ARTICLE I - TITLE AND EXTENT OF JURISDICTION
The articles embodied in this document shall form the Constitution of the Caribbean Cultural Society of Johns Hopkins University, or any succeeding organization, however styled, once constituted as herein set forth. The name of the society shall be the Caribbean Cultural Society of Johns Hopkins University. This Constitution supersedes all previous constitutions and shall come into effect from the date of approval by a General Body Meeting of the Caribbean Cultural Society, and shall remain in effect until amended in accordance with procedures laid down in Article VII. It shall be the source of authority for all actions and acts undertaken in the name of the Caribbean Cultural Society, in pursuance of the objects and aims set forth in Article II of this constitution.
ARTICLE II - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The mission of the Caribbean Cultural Society is to provide a social group for interaction between Johns Hopkins University students (graduate and undergraduate), faculty and staff with Caribbean backgrounds or interests. We strive to provide a support group for entering Caribbean students in order to ease the transition into the Johns Hopkins life, and serve as a source of information for any member of the Johns Hopkins University community interested in learning about the Caribbean.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: General Membership
General membership shall be open to all members of the Hopkins community.
Section 2: Voting Membership
Voting membership shall be open to all registered undergraduate students of the Johns Hopkins University who have attended at least 1/3 of general body meetings during the current academic year. Voting members must be in good standing, with a grade point average of 2.0 or greater.
ARTICLE IV - DUTIES AND POWERS OF OFFICERS
The society shall consist of a General Body and an Executive Board elected by the General Body. The duties and powers of Executive Board members are as follows:
General Duties and powers of the Executive Board
i) Government of the Society shall be vested in the Executive Board comprising of the following positions:
a) President
b) Vice President
c) Treasurer
d) Secretary
e) Publicity Chair
f) Events Chair
ii) The Executive Board shall hold office for a period not to exceed a full academic year (Fall and Spring Semesters) or nine months.
iii) The Executive Board shall be aided in its work by ad-hoc committees to be appointed, as the Executive Board deems necessary.
iv) An Executive Board member is responsible for sitting on each committee and reporting the minutes of the said committee to the Executive Board.
v) The chairperson of all ad-hoc committees is responsible to the Executive Board member who created the committee.
vi) The Executive Board shall conduct the affairs of the Society in accordance with the rules laid down in this Constitution and the Student Activities Commission of the Johns Hopkins University.
Section 1: President
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board, receiving a vote only in the event of a tie.
b) To function as the chief executive, responsible for all functioning of the society.
c) To preside over all Executive Board and General Body meetings.
d) To act as a spokesperson for the organization and attend all SAC General Assembly meetings.
e) To represent the society at all official functions.
f) To appoint an alternate spokesperson for the organization, with the consent of the Vice-President when deemed necessary.
g) To ensure that the responsibilities of each Executive Board member are maintained.
h) To co-sign all financial transactions, as a joint responsibility with the Treasurer.</p><p><em>
Section 2: Vice-President
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To supervise all Caribbean Cultural Society committees and be responsible for collection of their reports.
c) To assume the duties of the President in his/her absence.
d) To act as spokesperson for the organization when necessary in the absence of the President.
e) To keep accurate records of attendance at Executive Board and General Body meetings.
f) To keep a current and accurate listing of all voting members.
g) To be responsible for the recruitment of new members along with the Public Relations Officer.
Section 3: Treasurer
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To be responsible for maintaining an accurate ledger of the year’s financial transactions (which can be reviewed by any General Body member at any time) and a file of all invoices and receipts incurred.
c) To collect all monies and shall be responsible for maintaining up-to-date inventory records of the Society’s physical assets.
d) To pay all bills legitimately incurred by the organization as agreed upon by the Executive Board.
e) To consult with the Executive Board committee heads and propose the budget for the forthcoming year, and submit it first to the Executive Board for discussion, then to the General Body for approval.
f) To outline the fundraising and solicitation protocols.
g) To be accountable to the Financial Advisor for SAC groups.
h) To attend all SAC General Assembly meetings with the President.
Section 4: Secretary
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To record minutes in all Executive Board and General Body meetings.
c) To collect and file minutes of all Executive Board, General Body and committee meetings, as well as end-of-year officer reports. These minutes will be available to the General Body upon request.
d) To handle all the correspondence of the society in conjunction with either the President and/or Vice President.
e) To compile the Caribbean Cultural Society directory together with the Vice-President and distribute it to the Executive Board.
f) To be the custodian for all of the society’s records including membership roll, email lists and for renewing the Caribbean Cultural Society email account before the annual transition meeting.
Section 5: Public Relations Officer
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To ensure that all functions of the Caribbean Cultural Society are publicized at least two weeks prior to the event in the form of notices in the newspaper, posters, flyers, mailbox stuffers, etc.
c) To be responsible for the prompt removal of advertisements and paraphernalia after the completion of an event or activity.
d) To liaison with clubs, organizations, interest groups and personalities external to the society.
e) To maintain and regularly update the Caribbean Cultural Society’s website.
The society shall also consist of Event Chairs to be elected members of the Executive Board. The duties of the Event Chairs are as follows:
i) To oversee event planning for the organization and the committees thereof, ensuring that at least one CCS event takes place each month.
ii) To plan a week long series of events celebrating the Caribbean region for Caribbean Week.
iii) To plan at least one educational event each semester.
iv) To secure all necessary materials and services and review all contracts in conjunction with the Treasurer
v) To schedule set-up and clean up duties at events.
ARTICLE V – MEETINGS
Section 1: Executive Board Meetings
a) The Executive Board shall meet prior to each General Body meeting.
b) All Executive Board members have the ability to call an Executive Board meeting.
c) An Executive Board meeting may not proceed without a quorum comprised of at least sixty percent (60%) of Executive Board Members.
d) All Executive Board meetings are open to the voting members of the Caribbean Cultural Society, unless officially closed with notification in advance.
e) No binding decisions can be made at the Executive Board meetings.
f) Attendance must be taken at each Executive Board meeting.
Section 2: General Body Meetings
a) Notification of the time and location of all Caribbean Cultural Society meetings are to be at least one week in advance, except when an emergency meeting is deemed necessary.
b) The Executive Board may call as many General Body Meetings as deemed necessary during the academic year.
c) There shall be at least two (2) General Body meetings per month when school is in session. There must be a written set agenda for each meeting, whereby business may take place, allowing time for discussions, questions, presentations, special events, etc.
e) General Meetings may not proceed without a quorum of fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of the general membership. If this quorum is not met, the society can make no binding decisions, however, the discussion of regular meeting business may take place.
f) A motion is passed only when two-thirds (2/3) of those present vote in favour of the motion.
g) Attendance must be taken at each General Body meeting.
ARTICLE VI - ELECTION PROCEDURE
Section 1: Eligibility for Office
a) Must be a voting member of the Caribbean Cultural Society.
b) Must be an undergraduate in good academic standing with the university.
c) The society’s advisor may confirm a candidate’s eligibility.
Section 2: Nominations
a) A list of voting members shall be provided (1) week before nominations.
b) Nominations must be seconded and nominees need not be present, however, such nominees may decline at any time prior to elections after having been informed of the nomination.
c) Nominations must be made separately for each office.
d) A candidate can nominate himself/herself for a desired position.
Section 3: Elections
a) Elections shall take place no later than two (2) meetings following the nominations meeting.
b) Candidates must prepare a statement of intent not to exceed three (3) minutes, and must answer questions posed to them by the membership.
c) Elections shall be held using secret ballot.
d) Candidates may vote for all offices.
e) Absentee votes will not be accepted.
f) The outcome of the elections shall be determined as follows:
i.) Candidates running unopposed must receive 50% plus one (50% + 1) of all votes. If candidate fails to receive this, new nominations and elections must be held.
ii.) Candidates running opposed must receive 50% plus one (50% + 1) of all votes; a run-off may then occur, if necessary, between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes.
ARTICLE VII - IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURES
Section 1: Warning
A warning shall be issued to the Executive Board when any officer of the Caribbean Cultural Society is unable to fulfill the corresponding responsibilities or violates Caribbean Cultural Society procedures and/or goals. No officer shall be impeached without a warning from the Executive Board.
Section 2: Procedure
The procedure for impeaching an officer shall be as follows:
a) The impeachment may be initiated by a petition with the signatures of at least one-third of the active members. The petition must be submitted to the Executive Board by an active member.
b) A hearing must be held within two weeks after the petition is submitted. During the hearing, the charges and/or reasons for the impeachment of the officer shall be stated. The accused officer shall have the right to address the related issues in the hearing.
c) After the hearing, a voting by active members is held. A two-thirds majority vote is required for impeachment.
d) No officer shall be removed from office without formal impeachment.
e) The duties of any officer will be temporarily suspended during the impeachment process.
ARTICLE VIII – CONSTITUTION
Section 1: General Guidelines
a) Any question on interpretation of the Caribbean Cultural Society Constitution shall be resolved by a 2/3 majority vote of the total membership of the Caribbean Cultural Society.
b) Any existing amendment of the Constitution may be modified or deleted using Amendment Procedures.
c) An amendment becomes effective at the meeting in which it is ratified.
d) A copy of the amended articles shall be made available to each member of the Society within 1 week of the amendment.
Section 2: Amendment Procedures
Amending via New Legislation Procedures:
i. Amendments may be proposed as new legislation, and as such be subject to all guidelines except clauses reserved for emergency procedures or referencing timelines.
ii. Amendments must be ratified by a 2/3 majority of all voting members who wish to participate in the ratification process. It is the duty of the Executive Board to inform voting members of the legislation to be ratified.
Amending via Petition:
i. An amendment may be submitted with a petition containing signatures of 25% of the voting membership.
ii. Submission is followed by discussion, and a vote must be made at the present or following meeting.
iii. Majority vote of the voting membership at the present meeting results in automatic ratification of the amendment.
Amending during Emergency Sessions:
During emergency sessions, a unanimous vote of the General Body at the present meeting results in automatic ratification of the amendment.
ARTICLE VIX - STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMISSION CONSTITUION
Section 1: Unspecified Issues
a) In the event that a situation arises in which this constitution provides no guidelines that of the Student Activities Commission of the Johns Hopkins University shall take effect.
The articles embodied in this document shall form the Constitution of the Caribbean Cultural Society of Johns Hopkins University, or any succeeding organization, however styled, once constituted as herein set forth. The name of the society shall be the Caribbean Cultural Society of Johns Hopkins University. This Constitution supersedes all previous constitutions and shall come into effect from the date of approval by a General Body Meeting of the Caribbean Cultural Society, and shall remain in effect until amended in accordance with procedures laid down in Article VII. It shall be the source of authority for all actions and acts undertaken in the name of the Caribbean Cultural Society, in pursuance of the objects and aims set forth in Article II of this constitution.
ARTICLE II - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The mission of the Caribbean Cultural Society is to provide a social group for interaction between Johns Hopkins University students (graduate and undergraduate), faculty and staff with Caribbean backgrounds or interests. We strive to provide a support group for entering Caribbean students in order to ease the transition into the Johns Hopkins life, and serve as a source of information for any member of the Johns Hopkins University community interested in learning about the Caribbean.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: General Membership
General membership shall be open to all members of the Hopkins community.
Section 2: Voting Membership
Voting membership shall be open to all registered undergraduate students of the Johns Hopkins University who have attended at least 1/3 of general body meetings during the current academic year. Voting members must be in good standing, with a grade point average of 2.0 or greater.
ARTICLE IV - DUTIES AND POWERS OF OFFICERS
The society shall consist of a General Body and an Executive Board elected by the General Body. The duties and powers of Executive Board members are as follows:
General Duties and powers of the Executive Board
i) Government of the Society shall be vested in the Executive Board comprising of the following positions:
a) President
b) Vice President
c) Treasurer
d) Secretary
e) Publicity Chair
f) Events Chair
ii) The Executive Board shall hold office for a period not to exceed a full academic year (Fall and Spring Semesters) or nine months.
iii) The Executive Board shall be aided in its work by ad-hoc committees to be appointed, as the Executive Board deems necessary.
iv) An Executive Board member is responsible for sitting on each committee and reporting the minutes of the said committee to the Executive Board.
v) The chairperson of all ad-hoc committees is responsible to the Executive Board member who created the committee.
vi) The Executive Board shall conduct the affairs of the Society in accordance with the rules laid down in this Constitution and the Student Activities Commission of the Johns Hopkins University.
Section 1: President
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board, receiving a vote only in the event of a tie.
b) To function as the chief executive, responsible for all functioning of the society.
c) To preside over all Executive Board and General Body meetings.
d) To act as a spokesperson for the organization and attend all SAC General Assembly meetings.
e) To represent the society at all official functions.
f) To appoint an alternate spokesperson for the organization, with the consent of the Vice-President when deemed necessary.
g) To ensure that the responsibilities of each Executive Board member are maintained.
h) To co-sign all financial transactions, as a joint responsibility with the Treasurer.</p><p><em>
Section 2: Vice-President
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To supervise all Caribbean Cultural Society committees and be responsible for collection of their reports.
c) To assume the duties of the President in his/her absence.
d) To act as spokesperson for the organization when necessary in the absence of the President.
e) To keep accurate records of attendance at Executive Board and General Body meetings.
f) To keep a current and accurate listing of all voting members.
g) To be responsible for the recruitment of new members along with the Public Relations Officer.
Section 3: Treasurer
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To be responsible for maintaining an accurate ledger of the year’s financial transactions (which can be reviewed by any General Body member at any time) and a file of all invoices and receipts incurred.
c) To collect all monies and shall be responsible for maintaining up-to-date inventory records of the Society’s physical assets.
d) To pay all bills legitimately incurred by the organization as agreed upon by the Executive Board.
e) To consult with the Executive Board committee heads and propose the budget for the forthcoming year, and submit it first to the Executive Board for discussion, then to the General Body for approval.
f) To outline the fundraising and solicitation protocols.
g) To be accountable to the Financial Advisor for SAC groups.
h) To attend all SAC General Assembly meetings with the President.
Section 4: Secretary
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To record minutes in all Executive Board and General Body meetings.
c) To collect and file minutes of all Executive Board, General Body and committee meetings, as well as end-of-year officer reports. These minutes will be available to the General Body upon request.
d) To handle all the correspondence of the society in conjunction with either the President and/or Vice President.
e) To compile the Caribbean Cultural Society directory together with the Vice-President and distribute it to the Executive Board.
f) To be the custodian for all of the society’s records including membership roll, email lists and for renewing the Caribbean Cultural Society email account before the annual transition meeting.
Section 5: Public Relations Officer
a) To be an elected member of the Executive Board.
b) To ensure that all functions of the Caribbean Cultural Society are publicized at least two weeks prior to the event in the form of notices in the newspaper, posters, flyers, mailbox stuffers, etc.
c) To be responsible for the prompt removal of advertisements and paraphernalia after the completion of an event or activity.
d) To liaison with clubs, organizations, interest groups and personalities external to the society.
e) To maintain and regularly update the Caribbean Cultural Society’s website.
The society shall also consist of Event Chairs to be elected members of the Executive Board. The duties of the Event Chairs are as follows:
i) To oversee event planning for the organization and the committees thereof, ensuring that at least one CCS event takes place each month.
ii) To plan a week long series of events celebrating the Caribbean region for Caribbean Week.
iii) To plan at least one educational event each semester.
iv) To secure all necessary materials and services and review all contracts in conjunction with the Treasurer
v) To schedule set-up and clean up duties at events.
ARTICLE V – MEETINGS
Section 1: Executive Board Meetings
a) The Executive Board shall meet prior to each General Body meeting.
b) All Executive Board members have the ability to call an Executive Board meeting.
c) An Executive Board meeting may not proceed without a quorum comprised of at least sixty percent (60%) of Executive Board Members.
d) All Executive Board meetings are open to the voting members of the Caribbean Cultural Society, unless officially closed with notification in advance.
e) No binding decisions can be made at the Executive Board meetings.
f) Attendance must be taken at each Executive Board meeting.
Section 2: General Body Meetings
a) Notification of the time and location of all Caribbean Cultural Society meetings are to be at least one week in advance, except when an emergency meeting is deemed necessary.
b) The Executive Board may call as many General Body Meetings as deemed necessary during the academic year.
c) There shall be at least two (2) General Body meetings per month when school is in session. There must be a written set agenda for each meeting, whereby business may take place, allowing time for discussions, questions, presentations, special events, etc.
e) General Meetings may not proceed without a quorum of fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of the general membership. If this quorum is not met, the society can make no binding decisions, however, the discussion of regular meeting business may take place.
f) A motion is passed only when two-thirds (2/3) of those present vote in favour of the motion.
g) Attendance must be taken at each General Body meeting.
ARTICLE VI - ELECTION PROCEDURE
Section 1: Eligibility for Office
a) Must be a voting member of the Caribbean Cultural Society.
b) Must be an undergraduate in good academic standing with the university.
c) The society’s advisor may confirm a candidate’s eligibility.
Section 2: Nominations
a) A list of voting members shall be provided (1) week before nominations.
b) Nominations must be seconded and nominees need not be present, however, such nominees may decline at any time prior to elections after having been informed of the nomination.
c) Nominations must be made separately for each office.
d) A candidate can nominate himself/herself for a desired position.
Section 3: Elections
a) Elections shall take place no later than two (2) meetings following the nominations meeting.
b) Candidates must prepare a statement of intent not to exceed three (3) minutes, and must answer questions posed to them by the membership.
c) Elections shall be held using secret ballot.
d) Candidates may vote for all offices.
e) Absentee votes will not be accepted.
f) The outcome of the elections shall be determined as follows:
i.) Candidates running unopposed must receive 50% plus one (50% + 1) of all votes. If candidate fails to receive this, new nominations and elections must be held.
ii.) Candidates running opposed must receive 50% plus one (50% + 1) of all votes; a run-off may then occur, if necessary, between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes.
ARTICLE VII - IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURES
Section 1: Warning
A warning shall be issued to the Executive Board when any officer of the Caribbean Cultural Society is unable to fulfill the corresponding responsibilities or violates Caribbean Cultural Society procedures and/or goals. No officer shall be impeached without a warning from the Executive Board.
Section 2: Procedure
The procedure for impeaching an officer shall be as follows:
a) The impeachment may be initiated by a petition with the signatures of at least one-third of the active members. The petition must be submitted to the Executive Board by an active member.
b) A hearing must be held within two weeks after the petition is submitted. During the hearing, the charges and/or reasons for the impeachment of the officer shall be stated. The accused officer shall have the right to address the related issues in the hearing.
c) After the hearing, a voting by active members is held. A two-thirds majority vote is required for impeachment.
d) No officer shall be removed from office without formal impeachment.
e) The duties of any officer will be temporarily suspended during the impeachment process.
ARTICLE VIII – CONSTITUTION
Section 1: General Guidelines
a) Any question on interpretation of the Caribbean Cultural Society Constitution shall be resolved by a 2/3 majority vote of the total membership of the Caribbean Cultural Society.
b) Any existing amendment of the Constitution may be modified or deleted using Amendment Procedures.
c) An amendment becomes effective at the meeting in which it is ratified.
d) A copy of the amended articles shall be made available to each member of the Society within 1 week of the amendment.
Section 2: Amendment Procedures
Amending via New Legislation Procedures:
i. Amendments may be proposed as new legislation, and as such be subject to all guidelines except clauses reserved for emergency procedures or referencing timelines.
ii. Amendments must be ratified by a 2/3 majority of all voting members who wish to participate in the ratification process. It is the duty of the Executive Board to inform voting members of the legislation to be ratified.
Amending via Petition:
i. An amendment may be submitted with a petition containing signatures of 25% of the voting membership.
ii. Submission is followed by discussion, and a vote must be made at the present or following meeting.
iii. Majority vote of the voting membership at the present meeting results in automatic ratification of the amendment.
Amending during Emergency Sessions:
During emergency sessions, a unanimous vote of the General Body at the present meeting results in automatic ratification of the amendment.
ARTICLE VIX - STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMISSION CONSTITUION
Section 1: Unspecified Issues
a) In the event that a situation arises in which this constitution provides no guidelines that of the Student Activities Commission of the Johns Hopkins University shall take effect.