ENGLISH CLUB CONSTITUTION

Section I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the “UNI English Club”; hereinafter referred to as
the “English Club.”

Section II. Purpose

The purpose of the English Club is to foster a community of students whose interests lie
in literature, whether discussion, writing, reading, speaking, teaching, or viewing, and the
different uses of the English language.

Section III. Offices of the Organization

The officers of the English Club shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary,
and Treasurer. An individual member may not hold more than one position; the only
exception is the Secretary/Treasurer position.

Section IV. Membership Eligibility

Membership for this organization is open to all students currently registered in this
University as English, English Education, linguistics, film, writing, or TESOL majors,
minors, or graduates, or any English-related fields. Official membership of the English
Club will be based on the attendance of at least one of the monthly meetings per semester
and willingness to pay dues if needed.

Section V. Officers Qualifications and Functions

The qualifications for office are the candidate’s willingness to commit to the English
Club in the forms of both attendance and support for at least one (1) academic semester.

The President shall be the chief executive of the English Club. The President’s
responsibilities shall include: setting meeting times and dates for both the entire English
Club and for officers exclusively, chairing meetings, maintaining the lines of
communication within the English Club by way of mailing list or other means necessary,
updating the officers and members of the English Club on any new developments (i.e.
activities, classes) pertaining to English, English Education, Linguistics, film, writing, or
TESOL or any English-related fields, on and around UNI campus, and in the event of a
tie on any voting issue, the President will have the deciding vote.

The Vice President’s responsibilities shall include: assuming the duties of the President,
Secretary, or Treasurer should they not be available at any time for any reason, taking
care of any paperwork or assignments the President bestows or is unable to complete,
setting quorum at meetings, updating the officers and members of the English Club on
new developments pertaining to English, English Education, linguistics, film, writing, or
TESOL, or any English-related fields on and around UNI campus, taking care of any
press or public relation needs, and any other miscellaneous tasks that the English Club as
a whole or the officers feel must be completed.

The Secretary will function as the recorder of the English Club. The Secretary’s main
functions are: to keep the minutes at any English Club meeting or event, handle interested
members and refer them to the President, to arrange speakers or additional activities for
the meetings, and to send “thank-you” notes and letters of appreciation to any speakers,
as well as keeping track of miscellaneous paperwork.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for: maintaining the English Club bank account and
miscellaneous funds, being the main coordinator for any fund-raisers the English Club
partakes in, and reporting fund availability to club officers and members as necessary.

Section VI. Ratification and Amendment

This Constitution will be ratified by a two-thirds vote of official members and absolute
majority vote of officers. Changes to bylaws require an absolute majority vote of officers
and three-fourths of official members.

Section VII. Financing and Funding

This organization shall be financed by student activity fee allocations and fund-raisers
and if necessary, the Department of English Language and Literature, hereafter referred
to as the “English Department.” Contributions from outside sources and/or working in
conjunction with outside sources and other organizations are encouraged but dependent
on both need and compliance.

Additional funds, including dues, shall be decided upon based on a full-group vote after
the officers are selected at the beginning of the year. The Treasurer shall call it to the
officers’ attention that additional resources are needed. At that time, the officers may
choose to ask members for dues; the members determine the amount they are willing to
pay by a vote. This may happen at any time during the year.
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(a) All club officers shall be voted in by the members of the English Club during the first
weeks of the fall semester of each academic year.

(b) Officer meetings will be held biweekly as needed, and general meetings will be held
once a month every month during the academic year.

(c) Students interested in becoming members of the English Club and who are unable to
attend the first meeting may contact the Secretary to join, who in turn will notify the
President in order to add them to the official membership roster.

(d) All official members will be notified bi-weekly of updates by official mailing list
maintained by the President.

(e) Officers may serve a maximum of two terms in each office (i.e. two terms of
Secretary, followed by two terms of Presidency), with a maximum of four terms in office.

(f) A single “term of office” shall be defined as one calendar year.

(g) Members running for office may be nominated by other members or may nominate
themselves at the first general meeting. A simple majority of votes will determine the
newly elected officer(s). Each official member shall have one (1) vote. In the case of a
tie, if the previous year’s officers are present, they shall make the final decision.

(h) English Club business decisions will require a simple majority vote of officers. In the
event of a tie, the vote shall be passed to all members and require another simple majority
vote.

(i) If any office becomes open mid-semester or mid-year, the President, or one of the
standing officers shall call an emergency general meeting to fill the empty office. Until a
new officer is selected, the Vice-President or officer immediately below open-officer
position shall serve in that capacity.

(j) Quorum shall be set by the Vice President at any meeting where voting is necessary.
This shall be based on the number of members present at the start of the meeting, and
may be reset anytime during the meeting.

(k) Any unanticipated problems shall be dealt with privately during officers’ meetings
and presented to the members at the next monthly meeting.