Constitution

Liberty and justice will only prevail when citizens take responsibility for their government. We, the College Democrats of Old Dominion University, will strive to be leaders of integrity and to foster leadership armed with democratic ideals and with the public interest at heart.

Article 1: Name, Affiliation, and Purpose

Section 1: The name of the organization will be the College Democrats of Old
Dominion University. This organization will be also referred to and known as the Old Dominion College Democrats, and as the College Democrats. It will be referred to, hereafter, in this constitution as the College Democrats or as the organization.

Section 2: The College Democrats shall be affiliated with the Virginia Young Democrats, the Young Democrats of America, the Democratic Party of Virginia, the College Democrats of Virginia, and the College Democrats of America.

Section 3: The purpose of this organization shall be 1) to promote democratic ideals and values 2) to provide a forum for political expression of democratic ideas 3) to encourage student and community involvement in the national, state, and local democratic elections 4) to perform community service in the Hampton Roads area 5) to endorse and support candidates of the Democratic party and/or Independents as seen fit by the organization and 6) to encourage diversity, understanding, and citizenship through the action of Democratically-minded students at Old Dominion University and their supporters in political and social activities.

Article 2: Membership and Responsibilities

Section 1: Any person who is enrolled at Old Dominion University and who wishes to be known as a College Democrat and support the organization qualifies for membership.

Section 2: A person will be recognized as a College Democrat upon qualifying for membership and having fulfilled the responsibilities of members (section 4).

Section 3: The College Democrats will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, nationality, sex, etc.

Section 4: Responsibilities of Members

Subsection A: Members are to attend the general and member meetings of the College Democrats as scheduled by the Executive Board

Subsection B: Members are to attend and participate in activities and events sponsored by the College Democrats.

Subsection C: Members are to contribute their efforts to the success of the organization and actively voice their opinions, ideas, and concerns regarding the organization and its performance.

Subsection D: Members are to sign themselves onto the roster via the Old Dominion University Office of Student Activities and Leadership.

Article 3: Meetings

Section 1: General meetings are open to all students and faculty of Old Dominion University and to the general public. No fewer than four general meetings will be held in the course of an academic year.

Section 2: Member meetings are open to members of the College Democrats and guests invited by the Executive Board. No fewer than four member meetings will be held in the course of an academic year.

Section 3: The Election meeting is open only to members of the College Democrats. It will be held annually nearing the end of the semester.

Section 4: Executive Board meetings are open to the Executive Board members and invited guests only. No fewer than eight meetings will be held in the course of the academic year.

Article 4: Voting and Eligibility

Section 1: Definition of Voting Terms

Subsection A: A simple majority constitutes no less than one half of votes plus on vote of all votes cast

Subsection B: A two thirds vote constitutes no less than two thirds of all votes cast.

Subsection C: A three fourths vote constitutes no less than three fourths of all votes cast.

Subsection D: A unanimous vote constitutes every vote of all votes cast.

 

Section 2: Eligibility

Subsection A: A member qualifies to vote only if he or she has attended at least on half of all meetings and activities.

Subsection B: A member qualifies to be a candidate for an office of the College Democrats only if he or she has participated in at least two thirds of all meetings and activities

Subsection C: Exceptions to the voting and candidate requirements above may be granted by the Executive Board in consideration of special circumstances. Petitions for exception must be submitted in writing to the Secretary and must be approved by a two thirds vote by the Executive Board.

Article 5: Executive Board

Section 1: The Executive Board shall be composed of a President, Vice President, Communications and Publicity Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Campaign Director, and Research Director.

Section 2: The Executive Board will be the chief policy making body for the organization.

Section 3: The Executive Board will have the necessary powers for the proper and legal execution of all the duties of the College Democrats of Old Dominion University.

Section 4: The Executive Board shall make its decision by a two thirds vote.

Article 6: Officers and Duties

Section 1: President

Subsection A: The President shall be the official spokesperson for the College Democrats.

Subsection B: The President shall provide the agenda for meetings and a year long plan for the College Democrats.

Subsection C: The President shall have the power to oversee all organization activities, and shall preside over all Executive Board, member, and general meetings.

Subsection D: The President shall have the power to call meetings for the College Democrats.

Subsection E: The President shall have the power to delegate duties and responsibilities to the Executive Board, committee chairs, and members as he or she sees fit
Subsection F: The President may appoint or create any committees as he or she sees fit and appoint its members upon a two thirds vote by the Executive Board.

Subsection G: The President shall establish administrative procedures not otherwise provide for by the constitution or bylaws of the organization.

Section 2: Vice President

Subsection A: The Vice President shall assist the President in his or her duties.

Subsection B: The Vice President shall uphold all responsibilities of the President in the even that the President is unable to do so.

Subsection C: The Vice President shall maintain relations and coordinate events with other campus organization in order to cultivate and uphold common Democratic interests.

Subsection D: The Vice President shall assist in the administration and organization of large projects that fall under the responsibilities of the remaining officers.

Subsection E: The Vice President shall take on projects of his or her choosing.

Section 3: Communications and Publicity Director

Subsection A: The Communications and Publicity Director shall be responsible for coordinating all promotion and publicity of College Democrats activities, events, and meetings.

Subsection B: The Communications and Publicity Director shall maintain relations with Old Dominion University's media staff.

Subsection C: The Communications and Publicity Director shall maintain relations with other campus organizations.

Section 4: Secretary

Subsection A: The Secretary shall keep accurate membership and attendance records for all organization meetings and activities.

Subsection B: The Secretary shall regularly update and maintain the e-mail list and roster of the organization.

Subsection C: The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes at all executive board meetings, member, and general meetings, and making these available to the membership.

Subsection D: The Secretary shall book rooms for all meetings and events in a timely manner.

Section 5: Treasurer

Subsection A: The treasurer shall maintain an active record of the account and funds of the College Democrats.

Subsection B: The treasurer shall create an annual budget to be approved by the Executive Board.

Subsection C: The Treasurer shall coordinate all financial activities and act as the representative of the organization in all financial matters.

Subsection D: The Treasurer shall perform such duties customarily performed by a treasurer.

Section 6: Campaign Director

Subsection A: The Campaign Director shall coordinate activities in support of Democratic (or otherwise supported) candidates on the campus, local, state, and national levels.

Subsection B: The Campaign Director shall act as a liaison with
candidates and their staff.

Subsection C: The Campaign Director shall coordinate activities to increase voter registration.

Section 6: Research Director

Subsection A: The Research Director shall research information and keep informed the Executive Board and the members of the organization on the current status of political events and party politics.

Subsection B: The Research Director shall maintain a record of pertinent information that is consistently used by the College Democrats.

Subsection C: The Research Director shall research any relevant information requested by the Executive Board.

Subsection D: The Research Director shall assist the Campaign Director as he or she requires.

Article 7: Election of Officers

Section 1: The annual election of officers will be held at an Election meeting.

Section 2: Officers will be elected to serve annual terms for the following academic year.

Section 3: A candidate shall only run for one office in the annual election.

Section 4: A candidate is not allowed to vote for the position he or she is contending for.

Section 5: All candidates must submit a written declaration to run for an office at least one week prior to the Election meeting.

Section 6: The names of all candidates and their declarations shall be e-mailed to all members one week prior to the election meeting and/or posted on the College Democrats web site.

Section 7: Procedures of Election

Subsection A: Ballots with the names of the candidates will be handed to all eligible voters at the Election meeting.

Subsection B: All voters must be present at the time of vote. No proxy voting will be allowed.

Subsection C: The President shall preside over elections. If the President is a candidate for an office, then he or she shall appoint a member who is not a candidate for any office to preside over the elections.

Subsection D: Candidates will address the membership in the alphabetical order of their last names.

Subsection E: Each candidate will be allowed no more than five minutes to address the voting members.

Subsection F: Ballots will be collected and counted by the person presiding over the election.

Subsection G: New officers will assume their positions following the completion of the spring semester of the academic year.

Article 8: Removal of Officers

Section 1: An officer may be removed from office for failure to perform duties, frequent absences from meetings and activities, or unethical behavior including, but not limited to, violations of the Constitution.

Section 2: Any member may call for the removal of an officer. A petition must be submitted in writing to the President or the highest officer no implicated in the letter.

Section 3: The Executive Board must convene within ten academic days of the submission of the petition to address the charge.

Section 4: The officer in question must be allowed an opportunity to address the charges of the petition.

Section 5: A three fourths vote by the Executive Board is required to accept the call for the removal of the officer.

Section 6: The results of the vote and explanations must be noted in the following member meeting.

Article 9: Vacancies

Section 1: A vacancy occurs when an officer resigns, graduates, or is removed from office.

Section 2: In the instance of a vacancy, the President will nominate a replacement who will take office upon two thirds vote by the Executive Board.

Section 3: If the office of President is vacant, then the Vice President will replace the President.

Article 10: Positions on Public Issues

Section 1: The College Democrats may adopt a position on any question or issue of public interest by a three fourths vote at a member meeting or by a unanimous vote by the Executive Board.

Section 2: The opinions or positions adopted by the College Democrats may or may not correspond to the views of its affiliates, and accordingly these adopted views do not necessarily represent the views of its affiliates.
Section 3: No view adopted by the College Democrats shall negatively target any Democratic candidate or regional, state, or national Democratic Party or its affiliates.

Article 11: Candidate Endorsements

Section 1: The College Democrats may endorse, support, and campaign or candidates in student, local, state, and national elections.

Section 2: And endorsement for a non-Democratic candidate for a political election occurs by a three fourths vote by eligible voting members or by a unanimous vote by the Executive Board.

Article 12: Amendments to the Constitution

Section 1: Any eligible voting member can propose an amendment to the Constitution. The proposed amendment must be on paper and submitted to the President.

Section 2: The proposed amendment will be voted on at the subsequent Executive Board meeting and will be ratified upon receiving a three fourths vote. The amended Constitution will be filed with the University on the following academic day.