Constitution of the
University of Cincinnati Men’s and Women’s Choruses
(December 2013)
Article I: Name and Purpose
1.1 The name of this organization is the University of Cincinnati Men’s and
Women’s Choruses [hereafter called Choruses].
1.2 Traditionally drawing from a wide variety of educational disciplines, the University of
Cincinnati Men’s and Women’s Choruses seek to promote cultural and social
enrichment for the University and community by striving for excellence in the
performance of choral music.
Article II: Organization
2.1 The Choruses shall consist of two primary vocal ensembles, Men’s and
Women’s Choruses, and one secondary ensemble: Cabaret Singers. The primary vocal
ensembles will each have its own director, while the secondary ensemble will have an
appointed conductor. Other musical groups may be formed of members of the Choruses
on a temporary or permanent basis at the discretion of the appropriate director. These
groups may rehearse and perform with or separate from the Choruses. No subgroup of
the Men’s and Women’s Choruses may use the name of the group without the approval of
the executive committee.
2.2 An executive Committee [hereafter called Committee] consisting of an Officers Board,
Men’s and Women’s Chorus directors, and faculty advisor govern the choruses. This
Committee is responsible for supervising all fundraisers, purchases, social events, and for
keeping records of these activities. The Committee is expected to ensure efficient
management and promote welfare of the Choruses.
2.3 The directors shall be appointed by the Division of Ensembles and Conducting at the
College-Conservatory of Music. The directors are in charge of all artistic and academic
matters as prescribed by CCM.
2.4 The university advisor shall be appointed by the Division of Ensembles and
Conducting at the College-Conservatory of Music and must be a part-time or full-time
faculty member.
2.5 The Voting Officers Board shall consist of two elected officers including the President
and Vice-President, as well as appointed offices including, but not limited to, Secretary,
Treasurer, Publicity Manager, Recruitment Officer, Cabaret Singers manager, an Alumni
Officer, Men’s Chorus Manager, and Women’s Chorus Manager. Ex officio members may
be included at the President’s discretion.
2.6 The Committee is required to establish a regular meeting time at the beginning of
each academic semester. Attendance and minutes are recorded and will be available to
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any member of the choruses upon request. Meetings are not to be held during rehearsal
time.
2.7 A meeting may be officially held if the President or Vice President is in attendance and
two thirds of the members of the Voting Executive Committee are present.
Article III: Referendum
3.1 Any action or decision of the Committee, including officer appointments, can be
overturned by a two-thirds majority vote of the members.
Article IV: Amendments
4.1 Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by a member and shall be voted
upon by the Board following approval by directors and faculty advisor.
4.2 A two-thirds vote of approval is required from the Board to ratify an amendment.
4.3 Amendments shall be made available to members prior to ratification and may be
disputed on specific grounds. Disputes will be brought to the attention of the Board,
directors, and the faculty advisor.
Article V: Ratification
5.1 Ratification by two-thirds (2/3) of the charter members shall be sufficient to establish
this constitution between said members so ratifying and with the approval of the Board,
directors, and faculty advisor.
Article VI: Cabaret Singers
6.1 The purpose is to give talented and/or experienced chorus members the opportunity
to develop their abilities in a fast paced, performance-oriented ensemble.
6.2 Prior members of Chorus who have previously remained in good standing within the
group for at least one academic semester, but are legitimately unable to continue to take
the course will be permitted to audition for and perform with Cabaret Singers at the
discretion of the Cabaret conductor. These particular ensemble members will still be
considered members of Chorus, and are therefore required to pay all Cabaret and
Choruses dues in order to perform.
6.3 The structure of Cabaret Singers will be:
A. Conductors: it is the preference and in the best interest of Cabaret Singers to have only
one conductor. Potential candidates will be interviewed by the existing directors of
Men’s and Women’s Choruses and will be appointed with consultation of the
choral conducting faculty of CCM.
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Bylaws of the
University of Cincinnati Men’s and Women’s Choruses
(December 2013)
Article I: Revenue
1.1 A membership fee in the form of $45 is required (henceforth referred to as “dues”).
Dues must be paid each semester to keep membership status.
1.2 An extra $10 due shall be collected for members of Cabaret Singers.
1.3 A deadline set by the appropriate director shall be established regarding dues,
1.4 Dues will be paid in full to the Treasurer.
1.5 Registered student organizations can generate revenue from sources (fundraisers,
bake sales)other than those defined in this section as determined by the student
organization’s Advisor, Executive Board and approved by the general body of the student
organization. The funds generated through fundraising must be used to further the
student group’s mission, programmatic efforts, or their support of philanthropic efforts
(i.e., Relay for Life).
Article II: Membership and Discipline
2.1 The Choruses are open to all registered students, faculty, and staff of the University of
Cincinnati.
2.2 Students must register for the appropriate academic course entitled “U.C. Men’s
Chorus” and “U.C. Women’s Chorus,” and if selected and approved, “UC Cabaret
Singers” in order to be a member of the groups.
2.3 Dues are collected at the beginning of each academic semester and a dues payment is
required for membership. Exceptions will be determined by the respective directors,
president and treasurer, but non-due-paying members must forfeit their voting and
petitioning rights.
2.4 Any chorus member may be dismissed by the director for any of the following reasons:
1. Absence from any performance without an acceptable excuse.
2. Failure to return music or any other chorus property.
3. Lack of cooperation, effort, or a violation of the University of Cincinnati’s
student
code of conduct.
4. Excessive unexcused absences.
*Readmission is at the director’s discretion.
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2.5 A member in good standing is defined by the following:
1. Must be registered for 0 or 1 credit for the class.
2. Must have no more than six unexcused absences.
3. Must not have a grade incomplete from the previous semester.
4. Must have dues paid to date (in full).
Article III: Election of Officers and Vacancy of Office
3.1 Candidates for all offices shall have completed at least one academic semester as a
member in good standing during the academic year the voting shall take place and intend
to be in attendance for both semesters of the year for which they are elected or appointed.
They must also fulfill any Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD)
requirements that pertain to officer eligibility. Exceptions can be made for students on coop in the Cincinnati area, or at the President’s discretion.
3.2 Nominations for elected office positions are taken in class at the end of Spring
Semester. All nominations must have a second.
3.3 Elections are held in class during Spring Semester. All officers must win by a simple
majority vote.
3.4 If an officer is unable to perform his/her duties for any reason, the Committee (as
defined in the constitution) appoints a replacement for no more than thirty days (of class
session), after which a special election is held. All appointed officers must meet the
requirements for membership and those in Section One of this article.
3.5 The officers assume their duties on the last week of Spring semester and perform
those duties for one complete year. Officers must remain registered students in good
standing with their college during their tenure.
3.6 Official resignation by an elected or appointed officer must be typed and duplicated
for the executive committee and both directors of the Choruses. Once accepted the
resignation becomes final and cannot be rescinded. In order for a former officer to receive
any type of recommendation from the Choruses, all previously assigned duties as an
officer of the Choruses must be completed. This includes turning over previously assigned
projects to the president for delegation and finishing any paper work. These duties are to
be completed and handed in within two weeks following the resignation.
Article IV: Appointments
4.1 Initial appointments during spring semester of each year shall be made in joint
decision by the newly elected president, vice-president, and the returning director. The
president, vice-president, and directors of the choruses shall make subsequent reappointments, appointments, and dismissals throughout the remaining year. All
appointments, re-appointments, and dismissals must be approved by a simple majority of
the voting Committee.
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4.2 The following committees may exist as needed: budget, tour, publicity, alumni,
and recruitment. Others may be added as needed with approval of the Executive
Committee. The president, vice-president, or a director must serve as an advisor to the
committee. The tour committee head shall be determined in a joint decision by the
president, vice-president, and directors. The treasurer, recruitment officer, publicity
officer, and alumni officer shall serve as the head of each of their respective committee.
The committees shall meet no less than once per month. All recommendations made by
the committees must be communicated to and approved by the Executive Committee. Any
registered chorus member, in good standing as defined by SALD and the Chorus bylaws
may participate in a committee.
4.3 Officers and appointees must maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA during their
appointment.
4.4 Voting privileges of the Executive Committee are extended only to elected officers and
appointed officers not including the President [hereafter called the Voting Executive
Committee]. However, the President may cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie.
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Article V: Board Duties
5.1 The roles of the officers and directors shall be agreed upon, in May of the year they
begin their duties, by joint decision of the Committee.
5.2 Duties and positions are defined at the beginning of the year by the President and
Vice President. Changes can be made at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
5.3 An electronic database will be established and maintained in order to archive chorus
member information. The list will not be used to contact a chorus member if the chorus
member wishes not to be contacted.
5.4 Board members are required to attend all scheduled board meetings. Excuses must
be approved by the Executive Committee.
Article VI: Referendum
6.1 A petition of one-third of the members is drawn up. This is presented to the
Committee with an explanation of the members’ objections. Upon receipt of this
petition, the Committee will schedule and announce a vote for one week after the next
meeting. A two-thirds majority vote of the members is required to overturn the action or
decision in question.
6.2 Officers can be impeached by a majority vote of the Committee including approval of
the faculty advisor, or by petition process in Section One (Article Three).
Article VII: Non-hazing Clause/Non-Discrimination Clause
7.1 The laws of the state of Ohio and the University of Cincinnati policies concerning
hazing shall be observed.
7.2
Hazing shall be defined as participating in or allowing any act or coercing
another, including the victim, to do any act that creates a substantial risk of
causing mental or physical harm to any person. A forced or coerced activity shall
also be considered hazing when the initiation or administration into, or
continued affiliation with, a university organization is directly or indirectly
conditional upon performing the activity. In no event shall the willingness of an
individual to participate in such an activity serve as defense in cases of hazing.
7.3 Actions and activities, which are explicitly prohibited, include, but shall not be
limited to the following:
a. Any activity that creates a substantial risk of physical or mental harm.
b. Paddling, beating, or hitting individuals.
c. Wearing anything designed to be degrading or to cause discomfort.
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d. Depriving individuals of the opportunity to obtain a minimum of six
hours of sleep per day, proper and adequate means, or access to means, of
maintaining body cleanliness.
e. Activities that interfere with an individual’s academic efforts by causing
exhaustion of loss of reasonable study time.
7.4 This organization shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity,
national origin, age, gender, disability or handicap, religion, sexual orientation, disabled
veteran's status or Vietnam era veteran's status in any of its policies, procedures and
practices. This policy will include but is not limited to recruiting, membership,
organization activities, or opportunity to hold office.
Article VIII: Dissolution
8.1 Upon the dissolution for any reason, all work, funds, and property controlled by the
organization will be transferred to the College Conservatory of Music.
8.2 The Advisor and executive officers of the student organization will oversee the
dissolution process.
Article IV: Robert’s Rules of Order
9.1 "Robert's Rules of Order, Revised'' shall be the parliamentary authority for all
matters of procedure not specifically covered by these by-laws.
Article V: Duties of Individual Officers
10.1 Duties of the President include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall preside at all Executive and General Board business meetings
4. Shall review and present a current copy of the By‐Laws and Constitution of the
UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses to all officers
5. Shall see that all officers carry out the duties described in the composite job
descriptions
6. Shall expect notification from all officers of business‐related agenda items 48
hours prior to the weekly board business meeting
7. Shall supply an agenda for all weekly board meetings to the Board 24 hours
prior to the meeting
8. Shall supply all General Board members with a copy of the weekly board
minutes of the previous week
9. Shall expect notification of absence of an Executive or General Board member
in advance of meetings
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10. Shall expect from the recording secretary a copy of the minutes of each
Executive and General Board Meeting
11. Shall appoint special committees as needs arise
12. Shall serve as an ex‐officio member of all committees
10.2 Duties of the Vice President include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall assume the duties of the President in case of disability or absence of the
President
4. Shall work with the directors in logistical matters relating to the annual spring
tour
5. Shall work with the treasurer and directors in all financial matters concerning
the annual spring tour. This includes assisting the treasurer in collecting and
recording all individual student
payments and supplying each payer with a receipt.
6. Shall assist the fundraising chair in planning and executing all fundraising
events
7. Shall share responsibilities with the President as an ex‐officio member of all
committees
8. Shall perform all other duties necessary to this office
10.3 Duties of the Secretary include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall take accurate minutes for Executive and General Board meetings
4. Shall provide the President and Directors with the board minutes within five
(5) days of the board meeting
5. Shall perform other duties related to this office as necessary
10.4 Duties of the Treasurer include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall maintain accurate records of all financial transactions on behalf of the
board
4. Shall reconcile the UC Choruses Accounting Ledger on a weekly basis, saving
the document to the appropriate server location upon completion of work
5. Shall provide a weekly report in print form to the Board and Directors,
including worksheets 11 and 12 from the UC Choruses Accounting Ledger, and
any additional materials request by
Directors or Board members
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6. Shall provide a quarterly report in print form to each Board member, specific
to their individual job description from the UC Choruses Accounting Ledger. (i.e.
Social chairs will receive print out of worksheets 59, and 62‐66) The President,
Vice President, Secretary and Directors will each receive a print out of all
worksheets in the UC Choruses Accounting Ledger
7. Shall maintain accurate records of chorus personnel as related to the collection
of dues, apparel fees, banquet ticket sales, CD sales and any other miscellaneous
financial transactions taken on by the UC Choruses
8. Shall issue a payment of receipt for each UC Choruses transaction, including,
but not limited to dues, CDs, tour, apparel, etc.
9. Shall communicate directly with chorus personnel related to the collection of
dues, apparel fees, banquet ticket sales, CD sales and any other miscellaneous
financial transactions taken on by the UC Choruses in a timely and professional
manner
10. Shall work in conjunction with the UC Women’s Chorus manager to place
quarterly order for concert apparel
11. Shall accurately maintain the UC Choruses checkbook, and shall write checks
in a timely
manner as requested by the Directors or Board members
12. Shall file a copy of the monthly statements of all financial accounts in the UC
Choruses Office, including SACUB, Tickets, Checking and Savings
13. Shall perform other duties related to this office as necessary
10.5 Duties of the Chorus Manager(s) include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall keep an up‐to‐date attendance record of all rehearsals, dress rehearsals,
concerts and any other mandatory events for all student members of the UC
Men’s and Women’s Choruses and Cabaret
4. Shall submit an electronic attendance report to their respected Director weekly
or as often as requested by the Director. In the attendance records and updates to
directors, indicate the students who are members of Cabaret.
5. Shall assemble music packets prior to the first rehearsal of each quarter, or as
needed as requested by the Director
6. Shall assign music numbers to each student and help disseminate music to all
members
7. Shall collect and file all music in the CCM Choral Library at the conclusion of
each quarter, or at the Director’s request
8. Shall be present and secure additional assistance for all riser and rehearsal
setups (If a manager is unable to be present for a riser or rehearsal room setup,
he/she will make the necessary arrangements for someone else to serve as their
representative at the setup.)
9. Shall be present and secure additional assistance for all riser and rehearsal
strikes (If a manager is unable to be present for a riser or rehearsal room strike,
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he/she will make the necessary arrangements for someone else to serve as their
representative at the strike.)
10. Shall work with the Treasurer to disseminate and collect all materials related
to UC Choruses payments, including, but not limited to dues, apparel, CD sales,
tour payments, etc. Receipts will be given for all payments
11. Shall assist any board member in relaying important information to the UC
Men’s and Women’s Chorus members via class announcements, blackboard and
website postings, emails, etc.
12. Shall perform all other duties necessary to this office
10.6 Duties of Social Chair(s) include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall plan and execute all social activities for the UC Men’s and Women’s
Choruses
4. Shall provide detailed account of planned events to Executive and General
Board no less than two weeks prior to planned event. This includes, but is not
limited to quarterly retreats, spring banquet and any other planned activity
5. Shall work with the Directors and the Board to secure transportation for all
off‐campus venues
6. Shall perform other duties related to this office as necessary
10.7 Duties of Recruitment Chair(s) include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall plan and execute recruitment efforts on behalf of the UC Men’s and
Women’s Choruses
4. Shall perform other duties related to this office as necessary
10.8 Duties of Fundraising Chair(s) include but are not limited to:
1. Seeking out and attaining fundraising opportunities
2. Keeping track of fundraising deadlines and logistical needs
3. Allocating resultant funds to the Treasurer
4. Shall perform other duties related to this office as necessary
10.9 Duties of Publicity Chair(s) include but are not limited to:
1. Shall carry out the duties described in the composite job description for all
members of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses Board
2. Shall work in conjunction with the Directors and the Board to plan and execute
all aspects of the UC Men’s and Women’s Choruses
3. Shall plan and execute all aspects of publicity for the UC Men’s and Women’s
Choruses
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4. Shall design and present to the Executive and General Board advertisement
flyers and posters for each concert no less than three weeks prior to the event
5. Shall perform other duties related to this office as necessary
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