USC College Republicans: Constitution

Article II
Section 1 - The purpose of USC GOP is to:
i. Provide a volunteer base for Republican candidates running for local, state, and national office;
ii. Promote conservative causes in the USC student government;
iii. Increase Republican and conservative roles in campus media;
iv. Work in concert with our fellow internal and external Republican and conservative organizations;
v. Actively discuss the future of the Republican Party;
vi. Serve as a contact point for finding internships and jobs with Republicans;
vii. Effectively promote Republican candidates for President of the United States;
viii. Boost political awareness of local Republican candidates;
ix. Become an active force within academic political organizations;
x. Bring inspiring Republican and conservative speakers to campus;
xi. Develop the next generation of Republican leaders.

Article III
Section 1 - There shall be no limit to the number of members in USC GOP.

Section 2 - Any undergraduate or graduate student, faculty member, staff member, or spouse thereof at USC shall be eligible to
become a member of USC GOP if he or she is a registered Republican or intends to be so when eligible to vote.

Section 3 - Those seeking membership shall fill out a membership form, which shall be based upon and contain the information required by the California College Republicans (CCR) for membership. A person, whose membership form has been approved by a USC GOP officer, shall be declared a member of USC GOP upon payment of the semester dues to the Treasurer.

Section 4 - All students who are USC GOP members are eligible to become "voting members", able to cast votes in elections held during general meetings. All USC staff, faculty, and alumni who are USC GOP members shall be considered "non-voting members", and therefore not permitted to cast votes in elections during general meetings.

Section 5 - All members are required to pay a membership fee of $10 per semester.

Section 6 - In membership decisions, USC GOP does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or creed (except as otherwise specified in this section).

Section 7 - Members may have their membership withdrawn for failure to adhere to the requirements for membership stated in this section.

Section 8 - Members' eligibility to vote in non-election and non-endorsement votes shall be based upon the attendance of at least three USC GOP sanctioned events that are not entirely social in nature in that semester, e.g. USC GOP general meetings and political events. For eligibility to vote in Elections see Article IX, Section 5 and in Endorsements see Article X, Section 4.

Article IV
Section 1 - The elected officers of USC GOP shall be Chairman, Vice Chairman, Executive Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising Director, Speakers Director, and Public Relations Director (see Article IX for election information), who, with the Chief of Staff, comprise the Executive Board. The duties of the officers shall contain, but are not specifically limited to, the following:
i. The Chairman is the club's official internal and external representative and presiding officer; shall oversee each general and Executive Board meeting, and conduct all club votes and elections (see Article IX); may create appointed positions to help fulfill any duties not clearly defined herein (see Article VI, Section 5); is responsible for the sound conduct of all official club business and activities; is responsible for officially inviting and hosting speakers and representatives of other organizations to USC GOP events and meetings; and is responsible for delegating duties as appropriate.
ii. The Vice Chairman shall assist the Chairman as necessary in fulfilling the Chairman's duties, and act as the temporary Chairman during any meeting which the Chairman is unable to attend or act as presiding officer; will also act as the temporary official representative of the club to both internal and external organizations and individuals, when the Chairman is unable to act as such; as directed by the Chairman, is responsible for coordinating external club activities, and with maintaining good relationships with external organizations and individuals; and will maintain a list of contact and other information for external organizations, individuals and affiliates of the club. With the approval and at the direction of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman is responsible for officially inviting external speakers and representatives of external organizations to USC GOP events and meetings; and is responsible for executing other duties as delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Vice Chairman.
iii. The Executive Director shall assist any Executive Board officer as necessary in fulfilling duties; as directed by the Chairman, is responsible for coordinating internal club activities, and with maintaining good relationships with internal organizations and individuals (e.g. the Political Student Assembly); and will maintain a list of contact and other information for internal organizations, individuals and affiliates of the club. When neither the Chairman nor Vice Chairman is able to act as presiding officer of general or Executive Board meetings, or as club representative to internal and external organizations, the Executive Director will temporarily act as such; or, if unable to do so, will appoint another officer or club voting member to temporarily act in this capacity. With the approval and at the direction of the Chairman, the Executive Director is responsible for officially inviting internal speakers and representatives of internal organizations to USC GOP events and meetings; and is responsible for executing other duties as delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Executive Director.
iv. The Secretary shall keep minutes and record attendance at general meetings, Executive Board meetings, and official club events; send out regular emails to USC GOP members concerning club events and news; and will maintain records of usernames, passwords and other account information concerning the club's website, email address(es), Facebook group and any other official club presence on the Internet. Copies of this information and minutes of meetings should be passed on to a "Webmaster", should that or another similar position be appointed by the Chairman (see Article VI, Section 5). The Secretary is also responsible for executing other duties as delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Secretary.
v. The Treasurer shall maintain financial records; oversee all incoming and outgoing club funds; collect dues and give a copy of all records to the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Executive Director; ensure that all club monies are properly deposited and maintained in the club bank account; report the state of USC GOP accounts once a month at a general meeting; make the Treasurer's records available for any voting USC GOP member wishing to see them; and assist the Chairman in coordinating club elections, by among other things, obtaining records on dues paid in order to determine members' eligibility for voting. The Treasurer is also responsible for executing other duties as delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Treasurer.
vi. The Fundraising Director shall set up fundraising events; oversee and maintain club funds obtained by means of these events; maintain records of donations to the chapter; report, at the Executive Board meeting immediately following any acquisition, all monies obtained by means of fundraising events and any donations; provide said monies to the Treasurer within a reasonable length of time; maintain records of these transactions, and provide copies to the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Executive Director and Treasurer no later than the Executive Board meeting immediately following acquisition of these funds. The Fundraising Director is also responsible for executing other duties as delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Fundraising Director.
vii. The Speakers Director shall work to bring conservative speakers to campus; assist with any events involving speakers; record the names and contact information of past and potential future speakers; coordinate times, dates, and, if necessary, locations on the USC campus for potential future events featuring speakers; will not officially invite speakers to USC GOP events and meetings under authority granted to the Vice Chairman or Executive Director or execute other duties unless such authority has been delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Speakers Director.
viii. The Public Relations Director shall promote the club on and off campus, as warranted, by means including, but not limited to: advertising USC GOP events on the club website, the official USC calendar of events, on other relevant internet locations (e.g. Facebook.com) and by posting flyers on and around the USC campus. The Public Relations Director must be knowledgeable and work in accordance with all existing university (e.g. Political Student Assembly, Program Board) policies governing student organization advertising. The Public Relations Director shall also monitor activities by the club and the Executive Board which may contribute to internal or external perceptions of the club, either positive or negative, and make recommendations of proper courses of action in order to avoid negative perceptions or press coverage and instead promote positive perceptions of the club and the Executive Board. The Public Relations Director is responsible for managing the communications apparatus of the club, ensuring appropriate and timely commentary on behalf of the club, and establishing, when possible, a positive relationship between the club and relevant media outlets, reporters, and editors. The Public Relations Director has the authority to delegate duties within this purview as is necessary and appropriate. The Public Relations Director is also responsible for executing other duties as delegated in good faith by the Chairman or the Executive Board and agreed to by the Public Relations Director.

Section 2 - Impeachment, Removal, and Resignation of Officers
i. Any Executive Board officer may be impeached at any time by a 2/3 majority vote of the present members in good standing at a general meeting; during a general meeting, before the presiding officer (Chairman) has closed the meeting and struck his gavel, a vote for impeachment may be proposed by a voting member, and seconded by another voting member; the subsequent vote will be conducted by the presiding officer (Chairman or the Vice Chairman as warranted in accordance with Paragraph iii of this Section) in public, by a show of hands either for or against impeachment; the votes shall be recorded by the Secretary and openly counted, and made available for inspection by any voting member. Impeachment of an officer does not imply or automatically warrant removal from his office; the proper affirmative vote of impeachment by majority at a general meeting will require that a vote is conducted, prior to the next general meeting, amongst a quorum of Executive Board officers; this Executive Board vote will be recorded by the Secretary and made available for inspection by any voting member; a majority of such Executive Board votes to affirm said impeachment will result in the removal of that officer from his Executive Board office.
ii. When an Executive Board officer is absent from at least two consecutive general meetings or two consecutive Executive Board meetings without providing reasonable and timely notice or cause, a vote by the majority of the Executive Board, when a quorum exists (see Paragraph v of this Section), may remove that person from office. The presiding officer will conduct such a vote (see Paragraph iii. of this section).
iii. The Vice Chairman shall conduct any vote concerning the possible removal of the Chairman.
iv. The vacancy of an office resulting from removal shall be announced at the next general meeting if the vacancy was caused by an Executive Board vote that did not occur at a general meeting, and by email to all club members.
v. A reasonable and timely effort will be made to notify an impeached or removed officer of his condition by an official letter or email signed by the Chairman; a copy will be retained by the Chairman and another copy will be given to and retained by the Secretary.
vi. A vote in accordance with Article V will determine the replacement for any removed officer.
vii. Solely for the purposes of a vote of impeachment, the officer subject to possible impeachment must abstain from voting and his presence or lack of presence will count neither for nor against the determination of existence of a quorum of Executive Board officers.

Section 3 - Any officer may resign by submitting a letter of resignation to the Chairman. The resignation shall be effective at the following general meeting, at which time the resignation and vacancy of the office shall be announced.

Section 4 - No member shall hold more than one office simultaneously. And no member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive (yearly) terms in the same office.

Section 5 - Officers terms are for one year, beginning the first day of Summer Break at 12:00 noon, and ending on the first day of the following Summer Break at 12:00 noon.

Section 6 - At the conclusion of an officer's term in office, whether by removal, term limit, or resignation, the officer will turn over to his duly elected and legitimate replacement all papers, memoranda and records relating to his/her office and which he/she received in an official capacity relating to his/her position as a club officer.

Article V
Section 1 - In the event of a vacancy of an elected position other than Chairman, a special election (see Article IX, Section 1) shall be held at the next general meeting following the announcement of the vacancy to elect a replacement to serve out the remainder of the term. The Chairman may appoint an individual to serve as the acting officer until a special election can be held, if such an appointment is necessary to avoid severe hardship for the club.

Section 2 - In the event that the Chairman's position becomes vacant, the Vice Chairman shall immediately become the Chairman. A special election shall be held to elect a new Vice Chairman.

Section 3 - Should vacancies in the Chairman and Vice-Chairman's positions occur simultaneously, the Executive Director shall become interim Chairman, and shall announce special elections for both Chairman and Vice Chairman positions at the next general meeting and hold the elections on the following meeting.

Section 4 - Whenever a vacancy occurs and a special election is to be held, it shall be the Chairman's duty to notify USC GOP members as soon as possible using email or other appropriate means.

Section 5 - An individual elected by a special election with respect to Sections 1 through 4 shall serve out the remainder of the unfulfilled term and that shall not be considered a term in accordance with term limits mentioned in Article IV, Section 4.

Article VI
Section 1 - The Chief of Staff shall be an ex-officio member of the Executive Board. The Chief of Staff shall have the right to attend and participate in all Executive Board meetings and functions, but shall not have the right to make motions during an Executive Board meeting, or to vote on Executive Board decisions or actions unless necessary to break a tie.

Section 2 - The Chief of Staff is in charge of making sure that all members and officers adhere to the Constitution of the USC GOP and is required to report any possible violations to the USC GOP voting members by one of the following methods: direct mail, e-mail, or announcement at a general meeting.

Section 3 - The Chief of Staff must be appointed by the Chairman and approved by the Executive Board by the third Executive Board meeting of the semester. At that time, the Chief of Staff shall be notified of his/her position and immediately assume his/her duties.

Section 4 - The Chief of Staff shall help the Chairman to oversee all other appointed positions.

Section 5 - All appointed positions shall be created by the Chairman at his/her discretion and approved by the Executive Board. These positions shall be created in order to assist the Chairman in fulfilling his/her duties. These positions may include, but are not limited to, Political Student Assembly Representative, Sergeant-at-Arms, Membership Director, Social Director, Webmaster, Campaign Coordinator, and Political Affairs Director.

Section 6 - No appointed positions can be filled without the approval, by majority vote when a quorum is present, of the Executive Board.

Article VII
Section 1 - The Executive Board shall fix the hour and the place of the general meetings on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. Each general meeting must be announced by at least 48 hours prior to said meeting.

Section 2 - A special meeting may be called upon the written request of the quorum or at the direction of the Chairman. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call.

Section 3 - Seven or more USC GOP voting members shall constitute a quorum of a general meeting. Votes in a general meeting can only take place when a quorum exists.

Article VIII
Section 1 - The Executive Board of the USC GOP shall be constituted of the elected officers along with the Chief of Staff as a non-voting ex-officio member (see Article VI, Section 1).

Section 2 - The Executive Board shall have the general supervision of the affairs of the USC GOP. The board shall be subject to the will of USC GOP, and none of its acts shall conflict with the action taken by the USC GOP. When the Executive Board makes a decision by vote, the Chief of Staff shall hold the authority to break a tie, but is limited to only vote in the case of breaking ties.

Section 3 - USC GOP reserves the authority to reverse or repeal any business conducted by the Executive Board. USC GOP must reach a vote of a 4/5 majority to reverse or repeal actions of the Executive Board.

Section 4 - Four or more members of the Executive Board, or at least two-thirds of the current membership of the Executive Board, whichever is greater (not including the Chief of Staff), shall constitute a quorum of the Executive Board. Executive Board votes can only take place if a quorum of the Executive Board exists.

Section 5 - The Chairman must hold Executive Board meetings twice a month unless there are mitigating circumstances in which case, the Vice Chairman should hold the meetings.

Article IX
Section 1 - In the event of a special election for USC GOP officers, notice must be reasonably provided to all USC GOP members at least seven days prior to the special elections meeting. Special elections shall be conducted in the same manner as the Elections meeting (see Article IX, Section 4), except that the special elections meeting shall also be considered a Nominations meeting for that special election (see Article IX, Section 2) and that any newly elected officers shall take their office immediately after that meeting.

Section 2 - The USC GOP shall hold a Nominations meeting for officers no later than the third week of April, after having announced the date for it at least one week prior. Only voting members, who have accepted a nomination by another voting member at the Nominations meeting, shall be eligible to run for an Executive Board office at the Elections meeting.

Section 3 - The USC GOP shall hold the Elections meeting for officers no later than the last general meeting day in April, after having announced the date for it at least seven days prior, and after having held a Nominations meeting at least seven days prior.

Section 4 - The Chairman shall preside over the election process of the incoming Chairman, Vice Chairman, Executive Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising Director, Speakers Director, and Public Relations Director in that order at the Elections meeting. Members who have accepted a nomination for an office at the Nominations meeting (see Article IX, Section 2) shall be removed from the floor for the discussion and vote for that office during the Elections meeting. They shall be escorted back once the result has been determined. Methods of voting shall be conducted at the discretion of the Chairman. A simple majority of votes by those voting members present at the meeting shall be necessary to be elected (runoffs may be necessary in the event of a tie, dropping the least voted nominee each ballot). The newly elected Executive Board shall take office on the first day of Summer Break, per Article IV, Section 5.

Section 5 - Eligibility to vote at the Elections meeting shall be based on attendance of at least five USC GOP sanctioned events that are not intended to be primarily social in nature in that semester or eight such events in the entire school year, as well as having qualified as a voting member of the club.

Article X
Section 1 - The USC GOP has the power to endorse Republican political candidates who are NOT in a race against other Republican candidates (such as is the case with primary elections) unless the USC GOP has the power to vote as an organization in that race (such as is the case with the California College Republicans [CCR] elections).

Section 2 - The delegates to the CCR Convention must be approved by the Executive Board, and must be voting members of the club.

Section 3 - All endorsements will follow the voting procedures of a general election and eligibility to vote for endorsements is the same as in election votes, see Article IX, Section 5.

Article XI
Section 1 - Expenditures of club funds or reimbursements over $200 shall only be made to cover proper club related activities and must be approved by a majority vote of USC GOP members at a general meeting (see Section 4), or at any Executive Board meeting by affirmative vote of all officers present, if a quorum exists, in which case the expenditure must be reported to all USC GOP members at the general meeting immediately following the Executive Board vote.

Section 2 - Expenditures of club funds or reimbursements over $20 but no more than $200 shall only be made to cover proper club related activities and must be approved by a proper vote of the Executive Board (see Article VIII, Section 4).

Section 3 - Expenditures of club funds or reimbursements no more than $20 can be made at the discretion of the Chairman but must be reported to the Executive Board at the immediately following Executive Board meeting.

Section 4 - Approval of the use of club funds shall consist of a simple majority of voting members at a general meeting (for those covered by Section 2) or a majority of officers present at an Executive Board meeting (if covered by Section 3).

Section 5 - With respect to section three of this article, the Chairman's approval of multiple $20 or less expenditures shall not accumulate to more than $200 during a given semester without approval of the Executive Board.

Section 6 - No officer or USC GOP member shall knowingly or intentionally break down the appropriations of funds for a given event or cause if doing so has the effect of circumventing one of the aforementioned regulations contained in this Article.

Section 7 - The Chairman and the Treasurer shall both be responsible for ensuring the provisions of this section are carried out.

Article XII
Section 1 - Standing committees (such as a Speakers Committee, Social Committee, etc.) or special committees (such as various campaign committees, etc.) shall be appointed by the Chairman from time to time as deemed necessary.

Section 2 - Directors of standing committees may attend Executive Board meetings but do not have Executive Board voting power, nor does their presence at such a meeting affect the necessary quorum for a vote (see Article VIII, Section 4).

Article XIII
Section 1 - USC GOP may affiliate itself with the California College Republicans (CCR), the College Republican National Committee, or any other Republican organization. USC GOP reserves the right to secede from, or refrain from affiliation with any organization.

Section 2 - USC affiliation
i. This organization is a recognized student organization at the University of Southern California, but is not part of the University itself.
ii. In all correspondence and business transactions, it may refer to itself as an organization at USC, but not as part of USC itself.
iii. USC GOP accepts full financial and production responsibility for all activities it sponsors.
iv. USC GOP agrees to abide by all pertinent USC policies and regulations. Where USC policies and regulations and those of USC GOP differ, the policies and regulations of USC will take precedence.
v. USC GOP recognizes and understands that USC assumes no legal liability for the actions of the organization, and that the University is not providing blanket indemnification, unless those activities expressly benefit and further the goals of the University, and have received prior review, approval and consent from the Office of Student Activities, Risk Management and/or General Council.
vi. USC GOP does not operate under the direction of USC or its designates. USC GOP is an independent student organization. (See Article XV.)

Article XIV
Section 1 - This constitution may be amended at any USC GOP general meeting by 4/5 majority vote of present voting members, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous general meeting; or this constitution may be amended at any Executive Board meeting by affirmative vote of all officers present, if a quorum exists. Ratification of an entirely new constitution shall be subject to the same requirements as amendments.

Article XV
Section 1 - The USC GOP is an independent organization, responsible to its affiliations, but autonomous in its actions. USC GOP is only accountable to and responsible for its membership and Executive Board, in so far as the aforementioned actions in accordance with and promotion of USC GOP purpose stated in Article II. The Executive Board, presided over by the Chairman, and subject to the USC GOP constitution, is the highest authority within this sovereign body.