The Gay, Lesbian Bisexual, Transgender – Straight Alliance Constitution
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Constitutional Committee

Last Modified August 2009

Article I: Mission, Diversity and Vision

Section 1: Mission
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender - Straight Alliance of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill advocates and educates on issues affecting LGBTIQ-identified people in the Southeastern United States. By creating dialogues between heterosexual and LGBTIQ communities; networking with campus and community progressive organizations; building an affirming LGBTIQ social environment; and advocating for the civil rights of all people, we create a community of LGBTIQ people and their allies that supports and affirms all aspects of their identities.

Section 2: Pledge to Diversity
The GLBT-SA is committed to be mindful of diversity beyond sexuality and gender, and we strive to be relevant to and inclusive of all peoples.

Section 3: Vision Statement
We envision a resilient community of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer identified people and their allies in the Chapel Hill-Durham area fully inclusive of communities of color, communities of variant genders, allies, and off-campus communities with multiple points of access that allow for the involvement for all.

Article II: Membership

Section 1: Non-Discrimination Statement
Membership and participation in the GLBT-SA of UNC-Chapel Hill is open to all persons regardless of their age, class, race, ethnicity, gender identity, ability, sexuality, religion, or political affiliation.

Section 2: Types of Membership

1. A full member shall be defined as an individual who has paid the designated annual membership fee, if such a fee exists in the present year. If such a fee does not exist, a full member shall be defined as an individual who regularly attends GLBT-SA meetings or regularly helps to organize GLBT-SA-sponsored events.
1. Regular attendance or participation shall be defined as occurring six or more times in a semester.
2. Careful records shall be kept to determine if those who identify as full members participate in the organization in a manner that adequately defines them as such.
2. An affiliated member shall be defined as an individual who participates at any level in the activities of the GLBT-SA and does not pay the annual membership fee, if such a fee exists in the present year, or participate to a degree that would qualify them as a full member.

Section 3: Membership Fees

1. The annual membership fee, if any, shall be determined by the membership of the previous academic year. 
2. That decision shall be made during the first general body meeting following the election of officers for the next term.
3. Members who pay dues are entitled to benefits that will be determined before the fee is collected.

Article III: Organizational Structure and the Executive Board

Section 1: General Organizational Structure

1. The GLBT-SA shall be composed of General Membership, the Executive Board, the Unity Conference Committee, The Committee for a Queerer Carolina, and LAMBDA student publication.
2. The Executive Board of the GLBT-SA shall have financial and administrative oversight over the Unity Conference, LAMBDA, and the Committee for A Queerer Carolina

Section 2: Executive Board and its Responsibilities

1. The Executive Board of the GLBT-SA shall be composed of two (2) GLBT-SA co-presidents, two (2) Programming Coordinators,  one or two(1 or 2) Outreach Coordinators, one or two (1 or 2) publicity coordinator(s), one (1) secretary, and one (1) treasurer, the Director of the Unity Conference, the Editor-in-Chief of LAMBDA Student Publication, the spokesperson(s) for the Committee for a Queerer Carolina.
2. General Board members shall consist of the GLBT-SA co-presidents, programming coordinators, outreach coordinators, the publicity coordinator, the secretary, and the treasurer.
3. Auxiliary Board members shall consist of the Director of the Unity Conference, the LAMBDA Editor-in-Chief, and the spokesperson(s) for the Committee for a Queerer Carolina, leaders of subgroup/committees.      
4. All Executive Board members shall be responsible for: attending and participating in weekly GLBT-SA meetings; meeting the requirements for “full membership” (as defined in Section II.2.a) of the GLBT-SA; being committed to the organization’s mission statement, pledge to diversity, and vision statement (see Article I). Furthermore, if any board member is absent from 3 board meetings and/or 3 consecutive general body meetings they must meet with the Co-presidents to discuss their attendance, and can be impeached.
5. The GLBT-SA Co-Presidents shall be responsible for: representing the organization to the public; facilitating communication between GLBT-SA members and the executive board; facilitating communication between the Unity Conference, LAMBDA Student Publication, the Committee for a Queerer Carolina, and the Executive Board; working with members to create opportunities for involvement; and ensuring that the organization is adhering to the GLBT-SA mission statement.
6. The GLBT-SA Programming Coordinators shall be responsible for: coordinating, with members, social events and gatherings; creating committees for larger events such as Coming Out Week, Celebration Week, and other major functions;  and ensuring that the GLBT-SA is, as stated in the organization’s mission statement, “building an affirming LGBTQ social environment” within UNC Chapel Hill.
7. The GLBT-SA Outreach Coordinators shall be responsible for: ensuring that the GLBT-SA is “creating dialogues between heterosexual and LGBTQ communities” and “networking with progressive organizations”; ensuring that the GLBT-SA adheres to the organization’s Pledge to Diversity; working to facilitate dialogue between University alumni and the GLBT-SA, namely working beyond our campus.
8. The GLBT-SA Publicity Coordinator(s) shall be responsible for: informing the campus and community of GLBT-SA events; creating flyers, posters, and/or other printed materials that publicize or promote the organization and its events; and organizing members to table and paint the cube.
9. The GLBT-SA Secretary shall be responsible for: taking minutes at GLBT-SA meetings; take attendance for  the Executive Board and general body; work with the treasurer to maintain an accurate and up-to-date membership list; maintaining and preserving the organization’s files, records, and historical documents; coordinating members to staff the GLBT-SA office; and ensuring that the organization maintains its status as a student organization at the University.
10. The GLBT-SA Treasurer shall be responsible for: ensuring that s/he is a certified treasurer as required by the Student Body Treasurer; compile the annual organizational budget to be submitted and presented to Student Congress for annual appropriations; presenting any subsequent appropriation requests to the Student Congress Finance Committee and Student Congress; organize fundraising opportunities for the organization; collect membership dues and work with the secretary to create an accurate and up-to-date membership record; collect and deposit fees for other GLBT-SA events for which admission is charged; submit check requests, collect checks, and, if needed, mail the checks to the appropriate parties; maintain an accurate and current general ledger for GLBT-SA accounts including the Unity Conference, LAMBDA, and the Committee for a Queerer Carolina.
11. The GLBT-SA Volunteer Chair shall be responsible for communicating with volunteer organization, organizing events involving the entire GLBT-SA, and encouraging members to focus on and give back to the entire community: UNC and beyond, LGBTIQ and others.

Section 3: Impeachment or Resignation from Executive Office

1. Should general members or Executive Board members hold grievances against any executive officer of the GLBT-SA, they should follow the following steps to address their grievances:
1. Send a complaint to the Secretary addressing the grievance.
2. The letter should be read aloud and the matter discussed within the Executive Board.
3. The person making the complaint is invited to the Board meeting to discuss the matter at hand.
4. Once that matter has been adequately discussed with members, a vote shall be taken on the appropriate course of action:

1. Letter of Censure: Should one-half of the Executive Board approve, a letter of censure stating that the Board member in question has fallen out of good standing with the membership shall be sent to the Board member in question.
2. Impeachment: Should two-thirds of the Executive Board approve, the Board member in question shall be removed from her/his office and relieved of all the responsibilities accompanying her/his office.
3. Other Action: Should two-thirds of the Executive Board approve, those in attendance may devise an appropriate course of action in response to grievances brought against the Board member in question.

2. Should a Board member be removed or remove her/himself from office, the following steps should immediately be taken to find a replacement for that person:
1. A call for nominations should be sent over the GLBT-SA listserv. Members may nominate themselves or others.
2. An election shall be held no later than two (2) weeks following the impeachment of the Board member.
3. If the impeachment occurs within one calendar month of General Board Elections, that office should remain vacant until it is filled at that time.
3. If a Board Member has violated the Attendance Policy, they must address their attendance with the Executive Board, and a vote for Impeachment will be held.

Article IV: Decision Making

1. Official votes or elections shall include the following, and only full members are eligible to vote in them.
   1. General Board Elections
   2. Impeachment proceedings
   3. Candidate endorsements
   4. Votes on official organizational positions or stances
   5. Votes to ratify, amend, or change the constitution
   6. Other votes deemed especially important by a majority of members
2. Official votes, unless specific rules have already been laid out for them, must pass with at least two-thirds consent.
3. All other votes shall be considered informal, and any affiliated member is eligible to participate in them. Unless otherwise specified, they must pass with only a simple majority.

 Section 2: Quorum

1. In order for official votes or elections to proceed, at least two-thirds of the average number of members who have attended the last three general body meetings must be present or voting absentee.  If this number is less than ten, at least eight people must be present for the vote or election to proceed.
2. All votes must be announced at least five days prior to the meeting they will take place at.
3. Members who are unable to attend the meeting may submit their vote to the facilitator prior to the meeting so long as they feel they understand the matter at hand sufficiently.

Article V: Elections

Section 1: General Board Member (see Article III.2.b-c) Elections

1. Elections shall be held on the second Thursday following Spring Break.
2. In case of a mid-year vacancy, any necessary elections shall be held on the Thursday two weeks prior to Thanksgiving Break.
   1. Current members of the Executive Board as well as general body members are eligible to run during mid-year elections.
   2. If a current member of the Executive Board chooses to run for a different Executive Board position in a mid-year election, they shall be able to do so without fear of forfeiting their current position should they not be elected.
1. In this situation, the election for the officially vacated position shall be held as scheduled on the Thursday two weeks prior to Thanksgiving Break.
2. In the event that a current Executive Board member is elected into a different capacity, the election for this newly vacated position shall be held the following Thursday.
3. A listserv announcement calling for nominations shall be sent no later than ten (10) days prior to elections.
4. Winners shall be determined by secret ballot and elected by at least one-half of attending members.
   1. In the case of a tie, the outgoing Executive Board shall determine, by no less than two-thirds consent, the new officer. Should either of the candidates be members of the outgoing Executive Board, they must excuse themselves from voting.
   2. In the case of one candidate not receiving at least one-half of the votes, a runoff election of the two candidates receiving the most votes shall be held the following week.

Section 2: Auxiliary Board Elections, Appointments, and Approvals

1. Election and approval of the LAMBDA Editor-in-Chief
   1. The candidate for the Editor-in-Chief of LAMBDA shall be elected by the staff members of the publication no later than one week prior to the GLBT-SA General Board Elections.
   2. The LAMBDA staff must inform the GLBT-SA co-chairs of the results of their internal election immediately following the election of the candidate for Editor-in-Chief.
   3. The candidate-elect shall be approved during the General Body Elections by no less than one-half of the GLBT-SA membership.
   4. If the candidate-elect fails to be approved by the GLBT-SA membership in the General Board Elections, then that decision shall be reported to the LAMBDA staff and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, elect a new candidate for the Editor-in-Chief. The membership shall approve this new   candidate-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former   candidate.
2. Election and approval of the Director of the Unity Conference
   1. The candidate for the Director of the Unity Conference Committee shall file an application and proposal to the Executive Board no later than October 1st.
   2. The Unity Conference Committee must inform the GLBT-SA co-chairs of the results of their internal election immediately following the election of the candidate for Director.
   3. The candidate-selected shall be approved during the first General Body meeting following October 1st by no less than one-half of the GLBT-SA membership.
   4. If the candidate-elect fails to be approved by the GLBT-SA membership in the General Board Elections, then that decision shall be reported to Unity Conference Committee and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, select a new candidate for the Director. The membership shall approve this new candidate no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate.
3. Election and approval of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina spokesperson(s)
   1. The Committee for a Queerer Carolina shall decide internally and by their own methods, whether they will choose to designate formally, or informally, the role of Spokesperson(s) for the group.
      1. Formal designation shall be defined whereby the role of spokesperson(s) shall entail official responsibilities beyond direct communication with the GLBT-SA Executive Board.
      2. Informal designation shall be defined whereby the role of spokesperson(s) shall entail the sole official responsibility of direct communication with the GLBT-SA Executive Board.
   2. The candidate(s) for the spokesperson(s) of the Committee for a Queerer Carolina shall be elected by the members of the present year’s Committee for a Queerer Carolina no later than one week prior to the GLBT-SA General Board Elections.
   3. The Committee for a Queerer Carolina must inform the GLBT-SA co-chairs of the results of their internal election immediately following the election of the candidate(s) for spokesperson(s).
   4. The candidate(s)-elect shall be approved during the General Body Elections by no less than one-half of the GLBT-SA membership.
   5. If the candidate(s)-elect fail(s) to be approved by the GLBT-SA membership in the General Board Elections, then that decision shall be reported to the Committee for a Queerer Carolina and they must, following previously outlined guidelines, elect (a) new candidate for spokesperson(s). The membership shall approve the new candidate(s)-elect no later than two weeks following the rejection of the former candidate(s).