Kamm, Peterson-Friend Apartments Government Association

Constitution

Ratified May 1, 2001

Revised March 25, 2008

PREAMBLE

We the residents of the Kamm and Peterson-Friend Apartment Complex in order to establish better community, coordinate activities and preserve our living environment, do establish this constitution of the Kamm, Peterson-Friend Apartments Government Association.

ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE

Section A– Name

  1. The name of this organization shall be the Kamm, Peterson-Friend Apartments Government Association (KPF-GA).
  2. The Association shall be considered a Hall Government Association according to the Oklahoma State University Residence Halls Association (OSU-RHA) structure and governing documents.

Section B – Purpose

  1. The purpose of the KPF-GA shall be to coordinate activities between the three buildings, encourage the growth and continued establishment of a community atmosphere and to ensure representation of the residents of KPF to the OSU-RHA and the Department of Residential Life.
  2. The Association shall have the power to engage in activities which do not directly further the above stated purposes, but which comply with Local, State and Federal Law, as well as OklahomaStateUniversity and the Department of Residential Life policies.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERS

Section A – Definition of Membership, Rights and Authority

  1. All residents of the Kamm, Peterson-Friend Apartment complex who are in good academic and disciplinary standing with OklahomaStateUniversity shall be members of the KPF-GA. Good academic standing is defined as a 2.3 overall GPA and not on any form of academic probation at the time of the election.
  2. Only members of the Association shall be eligible to hold any elected or appointed office in the Association, and only members shall have the right to vote in meetings and elections of the Association.
  3. The Association shall not have the power to require the payment of dues or assessments in order to retain membership.
  4. All executive officers of KPF-GA can not be enrolled in more than 15 hours during their time in KPF-GA. Special written permission is needed from the KPF-Resident Assistant and current KPF President.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

Section A – President

  1. There shall be a President, who shall be elected during the spring semester, and shall serve a term of office beginning at noon on the date of spring graduation of the year of election and ending at noon on the date of spring graduation of the following year, or whenever his/her successor shall be duly elected, whichever shall come later.

2. The responsibilities and duties of the President shall be:

  1. To preside over all meetings of the Association, and the Executive Board of the Association
  2. To make weekly agendas for each KPF-GA meeting
  3. To provide the vision and direction for the association
  4. To meet regularly with the Residential Life employees responsible for administration of the Kamm, Peterson-Friend Apartments
  5. To meet regularly with the President of the OSU-RHA, as well as the other hall government presidents
  6. To supervise the officers of the Association and ensure that they have the adequate direction and resources to complete their required duties
  7. To assign tasks and duties to officers and members as required to further the purposes of the association
  8. To attend Fall and Spring training

Section B – Vice President

  1. There shall be a Vice-President, who shall be elected during the spring semester, and shall serve a term of office beginning at noon on the date of spring graduation of the year of election and ending at noon on the date of spring graduation of the following year, or whenever his/her successor shall be duly elected, whichever shall come later.

2. The responsibilities and duties of the Vice-President shall be:

  1. To assume the office of President of the Association if the President should resign, be removed from office by impeachment or by failing to continue to meet the requirements for membership under Article II, or for any other reason where the President is unable to carry out his/her duties
  2. To preside as parliamentarian
  3. To coordinate and supervise all standing and ad-hoc committees that shall be created, including appointing members, and provide vision and direction if required
  4. To preside over meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board of the Association if the President shall be absent
  5. To monitor the activities of the Breezeway Presidents and provide advice and direction if required
  6. To serve as the official KPF-GA Homecoming Chair/Representative, or appoint someone to carry the duties
  7. To perform any other duties assigned by the President
  8. To attend Fall and Spring training
  9. To organize and chair one event for the KPF community per semester
  10. To meet regularly with the Vice- President of the OSU-RHA, as well as the other hall government presidents

Section C – Secretary

  1. There shall be a Secretary, who shall be elected during the spring semester, and shall serve a term of office beginning at noon on the date of spring graduation of the year of election and ending at noon on the date of spring graduation of the following year, or whenever his/her successor shall be duly elected, whichever shall come later.
  2. The responsibilities and duties of the Secretary shall be:
  3. To take and make available minutes of all Association and Executive Board meetings
  4. To coordinate the production of a regular Association newsletter
  5. To coordinate the writing of all Hall Of The Month nominations
  6. To oversee all hall wide advertising
  7. To prepare, in consultation with the President and Advisor an agenda for each meeting of the Association and the Executive Board
  8. To perform any other duties assigned by the President
  9. To attend Fall and Spring training
  10. To organize and chair one event for the KPF community per semester

Section D – Treasurer

  1. There shall be a Treasurer, who shall be elected during the spring semester, and shall serve a term of office beginning at noon on the date of spring graduation of the year of election and ending at noon on the date of spring graduation of the following year, or whenever his/her successor shall be duly elected, whichever shall come later.

2. The responsibilities and duties of the Treasurer shall be:

  1. To maintain the financial records of the association
  2. To approve all Association expenditures and process associated paperwork
  3. To attend all OSU-RHA Financial training sessions
  4. To prepare a budget for presentation to the Association each semester
  5. To meet regularly with the Association Advisor and President, and from time to time with the OSU-RHA Advisor to audit the financial records of the association
  6. To attend Fall and Spring training
  7. To perform any other duties assigned by the President

Section E – Residence Hall Association (RHA) Senators

  1. There shall be 2 RHA Senators, from any of the three (3) residence halls (Kamm, Peterson, and Friend) who shall be elected during the fall semester, and shall serve a term of office beginning at noon on the date of the confirmation of their election and ending at noon on the date of spring graduation of the following year, or whenever his/her successor shall be duly elected, whichever shall come later.
  2. The responsibilities and duties of the RHA Senator shall be:
  3. To attend all meetings of the OSU-RHA Senate and their associated committees
  4. To serve as communications link between KPF-GA and OSU-RHA
  5. To report all activities of the OSU-RHA to the KPF-GA and vice-versa
  6. To fulfill all duties of an RHA Senator as defined by the OSU-RHA governing documents
  7. To attend Fall and Spring training
  8. To attend to any other duties assigned by the President, to the best of their ability

Section F – Breezeway Presidents

  1. There shall be 6 Breezeway Presidents(1 for East Kamm, 1 for West Kamm, 1 for North-East Friend, 1 for South-East Friend, 1 for South-West Peterson and 1 for North-West Peterson), who shall be elected in an election during the end of the Spring semester by their respective constituencies, and who shall serve a term of office beginning on the date of the election and ending on the date of the election of their successors.

2. The responsibilities and duties of the Breezeway Presidents shall be:

  1. To live in the breezeway of which he/she is President unless there are no eligible candidates living in the given breezeway
  2. To meet with the Community Facilitator (CF) at least twice a month to discuss program activities and account for resident concerns
  3. To maintain current information weekly on Breezeway bulletin boards
  4. To send weekly emails to residents reporting on weekly meetings and upcoming events
  5. To represent their constituents at all meetings of the KPF-GA
  6. To serve on at least one KPF-GA committee during the year
  7. To chair one program per semester for their building/breezeway. CF involvement is encouraged
  8. To share ideas from their breezeway with the KPF-GA
  9. Considered as a voting member of KPF-GA
  10. To attend Fall and Spring training

Section G – Life Skills Coordinators

  1. There shall be three (3) Life Skills Coordinators: a total of 3 Coordinators for KPF, 1 per Kamm, 1 per Peterson and 1 per Friend. Coordinators should live in the breezeway of which he/she is a Coordinator for unless there are no eligible candidates living in the given breezeway.
  2. The responsibilities and duties of the Life Skills Coordinators shall be:
  3. Toimplement one (1) educational program per semester for their building
  4. To attend Fall and Spring training
  5. The Life Skills Coordinators shall be considered voting members of the KPF-GA.
  6. The KPF-GA Executive Board will appoint the Life Skills Coordinators within three (3) weeks of the fall semester following the spring elections.

Page 1 of 9KPF Constitution—Fall 2008

Section H – Activities Coordinator

  1. There shall be three (3) Activities Coordinators for KPF, one (1) per Kamm, one (1) per

Peterson and one (1) per Friend. Coordinators should live in the breezeway of which he/she is a Coordinator for unless there are no eligible candidates living in the given breezeway.

a. The responsibilities and duties of the Activities Coordinators shall be:

  1. To collaborate with an executive board member to plan and carry out at least two (2) KPF Community activities per semester
  2. To attend Fall and Spring training

b. The Activities Coordinators shall be considered voting members of the KPF-GA.

c. The Activities Coordinators will be appointed by the Executive Board within three

weeks of the beginning of the fall semester following the spring elections.

Section I – Advisor

  1. There shall be a professional staff advisor to the KPF-GA appointed by the Director of Residential Life or his/her designee. This person will act as a liaison with the Department of Residential Life, and shall advise the Executive Board and KPF-GA on a regular basis, including meeting with the officers and members. The Advisor shall be considered an ex-officio non-voting member of the Association. This person may be contacted by residents concerning issues with the hall government as well and the KPF-GA.

Section J – Executive Board

  1. The Membership of the Executive Board shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and the Senators. The Advisor shall be an ex-officio non-voting member.
  2. The Executive Board should meet weekly prior to KPF-GA meeting during the academic year to ensure the efficient operations of the KPF-GA. Meetings should discuss issues to be presented to the KPF-GA, upcoming events, personal matters and any other business the President believes should be discussed by the Board.

Section K – Absences

1. In order for an absence to be excused, the member should notify the KPF-GA President at

least two (2) hours prior to the scheduled meeting.

2. Extenuating circumstances that cause absence to occur on a weekly basis shall be dealt with

on a case by case basis by the President. The discussion should be initiated by the KPF-GA

member.

3. A proxy must be present for a regular KPF-GA member during any absence to pickup any

handouts during the meeting as well as inform the members what happened during the

meeting. The proxy may be another KPF-GA member. If a vote is taken, the proxy may not

vote in place of the member, but the may offer ideas and suggestions to the group.

Section L – Removal from Office; Impeachment

  1. An officer may be removed from his/her office for malfeasance, nonfeasance or other conduct that impugns on the integrity of his/her office or the KPF-GA. This applies to one (1) full year before the date of election and also during the election term and includes conviction of a felony or misdemeanor other than traffic violations.
  2. In addition to clause one (1) of this section, any member of the KPF-GA may proffer charges that warrant dismissal of any other officer. The charges must be written and specific, and shall be presented to the advisor prior to a regularly scheduled KPF-GA meeting. At the next meeting, the advisor will formally present the charges to other members.
  3. The charges shall be referred to a special committee consisting of the President, the Vice-President, and three (3) other randomly selected KPF-GA members. The accused and the accuser shall not be members of the special committee. In the case that the President or Vice-President is the accused or the accuser, another member shall be randomly selected in their place.
  4. Failure to maintain academic or disciplinary requirements during the first semester will result in the removal from office at the start of the second semester.
  5. Two unexcused absences from KPF-GA regular meetings during a single semester shall warrant probation of position, in which the individual becomes a nonvoting member. Once two (2) consecutive meetings are attended, the individual will regain voting status. A further unexcused absence will warrant immediately removal from office.
  6. The committee shall meet, and within 2 weeks decide by a majority vote whether or not there is clear evidence that the accused may have violated clause 1. of this section. If the committee finds that clear evidence does not exist, the charges shall be withdrawn and shall be barred from reinstatement. If the committee finds clear evidence does exist, it shall refer the charges back to the KPF-GA for further proceedings.
  7. If further proceedings are warranted, the advisor shall cause an impeachment hearing to occur at the next regularly scheduled KPF-GA meeting, but not less than 48 hours after the committee has issued its decision. The President shall preside at the hearing unless she/he stands accused, in which case all executive officers and advisor will preside.
  8. Two-thirds of those members present and voting at the impeachment hearing shall be required to convict and remove an officer under this section. If two-thirds of the members present and voting fail to convict, the officer, then the officer will not be removed.

Section M – Vacancies

  1. If any office other than that of President shall become vacant, the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the KPF-GA at its next regular meeting.
  2. If the office of the President shall become vacant, the Vice-President shall become President. If both the office of President and Vice-President shall become vacant concurrently, a special election shall be held within two weeks to elect a new President who shall appoint a Vice-President. The Executive Board shall meet within 48 hours of the vacancy of both offices to determine an Acting President until the election shall occur.

ARTICLE IV – ELECTIONS

Section A – Time, Place and Manner

  1. There shall be at least two annual elections, one that shall be held during the end of the spring semester and one that shall be held in the fall semester if needed. If the KPF-GA so designates, the spring election may be held concurrently with the RHA General Elections.
  2. The President shall, with the approval of a majority of the KPF-GA members in attendance at a regular meeting appoint an Elections Chair to oversee the election not less than 2 weeks before the scheduled date of the election. If the spring election shall be combined with the RHA General Election, the RHA Elections Board Chair shall serve as the Elections Chair, and may designate such duties to the KPF-GA representative to the RHA Elections Board as he shall see fit.
  3. The polls shall be located in a central location within the KPF complex, and shall be open not less than from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  4. Filing for office shall be open for at least 5 days, and the period from the close of filing to the date of election shall not be less than 4 class days nor more than 10 class days. Current KPF residents are the only voting members.
  5. Ballots shall be prepared by the Elections Chair (section A.2) and shall contain a list of all legitimately filed candidates. Next to each candidate should be a space for a voting mark.

Section B – Results, Runoffs

  1. Votes shall be tallied by the elections chair immediately following the closing of polls. The advisor should be present during the tally and should approve the results. The advisor should then notify all candidates of all officers elected.
  2. The winner of any election shall be the eligible person who receives the most legal votes for that office. In case of a tie, a runoff shall be held not less than 3 class days and not more than 6 class days to determine the winner, unless the tie shall be for a Breezeway Presidency, in which case the Elections Chair may conduct an informal polling. The informal polling consists of randomly picking no less than three (3) apartments in that breezeway and asking them to vote one more time.
  3. A person shall not be elected to more than one office. If a person shall receive the most legal votes, he shall be deemed elected to the higher office and his/her votes for the lesser office(s) disqualified. The order for determining higher office shall be President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, RHA Senator and Breezeway President.

Section C – Campaigning Rules, Fraud, Decisions of the Chair