Thelion Society Constitution

We the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Rochester hereby establish the Thelion Society of the University of Rochester and enact this constitution for its government. Failure to follow this constitution could result in revocation of Students’ Association recognition of this group.

Article I. Purpose of organization

The Thelion Society shall promote academic competition, such as quizbowl, at the University of Rochester, and shall attempt to field teams of the highest caliber to compete in intercollegiate tournaments throughout the academic year. The Thelion Society shall also attempt to host tournaments throughout the year, including intramural, intercollegiate, and high school tournaments.

Article II. Meetings

1. A meeting is valid if a quorum, plus one officer is present.
2. A quorum is defined as ˝ of the voting membership of the Thelion Society.

Article III. Membership and Voting

1. Membership
   1. Eligibility - All students, faculty and staff are eligible for group membership.
   2. Definition of member - a person may become a member of the Thelion Society by attending at least 3 meetings, by attending 1 intercollegiate tournament with the Thelion Society, or by making a formal request for membership to the Thelion Society President, who will decide whether or not membership will be granted; once a person becomes a member of the Thelion Society, he or she is a member for life. And member may withdraw his or her membership to the Thelion Society by making a formal request to the Thelion Society President.
2. Voting
   1. Voting on any issue is official only if the meeting is valid.
   2. All members who are either members of the Students Association or in a University of Rochester graduate degree program have one vote on a given issue.
   3. Procedure - All votes will be run by the most senior officer present, who will present the issue, and will count the votes, either by show of hands or by secret ballot.

Article IV. Officers and Qualifications

1. Senior Officers - All Senior Officer positions must be filled at all times.
   1. President - The President of the Thelion Society shall be the most senior officer in the organization. A person must have been a member of the Thelion Society for at least one academic year, with the duration of time lasting from the beginning of that academic year until the date of elections counting as a full academic year for purposes of elections, and must have attended at least 2 intercollegiate tournaments in the academic year in which the elections are held before he or she may become President. The President shall be in charge of: overseeing other officers; keeping an accurate list of the group members to be presented for inspection upon request of any group member, or member of the Students’ Association; keeping members of the Thelion Society informed of what the organization is doing; planning and running meetings; communicating with other student organizations, both at the University of Rochester and at other institutions; creating temporary officer positions as needed; assisting the Business Manager in preparing the yearly budget; consulting and working with an advisor; taking minutes and roll at all meetings; any duties not listed for any other officer.
   2. Business Manager - The Business Manager of the Thelion Society shall be the second most senior officer in the organization. A person must have been a member of the Thelion Society for at least one academic year, with the duration of time lasting from the beginning of that academic year until the date of elections counting as a full academic year for purposes of elections, and must have attended at least 1 intercollegiate tournament in the academic year in which the elections are held before he or she may become Business Manager. The Business Manager shall be in charge of all finances for the Thelion Society, including: making all monetary transactions that the Thelion Society makes; keeping an accurate record of all monetary transactions; preparing the annual budget; keeping members of the Thelion Society informed as to the financial situation of the organization; collecting and money owed to the Thelion Society; supervising the Travel Secretary.
2. Junior Officers - Junior Officer positions should be filled at all times, but may remain vacant if there is no one who is willing to fill the positions.
1. Travel Secretary - The Travel Secretary is the third most senior officer in the organization. A person must have attended at least 1 intercollegiate tournament in the academic year in which elections are held before he or she may become the Travel Secretary. The Travel Secretary shall be in charge of: making all travel arrangements, such as hotel reservations and van rental reservations, in consultation with the Business Manager, for any trips that the Thelion Society goes on. In the absence of a Travel Secretary, the duties listed above will be transferred to the Business Manager.
2. Publicity Director - The Publicity Director is the fourth most senior officer in the organization. He or she may be any member of the Thelion Society. The Publicity Director shall be in charge of: running information table at the annual Activities Fair; advertising for any events held by the Thelion Society; informing the Campus Times of any newsworthy items about the Thelion Society.
3. Webmaster - The Webmaster is the fifth most senior officer in the organization. He or she may be any member of the Thelion Society. The Webmaster shall be in charge of: creating and maintaining the Thelion Society’s official webpage; maintaining an e-mail list of all members.
3. Temporary Officers - If the need for an additional officer arises, one may be appointed by the President at a meeting. The person being named as a new officer must be present at that meeting and must accept the position for it to become official. The term of office for a temporary officer shall last no longer than the end of the academic year, at which time it will either be eliminated, renewed by the President, or made a permanent position, at which point it must be added to this constitution.
4. Duties of Officers
1. All officers must be members of the Students’ Association.
2. All officers shall promote active recruitment of new members.
3. At least one officer will be responsible for maintaining a current copy of this constitution open to inspection by all members of this group, Senators, and all members of the Students’ Association.
4. All officers must enforce this group constitution.
5. All officers are responsible for knowing the sections of the Students’ Association constitution and by-laws that apply to this group.
5. Nominations and Elections
   1. Nominations for offices can be made by any member, and must be seconded by any other member. Elections will be held in the following order: President; Business Manager; Travel Secretary; Publicity Director; Webmaster. The election will be run by the most senior officer present. A person must receive a majority of votes in order to be elected to an office; if no one has a majority, another vote is taken; this process is repeated until someone gains a majority of votes.
   2. Elections shall be held every year at the first meeting after February 1.
   3. Term of office - All officers shall take office at the beginning of the first meeting following the April 1 following the election in which they were elected, and shall hold their positions until April 1 of the next year.
6. Vacancies and Resignations
   1. In the event of a vacancy of the office of a Senior Officer, that position will temporarily be filled by the most senior officer. At the official meeting following a vacancy of the position of a Senior Officer, the position shall be filled using the same procedures used to elect officers. Junior Officer positions may either be filled in this manner, or they may continue to go vacant if a majority of members present vote to allow it to remain vacant. Vacant Temporary Officer positions may be filled by appointment by the President, or may remain vacant at the discretion of the President.
   2. If a vote of no confidence on any officer is to take place, it must be given an official meeting’s notice. Any member of the Thelion Society can call for no confidence.
   3. A vote of no confidence shall be defined as a 2/3 affirmative vote.
   4. An office is declared vacant by a vote of no confidence.

Article V. Finances

1. Students’ Association members shall receive priority at SA funded events conducted by this group.
2. The Thelion Society will need funding in order to attend intercollegiate tournaments, and to run tournaments at the University of Rochester.

Article VI. Amendments

Adoption and ratification of amendments to this constitution shall follow the same procedure as adoption of the entire constitution.

Article VII. Adoption of the Constitution

1. Two-thirds of the membership must approve the constitution.
2. This constitution will be ratified upon approval of the Senate and the signature of the Speaker.
3. This constitution should not conflict with the Students’ Association constitution or by-laws.

Article VIII. By-laws

1. It is possible for by-laws to be adopted.
2. At least a majority of the membership must approve the by-laws.
3. By-laws should not conflict with this constitution or the Senate Association Constitution or by-laws.

Article IX. Hazing Policy

The harassment of one individual by another individual or group (sometimes called hazing) is not permitted by the Thelion Society. Behavior prohibited under this rule includes actions threatening substantial risk of physical or mental injury; actions exposing the individual to distressing, repulsive, or alarming situations or sensations; forced consumption of alcohol or drugs; actions in the form of social pressure which might cause harm to an individual.

Article X. Discrimination Policy

The University of Rochester Thelion Society does not discriminate against any individual or group of individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, handicap, or religion.

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