Article I The Tufts University Japanese Culture Club (JCC*) and its purpose
Section 1 The name of this organization shall be the Tufts University Japanese Culture Club.
Section 2 The organization aims to give Tufts students the opportunity to appreciate Japanese culture and Japan’s role in the international community.
Section 3 The organization has no formal affiliations.
Article II Membership in JCC*
Section 1 Membership A. Every student, in and outside the organization, who attends the fall semester General Interest Meeting may run to be on the executive board of the organization. At the end of the spring semester, all executive board members vote for all positions for the following year. B. There is no minimum GPA to be a part of JCC*. C. There will be no discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation for membership of JCC*.
Section 2 Executive board members go on a subsidized retreat to Tufts University’s New
Hampshire cabin (the Loj), usually in the spring semester. There are no other formal privileges.
Section 3 Individuals are selected according to Section 1 part A. In the spring semester, deciding the following year’s positions may be either via elections or appointment. For example, the executive board may opt to appoint the co-presidents of the following year in order to guarantee a good combination of personalities to effectively lead the organization. Alternatively, elections may be deemed the better method depending on the year.
Article III Officers
Co-president (Two)
Keeps the whole club on the same page. Leads weekly meetings Writes e-mails to the JCC* elist and Japanese Department e-list (and signs them with his or her name). Updates the JCC* elist after the Activities Fair and as needed Exercises the final word in the club when problems arise (For example, reporting to the administration or Dewick in representation of the club)
Secretary (One)
Writes and sends meeting notes to the whole club Sends reminders during the week as needed
Completes and turns in R-25 forms for events
Treasurer (One): in working with a freshman treasurer-in-training
Handles budget money and reimbursements to club members Meets with the Tufts treasury as needed Collects money for informal events, such as bonding and potlucks
(The Internal Affairs member will report costs incurred for bonding, etc.)
Publicity-Design (One): in working with a freshman publicity-in-training
Designs flyers, posters, Tufts Daily advertisements (if any), and anything that needs graphic design
Publicity-Logistics (One): in working with the freshman publicity-in-training above
Makes and launches Facebook and Tuftslife pages for club events Prints flyers at
Gnomon Organizes flyering schedules: locations, number of copies each member must post
(Consider doing a rotation system, so the entire executive board perhaps does not have to flyer for each event)
Media Master (One)
Records and edits a video for Matsuri culture show (a huge job!) Maintains the club blog using pictures/videos of club events taken by the Historian
Internal Affairs (One)
Organizes club bonding, potlucks, and etc.
Buys food and drink and cups as necessary Gets music (and games, etc.) for these events
Sends e-mails about the details of these events Works with the Treasurers to get back the money for the costs incurred
Intercollegiate & Community Outreach (Two)
Deals with co-sponsorship requests by other Tufts clubs Looks for events in Boston we can participate in or that we can send to the e-list Organizes a minimum of two bonding events with
Tufts clubs/organizations Organizes a minimum of two bonding events with clubs/organizations outside of Tufts Note: in the past, Brown taiko has performed in Matsuri. If Matsuri features a
Tufts or non- Tufts club/organization, this counts as one of your four “events.” Your job is to work with these clubs and make sure they are comfortable, on the same page with us, etc.
Attends intercollegiate or interclub gatherings and dinners (and other similar events) (This year,
Nina and Gabe went out into Boston to eat with other Japan club members in the Boston area)
Historian (One)
Takes pictures and/or videos of ALL club events (all!)
(If you must miss an event, arrange for somebody else to do your job.) Gives these media to the Media Master in a timely fashion so the blog is up-to-date Writes down
records of events using one’s own thoughts about the events and/or the reflections of other members in the club (This is extremely important for the club to have knowledge to work with in the future.)
Article IV Election and Impeachment
Section 1 Timeline: New students are admitted into the organization in the fall semester.
However, it is at the end of the spring semester that all other officer positions are filled for the next year. Modifications may be made to position descriptions at this time, as well.
Section 2 The method of voting is private ballot. The breakdown of votes for the candidates after elections is generally not disclosed. There are no formal campaigning restrictions. As for requirements, however, the organization requires that candidates for officer positions prepare a simple speech.
Section 3 If an officer is blatantly neglecting to fulfill his/her role, the organization can collectively impeach him/her. If two-thirds of the executive board members vote for his/her removal, the removal is valid.
Article V Meetings
Section 1 Meeting frequency is once a week for most of fall and spring semesters. The day of week is decided upon every semester, depending on members’ availability.
Section 2 When more frequent meetings are necessary to prepare for the Matsuri culture show
(fall semester) or for any other largescale event, the organization’s executive board will decide on the when and where of these special meetings.
Section 3 Meeting attendance among members is crucial to maintain organization morale and sense of purpose. Accordingly, missing more than three (3) meetings may become grounds for punishment. The organization understands that many members have multiple obligations, but unexplained absences and/or absences with illegitimate excuses will not be tolerated. A. When a member misses more than three meetings without explaining why, removal may be considered. B. If he/she does provide explanations, credible or otherwise, measures to correct their excessive absences will not be as stringent. However, the excessively absent member should consider leaving the organization temporarily if his/her attendance problem is reoccurring.
Section 4 Quorum for meetings is generally 60%. If this percentage is not reached, the meeting is rescheduled. Special meetings may need a larger or smaller percentage to be conducted effectively. Quorum for a special meeting is decided case-by-case.
Section 5 For a candidate to win the election for whatever officer position, he/she must have at least one (1) more vote than the next-best candidate. (Voting during impeachment, however, is two-thirds for removal.)
Section 6 Rule of the majority with respect for the minority —organization decisions are generally made if a twothirds’ majority is reached; however, legitimate minority concerns must be
considered. The co-presidents may make decisions between/among themselves under time constraints, but other members may voice any objections in a respectful manner.
Article VI Committees
Section 1 Committees may be formed for the smooth planning and implementation of large- scale events. For example, planning the Matsuri culture show is done via committees. Specific committee responsibilities are decided annually. Naturally, the nature of committees will vary according to the nature of the event.
Article VII Amendments and By-laws
Section 1 Any member may propose an amendment to the constitution. However, this should be done with a well thought-out explanation.
Section 2 Proposals for amendments to the constitution should be submitted to the co- presidents in written form. During the meeting occurring soonest after the propos al’s submission, the co-presidents and proposer may jointly present the said amendment idea.
Section 3 An amendment proposal is ratified with a two-thirds vote among executive board members.
Section 4 Members can ask for clarification of the intent behind the various constitutional provisions by directly asking the writers of the constitution. If contacting the writers proves difficult (because they have graduated, etc.) to ascertain intent, members may interpret the provisions of concern themselves. The interpretation with support from two-thirds of the organization will go into effect over other interpretations.
Article VIII Adherence to college policies
Section 1 The Tufts University Japanese Culture Club pledges to adhere to all college rules, regulations and policies that govern Tufts university students and organizations.
Section 2 The Tufts University Japanese Culture Club pledges to adhere to all local, state, and federal laws.
Article IX Advisor
Section 1 The JCC* has no formal advisor or a formal advisor selection process. The professors of Japanese at Tufts University are a resource to consult for advice and assistance, however.
Section 2 There is no advisor description for JCC*.
Article X Amendments
All amendments need to be approved by the TCU Judiciary.