Preamble

Morehouse College SafeSpace is a Student Advocacy Organization and a Homosexual-Heterosexual Alliance whose mission is to serve as an organization that engages in the struggle to create a safe and respectful space on campus that openly addresses issues surrounding minority (religious, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.) groups on campus with a focus in the Black GBT-inclusive community collaborating with affirming persons (allies) and other organizations that share our mission

Article I – Name

The name of this organization is SafeSpace.

Article II – Purpose

Morehouse College is an institution that supports hetero-normativity (and often enough, hetero-sexism) with a gay and bisexual population that is commonly overlooked. With SafeSpace, Morehouse will be more aware of the issues that affect these students and other students who feel underrepresented on campus. As a result, Morehouse will be more capable to address these issues, creating a more productive environment for all students. SafeSpace is an organization for students to become more academically aware of the history of black gay/bisexual men and women. The organization strives to create more community involvement and promote mental, physical, and spiritual health of the Black gay/bisexual community and other minority groups at Morehouse College.

Article III – Basic Policies

The following are basic policies of the organization:

Section 1. The organization shall be non-commercial

Section 2. The name of the organization or names of any members in their official capacities shall not be used in connection with a commercial concern.

Section 3. The organization shall cooperate with Morehouse College to support the improvement of education and safety in a manner that will not interfere with administration of the College unless deemed necessary by a two-thirds majority vote by the organization’s members and consultation with faculty advisors.

Section 4. The organization may cooperate with other organizations and agencies but persons representing the organization in such matters shall make no commitments that bind the organization.

Section 5. The organization agrees to abide by all College policies and local, state and federal laws as long as they do not infringe on the natural human rights of the organization’s members.

Article IV – Membership

Section 1. Any student enrolled at Morehouse College with a minimum GPA of 2.5 is eligible for membership.

Section 2. There are no restrictions for membership.

Section 3. An active member (stakeholder) is one who has paid the annual fee and has attended at least sixty (60) percent of all official meetings. An active member must participate in at least one (1) SafeSpace affiliated community service project per month and participate in all fundraisers. There is no cut-off date for students to join. Once the annual fee is paid, the student will then become an active member.

Section 4. Only members of the Executive Committee are allowed to participate in business meetings. The Executive Board shall hand pick protégés to fill their positions once they are intending to leave and the general body shall vote on these decisions. They must be in good standing with the organization, meaning they must meet all minimum membership requirements.

Section 5. There will be an annual fee for membership. The amount will be determined by the Executive Committee at the beginning of the school year, to be announced at the first general body meeting. A member that has not paid that annual fee may still participate in all fundraisers and community activities, but will have to pay for anything that would be normally covered in the annual fee. Membership fees are non-refundable.

Section 6. If the organization becomes inactive, all monies will be donated to AidAtlanta and The Evolution Project Atlanta after all debts have been paid.

Article V – Officers and Duties

Section 1. Any member in good standing with Morehouse College and Safe Space that has a minimum GPA of 2.75 is eligible to be on the Executive Committee. They must have been a member of SafeSpace for at least one school semester and have attended at least 50% of all activities.

Section 2. The Executive Committee will have a minimum of four members and a maximum of seven members.

Section 3. The following offices must be held:

President*

Vice President or Co-President*

Secretary*

Treasurer

Public Relations Director

Projects and Special Events Coordinator

Parliamentarian*

*Minimum required positions for an official, chartered organization.

The President shall:

• Preside over and conduct meetings according to accepted parliamentary procedure.
• Be familiar with duties and responsibilities of other offices.
• Serve as the liaison between the organization and Morehouse College
• Take ultimate responsibility for all decisions made by the organization.

The Secretary shall:

• Document all meetings held by the organization.
• Keep records of all organizational activities.
• Be responsible for keeping all documents on file.
• Make all documentation available to the members upon request.
• Enforce the guidelines of this constitution if there is no Parliamentarian.

The Treasurer shall:

• Collect and disburse all funds.
• Keep a current and accurate record of all transactions made by the chapter.
• Be ultimately responsible for all fundraisers, expenditures and other finance issues of their chapter.

The Public Relations Director shall:

• Alert the general body of meetings and events.
• Be the spokesperson for the organization if the President(s) or Vice-President is unavailable.
• Assist in the planning of events and fundraisers.

The Projects and Special Events Coordinator shall:

• Coordinate the social, academic, and fundraising events.
• Collaborate with the necessary parties for joint events.

The Parliamentarian shall:

• Set the parliamentary procedure for their chapter’s meetings
• Set an agenda prior to all meetings.
• Enforce the guidelines of this constitution.
• Set and enforce nominating and voting procedures for their chapter

Section 4. The election process will begin no later than one month before the end of the school year and no earlier than two months before the end of the school year. Elected officers will serve their term from the beginning to the end of the following school year. The general body will vote for the Executive Committee. A secret ballot system will be used. A member cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 5. The nomination process will last for five business days. Nominations will not be accepted after 5:00 pm of the last business day. A valid nomination will be considered by a written statement or an email submitted to the secretary. If there is a parliamentarian they will record nominations instead. Nominees must accept or decline their nominations. A member may be self-nominated. A nomination does not require a second. No more than four nominations will be taken for each office.

Section 6. In the event that a vacancy should occur in an office, the runner-up during elections will assume the duties and responsibilities of that office. If that member cannot hold the office, then the Executive Committee will vote on a member to fill the office.

Section 7. An officer may be removed by a faculty advisor, a unanimous decision by the Executive Committee with 25% of the general body’s signatures on a petition, or a petition with 50% of the general body’s support.

Section 8. At least one advisor must be present at all meetings. They will work with the Executive Committee to plan out all organization activities.

Section 9. The advisors will be selected by the Executive Committee. There is no term limit for advisors.

Article VI – Quorum and Meetings

Section 1. The organization will meet at least twice monthly on dates determined at the beginning of each month. Committees within the organization will meet at the discretion of the committee chair.

Section 2. At least one-third of the organization should be present for business to occur at meetings.

Section 3. Business transactions that pertain to specific committees will not be conducted at general body meetings.

Section 4. Special call meetings will be determined by the Executive Committee. The general body will be notified via email, social networks, flyers and/or phone.

Article VII – Executive Committee

Section 1. All officers and advisors comprise the Executive Committee. Other committee chairpersons will not be a part of the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The Executive Committee will carry out the duties and responsibilities outlined in Article V of this constitution. They will be ultimately responsible for all decisions made by the organization. They will schedule meetings, approve events and ensure the fulfillment of the mission of SafeSpace.

Section 3. The Executive Committee will meet weekly. The Executive Committee will meet before all general body meetings.

Article VIII – Standing and Special Committees

Section 1. Any member in good standing can create a standing committee with approval by the Executive Committee. The members of the committee will decide on a chairperson. Term limits will be determined by the Executive Committee, based on the purpose of the committee.

Section 2. The chairperson will conduct all meetings and organize all activities pertaining to the specific committee. They will serve as the liason between the committee and the general body. All work of any committee is subject to approval from the Executive Committee. In the event of a vacancy in the chairperson’s position, the committee will select another member to fill the position.

Section 3. The Vice President will serve as an ex-officio member of the committees.

Article IX – Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the organization in all cases in which they are applicable.

Article X – Amendments

Section 1. Any member of the Executive Committee can propose an amendment to this constitution. Once the amendment is proposed it will be voted on by the general body, following the same voting procedure as with elections. If a member of the general body wants to propose an amendment, they must submit a proposal to the Executive Committee for approval then it will be voted on. If two-thirds of the body votes in favor of the proposed amendment then it will be passed.