The Birmingham Freethought Society: Constitution

Constitution: adopted upon ratification.
 
Article I: Name
 
The name of the organization is the Birmingham Freethought Society, referred to as the BFS.
 
Article II: Membership and Dues
 
Membership is open to all undergraduate students of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Associate members may include graduate students, special status students, and faculty. Anyone is welcome to attend BFS meetings and functions. Members are encouraged but not required to attend monthly meetings of the BFS, monthly meetings of the Alabama Freethought Association, and yearly meetings of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Donations will be accepted, but no dues or membership fees will be imposed. No member shall represent the BFS, AFA, or FFRF without prior approval.
 
The University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham Freethought Society administers its educational programs and activities, including admission, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability unrelated to the performance of an essential job function or an essential eligibility requirement, veteran status, or Vietnam era veteran status.
 
Article III: Leadership Team
 
Directors (2): shall serve as the leaders of the organization by acting as speakers for the leadership team. The Directors are responsible for communication arrangements, coordinating guest speakers and meetings, arranging special events, correspondence, public relations, delegating responsibilities, and other duties.  The Directors shall represent the BFS at any AFA, FFRF, or any other meetings / events.
 
Secretary: shall be responsible for recording the minutes of each meeting. These minutes will be used in two ways: (1) to inform members of the business that was conducted on meetings they might have missed, and (2) for historical reasons. The secretary is also responsible for maintaining a list of the BFS’ active members.
 
Treasurer: shall be responsible for taking care of (and creating, if necessary) an account at a local bank for BFS funds to be kept. The treasurer will also be responsible for executing, at least in part, any act which requires the use of BFS funds. The Treasurer is required to present a monthly financial report to the organization’s advisor and a quarterly report to the group.

Special Committees: will be convened as needed for the accomplishment of specific tasks. Membership of a committee will be strictly voluntary; the Directors will select a leader for each Special Committee from the volunteers. In the event of a dispute between the two Directors, a Special Committee of five members will be chosen by drawing lots to vote on the course of action to follow [majority (60%) rule]. Special Committees shall disband at the moment their project is finished.
 
Elections: for the two directors, the secretary, and the treasurer will be held yearly at the BFS meeting closest to the end of the summer quarter. Only UAB undergraduate students that have been BFS members for at least two entire quarters may attempt to hold office. Members that wish to be considered for candidacy shall declare themselves candidates at the beginning of the election process. They will then each be given 5 minutes to address the group. A vote of all full members present will then take place for each of the positions. The winner of each election will be the person that has more votes than their opponents. In the case of a tie, a run-off will be held in the same fashion as the election described above. In the case of another tie, a coin toss shall decide the victor.
 
Article IV: Faculty/Staff Advisor
 
The BFS Faculty/Staff Advisor will be chosen by the Directors or by a special
committee reporting to the Directors. Once the Advisor is nominated by the Directors and accepts, she or he will continue to hold the position until the Advisor (1) no longer wishes to hold the office, (2) can no longer fulfill the requirements of the office, or (3) is voted by majority to be replaced.
 
The Advisor will serve a supportive role for the group’s different needs as they arise. The Advisor will also serve an instrumental role in directing work done towards the accomplishment of BFS goals.
 
Article V: Meetings
 
Regular meeting dates, times, and places will be decided by majority vote. These dates, times, and places may only be changed by majority vote. Under extenuating circumstances, a Director may choose to move a meeting to a different date, time, or venue. This temporary move may not happen more than once in a row without consent of the majority or a vote for a permanent change.
 
A Director may choose to hold a special meeting in which case he or she will take into account the preferences of the members for date, time, or venue, but ultimately the decision will rest with the Director. Members will be notified of future meeting dates in advance by a director at the end of each meeting. Members may also be notified of meeting dates through telephone calls, email, the BFS Internet web site, and through campus advertising (signs, banners, etc.).
 
Article VI: Quorum
 
There is no limit on the amount of members the BFS may have. In order to conduct business at a meeting, at least one Director and 10 percent of the member body must be present.

Article VII: Amendments
 
Amendments will be adopted to this constitution only through majority vote. If several amendments exist or a major change in the group has been made (i.e. a change in name or an addition of another Article to the constitution), at the Directors’ discretion, this constitution may be rewritten to prevent misunderstandings. The new constitution must then be ratified before the old one is retired and replaced.
 
Article VIII: Ratification
 
This constitution will be proposed on one meeting of the BFS and may be ratified by majority vote at any subsequent meeting.
 
Ratified November 19, 2002