Film Interest Floor (FIF) Constitution

Article I: Purpose

FIF’s purpose is to create a community of people who have fun applying their skills to various aspects of film. FIF bridges the gap between rigorous academic study of film and watching movies without analysis. Most importantly, FIF provides a means for anyone with any level of interest in any aspect of film to collaborate and talk about the medium.

 

To achieve this, FIF will regularly show films and organize discussions and speakers to add to the experience of watching the films. Also, FIF will make films of its own by working on collaborations between members. The members of FIF have varying talents and interests to the point where there is someone in the group to fill all the roles of a film production studio.

 

Furthermore, FIF works to improve film awareness among the student body, and more generally to provide fun film related experiences. FIF has fun with film analysis and production. In that vain, there is no reason that most UR students will not be able to find something from FIF that sparks their interest in film.

 

FIF is an inclusive group that does not tolerate people who expect superior treatment, or the right to talk down to others, due to any knowledge they have of film. FIF is about providing an environment that allows anyone with any amount of skill to grow and expand.

 

Article II: Equal Opportunity

The Film Interest Floor does not discriminate in any way against any person because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, or political affiliation.

 

Article III: Membership Qualification

Section 1: Qualifications for In-House Membership

In order to meet the standards FIF holds itself to, potential members living on FIF must have the following:

-         An interest in film.

-         Enrolment in a university undergraduate college at the University of Rochester

-         A GPA above 2.5

-         No history of academic dishonesty.

-         Approval from the offices of Residential Life.

 

Section 2: Qualification for Full Associate Membership

To join FIF as a full associate member, a student must:

-         Attend at least three meetings.

-         Be an associate Member for at least 2 months.

-         Have majority approval of current in-house and full associate members.

-         Meet the requirements of an in-house member.

 

Section 3: Qualification for Associate Membership

Any student wishing to join FIF as an associate member may do so. Associate members will be reviewed within a week. They will attain associate member status with a majority approval of current in-house members and full associate members.

 

 

Article IV: Requirements to Maintain Membership

Section 1: Requirements for In-House Members

In-House members are expected to put effort into making FIF a better UR organization. Specifically, they will be expected to make certain activities and requirements the Co-Presidents decide upon into reality. These requirements are up for negotiation and, with the approval of the Co-Presidents, may be substituted for other tasks that will be equally beneficial to FIF.

 

            Some examples are:

-         Making and watching films.

-         Help organize or buy supplies for screenings or programs.

-         Represent FIF at UR functions.

-         Make contact with UR offices, faculty, and student groups to promote or expand events.

-         Promote and help run FIF.

 

Also, it is mandatory for all members of FIF to attend weekly meetings to discuss any relevant information, or new programs. These meetings will be as short as possible and only parts related to important information will be mandatory. After meetings, there will be a less formal discussion of FIF and any potential ideas which will not be mandatory. This will be more of an open forum for brainstorming ways to improve and promote FIF.

 

Throughout the year, it is expected that there will be a lot of events that are planned by members, UR students, or are due to outside circumstances that will require the help of multiple members of FIF. Any member that volunteers to work on a project as a representative of FIF will treat that project as a mandatory project. Once a member commits to taking on a task, it becomes a requirement to see it through.

 

Required activities, tasks, and meetings are not meant to be more important than being a model UR student. Therefore, the Co-Presidents will allow for missed meetings on a case by case basis, and will try to plan tasks not to conflict with exams and other difficult periods.

Section 2: Requirements for Full Associate Members

Full associate members will be required to attend meetings, and also help with the required tasks of in-house members. The exact requirements of a full associate member will be determined by the Co-Presidents at the time that person the group.

Section 3: Requirements for Associate Members

Associate members must be professional and good members of the UR community. FIF does not tolerate members who put down or otherwise discourage the study of film in any way. Nor does it tolerate members with attitudes that violate Article II. Members that violate these rules, or are otherwise rude or disruptive will immediately have their associate membership revoked and will be forced to leave any FIF screening or event they are at.  Any former member who has had their membership revoked may petition FIF for reinstatement at the next meeting, and with approval of the Co-Presidents and a two thirds majority vote of the group, may be reinstated.

 

Article V: Removal of Non-Participating Members

If a full or in-house member fails to meet the minimal qualifications or requirements for membership or is behaving in a way that is generally offensive or disruptive, any member of FIF may anonymously request that the Co-Presidents begin the removal process. The first step for removal of a member is confrontation by the Co-Presidents with a plan of action to fix the problem. If this plan is not completed to the satisfaction of the Co-Presidents, the member will have their membership status revoked, and will be relocated if they currently live on FIF.

 

Associate members may be removed instantly by any executive board member present at the time of offensive behavior that will not cease despite warnings.

 

Article VI: FIF Officers

Section 1: The Executive Board

The Executive Board shall be composed of five in-house members: the two Co-Presidents, the Programming Director, the Outreach Coordinator, and the Administrative Secretary/Treasurer. The purpose of the executive board is to run FIF effectively.

 

a. Co-Presidents – They are responsible for overseeing the operation of FIF. These responsibilities include ensuring the completion of programming requirements, relevant disciplinary responsibility, running meetings, committee oversight, etc.

 

The Co-Presidents must also ensure that FIF has a list of tasks that fulfill its “Expectations for Excellence” and will otherwise further FIF’s purpose. 

 

Most decisions will be decided by majority vote of full associate and on-floor members, however when the Co-Presidents make a decision about FIF, as called for by this constitution, they must agree. Otherwise, at the next meeting, the issue will be presented by another member of the executive board and each Co-President will present their opinion. The members will then vote on the decision.

 

It is also the duty of the Co-Presidents to inform each other of all aspects of FIF. At any time if on of them is incapable of functioning as a Co-President, the other will be able to fill in instantly.

 

 b. Programming Director – The Programming Director must ensure all programs are fully planned and have enough members working on them. This means groups of members working on a FIF project have all the access to UR offices, faculty and other student groups, and that they stay on track to completing their task.

 

The Programming Director must also be aware of activities on campus that could conflict or help FIF programming. He or she will be responsible for coordinating with other groups in order to ensure that any cross-promotional benefits can be reached.

 

The Programming Director is also responsible for keeping a log of what members are involved in what FIF projects at any given time. 

 

c. Outreach Coordinator – Responsible for making sure UR offices, faculty, and students are aware of relevant FIF events. Also, this officer is the primary contact for outside groups who would like to coordinate any event with FIF.

 

It is also important to ensure that FIF is perceived correctly by the student body, so the Outreach Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that FIF is involved with events that promote its image. Also the officer must maintain a website that accurately promotes FIF.

 

d. Administrative Secretary/Treasurer – Responsible for keeping records of meetings, events and current members of FIF. The officer must have current records of all information pertaining to FIF. This includes backups of the website, constitution, and programming logs.

 

The officer must also keep a log of all money that has gone into and out of FIF and for what reason. This log must be kept up to date.

 

Section 2: Elections

At the end of the year all officer positions will be up for election. Only on-floor members may run for offices. Also, a pair of two people must run for Co-President together. Votes will be cast by all on-floor and full associate members on preferential ballots. Each voter will rank each candidate and the winner will be determined by instant runoff. This means that if no candidate has a majority, the least popular candidate is removed from the election and the people who voted for that candidate’s second preference will be counted as their vote. This will continue until a candidate has a majority vote.

 

Section 3: Candidate Requirements

To run for a FIF position, a potential candidate must be an on floor member who will be living on floor next year. They must also prepare a speech explaining what they will bring to the office they are running for.

 

Section 4: Impeachment of Officers and Filling Vacancies of Office

a.       Restrictions on Impeachment - Removal from office of any officer shall be regarded as a last resort and only used in extreme circumstances, used only after all other means of addressing the issue have been tried and failed.

b.      Impeachment of an Officer or Chairperson – To initiate the impeachment process of an officer or chairperson, a written petition must be submitted to the Executive Board, describing any and all complaints against the officer and accompanied by at least four signatures of in-house members. The offending officer will be given one month to correct the situation based on the complaints. If after a month the four members who called for impeachment are not satisfied that their complaints have been resolved, the impeachment will be put to a vote at a general meeting. At least two thirds of all in-house members must vote in favor of removal for impeachment to result.

c.       The vacancy will be filled immediately by a vote of in-house members, and the new officer or chairperson will fill that role for the remaining term.

 

Article VII: Room Assignment

a. Timeline for Retention Review

Review of all FIF members wishing to reside in FIF the following year shall take place at least one week before Room Assignment. All members wishing to reside in FIF must submit a written review to the Policy Committee in a timely fashion, outlining their involvement in FIF, previous room situation, and any other information they feel is relevant in Room Assignment. They must also include the name of a fellow FIF member that in the case of drawing a double they would room with. The named person should reciprocate the proposal on their submittal.

 

b. Room Selection Ranking

The current year’s Co-Presidents are responsible for meeting with the Executive Board and determining a ranking for all members, including new applicants. This ranking will be based on the following factors, ranked by their importance.

 

1.      Level of involvement with FIF, including how many activities and FIF events did the member attend and help organize.

2.      Any skills or interests of the applicant that will broaden FIF or give it the potential to be a better group.

 

Once the room ranking is decided, the applicants will choose from available rooms in order until all the rooms are taken. Any in-house member of FIF that does not keep a room on FIF will become a full associate member.

 

c. Appeals Process

Decisions on Room Assignment may be appealed to the Executive Committee and considered on its merits, and then to a vote of all present and future in-house members, i.e. all those other members subject to the current Room Assignment process.

 

Article VIII: Changes to the Constitution

To change the FIF constitution, it is necessary to present a copy of the current constitution and a copy of the new constitution with the changes highlighted to all on-floor and full associate members. The new constitution must have italicized comments as to why the changes are necessary. After all members of the group have had both copies of the constitution for at least a week to review them, the new version may be voted on and must be approved by a two thirds majority.