Constitution of Indian Student Association

  • Article I- Name

    The name of the organization shall be Indian Students Association (ISA) at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
  • Article II- Purpose

    The main goals shall be:

    a.       To create an awareness of Indian Culture amongst the student community.

    b.      To provide a platform for statement and provide mutual support for the Indian Community in and around   Chicago.

    c.      To provide a platform for all members and interested non-members to participate in campus activities through cultural events.

    d.   To establish and maintain contact with the Indian Community at large.

    e.   To promote growth in international understanding and fellowship.

  • Article III- Membership 

    Section 1
    The membership of this organization shall consist of all undergraduate, full-time, part-time students, as well as any interested faculty and staff of IIT 

    Section 2
    Preference of membership shall be granted to those students, faculty and staff of Asian Indian origin who shall pay a membership fee of $5 per semester, but membership shall still be open to all interested persons as well.

  • Article IV – Governing Body 

    Section 1
    The executive board of this organization will have President, Vice-President, General Secretary, Treasurer, Social Events Coordinator, Cultural Events Coordinator, Internal Publicity Coordinator, External Publicity Coordinator, Sports Events Coordinator and Web Master. The executive committee shall appoint the secondary officers.

     Section II

    Duties of the President

    1. Runs the weekly meeting in an orderly and complete fashion.
    2. Provides a written agenda for each meeting.
    3. Ensures that all board members fulfill their duties.
    4. Maintains a constant knowledge of university rules, regulations, and policies.
    5. Calls and runs all general body meetings.
    6. Heads the impeachment hearing if the advisor is unavailable.
    7. Keeps in contact with the Indian Consulate's office.
    8. Is in charge of setting up the lecture series.
    9. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

    B.

    Duties of the Vice President

    1. Takes on the duties of the president when the president is unable to perform his/her duties.
    2. Maintains a constant contact with all faculty sponsors and informs them of all events that have occurred or will occur.
    3. Heads the impeachment of the president if the advisor is unavailable.
    4. Works together with the all other members to organize community service activities.
    5. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

    C.

    Duties of the Treasurer

    1. Keeps an account of all ISA finances.
    2. Records all withdrawals and deposits in the organizational account.
    3. Collects and keeps all receipts in which ISA finances are expended.
    4. Shall present all receipts and written accounts when requested.
    5. Gives a written weekly report of all financial situations to all board members.
    6. Provides budget proposals for all events.
    7. Maintains a constant knowledge of university rules and policies, which affect the organization's financial accounts.
    8. Is responsible for the cash box and related materials.
    9. Is responsible for organizing fundraising events as necessary.
    10. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.
    11. Must send daily reports of sales and income to the entire board during periods of ticket sales.

    D.

    Duties of the General Secretary

    1. Keeps minutes of all meetings and e-mails a copy to all board members at least twenty-four hours prior to the next meeting.
    2. Provides a written copy of minutes of the previous meeting to all members present.
    3. Takes and records attendance at every meeting.
    4. Collects and records the contact information of all board members and distributes the list to all board members.
    5. Collects and keeps all membership forms.
    6. Collects and keeps a permanent record of all documents or copies of documents relevant to ISA such as reservation forms, contracts, publicity, minutes, agendas, etc.
    7. Maintains records and keeps evaluation forms for all events.
    8. Shall be responsible for enforcing the constitution during all ISA-related proceedings.
    9. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

    E.

    Duties of the Social Events Coordinators

    1. Organizes, facilitates, and presents all social events.
    2. Presents a full, detailed presentation of all events to the board upon request.
    3. Has event completely planned and ready two weeks before the event, with the exception of the ISA show.
    4. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

    F.

    Duties of the Cultural Events Coordinators

    1. Organizes, facilitates, and presents all cultural and educational events.
    2. Presents a full, detailed presentation of all events to the board upon request.
    3. Has each event completely planned and ready with date and location set at least two weeks before the event, with the exception of the ISA show.
    4. Is in charge of all cultural events.
    5. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

    G.

    Duties of the Internal Publicity Coordinators

    1. Designs and prints all publicity for all ISA events in conjunction with the External Publicity Coordinator.
    2. Presents a rough copy of all the publicity to the board upon request.
    3. Posts all publicity at least two weeks in advance and monitors the campus in order to see that the publicity stays up (all board members shall assist with this task).
    4. Passes out flyers at each ISA event for the next event.
    5. Distributes flyers to all board members and to the general public.
    6. Maintains contact with and utilizes campus publicity sources, such as school newspapers, student government, IIT announcements, etc.
    7. Maintains contact with other IIT student organizations and keeps them notified of ISA events. Publishes the ISA newsletter in conjunction with the External Publicity Coordinators and the Webmaster.

    H.

    Duties of the External Publicity Coordinator

    1. Designs and prints all publicity for all ISA events in conjunction with the Internal Publicity Coordinators.
    2. Presents a rough copy of all the publicity to the board upon request.
    3. Posts all publicity at least two weeks in advance and monitors the campus in order to see that the publicity stays up (all board members shall assist with this task).
    4. Passes out flyers at each ISA event for the next event.
    5. Distributes flyers to all board members and to the general public.
    6. Maintains contact with other Chicago-area Indian and South Asian student organizations and keeps them informed of all ISA events
    7. Maintains contact with community businesses and organizations and keeps them informed of all ISA events.

    I.

    Duties of the Sports Events Coordinators

    1. Organizes, facilitates, and presents all sports events.
    2. Presents a full, detailed presentation of all events to the board upon request.
    3. Will organize a minimum of two sports events each semester.
    4. The Director of Sports Events will not participate in any event that he/she presents.
    5. Is in charge of security for all sports events, if necessary.
    6. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

    J.

    Webmaster

    1. Maintains an updated ISA web site with current information on all ISA events.
    2. Maintains ISA mailing list and sends ISA e-mails.
    3. Publishes the ISA newsletter in conjunction with the Directors of Internal and External Publicity.
    4. Keeps an updated copy of the constitution and posts it to the web site.
    5. Helps in distributing publicity for each event.

          

          Section III

          The qualifications of each officer are:

1.      must be of Asian Indian origin.

2.      must be elected to their position or given the position by default if the position goes uncontested.

3.    must have been active member of the organization for atleast one semester.

  • Article V – Election 

    Section 1

    Any decision affecting the election process must be passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the executive committee.
    Section 2  

    1.

    Elections for all positions on the board shall be held prior to the end of the each semester. The old board shall not resign from their duties until the new board is elected.

    2.

    Special elections, for positions that have not yet been filled or have become vacant, may be held, if necessary, at a time approved by the executive board.

    Section 3

    1.

    Executive board candidates must declare their intention to run at least twenty-four hours prior to election with a primary officer.

    2.

    Executive board candidates who do not make their intentions known within twenty-four hours may still be a candidate if approved by a majority vote by the executive board.

    Section 4

    1.

    Executive board members will be elected for a term ending at the end of the academic year by the accumulation of the most member votes.

    2.

    Any candidate that is running unopposed must have a majority vote in order to be elected to that position. Failure to receive a majority vote will result in that position remaining open until appropriately filled in accordance with the constitution.

    Section 5

    1.

    Any voter or candidate has the right to request a re-count of the election ballots within two hours following the election.

    2.

    A re-count of the election ballot will be done by two non-candidate secondary officers and in the presence of the faculty advisor (if available).

    Section 6

    1.

    Request for a re-election must be made within twenty-four hours of the original election.

    2.

    Any candidate may request a re-election on grounds that are considered valid and legitimate by two-thirds of the old board members who are not candidates for the same position, and in compliance with IIT rules and regulations.

    3.

    No new candidate shall be permitted to run for that particular position during the re-election.

    4.

    In the event of a re-election, voting shall be conducted as specified in the constitution.

  • Article VI - Amendments 

    Section 1
    All boards members must be notified of a constitutional amendment meeting at least one week prior to the meeting.

    Section 2
    This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of those voting members present, provided there is a quorum.