Constitution of the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges

Preamble
We, the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges, in order to promote the ideals of the Democratic Party through the education of persons, the encouragement of political discussion and debate, and the promotion of political activism within the Claremont Colleges community, do hereby establish

Article I
Motto
The motto of the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges shall be “educate, debate, activate.”

Article II
Membership

A Member shall be defined as any member of the Claremont Colleges community who has attended or helped plan at least two club functions and is up to date with payment of club dues. The amount of club dues shall be set by the membership.

A Founding Member shall be defined as any member of the Claremont Colleges community who participates in the ratification of this Constitution. A Founding Member shall have all the rights and privileges of a Member.

Membership privileges shall include participation in activities funded by the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges. All Members have the right to vote. Any member of the Claremont Colleges’ community may plan an event, with the consent of the Executive Board.

Article III
Executive Board

The Democrats of the Claremont Colleges shall be led by an Executive Board that shall be composed of a President, a Vice President of Internal community Affairs, a Vice President of External community Affairs, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Terms of office for the Executive Board Members shall be one semester. There shall be no limits on the number of terms that a Member may serve on the Executive Board.

The Board shall be empowered to authorize spending of club funds, to create temporary committees, to appoint committee chairs, to raise a militia, and to act in the interests of the club at times when it is not possible to consult with the membership at a general meeting.

Board meetings shall be called by the President. Half of the Board Members compose a quorum.

Positions & Duties
The President shall have the duty of chairing meetings of the Executive Board and the general membership. The President shall have the power to act on behalf of the club. The President is responsible for the welfare of the club. The primary duty of the president shall be to oversee the administration of the club. The president shall be the spokesperson for the organization.

The Vice President of Internal community Affairs shall communicate with national and state Democratic organizations.

The Vice President of External community Affairs shall also be responsible for aiding Members with internship opportunities, administrative requirements for conventions with which the Democrats of the Claremont Colleges are chartered or affiliated, and updating the club on current events.

The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes of the Executive Board meetings and general meetings, publishing a club newsletter, keeping general records, and maintaining the internal communications of the club.

The Treasurer shall have the duties of signing check request forms, approving club expenditures, keeping records of club finances, reporting on a regular basis to the Members the financial status of the club, and organizing fund raisers.

The Past President shall be an advisor to the Board.

Elections
Elections for Board Members shall be held at least two but no more than four weeks prior to final exams. Board elections shall be held in the order of President, Vice President of Internal community Affairs, Vice President of External community Affairs, Secretary, then Treasurer. This shall also be the line of succession.

Removal from Office
Cause for removal shall be defined as malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance of assigned duties, being convicted of a felony, or upon other grounds found by all of the other Members of the Executive Board to constitute good and sufficient cause.
To begin the process for removal, another Member of the Executive Board must charge the officer with the reasons for his/her removal at a meeting of the Executive Board. The officer in question must be offered an opportunity at that meeting to defend his/her self. After a period of two weeks, the issue will be put to a vote. Each of the other four Members of the Executive Board must vote for removal for an officer to be removed.
A vacancy shall be declared when a Member of the Executive Board dies, resigns or is removed from office. If the vacancy occurs in an Executive Board position other than the President, the President shall appoint a successor with the majority consent of the remaining Executive Board.

Article IV
Committees

There shall be four standing committees, the Educational Events Committee, the Debate Events Committee, the Activism Events Committee and the Social Events Committee. The four standing committees and any temporary committees created by the Board shall be responsible for organization of events falling under the domain of the committee. Committee Chairs shall make timely reports to the Executive Board. There shall be no limit on the number of terms a Member can serve as a Committee Member or Chair.

Article V
Meetings

All meetings shall be run by Robert’s Rules of Order. An agenda shall be published prior to the meeting. Approval of all motions requires a simple majority vote except in the case of a Constitutional Amendment. The reversal of motion that was previously passed requires a majority of two-thirds of present voting Members. The Executive Board will call meetings of the Members. Meetings shall be called at least as frequently as one meeting per month from September through April.

Article VI
Amendments

A majority of two-thirds of present Members is required to amend the Constitution. Constitutional Amendments may not be approved in the same meeting that they are proposed.