Article I: Purpose

  1. This organization provides social events open to all the members of the community focus on creating a safe and fun environment to foster friendship and unity among people of all sexual preferences.  This organization also wants to promote a welcoming atmosphere for people that are new to the gay community.

 


Article II: Membership

  1. Active Membership:
    1. The active membership of Axis is restricted to students who are currently enrolled as undergraduate students at The Pennsylvania State University.
    2. There must be at least 20 active members of Axis at all times.
    3. Active membership may be gained by paying a due as explained in Article VI and by attending at least two meetings each month.  Active membership may be gain and lost throughout the academic year.
    4. Only active members may vote, preside, officiate, or solicit funding on the organizations behalf.
    5. The Executive Committee of Axis reserves the right to collect dues.  However, this does not mean that dues will always be collected.
  2. Associated Membership:
    1. 50% + 1 of the associated membership must currently be enrolled undergraduate students at The Pennsylvania State University.
    2. General membership may consist of all others interested in furthering the purpose of Axis and may include undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and community members.
  3. New Membership and Recruitment
    1. Any and all new members will be given full disclosure during recruitment, including, but not limited to the disclosure of:
      1. New Membership Manual
      2. Schedule of New Member Events and Activities
      3. A definition of personal rights, and a copy of the University Hazing policy, prescribed by Policies and Rules for Student Organizations.
    1. All members, including but no limited to new members and recruits, reserve the right to refrain from participating in any activities without consequence, based upon person/religious beliefs, personal values, or moral reserve as defined by the member.
    2. Any and all interaction/activity between members and/or new members will be limited to guidelines stated by university policy, as well as local, state, and federal laws.
  1. A member shall be removed from Axis if their actions conflict with The Pennsylvania State Universities ‘Code of Conduct’ or are disruptive to the function of Axis.  Membership is otherwise unrestricted.

 


Article III: Officers

  1. Only full time, officially registered active members shall be eligible to serve as elected or appointed officers in Axis.  Also, if there are further restrictions to become an officer, they must be approved by the USG Court/GSA Judiciary Committee.
  2. Executive Committee:
    1. Elected Officers:
      1. President – The President is responsible to be the spokesperson of the organization.  He/She will preside of all of the meetings and will be the member who communicates with the media, administration, and other organizations.  The term limit on a Presidency is one school year.
      2. Vice-President – The Vice-President is responsible for overseeing all of the executive matters.  He/She will communicate with the Executive Committee to make sure that the organization is functioning properly.  This includes making sure that the members of the Executive Committee are all fulfilling their responsibilities.  When the President is unable to fulfill his/her job, the Vice-President will take over the job until a replacement is elected.
      3. Secretary – The Secretary is responsible for aiding and both the President and Vice-President with Axis Publications.  The Secretary will also be responsible for maintaining records of membership status, keeping and maintaining all non-financial records.  This includes recording and filing the minutes of meetings, reading the minutes of previous meetings, and recording attendance at all meetings.
      4. Treasurer – The treasurer is responsible for keeping and maintaining all financial records, recording all financial transactions and organization and planning fundraising events.
    1. Appointed Officers:
      1. Appointed officers will serve the group as needed.  The appointed officers will vary depending on the needs of the group.
      2. The elected officers choose the appointed officers.
      3. In the even of a vacancy in an appointed office, the elected officials may appoint a replacement.
  1. The term of office for all elected officials will be on year beginning the first week of fall semester.  Elections shall follow the procedure outlined in Article VII of this Constitution.
  2. In the event of a vacancy in any office (except Presidency), until a replacement is found, the responsibility of that officer will be taken over by the other officers.  The election procedures for replacement officers are outlined in Article VII.
  3. Members of Axis may petition to impeach an officer if he or she is not fulfilling their job description.  1/3 of the active members must petition to have an elected officer impeached.  Within two weeks the Executive Committee will plan a special meeting to hold the impeachment elections.  At least 1/3 of the active members must be present at the meeting and 2/3 of the present must vote to impeach the officer for the motion to pass.

 


Article IV: Meetings

  1. Meetings of Axis will be held on a weekly basis.
  2. The day and frequency of meetings is to be decided by the Executive Committee of Axis.  The Executive Committee of Axis is afforded the power of creating special meetings whenever the need may arise.
  3. Students will be notified by email of any changes in the meeting schedule.  This includes, but is not limited to, special meeting announcements, changes of date and time of pre-scheduled meetings, and cancellation of a meeting.
  4. A copy of the schedule will be available to any member upon request.
  5. If there is a special meeting of Axis, an email will be sent out one week in advance to afford students adequate time to arrange their schedule.  Students will be notified of the cancellation of a meeting by email.

 


Article V: Voting

  1. A general election is a vote that deals with the election of any officer.
  2. A quorum of 33% of the active membership will be required for a general vote
  3. A quorum of 66% of the active membership must be present to vote on an amendment.

 


Article VI Finances

  1. All Axis finances will be handled exclusively through the Associated Student Activities (ASA) Office.
  2. To utilize club funds and officer must request approval from the Treasurer.  The treasurer has the ability to deny any request for money at his or her own judgment.

 


Article VII: Elections

  1. Nominations for office and standing committee heads for the following year will be held during a special March or April meeting chosen by the Executive Committee.
  2. Elections will be held at the meeting following nominations.
  3. Nominations will be open one week prior to the election and they will remain open all week.  The presiding officer shall not nominate individuals or be a candidate.
  4. Election Codes:
    1. A quorum to conduct nominations shall be 33% of the active membership.
    2. A simple (50% + 1) majority of the member’s eligible to vote will be necessary to elect, even if there is only one nominee for the office.
    3. The presiding officer shall only vote in a tie-breaking situation.
    4. And member may nominate an active member for office.  The active members shall cast secret, written ballots for the candidate of their choice, which shall be counted by the advisor.  Each active member shall have one vote per office.
    5. If a simple majority is not obtained, the candidate with the lowest number of votes shall be dropped from consideration and the active members shall vote again.
  5. In the event of the absence or vacancy in any office, nominations will be held at the next scheduled weekly event and election will follow the same election codes lined out above.

 


Article VIII: Amendments to the Constitution

  1. Any active member may propose an amendment to the Constitution.
  2. A super-majority (66%) of active members present will be required for the passage of an amendment.
  3. The vote on an amendment must take place at the first meeting after the amendment was proposed.  It is the responsibility of the members to learn about the proposed amendment and make their own decision based on the topic.
  4. All amendments are subject to the approval of the USG Supreme Court/GSA Judiciary Committee.

 


Article IX: Advisor

  1. The advisor(s) for Axis must be a Pennsylvania State University-University Park full-time faculty or staff member, and he/she should be chosen by the Executive Board.
  2. The advisor(s) will, by definition, be an ex-officio member of the Executive Board.

 


Article X: Parliamentary Authority

  1. The newest edition of Robert’s Rule of Order by Sarah Corbin shall be used in all cases not covered by this Constitution.

 


Article XI: Accessibility of this Constitution

  1. A copy of this Constitution will be available to anyone upon request.