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The constitution of the Japanese Association of MIT

Effective April 9th, 2004 

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Japanese Association of MIT (JAM).

Article II. Purpose

The principal objectives of this organization are:
  1. to represent the interests of MIT students, faculty, and staff who have affiliation with Japan, both within and outside the MIT community,
  2. to foster friendship and information exchange among people who are interested in Japan, Japanese language, and Japanese culture, and
  3. to initiate and coordinate activities within and outside MIT to cultivate understanding of Japanese culture and society.

Article III. Membership

Membership is open to all members of the MIT community as well as to those who are not officially affiliated with MIT but are interested in achieving the objectives of JAM as stated in Article II. This organization will not discriminate based on any characteristics listed in MIT's Non-Discrimination Statement. At least five of the membership shall consist of MIT students, and at least half of the membership shall consist of members of the MIT community. One is considered a member of this organization when his/her application form has been received by the Executive Committee. The membership must be renewed every academic year.

Article IV. Officers

The officers of JAM consist of a president, one or more vice presidents, treasurer, and other officers as necessary. The president, vice president(s), and treasurer must be officially affiliated with MIT. The term of office expires at the end of each academic year, with possibility for renewal.

Section 1. Duties

  1. The president shall be the official representative of JAM. The president calls and presides over Executive Committee meetings and General Assembly meetings.
  2. The vice president(s) shall assist the president, and shall act on the president's behalf when delegated by the president.
  3. The treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of JAM, and shall keep accounts of all incomes and expenses.

Section 2. Selection of Officers

Any member of JAM is eligible for office; however, the president and treasurer must be distinct MIT students. At the December General Assembly meeting there will be an announcement to call upon prospective officers for the following year. Prospective officers will be encouraged to attend Exectutive Committee meetings. At the end of each academic year the Executive Committee shall select officers for the following year by a majority vote of those present and voting. Quorum for the vote shall be one-half of the members of the Executive Committee. The appointment of these officers remains provisional until the September General Assembly meeting, at which time the appointment of officers for the new academic year must be approved by a majority vote of those present and voting at the General Assembly meeting. The Executive Committee may appoint additional officers as necessary, which must be approved at the next General Assembly meeting.

Section 3. Vacancies

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the president, the vacancy will be filled by the first available officer in the order specified in Article IV, Section 1. In the event of a vacancy in any other office, the president shall appoint a temporary replacement, subject to ratification by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. The vacancy will be filled at the next General Assembly meeting by a majority vote.

Section 4. Removal

Officers may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee, followed by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present and voting at a General Assembly meeting.

Article V. The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall be the administrative body of JAM. The Executive Committee consists of all JAM officers, each having one vote. Decisions concerning JAM, including allocations, activities, and schedule, are made at Executive Committee meetings, which are held approximately once in two months. Quorum for Executive Committee meetings is one half of the officers. Any JAM member may participate in discussions at Executive Committee meetings as a non-voting participant. Each decision requires a majority vote of those present and voting. In the case of an emergency, the president shall make any necessary decisions. In that case, the action taken must be approved at the next Executive Committee meeting. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the interpretation of this constitution and the enactment of the policies of JAM. Any decision made by the Executive Committee may be subject to appeal to the full voting JAM membership, if such an appeal is requested by a written petition signed by at least ten JAM members. A two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required to overturn the decision of the Executive Committee.

Article VI. General Assembly Meetings

General Assembly meetings shall be held at least twice a year (September and December). Approval by the General Assembly is required for the appointment of the president and other officers, as specified in Article IV, Section 2, and amendment of this constitution, as specified in Article VII.

Article VII. Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution may be presented by any member of JAM. The text of any amendment must be distributed with the agenda for the meeting at which the amendment is to be considered. The amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting at the Executive Committee meeting, followed by a two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting at the General Assembly meeting. Quorum for amending this constitution is one-third of all members of JAM.

Article VIII. Application

When common sense dictates that the application of any provision of this constitution would contradict the purpose of JAM as stated in Article II, the spirit, rather than the letter, of this constitution shall govern its interpretation.

Article IX. ASA God Clause

The Japanese Association of MIT agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities (ASA), 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.

Article X. Ratification

This constitution shall supersede all previous constitutions of JAM. This constitution shall be ratified upon acceptance by two-thirds of the members present and voting at the December 1996 JAM General Assembly meeting. Upon ratification, this constitution shall go into effect immediately.

Ratified 11/19/96 by the JAM Executive Committee
Ratified 12/06/96 by the JAM General Assembly
Amendment ratified 04/02/04 by the JAM Executive Committee
Amendment ratified 04/09/04 by the JAM General Assembly

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