PREAMBLE
We, the students of Clark University do hereby gather together in sound mind and body to establish the Caribbean African Student Association (hereinafter referred to as CASA). Let it be known to the Clark community that the constitution for the Caribbean African Student Association (CASA) is as follows:
ARTICLE I: Purpose
Section1 - It will be the purpose of this organization to:
1. Assist Clark students in achieving a deeper understanding of Caribbean and African Cultures.
2. Promote unity between CASA members and the Clark diaspora.
3. Generate a greater understanding between cultures by actively promoting and participating in cultural, educational, and community service programs that broaden understanding of cultural relations and social environments within our community.
4. Provide Caribbean and African Students with the necessary foundation to create and nurture an atmosphere conducive to social development.
ARTICLE II: Membership
Section 1 - Membership in CASA is open to any member of the Clark community genuinely interested in promoting cultural awareness, inspiring academic growth and becoming involved in the community (See Article I)
1. Every member of CASA is to be an active participant in the organization non-elected members are expected to serve on no less than one CASA committee. (See Article III: A)
2. Attendance will be taken at every meeting. This attendance record will be used to establish voting rights. (See Article V: C)
3. Any student, who wishes to resign, may have their name stricken from the roster by the Secretary
ARTICLE III: General Assembly
Section 1- Composition.
The General Assembly consists of non-elected committee members; nine (9) elected executive board officers, a graduate liaison and a faculty advisor.
A. Committee Members
1.
Within the body of the General Assembly, all non-elected CASA members will be
divided among three committees:
Cultural Committee
Community Committee
Educational Committee.
2. All non-elected members are expected to serve on no less than one CASA
committee. Individual members will choose which committee they wish to join.
3. Committee members shall meet twice a month to plan and organize programs.
B. Executive Board Officers
1.
Within the body of the General Assembly shall be nine (9) officers, elected
by CASA members (See Article V). The positions are as following:
President
Vice President
Cultural Director
Community Involvement Director
Educational Director
Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer.
2. The Executive Board shall meet once a week in order to discuss administrative business and evaluate the progress of the committees.
C. Graduate Liaison and Faculty member
The Graduate Liaison and Faculty Advisor shall be chosen by the General Assembly at the beginning of each academic year. (See Article III: M and N)
Section 2: Members are responsible for advertising all CASA events. The other responsibilities are as followed:
A. Cultural l Committee shall:
1. Be responsible for planning and organizing all cultural events under the guidance of the Cultural Director. (See Article III: F)
2. Implement no less than three (3) programs per semester.
3. Collaborate with the Community Involvement Committee and the Educational Committee when needed.
4. Collaborate with other organizations on campus when needed.
5. Attend bi-monthly committee meetings.
6. Attend monthly general
assembly meetings.
B. Community Involvement Committee shall:
1. Be responsible for planning and organizing all community service projects under the guidance of the Community Involvement Director. (See Article III: G)
2. Implement no less than three (3) programs per semester.
3. Collaborate with the Cultural Committee and the Educational Committee when needed.
4. Collaborate with other organizations on campus when needed
5. Attend bi-monthly committee meetings.
6. Attend monthly general assembly meetings.
C. Educational Committee shall:
1. Be responsible for planning and organizing all educational events under the guidance of the Educational Director. (See Article III: H)
2. Implement no less than three (3) programs per semester.
3. Collaborate with the Cultural Committee and the Community Committee. Committee when needed.
4. Collaborate with other organizations on campus when needed.
5. Attend bi-monthly committee meetings.
6. Attend monthly general assembly meetings.
D. The President shall:
1. Oversee and represent the membership of CASA on every level of the College. The President is the only authoritative spokesperson for CASA.
2. Keep abreast of all College administrative policy changes and notify the membership of said changes.
3. Preside over weekly Executive Board and monthly General Assembly meetings to verify that every member is fulfilling their respective duties. The President is responsible for collaborating with the Secretary to compose a written agenda for each meeting to be distributed to all members.
4. Conduct regular office hours two (2) hours per week to meet the concerns of CASA members and the Clark community at large.
5. Be responsible for the CASA mailbox.
6. Assist all committees in organizing and implementing CASA events.
E. The Vice President shall:
1. Oversee the activities of the Cultural Director, Community Service Director, and the Educational Director. The Vice President is responsible for recording the progress of each committee and making suggestions for improvement.
2. Compose and present a monthly progress report to the executive board concerning the progress of the committees.
3. Temporarily succeed the President for thirty days after resignation/impeachment until an election is held.
4. Prepare a concise monthly article for the Scarlet to report the past events of CASA and advertise upcoming events.
5. Conduct regular weekly-publicized office hours, at least two (2) hours per week.
6. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings and monthly General Assembly Meetings.
7. Assist all committees in organizing and implementing CASA events.
F. The Cultural Director shall:
1. Be responsible for planning and organizing all cultural events with the assistance of the Cultural Committee (See Article III: A)
2. Implement no less than three (3) programs per semester.
3. Facilitate bi-monthly committee meetings.
4. Keep an accurate list of names and contact information for each committee member.
5. Inform committee members about all meetings and events.
6. Keep attendance record for voting purposes. (See Article V: C)
7. Compose and present a bi-monthly report outlining the goals and progress of the committee to be submitted to the Vice President.
8. Present the concerns of committee members to the Executive Board.
9. Collaborate with the other committees and directors when needed.
10. Collaborate with other organizations when needed.
11. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings and monthly General Assembly Meetings.
G. The Community Involvement Director shall:
1. Be responsible for planning and organizing all community service projects with the assistance of the Community Involvement Committee. (See Article III: B)
2. Implement no less than three (3) programs per semester.
3. Facilitate bi-monthly committee meetings.
4. Keep an accurate list of names and contact information for each committee member.
5. Inform committee members about all meetings and events.
6. Keep attendance record for voting purposes. (See Article V: C)
7. Compose and present a bi-monthly report outlining the goals and progress of the committee to be submitted to the Vice President.
8. Present the concerns of committee members to the Executive Board.
9. Collaborate with the other committees and directors when needed.
10. Collaborate with other organizations when needed.
11. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings and monthly General Assembly Meetings.
H. The Education Director shall:
I. The Secretary shall:
J. The Assistant Secretary shall:
1. 1.Learn the administrative roles and intricacies of the Secretary's position.
2. Assist the Secretary wherever possible.
3. Prepare a concise monthly article for the Multicultural Newsletter to report the past events of CASA and advertise upcoming event.
4. Choose no less than one committee to join.
5. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings and monthly General Assembly Meetings.
6. Assist in advertising all CASA events.
7. K. The Treasurer shall:
8. Have the exclusive right to conduct all CASA monetary transactions for all authorized CASA functions.
9. Keep an accurate, up-to-date, record of CASA funds.
10. Compose a bi-weekly report of budget proposal adjustments and past transactions to be presented at Executive Board meetings.
11. Compose a monthly budget report to be presented at General Assembly meetings.
12. Be present at all withdrawals of CASA moneys.
13. Have permission to use CASA credit on moneys for all authorized CASA functions. No one has the right to use CASA credit or moneys without the signature of the Treasurer.
14. Obtain a written proposal before allocating funds and keep receipts for all moneys spent.
15. Be held responsible for all monetary transactions.
16. Assist Assistant Treasurer in planning fundraising events. (See Article III: L: 4)
17. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings and monthly General Assembly Meetings.
18. Assist all committees in organizing and implementing CASA events
L. The Assistant Treasurer shall:
1. Learn the administrative roles and intricacies of the Treasurer's position.
2. Assist the Treasurer wherever possible.
3. Be responsible for a Business Directory of the greater Worcester area.
4. Manage all fundraising events. The Assistant Treasurer will collaborate with the committees and Executive Board in order to plan and implement fundraising efforts.
5. Choose no less than one committee to join
6. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings and monthly General Assembly Meetings.
M. The Graduate Student Liaison shall:
1. Initiate and be responsible for all correspondence between CASA and the graduate students.
2. Initiate and be responsible for all correspondence between CASA and alumni.
3. Be responsible for the development of a Cultural Business Directory of the greater Worcester area. Assist other officers in fulfilling duties when needed.
N. The Faculty Advisor shall:
1. Provide guidance for General Assembly and Executive Board.
2. Foster open communication between CASA and the Clark faculty.
3. Attend no less than two Executive Board meetings and one General Assembly meeting a semester.
4. Serve as Candidates Forum Moderator for annual elections. (See Article V: 2:D:2)
ARTICLE IV: Impeachment
Section 1 - Procedure
Any officer of CASA may be impeached and or removed from office by the membership of the organization. Impeachment procedures are as follows:
A. A proposal for impeachment must be written and presented to the body at a General Assembly meeting.
B. A hearing to review the charges must be scheduled at least one week after the proposal for impeachment has been registered.
1. The initiator of the impeachment process must present his/her case to the assembled body of CASA.
2. The accused officer has the right to answer any charges made against him/her.
3. After accusations and defense have been heard, the assembled membership will vote the outcome of the issue.
4. The vote will be by secret ballot.
5. The members present must gather a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the assembled body to move on the impeachment.
6. Final dismissal requires two-thirds (2/3) of the total membership of CASA
D. If the President is impeached and/or removed from office, then the Vice President shall succeed her/him.
E. If other officers of the Executive Board are impeached, or resign under the charges of impeachment, s/he shall not be eligible for candidacy in the ensuing CASA elections.
F. Replacements must be made within 15 days after final dismissal.
ARTICLE V: Elections :
Section
1- Date
Elections shall be held on a Thursday scheduled at the discretion of the
President, no earlier than the first Thursday in March and no later than the
last Thursday in April,
Section
2 – Format
The format for the election process is as follows:
A. The President will announce the election date two (2) weeks in advance. Between the date that the election is announced and the actual day of election, students will desire to run for office.
B. The President will provide each candidate a description of the responsibilities of the position he/she seeks no later than two days before the election.
C. Only members who have attended at least sixty percent (60%) of the general assembly meetings will be allowed to vote.
D. On the selected date of the elections there will be a Candidates Forum. The procedures for the forum are as follows:
1. Each candidate, excluding the candidates for Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer and Graduate Liaison will be allotted three (3) minutes to address the General Assembly.
2. The Candidates Forum Moderator, the Faculty Advisor, will pose questions to each of the candidates. The questions posed will pertain to positions they seek respectively.
3. The general membership will have an opportunity to pose questions to each of the candidates.
4. The Secretary will read the names of those members who are eligible to vote.