ELSA Constitution
Last Amended 10-13-03
CONSTITUTION
OF THE
Evening Law Students Association
OF THE
Washington College of Law
Preamble
We, the members of the Evening Law Students Association of the Washington
College of Law, do hereby ordain and establish the following as the by-laws of
our student-led organization in order to foster and promote an educated and
informed environment for evening students and their families within our
academic community and surrounding communities.
Article I
Name, Purpose and Goals
Section I. Name. The name of this organization shall be the Evening Law
Students Association, hereafter referred to as “ELSA,” a student organization of
the Washington College of Law, hereafter referred to as “WCL.”
Section II. Purpose. The purpose of this organization shall be to represent,
promote and to further the professional, academic and social interests and
concerns of evening students, evening alumni and their families; and to increase
the awareness, interaction and integration of evening law students with all
members of the WCL community and surrounding communities.
Section III. Goals. The goals of ELSA shall be to assist evening student's progress
within the academic, post-academic, and legal work environments by serving as
a forum in which students may address issues of importance for presentation to
the WCL Administration and to organize and host events that address the needs
and concerns of evening students including but not limited to educational
events, professional development, outside speakers and social events.
Article II
Membership
Section I. Non-Discrimination. ELSA promotes and supports non-discrimination
on the basis of color, race, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or physical or
mental disability. ELSA shall not implicitly or explicitly, encourage or condone
discrimination on any such basis.
Section II. Members. Members must be students of the Washington College of
Law. To be considered a Member of ELSA, a student must be in good standing
as defined by the policies of WCL and attend at least two meetings and one event
hosted by ELSA prior to an Election meeting over the course of two semesters.
The Executive Board of ELSA on a case-by-case basis may grant waivers to the
membership requirement.
Article III
Voting
Each member is entitled to one vote to elect officers, implement projects,
establish budgets, and to determine other issues that pertain to the functioning of
ELSA.
Article IV
Officers and their Duties
Section I. Officers and Term of Office
Part 1. The offices of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall
constitute the Executive Board of this organization.
Part 2. The above named officers shall hold office for one academic year,
commencing with spring semester and lasting until the Spring of the following
academic year. Officers must meet the requirements for voting member status
for the duration of their term. All Officers shall work together towards the
common goals of ELSA and its members.
Part 3. An officer may be removed upon a showing of failure to perform the
official duties as set forth below. The process of removal shall commence upon
the recommendation of a majority of the Executive Board and shall be effective
following a two-thirds majority vote by the general membership of ELSA.
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Section II. President
Part 1. Qualifications. The President must be in good standing as defined by the
policies of WCL. The President must have been an active and voting member of
ELSA for at least one semester prior to the semester of election.
Part 2. Duties. The President shall preside over all official business meetings of
ELSA, and no business shall be considered official unless conducted while the
President, or a duly delegated member of the Executive Board is presiding.
Part 3. The President shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Board.
Part 4. The President shall serve as liaison between ELSA and WCL
administration.
Part 5. The President shall ensure that the duties of all members of the Executive
Board are properly and promptly executed.
Part 6. The President shall serve as the liaison between ELSA and other WCL
organizations and the Student Bar Association.
Part 7. The President shall have signatory authority over ELSA accounts with the
consent of the Executive Board.
Section III.
Vice President
Part 1. Qualifications. The Vice President must be in good standing as defined
by the policies of WCL. The Vice President must have been an active and voting
member of ELSA for at least one semester prior to the semester of election.
Part 2. Duties. The Vice President shall assume the President’s duties
temporarily when the President is absent. The Vice President shall be
responsible for coordinating all committees established by ELSA.
Section IV. Treasurer
Part 1. Qualifications. The Treasurer must be in good standing as defined by the
policies of WCL. The Treasurer must have been an active and voting member of
ELSA for at least one semester prior to the semester of election.
Part 2. Duties. The Treasurer shall be responsible for receiving all moneys due to
ELSA, paying all ELSA bills liable to WCL, acting as a liaison to the SBA Finance
Committee, assisting with any fundraising events and maintaining accurate
records of receipts and expenditures. The Treasurer shall have signatory
authority of ELSA accounts, subject to the consent of the Executive Board. The
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Treasurer shall make financial reports to the President and Vice President upon
request and at all official meetings.
Section V. Secretary
Part 1. Qualifications. The Secretary must be in good standing as defined by the
policies of WCL. The Secretary must have been an active and voting member of
ELSA for at least one semester prior to the semester of election.
Part 2. Duties. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the
membership roster of ELSA, maintaining the ELSA email list and taking minutes
at all official ELSA meetings. The Secretary shall also be responsible for
publicizing all ELSA functions in the WCL Docket or other publication. The
Secretary shall also be responsible for facilitating the communication of ELSA
matters between its members
Article V
Elections
Section I. General Election of Officers. The election of officers shall be held
within the first month of the Spring Semester in a particular calendar year.
Elections shall be in accordance with WCL Student Bar Association Guidelines.
All Executive Board Officers shall begin their term of duty effectively
immediately upon election.
Section II. Nominations. Nominations shall be taken preceding any general
election. Any general member of ELSA may nominate any general member of
ELSA for an office. A nominated member may only seek election for one office.
A general member may nominate a general member for more than one office.
Section III. Voting. A simple majority affirmative vote of the voting membership
is needed to elect an officer. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held
within forty-eight hours.
Section IV. Order of Election. Officers shall be elected singularly in order of
President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Section V. Vacancies on Executive Board. In the event a vacancy arises on the
Executive Board, the President is required to fill the vacancy by holding a Special
Election within one month of the creation of the vacancy.
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Article VI
Meetings
Section I. General Meetings. The general membership of ELSA shall meet at least
twice per semester. No meeting shall be held during reading periods, or final
exam periods.
Section II. Executive Board Meetings. The Executive Board may meet upon the
determination of the President not inconsistent with Article VI, Section I.
Section III. Resolutions. Any general member may propose a resolution and
participate fully in the debate and voting during general meetings. A resolution
is considered effective with a simple majority of the votes.
Article VII
Amendments
Section I. This Constitution may be amended. A member of ELSA must sponsor
an amendment to the Constitution. Amendments must be confirmed by a twothird majority vote of the general membership of ELSA following an open
discussion.
First Amendment
Section I. At-Large First Year Representative for Executive Board
Part 1. (A) At the first organizational meeting each fall a representative of the
entering first year class will be elected to sit on the ELSA Executive Board with
the officers. This representative will have equal voting rights on the board to
those of the other officers within the organization.
(B) Nominations for this position shall be taken during the first general
meeting of the fall semester. Any general member of ELSA or first year student
may nominate any other first year student for the office.
(C) A simple majority affirmative vote of the members and first year
students present is needed to elect the at-large representative. In the event of a
tie, a run-off election will be held within forty-eight hours.
Part 2. Upon election the above named representative shall hold this position for
one academic year, commencing with election in the fall semester and lasting
until the Fall of the following academic year. The at-large representative must
meet the requirements for voting member status for the duration of his or her
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term. The representative shall work with the other members of the Executive
Board towards the common goals of ELSA and its members.
Part 3. The provisions of Section I, Part 2 of this amendment in no way prevents
the at-large representative from running for an officer position in the Spring
semester of the academic year. However, if the representative is elected to an
officer position at that time, his at-large position will immediately become vacant
and must be filled as detailed in Part 4 of this amendment.
Part 4. In the event that the at-large representative position becomes vacant at
anytime during the academic year, the vacancy shall be filled as required by the
provisions of Article V, Section V of this Constitution.
Section II. Qualifications and Duties
Part 1. Qualifications. The at-large representative must be in good standing as
defined by the policies of WCL. During each semester of his or her term, the atlarge representative must meet the membership requirements as defined in
Article II of this Constitution.
Part 2. Duties. The at-large representative shall be responsible for acting as the
liaison between ELSA and the entering first year class. The at-large
representative shall be responsible for outreach efforts to the first year class and
will sit as an equal member on the ELSA Executive Board.
Section III. Impeachment. The at-large representative may be removed from
office upon a showing of failure to perform the official duties as set forth above.
The process of removal shall commence upon the recommendation of a majority
of the Executive Board and shall be effective following a two-thirds majority vote
by the general membership of ELSA.
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