as follows:

• The advisor must be a full time member of the WPI faculty, staff, or administration.
• The advisor will be expected to assist with activity and meeting planning, as requested by the Executive Board.
• The advisor may be expected to assist the group in obtaining financial resources.
• The advisor shall be expected to know all relevant campus policies and procedures.
• The advisor shall be expected to help resolve any conflicts within the Executive Board
• The advisor will not be required, to attend all meetings of this club. However, the advisor is encouraged to come to meetings periodically.
• The advisor may be required to meet with the Executive Board to discuss issues between (or at specified) meetings.

Any duties not specified by Section 2 shall be negotiated with the advisor.

Article IX. Amendments

Amendment to this constitution may be proposed by any voting member during a general club meeting. A vote to amend the constitution will be taken during the next general club meeting. The vote will follow a discussion of the amendment. Passage requires a four-fifths vote of all voting members present including a three-fourths vote of the Executive Board. Amendments take effect immediately.

Article X. SOC Enabling Clause

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