.: HARO Constitution

This is HARO's Consitution as of April 2008.

The old constitution can be found here.


ARTICLE I: NAME:
The official name of the organization will be the Houghton Anime Review Organization, abbreviated with the acronym HARO.

ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES:
1) To promote the appreciation of the art form of Japanese animation, anime.
2) To promote an understanding of anime.
3) To develop affiliations with other similar organizations, at the national and international level.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP:
1) Memberships shall be for the period of one school year, starting in the fall term of the academic year. All members must pay dues that are to be determined at the first HARO meeting.
2) Voting membership shall be granted to those persons who are registered students at Michigan Technological University and to non-voting members that have requested their status to become voting members.
2) Non-voting membership shall be granted to new members who can then change their status to voting membership by casting a vote at any meeting or by casting a proxy vote.
3) Associate memberships shall be granted to those students who are not registered students at MTU.
4) In compliance with Michigan Technological University’s Board of Control Equal Opportunity Policy effective December 9, 2005, the Association will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, height, weight, or marital status. The organization must also be committed to the policy of not discriminating against disabled individuals or veterans.
5) Membership can be revoked when the following conditions are met: a. a written request has been submitted to the president by a voting member including a valid reason for which the individual should lose membership. b. a 2/3 majority vote in favor of ejecting the member during a meeting at which quorum is present.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS:
1) All officers must be voting members and have a minimum GPA of 2.0 on election.
2) Elections will occur at the last regular meeting spring term. Should any officer withdraw membership, an election to replace him/her will be held at the next meeting.
3) In case of malfeasance, misfeasance, or non feasance, an officer may be removed from office with a 2/3 majority vote during a meeting at which a quorum is present.
4) The officers and their duties are as follows.
a. President - will organize and preside over meetings, and help with the general organizing of HARO activities.
b. Vice-President - will assist the President in general HARO activities and act in the Presidents place at meetings if the President is not present.
c. Secretary - will be responsible for keeping records of HARO activities (including meetings), as well as HARO library and archives will be responsible for keeping an up-to-date list of non-financial club assets including the library and archives. Will chair the programming committee.
d. Treasurer - will keep all finical records including payments of membership dues and the disbursement of funds for HARO projects.
e. Public Relations - will be responsible for keeping contact with other organizations and promoting awareness of HARO and its activities. Will chair the PR committee.
5) Temporary officer positions may be made as necessary by a written decision of two officers that is submitted to the secretary. These positions will last at most two weeks unless voted in by a unanimous decision by all officers at which time the position will last at most one year.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS AND QUORUMS:
1) Regular meetings will be held at least twice per year; two weeks after the start of the regular school year and two weeks prior to the end of the regular school year.
2) Special meetings may be called by announcement; either by an officer or the request of at least three voting members. An officer must attend all meetings.
3) Regular showings will be held at times to be determined at the first regular meeting.
4) Special showings are non-regular showings called by an officer at any time.
5) A quorum shall be defined as at least 50% + 1 of the voting members including proxy votes and the president or vice-president. For a quorum to be valid, announcement of the meeting must be made at least two weeks beforehand.
4) Proxy votes will be allowed with the following limitations
a. Proxy must have written permission.
b. Only one proxy may be submitted per member.
c. Person voting by proxy have one business week to change their votet be submitted to an officer at least one day before the vote takes place.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES:
1) The standing committees are as follows.
a. Programming committee - Responsible for selecting time, place and material watched within guidelines set by the committee chair. Members of this committee shall consist of volunteers from the membership.
b. PR committee - Facilitates trading within and without the organization. Responsible for advertisement and assisting the PR officer.
c. Finance committee - Responsible for setting up and organizing all fundraising events, and assisting the treasurer. Members of this committee shall consist of volunteers from the membership.
2) Special committees shall be formed as needed by action of an officer.

ARTICLE VII: ADVISOR:
HARO shall have an advisor who is a member of the faculty or staff of MTU. The advisor will help maintain continuity, act as a general resource person, and aid in establishing communication between HARO and the university. At such time an advisor is chosen, the name of the desired advisor is forwarded to the Office of Student Activities for approval.

ARTICLE VIII: FINANCES:
1) Dues and fundraising will generate normal HARO income.
2) Expenditures over $30.00 will require a majority vote at official meetings.
3) All expenditures must be cleared with the treasurer (including expenditures under $30.00) who will sign a receipt for it and record it.
4) The HARO treasury will be kept in an official banking institution if needed. The treasurer will give a report of club finances at each regular meeting.

ARTICLE IX: ARCHIVES AND LIBRARY:
1) HARO will maintain a club library and archives. The library will consist of such material relating to the nature of HARO that comes into the possession the club.
2) HARO members may borrow items from the library; all loans must be cleared though the secretary who is responsible for maintaining and organizing the archives and library.

ARTICLE X: RATIFICATION:
This constitution must be ratified by a simple majority of the charter members. It will then be given to the Dean of Students for approval. It will take effect when approved by the Office of Student Activities.

ARTICLE: XI AMENDMENTS:
An amendment may be proposed by any voting member. The proposal must be made in writing and presented at a meeting or special event at which 2/3 the voting membership is present. The amendment will be voted on at the next meeting, at least one week later, thus allowing discussion and debate of the new amendment. A 2/3 majority of the voting membership is required for approval. It will take effect when approved by the Office of Student Activities.

Last Amendmened: April 24, 2008

Update: 3-2-2012, 12:27am