Global AIDS Awareness Organization Constitution

Article I: Name and Purpose

Section 1: Name
This club is officially founded under the name of: Global AIDS Awareness Organization (GAAO)

Section 2: Purpose/Mission
A working group of Students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, the Global AIDS Awareness Organization is dedicated to engagement and service with under-privileged communities worldwide. We seek to raise an awareness of the Global Pandemic of HIV/AIDS among students, youth, and adults in our local and international communities, through a multicultural approach of sharing information resources and experiences. This organization will endeavor to build a strong learning and caring community rooted in the Benedictine values, with alertness to global issues that are often given less or no attention in our society today.

This organization shall also abide by all institutional policies that are stipulated in the J-Book and Every Woman's Guide.

Article II: Membership

Section 1: Eligibility for Membership
All current CSB/SJU students shall be eligible for membership to the club.

  • An interested faculty or staff of CSB/SJU shall be eligible for a special affiliation with the organization. Their support and guidance will be appreciated but the association will remain student run.

Section 2: Voting Member Criteria
All members of the GAAO in good standing and actively participating in at least two meetings and one event shall have the right to vote.

Section 3: Removal of Officer

  1. Only under grave circumstances shall an officer of GAAO be asked to resign. These circumstances shall be defined by the board members.
  2. Before consideration for removal, the officer will be briefed about his/her conduct by the president and the vice president.
  3. The officer under consideration for removal shall be given due notice and allowed opportunity for self-defense.
  4. An officer shall only be removed with consensus of the Board with the majority vote after consultation with the members of the club.
  5. After resignation of an officer, the president shall call a general election to fill the vacant position.

Article III: Officers

Section 1: Officer Qualifications
The strength and success of any organization depends on the qualities and dedication of its leaders, therefore candidates eligible for leadership shall be those members who:

  1. Actively participate in the day-to-day operation of the organization.
  2. Are committed to the progress and well-being of the organization.
  3. Express genuine interest in the organization.
  4. Are dedicated to carrying out and upholding the mission and goals of the club.

Section 2: Elected Officers

The governing Committee shall consist of the following officers:

  • Department of Student Activities contact person
  • Co-Funding Board (CFB) Contact Person
  • Joint Club Board (JCB) Contact Person
  • Club Advisor

Student leadership officers shall include:

  1. President
  2. Vice- President
  3. Secretary
  4. Treasurer
  5. Programs/Events Coordinator

Section 3: Duties of Officers

President
Prepares agendas and presides at meetings, calls special meetings, has primary contact with the institutions, appoints committee chairs, and runs the election process.

Vice-President
Assumes President’s duties in his/her absence, schedules meeting/practice rooms/facilities, has primary contact with the JCB, and plans member/officer training programs. Takes and distributes minutes of all club meetings and acts as the records keeper (current and past members, attendance, minutes, etc).

Treasurer
Keeps all financial records, submits monthly audit statements to CFB contact (this is a mandatory requirement if you receive CFB funds), notifies organization of financial issues, and prepares budget/allocation requests.

Events Coordinator
Organizes events and makes all necessary arrangements, and identifies and reserves venues for the events.

Section 4: Vacancy in Office

  1. If a vacancy occurs for any reason, the Committee shall appoint a temporary officer to serve in that office until official election is held.
  2. In the event that the President resigns from office, the Vice-President shall automatically assume the duties of that office until a special election is held.
  3. Election of an officer to the vacant office shall be conducted as stipulated in article IV.

Section 5: Removal of Officers

  • A petition to remove the officer in question must be submitted to another officer.
  • This petition must contain the signatures of 80% of voting 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 to be 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 6: Appeal of Removal of Officers
The officer who is being forced to resign shall have the right to appeal if deemed necessary by the Committee’s deliberation. He/she shall file the appeal with the office of Student Activities or the Joint Club Board who shall in turn consult with the Committee officers to discuss the matter.

Article IV: Elections

Section 1: Nomination Process

  • At the founding of the club, the leadership committee shall be made of self-nominated officers among the founding members.
  • All candidates for subsequent committees shall be elected into office by a majority vote.
  • Students studying abroad shall not be nominated or elected into office.

Section 2: Election

  1. Annual general elections shall be held in April. The election date shall be determined by the Committee.
  2. The current Committee members shall be charged with responsibility for organizing and scheduling elections.
  3. Club members shall nominate candidates who eligible for offices.
  4. All officers shall be elected into office by secret ballot and confirmed by a majority vote.
  5. Committee officers shall hold office for a one year term and can only serve for three terms.

Section 3: Special Elections
Upon removal or resignation of an officer, the chairperson shall call a general meeting at which an election will be conduct to fill the vacant office.

Article V: Advisor

Section 1: Selection

  • The GAAO Adviser shall be nominated among the current faculty and staff of the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.
  • The Club Adviser shall be one who has expressed genuine interest in the activities of the club. He or she must show support for the club’s mission and also have commitment to the service of the club.
  • The committee shall nominate the Club Adviser in consultation with the Club members.

Section 2: Duties
The Organization Advisor will be expected to:

  1. Meet with the executive board as often as necessary
  2. Explain institutional policy/procedure
  3. Offer financial management advice
  4. Provide continuity for the club/organization from year to year
  5. Act as a resource to the group
  6. Attend programs that may potentially have liability/risk for the institutions
  7. Intervene when knowledge of illegal activity/activities contrary to CSB/SJU policy occur

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1: Regular Meeting/Club Activities

  1. The general club meeting shall convene twice a month.
  2. The Committee officers’ meetings shall be held once a month and when urgent business needs to be taken care of.

Section 2: Special Meetings
In the event that an urgent issue arises and requires attendance of more that 50% of the membership, the President shall call a special general session.

Section 3: Parliamentary Authority

  1. The president of the club will preside over both Board and general meetings.
  2. In the absence of the president, the vice president will automatically assume the duty of presiding over meetings.

Section 4: Quorum

  • For a general meeting to take place there must be at least five members in attendance.
  • Three Board members or more must be present for the Board meeting to convene.
  • A meeting shall only be cancelled if the number of members in presence is under three persons.
  • For any voting process to be valid a 2/3 majority of the members must be in attendance.
  • Major deliberations concerning club policies and general operations shall require a 70% majority vote.
  • Minor issues can be validly deliberated upon by Board members with consultation from some club members and the club advisor.

Article VII: Committees

Section 1: Committee Structure

There are four sub-committees that will be headed up by one or more executive member. The committees and duties will be broken down as follows:

  1. AIDS Day (Big Event): This committee will work to organize one big event each semester. For fall semester that will focus on AIDS Day (Dec. 1)
  2. Speakers/Movies: This committee will organize events that bring people or information to campus. Some possibilities include movies or speakers.
  3. Small Events: This committee will help raise awareness on campus. Some small events may include bus-stop giveaways, bingo nights, or prayer services. This committee should work to have an event each month.
  4. Products/Sales/Fundraisers: This committee will work to produce and promote a product to raise funds and help raise awareness. This committee will also work to raise money for various organizations, decided on by this committee as well as the entire club.

Committees will present at each Global AIDS meeting what they have been working on, if they have any upcoming events, and if they need help from other groups.

These committees can be amended as needed.

Section 2: Special/Ad-Hoc Committees

  1. There are no special/ad-hoc committees; however, this section can be amended in the event that it is deemed necessary to form Ad-Hoc Committees.
  2. Any amendment shall be done following the guidelines outlined under section IX.

Article VIII: Finances

Section 1: Co-Funding Board

  1. The club shall have an operating budget and shall annually apply for funding from the Co-Funding Board.
  2. In allocating its resources and monies, the club shall follow CFB and CSB/SJU Institutional regulations.
  3. The club shall have its account only under the Student Account office and the operation of that account will follow guidelines set by the institutions.
  4. The club shall have rights to raise funds for its projects. This will be in compliance with university policies regarding fund solicitation.
  5. All major fund-raising projects and spending shall be done in consultation with the club advisor.

Section 2: Honorariums
No Club Officer or member shall be entitled to a stipend or salary of any kind.

Section 3: Dues (optional)

  • No mandatory membership dues shall be charged from club members.
  • In the event that Committee falls short of funds, and there is an urgent club financial need, club members shall be called upon to make a reasonable financial contribution.

Article IX: Amendments

Section 1: Ratification

  • A proposal for a new amendment shall be first be discussed by the Board members and then presented to club advisor for guidance.
  • A valid amendment to this constitution shall voted on with a 2/3 majority of voting members.
  • A general meeting shall be summoned to discuss and vote on a major amendment to the constitution.
  • No alterations shall be done to this constitution just to suit an individual officer or member’s personal interests.

Section 2: Submittal to Department of Student Activities and Joint Club Board