Project Eight Club Constitution

College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University

CONSTITUTION

PROJECT EIGHT

Article I: Name and Purpose

Section A: Name

•1.       The Name of this club shall be Project Eight (P8). "Project Eight" refers to the organization of CSB/SJU student members.

•2.       "Channel Eight" refers to the actual television channel accessed by tuning into the local network channel 8.

Section B: Purpose/Mission

•1.       The mission of Project Eight is to design, create, and broadcast quality, relevant television programming to the CSB/SJU community with special focus on student-produced content that contributes to the sense of place, entertainment, and edification of the student body, in alignment with the School's policies as a Benedictine Catholic institution of higher learning.

Section C: Affiliation

•1.      Our organization is not affiliated with any regional/national organizations.

Article II: Membership

Section A: Eligibility for General Membership

•1.      General Membership in Project Eight is open to any CSB/SJU student regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, political affiliation, favorite color, dialect, physical disability or ability, mutation, social status, grade point average, or any otherwise distinguishing characteristic.

•2.      Non-students [e.g., faculty/staff] are not allowed to be full members, but they can be non-voting, Affiliate Members [e.g. advisors].

Section B: Board Member Criteria 

•1.      Any General Member is eligible for Board membership, given their acceptance as candidates (see Article III).

•2.      Board Member candidates may be nominated by either current Board Members or General Members.

•3.      Board Members must be voted in by the two-third majority vote by current board members and general members.

Section C: Removal of Members

•1.      Resignation.

•a.       In the event that a Club Member (any General Member or Board Member) deems himself or herself a Non-Club Member, his or her membership shall be thereafter nulled. And the Club will remove the name from all rosters.

•b.       Renewal of general membership shall be granted at any time.

•2.      Removal.

•a.       The policy of Project Eight in regards to the forced removal of membership is as follows,

•                                                                          i.      All members freely associate or disassociate themselves with the Club according to their own will.

•                                                                        ii.      The membership of all General Members is assumed unless resignation is explicitly stated by the Member in question.

•b.       In the event that a Club Member demonstrates lack of interest, lack of participation, or lack of productivity in regards to the Club, the Club shall make no effort to dissolve membership, except in the case of Board Members (see Article III, Section E).

Article III: Officers

Section A: Board Member Qualifications

•1.      Qualifications for Board Members are established to ensure that Project Eight has and maintains adequate leadership.

•2.      All Board Members must be registered students of CSB/SJU.

•3.      In order to maintain leadership stability, only members of the board that have been present on the board for at least a year can be appointed President.

•4.      Any student of CSB/SJU may be appointed Vice President.

•5.      Board Members, upon acceptance as candidates, must demonstrate,

•a.      Experience in an area related to their position.

•b.      Commitment to the Club.

•c.       Leadership and initiative.

Section B: Board Members

•1.      Board Members are those Club Members who hold and exercise the key leadership positions of the club, exercising their vote  including, but not limited to the following:

•a.      President

Responsible for governing roles, delegating duties and advising board members in their tasks in the running and development of Project Eight, while having a proficient knowledge of everything occurring in the organization and initiating new ideas in the club's development.

•b.      Vice President

Accountable for the responsibility of the club in the event of the President's incapacitation or unavailability; Responsible for pushing the club forward, looking for opportunities for growth, and interacting with all members (playing a hand in all club activities).

•c.       Secretary

Responsible for organizing and scheduling board meetings, keeping track of decisions and changes made within the organization, and being capable of responding to all forms of communication directly or indirectly.

•d.      Head of Advertising

Responsible for everything concerning the advertising department of Project Eight, assigning roles within the department as deemed necessary and delegating the work load appropriately to advertise student entities on campus.

•e.       Head of Public Relations CSB

Responsible for everything concerning public relations for Project Eight at CSB, assigning roles and delegating tasks to team members as seen fit to advertise the organizations image through all appropriate media and organizing events.

•f.        Head of Public Relations SJU
Responsible for everything concerning public relations for Project Eight at SJU, assigning roles and delegating tasks to team members as seen fit to advertise the organizations image through all appropriate media and organizing events.

•g.      Event Coordinator

Responsible for organizing, scheduling and carrying out events for Project Eight, including communicating with all possible entities to ensure the events success.

•h.      Channel Eight Programmer

Appointed by media services, this is the only member unable to be elected. Responsible for acting as a medium between media services and Project Eight in implementing plans for the channel's schedule, shows and commercials on channel eight.

•i.        News Director

Responsible for organizing, scheduling and delegating roles and tasks for everything concerning providing news on Channel Eight. This includes producing news and communicating with all necessary entities on campus to provide and come up with news.

•j.        Treasurer

Responsible for keeping track and providing information based on the finances available to Project Eight. Also accountable to remain in communication with entities on campus that provide permission to funds and to other members of the club who need funds.

•k.       Web Director

Responsible for everything concerning Project Eights website, including but not limited to: being in control of the websites image, delegating roles to appropriate members for completion and maintenance of the website and carrying out necessary tasks.

•2.      Additional Board Member positions may be created or dissolved by the two-third majority vote by General Members and Board Members. (See Article II, Section B.)

•3.      See Article IV for Election procedures.

Section C: Duties of Board Members

•1.      It is expected that participation in Board Meetings includes giving updates concerning one's department.

•2.      Attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences shall be defined as absences without notification of the other board members at least 3 hours in advance.

Section D: Vacancy in Office

1.   In the event a vacancy should occur (resignation or removal), the Board must fill the vacancy or dissolve the Board position.

2._To fill the position, the appropriate Board Member will temporarily assume those duties, and/or a special election is held. (See Article IV, Section B.)

3.  Officer succession/"chain of command"

a. In the event that the President leaves office, the Vice President will assume those duties until a special election is held.

b. In the event of any other vacant position, an active Member from within the respective committee shall assume the responsibilities of the Head of the Committee, until a special election is head. (e.g. the News Director leaves office and is replaced by an active member of the News Team.)

c. If a Board Position is left vacant, the Board may recourse to a special election to install a new Board Member by unanimous vote.

Section E: Removal of Board Members

•1.      If it becomes apparent that a Board Member is not presenting pertinent updates, the President or the Vice President may ask the member in question to return to active participation or step down from their position.

•2.      In the event of a member accruing more than 3 unexcused absences, the President or the Vice President may ask the member in question to return to active participation or step down from their position.

•3.      Upon the unanimous vote of the other Board Members and after a preliminary inquiry has been made to the Board Member in question, he or she may be removed from the Board Membership.

Section F: Appeal of Removal of Board Members

•1.      Should the removed Board Member wish to appeal the decision of removal, he or she may explain him or herself to the Board at a Board Meeting and receive another vote.

•2.      Should the Board hold to their decision, the member in question must step down.

•3.      In the event the Board recants their previous decision, the member in question is readmitted to the Board with full membership.

Article IV: Elections

Section A: Nomination Process

•1.      At the first All-Club Meeting of the Spring Semester, the Club will announce all the Board Member positions that will be open for voting.

•a.       General Club Members desirous of Board Membership at this time submit their name to the Board and the position name.

•b.      Upon submission of his or her name, the General Member becomes a candidate for Board Membership, and is instructed to prepare an application, including the below mentioned portfolio.

•2.      At the Second All-Club Meeting of the Spring Semester, during the first two weeks of B-MOD, Candidates must submit an application and portfolio to be considered, including,

a.     A one-page Personal Info Application, containing,

i. Name

ii. DOB

iii. Email

iv. Phone Number

v. Graduation year

vi. List of other clubs and organizations involved

vii. Short answer self-description

viii. Favorite movie and why.

b.   A one-page Mission Statement, displaying the candidate's passion, creativity, organization, commitment, and reasons for joining Project Eight.

c.   A representation of the candidate's past achievements.

d.   At least one Proposal for a new project, detailed enough to begin upon taking office.

Section B: Election

1.  At the Board Meeting following the Second All-Club Meeting of the Spring Semester, the Board shall review the applications for Board Membership.

2.  At the Board's discretion, candidates are asked to be interviewed within the next two Board Meetings.

3.  Upon two-third majority vote by the Board and General Members, candidates are informed of the decision by the following Board Meeting.  If less than 65% percent, but more than 50% is received and the Board unanimously agrees, the candidate is to be elected.  If neither of these criteria are met, then a new vote shall be established with the only two candidates being those with the highest percentage of votes received in the first election.  The candidate with the majority vote shall win the election.

4.  New Board Members must attend all Board Meetings until the end of the semester, but do not begin their respective terms until the first day of the following semester. 

5.  Once elected, Board Members retain their position until graduation, voluntary resignation, or removal.

Section C: Special Elections

1.  In the case of removal or resignation of a Board Member, a special election must take place to fill the vacancy.

2.  Being an emergency situation, the standard election procedures need not apply, but rather a simple assumption of duties by an active member of the respective committee will suffice.

Article V: Advisor

Section A: Selection

•1.      The Club Advisor shall be determined by the two-thirds majority vote of the Board at a Board Meeting.

•2.      The Club Advisor should be supportive of the Club's mission and have the capability of giving technical and organizational guidance as well as ideas for future development.

Section B: Duties

•1.      The Advisor is required to attend at least one Board Meeting each semester.

•2.      The Advisor shall not take over leadership of the Club, but rather be a facilitator of its goals and mission.

Article VI: Meetings

Section A: Board Meetings

•1.      The Project Eight Board of Directors shall have a weekly meeting to...

        a.  Keep each other informed on the current state of the club.

        b.  Make authoritative decisions for the club as a whole. 

2.    All Board Members are required to attend and give a report on the status of their respective departments.

Section B: All-Club Meetings

1.  There shall be two All-Club Meetings each semester, marking both the beginning and the end of each term.

2.  These meetings shall be focused on...

a. Creating a sense of club unity.

b. Celebrating and reviewing accomplishments.

c. Preparing for future endeavors. 

3. All members shall be highly encouraged to attend and participate in these meetings.

Section C: Quorum
1. At Board Meetings, the Quorum shall be fixed at 2/3 of the Board Members.

2. If less than 2/3 of the Board Members are present, no authoritative decisions may be made for the club.

Article VII: Committees

Section A: Committee Structure

1. The Board of Directors shall be the committee that makes authoritative decisions for the club, and oversees all committees, represented by the various Board Members.

2. The Advertising Committee is the body of club members dedicated to producing commercial-like content for the Channel.

             a. The Head of Advertising represents the committee as a Board Member.

3. The Public Relations (PR) Committee is the body of club members dedicated to promoting awareness, participation in, and viewership of the club to the Student Body.

            a. The Events Committee is a branch of the PR Committee dedicated to planning and executing events on campus to promote and advertise for the club.

            b. The Head of Public Relations represents the committee as a Board Member.

4. Each Student-run Production shall be considered a committee of its own, having representation in the Board by the General Manager and Assistant General Manager.

Section B: Special/Ad-Hoc Committees
1. Special Committees may be created as needed, and their chairman shall represent them as a Board Member.

Article VIII: Finances

Section A: Co-Funding Board

•1.      Project Eight will apply for CFB monies and if allocated resources, Project Eight will follow all CFB and institutional regulations.

Section B: Honorariums

•1.      Honorariums shall not be given

Article IX: Amendments

Section A: Ratification

•1.        Should any Amendments be desired to this Constitution, a Board Member should make a proposal during the weekly Board Meeting.

•2.       Upon unanimous approval of the Board, at a board meeting, the proposed amendment shall be ratified.

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

•1.      Any changes made to this constitution must be submitted to the Department of Student Activities and the JCB.

Article X (The following is a required statement for all clubs and organizations)

•1.       Project Eight 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 (The following is a required statement for all clubs and organizations)

•1.       Project Eight considers hazing to be a degrading and destructive activity which is inconsistent with the standards of this student organization. Project Eight recognizes the dignity of every person and opposes all forms of hazing.

Date of recognition/revision: April 25, 2012