Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
Original Constitution Ratified: September 19, 2012
Dates of Amendments:
December 2, 2012
August 30, 2013
November 2, 2013
ARTICLE I. NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. Name:
The name of this organization established by this constitution shall be the Loyola
University Chicago Pizza Club and will be referred to as the “PC” herein.
Section 2. Purpose:
The purpose of this organization shall be to:
A. Function as a student organization representative of pizza enjoyment.
B. Develop programming on-campus that brings together a diverse population of
students.
C. Create a community of campus for students over this shared passion.
D. Develop philanthropic and community service opportunities related to pizza.
E. Educate the Loyola University Chicago community on pertinent topics.
Section 3. Affiliations:
This organization shall be affiliated with the Pizza Market Place, a branch of the
National Restaurant Association. The rules and regulations of the national constitution
shall be followed when not inconsistent with the rules and regulations of Loyola
University Chicago. A letter of affiliation will be provided per request after official
recognition as a registered student organization. The PC will attempt in any and all
cases to cooperate with and work with our national affiliate to promote the group in its
educational and conversational role. The executive board as elected will strive to
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
maintain the purpose and intention of our national affiliate while also striving to remain
loyal to the students of the university.
ARTICLE II. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
Section 1. Non-discrimination Statement:
No student is to be excluded from membership or participation on the basis of his or her
race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity, age, veteran’s status, marital status, political affiliation or physical,
mental or medical disability unrelated to the purpose of the organization. Discriminatory
behavior regarding organizational activities or the actions of members is a violation of
University policy and may be addressed by the University as inappropriate.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Requirements for Membership:
Membership in this organization is open to all Loyola University Chicago students.
A. Anyone may become a member who:
1. Is a student at Loyola University Chicago.
2. Is interested in pizza.
B. Voting members shall consist of all members who:
1. Attend at least one general meeting per month.
2. Are executive board members.
3. Are directly impacted as a member of the organization in the voting on a
specific proposal in an attempt to bring to fruition the best of a
representational democratic process. The impact of a proposal on a specific
individual or group of individuals will be ultimately decided by the executive
board with the final decision being made by the agreement of the President
and the Vice President.
C. There shall be no dues for membership. However, a payment may be requested
by the executive board in the following circumstances:
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
1. If the group is holding an event that creates a cost for the organization as a
whole.
2. The organization decides to make a collective purchase that is not fundable
by the SAF, i.e. PC t-shirts.
3. If an action taken by a member that negatively impacts the organization
financially, that member will be expected to reimburse the organization and
Loyola..
4. If a bylaw is passed by fifty percent of the organization and fifty percent of the
executive board (including a vote for the measure by the President and the
Vice President) that requires dues that do not contradict or eradicate the
above conditions.
D. Non-students cannot vote on the following:
1. Election or removal of officers.
2. Removal of members.
3. Amendments to the constitution or bylaws.
5. Financial matters.
E. A stable and positive academic and judicial standing with the University shall be
required for all executive board members. Any board member that comes under
significant academic or judicial trouble with the University shall suspend their role
in the executive board until the conflict is resolved and good standing is again
renewed. An executive board member that loses his or her good standing for
more than 3 consecutive months shall be replaced by at least fifty percent vote of
active members and at least a fifty percent vote of the executive board.
Section 2. Removal of Members:
A. Grounds for removal of members may include:
1. Violation of University Policy.
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2. Violation of the Code of Conduct/Student Promise.
3. Consistent and non-constructive disruption during organization events or
member meetings.
B. A member may be removed by the following process:
1.
A petition to remove the member should be submitted to the President.
Such a petition must contain the signatures of at least fifty percent of the
voting members. When such a petition is received, the President shall call a
meeting of the organization to decide upon removal.
2.
The grounds for removal are to be presented by the President at a regular
or special meeting of the organization.
3.
The member in question shall be provided an opportunity to present a
defense either in person or in writing that will be made readily available to
all those that will participate in the decision process. The President shall be
responsible for making the member’s defense, written or verbal, available
to all voting members.
4.
Voting is not to occur until after a presentation of the grounds and the
member’s defense has been made. In order for a vote for removal to take
place, at least seventy five percent of the voting membership must attend
the meeting or confirm that they have read and legitimately considered the
defense presented by the member in question. A two-thirds majority of the
voting members as a whole (including the executive board) is required to
remove the member from the organization.
Section 3. Appeal of Removal of Members:
A.
Members may appeal their removal, but the appeal must be made
within one week of the vote for removal by requesting the President to
call a special meeting of the organization. The President shall notify all
members of this meeting, which is to occur at least one week and not
more than one month after the appeal request is received by the
President.
B.
The decision to repeal the vote for removal shall require at least
seventy five percent of the voting membership to attend the meeting,
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
and a simple majority vote of the voting members present at the special
meeting to reverse the removal and grant the appeal.
C.
If a removed member’s appeal is denied, they hold the right to go to
Loyola’s office of Student Activities & Greek Affairs to discuss the
decision. The President and the Vice President will be required to sit
with the member in question and the LUC SAGA staff (appropriate
persons of which to be determined by the department) to discuss the
terms of the removal. SAGA’s decision about the removal in
concurrence with this established constitution will be final.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Section 1. Elected Officers:
The officers of this organization will be:
A. President.
B. Vice President.
C. Secretary.
D. Treasurer.
E. Public Relations Chair.
F. Programming Chair.
If the organization as a whole cannot find enough members with the appropriate
experience and interest, it will be the responsibility of the executive board as a whole to
perform the duties of the unfilled positions. Positions that must be filled include:
President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2. Qualifications for Holding Office:
In order to be eligible to hold an office in this organization, the following qualifications
must be met.
A. The candidate must be a student member of the organization.
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
B. The candidate must have held active membership in the organization for at
least one semester. This requirement does not apply for the first year of the
organization.
Section 3. Elections:
A. The officers of the organization shall be elected for a term of one academic year.
B. There will be no restrictions placed on the number of terms of office a member
may hold.
C. Elections will be held in March to determine officers of the organization for the
following academic year.
D. The candidate shall be nominated by either another member of themselves. This
will be followed by a speech presented by all approved nominees at the next
general meeting no longer than five minutes. The candidate with the highest
percentage of vote for each position will be elected and hold membership on the
executive board for the next consecutive academic year. Elected officers shall
not hold any responsibilities or powers of an executive board member until the
beginning of the next fall semester, but will spend the remainder of the spring
semester shadowing the current officer. Acceptance of an officer position
requires the officer to work with the next elected official of their position to ensure
a smooth and efficient transfer of power.
E. Votes shall be cast using ballots created and distributed by the Secretary to all
members eligible to vote at the conclusion of speeches. One vote shall be cast
from each member. Any voting member that makes an effort to cast two ballots
shall be stripped of their voting rights for the rest of the current academic year as
well as the entire next academic year and may be subject to a member removal
proceeding.
F. Election to office will be determined by the highest number of votes for the
position in which the candidate was nominated. In the case of a first-place tie,
ballots will be redistributed with only the top two candidates listed for voting.
Section 4. Duties of the Officers:
A. The President shall be the principal executive officer and shall have the following
duties:
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
1. To preside at all meetings of the organization.
2. To call special meetings of the organization, when required.
3. To perform other duties as specified in approved bylaws.
4. To officiate business with other Chicago-area Pizza Market Place affiliated
groups including developing ways to collaborate on events and initiatives.
5. To explain and interpret this living Constitution as best suited for the
prosperity of the group and its good standing with the University and its
policies.
6. To serve as a liaison to the other officers of the executive board and lend
support as needed.
7. To represent the organization at needed university-wide events, such as the
LUC Organization Fair.
8. To maintain consistent contact with the organization faculty advisor and to
relay the advisor’s concerns and suggestions to the executive board and the
group membership as he or she sees fit.
9. To maintain a healthy and interdependent relationship with the group’s
national affiliate.
10. To remain fair and impartial during all organizational decision making
processes.
B. The Vice President shall have the following duties:
1. To assume the duties of the President (until a special election can be held) in
the event of a vacancy in the office.
2. To serve as an ex-officio member of the Standing Committees of the
organization.
3. To serve as a liaison to the President from the membership and to relay
concerns of conduct by the President as expressed by the membership or the
executive board.
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4. To plan any officer’s orientation and organizational retreats with the help of
any appropriate outside assistance.
5. To coordinate organizational recruitment efforts with the Public Relations
chair.
11. To represent the organization at needed university-wide events, such as the
LUC Organization Fair.
6. To coordinate organizational elections and proceedings.
7. To remain fair and impartial during organizational decision making processes.
C. The Secretary shall have the following duties:
1. To keep a record of all members of the organization.
2. To keep a record of all activities of the organization.
3. To keep and distribute minutes of each meeting of the organization.
4. To handle all official correspondence of the organization within the University.
5. To create and distribute agendas for each upcoming meeting of the
organization.
6. To notify all members of all general meetings to which they are allowed to
attend as specified by this Constitution.
7. To obtain appropriate facilities for organization activities including reserving
space for events and general meetings.
8. To submit necessary forms and paperwork, such as organization reregistration and activity request forms.
9. To create, maintain, and update the organization’s calendar of events.
10. To prepare and file any report required of the organization from the University
or from internal processes such as membership removal.
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
11. To collect organizational mail and e-mails and inform executive board
members of e-mails or documents that pertains to their listed duties and
responsibilities.
12. To remain fair and impartial during organizational decision making processes.
D. The Treasurer shall have the following duties:
1. To keep all financial records of the organization.
2. To prepare and submit financial reports to the members as deemed
appropriate by the collective executive board.
3. To prepare all budget requests for funds from the SAF.
4. To become familiar with University accounting procedures and policies
5. To keep and prepare all financial records of the organization including but not
limited to receipts, budget requests, funds distribution, and reimbursement
requests.
6. To pay organizational bills acquired through the consensus of the executive
board and the established criteria for spending organization funds.
7. To collect and track any organizational dues that may be required as
consistent with the dues policy established in this Constitution.
8. To create an annual budget projection as well as a comprehensive summary
of the group’s budget at the end of the academic year.
9. To coordinate fundraising events and opportunities alongside the Advertising
& Public Relations officer.
10. To remain fair and impartial during organizational decision making processes.
E. The Public Relations Chair shall have the following duties:
1. To update and maintain social media sites affiliated with the group including
but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, any established group website,
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
or other mass media outlets.
2. To distribute and maintain advertisements of the group around campus,
including but not limited to flyers and digital advertisements as purchased or
approved by the University.
3. To strive to maintain a healthy and informative view of the group as a whole
and to represent the organization’s mission and values in the public realm of
the University and the wider Chicago community and to inform the executive
board of any damaging, intrusive, or inaccurate statements or perspectives on
the group’s existence or events on campus or off campus.
4. To relay to the President any issues with public relations that need to be
brought to the attention of the group’s national affiliate.
5. To remain fair and impartial during organizational decision making processes.
F. The CAN Delegate shall have the following duties.
1. To attend monthly CAN meetings.
2. To share concerns and/or needs to CAN Board.
3. To inform organization membership of university updates and other informed
shared through CAN.
4. Develop opportunities to collaborate with other student organizations when
desired.
Section 5. Vacancy of an Office:
A. In the event of a vacancy in an office other than the President before the
expiration of a full term, a special election shall be called by the President within
two weeks to fill the vacancy. The entirety of the filled executive board positions
will be expected to work together to fulfill the necessary responsibilities and
duties of the vacant position to maintain necessary organization functions.
B. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President before the expiration of a
full term the Vice President shall assume responsibilities of the President until a
special election shall be called to fill the vacant Vice Presidency.
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
Section 6. Changes in Officers:
All changes in shall be submitted to Student Activities & Greek Affairs via OrgSync
within two weeks of such a change.
ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings:
A. Business meetings of the organization shall be called by the President at least
once a semester during the academic year.
B. Non-business meetings for the purpose of instruction, practice, or other activities
shall be held bi-weekly. Any changes in the times or occasions of the meetings
shall be agreed upon by the executive board as seen deemed to maximize group
participation.
C. Executive board meetings must be held bi-weekly during the weeks in which a
general meeting will not be held. With the amendment of changes in how often
the PC will make, the meetings of the executive board will be adjusted to reflect
the same number of member meetings as executive board meetings.
Section 2. Special Meetings:
A. Special meetings may be called by the President upon two week notice to the
members.
B. The President shall call a special meeting when requested by twenty five percent
of the voting members.
Section 3. Quorum:
A. A quorum at business meetings shall consist of two thirds of the voting
membership.
B. Quorum is not required to hold non-business meetings such as instruction,
classes, or other activities.
ARTICLE VI. ADVISOR
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
Section 1. Agreement and Expectations:
A. The PC shall maintain at least one full time faculty or staff advisor at all times,
per the requirement set out for all registered student organizations by Student
Activities and Greek Affairs.
B. The PC advisor shall:
1. Attend one general meeting a semester, elections, and any other
meeting of significant importance.
2. Attend any large-scale events put on by the PC.
3. Meet monthly with the president and vice president for updates.
4. Become familiar with and serve as a resource on RSO policy.
ARTICLE VII. ANTI- HAZING STATEMENT
Section 1. Anti-hazing Statement:
The Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club considers hazing to be a most destructive
and degrading activity which is inconsistent with the standards of this student
organization. Hazing, defined as: Hazing is any intentional or reckless action or
situation, created to produce emotional or physical discomfort, harassment, humiliation
or ridicule, is strictly prohibited the PC recognizes the dignity of every individual and
opposes all forms of hazing.
ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Ratification:
A. A proposed amendment to this constitution shall be presented to the members at
least two weeks prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be held.
B. Ratification of an amendment to this constitution shall require a two thirds
majority of the voting membership of the voting members present at a regularly
scheduled business meeting of the organization.
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Loyola University Chicago Pizza Club
This constitution was last approved by the organization’s members on _____________.
_______________________________________
President
_______________________________________
E-board member
_______________________________________
E-board member
_______________________________________
E-board member
_______________________________________
E-board member
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