The Black Student Coalition

Preamble

We, the black students of Davidson College, do establish this kindred to preserve the pride and dignity of the students who have gone before us, as well as those who will follow after us. We seek to insure that our cultural heritage is remembered, preserved, and celebrated as long as this kindred exists. We seek to establish a positive influence, not only at this college, but also wherever our callings may lead us. With our work in mind, we establish this kindred, the Black Student Coalition of Davidson College, to prepare us to enter a world where we will better serve those in our community.

Top of Page

Article I.

Organizational Name

The name of this kindred shall be the Black Student Coalition.

Top of Page

Article II.

Purpose

The purpose of this kindred shall be to establish and maintain a spirit of solidarity among the black students of Davidson College; to effect awareness within the framework of Davidson with regard to the contributions of black persons to the total environment of Davidson College; to serve as an active force ready and willing to support the black members of the Davidson community and to aid them in overcoming adversities they may face; to provide an outlet for the social and cultural needs of black students; and to challenge Davidson College to become an embracing environment for black students and diversity as a whole.

Top of Page

Article III.

Members

Section 1.

All members of the Davidson College student body shall be eligible for membership. Any student desiring membership in the kindred shall be declared a member upon payment of semester dues. Retention of membership and voting privileges shall be contingent upon timely payment of dues and good-standing of membership status as determined by the kindred. Dues shall be ten dollars per academic semester payable in or before the second regular meeting of the academic year. The treasurer shall notify members one week after dues deadline, and those whose dues are not paid within two weeks thereafter shall be automatically dropped from membership in the kindred. Executive members are expected to pay dues by the first kindred meeting.

Section 2.

Upon the recommendation of one member, seconded by another, and with the consent of three-fourths of the kindred, special membership may be conferred upon interested community members and guests of the kindred. A special member shall have none of the obligations of membership in the kindred but shall be entitled to all of the privileges, except those of making motions, of voting, and of holding office.

Section 3.

The privileges and responsibilities of the kindred members are as followed: access to the house 24 hours, reasonable consumption of available food and drink, may bring up to 5 non-members into the BSC house (guest policy), can attend member only events, have voting rights, cleaning responsibilities (respect the facilities), and uphold the purposes of the BSC.

Top of Page

Article IV.

Officers

Section 1.

The officers of the kindred shall be president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, house manager, historian, committee chairpersons (i.e., special events, social, community relations, recruiting and orientation, and publicity), representatives (i.e., SGA/DCC and freshman) and parliamentarian. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the kindred.

Section 2.

Only members of the kindred who are students shall qualify for any elected positions. Candidates for officer positions shall have spent at least one full semester at Davidson College and have maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. Any candidate for president shall be a student at least three semesters.

Section 3.

The officers shall be chosen by three procedures:

1. Category I: The offices which shall be filled by election are: president, vice president, secretary, SGA/DCC representative, house manager, historian, special events chair, social chair, community relations chair, recruiting and orientation chair, and publicity chair. Open nominations shall be taken for Category I offices at the regular meeting determined at the discretion of the executive members during the spring semester. At that meeting all nominees shall receive a candidacy form for each nominated position. Nominees must honor pledge their candidacy. The candidacy form should address the following areas: desire for respective office, vision for office, vision for BSC, and qualifications. Each form shall be completed in no more than one page and submitted to the secretary no later than the following Friday. Copies of each form shall be posted and distributed to the kindred at the following regular meeting of the spring semester. Officers shall be elected by ballot at the proceeding regular meeting of the spring semester.

2. Category II: Freshman representative. Open nominations for freshman representative shall be taken at the second regular meeting of the fall semester, and election by freshman members shall follow at the third regular meeting of the fall semester.

3. Category III: The offices which shall be filled by executive council appointment are: treasurer and parliamentarian. The newly elected executive council shall appoint officers no later than the eighth Sunday of the spring semester with two-thirds consent of the kindred.

Section 4.

The officers shall serve for one year or until their successors are chosen, and their term of office shall begin two weeks after the close of the meeting at which they are elected or appointed. The delay of two weeks shall allow for a period of transition during which newly elected officers shall be oriented to their positions.

Section 5.

No member shall hold more than one office at a time.

Section 6.

Students abroad who have fulfilled membership requirements the preceding semester are eligible to request an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots shall be furnished for Category I elections by electronic mail upon request only. Requests for absentee ballots shall be submitted to the parliamentarian via electronic mail at least one week before elections of the spring semester. The parliamentarian shall distribute absentee ballots 48 hours following nominations, and the electronic ballots shall be returned to only the parliamentarian within 72 hours of receipt. Absentee ballots will not be available for freshman representative elections.

Top of Page

Article V.

Duties of the Officers

Section 1.

The powers and duties of the president shall be:

1. to call and preside at meetings of the kindred;
2. to be the official representative of the Black Student Coalition;
3. to form special committees;
4. to appoint officers in the case of vacancy with the consent of two thirds of the kindred;
5. to dismiss any officer or member with the consent of two thirds of the kindred;
6. and to encourage the morale and familial association of the kindred.

Section 2.

The powers and duties of the vice president shall be:

1. to assume the duties of the president in his or her absence or incapacity;
2. to succeed in the office of the president and serve the remainder of the unexpired term should the office of the president become vacant;
3. to assist the president;
4. to ensure that committees are functioning according to these bylaws;
5. and to preside over the executive council meetings.

Section 3.

The powers and duties of the secretary shall be:

1. to make and keep accurate minutes of all called and regular meetings of the kindred and executive council and record attendance at all meetings;
2. to organize files of the kindred;
3. to prepare the agenda for meetings;
4. to assist the president in drafting correspondence;
5. to compile directories for the kindred, contacts, and alumnus;
6. and to coordinate voice mail and electronic mail distribution.

Section 4.

The powers and duties of the treasurer shall be:

1. to work with all officers regarding all monetary and economic affairs of the kindred;
2. to report to members at regular meetings regarding the state of affairs of the kindred;
3. to act as the chief financial officer responsible for insuring the proper handling of accounts in accordance with rules and regulations;
4. to coordinate the executive council creation of annual budget proposal beginning no later than the first week in March and ending with the submission of the proposal to the Activities and Tax Council;
5. and to keep accurate books concerning the monetary transactions of the kindred.

Section 5.

The powers and duties of the house manager shall be:

1. to be responsible for the maintenance and improvement of the house;
2. to maintain a calendar of events and schedule activities that are to take place at the house;
3. to keep house rules current and posted;
4. to make budget requests for house needs;
5. to supervise and schedule house clean up activities;
6. to handle maintenance requests and other house related business with proper authorities (e.g., work orders);
7. to secure the house and its contents during holidays;
8. to keep a current list of valuable items and pertinent information (serial numbers, etc.) on file with campus police;
9. to keep member informed of the house activities (e.g., notes on bulletin board) and to act as a liaison between the kindred, administration, and public in matters;
10. to appoint committees to carry out house-related activities;
11. and to submit a projected budget to the treasurer.

Section 6.

The powers and duties of the committee chairpersons (special events, social, community relations, recruiting and orientation, and publicity) shall be:

1. to call direct relative committees in accordance with these bylaws;
2. to call and preside over meetings of relative committees;
3. and to submit project budgets for relative committees to the treasurer.

Section 7.

The powers and duties of the historian shall be:

1. to keep an accurate record of events in the scrapbook;
2. to keep flyers of all events in the scrapbook;
3. to organize the archives;
4. to coordinate photography at events;
5. and to maintain the BSC website.

Section 8.

The powers and duties of the SGA/DCC representative shall be:

1. to represent kindred interests in the Student Government Association and the Diversity Coordinating Committee;
2. to report regularly to the kindred the relevant activities of the SGA and DCC;
3. and to serve as an active link between the BSC and SGA and DCC.

Section 9.

The powers and duties of the freshman representative shall be:

1. to represent the interests of the freshmen members of the kindred;
2. to head up committees as appointed by the president;
3. to communicate needs of entire kindred;
4. and to maintain an active committee of freshmen to create programs directed at freshmen

Section 10.

The powers and duties of the parliamentarian shall be:

1. to ensure that the bylaws and parliamentary procedure are followed at all kindred and executive council meetings;
2. to oversee all voting activity of the kindred and executive council;
3. and to inform members during the first meeting of each semester of the procedures for absentee ballots during elections.

Top of Page

Article VI.

Executive Council

Section 1.

The officers of the kindred shall constitute the executive council.

1. The parliamentarian shall be a non-voting member, except in general elections.
2. The presiding officer of any meeting shall vote only in the case of a tie.
3. The presiding officer of the general elections should act as parliamentarian during elections.

Section 2.

Unless otherwise ordered by the executive council, regular meetings of the executive council shall be open to all members of the kindred. The vice president shall preside over all meetings of the executive council.

Section 3.

The powers and duties of the executive council shall be:

1. to serve as counsel to the president on matters concerning the kindred;
2. to chart policy and direction of the kindred with consent of the kindred;
3. to recommend the final annual budget proposal to be approved by the kindred;
4. to appoint the treasurer and parliamentarian with two-thirds consent of the kindred;
5. to determine voting membership dues;
6. to enforce rules and resolutions adopted by the kindred;
7. and to act with special rights in any way deemed necessary to protect the interests and existence of the kindred in extenuating circumstances warranting action within two hours.

Section 4.

The council shall be subject to the orders of the kindred, and none of its acts shall conflict with the actions taken by the kindred.

Section 5.

All financial transactions of amount less than $200.00 must be approved by the executive council, and all transactions above $200.00 must be approved by the kindred. In circumstances where decisions must be made before the next kindred meeting, executive council will make an executive decision and immediately inform the kindred.

Top of Page

Article VII.

Committees

Section 1.

The special events committee shall be responsible for organizing special events that are consistent with the purpose of the kindred and that benefit the college campus and community. It shall be responsible for recruiting speakers.

Section 2.

The social committee shall be responsible for organizing formal and informal social events for the kindred. It shall be responsible for maintaining social contacts in the community and with other universities in the area. This committee will post a monthly calendar of local events of interest to the kindred.

Section 3.

The community relations committee shall be responsible for organizing activities that strengthen the kindred’s relationship with the community. It shall organize community service events and keep an accurate record of the event with an accurate record of attendance for each event. This committee shall also maintain a current record of community contacts and organizations.

Section 4.

The recruiting and orientation committee shall coordinate activities for the recruitment and orientation of black students. It shall organize activities to welcome all new members to the kindred. This committee shall work closely with the college admissions office in the process of recruiting minority students.

Section 5.

The publicity committee shall be responsible for the campus publicity of all kindred events. It shall inform members of the time and place of all kindred events.

Section 6.

The president shall appoint other committees as the kindred or executive council deems necessary. The president shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees.

Top of Page

Article VIII.

Duties and Responsibilities of the BSC Advisor(s)

The powers and responsibilities of the advisor(s) shall be:

1. to count the votes during the general elections and privately consult with the presiding officer;
2. to allow presiding officer to vote privately, in case of a tie during elections;
3. to attend executive and kindred meetings;
4. to meet with the president biweekly;
5. to meet with the treasurer once a month and to be aware of BSC finance situations;
6. and to keep executive and kindred members informed of policy developments.

Top of Page

Article IX.

Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall apply in all cases in which they are relevant and not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules that the kindred may adopt.

Top of Page

Article X.

Housing Policy

Section 1.

The guest policy is as follows: members are responsible for their guest(s) and their actions.

Section 2.

BSC events have priority over non-affiliated events and organizations.

Section 3.

Non-affiliated BSC events or organizations must schedule with the housing manager at least 1 week prior to use of BSC facilities. BSC members still retain full access to facilities when events take place.

Section 4.

Non-affiliated BSC events or organizations must have at least 50% BSC members in their constituency in order to use BSC facilities, unless the BSC kindred and executive council agree that the event or organization upholds the purpose as outlined in this constitution.

Section 5.

Abuse of the house will result in revoked membership of the BSC, as defined and agreed upon by the executive and kindred members. Persons responsible for damages will be held financially responsible and judged according to the honor code and code of responsibility.

Top of Page

Article XI.

Amendments

Amendments to these bylaws can be proposed by any member of the kindred and must be ratified by a two-thirds vote. Any amendment proposal must be submitted in writing to the executive council one week prior to the meeting it is proposed and voted on at the next regular meeting.

Top of Page