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Lambda Constitution
Lambda Alliance Constitution and By-Laws Constitution I. Name. The name of this Organization will be the Lambda Alliance. II. Purpose. The purpose of the Lambda Alliance is to provide education and support to the community of The College of William and Mary. The above includes promoting awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities; and serving and protecting the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) community at the College, while establishing a support network of concerned and interested individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. III. Membership. Membership in the Lambda Alliance is open to all interested individuals of the College community regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Voting membership is contingent upon the payment of annual dues as established by the Executive Board per academic year. All membership rosters will remain confidential. IV. Meetings. A. General Meetings. a. Purpose. Regular, general-purpose meetings are to be held on a weekly basis. General meetings are open to both Members and non-Members, from within and without the College community, and to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The general meetings are a forum for discussion, education, and support. Nominations and voting in elections, on motions, or on proposed Constitutional amendments will take place during these general meetings. b. Procedure. The meeting will be called to order by the Co-Presidents or, in case of the Co-Presidents’ absence, any designated Member. V. The Officers. A. The Co-Presidents. The Co-Presidents, along with the Officers, will preside at all meetings. It is the Co-Presidents’ responsibility to schedule general meetings at appropriate, regular intervals. The Co-Presidents will serve as the primary contacts between the Organization and the College administration, in particular the Office of Student Activities. For special events and occasions, the Co-Presidents will create committees and, if the Organization approves the creation of the committee, will designate Members as heads of committee. All official, written correspondence with the College administration will be from the Co-Presidents, or the Co-Presidents will designate a Member to draft such correspondence. Whenever acting in an official capacity, the Co-Presidents are to act conscientiously and represent the values and goals of this Organization. One or both of the Co-Presidents are empowered to officially sign checks in the Treasurer’s absence. In the event of a conflict between the Co-Presidents, a quorum vote among the Members will be held to settle the dispute. B. The Treasurer. The Treasurer is in charge of all Organizational finances, including funds received from the Office of Student Activities and independent bank accounts, as well as grants and donations received from outside sources. The Treasurer must attend the fall semester Student Activities financial information session and, in the spring semester, submit an official budget proposal to the Student Activities Office. The Treasurer will be responsible for the collection of dues from members and keeping careful written and electronic records of those who have paid dues. It is the Treasurer’s duty to ensure that receipts of all official Organizational purchases are kept on file and, when appropriate, to submit receipts to the Student Activities financial department to receive reimbursement. Upon the Co-Presidents’ request, the Treasurer must be prepared to submit a record of the Organization’s full financial situation to the Organization. C. The Secretary. The Secretary is to record detailed minutes of business conducted at all general meetings, in a timely manner. The Secretary will also be responsible for all scheduling efforts with the College for the use of College buildings, equipment, vehicles, etc. It is also the Secretary’s responsibility to receive and sort all mail. VI. Elections. A. Electoral Procedure. Elections are to be held when called for by either the Co-Presidents or by a quorum (50% of membership, plus 1 person) of Members at least once per academic year. The voting Members will elect, by secret ballot the Officers. Interested parties may nominate themselves or others for Officer positions. Votes will be made by all the members of the Organization. The nominee with the most votes shall be placed into that office. Only dues-paying Members and Members who will be returning to the College for both semesters the following academic year may be nominated. While an individual may be nominated for more than one Office, the individual is allowed to fill only one Office. In such circumstance as an individual is elected to more than one Office, the individual will be asked to choose one position to fill and, in the other Office(s), the person with the second-highest number of votes will take Office. A member who has neither nominated anyone for an Office nor run for an Office will be appointed by the currently-serving Co-Presidents to officially tally the votes and announce at the end of the general meeting the newly-elected Officers. VII. Amendments. Any amendment to the Constitution must be presented to the Co-Presidents in writing before the general meeting. The proposed amendment will be presented to the membership both orally and in written form. At the next general meeting following the presentation of the amendment, voting will take place with all Members eligible to vote. Two-thirds majority vote is required for the amendment to pass. VIII. Ratification. This Constitution will be presented to the general membership of the Lambda Alliance in oral, written, or electronic form. At the next general meeting following presentation, voting will take place with all Members eligible to vote. Two-thirds majority vote is required for the adoption of this Constitution. II. Infractions. A. Definition of an Infraction. An infraction of Lambda Alliance regulations may include, but is not limited to, behavior or speech that is violent, slanderous, or offensively profane. A first infraction, in order to warrant a reprimand or further action, may result from either ignorance of the Lambda Alliance’s regulations or intentional disregard of such regulations; subsequent infractions, in order to warrant a reprimand or further action, must be shown to result from intentional disregard of regulations. B. Infractions Committed. If a member or non-Member commits an infraction, Officers will issue a verbal reminder of the Bylaws and request that the individual comply. Further infractions will result in additional actions as seen necessary by the Membership – such as asking the individual to leave the meeting or reporting the situation to the authorities at the College. Whether the individual is still considered a member of Lambda will be decided on a case-by-case basis by a quorum vote among the membership. If an individual’s membership is revoked or the individual decides not to be a member of the Organization anymore, they may ask for a refund of their dues. Officers will be treated in the same way as general membership. III. Special Administrative Procedures Regarding the Officers. A. Impeachment. At any point, Officers or Chairs can be removed by a quorum vote, through secret ballot, by the Members of the Organization. The motion to impeach an Officer or Chair (which must be seconded) will be determined by a vote of yea or nay, with the option of abstaining. A quorum vote will result in impeachment. After impeachment, the membership will be notified. The actual vote to remove the Officer or Chair will be held at the next meeting. A quorum vote will result in removal of the Officer or Chairs. B. Filling an Empty Office. If an Officer resigns or is removed from Office, the Election process will begin at the next general meeting for that Office. C. Resignation. An Officer who intends to resign should contact the Membership prior to official resignation. It is recommended that the resigning officer continue to perform required duties until the position is officially filled. |