Constitution | Classical Studies Cl

Classical Studies Club Constitution

CSC Constitution, updated November 14th, 2023.

The constitution is a living document, meaning that it can be changed as the club changes and grows. The constitution we have now will not be the same as the one we will have in ten years, because we are constantly changing. To change the constitution, you must pass an amendment. Anyone can propose an amendment, not just club officers, and it is the responsibility of the club's parliamentarian to listen to the members' opinions. To officially amend the constitution, view the following procedures.

Amendments Procedure:

CSC Amendments Proposal Form

First, be sure to read the current version of the constitution carefully. If you have an idea for an amendment, start by viewing the amendment proposal form. Anyone may fill out this form as long as they are a documented member of the Classical Studies Club (registered on Tigerlink).

As the requestor, you will fill out the first portion of the document, either digitally or on paper. Write your own name as the requestor and the date on which you started the form.

Write the name of the current parliamentarian in the blank directly below your name. You can find information on the current officers, including their email addresses, here. If the position of parliamentarian is currently vacant, then you should default to the president for the relevant information. Find the article that you wish to change and the section of the article, then copy the entire section on the form. Directly underneath, you should copy the same section while making all relevant edits. If you make any insertions or changes, you should clearly highlight or underline these changes. If you make any subtractions, you should clearly highlight or underline the removed information on the section above.

Under this, write the reason you think this amendment is helpful. Think about why you were compelled to make the amendment in the first place. What problem are you trying to solve? Take this space to argue in favor of your proposition.

Once you're done with the form, you may give it to the parliamentarian (or the president in the absence of the parliamentarian) either digitally or physically. After this, the parliamentarian should complete their duties to put the amendment up for a vote. If the amendment fails, the parliamentarian should return a copy of the form to you. You will be allowed to make any changes to your proposition and resubmit it as many times as you like.

If you face any kind of resistance from the parliamentarian or another officer when trying to propose your amendment, please reach out to the president or the faculty advisor. Your voice MATTERS.

Parliamentarian's Duties:

When you receive the amendment proposal form, you should add a slide to the upcoming slide deck or make your own slide deck to present to the club at the next general body meeting. You should also add the amendment proposal to the meeting agenda and inform all other officers. The amendment must be proposed at the soonest general body meeting, NOT a special interest meeting, and you should also inform the club members via email or GroupMe that an amendment will be discussed at the next meeting.

You should choose to present the amendment significantly before the scheduled end of the meeting to avoid running out of time. The secretary is responsible for taking roll at the meeting. Ask the secretary for the number of members, including officers, present at the meeting and write it on the form as well as the names of all officers present at the meeting. After presenting the amendment by reading it aloud and displaying it visually on-screen, you must allow for at least five minutes of questions or discussion. If there are no questions or comments, you may skip ahead to the voting.

You may choose to conduct the voting procedure however you choose.

However, the ballots must be anonymous. The voting may be digital or physical. If you choose physical ballots, you must have the faculty advisor or a neutral third party present to count the votes, although they themselves may not vote. They may discard any illegible ballots. The amendment should receive a simple majority of yes votes to be passed. You should write down the number of votes in their respective spaces on the form.

If the amendment receives a simple majority of no votes, the amendment will fail. In this case, do not discard the form, but return it to the requestor, who may change their proposal and resubmit it as many times as they wish. If there is a tie of yes and no votes, the amendment will fail, and you should similarly return the form.

If the amendment passes, you should make the drafted changes to the constitution and copy all pertinent information onto the constitution timeline including: date of passage, name of requestor, name of parliamentarian, original constitution language, updated constitution language, and the number of yes and no votes. Then, you should save a copy of the constitution with the date of passage in the file name. Hand over a copy of the form and a copy of the updated constitution to the webmaster, who should upload each to the hub site. You should take great care to clearly and thoroughly record the history of the constitution for future club officers to review.

Remember that, as a club officer and parliamentarian, it is your responsibility to promote member involvement and the constitution itself. This means that, even if you don't like the proposed amendment, you still must present it appropriately and give it a fair chance at passage, although you are also welcome to express your opinion during the allotted discussion time. If you fail to present all amendment proposals appropriately and in a timely manner, you may face consequences from other officers or the faculty advisor.

The amendment will take effect immediately after passage. All officers and members must abide by the constitution to maintain membership in the club. Remember that the constitution is directly overridden by the faculty advisor and LSU's policies for registered student organizations.

Amendments History:

Amendment number _____

Passage date: __/__/____

Requestor:_______________________

Parliamentarian:________________

President:________________________