Joint Student Muslim Society Constitution
Joint Student Muslim Society Constitution
ARTICLE I. Name of Organization
We, the students of CSB/SJU, have agreed to and have adopted the present constitution and do hereby establish an organization to be known as The Joint Student Muslim Society.
ARTICLE II. Purpose
Section 1.
We are the Joint Student Muslim Society we seek to to foster unity among Muslim students at CSB/SJU, to spread Islam Awareness across campus, and to engage in community service.
1. Promote the acceptance and adherence to Islamic morals, the Quran and the Sunnah.
2. Promote unity and joint action among the Muslims on Campus.
3. Conduct religious, charitable, educational, cultural and service activities according to Islamic tradition.
4. Arrange and hold congregational prayer and Islamic religious festivals at appropriate times.
5. Promote healthy relations among Muslims and non-Muslims according to the guidelines of Islam.
6. Endeavor to make Islamic teachings known to interested non-Muslims
Section 2.
The Association shall be a non-profit, non-political organization, and the fundamental purpose of the Association shall be to encourage and to enable Muslims with the basic knowledge and competence in Islam to contribute individually and collectively toward meeting community needs in conformity with generally and historically accepted Islamic doctrines and belief. It shall also be the purpose of the Association to create community and togetherness.
ARTICLE III. Membership
Section 1.
Membership in this organization will not be restricted on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, sex or age.
Section 2.
All Students are welcome from both institutions.
Section 3.
The membership of the JSMS will consist of Active, Regular, Associate, and Honorary Membership.
A. Active Member shall be any student wishing to join.
B. Regular Member shall be any student wishing to join.
C. Associate Member shall be any student wishing to join.
D. Honorary Membership shall be granted to all Alumni who had a history of activism in the organization. Honorary Membership can only be assigned by executive committee approval.
Section 4.
The rights and privileges enjoyed by the various categories of membership have been outlined as follows:
A. Active Membership
1. May vote on matters (official or not) including elections, amendments and other motions brought forth in general body meetings.
2. Can serve as committee heads pending executive committee approval.
3. Can serve as officials on the executive committee and run for office.
B. Regular Membership
1. May vote on matters (official or not) including elections, amendments and other motions brought forth in general body meetings.
2. Can serve as committee heads pending executive committee approval.
C. Associate Membership
1. Will be entitled to all the privileges enjoyed by the Regular Members of the organization. However, Associate members will not be voting members for elections or amendments and the Executive committee of the JSMS will only comprise of the Active members of the Association.
D. Honorary Membership
1. All members who graduate.
Section 5.
Membership may be terminated upon decision of the Executive Committee for any actions which violate the regulations meaning disrespect only.
ARTICLE IV. Officers and Faculty/Staff Advisor
Section 1. POSITIONS
A. the Executive Committee (officers) of this organization shall be:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. General Secretary
5. Finance Secretary (Treasurer)
6. Event Coordinator
7. Event Coordinator
8. Public Relations
B. All the officers shall be elected for their respective offices and shall hold these positions for a full one-year term.
C. All the officers are responsible for the JSMS and it’s actions
D. All officers are required to have the interest of the JSMS in mind
E. Only Active Members are eligible for positions on the Executive Committee. For a full discussion concerning the requirements of Active Membership, refer to Article III, Section 3.
Section 2. POWERS
The powers of the executive committee have been outlined as follows:
1. The membership of a meeting (officers/cabinet) shall have the power to:
a. Determine organizational policies and initiate programs.
b. Develop and adopt well being of the organization, provided that they do not conflict with the elements and spirit of this constitution and The Religious Umbrella By-Laws.
2. The President shall be responsible for:
a. The general management of all the activities of the Association.
b. Directing and coordinating all the activities so as to achieve the purpose of the Association.
c. Delegate any authority to any of the officers as needed.
d. Calling and presiding over meetings of the Executive Committee and the General body.
e. Finalizing the agenda for the Executive Committee and General Body meetings and notifying the members of the Executive Committee and the General Body, respectively, of it.
f. Forming various Ad Hoc Committees with the approval of the Executive Committee.
g. Controlling the spending of major funds as defined in Section 6C of this Article.
h. Presenting reports on the state of the Association to the annual meeting.
i. Being the spokesman, representative and correspondent for the Association in external activities.
j. Establishing an efficient link between the Association and the MSAs of the US and Canada by his active involvement.
k. Training the new President once elected and handing over the responsibilities.
L. Communicating with Advisor and SALD office
3. The Vice-President:
a. Assisting the President in accomplishing the purpose of the Association
b. Temporarily assuming the functions of the President when requested as such by the president, or if the President is incapacitated, or in the absence of the President. In the latter case, c. Maintaining a list of the members with their names, email addresses and updating the list at least once in a period of three months.
d. Sending the weekly email as needed.
f. Training the new Vice-President once elected and handing over the responsibilities.
4. The General Secretary shall be responsible for:
a. Reporting the important events and activities of the Association to the JSMS headquarters, periodically.
b. Preparing, circulating within a two-week period and maintaining the minutes of all the Executive and General Body meetings.
c. Compiling the agenda for the Executive Committee and General Body meetings and notifying the members of the Executive Committee and the General Body, respectively, of it.
d. Maintaining the list of the members and the volunteers for various functions of the Association.
e. Directing and supervising the activities of the various committees.
f. Presiding over the Executive committee meetings when both the President and Vice Presidents are absent.
g. Presenting at the beginning of every Executive Committee and General body meeting the minutes of the previous meeting for the approval of the Executive Committee/General Body.
h. Maintaining a list of members eligible to vote in the election. This list shall be prepared at least ten days before and at most two weeks before the day of the elections.
i. Training the new General Secretary once elected and handing over the responsibilities
6. The Finance Secretary (Treasure) shall be responsible for:
a. Maintaining the record of all the financial transactions of the Association. He/she shall be responsible for systematic up-keep and writing reimbursements, receipts, banking reconciliation and showing of increase of funds in statements to be made public.
b. Controlling any major expenditure with the written agreement of the President. Any expense requiring the amount of fifty dollars or greater is defined as major expenditures. The signature of the President or the Vice President on the check signifies his agreement with the expenditure. All spending is subject to review by the Cabinet and any mismanagement of funds is punishable by the removal of the persons involved
c. Collecting and depositing all the funds received on behalf of the Association, and countersigning all the withdrawal checks on behalf of the Association in accordance with the majority of the Executive Committee
d. Preparing, on being elected, the annual budget of the Association for the fiscal year in consultation with the newly elected Executive Committee and resenting the same before the Annual General Body meeting
e. Presenting before the Executive committee a quarterly report on the status of the Association financial affairs, including anonymous donations and total donations received by the Association
f. Training the new Finance Secretary once elected and handing over the responsibilities
7. The Event Coordinator shall be responsible for:
a. Acting as a liaison between the Cabinet and the male members of the Association
b. Looking after specific needs
c. Plan & organize events for the club
d. Training the new Coordinator once elected and handing over the responsibilities.
9. The Public Relations (PR) shall be responsible for:
a. Preparing flyers, bulletins, and newsletters of the Association and presenting the same before the Cabinet for their review.
b. Circulating the Association's publications with the help of the campus representatives, if any
c. Editing and publishing literature as well as drafting on behalf of the Association and then presenting the same before the Cabinet for their view
d. Maintaining the list of the members, volunteers, and speakers for various functions of the Association
e. Keeping the Association recognized by the CSB/SJU
f. Training the new PR once elected and handing over the responsibilities
11. Decision on matters (that are not within the responsibilities of a specific officer) shall be taken by the president after consulting with the Cub However, two-thirds majority of the members present, not counting the President or the member presiding in his absence, shall override any presidential decision. The President, or the member presiding in his absence, shall not vote in any election nor shall his vote be counted. The members not attending the meeting shall not able to vote on any issue.
Section 3. IMPEACHMENT
1. Impeachment will occur if any roles are not being met by any executive board members, there will have to be a meeting and a vote to come to a impeachment agreement.
Section 4. ADVISORS
Primary Advisor
i. The primary advisor shall be a member of the faculty or staff at CSB/SJU
ii. The primary advisors role shall be that of a consultant in regards to all affairs administrative. He/she shall provide guidance and support for the organization but shall not have a vote.
iii. The advisor shall be selected by the entire CSB/SJU JSMS.
iv. The advisor shall be removed from their duties should the executive committee feel the need for change. Specifics reasons for removal do not have to be disclosed. There must be a consensus vote for removal of the primary advisor.
Secondary Advisor
i. The secondary advisor shall be any individual with religious knowledge as recognized by the executive committee.
ii. He/she shall serve as a religious consultant to the JSMS and shall assist in guiding them.
iii. The secondary advisor shall not hold any official standing within the school and will only be utilized within the board itself.
iv. The secondary advisor shall be chosen and removed a majority (50%) vote. The reasons for removal do not have to be disclosed.
v. The secondary advisor can serve as a representative for the JSMS in official matters when agreed upon by the executive committee.
ARTICLE V. Elections
Section 1.
The electoral process shall commence at a minimum two weeks prior to the start of final exams of the Spring Semester.
Section 2.
All nominees for the officers' positions must be in good academic standing.
Section 3.
Nominations shall be accepted over a two week span after the executive committee has sent out an email informing the membership of elections. Members are allowed to submit a nomination.
Section 4.
Nominations shall only be accepted via email. The verification of membership status for the nominee and the nominator shall be done by the executive committee.
Section 5.
If current officer has been nominated, it is ok.
Section 6.
The executive committee must request the secondary advisor and one more member of the Muslim community (non-student as selected by the secondary advisor) to supervise the elections. The executive committee members shall not be involved with the elections and can not serve as supervisors.
Section 7.
There shall be a minimum of one election day. The membership shall be given a minimum of two weeks notice concerning election day and no new membership can be registered for at this point. Elections shall be conducted by standard secret balloting.
Section 8.
The executive committee must take the necessary measures to ensure the election process is fairly done. In the event of suspected wrongdoing, the election results shall be invalidated and the secondary advisor shall assign a new election day. Should wrongdoing take place by nominees, he/she shall be disqualified from candidacy.
ARTICLE VI. Meetings
Section 1.
The Association shall have its General body meeting no later than the first month of the fall semester. Any other General Body Meeting may be held during the year as needed.
Section 2.
Oral, written or printed notice of a meeting shall be emailed to all the members of the Association at least two week prior to the date of the meeting.
Section 3.
An emergency meeting of the Cabinet may be called by a petition signed by ten or tenercent of all members, whichever is greater. Such a meeting shall be held within two weeks after the written petition is presented to the President & both Vice-Presidents.
Section 4.
The Cabinet shall meet at least once every month at such a time and place as is most convenient and suitable to most of the cabinet members (officers).
Section 5.
The President may call meetings in addition to the regular monthly meeting whenever he considers it necessary.
Section 6.
The general concerns of the members should be discussed in the General Body meeting. It is the responsibility of the members who have raised the concerns to attend the General Body meeting and get the answers to their concerns.
ARTICLE VII. Finances
The MSA has no set dues.
ARTICLE VIII. Amendments
Section 1.
For members to propose any changes in the constitution, they must submit a written petition with at least 45% of the MSA members' signatures. Executive Committee can propose changes for the constitution without petition at the General Body meeting and must post two weeks prior to consideration.
Section 2.
A two-thirds favorable vote of those members of the organization present at a regular meeting shall be required to ratify an amendment.
Section 3.
The Office of Student Activities must review all amendments in the same manner as a completely new constitution.
ARTICLE IX. Constitution Ratification and Enforcement
Section 1.
The constitution shall be ratified by a simple majority of the executive committee.
Section 2.
This constitution shall take effect when recognized by the CSB/SJU SALD office and its members upon the first meeting.