Northeastern University
Sample GRADUATE Organization Constitution
Areas in BOLD are considered mandatory for club recognition.
Items in ITALICS are suggested for more efficient organization functioning.
Remember that your constitution should be a timeless document.
Anything that would/could change on a regular basis should be a part of the by-laws.
Article 1: Name of your student organization
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the ______of Northeastern University; hereafter referred to as ______.
Please try to incorporate the word “graduate” into your name to distinguish your group from undergraduate student organizations on campus.
Article 2: Purpose
In this Article, you MUST describe the purpose of your organization. It may be listed in sections or as one paragraph.
Article 3: Affiliation
In this Article, you MUST describe any affiliation your organization has with other regional, national, or international organizations. If you are not affiliated with any other group outside of Northeastern University, then state that “______is not affiliated with any outside organization.” It may be listed in sections or as one paragraph.
Article 4: Membership
Section 1: ______does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
Section 2: Membership will be open to all full-time graduate Northeastern University students.
Part-time graduate students and any undergraduate student may become “associate members” by paying a membership fee that is set by the executive board, but will not exceed $20 per semester. “Associate Members” are not eligible to vote or hold any position within this organization by either election or appointment.
Section 3: Participation Requirement
In this Section, you MUST define the participation requirement for members in your organization. It can be a percentage of meetings attended, or a general rule of “no more than three un-excused absences in a semester”.
Article 5: Officers
In this Section, you MUST define a presidential and treasurer role. You may title them as you wish, but there must be a clear “president” role and a clear “treasurer” role.
Section 1: All officers will be responsible for knowing and understanding the information in the Student Organization Handbook and the Code of Student Conduct.
Section 2: All officers must be full-time graduate students at Northeastern University.
Section 3: The officers of ______shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.
Section 4: One set of officers will be elected to represent each division and will serve while that division is in school.
Article 6: Responsibilities of Officers
In this Article, you MUST describe the responsibilities of each officer listed in Article 5. The “treasurer” position MUST include the following phrase:
…shall attend all Center for Student Involvement and Student Activities Business Office mandatory workshops.
Article 7: Advisor
Section 1: The advisor to the organization must be a full-time faculty or staff member at Northeastern University.
The advisor will be an ex-officio, non-voting member on all committees of the organization.
Section 2: The advisor will be responsible for financial oversight by signing all financial forms for the Student Activities Business Office.
The rest of this section should discuss the role of advisor in the daily activities (ie: are they at meetings? etc.)
Article 8: Election of Officers
Section 1: Elections shall be sufficiently publicized to all members.
Define sufficiently in this section (ie: 3 weeks notice? 2 weeks notice?)
Section 2: The election process will take place during the ______semester.
Section 3: Each position will be voted on separately. The voting process will begin with the position of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and then the Secretary.
Section 4: A nominee is voted into office with a simple majority vote of the current membership.
Section 5: A voting member is defined as one who has met the participation requirement including attendance at the majority of meetings and functions.
Article 9: Parliamentary Authority
Section 1: Robert’s Rules of Order will be the guide for all organization procedures not specifically defined in this constitution and by-laws.
Section 2: This section MUST define what formula you will use to determine quorum for a meeting. Typically, quorum is defined as 50% plus one of current membership.
Article 10: Amendments
Section 1: The by-laws and constitution may be amended by a ¾ majority vote of current members.
Section 2: Notice of the amendment must be presented in writing at least one meeting prior to the voting.
Updated Dec. 2013