Constitution of the Ballroom Dance Club

PREAMBLE

Members of the Ballroom Dance Club hereby establish this constitution in March of 2002 in order to guide our endeavors that they may realize our goals and purposes to their fullest extent. All guidelines set forth by this constitution aim to promote the success of our club through the learning of various ballroom dances through free professional lessons, opportunities for students to perform and compete, interaction with the campus community through the sponsorship of campus-wide events, and the constant accumulation of new members.

ARTICLE I. Name

Section 1.

The official title of this organization is The Fairfield University Ballroom Dance Club, henceforth referred to as the Ballroom Dance Club.

ARTICLE II. Purpose

Section 1.	The Ballroom Dance Club is established for the purpose of providing students with the opportunity to engage in a social and fun recreational activity that allows them to discover and develop the many social and personal skills needed to learn ballroom dancing through free weekly dance lessons provided by a professional instructor or an experienced dancer.
Section 2.	The Ballroom Dance Club understands and is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities by abiding by Fairfield University policies.

ARTICLE III. Membership

Section 1.	Any undergraduate or graduate full or part-time student of Fairfield University can become a member of the Ballroom Dance Club (with voting privileges) by attending seventy-five percent of meetings and events sponsored by the Ballroom Dance Club in a given semester.
Section 2.	Requirements for membership in the Competition Team include attending one hundred percent of all Ballroom Dance Club and Competition Team meetings and events sponsored by the Ballroom Dance Club. A team member must notify an officer of the club by the night of a meeting if that meeting must be missed due to unavoidable and pressing circumstances. All team members are encouraged to attend at least one competition as a spectator before competing. Only members of the Competition Team who have been on the team for at least one semester are eligible to compete. Membership in the Competition Team will be inclusive and open. Membership will not be determined by auditions or cuts, and will not be discriminated against due to dancing experience or the male/female ratio of the team.
Section 3.	No dues are required from members of the Ballroom Dance Club or Competition Team. Money for all lessons and events will be provided from fund-raising and university organizations, including the Board of Governors. Members of the Competition Team will hold their own fund-raisers and may be required to pay for certain necessities on occasion, including lessons, costumes, registration fees, and travel expenses.

ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section 1.	All officers of the Ballroom Dance Club must be full-time undergraduate students of Fairfield University and have been an active member of the Ballroom Dance Club for at least one semester. The Ballroom Dance Club will be governed by the following means:
Section 2.	An elected President will preside at all meetings of the Ballroom Dance Club and monthly officer meetings. The President will also run all meetings of the Competition Team, unless the President is not a member of the team, in which case a Dance Team Captain will be elected to run Competition Team meetings. The President is responsible for communication and all matters between the Ballroom Dance Club, the Board of Governors, the Office of Student Activities, and the dance instructor.
Section 3.	The Ballroom Dance Club shall also maintain a Vice-President. The Vice-President's duties shall be to preside at all meetings and functions that the President cannot attend, and to assist other officers and committees with responsibilities that require additional help. The Vice-President will also act as an assistant Competition Team Captain with the responsibilities of researching upcoming competitions, collecting and sending registration fees, registering the team, and planning travel arrangements.
Section 4.	Club members will also elect a Treasurer, who will attend Board of Governor meetings with the President, as well as handle funds raised or collected and assist in all monetary affairs involved in budget proposals, event planning, fund-raising, and competition fees.
Section 5.	A Secretary will also be elected to maintain a list of active club and team members, which can be used to send e-mails, create rosters, and facilitate other forms of communication. This list will be continuously updated through sign-in sheets at meetings of the Ballroom Dance Club and events such as Open House and Activities Fair. Minutes should also be taken at officer and informational meetings.

ARTICLE V. Operations

Section 1.	Voting Eligibility: Those members meeting all requirements of active membership set forth in Article III by the election date will be eligible to vote.
Section 2.	Election Process: All officers shall be elected by a majority of eligible voting members of the Ballroom Dance Club. All elections will be held on an annual basis by March 15 of each academic year. The President will take nominations from the floor, the nomination process must be closed and the movement seconded. The nominated parties will be allowed to vote if they are eligible voting members. All voting shall be done by secret ballot to be collected and tabulated by the Vice-President and Secretary. Newly elected officers will assume office on April 1, except in the case of those that are elected mid-term. Officers of mid-term elections, which occur in the case of a sudden position vacancy, will assume office immediately after their election.
Section 3.	Removal: Any officer of the Ballroom Dance Club in violation of the club's purpose or constitution may be removed from office by the following process: 1. Written request by at least three members of the Ballroom Dance Club. 2. Written notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting prepared to speak in his or her own defense. 3. Written notification to the membership. 4. Seventy-five percent of the voting membership must be in attendance to vote on the removal of an officer. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary to remove the officer.
Section 4.	Replacement: Should an officer resign or be removed, a special election will be held one week after written notification to all voting members. Mid-term election shall be conducted as specified in Article V, Section 2.
Section 5.	Meetings: All meetings will occur on a weekly basis or other regular basis at the time selected by The Ballroom Dance Club. Ballroom Dance Club meetings will consist of signing in, opening announcements, a one hour long dance lesson, and closing remarks. The Competition Team will meet one hour weekly in addition to the weekly Ballroom Dance Club meetings. These meetings will consist of announcements concerning competitions, performances, or fund-raising, and either a dance lesson or practice time designated specifically to dances that will be performed or competed in. The Ballroom Dance Club meetings are designed to broaden the base of dance experience for the team members, while the Competition Team meetings should be utilized to only work on dances that will be performed in competitions at the dancers' appropriate levels.

ARTICLE VI. Finances

The Ballroom Dance Club does not charge its members dues in accordance with our purpose and to allow
all students the opportunity to learn how to ballroom dance, despite their financial status. The Ballroom
Dance Club will finance the activities it engages in by the following means:

Section 1.	The President and Treasurer of the Ballroom Dance Club will submit proposals to the Board of Governors to request funding for lessons that will be conducted throughout the year or for upcoming events.
Section 2.	The Ballroom Dance Club will also seek funds from other sources, such as F.A.C.E., when appropriate.
Section 3.	Due to the large amount of money requested from the Board of Governors for lessons, club and team members may have to contribute their own funds to attend performances, competitions, or other events outside of meetings.
Section 4.	The Ballroom Dance Club will conduct all financial activities in accordance with university policy.

ARTICLE VII. Amendments

This constitution is binding to all members of the Ballroom Dance Club, but the constitution is not binding unto itself.

Section 1.	Amendments to the constitution may be proposed in writing by any voting member of the Ballroom Dance Club at any meeting when two-thirds of the voting members are present.
Section 2.	These amendments will be placed on the agenda for the next regular officers meeting.
Section 3.	Proposed amendments will become effective following approval of two-thirds majority vote of voting members at a meeting where seventy-five percent of active members are present, and approval of the appropriate parties in the Office of Student Activities.

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