Updated 5/16/07
The name of this
organization shall be the Davis College
Democrats, hereinafter
referred to as the “DCD” or the “club.”
The Davis
College Democrats, upon chartering with the Yolo
County Democratic
Central Committee (YCDCC), the College Democrats of
America (CDA),
and the California Young Democrats (CYD), shall become a
member
organization in each of the above groups, and therefore
pledges
itself to support the platform and candidates of the
Democratic Party.
Furthermore, the Davis College Democrats
declares its intention to
support efforts to increase the
participation of college students in
Democratic Party affairs. To
these ends, the Davis College Democrats
shall work to:
Educate students about the platform of the Democratic Party.
Encourage active political participation in the UC Davis
community.
Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, debate, and
discussion
of current events and political issues.
Sponsor activities that promote the Democratic
platform
and/or
encourage interaction and participation among
students, faculty, and
staff on the UC Davis campus.
Provide an outlet for creating relationships between DCD
members
and Democratic representatives and groups.
Register voters on campus.
Assist in the election of local, state, and national
Democrats.
Represent the interests of Democratic UC Davis
students,
faculty,
and staff at local government committees,
boards, and councils, and
actively support (or oppose) issues,
initiatives, and candidates that
help (or hurt) student
interests.
Accept contributions in the form of gifts, bequests, and
membership
dues to carry out our purposes and activities.
Maintain an up-to-date roster of the DCD membership and
keep
the
members informed of activities relating to the club and to
the
Democratic Party.
Only currently
registered students, faculty, and staff may be
active members in a
registered student organization. Only active
members may vote or
hold office. According to California State law, we
will not haze;
we will not restrict membership based upon race, color,
national
origin, religion, sex, physical and mental disability,
medical
condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual
orientation,
citizenship, or status as a covered veteran. Neither
shall any hold
membership in any organization that advocated the
violent overthrow of
the United States government.
Active Members
shall be defined as any member, as defined
above, who has attended
the two consecutive meetings prior to any vote
in which they want
to participate. Only Active Members are eligible to
vote or hold
office.
The club shall
keep in written and electronic form a
membership list containing
the name, phone number, email address, and
birth dates of each
member. Email addresses shall be used to compile an
electronic
mailing list that shall be maintained by the Vice President
of
Internal Affairs or whomever he/she appoints with the approval of
a
majority of the Executive Council. This membership information
shall be
subject to the rights of inspection required by law. The
club shall
also keep an ongoing recruitment "sign-up"
list for those who have
shown interest in the club. This list is
private and is not subject to
inspeciton laws. Only the Executive
Council may have a full copy of the
list without the approval of
the Executive Council by a 2/3
super-majority vote. Release and
usage of both the membership and
recruitment lists is subject to
the discretion of the Executive Council.
Neither the
membership of the Davis College Democrats nor any
rights in the
membership thereof may be transferred or assigned for
value
otherwise.
The Executive
Council shall have general authority and
responsibility for the
ongoing affairs of the Davis College Democrats.
Executive Council
decisions may be overruled if three members of the
Council vote to
bring the issue in front of the Active Members who then
must vote
by a 2/3 super-majority to overrule the decision in question.
The Executive
Council shall be composed of the President, Vice
President of
Membership, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice
President of
Finance, and Vice President of Special Events whose duties
shall
be defined below.
A quorum of the
Executive Council shall be noted when 4/5 of
the Executive Council
members are present.
Elections for
the Executive Council shall take place in the
following manner:
When: The Executive Officers shall be elected in the month
of May
in the Spring Quarter at a meeting of the Active Members.
Eligibility of Candidacy and Voting: Only those members who
have
been to two of the five past formal meetings shall be able to
vote
or run for office in the election
Procedure: After each candidate for an office has spoken
for not
more than five minutes, the eligible members present will elect
a
winner by a simple majority vote.
Should no
candidate receive a majority, a runoff will be held
between the
two top vote getters. The process will be repeated for the
election
for each office.
All elected
officers' terms will commence on June 1st, and
terminate on May
31st of the following year. Appointed officers' terms
will begin
immediately after acceptance of the post, and will expire at
the
end of the quarter the appointment was made. No person may hold
the
same office for more than one academic year. However, a person
may run
for an office again if they were completing a former
officer's term
previously.
Executive
Council members may be removed in the following
manner:
Cause for Removal: Cause for removal shall be defined
as
malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance of assigned duties,
being
convicted of a felony, or upon other grounds found by all
of the other
members of the Council to constitute good and
sufficient cause.
Process for Removal: To begin the process of removal, any
Member
in Good Standing may charge the officer with the reasons for
his/her
removal during a meeting of the Executive Council. The officer
in
question must be offered an opportunity at that meeting to
defend
his/herself. If the charge stands, after a period of two
weeks, the
issue will be put up for a membership vote. Then, if a
quorum exists,
the Members in Good Standing must vote for removal
by a majority vote.
A vacancy shall
be declared when a member of the Executive
Council
dies,
resigns, is removed from office, or misses more than
three
consecutive meetings without an approved excuse (as defined
by the
Council). If there is a vacancy of any other position than
the
President, the President shall appoint a successor with the
majority
consent of the remaining officers. If the vacancy is the
President,
then the VP of Internal Affairs will assume that office
when there is a
vacancy, for a period of two weeks, following
which point, a new
election shall be held for the office of the
President.
Be the Chief Executive of the Davis College Democrats.
Act as the official representative to other groups and the
media.
Define the agenda of the organization for her/his tenure.
Carry out the mandates, policies, and directives of the
Executive
Council
Act as the primary liason/signatory with the UC Student
Programs
and Activities Center, ensuring the club is reregistered
every
quarter, that all our activities are in accordance with
University
policy, and that rooms have been reserved for our
meetings, etc.
Appoint, in consultation with the Executive Council,
standing and
ad-hoc committees and coordinators of such committees.
Preside over all official meetings.
Serve as advisor to the club regarding non-campus related
functions
of the Democratic Party.
Be responsible for maintaining relations between elected
Democrats
on the local, state, and national levels and the Davis
College
Democrats. This includes:
serving as the DCD representative to the YCDCC, 8th AD,
5th SD,
CCD, CYD, and CDA
ensuring that we are always chartered with the above
organizations
Actively organize for the recruitment of new members.
Maintain contact on both a club and personal level with new
members.
Chair the Membership committee and guise and direct its
activities
Act as an official representative of the Davis College
Democrats
at all campus functions and events (along with the
President),
specifically ASUCD, and other liberal campus organizations.
Coordinate membership drives and member outreach efforts.
This
includes tabling, active recruitment activties, etc.
Perform such duties as the Executive Council or President
may
assign.
Assume the office of the President when there is a vacancy
of
that office for a perios of two weeks, following which point a
new
election shall be held for the office of the President.
Assist the President in planning for General Meetings.
Act as a liason between all members of the Executive
Council and
the Committees of DCD.
Make all necessary preparation for organizational meetings
and
record and distribute all minutes of meetings in a timely fashion.
Coordinate all record keeping related to DCD such as
clippings,
photos, etc.
Maintain a DCD sign-up list and regular membership lists.
Maintain an updated list of e-mail addresses of all
interested
students (members and non) and be responsible for posting
important
notices.
Maintain committee lists and contact information.
Solicit progress reports from committee chairs as
requested/needed.
Propose any agenda amendments or additions to general
meetings at
his or her discretion.
Gather emergency information (contacts, medical
conditions,
insurance, etc) prior to any DCD trips.
Perform such duties as the Executive Council or President
may
assigns or are customarily performed by a Secretary.
This position shall be considered vacated after missing
two
consecutive General Meetings without prior 24-hour
notification of the
absence.
Direct all fundraising activities and review all fiscal
decisions.
The Vice President of Finance will pursue an active role
in
fundraising for the club and making contracts with outside
funding
sources, including but not limited to the Mondavi Center.
Maintain complete records of all expenditures and receipts.
Coordinate club reimbursement procedure.
Act as DCD official liason to the Federal Elections
Commission,
the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the
Davis
City Clerk (concerning campaign finance laws), and with
all
financial institutions that we maintain funds with.
Process applications for ASUCD funding and grant
applications,
and maintain the accounts for each.
Meet with the Executive Council prior to every quarter to
plan
and review the financial status of the forthcoming
quarter's
activities.
Perform such duties as the Executive Council or President
may
assign or are customarily performed by a Treasurer.
Oversee the coordination of all other club activities and
events
that do not fall under the jurisdiction of other members of
the
Executive Council as directed by the President.
Chair the Social Committee and use it to implement their
goals.
Attend committee meetings and act as a secondary committee
chair
for all events in an effort to help in the planning and execution
of
events.
Help to assure that committees accomplish tasks - i.e.
publicity,
budgets, logistics, have meetings as needed, etc.
Propose new events to club during meetings - including
social
activities for club members (i.e. movie nights), as well as
campus
activities that will help DCD further Democratic causes.
Organize regularly occurring social events, movie nights,
and
meetings with local elected officials.
Be Chaired by the VP of Special Events.
Vice-Chaired by the VP of Membership.
Hold one Party per Quarter minimum.
Work towards monthly movie nights.
Work towards monthly meetings with local Elected Officials.
Recommend to the Executive Council other possible social
events
and implement these ideas.
Exercise these duties as it sees fit for the benefit of the
club.
Be chaired by the VP of Finance.
Food/Dinners
Mondavi Center
Political Memorabilia re-sale
Local Political Fundraising
Recommend to the Executive Council other possible
fundraising
events and implement these ideas.
Exercise these duties as it sees fit for the benefit of the
club.
Be Chaired by the VP of Membership.
Hold membership drives during on and off election seasons.
Organize visits to Political Science/Humanities classes in
order
to pitch the club.
Table on the Quad, the Farmers Market, and other public
spaces in
order to promote the club and register voters.
Table in or around the Dining Commons in order to promote
the
club and register voters.
Recommend to the Executive Council other possible
membership
boosting ideas and implement these ideas.
Exercise these duties as it sees fit for the benefit of the
club.
Be Chaired by the President.
Research Campaign and Internship Opportunities available to
club
members.
Organize "Work Days" on specific campaigns supported by
the
club to enable club members to participate in the political
process
(e.g. No on 85 Action Days).
Locate and organize volunteer opportunities with local
organizations
committeed to Democratic values (e.g. Yolo CASA).
Recommend to the Executive Council other possible
campaign
opportunities and take an active role in pursuing these
opportunities.
Exercise these duties as it sees fit for the benefit of the
club.
These Committees
shall meet during DCD meetings as is
necessary and every week or
every other week outside of DCD meetings at
the discretion of the
Chair. Additional meetings of Committees will
require members to
be given 24 hours prior notice, or written and/or
verbal
confirmation of the new time by a majority of the
Committee.
Membership in a Committee is not mandatory, except for
the Chair, and a
Committee's makeup and duration of voluntary
commitment will be
determined at the discretion of the Chair, with
appeals being directed
towards the President.
A schedule of
regular meetings that includes at least one
general meeting every
other week of the academic year shall be set by
the President. All
general meetings shall be well publicized and shall
be conducted
at reasonable hours and locations.
A quorum at a
Davis College Democrats meeting shall consist of
at least three
Executive Council members and the number of Executive
Council
members present, plus one, Active Members. A quorum shall be
required
at all general meetings before any official action can be
taken.
The platform of
Davis College Democrats shall consist of any
and all endorsements
made by the Club. DCD may endorse:
The Democratic Party candidate in partisan political office;
Democratic primary candidates for major political office;
any Democrat for non-partisan political office;
any initiative, measure, advisory petition, or action;
The Davis College Democrats may not endorse;
anyone who is a member of the KKK or any other racist
organization;
anyone who supports the violent overthrow of the United
States
government;
non-Democrats for any position;
non-members running in any other campus organization
election.
For major candidate endorsements, a standing Endorsement
Committee
shall be created consisting of no more than six Active
Members
including the President and Vice President of Internal Affairs.
This
committee will be responsible for doing minimal research
on
candidates and supplying the Club with pertinent information
about
their background and positions. For initiatives and the
like or local
elections, the Endorsement Committee is not
necessary.
The Endorsement Committee shall inform each eligible
candidate,
in writing and/or by telephone, of endorsement procedure.
The
candidate will be invite to either speak at the endorsement
meeting
or fill out a questionnaire created by the Endorsement
Committee and
approved by the membership. Once all candidates
have been given an
equal opportunity to participate, the Active
Members must vote in the
affirmative by at least a 2/3
supermajority for the endorsement to
become official.
Any Active
Member may propose an amendment to this
constitution with at least
two other signatories. All amendments will
be read into record at
the meeting at which they are proposed and then
voted upon at the
subsequent meeting. All amendments must be approved
by a 2/3
supermajority.
Any resolution
concerning the philosophy of the club or its
platform must be made
by an Active Member with at least one cosigning
Active Member.
Resolutions will be read into the record at the meeting
at which
it is proposed and then voted upon at the subsequent formal
meeting
and approved by a simple majority vote. Any resolution can be
deemed
controversial by a 25% voice vote.
Any resolution
regarding club business or activities must be
proposed
by an
Active Member with at least one co-signing Active Member.
Resolutions
will be read into the notes at the meeting at which it is
proposed
and then voted upon at the subsequent formal meeting and
approved
by a simple majority vote. Resolutions can be tabled by a 51%
vote
of the Active Members. Any resolution can be deemed controversial
by
a 25% voice vote. Any endorsement resolution (save the
national
general election Democratic presidential nominee) is
automatically
deemed controversial and must be approved by a 2/3
majority vote.
Any resolution
concerning the allocation of funds for club
purposes and
activities must be presented by an Active Member and can
be voted
upon at the meeting at which it is proposed. Any of these
resolutions
concerning funds under $30 can be approved by a simple
majority
voice vote. Those resolutions concerning funds over $30 must
be
approved by a 2/3 supermajority vote of the Active
Members.
Objections to resolutions can be passed with a 51% vote.
The authority
used for points not covered in this constitution
in
regards to
the Davis College Democrats is Roberts Rules of Order.
Dissolution
requires unanimous approval of the Executive
Council and
approval
of three-fourths of the members in good standing at two
consecutive
general meetings of Davis College Democrats. Upon
dissolution, all
unspent funds (after expenses/liabilities are
accounted for) will
be donated to CYD or CDA. All unspent ASUCD funds
shall remain the
property of ASUCD. Remaining privately-obtained funds
may be
donated to another non-profit organization with prior approval
of
the ASUCD Senate Finance Committee. It is hoped that the
organization
who receives these funds will return it to any new
Democratic
organization that comes into existence at UC Davis in the
future.