Constitution for The New Media Society

Preamble:

Whereas no senate-recognized group has made any efforts to bring Columbia students on-line, or to bridge the gap in understanding between individuals and the new technologies around them, we offer this constitution to serve as the basis for recognition to be granted by the Law School Student Senate.

Name:

The name of this organization shall be "The New Media Society" (NMS). It will also be known by those members who secretly desire cult-like status as "The Virtual Group" in all private meetings where the revolutionary theories of Eben Moglen are discussed. For other students who are just excited about overcoming their technophopias, the support group will be known as the "We-finally-got-a-Web-page-and-aren’t-the-last-Law-School-on-line Club."

Purpose:

The purpose of this group is to introduce new technologies to the Columbia Community and examine the effect of converging media and communications on the structure and strength of American Law and Society. The group’s mission is to tear down the walls of technophobia and help coordinate student interest in new media. By combining educational and practical programs, including crucial web training which is currently unavailable at the law school, the group will help students develop on-line skills and a better understanding of the changing communications and media climate. The group will also give members a unique perspective to the practice of new media, and the issues relating to representing smaller clients, including entrepreneurs and tech start-ups.

Structure:

A) Requirements for membership. NMS is open to all interested Columbia Law students. The group will not deny membership, nor hinder an individual’s participation in any way, on the basis of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. The group will, however, from time to time, discriminate among operating systems.

B) Requirements for holding office. NMS shall have the following officers: President, Vice-President and a Treasurer. Those officers may also from time to time appoint ad-hoc positions with any title they see fit in order to further the goals of the group. All officers must be law students registered at Columbia Law students.

C) Duties and powers of each office. The duties of the President will include corresponding with other schools, organizations, associations and businesses which might provide any potential benefit to members. The President will also coordinate all activities, including but not limited to speakers/panels, tech training sessions/lectures, new media industry events, and field trips. Any of these duties may be delegated to ad-hoc officers so long as oversight is maintained. The President will also be responsible for setting up the group’s web site and encouraging members to participate. The Vice-President will be responsible for administrative duties which support any events or programs. These shall include, but not be limited to, room reservations, food and beverage planning, site-management, and surfing the web for valuable information. The Vice-President will also take attendance at all meetings and events to determine who is eligible to vote. The Treasurer shall keep complete and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements of NMS. All officers may be held personally liable for any expenditures made by their organization but not authorized by an organization recognized by the Senate. All officers must comply with any and all University regulations pertinent to student organizations.

D) Procedures for arriving at policy decisions. The Officers of the group will have the power to make all policy decisions. All votes will require a majority of the voting officers, provided that at least two-thirds of them are present. In the case of any tie, the President will make the final decision.

E) Procedures for selection and removal. Each officer shall serve a term of one year, with the option of being re-elected by the general membership the following year. Elections shall take place at a meeting called by the President in April of each year and publicized in such a way as to give adequate notice. All members who have attended any event or meeting, not including the elections itself, during the year are eligible to vote. Any officer may be removed by a vote of two-thirds majority of the officers then in office, at any special meeting of the officers called for that purpose where a quorum exists.

Officers: Andreas von Bonin LLM, Alex Cohen 99, Thomas Makin 00,

Members: Jon Gaskin 99, Darren Schmidt 00, Greg Klingsporn 99, Garland Kelley 99, Marcus Dalzine 99

Giann Neffinger 98, and Lisa Bornstein 98

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