(6/09/04 RS)

The name of this organization shall be Unity.

Section 2:1

Unity shall be the voice of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students and their allies at Western Illinois University.

Section 2:2

Unity shall provide support unity for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and

their allies.

Section 2:3

Unity shall provide ongoing educational programming for all members of the

University community regarding issues that affect gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and their

allies.

Section 2:4

Unity shall foster leadership and promote individual and professional growth for

gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and their allies.

Section 3:1

Full membership in this organization shall be open to all interested WIU students

Section 3:2

All full members shall have the right to vote and speak, except in the case of

elections and removal of officers/advisors. In these cases, only full

members who have attended at least three meetings may vote.

Section 3:4

Honorary members have speaking privileges, but are not allowed to vote or hold

an officer position.

Section 3:5

Membership guidelines follow the non-discrimination policy set by Western Illinois

University.

Section 4:1

The Executive Board shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary,

Treasurer and Student Government Association (SGA) Senator as defined in

Article Five.

Section 4:2

The purpose of the executive board shall be to:

A:

Be the governing body of Unity.

B:

Establish the rules by which Unity shall conduct business with the approval of the

General Assembly.

C:

Take emergency action usually brought before the General Assembly when deemed

necessary.

D:

Propose activities for Unity.

Section 4:3

All Executive Board members must remain in good academic and judicial standing

throughout their term in office in accordance with University policy.

Section 4:4

The Executive Board shall be the official and legal representatives of Unity.

Section 4:5

The Executive Board members have voting and speaking privileges in General

Assembly and Executive Board meetings, unless otherwise noted in Article Five.

Section 5:1

The President Shall:

A:

Endeavor to unite the General Assembly in an effort to unify the organization.

B:

Represent the best interests of the students affiliated with Unity at all meetings

and events attended.

C:

Preside over and maintain order at all General Assembly and Executive Board

meetings.

D:

Remain unbiased in all proceedings.

E:

Vote only when the vote as he/she intends to cast would affect the outcome.

F:

Section 5:2

The Vice-President shall:

A:

Endeavor to unite the General Assembly in an effort to unify the organization.

B:

Represent the best interest of the students affiliated with Unity at all meetings and

events attended.

C:

Assist the President in his/her duties.

D:

Fulfill the duties of the President in his/her temporary absence

E:

Appoint committee chairpersons and liaisons to aid or facilitate in the operation of

the organization with the approval of the General Assembly.

F:

Section 5:3

The Secretary shall:

A:

Endeavor to unite the General Assembly in an effort to unify the organization.

B:

Represent the best interest of the students affiliated with Unity at all meetings and

events attended.

C:

Keep an accurate record of the General Assembly and Executive Board meetings.

D:

Keep an accurate record of membership of Unity.

E:

Be responsible for notification of meetings, events, and agendas for Unity.

F:

Section 5:4

The Treasurer shall:

A:

Endeavor to unite the General Assembly in an effort to unify the organization.

B:

Represent the best interest of the students affiliated with Unity at all meetings and

events attended.

C:

Formulate a detailed budget with the advice of the Executive Board.

D:

Keep an accurate and complete financial record of transactions of Unity.

E:

Issue and collect receipts for all funds disbursed and received.

F:

Issued funds upon the approval of the General Assembly

G:

Report the financial situation to the General Assembly at least twice a semester or

upon the request of the General Assembly.

H:

Execute all transactions and be responsible for collecting money owed to the

General Assembly.

I:

Resolve all financial obligations incurred by the council in the best interests of

Unity.

J:

Section 5:5

The SGA Senator shall:

A:

Endeavor to unite the General Assembly in an effort to unify the organization.

B:

Represent the best interest of the students affiliated with Unity at all meetings and

events attended.

C:

Adhere to all SGA Senate Rules in regard to SGA meetings and be the voice of

Unity.

D:

Report weekly to the General Assembly all SGA business.

E:

Section 6:1

Unity shall elect up to two faculty/staff advisors and have the option of electing up to two graduate

student advisors according to the procedures set forth in Article Eight.

Section 6:2

The Advisor(s) shall:

A:

Endeavor to unite the General Assembly in an effort to unify the organization.

B:

Represent the best interest of the students affiliated with Unity at all meetings and

events they attend.

C:

Serve as a link between the organization and the University administration.

D:

Section 7:1

Candidates for all Executive Board positions of Unity must:

A:

Be in good academic and judicial standing at the time of the nomination.

B:

Have been a member of Unity for at least one semester within the current or

previous academic semester.

Section 7:2

Elections for President and Vice-President:

A:

Nominations will be held in the first meeting following Awareness Week.

B:

Elections will take place during the second meeting following Awareness Week.

C:

The elected President and Vice-President will take office the last meeting of the semester.

Section 7:3

Elections for remaining Executive Board offices:

A:

Nominations will be held in the first meeting following Awareness Week.

B:

Elections will take place during the second meeting following Awareness Week. If time does not permit this, elections will take place during the third meeting following Awareness Week.

C:

The elected officers will take their office the same day as the elected President.

Section 7:4

Elections for Advisor(s):

A:

Nominations will be held in the first meeting following Awareness Week.

B:

Elections will take place during the meeting following nominations.

C:

The elected Advisor(s) will assume their duties on the same day as the president.

Section 7:5

The method of election of Officers/Advisors shall be secret ballot.

Section 7:6

A candidate must receive a majority of those eligible and present voting members to

be elected into office.

Section 7:7

Removal of an Officer/Advisor:

A:

A two-thirds vote of all eligible voting members present is needed to remove any

Executive Board member and/or Advisor from office.

B:

Petition for removal of and Officer or Advisor must be submitted to the General

Assembly one week prior to the vote being taken.

C:

All parties concerned shall have the opportunity to present their cases.

D:

A removed Officer/Advisor shall be replaced by one selected through the

established organizational procedures.

Section 7:8

Filling a vacancy of and Executive Board/Advisor position:

A:

Nominations for the position shall be held following the vacancy.

B:

All vacancies will be subject to a special election held at the meeting following the

vacancy.

C:

The elected Officer/Advisor will take office upon the adjournment of the meeting at

which he/she is elected.

Section 8:1

The time, place, and date of the meetings are to be determined by the Executive

Board with the advice of the General Assembly.

Section 8:2

The first meeting shall take place the second full week of classes in the Fall and first

full week of classes in the Spring.

Section 8:3

Meetings cannot be held during the final week of each semester.

Section 8:4

An emergency meeting can be called:

A:

By the President and Vice-President or any eight members of the General

Assembly.

B:

Only after a reasonable effort to notify members of the meeting is made in a suitable

time frame.

Section 8:5

The most recent edition of "Robert's Rules of Order" will serve as the final

parliamentary authority for all business meetings.

Section 9:1

Amendments must be submitted in writing at least one week prior to vote being

taken and must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly.

Section 9:2

Amendments will take effect following the approval of the Council on Student

Welfare (CSW) and the Vice-President of Student Affairs.

Section 10:1

This is a not-for-profit organization

Section 11:1

This organization shall not discriminate on the basis of age, color, ethnicity, gender, national

origin, disability or handicap, race, religion, sexual orientation, or Vietnam Era veteran status.

This policy will include, but is not limited to recruiting, membership, organization activities or

opportunities to hold office.

state, and federal laws.