ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization is Pride.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

Section 1. The purpose of Pride is to bring together individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and their allies to promote diversity, enjoy social activities, and raise campus awareness of issues facing LGBTQI persons at the University of Illinois at Chicago . 

Section 2. Pride will work with the OGLBTC and the Chancellor's Committee to accomplish this goal.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Section 1. Official membership status is granted to any student, faculty member, or staff member who attends three or more meetings or events of Pride and to individuals who are recognized as members from the previous Academic Year. Pride recognizes two levels of membership: active and alumni. An attendance list will be kept for every general meeting and event of Pride. The membership list will be kept confidential with access granted only to Pride chairpersons.

Section 2. Membership privileges may be revoked partially or entirely when a member or group of members have committed one or more offenses against any member of the group as a whole. Violations are as follows but not limited to: slander (making false or defamatory statements against the group or its members); revealing information designated as private without permission, including members' names, addresses and phone numbers; misrepresenting one's activities as the group's activities without the group's approval; verbally and/or physically sexually harassing members; embezzling Pride's funds; committing acts of physical violence against another member; engaging in sexual activity in Pride's official meeting space; failure to perform assigned or promised duties; intentionally misleading the group; making statements and/or actions that show disrespect for a member's race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability status, or religion. Procedure for handling the above violations is stated in Article VI, Section 3.

Section 3. Pride is in full compliance with the University of Illinois at Chicago's Non-Discrimination Policy and Hazing Policy. These policies can be found at www.uic.edu/depts/chcc/programs/Campus/Files/antihazing.doc

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS

Section 1. Officers. This organization shall have five (5) officers: Parliamentarian Chair, Financial Chair, Social Chair, Public Relations Chair, and Web Chair. Additional chair positions may be created only when both (1) all five existing positions have been filled, and (2) a substantial need for the leadership role being created is identified.

Section 2. Qualifications of Officers. Only registered UIC students may hold Pride chair positions. All Pride chairpersons are required to attend all of Pride's general meetings. In the event that a chairperson is unable to attend a general meeting, he or she must notify at least one other chairperson to explain their absence and prepare information about ongoing business related to their chair position.

Section 3. Terms of Office. Chairpersons shall serve Pride for one year, beginning and terminating on the Friday of fall-semester Final Exams week (generally, early December). Students anticipating graduation or transfer to another school in May of the upcoming year should not run for an office. Any term of office that begins later in the year due to a vacancy shall not last for one year, but shall terminate on the Friday of Final Exams week of the fall semester.

Section 4. Duties of Officers. The responsibilities of the chairpersons are as follows:

- Parliamentarian Chair shall be responsible for planning and running Pride's general meetings. Duties will include scheduling meeting times and dates, reserving meeting space, preparing an agenda, conducting meetings by enforcing Roberts' Rules of Order, and updating Pride's group registration form with Campus Programs. The Parliamentarian Chair shall also take responsibility for maintaining Pride's Leadership Log.

- Business Chair shall be responsible for Pride's Chicago Organizational Fund (COF) Account, collection and deposit of all funds, paying Pride's bills from its COF Account, and the organization of fundraising events. When changes occur to Pride's COF Account (deposit or withdrawal), it is the responsibility of the Financial Chair to present a completed Financial Report Form at the next general meeting (see Leadership Log for form). The status of Pride's COF Account must be available upon request from any member. Only the Parliamentarian and Business chairpersons shall have direct access to Pride funds. The Business Chair shall play a role in meetings by taking a detailed account of the minutes and submitting them to the listserv to keep all members informed of Pride's progress, and by taking an attendance list of all members and prospective members in attendance for meetings. The Business Chair shall also compile and maintain a name/contact list for members, to be used only by chairpersons.

- Social Chair shall be responsible for planning social activities to complement the business portion of each of Pride's general meetings and shall organize no fewer than two separate events per semester that are purely social in nature. These social events may be planned independently or in conjunction with the efforts of Pride sub-committees. The Social Chair shall act as a liaison to members who wish to coordinate social activities for Pride.

- Public Relations Chair, generally, shall be responsible for maintaining a high level of visibility for Pride. Duties shall include producing advertisements for Pride events, organizing a sub-committee to aid in the distribution of advertisements, and seeking out opportunities to represent Pride on campus by tabling at campus events and finding other student groups who wish to co-sponsor events with Pride. In addition, Public Relations Chair shall seek out opportunities to network with other Chicago-university student groups and forming working relationships with resources in the Chicagoland area that may benefit Pride.

- Web Chair shall be responsible for maintaining Pride's website and e-mail listserv. The Web Chair shall post to the website updated information regarding meetings, social events, fundraisers and other appropriate matters.

Section 5. Provisions for Removal of Officers. A chairperson's privileges may be removed if the other chairpersons feel that the duties listed above are not being met by the officer assigned to them. The decision by the board must be unanimous in order to ask a chairperson to step down from office. A chairperson's privileges may be removed for the same reasons membership may be revoked as outlined in Article III, Section 2. A chairperson may resign their position by providing at least two weeks' advance notice to be given at a general meeting.

ARTICLE V – ELECTIONS

Section 1. A nomination meeting will begin with calls for nominations in which all interested candidates must publicly declare their interest and their desired chair position. This nomination meeting will take place no less than three weeks before the end of the fall semester in mid-late November. Eligible candidates must have been a member of Pride in the semester in which they are nominated. After all candidates are declared, each candidate may give a maximum six minutes explanation of their reasons for running.

Section 2. Elections will be held no less than one week after the nomination meeting. The voting will be done at an assigned time with a closed ballot system. All persons who vote at the designated election will have their names recorded to show that they have voted. If a Pride member is unable to attend the election at the designated time, they will have one week to vote. In order to vote, they will go to the Rainbow Resource Room and fill out a ballot. After filling out and depositing the ballot, they will have their name written down on the original sheet to show that this is her/his first and only time voting. There will be no absentee email votes counted. The Faculty Advisor may not vote during elections. Members may abstain in voting in any chair category. Write-in candidates will not be accepted. A candidate receiving a simple majority of votes in their category will become an official Pride chairperson at the end of the academic Fall Semester.

Section 3. If a chair position becomes vacant during the middle of the semester, the remaining chairpersons can appoint a member to take on some or all of the vacant chairperson's responsibilities. Appointments must be approved during a general meeting and are valid through the current semester. If a chair position is vacated at the end of a semester (and its term is not completed), a special election for the vacant position must be held at the beginning of the next semester. Chairpersons specially elected shall serve Pride for the remaining portion of the calendar year allotted to their position. There must be at least three chairpersons for Pride to function as a student organization.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS

Section 1. General meetings shall consist of a summary of the business topics, future events, and other topics or concerns of the general membership, followed by a social event. There shall be at least one general meeting per week during the Academic Year. 

Section 2. Decisions made within a general meeting are made on a consensus basis or by a formal vote among all present members. A consensus occurs when all present members agree that a proposal for an idea, event, rule, et cetera is a fair and equitable path. When the presiding chairpersons decide that a consensus cannot be reached, a formal vote shall be taken. All members have a right and are encouraged to present their concerns, views, and ideas when a topic is being discussed.

Section 3. If a member feels that another member has committed an offense as outlined in Article III, Section 2, a formal complaint must be presented at a general meeting or a written statement must be given to a chairperson. The accused member must be notified of the complaint. The Faculty Advisor and all chairpersons must attend any hearing. The format of the hearing will be as follows:

Presentations: The complainant and the accused will be given up to ten minutes each to present their sides. There are to be no interruptions during these presentations.

Rebuttal: The complainant and the accused will be given three minutes each to rebut their counterpart's presentation.

Group Decision: Each attending member except the complainant and the accused will have three minutes to voice their comments on the case if they wish.

Vote: A closed ballot among the chairpersons will occur after the group discussion. The complainant and the accused will be required to leave the room before the vote occurs and cannot vote.

Decision: If a simple majority of the vote is not in favor of the accused, the voting members must decide the action to be taken. Current available actions include but are not limited: a warning, probation, suspension of membership privileges, or expulsion from Pride. A time limit must be specified for a probation or suspension. 

Section 4. A committee may form within Pride to address a shared interest and concerns of its members. To form a committee, three members must formally present a written proposal during a general meeting. The proposal should consist of the purpose for the committee, reason for its formation, and its advantage to the entire organization. If a committee is approved by consensus or a formal vote, a committee shall nominate one individual to act as a liaison to Pride. Committee leaders must attend all Pride general meetings and give the Business Chair and Public Relations Chair a schedule of the committee's activities. In addition, she or he must work with one chairperson to reserve space for the committee's meetings and funding (if desired). Approved committees can set up and organize their own meetings and events. Committees can also use Pride's name on projects approved within Pride's general meeting. Committees are open to all Pride members and potential new members. A committee may request a closed meeting. Committee members are subject to the same constitution and bylaws as Pride members.

Section 5: If an event or topic cannot be fully discussed during a general meeting due to its time requirement or large scope, the meeting's structure will be changed to include no designated social time. In the case that such a meeting is required, the adjusted structure will be announced prior to the meeting. If there is no business to be discussed at a general meeting, the meeting's structure will be changed to a social meeting. Social meetings may include planned events such as movie viewing or discussion, or may be informal and free-form. 

Section 6: A quorum is the minimum number of the members of an organization which must be present at a meeting in order to transact business legally. Pride will have a quorum of 2 chairpersons in order to hold a vote at a general meeting.

ARTICLE VII – FACULTY ADVISOR

The advisor of Pride may attend general meetings, vote on all topics, and attend all hearings. The Faculty Advisor shall not nominate nor vote for any chair candidates. It is the responsibility of the chairpersons to find a new advisor is the position is vacated. The Faculty Advisor must step down if the majority of chairpersons approve.

ARTICLE VIII – PRIDE EVENT/PROJECT PROCEDURE

A proposal for an event or project should be made during a general meeting. A one-page proposal form, which may be found in the Leadership Log or obtained from any chairperson, is required to hold an event or initiate a project. Proposals should include a brief synopsis of the event or project, an approximate date and time, location and sources of funding if applicable. If approved, the proposing party may invite members to join a sub-committee. The party responsible for the event or project should update other Pride members of progress being made at general meetings. After an event or project has ended, an evaluation form must be filled out. Evaluation forms may also be obtained from the Leadership Log.

ARTICLE IX – DUES

Pride is not a due collecting organization.

ARTICLE X – HANDLING OF FUNDS

There shall be no IOUs or loans permitted with Pride's funds. Funding for a Pride-sponsored event must be approved by the Business Chair during a general meeting preceding the event. Pride is not financially responsible to its members if a Pride-sponsored event is changed or cancelled.

ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS & REVISIONS

Section 1. The Pride Constitution will be reviewed by chairpersons at least once every year in March and amended or revised if needed prior to re-registration in May. Pride members will be allowed to give their input at the discretion of the current chairpersons.

Section 2. An amendment must be read and submitted in writing to the business chair.

Section 3. The parliamentarian chair is responsible for initiating the creation and distribution of the new/changed document. The Campus Programs staff shall receive a copy of the revised document.

ARTICLE XII – RATIFICATION OF THIS CONSTITUTION

To become effective, this constitution must be ratified by a simple majority of the members present at a ratification meeting.

This constitution is the revision of the May 1994 Pride Constitution. Certain additions and deletions have been made to cover all the information required by Organizations and Activities for re-registration and to acknowledge current conditions in the Pride organization..