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SOUL
Constitution Signs Of Unlimited Love is an organization which aims to educate and involve the Columbia community in the awareness of deaf/hard of hearing (HH) communities. We, as members of SOUL, believe that this organization will introduce the students of Columbia University to a world left unexplored by many because of language and sound barriers. Through the teaching of sign language and direct interaction with deaf communities and events, we know that we can help the Columbia community to cross those barriers. No other organization on the Columbia College campus offers these opportunities or seeks to attain these goals. Thus, we have no doubt that SOUL will be a beneficial and phenomenal asset to the entire Columbia community. Preamble: This is the constitution of Signs Of Unlimited Love, a community sign language organization dedicated to serving the Columbia University and deaf communities with entertainment and knowledge that are of general interest for deaf awareness and a bridging of the deaf and hearing communities. Article I: Name Section 1: The name of this organization shall be Signs Of Unlimited Love hereafter referred to as SOUL. Section 2: The officers of SOUL shall make up the Executive Board of SOUL, hereafter referred to as the 'Board.' Article II: Purpose Section 1: The purpose of this organization shall be to organize events in the interest of the Columbia and deaf/hard of hearing communities, such as, but certainly not limited to, deaf concerts, sign language classes, interpretive praise dance, and special events. These events will be of general interest, and not exclusive to a certain creed, gender, or ethnicity Section 2: The Board shall be responsible for the planning of events and for the events themselves. This is not to say, however, that the other members cannot be in charge of certain aspects of events or of an entire event. In these cases, the Board should serve a supervisory role, effectively holding the Board responsible. Article III: Membership Section 1: The requirements of membership are attendance to the majority of the meetings and helping the Board plan and/or hold an event. Section 2: Only members who are undergraduate students in Barnard College, Columbia College, or the School of Engineering and Applied Science may vote or hold office. However, since SOUL receives no funding from Barnard's Student Government Association, Barnard students may not hold the position of president. Section 3: Any member who helps plan or set up for an event shall be granted free admission to that event. Additional privileges are to the discretion of the Board. Section 4: Membership may be revoked by consensus of the Board due to inactivity and failure to organize, set up, or work events. Article IV: Meetings and Procedures Section 1: In general, the president will call and plan meetings for the entire membership. Organizers for individual events may call meetings for the committee for that event at their discretion, as long as the Board is notified, and a noted Board member is present. Section 2: Due to the nature of this organization, major decisions will often be made by the Board outside of meetings. However, it is strongly encouraged that the general membership be included in as much of the decision-making as possible. In general, decisions are made by majority vote. Article V: Officers Section 1: The organization shall have the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations. Anyone may nominate themselves for election, and elections shall be decided by majority vote of the entire membership. Since SOUL receives no funding from Barnard's Student Government Association, no Barnard student may hold the position of President, or more than half the positions on the Board. Section 2: The duties of the officers are as follows: President - responsibility overseeing and attending all events. Vice President - assisting the President in any possible way. Secretary - responsible for meetings, elections, and helping out the rest of the Board wherever possible. Treasurer - responsible for keeping track of SOUL's budget and all reimbursements and payments. Public Relations - responsible for flyers and other promotions of other SOUL events. These duties are very flexible and sharing of responsibilities is strongly recommended. Article IV: Electing, Appointing, and Removing Officers Section 1: Elections take place in the spring semester of each school year. It is strongly recommended that they be held prior to the planning of the final event (late March early April), so that the incoming Board has time to learn from the outgoing Board. Elections for each position are done separately beginning with the President and moving down as listed above. This allows for a member who does not receive the highest position desired to get a lower position. Only those who have been with the organization throughout the school year may run for office. Elections are only open to vote by general members. Candidates will have three minutes to give a speech before voting for that position begins. Candidates may not vote for the position they are running for, and must leave the room while the votes are taken and tallied. Section 2: If a position is not filled during elections, it can be filled by appointment in the fall semester by 2/3 vote of the Board. This procedure is also used to fill vacancies by impeachment or resignation. If the position vacant is President, the position must be voted upon by standard election procedures involving the general membership as well. Section 3: The members of the Board may be impeached and removed by the membership. However, this removal must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the general membership, as well as 2/3 of the remaining Board. Grounds for impeachment are failure to attend events and to fulfill required tasks. Article VII: Committees Committees can be formed for individual events under the discretion of the Board. Committee members shall consists of willing general members. There are no specific committees that absolutely must be formed. Article VIII: Amendments to the Constitution Any general member may propose an amendment to the Constitution. adoption of an amendment requires a 2/3 vote of the general membership and a 2/3 vote of the Board. Article IX: Ratification This Constitution shall be established by a vote of 3/4 majority of the general membership of the organization. |