Constitution of the College Republicans at SDSU
Article I - Name and Objectives
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the "College Republicans at SDSU," herein referred to as "SDSUCR."
Section 2: The object of SDSUCR shall be to work for the election of Republican candidates for public office; to contribute to the growth and influence of the Republican Party both in the community as well as on campus; to support and participate in the formation of the principles and policies of the Republican Party; to work to make the Republican Party the majority party; to promote good government at all levels; and to politically educate the students of San Diego State University.
Article II - Affiliations
Section 1: This club is voluntarily affiliated with the California College Republicans.
Article III - Membership
Section 1: Members of SDSUCR must be registered students of
Section 2: To be a member of SDSUCR, one must have submitted annual dues (if any) to the Club Treasurer and a membership form to the Club Secretary. This membership form must contain at least the following information: the member's name, telephone number and e-mail address.
Section 3: SDSUCR membership shall automatically terminate if a member ceases to comply with the requirements of Sections 1 and 2.
Section 4: To be a voting member of SDSUCR, a member must have attended three out of the previous six General Meetings.
Article IV - The Executive Board
Section 1: The affairs of this Club shall be governed in compliance with this Constitution by an Executive Board (herein, also referred to as "the Board") composed of:
a) The elected officers;
b) The appointed officers;
c) Club members serving on the Board of Directors of the California College Republicans;
d) Club members serving on the College Republican National Committee;
Section 2: The Executive Board shall manage and direct the Club's affairs; shall authorize appropriations for the transaction of business; shall audit the accounts of the Club Treasurer upon the request of two thirds of the Board; shall oversee an annual audit of the membership; may prescribe additional duties for officers; may prepare a budget for the Club; may create committees and appoint committee chairmen; and shall perform such functions as otherwise provided in this Constitution or as may be necessary.
Section 3: The Executive Board must meet at least five times during each semester, not including summer sessions. Meetings may be called by the Chairman or a majority of the voting members of the Board. The Chairman, or whoever calls the meetings, shall set the time and place provided that two days notice is given to all members of the Board. Notice must be provided to all Board members by written notice, email or phone. Conference calls may constitute a Board meeting.
Section 4: All meetings shall be called to order at the scheduled time, provided that quorum is present. The highest-ranking elected officer present shall call the meeting to order and act as Chairman for the duration of the meeting, unless he leaves before adjournment or voluntarily relinquishes the position.
Section 5: A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of fifty percent plus one of the elected and voting appointed officers of the Club. Vacant offices shall not count in the determination of quorum.
Section 6: If a Parliamentarian is appointed, he may only deal in matters concerning the interpretation and application of this Constitution and parliamentary procedure.
Section 7: The Chairman and Vice Chairman shall create a detailed Political Plan encompassing the upcoming year before the start of Fall Semester. The Political Plan shall, among other things, set goals for recruitment and provide a tentative schedule of all campus, social and campaign events. The Chairman and the Treasurer shall create a corresponding financial budget for the upcoming year. The Political Plan and budget shall be submitted to the Executive Board no later than one week before the start of fall classes. It shall be approved by two thirds of the Executive Board.
Section 8: A two-thirds majority of the Executive Board shall be required to authorize expenditures not included in the budget or alter annual dues. Expenditures made in accordance with the budget do not require approval of the Board but must be submitted for review by the Chairman and Treasurer in a semester Finance Report to the membership.
Article V - Elected Officers & Elections
Section 1: The elected officers of the club are:
a) Chairman;
b) Vice Chairman;
c) Treasurer; and,
d) Secretary.
Section 2: The Clubs elected officers shall be elected in an annual election held two weeks after the California College Republicans Convention, provided this occurs no later than three weeks before the end of spring semester. The annual election meeting shall be considered a general meeting for purposes of this Constitution, with the exceptions mentioned in this Article.
Section 3: The date, time, and location of the annual election meeting is to be determined by the Board at least six weeks before the election. The date, time and location must be announced in an e-mail to all members, at least one week and not more than six weeks before the election.
Section 4: To be eligible to vote in the annual election, a Club member must meet the requirements of Article III, section 4.
Section 5: To be eligible to run for elected office, a Club member must:
a) Submit a statement of candidacy to the Club Secretary at least one week before the election. This statement of candidacy must include the members name, telephone number, and office sought, and must be signed by at least eight Club members who are eligible to vote;
b) Be a voting member.
Section 6: If no Club member fulfills the above eligibility requirements for any particular elected office, nominations may be accepted from voting Club members at the beginning of the annual elections meetings, provided that only voting Club members are nominated for elected office.
Section 7: No person shall run for more than one elected office at any single election, nor hold two or more elected offices at any one time, nor shall two or more persons hold the same elected office simultaneously.
Section 8: The Chairman or Acting Chairman shall call the annual election meeting to order at the scheduled time. All candidates shall be given an opportunity to speak before any voting takes place. Voting shall close no later than 15 minutes after the last candidate has spoken.
Section 9: Club members must be present at the annual election meeting to vote. Members who arrive after voting has begun shall be considered absent for the purposes of this Constitution, and they shall not be allowed to vote unless all candidates present agree to let them vote. All voting shall be conducted by secret ballot. The ballots shall be counted publicly and the vote totals announced before the adjournment of the annual election meetings.
Section 10: In the event that no candidate receives a majority of all votes cast for that office, a run-off election shall be held immediately between the persons receiving the first and second highest vote totals.
Section 11: The term of office for elected officers shall extend from the adjournment of the meeting at which they were elected to the adjournment of the next annual election.
Article VI - Appointed Officers
Section 1: The Chairman may appoint additional officers with the approval of a majority of the voting membership.
Section 2: No appointed officers shall be voting members of the Executive Board except the Executive Director and the immediate Past-Chairman.
Section 3: The term of office for appointed officers shall extend from the adjournment of the meeting at which they are appointed to the adjournment of the next annual election.
Section 4: All committee chairmen are appointed officers for purposes of this Constitution.
Section 5: Appointed officers serve at the pleasure of the Chairman.
Article VII - Vacancies & Removal
Section 1: An elected or appointed office shall be vacant if:
a) No club member was elected to the office at the last annual election meeting;
b) The officeholder submits a signed letter of resignation to the Executive Board;
c) The officeholder ceases to be a voting member under the provisions of Article III;
d) The officeholder fails to attend or send a written report to two consecutive Executive Board meetings, unless the Executive Board by a majority vote approves their absence;
e) The officeholder is impeached and removed under the provisions of this Article.
Section 2: To remove an elected officer from office requires a two-thirds majority of the voting membership, not counting the officer under impeachment. The vote must be held at a duly called General meeting.
Section 3: Notice of the charges against the officer must be given to all members eligible to vote, no less than one week in advance. Any officer who is impeached shall have the right to address the charges against him before the vote of removal. If absent from the meeting at which he is impeached, he shall be notified in writing of his impeachment, the charges against him, the time, place, and location of the next meeting. If the officer fails to attend the next meeting, he shall have waived his right to address the charges against him, and the voting membership may vote to remove him at that meeting.
Section 4: In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman shall hold the office of Chairman. A special election shall be held to fill the office of Vice Chairman.
Section 5: Should impeachment of the Chairman be sought, the Vice Chairman shall preside over the meeting.
Section 6: In the event of a vacancy in any elected office besides that of Chairman, the Executive Board shall appoint a club member to fill the office until a special election is held. This person must be eligible to hold elected office under this Constitution.
Section 7: A special election to fill vacancies in elected offices shall be held within three weeks of the initial vacancy. The date, time and location of the special election shall be set by the Executive Board and announced to all club members. To be eligible to vote in a special election, a member must meet the requirements specified in Article III, section 4.
Section 8: Special elections are General Meetings for purposes of this Constitution, with the exceptions mentioned in this Article.
Article VIII - Duties of Officers
Section 1: The Chairman shall preside over all meetings. He or she shall coordinate the clubs activities with other Republican organizations and local campaigns. The Chairman shall appoint officers as necessary with a majority approval by the voting members of the Executive Board. He or she may sign checks prior to the disbursement of SDSUCR funds. He or she shall supervise and assist all other officers in the performance of their duties. He or she shall represent the club in its relationship with the University and shall serve as the clubs contact signatory at the Student Programs and
Section 2: The Vice Chairman shall assume the office of Chairman in case of vacancy in that office until a special election. He or she shall act as the Chairman in the latter’s absence and assist in his executive duties. In the absence of a Parliamentarian, he or she shall serve in that capacity. He or she will assist the Chairman with all activities that take place on-campus (such as tabling, guest speakers, publicity, debates, rallies, and special events).
Section 3: The Vice Chairman shall assist the Chairman as assigned. He or she shall act as Chairman in his absence. The VC will also be in charge of all activities that do not take place on campus (such as conventions, conferences, special dinners, election activities, maintaining relations with the Yolo County Central Committee, etc.).
Section 4: The Treasurer shall collect and record the payment of dues, if any. He or she shall deposit money paid to SDSUCR in a financial institution from which funds can only be withdrawn when signed by the Treasurer or Chairman. The Treasurer shall keep the financial accounts of the club up-to-date and preserve all records and receipts of club transactions. He or she shall work with the Chairman to prepare semester budgets that reflect the clubs activities. He or she may sign checks prior to the disbursement of SDSUCR funds. He or she shall present his records to the Executive Board for auditing at least once per semester as well as work with the Chairman to present the semester Finance Report to the membership. In the absence of a Fundraising Director, he or she shall serve in that capacity. He or she shall provide a report of the balance of all club funds in a timely manner upon the request of any voting member. He or she shall turn over to his successor all funds, property and records of the club within one week after the Annual Election.
Section 5: The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings (General and Executive Board), keep updated and complete membership lists and maintain all the official records of the club. Prior to an election he or she shall create ballots and prepare a list of all members eligible to vote in that election. The Secretary shall call the roll to establish a quorum upon the request of the Chairman. He or she shall keep copies of the Constitution, and shall distribute them to Executive Board members as requested. In the absence of a Historian, he or she shall serve in that capacity. He or she shall turn over to his successor all property and records of the club within one week after the annual election. To be clear, the Secretary will be responsible for all of the paperwork in SDSUCR, from managing the clubs membership to keeping minutes, to keeping a record of all club activities.
Section 6: Other duties may be assigned to the elected officers through resolutions or by custom.
Section 7: Duties of all other officers shall be established by the Executive Board.
Article IX - General Meetings
Section 1: The Chairman or a majority of the Executive Board may call general meetings. At least five general meetings must be held per academic semester (fall, winter and spring).
Section 2: General meetings shall be held on campus, unless otherwise specified by a majority of the Board.
Section 3: The Executive Board shall notify all members of the time and place of General Meetings at least one day in advance or as otherwise specified in this Constitution. Posting of the time and location of meetings on the club website shall constitute proper notification if done at least two weeks in advance.
Section 4: A majority of all voting members shall constitute quorum for the transaction of club business at General Meetings (including Annual and Special Elections), unless otherwise specified by a majority of the Executive Board.
Section 5: Minutes may be approved by a majority of the Board and shall be posted on the Club website.
Article X - Endorsements and Recommendations
Section 1: The Club may endorse candidates and propositions with a two thirds vote of the present voting members at any general meeting.
Article XI - Authority
Section 1: "Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised" shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters not covered by this Constitution.
Section 2: The Parliamentarian shall interpret and apply this Constitution and the Rules of Order with the cooperation of the Chairman or Acting Chairman. Any voting member may challenge a ruling of the Parliamentarian or Chairman; however, a two-thirds majority of the present voting membership shall be required to overturn any ruling made by the Parliamentarian or Chairman.
Section 3: Any disputes arising under this Constitution shall be decided by the Executive Board. In the event that a dispute cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, one-third of the Executive Board or ten Club members may appeal to the Student Programs and
Article XII - Amendments
Section 1: Amendments to this Constitution must be made at a duly called General Meeting.
Section 2: A quorum for the consideration of Constitutional Amendments shall consist of two thirds of the voting members.
Section 3: Any member may propose a written Constitutional Amendment at the meeting and any written Amendment may be considered one week after submission.
Section 4: Adoption of an Amendment requires a two thirds majority of all present voting members.
Article XIII - Dissolution
Section 1: In the event of the total dissolution of the College Republicans at SDSU, any funds remaining (after all debts have been paid) shall be sent to the California College Republicans. If no California College Republican organization is recognized by the California Republican Party, then the funds shall be retained by the California Republican Party.
