The CJAS Constitution

ARTICLE I. Purpose

ARTICLE II. Membership

1. The membership of CJAS shall be open to any person expressing interest in anime. CJAS will not discriminate against any individual or group, provided that they respect our constitution.
2. Members are required to pay membership dues, the exact amount of which shall be set by the Executive Board at the beginning of each semester.

ARTICLE III. Executive Board

Section one. Executive Board Membership and Voting Eligibility

1. Any member of CJAS may participate on the Executive Board.
2. Full Executive Board members are defined as those who have acquired voting eligibility.
3. In order to vote on Executive Board decisions a member must not have missed more than two consecutive Executive Board meetings prior to the meeting in which the vote takes place.
4. For the first two Executive Board meetings of the semester, voting eligibility is determined in accordance with the guidelines described above in Article III, Section one, clause three, on the basis of the previous semester's attendance records.
5. New Executive Board members may begin to vote officially at the third meeting they attend, and are subject to the above limitations.
6. All officers are members of the Executive Board, and are expected to attend Executive Board meetings regularly.

Section two. Executive Board Duties

Section three. Executive Board Meetings

1. During any given semester there are to be at least four Executive Board meetings.
2. In order to conduct business at an Executive Board meeting there must be a quorum of two thirds (rounded down) of the Executive Board members eligible to vote, and at least two elected officers present.
3. Executive Board meetings are announced by the President who will make an effort to select a convenient meeting time for the entire Board. Executive Board meetings are also announced at the weekly general meetings and over electronic mail to Executiv e Board members. If the President is unable to call a meeting, but one is needed, then it falls to the Secretary to call a meeting in the manner outlined above.
4. The Secretary is responsible for posting an agenda before every Executive Board meeting, and posting minutes after every Executive Board meeting. In the case where an emergency Executive Board meeting is called, the Secretary should make every effor t to write up an agenda, but if time constraints prohibit this, then the Secretary shall only be held responsible for posting the minutes.
5. Executive Board meetings are presided over by the President; in case the President is absent meetings should be presided over by someone selected by the President beforehand. Minutes should be taken and votes recorded by the Secretary; in case the Se cretary is absent these duties should be taken by someone selected by the Secretary beforehand.

Section four. Emergency meetings

1. If an emergency Executive Board meeting is required due to an issue which comes up after a general meeting, but requires attention before the next general meeting, then the President should contact the members of the Executive Board by phone to arran ge a meeting. If the President is unable to call an emergency meeting, but one is needed, then it falls to the Secretary to call an emergency meeting in the manner outlined above.
2. In the event that three quarters of the Executive Board feels that a meeting should be held, but the President and Secretary do not, those three quarters of the Executive Board can call an official meeting.

ARTICLE IV. Elected Officers

Section one. Elected Officer Eligibility Requirements

1. There are four elected officer positions: President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Archivist.
2. In order to be eligible for these positions, candidates must have attended fifty percent of the Executive Board meetings during their two most recent semesters at Cornell (one of them being the current election semester) as well as sixty percent of the meetings during the semester in which elections take place.
3. If there are fewer than six Executive Board members who satisfy the above condition, then members who have attended sixty percent of the Executive Board meetings for the spring semester only shall be eligible for Treasurer, Secretary, and Archivist, but not for President.
4. Elected officer positions may only be held by full-time Cornell students.

Section two. Terms of Office

1. A term of office is defined as a full school year, beginning with the fall semester and ending with the spring semester.
2. No elected officer may serve more than two terms in an elected position.

Section three. Elected Officer Duties

1. No person shall hold more than one elected officer position at a time.
2. The only exception to the above clause is the case in which there are too few Executive Board members to fill the four elected officer positions. In such a case the Archivist and Secretary will temporarily become voluntary officer positions until that time when the Board is again able to support four elected officer positions.
3. All officers must take an oath to uphold the conditions set forth in the CJAS constitution after they are elected but before taking office.
4. All elected officers can not miss more than two consecutive Executive Board meetings.
5. Duties of each elected officer are as outlined below:

   President

   The President is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the club. He must see to it that all decisions made by the Executive Board are carried out. Specific duties of the President include: calling and presiding over Executive Board meetings, coordinating the weekly anime showing, reserving rooms for the anime showings, understanding SAFC (Student Assembly Finance Committee) regulations and federal copyright laws.

   Treasurer

   The Treasurer is responsible for keeping track of the money belonging to CJAS. He is required to report all financial activity of the club to the Executive Board. Specific duties of the Treasurer include: keeping accurate records of all accounts, reimbursing members for club purchases, dealing with the SAFC, collecting membership dues from members, filing all required tax forms, and regularly summarizing expenditures for Executive Board members.

   Secretary

   The Secretary is responsible for keeping records of all events that transpire in the club. These include the events at both general meetings and Executive Board meetings. Specific duties of the Secretary include: taking minutes at Executive Board meetings, posting an agenda prior to Executive Board meetings and posting minutes afterwards, tracking Executive Board meeting attendance, determining which Executive Board members are eligible to vote, and keeping copies of all administrative records of the club including handouts, agendas, and minutes. The Secretary is also required to keep a list of the equipment owned by CJAS, where it is being stored, and who is responsible for it.

   Archivist

   The Archivist is responsible for maintaining the collection of videotapes, laser disks, and scripts in CJAS's possession. Specific duties of the Archivist include: keeping the entire collection (unless office space is found in which CJAS can store its collection), keeping an up-to-date catalog of materials in the club's possession, ordering new anime acquisitions requested by the Executive Board, and bringing all required videos and scripts to anime showings.

ARTICLE V. Election Meetings

Section one. Voting Eligibility and Quorum at Election Meetings

1. Executive Board members who have attended sixty percent of the Executive Board meetings during spring semester and who have not missed more than two consecutive meetings immediately preceding the Election Meeting are eligible to vote in elections.
2. There must be a quorum of three quarters of the Executive Board members eligible to vote in order for an election to take place.

Section two. Election Procedure; setting up the meeting

1. Elections can not take place at an emergency Executive Board meeting.
2. The annual election meeting will be announced by the President to Executive Board members two weeks before it takes place.
3. Before the election meeting, the Secretary will compile a list of all members who satisfy the requirements for elected officers described above. The Secretary will post this list along with the agenda for the upcoming Executive Board meeting.

Section three. Election Procedure; voting and tallying

1. The order in which officers are elected shall be: President first, then in the following order Treasurer, Secretary, and Archivist last.
2. Voting is done by secret ballot and tallied by the Secretary, except in the case where the Secretary would be tallying votes for himself, in which case someone else is selected by the executive board to tally the votes.
3. A candidate must win by a simple majority ( i.e. greater than fifty percent of the votes).
4. If there is no simple majority than the candidate who received the least number of votes is dropped from the ballot and a re-vote is taken.
5. If there is no simple majority, and two or more candidates have tied for the least number of votes then a re-vote should be taken without dropping anyone from the ballot. Re-votes will continue in this manner until someone wins by a simple majority or a candidate can be dropped from the ballot.

Section four. Emergency Elections

1. If an elected officer is impeached, drops out of school, dies, or is similarly incapacitated then replacement elections should be held at the next regular Executive Board meeting and the Secretary must announce the emergency election in the agenda.
2. The election procedure pertaining to voting and tallying is the same as outlined above for a regular election in Article V, section three.
3. If it is earlier than midway through a semester, then the eligibility of a candidate is determined using Executive Board meeting attendance records of the two semesters previous to the current semester in accordance with the guidelines described above in Article IV, Section one, clause two.
4. If it is past midway through the semester then the eligibility of the candidate is determined using the Executive Board meeting attendance records of the previous semester and the current semester in accordance with the guidelines described above in Article IV, Section one, clause two.
5. If it is exactly midway through the semester then the Executive Board shall flip a coin.

ARTICLE VI. Impeachment

Section one. Impeachment

1. Any elected officer may be removed from office upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors, including consistent failure to perform duties even after ample warning from Executive Board members, abuse of power, and upon violation of the Cornell University Campus Code of Conduct and any other rules of conduct as pertains to the University.
2. Members who have been impeached have the right to run for office again.
3. The Executive Board may punish its members for disorderly behavior, and with the concurrence of two thirds expel a member.

Section two. Impeachment Procedure.

1. Any Executive Board member can call for an impeachment vote.
2. Quorum rules for impeachment votes are the same as those for election meetings -- three quarters of eligible Executive Board members, rounded up.
3. A three quarters majority is required for the impeachment of any elected officer.

ARTICLE VII. Voluntary Officers

ARTICLE VIII. Translation

ARTICLE IX. Liability

1. The Executive Board will decide where club property is to be stored, and who is responsible for it.
2. The Secretary is required to keep a list of the equipment owned by CJAS, where it is being stored, and who is responsible for it.
3. Any person responsible for CJAS property may be held liable for the cost of replacing that equipment at the discretion of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE X. Advisor

1. The advisor should be willing to take an interest in club activities.
2. The advisor should be interested in Japanese culture.
3. The advisor should at least be familiar with Japanese animation.
4. The advisor should be easily accessible for signatures.
5. The advisor is required to follow the duties outlined by the SAFC for the advisor of student organizations.

ARTICLE XI. Amendments

1. Amendments to the constitution can be proposed if more than two thirds of the Executive Board decides it is necessary.
2. A three quarters majority is required for the ratification of amendments.
3. Amendments will take effect upon ratification by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE XII. Ratification

AMENDMENT 1:Official Creation of New Policies

A) Creation of New Policies

Any person attending the Executive Board meeting may propose new policies. After a discussion among the members, the new policy may then be brought to vote when the attendees feel that there has been adequate discussion.

1. When the policy candidate is a single yes/no choice, then the Executive Board will vote to put the policy into effect. The vote must gain the support simple majority (greater than 50%) of those participating in the vote. (Half of those voting, abstentions do not count.) However, should any voting eligible member feel that the abstainers would have an effect on the vote, the member may choose to Call Abstentions. This motion to Call Abstentions must be seconded by another eligible member. When the motion has been seconded, another vote will be called and all voting eligible members must vote, with abstentions disallowed.
2. When the policy candidate is a choice among a number of options, then each Executive Board member will vote for their preferred choice, with the option gaining a simple majority (greater than 50% of those participating in the vote; abstentions do not count) being put into effect. If there is no simple majority, then the option that received the least number of votes is dropped from the list of options, and a re-vote taken. If there is no simple majority, and two or more options have tied for the least number of votes, then a re-vote should be taken without dropping any option from the list of option. Re-votes will continue until an option wins by a simple majority or an option can be dropped from the ballot. If at any point in the voting, any eligible member feels that the abstainers would have an effect on the vote, the member may choose to Call Abstentions. If the motion is then seconded, the current round of voting will be re-taken with abstentions disallowed, and all future rounds of voting on the current list of options will continue to have abstentions disallowed. E.g. once Abstentions are Called, they remain Called until the vote is completed.)

B) Maintenance of New Policies

Once a policy has been ratified, the Secretary is responsible for recording the policy and verifying his/her written interpretation with the Executive Board immediately after the vote. Within a week of ratification, the new policy should be posted to the Executive Board e-mail list. If there is a club Webmaster at the time, then he/she will be responsible for placing the new policy on the club web site, in a manner where at least all voting eligible members have access to the text of the policy. This should be done within a week of receiving the policy text from the Secretary.

C) Revocation of Policies

The Executive Board may revoke a policy by passing a new policy that revokes the old one, following the guidelines in Section A of this amendment.

D) Maintenance of Current Policies

Current policies currently reside with the Secretary's notes in an informal manner. As soon as possible, the Secretary should prepare the texts of the existing policies, verify them informally at an official Executive Board meeting, and follow the procedures described in Amendment 1 Section B to permanently record them.

AMMENDMENT 3: Scheduling

A) Rational

Scheduling is CJAS's most crucial function, and has long-lasting effects on club operations. Decisions made during Scheduling are to be afforded due regard by subsequent Executive Boards. Thus Schedules agreed upon by Eboard shall be considered part of CJAS's constitution for their duration.

B) Prodcedure

Scheduling shall occur semesterly via a two part process, "Vote" and "Ratification". In the Vote, titles shall be selected for screening out of a pool of proposed candidates. Quorum shall be required to hold the Vote and three quarters of those in attendance must cast ballots. If necessary to reach this figure, Abstentions may be Called as per Ammendment 1, with any people refusing to cast ballots considered absent from the meeting.

After ballots are cast and tallied, Eboard or its designated representatives shall devise the Schedule by arranging the selected titles into the available screening times. The schedule shall then either be Ratified by two thirds of voting-eligible Eboarders, or returned for further consideration until a version can be agreed upon and Ratified.

C) Long Series

Titles selected during the vote are considered "locked" for the duration proposed by the suggesting parties; this duration shall be made explicit before final ballots are cast. In the event that only part of a series is proposed and Voted in, the remainder may be considered normally during subsequent Votes.

D) Alterations

Eboard shall make a good faith effort to abide by the Schedule once Ratified. If this is impossible. Eboard shall endevor to honor the preferences expressed in the last Vote until the next Scheduling process occurs.

All alterations to the Schedule once Voted upon, including unlocking of "locked" series, shall be accomplished as Constitutional Ammendments as per Article XI.

AMENDMENT 4: Online Voting

A) Online Voting Procedure

1. Any vote on any Executive Board decision may be conducted online, in lieu of an in-meeting vote, when the conditions of Section B of this Amendment are met. While paper ballots may still be issued for the voters' convenience of recording in-meeting discussion, no paper ballots shall be accepted for votes conducted online.
2. When a vote is conducted online, the set of eligible voters is computed in accordance to the eligibility rules for an in-meeting vote, taking into account all attendance records up to and including the most recent Executive Board meeting before the vote. Members absent from any in-meeting discussion of a vote may still be eligible to participate online in that vote, provided they are not disqualified per Section C of this Amendment.
3. A vote conducted online is subject to the same quorum requirements as that of an in-meeting vote. For the purposes of an online vote, quorum is achieved through voter participation.
4. The online voting system is responsible for the tallying of all online votes, in lieu of any party responsible for tallying an in-meeting vote.
5. For auditing purposes, at the close of an online vote, anonymized ballot data and the list of eligible voters shall be made public by the online voting system, in addition to the results of the vote.

B) Invocation of Online Voting

1. The President, at his or her discretion, may choose to invoke online voting at any time.
2. With the support of a simple majority of a quorum of two-thirds (rounded down), the Executive Board may:
1. invoke online voting, or
2. overrule the President's invocation of online voting.

C) Disqualification of Absent Members

1. The President, at his or her discretion, may choose to disqualify from an online vote those members absent from any in-meeting discussion of that vote.
2. With the support of a simple majority of a quorum of two-thirds (rounded down), the Executive Board may:
1. disqualify from an online vote those members absent from any in-meeting discussion of that vote, or
2. overrule the President's disqualification of those members absent from such discussion.

D) Selection of Online Voting System

1. When a vote is conducted online, the President chooses the online voting system that will be used for that vote.
2. With the support of a simple majority of a quorum of two-thirds (rounded down), the Executive Board may override the President's choice of online voting system to be used in an online vote.