The Constitution of the Tech Catholic Community - Approved by vote of the Council on 07/31/2010 - Approved by ASA Executive Board on 08/23/2010 == Art. 1: The Community == Sec. 1: This organization shall be known as "the Tech Catholic Community", abbreviated as "TCC". Sec. 2: The purpose of TCC shall be to nurture and to proclaim the Catholic faith at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It shall foster and develop the spiritual, intellectual, and social interests of students, preparing them for active participation in the life of the Church. Sec. 3: TCC is the official Catholic presence at the Institute. It is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston. Sec. 4: Membership is open to the entire MIT community. An individual shall be officially recognized as a member of TCC upon request. Such recognition shall last for fifty-six weeks from the date of request. All activities of TCC except the ministering and reception of the Eucharist are open to all members of the MIT community. The ministering and the reception of the Eucharist is bound both by conscience and church law. == Art. 2: The Council == Sec. 1: The Council shall be the governing and executive body of TCC. It is charged with ensuring that TCC fulfills its purpose, and is vested with the authority to act on behalf of TCC as necessary and proper to carry out that purpose within the framework of rules enacted in the governing documents of TCC. Sec. 2: The Council membership shall consist of no fewer than five and no more than ten voting members. Seats not described herein shall be described fully in the Bylaws, including specification of duties and the procedure by which the seat shall be filled. Any number of non-voting members may be added to the council. All voting and quorum requirements refer to fractions of the voting membership of the council. Sec. 3: Each seat shall have a term of office lasting one year, unless otherwise specified. No seat may have a term of office lasting longer than one year. Unless otherwise specified, seats do not have term limits. No individual may hold more than one seat on the council. Each seat shall be held by no more than one individual. Sec. 4: In the event of a vacancy in a seat, the Chair shall appoint an individual as an acting member of the council. The acting member may not vote, and the bylaws may place further restrictions on their powers. The expedited election procedure shall be used to fill the seat permanently. Sec. 5: The Council shall meet at least once per month during term. Unless otherwise specified, decisions shall be made by majority vote. Quorum for a meeting shall be two thirds of the Council. The Bylaws shall further specify procedure for meetings of the Council. Sec. 6: Any member of the TCC community may appeal a decision or protest an action of the Council to the Chaplain. If the Chaplain should find that the decision or action conflicts with the purpose of TCC, with the rules enacted in the governing documents, or with church law, he may provide redress as appropriate. Decisions by the Chaplain shall be considered binding on the Council. In the absence of a Chaplain, the appeal or protest may be delivered to the Advisory Board (see Art. 4). Decisions by the Advisory Board shall be considered binding on the Council. Sec. 7: The Chaplain shall be a non-voting member of the Council, ex officio. == Art. 3: The Officers == Sec. 1: The Chair shall be a member of the Council, ex officio, and shall preside over meetings. The Chair shall be responsible for ensuring the prompt completion of all administrative duties that do not fall to another seat on the Council. The Chair shall serve as the liason between TCC and the ASA/GSC. The duties of the Chair may be further enumerated in the Bylaws. Sec. 2: The Treasurer shall be responsible for tracking funds in TCC's accounts at MIT. The Treasurer shall provide assistance and advice on fiscal matters wherever appropriate. The Treasurer shall be a non-voting member of the Council, ex officio. The duties of the Treasurer may be further enumerated in the Bylaws. Sec. 3: The Chair and the Treasurer shall be students currently registered at MIT. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Chair, the Treasurer shall serve as the acting Chair and a voting member of the council until a new Chair can be elected. Sec. 4: The Chair shall be elected for a term of one year, starting on the last Sunday of the Fall Term. The Treasurer shall be elected for a period of six months starting on the last Sunday prior to the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. They shall be elected with the standard election procedure. Sec. 5: Should an officer or Council member fail to fulfill the responsibilities of their position, or should their actions be deemed hostile to the purpose of TCC, that officer or Council member shall be removed from their position with the consent of two-thirds of the Council. == Art. 4: The Advisory Board == Sec. 1: The rules of the Advisory Board shall be described in a separate Charter. == Art. 5: Election Procedures == Sec. 1: The standard elections procedure shall be as follows: The Council shall form a search committee to find candidates for an office at the meeting of the Council which falls closest to eight weeks prior to the end of that office's term. The committee shall consist of at least three members of the community, including one undergraduate and one graduate representative. The committee shall solicit nominations from the community and shall contact any nominee who meets the requirements of the office. Any nominee who accepts the nomination is considered a candidate for the office. Members of the search committee may not accept a nomination. Self- nominations are permitted. The Council shall elect an officer by exhaustive ballot in closed session at the Council meeting which falls closest to four weeks prior to the end of the office's term. The council shall make known the list of candidates at least one week prior to this meeting. Sec. 2: The expedited elections procedure shall be as follows: The Council shall form a search committee to find candidates for an office. The committee shall consist of at least three members of the community, including one undergraduate and one graduate representative. The committee shall solicit nominations from the community for a period of two weeks, and shall contact any nominee who meets the requirements of the office. Any nominee who accepts the nomination is considered a candidate for the office. Members of the search committee may not accept a nomination. Self-nominations are permitted. The Council shall elect an officer by exhaustive ballot in closed session at the next Council meeting after the close of the search period. The council shall make known the list of candidates at least five days prior to this meeting. == Art. 6: Amendment Procedure == Sec. 1: A proposal to amend this Constitution shall be considered with the support of two-thirds of the Council. Sec. 2: Upon receiving consideration, the proposal shall be posted publicly for a period of 30 days. The Council shall seek public comment on the proposal, permitting adequate representation of all opinions within the TCC community. Sec. 3: The proposal shall be considered for approval within one week of the completion of this 30 day period. It shall be approved with the support of three-fourths of the Council. == Art. 7: ASA Governance Clause == Sec. 1: TCC 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.