Yale Political Union Constitution
Article I
Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Yale Political
Union.
Object
Section 1: The purpose of the Yale Political Union shall be to
provide Yale with a non-partisan forum for parliamentary debate and to
encourage other suitable means for the discussion of matters of public
interest.
Section 2: The Union shall be open to any and all political
viewpoints in its capacity as a forum.
Section 3: No part of the net earnings of the Yale Political Union
shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees,
officers, or other private persons, except that the Yale Political Union shall
be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services
rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes
set forth in Article I hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the
Yale Political Union shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise
attempting to influence legislation, and the Yale Political Union shall not
participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of
statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any
candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of these
articles, the Yale Political Union shall not carry on any other activities not
permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax
under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of
any future federal tax code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which
are deductible under § 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the
corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Section 4: Upon the dissolution of the Yale Political Union, assets
shall be distributed for one or more of the following exempt purposes within
the meaning of § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding
section of any future federal tax code: (a) to educate students and Yale
University concerning the political issues of the day and/or enhance political
discourse at Yale University. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be
disposed of in accordance with law by the State of Connecticut Superior Court
for the Judicial District of New Haven, exclusively for such purposes or to
such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are
organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
Members
Section 1: There shall be three classes of membership in the Union,
which shall be Full Members, Patron Members, and Honorary Members.
Section 2: Students and alumni of Yale University shall be eligible
to be Full Members of the Union. Membership shall be by Session. Anyone who
purchases a membership for a Fall Session must also purchase a membership for
the Spring Session immediately following. Anyone eligible to purchase a
membership may choose to purchase membership for eight Sessions for the cost of
six consecutive Sessions. Anyone eligible to purchase a membership may choose
to purchase a membership for life, which shall cost an amount equal to the cost
of ten consecutive Sessions minus any amount the purchaser has previously spent
on his own membership in the Union.
Section 3: All those who have been elected President or Speaker of
the Union before the adoption of this Constitution shall upon its adoption be
granted full membership for life, and upon election to the office of Speaker or
President, a member shall automatically and immediately be granted full
membership for life, but nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit
the body's ability to strip a member of his membership.
Section 4: All members of the Oxford and Cambridge Union Societies
shall be Full Members of the Yale Political Union.
Section 5: The Executive Board shall set the cost for Fall and
Spring memberships, though it may not change the price of membership for any
Session after the first meeting of the Executive Board during that Session. The
cost for membership for the Fall and Spring Sessions do not have to be the
same.
Section 6: Any person who is ineligible to purchase membership in
the Union may become a Patron Member by paying an amount equivalent to the cost
of a membership of the same duration. Patron Members shall have floor
privileges but shall not vote on any matter before the Union.
Section 7: The Executive Board may grant honorary memberships to any
non-member it wishes for any length of time it wishes. Honorary Members shall
have floor privileges but may not vote on any matter before the Union.
Section 8: A Member shall be considered an Active Member if he has
attended at least one meeting in either the current Session or the Session
immediately preceding the current Session, except that neither a Patron Member
nor an Honorary Member shall be considered an Active Member.
Section 9: Membership in the Union is subject to revocation by the
body in accordance with the rules set forth in the parliamentary authority. No
refund of any amount shall be granted for a revoked membership.
Section 10: Honorary and patron membership in the Union is subject to
revocation by the body in accordance with the rules set forth in the
parliamentary authority, except that there shall be no requirement of notice.
In addition, the Executive Board may, without notice, revoke a patron
membership by a two-thirds majority vote, and it may, without notice, revoke an
honorary membership by a majority vote. No refund of any amount shall be
granted for a revoked patron membership.
Section 11: Any Member may resign at any time by writing a letter in
the Member's own hand and delivering it in person or by United States Mail to
the President or Speaker of the Union. Such resignations take effect
immediately. No refund of any amount shall be granted for a resigned
membership.
Section 12: Any Active Member who has attended at least three
meetings, or one-half the meetings in a Session, of the Union during the time
specified by Article X Section 2 shall be eligible to vote in Union elections
at the end of the same Session.
Officers
Section 1: The President shall be elected to
be the Chief Executive Officer of the Union; to preside over meetings of the
Executive Board; to supervise all other Union officers; to appoint, with the
advice and consent of the Executive Board, the Secretary and such officers as
deemed necessary for the functioning of the Union, the chairmen of all
committees except the Rules Committee, and officers to fill elected offices
which become vacant during the Session; to appoint Full Members to serve
temporarily in the absence of an officer; and to submit to the Executive Board,
in accordance with Article VII, a proposal for the budget for the Session. The
President shall be ultimately responsible for the success of the Union.
Section 2: The Speaker shall be elected to
preside over all meetings of the Political Union; to act as Chairman of the
Rules Committee; to supervise the Floorleaders and
oversee the construction of a speaking docket for each meetnig;
to appoint, subject to the restrictions stated in Article VIII, the Teller; to
appoint Acting Tellers in the absence of the Teller; and to advise the
Executive Board on parliamentary and constitutional matters. The Speaker shall
be responsible for student contribution to debate.
Section 3: The Vice President shall be
elected to both procure guests for debates and generate tentative resolutions;
to make the ncessary practical arrangements for the
travel and accommodation of guests; to secure guests for future semesters, to
set a tentative schedule for the following semester in accordance with Article
VII, and to regularly update the Executive Board on the status of said
schedule; to produce an end of term report on the status of invited guests; to
maintain a database of past, present, and potential guests; to assist the
President in the operation of the Union; to act as President in the President's
absence; and to succeed to the Presidency should that office become vacant
during the Session. The Vice President shall be responsible for guest
contribution to debate.
Section 4: The Treasurer shall be elected to
collect and disburse Union funds; to assist the President in drafting a budget
proposal for the Session; to advise the Executive Board on financial matters
pertaining to the Union; to maintain the Union's financial records, which shall
be open to inspection by any Full Member; to provide complete reports of the
Union's financial status monthly, or as instructed, to the Executive Board; to
assist the President in drafting a budget proposal for the Session; and to
deposit a copy of the Union budget as approved by the Executive Board with the
Yale College Dean's Office. Union funds may only be disbursed in accordance with
a duly-passed budget for the Session, or by special authorization by the
Executive Board in accordance with Article VII, or by the requirements of this
Constitution. Any Treasurer elected in elections for the Fall Session shall
serve in the Spring Session immediately following that Fall Session unless he
shall resign his office. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial
stability of the Union.
Section 5: The Director of Campus Relations
shall be elected to serve as liaison between the Union and other campus
organizations; to be responsible for the publicity of Union events; to engage
faculty with the Union and promote Union events to relevant academic
departments; and to ensure the visibility of the Union in campus media. The
Director of Campus Relations shall be responsible for strengthening the Union's
ties with the Yale community.
Section 6: The Director of Development shall
be elected to raise money for the Union from sources including, but not limited
to, Union members past and present, corporate entities, and non-profit
organizations; to coordinate any alumni functions or events deemed necessary by
the Executive Board; to maintain an accurate alumni database; to publish a
newsletter, approved by the Executive Board, by the end of the Session, to be
distributed to alumni and members of the Union. The Director of Development
shall be responsible for strengthening the Union's ties with alumni.
Section 7: There shall be two Floorleaders, a Floorleader of
the Left and a Floorleader of the Right, who shall be
elected to actively promote the quality of debate within their Coalitions; to
assist the Speaker in coordinating Union debates; and to submit their
Coalitions' tentative dockets to the Speaker at least twelve hours before a
debate. Nothing in this Section shall be construed as restricting the Speaker's
freedom in presiding over meetings or assigning the floor. The Floorleaders shall be responsible for their respective
Coalitions' contributions to debate.
Section 8: The Secretary shall be appointed
to record the minutes of Union, Rules Committee, and Executive Board meetings;
to submit the minutes to the Executive Board in a timely fashion and, upon
approval, to post the minutes on the Union's website and place them in Union
archives; to assist the President and Vice President with Union correspondence;
and to maintain the Union archives, which shall be open to any Member's
inspection. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping record of Union
proceedings.
Section 9: The Teller shall be appointed to
maintain the Union's membership and attendance rolls; to communicate regularly
with the Executive Board on the status of Union recruitment efforts; to compose
a weekly membership and attendance report to be submitted to the Executive
Board and to be placed in the Union archives; to sell Union memberships; to
make available attendance records which shall be open to inspection at the
request of any Active Member; and to ensure only authorized persons are
admitted to Union meetings. The Teller shall be responsible for keeping record
of Union membership.
Election of Officers
Section 1: Elections shall be conducted each Session by the Rules
Committee. The Rules Committee shall certify the election of officers by a majority
vote and no officer shall be deemed elected unless so certified.
Section 2: Elections shall take place on the first full weekday of
Reading Period, as defined by Yale College, unless the Rules Committee shall,
by a two-thirds majority vote, set a new date for elections. The Rules
Committee shall set the time and location of elections by a majority vote.
Public Notice shall be given of the date, time, and location of elections.
Section 3: Elections shall be held for one continuous time period
which shall be at least three hours, beginning no earlier than noon. Elections
may be held in only one location, unless otherwise decided by a unanimous vote
of Rules Committee. Neither absentee ballots nor proxies shall be allowed.
Section 4: Any undergraduate Member of the Union who intends to
remain an undergraduate of Yale College throughout his term in office and is
eligible to vote in the Union elections may be elected to any office; except
that no Member who resigned an elected office shall be eligible to be elected
for the following Session, unless the Rules Committee shall, at the time it
certifies the list of qualified voters, vote by a two-thirds majority to allow
that person to be a candidate for election.
Section 5: To be a candidate for nomination to any office, a Member
must submit to the Speaker either a letter of intent to run for that office by
noon seven days before the scheduled date of Elections, or a petition signed by
a quorum of the Union by noon five days before the scheduled date of Elections.
The Secretary shall post the names of all those seeking election to each
office, within 36 hours of being so instructed by the speaker.
Section 6: To appear on the ballot, a candidate must be nominated by
a Party. A Party may nominate only one candidate for each office, and many
nominate a candidate for Floorleader of a coalition
only if the Party has at least one affiliated Member eligible to vote in the
election of that coalition's Floorleader. For each
candidate to be nominated, a Party must submit a letter of nomination to the
Speaker before 9:00 a.m. on the day of elections.
Section 7: The membership of the Union shall be divided into two
coalitions, a Coalition of the Left and a Coalition of the Right. A Member
affiliated with a Party that has officially designated itself in one Coalition
shall be a member of that Coalition, and all other Members shall be considered
unaffiliated by default, except that a Member's Coalition affiliation during
the previous election shall be automatically carried over into the current
Session. However, any Member may register with either or neither Coalition by
notifying the Teller of his affiliation for the current Session before the date
specified as Midterm by Yale College. No Member or Party may register or change
a coalition affiliation after Midterm.
Section 8: To be eligible to be elected Floorleader
of a coalition, a Member must be eligible to vote in the election of the Floorleader of the same coalition. No Member shall under
any circumstances be eligible to vote in the election of both Floorleaders. If at any time the Floorleader's
coalition registration is changed, the Floorleader
immediately and automatically resigns the office.
Section 9: The Teller shall prepare a preliminary list of qualified
voters by noon eight days before the scheduled date of Elections. This list
shall show the name, party affiliation, and coalition of each qualified voter;
and shall be distributed to the members of the Rules Committee, members of the
Executive Board, and the Chairman of each Party; and shall be posted publicly.
Section 10: The Rules Committee shall meet between noon seven days
before the scheduled date of elections and noon four days before the scheduled
date of elections to draft a certified list of qualified voters. After this
certified list showing the name, party affiliation, and coalition of each
qualified voter has been drafted and approved by a majority vote, it shall be
distributed to the members of the Rules Committee, the members of the Executive
Board, and to the Chairman of each Party, and shall be posted publicly at least
72 hours prior to the beginning of Union elections. No corrections may be made
after the certified list has been approved by the Rules Committee.
Section 11: Elections shall be by secret ballot. Electioneering shall
not be allowed in the room where ballots are cast. Nominees shall appear by
office in alphabetical order on the ballot, but the office of Treasurer shall
not appear on the ballot during elections for the spring Session unless the
elected Treasurer has resigned his office at least fifteen days before the
scheduled day of elections or the office of Treasurer is held by an appointee.
A line shall be designated for write-in candidates for each office on the
ballot.
Section 12: A plurality of votes cast for any office shall be
required to elect, except as provided in Section 16 of this Article.
Section 13: No Member may serve in more than one office at the same
time under any circumstances.
Section 14: In the event that there is no eligible candidate for an
office, the Rules Committee may, by a two-thirds vote, elect any eligible
Member to that office.
Section 15: In the event that no candidate for an office receives a
plurality due to a tied vote, the Rules Committee may, by a three-fourths vote,
elect one of the tied candidates to that office. If the Rules Committee does
not so elect a member, it shall call a special election to be held within three
days of the original election at which there will be a run-off between the tied
candidates, and a candidate shall be elected by a plurality of the Members
voting in the election. Any Member who was qualified to vote in the original
election may participate in the runoff, but the Rules Committee may create any
additional rules it deems necessary for conducting such an election.
Section 16: No more than three of the six persons serving as the
President, Speaker, Vice President, Treasurer, Director of Development and
Director of Campus Relations shall be from the same Party. If at the time of
the certification of new officers more than three of the persons to be
certified for these six offices are affiliated with the same Party, the
officers-elect from the Party in question shall be given 24 hours in which to
submit an appropriate number of resignations withdrawing from contention for
the offices to which they were elected. If this does not resolve the issue, the
Rules Committee shall decide which offices will be forfeited by a majority vote,
and the runners up for these offices, as determined by strict plurality, shall
be elected. For the purposes of this Section, a Member shall be considered to
be from the Party with which he was affiliated at Midterm; unless this is his
first semester of Union membership in which case he shall be considered to be
from the Party with which he is affiliated in the list of qualified voters; or
unless the Rules Committee shall, by majority vote at least two days before the
day of elections, determine that he should be considered to be affiliated with
a different Party or no Party at all.
Section 17: The Rules Committee shall establish any standing rules
necessary for the conduction of elections.
Removal of Officers
Section 1: Upon petition of one-tenth of the previous semester's
qualified voters, the Executive Board shall call a meeting of the Union to take
place within ten classdays to consider rescinding an
officer's election. Public Notice must be given of the meeting, and only those
who were eligible to vote in that officer's election may vote on the question
of the rescission of his election. A two-thirds vote shall be required to
rescind an officer's election.
Section 2: A motion to rescind an officer's election may not itself
be rescinded or reconsidered. Any Union officer whose election has been
rescinded shall be ineligible to hold elected or appointed office in the Union
for the remainder of the Session during which he was removed and the following
Session.
Section 3: All appointed officers serve at the pleasure of the
officer who appointed them.
Section 4: Any holder of elected office who
ceases to be an undergraduate of Yale College shall immediately and
automatically resign his office.
Article VII
Executive Board
Section 1: The executive powers and
responsibilities of the Union shall be vested in an Executive Board to consist
of the President, Speaker, Vice President, Treasurer, Floorleaders,
Director of Campus Relations, Director of Development and Secretary of the
Union, as well as the Chairmen of the Parties or their representatives. All
members of the Executive Board shall be able to vote on a matter before the
Executive Board except that the Speaker, Floorleaders,
and Secretary shall have no vote on any matter.
Section 2: The Executive Board shall be
empowered to conduct the business of the Union; to call meetings of the body;
to invite guest speakers; to select resolutions for debate; to give advice and
consent to appointments made by the President; and to set membership prices.
Section 3: The Executive Board shall have
the power to modify and to approve the budget presented by the President and
the Treasurer. No expenditure not explicitly authorized by the budget shall be
made except by special authorization of the Executive Board. Special
authorization for expenses of $500 or less shall be by majority vote. Special
authorization for expenses exceeding $500 shall be by a two-thirds vote of all
voting members of the Executive Board. Party disbursements shall not be
considered expenditures for the purposes of this Section.
Section 4: The Executive Board shall set the
time and place for its own meetings. Should it fail to do so, the President may
summon it at his discretion. Quorum of the Executive Board for non-emergency
meetings shall be a majority of all its voting members as well as one-half of
the Chairmen or their representatives. Except in cases of emergency, Public
Notice shall be given of all meetings of the Executive Board.
Section 5: In the event of an emergency, the
President or any two members of the Executive Board may summon a meeting, but
no action may take place at such a meeting unless two-thirds of members present
vote to recognize that Public Notice was not possible. Quorum at an emergency
meeting shall be a majority of the Chairmen or their representatives and a
majority of voting members. No emergency meeting of the Executive Board shall
be called to order until a good faith effort has been made to contact all
voting members of the Executive Board and the Speaker. The Rules Committee
shall have the power to, by a majority vote, determine that such a good faith
effort was not made, and any action taken at such an improperly called meeting
of the Executive Board shall be null and void.
Section 6: The Chairman of any Party may
delegate any other individual who is not a voting member of the Executive Board
to represent them at Executive Board meetings.
Section 7: Two-thirds or more of all Party
Chairmen or their representatives may veto any action of the Executive Board.
Rules Committee
Section 1: The Rules Committee shall be the committee on rules and
procedure for the Union. All rules established by the Rules Committee shall
remain in force until amended or repealed by the Rules Committee. A majority of
the entire voting membership of the Rules Committee may establish, amend, or
repeal any such rule.
Section 2: The Rules Committee shall be responsible for interpreting
this Constitution.
Section 3: The Rules Committee shall be composed of representatives
from each Party. Each Party shall be entitled to two voting representatives if
there are five or fewer Parties, or one voting representative if there are six
or more Parties. Each Party Chairman shall designate the voting representatives
from that Party to the Chairman of the Rules Committee. The Party Chairmen
shall have the right to change their respective Parties' representatives at any
time.
Section 4: The Speaker shall be the Chairman of the Rules Committee.
In the absence of the Speaker, the Rules Committee may elect any Member of the
Union to the position of Chairman pro tempore of the Rules Committee.
The Chairman of the Rules Committee shall not have a vote on any matter before
the Rules Committee under any circumstances.
Section 5: The Chairman of the Rules Committee or any two Rules
Committee members from different Parties may call a meeting of the Rules
Committee. Public Notice will be provided and all committee members will be
individually notified. Quorum of the Rules Committee shall be a majority of its
voting membership.
Section 6: The Secretary of the Rules Committee shall be responsible
for keeping minutes of the meetings of the Rules Committee, posting these
minutes on the Union's website, and filing them in the Union archives. The
Secretary of the Rules Committee may be removed from that position by a
majority of the Rules Committee. The Secretary of the Union shall act as the
Secretary of the Rules Committee unless he is removed from this position. In
the absence of the Secretary of the Union, any Member of the Union may be
elected Secretary of the Rules Committee pro tempore by the members of
the Rules Committee.
Section 7: The Rules Committee shall be empowered to give Advice and
Consent to the Speaker in the appointment of a Teller.
Advisory Committee
Section 1: Advisory Committee shall advise the Executive Board and
the President and shall provide long term planning for the Union.
Section 2: The Committee chairman shall be the Senior Sometime
President on the Committee. If the Senior Sometime President on the Committee
declines the office or does not exist, the President shall appoint a Committee
member to serve as chairman. Each semester the chairman shall appoint one
member to serve as secretary. The secretary shall write a newsletter each
semester to alumni of the Committee and take minutes at each meeting. These
minutes shall not be publicly posted, but shall be placed in the Union archives.
The Committee shall select one member to serve as a liaison to the Executive
Board.
Section 3: The Committee shall set the time and place of its
meetings. Should it fail to do so, the chairman of the committee may summon a
meeting at his discretion. Meetinsg will be closed to
all but Committee members and the President. Other Union members may attend
these meetings by invitation from the Committee.
Section 4: The Committee shall provide an evaluation of the
Executive Board before Midterm. The President may appoint members of the
Committee to serve as advisors to Union officers at his discretion.
Section 5: Significant actions of the Committee, as determined by
the President, shall require the consent of the Executive Board. The Committee
shall report regularly to the Executive Board, at least twice per semester, and
at leace once before Midterm.
Section 6: Committee members shall be nominated by the chairman with
the advice and consent of the Committee, and, upon acceptance of the nomination,
shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Board. All former and
sometimes presidents of the Union shall be automatically nominated for seats on
the Committee. The Committee may include, in addition to sometime and former
Presidents, up to four additional members. No current member of Rules
Committee, or the Executive Board, or any party chairman shall serve as a
member of the Advisory Committee. No current member of the Advisory Committee
may serve as a proxy on Rules Committee or the Executive Board.
Section 7: A member of the Committee shall serve until either his
resignation or graduation.
Section 8: A current or past member of the Committee may only run
for Union office if he submits a statement of his intent to the Advisory Committee
and two-thirds of the remaining Committee members vote to allow him to run. If
allowed to run he must immediately resign from the Committee, and the chairman
of the Advisory Committee must notify the Speaker of this member's eligiblity to run for office.
Section 9: Upon graduation, a member of the Committee shall be
awarded lifetime membership in the Union, but this shall not be construed to
provide reimbursement for previous dues paid.
Section 10: The chairman of the Committee shall be responsible for providing Public Notice to the entire Union in cases of rescission of an officer's election and motions to correct the Executive Board.
Meetings
Section 1: Attendance at a meeting shall mean the physical presence
of the member within twenty minutes after the meeting is called to order.
Excuses for late arrival because of compulsory University appointment. medical
appointment, or legal or religious obligation may be granted by the Speaker.
Section 2: All meetings of the Union shall count towards attendance
requirements for voting except that no meeting held after ten days before the
first full day of Reading Period shall count toward attendance requirements.
Section 3: Quorum for meetings of the Union shall be thirty-five
Members, or a majority of the Active Membership, whichever is less.
Section 4: The Speaker shall chair Union meetings. In his absence,
the President or a Member appointed by the President shall act as Speaker pro
tempore.
Section 5: All Union meetings shall be free and open to the public,
but any meeting of the Union may be restricted to Members by a two-thirds vote
of the Executive Board.
Section 6: Everyone present at a Union meeting shall be allowed to
vote on any matter before the body, unless a motion is passed to restrict the
voting to Members. Such a motion will require a simple majority of Members
present to pass.
Section 7: A motion to instruct or correct the Executive Board shall
be in order following procedures outlined by the Parliamentary Authority. The
passage of such a motion shall be considered to overrule any motions or
resolutions, including the budget, passed by the Executive Board that inhibit
or contradict it.
Section 8: When a special order set by the Executive Board or a motion
to rescind an officer's election is pending, the motion for the previous
question shall not be in order until at least ten minutes of debate on each
side have been allowed.
Parties
Section 1: Any Parties formed in accordance with the procedures
described in Sections 3-5 of this Article shall be recognized by the Union. Any
Party that fails to meet the Party Qualification Requirements shall be on
Probation for the following semester.
Section 2: All Parties shall enjoy full autonomy in the conduct of
their internal affairs, including enrollment of Party members and the election
of Party officers. All Parties that register as separate organizations with
Yale University shall enjoy full autonomy in the conduct of their external affairs,
including political activities. No Party shall engage in any activity which
endangers the status of the Union as a non-partisan and tax-exempt forum.
Section 3: A group of Active Members of the Union that seeks to form
a new Party must submit a petition to the Speaker after the third meeting of a
Session and before noon ten days before the scheduled date of elections. This
petition must contain the valid signatures of a number of Active Members to
meet the Party Petitioning Standard. The petition must explicitly express the
intention of the Members who have signed it to affiliate with that Party as
soon as it shall be recognized as such. These Members shall remain affiliated
with their previous Parties, if any, until such a time as the Speaker shall
certify that the new Party has been recognized. A Member must date his
signature, and his signature shall only count if the petition is submitted in
the same Session as the date of the signature. If a Member signs more than one
application in a single Session, only the signature on the first petition to be
submitted shall be counted.
Section 4: Within 24 hours of receiving such a petition, the Speaker
must publicly announce his receipt of the application, providing the names of
those Members intending to affiliate with the new Party. Within a week of
receiving the petition or by the Rules Committee meeting to cerify
the list of qualified voters, whichever is sooner, the Speaker must verify the
signatures on the application and publicly announce if the application meets
the requirements in Section 3. Upon the announcement that these requirements
have been met, the new Party will be recognized as a Petitioning Party and all
Members who signed the petition will be automatically affiliated with it. For the
remainder of the semester, these signing Members will not be permitted to
switch to another Party, but must list themselves as unaffiliated if they wish
to leave the Petitioning Party. As a Petitioning party, Members will be able to
affiliate with it in the attendance records at remaining meetings in that
Session, but the Petitioning Party will have no representation on the Executive
Board or Rules Committee.
Section 5: To become a full Party, enough Members who originally
signed the petition must qualify to vote in Union elections for the Party to
meet the Party Qualification Requirements. If this requirement is met, the new
Party will be officially recognized immediately upon the certification of the
list of qualified voters and shall enjoy all the privileges and
responsibilities of a Party in the Union. However, the Party must also meet the
Party Qualification Requirements for its first Session as a full Party as well.
if in eitehr its Session as a Petitioning Party or
its first Session as a full Party, the new Party fails to meet this
requirement, after the certification of qualified voters, it will cease to
exist and all Members affiliated with it will be considered unaffiliated.
Section 6: One-fifth of all Union income from the sale of memberships
to Members affiliated with a Party shall be considered Party dues, and shall be
reimbursed to the Parties in proportion to the number of qualified voters
affiliated with each in the current Session, in accordance with Section 8 of
this Article.
Section 7: One-fifth of all Union income from the sale of
memberships to Members not affiliated with any Party shall be considered Party
grants, and shall be divided equally among the Parties recognized in the
current Session, in accordance with Section 8 of this Article.
Section 8: Party dues and Party grants combined shall be considered
Party disbursements. Party disbursements shall be paid to each Party after the
certification of the list of qualified voters described in Article V and before
the end of the current Session.
Section 9: For the purposes of this Article, a Member shall be
considered a Member of the Party with which he last affiliated in writing to
the Speaker, except that no Member may change affiliation between noon ten days
before the scheduled date of elections and the end of the Session. This section
shall not be construed to contradict the requirements in Article V Section 16
or Article XI Section 4.
Committees
Section 1: Nothing in this Article shall apply to the Rules
Committee or the Advisory Committee.
Section 2: The President of the Union shall create committees as he
shall deem appropriate and shall appoint their Chairmen with the Advice and
Consent of the Executive Board.
Section 3: The Chairmen shall be empowered to appoint the members of
their respective committees.
Section 4: Every committee shall be given a charter signed by the
President and approved by the Executive Board outlining its responsibilities, poweres, and privileges. No committee shall have any power
not delegated to it by the Executive Board.
Section 5: The President shall have the power to disband any
committee, to appoint a new chairman, or to give a new charter to any committee
with the Advice and Consent of the Executive Board.
Parliamentary Authority
Section 1: The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's
Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Union in all cases in which
they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Union's
Constitution or any standing or special rules of order it should choose to
adopt.
Section 2: The following definitions shall be observed in
interpreting the Constitution and the Parliamentary Authority:
a) A day of classes or class day is any Monday through
Friday on which classes are held in Yale College, excluding the Reading Period;
b) A Session of the Union is the period of time between
the certification of the election of officers and the certification of the
election of their successors;
c) Public Notice consists in posting an announcement on
the Union's website and, if possible, announcements over the Union's email
list, in campus publications and at previous Union meetings. Additional means
of communication satisfying the Public Notice requirement may be specified by
the Rules Committee in the Standing Rules. Public Notice shall be given at
least 72 hours in advance of the event for which it is required, unless a
longer period of notice is required;
d) Advice and Consent of the Executive Board is a
two-thirds majority vote of the entire Executive Board following discussion;
e) Public Posting of minutes, list of qualified voters,
officer candidates, etc, shall consist of posting these announcements on the
Union's website and archiving them in the Union office.
f) To fulfill the Party Qualification Requirement: A Party
must have at least 25 qualified voters affiliated with it, or one-eight of the
total number of qualified voters in the previous election, whichever is less
g) A Party goes on Probation for the following semester if
the list of certified voters shows that it failed to fulfill the Party
Qualification Requirement. If a Party on Probation fails to meet the Party
Qualification Requirement during either of the next two semesters, it shall
cease to be recognized as a Party of the Union.
h) The Party Petitioning Standard shall be equal to 1/6 of
the number of qualified voters from the previous semester unless that number is
less than 20 or greater than 65, in which case it shall be 20 or 65
respectively.
Amendments
Section 1: Any six Active Members may introduce an Amendment to the
Constitution by submitting it to the Speaker prior to the last two weeks of the
Session.
Section 2: The Rules Committee shall discuss the proposed Amendment
within ten class days. Copies of the proposed Amendment shall be available from
the Speaker at least 72 hours before the scheduled discussion by the Rules
Committee, and Public Notice shall be given for the Rules Committee meeting.
Section 3: The Rules Committee may amend the proposed Amendment
within its scope by a two-thirds vote. If the Rules Committee does so amend the
proposed Amendment, one-third of the Rules Committee may compel the
postponement of the vote on whether to report the proposed Amendment until the
next meeting of the Rules Committee, which must take place within ten class
days.
Section 4: In order to be reported to the floor, the Amendment must
be approved by a three-fourths vote of the entire voting membership of the
Rules Committee. When an Amendment is so approved, it shall be submitted for a
floor vote at the first meeting the Speaker deems appropriate. This must occur
within thirty class days ofa pproval
by Rules Committee and before the conclusion of the Session. Public Notice
shall precede the reporting to the floor of the proposed Amendment.
Section 5: No proposed Amendment to the Constitution may be amended
by the floor of the Union.
Section 6: Amendments to the Constitution shall require a two-thirds
vote on the floor of the Union for adoption. Only Members shall be permitted to
vote on proposed Amendments.
Respectfully
submitted
Spring 2006
Amended
Spring 2009