Constitution for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)

Article One: Name of Organization

The name of this organization shall be Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Article Two: Purpose of Organization

The purpose of this organization is to bring students together who have an interest in Palestinian politics and society.  Our goal is to discuss Palestinian issues amongst the members, and disseminate accurate information about Palestine to the other members of the GMU community.

Article Three: Membership

Membership in this organization will not be restricted on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, sex or age.

All faculty and students of the George Mason University community are welcome to join SJP. All active members must be enrolled GMU students with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 and must maintain good academic standing.

There are four types of membership to SJP. Active members are the first type of members and are those who have signed up to SJP's mailing list, have attended at least one meeting and one major event, and have paid their annual dues. There will be enough meetings and events at different times during the semester to allow for students an opportunity to attend them. Active members are given voting privileges. Officers are considered active members.

Inactive members do not have voting privileges because they are not directly involved with the organization as active members are. Inactive members may be students who are in loose contact with the organization and have not paid dues. They may become active members at any time as long as they meet the requirements listed above.

Faculty members shall be considered associate members. They will have voting privileges if they are actively engaged with the organization (attending at least one meeting and one event).

Honorary membership may be presented to distinguished faculty or community members who have shown interest in the organization and have helped with the organization's events, mission, etc. The person shall be nominated by any active member and a 2/3 majority vote must be reached for the membership to take place.

Membership may be revoked if a student fails to maintain a 2.0 cumulative average.  SJP is an organization with a clear mission and position, and one that respects individual opinions. However, members who speak on behalf of the organization without permission to do so, especially in a way that completely contradicts the organization's position can be revoked of their membership. A board meeting will take place to discuss the case and a ¾ majority of the officers must agree to revoke the membership for it to go through.

Article Four: Officers

This organization shall consist of five acting officers:

 President: The president is the chief executive of the organization. The president will preside over meetings, events, and other activities that the organization will have. The president will approve of any events that take place in the name of the organization and will be the main coordinator of the event unless otherwise noted. He/she must set a weekly meeting with the other officers and a monthly general body meeting and have an agenda for each meeting in order to discuss the developments of the organization and ongoing events. The president is responsible for appointing an officer if anyone fails to carry out his/her duties, until elections can be held to fill the position.

Vice-president: The vice-president will work mainly with the president in coordinating events, holding meetings, etc. The vice-president will take charge of the organization in the case that the president is away. The vice-president shall become president if the president is not able to continue his/her duties and if the president chooses to resign until elections can be held to fill the position.

Secretary: The secretary of the organization holds the responsibility of maintaining any important documents for the organization. He/she will also attend all meetings and take minutes of the meetings. This position also entails helping out with events, paperwork, etc.

Treasurer: The treasurer's main job will be to maintain a budget for the organization and keep in close contact with the umbrella. This position will mainly consist of taking care of the financial needs for the organization, such as requesting checks and completing the paperwork at the end of the for recognition of the organization. He/she will attend any workshops relating to money management, and will maintain important financial documents for the organization.

Public relations chair: The PR chair will be in charge of maintain communication between the organization and the umbrella and other departments of student activities and the university. Moreover, the PR chair will responsible for maintaining contact with other related organizations in the universities in the area and updating SJP on their activities/events. The officer position shall be filled by active members who have a cumulative GPA no less than 2.5 and must maintain this GPA throughout the term.

The officers' term shall be one full academic year, and there shall be a 2-year limit to the same position.

An officer may be removed from their position if they do not fulfill the duties described above. The officer may be removed by a ¾ majority vote of the executive board and a 2/3 majority vote of the active members of SJP.

Advisor

The primary advisor shall be a member of the faculty or staff at George Mason University. 

The advisor will be selected based on a vote of the acting officers of whom

ever they choose to appoint as SJP's advisor for the next year. The nominee for the advisor's position should have been involved with the organization somewhat by attending 1-2 meetings and an event which the organization sponsored.

The advisor may be removed from his/her duties if a ¾ majority vote of the officers is reached to remove the advisor for failing to be a helpful asset to the organization. 

The advisor may offer guidance and support for the organization but may not have a vote. 

Article Five: Elections

Nominees will qualify if they are enrolled GMU students with a grade point average of 2.5 or above and have been active members of the organization for at least one year.

Nominations may be submitted to the executive board by active members at the announcement of beginning of election period.

Nominees may present their qualifications for election by submitting a biography consisting of at least 200 words and/or give a speech during a specified meeting before the elections.

Elections for the president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and PR chair should take place any weekday in the first two weeks of April.

Active members may vote for the nominees using a secret ballot.

A 2/3 majority vote is required for the nominee to win the position.

In the event of a tie, candidates will have another chance to present a statement to the officers who will then vote again and their vote will decide the winner. Again, a 2/3 majority is required to win the position.

Candidates can be disqualified if they are found to not have been active members for at least one year, violated GPA requirements, committed an Honor Code violation, or had already been in that position for two years. If any of this information becomes available to a member or officer, it must be presented to the officers who will then decide to disqualify the candidate. If any of these violations are committed by an officer, the membership can vote to disqualify the candidate by a simple majority.

Officers will assume their new positions at the beginning of the Fall semester.

Article Six: Meetings

The officers of Students for Justice in Palestine will meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on the need. The date and time will be set taking into account the times the officers are available. Three out of five officers or (2/3) must be present for the meeting to take place of which the president and/or vice-president must be one of them.

The general body meetings will take place once a month; the time and date to be discussed with the active members to suit their needs. It will be the responsibility of the secretary and PR chair to advertise properly for the meetings.

Special meetings can be called by the president or by any other officer with the approval of the president. They will be announced through emails and flyers.

The president will preside over the meeting. In the case that the president is not able to attend, the vice-president will take charge.

The secretary will be responsible for taking the names and contact information of everyone who attends the meetings for documenting purposes.

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th edition will be used for all meetings.

Article Seven: Finance

There shall be an annual fee for all active members of SJP which shall be determined by the executive board of officers by a ¾ majority vote.  Officer fees shall be collected once they take their positions in the beginning of the fall semester. 

Membership fees will be collected at any time members choose to become active SJP members, and members may join SJP anytime in the semester. 

Article Eight: Amendments

A proposed amendment to the constitution must be presented in written form to be discussed and debated by the officers and active members formally during a general body meeting. A secret ballot vote will take place during the meeting or in another specified meeting where active members and officers will vote on accepting or rejecting the amendment.

Officers and/or active members may amend the constitution by a 2/3 majority vote of the officers and active members. 

The office of Student Activities must review all amendments in the same manner as a completely new constitution.

Article Nine: Ratification

The constitution shall be ratified by a ¾ majority vote of the officers, and a ¾ majority vote of the active members.

This constitution shall become effective upon approval by a ¾ vote of the membership, the Council of Student Organization Umbrella Leaders and the Associate Dean of University Life / Director of Student Activities.