The Constitution of the College Democrats @ Oregon State University

Article I - Name

This organization shall be known as the College Democrats @ Oregon State University, hereupon referred to in this text as the College Democrats.

Article II - Purpose

The College Democrats seek to support the ideals and values of the Democratic Party of the United States and to aid Democratic candidates in their pursuit of holding elected office. The College Democrats shall inform the general populace, but more specifically the Oregon State Student Body, of the Democratic cause and act as a catalyst for increased civic engagement amongst students and/or youth. Notwithstanding, the College Democrats shall promote nonpartisan political participation and shall assist citizens of the United States to actively engage in our democratic process freely and fairly.

Article III - Membership and Non-Discriminatory Policy

1) Any Oregon State University undergraduate in good standing with the university is eligible for membership. The College Democrats do not permit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender [identity, gender expression,] race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religion, ethnicity, age, marital status, national origin, size, disability, or veteran status.

2) Members must maintain enrollment for a minimum of six (6) credit hours each term on the Corvallis campus, and be making satisfactory progress toward a degree.

3) Members must attend at least three meetings per academic year to obtain active status. All members are required to participate in at least one event organized by the organization per academic term. Should failure to adhere to the above stated requirements occur, eligibility to run for office within the organization for the following academic year is forfeited.

Article IV - Officers

1) The Executive Board shall consist of the President Emeritus, President, Vice President, Finance Director, Communications Director, Political Director, Membership and Retention Director, Programs and Development Director, Secretary, and Linn-Benton Community College Liaison.

2) The President Emeritus is a ceremonial position granted to a retired College Democrats chapter president who has provided outstanding and distinguished service to both the College Democrats and to the Oregon State University community. The President Emeritus may be called upon by the current chapter president to provide counsel or assist in various chapter

events, but the President Emeritus is not required to maintain an active presence within the organization.

3) The President shall be the chief of executive officer of the College Democrats. The President shall formulate the agenda, create ad-hoc committees to distribute responsibility amongst the organization for efficiency and cohesion, actively recruit members to join the College Democrats, and generally promote Democratic cause and Democratic values. The President shall be the official representative and spokesperson for the organization and oversee all meetings and events.

4) The Vice President shall aid the president in accomplishing goals clearly defined by the President’s agenda. The Vice President shall act as President when the President is unable to execute his or her duties. The Vice President is responsible for attending Benton County Democrats Central Committee meetings, and for acting as a liaison between the Benton County Democrats and the College Democrats. The Vice President will work with the President Emeritus to keep College Democrats alumni actively informed about the organization and its causes.

5) The Finance Director shall be responsible for all College Democrats finances and financial reports. The Finance Director shall allocate funds only with the President’s approval and/or a two-thirds majority approval of all active members.

6) The Communications Director shall be responsible for proposing and implementing a communications plan focused on internal and external communications, subject to approval by the Executive Board. The Communications Director is the chief officer of the College Democrats Communications team, and is also in charge of publicity for all official College Democrats meetings and events, maintaining the College Democrats website, drafting all press releases, and performing such duties as the President may assign.

7) The Membership and Retention Director shall be responsible for maintaining an updated contact list of all officially active members. They shall propose and implement a membership plan, subject to approval by the executive board, recruit new members and oversee chapter development, and are responsible for performing such duties as the President may assign.

8) The Programs Director shall be responsible for developing and organizing all College Democrats events, and for performing such duties as the President may assign.

9) The Political Director shall actively inform the College Democrats of local Democratic campaigns, events and legislation, and work with the College Democrats and their political allies at the state and federal level as the President may assign.

10) The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining all College Democrats records, including the minutes of all meetings and distributing literature as needed, and for performing such duties as the President may assign.

11) The Linn-Benton Community College Liaison shall be responsible for maintaining an active dialogue between the College Democrats and the students of Linn Benton Community College. The Linn Benton Community College Liaison will actively recruit members from Linn Benton Community College, maintain an updated list of members from Linn Benton Community College, and will perform such duties as the President may assign.

Article V - Advisor

1) The Advisor of the College Democrats shall hold a professional position within Oregon State University. The Advisor shall provide guidance and act as a faculty liaison when needed. Selection of the Advisor will be voted on by the organization during elections, and the President will be designated to recruit the aforementioned Advisor.

Article VI - Elections

1) Officers of the Executive Board shall be elected to one renewable term for each academic year.

2) A General Election to form the Executive Board for the following year shall be called by the President and shall not be earlier than a week after Spring Break or later than the final week of April.

3) Active members of the College Democrats shall be eligible to seek an Executive Board position. Both Active and Regular members shall have the right to vote.

4) On the day of election, the President or Chief Elections Officer shall preside. If the President stands for re-election, the Vice President or Chief Elections Officer shall preside over the Presidential election. If the Vice President is also running, the Secretary shall preside over the elections. Once the Presidential election has ceased, the current President shall preside over the remaining elections.

5) Each Candidate for office shall be given five minutes to speak, and shall not exceed this allotted time. After all speeches have been voiced, the candidates shall leave the room. Open discussion amongst both active and regular members shall commence to advocate for/ endorse candidates. Discussion is not to exceed five minutes. Once discussion is complete, each member is allowed to cast a secret ballot. The ballots shall be immediately counted by the President or Chief Elections officer, and the winners shall be announced when the candidates re-enter the room.

6) Once elected, candidates shall take office no later than the final week of May.

7) An Executive Board retreat consisting of newly elected officers and departing officers shall occur no more than one week after the General Elections to ease transition and plan for the following academic year.

Article VII - Removal from Office

1) Any officer who repeatedly fails to comply with the duties listed in Article IV of this constitution, violates the purpose and principles of the College Democrats, or represents the organization poorly may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of College Democrats members.

2) Written notification must be given one week in advance to the officer in question. The notification shall request that the officer be present at the next general meeting, prepared to speak in their defense, and will notify them of the removal vote.

3) Seventy-five percent of the voting membership must be in attendance to vote on the removal of an officer.

4) Any Active or Regular member that fails to represent the ideals of the College Democrats in a satisfactory fashion is subject to removal from the organization as stated above.

Article VIII - Meetings

1) Meetings shall occur on a bi-weekly basis occurring on the 2nd and 4th week of every month and shall be overseen by the President with the President clearly defining the bi-weekly agenda. If the President cannot fulfill these duties, the Vice President shall act as President and oversee meetings.

2) Meetings shall be characterized as a forum for discussion, organization for future events, and a platform for instilling a pragmatic approach to accomplishing the organization’s mission in furthering Democratic Party ideals.

Article IX - Amendments

1) This Constitution is a living document and is open to interpretation and amendment.

2) All amendments shall be submitted in final written form to the Executive Board, where, upon a ¾ majority vote, it shall be passed on to the general body for discussion and ratification by a ¾ majority.