DIY UMass Constitution
Article I: Name of Organization Section I: The name of the organization is DIY UMass. Article II: Purpose and Goals Section I: The primary purpose of this organization is to provide the UMass student population with all-ages, sub-culture-friendly events. These events will help promote underground music and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture for the greater campus community. DIY culture is a sub-culture philosophy promoting youth empowerment and self-determination, giving young people tools with which to run, book, and promote cultural events without corporate interference. Our organization also hopes to provide a social network for like-minded individuals on campus, in particular those involved in the arts and youth subculture. We hope to provide a home for positive alternative culture on campus, stressing substance-free events open to all. Section II: The main tool to be used to achieve the RSO's purpose will be the booking of various musical events of different sizes on campus. There will be one larger show per semester or school year (as appropriate) but the majority of the events shall consist of smaller, more modestly attended concerts performed by local and touring bands and musicians. All bands and musicians that the group will be involved with will not have major label backing in anyway, including major label distribution. This group will not compete with the Center for Student Development and will instead exist to serve a specific and sizable niche on campus. Section III: Other non-musical events to be held will be decided upon by the members of the organization at the monthly meetings. For instance, we hope to hold possible workshops involving some aspect of DIY punk culture such as silk-screening and zine making as well as other cultural and community building events that include but are not limited to potlucks and picnics. Article III: Membership Section I: Membership to DIY UMass is open to all students enrolled at UMass, members of the 5 college community, their dependents, staff, faculty, alumni, and the broader community. However, only UMass undergraduates have voting rights and can hold Officer positions. Section II: DIY UMass is composed of three types of members: Officers, Core Members, and General Members. a. The Officers of this organization
are elected full-time, fee-paying UMass undergraduate students whose
duty is to facilitate any relations with UMass Administration. Four
Officers are elected per year based on formal consensus by members who
are eligible to vote (other Officers and Core members). Officers may
vote at meetings.
b. The Core members of the organization will consist of UMass
undergraduate students whose duty is to facilitate a variety of
activities related to the RSO. This includes all-ages shows and other
RSO events. Core members may also be elected to Officer positions and
may vote at meetings. Core members are elected based on eligibility
(full-time, fee-paying UMass undergraduate students in good standing
with the university) and by formal consensus of the Officers and
existing Core Members. The process of becoming a Core member will be a
three-step process:
1. The General member who wishes to become a Core member must have attended at least 3 meetings and 3 events.
2. The General member who wishes to become a Core member will announce
their decision via a meeting or e-mail and will have met with most, if
not all, of the other current Core members. This "clearing" process
will be used to focus on the relationship between the member in
question and the organization, as well as between individuals of the
organization. It will allow past praises or grievances of the member in
question to be discussed in a structured manner allowing the
organization to grow in a healthy, sustainable and constructive style.
3. The General member will be voted into Core membership status (or
not) by consensus of the Officers and the existing Core Members based
on the requirements and qualifications they meet.
c. General Members include anyone who participates at events the RSO
holds and anyone who attends meetings regularly, provided they work
collectively and are committed to the goals of the RSO. General members
may not run for Officer positions or vote at meetings.
Section III: Members’ status may be changed by consensus at meetings. If a Core member no longer fulfills the requirements and qualifications necessary for Core membership, is not performing their assigned duties, and/or is no longer attending meetings for an extended period of time (more than 2 monthly meetings) without a proper excuse, such as taking a semester off or unavoidable scheduling conflicts, their status may be changed to “General.” However, the organization will try to be as understanding as possible. Section IV: The organization admits people without regard to their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, academic status, veteran status, or national origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and other activities generally accorded or made available to members of the organization. No one shall be denied acceptance according to membership. Section V: All established student organizations are recognized to have freedom of speech, which cannot be limited or restricted by any officer or body of the Student Government Association. No member shall be denied free speech/expression. Article IV: Officers Section I: There are four different Officer positions held by Core members of the organization: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. All have signature responsibility, as well as the following duties:
a. President: Shall preside over meetings, set the general agenda for meetings, and keeps things on track at meetings.
b. Vice President: Shall perform all duties of the President in their absence and shall fill the position of President if it is open, and will assist the President if needed. c. Treasurer: Shall keep track of the budget and will keep notes in the organization’s binder, and will fill in for the President’s position only if the President and Vice President are away during a meeting. d. Secretary: Shall take notes at meetings and type up the minutes, which will be kept in the organization’s binder that the Secretary will keep with them, and will fill in for the President’s position only if the President, Vice President and Treasurer are away during a meeting. Section II: The term of office for Officers shall be two semesters. Article V: Election, Replacement, and Removal of Officers Section I: If a position needs to be filled, it will be put on the agenda for the next meeting. All members with voting privileges (other Officers and Core members) may nominate Core members for a position. Core members may nominate themselves. Voting will be done by consensus between all members who are eligible to vote. Section II: Replacements of Officers due to unexpected events will mimic the Officer election process. At the next possible meeting all members with voting privileges (other Officers and Core members) may nominate other active Core members for a position. Core members may nominate themselves. Voting will be done by consensus between all members who are eligible to vote. Section III: If a member has grievances about an Officer, they may bring them up at a meeting to be discussed. Preferably, problems with officers will be worked out individually between the member and Officer in question, or at the meeting, or with the organization’s advisor if necessary. However, if necessary and problems are not resolved after discussions, a vote may be brought up at a meeting for removal of the Officer. The Officer in question may not vote, and the vote will be by consensus. Section IV: Officers who do not perform their duties, no longer fulfill the requirements to hold an Officer position, and/or have not attended meetings for an extended period of time (more than 2 semesters) without proper excuse, may be voted out of their positions through the process outlined in the above Section III. Article VI: Process For Voting By Membership Section I: All Core members are able to vote at meetings. The organization will make decisions by consensus in order to ensure that all Core members attending the meeting are comfortable with the decisions being made for the types of events the group will hold, as well as other decisions that may be made at meetings. Article VII: Meetings Section I: The purposes of meetings are for members to discuss and plan future events, to vote on details pertaining to planned events, and to vote on membership changes and Officer positions if necessary. Meetings shall be held once a month or more depending on the need. The specific dates and locations of meetings shall be determined by consensus of Officers and Core members at previous meetings or online via an e-mail discussion group. Section II: Meeting agenda items can be sent in advance via an e-mail discussion group. Alternatively, all members will be able to add agenda items the day of the meetings by writing them in on an agenda to be passed around prior to the start of a meeting, or by just speaking up during the meeting. Section III: Meetings will be held as outlined below:
a. The facilitator (generally the President if present) shall formally
start the meeting by taking attendance and reviewing the status of past
decisions and agenda items.
b. The facilitator will present the current agenda and facilitate the discussion of agenda items making sure to mind the time. c. Agenda items that require a vote, such as the booking of events, will be decided on by consensus of Officers and Core members. Should consensus not be reached, dissenting members will be allowed to voice their opinions and then the group will vote again. d. The note keeper (generally the Secretary if present) for the current meeting will conclude the meeting by reading off all pertinent decisions made at the current meeting making sure to announce who has primary/residual responsibilities for upcoming events. Section IV: All major decisions such as changes to the constitution and voting on new Core members shall be made at meetings. Article VIII: Planning Activities Section I: Planning activities will be done one of three ways, listed in order of preference: a. Monthly meetings will be used to plan events for the coming month(s). All members of the RSO (Officers, Core, and General) will be allowed to suggest viable events but final decisions on events to be booked will be agreed upon through formal consensus by Officers and Core members. The member(s) who suggest events and whose events are approved by consensus will have primary responsibility for ensuring that the booked event is successful, providing they are an Officer or Core member. If it is the case that a General member proposes an event that passes consensus, an Officer or Core member will be required to take residual responsibility (RR), holding the Officer or Core member with RR accountable for all consequences and ramifications of events. b. If a band/musician/artist/etc. contacts the organization prior to or after the monthly meetings to hold an event on a date that is urgently approaching, members can suggest holding emergency meetings provided that 50% + 1 of eligible voting members (Officer and Core) approve and are able to attend. c. If an emergency meeting is not viable, members may communicate via e-mail and other public/recorded means to discuss these events. Decision making through this medium will mimic that of the monthly meetings and as such the suggested event must be approved by consensus of eligible voting members (Officer and Core) and primary/residual responsibility will be assigned. Notes will be compiled by the Secretary to be stored in the organization’s binder Section II: Certain member(s) agreed upon at a meeting (generally those with primary or residual responsibility) will go through the necessary procedures in order to secure a space on campus for their respective event(s). Section III: Other tasks will be distributed at meetings or through other means, including contacting performers, creating flyers, advertising, and so forth. Tasks will be assigned as needed for different events. Section IV: Activities will either be benefits or fundraisers for the organization or other organizations voted on at meetings, or events in which bands/artists/musicians/performers/etc. will be paid by door fees and/or money from the group’s budget if necessary. Records will be kept by the Treasurer of any financial costs. Article IX: Procedure For Resolving Disputes Among Members Section I: In the event of disputes arising among members, the group shall review the constitution to solve the problem(s) at hand. Section II: If necessary, the group may also discuss the dispute to their adviser for assistance. Article X: Record-Keeping Procedures Section I: The Secretary will record minutes for meetings and keep them in the organization’s binder, along with agendas and the Treasurer’s reports on financial costs for planned and past events, and budget reviews created as needed by the Treasurer. These will also be available in a digital format such as a wiki or an online data hosting service. Section II: Meetings will be recorded in two formats: a. The agenda will list the facilitator (usually the President if present), the note keeper (usually the Secretary if present), the time keeper, attendees, agenda items, and time allotted for agenda items. b. The note keeper will record all pertinent comments, discussions, and decisions relating to the RSO and its functions during meetings. These meeting "minutes" will serve as a written record of past and future decisions, events, and other relevant information. Article XI: Amendments Section I: Amendments may be proposed by all members and discussed at meetings. Section II: Amendments of the Constitution shall need the approval of 50% + 1 majority vote of members with voting rights, and shall be submitted to the Secretary of Registry. Article XII: Ratification of the Constitution Section I: Ratification of the Constitution shall be voted on upon majority vote of the organization, approved by the Secretary of the Registry and a copy must be made available to all members.  DIY UMass Constitution by DIY UMass is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. |