Vassar College Aikido Club Constitution (VAC Constitution)

The mission of the Vassar Aikido Club (VAC) is to provide an opportunity for the students, faculty, staff, and other members of the Vassar community and the surrounding Poughkeepsie area to practice Shodokan Aikido. Shodokan Aikido, a Japanese martial art, is a defensive style that stresses non-violence and self-cultivation. The VAC is strictly dedicated to this philosophy and strives to insure that practice is safe and fun. Our second objective is to promote cultural awareness and to foster long-lasting harmonious relationships with one another. The sensei instructing the class will also act as an advisor and coordinator for the club, although the student leaders shall have the final say in all decisions.

Positions:

The Vassar Aikido Club will have positions as follows: President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, and Event Coordinator.

Officer Responsibilities

The officers will hold bi-weekly meetings to discuss the direction of the club and to plan future events and fundraisers.

President:

The chief responsibilities of the President are to help promote club unity, act as the club liaison, write and submit VSA organizational reports, reply to VAC’s emails, and to contribute suggestions and/or ideas for future events that could be held at Vassar or off-campus. 

Vice-President:

	The chief duties of the Vice-President are to organize and plan events, demonstrations, speakers, and educators. Also the Vice-President is in charge of reservations, speakers, and to aid in future-events planning. The Vice-President will work closely with the other officers in planning events and competitions, making sure the dates and schedules of members do not conflict. 

Secretary:

 	The chief duties of the secretary are to aid the president in overseeing the daily activities of the club, research and offer ideas on future competitions/events, and act as a proxy when the President cannot be present.  The secretary is also expected to keep up-to-date membership and mailing lists. 

Treasurer:

	The chief duties of the treasurer are to attend treasurer meetings, take care of purchases and reimbursements, design and allocate a budget, write a budget proposal, petition for funds, keep accurate records of the budget, and to plan fundraising events. 

Public Relations Officer:

	The chief duties of the public relations officer are to organize publicity, create advertisements for events, and assign members to the distribution of advertisements. In addition, the public relations officer is the head of ideas for recruitment of new members and for relations with the Vassar and Poughkeepsie communities.

Event Coordinator:

	The chief duties of the event coordinator are to aid the president and vice-president in the physical running of events, as well as the logistical preparations, such as scheduling and locations for events. Furthermore, the event coordinator is expected to meet with potential speakers and guests.

Amendments to the Constitution:

Amendments to the Constitution can be proposed at any time by either the VAC general body or the officers. Voting will take place via email, to be sent to and counted by a neutral third party appointed by consensus of the general body. At least 2/3 of the general body must vote, and a 2/3 majority of those votes is required for an amendment to be entered in the constitution. The reason for the amendment and the possible effects of the amendment on the future of the club must be outlined via email to the club and discussed at a regular club meeting before the vote takes place.

Processes for Election, Impeachment, and Removal of Officers

Any member of the VAC can nominate themselves or other club members for election to any officer position listed above, subject to the following restriction: Nominees must have been attending aikido practices regularly for at least one term. Elections will be held at the end of every spring term. All members of the club will be notified by email when elections will take place and voting will take place within a week of the initial nominations.  No person may hold more than one officer position.

At least 2/3 of the general body must vote in order for it to be official. The voting will take place via email to be sent to and counted by a neutral third party approved by consensus of the general body. A candidate must have more than 50% of the vote to win and a candidate running unopposed must have over 2/3 of the votes to win. 

In the event of a tie, the officers reserve the right to make a decision (via group meeting). In the event that an officer resigns or leaves before the end of the spring semester, a vote to fill that officer position will be held, at which time the President will notify the members of VAC and organize said election.

If an officer is not meeting his/her duties, an officer meeting will be held to discuss the problem and every effort will be made to fix the situation. He/she also be given the choice to resign, if he/she so chooses. If however, the situation cannot be rectified, there will be a general vote by the club to remove the officer from his/her position. 2/3 of the club must vote in favor of the removal of an officer before it is to take effect. 

Membership

We are open to the greater Vassar community and will be able to accommodate people with disabilities. VAC is a non-discriminatory, non-biased group seeking to promote cultural awareness of this beautiful art form.