Sounds of China Constitution


Article I: Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be Sounds of China, hereafter referred to as SOC.

Section 2: The officers and committee members of SOC shall make up the Executive Board of SOC, hereafter referred to as the Board.


Article II: Purpose

Section 1: The purpose of this organization shall be

a. to introduce all varieties of Chinese music and culture to the Columbia and Barnard community while entertaining listeners of Chinese music.

b. to provide resource for members to produce a quality radio show in English and Chinese.

c. to provide a harmonious setting of an non-political intimate club for members to pursue and develop their interest in Chinese culture.
Section 2: The Board shall oversee the operation of the radio program and the club.

Article III: Membership
Section 1: General membership into the club will be granted upon submission of a membership application form and annual club dues, if any. Anyone is eligible for general membership regardless of race, creed, sex, or ethnicity.

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.

Section 3: Membership may be revoked by two-thirds vote of the Board due to inappropriate conduct as outlined in official University policy.


Article IV: Meetings and Procedures

Section 1: Two general meetings should be scheduled by the Board for each semester.

Section 2: Policy decisions are made at the general meetings, after the policies are reviewed by the Board. Votes from two-thirds of participating members are necessary to pass such policy decisions.


Article V: Officers

Section 1: SOC shall have the following officers: President, CC/SEAS Vice-President, Barnard Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Producer, Chief Engineer, and Public Relations Coordinator. The officers of SOC shall make up the Officers Board of SOC. Nominations for office must be submitted to the Board at least one week prior to the election. Election is held during the general meeting(s) by the fourth week of March of the preceding academic year. Candidates must be members prior to their election.

Section 2: The duties of these officers shall be:

a. President is responsible for the proper conduct of all club activities and functions; represents the club in all official matters; have authority to make decisions on behalf of the club in the interest of the club and in the absence of the Board.

b. CC/SEAS Vice-President assists the President in administrative tasks and in any decision making process; stands in for the President when he/she is absent; oversees and advises sub-committees; oversees all club events; conducts and organizes all meetings; and is primarily responsible for outreach to the CC/SEAS community and addressing any concerns as needed.

c. Barnard Vice-President assists the President in administrative tasks and in any decision making process; stands in for the President when he/she is absent; oversees and advises sub-committees; oversees all club events; conducts and organizes all meetings; and is primarily responsible for outreach to the Barnard community and addressing any concerns as needed.

d. Treasurer is responsible for the financial affairs and records of the club and the club's funds (e.g. keeping a ledger and drawing up budgets); presents the financial records to any officer upon request; reports club's financial status at Executive Board meetings; manages the money at all club events.

e. Secretary is responsible for recording the minutes during each staff meeting and is responsible for keeping a record of attendance; is responsible for all club correspondence; i.e. writing up proposals, letters for the club and radio station; assist in overseeing the club's sub-committees.

f. Producer supervises and maintains the standard of the radio program and promotes its production in all ways; maintains the club musical records, tapes, and CD's; is responsible for the radio program guide for the listeners; recruits, trains, and oversees programmers.

g. Chief Engineer is responsible for all technical aspects of the radio program and the club's activities; assists the producer; recruits, trains, and supervise new engineers.

h. Public Relations maintains and updates the membership list; represent the club in all area of advertisement which includes attending recruitment meetings, producing flyers, "On Broadway", Spectator.

i. In addition to the duties prescribed above, all officers are required to assist in all SOC planned events or activities; i.e. Dumpling Dinner, New Year's program, etc.
Section 3: Each term of office begins upon election to office, and ends upon completion of the following year. Note the time overlap between preceding staff and elected staff. This overlap period is intended to assure a smooth turn-over.


Article VI: Electing, Appointing, and Removing Officers

Section 1: Votes from a majority of the participating members are necessary to be elected to an office.

Section 2: Editor-in-Chief, who is responsible for the publication of the club's newsletters, may be appointed annually by the newly elected Officers Board.
Section 3: A number of officers may be appointed annually by the newly elected Officers Board. These officers shall be referred to as Executive Committee Members or ECM's, and be appointed on the basis of effort and interest in the club activities and functions. The duties of these appointed officers are: executing tasks assigned by the President as deemed necessary; assisting all Board members in club matters; supervises at least one sub-committee.

Section 4: A number of new officers may be chosen annually by the Board. These officers shall be referred to as Organization Committee Members or OCM's, and be chosen by the Board through interviews at the beginning of the academic year (fall semester) and/or after turn-over in March. The duties of these chosen officers are: executing tasks assigned by the Board; participating in one of the committees.

Section 5: Any officers may be subject to removal from office on the grounds of inefficiency or breach of official conduct. For impeachments of elected officers, a general meeting will be called in which a vote of confidence will cast upon the written petition of at least ten members. Votes from three fourths of participating members are necessary to constitute a quorum. For removal of appointed officers, the Executive Board will convene to vote for or against such removal. Votes from three-fourth of the Board members constitute a quorum.

Section 6: For any officer to resign, the officer must submit a written note of resignation to the Executive Board at least two weeks prior to the effective date of resignation.

Section 7: In the event that an elected office becomes available due to impeachment or resignation, the Executive Board will convene to decide whether the officer should be replaced by holding a general election, or by nomination from the Executive Board followed by anonymous ballot-vote among the Board members. Majority prevails. The officers must be replaced no later than two weeks following the effective date of resignation. During the interim period between the effective date of resignation and the replacement of that officer, the administrative office may be temporarily filled according to the following line of succession: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Public Relations Coordinator, ECM's, OCM's; For the radio program office, the following line of succession will be applied: Producer, Chief Engineer, broadcasters, and engineers. However, the Executive Board may choose to delegate and share the responsibilities of the vacant office among the Board itself during the interim.


Article VII: Committees

Section 1: The standing committees of Sounds of China shall be: Off Campus Activities Committee (Hwa Hsia Scholar Society), Game Hour, MovieFest, Newsletter, Chinese Conversation Hour, Audio Media Manager.

Section 2: The duties of each standing committee are to oversee project assigned by the Board. Each committee is required to submit a report/proposal to the Board at each staff meeting.

Section 3: Members of each committee are assigned by the Officers Board at the beginning of each term. Conditions of assignment is subject to the elected Officers Board.

Section 4: Additional committees may be formed and dissolved by Sounds of China when deemed necessary. A formal proposal for adding or dissolving a committee by at least five members and a majority of two-third vote by the Board is needed.


Article VIII: By-Laws

Section 1: By-laws of Sounds of China shall be established and altered by two-third majority vote by the Board.

Section 2: By-laws of Sounds of China Executive Board shall be established and altered by two-third majority vote of the Officers Board.


Article IX: Amendments to the Constitution

Section 1: A formal written proposal by a member of Sounds of China must be submitted to the Board within one week of the official start of the semester.

Section 2: The proposed amendment will then be voted upon in the first general meeting of that semester. The general membership must be made clear on the effects of such an amendment to Sounds of China. A majority two-third vote by participating members is needed to pass the amendment.

Section 3: In absence of a general meeting a written petition of at least two-third of the general membership must be submitted to the Board within three weeks after the official start of the semester. A two-third majority vote by the Board is needed to pass the amendment.


Article X: Ratification

Section 1: The constitution shall be established by signatures of three-fourth of Sounds of China Executive Board and by a vote of a three-fourth majority of the membership of the organization.


Sounds of China BY-LAWS

I. Election of Officers

1. Only current members may be nominated for the seven offices.

2. Each member nominated may only run for one office position at a time.

3. A simple majority vote from the Participating members is needed to be elected to the office position.

4. Only current members of Sounds of China may vote in the election. Only participating members may vote in the election.

5. New membership additions will be suspended after the Activities Night in spring semester (approximately two weeks after the official start of the spring semester.) New members may be admitted one week after election.

6. Any candidate running unopposed for a position must still receive the fifty percent majority of the vote from the participating members to be elected.

7. Voters will have the right to abstain from voting for any office position if they do not like any of the candidates running for that position.

8. In an event that there are open positions after the first round of the election, new candidates may be nominated for these position. Another round of election is then held to fill the vacant position. Only partipating members may vote. If needed another round of election will be held until all positions are filled.
II. Editor-in-Chief

1. Potential Editor-in-Chief must apply for the position.

2. Editor-in-Chief are appointed by the Officers Board after elections.

3. Editor-in-Chief must be a current member and familiar with the operation of the club.
III. Executive Committee Members

1. Potential ECM's must apply for the position.

2. ECM's are appointed by the Officers Board after elections.

3. ECM's must be current members.

4. ECM's will be assigned a committee.
IV. Organization Committee Members

1. Potential OCM's must apply for the position at the beginning of the fall semester and/or after election.

2. OCM's are chosen through an interview period.

3. OCM's will be assigned a committee.
V. Radio Station

1. The Sounds of China radio program on WKCR 89.9 will be directed and produced by the Producer and the chief Engineer.

2. Programmers and Engineers will be under WKCR policy as stated in the WKCR "Blue Book," and the SOC programmer's guide.