Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

ARTICLE I: Name of Organization

The official name of the organization shall be the Catholic University College Democrats.

ARTICLE II: Mission of Organization

We, The College Democrats at The Catholic University of America, recognize and appreciate the unique characteristics of the Democratic Party, and strive to promote recognition and appreciation of these characteristics and of Democratic ideals and goals throughout the University and greater Washington, DC communities. In spirit of the values upheld by the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic National Committee platform, the organization will commit to regular service to the community.

Article III: Membership

A voting member of the CatholicU College Democrats is a member who has attended at least 3 monthly meetings throughout the year and attends at least 3 other events per year.

A. A member with extenuating circumstances who wishes to be a voting member, however did not attain that status, must meet with the President and Vice President to discuss options. With the notice of extenuating circumstances, the Executive Board as a whole will vote on whether or not the member may vote.

ARTICLE IV: Executive Board

The governing body of the organization shall be named the Executive Board and shall make all applicable decisions regarding the general direction and activities of the organization.

A. Organization: The Executive Board shall consist of the following officers, including President, Vice President, Treasurer, Political Director, Communications Director, Events Director, Upperclassman Chair and Freshman Class Chairs, descriptions of which, are as follows:

a. ​The President​ shall be responsible for setting the strategic direction and goals of the organization, working with the University’s administration, managing relations with other DC universities, and overseeing all work of the Executive Board. In addition, the President shall serve as the leader and face of the Democratic Party at The Catholic University of America.

b.​ The​ ​Vice President ​is the principal deputy of the organization and shall serve as the chief advisor to the President. Acts as the membership director and is responsible for all recruitment and outreach initiatives on campus. Further, the Membership Director will keep records of which members attend events. This person will also coordinate with the D.C. Division of the Federal College Democrats organization. In the event that the President is removed, resigns, or cannot perform his or her duties, the Vice President will serve as President for the remainder of the academic year.

c.​ The​ ​Treasurer​ shall serve as the chief financial officer of the organization and shall be responsible for administering the organization’s accounts, maintaining accurate records, raising funds, and observing all applicable laws. In addition, the Treasurer will work with the President to coordinate the organization’s operating budget for the academic year.

d.​ The​ ​Political Director​ shall be responsible for coordinating and implementing all campaign activities of the organization in addition to advising the President on advocacy issues that the organization should provide support.

e. ​The Communications Director​ shall be responsible for overseeing all communications of the organization both internally and externally, managing the website and other forms of new media, publicizing events, and coordinating coverage of the organization through media outlets on and off campus.

f. ​The Events Director​ shall serve as the principal organizer and planner for all social events on and off campus. This includes any service the organization takes part in.

g.​ The Alumni Chair's primary responsibilities will be to plan the banquet and to manage alumni relations, which includes building an alumni database and planning for events with alumni.

h. ​The Freshman Class Chairs​ will be either elected or appointed. The choice of whether to elect or appoint will be given to the Freshmen themselves at the first monthly meeting of the year. There will be two students given this role.

B. ​Procedures:​ The Executive Board shall be governed by the following procedures:

a. The Executive Board shall be required to meet once a week during the academic year except for instances of University holidays or other inconveniences as decided by the President.

b. At the President’s discretion, a meeting of the Executive Board can be called, in-person or otherwise, at any time.

c. Each elected member of the Executive Board shall have one vote on matters before the Executive Board.

d. All matters before the Executive Board shall be decided upon by a majority vote of members present, unless otherwise stipulated in the Constitution.

e. The President will only vote in the case of a tie as the tiebreaker. If there are Co-Presidents they only receive one vote to break the tie.

f. At the First meeting of the Executive Board for an academic year, they will set “terms of membership” which will be made public at the first meeting.

g. The voting members of the Executive Board include the Vice President, Treasurer, Political Director, Communications Director, Events Director, Upperclassman Chair and Freshman Class Chairs.

C. ​Elections:​ Elections of the Executive Board shall be governed by the following procedures:

a. Before the election occurs the Constitution will be posted.

a. In order to run for a position in an election one must have achieved the status of an accredited voter.

b. Elections of the Executive Board shall be executed by a three-person committee appointed by the President consisting of active members not running for elected office that will decide issues including but not limited to approval of candidacy, the exact date of the election, and the definition of active membership. The committee shall recuse themselves from voting in the election.

c. In order to run for election the candidate must declare their candidacy by the date set by the election committee.

d. A voting member of the Catholic University College Democrats who is studying abroad or has transferred within that academic year is granted voting rights, so long as in the previous semester to their travels, the member achieved a portion of what a member must who is present the entire year. A member who wishes to vote or run while abroad must attend one (1) monthly meetings and two (2) events in their semester while at The Catholic University of America.

e. To request an absentee ballot the accredited voter must request an absentee ballot and submit it to the election committee on the date set by the election committee. The absentee ballots will be presented to the vote counters on the night of the election. The election committee must keep the identity of the person submitting an absentee ballot confidential.

f. A simple majority of Active Members of the organization shall result in the election of an Executive Board member when there are two candidates, if there are more then two candidates election shall be established by plurality in a run off.

g. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Board during the academic year, the President shall be responsible to appoint a replacement.

h. Two members of the College Republicans Executive Board shall attend the elections and count the votes.

i. Two people may choose to co a position if they are going abroad opposite semesters.

j. In the case of a tie the two people may choose to co the position or the President will cast the deciding vote. The President shall only vote in the case of a tie.

D. ​Removal:​ Officers of the organization shall be removed from the Executive Board, subject to the following procedures:

a. A majority of the remaining members of the Executive Board may vote to remove a sitting officer.

b. Grounds for removal include but are not limited to: failure to fulfill duties of the position, as delineated in Article III, Section A, or failure to comply with decisions of the Executive Board or directives of the President.

ARTICLE V: Appointed Staff

The President may appoint and remove additional non-voting staff to perform specific duties of the organization.

a. Additional appointed positions that may be filled at the discretion of the President include but are not limited to: Speaker Director, Special Assistant for Community Service, Special Assistant for Monetary Affairs, and if the Freshman choose, Freshman Representative.

b. Appointed members of the Executive Board may vote pending the approval of the President.

ARTICLE VI: ADVISOR

The advisor of the organization must be a faculty or staff member of The Catholic University of America.

ARTICLE VII: UNIVERSITY POLICY

This organization is to abide by all University policies as laid out at http://policies.cua.edu​.

ARTICLE VIII: NO HAZING

This organization will not participate in any activities which could be regarded as hazing. “Hazing” refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate.

ARTICLE IX: NO DISCRIMINATION

This organization fully adheres to the University’s non-discrimination policies which can be found at http://policies.cua.edu/EEO/affirmact.cfm.

ARTICLE X: Amendment of the Constitution

The Constitution may be amended with a unanimous vote of the voting Executive Board.