Alexander Hamilton Society | Ohio State University Chapter
Constitution
2014.04.20
Constitution
Article I—Name, Purpose, and Non-Discrimination Policy of the Organization
Section 1: Name: The name of the organization shall be The Alexander Hamilton Society | Ohio
State University Chapter (hereafter "Alexander Hamilton Society").
Section 2: Purpose: The Alexander Hamilton Society is an independent, non-partisan, not for
profit organization dedicated to promoting constructive debate on basic principles and
contemporary issues in foreign, economic, and national security policy.
Section 3: Non-Discrimination Policy: This organization and its members shall not discriminate
against any individuals(s) for reasons of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression,
national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Article II—Membership: Qualifications and Categories of Membership
Section 1: Membership is limited to currently enrolled Ohio State students. Others in the Ohio State University (hereafter “OSU”) community—faculty, alumni, and professionals—are welcome to attend Alexander Hamilton Society events, but may not become voting members.
Section 2: Graduate students may become graduate members and attend all social and speaking events but may not serve in positions which have voting powers or as recruiting or membership chairs.
Section 3: Active members are those who attend at least 3 AHS sponsored events per semester, at least one of which must be a major AHS event (i.e. speaking event or debate). Bi-weekly student debates or other social events may count toward the overall event total per semester, but do not fulfill the major AHS event requirement.
a) Voting privileges are limited to students who are active members. Voting members will have the right to hold and vote in elections for leadership positions in the organization. Voting members will also have the first opportunities to be selected for events such as leadership conferences and other opportunities.
b) Membership status will be determined and monitored by the Membership Chair or, in the absence of a Membership Chair, the Secretary.
Section 4: Membership fees will be decided unanimously by the Executive Committee before Autumn Term and will be valid until the start of the following Autumn Term.
Article III—Organizational Leadership: Titles, terms of office, type of selection, and duties of
the leaders
Section 1: The Alexander Hamilton Society will be served by five primary officers. These officers shall, in order of seniority, be: President, Vice-President, Program Coordinator, Treasurer, Secretary
Section 2: President: The President is the chief officer and primary public contact for the
organization. The President's primary responsibilities are:
a. Directing and overseeing the organization's operations;
b. Calling and holding organizational meetings and elections including:
- A weekly executive board meeting
- Weekly membership meetings
c. Maintaining contact with the Executive Director of the national Alexander Hamilton
Society organization.
Section 3: Vice-President: The Vice-President serves as the President's deputy, and will assume the duties of the President when the President is unavailable or unable to exercise the same.
Section 4: Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for the financial affairs of the organization and must ensure that the Alexander Hamilton Society | Ohio State University Chapter remains in good financial standing with both OSU and the national Alexander Hamilton Society
organization.
Section 5: Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for recording the proceedings of Executive
Committee and general group meetings. Furthermore, the Secretary will often assist the other
three Executive Committee members as necessary. The Secretary may also serve as a contact for group members, but has no authority to make or implement decisions unless specifically
empowered to do so by the President.
Section 6: Programming Director: The Programming Director will be responsible for reaching out to other student organizations at Ohio State and planning and implementing collaborative events.Run Events on day of.
Section 7: Selection and Term of Office: Each officer shall be elected to serve a one-year term
beginning the second meeting in March Spring Term each year. All voting members are eligible to
vote in the elections. Additional officer positions may be added at the absolute discretion of a
majority of the Executive Committee, and the method of selection and term of office shall be
determined upon the establishment of each office. Elections will be held on the first Wednesday of March.
Article IV—Executive Committee: Size and Composition of the Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, and
the Secretary of this chapter and program coordinator. For purposes of Executive Committee decisions, each member
shall have one vote, with the President having one additional vote in the event of a tie. The
composition of the Executive Committee may be changed by a unanimous vote of the existing
Executive Committee. Article V—Standing Committee: Names, Purposes, and Composition
Standing committees may be created and staffed as needed by a three-fourths vote of the
Executive Committee.
· Appointed Positions: Membership chairs(2) , recruitment chairs(2) , Foreign Affairs Consultants (2) and Economic Consultants (2)
Article VI—Method of Selecting and/or Removing Officers and Members.
Section 1: Code of Conduct: At organizational functions, all members are expected to hold
themselves to a standard of conduct that is commensurate with the mission of the organization
and with good citizenship. All voting members are expected to maintain an appropriate level of
service to the organization.
Section 2: Removal of Voting Privileges: The Executive Committee may, by unanimous vote,
remove any member’s voting privileges for a lack of service to the organization. Such lack of
service may not be found unless the voting member has not maintained a sufficient level of
service for at least one full academic term.
Section 3: Removal of Membership: The Executive Committee may, by a unanimous vote,
remove any individual from membership for a failure to adhere to the Code of Conduct outlined
in Section 1 of this Article.
Section 4: Removal of Officers: Any voting member may move for an officer to be removed
from office. If such a motion for removal is seconded by a member of the Executive Committee
and the Faculty Advisor, then the officer may be removed by a three-fourths vote of the voting
membership within two weeks of the day on which the motion is seconded. Such votes may be
cast at a duly called meeting of the organization or via a designated electronic method.
Section 5: Election of Officers: Any voting member can become a candidate for any office upon
the submission of a candidacy statement. The deadline for the submission of candidate
statements shall be one week prior to the date of the election. The election date shall be set by a
simple majority vote of the Executive Committee and may be no later than two weeks before the
Spring Term graduation date. The candidate receiving the most votes will be the winner of the
election, and an absolute majority is not necessary.
Article VII—Advisor(s) or Advisory Board: Qualification Criteria
The advisor must be a member of the OSU faculty, and the individual must meet with the
approval of the national organization of the Alexander Hamilton Society. The Faculty Advisor
position is held in perpetuity until the advisor tenders a resignation, or if the other members of
the Executive Committee move to select a new Faculty Advisor by an unanimous vote at their
absolute discretion. If the Faculty Advisor is not present on campus and unable to perform the
duties of the position, then all the members of the Executive Committee will consult with the national organization of the Alexander Hamilton Society to select an interim Faculty Advisor at
their absolute discretion.
Article VIII—Meetings of the Organization
The organization must hold at least one general meeting every academic term in the period
between the start of the Autumn Term and the end of the Spring Term. Additional general
meetings may be called by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Article IX—Method of Amending Constitution
Any voting member may propose an amendment, which proposal shall be made in writing to the
Executive Committee. Any proposed amendment may also be proffered to the voting
membership by a three-fourths vote of the Executive Committee. The voting membership may
adopt any proposed amendment proffered to them by a three-fourths vote at a duly called
meeting of the organization or by electronic means.
Article X—Method of Dissolution of the Organization
The organization may be dissolved by a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee in
conjunction with a four-fifths vote of the entire voting membership. Any remaining assets will
be distributed to the national Alexander Hamilton Society organization.
By-Laws
Article I—Parliamentary Authority
Robert's Rule of Order shall govern the organization in all cases to which they are applicable,
and in which they are not inconsistent with the by-laws of this organization.
Article II—Membership
All currently enrolled students at The Ohio State University are eligible to become non-voting
members once they have attended an Alexander Hamilton Society function or choose to be
included on the contact list. The Executive Committee may, by unanimous vote, determine (1)
the amount of membership dues and (2) whether membership dues must be paid by voting or
non-voting members. Voting membership is earned by service to the organization, and is
granted upon review by the Executive Committee by a simple majority vote. The Executive
Committee will, before every Autumn Term, decide the membership dues for the period lasting
until the following Autumn Term. Any membership fees must be paid by the end of the Autumn
Term, or the term in which a new member joins. The procedures for removing voting privileges and memberships are described in the
Constitution. Membership fees are retained by the organization even upon the revocation of a
person's membership.
Article III—Election/Appointment of Government Leadership
Section 1: At least one month before the Spring Term graduation date, the President will call a
meeting for all voting members to nominate candidates for Executive Committee positions for
the term beginning the day after Spring Term graduation. Present Executive Committee
members will also describe the responsibilities associated with their positions for the benefit of
potential candidates. All voting members in good standing are eligible to run, and may nominate
themselves. A voting member may only run for one position on the Executive Committee per
annual general election. All candidates must prepare a short written statement supporting their
candidacy and send it to the President by the end of the nomination period. The nomination
period will last for one week.
One week after the call for nominations, the President will notify all members of the list of
candidates and include their statements. If possible, a meeting will be held to permit candidates
to make their statements in person and to field questions from members.
On the date of the election set by the Executive Committee pursuant to Article VI, Section 5 of
the Constitution, a ballot box will be present on campus for a period no less than two hours, and
will be monitored by a non-candidate Executive Committee member, or the President. In
addition, electronic voting methods will be available. Each voting member may vote only once.
Both paper and electronic ballots must list all the candidates for each position.
The Executive Committee will confirm the validity of the election and communicate the results
to the membership within two days of the election. Any allegation of election irregularities must
be reported within three days of the election, whereupon it will be reviewed by the Executive
Committee.
The new Executive Committee will begin its term of service on the date of Spring Term
graduation.
Section 2: If an Executive Committee officer is removed or resigns, the other members of the
Executive Committee, in consultation with the Faculty Advisor, will select a voting member to
serve in the vacated position for the remainder of the particular academic term. An election for
the vacated position will be called in preparation for the next academic term. In the event that
the President is removed or resigns, the Vice-President will serve out the remainder of the term
of office, and a new Vice-President will be elected no later than the beginning of the next
academic term.
Article IV—Meeting Requirements and Voting
Section 1: The President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will call a general
meeting once a term in the period between the beginning of the Autumn Term and the end of the
Spring Term. The Executive Committee will report to membership regarding the organization's
achievements in the preceding term, as well as projected activities for the present and upcoming
terms. Upon completion of these reports, all members are permitted to make inquiries to the
Executive Committee on matters relating to the organization. Voting members will also have an
opportunity to introduce motions.
The President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, may call for additional general
and/or voting-member meetings as he or she deems necessary.
Section 2: Quorum is defined in two ways depending on the circumstances. On matters outside
the boundaries of the constitution or group leadership—e.g., discussion group topics, potential
debate speakers—quorum is achieved if at least half of all voting members of the Alexander
Hamilton Society | OSU Chapter are present, with the motion passing if it has the support of a
majority of the votes cast.
However, on questions regarding the constitution or the removal of officers, affirmative votes
cast by at least three-fourths of the entire membership eligible to vote are necessary to pass the
motion.
Section 3: Operational motions involving more than two options will be decided by a plurality.
Article V—Method of Amending By-Laws
Amendments to the by-laws may be introduced by written proposal to the Executive Committee.
If the proposed amendment is supported by three-fourths of the Executive Committee, the
President will then call a general meeting of the voting membership, and two-thirds of the voting
membership may approve of the amendment to the by-laws at the general meeting or via
electronic means.