The GSA@OU's Constitution

I. Name of Organization

II. Purposes

To promote unity among the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community and their supporters
To provide a friendly, open-minded social resource for students and community members who are dealing with their sexual identity, or the sexual identity of their friends and loved ones
To foster a more accepting atmosphere for GLBTQ individuals and allies, as well as all forms of diversity, at Oakland University
To advance equal treatment of GLBTQ individuals and allies in political, social, educational, and all other spheres

III. Officers and Positions

President – the President will be responsible for overseeing all of the student organization’s operations; motivating members to participate in and contribute to the organization; conducting meetings; drawing up meeting agendas; checking the mail; delegating responsibilities to members; establishing committees and observing their progress; and all other responsibilities not prescribed to specific officers
Vice President – the Vice President will be responsible for assisting the President with their duties and fulfilling the responsibilities of the President in the event that they are unable to fulfill their obligations
Secretary – the Secretary will be responsible for recording the minutes of the meetings; maintaining the contact list of current members of the organization; distributing the minutes to all members; and contacting all current members with special announcements
Treasurer – the Treasurer will be responsible for maintaining the budget; applying for funding from the Student Activity Funding Board; and giving a weekly update of the organization’s current financial situation

IV.Elections

Elections will be held at the start of every semester that the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University is active
Candidates will be nominated be a fellow member of by themselves; the candidates will give a short speech explaining why they feel they are best suited for the position; all present members will participate in a ballot vote; the candidate with the most votes for a position receives the position
In the event that there is only one nomination for a position, the lone candidate receives the position by default
In the event that there are no nominations for a position, the President will make an appointment to fill the position

V. Appointments

The President will appoint all positions other than President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer
If any member is dissatisfied with the appointment, then the present members of the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University will hold a vote by show of hands on whether to keep the appointment or not; if a majority of the present members disapprove the appointment, then the President will make another appointment with the guidance of the present members

VI. Meetings

Business meetings will be held every Sunday at 6:00 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge of the Oakland Center on Oakland University’s campus
The purpose of the meetings are to plan events; give updates on ongoing projects; make any and all official decisions involving the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University; to welcome new members; and address any grievances or suggestions regarding the organization
The agenda for the meeting will be drawn up by the President, with suggestions for agenda items offered by the other officers and general members; every meeting must contain a period that allows for the general membership to ask questions and offer comments

VII. Financial Affairs

The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall develop a budget; upon completion of the budget, it is to be submitted to the members for a vote by a show of hands
If the budget is disapproved, then the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer will amend the budget with the guidance of the present members
The Treasurer will maintain the budget and apply for funding from the Student Activity Funding Board
Money will be raised through various fundraisers developed by the present members of the organization
In the event that the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University is to dissolve, the remaining money is to remain in an account and given to any gay straight alliance that would happen to form in the future
Any expenditure of the organization’s funds will be announced before the expenditure, to allow time for objections

VIII. Membership

The only requirement to be a member of the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University is to be an open-minded individual that wishes to contribute to one or more of the organization’s goals
There will be no dues charged to become a member of the organization

IX. Advisor

The advisor’s responsibilities include all responsibilities given in the Advisors Agreement; assisting the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University in fulfilling its obligations for recognition; and helping direct the organization to needed resources that the university offers

X. Amendments

To amend anything with this constitution, a current member of the Gay Straight Alliance at Oakland University must voice their grievance with the constitution during a business meeting and must give reasons for this grievance
If a majority of members present at the meeting agree, then there will be a vote at the next business meeting and all members will be notified of this vote
If some members cannot make it to the meeting for the vote, then they may submit an absentee vote through electronic mail prior to the actual voting
At the meeting of the vote, present members will vote whether or not to amend the part of the constitution that there is a grievance over; if a majority of the members vote to amend, then the member who originally voiced their grievance must present an amendment to remedy this grievance
Two-thirds of the members must vote to ratify the presented amendment to the organization’s constitution; if that threshold is met, then the amendment immediately goes into effect