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Welcome

Welcome to the offical website of the MIT Caribbean Club! Please feel free to explore and learn more about our club, as well as how to become more involved.

Our Mission

The mission of the MIT Caribbean Club is to promote Caribbean culture and awareness of Caribbean affairs to the MIT and greater global community. The Caribbean Club shall be active in organizing activities and events aimed at fostering interaction amongst people of Caribbean descent and others interested in Caribbean culture. The Caribbean Club shall also engage in identifying, promoting, and creating programs that will contribute to the progress and development of the Caribbean and its Diaspora.

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Who We Are

The MIT Caribbean Club is an active, long-standing organization of the Institute. The Club was created primarily so that MIT students could maintain their Caribbean identity, culture, and heritage away from their homeland. Over the years, the MIT Caribbean Club has given many West Indian students at MIT, and in the greater Boston area, a slice of home away from home.

What We Do

The Club has worked arduously to educate as many people in the MIT and Boston community about Caribbean culture and develop an appreciation for our heritage. The Club continues to work towards these objectives as we seek to further encourage support for the Club and further participation and involvement in the Club. In addition to throwing island-themed study breaks where members can learn about the various countries in the Caribbean through experience, we typically plan a few large events per year. In the past these have consisted of a Caribbean Weekend, which consists of a cultural show and party open to the entire college community, Caribbean exhibition at past I-Fairs, in addition to collaborated events thrown jointly by Caribbean organizations of the other schools in Boston. Each year we improve old events and look for new ones that will actively spread Caribbean culture and increase awareness of Caribbean affairs.

Constitution of the MIT Caribbean Club

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ARTICLE I: Organization Name

This organization shall be called the MIT Caribbean Club, hereafter referred to as the Caribbean Club. This organization shall be affiliated to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

ARTICLE II:Purpose

The purpose of the Caribbean Club shall be to promote Caribbean culture and awareness of Caribbean affairs to the MIT and greater global community. The Caribbean Club shall be active in organizing activities and events aimed at fostering interaction amongst people of Caribbean descent and others interested in Caribbean culture. The Caribbean Club shall also engage in identifying, promoting, and creating programs that will contribute to the progress and development of the Caribbean and its Diaspora.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Section 1:

The term “member” when printed without an initial capital, where used in this Constitution, includes all categories of membership. The term "Member" when printed with an initial capital, where used in this Constitution, is defined in Article III, Section 3(a).

Section 2:

Membership in the Caribbean Club shall be designated as Member, Associate Member, and Honorary Member.

Section 3:
    (a) A Member shall be defined as any person pursuing either an undergraduate or graduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has paid his/her dues to the Caribbean Club as determined by the Executive Board of the Caribbean Club. Membership fees may be waived for members that are unable to afford them .This waiver will be determined at the discretion of the MIT Caribbean Club Executive Board.
    (b) An Associate Member shall be defined as any MIT alumni, staff member, faculty member or affiliate who has contributed through their efforts to the goals of the Caribbean Club. Designation is to be set by the Executive Officers of the Caribbean Club.
    (c) An Honorary Member shall be defined as be defined as a person of high moral character who is not affiliated to the Institute in any way, but who has contributed through their efforts to the goals of the Caribbean Club. Designation is to be set by the Executive Officers of the Caribbean Club.
Section 4:

The admission will not be based on race, creed, color, sex, sexual preference, ancestry, national origin, handicap, religion or other discriminatory criteria. The MIT Caribbean Club follows the MIT Nondiscrimination Statement.

Section 5:

All Members, as defined as Article III, Section 3(a), shall have one vote each.

Section 6:

Associate Members and Honorary Members will not have shall not be entitled to a vote in the Caribbean Club meetings.

ARTICLE IV:Executive Board & Duties of Officers

Section 1:

The Executive Board shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Social Chairs, the Programs Chair, and the Webmaster.

Section 2:

All officers must be distinct Caribbean Club members.

Section 3:

All officers must be registered MIT students.

Section 4:

(a) The President shall:

    a. act as the presiding officer of and set the agenda for the executive board meetings.
    b. act on behalf of the executive board when the executive board is out of session and no executive board stipulated precedent exists for an issue in question.
    c. be a liaison between the Caribbean Club and MIT.
    d. monitor the functioning of the organization.
    e. assume or delegate unfulfilled duties and responsibilities.
    f. set a calendar of events for the academic year to be voted upon at the first executive board meeting of the fall semester.
    g. collaborate with the Treasurer on event budgets and funding requests.

(b) The Vice‐President shall:

    a. assume duties, responsibilities, and powers of the presidency in the absence of the President.
    b. assist the President in fulfilling presidential responsibilities.
    c. serve as ASA representative by attending required ASA meetings.
    d. ensure that delegated duties and responsibilities are complete.
    e. reply to all emails sent to the executive board and the Caribbean Club when necessary.
    f. chair the MIT Caribbean Students Conference Committee.

(c) The Treasurer shall:

    a. maintain and provide financial reports to the executive board at every executive board meeting detailing income, revenue, and expenditures of the Caribbean Club.
    b. collaborate with the President on event budgets and funding requests.
    c. process reimbursements and payments for the Caribbean Club.

(d) The Secretary shall:

    a. keep minutes of all executive board meetings.
    b. send minutes of all executive board meetings to the Caribbean Club.
    c. act as parliamentarian at executive board meetings.
    d. maintain, update, and keep current all membership of the Caribbean Club.
    e. act as co‐historian with the Webmaster.

(e) The Social Chair shall:

    a. coordinate and publicize the social activities and events of the Caribbean Club.
    b. create innovative advertising methods for the social activities and events of the Caribbean Club.
    c. see the continuity of the MIT Caribbean Dance Troupe (MCDT) by selecting a dance coordinator and ensuring that the coordinator provides regular feedback to the executive board on practices, performances, and general needs.
    d. liase with the Caribbean organizations at other universities.
    e. notify the Caribbean Club of upcoming Caribbean events at other universities.

(f) The Programs Chair shall:

    a. coordinate and publicize the programming activities and events of the Caribbean Club.
    b. create innovative advertising methods for the programming activities and events of the Caribbean Club.
    c. notify the Caribbean Club of upcoming Caribbean programming events at other universities.

(g) The Webmaster shall:

    a. maintain, update, and keep current the official website of the Caribbean Club.
    b. maintain, update, and keep current all email lists of the Caribbean Club.
    c. act as co‐historian with the Secretary.

Section 5:

A President‐Emeritus can be appointed if:

    a. He or she is a Caribbean Club Member.
    b. Has held the office of President of the Caribbean Club in the past.
    c. Is deemed an active member by the Executive Officers.

Section 6:

The President Emeritus shall be appointed by the President. The President‐Emeritus will only have a vote at Executive Board Meetings, as defined in Article VI, if there is an even number of Executive Officers present.

ARTICLE V: Elections

Section 1:

The election of the Executive Board shall take place in April of each academic year . Special elections will be held for elected officials in case of impeachment, resignation, or otherwise ineligibility. A Quorom (defined in Section VII below) is necessary for all elections to take place.

Section 2:

All elected officials shall serve a term of one year. All newly elected chapter officers shall take office on the 1st of May.

Section 3:

If the President's position should be vacated, the Vice‐President shall assume the position of President for the rest of the term and appoint a new Vice‐President, pending two‐thirds (2/3) approval of the rest of the Executive Board. If both the President and Vice‐President positions are vacant, the Secretary becomes the President.

Section 4:

If there is a vacancy in any of the executive positions during the course of the year, the President shall appoint someone within a month of the vacancy.

ARTICLE VI:Meetings

Section 1:

The term “General Body Meeting” shall be defined as meetings open to the membership. The term “Executive Board Meeting” shall be defined as meetings consisting of Executive officers; members may attend but will not have a vote.

Section 2:

General Body Meetings and Executive Board Meetings shall be presided over by the President, unless he or she is absent, and in that case the Vice‐President shall preside.

Section 3:

General Body Meetings and Executive Board Meetings will be held at least every month.

Section 4:

Quorum shall be defined in Article VII. Quorum is necessary to hold Caribbean Club General Body Meetings.

Section 5:

Motions proposed to the membership at General Body Meetings shall be passed by a majority of the Members present, including Executive Officers. Motions proposed to the Executive Officers at Executive Board Meetings shall be passed by a majority of the Executive Officers. Decisions made at Executive Board Meetings must consist of at least five (5) Officers present.

ARTICLE VII:Quorum

Quorum shall consist of one‐third (1/3) of the membership.

ARTICLE VIII:Constitutional Amendments

Proposed amendments to the constitution shall be initiated by quorum in the form of a petition stating the proposed constitutional amendment. Ratification of any amendment of this constitution shall need quorum, two‐thirds (2/3) of which voting in the affirmative.

ARTICLE IX: Impeachment

Section 1:

Impeachment proceedings shall be initiated by a petition with not less than fifty (50) percent of the membership. The petition is to be submitted to the President, who will initiate and conduct a formal hearing within the week.

Section 2:

A quorum is required for a vote on impeachment. A three‐quarters (3/4) majority of the quorum is required for impeachment to pass. The vote will be done by secret ballot.

Section 3:

Grounds for impeachment include serious misuse of his/her position, failure to fulfill duties of office, gross misrepresentation of the organization and lack of participation or attendance.

ARTICLE X:Association of Student Activities (ASA) Governance Clause

The Caribbean Club agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities, and its executive board. This constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA ;Executive Board to insure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.

Contact Us

We want to hear what you have to say. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions, commments, or concerns.

Caribbean Club Executive Board: caribbean-exec@mit.edu

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