Constitution
Constitution
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Preamble: In order to provide primary prevention efforts to help alleviate the problem of ATOD use/abuse on the FSU campus; to help educate students, faculty, and staff about ATOD use/abuse; to help facilitate alcohol-related research; to increase awareness concerning healthy choices related to ATOD issues; and to enhance communication within the academic community regarding ATOD-related matters we do hereby ordain and establish this constitution for The BURG Peer Education Network on behalf of the community of Frostburg State University.
Article I: Name Section 1: BACCHUS In accordance with our national affiliate, the name of this organization shall be BACCHUS, which stands for Boosting Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students.
Section 2: The BURG Peer Education Network After the spring of 1993, The BURG Peer Education Network will be the new name used by the organization previously known as BACCHUS on the campus of Frostburg State University. BURG will retain the same sponsors, members, officers, and guidelines as BACCHUS.
Section 3: Location The BURG Peer Education Network is housed in Sandspring Hall in the SAFE (Substance Abuse Facts and Education) office.
Article II: Membership Section 1: General Requirements Students in good standing at Frostburg State University, as defined by the university in the Pathfinder, are eligible to be members of The BURG Peer Education Network.
Section 2: Voting Members Any BURG member who attends a minimum of six meetings (whether general body, mentor, lead team, or any combination of the three), participates in four BURG events, and completes one office hour in the SAFE Office each week during normal business hours during one academic term shall be considered a voting member for that semester. Any votes taken are decided by a two-thirds majority, unless a vote is taken to decide by a simple majority.
Section 3: Non-Voting Members If a BURG member is unable to meet the provisions to become a voting member, he/she may still participate in all events and meetings as a non-voting member.
Section 4: Student Cost There shall be no dues or other assessment aside from tuition required for membership in The BURG Peer Education Network.
Section 5: Honorary Membership There may be honorary members of the organization who attend other institutions of higher education. These members are decided by the leadership team and will always be non-voting members.
Article III: Leadership Team Section 1: Purpose The leadership team is comprised of BURG members who are either elected or appointed to serve specific roles for the organization. There are typically five executive officers, four mentors, and four committee chairs (numbers may vary under certain circumstances). The leadership team guides the activities of the organization. They are to serve as role models for the rest of the organization.
Section 2: General Expectations It is the responsibility of all leaders to attend all meetings. Leaders are expected to notify the president within a reasonable amount of time if they cannot attend an upcoming meeting. Leaders are also expected to be on time to all meetings. It is also expected that leaders will be present in the office at regular intervals (in addition to the one office hour each week) to check their mailboxes and take care of responsibilities that either relate to their position or to the organization as a whole. Leaders should keep a current log concerning their duties and how they are fulfilling them within the organization. At the end of the academic year they should have something neat and orderly prepared to pass on to the next person who holds their position on the leadership team.
Section 3: Term Length The term for all leaders will be one academic year, inclusive of the summer after their election/appointment.
Section 4: Grounds for Removal Any leader may be removed from his/her office if he/she is absent from more than five meetings (lead team or general body) or misses more than four weeks of office hours per semester. Leaders can be excused from meetings or office hours for reasons deemed valid by the president. Other grounds for removal may be determined if necessary on a case-by-case basis by either the executive officers or the leadership team as a whole. In the event of the removal or resignation of an executive officer, an election will be held to fill the vacant position during the general body meeting that occurs two weeks after that officer's departure. If a mentor or committee chair is removed or resigns, a replacement will be appointed by the president/advisor and approved by the executive officers within the two weeks following the removal/resignation.
Article IV: Executive Officers Section 1: Overview The executive officers of The BURG Peer Education Network shall be president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and past president. These officers take on the core responsibilities of the organization (which are detailed in the descriptions of each office). The president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer will also vote on major decisions that arise throughout the course of their term. In the event of a tied vote between these four, the past president will cast a fifth vote to break the tie.
Section 2: Nominations At the general body meeting that occurs four weeks before the end of the spring semester, nominations for the executive offices of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer will take place. Those who wish to run for an office must be nominated either by themselves or another member of the organization. This nomination must then be seconded by another BURG member (nominees may not second their own nomination). The nominee must then either accept or decline the nomination. During the one-week period of nominations, anyone who decides they would like to run for a position or nominate someone for a position may do so. All the above-stated guidelines for nominations apply. All nominations will be handled by the president, who is responsible for keeping a list and creating the ballot. Nominations will remain open until the end of the general body meeting that takes place the following week (three weeks before the end of the semester). At the end of that meeting, the official ballot will be announced.
Section 3: Elections Two weeks prior to the end of the spring semester, the executive officers will be elected at that week's general body meeting. Each candidate for each position will present a short speech; candidates for president are allowed two minutes, candidates for vice president are allowed one minute, and candidates for secretary and treasurer are allowed thirty seconds. Speeches will be given one position at a time. While one candidate is speaking, other candidates for that position will be asked to leave the room. After all speeches have been presented, voting will take place. Each voting member will receive a ballot, and should indicate their choice of one candidate for each position. Members should refrain from talking as much as possible during this time. When all ballots have been collected, the advisor and current past president will step out to count the votes. If there is no current past president, then the outgoing president will assist in counting. If the president is running for a second term, then the advisor will select another student to assist with counting the votes. Candidates must be elected by a two-thirds majority. While votes are being counted, the business part of the general body meeting will take place. If all positions have been successfully elected by a two-thirds majority, then the election winners will be announced at the end of the business part of the general body meeting. If one or more positions do not have a two-thirds majority, then the general body meeting may be interrupted at a convenient time for a re-vote for that/those position(s) only. After the re-vote the advisor and assistant will step out once again to count votes. In the event that, after two re-votes, there is still no two-thirds majority for a particular position, voting members may opt for a simple majority vote. If the voting members agree to use a simple majority, then the counts from the last re-vote will be used to determine the winning candidate. At the end of the general body meeting and after all re-votes, the winning candidates will be announced.
Section 4: Absentee Ballots Any voting members who are unable to attend the elections meeting should notify the president prior to the elections meeting. The president will give that member an absentee ballot to fill out, ranking candidates in numerical order from their first choice to their last choice for each position. Absentee ballots should be handed in to the president prior to the elections meeting in order to be considered.
Section 5: Duties of the President The president will be the central communications hub of the network. The other executive officers report directly to the president. The president will meet with the advisor at least once a week throughout his/her entire term so that both are up-to-date on current happenings within and around the organization. The president will also consult the past president on a regular basis to for advice on fulfilling the role of president. The president should also meet with the vice president at regular intervals to stay up to speed with what the organization is doing on campus. The president will attend any meetings with administration that the network has been formally invited to, and any meetings with administration that will directly affect the network. Any last-minute changes or decisions concerning the organization and its events will be handled by the president. He/she is also responsible for watching over all operations of the network, along with the vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
Section 6: Duties of the Vice President The vice president is responsible for being the “second president”, as he/she should be able to take the place of the president at any given time if necessary. Therefore, it is crucial that the president and vice president are in constant communication. The vice president will consult with the advisor at least once a week to keep him/her up to date on all current topics and issues. The vice president is also responsible for all educational programming conducted by the organization. He/she will delegate educational programming responsibilities as needed. The vice president will also serve as a consultant for the public relations committee chair.
Section 7: Duties of the Secretary The secretary is a key executive officer because without a secretary, the most vital communication link is gone. The secretary is responsible for taking minutes during all meetings that he/she attends. Minutes are to be distributed within two days after a lead team or general body meeting. A secretary's log should be neat and complete with all meeting agendas and minutes enclosed. At any time, any BURG member should be able to ask for the minutes from any lead team or general body meeting, and those minutes should be reasonably available. The secretary is also responsible for tracking meeting attendance; creating, distributing, and collecting timesheets; creating and distributing calendars; keeping the membership list up-to-date; updating and distributing an organization contact list; and sending thank you notes as necessary. The secretary should also work with the historian to update BURG bulletin boards and promotional picture boards. The secretary may be asked to handle other paper-related tasks as they arise.
Section 8: Duties of the Treasurer It is the treasurer's job to keep track of all incoming and outgoing monies. A written log of all transactions and explanations should be kept and updated regularly. The treasurer should be consulted concerning any use of BURG's funds. The treasurer may also choose to establish a fundraising committee. In this case, the treasurer serves as the chair of the committee, and members of the committee help to come up with fundraising ideas and put them into action.
Section 9: Duties of the Past President The past president will meet with the current president once a week during the fall semester, and as-needed during the spring semester. The past president must attend all lead team meetings unless prevented by academic reasons. The past president should offer insight about previous procedure and should assist in completing any forms for the upcoming BACCHUS General Assembly. The position of past president is never voted on, but is filled by the outgoing president after elections in the spring. The past president may choose to apply for an appointed position if he/she would like to take on additional responsibilities for the upcoming year. In the event that a person is elected for two consecutive terms as president, the past president will continue to be the last president not re-elected. In the event that the outgoing president and past president both leave the Frostburg area, there will be no past president serving on the leadership team.
Article V: Mentors Section 1: Purpose and Role The mentors have a vital role as members of the leadership team, as they work most closely with the general body. Typically, there are four mentors on the leadership team. At the beginning of each school year, the BURG members are divided into four smaller groups. Each mentor is responsible for one of these groups. The mentor guides his/her group in developing and executing a campaign on a specific health topic. In addition, the mentor provides valuable information concerning happenings within the organization, and various topics such as presenting programs, developing PR, and being a leader. Mentors are role models and connect with their group members on a personal level to provide support and friendship. The responsibility of the mentors heightens concerning the FYI (explained in Article ). During the summer training held for the members of FYI, the mentors get to know the new students and choose members to be in their mentor groups. The mentors connect with the freshmen and teach them the nuts and bolts of the organization. During the school year, mentors keep track of the FYI students, making sure that they are attending meetings and helping them adjust to college life.
Section 2: Selection Mentors are not elected members of the leadership team, but rather apply for the position and are appointed by the president and advisor. Applications are offered the day that nominations begin and may be submitted up until the close of nominations. Mentor candidates must also have a brief interview with the advisor. After elections, the president meets with the advisor and past president to appoint mentors in addition to the committee chairs.
Article VI: Committee Chairs Section 1: Selection Committee chairs are not elected members of the leadership team, but rather apply for the chair position(s) of their choice and are appointed by the president and advisor. Applications are offered the day that nominations begin, and may be submitted up until the close of nominations. Candidates may apply for more than one committee chair, but can only be appointed to one of their chosen positions. After elections, the president meets with the advisor and past president to appoint committee chairs in addition to the mentors. Appointments are then approved by the remaining executive officers.
Section 2: Committees Leadership team members who are committee chairs are not required to have a specific committee that they meet with on a regular basis. Some chairs choose to handle their position on their own. However, it is recommended that each chair select a few people to work with on projects throughout the school year. This is important because it helps to involve general body members so that they have ownership in the organization's workings. It is also important because each job does require a considerable amount of work, so having other people to work with spreads out the tasks so that the chair does not get burned out trying to do all the work. Finally, it is important for others to know how to do the jobs required of the position so that when the term is over, the chair has prepared others who might consider applying for the position for the next term.
Section 2: Recruitment The recruitment chair is responsible for bringing new members into the organization. He/she is expected to attend all open houses and information nights, and should also collaborate with other organizations on recruitment workshops and fairs for student organizations. The recruitment chair should work closely with the PR chair to get out information about the organization, its meeting times, etc.
Section 3: Social Activities and Community Service The chair for the social activities and community service chair is responsible for is to develop fun social activities that are a way to say thank you to everyone for their hard work and also to build a sense of fellowship and community within the group, therefore maximizing current member retention. These events can take place on or off campus. Most social activities are free to organization members. Members must be notified well in advance if they will need money in order to participate in a social activity. This chair also initiates community service activities such as outreach at the local nursing home or working with Family Crisis Resource Center to adopt a family for the holidays.
Section 4: Historian The historian is responsible for documenting each year of The BURG Peer Education Network and its activities, as well as maintaining the organization's archives. This entails getting pictures from any BURG-sponsored activity, creating a scrapbook at the end of the year, and making sure that information about any BURG-sponsored event is available in the archives for future use. It is the historian's job to make sure that scrapbooks from each year are present and readily available in the SAFE office. The historian should also work with the secretary to update BURG bulletin boards and promotional picture boards.
Section 5: Public Relations The public relations chair is responsible for all BURG promotions. He/she must keep track of all publicity for BURG's events and activities. This position is extremely important, as without promotion attendance at BURG-sponsored events will suffer tremendously. Any PR that goes out to the campus community must be approved by at least one executive officer or the advisor. PR should be disseminated at least two weeks before the event takes place. Advertisements must include a date, time, location, and brief description of the event that it publicizes. The PR chair is not required to personally create all PR, but must keep track of publicity and make sure that deadlines are met, both for the organization and for specific venues (such as Statelines, The Bottom Line, or FSU email announcements). A copy of each advertisement should be submitted to the historian for the archives.
Article VII: Meetings Section 1: General Body Meetings There will be at least one general body meeting each week during the semester, except for those weeks when school is not in session. Public notice of general body meetings should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Meetings are open to both members and non-members. In the event that a meeting is cancelled, the president or secretary should inform the general body as quickly as possible using at least two communication venues.
Section 2: Lead Team Meetings The leadership team will meet at least once each week during the semester. These meetings will have an open session, during which general body members are invited to sit and listen. After the open agenda has been covered, the meeting will move into a closed agenda, and all general body members are asked to leave at this time. In addition to regular weekly meetings during the semester, there will also be two leadership team retreats over the summer break and one over the winter break. During these retreats, the leadership team will become a more cohesive team and will spend time planning out the coming semester.
Article VIII: Communication Section 1: Email The BURG Peer Education Network has an email account set up by the university through YAHOO!. Only the president and secretary have access to this account. The username stays the same, but the password should be changed at least once by the president and secretary at the beginning of their term. This email should have the contact information for all organization members, and should be updated regularly. Minutes from meetings and any important information for the members of the network should be sent using this account. It is the responsibility of the president and secretary to check this email on a regular basis and keep it in order.
Section 2: Broadtexter Since text messaging is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get information to people, BURG signed up for an account with an online program called Broadtexter. This allows members to send a mass message quickly to all members of the organization. The only people with access to the account are the president and advisor.
Article IX: Finances Section 1: General Guidelines BURG uses Susquehanna Bank to manage its finances. The account that BURG has is filed under the name “BACCHUS”, because it was simpler to keep that name on the account when the organization's name changed to The BURG Peer Education Network in 1993. The BURG account is used for needs of the organization relating to its peer education efforts on campus and activities that benefit the organization as a whole. Tentative budgets must be planned out at least two weeks prior to each event and approved at a general body meeting by a two-thirds majority vote. Any expenses greater than twenty-five dollars must be approved by the voting executive officers.
Section 2: Check Writing The only BURG members with the ability to write checks from the BURG checkbook are the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. These signatures are updated each term during the second lead team retreat during the summer. Checks should generally only be written by the treasurer unless he/she is not present, or if the check is being written to the treasurer. If the treasurer will not be present when a check will be needed, he/she should entrust the checkbook to another executive officer with check-signing privileges. After a check is written, the transaction should immediately be recorded in the register book. Each entry in the register should be initialed by the executive officer who writes the check. When the checkbook is not in use, it should be either in the possession of the treasurer or stored in the lock box in the SAFE office.
Section 3: Bank Card In the fall of 2010, the executive officers voted to obtain a bank card from Susquehanna that could be used with BURG's bank account in lieu of the checkbook. This was so that making purchases for the organization at stores or online would be more simplified and would cut down on the number of reimbursements made. The card is imprinted with the name of the treasurer, but can be used by another signer on the account if necessary. At the end of the term, this card will need to be destroyed, and a new one obtained with the name of the incoming treasurer. When the card is not in use, it should be either in the possession of the treasurer or stored in the lock box in the SAFE office.
Section 4: Book Keeping It is extremely important that a log be kept up-to-date with the organization's finances. Any checks written should be properly entered into the registry, and any receipts from purchases made with the bank card should be submitted to the treasurer. If possible, the treasurer should be notified of any deposits made into the account. The treasurer should receive regular bank statements from Susquehanna, and should make sure that his/her records agree with the statements.
Section 5: Deposits Anyone may deposit into BURG's account at any time. The treasurer must deposit any checks written by other organizations. If possible, deposit slips should be left in the treasurer's mail box within two days of making the deposit.
Section 6: Reimbursements Reimbursements are generally made to those who spend their personal money to positively benefit the organization and its events or meetings. Reimbursements are not guaranteed and should be approved prior to making the purchase. Members should only spend their own money if the checkbook/bank card is not available and there is an immediate need for what is being purchased. The exception to this rule is the historian, who needs to get photo prints and scrapbook materials to do his/her job. The executive officers will evaluate any questionable expenses. Availability or lack of funds may determine the timeliness of a reimbursement. Generally the time span should be within two weeks if the account has sufficient funds and no longer than four weeks if the account does not have sufficient funds, unless making the reimbursement would bring the account to a balance of zero.
Section 7: Operational Minimum BURG's bank account must have an operational minimum of five hundred dollars at all times. In the event that the account drops below this operational minimum, the president and treasurer will determine when and for how long an executive hold will be placed on the account. For the duration of an executive hold, no purchases will be made and no reimbursements will be given unless deemed appropriate by the executive officers.
Article X: Freshman Year Initiative Section 1: PAWS In August 2002, a new freshman leadership initiative was developed to enhance the leadership quality of The BURG Peer Education Network. PAWS (Peers Advocating Wellness Strategies) is also part of a learning community consisting of special living conditions on the substance-free floor in Cumberland Hall, an orientation class, and an IDIS 150 class (Campus Social Problems: Strategies for Change). PAWS will be governed by all the same rules and regulations as BURG under the constitution and PAWS contract. PAWS will consist only of freshman students who are interested in making a difference on the FSU campus through BURG. This group is a branch of the Network, not a separate entity. Once an individual achieves sophomore or second-year status, he/she may no longer consider him/her self a PAWS member.
Section 2: F.Y.I. In May of 2008, the freshman leadership initiative formerly known as PAWS was renamed F.Y.I. (Freshman Year Initiative). This was because of some confusion with the university's online system that is also called PAWS. F.Y.I. is the same freshman leadership initiative as before and is governed by the same rules and regulations, except that members of this group are no longer required to live in Cumberland Hall.
Article XI: Graduation Cords Section 1: Requirements As of September 2006, graduation cords will be presented to eligible four-year peer educators. The following criteria merit this honor:
Exceptions can be suggested through input from the leadership team. However, final decisions are made at the discretion of the advisor.
Section 2: Cord Colors The BURG Peer Education Network prides itself on many things, but there are three characteristics that all great peer educators possess:
Article XII: The Constitution Section 1: Amendments This constitution may be changed and/or amended by a vote of two-thirds majority of active voting members. In the event that the constitution is amended, the new version will take effect immediately. |