Black legacy

Lehman Colleges Black Student Uinion

lehmancollegebsu@yahoo.com

Constitution
Name I. II. III. ARTICLE I The full name of this organization shall be Black Legacy: Lehman Colleges Black Student Union, hereafter referred to as Black Legacy. This Constitution shall take effect the day of its approval and shall be the official governing document of Black Legacy until approved ratification has been passed. The term of the African Diaspora shall be used interchangeably with African, Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latino throughout the text of this document.

Philosophy

ARTICLE II Function: Black Legacy is an organization that serves to unite African, African-American, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latino Students at Lehman College by promoting activism as a means of enriching our college experience. Members are empowered through education and are inspired to make positive contributions to their communities. Black Legacy aims to increase awareness of Pan African cultures and strengthen bonds of solidarity among students at Lehman College and with the community at large II. Mission Statement: Black Legacy is an organization that seeks to mobilize African, African-American, Afro-Caribbean and AfroLatino Students at Lehman College. By addressing issues that affect students on campus and providing opportunities for positive contributions to be made, Black Legacy strives to use cultural diversity as a means of strengthening bonds of solidarity between students at Lehman College and the community at large. III. The purposes and goals of Black Legacy are to provide a voice for Lehman College students of the African Diaspora, as well as the following: i. To increase pride, self-awareness, consciousness, knowledge, and understanding amongst students of the African Diaspora; ii. To educate students on issues that stem from internal and external factors and affect African, Afro-American, AfroCaribbean, and Afro-Latino students of the Lehman community I.

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iii. To host lectures, workshops, shows, discussions, fundraisers and other events that support, uplift, positively entertain, and inform students of the African Diaspora. Code of Ethics: i. Black Legacy was built on the principles of .. Based on these concrete values, it should continue to flourish with a membership that seeks positive progressive ways of achieving collectively recognized goals and objectives ii. Members should possess iii. Carry themselves iv. Be willing to adhere to club rules.. v. Everyone must uphold the trust, integrity, honesty, professionalism, ethical standards, and credibility of this organization. Do not act in an unprofessional manner vi. Personality, attitudes, behavior, emotions, and thought characterizes the diversity of the human beings and should be used advantageously ARTICLE III Membership shall be open to all part-time and full-time Lehman College undergraduate students i. Graduate students, alumni, and faculty members are welcomed and encouraged to attend Black Legacy meetings and participate in events, albeit in an unofficial membership capacity, as Lehman College rules prohibit official membership. There will be no financial dues administered to the membership of Black Legacy i. A donation of $1 is to be contributed upon the use of the terms Nigger or Bitch in the club room in order to reinforce the ideals of the club The functions and duties of members are: i. To attend at least five (5) meetings per semester; ii. To participate in discussions, and event planning by joining a minimum of one committee and posting thoughts on the Black Legacy blog iii. To support Black Legacy ventures and attend Black Legacy events. ARTICLE IV Meeting Notice: i. General meetings shall be held twice a month unless otherwise stated. At least one week's notice must be given all members of these meetings. ii. The Executive Board shall hold weekly meetings unless otherwise stated. At least one week's notice must be given all members of these meetings. iii. Committee meetings shall be held at least once a week,

Membership I.

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Meetings I.

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IV.

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at the discretion of the Committee Chairperson. At least one week's notice must be given all members of these meetings. Open Meetings: All scheduled meetings, including those of the Executive Board, Committees, and general updates, shall be open to the entire Lehman community. Special Meetings: I. The President may call special meetings provided 24 hours' notice is given to all members. Upon the request of at least five members of the Executive Committee, the President shall call a special meeting. II. Except for General meetings, members can find nontraditional ways to convene in order to productively accomplish tasks created on agendas, provided that minutes to these meetings are submitted. Presiding Officer: The President shall preside over all meetings. In his absence, the first vice-president shall preside. In his absence, the second vice-president shall preside. In the event that none is present, the committee shall select a temporary chairman. Quorum: A simple majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum to transact business for all meetings. ARTICLE V.... The powers of the organization shall be distributed among the Executive Board and the committees. All Black Legacy officers shall be elected by a majority vote of active members, in accordance with Lehman College requirements; The election process shall include the following: iv. Completion of election intent form the candidate, as a means of stating his/her reason for interest and qualifications v. Applications must be submitted at least two (2) weeks prior to elections; vi. Candidates must speak on an issue affecting students of the African Diaspora at Lehman College or beyond, in order to show their views and competency; vii. Candidates must show proof of an overall Grade Point Average of 2.5; viii.Candidates must be active (documented) members of Black Legacy. Elections shall be held no earlier than March 20 th, and no later than May 1st. All officers will hold office for two years upon reelection, unless they are, for whatever reason, unable to continue to fulfill the responsibilities of their positions.

Organization I. II. III.

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Executive Board I.

ARTICLE VI The Executive Board shall be comprised of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Events Coordinator. i. Purpose of eBoard ii. The executive board shall settle controversial issues that arise in Black Legacy by way of voting: a) All executive officers shall have one vote; b) All final decisions require a minimum of threefifths (3/5) of the votes. iii. Members of the executive board are known collectively as Executive Officers. II. The President: i. Shall be the official representative of Black Legacy; ii. Shall serve as head of the executive board, preside over executive meetings and supervise the activities of committees iii. Shall open and direct general Black Legacy club meetings and at the conclusion of a general meeting, draft an agenda for the upcoming general meeting; iv. Shall call executive meetings when deemed necessary; v. Shall attend all Black Legacy meetings; vi. Shall attend at least one-half (2/3) of all Black Legacy events. III. The Vice President: i. Shall serve as advisor to the President; ii. Shall preside over executive meetings in the absence of the President; iii. Shall be responsible for new membership development iv. Shall attend all Black Legacy meetings; v. Shall attend at least one-half (2/3) of all Black Legacy events. IV. The Secretary: i. Shall maintain official Black Legacy documents, including, but not limited to, Black Legacys Constitution, Sign-In Sheets, Meeting Attendance Forms, and Member Availability Charts ii. Shall record all minutes of executive board meetings and general meetings and submit them to the Assistant Director of Student Activities in a timely fashion; iii. Shall regularly check and maintain Black Legacys email and contact lists, iv. Shall have minutes available upon request; v. Shall attend all Black Legacy meetings; vi. Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black

Legacy events. V.The Treasurer: i. Shall maintain an accurate system of recording all financial and business transactions of the club ii. Shall work in conjunction with the Events Coordinator to draft and submit proposals to the Club Board; iii. Will advocate sound fiscal policies club during both executive and general meeting sessions and shall have the final say on Black Legacy financial matters; iv. Shall ensure that Black Legacys funds are not mishandled v. Shall collect and record all monies generated from fund raising events, and balancing the club budget at the end of each month vi. Shall attend at least two-thirds (2/3) of all Black Legacy meetings; vii. Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black Legacy events. VI. The Events Coordinator: i. Shall work in conjunction with the Treasurer to draft and submit proposals to the Club Board; ii. Shall plan events and contact artists, speakers, et al, as necessary; iii. Shall fill out and submit event forms to the Office of Campus Life; iv. Shall, in conjunction with the Digital Archivist and Assistant Digital Archivist, update and maintain Black Legacys Myspace and Facebook pages; v. Shall attend at least two-thirds (2/3) of all Black Legacy meetings; vi. Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black Legacy events. VII. Publicity & Communications Officer: i. Publicity

Additional Officers

Article VII: Other club elected officers shall also include: I. The Club Liaison: i. Shall build and maintain connections with other clubs by notifying them of events and other issues; ii. Shall inform Black Legacy of other club events in order to foster camaraderie and a supportive atmosphere; iii. Shall attend Club Board and Student Leadership meetings and update Black Legacy

on such meetings; Shall report to the Vice President as necessary; Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black Legacy meetings; vi. Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black Legacy events. II. Digital Archivist: i. Shall collect and maintain hard copies of all fliers/advertisements related to Black Legacy events; ii. Shall take pictures during all Black Legacy events, and at some meetings; iii. Shall, in conjunction with the Events Coordinator, update and maintain Black Legacys Myspace and Facebook pages; iv. Shall report to the Secretary as necessary; v. Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black Legacy meetings; vi. Shall attend all Black Legacy events. III. The Assistant Digital Archivist: i. Shall assist the Digital Archivist in taking pictures; ii. Shall, in conjunction with the Events Coordinator and the Digital Archivist, update and maintain Black Legacys Myspace and Facebook pages; iii. Shall substitute for the Digital Archivist in instances where the officer is unable to attend an event; iv. Shall attend at least one-half (1/2) of all Black Legacy meetings; v. Shall attend all Black Legacy events. iv. v. Committees Article VIII: I. Committees: Members of the Executive Board are expected to chair the following committees: Political Education & Development, Publicity, Event Planning, Treasury, Communications, Projects II. Political Education & Development: i. This committee will be responsible for creating, securing and distributing politically educational materials and proposing films to screen. ii. As a committee, P.E. & D members will be accountable for presenting thought-provoking topics during general meetings by generating ideas, doing background research about topics (if necessary), and forwarding materials for printing to the Secretary for meetings iii. will be responsible for contributing to political

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education workshops Publicity & Communications: i. Members of this committee will be responsible for promoting upcoming Black Legacy events and pursuing a wide range of publicity strategies on the behalf of the club, such as visiting classrooms, manning information tables, and submitting events for publicity to Target Vision, and Campus Life (i.e. the sandwich boards). ii. Members of this committee will work on developing the Black Legacy radio show iii. solicit members to write articles for The Meridian , maintaining the Black Legacy blog/twitter/ other social networking site, newsletter, or just submitting materials to The Meridian about the current Black Legacy ventures iv. can serve as a link between the club and the campus by organizing times to speak out or make speeches. v. The Club Liaison will also hold a seat on this committee, as a way to collect information to share with other clubs, collaborate with members about promotion techniques, and assist with public relations issues as needed. IV. Event Planning i. will be responsible for organizing events by submitting appropriate paperwork and/or securing proper arrangements for events, booking acts, generating projected budgets for events, ii. creating marketing materials for the publicity committee (i.e. creating flyers, handouts), and setting up events on the days they will be held. V. Treasury i. will be responsible for maintaining the club budget and organizing fundraisers for the club. ii. Members of this committee will also monitor the status on the Donation Box. VI. Projects i. Members of this committee will be responsible for organizing the community service component of club life. ii. The committee will also survey the Lehman College student body twice a semester to see what its interests are, and its response to Black Legacy events, in order to report to the club for future integration.

Faculty Advisor

ARTICLE IX I. Faculty Advisor must be elected by the majority of the executive

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board, and approved by the majority of membership. The Faculty Advisor: i. Shall be a member of Lehman College administration or faculty; ii. Shall serve as an advisor for at least one academic year. iii. Shall facilitate initial, medial, and final vision molding sessions for the club