Constitution of the Romanian Student Association at MIT


  • Article 1 - Name
    • The name of the organization will be the Romanian Student Association at MIT, referred in what follows as RSA, or the Association.
  • Article 2 - Purpose The purpose of RSA shall be:
    • To promote fellowship among the Romanian student community at MIT and other students interested in Romania, its language, history and culture.
    • To welcome and counsel all newly arrived or prospective MIT Romanian students.
    • To promote social and educational activities among the MIT community related to Romania and its culture.
  • Article 3 - Membership
    • Members of the Association can be anybody from the MIT community who is interested in Romanian culture.
    • Members have the duty to comply with the Constitution of RSA.
    • Admission shall be made upon request and shall be approved by the Executive Committee.
    • Membership can be temporarily withheld by the Executive Committee, but it can only be withdrawn at the beginning of the next General Meeting. Temporarily excluded members have the right to vote on their own exclusion.
  • Article 4 - Structure
    • Policy decisions are made by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is composed of the following officers elected from the members of RSA:
      1. President,
      2. Vice-President,
      3. Secretary,
      4. Treasurer.
    • The term of office for all members of the Executive Committee shall be one year.
    • No members shall hold two or more offices simultaneously.
    • The decisions of the Executive Committee are taken with the approval of at least three of its members. The President has vote of quality in case of tie.
    • Each year, the Executive Committee shall present a complete report of the RSA activities during the past year to the members of the Association.
    • The Executive Committee may appoint/revoke other committees.
    • The members of the Executive Committee share the responsibility of organizing RSA events. In addition, they have the responsibilities described below:
      • The President shall be the chair of the Executive Committee and the official representative of RSA. During the absence of the President, he/she is temporarily replaced by the first available person from the following list: RSA Vice-President, RSA Secretary, RSA Treasurer. Any RSA member may temporarily represent the Association with the approval of the Executive Committee.
      • The Secretary shall keep record of the members and of the decisions taken by the Executive Committee and by General Meetings.
      • The Treasurer shall be responsible for the RSA funds and shall pay the bills under the direction of the Executive Committee.
    • RSA members are encouraged to organize RSA events. To organize an RSA event, they should consult first with the Executive Committee about event organization and coordination with other RSA activities.
  • Article 5 - Meetings
    • The Executive Committee shall meet at least once per month.
    • General Meetings shall be held at least once per year. General Meetings shall be scheduled during the Spring or the Fall Term and should be announced at least seven (7) days in advance.
    • The majority of the Executive Committee or 25% of the members may call a General Meeting.
  • Article 6 - Elections
    • General elections for the Executive Committee shall be held once per year, during a General Meeting.
    • Only MIT students can candidate for positions in the Executive Committee.
    • If there are at least two candidates for the same position, the voting process shall be secret.
    • General elections for the Executive Committee must be held with a quorum of at least the majority (half plus one) of the RSA voting members. If a quorum is not obtained at the election meeting, general elections shall be postponed by no more than fifteen (15) days. A quorum shall not be required for the rescheduled general elections meeting.
    • To be elected, a candidate shall obtain the absolute majority of the votes. If a first round vote does not produce a winner by absolute majority, a second round shall be held between the two (2) most voted candidates.
    • There shall be no voting by proxy or mail.
  • Article 7 - Resignation and Removal from Office
    • The removal from office of an Executive Committee member can be pursued with the approval of the majority of the RSA members, during a General Meeting specially organized for this purpose.
    • New elections for an open Executive Committee position shall be held at the next General Meeting of the Association.
  • Article 8 - Constitutional Amendments
    • The majority of the Executive Committee or 25% of the voting members may propose a constitutional amendment. The proposed amendment has to be posted two weeks in advance of the General Meeting which will discuss it.
    • The amendment can pass by the vote of two thirds of the RSA members.
    • The voting process for constitutional amendments shall be open.
    • Voting members unable to attend a General Meeting that will discuss constitutional amendments shall be able to vote by sending a letter to the Executive Committee.
  • Article 9 - Clause
    • RSA agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities and its Executive Committee. This Constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of the Association shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Committee to insure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.