Constitution of the Protestant Student Community

ARTICLE I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Protestant Student Community.

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The purpose of the Protestant Student Community shall be to celebrate our community by providing opportunities for worship, study, and service.

ARTICLE III: Ecclesiastical Affiliation

  1. The Protestant Student Community shall be the official presence at MIT for the following Protestant denominations: The American Baptist Church, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The United Church of Christ, and The United Methodist Church.
  2. The Boston Cambridge Ministry in Higher Education is the local ecumenical organization of these denominations and is responsible for campus ministry in the Boston area, including the Protestant Student Community.

ARTICLE IV: Membership

Section 1 - Eligibility

  1. Membership in the Protestant Student Community shall be open to all members of the MIT community.
  2. Membership shall also be open to all persons outside the MIT community who seek involvement in a Protestant student group.
  3. No person shall be discriminated against based on reasons of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, veteran status, or religious beliefs.

Section 2 - Requirement for Membership

  1. Any person of the MIT community who has participated in an activity of the Protestant Student Community or who has attended a worship service of the Protestant Student Community may remain a member indefinitely.
  2. Any person outside the MIT community who has participated in an activity of the Protestant Student Community or who has attended a worship service of the Protestant Student Community may also become a member upon request and may retain membership indefinitely.

Section 3 - Requirement for Voting Membership

  1. Any member of the Protestant Student Community who is also a current MIT student shall have full voting rights within the Protestant Student Community.
  2. The voting membership of the Protestant Student Community shall at all times consist of at least five MIT students and shall be more than fifty percent MIT students.
  3. Any member who is not an MIT student may become a voting member of the Protestant Student Community upon request, as long as this action does not result in a violation of ARTICLE IV, Section 3, Paragraph 2.

Section 4 - Participation in Worship and Activities

  1. Sunday morning worship and other worship services organized by the Protestant Student Community shall be open to anyone who desires to attend.
  2. Other activities of the Protestant Student Community shall be open to all members of the MIT community and persons outside the MIT community who seek involvement in a Protestant student group.
  3. The Protestant Student Community may charge fees from participants in retreats or other activities to cover the cost of the events. However, no one shall be precluded from participation because of inability to pay.

ARTICLE V: Officers

Section 1 - Definition

  1. The officers of the Protestant Student Community shall consist of a president, secretary, treasurer, activities coordinator, and two members-at-large.
  2. All officers shall be distinct persons and current voting members of the Protestant Student Community.
  3. The president and treasurer shall be current MIT students.

Section 2 - Duties

  1. The president shall preside at all general meetings of the Protestant Student Community and at meetings of the Board of the Protestant Student Community. The president shall also be the outside representative of the Protestant Student Community in all matters pertaining to the MIT community. The president will call general meetings of the Protestant Student Community and of the Board as necessary. The president will prepare an agenda for each general meeting of the Protestant Student Community. The president, in the event of a tie, may cast a vote at general meetings.
  2. The secretary shall keep minutes of all general meetings of the Protestant Student Community and Board meetings and shall handle official correspondence of the Protestant Student Community and Board.
  3. The treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the Protestant Student Community, including the accounting for all monies generated in support of the Protestant Student Community from worship offerings.
  4. The activities coordinator shall be responsible for organizing the social and service activities of the Protestant Student Community.
  5. All officers of the Protestant Student Community are voting members of the Board of the Protestant Student Community.

Section 3 - Vacancies in Office

  1. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the president, the office shall be filled in the order specified by the listed order of offices in ARTICLE V, Section 2.
  2. In the event of a vacancy in any other office, the president shall appoint a temporary replacement from the membership, subject to ratification by majority vote of the Board. The vacancy shall be filled at the next regular general meeting of the Protestant Student Community.

Section 4 - Election of Officers

  1. The officers of the Protestant Student Community shall be elected for a term of one year at the last regular spring semester general meeting of the Protestant Student Community, which must occur before the final examination week of spring semester. The newly elected officers shall assume their new offices on the Sunday after the final examination week of the spring semester in which they were elected.
  2. To be eligible for office, the candidate must be a current voting member of the Protestant Student Community. Nominations may be accepted by electronic or paper submission beginning two weeks before the announced date for the general meeting of the Protestant Student Community. Nominations may also be accepted from the floor at the meeting itself, require no second, and are open until the vote is cast for that office.
  3. To be elected to an office, the candidate must carry the votes of a majority of those present and voting. In the event that no candidate has a majority, the candidate with the least votes shall be stricken from the ballot and a new vote taken.
  4. Quorum for elections shall be eight voting members or one-fourth of the voting membership of the Protestant Student community, whichever is greater.

ARTICLE VI: The Board of the Protestant Student Community

Section 1 - Definition
The Board shall be the administrative body of the Protestant Student Community.

Section 2 - Membership

  1. The voting members of the Board shall consist of the officers of the Protestant Student Community listed in ARTICLE V, Section 1.The Board shall at all times be composed of a majority of current MIT students.
  2. The chaplain of the Protestant Student Community shall serve as an advisor to the Board and shall be considered a non-voting member of the Board.
  3. Additional members of the Protestant Student Community may be allowed as non-voting members of the Board with the unanimous consent of the voting Board members.

Section 3 - Meetings

  1. Board meetings shall be conducted at least twice during each semester. The Board shall hold at least one meeting between each general meeting of the Protestant Student Community.
  2. The president shall be responsible for calling Board meetings. A Board meeting may also be called by a majority of the voting Board members.
  3. A quorum for business shall consist of a majority of the voting members of the Board.
  4. Business may be conducted informally with unanimous consent. Upon request by a member of the Board, business shall be conducted according Robert?s Rules of Order (Revised).
  5. A simple majority vote shall be necessary for all decisions not otherwise specified in this constitution.

Section 4 - Responsibilities

  1. The Board shall promote a sense of community by overseeing the development, organization, and review of worship and activities within the Protestant Student Community.
  2. The Board shall serve as an advising body to the chaplain, providing the chaplain with criticism and suggestions regarding worship services and other religious activities.
  3. The Board shall be responsible for the development and review of the social and service activities of the Protestant Student Community. The Board shall also assist the activities coordinator in the organization of activities.
  4. The Board shall be responsible for directing the expenditure of monies generated in support of the Protestant Student Community from worship offerings.

Section 5 - Authority

  1. All actions of the Board in the name of the Protestant Student Community are subject to review by the entire voting membership of the Protestant Student Community.
  2. Any group of at least five members who seek to reconsider decisions of the Board may contact the president at least two days prior to a general meeting of the Protestant Student Community and request a review. The president shall then hold a discussion of the decision of the Board at the next general meeting.
  3. Any decision of the Board may be overturned by two-thirds majority of those voting members present at a general meeting of the Protestant Student Community.

ARTICLE VII: General Meetings of the Protestant Student Community

Section 1 - Regular General Meetings

  1. Regular general meetings of the membership of the Protestant Student Community shall be called by the president. There shall be at least one general meeting per semester, except in the case that there is no significant business to be discussed at a fall general meeting. In this case, the fall meeting may be canceled with unanimous consent of the Board.
  2. Electronic or paper mail regarding the meeting shall be sent to the last given address of all members of the Protestant Student Community at least two weeks prior to the meeting date. The mailing shall contain a basic outline of the agenda, along with any supporting documents.
  3. The quorum for regular business at a general meeting shall be eight voting members, or one fourth of the voting membership, whichever is greater.
  4. Business may be conducted informally under unanimous consent. Upon request of a voting member, business shall be conducted according to Robert?s Rules of Order (Revised).
  5. A simple majority vote shall be necessary for all decisions not otherwise specified in this constitution.
  6. Members seeking to add items to the agenda may contact the president at least two days prior to the general meeting. Items not listed on the agenda may be discussed with unanimous consent of the voting members present.
  7. The general membership of the Protestant Student Community may, by a majority vote, adopt standing policies consistent with this Constitution, which shall be binding on the Board of the Protestant Student Community and shall continue in effect until amended or repealed by the general membership. The text of proposed policies or changes to policies must be distributed by electronic or paper mail to members at least one week prior to the general meeting at which they will be discussed.

Section 2 - Special Meetings

  1. In extraordinary circumstances, the president may call a special general meeting of the Protestant Student Community.
  2. A special meeting may be called with two days notice, through whatever means are convenient.
  3. The agenda for the meeting shall be posted the day of the meeting. No business shall be in order unless it appears on the agenda.
  4. Under no circumstances shall elections or amendments to this constitution be in order at a special meeting.
  5. A quorum for special business shall be one-third of the Protestant Student Community voting membership.
  6. A special general meeting of the Protestant Student Community shall also be called if a written petition requesting consideration of special business is signed by at least five members of the Protestant Student Community and submitted to the Board.

ARTICLE VIII: Amendments

  1. This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at a general meeting of the Protestant Student Community, if the affirmative vote on the amendment includes at least eight voting members or one-fourth the voting members of the Protestant Student Community, whichever is greater.
  2. The text of any proposed constitutional amendment must be distributed by electronic or paper mail at least one week prior to the general meeting at which the amendment will be considered.
  3. Any five members of the Protestant Student Community may propose an amendment to this constitution by presenting it in writing with their signatures to the Board.

ARTICLE IX: Affiliation with the Association of Student Activities

The Protestant Student Community 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.

ARTICLE X: Ratification

  1. This constitution shall supersede the previous constitution of the Protestant Student Community (enacted November 13, 1994). Upon enactment of this constitution, the previous constitution of the Protestant Student Community shall hereby be considered null and void.
  2. This constitution shall be ratified upon acceptance by two thirds of the members present and voting at a general meeting of the membership of the Protestant Student Community, if the affirmative vote includes at least one third of the voting membership.
  3. This constitution shall go into effect immediately upon adjournment of the general meeting at which it is ratified.

This constitution was ratified unanimously at the 1998-1999 Regular General Meeting of the Protestant Student Community, held on Sunday, May 16, 1999.