CONSTITUTION
of the
PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETY of DAVIDSON COLLEGE
1837
REVISED 1989
Preamble
Article I: Name and Motto
Article II: Membership
Article III: Government
Article IV: Officers
Article V: Committees
Article VI: Amendment
 
Preamble

We the undersigned students of Davidson College, deeply sensible of the great importance of properly fitting ourselves for acting well our respective parts in the great arena of life, have resolved to form ourselves into a Society, the object of which shall be intellectual, moral, and social improvement. It shall be the aim of this Society to pursue the study of rhetoric, logic, and ethic, to promote a spirit of subordination to law and order by engendering a high regard for virtue and truth, and to unite with us in closer bonds of friendship and fellow feeling those in whom we feel interested and deem worthy of our esteem. In order more efficiently to accomplish these important ends, we do ordain and establish the following Constitution and By-laws.
 
Article I: Name and Motto

 
  1. This organization shall be known as the Philanthropic Society of Davidson College.

    2.  
  2. The motto of this organization shall be 'Verite Sans Peur" (French, translated "Truth Without Fear.")

    3.  
  3. The color of this organization shall be light or "sky" blue.
Article II: Membership
  1. None other than students of the College shall be eligible for regular membership.  But any regular member, having graduated the College and the Society, shall be entitled to all the privileges of an active member (with the exception of holding an office), provided he or she shall have complied with all the requirements of the laws and regulations of a regular member, including payment of dues.

    2.  
  2. Any person may be elected honorary member, provided the member who proposes the individual's name state to the Society his or her true character and station in life. Such person m~y attend the meetings, but may take no part in the regular exercises, nor vote on any question.

    3.  
  3. A graduated member shall be known as an alumnus, and may enter the Hall at any time, but unless he or she be an active member, and so amenable to the regulations, he or she shall not vote on any question. No article or clause in this Constitution and By-laws shall be construed to deny any or all rights or membershipin the society on the basis of sex, race, or personal belief 
Article III: Government
  1. The government of this Society shall be exercised conjointly by three distinct departments, viz: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

    2.  
  2. The sole power of enacting, ratifying, amending, or repealing laws shall be vested in the House (defined as all active members except the President), which as a body shall constitute the Legislative department.

    3.  
  3. Such authority as shall be necessary to secure obedience to, and execution of, the Constitution and Laws, shall be vested in the President, who shall be considered Executive of the Society.

    4.  
  4. All powers to settle disputed constructions or inexplicit clauses in the Constitution or Laws, to judge whether or not a member on trial or impeachment iS guilty, to excuse or sanction fines imposed by the President, shall be vested in a committee to be known as the Judiciary Committee.
Article IV: Officers
  1. The officers of this Society shall consist of: a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a First and Second Supervisor, a First and Second Critic, and an Agent. This also constitutes the order of precedence. In the absence of higher officers, it shall be the duty of the one next in rank to take the Chair. At the discretion of the President in consultation with the House, some or all of the offices beyond Treasurer may be left vacant for a mutually agreed upon period. In such a case, the various duties that fall to these officers shall be undertaken by a member or members of the Society appointed by the President at such times that it may become necessary.

    2.  
  2. It shall be the duty of the President of this Society to preside at its meetings and to enforce a rigid execution of its Constitution and its Laws.

    3.  
  3. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to arrange programs in consultation with the President, to preside over meetings of the Query Committee and the Committee of the Whole House, and, in the absence of the President, to assume the responsibilities of the President's office.

    4.  
  4. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a concise and true account of the proceedings of the house, to post announcements of regular and called meetings to the members,to attend to all orders, and to preside over the meetings of the Membership Committee.

    5.  
  5. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive and disburse all money of the Society, keeping a true and faithful account of the same. The Treasurer shall be held strictly.

    6.  
  6. accountable for the funds in the Treasury, and shall pay no account unless it be first presented to the Secretary and acknowledged as correct by the same. The Treasurer shall preside over the meetings of the Finance Committee.

    7.  
  7. It shall be the duty of the First Supervisor to keep order in the Hall during meetings and to preside over meetings of the Judiciary Committee.

    8.  
  8. It shall be the duty of the Second Supervisor to assist the First Supervisor in his or her duties and to perform such duties as may be assigned by the House.

    9.  
  9. It shall be the duty of the First Critic to inspect the books of the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Judiciary Committee, and such others as are used in the proceedings of the Society at least once a year.

    10.  
  10. It shall be the duty of the Second Critic to assist the First Critic in performance of his or her duties, and to perform such duties as may be assigned by the House.

    11.  
  11. It shall be the duty of the Agent to attend to all correspondence of the Society not provided for by Committee or otherwise, and to perform such duties as may be assigned by the Queries Committee.

    12.  
  12. These officers shall be elected in the manner prescribed by the By-laws and shall be held strictly accountable to the Society for the manner in which they discharge their duties.

    13.  
Article V: Committees
  1. The Standing Committees of this Society shall be known as the Judiciary Committee, the Query Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Membership Committee. The Standing Committees shall meet at the discretion of the President or at the written request of two regular members of the Society.

    2.  
  2. The Society may at any time order the appointment of any Committee to execute any of its orders or attend to any unusual business. Such special Committees having performed the duty required shall report to the House. If the House receives the report as satisfactory, the Committee should be formally discharged by the President.

    3.  
  3. Members of all Committees shall be appointed by the President in accordance with the By-Laws.
Article VI: Amendment
  1. No article, section, or clause of this Constitution may be repealed, altered or amended, except in the following manner: any member wishing to introduce a resolution to amend the Constitution shall first offer and read such resolution to the membership during a regular or called meeting. The resolution shall then be passed on to the Judiciary Committee for their consideration. At the end of two weeks the resolution must be presented again to the House, along with the recommendations of the Judiciary Committee, for discussion. A two-thirds vote by ballot of all active members shall then be necessary to pass the resolution as an amendment. Such a vote must not be delayed more than two weeks after the recommendations of the Judiciary Committee are heard and the resolution is discussed.

    2.  

     

    The By-Laws of the Society may be amended only in the same manner as provided for amendments to the Constitution.