[ a l l i a n c e] at Cornell College

Constitution for Alliance Organization

II: Purpose III: Membership IV: Elections V: Officers VI: Ad Hoc Committees.

Article I. The name of the organization shall be Alliance: Asexual, Bisexual, Gay, Intersex, Lesbian, queer, straight, transgender, two-spirited and questioning people. This organization shall be referred to as Alliance.

Article II. The Purposes of this organization shall be:

Section A. To serve as an educational forum for those within the organization and for the campus at large, as well as to actively seek to improve the lives of the aforementioned peoples. Discussion concerning issues of all types of sexuality will occur within the organization. The organization will also be a resource for public education about the lives and experiences of asexual, bisexual, gay, intersex, lesbian, queer, straight, transgender, two-spirited and questioning people.

Section B. To provide mutual support within the organization, among its members, shall be an important part of this organization.

Section C. To hold events that will encourage gathering and discussion by all members of the Cornell College community with the expectation that all participants shall be treated with respect.

Section D. Cooperation
1. The organization will actively consider co-sponsorship of, support of, and participation in, all proposals made by any Cornell College organizations.
2. The organization will actively consider co-sponsorship of, support of, and participation in, all proposals made by off-campus organizations, with exceptions violating senate appropriated funds.

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Article III. Membership

Section A. The organization shall be open to and actively seek the involvement of all members of the Cornell College community and work to accommodate the specific needs of individuals.

Section B. The organization shall abide by the Cornell College non-discrimination policy. The group shall also recognize and reject forms of discrimination not officially recognized by Cornell College.

Section C. The organization's officers shall be a president, vice-president, events coordinator, administrative assistant, public relations officer, treasurer, web designer, and historian who shall be elected per Article IV, with the exception of the events coordinator and web designer who are appointees of the president and vice-president respectively. All officers shall have voting rights. These officers, along with the organization's advisors shall constitute an Executive Council.

Section D. There shall be two meetings a month at which attendance will be taken. One meeting can be replaced with an event at which attendance will still be taken.

Section E. All persons attending meetings of the Alliance organization shall consider themselves bound by common courtesy and respect for the privacy of the other members of the organization.

Section F.Members in good standing shall be those members attending at least one meeting in the current two block period. Also appointed members of long term committees shall be members in good standing should they attend one meeting per semester. In case of a necessary election first block, elections shall be held in the third week, and members having attended at least one meeting in the first block shall be considered members in good standing.
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Article IV. Elections

Section A.Elections shall be held annually during the third week of fourth block. Only students returning for the next academic year, who are also members in good standing, shall be eligible candidates. The Administrative Assistant and an appointee of the organization’s advisor(s) shall administer the elections.
1. In the event of a vacancy, elections shall be announced at the next meeting of the organization and elections shall be held at the following meeting.
2. In the event an officer is studying off-campus or takes a leave of absence for any reason, their continuing status as an officer shall be put to vote by a simple majority of the Executive Council, to determine whether or not they are able to perform their duties from a remote location.

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Article V. Officers

Section A. Duties of the President -- The President shall organize meetings and alongside the advisor(s), shall mediate within the executive council and group meetings. The President shall also be a contact person for the organization. The President shall be responsible for keeping in contact with the Office of Intercultural Life, for appointing a web designer and an advisor(s), subject to the majority confirmation of the executive council, as well as being a liaison between the organization and the administration, faculty and staff. Finally, the President shall maintain communication with outside communities. ___________________________ 1. The President shall oversee the creation of Ad hoc committees, which may be formed at any time. A Chairperson will be selected by simple majority vote of those members of the Executive Council present at the Executive Council meeting.

Section B. Duties of the Vice-President -- The Vice-President shall be responsible for aiding the President in any task they are not able to fulfill. The Vice-President shall also assist any officers when needed. The Vice-President shall also fulfill the duties of the Events Coordinator or appoint an Events Coordinator subject to the majority confirmation of the Executive Council.
1. Duties of the Event Coordinator -- The Event Coordinator shall oversee, under the supervision of the Vice-President, all programming, including, but not limited to: forums on the Orange Carpet, dances, film festivals, and speakers. The planned programming should contribute in some manner to the Cornell College community as a whole, either socially or educationally.

Section C. Duties of the Administrative Assistant -- The Administrative Assistant shall be responsible for taking minutes at all executive and general meetings. The Administrative Assistant shall communicate those minutes to the Executive Counsel. The Administrative Assistant shall also be responsible for keeping attendance at both the Executive Council and general meetings. The Administrative Assistant shall also be involved in the administration of voting processes.

Section D.Duties of the Public Relations Officer -- The Public Relations Officer shall be responsible for maintaining communication within the campus community, and shall be responsible for maintaining communication with campus communities as well as communication outside the campus, with the Web Designer to ensure quality content. The Public Relations Officer shall also be responsible for keeping a list of current members and sending out notices announcing meetings and events. It shall be the responsibility of the Public Relations Officer to maintain an organized e-mail distribution list of interested individuals and organizations. This list shall be confidential and be available only to the Public Relations Officer or their designee if they are unavailable. The organization shall not disclose the members of the mailing list.

Section E.Duties of the Treasurer -- The Treasurer will keep up to date records of the finances of the organization and is responsible for making necessary payments in the organization's name. The Treasurer will also be responsible for keeping the organization checkbook, bank records, and all receipts, as well as drafting proposals for Student Senate appropriations requests. The Treasurer shall deposit all receipts and monies with the business office of the College in the Students Activities Fees account, and shall make disbursements by check through that account. The majority approval of the Executive Council is necessary for the expenditure and allotment of funds.

Section F.Duties of the Web Designer -- The Web Designer is responsible for making continuous updates of the organization’s events, general meeting minutes, Executive Council contact information, and other resources on the web in a timely manner. The Web Designer is appointed by the President and subject to majority confirmation of the Executive Council.

Section G.Duties of the Historian -- The Historian shall be responsible for maintaining current and past records, current and past minutes, and photo albums for the organization as well as making those materials available upon request.

Section H. Officers are expected to attend all meetings, both executive and general. In the event that an officer is unable to attend a scheduled meeting or event, they should contact another officer. After three unannounced absences, the officer may be asked to step down by the Executive Council and their continuing status as an officer shall be put to vote by a simple majority.

Section I. Failure of an officer to perform duties may result in a warning by the Executive Council and/or removal from office at a general meeting. Three-quarters vote of the executive council members present is required to give a warning. After the third warning, the matter shall be presented to the organization for possible removal from office. Three-quarters vote of the general meeting will be required for removal from office.

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Article VI. The Executive Council or an ad hoc committee, consisting of at least one Executive Council member, shall evaluate the constitution every academic year.

Article VII . Any amendments to the Alliance Constitution must be approved by a 3/5 majority vote of members, and may not in any way violate the Constitution of the Cornell College Student Senate. Amendments may be proposed at any time and voted upon at the proposal of the amendment.

Article VIII. Approval of this Constitution requires a 3/5 majority vote of members present at the meeting of its presentation. This Constitution must be approved by Student Senate.

Revised: 20 April 2005

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