A. Administrative Responsibilities. The
President shall conduct the E-board and general body meetings,
unless other wise delegated to another E-board member. The President
shall maintain contact with faculty and BLSA sponsors to keep
them informed and involved in BLSA activities.
B. Community Outreach. The president shall
be responsible for establishing and maintaining BLSA’s
contact with organizations throughout the Case Western and Cleveland
community. The duties include but are not to be limited to:
1. Maintaining a working
relationship with Case Western’s Black Graduate and Professional
Students Associations.
2. Maintaining contact and a working relationship with other
minority law students associations.
3. Organizing at least one community service activity per semester.
Section III. Vice President. The
Vice President shall assist the President with all activities
of the organization and chair all meetings the President is unable
to attend.
A. The Vice President’s responsibilities
also include, but are not limited to:
1. Facilitating the Fredrick Douglass Moot Court Competition and the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition,
2. Organizing exam taking skills workshops for first year BLSA
members,
3. Working with the admissions office and law school deans to
help attract prospective black students to Case Western School of Law.
B. In the event the President is unable
to complete a term of office, the Vice President shall automatically
rise to the position of President for the remainder of the term,
and a new Vice President shall be chosen by a simple majority
of the membership.
C. In the event the Vice
President is unable to complete his of her term of office, a replacement
shall be chosen by a simple majority of the membership.
Section IV. Treasurer. The Treasurer
shall be responsible for all of the funds of the organization.
A. The Treasurer’s duties include
but are not limited to:
1. Assuring that entries are regularly
made in the financial records.
2. Accounting for all monies received and disbursed by the
organization.
3. Making regular financial reports to the Executive Board
members.
4. Preparing a proposed annual budget for approval by the
various fund granting authorities, the Executive Board, and
the active membership.
B. Upon being elected to
the position of Treasurer, the Treasurer shall meet with the outgoing
Treasurer in order to effectuate and coordinate a smooth transition
of office.
C. At the conclusion of the
Treasurer’s term, the Treasurer must make reasonable efforts
to assist the incoming Treasurer to become acquainted with the
financial situation of the organization.
D. In the event the Treasurer
is unable to complete his or her term of office, a replacement
shall be chosen by a simple majority of the membership.
Section V. Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible
for maintaining the records of the organization. The Secretary shall
be responsible for the maintenance and distribution of minutes and
agenda for all meetings of the Executive Board. In addition, the
Secretary’s responsibilities include, but are not limited
to:
A. Establishing an Annual
Alumni Newsletter.
B. Taking Photographs at
BLSA sponsored events.
C. Updating the BLSA Board
with relevant information such as employer listing and scholarship/fellowship
notices.
D. Facilitating Communication throughout
BLSA.
E. Preparing documents on
behalf of BLSA.
F. Making reservations for
BLSA events.
G. In the event the Secretary
is unable to complete his or her term of office, a replacement
shall be chosen by a simple majority of the membership.
Section VI: 1L Representative:
The 1L Representative’s responsibilities include but are
not limited to:
A. Keeping the Executive
Board informed of the concerns of the first year students.
B. Keeping the Executive
Board informed of all first year activities and deadlines.
C. Making sure that all of
the first year students have outlines for their courses.
D. In the event that the
1L Representative is unable to complete his or her term, a replacement
shall be elected by a simple majority of the membership.
Section I. Organizational Meetings.
The first general body meeting shall take place within two weeks
of the first day of classes.
Section II. General Body Meetings.
One general body meeting shall be held every two weeks. Exceptions
shall be made for scheduled school breaks such as fall break,
winter break, spring break and summer vacation.
Section III. Executive Board Meetings:
One executive board meeting shall be held every two weeks, during
the weeks where there is no general body meeting. Exceptions shall
be made for scheduled school breaks such as fall break, winter
break and summer vacation.
Section I. Election Process. The
general election shall take place in the spring semester for all
elected positions except the 1L Representative. An election for
the 1L Representative shall take place in September of the Fall
Semester. If an office becomes vacant at any time before the spring
election there shall be a special election. The process shall
be the following:
1. Each active member shall
have one vote per office and shall vote by secret ballot.
2. The candidate garnering a majority of the votes shall receive
the position.
3. Each candidate shall submit the reason for seeking office so
members may make an informed decision.
4. If a candidate is unable to attend the election, the candidate
can run in absentia and have another member read a statement on
his or her behalf.
5. If a member is unable to attend the election the member can
vote by proxy. The member shall complete a proxy form and return
the form to the current Secretary by the stated deadline.
6. The results of the election shall be announced at the meeting.
7. The same process shall be followed for special elections.
Section II. Candidates. All persons
running for an elected position, except the candidates for the
1L representative position, must be an active member of BLSA.
An active member is an individual who:
1. Attends at least 3 BLSA
meetings each semester, and
2. Actively participated in at least two activities sponsored
or cosponsored by BLSA per year.
Section I. Date of Transition. All
E-board positions shall last for one year and shall run from the
election during the spring of one year until the spring of the
following year, unless otherwise voted upon.
Section II. Completed Business. The
outgoing E-Board shall be responsible for completing all business
related activities that were begun prior to the date of transition.
Section I. Misconduct. Misconduct is defined as conduct by an
officer or member deemed detrimental to the well-being of this organization.
Section II. Reporting Misconduct. Formal charges of misconduct
shall be brought by petition of at least two active members to a member of the executive
board. Misconduct is defined as conduct by a member deemed detrimental to the well-being of
this organization.
Section III. Sanctions. Any member found to be guilty of
misconduct by the President and Vice-President is subject to disciplinary action by the
organization including but not limited to revocation of membership, probation, or any other
sanction approved by the President and Vice-President.
Section IV. Executive Board Misconduct. All executive board
members are subject to removal by the two highest non impeached officials. That is, if the
President is accused of misconduct, the Vice-President and Treasurer shall approve the
appropriate sanctions for the impeached President.
Section I. Notice. Proposed amendments
shall be announced to the general body at least five days prior
to being voted upon. Proper announcement is met through notification
at a general body meeting, posting on the BLSA board, e-mailing
BLSA members, or pendaflexing BLSA members.
Section II. Ratification. Amendments
properly announced to the general body, shall be ratified if seventy
percent of the active membership approve the proposed amendment.
If seventy percent of the active members are not present at the
meeting where the vote will be conducted, the Secretary shall
be responsible for getting absentee votes from active members.
Section III. Proxy voting. The process
for proxy votes shall be the same as described in Article VII
of the constitution.
