CONSTITUTION OF THE CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE Article 1: NAME Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Clarion Theatrical Alliance of Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Article 2: MISSION STATEMENT Section 1: The purpose of Clarion Theatrical Alliance is to stimulate interest in theatre at Clarion University of Pennsylvania by serving the theatre department and working to create a positive fellowship within it. This is not intended to take the place of any existing theatre organization. Article 3: Membership Section 1: An active member of the Clarion Theatrical Alliance is someone who: i. Has completed the pledge process. ii. Maintains a minimum G. P. A. of 2.5. iii. Attends monthly meetings. iv. Attends events v. Follows these bylaws. vi. Is not on professional semester or alumni status. vii. Has a vote in meetings viii. Reads the minutes of each meeting. ix. Ability to create Committees x. Is a member of a committee 1. Executive Board 2. Banquet/Service Committee 3. Family Committee 4. Marketing Committee 5. Concessions / Tech Food Committee Section 2: To be eligible for a bid to membership in Clarion Theatrical Alliance the student must: i. Be regularly enrolled at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. ii. Participate in Clarion University of Pennsylvania for a minimum of one full (15 week) semester (Summer Pre-session, Summer Sessions, and Winter Intersession do not count towards the semester) and have worked on at least 1 production. 1. Accepted productions are: a. Clarion University Theatre b. Second Series c. Dance Concert d. Clarion Summer Theatre Page 1 of 12 iii. Participate in a variety of production tasks, which include: 1. Work on a given production is defined as such: a. Performance (acting or understudying), design, stage management (incl. assistant stage management), running crews, build crews, publicity crews, dramaturgy, house management, approved practicum, and/or the completion of University Theatre shop hour requirement. Section 3: To be elected to membership into Clarion Theatrical Alliance, a student must: i. Meet the requirements of Article 3, Section 1. ii. Pass a review by the current cast members with a majority vote in favor of granting membership. iii. Membership will be given at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. Section 4: A member can be dismissed from the Organization if behavior violates the guidelines in Article 3, Section 1. Section 5: A potential member has 2 chances to accept a bid. After a bid has been denied 2 separate semesters, that person will not be offered another bid. Section 6: When considering a potential member for membership, personal feelings, prejudices, personal conflicts, religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, and national origin must not play a role in the process. No discrimination will be tolerated in this organization. Article 4: DUTIES AND ELECTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1: The offices of CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE and their duties are: i. President: 1. Uphold the standards and guidelines of this society. 2. Call meetings. 3. Preside over chapter meetings. 4. Approve and oversee organization committees. 5. Vote only in the event of a tie. ii. Vice President: 1. Succeed to the duties and office of the President in cases where the President is unable to fulfill the term or duties of the office. 2. Be cognizant of all the affairs and policies of this organization. 3. Oversee all the committees. 4. Appoint the Heads of committees. 5. Creation, distribution, and harboring of the Activity Proposal Form. iii. Deputy 1. Strengthen and uphold the bylaws of this Organization. Page 2 of 12 iv. v. vi. Section 2: i. ii. 2. Report to the Executive Board if a problem arises within the organization or problems with non-members. 3. Conduct the election of officers. 4. Conduct impeachment investigations. 5. Provide the chapter Advisor with up-to-date copies of the a. Organization bylaws. 6. Work with the Advisor to resolve issues with the University and non-members. Treasurer: 1. Pay bills for the Organization. 2. Keep a record of receipts and financial statements. 3. Report on the financial status of the organization at each regular meeting. 4. Report discrepancies to the Executive Board. 5. Work with the Advisor to keep finances in order. Secretary: 1. Record and keep minutes of meetings. 2. Distribute copies of minutes to the Advisor and all active members of the Organization. 3. Keep a record of the attendance and excuses of all members of the Organization for meetings and activities 4. Validate any excuse for a member who wishes to be excused from an event or meeting as to the acceptance of an excuse. 5. Manage this Organization’s contact sheet and email. 6. Report discrepancies to the Deputy. Grande Poobah of Silliness: 1. Oversees the years “Events” (events will be designated as silliness) 2. Creates and maintains silliness 3. General morale upkeep 4. Heads the Family Committee The nomination and election of these officers will be conducted as follows: Officers for the following year will be elected at a regular meeting in April (toward the end of the spring semester) and formally installed by the incumbent officers. Nominations for elections will be conducted as follows: 1. The Deputy will open the floor to nominations for each position in the following order and announce the Executive Board’s nominees for each position: a. President Page 3 of 12 b. Vice President c. Deputy d. Treasurer e. Secretary f. Grande Poobah of Silliness 2. The Active members will decide upon a potential nominee for each position. At the nomination meeting, these potential nominees will formally be nominated before the members. 3. Members are allowed to nominate themselves but must be seconded by another member to be officially nominated iii. Nomination Process: 1. Any members may either nominated 2. Members can be nominated by others or may nominate themselves a. These nominees may decline if they do not wish to accept the nomination. 3. Every nomination must be seconded by another member. 4. Once a member has been seconded and accepted the nomination, that member becomes a part of the Shadow Cast. 5. The Shadow Cast will attend all Executive Board meetings possible as a sort of job training. The Shadow Cast is responsible for learning the roles and duties of the office for which they are nominated. iv. Elections: 1. Voting will be conducted as follows: a. The elections will be conducted in the following order: i. President ii. Vice President iii. Deputy iv. Treasurer v. Pledge Master vi. Secretary b. The candidates will have the opportunity to address the other members of the Organization to identify goals or qualifications they possess. c. The candidates will exit the place of voting and will not be permitted to take part in the vote for which they are running. d. The votes for each office will be counted by the incumbent of that office and current Deputy. Page 4 of 12 e. If either the incumbent or the Deputy are running for the office being counted, then the counting will be done by the current two highest officers. f. The officer running the election will name each candidate aloud. The voting membership will raise their hands to signify which candidate for whom they are voting. g. Officers will be elected by a majority vote (51%) of the active membership. h. If no candidate receives a majority vote, then the candidate who received the fewest votes will be removed from the ballot and there will be a revote. i. In the event of a two-way tie, the current Executive Board will decide on the winner. 2. Installation of Officers: a. Officers will be installed at the last regular meeting of the spring semester. b. Each officer will recite an oath to carry out the duties of the office. c. If an officer does not return to Clarion University of Pennsylvania the following semester, a new officer will be elected at the beginning of the semester. d. Nominations and elections will be conducted as listed in Article 4, Section 2, a, b, and c. e. The elected officials will be installed on the day of the election. Section 3: The elected officers will hold their offices starting on the day after the final day of the academic school year (finals week) through the last day that academic year (finals week). Thus, each officer will hold their position, in chronological order, from the beginning of summer, through the fall semester, and ending on the final day of the spring semester. i. In the event that any officer is incapable of fulfilling their duties for the summer, any of the following may serve in their absence in order: 1. The officer who held the office in question the previous year. 2. Any other officer for that year who is active in the summer and agrees to fulfill the absent officer’s duties. 3. Any other member who is willing to fulfill the absent officer’s duties after being asked to fulfill them by the Executive Board. Article 5: IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL OF OFFICERS Page 5 of 12 Section 1: If an officer fails to fulfill the duties of his or her position according to these bylaws, then the officer may be impeached by a two-thirds vote of the active membership. Section 2: motion for impeachment can be made by any active member of this chapter and must be seconded. i. The motion must be tabled until the following meeting so that the Deputy may do an investigation of the officer in question. ii. The investigation may consist of: 1. Interviews with those involved in the offense. 2. Reviews of any documents associated with the offense. a. The Deputy has the right to any documents that he/she asks for from any person in the organization for the purpose of conducting a thorough investigation. Upon the completion of the investigation, the documents are to be immediately returned to their rightful place. b. Any other course of action with the approval of the acting President. If the President is conducting the investigation, in the event that the Deputy is being investigated, he/she must seek the approval of the Vice-President. iii. If the Deputy is the officer in question, then the investigation will be conducted by the President. iv. At the meeting after the original motion for impeachment, the results of the investigation will be presented to the active members and a vote will follow. Section 3: If an officer is placed on academic probation or suspension, that officer will be impeached and removed immediately without investigation or a vote. Section 4: If an officer is removed, the election process will start immediately to replace that officer. Section 5: An officer who is removed from office will not be suspended from the organization unless they are in violation of Article 3, Section 1. Article 6: ROLE OF CAMPUS ADVISOR Section 1: The Advisor of the CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE shall be nominated and approved by the members of the chapter. Section 2: Qualifications of the Advisor: i. Must be a full-time member of the Clarion University staff. ii. Must have worked at Clarion University for a minimum of three years. Section 3: An elected Advisor will hold his or her position until resignation. Page 6 of 12 i. If the Advisor fails to fulfill his or her duties according to these bylaws or the Clarion University Guidelines for Advisors of Recognized Student Organizations, the Advisor can be removed from his or her position by a two-thirds vote of the active membership. ii. In the event that the Advisor resigns or is removed by the organization, the advisor must retain the position until a new Advisor is elected. Section 4: Election of the Advisor i. Nominations: 1. Will occur at least one regular chapter meeting before the election. 2. Will be verbal and recorded by the Secretary. 3. Must be seconded before being accepted as a valid nomination. 4. It is the duty of the Deputy to notify the candidates of their nominations and the responsibilities of the position. Section 5: Duties of the Advisor i. The Advisor must be familiar with the bylaws of Clarion Theatrical Alliance 1. An up-to-date copy of these bylaws will be provided by the Deputy. ii. The Advisor must be familiar with the Clarion University Student Senate Recognized Student Organization Policy and the Clarion University Guidelines for Advisors. iii. The Advisor must be familiar with the University policies affecting recognized groups including, but not limited to, policies dealing with alcohol usage, new member guidelines, fundraising, and generally by aware of the procedures for reserving activity and meeting room space on campus. iv. The Advisor will keep copies of important chapter records so that they will not get lost or forgotten in the process of changing officers. v. The Advisor will work with the Treasurer to keep finances in order. vi. The Advisor will work with the Deputy to resolve any issue that arises involving the University or person(s) not involved with CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE. vii. The Advisor will be kept up to date on all business pertinent to the Clarion Theatrical Alliance via the Secretary. Section 6: The Advisor does not get a vote in the Organization proceedings. Section 7: The Advisor is not required to attend any meetings or events unless the Advisor’s attendance is deemed necessary by the Executive Board. Article 7: MEETING Page 7 of 12 Section 1: Regular meetings will be held once every three weeks during the duration of each academic semester. i. Meetings will not be held during finals week. Section 2: A quorum will consist of a majority of the current active membership. Section 3: A majority will consist of 51% 50% plus one of the currently active membership. Section 4: Regular meetings are conducted as follows: i. The President will preside over regular meetings. 1. In the absence of the President, the highest ranking officer present (as listed in Article 4, Section 1) will preside over the meeting. ii. Members will only speak after being recognized by the person presiding over the meeting. 1. If a member speaks without recognition, the words spoken will not be recorded by the Secretary in the minutes. iii. The agenda for a regular meeting shall be: 1. Call to Order 2. Report of Officers 3. Report of Committees 4. Comments from Committee Chairs 5. Advisor Report 6. Open Forum 7. Old Business 8. New Business 9. Meeting Adjourned Section 5: Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or at the request of the Faculty Advisor. i. For a special meeting to be mandatory at least 24-hour notice must be given to the current active membership. ii. The current active membership will be notified either through the chapter phone tree, Facebook group, or by email. Article 8: EXCUSES Section 1: An excuse for a meeting must be received by the Secretary no later than 12 hours prior to the meeting. Section 2: An excuse for a scheduled, mandatory event must be received by the Secretary at least 24 hours prior to the event. Section 3: All excuses must be emailed, texted, messaged, or handed to the Secretary in person. Section 4: It is the duty of the Secretary to notify members of the acceptance of their excuse. Article 9: FINANCES AND FUNDING Page 8 of 12 Section 1: CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE will be financially supported through fundraising, donations, and through Clarion Students Association Section 2: Allocation of funds may be accomplished only by a two-thirds vote of the current active membership. Article 10: COMMITTEES Section 1: The committees of the CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE are: i. Executive Board: 1. This committee will be composed of the elected officers. 2. This committee will handle all business arising between meetings. 3. This committee is responsible for the smooth running of the organization. 4. The head of this committee will be the President. ii. Banquet/Service Committee: 1. This committee organizes and coordinates community service activities. 2. This committee is responsible for organizing and planning the chapter banquet at the end of each academic year. 3. The head of this committee will be nominated by the committee and approved by the Executive Board. iii. Family Committee: 1. This committee is responsible for planning and running activities that do not fall under the responsibility of any other committee. 2. This committee is responsible for advertising all activities and fundraisers. 3. This committee will fill out the proper paperwork to have fundraisers and activities approved by Clarion University of Pennsylvania. 4. The head of this committee will be nominated by the committee and approved by the Executive Board. iv. Marketing Committee 1. This committee is responsible for the publication of The Boyd Breeze, this chapter’s newsletter. 2. The head of this committee will be assigned by the chapter Vice President. 3. This committee is responsible for fundraising ideas and fundraisers. 4. The head of this committee will be nominated by the committee and approved by the Executive Board. v. Concessions / Tech Food Committee 1. Takes part in concessions, including: Page 9 of 12 2. Selling 3. Aiding in the purchase of concessions including providing rides to stores. 4. Takes part in Tech Food, including: a. Purchasing and preparing Tech Food, as well as the cleanup of Tech Food. 5. The head of this committee will be nominated by the committee and approved by the Executive Board. Section 2: All committees are required to hold regular meetings as determined by the Committee Head and the Vice-President. Section 3: All committees are required to file a written report of every meeting to the Vice President. Section 4: Each committee chair should have a report prepared for each regular chapter meeting. Section 5: Committee heads will hold their position for one academic year before needing to be reassigned to their position. Section 6: Committee heads that are installed by the Executive Board will be chosen by the Executive Board that will be serving the same term. Article 11: PROBATION AND SUSPENSION Section 1: Probation i. A member on probation may only attend events hosted by this organization that he or she is approved to attend by the Executive Board. ii. A member on probation must attend regular meetings. iii. A member on probation may not hold an office in this organization. iv. Grounds for being placed on probation: 1. Dropping below a 2. 5 G. P. A. for more than one semester. 2. Not upholding the bylaws. Section 2: Suspension i. A member on suspension may not attend any events hosted by this organization. ii. A member on suspension may not attend regular meetings unless summoned by the Executive Board. iii. A member on suspension may not hold an office in this organization. iv. Grounds for being placed on suspension: 1. Dropping below a 2.5 G. P. A. for more than one semester. 2. Not upholding the bylaws. Section 3: Expulsion i. A member may be removed from the organization for the following repeated offenses: Page 10 of 12 1. Inability to keep GPA above 2.5. 2. Refusal to uphold the bylaws. 3. More than one suspension that resulted in further action. Section 4: Removal from probation or suspension i. To be removed from probation or suspension, a two-thirds vote must be passed by the active members of this organization that are not on probation or suspension. ii. The vote for removal from probation or suspension must be by the request of the Executive Board. iii. A member on probation or suspension may ask the Executive Board for consideration to be removed in which case he or she must appear before the Executive Committee to plead his or her case. iv. After a member asking for removal from probation or suspension appears before the Executive Committee, the committee will deliberate on the matter and decide whether a vote for removal will be requested. Section 5: The Deputy will notify a member via typed letter if he or she is placed on or removed from probation or suspension. Article 12: AMENDING, SUSPENDING, AND ACCEPTING Section 1: The articles may be amended, revised, or altered in whole or in part at any regular meeting. Section 2: A two-thirds vote in favor of a change is required. Section 3: Notice of a proposed change or amendment and a written copy of the change or amendment must be provided for each currently active member at least one week prior to voting on the change. Section 4: Voting on a change or amendment is done orally and is run by the President during a regular meeting. Section 5: Once a change or amendment is approved by the members of the chapter, it is the duty of the Deputy to update the bylaws and present the updated bylaws to the Student Senate for approval Article 13: RATIFICATION Section 1: These bylaws and its amendments shall become effective upon ratification by the members of CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE of Clarion University of Pennsylvania and following the approval of the Student Senate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, the vicepresident for Student and University Affairs, and the president of Clarion University. Article 14: PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER AND ALUMNI STATUS Section 1: Each member of the CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE is granted one professional semester. Page 11 of 12 Section 2: A professional semester shall be granted for the following reasons: i. Student teaching ii. Studying abroad iii. Medical reasons iv. Any other reason approved by a majority of the Executive Board. Section 3: A member of this organization may be placed on alumni status for the following reasons: i. Graduating from the university ii. Completing seven total semesters as a member of CLARION THEATRICAL ALLIANCE including his or her pledging semester. Section 4: A member on a professional semester or alumni status has the following guidelines: i. May, but is not required to attend any events of this organization. ii. Is not granted an official vote in any meeting of Clarion Theatrical Alliance. Article 15: RESIGNATION Section 1: If an active member wishes to resign their membership, and are not eligible for alumni status at that time, said member must inform any committee head or executive board member Article 16: Summation Section 1: CTA is an organization meant to host events that will foster growth of students in the theatrical arts. These events can run the gauntlet of seeing shows to hosting their own theatrical productions; this is depending on what the current Grand Poobah of Silliness feels will be the best for the current year. Section 2: The organization is also in charge of helping the CU theatre department by suppling workers for building sets and costumes, strikes, and for tech foods. Page 12 of 12