Constitution and Bylaws

Spectrum
Constitution and Bylaws

The Constitution (Html format)	The Bylaws (Html format)
The Constitution (Word document)	The Bylaws (Word document)

The Constitution of Spectrum
Loyola College in Maryland’s GLBTA Awareness and Support Group

Spectrum is an all-inclusive group founded in the Jesuit tradition of men and women for others. It fosters open and honest discussion about the diverse issues surrounding sexual orientation and sexual minorities, and does so with an educative intent. Spectrum hopes to impact the college community so that homophobia and hatred are replaced by understanding, acceptance, and inclusiveness, and desires to see at Loyola a world of appreciation that benefits each and every human life.

Article I: Principles and Foundations

Section 1. All students, faculty, staff, and administration of Loyola College are eligible for membership within Spectrum.

Section 2. There shall be no discrimination, restriction, or bias of any kind concerning participation in Spectrum. No member shall be excluded on the basis of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, national origin, culture, sexual orientation, religion, age, or disability.

Section 3. All those who join the Spectrum mailing list are considered Spectrum members. An active member refers to anyone who has attended and participated in a majority of the weekly meetings and other special events and programming. An officer refers to anyone who has been elected or appointed to a designated leadership role within the group.

Article II: The Executive Board

Section 1. The executive power of Spectrum shall be entrusted to an executive board of officers led by the President.

Section 2. The President, the Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness, and the Vice President of Social Activities and Support must be elected by a simple majority of the Spectrum members.

Section 3. The President and the two Vice Presidents shall establish an executive board consisting of, but not limited to, the following positions:

1. Public Relations Director
2. any ad hoc committee chair or coordinator

The members of the Executive Board shall effectively carry out the specific responsibilities of their individual offices and assist in any matters the President deems appropriate.

Article III: Legislative Matters

Section 1: All legislative powers and duties shall be under the control of and overseen by the Executive Board of Spectrum.

Section 2: Each officer shall have one equally-weighted vote, with a simple majority required to pass any proposal.

Section 3. In the event that a proposal passes through the Executive Board, it can only be acted upon if a simple majority of the active members of Spectrum vote in its favor.

Article IV: Impeachment

Section 1. Any elected or appointed officer of the Executive Board can be impeached on the basis of misconduct, failure to execute duties, violation of college or Spectrum regulations, and/or abuse of power.

Section 2. A unanimous vote by the Executive Board is required to impeach any officer.

Article V: Vacancies

Section 1. A position is to be considered vacant if an elected or appointed official is dismissed or resigns from office. The President will determine all vacancies.

Section 2. All vacancies except the offices of the President and Vice Presidents shall be filled by means of an application process. The Executive Board is required make a unanimous decision regarding the new officer.

Section 3. If the offices of the President or Vice President become vacant, the succession order shall be as follows:

1. Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness
2. Vice President of Social Activities and Support

Article VI: Amendments

Section 1. All Spectrum active members and officers have the right to propose an amendment to this constitution.

Section 2. In order to pass, an amendment must receive a simple majority vote first from the Executive Board and then from the active members.

Section 3. All changes to the Bylaws of this document must be approved by a simple majority of the Executive Board.

The Bylaws of Spectrum
Loyola College in Maryland’s GLBTA Awareness and Support Group

Article I: Restrictions and Duties of the President

1.01 The President of Spectrum must best represent and be able to accommodate the divergent needs of an ever-changing group, and must display a strength of character, a dedication, an intelligence, and a knowledge of GLBT affairs that is unsurpassed.
1.02 Restrictions on the President
1.02.1 Only junior and senior undergraduate students, as determined by credit, are eligible to run for the office of the President.
1.02.2 Only individuals who have previously served in an officer or committee chair position within Spectrum are eligible to run for the office of the President.
1.02.3 All candidates for President must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
1.03 Duties of the President
1.03.1 The President is responsible for the overall leadership and maintenance of Spectrum as an organization, including all present and prospective projects and all elected officers and committee chairs.
1.03.2 The President is responsible for organizing meeting dates and times and setting an agenda for those meetings.
1.03.3 The President is responsible for setting a year-long agenda for Spectrum.
1.03.4 The President will act as a top liaison between Spectrum and the administration of Loyola College.
1.03.5 The President shall meet with the Executive Cabinet and his or her Vice Presidents on a weekly basis.
1.03.6 The President is responsible for the organization of the DC AIDS Walk and Sexual Diversity Awareness Week.
1.03.7 The President is responsible for conducting a mid-semester feedback survey and maintaining Spectrum’s Blackboard website and email account.
1.03.8 The President is responsible for maintaining an electronic record of all Spectrum activities.
1.03.9 The President is responsible for updating yearly the Standard Operating Procedures document, the Program and Initiatives list, and the Scrapbook.
1.04 Loyola Responsibilities
1.04.1 Only the President can submit any and all requests for funding from various college offices, including the Appropriations Committee.
1.04.2 The President is responsible for all budgetary and financial matters affecting the organization.
1.04.3 The President is responsible for the reservation of rooms, equipment, and vans.
1.04.4 The President is responsible for the content of all Newshound, Phonemail, flier, and Greyhound advertisements, as well as the Spectrum website.
1.05 The President is required to attend all Spectrum meetings and events.

Article II: Restrictions and Duties of the Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness

1.01 The Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness must be ready and willing to embrace unexpected responsibility as an informed and directed leader, and must display unsurpassed organizational skills, diligence, and intelligence in the area of GLBTA programming.
1.02 Restrictions on the Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness
1.02.1 Only sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students, as determined by credit, are eligible to run for the Office of the Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness.
1.02.2 All candidates for Vice President must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
1.03 Duties of the Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness
1.03.1 The Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness is responsible for fulfilling any and all programming duties that the President is unable to fulfill, as well as those that are designated to him or her by the President.
1.03.2 The Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness is responsible for the organization of the Cultural Series, VoiceOUT! and Denim Day.
1.03.3 The Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness is responsible for introducing both educative and social GLBTA workshops, programs, and events outside of previously established Spectrum initiatives.
1.04 Loyola Responsibilities
1.04.1 The Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness can reserve rooms, equipment, and vans if necessary.
1.05 The Vice President of Campus Programming and Awareness is required to attend all Spectrum
meetings and events.

Article III: Restrictions and Duties of the Vice President of Social Activities and Support

1.01 The Vice President of Social Activities and Support must be ready and willing to embrace unexpected responsibility as an informed and directed leader, and must display a strong willingness and ability to attend to the social, personal and developmental needs of Spectrum’s members.
1.02 Restrictions on the Vice President of Social Activities and Support
1.02.1 Only sophomore, junior and senior undergraduate students, as determined by credit, are eligible to run for the Office of the Vice President of Social Activities and Support.
1.02.2 All candidates for Vice President must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
1.03 Duties of the Vice President of Social Activities and Support
1.03.1 The Vice President of Social Activities and Support is responsible for fulfilling any and all community and teambuilding duties that the President is unable to fulfill, as well as those that are designated to him or her by the President.
1.03.2 The Vice President of Social Activities and Support is responsible for all events that aim both to build community among and provide personal support for all of Spectrum’s members, including the Spectrum retreat, the GLBT support group, the reading groups, the social hour, the end of the semester dinners, and all other social activities.
1.03.3 The Vice President of Social Activities and Support is responsible for the coordination and maintenance of the Spectrum resource center.
1.04 Loyola Responsibilities
1.04.1 The Vice President of Social Activities and Support can reserve rooms, equipment, and vans if necessary.
1.05 The Vice President of Social Activities and Support is required to attend all Spectrum meetings and events.

Article IV: Restrictions and Duties of the Public Relations Director

1.01 The Public Relations Director must display unsurpassed creativity and extreme dedication and possess excellent written and oral communication skills.
1.02 Restrictions on the Public Relations Director
1.02.1 All applicants for Public Relations Director must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
1.03 Duties of the Public Relations Director
1.03.1 The Public Relations Director is responsible for any and all advertising, event promotion and fundraising, including design and implementation.
1.03.2 The Public Relations Director is responsible for maintaining the Spectrum website.
1.03.3 The Public Relations Director may create and serve as chair of the Public Relations Committee.
1.04 Loyola Responsibilities
1.04.1 The Public Relations Director can submit Newshound, Phonemail, flier, and Greyhound advertisements.
1.05 The Public Relations Director is required to attend all Spectrum meetings and events.

Article V: Committees

1.01 Any committee within Spectrum should function as an opportunity for the individual members to play an integral role in one aspect of the group’s overall mission and functioning.
1.02 The President may create any ad hoc committee he or she feels necessary.
1.03 Ad hoc committees can become standing committees within Spectrum with a majority vote by the Executive Board.
1.04 Any committee, ad hoc or standing, can be permanently or temporarily disbanded. Procedures for doing so must follow constitutional guidelines for legislation in Article III of the Constitution.
1.05 Committee Structure and Function
1.05.1 Any and all Spectrum members are eligible to participate in any committee within the group.
1.05.2 Participation in committees is not mandatory.
1.05.3 Each committee, in order to retain status, must be composed of at least four members, including the committee Chair.
1.05.4 The corresponding Coordinator will serve as the Chair of each respective committee.
1.05.5 Committees must meet at least once a month and must at the start of each semester submit a list of proposed projects and goals for that semester.
1.05.6 No officer is permitted to sit on any committee, with the exception of the respective Coordinator who will function as Chair.

Article VI: Elections and Appointments

1.01 All Spectrum officers serve a term of one full academic year as determined by the Fiscal Calendar, June 1st through May 31st of the following year.
1.02 All elections and appointments should occur two weeks after the close of Sexual Diversity Awareness Week and must take place electronically via the Blackboard and the Spectrum e-mail account.
1.03 Election procedures
1.03.1 An outgoing member of the Executive Board who is not seeking re-election or reappointment or a graduating senior must serve as Election Coordinator.
1.03.2 All candidates for the elected positions must submit an announcement of candidacy to the Spectrum email account by the date designated by the Elections Coordinator.
1.03.3 The announcement should include the following: the candidate's name, class year, extension, email, GPA, and the desired position.
1.03.4 A week after their announcements, each candidate should submit a 150-word platform to the Elections Coordinator.
1.03.5 The platform should address the following questions: Why do you wish to be elected to the Spectrum officer position in question? What unique qualities do you possess or experiences have you had that would most assist both you and the group in its continued growth and development?
1.03.6 All platforms must be sent out to the entire listserv at the beginning of the following week.
1.03.7 Elections are to begin on Tuesday of that week at noon and run on Blackboard for twenty four hours.
1.03.8 Elections results should be announced to the entire group by the Elections Coordinator at the start of the first Spectrum meeting following elections.
1.04 Appointments Procedures
1.04.1 The newly-elected President and Vice Presidents shall serve as the Appointments Committee.
1.04.2 All applicants for Director positions must submit an application to the Spectrum email account by the date designated by the Appointments Committee.
1.04.3 The application for Director should include the following: the applicant's name, class year, extension, email, GPA, the desired position, the specific experiences that would merit appointment to that position, and the leadership qualities that would most benefit the applicant in this position.
1.04.4 In order for an applicant to be appointed as Director, a unanimous vote by the Appointments Committee is required.
1.04.5 The newly appointed Directors should be announced to the entire group at the start of the first Spectrum meeting following the appointments procedure.