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Chamber Use Policy of the Joint Senate of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies


Thank you for your interest in using our chambers. Please take a moment to look over our Chamber Use Policy.
Article I. The Societies
Section A. As stated in the preamble to the Joint Senate Consitution, the purpose of the Joint Senate of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies is: to stimulate and advance interest in parliamentary discussion, to encourage public speaking, culture, and the arts, to facilitate a free interchange of ideas, to encourage rational thought, to promote the welfare of the University of Noth Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to promote the study of the history of this University.
Section B. All references to the Societies in this document are to the Joint Senate of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, conditionally acknowledging the consent of both the Senate of the Dialectic Society and the Philanthropic Literary Society, and recognizing the rights of the Societies as individual entities.
Section C. All references to the Chambers of the Societies in this document refer specifically to the Dialectic Hall the the Philanthropic Chamber, which are located respectively on the top floors of New West Hall the New East Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Chamber" refers specifically to the great rooms located just inside the main entry ways only and does not include the back rooms behind and above the Chambers of the Societies, the interioir of the desks or filing cabinets, or any effects specifically related to the workings of the Societies. These effects include the President's gavel, the President's cane, the President's copy of the Constitution, the guest ledger, the Sergeant-at-Arms roll book, the Critic's bell, the President's chair, the candlesticks, the Societies' copy of Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel, etc.
Section D. The Chambers of the Societies and the effects therein are the property of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies Foundation, Inc. and all conditions or request for the use of this property shall be directed by the Foundation through the Societies as their acting agents.

Article II. Eligible Users
Section A. Any organization may use the Chambers, provided such usage is not inconsistent with the purposes of the Societies as stated in the Preamble to the Joint Senate Consitution.
Section B. Those who have traditionally used the Chambers shall continue to have access to them, provided that they follow the guidelines and restrictions listed herein.
Section C. The Societies reserve the right to deny use of the Chambers to any group on the basis of past misuse.

Article III. Conditions of Use
Section A. Any and all groups meeting in the Chambers shall abide by the following conditions of such use:
1. Smoking is not allowed in the Chambers; this includes any and all smoke producing devices.
2. State and local laws, specificlaly those concerning liquor consumption and excessive noise levels, shall be obeyed at all times.
3. The Chambers shall be left in the same condition as they were found. The group using the Chamber shall be rsponsible for any and all damage caused to the Chambers or their effects during the time of use, including the costs of cleaning the Chambers.
4. A request will be made in advance to move any furniture into, out of, or within the Chambers.
5. The Societies reserve the right to have representative Senators present at any meeting held in the Chambers.
6. A statement concerning the nature of the Societies shall be read at the beginning of each meeting held in eithe rChamber, if the Societies so request. This statement will give, at a minimum, their purpose as stated in the Preamble to the Consitution and the time and date of their next reular meeting. It may be read by either a group or a Societies' representative, at the Societies' discretion.
7. No more than one-hundred (100) people shall be in a given Chamber at any one time.
8. Rowdy, obscene, unseemly, inebriated, or otherwise indecent, desrespectful, or ungentle displays of behavior by any member or guest of a group may be noted and acted upon by any representative of the Societies.
9. All groups must comply with the Societies' laws, customs, and traditions as the Societies. Any egegious violations or delibrate non-compliane with the laws, customs, and traditions of either Society or of the Joint Senate may be noted and acted upon by any representative of the Societies.
Section B. Violation of any of these conditions shall be grounds for immediate expulsion from the Chambers, and may ffect consideration of any future applications for use of the Chambers, including unconditional banishment.
Section C. Use of the Chambers shall constitute an agreement to abide by all the rules, regulartions, and guidelines of this act.
Section D. Any and all organizations meeting in either Chamber shall be requested to contribute an amount, as prescribed below, for each such meeting, hereinafter referred to as the 'Chamber Use Contribution.'
1. The Chamber Use Contribution shall be sixty dollars ($60) for each meeting in the Dialectic Hall and fifty dollars ($50) for each such meeting in the Philanthropic Chamber.
2. The Societies reserve the right to waive the Chamber Use Contribution. Such waiver requires the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the active members presnet at a regular meeting of the Societies. It is suggested that the Chbmer Use Constribution be waived for debates, artistic and literary presentations, and speeches of general public interest.
3. Should the organization wish to serve refreshments in the Philanthropic Chamber, the contribution shall be increased by twenty-five dollars ($25). This additional contribution may not be waived pursuant to the above rule.

Article IV. Procedures
Section A. Permission to use the Chambers may not be granted until a formal request for such use has been submitted, either in writing, or in person by a representative of the group at a regular meeting of the Societies.
1. Such a request shall include, at a minimum, the name of the group or organization, dates, times, and purpose ofr which use of the Chambers is requested, as well as specifically which of the Chambers is desired.
2. The Societies will expect to receive written requests at least two weeks in advance of the time the Chambers are to be used. Any request reaching the Societies less than one week in advance will not be considered.
3. In extraordinary or emergency situations, the Societies may approve requests which do not meet the above requiremts, using the same procedure as for requests submitted in the proper manner. However, in these circumstances, good cause must be shown by the applicant why such an irregular request should be considered at all, as well as why use of the Chamber should be granted. The vote for such a request shall either be a two-thirds majority of a special meeting of the Societies; or the unanimous consent of Executive Committee members who are voting, which must include must include three-quarters of the officers and either the President or the President Pro Tempore. Executive Committee must contact all members in accordance with G-2-205-4 (Adequate Notice) before approving the request.
4. Any Senator may presnet a reuqest for use of the Chambers at any regular meeting of the Societies, during the buisness section. when the Senator presenting the request is a member of the group seeking use of the Chambers, the monetary contribution for that request may be waived, provided that the member will be presnet during the Camber use and will personally vouch, on his or her honor as a Senator of the Societies, for the benevolent intentions of that group.
5. If a group has previously been granted use of either of the Chambers, this reservation obviously takes precedence over any later request from another group for the same time. Groups wishing to avoid such scheduling conflicts are advised to make their requests as far in advance as possible.
Section B. The Societies shall vote on each request for use of either Chamber before two reuglar meetings of teh Societies have passed, following recipt of the request. In the case of a request presneted in person by a represnetative of the group, the vote should occur following the presentation of the reuqest and debate on the question.
1. The consent of two-thirds of the active members present at a regular meeting of the Societies shall be required to grant permission for the use of either of the two Chambers.
2. It is suggested that, whenever possible, the Clerk send a copy of this Chamber Use Policy, along with the Societies' decision on the request, within a week of that decision. It is further suggested that the Clerk send a statement of the Societies' purposes and history, as well as an announcement of the next regular meeting of the Societies.
3. If it should prove impossible for the Societies to vote on a request in time for a meeting, the President shall act in accordance with Article IV Section A, Paragraph 3 of this action.
Section C. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall be responsible for keeping a record of the usage of the Chambers by outside groups, including documentation of any damage that may occur, or lack thereof. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall apoint one of the Senators, or himself, to insure that the Chambers are unlocked and accessible before, and locked and secured after, any group'suse of the Chambers. He shall also be responsible for noting the condition of the Chambers before and after each use. It is suggested that any representatives present, the appointee of the Sergeant-at-Arms, and/or the Sergeant-at-Arms himself deliver a report on the group's use at the next regular meeting of the Societies, noting and reviewing the group's conduct at the meeting.
Section D. Informal gatherings of Senators and their guests, where a formal groups or organization is not involved, may use the Chambers without having a formal reservation.
1. The activities of those present must be consistent with the purposes of the Societies as stated in the Preamble to the Joint Senate Constitution.
2. Those Senators present will be held personally accountable to the Societies for the appropriateness of such use of the Chambers, and for all occurrences during that use of the Chambers. In particular, the provisions of Article III, Section A, Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, and 7 will apply. Extreme abuse of this privilege may constitute grounds for censure or expulsion from the Societies.
3. The provisions of the Section may in no way be used to allow an organization use of the Chambers without making a proper request to the Societies, or after such a request has been denied.

Article V. Groups Exempt
Section A. The provisions of the Policy shall not paply to the meetings of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, their Committees, groups compsed solely of their members, or the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies Foundation Inc.