Drexel Philosophy Club Constitution

 

Article I:  Name

 

The name of this group will be the Drexel Philosophy Club.

 

Article II:  Mission Statement

 

We, the members of the Drexel Philosophy Club will meet regularly to conduct and host philosophical events on topics drawn from current events, literature, films, music, and any other aspect of life.  These events will allow for thought-provoking, respectful discussion with peers and professors in the absence of classrooms, grades, competition, or judgment, for in such a context, people may best develop and clarify their thoughts to themselves and others.  The group will also keep the Drexel University community informed of events relevant to philosophy and will suggest thoughtful readings and films through the maintenance of a Drexel Philosophy Club website.

 

Article III:  Membership

 

Section 1:  Definition

 

Any currently enrolled and active students, faculty, or other interested members of the Drexel University community, regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or ability may comprise the membership of the Drexel Philosophy Club.

 

Section 2:  Rights of Membership

 

A.  All members may speak and be heard at Drexel Philosophy Club meetings.

 

B.  All members may suggest, plan, and organize activities and events sponsored by the Drexel Philosophy Club.

 

Section 3:  Attendance

 

A.  In order to be an active, voting member of the Drexel Philosophy Club and to be eligible to fill one of the offices of the group, a member must attend at least half the meetings each term.

 

Article IV:  Organizational Structure

 

Every member of the Drexel Philosophy Club holds equal power and status in the group.  In accordance with University policy, the positions of President and Treasurer must always be filled and by two separate individuals.  The remaining offices listed below enumerate duties that must be accomplished by members of the Drexel Philosophy Club, and thus several positions may be filled by the same individual.  Furthermore, each specific office need not be filled at any given time, provided that all duties are performed.

 

Section 1:  Responsibilities of Office

 

A.  President

 

            1.  This student will serve as the student liaison to the University.

              

2.  The President will be the official spokesperson for the Drexel Philosophy Club to the University community, including any University press coverage.

 

               B.  Treasurer

 

1. This student will be responsible for managing and reporting to members the budget and all other financial matters relating to the Drexel Philosophy Club.

 

2.  The Treasurer will be responsible for submitting requests for funding to the Student Activities Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC).

 

               C.  Secretary

                             

1. This student will record the minutes of each meeting of the Drexel Philosophy Club, or if unable to attend, will appoint another member to record the minutes.

 

2.  The Secretary will submit an electronic version of the minutes to the webmaster and email listmaster within 72 hours of each meeting.

 

               D.  Email Listmaster

 

1. This student will maintain the member email list of the Drexel Philosophy Club.

 

2.  The Email Listmaster will submit the Secretary’s minutes of each meeting to the member email list and webmaster when they are received.

 

3.  This student will forward all announcements from members or the advisor to the member email list and webmaster when they are received.

 

               E.  Webmaster

 

1.  This student will create and maintain the official website of the Drexel Philosophy Club and post news, updates, announcements, and the thought of the day in a timely fashion.

 

2.  This student will be responsible for ensuring that any materials on the website or message board comply with all Drexel and legal statutes.

 

               F.  Events Coordinator

 

1. This student will be responsible for researching events and activities outside the University for members of the Drexel Philosophy Club.

 

2. This student will be responsible for reserving rooms for meetings and events.

 

               G.  Advertising Chair

                             

1.  This student will work closely with the Events Coordinator to ensure that events are appropriately advertised to members and/or the University community.

 

2. The advertising chair will be responsible for the creation, University approval, and distribution of flyers for Drexel Philosophy Club events.

 

               H.  Constitution Czar

 

1. This student will revise the Constitution annually to fit the needs of the group and will annually submit a draft of the Constitution to the members of the Drexel Philosophy Club for ratification.

 

2.  This student will be responsible for ensuring that the group annually meets requirements for official University recognition.

 

               Section 2:  Selection of Officers

 

A.  Officers will be selected annually for the positions of President and Treasurer at a meeting specifically designated for organizational purposes.  All other officers will be selected as necessary at the first meeting of each academic term.

 

B.  Any member who has attended at least half the meetings per term may nominate himself or herself and/or may be nominated by another member to hold any of the above offices.

 

C.  Once a member is nominated for a position and accepts the nomination, additional members may be nominated to the satisfaction of the members present.  In the event that several people are nominated for the same position, all members present, including those nominated, will vote by secret ballot.  Whichever candidate receives the most votes will fill the position.

 

1) In the event of a tie for most votes among multiple candidates, a revote will be conducted with all other candidates excluded.

 

2) If after a revote a tie still remains among the top candidates, and none of the candidates withdraws, the names of the tied candidates will be written on identical slips of paper, folded, and placed into a box.  The group advisor will then shuffle the papers and draw at random one slip of paper.  The candidate whose name is drawn will fill the position.

 

               Section 3:  Advisor

 

A.  The advisor for the Drexel Philosophy Club will be a professor of philosophy at the University.

 

Article V:  Ratification

 

This Constitution must be ratified by a majority of active members.  Copies will be submitted to the email list at the beginning of each Spring Term, and members will have one week after the submission of each new edition to accept or suggest changes to the Constitution.  After two weeks, a final version of the Constitution will be submitted to the email list for acceptance or rejection.  If after a week a simple majority of respondents have accepted the Constitution, the Constitution will be ratified.  If a simple majority of respondents reject the Constitution, a special meeting will be called to discuss needed revisions of the Constitution and the above process will be repeated.