Constitution of Tobeco
The Literary & Arts Journal
of
Clarion University, Clarion County, and Venango College

ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this organization shall be Tobeco. It is the campus and community literary and arts journal
based out of Clarion University of Pennsylvania. The name “Tobeco” is derived from the Native
American word for the local, Clarion River.
Article II
Purpose
The purpose of this organization is to provide an outlet for the student and faculty contributors from
Clarion University, the county, and Venango College in which to display their literary and artistic talents.
Through the publication of the journal, we hope to raise cultural and artistic awareness and to advocate
a comfortable and creative environment for writers and artists alike.
Article III
Membership
Membership on Tobeco is voluntary; any interested member of the student body- full-time or part-time,
undergraduate or graduate- may be a member of the editorial board.
Article IV
Officers and Duties
Section 1.

The chief officer(s) of the organization is the student editor-in-chief (s). This person shall
be selected from volunteer(s) by the faculty advisor. If no one volunteers for this
position, the faculty advisor shall solicit among the members until an editor-in-chief (s)
are found. The editor-in-chief is principally responsible for the production and
distribution of the journal after a text has been selected. The editor-in-chief (s) should
be a full-time student.

Section 2.

Members serve on the editorial board. Their primary responsibility, along with the
editor-in-chief (s), is to help advertise for manuscripts and, after these have been
collected, to decide which selections should be printed in Tobeco. Members may also be
asked to help in various production phases of the journal, with distribution, mailing, and
other related tasks. Members may be full0time or part-time.

Section 3.

The faculty advisor(s) has a large role in the organization. It is the advisor (s) who
selects a responsible person for editor-in-chief (s); if that person fails to perform
satisfactorily, he/she must select another chief editor. Since the advisor is familiar with
the entire process of selecting and assembling a journal, he/she must oversee the work
of the student editors so that all steps in the process are done correctly and in a timely
fashion. The advisor (s) serve s as a resource person and aid the editor-in- chief(s)
whenever and however possible.
Article V
Meetings

There shall be a minimum of three meetings a year. A meeting shall be called in the fall to assess interest
among students in working on and producing the journal. The entire process shall be explained by the
advisor. Volunteers for editor-in-chief shall be called for. Submission and other working deadlines shall
be mutually agreed upon for the rest of the calendar year. Calls for contributions will be publicized.
Two spring meetings shall be held near the beginning of the second semester. At these meetings,
submissions shall be examined and voted upon by the editorial board and editor-in-chief(s), or coeditors. All submissions shall be considered; majority vote shall decide acceptance or rejection. The
faculty advisor shall oversee the board meetings, but he/she shall vote on submissions only if it is
necessary to break a tie.
Should it be necessary, the editor-in- chief(s) may call additional meetings.
Article VI
Financing
Since Student Senate has funded the journal in past years, the organization will request annual funding
from Student Senate as per past practice.
Article VII
Contributors and Submissions
Any undergraduate, graduate student, faculty member, community member of Clarion county (Clarion
University or Venango College) may submit creative writing or art for consideration for publication. A
student may be full-time or part-time.
Article VIII
Amending, Suspending, and Accepting the Constitution
The constitution may be amended by submission of an amendment in writing at a spring meeting (after
the current board has been formed). The amendment shall be discussed and voted upon. A two-thirds
vote is necessary to amend, as well as approval from the advisor(s). If the advisor (s) disapproves, the

board and the advisor (s) shall negotiate until a mutually satisfactory amendment has been agreed
upon. Such amendments must also be approved by the Student Senate and the University president. An
Article or section of the constitution may be suspended for one year by a majority vote of the current
board; a longer suspension must give way to the amendment process as above.
Article IX
Ratification
A majority vote of the current editorial board is necessary to ratify this constitution.
Article X
Maintenance
Any change of status in membership, function, makeup, etc., must be reported to Student Senate on a
“Change of Status” form.