PREAMBLE
This Constitution will serve as the guiding principle of the Activities
Board at Columbia, hereafter referred to as ABC, in order to insure the
fair governance of all groups that fall under it and the responsible allocation
of student life fees.
ARTICLE I - PURPOSE
The ABC is an undergraduate governing board that operates on behalf of the
student councils and governs groups whose functions do not fall under the
other governing boards, including: pre-professional, academic, competition,
cultural, special interest, performance, media, performing arts, and large
scale events. The ABC operates under the Office of Student Development and
Activities (SDA), who provides advising and resources and manages all ABC
accounts. The ABC serves the following primary purposes:
1. Serves and represents the interests of its groups;
2. Determines initial funding and approves groups' expenditures;
3. Sets funding and policy guidelines for its groups;
4. Empanels a Judiciary Committee to enforce above policy;
5. Recommends groups to SDA for formal recognition.
ARTICLE II - BOARD COMPOSITION
Section 1 - Executive Board
The ABC Executive Board shall consist of the following four officers:
1. President, whose powers and responsibilities include calling and presiding
over ABC meetings, coordinating the ABC, and holding ABC elections;
2. Vice-President, whose responsibilities include chairing the Judiciary
Committee, chairing the Policy Committee in the fall, presiding over ABC
meetings when the ABC President is unavailable, managing the trophy case,
and assisting the President and other officers in executing and enforcing
the policy decisions made by the ABC;
3. Treasurer, whose responsibilities include chairing the Appeals Committee
in the fall, balancing the ABC account, and executing monetary legislation
made by the ABC;
4. Secretary, whose responsibilities include chairing the Recognition Committee
in the fall, sending out the weekly ABC newsletter, taking minutes of weekly
ABC meetings, and making them publicly accessible.
Section 2 - Representatives-at-Large
There will be thirteen Representatives-at-Large. The duties of the Representatives-at-Large
shall include advising a set number of groups, which involves the following:
1. Maintaining regular communication with group leaders, including making
a concerted effort to attend or arrange for at least one meeting or event
per semester per group represented, notification of important meetings,
deadlines, and related information;
2. Advising groups with programming, finances, and helping them understand
ABC procedures, rules, and regulations;
3. Acting as the primary source of information for the ABC regarding the
group's activities, and making recommendations to the ABC with regard to
actions taken by the board concerning the group, including recognition,
de-recognition, appeals, and allocations.
Section 3 - Council Liaisons
There will be one Liaison from CCSC, one Liaison from ESC, and one Liaison
from GSSC, whose duties include maintaining effective lines of communication
between their respective councils and the ABC and regularly attending ABC
meetings.
Section 4 - Meetings
1. Every member of the ABC has one vote, except for the President, who may
vote only in the event of a tie.
2. Meetings shall be held weekly, and all meetings shall be open to the
public unless closed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the Board.
3. A quorum of 2/3 of the voting members of the board must be present for
any business to be conducted.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP IN THE ABC
Section 1 - Criteria for Membership in the ABC
To be a recognized group of the ABC, a group must:
1. Not be community service, political, religious, athletic, or activist
in purpose. Honorary societies, fraternities, sororities, or privately incorporated
organizations are also ineligible;
2. Be open to all members of the Columbia community regardless of race,
ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, veteran's
status, academic major, or physical handicaps;
3. Be composed of at least twenty (20) members, unless the nature of the
group precludes a 20-person membership;
4. Have a membership consisting of two-thirds (2/3) Columbia College and/or
the School of Engineering and Applied Science and/or General Studies undergraduate
students. Dually recognized groups (i.e. recognized by both SGA and ABC)
must have a membership consisting of at least one-half (1/2) Columbia College
and/or School of Engineering and Applied Science and/or General Studies
undergraduate students;
5. Have at least one of the president, vice-president, or treasurer be a
full-time student of Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied
Science, or School of General Studies. This person will be required to complete
Treasurer's Training at the start of the academic year;
6. Not duplicate the function and/or recognized purpose of any other ABC
organization; 7. Require access to University facilities and resources not
otherwise available to them as an unrecognized group.
Section 2 - Privileges of Recognized Groups
1. Recognized groups may include "Columbia" as part of the name of the organization.
The organization may not, however, use the name "Columbia" in such a way
as to represent to others that the organization is authorized to act on
behalf of the University (e.g. when the organization is negotiating or signing
contracts);
2. Recognized groups also have access to SDA-provided resources, including
advising, space and services in Lerner Hall (and other buildings) for group
programming, use of a group mailbox in the Student Government Office (SGO),
storage closets and other resources in the SGO, an SDA account, and the
ability to request funding and webspace from ABC.
Section 3 - Group Categories
1. Every group is recognized as either funded or unfunded. A funded group
may submit a budget request to the ABC of any amount in accordance with
ABC allocation procedures.
2. Heritage months and the Varsity Show are not subject to the standard
allocation procedures; instead, they must submit budget requests at least
six weeks before their initial programming. The Appeals Committee shall
review their requests. A simple majority vote of the full board is needed
to approve allocations for heritage months and the Varsity Show. Heritage
months may receive an allocation of no more than $9,000.
3. New groups that are recognized as funded may receive allocations of up
to $250 per semester for the first year after their recognition.
4. Groups that are recognized as unfunded must go through the new group
recognition process again to be recognized as funded.
Section 4 - Group Constitution
1. All groups must keep a Constitution on file with the ABC. The board should
approve a group's Constitution so long as the Constitution is structurally
sound and does not contradict a provision of the ABC Constitution.
2. A group wishing to change its Constitution must submit an amended Constitution
along with reasons for the change to the Recognition Committee. The amended
Constitution must be approved by a simple majority of the full ABC board.
3. If a change in the mission statement of the group is deemed great enough
by the ABC, the change may instead be referred to the New Group Recognition
process.
ARTICLE IV - NEW GROUP RECOGNITION PROCESS
Section 1
To apply for ABC recognition, an organization must submit an application
to the ABC by a date set by the ABC and announced at the beginning of each
semester that includes:
1. A membership list with signatures of all members;
2. A signed constitution, complete with a statement of purpose;
3. A completed New Group Application.
Section 2 - Review of New Group Proposals
1. The Recognition Committee receives and reviews all applications. Each
group under consideration by the Recognition Committee has the right to
a hearing if they request one.
2. The Chair will present a report of all proposals the Recognition Committee
received, regardless of whether the Committee is recommending the group
for recognition. Any board member can motion to reassess groups that did
not receive NGR's recommendation.
3. A group shall be considered officially recognized when a two-thirds (2/3)
majority of ABC members vote to accept them.
4. All new groups are recognized as Category A groups. Exceptions to this
clause may be granted if four-fifths (4/5) of the ABC votes in favor of
an exception.
5. A new group shall receive all privileges associated with ABC recognition
and its category effective immediately after SDA approval.
Section 3 - Notification and Appeal
1. If at any point in the recognition process a group fails to qualify or
achieve the necessary votes, the Recognition Committee Chair should provide
said group with reasons for why the group was not recognized.
2. A group wishing to appeal a decision should provide the ABC Executive
Board with reasons for reconsideration. The appeal will only be considered
if at least one member of the ABC Executive Board determines the group has
provided new information relevant to the review of the application, at which
point the request will be reviewed again by the full board.
ARTICLE V - OTHER FUNDING POLICIES
Section 1 - Appeals
A group may appeal for additional funding during the academic year in accordance
with the criteria set forth in ABC's Funding Guidelines.
1. Each group requesting an appeal is required to submit to the Appeals
Committee an explanation of the basis for the appeal and all relevant budget
information the ABC deems necessary for considering the appeal.
2. A simple majority vote is required for the full board to render a decision
on the appeal request.
Section 2 - Debt Policy
If a group accumulates debt, then the ABC shall take the following actions:
1. As much as possible of a group's debt should first be reclaimed from
the group's revenue.
2. The ABC may then reclaim up to 1/3 of a groups' initial allocation as
debt payment.
3. Exceptions under this policy may be granted by a two-thirds (2/3) majority
of the ABC.
Section 3 - Rollovers
Revenue is automatically rolled over, but unused allocation is reclaimed
at the end of the fiscal year.
Section 4 - Agreements
The ABC reserves the right to make additional agreements with a group specific
to their circumstances so long as the agreement does not violate a principle
of the Constitution. The agreement must be made clear in writing, signed
by both parties (an electronic signature is sufficient), and preserved in
the ABC archives as well as transferred to incoming boards of both ABC and
the group.
ARTICLE VI - PENALTIES
Section 1 - Forms of Sanctions
The ABC reserves the right to impose the following sanctions on groups:
1. Allocation Deduction;
2. Freezing of Account;
3. Category Demotion;
4. Suspension of ABC privileges.
5. Recommendation of Group De-Recognition to SDA;
6. Recommendation of Disciplinary Action to SDA.
Sanctions may be levied in response to violations including:
1. Failure to either attend the Annual General Meeting or vote in the ABC
elections;
2. Late submission of budget proposals;
3. Violation of ABC regulations, University regulations, or local, state,
or federal law;
4. Serious and deliberate misrepresentation of financial figures;
5. Failure of a group's executive board to attend the required SDA training
sessions.
Section 2 - Allocation Deduction
Financial penalties imposed by ABC for failure to attend the Annual General
Meeting or submit a budget proposal by the deadlines set by the ABC shall
not exceed 10% of total allocation. Groups must be given at least three
(3) weeks' notice of upcoming deadlines.
Section 3 - Imposition of Other Sanctions
The ABC may impose all other sanctions only through a 2/3 vote by the full
board.
ARTICLE VII - DE-RECOGNITION OF STUDENT GROUPS
Section 1 - Criteria
The ABC may de-recognize groups that violate ABC policies (including no
longer meeting the criteria for group membership) or that have been deemed
inactive for two consecutive semesters.
Section 2 - Procedure
1. If a group is being derecognized on the grounds of inactivity, all efforts
should be made to make sure that the group is indeed inactive, including
contacting past boards.
2. A two-thirds (2/3) vote by the ABC is required to derecognize a group.
3. A demoted or derecognized group wishing to make an appeal must provide
reasons for remaining recognized in writing to the Recognition Committee
within fourteen (14) days of the date of original notification. A two-thirds
vote (2/3) by the full ABC board is required to approve the appeal.
ARTICLE VIII - BY-LAWS
Section 1 - Function
The By-Laws shall detail the procedures by which the ABC shall carry out
its duties, including but not limited to budget allocation, appeals, group
recognition, and judicial review, as well as policies relevant to groups,
including but not limited to categorization, funding guidelines, and use
of resources.
Section 2 - Amendments
The By-Laws shall be contained in a separate public document, entitled "ABC
By-Laws" and may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the ABC."
ARTICLE IX - COMMITTEES
Section 1
The following standing committees are hereby established:
1. Appeals Committee: Responsible for reviewing and recommending amounts
for appeals, emergency allocations, and category promotion budgets to the
ABC throughout the year.
2. Recognition Committee: Responsible for reviewing applications for new
groups and category promotions as well as applying demotion and de-recognition
criteria to ABC groups and making the appropriate recommendation to the
ABC.
3. Policy Committee: Responsible for reviewing ABC policy and making at
least one yearly review of the ABC Constitution, which must determine the
existence of flaws, omissions, or other errata that ought to be corrected,
as well as proposing any reforms that shall increase the effectiveness of
the ABC or of its member groups.
4. Allocation Committees: Responsible for determining initial budget allocation
recommendations to the ABC of those groups that are advised by the committee's
members. The committee will meet only after allocations are submitted.
Ad-hoc committees, including the judiciary committee, are established by
a simple majority vote of the board.
Section 2 - Committee Formation
Committee assignments will be made under such rules as the ABC may establish,
with the following exceptions:
1. At least one (1) Executive Officer of the ABC must serve on each standing
committee.
2. The chair of the committees will be appointed by the Executive Board.
3. Members of the ABC must recuse themselves as appropriate if that member
has a conflict of interest regarding one of the groups under the committee's
jurisdiction.
Section 3 - Committee Meeting Procedures
1. A quorum of 2/3 of the members of the committee must be present for the
committee to vote on any recommendations.
2. At least one-half (1/2) of the committee must vote in favor of a recommendation
for the recommendation to pass.
ARTICLE X - ELECTING, APPOINTING, AND REMOVING ABC MEMBERS
Section 1 - Eligibility
Executive Board and Representative-at-Large positions are only open to any
continuing full-time undergraduate student in the Columbia College, the
School of Engineering and Applied Science, or General Studies.
Section 2 - Election Procedures
The date for Executive Board Officer elections shall be at least one (1)
week before the date for the elections of Representatives-at-Large. All
candidates for an ABC position are required to hand in a candidate statement
to be made available to the voting population before the date of the election.
1. Election of ABC Executive Board Officers:
a. Candidates for each Officer position will be elected by members of the
ABC not running for that office.
b. Voting for an office will commence after all candidates for that office
have spoken, starting with that of President. Candidates who fail to win
a particular Officer position may chose to run for the next Officer position.
Elections will proceed in the order of President, Vice-President, Treasurer,
and Secretary. c. Candidates may appeal to the ABC President or the council
liaisons to demand a recount before the next Officer election takes place.
2. Election of ABC Representatives-at-Large
a. Elections for ABC Representatives-at-Large will take place at the Annual
General Meeting. All groups are required to send one member to the Annual
General Meeting and to vote during the voting period. b. Each ABC recognized
group may cast one (1) vote for ABC Representatives. Proxy votes are prohibited.
An executive board member of an ABC recognized group who sits on the executive
board of another group may cast separate votes on behalf of his/her respective
organizations.
Section 3 - Resignations
1. If a Representative-at-Large resigns, applications for the vacancy shall
be solicited from the general membership. A new representative may then
be appointed by a simple majority of the ABC.
2. If a member of the ABC Executive Board resigns, a new officer may be
appointed by a simple majority of the ABC after nominations are made from
within the board.
Section 4 - Impeachment and Removal
Grounds for impeachment shall include serious abuse of membership privileges,
neglect of the duties set forth in the ABC Constitution, or deliberate violation
of the ABC Constitution. Impeachment proceedings may be initiated by any
of the following four methods:
1. A motion by at least three of the four Executive Officers of the ABC.
2. A motion submitted by the three Council Liaisons and affirmed by at least
two of the four Executive Officers of the ABC.
3. A request submitted in the form of a petition signed by no fewer than
six (6) of the ABC Representatives-at-Large. 4. A request submitted in the
form of a petition signed by one or more officers of no fewer than one-fifth
(1/5) of all registered ABC groups or, in the case of impeaching a representative,
two-thirds (2/3) of a representative's groups.
Following impeachment, an officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds
(2/3) majority vote of the ABC, or a three-fifths (3/5) majority vote of
all general body groups
ARTICLE XI - JUDICIARY POLICY
The Judiciary Policy shall be contained in a separate document and may be
amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the ABC.
ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Amendments to the ABC constitution must be passed by two-thirds (2/3) majority
vote by the ABC and two-thirds (2/3) vote of voting ABC member groups.
Last revised February 7, 2011.