THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE REPUBLICANS

PREAMBLE
We, the members of the College Republicans of The George Washington University, in order to promote life, liberty, fealty to the Republican platform and to preserve the United States Constitution do ordain and establish this Constitution of the College Republicans at The George Washington University.

ARTICLE I

Name, Affiliation, and Purpose

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the College Republicans at The George Washington University, hereafter referred to as “the organization.” This name shall be used only in conjunction with the official business and activities of the organization. The organization shall be affiliated with the District of Columbia Federation of College Republicans and the College Republican National Committee as the official College Republican organization at The George Washington University.

Section 2. The organization shall coordinate Republican activity at The George Washington University, present the Republican philosophy and goals to the student body and faculty, shall conduct Republican activity on campus, and shall represent the views of the general membership and of the organization to the Republican Party.

ARTICLE II

Membership and Dues

Section 1. The membership shall be restricted to undergraduate and graduate students of The George Washington University, in accordance with University regulations.

Subsection 1. Honorary membership may be awarded at the discretion of the Executive Board; however, honorary members are not awarded full voting member status.

Section 2. Persons who are in accordance with these rules, who have paid the levied dues, and who have completed a membership form provided by the Executive Board will be full members with voting privileges, subject to review by the Executive Board. The term of membership shall be from the first day of the Fall Semester to the last day of the Spring Semester.

Subsection 1. All students who join during the Summer Term will be granted voting status after the first official Executive Board meeting of the Fall Semester.

Section 3. No one shall be denied membership on the basis of race, sex, creed, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or national origin.

Section 4. The Executive Board shall have the power to set the organization’s annual dues.

Subsection 1: Annual dues shall be set at the first meeting of the new Executive Board in the Spring Semester by a simple majority vote. Any changes to the annual amount of dues post the first Executive Board meeting must be approved by a super majority vote of the Executive Board.

Subsection II: While the option of paying lifetime dues may be eliminated by the Board at any time, those who have already paid shall be grandfathered in for the rest of their time at the University.

Section 5. A current membership roster shall be maintained by the Director of Membership and be verified by the Treasurer listing all names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mails, campus affiliations, and any other pertinent information that the Executive Board deems necessary.

Section 6. All memberships forms must be accepted, signed, and dated by a current member of the Executive Board, and may only be collected in the College Republican’s Office or at an official College Republican event. Every member must submit his or her dues in person. The treasurer and membership director shall verify the membership monthly and 1 week prior to any election.

Subsection 1. Membership begins upon payment of dues.

ARTICLE III

Officers of the Executive Board

Section 1. The voting officers of the organization’s Executive Board shall be the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Political Affairs, Director of Membership, Director of Publications, Director of Public Relations, and two Freshman Representatives.

Section 2. The term of each officer shall begin upon taking the oath of office, which shall occur no later than two weeks after the election and shall be determined by the Executive Board. Excepted are the Freshman Representatives, who shall be elected from the general membership.

Section 3. The duties of the officers are as follows:

Subsection 1. The Chairman is the Chief Executive Officer of the organization. The Chairman shall preside over all meetings of the Executive Board, serve as the official spokesman of the organization and must approve all outgoing publicity or correspondence. The Chairman shall have the power to select all appointed officers, committee members, and Federation Representatives with majority Executive Board approval. The Chairman may, at his discretion, call Executive Sessions into order. The Chairman shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and shall call all meetings of the membership and Executive Board into session and adjourn all Executive Board meetings.

Subsection 2. The Vice-Chairman shall perform the duties of the Chairman in the Chairman’s absence and serve on all standing and ad hoc committees of the organization. The Vice Chairman shall also assist the Chairman in managing the organization and aid in matters of budget and finance.

Subsection 3. The Secretary shall carry on all intraorganization correspondence, keep minutes of all Executive Board and voting membership meetings, provide each Executive Board member with copies of these minutes by publishing a public copy on the organization’s website, and maintain a permanent file of these minutes. The Secretary shall be charged with maintaining the College Republicans email listserv. The Secretary shall also serve as the Security Officer for the organization and shall address risk management assessments.

Subsection 4. The Treasurer shall collect dues, maintain accurate financial records of organizational transactions, present a monthly financial statement for the Executive Board, co-sign checks with the Chairman, and submit budget proposals to The George Washington University Student Association. The Treasurer shall be responsible for recording and managing all income entering the organization’s accounts with the approval of the Chairman and the advice and consent of the Board.

Subsection 5. The Director of Political Affairs shall serve as Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee which shall coordinate political activities including, but not limited to, rallies, protests, lobbying events, debates, guest speakers, and campaign trips.

Subsection 6. The Director of Membership shall serve as Chairman of the Membership Committee, which shall coordinate the recruitment and involvement of new members and maintain a membership list as specified in Article II, Section 5. The Director shall conduct and coordinate membership events and community service activities.

Subsection 7. The Director of Public Relations shall serve as Chairman of the Public Relations Committee which coordinates the following: all press releases distributed to the Administration, student organizations, and non College Republicans media, and organization-related verbal and non-verbal correspondence and communication. The Director shall also be a member of the Publications Committee.

Subsection 8. The Director of Publications shall be Editor-In-Chief of the CR Newsletter, Chairman of the Publications Committee, and a member of the Public Relations Committee. The Publications Committee is charged with creating and distributing all materials for mass awareness including, but not limited to, posters, media ads, and signs.

Subsection 9. The two Freshman Representatives shall represent the freshmen students to the Executive Board. They shall be charged with recruiting freshmen members and for holding monthly membership meetings with the freshmen to facilitate interest and involvement in the organization pursuant to Article II. Further, they shall assist in the coordination of events and dissemination of information to members, particularly freshmen. They shall report on the progress of freshmen College Republicans at all Executive Board meetings.

Subsection 10. The Executive Director is a non-voting member of the Executive Board appointed by the Chairman and approved by the Executive Board. The Director’s responsibilities entail serving as the administrative officer of the organization and maintaining operational order. The Director shall coordinate the flow of reports and other materials from the Directors to the Chairman. The Director is an ex-officio member of all committees and has full voting privileges on them.

Subsection 11. The Chairman may appoint, at his discretion, any additional members to the Executive Board deemed necessary for the function of the organization. The appointment must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote from the Executive Board. Said officers are not granted voting privileges for Executive Board business and are restricted by Article VII Section 1 Subsection 2.

Section 4. All officers may appoint assistants and members of the committee they chair to serve at their discretion.

Subsection 1. In the event of a disagreement between the Chairman of the organization and the Chairman of a committee over an appointment to that committee, a simple majority vote of the Executive Board will decide the appointment.

Section 5. Executive Board officers, as listed in Section 1 of this Article, shall each have one vote to cast on each vote of business on the Executive Board. The Chairman will break any tie votes that may arise during business.

Section 6. The Executive Board shall specify the number of office hours its officers will keep, with a minimum of two hours per week.

Subsection 1. The new Board shall approve this decision by a simple majority vote at the first meeting of the Spring Semester.

Section 7. The Chairman may create, at his discretion, non-standing committees and may appoint members, at his discretion, to any committee, with the approval of a simple majority of the Executive Board.

Subsection 1. All appointments not sitting on the Executive Board serve at the discretion of the Executive Board and may be dismissed by a simple majority of the Executive Board at any time. If a protest is filed with the Vice Chairman before the next regular Executive Board meeting, then the individual shall have the right to address the Board, and ask for an appeal of the Board’s ruling. At that time, the Board may vote on the matter or discuss it and vote the following week. A vote on an appeal must be held within three weeks of the complaint. A simple majority is required to overturn the Board’s decision.

Section 8. All officers shall be required to take the following Oath of Office at the commencement of the next regularly scheduled or special Executive Board Meeting, pursuant Article III, Section 3:

“I, (state your name), do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of The George Washington University College Republicans and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to these Constitutions; that I take this obligation freely, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

ARTICLE IV

Meetings and Quorums

Section 1. The Executive Board shall meet once a week.

Subsection 1. A quorum of a simple majority of the voting officers must be present to conduct Executive Board business.

Subsection 2. A simple majority is required for the approval of business, unless otherwise specified by this Constitution..

Subsection 3. Voting meetings of the Executive Board may not be called without twenty-four hours notice to all Board members.

Subsection 4. All Executive Board meetings shall be called by the Chairman unless two-thirds of the Board petition the Chairman for a meeting.

Subsection 5. The rules for proxy votes at the Executive Board are as follows: a proxy vote must be cast in a written and/or electronic form on condition that the identity of the person casting the vote is verifiable by another Executive Board member. Proxies shall be superseded by the member’s attendance. The Executive Board shall have the power to decide how many proxies its members may use during the course of the academic year.

Subsection 6. The Executive Board, with two-thirds approval and at the first regularly scheduled Board meeting of the Fall semester, shall determine the number of meetings Executive Board members are allowed to miss per year, after which they are deemed to have submitted their resignation to the Board. The Executive Board may in extreme circumstances waive this subsection with a unanimous approval of the Board.

Subsection 7. In addition, any Executive Board member who shall miss two consecutive membership and/or Executive Board meetings will have been deemed to have submitted his resignation and shall be notified by the Executive Board that unless, at the next Executive Board meeting, good cause is shown for this absence or behavior, the office shall be declared vacant. The Board may overrule this automatic resignation by a simple majority vote. A two-thirds vote is necessary to overrule the Chairman’s ruling on proxies or attendance at meetings.

Subsection 8. With the exception of Executive Session, Executive Board meetings are open to the public. Transcripts of the minutes of these meetings must be posted on the website within two business days of the meeting.

Section 2. The general membership must meet once every month of the academic school year.
Subsection 1. Attendance by twenty-five percent of the membership shall constitute a quorum necessary to transact official business.

Subsection 2. General membership meetings must be separately scheduled gatherings from other organization events; however weekly Executive Board meetings may be a part of the monthly membership meetings. Each Executive Board member is required to give a report at all general membership meetings.

Subsection 3. General membership meetings may be used for the purpose of special elections to fill vacancies, to hold votes for Constitution ratification and final impeachment votes.
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ARTICLE V

Vacancies

Section 1. If the office of the Chairman shall be vacant for any reason, the Vice Chairman shall assume the duties of the office and serve the remainder of the term. Elections of a new Vice Chairman shall be held within one month of this transfer of power.

Section 2. If any other office becomes vacant, the Chairman shall appoint an Acting Officer with a simple majority approval of the Board and then inform the Executive Board of the pending election. The election to fill the vacancy will occur no sooner than one week and no later than four weeks after the vacancy occurs. This vacancy, and the impending election, must be announced to the general membership at least two weeks prior to an election.

Subsection 1. Acting Officers shall not have a vote on the Executive Board.

Subsection 2. Membership registration for the ability to vote in a special election shall be closed one week before the election.

Section 3. If a vacancy occurs in an appointed office, the Chairman shall have the right to name the replacement, with the consent of the Executive Board by a simple majority.

Section 4. Vacancies in elected positions occurring with less than one month left in the academic year shall be filled with the term carried out by an appointee of the Chairman, with the consent of the Executive Board by a simple majority.

ARTICLE VI

Impeachment

Section 1. Any elected officer of the Executive Board may be impeached for the following offenses.
1) Failure to fulfill the duties of office as stated in this Constitution and/or failure to fulfill the officer’s oath of office.
2) Failure to attend the required number of Executive Board and/or membership meetings
3) Failure and or refusal to pay dues to the club within the Fall Semester.
4) Failure to repay any debts owed to the organization within one month.
5) Bringing any serious scandal and/or embarrassment to the organization.
a. This shall be defined as, but not limited to:
– Forgery or falsification of membership lists.
– Forgery or falsification of treasury documents.
- Being disrespectful of College Republican events or Executive Board members in a public forum, including but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other news publications. This extends to members of the GW College Republicans, the DC Federation of College Republicans, and the College Republican National Committee
6) Disclosure of any activities or discussion that takes place in Executive Session.

The Fair Elections Committee shall have oversight over the charges leveled against an individual and must deem whether the charges fit the aforementioned criteria. Once charges are filed against an individual, the Fair Elections Committee must convene and hear the charges. The Committee shall be charged with investigative duties resulting from said charges.

Section 2. The procedures for impeachment shall be the same for all elected Executive Board officials.
1) Charges of impeachment can be brought by any member of the Board or organization. Charges must be typed with the name(s) of the accusers and the name of the accused and be presented at a regular meeting of the Executive Board.
2) The Executive Board shall vote to request that the individual concerned submit his resignation. If the individual refuses to resign, he shall be informed that the impeachment proceedings shall begin. The Board will vote on the impeachment, and the impeachment must be passed by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
3) In the event a two thirds vote is obtained the accused is formally considered impeached.
a. Any person who is impeached is barred from Executive Board service for the remainder of the academic year.

ARTICLE VII

Elections

Section 1. The election for Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Political Affairs, Director of Membership, Director of Publications, and Director of Public Relations shall be held within the first two weeks of the month of April.

Subsection 1. Persons who are not paid members of the GW College Republicans by March 1st may not vote in the election. The Executive Board, after reviewing the current membership list, shall determine the number of eligible voters. A majority vote is necessary to confirm the membership list.

Subsection 2. Only members in good standing who have served one full academic year of elected service to the GW College Republicans are eligible to run for the offices of Chairman and Vice-Chairman. Good standing is a requirement for any Executive Board position. The final validity of candidacy shall be judged by the Fair Elections Committee. A member shall be deemed not in good standing if the member is on academic probation or if the member owes any debts to the organization, as defined by Article VI, Section 1, or if the member perpetrates an action that the Executive Board by a two-thirds vote and the Fair Elections Committee deems an egregious offense.

Section 2. The date of the election, once voted upon by the Executive Board, must be announced to the general membership at least four weeks in advance of the election.

Section 3. The two Freshman Representatives shall be elected no more than four weeks after the first day of fall semester classes begin. The two Freshman Representatives shall be elected to represent freshman students and each shall have a vote on the Executive Board. They shall take office and the Oath of Office, as detailed in Article IV, Section 9 upon Fair Election Committee announcement of the victors.

Section 4. The Fair Elections Committee is a temporary standing committee which shall be appointed by the Chairman, subject to a simple majority of Executive Board approval. The Fair Elections Committee shall include at least three general member; no one running for office shall sit on the Fair Elections Committee overseeing that election. This committee is responsible for distributing, collecting, and approving petitions to run for office, supplying all candidates with the official membership list, and overseeing the election proceedings. Their decisions are final on all election matters.

Subsection 1. The Fair Elections Committee shall be appointed and approved for all ballot votes held by the organization, including but not limited to, officer elections, votes for constitutional ratification, and final votes for impeachment.

Subsection 2. The number of persons on the Committee shall be decided by the Chairman at the time of appointment.

Section 5. Elections will be conducted as specified in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, unless the modifications are desired and implemented by the Fair Elections Committee.

Subsection 1. The Fair Election Committee must decide, vote on, and publish all election rules one week before the election is held.

ARTICLE VIII

Procedure

Section 1. In the event of the need for procedural clarification that is not specified by this Constitution, Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised shall be the reference document. The College Republican National Committee ByLaws and The George Washington University regulations are the only documents that may supersede this Constitution.

Subsection 1. The use of Executive Session, as detailed in Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, is prohibited from use in this organization.

ARTICLE IX

Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed and passed in the following manner:
1) Any member of the organization may propose an amendment to the Executive Board for its consideration.
2) If the proposed amendment is approved by a simple majority of the Executive Board, the proposal shall go before the membership at the next scheduled general membership meeting. The proposed amendment shall take effect immediately pending a two-thirds vote of approval by a quorum of the general membership.

Subsection 1. The Chairman must call a special general membership meeting for amendment votes, unless a general membership meeting is already scheduled within two weeks of the Executive Board vote.

Subsection 2. An announcement of a general membership amendment vote must be made at least two weeks prior to the vote.

Subsection. The proposed amendment must be sent out to the entire membership at least two weeks in advance of the general membership vote.

Section 2. Any proposed amendment defeated by the Executive Board or the general membership may be re-proposed at a later meeting.

ARTICLE X

Ratification

Section 1. This Constitution shall take effect immediately upon two-thirds approval by the general membership at a regularly scheduled general membership meeting, after a previous two-thirds vote by the Executive Board.

Subsection 1. The membership shall be informed of this vote at least one week in advance and a copy of this Constitution shall be sent to the membership at the time of notification.