The Undergraduate Council shall maintain an official Council office.
The office shall be open for at least ten hours per week, between one andthree o'clock P.M. on weekdays, or during additional hours to be determined bythe Executive Board. Each representative's hours must be advertised in the district.The Executive Board shall staff the office during the week with each executiveavailable for at least two hours.
Each delegation shall table in their dining hall for one hour during dinnerbefore the weekly Council meeting. They shall make available to theirconstituents the agenda of the meeting, a summary of the minutes from theprevious meeting, and any other salient issues.
Each member in good standing shall be granted an office key for the solepurpose of working on Council projects. The office key shall fall under thejurisdiction of the Vice President who reserves the right of revocation inconsultation with the Executive Board. No delegate may transfer his or her keyto any undergraduate and any misconduct or inappropriate use of the key shallserve as grounds for dismissal from the Council. Any member who is expelled orresigns from the Council must promptly deposit the key with the Vice Presidentat the time of termination of office, and all delegates must relinquish theirkeys by the final day of exams of the Spring Council session at the discretionof the Vice President.
The Council shall be registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as anonprofit corporation, to be named the Harvard Undergraduate Council,Incorporated. The constitution, together with any articles submitted to theSecretary of the Commonwealth in application for recognition, shall constitutethe corporate charter and bylaws for legal purposes.
The corporation shall exist perpetually.
The corporation's purpose is educational, insofar as its end is the bettergovernance of a university. This purpose is neither exclusive nor mandatory.
The corporation may exercise any power or privilege ordinarily enjoyed by anonprofit corporation under state law, and all lawful powers conducive orincidental to the achievement of its objects. The enumeration of certain powersor privileges does not deny or disparage other general powers or privilegesthat the corporation may by law possess or exercise, all of which are herebyexpressly claimed.
The corporation is a charitable, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, andshall not engage in any activity that could compromise this status. Thecorporation shall neither consider nor endorse the candidate or platform of anyorganized political campaign or party; the creed, doctrine, or ideology of anyreligious, denominational, sectarian, or cultist enterprise, institution, ororganization; or any activity that solicits funding or support for anything ineither category above.
If the corporation dissolves without a legal successor, then its residualassets shall be distributed among the house committees and the First-YearCaucus, on a per-undergraduate basis, if possible; otherwise these assets shallbe distributed to a charitable organization within the University communitythat is eligible for tax-exempt contributions under federal tax law, or tolocal government for exclusive public purpose within the University Community.
The Council shall not join any discriminatory, partisan, or sectarianorganization, or one whose activities include the consideration or endorsementof the candidate or platform of any organized political campaign or party; thecreed, doctrine, or ideology of any religious, denominational, sectarian, orcultist enterprise, institution, or organization; or any activity that solicitsfunding or support for anything in either category above.
The Executive Board shall thoroughly investigate proposed affiliation withany organization, and shall promptly report to the Council upon the benefit tothe Council and undergraduate body of such affiliation. A permanent affiliationentails approval of the organization's constitution and agreement to theobligations implied thereunder, and shall not be considered before theExecutive Board has reported.
The Council may temporarily join any qualified organization, as permitted bythe regulations governing Harvard student organizations by a two-thirds vote,or by simple majority if affiliation is a prerequisite to attend a conferenceto which a delegation is accredited. No temporary affiliation shall extendbeyond the first full academic year after the vote to affiliate.
The Council may permanently join any qualified organization, as permitted bythe regulations governing Harvard student organizations, if a delegation hasattended and reported upon a conference of the organization, or if theorganization has invited the Council's membership and provided substantialliterature documenting its purposes, activities, and accomplishments.
The Executive Board shall notify the Council of any invitation to theconferences of an affiliated organization for consideration of whether toaccredit a delegation. The Executive Board shall provide for the selection ofany delegate to such a conference; the selection must be approved by theCouncil if the conference exceeds two hundred dollars. No member of thegraduating class shall be the sole delegate to such a conference, or be a memberof the first delegation accredited to an organization. The Council shall fullypay the registration of its delegation to any conference, and may also pay itstransportation. The delegation to a conference shall report to the Council uponits attendance, the conference's work, and the state of the affiliatedorganization by the second meeting after its return from the conference.
The first-year and upperclass districts shall follow the guides establishedin the Constitution. The first-year district shall be the North Yard,consisting of Canaday and Thayer Halls; West Yard, consisting of Holworthy,Hollis, Lionel, Massachusetts, Mower, Stoughton, and Straus Halls; East Yard,consisting of Greenough, Hurlbut, Pennypacker, and Wigglesworth Halls, andSouth Yard, consisting of Grays, Matthews, and Weld Halls as well as ApleyCourt and any first-year students living in locations not otherwise assigned.The Executive Board may make minor shifts in district designs if absolutelynecessary for the completion of the election.
The Election Commission shall administer external elections, including thegeneral elections of representatives and the popular elections of the Presidentand Vice President. The Election Commission shall not be charged with internalelections of officers.
The Election Commission shall be composed of three members of the counciland three students at large who are not members of the council. Two alternates,one who is a council member and one who is student at large not from thecouncil, shall also be elected and they shall assume seats on the Commissionupon a vacancy being created by a Commission member of their category. Thereshall also be an administrative advisor to the commission, who shall vote onlyin the case of a tie vote within the commission.
The availability of positions for non-Council representatives on theElection Commission shall be publicized to the campus in April and after thefall general elections if any non-Council Commissioners choose not to continuetheir office. The presiding officer shall announce the availability ofpositions for Council representatives on the Election Commission over theCouncil's e-mail list. Candidates for the Council-representative positions onthe Commission shall apply in writing to the Executive Board, which shall makea recommendation to the full Council. Such candidates will be seated on theElection Commission upon the approval of a majority of the full Council. Thelist provided by the Executive Board shall be voted up or down without debate,unless the Council by a two-thirds vote shall decide to debate theappointments. Candidates for the non- Council representative positions on theElection Commission shall apply in writing to the administrative advisor, whoshall appoint the requisite number of members. All vacancies shall be filledpromptly. All vacancies occurring after the December elections shall be filledby the last meeting of the academic year.
Members of the Election Commission are required to resign if there exists apotential conflict of interest involving a candidate for campus-wide popularelection. The Commission shall be the final judge of the conflicts of itsmembers.
Election Commissions will begin their terms in April and will be responsiblefor running the upcoming general elections in the fall. After the conclusion ofthe general elections, the Election Commission member will have the option tocontinue serving as members until April of the next year. There will be ameeting of the Election Commissioners soon after the fall general elections todetermine which members will remain serving as Commissioners until April. Thevacancies shall be filled according to the outline provided in the bylaws.
Prior to taking office, Election Commission members shall sign a documentnoting that they have read and understood the appropriate sections of theCouncil Constitution and bylaws and that they agree to abide by them.
The Election Commission is charged with the following duties: (1)publicizing elections around campus (2) making candidacy forms available to allinterested parties, responsibly collecting them, and validating all nominationforms of potential candidates (3) coordinating election procedures with theappropriate parties necessary to carry out electronic voting (4) tallyingballots and promptly notifying candidates of their election status (5)monitoring the spending guidelines outlined in these bylaws (6) establishingother guidelines and rules necessary to properly carry out any UndergraduateCouncil, provided that such rules are consistent with the Undergraduate CouncilConstitution and these by-laws. The Election Commission shall have theauthority to expel or otherwise punish candidates in any election who do notcomply with the Undergraduate Council Constitution, bylaws, or ElectionCommission guidelines and policies.
The budget for the Election Commission shall be set by the Executive Board.The amount may be repealed and amended by a majority of the Council.
If through resignation or other factors there are three or fewer sittingelection commissioners, those commissioners may carry on essential businessuntil the vacancies are filled; they may not create or change any electionrules for campus-wide elections to council-wide office.
Election Commissioners may not run for council-wide office during the fallsemester.
Any undergraduate may nominate him or herself to run for the Council bynotifying the Election Commission by the sixth day before the election. Sincepolling will start on a Wednesday, this deadline will be at 5:00 on thepreceding Friday. All candidates must accept their nominations with the intentof completing their term in office, and thereby commit themselves tomaintaining official conduct within the scope of the Constitution and thesebylaws. Candidates may submit a position paper to the office. Such documentswill be kept on file and displayed electronically during elections. The ElectionCommission shall set the length of these papers.
The general election shall occur on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday twoweeks after upper- class registration. The first-year elections shall beadministered by the Election Commission and Executive Board members not seekingcouncil-wide office.
The Election Commission will follow the tasks outlined in the CouncilConstitution. Publicity for the election shall include memos in the YardBulletin and all house newsletters (if said publications are running). Inaddition, two ads announcing the candidacy deadline must be placed in a campus-wide publication, one in each of the two weeks prior to the candidacy deadline.All Council members will be responsible for postering in areas designated bythe Election Commission.
Any and all voting shall be done by secret ballot. There will be no proxy orabsentee voting allowed. Ballots shall be tallied by the hare proportionalvoting system. All results must be given to all campus newspapers, and eachcandidate must be notified of the results by the election commission. TheElection Commission shall also contact by phone the first place vote getter ineach district who shall contact by phone the other winners in his or herdistrict of the election results.
The Executive Board shall be the sole arbiter of all election disputes. Nomember may take part in the arbitration of his or her own dispute or one whichaffects his or her own district.
The Vice President shall call roll at the announced time of the beginningand end of each regular general meeting. Absence from either roll call shallcount as one half of an absence. Absence from both shall count as a fullabsence. Members failing to vote on any constitutional amendment shall beassessed one absence. The Vice Chair of each committee shall record the name ofeach member present at each regular meeting, and shall promptly deposit thisroll with the Vice President. An election commissioner absent from a committeemeeting on election business will be excused.
The Vice President shall, during his or her remarks at the general meeting,warn any member who has a total of two or more absences from regular Councilmeetings and regular committee meetings. The agenda of each regular Council meeting shall include an attendancerecord that lists, for each member, his or her attendance at the last regularmeeting and at any committee meetings that took place since the last regularmeeting. The attendance record will also include the member’s cumulative regular meeting absences and cumulativecommittee meeting absences.
The Vice President must expel any member who has been absent from three ormore regular Council meetings, three or more regular Committee meetings, or anycombination of four absences from regular Council meetings and regularcommittee meetings. The Vice President has the sole authority to make such anexpulsion and this decision is not subject to any deliberation by the Councilother than those under Section 23.6. These pending expulsions must be announced in the Vice President'sremarks during the next full Council meeting. Should the member with the pending expulsion from the Council bereinstated before the next full Council meeting, the Vice President’s remarksshould reflect both the pending expulsion and reinstatement. The vice president must notify the member ofhis or her pending expulsion at the regular Council meeting immediatelyfollowing the absence which incurred the expulsion. Expulsion shall be effective immediately following the conclusionof the first subsequent Executive Board meeting following the announcement ofthe pending expulsion.
If an expelled member wishes to be reinstated, he or she must appear beforethe Executive Board at its next meeting. The expelled member shall have time tospeak to the Executive Board and answer questions. A two-thirds vote of theExecutive Board shall be required for reinstatement, in which case the member'sabsences shall be reduced by two, as the Executive Board deems appropriate. Ifthe former member is not reinstated, he or she is expelled. Failure to appearat the meeting directly following expulsion will make that expulsionirrevocable, except in the case of debilitating illness or family emergency, inwhich case the Executive Board may consider reinstatement in the expelledmember's absence. No member shall be expelled and no expulsion shall be madeirrevocable through negligence on the part of the Executive Board or anyCouncil officer.
Any failure on the part of the Vice President to enforce the attendancepolicy may be regarded as substantive grounds for recall. If the Vice Presidentis not performing his or her duties, then any Council member has the right toinspect the attendance rolls and motion for the expulsion of certain membersand/or the recall of the Vice President.
All members of the Undergraduate Council are responsible for reporting tomembers of their constituencies the projects and events of the Council, forassistance in publicizing all Council projects and events, and for assistancein conducting all Council surveys. Members are also required to attend all fullCouncil and committee meetings as outlined in the attendance policy. Allmembers are to table in their dining hall as outlined in Section 11.2.
No member of the Undergraduate Council, except where otherwise noted in thecase of officers, may enter into any contracts or agreements on behalf of theCouncil without Council approval. All members should avoid entering into"conflicts of interest" which might reflect poorly upon the Council.No member may misrepresent his or her authority with respect to the Council andno member may sponsor Council resolutions in which he or she expects to receivemonetary gain.
Any ten members may introduce a resolution to reprimand, censure, or expelanother member or to recall any officer, for misconduct. The petition mustallege specific misconduct.
The term 'misconduct' shall include disorderliness, or disturbance of thepeace; infraction or contempt of the Council's authority; infringement upon therights of another undergraduate; malfeasance; misfeasance; nonfeasance; willfulhindrance of the Council or any officer or department in his, her or itslegitimate work; conspiracy to commit any act mentioned above; failure to carryout the duties of members and violations of the rules of ethics as outlinedabove. The term "misconduct", with respect to an office, shall alsoinclude disobeying or ignoring an instruction; incompetence; negligence;unsatisfactory reportage; and failure to carry out the duties of the office asoutlined in the Constitution and Bylaws.
The Vice President shall promptly notify the member or officer involvedabout the resolution for his expulsion or recall.
A resolution for reprimand, censure, expulsion or recall shall be consideredat the first meeting convened more than three days after the aforementioned warning.
The member facing disciplinary action may appoint up to two managers for thedefense, who shall attend the meeting until the disposition of the resolution.
The sponsor or a designee of the sponsor may speak first for up to fiveminutes, and the member facing disciplinary action, or his or her manager, mayreply for up to five minutes. The Council shall consider the resolution for upto ten minutes after these speeches, during which any undergraduate maydirectly question the sponsor or his or her designee, or the member facingdisciplinary action or his or her manager.
The vote shall be taken by secret ballot. A resolution for reprimand orcensure shall require a simple majority. A resolution for expulsion or recallshall require a two-thirds vote. Any officer so recalled shall be ineligible tothe same office until the next general election.
The delegation chair shall be selected from among members of a delegation. Iftwo or more members wish to be delegation chair, the highest vote-getter willhave precedence. If no delegation members wished to be delegation chair, thisposition shall automatically devolve upon the first-place finisher.
He or she shall be responsible for notifying the house or district of allrelevant Council business and keeping the delegation's constituents up to dateon all Council business. He or she shall also maintain a bulletin board withinhis or her district containing all such business.
Delegation chairs will also be responsible for helping the Vice Presidentcoordinate special elections within his or her district and for publicizing anyvacancies which may arise within his or her district. At the first full Councilmeeting of a new session, the delegation chairs shall submit to the VicePresident a written statement of all committee assignments in his or herdistrict.
In the event of a vacancy for which more than one candidate has applied, aspecial election must be conducted in the house/first-year districtexperiencing the vacancy. Upon their assumption of office, the seats of thepopularly elected President and Vice President shall become vacant and shall befilled according to the provision for filling any council vacancy.
The election shall be administered by the Vice President. The ExecutiveBoard shall be the sole arbiter of all special election disputes. No member maytake part in the arbitration of his or her own dispute or one which affects hisor her own district.
Voting should be scheduled so as to seat the new members within the two weektime limit specified in the Constitution, preferable during the Wednesday, Thursday,and Friday of the second week after the vacancy is announced.
The Vice President and a designated member of the district's house committeeor the first-year caucus must be present for the tabulation of Special Electionvoting. In addition, each candidate must be informed by the Vice President thata teller of his or her choice may be present during vote counting. The VicePresident shall be responsible for notifying all candidates of the results.
The Finance Committee shall at its first meeting every semester electexactly one Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. The Secretary shall beresponsible for maintaining all records on the grants process and working withthe Chair and Vice Chair to coordinate both the application and disbursementprocess. The Chair shall be responsible for assigning each group an advocatefrom the Finance Committee. In the table of contents of each Grants Book, theChair of the Finance Committee will be responsible for determining whichsubtype each grant will fall under (e.g. ethnic & cultural, performance,political and services, publications, and miscellaneous). The Finance Committeeshall direct every group interested in Council funding to apply through thegrant process. Unless so designated by the bylaws, the entire operatingprocedure of the committee shall be set by the Chair.
The Events Calendar is a means by which student organizations on the Harvard College campus may publicize their eventsto all students who sign up to the uc-events e-mail list.
The Vice Chair of the Finance Committee, or their designee, shall be in charge of the administration and distribution ofthe Events Calendar.
The main source of distribution for the Events Calendar is the uc-events e-mail list and web site. The Events Calendar will be sent out over the e-mail list once a week.The Vice Chair may also make paper copies available.
The Campus Life Committee shall elect two Co-Chairs at the first meeting ofeach semester. All candidates can choose to run for either the social orservices subcommittee positions. The Campus Life Committee as a whole shallalso elect a Vice Chair. The responsibility of the Vice Chair will include coordinatingsponsorship and fundraising efforts for the committee and monitoring thecommittee's expenses. The Vice Chair will work with the Council Treasurer tomake sure that the committee follows the Council budget. The Campus LifeCommittee shall elect a committee secretary, who will record meeting minutesand submit them to the committee. The secretary shall also track committeeattendance, and submit it weekly to the Vice President.
The Co-Chairs and Vice Chair shall be responsible for appointing a Liaisonto the Office for the Arts and Sanders Theater Programming Board. As both ofthese offices hold campus-wide events which are of interest to students, theLiaison shall be responsible for providing Undergraduate Council input intoSanders Theater and Arts First weekend programming.
The Services Co-Chair shall be responsible for evaluating the needs ofstudents and executing projects each semester to address those needs. TheServices Co-Chair will work with student-faculty committee delegates andadministrators to gain support for the Campus Life Committee's student serviceinitiatives. The Services Co-Chair shall present a report to the full councileach semester which outlines the effects of the committee's work. The SocialCo-Chair shall be responsible for organizing campus-wide events each semester,in coordination with Houses and student groups if possible. The Social Co-Chairshall oversee the organization of the first-year formal, put on annually bycouncil first-years. The Social Co-Chair shall also be a member of the Concert Commission Executive Board asoutlined in Section 72.2.1. At the end of his or her term, the Social Co-Chair shall present a report to the fullcouncil which outlines the effects of the committee's work.
The Co-Chairs shall be responsible for tracking all of the committee'sprojects and informing the Press Secretary of any developments warrantingcampus media. The Co-Chairs will share the responsibilities of managing CampusLife Committee Meetings, presenting legislation to the Executive Board, andworking with the Vice Chair on financial issues. It will be the responsibilityof the Co-Chairs to submit final reports reviewing the projects of thecommittee. These reports will include budget reports and all information thatsubsequent committees will need in order to implement projects again. Thecommittee shall present this report to the full Council at the final meeting ofthe semester.
The Student Affairs Committee shall elect one Chair and one Vice Chair atthe first committee meeting of each semester. The Student Affairs Committeeshall elect a committee secretary, who will catalog amendments made toresolutions offered in committee and e-mail all final legislation passed by thecommittee to the Council Secretary. The secretary will also prepare written copiesof resolutions passed by the committee for distribution at Executive Boardmeetings. The responsibility of the Chair includes, but is not limited to, thecoordination and progress of Student Affairs projects and the representation ofthe Student Affairs agenda in Executive Board and Full Council. The StudentAffairs Chair is also responsible for supervising the election of delegates toall College and faculty advisory committees, and for delivering a roster ofdelegates to those advisory committees to University Hall within one week oftheir election. The Chair shall also be responsible for reporting anyresignations from or changes to that roster to University Hall. Theresponsibilities of the Vice Chair include taking attendance, sendingattendance reports to the Vice President, preparing ballots for delegateelections, chairing committee meetings when the Chair is unable to do so, andgenerally assisting the Chair with committee business.
The first order of business during the second Fall meeting of StudentAffairs Committee shall be the election of student delegates to faculty andcollege advisory committees. Nothing may precede these elections, and themeeting may not be adjourned until all places on faculty and College advisorycommittees have been filled. Both the Chair and the Vice Char shall serve asdelegates to the Committee on Undergraduate Education, the Committee on HouseLife and the Committee on College Life. Three additional undergraduates shallbe elected to serve on these committees. No members may serve on more than oneof the above-mentioned committees, with the exception of the Chair and the ViceChair. No district may be twice represented on the Committee on House Life orthe Committee on College Life, with the exception of the Chair and Vice Chair.
All delegates to these committees shall serve until the following committeeelections, with the exception of the Chair and Vice Chair, who shall serveuntil the end of their term as Chair and Vice Chair except in cases ofre-election at the end of the Fall term. In such a case, the Chair and ViceChair would continue to serve as delegates until the following committeeelections. Two undergraduates shall be elected to serve on the StandingCommittee on the Core. The Chair and Vice Chair shall be ineligible. Twoundergraduates shall be appointed by the Chair to serve on each of thefollowing standing Core subcommittees: QRR, Historical Studies, Science,Literature and Arts, Social Analysis/Moral Reasoning, and Foreign Cultures.Core subcommittee delegates may also serve as elected delegates to theCommittees on Undergraduate Education, House Life, College Life, and theStanding Committee on the Core, but they may not serve on two Coresubcommittees.
Delegates to all of the aforementioned faculty and college advisorycommittees shall attend the Student Affairs Committee meeting prior to eachmeeting of their faculty or college advisory committee. The Vice Chair shallkeep track of delegates attendance at committee meetings and required StudentAffairs Committee meetings. The Vice Chair shall inform the Student AffairsCommittee of delegates attendance. Delegates, with the exception of the Chairand Vice Chair, may be recalled by a two-thirds vote of the Student AffairsCommittee. A recall vote must be announced one week prior to voting. At theChair's discretion, the Chair of the Student Affair's committee may waive thisrequirement or request the delegates to appear at other meetings. Failure bydelegates to follow the instructions of the Council are grounds for immediatedismissal of that delegate form their advisory committee. Should any of theaforementioned faculty and College advisory committees be dissolved ordisbanded, the Student Affairs Committee shall appoint delegates to anysuccessor advisory committee. Once all elections and assignments to advisorycommittees are completed, the Chair shall be responsible for delivering thecompleted roster of delegates to the appropriate offices in University Hallwithin that week.
As the first order of business during the second meeting of the full StudentAffairs Committee, the Chair shall immediately begin the election of delegates tothe relevant faculty and College advisory committees. The Chair shall explainthe rules, prohibitions and roles of each position. The order of electiondelegates shall be as follows: Committee on Undergraduate Education, Committeeon House Life, Committee on College Life, Standing Committee on the Core. AnyStudent Affairs representative may nominate him or herself or nominate anothermember of the Committee. The meeting shall consider the nominees for eachoffice after nominations have ended; unopposed nominees shall automatically beelected. Each candidate may speak on her or his own behalf for two minutes.Voting shall then take place by secret ballot, with the votes counted by theChair and the Vice Chair. Each candidate may also appoint someone to overseethe vote-counting. No absentee ballots shall be accepted.
Prior to the meeting, the Vice Chair shall prepare official ballots incolor-coded format, with the Vice Chair's signature to affirm the officially ofthe ballots. A roll-call of all voting members shall be taken prior to thevoting. After the ballots have been counted, the total votes cast shall becompared to the number of voting members present. If there is a discrepancy,the vote results will be void, and a re-vote will be called immediately.
After elected delegates are chosen, undergraduates will be appointed toserve on Core subcommittees at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair mustfirst appoint those who are not delegates to advisory committees, and the Chairmust also explain the rules, prohibitions, and roles of each of thesubcommittees before appointment.
The Chair shall be responsible for maintaining the complete roster of alldelegates to all advisory committees. In the event of a delegate resigning fromthe Student Affairs Committee or from the Council, that delegate may continueto serve on the student-faculty or advisory committees that he or she isalready on for the remainder of the academic year as long as he or she is stillenrolled as an undergraduate. Any such delegate, however, must agree to come toat least one Student Affairs Committee meeting per month to report on theprogress of the student-faculty committee, including any important matteraffecting undergraduates.
By the third meeting of the fall semester Student Affairs Committee (or thefourth meeting for the Student Health Committee), or as soon thereafter aspossible, the Committee shall publicize elections for and elect four studentdelegates for the Student Health Committee, three student delegates each to theCommittee on Advising and Counseling and the Committee on Public Service, twostudent delegates each to the Student - Police Advisory Board and the FASLibrary Committee, one student delegate each to the Athletics Committee and theAdvisory Committee on Loker Commons, and nominate three students for theCommission of Inquiry. These shall be selected from the students at large,except that the delegate to the Advisory Committee on Loker Commons shall be aCouncil member, and the remaining two delegates to the Committee on PublicService shall be representatives from PBHA and HAND, selected by thoseorganizations and approved automatically by the Council. Elections shall followthe procedures specified above.
The undergraduate delegate to the Advisory Committee on ShareholderResponsibility shall be elected from the undergraduate body by the StudentAffairs Committee at its last meeting in October, for a term of two years. Nomember of the committee shall be eligible for election. An undergraduate whomay graduate during this term shall be eligible for election. Elections willtake place as described in Article III, Section 33.3.
Every year, the Student Affairs Committee is delegated responsibility by the College to confer several awards to the faculty and staff of Harvard College. On the first Council meeting of the Spring semester, the SAC chair shall announce that they are accepting applications for the Award Committee. On the second meeting the Chair will announce the appointees to the committee. The Awards committee is responsible for advertising for award nominations, accepting nominations andpresenting them to SAC, and organizing the presentation ceremonies for each award. It is at the Award Committee'sdiscretion as to whether they elect a chair or not.
In the fall of 1982, the Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Teaching Prize was established by the Harvard Undergraduate Council to recognize especially skilled and dedicated teachers of undergraduate courses and sections. Prizes are awarded to one graduate student Teaching Fellow, one member of the Junior Faculty (assistant or associate professor), and one memberof the Senior Faculty (full professor) each year.
The Undergraduate Council Award for Service to the Undergraduate Community is given annually to recognize a non-teaching member of the Harvard community who displays outstanding dedication and general devotion to improving life for students through any type of service sector activity.
The Student Affairs Committee will be responsible for the annual administration of the John H. Marquand Award for Exceptional Advising and Counseling of Harvard Students. The award shall be named after legendary Senior Tutor of Dudley House John H. Marquand, to, in the words of the award's donors, remember his "devoted service to the students of Harvard College, to perpetuate his good work and to enhance Harvard's ability to recognize those who contribute to the undergraduate experience." The prize shall be "awarded to a staff or faculty member who contributes to the quality of undergraduate life and education...[with a] focus on each candidate's skill and generosity in advising, counseling, and helping students."
The award shall be given annually in two categories: faculty and non-faculty. Senior Tutors may be considered for the non-faculty award. Any undergraduate shall be eligible to nominate any number of faculty or staff members for the award.
The income from the John H. Marquand Fund, controlled by the Office of theDean of Harvard College, shall be used to fund the award. Each recipient shallreceive a cash award equal to one half of the usable income from the fund.
Any undergraduate student at Harvard College may nominate him or herself as acandidate for President or Vice President by presenting a nomination petitionwith 100 valid undergraduate signatures to the Election Commission by theFriday preceding Thanksgiving. Nomination petitions shall be made available topotential candidates no later than the first full council meeting in Novemberand must clearly indicate the office for which the candidate is beingnominated.
Undergraduates may sign as many nominating petitions as they choose. The Election Commissionshall certify the nominating petitions and officially declare the candidatesfor office no later than the Wednesday preceding Thanksgiving. Candidates maynot begin campaigning until certified by the Election Commission.
The election of the President and Vice President shall occur during the Monday toWednesday of the second full week of classes in December. All balloting forPresident and Vice President shall be conducted by electronic voting. Votingshall be conducted and tabulated according to the STV vote-counting system. Thecandidates receiving the most STV tabulated votes in each race shall bedeclared the President and Vice President. The Election Commission shall beresponsible for notifying candidates of their election status.
The President, Vice President, Treasurer, or the Secretaryof the Undergraduate Council shall administer (provided there are no objectionsfrom other Council members) to oversee the elections within the committees.Each candidate may also appoint someone to oversee the vote-counting. Prior tothe meeting of the election, official ballots shall be prepared by the abovecommittee. Such ballot shall contain a genuine signature of the UndergraduateCouncil officer in charge of overseeing it to affirm its officiality. Aroll-call of all voting members shall be taken prior to the voting. After theballots have been counted, the total votes cast shall be compared with thenumber of the voting members present and absentee ballots accepted. If there isa discrepancy, the vote will be called void, and a re-vote will be calledimmediately.
There shall be a campaign spending limit of $100 percandidate. The Council shall reimburse candidates for all expenses that theyincur. Receipts must be submitted to the Treasurer for reimbursement to occur.The Election Commission shall be charged with monitoring all campaign spendingby the candidates and shall provide a list of standardized campaign expenses.The Election Commission shall consider all complaints against the validity of acandidate's spending and shall have the right to expel a candidate from theelection for violation of the spending rules. The Election Commission shallalso be charged with instituting a system of "equalized campaigning"which can include but shall not be limited to posting 1 copy of all candidate'sposition papers on the Council bulletin board, making a packet of allcandidate's position papers that would either be door dropped or available atdining hall checkers' desks, putting position papers on-line, or taking outfull page spreads that include the position papers of all candidates. Anyin-kind or monetary donations will count against the candidate's spendinglimit.
Organizations may endorse candidates, but may not spendmoney or resources on any campaigns. Candidates must report actions that may beconsidered campaign violations and must sign a pledge to adhere to electionguidelines and agreeing to the responsibilities of the office for which theyare running.
The popularly elected President and Vice President shalltake office at the conclusion of the last full council meeting of the semesterduring which they were elected. Their term shall end at the completion of thelast full council meeting of the fall semester succeeding the one during whichthey were elected.
If the Presidency becomes temporarily vacant, then theperson who is highest on the following list and is eligible and able to serve as President shall act accordingly until the incumbent's disability ends: the VicePresident, the Secretary, the Treasurer, ex-officio President, ex-officioVice-President, the Chairs of the standing committees, in alphabetical order bycommittee. When the President is absent from the chair, the chair shalllikewise devolve, but the acting President shall only act as presiding officerand shall not exercise any other power or duty of the office. Any officer sopresiding shall yield the chair to any officer higher on the above list uponthe disposition of the pending main motion.
If the Presidency becomes permanently vacant, the VicePresident shall vacate his or her office and assume the Presidency. In the casewhere the offices of the President and Vice President become simultaneouslyvacated, the council will elect a President and Vice President at the next fullcouncil meeting.
If the office of the Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurerbecomes permanently vacant, then the council will elect a successor at the nextfull council meeting. If the office of the Vice President, Secretary, orTreasurer becomes temporarily vacant, then the successor shall act until thedisability ends or another successor is elected. If the Vice Presidency becomestemporarily vacant, then the person who is highest on the following list and iseligible and able to serve as Vice President shall act accordingly until theincumbent's disability ends: the Secretary, the Treasurer, the ex-officioPresident, the ex-officio Vice President, the Chairs of the standing committeesin alphabetical order by committee. If the office of the Secretary becomestemporarily vacant, the President will appoint a successor to fill the officeuntil the incumbent's disability ends. If the office of the Treasurer becomestemporarily vacant, the Chair of the Finance Committee shall serve as theTreasurer until the incumbent's disability ends.
At least once during each academic semester, the Presidentshall take a delegation to meet with the Administration of Harvard University.The Vice President shall be responsible for the organization of this meeting,and shall automatically attend the summit. The Vice President shall identify alocation and a time such that the Council delegation shall attempt to meet withat least the following administrators: Dean of Harvard College, Dean ofUndergraduate Education, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and thePresident of Harvard University. In preparation for the meeting, the VicePresident shall ask the Chairs of the respective committees to submit three ofthe committee's top priorities, and these projects shall be incorporated into ashort agenda and report presented at the summit. At the next general meetingafter the summit, the President shall give a detailed report of the meeting.
The President and Vice President shall be ex-officionon-voting members on all of the council's standing committees.
The President will, at his or her discretion, appoint aPress and Publicity Liaison, whose duties will include coordinating publicityfor Council events and initiatives, issuing press releases at the direction ofthe President, and serving jointly with the Secretary as a coordinator of thepublication of a Council newsletter.
The President will, at his or her discretion, appoint aTechnology Coordinator, whose main duties will include the administration ofall Council electronic mail lists and the maintenance of the Council World WideWeb page. The Technology Coordinator will also serve as a liaison between theadministrators of all computerized Council projects and processes and theCouncil.
When the Council has passed any resolution proposing orrequiring a change in the structure of Harvard University of any of itsdepartments, or proposing or requiring action on the part of any Universityofficial other than the Dean and Assistant Deans of Undergraduate Education,the President of the Council shall convey to the Dean of Harvard College a copyof said resolution before the next meeting of the council. When the council haspassed any resolution proposing or requiring a change in Harvard undergraduateeducation, the President of the council shall convey to the Dean ofUndergraduate Education a copy of said resolution before the next meeting ofthe Council. The Dean shall return this resolution to the President before thesecond meeting of the council after that in which it was passed. n the eventthat an extension of this deadline is required, the Executive Board shall havethe power to grant more time up to four weeks. Upon returning the resolution,the Dean shall either:
A. Veto the resolution. In such instance, the Dean mustspecify in a written statement to the Council or in person the reason for itsrejection. In the case of a written statement, the President shall read saidstatement to the council at its next meeting.
B. Send the resolution back to the council for amendmentonce. In this case, the Dean must again specify in writing or in person theproposed amendments. The council shall at its next meeting vote upon theresolution in amended form. If it passes such an amended resolution, thePresident shall convey it to the Dean, who must sign it, as in (C)
C. Sign the resolution. In such an event, the resolutionshall become a proposal made on behalf of the Undergraduate Council and theappropriate Dean.
The Council shall regularly meet by rule or at the call ofthe Executive Board. The Council shall not meet before noon, during vacations,during exam period and no more than twice during Reading periods. The Presidentor Executive Board as a whole may convene the Council with one day's notice tothe Council as a whole.
Each department shall regularly meet by rule, or at the callof the Executive Board or the presiding officer of the department in question.No department may meet when the full council is in session, and all meetingtime and places must be confirmed with the Vice President. Committees must meetin the in compliance with the minimum guidelines outlined in the Article III ofthese bylaws.
The members present at a committee or subcommittee do notneed a quorum to carry on normal business. A committee may not recommendlegislation or pass official statements without a quorum, however. It may sendlegislation to the Executive Board for docketing, in which case the ExecutiveBoard will have to make a recommendation.
The Executive Board shall prepare and circulate to themembership an agenda for each regular meeting. The agenda should also be postedin Harvard's electronic mail system at least one day before the meeting itself.
The Secretary shall carefully record all proceedings in Council,and circulate these minutes to the membership after each meeting. In addition,such minutes should be posted electronically in Harvard's electronic mailsystem. Any correction to the minutes shall be in order throughout the nextmeeting, whose adjournment should constitute their approval. The ExecutiveBoard or the Council may amend the minutes by a majority vote.
The Executive Board shall prescribe a regular order ofbusiness for each meeting, subject to review or change by the entire Councilduring the meeting.
A. Opening Business. Roll call and officer remarks. The timefor the President's remarks shall be limited to three minutes, and the time forother officers' remarks shall be limited to two minutes. These periods may beextended by the Council.
B. Committee Reports. The Finance Chair, Student AffairsChair, and Campus Life Co-Chairs shall have two minutes per committee to reporton the progress of their respective committees. At the last meeting of eachmonth, the Chair of the Student Affairs Committee shall have additional threeminutes to discuss business related to student-faculty committees. The ViceChair of the Student Affairs Committee shall be in charge of preparing moredetailed written summaries of each committees' work in the past month, to beentered into the minutes.
C. Question Time. Any undergraduate may ask a questionconcerning Council business. Any question that cannot be answered at that timewill be treated as a question at the next meeting when the President will beresponsible for answering it.
D. Docket. Following committee presentation and docketing bythe Executive Board, any piece of legislation shall be placed under docketedbusiness. If a committee votes to docket a bill by a majority, the ExecutiveBoard may not keep it off the docket for more than two weeks. All proposalssubject to docketing through the Executive Board must have been considered witha complete text in committee, and that text must be available for the ExecutiveBoard. No legislation subject to the jurisdiction of a committee can bedocketed by the Executive Board if it has not been considered by theappropriate committee.
E. New Business. At the end of docketed business, theCouncil may, by a two-thirds vote, choose to review new business. All newbusiness must be presented in written form to all members of the Council at thetime of its introduction. The member introducing the new business will have oneminute to explain why the Council should consider this. If the business isconsidered, it should be reviewed in the same manner as normal legislation.
When the Executive Board employs phone and electronic mailvoting on a constitutional questions, said voting shall cease on the day of thenext meeting of the full council following the initial vote on theconstitutional change. Any member not voting by the adjournment of the nextmeeting of the full council shall be recorded as having abstained.
No electronic mail vote shall be accepted as valid unless itmeets one of the following criteria:
A. It has been encoded with a PGP signature of by othervalid encryption method; or
B. It is confirmed by the end of the adjournment of the nextmeeting of the full council following the initial vote on the constitutionchange. Any Council member sending an e-mail vote without a valid PGP signatureor other valid encryption method must confirm the vote to the Vice President inperson, by phone, or with a second e-mail that includes a confirmation code,which shall be sent to him or her by the Vice President immediately uponreceipt of the first e-mail.
The current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall governthe procedures of each meeting. If, however, the President and/or theParliamentarian make a parliamentary ruling, it will take a majority vote ofappeal to overturn them. The Parliamentarian's responsibilities shall includeclarifying parliamentary procedure upon request, taking minutes at ExecutiveBoard meetings, keeping a portfolio of all Constitution and Bylaws amendmentspassed by the full council, and compiling updated copies of the Constitutionand Bylaws before the end of his or her term to be distributed to all incomingCouncil members.
The following special rules of order shall supersede anyother rules of order in governing the proceedings in Council.
A. Adjournment -- Any motion to adjourn or to Recess shallbe debatable. A motion to Adjourn before the completion of the docket shallrequire a two-thirds vote.
B. Cloture -- Any motion to close debate before theexpiration of allotted time shall require a two- thirds vote. The President maynote upon such a motion if there are several people left to speak on thisissue. No motion to close shall take effect until a speaker on each side, inaddition to remarks from presenter and those making amendments, has been heard.If one motion to close debate has already been offered on the pending motion,and failed, it will be the President's discretion whether or not to recognizeadditional motions of cloture on the pending motion.
C. Elections -- Any motion for election to fill a vacatedoffice shall take precedence.
D. Extension of debate -- The limits of debate may beextended by a simple majority for the amount of time given in the motion.
E. Motions and Amendments -- All amendments must bepresented in writing to the President and must receive a one-third vote to beconsidered. Motions may be made verbally.
F. Suspension of the Rules and Bylaws. -- The council maysuspend any of its bylaws except Section 54.5 (F) at any time by a two-thirdsvote.
G. Voting -- All voting will be done by hands except forvotes in elections and disciplinary action. Any member of the Council maymotion for a roll-call vote. This requires a one-fourth vote and must bepublished in the minutes by the Secretary.
H. Divide the Question -- Any Council member may motion todivide an issue into two or more votes. This requires a majority vote.
I. Amendment -- Any Council member may submit a writtenamendment. Provided the one-third vote for consideration, the sponsor shallhave a one-minute presentation and closing speech. The President must entertainat least one speaker for and against.
J. Amendment by Unanimous Consent -- The sponsors of anyresolution or amendment may propose amendments to their resolution or amendmentuntil the closure of debate. If no member of the Council objects to theinclusion of the proposed alteration, the motion or amendment shall beconsidered amended immediately. If any member objects, it must be considered inthe normal manner.
K. Amendment After Adoption -- A motion to amend afteradoption shall require a one half vote for consideration. The member making themotion shall have one minute to explain why the Council should consideramending after adoption. This motion, which includes motions to rescind orrepeal, shall not be used to alter a previously passed Constitutional or Bylawschange.
L. Majority Vote -- For the purposes of normal legislation, a majority vote shall be defined as a majorityof those voting yea or nay. At least a quorum of the Council must vote yea or nay, otherwise it is considered that noaction is taken on a bill, and the bill may go through the legislative process again.
Official documents of the Undergraduate Council, includingthe agenda and the minutes of Council meetings and the text of all resolutionspassed by the Council, must reflect the nondiscrimination policy of theCouncil. The Secretary may insert gender-neutral language where necessary inany official document, except quotations and paraphrases of comments made byindividuals. All such changes in resolutions shall be made before theresolution is introduced on the Council floor and shall be noted by the Secretaryin footnotes. No change made by the Secretary shall change the effect of theresolution or document in question.
Typographical errors present in official Council documents,including the Constitution and Bylaws, the text of all resolutions passed by theCouncil, and the final copy of the minutes will be corrected at the discretionof the Secretary or the secretaries of the committees. Each secretary shall berequired to keep a thorough record of all typographical errors corrected.
The President shall set a time for each order of business to be included on the docket. One-third of this time shall be allotted forquestion and answer and two-thirds for debate. The bill's sponsor shall have athree minutes for a opening speech and one minute for the closing speech.
The standard time for docketed business shall be fiveminutes for Q & A and ten minutes for debate.
The treasury shall comprise three funds: an operations fund,a grants fund, a committee fund. The Treasurer shall be responsible fortracking all the funds.
The committee fund will be for the use of the budgetedprojects and agenda projects within Campus Life and Student Affairs. The Committeefund will be divided into two funds: the Current Year fund and the UC EventFund.
The Current Year Fund will cover all expenses that are notcovered by the UC event fund. The UC event fund may be used to allocate fundsfor those events that have made back their allocated money for the two yearsmoney was allocated prior to that in which the allocation is being made. The UCevent fund will consist of those funds allocated to it over time from thecurrent year fund.
The Treasurer shall earmark the new term-bill income at the beginning of the academic year as directed by the Council in accordance with Article V of the Constitution.
Budgeted income remaining in any fund shall roll-over tothat fund in the following academic year.
An appropriation shall expire if not claimed by the end ofthe Spring session of the year in which it was appropriated, except for grants,which are governed according to Section 62.35.
The Council shall outline a budget at the start of eachacademic year, before any funds can be allocated.
The following schedule shall govern any routine expenditurefrom the Operations and Discretionary Fund.
A. Administrative Expenses -- The Executive Board mayappropriate up to $200.00 without consulting the Council for normal operationalexpenses and postering of public notices.
B. Elections -- The Council will fully fund the costs of runningits own elections.
C. Newsletter -- The Executive Board may authorize theSecretary or Press Secretary to spend up to $1000.00 in printing andpublication costs for a newsletter over the course of one semester.
D. Newspapers -- The Press Secretary shall be given asubscription to all campus newspapers and must retain copies of articlesrelated to Council business.
E. Overhead -- The Operations fund will be used to pay therent, phone bill, mailing costs, costs of office supplies, hired office managers,and the refund of term bill fees.
The money earmarked for the Grants process and the FinanceCommittee shall be subdivided into three groups for the academic year -- fall,spring, and year-long. Any granted money not claimed, and any money remainingin the grants fund at the end of the semester or year shall remain in thegrants fund for the next semester or year, and this remaining money shall notbe counted as part of the required allocation of new money.
No group may receive more than one type of grant for thesame funding period.
The Council may consider grant requests for the fallsemester of the following academic year. The Council may pass an Initial FallGrants Bill of an amount not exceeding twenty percent of the grants fund forthe current session. The following Council must consider without amending anyInitial Fall Grants Bill passed by the preceding Council in the same meeting atwhich the Council budget is passed. Grant applicants will be advised that anInitial Fall Grants Bill is only a recommendation to the following Council anddoes not represent an allocation of funds until being passed in the fall.
The filing period for receipts and Requests for Paymentforms for grant moneys shall be between the day after that semester's GrantsNight and the day of the Grants Night of the semester following the period forwhich the grant is awarded. This deadline may be extended by a two-thirds voteof the Council.
At the end of each semester the Finance Committee shall makean adequate number of the most up- to-date grant application for use in thefollowing semester. The Chair shall also be responsible for creating a file ofpertinent material for the following semester's finance committee. All studentorganizations registered with the Dean of Students, with the Athletic Dept. asa club sport, or with a House are eligible to apply. House Committees shallapply to the Campus Life Committee according to procedures developed by theCampus Life Committee.
To receive Undergraduate Council grants, all student groupsmust not discriminate on the basis of any of the characteristics enumerated inArticle I, Section 4 of the Council Constitution, and sign a statement to thiseffect. The Finance Committee may suspend this clause for any applicant and theCouncil may overrule any such suspension. The Finance Committee will, in anymanner it sees fit, further encourage student groups to incorporatenon-discrimination clauses containing the categories specified in the Councilconstitution into their own constitutions.
Prior to each semester's Grants Night meeting, the Chair ofthe Finance Committee shall write a letter to the spokesperson of everyorganization that is receiving a grant. The letter should:
A. Invite a representative from the organization to theGrants meeting,
B. Show the amount allocated for the organization, and
C. Explain the steps in which the organization can collect their allocation.
All funding for House Committees shall come directly fromthe Committee Fund, and shall be allocated by the Campus Life Committee. Eachsemester, the Campus Life Committee shall allocate an equal amount to eachHouse Committee for any purpose approved by the Council. The Campus LifeCommittee shall also allocate an amount of money no less than four times theamount allocated to each House to the First-Year Caucus, for any purposeapproved by the Council. A specific request from a House Committee for fundingabove and beyond this block grant may be docketed by the Campus Life Committeefor consideration by the full Council. All appropriations to House Committeesmust be approved by the full Council.
The Finance Committee shall set aside $250.00 per month forthe months of October, November, and December from the fall semester grant fundand $250.00 per month for the months of February, March, and April from thespring semester grant fund, exclusively for ad-hoc funding of student groupsnot officially registered with the Dean of Students office, within the AthleticDepartment as a club sport or with a house. At the end of each fall or springmonth all unallocated money will go back into the fall or spring grant fund.
To be eligible for an ad-hoc allocation a party must providethe Finance Committee with the same items as submitted to the Dean of StudentsOffice for official recognition
No party shall receive ad hoc funding for more than oneevent or purpose.
Publicity for the event must say that the UndergraduateCouncil helped fund the event.
Emergency grants and ad-hoc grants shall be funded from thefall grants fund in the fall semester and the spring grants fund in the springsemester.
In order to receive emergency grants, the grant receivingorganization should show the proof of the following:
A. They are in need of a grant because of unforeseen turn ofevents, and
B. That without the grant, they will face dissolution of theorganization.
Grant receiving organizations must receive two-thirdsapproval of the Finance Committee as well as majority affirmation from theExecutive Board. After the above approvals, the grant- receiving organizationsgo through the same procedures used for other organizations evaluated duringregular allocations.
The Treasurer will keep records of all receipts, contracts,bank statements, and copies of checks written. At the end of each month, theTreasurer will submit a budget reconciliation statement to the Presidentcomplete with: the prior month's reconciliation, receipts, canceled checks, acopy of the check register and deposit slips. The President must sign thestatement and place it in the office for public review.
The President, Treasurer, and Vice President shall havesigning authority. All disbursements and contracts must be co-signed by two ofthe three mentioned above. No check should ever be made out to a person who isthe signatory of that check. The Council may allocate money from itsdiscretionary fund but may not violate budget constraints. The Council may notspend money that it has not appropriated through legislative business with theexception of provisions in Section 62.2.
There shall exist a department of the UC named the HarvardConcert Commission.
The mission of the Harvard Concert Commission is to provideHarvard students access to an array of musical genres with the ultimate goal ofenhancing the cultural and social richness of the Harvard undergraduateexperience. The HCC is dedicated to bringing contemporary, popular, and diversemusical events to campus in order to engender a stronger sense of community atHarvard. By producing both wide-scale professional concerts and smaller amateurconcerts, the commission will provide the student body with a non-exclusive,affordable alternative to traditional social activities.
There shall be four standing committees: the ProductionCommittee, the Development Committee, the Promotions Committee, and the HospitalityCommittee.
The Production Committee shall be responsible for alltechnical aspects of the event: procuring a safe and practical venue;organizing sound, lighting, and band equipment; and leading the HCC staff onthe day of the event by procuring sufficient security guards, ushers, ticketcollectors, concession and merchandise vendors, and other staff membersnecessary for the smooth operation of the event. The Chair of the Committeeshall be in charge of the Venue (Booking, Insurance, and Ticketing). He shallappoint a
A. Technical Director in charge of stage, sound, andlighting
B. Security Director in charge of security staffing.
The Development Committee shall be responsible for theongoing fundraising efforts of the HCC: organizing mailings to alumni and otherpossible donors, spearheading fundraising events, and gathering all moneysinvolved with the event. The Chair of the Committee shall be responsible forcreating the budget for each event; overseeing the HCC account; keeping trackof all incoming and outgoing funds; and coordinating with the co-directors tomake all necessary payments for the concert and panel.
The Promotions Committee shall be responsible forpublicizing each event: postering the entire campus, emailing various studentgroups, and developing creative advertising launches; and for creating acomplete, artistic program for each event including advertisements,acknowledgements, and general information. The Chair of the Committee shallappoint a panel director in charge of organizing a discussion panel when timeand financing permits featuring relevant speakers and a moderator. He shall beresponsible for procuring an appropriate space, inviting and coordinatingspeakers and moderators, organizing the panel's logistics and schedule, andarranging the post-panel/pre-concert social affair for the panelists andartists.
The Hospitality Committee shall be responsible forfulfilling the Artists' needs: procuring the Artists' requested accommodations;meeting the Artists' requirements, such as food, transportation, miscellaneousrequests; and for safely and efficiently accompanying the Artists to theappropriate venue by providing escorts and organizing transportation. TheCommittee shall also be charged with the HCC Staff needs. The Chair of theCommittee shall appoint a
A. Greenroom Director in charge of the Artists' Greenroom.
B. Escort Director in charge of overseeing the Artists'transportation and arrival.
The general executive authority shall reside in theExecutive Board, which shall consist of the three executive officers and thechairs of the standing committees. The executive officers shall consist of twoCo-Directors and the UC Liaison to the HCC, who shall be the Campus LifeCommittee Social Chair or their designee. The new Co-Director(s) shall be appointedby the outgoing Co-Director(s) and must be approved by the Executive Board andthe Undergraduate Council by a majority vote. The new Co-Directors may appointa Legal Counselor with the approval of a majority of the Executive Board.
The Co-Directors will preside over the board as well as overthe Commission. They shall oversee the work of all four committees, createevent itineraries and semester calendars, and shape the vision and direction ofthe HCC. They shall recommend the Artists, who shall be approved by theExecutive Board by a majority vote. The selection of the Artists must also beapproved by the general HCC and the Undergraduate Council by a majority vote.They shall also be responsible for dealing directly with the Artists' Managersto negotiate and finalize contractual obligations and pricing, and shall beinvested with the authority to sign checks and legal documents on behalf of theHCC. Finally, they shall be responsible for taking attendance at every meetingand informing HCC members of meeting times, agendas, and deadlines.
The Co-Directors shall appoint a Press Secretary, who shallmaintain relations with campus, local, and national media and a SocialCoordinator, who shall work with the Directors to organize a social event aftereach concert.
It is at the discretion of the co-Directors to appointCo-Chairs to the standing committees. In this situation, each co-Chair shallhave half a vote (for a total of one vote) in each other's presence, and a fullvote in the presence of a single chair. The Executive Board shall vote on allcommittee decisions.
Committee chairs shall be appointed by the ExecutiveOfficers through a deliberative process culminating in a vote of the officers.They shall require a majority vote.
The Executive Board shall be empowered to make all technicaland artistic decisions involving the production of HCC events. All actions ofthe Board must be reported to committee membership at the following generalmeeting.
Membership shall be offered only to full-time students ofHarvard University. Membership of the entire HCC shall not exceed 50 students.Any student interested in joining the HCC may do so through a comp process,which shall be held at the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters.After a written application and interview process, the Executive Board shallselect the new members, who shall gain voting power on the HCC. The ExecutiveBoard shall determine the committee assignments of these members. Every membermust attend the meetings and is allowed only three absences. Members may beassigned to committees or to the HCC as a whole. Their attendance requirementshall be set accordingly by the Executive Board. If these absences areexceeded, the member shall be expelled from the HCC, though he may appeal tothe Executive Board for reinstatement by a majority vote. HCC members cannotsimultaneously hold more than one leadership position on the Commission. Adistinction is made between Participants and Members of the HCC. Both shall beentitled to purchasing tickets, though only members are granted voting powerand are required to attend meetings.
The Harvard Concert Commission shall have general meetingsat least twice a month at a date and time to be determined by the ExecutiveBoard. The Executive Board, as well as Committees, shall also meet at leasttwice a month.
In order for Executive Board decisions to be valid andbinding, a quorum of at least 2/3 of the voting members must be present.
Executive Board members shall serve year-long termsbeginning in the spring semester and terminating at the end of the fallsemester.
Every member of the Executive Board is allowed one formalwarning in the form of a written complaint submitted in person to the Co-Directors.This warning must demonstrate the support of at least five HCC members in theform of signatures. The source of the warning shall remain anonymous to thegeneral Commission. Following a second complaint, which must be supported byfive HCC members, however, the Board Member may be impeached. Any member of theHCC may submit a formal letter of impeachment in person to the Co-Directors.This letter requires signatures of ten HCC members. The Executive Board shallhear from both parties separately. After a deliberative meeting, the Boardshall vote to impeach the person in question by a majority vote.
Only a member of Executive Board can submit a formal letterof impeachment against a Co-Director, and shall submit it to the otherCo-Director in person. After the appeals process, the Co-Director can beimpeached only with a 2/3 majority vote of the Executive Board.
The HCC shall have an account through the Dean of Students'Office. This account shall be distinct from that of the Undergraduate Council.All profits and donations to the HCC shall be directly deposited into thisfund. The Development Committee Chair shall present a budget to the ExecutiveBoard at the beginning of each concert.
The co-directors and the development chair(s) shall havecheck-signing authority. All disbursements must be co-signed by two of thethree mentioned above, with at least one co-director signing each disbursement.
Every member of the HCC is bound to maintain theconfidentiality of the Concert Commission, regarding issues such as bandselection and budget.
There shall exist a department of the Undergraduate Council named the First-Year Social Committee.
The First-Year Social Committee (FYSC) is dedicated to enlivening Harvard’s social scene for First-Year students by creating opportunities to socialize in a variety of venues. It is charged with organizing and implementing all social events for the First-Year class that do not lie within the jurisdiction of the Campus Life Committee. The committee will be responsible for Harvard’s annual First-Year formal. The First Year Social Committee is responsible for booking a venue for the following year’s First-Year formal.
The First Year Social Committee will also organize an array of other activities that promote safe and low-pressure social gatherings. In fulfilling this objective, the FYSC will enhance Harvard’s overall social atmosphere, cultivate stronger bonds within the First-Year class, improve First-Year students’ time at Harvard, and increase efficiency within the Undergraduate Council.
The general executive authority shall reside in the FYSC Executive Board, which shall consist of the four executive officers. The executive officers shall consist of one Chair, the Treasurer-Secretary, and two upperclassmen UC Liaisons to the First-Year Social Committee.
The Chair will preside over the First-Year Social Committee. Elections for this position will be held at the beginning of each semester. The Chair will be selected from the ranks of the First-Year Social Committee by a simple majority. No liaison may hold the position of Chair. He or she shall have the power to create temporary subcommittees responsible for each specific social event and assign members to these committees. He or she shall oversee the work of all temporary subcommittees, create semester calendars, and shape the vision and direction of the First-Year Social Committee. He or she shall be responsible for informing First-Year Social Committee members of meeting times, agendas, and deadlines.
Performing the function of both a treasurer and secretary, the Treasurer-Secretary shall be responsible for creating and maintaining written records of all organization, implementation, and funding processes. Elections for this position will be held at the beginning of each semester. The Treasurer-Secretary will be selected from the ranks of the First-Year Social Committee by a simple majority. No liaison may hold the position of Treasurer-Secretary. He or she will also keep minutes of the meetings and work with the Chair to coordinate accurate historical records of all events sponsored by the First-Year Social Committee. The Treasurer-Secretary will also be responsible for maintaining an accurate budget as well as the handling of funds used throughout the year by the First-Year Social Committee. He or she shall also take committee attendance at each meeting. In the absence of the chair, the Treasurer-Secretary shall preside over the meetings of the First-Year Social Committee.
There shall be a total of two Undergraduate Council liaisons to the First-Year Social Committee. Two UC Liaisons to the First-Year Social Committee shall be upperclassmen. They shall be appointed by the President of the Council. The upperclassmen UC Liaisons will serve a one-year term from fall to spring. They will oversee the election of the two remaining members of the First-Year Social Committee Executive Board. The upperclassmen UC Liaisons' primary role is to advise the Committee members on the organization and implementation of social events. Their duties will also include updating the Council on FYSC events, ensuring that all financial requests reach the Undergraduate Council Treasurer, and serving as a First-Year Social Committee Executive Board member.
In accordance with the Constitution of the Harvard Undergraduate Council, the first-year dormitories are divided into four sections (the North Yard, the South Yard, the East Yard, and the West Yard), each comprising a residential electoral district. There shall be three representatives for each residential electoral district serving on the First-Year Social Committee.
The election of the First-Year Social Committee shall run at the same time as general election of the Council in the fall semester. The district shall rank its delegates, according to votes received. The Election Commission shall administer the election of the district's First-Year Social Committee members according to the Council Bylaws and the discretion of the Election Commission. Any eligible first-year student may run for the position of Council Representative and/or First-Year Social Committee Member.
The Treasurer-Secretary must expel any member who has been absent from three or more First-Year Social Committee meetings per semester. The Treasure-Secretary has the sole authority to make such an expulsion and this decision is not subject to any deliberation by the FYSC. These pending expulsions must be announced during the next full FYSC meeting. The Treasure-Secretary must notify the member of his or her pending expulsion at the regular FYSC meeting immediately following the absence that incurred the expulsion. Expulsion shall be effective immediately following the conclusion of the FYSC meeting following the announcement of the pending expulsion.
If an expelled member wishes to be reinstated, he or she must appear before the FYSC Executive Board. The expelled member shall have time to speak to the FYSC Executive Board and answer questions. A majority vote of the FYSC Executive Board shall be required for reinstatement, in which case the member's absences shall be reduced by two, as the FYSC Executive Board deems appropriate. If the former member is not reinstated, he or she is expelled. Failure to appear before the FYSC Executive Board directly following expulsion will make that expulsion irrevocable, except in the case of debilitating illness or family emergency, in which case the FYSC Executive Board may consider reinstatement in the expelled member's absence. No member shall be expelled and no expulsion shall be made irrevocable through negligence on the part of the FYSC Executive Board.
An elected member shall take office at the first meeting after the election, and shall serve until the first meeting after the next election unless he or she resigns, leaves the college, is expelled for nonattendance or misconduct, is recalled, or transfers out of the district from which he or she was originally elected.
Following the resignation or expulsion of a member, the vacancy must be announced during the next First-Year Social Committee meeting. The district in which there is a vacancy must be notified of the vacancy. A vacancy may be filled in one of two ways. If only one person seeks the vacated seat, then that candidate will automatically be seated, unless the First-Year Social Committee, by a majority vote, declines to seat him or her before the end of the next meeting. If more than one person is interested, the vacancy must be filled by Special Election as outlined in the Council Bylaws. This election must be completed within four weeks of the vacancy and shall be administered by the Election Commission. If the vacancy occurs after Spring Break, the affected district may not seat a new delegate. Any new member has the same powers as other delegates. If the position of Chair or Treasurer-Secretary becomes vacant, the upperclassmen UC liaisons shall conduct an election to fill the position at the next First-Year Social Committee meeting. If no meeting is scheduled, the UC liaisons shall call a special meeting for the purposes of conducting this special election. Should the position of the Chair become vacant, the serving Treasurer-Secretary may run for that position. If the serving Treasurer-Secretary is elected Chair, another election must be held to fill the position of Treasurer-Secretary. Should the position of the Treasurer-Secretary become vacant, the serving Chair may run for that position. If the serving Chair is elected Treasurer-Secretary, another election must be held to fill the position of Chair.
Following the resignation or expulsion of a liaison, the Undergraduate Council President shall fill the position through appointment. Once appointed, the upperclassman liaison has the same powers as the other upperclassman liaison.
The First-Year Social Committee shall have general meetings at least twice a month at a date and time to be determined by the First-Year Social Committee Executive Board.
In order for Committee decisions to be valid and binding, a simple majority of the voting members present is required.
Executive Board members shall serve year-long terms beginning in the fall semester and terminating at the end of the spring semester.
Any member of the Committee shall be formally removed from office by theFYSC Executive Board for attendance infractions or violating any other rulepreviously approved by a majority of the members. Upon removal from office, themember must come before the FYSC Executive Board for an informal hearingregarding the infraction. The FYSC Executive Board shall have discretion indeciding reinstatement or resignation. A member of the FYSC executive boardmust follow the same procedure.
The First-Year Social Committee shall have an account with the Treasurer of the Undergraduate Council. This account shall be distinct from that of other Undergraduate Council accounts. All grants given to and revenue generated by the FYSC shall be directly deposited into this fund. The treasurer-secretary shall present a tentative budget for the month to the Treasurer of the Undergraduate Council. This tentative budget must be approved by the Executive Board of the Undergraduate Council before the Council Treasurer may write any check for projects or events to be held in that specific month. Should a budgetary need come up within the month that is not outlined in the tentative monthly budget, it may be approved by the Executive Board of the Undergraduate Council. The Treasurer-Secretary must meet with the Undergraduate Council Treasurer to request a check for the amount of money determined by the First-Year Social Committee. The Undergraduate Council Treasurer may not sign a check for the First-Year Social Committee without approval from the Undergraduate Council Executive Board.