Constitution
Gay Straight Alliance
Effective August 23, 2004
Amendment I: The Organization
Section 1:
The name of this organization shall be the Gay Straight Alliance
Section 2:
The Gay-Straight Alliance is being established
as a service organization. The purpose of the club
is to facilitate the awareness and acceptance of
diversity at the University of West Florida (UWF)
and any other secondary educational institutions
in the Pensacola area and to increase the awareness
and understanding of issues pertinent to our
members and the university community. GSA
is committed to the establishment of a campus
environment free of prejudice based on sexual
orientation or any other form of discrimination.
Our goal is to promote mutually supportive
relationships among all students in the interest
of advancing campus and community diversity.
Furthermore, we believe that our university is
strengthened by the diversity of people and ideas,
and that each person has worth and should be
treated with dignity and respect. As an
organization that values diversity, we will
actively discourage and oppose acts of bigotry
and defamation; and actively encourage
student activities which foster positive,
supportive, respectful, and thoughtful community.
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Amendment II: Membership
Section 1:
Membership in this organization shall be open to
all persons regardless of sexual orientation, race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, age,
physical handicap, marital status, veteran status,
or any other discriminatory factors prohibited by
law.
Section 1a:
Membership in this organization shall be open to all persons regardless
of gender identity and gender expression (Effective: February 8, 2005).
Section 2:
All potential members must read a copy of the
constitution before attaining full voting
privileges.
Section 3: Levels of Membership
l. Student Voting Members: These are UWF students
who have attended at least two meetings
consecutively. Any voting member who has missed two
or more consecutive meetings without having given
notice to the organization, shall forfeit his/her
right to vote during the meeting of their return.
The Advisor shall be considered a voting member of
the organization only in the event of a tie vote,
and shall have those powers required by the
University.
1a. Any member who wishes to vote must attend the two consecutive
meetings prior to the vote in question (Effective February 8, 2005).
2. Affiliate Members: These are like-minded
persons who are not students. These persons would
consist of faculty sponsor or members, employees of UWF,
invited guests, guest speakers, etc. These members would
have the option of making donations and would be
non-voting.
Section 4:
In order to preserve each individual member's right
to privacy, any formal or informal membership lists
are to be kept in the strictest confidence. Any member
who releases the names of members without consent
is subject to immediate removal from the
organization.
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Amendment III: Officers and Elections
Section l: Officers
l. The officers of this organization shall include
president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and any
additional positions created by the organization
with the advice and consent of the voting
membership.
2. Elections will be held each Spring semester, no later
than April 10.
3. Officers must be UWF Students who have
voting privileges.
Section 2: Delegation of Power for Vacant Officer Positions
1. In case of a vacancy of the Presidency, the
Vice-President shall be solely in charge
until the vacancy is filled.
2. If both the President and Vice-President positions are
vacated, then the treasurer will act as the temporary President
until both vacancies are filled. The order of
succession thereafter shall be the secretary, and
then any remaining positions.
Section 3: Replacement of Vacant Officer Positions
1. In the case of the vacancy of an officer(s)
nominations will be taken at the next meeting, and
the election will be held at the following meeting-
-to allow for notice of the election. Al1 voting
members must be notified in writing of the
nominations and the proposed election date.
2. In the event the membership feels that an
officer should be removed from his/her position,
the voting membership will be notified in writing
of the intended impeachment and the date of the
proposed vote. Impeachment would require at least a
two-thirds vote of the present members.
Section 4: President’s Duties & Responsibilities
The president shall have the sole responsibility to:
• Preside over meetings
• Coordinate programs and activities
• Create and appoint committees with the advice
and consent
of the voting members
• Act as the official representative of the organization
• Make statements on behalf of the organization,
unless
restricted by vote of the membership.
• Perform other duties as required
2. If a question over the delegation of these
responsibilities arises, or a question of policy
cannot be decided by the President, the question
shall be decided by a majority vote of the
officers.
2a. Voting members are also eligible to vote in the aforementioned instance
when a question of policy cannot be decided by the president (Effective:
February 8, 2005).
Section 5: Officer Duties and Responsibilities
2. The treasurer shall:
• Keep an accurate record of all of the organization's
financial dealings
• Give a detailed report at each regular meeting
3. The other duties of the officers shall consist
of such activities as necessary.
1. The secretary shall:
• Keep account of all organization meetings and proceedings
• Keep account of all non-financial records
The minutes shall remain the property of the organization
and shall be available for inspections by members.
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Amendment IV: Statement of legality
This organization does not and shall not violate
any local, state, or federal law. Furthermore, any member
found in violation of this policy shall be removed from the
organization immediately.
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Amendment V: Dues
No dues are required to participate in the group or
attend any of its functions.
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Amendment VI: Meetings
Section l: Frequency of Meetings
The voting membership shall determine the frequency
and time of the organization's business meetings
throughout the year as determined by majority vote.
Section 2: Special Meetings
Special meetings may be called by either the President or
Vice-President.
Section 3:
Meetings shall be conducted in an orderly fashion,
resembling parliamentary procedure.
Section 4:
All meetings shall be open to all members of the
organization.
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Amendment VII: Amendments
Section 1: Required Approval
Changes may be made to the constitution by
first reading the changes at a regular meeting and
voting on the measure at the following meeting.
Every voting member shall be notified in writing of
proposed amendment(s) and the date of the vote.
Section 2: Precedence of the Constitution
This constitution has precedence over all
others enacted before it.
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Amendment VIII: Procedures for GSA Personal Bank Account
1) A proposition of expenditure must be presented before
the present members. An informal vote must be taken. Majority
rules. (Informal - quorum or voting rules not required)
2) Checks must be signed by two of three people: the
Treasurer, the President, or the Advisor.
3) Receipt must be given to or retained by Treasurer to be
kept in records. Receipts cannot be expunged until after
365 days.
4) Bank Statements must be copied and given to President,
and Treasurer every month.
5) All unwritten checks shall be held by the Vice President or,
in the absence of a Vice President, the Secretary.
- Neither the Vice President nor the Secretary is permitted
to use the checks or sign off on them, as noted above.
- the checkbook and all unwritten checks shall be kept in
the Vice President's folder and brought to all meetings.
6) Unauthorized withdrawal or expenditures of organizational
funds can be prosecuted.
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Amendment IX: Change of Power
When an election for President results in a change of office,
the following tasks must be completed before exam week of
spring semester:
1) A signer card must be filled out at Bank of Pensacola Campus
Branch for the President Elect. The former president's name
must be taken off the account.
2)The GSA Business folder must be given to President Elect, as
well as any other items belonging to the organization.
3) The Former President, President Elect, and Advisor must
schedule a meeting together to go over any procedures that
the President Elect should be aware of, as well as any other
pertinent information for the successful running of the
organization.
When an election for Treasurer results in a change of office,
the following tasks must be completed before exam week of
spring semester:
1) A signer card must be filled out at Bank of Pensacola Campus
Branch for the Treasurer Elect. The former treasurer's name
must be taken off the account.
2)The GSA Financial folder must be given to Treasurer Elect.
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Amendment X: Officer Terms
The term of all GSA officers shall run from the first day
of classes, Fall Semester, to the last day of Dead Week,
Spring Semester. If GSA members elect to meet during Summer
Semester, it shall be in a social capacity only. No
official business can be performed during summer semester.
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Amendment XI: Activation of GSA
The organization can only be registered for the new school
year by the President -Elect from the previous year. If the
organization is still inactive by the last day of the
second full week of fall semester, the GSA can be reinstated
by any University of West Florida student. If any
officer-elects do not assume their office, elections must
be held before the end of September.
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Amendment XII: GSA Logo
The GSA logo is the sole property of its creator and may
not be altered in any way. If a different logo is desired,
it must be created entirely new.
1. Amendment XII concerning the ownership of the GSA logo shall be
considered null and void (Effective: February 8, 2005).
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Amendment XIII: Officer Meetings
All officers must participate in Officer Meetings which
will be held to fit around the schedules of the officers
(President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary)
and shall be arranged as soon as time allows following
officer elections.
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Amendment XIV: Constitutional Format
All amendments to this constitution will be featured as subsections to the
original amendment and shall include the date of inaction; this amendment
is not retroactive. (Effective: February 8, 2005).
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Amendment XV: FCPC Voting Representation
GSA, being a member of FCPC (Florida Collegiate Pride Coalition), a coalition o f the LGBTS (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Straight) student organizations within the state of Florida and having one vote per student LGBTS organization, will bestow FCPC voting powers to the President of GSA unless otherwise noted by the president. (Effective: Spring 2006)