Formal Statement of Purpose
   Article I. Name
   Article II. Membership
      Section 1
      Section 2
      Section 3
   Article III. Governance
      Section 1
      Section 2
      Section 3
      Section 4
        President
        Executive Vice-President
        Secretary
        VP of Finance
        VP of Events
        VP of Website and Communication
   Article IV. Meetings
      Section 1
      Section 2
   Article V. Elections of Executive Board Members
      Section 1
      Section 2
      Section 3
   Article VI. Amendments to the Constitution
   Article VII. Dismissal of Officers
   Article VIII. Activities
   Article IX. Bylaws
 

Formal Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of the Romanian Club is to raise awareness about Romanian culture in the Columbia University community and assemble those with an interest in Romania. Read the full statement of purpose here.

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Romanian Club at Columbia University (hereon referred to as “The Club”).

Article II. Membership

Section 1: The Club shall be open to all members of Columbia University’s four undergraduate institutions (Columbia College, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of General Studies, and Barnard College), as well as to the members of all University-affiliated graduate schools.

Section 2: All members who are on the Executive Board (defined below) shall hereon be collectively referred to as the Executive Board.

Section 3: Anyone may join the General Membership, given that they register through the one of the appropriate channels (webpage, email, or through any one of the Executive Board Members).

Article III. Governance

Section 1: The Club shall be governed by an Executive Board consisting of the following positions:

President
Executive Vice-President
Secretary
VP of Finance
VP of Events
VP of Website and Communication

Section 2: Only Columbia University degree candidates may serve as President or VP of Finance of the Club. Executive Board Members shall meet until they are able to come to a consensus regarding all decisions. These decisions include those that affect the supervision and coordination of Club activities so that they may run smoothly and efficiently.

Section 3: The General Membership shall be responsible for bringing up ideas and activities at general member meetings. General members have the power to veto any decisions made by the Executive Board. Anything less than two-thirds approval shall be considered a veto at which point the Executive Board shall reconsider their decisions. The Executive Board shall contact the General Membership by e-mail and the Club website to inform them of updates on decisions and/or agenda for general meetings in order to ensure that the General Membership will be adequately informed.

Section 4: Official Duties of Executive Board Officers

The President shall preside over all meetings of the Club. The President shall guide the Group’s activities in such a way that the pursuit of The Club’s purpose (outlined above) remains its highest and most serious priority. The President shall oversee all activities and ensure a smooth course of activities. The president will also serve as representative of the club to all other student organizations, the Administration, and off-campus companies and organizations. In the eventuality that a vote shall come out as a tie, the President has the authority to choose the outcome of the vote.

The Executive Vice-President shall serve to oversee and encourage General Member activity. Also the Vice President will serve the President’s purpose when the President is absent, be it at group meetings or events.

The Secretary shall maintain lines of communication between General Members and the Group. This shall include taking minutes at all meetings, notifying Executive Board Members of all Executive Board decisions, and notifying general members of all Board decisions. They shall also forward phone messages and email messages, as well as maintain an updated General Membership listing.

The VP of Finance shall manage all financial transactions between the Club members and all external entities. The VP of Finance shall report to the Columbia University administration as necessary and update the Executive Board Members on all expenditures and the Club monetary balance.

The VP of Events shall coordinate all the Club activities in order to maintain a smooth and efficient course of activities. The VP of Events shall recruit new members throughout the academic year and shall organize programs for such recruiting efforts. When suggesting ideas for events, the VP of Events shall keep the members, the students, and the general school community in mind. The VP of Events shall always keep the best interest of the Club and the community in mind.

The VP of Website and Communication shall, in addition to maintaining The Club’s website, also serve as the Club historian and compile a record of events every academic year.


Article IV. Meetings

Section 1: Executive Board Meetings shall be held monthly at the least. Minutes shall be taken by the Secretary, who shall send the minutes to all Executive Board Members and make them available to the General Membership.

Section 2: General membership meetings shall be held at least once a semester. These meetings shall be organized into two sections. General members shall present their ideas in the first half. In the second half, decisions made by the Executive Board shall be open to the floor.
They may be vetoed if two-thirds of the membership present at the meeting vetoes against it.

Article V. Elections of Executive Board Members

Section 1: Executive Board Members shall be elected by the Executive Board Members and general members of the previous academic year at the time of election. Candidates not nominating themselves must be nominated by one general member in order to be eligible. A general member may nominate him/herself, but s/he must have another general member second his/her motion for him/her to become a candidate.

Section 2: A candidate shall be elected if s/he receives a majority of the votes of the general membership present at the meeting.

Section 3: The time of election shall occur during the month of March. Changes to this date shall be made only if two-thirds of the General Membership deem it necessary.

Article VI. Amendments to the Constitution

A motion may be submitted to become an amendment at a General Membership meeting. At that time, the motion maybe discussed. At the following general membership meeting, the general members present shall vote on the proposed amendment. An amendment shall pass with a minimum of two-thirds of the present general membership’s approval.

Article VII. Dismissal of Officers

Executive Board Members shall be dismissed on the following conditions:

Two-thirds of the general membership comes to the consensus that a certain officer is not acting in accordance to their designated role, as specified in the Constitution.

Three Executive Board Members, other than the Executive Board Member in question, come to the consensus that the particular officer should be dismissed under the premises that the officer is not acting in accordance to the the Club Constitution; two-thirds of the general membership must approve of this motion.

If a particular Executive Board Member decides that s/he is, for some reason, unable to uphold their position as an Executive Board Member, s/he shall state his/her reason for resignation at an Executive Board meeting. At that time, s/he must recommend a general member to occupy the vacant Executive Board position; for that recommended person to be officially appointed to the vacant spot, two-thirds of the Executive Board must approve. Until a new officer is appointed, the remaining Executive Board Members shall divide the duties amongst themselves to compensate for the empty position.

Article VIII. Activities

Ideas for activities may be submitted at any time, including general membership meetings, Club events, and contacting the Executive Board Members via email, telephone, or in person. If the event is approved by the Executive Board, the VP of Events shall be in charge of the event and Executive Board members shall assist in any way.

Article IX. Bylaws

A general member may call for a bylaw during a meeting if s/he sees it fit. A separate member must second the notion. For a bylaw to go through, it shall require the vote of three-fourths of the general membership present at the meeting. If a bylaw passes, it shall be recorded by the Secretary in a separate bylaw book, which shall be referred to at future meetings.