CONSTITUTION
Article
I. NAME
The
name of the organization shall be Lambda.
Article
II. PURPOSE
Section
1.
Lambda
fosters and promotes an open and honest environment for homosexual,
heterosexual, bisexual, questioning, and trans-gendered students,
partners, faculty, staff and supporters in the University of West
Georgia community. Lambda promotes equality based on sexual
orientation and gender identity in the UWG community and encourages
advocacy and activism to achieve its goals. Lambda also
provides the UWG community with opportunities for education,
discussions, social services, and general resources based upon the
gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and ally
(GLBTQIA) lifestyle, history, culture, and struggles.
Section
2.
Lambda
shall achieve its goals each academic year by continuing the
following agenda:
1. Host
weekly meetings. These meetings shall be open to any and all
students, faculty members, staff members, and members of the local
community.
2.
Promote a positive visibility in the community.
3.
Encourage a sense of community among all GLBTQIA members as well as
among the friends/supporters of GLBTQIA members.
4.
Organize educational forums and seminars to help foster equality and
understanding in the UWG community about issues of sexual orientation
and gender identity.
5.
Get involved and coordinate with other university organizations in
order to establish and maintain a broader community of understanding
and equality on campus.
Section
3.
By
recognizing diversity within the community of which it serves, Lambda
shall maintain a policy of comprehensive inclusion and
representation. Lambda shall respect and embrace the cultural
diversity existing on campus. Lambda shall also offer a fundamentally
safe place at the University of West Georgia to be a member in the
GLBTQIA community.
Article
III. MEMBERSHIP
Section
1.
1.
Lambda shall have General and Official membership, which includes but
is not limited to, UWG students, faculty, and staff. Lambda
shall actively encourage and pursue gender equality and ethnic
diversity on campus. Membership in Lambda shall not be
contingent upon sexual orientation.
2.
As pertaining to the University of West Georgia’s set
regulations, at least 85% of the recorded membership must be
registered students.
Section
2.
Membership
in Lambda shall be composed of the following types of membership:
1.
General Membership (GM)
A. GM
is open to all currently registered students, faculty, and staff, if
so designated by the Executive Board.
B. One
must have attended at least two weekly meetings per semester to be
considered a GM.
C. A
GM may participate in committees, event planning, and other group
activities.
D. A
GM may have voting rights after attending at least four meetings per
semester, unless determined other wise by the Executive Board.
2.
Official Membership (OM)
A.
OM is open to any and all students, faculty, and staff who have paid
dues for the current academic year.
B.
Officers may establish dues for OM at the beginning of the academic
year.
C. OM
are eligible for committee chairmanship, co-chairmanship, elected
office, and have voting rights.
Note:
A list of all members will be kept confidential. This list shall
serve for the sole purpose of dictating during elections as to who
has voting rights and who does not.
Lambda
shall not include alumni, students on leave, nor community members
into their official school roster, however, shall allow for
aforementioned unregistered members to participate in the save events
and functions on a separate roster for Lambda's appreciation and
recognition potluck announcements.
Article
IV. EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section
1.
Lambda
shall elect an Executive Board consisting of the following officer
positions:
1.
Co-Presidents (one male and one female)
2. Vice-President
3.
Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Campus Education
Coordinator/Public Relations Officer
The
Executive Board will be responsible for upholding the Lambda
Constitution and abiding by the UWG regulations at all times.
Section
2.
General
guidelines of the elected officers are as follows:
1. Elected
officers may choose to swap tasks to accommodate preferences and
skills.
2.
Officers will meet at least once a week in order to coordinate
activities for the upcoming general meeting as well as decide upon
future events.
3.
Officers must maintain open, honest, and constant contact with each
other and Lambda’s advisors.
Section
3.
The
duties and powers of each officer are as follows:
1. Co-Presidents
A.
There will be two positions: one male Co-President as well as one
female Co-President.
- The gender for the position a person may
run for is determined by the declared identity of the candidate.
B.
Both shall have equal power and authority.
C.
Both shall have authority to serve in absence of the other.
D.
Both shall assist each other and coordinate efforts.
E. Both
shall be responsible for presiding over weekly meetings.
F.
Both shall ensure all activities of Lambda fall within the
organizational goals as stated in the Constitution.
G.
Both shall ensure that group activities and functions are
properly managed and abide by SUWG guidelines and regulations.
H.
Both shall be the official representatives of Lambda in business
and public opinion. Likewise, the Co-Presidents will make
decisions for the organization in cases of emergency.
I.
Both shall create committees as needed.
J.
Both shall assign the duties of officers, if positions are vacant
or responsibilities are unfulfilled, and call for elections if
necessary.
K.
Both shall establish and maintain communication between all
committees, the general group body, and the officers.
L.
Both shall formulate a yearly agenda for Lambda, such as a
list of planned activities and events. Goals and priorities will
also be determined.
2.
Vice-President
A.
Help maintain communication between the members, the executive
board, and the advisors.
B.
Help maintain contact with the alumni.
C.
Assist in organizing fundraising activities for the year.
D.
Organize and manage programs to poll and keep record of GLBTQIA life
on the UWG campus. For example: surveys, interviews,
testimonies, etc…
E.
Maintain contact with other university organizations by encouraging
joint work and activities. Inform them of seminars and activities
that may be equally beneficial for both organizations.
3. Secretary
A.
Maintain the Lambda records:
-Minutes for executive and
committee meetings.
-Records and information regarding activities
and events.
B.
Maintain records of General and Official members, committee
chairmanships, and officer boards.
C.
Be responsible for updating and coordinating the organization's
website.
D.
Maintain contact with alumni.
4. Treasurer
A.
Oversee finances of Lambda for the year.
B.
Set up a budget for the year.
C.
Oversee the monetary aspects of fundraising activities.
D.
Compile and present a financial report to the advisors and the
Executive Board.
E.
Collect dues from the OM.
F.
Maintain constant contact with Executive Board regarding the
funds, with a clear report of the distribution of the funds.
5. Campus
Education Coordinator/Public Realtions Officer
A.
Organize and manage class discussions throughout the year.
B.
Organize campus forums and events providing an education of
understanding and outreach for those who may be in need.
C.
Promote and suggest group activities for providing further
education and outreach.
a. For example: lock-ins, hiking
trips, trips to the mall, community service opportunities, etc…
D.
Promote and increase publicity of Lambda by distributing flyers,
newspaper ads, and other advertising possibilities.
E.
Maintaining awareness around campus of our organization. For example:
our duties, activities, and general presence around campus.
Note:
Every member of the Executive Board will be responsible for helping
manage Lambda's office. Office hours will be established for the
Executive Board based around the officer’s class and work
schedule.
Section
4.
Terms
of Office are as follows:
1.
All officers shall serve one full academic year, beginning at the
start of the Fall Semester and ending at the closing of Summer
Sessions.
2.
If an officer resigns from his/her position, the officer must give
the advisors and the Executive Board sufficient notice of his/her
resignation. An announcement will then be made during a general
meeting to inform the members. Within the next two weeks, an election
shall be held to fill the position for the remainder of the academic
year.
Section
5.
Elections
shall be held as follows:
1. Elections
will take place in the first or second week of April, and must be
ended by April 15, before the group reregisters. Sufficient
public notice must be made for ALL elections whether annual elections
or those called by the President/s.
2. During
elections, one may run for multiple positions on the Executive Board.
However, a person may only serve as an officer for a single position
on the Executive Board.
3. Candidates
may nominate themselves for a position during an election.
4.
Candidates must be prepared to prove their ability to serve and
improve the desired position.
5.
Candidates must be registered students and must be planning to remain
as registered students for the duration of their term in office, a
full academic year.
6. Officers
shall be elected by a majority vote. The vote will consist of those
members who hold voting rights.
7.
A voter may only vote for one candidate per position. Every vote
counts equally.
8. The
vote shall be collected and tabulated by at least one of the current
Co-Presidents and the Secretary. However, if that is not possible for
some reason, then two current officers shall collect and tabulate the
votes.
A. If it is necessary, the tabulation may occur in
the presence of an advisor.
9. Votes
that are cast electronically (through email, facebook, or myspace)
may be accepted. In order to be accepted, the vote must be printed as
a hardcopy and show no signs of fraud.
10. Candidates
may not vote for themselves during an election. They must wait
outside the door until the voting has concluded.
11. Current
officers must create time in order to train their replacing officers
on performing their duties and responsibilities. This must occur
before the following academic school year begins.
Section
6.
Impeachment
shall be dealt with as follows:
1.
An officer may be impeached by a two-thirds majority vote in the
general assembly held by the voting members of Lambda, the advisors
of Lambda, and the remaining Executive Board members.
Section
7.
Officers
may create temporary positions, with approval from the Co-Presidents,
to assist in performing the duties of office.
Article
V. COMMITTEES
Section
1.
Lambda
shall form standing committees to manage and coordinate on going
projects of the organization.
1.
Committees are mostly social/main events.
A. Committees
shall be lead by either an officer or an official member designated
by Executive Board.
B. These
committees shall be responsible for maintaining regular group events
as well as charity events.
C.
Events, such as the following, may have a committee:
a.
Fall/Spring Festivals
b. Homecoming Activities
c. Holiday
Activities
d. National Coming Out Day
e. Day of Silence
f.
Atlanta Pride
g. World Aids Day/ AIDS Walk
h. Ovarian Cancer
Walk
i. Transgender Remembrance Day
j. Fundraising Events
k.
Other Events, as determined by Lambda
D.
Similar events may be grouped together in a committee for efficiency
purposes. For example: AIDS Walk and the Ovarian Cancer Walk may be
placed under a single committee.
E.
Committees shall be responsible for encouraging and suggesting social
and public activities.
F.
Because some of the events organized by the committees fall into the
agendas of some of the officers, those officers are expected to
actively guide and participate in the committee.
Section
2.
General
Guidelines for Committees are as follows:
1.All
committees shall elect a chair and co-chair. Upon approval by the
Executive Board, the chair and co-chair shall be responsible for
management of the committee’s activities.
2.
Chairs shall be responsible for providing reports of committee
progress to Lambda Executive Board and Members
3.
Committees shall meet, preferably, at least once a week and must
schedule regular meetings as necessary.
Article
VI. MEETINGS
Lambda
shall host weekly meetings at a regular time and place as determined
by the Executive Board.
Article
VII. AMENDMENTS
1.
Any amendments to Lambda’s Constitution may be suggested by a
member, an officer, or an advisor.
2.
The proposed amendment must be submitted to the Co-Presidents in
writing.
3.
The proposed amendment shall then be discussed at an Executive Board
meeting and at least one general weekly meeting. Voting shall
occur no later than two weeks after proposal of amendment.
A.
Proper notification to all members, officers, and advisors must
occur.
B. Votes that are cast electronically (through
email, facebook, or myspace) may be accepted. In order to be
accepted, the vote must be printed as a hardcopy and show no signs of
fraud.
C. All votes will be collected and tabulated by the
Co-Presidents.
D. A two-thirds majority vote in the general
assembly held by the voting members of Lambda, the advisors of
Lambda, and the Executive Board members is required for the amendment
to pass.
E. The amendment must state whether it is to be
put into effect immediately or at the end of the present semester.
Amended
on 1-20-10 by the 09-10 executive board. Submitted by Michael Sands,
09-10 male co-president.