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Constitution of the Georgia Tech College Republicans

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This latest revision of the GTCR Constitution was unanimously approved
Jan. 26, 2010, by members of the College Republicans.

Article I - Name
Section One
The official name of the organization will be "The Georgia Tech Chapter of College Republicans." The name will be abbreviated to the "Georgia Tech College Republicans" or GTCR for everyday use as well as in references to the club in this constitution.
Section Two
The official motto of this club shall be "God Defend the Right."

Article II - Purpose
The purpose of the club will be to educate the students of Georgia Tech about the ideals and vision of the Republican Party, to promote those ideals on the campus of Georgia Tech and in the community, and to help elect candidates who hold those ideals. The club will assist the Georgia Association of College Republicans (GACR) and the College Republican National Committee in furthering the agenda of the Republican Party throughout the state of Georgia and the nation.

Article III - Membership
Section One – Eligibility

All Georgia Tech students, whether undergraduate or graduate, are eligible to become members. In order to be a member, students must be eligible for participation in extracurricular activities as defined by the Georgia Tech Catalog and SGA policies. Alumni, faculty/staff, or their spouses may attend meetings but are not eligible for membership.
Section Two – Member Status
To be considered a member, one must have attended at least one meeting and paid the membership fee. This fee shall not be less than the minimum set by SGA, and will be set by the Chairman each academic year. These dues may be collected by the Treasurer at any meeting.
Section Three – Voting Member Status
To be eligible to vote in the officer elections, impeachment proceedings, or on amending the constitution, one must have attended at least ¼ of the meetings in each semester, excluding summer semester, as well as met the requirements in Sections One and Two of this article. Alternately, if a student worked as a coop or intern outside of metro Atlanta in the previous semester, or if they had a class that conflicted with the meetings so as to prevent their attendance in the previous semester, they will be allowed to vote provided that: 1) They meet the requirements in Sections One and Two, and 2) they have attended at least half of the meetings in the current semester.
Section Four – Other Club Voting Matters
To be eligible to vote on all other official matters of the club, one must only meet the requirements in sections one and two of this article, provided that one has paid one's membership dues at a meeting prior to the one at which the vote takes place.
Section Five – Rescinded Membership
A student may be refused membership or have their membership rescinded only upon order of the Chairman or Vice Chairman with the consent of the majority of the Executive Board as defined in Article IV. Grounds for refusal or rescindence include but are not limited to disruptiveness during meetings, disrespect for officers, or attempts to subvert the purpose of the organization. Such a refusal or rescindence may not be on the basis of race, gender, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

Article IV - Executive Board
Section One
There shall be four elected offices in the club: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Subsection 1: Only GT students eligible according to the GT Catalog and/or student involvement policy can hold or run for office. Only undergraduate students may run for elected office, and one must already be a member of GTCR as defined in Article III, Section Two before running.
Subsection 2: An elected officer wishing to maintain their current office for a second term must be elected a second time by the voting members of the club. No one may hold a specific office for a period of time greater than two consecutive years, and no one may be an elected officer for more than four years, whether consecutive or not, within GTCR.
Section Two
The duties of the elected offices are as follows:
Subsection 1: The Chairman shall serve as the Chief Executive of the chapter, represent the club in an official capacity, preside over general and executive board meetings, hold a vote as a member of the GACR general assembly, keep members informed of meetings and events, and select club members to fill the appointed positions in the constitution as well as appoint members to any other positions should the need arise.
Subsection 2: The Vice Chairman shall preside over meetings in the absence of the Chairman, be responsible for reserving space for meetings, monitor the activities of SGA and other student organizations, maintain correspondence with appointed positions as described in Article IV, Section Four and perform such tasks as the Chairman may assign.
Subsection 3: The Treasurer will be responsible for keeping track of club finances and collecting dues from all members. The Treasurer will assist the Fundraising Director with fundraising tasks, keep track of all money raised, and maintain correspondence with appointed positions as described in Article IV, Section Four. The Treasurer should keep accurate records of all of the above and present them to the executive board upon request.
Subsection 4: The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping official records of all events, will act as the club historian (taking pictures at events, etc.), maintain correspondence with appointed positions as described in Article IV, Section Four, keep regular meeting minutes as well as executive board meeting minutes, keep meeting attendance records, create and print meeting agendas, serve as Jacket Pages editor, and preside over the meetings in the absence of the Chairman, Executive Director, and Vice Chairman.
Subsection 5: In accordance with Article IV, Section Four, Subsection 1, the elected officers plus Executive Director shall comprise the "GTCR Executive Board.”
Section Three – Appointed Officer Positions & Eligibility
There shall be at least ten appointed offices in the club: Executive Director, Membership Director, Finance Director, Campus Activism Director, Newspaper (“Conservative Buzz”) Editor, Marketing Director, Social Chair, Creative Chair, Community Outreach Director, and Webmaster.
Subsection 1: The terms of each of these offices shall complete after the regular election in April of each year.
Subsection 2: The Chairman, with consent of at least two of the other elected officers, shall appoint members as defined in Article III, Section Two to fill these positions. An appointed officer may also be removed by decision of the Chairman with consent of two other elected officers. Grounds for removal include but are not limited to failure to pay dues, gross lack of attendance, and failure to perform duties as outlined in this article.
Subsection 3: There shall be no limits on how long a member may serve in an appointed position, provided they are reappointed following each election.
Subsection 4: The appointed officers plus Executive Board shall comprise the “GTCR leadership.”
Section Four
The duties of the appointed offices are as follows:
Subsection 1: The Executive Director will be appointed by the Chairman and shall be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the club from a managerial and organizational perspective (à la a “Chief of Staff” to the Chairman). Duties will include but are not limited to contracting speakers, scheduling events, and “big picture” planning. Although appointed, the Executive Director will be considered part of the Executive Board.
Subsection 2: The Membership Director will report to the Chairman and shall be responsible for maintaining the member database, keeping the announcements email list updated, and recruiting new members for the club, including at membership tables during the school year and during FASET sessions throughout the summer.
Subsection 3: The Finance Director will report to the Treasurer, and shall be responsible for conducting fundraising activities and setting fundraising goals (in conjunction with the Leadership team) for the club.
Subsection 4: The Campus Activism Director will report to the Executive Director and shall be responsible for planning campus events (at least one event/project per month) that draw and raise student awareness to issues related to the GTCR cause. The Campus Activism Director will serve as the primary coordinator and planner for said events and work with the Executive Board in a visionary capacity to come up with creative, innovative ideas for projects to do.
Subsection 5: The Newspaper (“Conservative Buzz”) Editor will report to the Chairman, and shall be responsible for putting together the “Conservative Buzz” newspaper no less than twice a semester. The Editor, with approval of the Exec board, has the right change or modify the name of the newspaper.
Subsection 6: The Marketing Director will report to the Vice Chairman and shall be responsible for writing press releases, contacting local and student publications about upcoming events, and putting up notices about upcoming events on campus and online via social media (i.e. Facebook) in conjunction with the Social Chair.
Subsection 7: The Social Chair will report to the Vice Chairman and shall be responsible for organizing and planning social events for the club and upholding the traditions of the club and, accordingly, the school. The Social Chair will also share publicity responsibilities with the Marketing Director as stated in Article IV, Section Four, Subsection 2.
Subsection 8: The Creative Chair will report to the Vice Chairman and work in conjunction with the Social Chair to create/update the club logo, make and order club t-shirts and other sellable gg, and designing posters and banners in conjunction with the Marketing Director.
Subsection 9: The Community Outreach Director will report to the Vice Chairman and shall be responsible for planning service events (at a minimum 2 per semester) that go beyond the scope of pure politics and engage the club in active community service whether on campus or in the Atlanta community.
Subsection 10: The Webmaster will report to the Executive Director and shall be responsible for building and updating the website to reflect the current state of the club and its activities. The Webmaster should coordinate with the Campus Activism Director, Marketing Director, and Social Chair to ensure that information about upcoming events is prominently displayed on the site.
Section Five – Executive Board Definition
All of the students serving in the above elected and appointed positions, as well as any GTCR members serving as elected or appointed officers with GACR, shall be designated as the "Executive Board" of the Georgia Tech College Republicans. The executive board shall hold separate meetings in addition to the regular meetings as determined by the Chairman.

Article V - Elections
Section One – Candidacy Declaration
Elections are to be held at the first meeting in the month of April each year, unless the executive board votes to change the date. The date shall not be postponed or moved up by more than two weeks. Members are invited to declare their candidacy for an office at the meeting immediately prior to when the elections take place.
Section Two – Nomination / Election
To run for office, a member must be nominated by his or herself or by a member of the club and seconded by another member of the club as defined in Article III, Section Two. Once all nominations have been submitted for an office, all candidates will leave the room, before being invited back individually to give speeches. After all candidates have finished speaking, they will remain outside while the voting members in the meeting have a short period of time for discussion. During the discussion period, the introduction of pros and cons will be permitted, as outlined in Robert's Rules of Order.
Section Three - Tiebreak
A simple majority of voting members present as defined in Article III, Section Three will decide the winner of each election. In the event that no candidate for an office receives the majority of votes, there will be a run-off election between the two highest vote getters. In the event that there are only two candidates running for office and a tie occurs, the Executive Board will break the tie, minus any members on the Executive Board who are running for the position. If there is a tie after the Executive Board vote, the highest-ranking officer will decide the winner.
Section Four – Taking Office
New officers assume office at the meeting following the elections, and all records and information retained by the previous officers shall be passed on to the new officers immediately.
Section Five - Vacancies
Vacancies among elected officers will be announced and a special election will be called. If the vacancy occurs after January 1st, the Chairman may appoint an interim officer to fill the position until the general election in April. In the case of a Chairman vacancy, the highest remaining officer will become Chairman. The resulting vacancy will be governed by the same rules.

Article VI - Impeachment
Section One - Charges
Any member of the club may bring charges of impeachment against any officer. Grounds for impeachment include but are not limited to gross lack of attendance, negligence of duties, failure to pay dues for an extended period of time, or willful disregard for the Constitution. For the executive board, gross lack of attendance means not attending at least half of the chapter and executive board meetings in each semester. The charge must be either brought or seconded however by a voting member as defined in Article III Section Three. The officer then has the right to defend his or herself against the charges made at the next meeting, where the charges will again be presented.
Section Two - Vote
Once charges are made and defense presented, the officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority of voting members present as defined in Article III Section Three.

Article VII - Meetings
Section One – Meeting Schedule
The club will hold meetings not less than once monthly during the fall and spring semesters. During summer semesters, the highest-ranking officer enrolled in the summer semester or otherwise residing in metro Atlanta shall determine whether there is enough interest to hold meetings and will call meetings accordingly. Regular meetings will be held at the call of the Chairman with one week's notice given to all members. The first regular meeting of each semester will be held prior to the end of the second full week of that semester.
Section Two - Order
All meetings will be run according to the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
Section Three - Quorum
Half of elected officers must be present to conduct business at a meeting.
Section Four – Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America will begin the agenda of every regular meeting unless the Chairman determines otherwise.

Article VIII - Advisor
Section One - Eligibility
A full time GT faculty or staff member will serve as an advisor to the organization.
Section Two - Election
The advisor shall be selected by the executive board and must be approved by a simple majority vote of members present as defined in Article III Section Four. The advisor will remain in this position until the need arises to replace him or her.
Section Three - Replacement
If the need arises to replace an advisor in the course of a semester, the executive board will choose a new advisor as determined in section two.

Article IX - Amendments
Section One – Executive Vote
Amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted to the executive board in writing for consideration. Following a vote of 2/3 of the executive board approving it, the amendment will be submitted for consideration at the next general meeting. A vote on the amendment will take place at a general meeting no less than two weeks from that point.
Section Two - Presentation
Written notification of the proposed amendment to all voting members must be made by mail or email at least two weeks in advance of any proposed change in the constitution.
Section Three – Voting Member
The amendment must be ratified by a 2/3 majority of voting members present as defined in Article III Section Three.
Section Four – SGA
Amendments are subject to approval by the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Committee.

Article X - Ratification
Section One - Qualifications
The current Executive Board shall determine the qualifications for voting and participation in the ratification process within the club.
Section Two – Voting Members
A 2/3 majority of members eligible to vote as determined in section one of this article shall be needed to ratify the constitution.
Section Three - SGA
This constitution is subject to approval by the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Committee.


Submitted by the undersigned on the 26th of January 2010:

Kristen Greig, Chairman
Caitlin Kirkland, Vice Chairman
Chandler Epp, Executive Director
Johnny Simmons, Treasurer
Stephen Cary, Secretary


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