PREAMBLE

The following constitution establishes the rules of operation for Helvidius: The Columbia Undergraduate Journal of Law and Public Policy, a non-profit student organization of Columbia University.

ARTICLE I

The name of this organization, which existed during the 1989-1990 academic year as The Columbia Undergraduate Journal of Law and Public Policy, shall be Helvidius: The Columbia Undergraduate Journal of Law and Public Policy.

ARTICLE II

Section I -- The Purpose of Helvidius shall be to provide a forum for students of all undergraduate divisions of Columbia University who wish to write articles and commentary analyzing, evaluating, and examining matters that relate to law, public policy, or that are of special interest to students preparing for a legal education.

Section II -- Helvidius may also solicit and accept submissions from legal professionals, public officials and figures, students from other colleges and universities, Columbia University faculty, and faculty from other colleges and universities at the discretion of the editors.

Section III -- Although pieces in Helvidius will treat issues of political opinion, Helvidius shall have no political or group affiliation nor shall it adhere generally to any particular political ideology.

Section IV -- The goal of this organization is to provide a forum for legal and political writing bounded in scope only by the principles of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

ARTICLE III

Section I -- Helvidius does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ethnic group, sex, sexual orientation, or any other status.

Section II -- Membership per se does not exist in Helvidius except as concerns the editorial staff (see Article IV). All submissions judged by the editors to be generally relevant and of sufficient quality will be printed, limited only by Helvidius's funding, and the time available to the editors.

ARTICLE IV

Section I -- The configuration of the editorial staff may change as Helvidius expands and its needs change in accordance with voting procedures outlined in Article IV Section II (with the exception that there must always be an Editor-in-Chief position), but the following will serve as the functional staff hierarchy.

Part I -- The editorial board will be composed of one Editor-in-Chief, one Publisher, one Pre-Law Editor, two-three Executive Editors, and one Treasurer. The staff will be composed of a variable number of Associate Editors.

Part II -- The Editor-in-Chief shall be a Columbia University undergraduate with at least one semester experience on the staff of Helvidius, nominated on the basis of his or her interest in law and public policy, projected managing skill, and editing ability. He or she will be confirmed by a majority vote of the previous term's editorial board, who will consider, in addition to the aforementioned qualities, the student's proven writing ability and previous service to Helvidius. The Editor-in-Chief is ultimately responsible for the form and substance of Helvidius, and any concurrent undertakings. He or she is responsible for the duties in positions not filled, all official appointments, and for providing general leadership to the rest of the staff. The Editor-in-Chief must also schedule and conduct meetings and events, maintain contact with other editorial board members, oversee Associate Editors, edit all final copies, conduct layout of the journal, and has the ability to make minor policy changes without a vote by the board. In conjunction with the Treasurer, the Editor-in-Chief must manage the relationship with the printer and maintain contact with SGA and Polity for funding, events, and faculty use. He or she must obtain at least one advertisement and run the final copy to the printer. While all decisions should be made with the approval of the whole editorial board, ultimate decisions of the Editor-in-Chief shall be final, unless they be deemed gravely detrimental to the purpose or undertaking of Helvidius, in which case he or she may be impeached under the provisions of Article IV, Section IV.

Part III -- The Publisher shall be a Columbia University undergraduate with at least one semester experience on the staff of Helvidius, nominated on the basis of his or her experience with the workings of Helvidius, proven and projected managerial ability, and previous service to Helvidius, and confirmed by a majority vote of the editorial board. He or she is responsible for coordinating the advertising strategy for Helvidius and giving biweekly updates at board meetings. The Publisher must update the list of ad contacts, increase the ad clientele, maintain repeat advertisements, manage the staff in the search of advertisements, and conduct the ad layout for the journal. While working with the Treasurer and Editor-in-Chief, he or she should always have accurate knowledge of the account standing. The Publisher should also keep files on all advertisers, prepare a progress card for all current advertising

prospects, and start a publishing committee. If he or she fails to perform the duties proscribed within this document, he or she may be impeached under the provisions of Article IV, Section IV.

Part IV -- The Pre-Law Editor serves as a liaison between Helvidius and the Columbia Undergraduate Law Society. He or she must be a Columbia University undergraduate with at least one semester experience on the staff of Helvidius and is confirmed by a majority vote of the editorial board based on his or her proven interest and ability in editing. The Pre-Law Editor is responsible for obtaining and editing law school profiles, other articles related to undergraduates interested in a legal career, and guest articles. He or she must also obtain at least one advertisement. If he or she fails to perform the duties proscribed within this document, he or she may be impeached under the provisions of Article IV, Section IV.

Part V -- The Executive Editors shall be Columbia University undergraduates with at least one semester experience on the staff of Helvidius, nominated on the basis of their interest in law and public policy and their proven writing ability. He or she will be confirmed by a majority vote of the editorial board. The Executive Editors serve as advisors and aides to writers, and should ensure that all writers meet their deadlines. They are responsible for submitting to the Editor-in-Chief the final draft of every article assigned to each of them respectively. Each must also get one advertisement. If an Executive Editor does not perform the duties proscribed within this document, he or she may be impeached under the provisions of Article IV, Section IV.

Part VI -- The Treasurer must be a Columbia University undergraduate and have at least one semester experience on the staff of Helvidius. He or she is confirmed by a majority vote of the editorial board. He or she is the liaison between the journal and Polity and SGA. The Treasurer is also responsible for managing the accounts, keeping -a ledger, budget reports, getting one advertisement, and working with both the Editor-in-Chief and the Treasurer in maintaining the accounts. If he or she fails to perform the duties proscribed within this document, he or she may be impeached under the provisions of Article IV, Section IV.

Part VII -- Associate editorial positions are open to all Columbia University undergraduates with the sole requirements that the student express interest and enthusiasm in Helvidius, and is willing to undertake the editing and advertising work delegated. All Associate Editors are required to get at least one advertisement, edit articles given to them by the Editor-in-Chief, must work five hours during layout week, and help with distribution. Each may be called upon to post flyers or other general work and should contact the Editor-in-Chief and the Publisher with updates and concerns. If an Associate Editor fails to fulfill his or duties proscribed within this document, he or she may be dismissed from the staff under the provisions of Article IV, Section IV.

Part VIII -- The faculty advisor if at all possible should be a professor of law, political science, or history. He or she shall be nominated based upon his or her interest in upholding the purpose and goal of Helvidius, and shall be elected by a majority vote of the editorial board.

Section II -- All positions and major structural changes in the format of the journal shall be confirmed by a majority vote of the executive board with each board member having one vote. In the event of a tie, the Editor-in-Chief shall have two votes. These voting procedures will be adhered to during the nomination and confirmation of all positions.

Section III -- Each officer shall serve for one term, beginning in the Spring semester and ending in the Fall, and may be reelected after that term is completed. Officers who are not reelected to office for the following Spring semester, or who decline nomination for an office, have an obligation to orient, inform, and assist the incoming officer in his or her duties.

Section IV -- Impeachment of any officer will be by unanimous decision of all other members of the executive editorial board. A member of the editorial staff can be impeached only on the grounds of negligence, or for making decisions or taking actions deemed destructive to the purpose or general undertaking of Helvidius.

Section V -- If a vacancy in the editorial staff should arise, whether from the impeachment or resignation of a member, the Editor-in-Chief shall assume all of their duties temporarily. The remaining executive board shall be empowered to immediately nominate and confirm a candidate by a majority vote on the basis of the criteria for judgment set forth in Article IV, Section I for each position.

ARTICLE V

Section I -- Meetings will be held biweekly. Meeting times will be scheduled at the beginning of each term by the general consensus of the editorial board.

ARTICLE VI

Section I -- Amendments can be proposed by anyone on the editorial staff and adopted only by a majority vote. No amendments shall be made to Article II, Section III and IV, and Article III, Section I.