Constitution of the Temple Atheists and Critical Thinkers (TACT)
Preamble We, the members of Temple Atheists and Critical Thinkers, and subscribing to the regulations and policies of Temple University, establish this Constitution to govern the matters within our organization.
Article I: Identification Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Temple Atheists and Critical Thinkers, henceforth referred to as TACT for the purpose of brevity.
Article II: Purpose Section 1: The purpose of this organization shall be to support and uphold the separation of church and state as established by the First Amendment to the US Constitution and to promote science, reason, critical thinking, skepticism, and free inquiry in all aspects of life and thought, as well as the need to increase the employability and electability of non-theists.
Section 2: TACT is a member of the Philadelphia Coalition for Reason (PhillyCoR) and an affiliate of both the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) and the Center for Inquiry (CFI)'s On Campus program.
Article III: Membership Section 1: Anyone can join TACT who is currently enrolled for at least one (1) semester hour at Temple University. There will be no membership fee. All members (both active and inactive members) are welcome to participate in any activity sponsored by TACT.
Section 2: An “active” member of TACT is defined as a student who has attended at least two (2) meetings or at least one (1) meeting and one (1) group-sponsored event per semester. Active members have the right to vote and run for office in general and special elections. The Executive Board may grant active membership on an individual basis depending on enthusiasm and commitment if meeting attendance is not possible due to individual time constraints.
Section 3: Any member can resign from TACT verbally or in writing, provided a hard copy of said resignation is made available. TACT’s Executive Board reserves the right to terminate membership at its own discretion. In the event of termination of an officer from TACT’s Executive Board, the terminated officer may appeal to the rest of the active membership; a majority vote of the active membership (excluding officers) may overturn termination of an officer from the Executive Board prior to replacement by Special Election.
Article IV: Officers and Elections Section 1: The five (5) officer positions of this organization, and constituting this organization's Executive Board, shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Financial Officer, and Events Coordinator. The term of office shall be one (1) academic year.
Section 2: Duties for officers are outlined as follows: The President shall be in charge of the Executive Board and the organization in general with duties of communication pursuant to the status of the organization within the institution of Temple University. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President when he or she is absent or incapacitated, as well as manage communications with affiliates and allied organizations off campus. The Secretary shall be responsible for internal communications and record keeping. The Financial Officer is responsible for managing the allocations, funds, and expenditures of the organization as well as attending all the meetings of Temple Student Government, in order for the organization to receive institutional funding. The Events Coordinator is responsible for organizing events, making registrations for rooms and space, and coordinating with other participating organizations. The Executive Board shall decide upon other general duties and responsibilities, such as external communications, parliamentarian duties, etc... according to individual qualification and interest. The positions of Financial Officer and Secretary, if necessary, may overlap with any officer position except for that of the President. The Secretary may be assisted by an appointed webmaster. In addition, the President and Vice President are invested with the responsibilities of voting representatives on PhillyCoR's Executive Board, as stipulated in the bylaws for that coalition.
Section 3: The Executive Board reserves the right to determine whether one of its own will be removed from office. The condition for the removal of an officer is a three-fourths (3/4) or a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the other officers of the Executive Board, depending on how many officers currently serve on said Board. The officer in question may not vote on his or her own removal. Any appeal on the part of said officer will be heard by the rest of the Executive Board prior to the process of deliberation. Further appeals following an initial decision to remove an officer may be made, verbally or in writing, to the members of the Executive Board prior to replacement of said officer by special election, however the Executive Board reserves the right not to consider further appeals. Note that removal from office does not necessarily include removal from the organization.
Section 4: General Elections of officers shall be held by democratic process once per academic year during the second-to-last meeting of Spring Semester. Only active members are allowed to run for office in General Elections. Incumbents are not permitted to vote in General Elections. At least thirty percent (30%) of TACT's current active membership, excluding officers, must be present in order for a Special Election to take place.
Section 5: An officer of the Executive Board, should he or she choose to resign, is required to submit their resignation in writing and to provide a hard copy. Said officer may be requested and required to fill out a resignation form.
Section 6: In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Board due to removal or resignation, a Special Election will be scheduled. Details concerning the time of said election and vacant positions will be made available on TACT's listserv, and will also be posted on our website. Active members, including the officers on the Executive Board, are permitted to vote in Special Elections. At least thirty percent (30%) of TACT’s current active membership, including officers, must be present in order for a Special Election or General Election to take place.
Section 7: Having already defined voting eligibility in the case of General and Special Elections in the previous sections, the procedures for voting shall be as follows: General and Special Elections will be conducted democratically, by a secret ballot. Results of General Elections are to be decided by majority rule. Results of Special Elections require a majority of two-thirds (2/3) of the active membership, excluding any officers present. Candidates in General and Special elections may not vote for the position for which they are running.
Section 8: In the event of a tie between two (2) or more candidates in a General or Special election, the outcome shall be decided with regard to the relative time and effort put by each candidate into the organization. This time and effort shall be measured by the cumulative volunteer hours per academic year per each candidate.
Section 9: Any active member, including officers on the Executive Board, may nominate themselves or another active member for candidacy in General and Special Elections. Nominations will occur at the meeting on the day of the election. Nominations require a second in order for the candidate to be considered in the running for a position.
Article V: Meetings Section 1: Regular meetings shall be held weekly. Additional meetings may be scheduled by the Executive Board as needed. The Secretary will be responsible for notifying members of upcoming meetings via the organization's listserv.
Section 2: A quorum shall consist of two (2) or more active (voting) members plus least 3 of the members of the Executive Board. Meetings shall be conducted according to the Parliamentary Procedures of Robert's Rules of Order. Officers present will select an acting Parliamentarian from the Executive Board prior to each meeting.
Section 3: Any motion requires a second to come to a vote.
Section 4: Group participation on the part of TACT in any activity sponsored by another student organization must be supported by a vote of 2/3 of the active members present. This figure includes members of the Executive Board.
Article VI: Advisors Section 1: TACT shall have one (1) faculty advisor who is a full time employee of Temple University. The faculty advisor shall be a member ex-officio with no voting privileges.
Section 2: Said advisor shall be selected and voted in by the Executive Board at the second-to-last meeting of the academic year, prior to General Elections.
Section 3: Duties of the advisor are outlined in Temple University’s “Little Black Book for Student Organizations” and on the database for student organizations.
Article VII: Disbursement of Funds Section 1: All disbursements of funds must be approved by the President and the Financial Officer.
Section 2: Reimbursement of expenditures will only be accepted for members who have retained an original, itemized receipt and a description of the expenses incurred.
Section 3:Any expenditure in excess of ten US dollars ($10) must be approved by a majority of the organization's officers.
Section 4: All financial transactions of the organization will be managed through the Temple University Accounting System, as stipulated by the Guide to Sound Fiscal Practices.
Section 5: Only the organization's officers and the organization advisor shall have the ability to charge expenses to the organization via Temple University's account charge system.
Article VIII: Amendments Section 1: Amendments must be proposed by the Executive Board or to the Board by an active member or members. The constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the active membership. This figure includes any officers present. Amendments should not exceed the length of one half of one page.
Section 2: Any motion to present an amendment for a vote requires a second in order for said motion to be passed. |