Constitution

Constitution of Keweenaw Pride
As Ratified:

Article I – Name
The Name of this organization shall be “Keweenaw Pride”.

Article II – Objectives

Section 1. To provide a safe and supportive atmosphere for people who are coming to terms with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Section 2. To create, organize, execute programming and events, with the purpose of promoting an accepting, supportive environment for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the Michigan Tech Community.
Section 3. Serve as a campus and community educational resource by providing information on issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Topics including, but not limited to: harassment, support, equal rights, self-esteem, relationships, depression, suicide prevention, safe sex, and HIV/AIDS.
Section 4. To create a social environment for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) people to meet and socialize with other GLBTQ individuals and supporters. Keweenaw Pride will occasionally hold social events which all members are encouraged to attend. Events and meetings shall foster a safe, friendly, and supportive atmosphere.
Section 5. To create a safe and educational environment for straight identified allies where they can learn and support their GLBTQ friends, family, co-workers, and others.
Section 6. Keweenaw Pride will hold regularly scheduled meetings that are publicly announced, open to all members of MTU, and those who are willing to provide a safe, supportive atmosphere.
Section 7. Such other objectives as are consistent with Keweenaw Pride’s role as a support and education organization.

Article III – Membership

Section 1. Keweenaw Pride is an organization for MTU students, faculty, staff, and community members.
Section 2. Voting membership shall consist of those people who attend three regularly scheduled meetings in a six meeting period.
Section 3. With the exception of the officers and advisers, an attempt will be made to keep the identity of all people who attend the group meetings confidential. Attempts will be made to keep contacts made to Keweenaw Pride’s P.O. Box or email address in strict confidence.
Section 4. In compliance with Michigan Technological University’s Board of Control Equal Opportunity Policy effective December 9, 2005, Keweenaw Pride will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, height, weight, or marital status. The organization is also committed to the policy of not discriminating against disable individual’s or veterans.
Section 5. Keweenaw Pride reserves the right to deny membership to any person(s) who, after given due process through the stated bylaws, are found to be discriminatory and/or hostile toward the members of Keweenaw Pride.

Article IV - Officers

Section 1. All Keweenaw Pride officers must be registered Michigan Technological University students at the time of their election and must be in good academic standing as defined by the University.
Section 2. Nomination of new officers shall begin the fourth week of each Spring Semester and shall continue for a period of three weeks. During this time, any member that meets the requirements of an officer position may be nominated for more than one office.
Section 3. Election of officers shall be the first order of business at the meeting during the seventh academic week of each Spring Semester. Newly elected officers will take their positions the tenth academic week of Spring Semester.
Section 4. No person shall hold more than one officer position at any given time.
Section 5. An officer may be removed from office on the grounds of malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance of their duties by a two-thirds majority vote at a meeting where a quorum is present.
Section 6. When a change in officers occurs, all current officers are responsible for the smooth transition of positions including, but not limited to, all records, paperwork, files and list of responsibilities.
Section 7. All officers shall serve as an example of the behavior expected from members of Keweenaw Pride.
Section 8. An officer may be called upon to present or discuss issues of sexual orientation and/or gender identity at meetings, classes, or events at MTU or in the community.
Section 9. The following are the officers of Keweenaw Pride and their duties:

A. President

1. The President shall be responsible for presiding over meetings.
2. The President shall be the chair of the Executive Committee.
3. The President shall be the official representative of Keweenaw Pride at any University or related community function.

B. Vice President

1. The Vice President shall preside over all meetings at which the President is absent.
2. The Vice President shall oversee all committees.
3. The Vice President shall assist all other officers as needed.
4. The Vice President shall be the coordinator of social events for Keweenaw Pride.

C. Treasurer

1. The Treasurer shall personally direct all the financial transactions of Keweenaw Pride.
2. The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping a running account of all financial records in an accounting format and shall be prepared to give a report of the financial status of Keweenaw Pride at each regularly scheduled meeting.
3. The Treasurer shall attend all student government Student activity fee budget hearings and present Keweenaw Pride’s budget at all mandatory meetings.

D. Secretary

1. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping meeting records.
2. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining an attendance log and record of the voting membership, as well as ensuring the confidentiality of membership, as described in Article III, Section 3 of this Constitution.
3. The Secretary shall be responsible for obtaining meeting place for any meeting which the President calls, and the notification of each member for the time and place of the meeting.
4. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the Keweenaw Pride office, and shall establish office rules as deemed necessary.

E. Public Relations Officer(s)

1. The Public Relations Officer(s) shall be responsible for the creation and distribution of any and all posters, public service announcements, press releases, and other media that is directly related to Keweenaw Pride.

Section 10. In the case that the President is unable to attend a meeting, the order of ascension shall be:

A. Vice President
B. Secretary
C. Treasurer
D. Public Relations Officer(s)

Section 11. Should an officer choose to step down from their office, a replacement must be found and approved by a majority vote within three meetings of the resignation. The resigning officer is responsible for a smooth transition.

Article V. Committees

Section 1. The power to create and abolish all committees shall reside with the President.
Section 2. All committee members may call upon the resources of Keweenaw Pride in the execution of their duties. They may also request the aid of any and all members of Keweenaw Pride.
Section 3. Standing Committees

A. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee of Keweenaw Pride shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer(s), as well as the chairs of all other committees. The advisors of Keweenaw Pride may also be called upon to act as part of the Executive Committee at the discretion of the President.
B. Public Relations Committee: The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for the creation and distribution of any and all posters, public service announcements, press releases, and other media that is directly related to Keweenaw Pride.
C. Activism and Education Committee: The Activism and Education Committee shall be responsible for the planning, organizing, and execution of events relating to activism and education. The committee shall also be responsible for planning, organizing, and executing Pride Week.

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1. Meetings shall take place no less than once a month during the normal academic year. The preferred frequency shall be once per week.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President or at the request of at least ten percent (but no less than three) of the members.
Section 3. A quorum of members shall be defined as 60% of the membership.
Section 4. Anyone acting in an unsupportive or unaccepting manner may be asked to leave a Keweenaw Pride meeting. Keweenaw Pride reserves the right to take judicial action against those people who attend meetings for hurtful or unsupportive purposes as outlined in the attached bylaws.

Article VII: Advisor(s)

An advisor is a member of the MTU faculty or staff who helps maintains continuity, offers guidance, may assist with University administration issues, serves as a sounding board, assists officers, and serves as an all-around resource person. The advisor is expected to demonstrate exemplary behavior for members of Keweenaw Pride. The advisor’s name must be forwarded to the Student Activities Office.

Article VIII: Finances

Keweenaw Pride shall generate such monies as are deemed necessary for its functioning, through legal means, which meet with the approval of the officers, advisor, and a quorum of members.

Article IX: Ratification

This constitution must be approved and ratified by a two-thirds majority of the membership. It shall take effect when approved by the Student Activities Office.

Article X: Amendments to the Constitution

Section 1. The Constitution of Keweenaw Pride may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting membership.
Section 2. The Student Activities Office must approve all Constitutional amendments before they may be implemented.
Section 3. All amendments made to the Constitution shall be recorded in a log and shall include the date, who the change was made by, and the purpose of the amendment. This log of amendments will be attached as an appendix to the amended Constitution.


Keweenaw Pride Bylaws

Removal of Harassing Individual(s) from a meeting:

At the receipt of a complaint against a individual or individuals, the Executive Committee will immediately confer and reach a majority decision to either eject the individual(s) from the meeting or not.

If an individual(s) is asked to leave, it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to explain to that individual why they were asked to leave and offer to mediate the situation in an effort to resolve it after the meeting.

If the Harassing Individual(s) resists leaving, a member of the Executive Committee will contact an Officer from MTU’s public safety office and that Officer will escort the individual(s) from the meeting.

Documentation of the events leading up to ejection shall be presented to the Division of Student Activities along with any complaints that may constitute harassment under the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. This documentation shall also include the vote to eject, as based on these bylaws.

Any appeal to the removal from membership can be made to the Division of Student Activities, where appropriate actions for an appeal hearing shall be made.

Removal of Harassing Individuals from membership:

At the receipt of a complaint against an individual, mediation will occur between the person filing the complaint and the person whom the complaint is filed against. The mediation will occur within two weeks time since the complain was lodged.

In the event that mediation fails, the person claiming harassment may, in a full quorum meeting with the individual present, make the motion that the person be excused from membership. The person who the complaint is filed against may speak on their behalf before the motion is put to a vote. If two-thirds of the members present vote to remove membership, the person shall be removed. Voting will be conducted by written, private ballot.

If the decision is to remove an individual from membership, these procedures will be followed:

Documentation of the events leading up to dismissal shall be presented to the Student Activities Office along with any complaints that may constitute harassment under the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. This documentation shall also include the vote to dismiss, as based on these bylaws.

Any appeal to the removal from membership can be made to the Student Activities Office, where appropriate actions for an appeal hearing shall be made.

Mediation:

In the event that mediation between two parties is needed, the mediation shall be performed by an Advisor and the mediation shall be recorded by an uninvolved member of the Executive Board, such as the President or Vice-President of Keweenaw Pride.

If the Advisor has a conflict of interest in the subject of mediation they can request that another member of the Executive Committee replace them as mediator.

Documentation of the mediation shall be recorded given to the Secretary of Keweenaw Pride to be recorded with the groups’ permanent records to be available to the Student Activities Office upon request.