:: TUPS
TUPS Constitution
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Trinity University Players (TUPs).
ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of TUPs is to stimulate and support interest in the theatre and other performing arts.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership shall be open to any Trinity University student regardless of major, minor, race, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.
2. Active membership shall be defined as a member who has attended one-third of the general meetings. Active membership shall be evaluated at midterm and at the end of the semester according to the secretary’s records.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS
Section A: Offices
1. Trinity University Players will maintain the Offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Lab Show Coordinator, and Historian.
2. The Offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary may only be held by one (1) member of the organization during each term.
3. Elected Officers may only hold one (1) elected position per term in office.
4. Terms in Office are defined as two (2) consecutive semesters, beginning with the Fall semester.
5. An officer may not act as chair of any committee while in office.
Section B: Officer Responsibilities
1. Office of the President – The individual who holds this office will:
a. Maintain a file pertaining to the office of the president.
b. Have the right to sign the Trinity University Players financial account.
c. Schedule, call, and preside over general and officer meetings.
d. Compile organizational information, and in conjunction with the other officers, set the agenda for the general and officer meetings.
e. Be responsible for receiving information and channeling it to the appropriate personnel with the organization.
f. Serve as the official Trinity University Players representative to Trinity University as a whole.
2. The Office of the Vice President – The individual who holds this office will:
a. Maintain a file pertaining to the office of the vice president.
b. Serve as an advisory member on all committees formed and oversee that all committee activities are successfully completed in a timely manner.
c. Collect regular progress reports from committee chairs to ensure that progress is being made.
d. Preside over general and officer meetings in the absence of the President.
e. Be responsible for information given at faculty meetings of the Speech and Drama Department.
f. Be responsible for representing the concerns of Trinity University Players to the faculty of the Speech and Drama Department.
3. The Office of the Treasurer– The individual who holds this office will:
a. Maintain a file pertaining to the office of the treasurer
b. Maintain an accurate and organized report of the Trinity University Players’ financial account, and have the right to sign that account.
c. Present financial reports at the general and officer meetings as requested by the President.
d. Be responsible for the receiving and disbursing of all funds controlled by the Trinity University Players.
e. Serve as an advisory member of all committees whose purpose involves raising or spending funds of the Trinity University Players.
4. The Office of the Secretary– The individual who holds this office will:
a. Maintain a file pertaining to the office of the secretary.
b. Record and maintain a record of minutes and attendance at all officer and general meetings.
c. Regularly compile and distribute “The Callboard” (Trinity University Players’ newsletter) to all members and faculty advisors of the organization via electronic mail, and post a hard copy of “The Callboard” in the Green Room.
d. Be responsible for all official correspondence between the officers of the organization and between the members of TUPs and Trinity University as a whole.
e. Be responsible for providing the departmental office and the Director of Theatre with current forms and documents relating to Trinity University Players.
f. Be responsible for maintaining a file of all blank forms to be used for TUPs official business.
g. Be responsible for updating all other files not relating to another officer or chairperson.
h. Insure that proper procedure is followed in all matters concerning the organization for which a precedent exists.
i. Serve as a source of information for all TUPs members concerning Policies and Procedures of the organization.
5. The Office of Lab Show Coordinator– The individual(s) who holds this office will:
a. Maintain a file pertaining to the Office of Lab Show Coordinator.
b. Review Lab Show proposals and aid in channeling them through the appropriate personnel.
c. Serve as liaison between Trinity University Players and any other collaborating organizations working on a joint lab show production.
d. Update and maintain instructions and forms having to do with the organization of a Lab Show.
6. The Office of Historian– The individual(s) who holds this office will:
a. Maintain a file pertaining to the Office of Historian.
b. Collect and maintain any paraphernalia of all TUPs business and productions, including, but not limited to: First-year Vignettes, lab shows, fund-raising activities, award ceremonies, etc.
c. Be responsible for creating a scrapbook of TUPs activities for the school year to be presented at the end of the year banquet.
d. Maintain the decorations in the Green Room with emphasis on TUPs activities, while keeping it clearly a public space.
e. Be responsible for maintaining pertinent TUPs business from past years (a Morgue File).
*All out-going officers shall serve as a mentor to their successors for the duration of the semester after the transfer of power.
Section C. Nomination and Election
1. To be eligible for election to an office, members must:
a. submit a letter of intent to the current president by 5:00 p.m. on the day of elections. This letter shall serve as the applicant’s formal nomination and will require a second at the election to merit a vote, and will be posted where all TUPs members can review.
The letter of intent shall include the following:
1) a list of offices for which the applicant is willing to accept a nomination.
2) Characteristics the applicant feels qualify him or her for office.
b. have been an active member of TUPs for a minimum of one semester.
2. To be eligible for President, the applicant must have completed a minimum of three semesters at Trinity, and have been active in TUPs for 2 semesters.
3. To be eligible for Lab Show Coordinator, the applicant must have been involved in a lab show before the time of application.
4. An officer may be re-elected to the same office or be elected to a different office. A member may hold only one office at a time.
5. An officer may not serve as a chairperson of a committee.
6. Election of officers shall occur in the following manner:
a. elections shall occur before the end of the year banquet.
b. at the election, the letters of intent shall be read before the general membership and voting will then follow standard procedure (see Article VII).
c. officers shall be elected in the following order: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Lab Show Coordinator, Historian.
d. elected officers shall assume respective responsibilities by the next general meeting. In the interim, the outgoing President shall schedule a meeting of the incoming and outgoing officers for the purpose of a power transferal.
ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES
Section A. Membership
Any TUPs member is eligible to participate in any committee(s) he or she wishes.
Section B. Purpose of Committees
1. Committees are established to explore all the possible options for action on behalf of TUPs.
2. Committees are established to perform activities for and on behalf of TUPs.
Section C. Committee Procedures
1. Each committee shall have a chairperson.
2. Committees may brainstorm with original ideas and also deal with specific items turned over to them by the TUPs officers to generate the best possible ideas for action.
3. All committee action is subject to TUPs officers’ approval and a formal majority vote of the general membership.
Section D: Responsibilities of a Committee Chairperson
1. A chairperson shall be responsible for scheduling meetings of their committee.
2. A chairperson shall be responsible for presiding over meetings of their committee.
3. A chairperson is responsible for their committee achieving any goals set forth by the TUPs officers and or the general membership.
4. At TUPs general meetings the chairperson is responsible for presenting a committee report informing the general membership of committee accomplishments, and proposals of new actions.
5. A chairperson will be responsible for submitting regular progress reports to the Vice President outlining committee activity. This report should contain a list of the committee’s events, meetings, and projects, as well as documentation of the members’ participation in these activities.
Section E: Nomination and Election of Chairpersons
1. Election of an ad hoc committee chairperson shall occur during the general meeting and immediately following the creation of the committee.
2. Any Active TUPs member is eligible to be elected a committee chairperson save:
a. A TUPs Officer
b. A current committee chairperson
3. Committee chairpersons shall be elected by a formal vote of the general members
4. A committee chairperson may be reelected an infinite number of times.
5. A person may only chair one committee at a time
Section F. The Standing Committees
1.Alumni Committee:
a. This committee shall be responsible for publishing a newsletter and other publications deemed appropriate by a vote of the committee informing TUPs Alumni about the actions and activities of TUPs and Trinity Theatre. The frequency of these publications will be determined by a vote of the committee. This committee will work in conjunction with the standing historians.
2. Technology Committee:
a. This committee shall be responsible for maintaining a public electronic resource (Read: Website) for TUPs members regarding the activities of the organization. The resource may contain information about upcoming events, opportunities outside of Trinity, information on current members, information about TUPs alumni, and anything else deemed appropriate by a vote of the committee. This committee will work in conjunction with the Secretary.
3. Fundraising Committee:
a. This committee shall be responsible for planning and executing fundraising operations for TUPs as are deemed necessary by a vote of the general membership. This committee will work in conjunction with the Treasurer.
4. Brown Bag Committee
a. This committee will be responsible for planning and carrying out regular Brown Bag events that will encourage TUPs members to perform improvisational drama.
Section G. Ad Hoc Committees
1. Ad Hoc committees are established by the membership, and/or by the mutual consent of the President and Vice-Pres. in the event of an emergency to discuss events and activities that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the standing committees.
2. While active, ad hoc committees function as standing committees.
ARTICLE VI: FACULTY/STAFF ADVISOR
Section A. Role of the Faculty/Staff Advisor (amended February 1991)
The role of the faculty/staff advisor to TUPs shall be that as defined and regulated in the official Trinity University policy (in Policies and Procedures Related to Students). TUPs shall have the power to choose its faculty/staff advisor from the Trinity University Speech and Drama Department. The advisor shall provide guidance in the exercise of TUPs responsibility, and not serve to impose policy.
Section B. Nomination and Election of Faculty/Staff Advisor
1. The advisor will be selected, nominated, and elected annually.
2. The newly elected officers of TUPs will select a nominee for the faculty/staff advisor by a unanimous vote.
3. The newly elected officers must contact the nominee to see if he or she is willing to serve as advisor. If the nominee declines his or her nomination, the newly elected officers will choose another nominee using the same process.
4. The nominee will be presented to the general TUPs membership within two weeks following officer elections and will be selected and voted upon within a week’s time.
5. If the nominee fails to be elected, a new nominee will be selected using the same procedure.
6. A faculty/staff advisor must be secured by the end of the said semester.
Section C. Proposals of the faculty/staff advisor
Proposals of the faculty/staff advisor shall be voted upon using the regular TUPs business procedure as outlined in Article VII.
ARTICLE VII: BUSINESS PROCEDURE
Section A. Quorum
1. A quorum shall consist of 33 1/3% of the active membership. This figure is based on the average number of members in attendance at weekly meetings as calculated by the secretary.
2. A quorum is mandatory for the transaction of business.
Section B. Business Transactions
1.Issues must be brought to a formal vote using the following procedure:
a. Formal nomination
b. Second
c. Open discussion
d. Close discussion
e. Vote according to Section C
2. Informal business can be conducted at meetings without the attendance of a quorum.
Section C. Voting Procedure
1. The ratification of all personnel, constitutional ratifications, and amendments shall be decided by a 2/3 vote taken by ballot.
2. All other questions shall be decided by a simple majority taken by a show of hands.
3. Only active members of TUPs shall be allowed to vote.
ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
Section A. General Meetings
A bi-weekly meeting time and location shall be established according to standard business procedure (see Article VII).
Section B. Called Meetings
1. The President will call meetings when deemed necessary or at the written request of not less than five members.
2. No meetings may be held without the Officers’ knowledge.
ARTICLE IX: PROCEDURES FOR RATIFICATION, AMENDMENT, AND BY-LAWS
Section A. Ratification
The constitution shall go into effect after a 2/3 vote of the membership and the approval of the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.
Section B. Amendment (amended February 1991)
1. An amendment shall be defined as any alteration of the Constitution.
2. A proposed amendment must be presented in writing with the signatures of not less than half a quorum. To go into effect, the amendment must be passed by a 2/3 vote of the general membership.
ARTICLE X: DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS
Disbursement of funds must be approved by the President, Vice-President or Treasurer. No disbursement of funds should happen without the knowledge of the President. |
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