CONSTITUTION

of the

Black Student Union

IllinoisWesleyanUniversity

MISSION STATEMENT:

We, the African-American students of Illinois Wesleyan University, in order to promote a better atmosphere for minority students, have created this organization to serve for the well being of everyone in the Illinois Wesleyan University community.

ARTICLE I. NAME:

The name of the organization shall be the Black Student Union. After this official naming, it may be called the BSU.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE:

The Black Student Union of Illinois Wesleyan University strives to achieve the following goals and purposes:

• To ensure that all African-American and other minority students are fairly treated and have the same rights and privileges as majority students at Illinois Wesleyan University.
• To educate the Illinois Wesleyan University Community about the culture and heritage of African-Americans.
• To work hand in hand with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Admissions to recruit and retain minority students. The Black Student Union hopes to increase the percentage of minority students attending Illinois Wesleyan University.
• To help Illinois Wesleyan University increase the number of minorities working as Illinois Wesleyan University administrators, faculty and staff members.
• To increase the membership of both majority and minority students in this organization.
• To promote togetherness and unity within the Illinois Wesleyan University’s African-American Community.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP:

A.) Membership Qualifications:

All students, faculty, administration and staff members of Illinois Wesleyan University who possess a genuine interest and concern for African-American, and minority, issues are eligible for membership. Full membership in the Black Student Union shall be granted to any person who regularly attends meetings and participates in at least three BSU affiliated events.

B.) Voting Rights:

Full membership with voting rights in the Black Student Union shall be granted to any person who has paid their dues on or before the mid-semester mark of the First semester of the University’s Academic Calendar. In the event that there are persons who wish to gain voting membership after the deadline can do so only after it has been approved by the executive board on recommendation from the Treasurer. The task of keeping two separate membership rosters shall be charged to the Secretary of the Black Student Union. The first roster shall contain the names of members who have been granted full membership. The second roster shall contain the names of members who have been granted full membership with voting rights. In the case of individual not enrolled at Illinois Wesleyan University during the fall semester, full membership and or full voting rights can be obtained by paying one-half of the membership dues on or before the mid-semester mark of the second semester academic calendar. Voting membership shall not be granted to anyone after the mid-semester mark of the second semester. This membership can only be amended by a unanimous vote by all members who have been granted full voting rights.

C.) Membership Privileges

Membership privileges, i.e. voting rights and right to run for an executive office of the Black Student Union, can be suspended or terminated by a two-thirds majority vote of the full Black Student Union membership. Membership termination can result, but is not limited to the following reasons: lack of participation and lack of meeting attendance.

D.) Membership Duties:

• Attend Black Student Union Meetings.
• Be a member of at least one standing committee of their choice.
• Perform the functions and obligations of the said committee(s).

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS:

A.) Executive Board

The governing body of the Black Student Union shall be called the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall consist of the following positions:

• President
• Vice-President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Student Senate Representative
• Parliamentarian

B.) Qualifications of Candidates:

• Must be of African-American descent.
• Must be a full member of the Black Student Union
• Must be a student enrolled at Illinois Wesleyan University and must have and maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
• Any individual running for the position of President must have previously held an office within some campus organization.

C.) Officer Duties:

1) President:

• Preside over all BSU General and Executive meetings
• Provide leadership and guidance to the organization
• Be the liaison between the Black Student Union and the Illinois Wesleyan University administration.

2) Vice-President:

• Be the overall head of the Standing Committees and report all ideas and actions of these committees to the Executive Board
• Assist the president and fellow board members with projects and assignments
• Preside in absence of the President.

3) Secretary:

• Keep an attendance roster for all BSU meetings
• Keep accurate and readily available records of all Executive Board and BSU meetings
• Keep two rosters of membership as indicative of Article III.

4) Treasurer:

• Be in command of the official Black Student Union financial record
• Review and approve all spending endeavors the BSU takes on
• Present the budget request to the Student Senate.

5) Student Senate Representative:

• Attend all Student Senate meetings in accordance with Student Senate policy
• Provide the BSU with a Student Senate report at each meeting
• Serve as the liaison between the Black Student Union and the Student Senate.

6) Parliamentarian:

• Maintain order and govern over all Black Student Union meetings
• Deal with the maintaining and amending of the Constitution
• Retain the official hard-copy of the Constitution
• Provide each member of the Black Student Union with reproductions of the Constitution
• Be the official ballot counter during any and all elections unless running for a position in the election.

**A person may run for only one office. In the event of a tie, there shall be a run-off election.

ARTICLE V. DATE OF GENERAL ELECTIONS:

• The recommended date for elections for executive board shall be one week before the changeover meeting (refer to Article VI for date of changeover) and if necessary, run-off elections shall be held immediately following the general elections.
• Votes shall be counted by the Parliamentarian in the presence of an administrator or the President or Vice President. If deemed necessary by a majority vote of the membership of Black Student Union, votes shall be counted by the administrator.
• This date for elections may be changed upon consensus of the executive board.

In order to continuously improve upon the effectiveness of the Black Student Union, a survey of the performance of the Black Student Union shall be issued at the general election meeting. This survey shall have initial consideration for changes made in the interest of the Black Student Union for the new term.

ARTICLE VI. CHANGEOVER, APPOINTMENTS, RESIGNATIONS AND REMOVALS:

• Changeover:

• It is recommended that changeover shall take place in the third week of February but no earlier than one week after the election of the new executive board. The actual date shall be determined by the outgoing executive board.
• The outgoing officers of the executive board shall conduct at least one training session for their predecessors. The outgoing officers shall be available for consultation with the new officers for one month after changeover.

• Appointments, Resignations and Removals:

• In the event of the resignation or removal of the President, the Vice President shall assume the role of Black Student Union President for the unexpired term.

• In the event of the resignation or removal of the Vice President, the Black Student Union shall elect a new Vice President.

• In the event of the resignation or removal of both the President and Vice President, the Black Student Union shall elect a President and Vice President.

• In the event of the resignation or removal of any other executive board member, the Black Student Union President shall fill the vacancy from the Black Student Union body for the unexpired term. The appointment shall be approved by the Black Student Union.

ARTICLE VII. PROCEDURE OF MEETINGS:

• Black Student Union shall meet at least seven times a semester. A tentative schedule for the following academic year shall be set by the President at the last meeting of the current academic year and will be approved in its final form at the first meeting of the following academic year.
• “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, the Negro National Anthem, shall be sang to begin each meeting.
• Any student may attend any meeting of the Black Student Union.”

**In the case of emergency and necessity, any committee, the Executive Board, or the Black Student Union can arrange to meet as often as necessary. Each committee chairperson has the power to call meetings for their respected committees as deemed necessary. Likewise, the President can do the same with Executive Board Meetings. Emergency BSU meetings can be called by the President after a majority vote of the Executive Board members in regards to the issue.

ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES:

• General Description of Committees:

• In attempts to increase participation, unity and togetherness among BSU members, the Black Student Union shall have five standing committees and the power to create as many committees as necessary to carry out the purposes listed in Article II. Additional committees shall be seen as temporary until they are voted into the standing committees and into the constitution. For this action to be executed, 2/3 vote of the voting membership must agree to the committee addition.

• Each Executive Board member is required to be a member of at least one committee.

• Chairpersons of any committee are volunteer positions, unless the executive board deems that there are not enough volunteers to cover the corresponding chair positions. Executive Board reserves the right to appoint a person to fill any vacancy for the chairperson position.

• Standing committees:

              1) Advertising Committee:

• Be responsible for the promotion of events for the Black Student Union.
• Publicize all BSU events to the campus and community. In addition, the committee shall also assist setup for BSU events.

             2) Campus Relations Committee:

• Be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with other organizations on campus.
• Maintain a relationship with alumni of African American descent.

             3) Fundraising Committee:

• Organize money-raising activities for the BSU.
• Keep current treasurer in tune to what the committee is doing.

              4) Social Committee:

• Be responsible for organizing and coordinating events for the members, such as retreats, and events presented by the BSU for the surrounding campus and community.

              5) Volunteer Committee:

• Be responsible for organizing events each semester for the benefit of groups, individuals, and organizations within the minority communities of Bloomington-Normal.

ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEE MEETINGS:

All committees should meet at least two times a month, and reports of these meetings shall be given to the Vice-President in written form. Verbal reports of activities and projects shall be presented by the chair person of each committee at the BSU meetings.

The Executive Board should meet at least twice a month.

The Black Student Union will meet bi-monthly.

ARTICLE X. RESERVED POWERS:

• Any powers not listed in this constitution can only be granted upon a 2/3 majority vote by the full membership with voting rights. The right to impeach an officer is excluded. This is a power that is given to all members who have full voting rights.

• Officers not fulfilling their responsibilities as deemed by this Constitution may be impeached by a two-third majority of the BSU membership. The officer in question shall be given an opportunity to defend himself in regards to any allegations against him prior to voting.

• Amendments to the constitution of the Black Student Union, unless specified, must be presented to the BSU by the parliamentarian who shall state the rationale for the amendments and be approved by a 2/3 majority vote. This constitution shall be open for amending until the mid-semester mark of the second semester on the University’s academic calendar. All amendments will go into effect the following term.

Last amended, 4/1/04