Element Dance Club Constitution
Element Dance Club
Article I: Name and Purpose
Section I:
Name of the club is Element Dance Club
Section II:
- Students will express their selves through the art of dance.
- The club will create school spirit on campus.
- Students will use the art of dance as a way to promote community, respect, openness, depth, and passion.
- The club encourages openness and awareness of different cultures.
- The club will bring a new style and way of dancing to The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's on campus.
Section III:
We are not affiliated with any regional/national organizations.
Article II: Membership
Section I:
Open to any CSB/SJU student. Non-students [e.g., faculty/staff] are not allowed to be members.
Section II:
Students become an official member by reaching out to club leaders and letting them know that they would like to join. Club members must also attend majority of practices and performances. All club members have a voice in the election process.
Section III:
Students can be removed from the club if they do not attend majority of practices/events, if there are going against any of the values we have as a club, and if they are disruptive to the group. If club leaders fill that a student needs to be removed from the group, there will be a reasonable notice to the person being considered for removal, opportunity to defend their position, quorum* needed to vote, timeline for the process, and an appealing process.
Article III: Officers
Section I:
Students must have at least one year in the club to be an officer in the club. They must also fill out an application and be interviewed for the position. Students do not need to have experience in order to be in the club. All officers must be current CSB/SJU students.
Section II:
Officers include:
- President
- Vice President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
Section III:
President:
Must preside at meetings, call special meetings, be the primary contact with institutions, appoint committee chairs, run the election process, and make sure the goals of the mission statement are being met.
Vice President:
Must assume President's duties in his/her absence, talk to perspective members of the club and help them decide whether or not to join, work with the president to invite and coordinate special guests and speakers for club meetings, and plan member/officer training programs.
Treasurer:
Keeps all financial records, submits monthly audit statements to CFB contacts, notifies organization of financial issues, and prepares budget/allocation request.
Secretary:
Schedules meetings/practice rooms/facilities, record keeper (current and past members, files minutes, etc.), notifies members of meetings, and handles the official correspondence of the club.
Term of the office:
If elected you can be in office up until graduation, removal, or resignation. Being in office means full academic years.
Section IV:
In the event a vacancy should occur (resignation, removal, or graduation); provisions must be made to fill the vacancy. Officer succession/"chain of command" will go into effect (e.g., in the event that the President leaves office, the Vice President will assume those duties until a special election is held. Refer to the special election section of Article IV.
Section V:
Removal of officers will be the same procedure for removal of members. Due process will be followed (see above).
For Example: A petition to remove the officer in question must be submitted to another officer. This petition must contain the signatures of majority of the members. When such petition is received, the officer shall call a meeting of the club to determine whether or not the officer should be removed.
Grounds for removal are then presented by the officer in charge at a regular or special club meeting. The officer in question shall be provided an opportunity to present a defense either in person or in writing. A quorum shall be present, and a majority vote of the voting members shall decide upon removal.
Section VI:
A removed officer has five days after being removed to appeal. A removed officer can request an appeals meeting through the secretary. He/she must present new information, another alternative, etc.
Article IV: Elections
Section I:
Officer Candidates will be self-nominated. The nomination process will last for a total of two weeks.
Section II:
The elections will take place in the spring of each year for the following academic year. The method of voting will be through secret ballot by all official club members in the group. 2/3 of the voting members must be present during a vote. A person can serve all the way up to their graduation (whenever that is). The department of student activities will be notified of any new officers.
Section III:
If any officer leaves/removed from office it will be the same procedure as section II, but a slightly sooner timeline. This process will happen within 1 week of vacancy occurring.
Article V: Advisor
Section I:
The vice president will choose the advisor.
Section II:
The advisor will be expected to meet with the executive board as often as necessary, explain institutional policy procedure, review the club's annual budget and offer financial management advice, provide continuity for the club/organization from year to year, acts as a resource for the group, attend the programs that may potentially have liability/risk for the institutions, intervene when knowledge of illegal activity/activities contrary to CSB/SJU policy occur.
Article VI: Meetings
Section I:
Practice will be every weekend from the first weekend of school up until the last. Club activities will not be regular so we will not note how often they will be here. The way all members will be notified of practice or club activities will be through the secretary.
Section II:
Special practices will be called in the event that there is an event we have to practice for that is during the weekday. The process used to call these practices and notify members will be the same as the process in Section I. These meetings will be more intense and more focused on preparing for the event we will be performing at.
Section III:
Practice will start off with basic stretching and warm-ups for 15-20 mins. Next, for 30mins we will review what was learned in the previous session (Exception will be the first day of practice of course). Lastly, for another 30 mins we will add additional parts to the dance or choreograph a dance to a totally different song.
Section IV:
2/3 of the club members must be present in order for an official practice to be conducted.
Article VII: Committees
Section I:
There will be no committees. Things like fundraisers, elections, etc. we will do as a group.
Section II:
Special /ad-hoc committees may be formed if needed.
Article VIII: Finances
Section I:
The club will apply for CFB monies and if allocated resources, the club will follow all CFB and institution regulations.
Section II:
No officer or member will receive a honorarium/stipend from the organization.
Section III:
No members are required to pay any dues.
Article IX: Amendments
Section I:
If there will be a constitution amendment there will be an executive meeting held to discuss this change. The FA will be present. Everyone must approve the constitution amendment.
Section II:
Any changes made to the constitution will be submitted to the Department of Student Activities and the JCB.
Article X:
Element admits students without regard to their race, religion, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and other activities, generally accorded or made available to members of the organization.
Article XI:
Element considers hazing to be a degrading and destructive activity which is inconsistent with the standards of this student organization. Element recognizes the dignity of every person and opposes all forms of hazing.
Article XII:
Element agrees that its activities, mission statement and goals are consistent with the Benedictine Values.