Constitution of the Seton Hall University College Republicans

Preamble:

BE IT RESOLVED, That the Seton Hall University College Republicans (hereinafter, the SHUCRs), being an officially chartered student organization at Seton Hall University, and operating under the auspices of the Seton Hall University Student Government Association (hereinafter, the SGA), as an affiliate of the College Republican National Committee (hereinafter the CRNC), and a member of the New Jersey College Republican Federation (hereinafter the NJCRF) do hereby establish this constitution with the mission to support the prerogative of the Republican Party as the party of liberty, the party of equality, of opportunity, and favoritism for none.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That, as the official voice and representative of the Republican Party on the Seton Hall University Campus, the mission of the SHUCRs shall be, but is not limited to, support the ideals and principles of the Republican Party as defined by the Platforms of the National and New Jersey Republican Parties, to educate the Seton Hall University Community about the Republican stance on current political issues, and to provide opportunities for involvement in Republican Party politics and activities

Article I: The Name

The name of the club shall be the Seton Hall University College Republicans (SHUCRs).

Article II: On Membership

Section One: Any student enrolled in Seton Hall University who espouses Republican principles or ideals, are registered or consider themselves to be Republican, or are interested in supporting the Republican Party, its candidates and its initiatives may seek to, and become, a member of the SHUCRs without regard to age, color, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or gender identity, religion, or sexual orientation.

Section Two: Students may express interest of becoming a member the general body of SHUCRs to any member of the SHUCRs Executive Committee either by e-mail, or other electronic message, or in person by attending a SHUCRs activity or meeting. Requests to join, and presence on, SHUCRs mailing and e-mail lists or membership of SHUCRs Facebook, or other social-networking sites, does not in itself constitute membership or proof thereof. The Executive Committee reserves the right to clarify membership through inquiry.

Section Three: In order to be considered members of SHUCRs, students must provide their name, expected date of graduation, Seton Hall University e-mail address, and student identification number to the secretary for entry into the membership roles.

Section Four: Whereas the SHUCRs are the official representative of the National and New Jersey Republican parties on the Seton Hall University Campus, members are expected to act in a responsible manner when attending SHUCRs events.

Section Five: Membership may be revoked upon conviction of violating the laws of the United States of America, the State of New Jersey, the South Orange Village Township, or the rules of Seton Hall University as enumerated in the Seton Hall University Student Handbook. Also, disruptive behavior at a SHUCRs event, or intent to engage in such behavior, is grounds for revocation of membership. Revocation of membership may also be considered for those who are members of organizations which seek to overthrow the government of the United States of America or for those who have shown public contempt for this organization. Such contempt is considered to be retraction of interest of membership in SHUCRs; however, the exercise of Free Speech and Free Thought are not grounds for revocation of membership. Revocation of membership inquiries must be initiated by a member of the Executive Committee and are to be resolved by a three-fourths vote of the Executive at the first possible meeting of the Executive Committee and should only be exercised in extreme cases.

Article III: Governance

Section One: The SHUCRs shall be governed by the Executive Committee, which shall consist of six (6) constitutional officers, in order of succession:

a. The Chair.
b. The Vice Chair
c. The Executive Director.
d. The Secretary
e. The Treasurer
f. The Freshman Representative

Section Two: The Executive Committee shall meet weekly throughout each academic year except where prevented by University recess. Weekly meetings may be waived by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee. All Executive Committee meetings are open to general members unless a two thirds of the Committee votes to enter a closed session.

Section Three: In the event of the resignation or removal of any member of the Executive Committee, a special election shall be held within thirty (30) days to fill the vacant position. The only exception is in the event of the resignation or removal of the Chair, in which case the Vice-Chair will assume the position and responsibilities of the Chair and a special election will be held for the position of Vice-Chair.

Article IV: On the Powers and Responsibilities of the Executive Committee Officers

Part A: All Officers

Section One: All Officers will serve a one year term beginning the in the third week of April and terminating upon the swearing in of the succeeding members of the Executive Committee.

Section Two: All Officers are to be elected as per the procedure outlined in Article V.

Section Three: All Officers will be sworn in during the first week of May and will take the following oath of office:

I, (Insert Name), do hereby swear to faithfully execute the office of (Insert Office) of the Seton Hall University College Republicans. I shall dutifully carry out the responsibilities of my office as designated by the Constitution of the Seton Hall University College Republicans, and I will make it my duty to represent the Seton Hall University College Republicans, the New Jersey College Republican Federation, and the National College Republican Committee with the utmost respect, honor and dignity.

Part B: The Chair

Section One: The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the SHUCRs. In the event the Chair is unable to preside over a meeting of the SHUCRs, the Chair may, at the Chair’s full discretion, temporarily designate the Vice-Chair, or other member of the Executive Committee, to preside over the meeting.

Section Two: The Chair shall serve as the representative to the Administration of Seton Hall University, the Office of Government Relations, and the New Jersey College Republicans. Additionally, the Chair will coordinate all official communication with political campaigns during election cycles and maintain regular communication with relevant Republican Party Organizations, most especially the CRNC, NJCRF, and Essex County Republican Committee.

Section Three: The Chair will receive any and all distinguished guests invited to Seton Hall University by the SHUCRs.

Section Four: The Chair may, with the advice and consent of a two-third majority of the Executive Committee, appoint additional, temporary committee-members whose terms, and positions, are to expire with the term of the rest of the Executive Committee. Such provisional, temporary members are not constitutional members of the Executive Committee and therefore shall not vote as members of the Executive Committee.

Part C: The Vice-Chair

Section One: The Vice-Chair is the immediate successor to the Chair and shall assume the duties and position of the Chair, with all of the privileges of the position, if the Chair is either unable or unwilling to continue his duties.

Section Two: In the event of the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall chair all meetings in the stead of the Chair, with all privileges normally granted the Chair.

Part D: The Executive Chair

Section One: The Executive Chair shall be the official delegate of the SHUCRs to the SGA and shall attend all SGA meetings on behalf of the SHUCRs. Should, for some reason the Executive Chair be unable to attend an SGA meeting, the Vice-Chair shall attend in the stead of the Executive Chair.

Section Two: The Executive Chair shall oversee the public relations of the SHUCRs and, therefore, is responsible for crafting all SHUCRs press releases and handling all media relations.

Section Three: The Executive Chair is responsible for the maintenance of all SHUCRs websites, including, but not limited to, the official website of the SHUCRs and the organization’s Facebook and social networking sites.

Part E: The Secretary

Section One: The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes and votes of all SHUCRs meetings, whether they be meetings of Executive Committee or the General Body, and will distribute the official minutes to all members of the SHUCRs.
a. All votes of the Executive Committee are to be recorded individually so that, upon the request of any member, the vote of any Committee-member might be made known.

Section Two: The Secretary is responsible for maintaining current member rolls and attendance sheet for all members.

a. The rolls shall contain the following information: The name, date of expected graduation, e-mail address, and student identification number. The decision to collect additional information is at the discretion of the Executive Committee and members may decline to provide such information.

b. The secretary shall take attendance of all members present at each SHUCRs meeting and event. Attendance records are to be kept by the secretary, in order to determine Good Standing status among the general membership.

Part F: The Treasurer

Section One: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the supervision of all financial requirements of the SHUCRs. Working with the Chair and the other Executive Committee members, the Treasurer shall be responsible for the timely completion of all budgetary requirements that may be requested and/or required by the SGA or other external organization.

Section Two: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the keeping of the SHUCRs ledger, and for making financial statements upon the request of the Chair or other member of the Executive Committee.

Section Three: The Treasurer shall serve as the liaison to the SGA and other University organizations regarding all matters relating to the SHUCRs’ finances and budget

Part G: Freshman Representative

Section One: The Freshman Representative is responsible for the recruiting and retention of freshmen members of the SHUCRs and will serve as the voice of the freshmen members who did not have the opportunity to participate in the election of the rest of the Executive Committee.

Section Two: The Freshman Representative is responsible for promoting and advertising all SHUCRs activities and events on campus.

Article V: On Election Procedures

Part A: On General Elections

Section One: The Executive Committee shall be elected during the spring semester of each academic year and will serve its terms as enumerated in Article IV, Part A, Section I of this Constitution and are to be elected by secret, paper ballot. Candidates must win a simple majority of ballots to win election. In the event no majority is won, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and another ballot is held; this process may be repeated until a majority is won.

Section Two: The sitting Executive Committee will unanimously appoint an Elections Committee consisting of three (3) members, headed by a Commissioner, and is charged with the responsibility of any and all elections of the constitutional officers of the Executive Board. No candidate for office may be a member of the Elections Committee. The Committee shall count all elections ballots and, upon the request of any member, shall make visible all ballots.

a. The members of the Election Commission shall unanimously select their chair, who shall report the tallies to the general body and Secretary for recording.

Section Three: Only members in Good Standing may vote in the elections of officers.

a. Good Standing is determined by the following criterion:

i. Members shall have attended a minimum of fifty percent plus one (50% plus 1) of all general meetings and, if available, at least one SHUCRs activity per semester.

Section Four: All candidates for Chair and Vice-Chair must be members in Good Standing of SHUCRs for two complete consecutive semesters at the time election, and must have completed a minimum of sixty (60) credits by the end of the spring semester during which they were elected to office. Candidates for the Executive Chair, Secretary and Treasurer must be members in Good Standing for a minimum of one complete semester and one partial semester at the time of election and have completed a minimum of thirty (30) credits by the end of the spring semester during which they were elected to office.

a. For the purposes of election, members shall be considered members of SHUCRs for a full semester if they officially joined the membership rolls before the commencement of the second full month of the semester.

Section Five: The Election Commission will accept nominations at least one week before the election of officers is held at a meeting of the general body. The Election Commission is charged with confirming the eligibility of each candidate, and to resolve any challenges to eligibility before the election takes place.

Section Six: The Freshman Representative
a. Candidates for Freshman Representative must not complete more than 37 credits during their tenure.
b. The Freshman Representative will notify the Executive Committee of their desire to seek the position by e-mail or writing to the Secretary or Chair before the conclusion of the first meeting in October.
c. The candidates for Freshman Representative shall complete interviews with three members of the Executive Committee, to be determined by the Chair.
d. Upon completion of these interviews, the interviewers shall advise and recommend candidates for the Freshman Representative to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall narrow the choices to include only two candidates at their next meeting and announce same at the following General Meeting or no later than the second October meeting.
e. At that meeting, freshman members will vote on which of the two candidates will be Freshman Representative. The winner will be sworn in immediately thereafter.

Part B: On Special Elections

Section One: In the event a Special Election is required by Article III, Section III of this Constitution, the Executive Committee shall hold a Special Election following the procedures outlined for General Elections.

Section Two: Candidates Elected by Special Election will serve the remainder of the original, vacated term.

Article VI: Providing for the Removal of an Officer

Section One: Any officer who, during his term in office, has demonstrated disloyalty to the Republican Party, negligence or incompetence in the performance of his prescribed constitutional duties, or willfully impeded or misled the SHUCRs may be impeached and removed from office.

a. Voting for a political candidate of a party other than the Republican Party does not constitute disloyalty and is not grounds for removal from office. Further, general members and members of the executive committee shall never be required to disclose whom they voted for in any election.

Section Two: Specific charges against the impeached officer must be formalized at a meeting of the full membership. The officer is given one meeting, from the time charges are brought against them till charges are voted upon in order to give adequate time to prepare a defense against the charges. The officer will be excused from normal duties until charges are acted upon.

Section Three: At the next general meeting of the CRs after the charges were announced, the accusing party shall present the charges and the impeached officer shall present his or her defense. Following the presentation, the impeached officer may be removed from his or her office by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the meeting.

Article VII: On Meetings and Events

Section One: The SHUCRs shall meet on a regular basis as a general body held at a constant location and time throughout each semester. General body meetings are to be held at least fortnightly, subject to cancellation by a majority vote of the Executive Committee

Section Two: If, during the course of a College Republicans-sponsored event, a disruption occurs, the Executive Committee member in charge of the event shall have the right to take appropriate steps to maintain order, including removing disruptive persons and notifying authorities. This provision may not be used to quell free speech, free thought, or rights provided by the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America or the State of New Jersey.

Section Three: Effort should be made to make events available to as much of the Seton Hall University community as possible. Given safety or space concerns or constraints, the organization’s membership may be granted the privilege of priority access, and access may be denied to non-Seton Hall affiliates by the Executive Committee. Reservations may be required for events for which there is a limited capacity. SHUCRs will take all necessary steps to accommodate students with any disabilities as per Disability Support Services, Seton Hall University, New Jersey, and Federal regulations.

Section Four: The Executive Committee is the final arbiter of the Constitution of the Seton Hall University College Republicans.

Section Five: Good Standing status is a prerequisite for a member to vote upon all business before the SHUCRs.

Article VIII: On Elections and Campaigns

Section One: It is the policy of the SHUCRs to remain neutral during a contested primary. The SHUCRs will collectively work for the candidate who is nominated at the primary or convention.

Section Two: Individual members or officers may endorse or work on campaigns, in a contested primary, as long as it is not in any official capacity or organized by the SHUCRs leadership.

Section Three: All SHUCRs members, whether of the general body or Executive Committee, have the right to personally endorse, support, work for, and vote for members and campaigns of any political party.

Article IX: On Amending the Constitution

Section 1: A proposed amendment to this constitution shall be submitted in writing, signed by four members in Good Standing, or two members of the executive board, to the Chair at any general meeting. At that time it shall be read to the membership present by the Secretary. The proposed amendment will be voted upon at the following general meeting at which there is a quorum.

Section 2: Quorum is defined as 35% of the total membership of the SHUCRs in Good Standing.

Section 3: Having established quorum, amendments to this Constitution shall be accepted upon a two-thirds vote.

Article X: Ratification

Section 1: This Constitution shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of members present at a regular meeting of the CRs.

Section 2: Upon ratification of this constitution, it shall be available for all to access online on all official SHUCRs’ websites.

Ratified 30 September 2009