Constitution of the University Democrats

At The

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Adopted: September 23, 1984 Last Revised: February 22, 2010

Preamble In order to promote a better America, with equality, opportunity, and freedom within a just and strong society, we dedicate ourselves to organizing the participation of Democratic college students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In this mission, we call for participation of University of Massachusetts Amherst students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Understanding the importance of participation in the Democratic Party to the preservation of our values and principles, we, Democratic college students, do hereby associate ourselves and adopt this Constitution as the University of Massachusetts at Amherst College Democrats. Article I: Name The name of this organization shall officially be the University Democrats, informally known as the UMass Democrats or the UDems. Article II: Purpose The UDems pledge to support the philosophy and candidates of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the UDems declare their intention to support all efforts to increase the participation of college students in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the UDems shall educate and train its members so that they may be better able to: 1. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party; 2. Assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic candidates; 3. Affect political change on the local, state, and national level. Article III: Membership
A. Members: Membership in the UMass Democrats shall be open to any college

student currently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst or another member of the Five College Consortium who wishes to be known as a UMass Democrat and who has the best interests of the UMass Democrats and the Democratic Party at heart, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

B. Members in good standing: Members in good standing shall be defined as any

member, as defined in Article 3, Section A, who has paid their yearly dues; such an amount as determined by the Executive Board. Article IV: The Executive Board A. Composition: The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Director of Communications, Director of Programs, Membership Coordinator, Campaigns Coordinator, and Secretary. All positions will be elected once yearly at the General Elections. Vacant positions will be filled by presidential appointments and approved by a simple majority of the remaining Executive Board. B. Meetings: The Executive Board shall meet regularly when school is in session. Meetings shall be opened to all interested members. The President, with the consent of 50% plus one members of the Executive Board, can close a meeting based on the delicacy of the issues that will be discussed. C. Campaign Subgroups: A group of UMass Democrats may form a temporary campaign subgroup for the purpose of supporting a particular Democratic Candidate, with the approval of a 1/2 vote of the Executive Board. The group shall select its own leader, provided that he or she is a member of the UMass Democrats in good standing. The group may request to become a UMass Democrats subgroup as early as it chooses, however the group will cease to exist, and lose all associated privileges, one week following the final election day of its candidate. The UMass Democrats Executive Board may dissolve any subgroup by a 3/4 vote if it deems it to be acting in ways contrary to the interest of the UMass Democrats as a whole. Article V: Organization Authority
A. Substantive Authority a. Definition: Substantive authority shall be defined as, but not limited to,

adopting policy statements and platforms, endorsing candidates in local, state, and national elections, and endorsing local or statewide referenda.
b. Candidate Endorsements: The UMass Democrats shall endorse

candidates by a vote of 2/3 of the membership. In races where the UMass Democrats do not endorse a candidate, the organization shall facilitate the dissemination of information for all Democratic candidates in that race.

c. Substantive Policy Statements: Policy statements shall be initiated by a

simple majority of the Executive Board. Such statements must then be ratified by a 2/3 majority of the Executive Board at the earliest possible time. Article VI: Duties of the Executive Board Positions
A. All Executive Board members must maintain active involvement in all of the

UMass Democrats activities and endeavors. Failure to maintain active involvement allows for the possibility of removal.
B. Duties of the President: The President shall: a. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the UMass Democrats; b. Define the agenda of the UMass Democrats during his or her tenure; c. Act as the official representative of the UMass Democrats to other groups d. e. f. g.

and the media; Carry out the mandates, policies, and directives of the Executive Board; Fill vacant seats in the Executive Board with appointees, after approval of a simple majority of remaining Executive Board members; Appoint, after approval of 2/3 of the Executive Board, ad hoc committees and chairpersons of such committees; and Preside over all meetings of the UMass Democrats

C. Duties of the Vice President: The Vice President shall a. Assist the President in the performance of his or her duties; including

b. c.

d. e. f.

brainstorming ideas and evaluating the progress of the Executive Board and organization as a whole; Maintain regular and frequent contact with other RSOs and the other four of the Five Colleges; Keep both the Executive Board and general membership of the UDems updated and aware of events and important information as to what is going on within the Five Colleges, Five College area, and other RSOs; Initiate opportunity to network and cosponsor events with the other members of the Five College Consortium and UMass RSOs; Take on projects of his or her choosing; and Perform such duties as the President may assign.

D. Duties of the Treasurer: The Treasurer shall

a. Coordinate with the Director of Programs to create fundraising activities

and prepare all grant applications; b. Manage the bank account, the receipts, and paperwork in case of an audit, and the dues-paying membership and t-shirt sales; c. Coordinate an annual effort to solicit alumni donations; and d. Perform such duties as the President may assign, as well as such duties that are customarily performed by a treasurer.
E. Duties of the Director of Communications: The Director of Communications

shall
a. Be responsible for updating the groups official Facebook page, Twitter

account, website, and other forms of new media that may arise; b. Publicize meetings and events sponsored and cosponsored by the UDems; c. Write press releases; and d. Perform such duties as the President may assign.
F. Duties of the Director of Programs: The Director of Programs shall a. Work to plan events, both political and social for the UMass Democrats; b. Provide at least one prominent speaker a semester; c. Arrange for member training; d. Be responsible for calculating event and trip logistics; and e. Perform such duties as the President may assign. G. Duties of the Membership Coordinator: The Membership Coordinator shall a. Coordinate all recruitment drives and other efforts to attract new members; b. Coordinate all tabling efforts; c. Arrange for member benefits and other means of retaining members. This

includes, but is not limited to, food, t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, internship opportunities, etc.; d. Maintain a database of all current members, alumni, and recruits; and e. Perform such duties as the President may assign.
H. Duties of the Campaigns Coordinator: The Campaigns Coordinator shall a. Connect students with candidates and campaigns; b. Maintain a file of Democratic contacts from every level; c. Coordinate phonebanks, canvasses, campaign invasions, and other forms

of campaign work; and d. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

I.

Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary shall a. Be responsible for completing and submitting after review by the Executive Board, all paperwork on behalf of the UMass Democrats. b. Complete and update database entry; c. Assist with logistics; d. Keep written documentation of event and regular meeting attendance; e. Make all necessary preparations for organizational meetings and record and distribute all minutes of the UMass Democrats meetings in a timely fashion; and f. Perform such duties as the President may assign.

Article VII: Elections

A. Elections shall take place once a year on or before April 30, on a date approved

by a simple majority of current Executive Board members.

B. All members in good standing or students with an expressed intent to become

members in good standing will be eligible to run for a position and vote in the election.
C. One vote per person per election. Candidates cannot vote in their own election. D. Elections start with the presidency and continue as designated in Article 4,

Section A of the Constitution or as decided by the election administrator prior to the election.
E. Administrator: The Election Administrator will be a member of the executive

board or member in good standing who is not running for elected position. The administrator can vote. The president will be the administrator unless he or she is running for a position or chooses not to serve. The Executive Board will appoint the administrator if the President cannot or will not serve.
F. Procedure: Candidates are nominated directly before their election. The

election administrator will determine for how long candidates may speak and other election procedures. He or she will make these rules available for at least one week before the election. Vote counting and declaration of a winner will occur directly after each positions speeches.

G. Drop-down elections: If a candidate loses a race, he or she may drop down to

run for another position. He or she may drop down no more than twice, totaling 3 elections. Article VIII: Removal
A. Cause for removal: An Executive Board member may be removed from his or

her position according to the process prescribed in Article VIII, Section B. Cause for removal is left to members discretion. Causes for removal shall include, but not be limited to: a.No longer being a member in good standing b.Failure to fulfill the duties of the office c.Poor attendance
B. Process for removal: To begin the process for removal, another member of the

Executive Board must charge the officer with the reasons for his or her removal publicly at a meeting of the Executive Board. The officer in question must be offered an opportunity to defend himself at that meeting. If the officer in question is not present at that meeting, he will be offered the opportunity at the next meeting of the Executive Board. If he does not attend this meeting, he forfeits the opportunity to defend himself. After a period of no more than two weeks from when the charges were originally bought, the issue shall be put to a vote. 3/4 of the Executive Board must vote for removal for an officer to be removed. Article IX: Vacancies
A. A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board dies,

resigns, or is removed from office.

B. The President must announce the vacancy to the general membership. He or

she must appoint a replacement within two weeks of the announcement. The appointee must then be approved by a simple majority of the remaining Executive Board.
C. If the vacancy occurs in the President position, the Vice President shall assume

the Presidency and shall appoint a new Vice President following the above procedures. Article X: Amendments

A. Procedure: The Constitution can be amended by a 3/4 majority vote of the

Executive Board or with 2/3 approval by the active membership.

Amendments
1. Terms of Executive Board Members

a. Elected Members- Newly elected members of the Executive Board shall begin their terms twenty-four (24) days following their elections. Their terms expire when their successors assume their offices. b. Appointed Members: Members appointed to the Executive Board assume their office as soon as their appointment is approved by the sitting members of the Executive Board. They retain their office only until the winners of the annual election begin their terms.