Undergraduate LBGT Community

The Constitution of Undergraduate LBGT Community (ULC) | PDF Version

Article I: Purpose

The purpose of Undergraduate LBGT Community* (hereafter referred to as “ULC”) is to provide a welcoming environment for bisexuals, gays, lesbians, transgenders, others with 'nontraditional' sexual orientations and their friends. This group will not be driven by protest or politics, but by a spirit of fellowship, welcome, and support. This organization intends to be a place where queer people can be comfortable regardless of their politics, and to satisfy the demand on campus for such a social environment free of political intolerance. ULC welcomes the existence of such political groups and welcomes their members as our members, but aims to provide an environment that they cannot, given the context of their activism.

Article II: Membership

1. Any member of the MIT community is eligible to become a member of this organization.
2. Any qualified person may become a member by attending at least 3 meetings and asking to be added to the list of members, or by attending the initial election meeting upon adoption of this constitution.
3. The membership of this organization will at all times contain at least 5 MIT students and at least half the members must be MIT students.
4. This organization will not discriminate based on any characteristic listed in MIT's Nondiscrimination Statement.
5. This organization shall not charge dues for membership.
6. Membership is also granted to any person attending the initial election meeting by proxy.

Article III: Officers

A. This organization will have several elected officers

1. President
   a. The president shall be the official representative of the group to any other organization and to MIT.
   b. The president will preside over all meetings.
   c. The president is responsible for determining when meetings are and publicizing this to the group.
   d. The president will provide general direction for the group.
2. Vice-President
   a. The vice-president is responsible for running the day to day affairs of the group, and taking minutes and attendance at meetings.
   b. The vice-president shall maintain all non-financial papers and records, including the list of members and any online records or information.
   c. The vice president shall be responsible for maintenance of any physical facilities assigned to the group.
3. Treasurer
   a. The treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the group.
   b. The treasurer is required to sign all checks/vouchers of the group.
4. Social Chair
   a. The social chair shall be responsible for organizing social events and activities.
5. Publicity Chair
   a. The publicity chair shall be responsible for publicizing meetings and events.
   b. The publicity chair shall work to attract new members.
   c. The publicity chair shall oversee the maintenance of the web page.
6. Other Officers
   a. If a majority of voting members at a given term's election vote to create any other position and define its duties and elects a person to this position, said person shall be considered an officer with the determined title and duties. Permanent officer positions may be created by amendment to this constitution.

B. There may also be appointed positions

1. The president may, with the approval of a majority of the other elected officers, appoint willing members to other offices for the purpose of performing specific duties of limited duration.
2. Such positions shall exist no longer than until the next election, although the post may be immediately created again by the new officers.
3. The president may define the duties and titles of such positions.
4. The holders of such positions shall not be considered officers for any purpose, and need not satisfy the requirements for officers.

C. All elected officers of this organization must be distinct persons and MIT students.

D. Elections

1. Elections of officers shall occur once a term.
2. Any member of this organization who is an MIT student is eligible to run for office.
3. Quorum for elections is two thirds of the group.
4. Members who cannot make it to an election may grant their proxy to another member, but they must inform an officer of this in writing or email before the election meeting.
5. A member shall become a candidate by being nominated and seconded at the election meeting and accepting the nomination. A member may nominate himself or herself but in this case two seconds are required.
6. A candidate is elected if he or she wins a majority of the voting members. A member who is present but abstains shall count towards quorum but not towards the total number of votes.
7. If more than two candidates are running and no one wins a majority, then the person with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballots and votes are recast.
8. New officers' terms being and old officers' terms end at the end of the meeting in which elections are held.
9. Elections will be held the first Sunday of April and the first Sunday of November, at a place and time of day to be determined by the President and announced at least two weeks ahead of time.
10. Additionally, an initial election will be held as soon as possible upon submission of this constitution to the ASA.

E. Removal: Officers may be removed at any time by a two thirds vote of the members.

1. Quorum for this vote shall be the same as that for an election.
2. Proxy procedures shall be the same as those for an election.
3. Any member may call a meeting to remove an officer, but it must be announced at least a week in advance.

F. Public Statements

1. Neither the president nor any other officer shall make public statements on behalf of the group without taking due diligence to make sure that they represent the views of the group.

Article IV: Meetings

1. Meetings shall be held at least monthly.
2. Meetings shall be presided over by the president, unless he is absent, in which case another officer shall preside in the following order of precedence: vice-president, treasurer.
3. All decisions shall be made by a majority vote of all members present.
4. Quorum for a meeting shall be one quarter of the members of the organization; however, this quorum is only needed to make decisions, not hold meetings at all.

Article V: Amendments

1. Amendments shall be presented by any member of the organization.
2. Amendments shall be passed by a two-thirds voted of the members present.
3. Quorum for amending this constitution shall be one third of all members of the organization.

Article VI: ASA Regulations

ULC 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.

* ULC is formerly known as Friendly Alliance of Queers and Straights (FAQS)