Constitution

Our previous Constitution has become outdated due the growth and maturing of our organization. The Constitution contains the fundamental principles that govern the operation of our organization including our name and purpose, officers, elections, removal of officers, and procedure for making amendments to the constitution.  Amendments to the Constitution should be very infrequent; so it must be well thought out and approved.

Below is a link to a draft of the Constitution on which we will vote tonight. Please read it so that you know what you're voting for tonight! A 2/3 vote by all members attending tonight's GBM will approve the Constitution which we will then submit to the SGA Committee for review and final approval. Please let me know about any typos that you find or disagreements you may have ahead of time so that we can breeze through the voting tonight.

https://docs.google.com/a/umbc.edu/file/d/0B0BqAhZnUlUaTTJfUkFvSWJUeWM/edit?usp=sharing

Bylaws

Like our old Constitution, the current Bylaws are inadequate and outdated. The bylaws further detail the procedures that the organization must follow.  The bylaws can be changed more easily than the Constitution as the needs of the org change.

Below is a link to a draft of the Bylaws on which we will vote tonight. Please read them also! A majority vote by all members attending tonight will approve the Bylaws.

https://docs.google.com/a/umbc.edu/file/d/0B0BqAhZnUlUaR2lndEtaN1kzOWc/edit?usp=sharing

Officer Elections

To be consistent with our Constitution, all officer positions will be voted on tonight including the Captain. If you have read the Constitution, you'll notice that there is only one Captain position; however, the Bylaws provide for the appointment by the Captain of a Co-Captain and Secretary to the Captain as his staff officers.  For the sake of simplicity of our elections tonight, the Captain and his staff officers (Co-Captain and Secretary to the Captain) will be permitted to run on one ticket tonight (as one item on the ballot).

Our current captains have selected their choice for and will announce tonight who they think will help guide the team well as captains next year.  Their endorsement of these candidates has been well thought out and should be considered when you vote, but, of course, it is still up to you.

Nominations for all offices will be accepted from the floor tonight before voting. So, even the guys who have already indicated their interest in running will need to be nominated tonight before voting begins.

All nominees and candidates should be prepared to give a very brief speech explaining why they should be elected to office.

Thanks for reading this far! We'll see you tonight in the Commons room 331 at 7:30PM. Bring a writing utensil for voting!

P.J.