Constitution of the Baker West Arts Council
May 2003
Revised August 2008
Article 1.
The Establishment of Student Council
1.1
The residents of Baker West hereby associate into an organization called The
Baker West Arts Council. Authority for the operation of this student government
is given to an Executive Board and Arts Council.
a.
The policy of the Baker West Arts Council is that discrimination against
any individual for reasons of race color, creed, religion, sexual orientation,
national origin, sex, age, handicap, or Vietnam-era veteran status is
specifically prohibited.
b.
Accordingly, equal access to employment opportunities, admissions,
education programs, and all other university activities is extended to all
persons. The Baker West Arts Council promotes equal opportunity
through a positive and continuing affirmative action program.
1.2
The purposes of the Baker West Arts Council (BWAC) are:
a.
To offer opportunities for involvement and leadership development to the
residents of Baker West;
b.
To represent the interests of the residents of Baker West by serving as a
funding and information resource;
c.
To provide activities that are both educational and social in nature and;
d.
To promote Baker West resident participation with the arts in Baker West,
on The Ohio State University campus and in the Columbus area.
Article 2.
The Executive Board
2.1
Officers serving as the Executive Board shall be the President, Finance Chair,
Secretary, Arts Chair, and Programming & Sustainability Chair.
2.2
Executive Board members shall not be paraprofessional staff members.
2.3
The Executive Board shall be the primary organizational board for the BWAC.
2.4
The Executive Board members shall coordinate projects for the BWAC, as well as
inform and educate all Executive Board members on the current projects of their
respective organization or committee.
2.5
The Executive Board shall plan, implement and complete at least one Arts related
program per academic quarter for the benefit of Baker West residents.
2.6
The term of office for Executive Board and BWAC Committee Members shall be
one academic year, or until their successors are elected.
2.7
The purpose of the Executive Board shall be:
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a.
b.
c.
To coordinate meetings and activities;
To act as a liaison with other student governments and;
To provide a leadership to residents of Baker West.
2.8
All Executive Board members shall:
a.
Attend weekly BWAC meetings.
b.
Attend weekly Executive Board meetings.
2.9
The President shall:
a.
Facilitate the BWAC Executive Board meetings;
b.
Facilitate the BWAC meetings;
c.
Assist the chairs of the committees and evaluate the progress of each
committee;
d.
Develop the agenda prior to the Executive Board meetings upon
consultation with the advisor;
e.
Meet weekly with the advisor to BWAC;
f.
Temporarily fulfill the duties of any officer should a vacancy or absence
occur;
g.
Attend RHAC, BSA, Jumpstart and other training sessions as deemed
necessary and;
h.
Attend the weekly RHAC general body meetings and participate fully
within the expectations of the RHAC general body members and;
i.
Other duties as assigned.
2.10
The Finance Chair shall:
a.
Be responsible for the monetary resources of BWAC;
b.
Maintain a complete up-to-date record of the finances and transactions of
the BWAC and report those figures at the Executive Board and BWAC
meetings;
c.
Be responsible for the disbursement of BWAC funds within a week of
request and approval of allocated funds;
d.
Monitor the funds of the BWAC staff and RAs and keep accurate balances
within those accounts;
e.
Submit an estimated budget to the Hall Council each quarter;
f.
Submit a treasurer’s report to the University Auditor at the end of each
quarter;
g.
Attend Treasurer Training;
h.
Meet weekly with the Advisor to BWAC;
i.
Sign checks distributed from the Hall Council account and;
j.
Other duties as assigned.
2.11
The Secretary shall:
a.
Record the minutes of the BWAC meetings and distribute copies to the
President, general membership and Advisor within 48 hours of the
meeting;
b.
Take and record attendance at the start of each BWAC meeting;
c.
Advise members of their attendance record;
d.
Distribute record of attendance to the President and Advisor within 48
hours of the meeting;
e.
Assist the Programming & Sustainability Chair with the design and
production of publicity for BWAC events;
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f.
g.
h.
Complete administrative paper work as necessary;
Complete all BWAC correspondence and;
Other duties as assigned.
2.12
The Arts Chair shall:
a.
Be the chair of visual and performing arts related programming of the
BWAC;
b.
Be responsible for the coordination, execution and evaluation of the major
visual and performing arts programs in Baker West;
c.
Help create an identity for Baker West as an artistic space;
d.
Supervise committees as deemed necessary and;
e.
Other duties as assigned.
2.13
The Programming & Sustainability Chair shall:
a.
Generate awareness among Baker West residents on sustainability through
BWAC practices and programs;
b.
Be responsible for raising awareness of sustainability issues in the
residence hall including acceptable materials for recycling, energy
efficiency, etc;
c.
Raise awareness for one specific sustainability issue per quarter through
an event for the entire hall;
d.
Attend monthly meetings to plan activities and provide feedback to the
RHAC Sustainability Chair;
e.
Be responsible for knowing the policies of The Ohio State University on
recycling and other sustainability issues;
f.
Assist the Secretary with advertisement of programs;
g.
Supervise committees as deemed necessary;
h.
Attempt to make recycling available for all Baker West events and;
i.
Other duties as assigned.
2.14
Floor Representatives shall:
a.
Serve as the representative for the floor on which they live;
b.
Communicate programs, activities, and BWAC information to their floor;
c.
Bring community issues and ideas to BWAC meetings;
d.
Assist in the recruitment of membership in BWAC and the participation of
residents in BWAC sponsored events;
e.
Serve on committees of their choice and;
f.
Other duties as assigned.
Article 3.
The Appointment of Officers
3.1
The offices of President, Secretary, Finance Chair, Arts Chair and Sustainability
Chair shall be filled by a selection process consisting of an application for office
and a majority vote of the BWAC membership.
3.2
Criteria for selection for office will be determined by the BWAC Advisor in
conjunction with the Executive Board of the preceding year.
3.3
Applications will be distributed at the beginning of the Spring Quarter and will be
due to the advisor two weeks after distribution.
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3.4
Voting will be completed by the fifth week of the Spring Quarter by the existing
committee membership.
3.5
In the event that an Executive Board position is not filled in the Spring Quarter,
the position will be elected at the beginning of the Autumn Quarter of the next
academic year.
3.6
In the event that majority of the Executive Board is vacant, the advisor will
distribute applications for office and appoint officers as needed.
Article 4.
The Baker West Arts Council Membership
4.1
Membership in the BWAC is open to any resident of Baker West, excluding
paraprofessional (RA) and Senior Staff.
4.2
The BWAC may form committees to do work on specific projects and it will be
expected that BWAC members actively participate in these efforts.
4.3
The Executive Board and BWAC members must be in good standing with the
university, which includes a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
4.4
The Advisor(s) to the BWAC shall be the Hall Director, Assistant Hall Director
and/or Resident Advisor paraprofessionals. The Hall Director or Assistant Hall
Director will serve as the primary advisor to the BWAC, and RA
paraprofessionals may serve as additional advisors.
4.5
The selection of BWAC membership will be facilitated by the Resident Advisors
(RAs) during their first floor meeting of the Autumn quarter. RAs will discuss
the BWAC and will distribute applications to interested residents.
4.6
Applications will be turned in to the advisor by a designated time and all
interested applicants will serve on the BWAC according to preferences outlined
by the applicant.
4.7
All residents of Baker West are considered general body members of the BWAC
and retain the following rights:
a.
All residents of Baker West may attend BWAC meetings;
b.
All residents may participate in discussion, planning and programs of the
BWAC;
c.
All residents may become eligible to vote on financial matters after good
standing with the BWAC has been established and;
d.
All residents may propose to the BWAC for program funding that directly
benefits the Baker West community.
4.8
General members may serve as committee chairs as committees are formed or
deemed necessary.
Article 5.
The Voting Membership
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5.1
Voting membership shall be given to any member of the BWAC, including
Executive Council Members with the exception of the President, who shall vote
only in the event of a tie.
5.2
Meetings of the Executive Council, all members shall have one vote; the
President shall vote only in the event of a tie or if the vote is conducted by ballot.
5.3
Voting procedure shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules, Newly
Revised Edition. The President will tally up the votes, to be verified by the
Adviser(s).
a.
Each voting member has the options of yeah, nay, or abstain.
b.
Abstentions will not be counted as “ no” votes.
Article 6.
Vacancies
6.1
If the office of the President becomes vacant, the Executive Council shall
nominate a member to serve as President until an election occurs to fill the office.
6.2
If any other office becomes vacant, the Executive Council shall make available to
the residents applications for the position within one week of the vacancy.
6.3
Within two weeks of the vacancy, the whole BWAC shall vote to determine
which of the applicants shall assume the vacated position.
6.4
Per Section 6.3(a) the nominated Executive Council officer shall assume the
responsibilities of the vacated office until a replacement is found.
Article 7.
7.1
Article 8.
Executive Council Impeachment Procedures
Removal of an Executive Board officer may be initiated by any voting member of
the BWAC. The impeachment petition must be submitted to the BWAC advisor
and subsequently distributed to the voting members of BWAC. An executive
officer of BWAC may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of committee
members present at the proceedings.
The Meetings
8.1
The Executive Board shall meet weekly during the academic year, unless an
alternative schedule is approved. All Executive Board members are expected to
attend this meeting, time and location of the meeting will be determined between
the Executive Board and the advisor.
8.2
The BWAC membership will meet weekly throughout the academic year. BWAC
members are all expected to attend this meeting; time and location of the meeting
will be determined by the Executive Board and the advisor(s).
Article 9.
9.1
The Adviser(s)
The primary Adviser(s) of the Baker West Arts Council shall be the Hall Director
and/or Assistant Hall Director, to be determined by them.
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9.2
The Adviser(s) will attend weekly BWAC meetings, weekly Executive Council
meetings, weekly meetings with the President, and weekly meetings with the
Finance Chair.
9.3
The BWAC Senior Staff Advisor shall be the official resource person to BWAC
and its executives by informing council of official University policy in given
issues and by contributing opinions and ideas on BWAC functioning and
programming.
9.4
The Adviser(s) will provide general guidance but will leave the specific operation
of the Hall Council to the Hall Council members.
9.5
The paraprofessional advisor(s) shall serve as advisor(s) to one of the four
executive board officers of the BWAC or Executive Council.
9.6
Any and all policies made by the Advisor must be approved by a majority vote of
the Executive Council, except when decisions are in direct violation of federal,
state, city, and/or University policy.
9.7
In areas in which the Constitution is unclear or does not seem to apply to a
situation, the Adviser(s) shall provide the final interpretation.
Article 10.
The Order of Meetings
10.1
The order of meetings shall be conducted in concordance with Robert’s Rules of
Order, Newly Revised Edition.
10.2
The order of meetings shall be as follows:
a.
Opening
b.
Reports:
1.
President
2.
Secretary
3.
Finance Chair
4.
Old Business. Here any unfinished business, items previously
discussed, and ongoing conversations shall take place.
5.
New Business. Here any new discussions, voting, announcements,
proposals or other topics deemed necessary shall take place.
6.
Closing
Article 11.
11.1
The BWAC Bank Account and Funding
The BWAC treasury is funded primarily through the student activity fee paid by
the residents of Baker. The treasury receives $7 per student each quarter. That
fee is allocated in the following manner to the account of Baker:
a.
A $2.00 allocation per resident will be deposited into the floor funds of the
RA of said resident. These floor funds will be managed by the FC, but are
under the control of the RA with consultation of the Hall Director or
Assistant Hall Director.
b.
The remaining $5.00 per resident will go into the general account, which
is monitored by the FC. Requests for funding from this account will be
made to the BWAC membership.
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Constitution of the Baker West Arts Council – Revised 2008
11.2
The BWAC Bank Account shall be maintained by the Finance Chair and the
Advisor.
11.3
The BWAC checks must be signed by a combination of two individuals with
signature power to be considered valid. Signature power will be granted only to
the President, Finance Chair and the Advisor(s).
11.4
Those with signature power will turn over the ledger and banking information to
the new Finance Chair and Advisor before the completion of the Spring Quarter.
Article 12.
Amendments
12.1
A proposal to amend the Constitution can be brought by any Hall Council
member.
12.2
This Constitution can be amended only by a vote of two-thirds of present voting
members.
12.3
If the amendment is approved by the Executive Council, BWAC membership and
the advisor, the amendment will become affixed to the constitution.
Article 13.
Expressed Powers
13.1
BWAC shall have the power to designate individuals as representatives of Baker
Hall West to external organizations and activities.
13.2
BWAC shall have the power to establish residence hall regulations regarding the
operation of BWAC in consultation with the Baker West staff and the Office of
Housing Education in addition to or in clarification of those established
regulations by BWAC.
13.3
BWAC also retains all powers given it by The Ohio State University, which are
not expressly stated here.
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