Constitution
Constitution of Lambda Alliance
The University of Georgia’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally Student Organization
Article I: Name.
Section 1. The official name of the organization is “Lambda Alliance, the University of Georgia ‘s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally Student Organization.”
Section 2. “Lambda Alliance ” is understood in all cases to be synonymous with “Lambda Alliance, the University of Georgia ‘s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally Student Organization.”
Article II: Purpose.
Section 1. The purpose of Lambda Alliance shall be to strengthen the community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally students at the University of Georgia .
Section 2. Said purpose will be accomplished by creating a safe, secure, and supportive environment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and their allies; by increasing social awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer presence and concerns; through acts of public service; by monitoring political issues relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and striving to effect political change to serve the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community; and by providing outlets for social interaction among Lambda Alliance members and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.
Article III: Membership.
Section 1. Membership in Lambda Alliance is open to anyone who expresses goodwill toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and who is regularly enrolled at the University of Georgia as a student, or who is a faculty or staff member at the University of Georgia .
Section 2. Associate members, defined as any person who has attended a Lambda Alliance meeting or function, or who is a member of the Lambda Alliance Listserv and/or the Lambda Alliance Members’ Listserv, may become voting members by registering with the Director of Resources and attending a Lambda function a minimum of three (3) times; members may register at any general meeting. A member must have current voting member status in order to vote in a Board of Directors election, special election, or for amendment to the Constitution
Section 3. The Board of Directors may, by majority vote, take disciplinary action against Lambda Alliance members, including but not limited to suspension of voting privileges, letters of censure, and exclusion from Lambda Alliance functions.
Section 4. The list of voting members will not be disclosed outside the Board of Directors or made public at any time, and it personal membership forms will be destroyed upon request of the member.
Section 5. Membership shall continue until graduation of the member or until the member requests a termination of membership from the Director of Resources. Termination of membership will immediately terminate all voting rights.
Section 6. Lambda Alliance does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, HIV status, ethnic or national origin, age, relationship/marital status, language proficiency, veteran status, religious affiliation, spiritual beliefs, political affiliation, pre-collegiate/undergraduate/graduate/post-graduate/non-student status, class/socio-economic status, ability, sexual orientation, ancestry, pregnancy, and/or citizenship status.
Article IV: Dues and Payment.
Section 1. No dues shall be required of any Lambda Alliance member at any time.
Article V: Executive Board.
Section 1. The Board of Directors is the governing body of Lambda Alliance.
Section 2. The Board of Directors consists of seven (7) positions: an Executive Director, a Director of Informational Resources, a Director of Outreach, a Director of Event Coordination, a Director of Education, a Director of Finances, and a Director of Public Relations.
Section 3. All Directors are expected to give oral and written reports to the Board at every Board meeting; send both electronic and hard copy documents and records to the Director of Resources for filing; create topics for the general meetings; facilitate general meetings; coordinate with other Directors of the Board as needed; attend the University of Georgia as a student (undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate) during their term of office; and recruit volunteers to assist that Director with his/her/zir respective projects.
Section 4. The Executive Director sets the agenda of each Board meeting; acts as spokesperson for the organization to local, state, and national media; re-charters the organization with the Office of Student Activities each year and completes all other related paperwork for the organization; plans at least one fundraiser each semester; fields grievances and concerns about the University of Georgia, the city, the county, state, and nation from the organization members; promotes the organization’s membership diversity with particular respect to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and student status; promotes communication between the Directors through regular updates in electronic mail and hard copy; acts as the liaison for the organization to the administration, faculty, and staff of the University of Georgia; and communicates with other lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and ally organizations, other student organizations, the local police, and other local, state, and federal officials.
Section 5. The Director of Informational Resources will file all electronic and hard copy records of the organization; maintain minutes for all Board and organization meetings; and coordinate the maintenance of the Lambda Alliance office facilities including office hour sign-up and mail; maintain the membership list; ensure the security and confidentiality of the membership list; verify membership at elections; and create ballots for elections and Constitutional amendments; add members to and maintain the Lambda Alliance listserv; utilize the listserv to inform members of relevant events; design and update the Lambda Alliance website; maintain and respond to messages in the Lambda Alliance email address; and engage in any other web or internet based activities on behalf of the Alliance.
Section 6. The Director of Outreach will work with the Director of Event Coordination to plan outreach programs; engage with other organizations both at the University and elsewhere to create co-programming events; work to increase the number of outreach resources available in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center; organize outreach efforts of Lambda Alliance, such as tabling and handing out information in Tate Plaza; be a liaison on behalf of Lambda Alliance to other organizations; maintain contacts throughout the UGA campus, Athens, and elsewhere; and register Lambda Alliance for campus events such as SOAR Awards, Activity Fairs, and Workshops provided by the Center for Student Organizations.
Section 7. The Director of Event Coordination will plan social events during the Fall and Spring semesters; plan and coordinate ongoing fundraising activities including events, donations, grants, projects, and programs; fill out the appropriate fundraising approval forms for fundraising events; fill out contracts with hired performers and/or speakers; reserve room space and equipment for the organization meetings when needed; coordinate with Campus Reservations and the Event Planning services at the University to effectively organize events; and create and direct planning committees of Lambda Alliance members to assist in large event planning.
Section 8. The Director of Education will oversee the operations of the Speakers Bureau; recruit speakers for the Speakers Bureau; train new speakers at the beginning of each semester; create and update a Speakers Bureau manual; serve as contact persons for the Speakers Bureau; develop new educational programs and resources such as handouts, brochures, and banners; evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs each semester; and delegate responsibilities to assistants and work with them to manage the activities of the Speakers Bureau.
Section 9. The Director of Finances will create a budget proposal that will be voted on by the entire Board of Directors annually; be able to effectively defend the budget to a panel created by the University; maintain the financial records including deposits, expenditures, and other account activities; remain knowledgeable of available grants and donations and correspond to these on behalf of Lambda Alliance; fill out the appropriate ticket forms for Lambda Alliance events; and update the Directors on the financial status of the organization at each Board meeting.
Section 10.The Director of Public Relations will coordinate all media press releases, advertise general meetings by placing flyers around the campus and sending information to the appropriate media outlets; fill out appropriate forms for alternative forms of advertisement such as bus cards and street painting; work with other Directors with advertising of their respective programs; and advertise the Speakers Bureau to the faculty, staff, and administration of the University of Georgia, as well as student organizations and Resident Assistants in the Residence Halls.
Section 11. Directors will serve terms of one calendar year, starting on the last day of spring semester final exams.
Article VI: Quorum.
Section 1. Quorum for all elections and Constitutional amendments will be thirty-three (33) percent of voting members as verified by the membership coordinator at the time of the vote.
Article VII: Elections.
Section 1. Nominations will be accepted for new Directors starting at the regular meeting four weeks before the election and will run until the last meeting before the elections. Nominations may be opened on the day of the election upon a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Director of Resources will make any necessary changes to the ballots. Only members with current voting status may accept a nomination and any member may decline a nomination. Nominations must be seconded and ballots will be prepared by the Director of Resources.
Section 2. Elections for the new Board of Directors will be held at the regular meeting four weeks before the final regular meeting of spring term. The Director of Resources shall verify voting status before a member is admitted to the elections; any member with current voting status as defined in Article III, Section 2 will be eligible to vote. Votes shall be by secret ballot in this order: Executive Director, Director of Information, Director of Outreach, Director of Education, Director of Resources, Director of Finances, Director of Public Relations. Director candidates must receive one vote more than fifty (50) percent of votes cast to be declared Director-elect. The faculty advisor and a non-candidate designated by the faculty advisor shall independently count ballots, and the faculty advisor will announce the results to the members.
Section 3. In the event no candidate receives more than fifty (50) percent of ballots cast, there will be a run-off election immediately between the two candidates who received the most ballots. In the event of a tie vote in a two-way election, the candidates will be allowed to speak on their own behalf, and a second vote will be taken. In the event of a second tie, another election for that/those Director position(s) will take place at the next general meeting. If no majority at this next meeting is reached, the current Executive Director shall remove his/her/zir vote, and a final vote will be taken.
Section 4. Directors-elect will undergo a four week mentoring process by the existing Board of Directors. Directors-elect will be required to attend all Lambda Alliance-related functions attended by their counterparts on the existing Board of Directors unless otherwise excused. Existing Directors will turn over all Lambda Alliance files to new Directors at a Board of Directors meeting before the final regular meeting of spring semester. The incoming Board of Directors must meet with the existing Board of Directors at least two times before the last day of Spring semester.
Article VIII: Vacancies in a Director Position.
Section 1. A Lambda Alliance Director may resign by submitting in writing a letter of intent stating his/her/zir wish to resign to the Lambda Alliance Board of Directors and faculty advisor two weeks prior to the date the resignation will become effective. All resignations will be announced to members at the next general meeting after the Board of Directors and faculty advisor have been notified.
Section 2. All Board of Directors vacancies will require a special election to be held within one (1) month of the notification of the vacancy. Special elections will follow normal Board of Directors election procedures as outlined in Article VII, Sections 2 and 3.
Article IX: Impeachment/Removal of Directors.
Section 1. Reasons for impeachment of a Lambda Alliance Director may include any or all of the following: continual absence at Lambda Alliance meetings and events or extreme misconduct as a Lambda Alliance Director.
Section 2. Any voting member can call for the impeachment of a Director at any general meeting. Any call for impeachment must be seconded by a voting member and approved by a fifty (50) percent plus one (1) vote of present voting members as verified by the Director of Resources, or by the Director of Finances in the occasion that the Director of Resources is the Director called for impeachment. If the voting members approve the impeachment, the Director called for impeachment shall be considered impeached and will be subject to removal from office by the Board of Directors.
Section 3. To remove an impeached Director from office, the Board of Director, not including the impeached Director, may discuss and vote on the impeached Director’s removal. The vote to remove a Director from office shall be two-thirds (2/3) of the Board of Directors members, not including the impeached Director. This vote shall take place at the Directors meeting subsequent to the general meeting at which the Director called for impeachment was impeached. Once the two-thirds (2/3) vote has been made, the impeached Director shall be considered removed from office, and the resulting vacancy in the Director position will be filled by the guidelines set forth in Article VIII.
Article X: Meetings.
Section 1. Meetings will be held at an appointed time and place as decided by the Board of Directors and announced to Lambda Alliance members.
Section 2. At Directors Meetings, quorum to conduct business shall consist of a simple majority of Directors and votes shall be taken by a show of hands unless otherwise deemed. All Board of Directors Meetings shall be open to Lambda Alliance members. Minutes for all Board of Directors meetings shall be available to members upon written request to the Directors of Resources.
Section 3. At all general meetings, it is the right of any Lambda Alliance member to call for a vote of present voting members with the second of another voting member.
Article XI: Subgroups.
Section 1. Subgroups will be composed of Lambda Alliance members to address specific issues or concerns.
Section 2. Subgroups will be recognized by a simple majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Subgroups must honor the Constitution of Lambda Alliance.
Section 4. Each subgroup will have a chair appointed by the Board of Directors who will report regularly to the Board of Directors.
Section 5. Subgroups will be dissolved by a consensus vote of the Board of Directors.
Article XII: Amendments.
Section 1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of Lambda Alliance voting members present at a regular meeting, pursuant to the procedures specified by this Constitution.
Section 2. Each amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors during a regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting for approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. The amendment, pending approval and amendment by the Board of Directors, will be presented to the Lambda Alliance membership at the next general meeting; discussed for two Lambda Alliance general meetings; voted on at the third general meeting after the amendment has been submitted to the Board of Directors, no less than three weeks after the amendment is submitted.
Article XIII: Ratification of the Constitution.
Section 1. This Constitution shall be considered ratified by a majority vote of voting members at any general meeting.
Ratified This Day, September 10th, 2007 by a unanimous vote of the present members.
