CONSTITUTION

of the

ARKANSAS UNION SOCIETY

ARTICLE I

NAME

The organization governed by this Constitution shall be named the Arkansas Union Society at the University of Arkansas, hereafter referred to as the Society.

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote campus-wide public speaking through parliamentary debate to the University and the community at large, to provide for the professional development of our membership, and to offer a social outlet for all those interested in the Society. Through meeting attendance and inter-collegiate tournaments in parliamentary debate, the Society’s activities supplement the University of Arkansas’s academic curriculum by promoting public oration and critical thinking skills.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. All University of Arkansas faculty and staff members and students who are officially registered at the University of Arkansas and who are interested in the Society are eligible for membership in the Society.

Section 2. In order to be regarded as a regular member of the Society with voting privileges, a student must participate in at least one Society sponsored function a year, attend one meeting per semester, and maintain good academic and judicial standing with the University.

ARTICLE IV

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Executive Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall be elected by the membership of the Society by simple majority vote in the beginning of the Spring and Fall Semesters. Terms of governance are one semester.

Section 3. For eligibility for election to the Executive Board, candidates must fulfill the requirements of the policy for eligibility for extracurricular activities at the University of Arkansas.

Section 4. The duties of the President shall include, but not be limited to:

· Represent the Society in its dealings with the University and the community at large.

· Preside over meetings of the Society and function as the Parliamentarian at all official meetings.

· Appoint chairpersons to special committees (as the need arises) to complete the work of the Society and to call special meetings as necessary as provided in the By-Laws.

· To perform any additional duties as prescribed for the President in the By-Laws.

· Break all ties in votes of the Executive Board.

Section 5. The duties of the Vice-President shall include, but not be limited to:

· To perform the duties of the President in his/her absence.

· Coordinate the functions of any standing or special committees for the Society as prescribe by the By-Laws.

· Assist the President where necessary in representing the Society to the University and the community at large.

· Perform any additional duties prescribed for the Vice-President in the By-Laws.

· In the event of the inability of the President to fulfill the duties of his/her office for whatever reason, the Vice-President shall assume the office of the President temporarily until a new President can be elected.

Section 6. The duties of the Secretary shall include, but not be limited to:

· Keep an accurate attendance record of all of the Society’s meetings and report to the President any members who have failed to maintain a good attendance record.

· Keep accurate minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Society that will be presented at each subsequent meeting.

· Handle all of the correspondence done by the Society and to coordinate any publicity done by the Society.

· Perform other duties as prescribed in the By-Laws.

Section 7. The duties of the Treasurer shall include, but not be limited to:

· Keep the Society’s books.

· Return all reimbursements in a timely manner.

· Pay tournament fees.

· With the President, formulate a working budget.

ARTICLE V

MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular meetings of the Society shall be held once a month during the regular academic year. The Secretary shall post specific meeting times and places.

ARTICLE VI

FINANCES

Section 1. Society dues shall be $10.00 per semester.

Section 2. All monies received, for whatever purpose, will be deposited in the Arkansas Union Society account.

Section 3. All disbursements will be made upon requisition to the Office of Resident Student Organizations at the University of Arkansas.

ARTICLE VII

POLICY

Section 1. The Society’s participation in Worlds, Nationals, North Americans, and other Restricted Tournaments shall be determined by a majority vote of the voting membership. Participants for the tournaments will be:

· A Society member in good standing.

· Nominated by the Executive Board to ensure that more candidates will be nominated than slots are available to be filled; and

· Voted for a majority of the Society, with consideration to Society service and record.

Section 2. Special events (i.e. hosting a tournament, etc.) must be voted for by a majority of the Society. Positions necessitated by special events shall be filled by a majority vote of the Society.

Section 3. The Secretary shall distribute letters and seeds prior to tournament registration. When placing seeds, consideration will be give to Society service and record. The Secretary shall notify the teams of their designation immediately following pre-registration. Teams may challenge their lettering by informing a member of the Executive Board, who will go to a majority vote on the issue immediately. The highest lettered, non full-seeded team shall receive the option of accepting the next free seed at any tournament.

Section 4. Debaters may hybrid (debate with a member of another school) providing that:

· He/she hybrids no more than once for every time he/she debates; and

· He/she will not be allowed to hybrid more than three times a year.

· The only exception to the above rule is debaters who have no choice but to hybrid, either due to their partner’s cancellation or to not being able to obtain a partner.

ARTICLE VIII

BY-LAWS

Section 1. The By-Laws of the Society shall be used to provide for more specific information that expands the already provided for information in the Constitution. These By-Laws may not rescind, negate, or conflict with any part of the Constitution or any policy set by the University of Arkansas System or local, state, or national governments.

Section 2. The By-Laws will be set forth by a two-thirds majority vote of the voting membership of the Society. Any subsequent changes to the By-Laws will be set forth by proposal from the floor during any regular special meeting and requires two-thirds majority vote of the voting membership of the Society. The signature of the President and Advisor(s) of the Society will officially ratify the By-Laws. The new set of By-Laws will replace the previously ratified set and will be enforced from that date forward.

Section 3. Any member of the Society may approach the Executive Board with the request for impeachment of any officer. Impeachment may be considered in the event the officer fails to properly, fairly, or efficiently execute his/her duties as outlined above. There shall be a notification period of no less than three weeks before an impeachment vote in the general membership. Proceedings:

· In order to impeach an Executive Board officer, a two-thirds majority vote of the voting membership must be obtained in favor of the impeachment; and

· A board member, other than the accused, shall present a list of charges to the membership and the accused shall have the right to speak on his/her behalf.

· Once the accused has spoken or waived their right to speak on his/her behalf, the general membership shall vote on the issue.

· In the event of impeachment, a special election will be held, following the procedures outlined below, to replace the impeached officer.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

This constitution may be amended or revised at any time by a two-thirds-majority vote of the voting membership and upon approval of the University through the Office of Resident Student Organizations. At this point, all previous constitutions would be substituted with the newly enacted constitution.

ADOPTED: September 15, 1999.