Black and African Student Union


The B.A.S.U. Constitution 

NAME OF ORGANIZATION


The name of this organization shall be the BLACK & AFRICAN STUDENT UNION at Reed College.  Hereafter referred to as the B.A.S.U.

PURPOSE OF ORGANIZATION


By being an organization committed to the intellectual, social, political, and cultural growth of all Reed students, the B.A.S.U. primarily strives to create a new level of awareness and education about being a student of African descent.  In addition we encourage teaching others about diversity and demonstrate that through enriching programs geared towards open-mindedness and understanding we would better appreciate one another while learning about ourselves.  At the same time we will attempt to establish a strong and positive rapport with the local community.

MEMBERSHIP

SECTION I

Membership shall be open to members of Reed College including but not limited to faculty, staff, students, and trustees.

SECTION II

There are two types of memberships:

  1. NON-VOTING MEMBERS – Individuals who are registered with the B.A.S.U. as a member by being on the B.A.S.U. mailing list but have no further obligations.
  2. VOTING MEMBERS – Members who are registered with the B.A.S.U. and have attended at least three general meetings throughout the semester.  Also, voting members are strongly encouraged to be part of a B.A.S.U. committee (see Committees).  Additionally, voting members are responsible for knowing, reading, and following the B.A.S.U. Constitution.

ELECTIONS


The offices of the president, vice-president of external programming, vice-president of internal programming, assistant vice-president, treasurer, and secretary are all elected positions.  Officers will be elected towards the end of fall semester of every year.  The election process shall last for a period of four weeks.  The first two weeks shall be for announcement of elections and considerations, the third week will be announcement of candidates and their reasons for running, and voting will take place during the last week.

    SECTION I – ELGIBILITY

  1. The individual has to be a Reed College student.
  2. The individual has to be a voting member of the B.A.S.U.
  3. The individual has to be an active member of a B.A.S.U. committee or position.
  4. The individual must be in good academic standing.
  5. The individual cannot be a Senator (including being a treasurer of the Student Body).
  6. If the individual wants to be a presidency candidate they must have served at least two semesters on the Executive Board fulfilling some other office.
  7. The individual is trusted to be followers of the Honor Principle in regards to making sure they themselves fulfill all of these requirements.  If it is discovered in any manner that either of these requirements were not fulfilled the individual is no longer qualified to be a candidate or if already elected must immediately resign or be removed from office.

SECTION II – ANNOUNCEMENT & CONSIDERATIONS

  1. The Executive Board shall announce the voting week three weeks before the week of elections to the voting members through e-mail, B.A.S.U. General Meetings, and any other methods of communication.
  2. In the announcements the Executive Board shall include the requirements that each individual must fulfill in order to be eligible to be a candidate.
  3. Individuals considering being a candidate for elections must make sure they are eligible.
  4. During this time the Executive Board appoints a voting member of the B.A.S.U. to be over elections.  The appointed individual should not be a candidate for any of the elected offices and is referred to as Elections Head.
  5. The Executive Board is to give the Elections Head a list of all current voting members of the B.A.S.U. along with their mail stop numbers.
  6. From here on the Elections Head is in charge of setting all dates, deadlines, and elections in general.

SECTION III – STATEMENTS OF CANDIDATES

  1. At the end of the second week of announcement & considerations the Elections Head should collect all of the candidates’ names, the position they are candidates for, and their reason for wanting the position.
  2. When all of the information is gathered the Elections Head is to post the information in as many B.A.S.U. outlets as possible including but not limited to the B.A.S.U. mailing list, B.A.S.U. General Meetings, and B.A.S.U. voting members’ mailboxes.
  3. Included with the statements from the candidates should be instructions on how to vote.

SECTION IV – VOTING

  1. Elections should be held during the fourth week through some form of a secret ballot in whatever manner the Elections Head sees fit.
  2. Only voting members of the B.A.S.U. are allowed to vote during the elections.
  3. The Elections Head cannot vote.
  4. Each voting members’ vote is equal.
  5. Only the Elections Head can count the votes.

SECTION V – RESULTS

  1. In the event of a tie there is to be an extension in the voting week by another week for a run-off election unless one of the candidates decide to forfeit.
  2. The winner is the candidate that receives the most votes.
  3. The Elections Head is to announce the winners of the election at the next B.A.S.U. General Meeting and through the B.A.S.U. mailing list
  4. The winners begin their terms the following semester.

EXECUTIVE BOARD (E-BOARD)


The Executive Board shall represent the main governing body of the Black and African Student Union. It shall consist of the following persons in their respective capacities:  The President, Vice President of Internal Programming, Vice President of External Programming, Assistant Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Staff/Faculty Advisors.

The official duties of the members of the Executive Board are delineated below:

A) The President:

  1. shall be an elected member of the Executive Board
  2. shall be in charge of the Executive Board and be responsible for chairing meetings (both general and those restricted to E-Board members)
  3. is responsible for supervising all BASU activities and events and creating an annual (i.e. end of academic year) report of such events for the BASU archives.
  4. shall chair the Elections board and be responsible for the transition process of newly elected E-Board members.
  5. shall serve as a liaison between faculty/administration and act as a spokesperson for the organization.

B) Vice President of Internal Programming (VPIP):

  1. must be an elected member of the Executive board.
  2. shall be responsible for the coordination and implementation of BASU events at Reed College.
  3. shall supervise all BASU committees and shall maintain close contact with the appointed directors of those committees.

C) Vice President of External Programming (VPEP):

  1. must be an elected member of the E-Board.
  2. is responsible for the coordination of BASU events and projects within the local Portland, Oregon area and  communities outside of Reed College.
  3. coordinates volunteer  and outreach projects.

D) Note: Assistant Vice President (AVP):

  1. must be an elected member of the E-Board.
  2. will assist both VPs with any duties that the VPs cannot efficiently handle alone.
  3. will be in charge of sending out e-mails, reserving space, and coordinating with the general members.

E) Treasurer

  1. must be an elected member of the E-Board.
  2. is responsible for maintaining an accurate account of the year's financial transactions as well as accounts of all invoices and receipts incurred.
  3. supervises all financial assets of the BASU.
  4. shall present a detailed account (written/oral/) about the financial status of the BASU at each BASU E-board meeting.
  5. shall create the financial budget for the upcoming year and submit it to the Executive Board for discussion. Once this is approved, then this budget shall be presented to the general assembly.
  6. is to follow all rules and guidelines concerning use of monies, as approved by Senate and is also liable to Senate.
  7. shall also represent the BASU at financial hearings (i.e. Finance Committee)

F) Secretary:

  1. must be an elected member of the E-Board.
  2. records minutes at all E-Board and General Assembly meetings.
  3. collects minutes for all above such meetings, as well as end of year reports from all officers. This shall be made available to members upon request.
  4. is in charge of the BASU calendar.
  5. is responsible for  keeping accurate listing of meeting attendance and all voting members.


NOTE-  **Founding members (Michael Webb, Marushka Ngahane-Baoh, Nii Amartey Amarteifio, & Duke Harjo) are to be considered permanent members of the E-Board. Even though they may/may not occupy the current positions of the board, they are to viewed as an additional resource or consult.**

ABSENCES

  • All members of the E-Board are limited to 3 absences per semester for E-Board meetings and 2 absences per semester for General Assembly meetings.
  • Excused absences are limited to class/work conflicts, family emergencies, university excuses, and sickness collaborated by the Executive Board and/or Advisor.
  • Vacancies created by emergency and/or unanticipated changes to the membership  of a particular committee will be catered for  through the appointment (by the E-Board) of  a suitable member. Members (of those committees) willing to apply for that vacant position should forward their contact information to the secretary and will be interviewed by the E-Board.  

REMOVAL OF OFFICERS:

  • The officer to be removed must have violated the rules and regulations of the office, as stipulated by the BASU constitution
  • The other members of the executive board, including the advisors, vote regarding the impeachment of the officer

COMMITTEES

Section I: Distribution


The B.A.S.U. shall have three majors divisions. These divisions are the Executive Board, the advertisement committee and the general assembly.

The Executive Board shall constitute of:
-    the president
-    the vice president for internal programming
-    the vice president for external programming
-    the secretary
-    the treasurer
-    the advisor
-    the staff liaison
-    the faculty liaison

The public relations committee shall be made of:
-    the advertisement coordinator
-    the “news” (headlines/communication/news cast/ press release) coordinator
-    three assistants: two for advertisement, one for news.
-    The MRC magazine editor
-    The photographer

The members of the general assembly shall be:
- those who fulfill the requirements under the article III of the constitution

Section II: Duties


Each member involved in any of the following committees shall be responsible for the following duties:
-    Executive board
The duties of the members of the executive board are defined under Article …, Section …
-    Public relations committee
==>    Advertisement Coordinator
The Advertisement Coordinator shall be in charge of publicizing/advertising B.A.S.U events. She/He shall work hand in hand with his assistants to design posters and fliers, advertise via student-body, At Reed email lists, the MRC Magazine and The Quest for the campus. She/He shall also be in charge of off-campus advertisement for our “Open to Public” event.

==>    “News” Coordinator
The Communication Coordinator shall be in charge of anything informational session organized by the B.A.S.U. She/He shall develop a topic for the general meeting’s “News” session (Ref. Article ….)

==>    Assistants
The Assistants shall work closely with their coordinator. Thus, they shall second their coordinators in their duties. They shall be allowed to miss one advertisement or communication task/duty.

==>    MRC Magazine Liaison
The MRC Magazine Editor will provide the MRC Magazine with the latest news and discussions held in the general meetings.

==>    Photographer

AMENDMENTS

•    Any changes to the constitution should be raised during general meetings.
•    Executive Board should discuss, reform, and actually write out what the change would be.
•    The Executive Board should present the suggested amendment at a general meeting for the voting members present to vote in favor or against it.



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