Constitution
Committee
Member
Assigned: Peter Caracappa
E-Board
Approval Date:
Constitution
of the RPI Players
Article
I: Name of Organization
This
organization shall be known as the RPI Players.
Article
II: Purpose
The
purpose of the RPI Players is to foster an interest in all phases
of the theater among RPI students and the surrounding community, and to
provide theatrical entertainment for those same communities.
Article
III: Membership
Section
A:Affirmative Action and Hazing
I:It
is the policy of the Rensselaer Union and the RPI Players to provide,
to the maximum extent feasible, equal opportunity to all qualified individuals
without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,
or disability for all aspects of club activities.
II:It
is the policy of the Rensselaer Union and the RPI Players that reckless
or intentional endangerment to health or forced consumption of alcohol
or other drugs for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with any
Rensselaer Union organization, including the RPI Players, is prohibited.
Section
B:Community Membership
The
RPI
Players is a community theater organization.As
a community theater, anyone who wishes to participate in RPI Players
activities, regardless of membership status, is welcome and encouraged
to do so.
Section
C:Definition of Membership
I:There
shall be six classes of membership in the RPI Players: Apprentice,
Player, Regular Member, Voting Member, Associate Member, and Volunteer
Member. A person may hold more than one type of membership at the
same time.
II:It
is the policy of the Rensselaer Union that all officers, appointed officers,
and Voting Members of recognized clubs and organizations be full-time activity-fee-paying
students and/or their spouses.Only
Voting Members can vote in business and election matters.Only
Voting Members can run for and hold elected offices.
III:
Apprentice
An
Apprentice shall be any person who has worked with the RPI Players
for at least 10 hours on one production.Such
a person shall be an Apprentice until they have completed the requirements
for Player status.
IV:
Player
A
Player shall be any person who has worked with the RPI Players for
at least 50 hours on two or more productions and has been duly confirmed.
V:
Regular Members
a)All
currently registered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students who have
paid the Rensselaer Union full-time activity fee, and their spouses, shall
be eligible for Regular Membership.
b)A
Regular Member shall be any person who meets the above requirements and
has demonstrated active interest in the organization by participating in
its operation.
VI:
Voting Members
a)All
currently registered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students who have
paid the Rensselaer Union full-time activity fee, and their spouses, shall
be eligible for Voting Membership.
b)A
Voting Member shall be any person who, in addition to satisfying the above
requirements, has attended one of the two previous general RPI Players
meetings,
and has been confirmed as a Player.
VII:
Associate Members
a)An
Associate Member shall be any person who has met the following requirements:
f)The
spouse of an RPI Faculty Member
g)The
spouse of an RPI Staff Member
h)The
spouse of an RPI Alumnus
i)The
legal dependent of a currently registered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
student who has paid the Rensselaer Union full-time activity fee
j)A
student of one of the Hudson-Mohawk Consortium schools
ii)The
person must have been confirmed as a Player.
iii)The
person must have participated in any RPI Players event within the
last 12 months.
iv)The
person does not qualify for Regular Membership or Voting Membership.
b)Associate
Members may not vote or hold office, except by special approval of the
Rensselaer Union Executive Board.
VIII:
Volunteer Members
a)A
Volunteer Member shall be any person who has met the following requirements:
i)The
person must have been confirmed as a Player.
ii)The
person must have participated in any RPI Players event within the
last 12 months.
iii)The
person does not qualify for Voting Membership or Associate Membership.
b)The
total percentage of Volunteer Members in the RPI Players shall not
exceed 25% of total club membership without the annual approval of the
Rensselaer Union Executive Board.
c)Volunteer
Members may not vote or hold office, except by special approval of the
Rensselaer Union Executive Board.
RPI Players.
e)Persons
whom the RPI Players Executive Committee has determined eligible
for Apprentice or Player status shall be confirmed after the final performance
of each production.The initiation
ceremony shall conform to the hazing policies set forth in this constitution,
and any other hazing policies established by the Rensselaer Union Executive
Board.Confirmation and membership
in the RPI Players shall not be contingent upon participation in
the confirmation ceremony.
f)Any
member who believes that he/she may have health concerns, or who is perceived
to have health concerns, in conjunction with the activities of the RPI
Players must have an annual physical to ascertain that member’s fitness
and ability to participate in the activities of the RPI Players.In
no event will this requirement supersede the Affirmative Action and Equal
Opportunity clause stated earlier in this constitution.
X:Membership
List
An
accurate membership list shall be maintained by the RPI Players
Membership Chair and kept on file with the Rensselaer Union as prescribed
by the Rensselaer Union Executive Board and the Student Senate.
Article
IV: Officers
Section
A:Titles and Duties of Officers
I:
Titles of Officers
The
officers of the RPI Players, in order of rank, shall be President,
Business Manager, Technical Director, Secretary-Historian, and Membership
Chair.These officers shall compose
the RPI Players Executive Committee.
II:
President
The
President shall be chair of the RPI Players Executive Committee.This
person shall be titular head of the organization; the President shall oversee
the general functioning of and long-term direction for the RPI Players.The
President shall be responsible for all relations among the RPI Players,
the Rensselaer Union, RPI, and the surrounding community.
III:
Business Manager
The
Business Manager shall manage all financial matters of the RPI Players.The
Business Manager shall oversee and manage all monies used by the club and
keep permanent records of all financial transactions of the RPI Players.The
Business Manager shall be responsible for creating and managing the budget
of the RPI Players.This person
shall also maintain all financial correspondence for the RPI Players.
In addition to these duties, the Business Manager shall work with the Rensselaer
Union Administration Office to create and maintain a yearly budget for
the RPI Playhouse.
IV:
Technical Director
The
Technical Director shall manage all equipment and supplies belonging to
the RPI Players and the RPI Playhouse.In
collaboration with the Rensselaer Union Administration office, the Technical
Director shall also manage the general maintenance and scheduling of the
RPI
Playhouse.The Technical Director
shall also work with the Rensselaer Union Administration Office to ensure
that qualified personnel are chosen to manage and use RPI Players and
RPI Playhouse equipment and facilities, and that qualified supervision
is present during any event which takes place in the RPI Playhouse.
V:
Secretary-Historian
The
Secretary-Historian shall be responsible for all official correspondence
of the RPI Players not delegated to another officer.This
person shall keep the minutes of all RPI Players general meetings
and RPI Players Executive Committee meetings and maintain the archives
of the RPI Players.The Secretary-Historian
shall be the Chair of the Production Selection Committees.This
person shall be required to submit a contact list with the names, addresses,
phone numbers, and student ID numbers of the officers of the RPI Players
to the Rensselaer Union Administration Office in accordance with Rensselaer
Union Executive Board guidelines. The Secretary-Historian shall maintain
alumni correspondence.
VI:
Membership Chair
The
Membership Chair shall act as a liaison between the Executive Committee
and the members.This person shall
be responsible for all matters pertaining to the general membership of
the RPI Players.The Membership
Chair, at the beginning of each semester, shall be responsible for maintaining
and submitting a list of the membership of the RPI Players to the
Rensselaer Union Executive Board.This
person shall be responsible for the recruitment of new members and preside
over the induction of new members into the RPI Players.The
Membership Chair shall also be responsible for all receptions or gatherings
held by the RPI Players.
Section
B:Temporary Absences
In
the event that an officer shall be absent from an RPI Players function,
the duties of that officer shall be fulfilled by the highest ranking officer
in attendance.
Section
C:Election Procedure
I:
Eligibility for Office
The
Secretary-Historian of the RPI Players shall be required to post
a notice of the upcoming election on the "Elections Bulletin Board" of
the Rensselaer Union at least one week before the election meeting.
b)The
Secretary-Historian of the RPI Players shall be required to submit
notice of the upcoming election to the staff of the student-run campus
newspaper, so that it may be published in the issue immediately preceding
the election.
IV:
Election Meeting
The
election shall be conducted as described below in Article 7, § C.
Section
D:Absentee Ballots
I:Voting
members who will not need the election meeting to preserve their voting
status may submit an absentee ballot as described below.These
votes will be treated as regular votes in the election meeting, but will
not count toward quorum.Proxy and
write-in votes will not be allowed.
II:Absentee
ballots shall be submitted in separate, sealed envelopes, one for each
office up for election.Each envelope
shall bear the name of the office that is being selected.The
envelopes shall be submitted in a cover envelope bearing the name of the
Voting Member.
III:
Absentee ballots must be submitted to the chair of the Election Meeting
no sooner than one week prior to the election meeting up until the ballots
are counted for that office.The
envelopes shall not be opened until votes for the particular office are
counted.
Section
E:Term of Office
I:Term
of office shall begin on the day after the close of the final
budgeted production of the academic year.
or time of appointment
II:The
term of an officer filling a vacancy shall
begin at time of
election.
III:Term
of office shall end at
the beginning of the next term of office.
IIIV:
No person shall hold any one office for more than two and a half school
years.
Section
F:Early Departure from Office
I:
Replacement Procedure
a)Should
an officer resign, be removed from office, or otherwise become incapable
of continuing in office, the Executive Committee shall immediately post
notification of the vacancy and appoint an interim officer to fulfill the
duties of the vacant office for a maximum time of three weeks.
b)The
President or acting President shall call an election meeting for the purpose
of electing a permanent replacement.This
meeting shall take place no later than three weeks after the time of vacancy,
and notice of the meeting shall be posted no fewer than three days before
the meeting.
c)Candidates
for that position shall be nominated and seconded at that meeting and must
accept their nomination in order to be eligible for office.The
new officer shall be elected by a majority vote of the Voting Members in
attendance at that meeting.
II:
Impeachment
a)Impeachment
proceedings against an officer shall be initiated upon presentation of
a petition for impeachment, containing the signatures of at least 33% of
the Voting Membership, to any Executive Committee member.
b)Within
one week of the presentation of the petition, a general meeting shall be
held to vote on the impeachment.Notice
of this meeting must be posted no fewer than three days before the date
of the meeting.
c)Reasonable
effort must be made to notify the officer subject to impeachment of the
impending impeachment no fewer than three days prior to the meeting.That
officer should be notified in person, if possible, or by phone or e-mail.
d)If
the officer being impeached wishes to attend the impeachment proceedings,
the hearing must be scheduled at a time when that officer can attend.
e)A
vote of 66% of the total voting membership present at the meeting shall
be required for removal from office.
f)Should
the President be the officer subject to impeachment, the meeting shall
be chaired by the highest ranking officer in attendance who is not being
impeached.
Section
G:Officer Lists
The
Secretary/Historian shall be required to submit a contact list of the RPI
Players Executive Committee to the Rensselaer Union Administration
Office in accordance with Rensselaer Union Executive Board policies.
Article
V: Policies, Standing Rules, and Bylaws
Section
A:Parliamentary Procedure
For
parliamentary procedure not specified in this constitution or the bylaws,
Robert's
Rules of Order - Revised shall be used as a reference.In
situations not defined or provided for in either this constitution, the
bylaws, or Robert's Rules of Order - Revised, the Executive Committee
shall have authority in establishment of policy.
Section
B:Bylaws
I:Bylaws
shall provide additional governing for the RPI Players beyond the
scope of this constitution.
II:The
bylaws must include the following items:
a)Definition
of "posted".
b)Dates
for selection of Directors for each budgeted show.
c)Dates
for selection of Producers for each budgeted production.
III:The
bylaws shall be defined and approved by a majority vote of the Voting Membership
of the RPI Players.
Section
C:Language
The
official language of all meetings of the RPI Players shall be English
unless, by unanimous vote of all those present at the meeting, an alternative
language is chosen.
Section
D:Rensselaer Union Policies
In
the event that this constitution comes into conflict with any Rensselaer
Union or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute rule or standard, then the RPI
Players constitution shall be superseded by the Rensselaer Union or
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute rule or standard.
Article
VI: Disciplinary Action/Suspension
Section
A:Revocation of Membership
I:If
a person has violated the rules of the RPI Players, of the Rensselaer
Union, or of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Executive Committee
may call an Executive Committee Meeting at which partial or total membership
benefits and rights of said person may be removed by a majority vote of
the Executive Committee.
II:Notice
of this meeting must be posted no fewer than three days before the date
of the meeting.
I:At
any time during the disciplinary period, the issue resulting in the withdrawal
of membership benefits or rights for student, faculty, or staff members
of the Rensselaer Community may be referred to the Rensselaer Union Judicial
Board as an appeal case.The disciplinary
action or suspension remains in effect unless or until overturned by the
Rensselaer Union Judicial Board.
II:The
withdrawal of membership benefits or rights of any other members may be
appealed to the Rensselaer Union Executive Board, including, but not limited
to alumni, and associate members participating by virtue of the Hudson-Mohawk
Consortium relationship.
Article
VII: Meetings
Section
A:General Meetings
I:Frequency
and Date
a)General
Meetings of the RPI Players shall be held on the first Sunday of
each month that occurs while school is in session, unless otherwise scheduled
by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
b)The
General Meeting in March shall take place immediately following the close
of the Election Meeting.
II:Additional
Meetings
a)At
the request of 25% of the Voting Membership of the RPI Players,
the President will call a general meeting of the RPI Players.
c)A
quorum shall consist of 50% of the total number of voting members of the
RPI
Players.This number of members
shall be sufficient to conduct all business of the RPI Players.
V:Procedure
a)The
meeting shall be chaired by the President, or in the President's absence,
the highest ranking officer in attendance.If
no officers can be present, the Executive Committee shall reschedule the
meeting.
b)Each
member shall have a voice in consensus decisions.
c)The
chair of the meeting shall only vote to break a tie.Each
other Voting Member in attendance shall have exactly one vote.
Section
B:Production Selection Meeting
I:Date
and Announcement
a)The
President shall call a meeting on the first Sunday in March that occurs
while school is in session for the purpose of selecting productions for
the following academic year.
b)The
Production Selection Meeting shall be announced to members no less than
one week in advance.
a)Chair
i)The
Secretary-Historian, as Chair of the Production Selection Committee, shall
chair this meeting.
ii)Should
the Secretary-Historian be unable to attend, the meeting shall be chaired
by the highest ranking officer in attendance.
b)All
members, including non-voting members, may participate in the Production
Selection Meeting and may vote on the productions.
c)Before
the voting, the Production Selection Committee shall present to the membership
summaries of all productions that are being considered. The membership
will be given an opportunity to discuss each production.
d)Additional
nominations for productions may be taken from the general membership in
attendance at the meeting.
e)Productions
shall be selected in the order they will be performed.
f)Selection
shall be by a show of hands; the votes will be counted by the chair of
the Production Selection Meeting.
g)Preliminary
Production Selection
i)A
simple majority vote of the membership in attendance at the meeting shall
be required for the preliminary selection of a production.
ii)In
the event that no production has the majority, there shall be an immediate
vote between the two productions with the greatest number of votes.
iii)In the event that the vote between two productions results in a tie, the chair of the Production Selection Meeting shall cast the deciding vote.
h)Voting Membership Approval
i)Immediately following the preliminary selection of a production, a simple majority vote of the Voting Membership in attendance and voting shall be required for approval of the selected production.
ii)If the selected production is not approved, the preliminary selection shall be repeated.
Section C: Election Meeting
b)The
Election Meeting shall be announced to members no less than one week in
advance.
c)The
Election Meeting shall take place immediately following the close of the
Production Selection Meeting.
II:Attendance
a)The
Election Meeting is open to the public.
b)A
reasonable attempt shall be made to schedule the Election Meeting when
a majority of the General Membership can attend.
c)60%
of the Voting Membership of the RPI Players shall constitute a quorum
for elections.
III:Procedure
a)The
Chair of the Nominating Committee shall chair the Election Meeting.
b)At
the beginning of the meeting, the membership shall select an assistant
to the chair of the meeting. The assistant must not be a candidate for
office.
c)The
Voting Membership in attendance at this meeting may make additional nominations
for office.Only those nominated
candidates who meet the eligibility requirements and accept the nomination
are eligible for election to office.
d)Officers
shall be elected in order of rank.
e)Election
shall be by secret ballot.
f)The
chair of the election meeting and their assistant shall count the ballots.
g)The
results of the election shall be posted for a period of no fewer than two
weeks following the election.
h)A
majority vote of the Voting Membership in attendance at the meeting shall
be required for election to office.
i)In
the event that no candidate has the majority, there shall be an immediate
election between the two candidates with the greatest number of votes.
ii)In
the event that a vote between two candidates results in a tie, the election
between those two candidates shall be repeated.
Article
VIII: Committees
Section
A:Executive Committee
I: Conditions
of the Committee
a)The
RPI
Players shall have an Executive Committee that will act on behalf of
the club between general meetings.The
Executive Committee shall serve as the governing body of the RPI Players.
b)The
actions of the Executive Committee are subject to review and approval by
the membership of the RPI Players.Any
action of the Executive Committee may be overridden by a vote of at least
66% of the Voting Membership, unless otherwise specified in this constitution.
II:Members
The Executive Committee shall consist of President, Business Manager, Technical Director, Secretary-Historian, and Membership Chair.
III: Duties
a)The
Executive Committee shall manage all operations of the RPI Players.
b)The
Executive Committee shall approve a budget for each year.
c)The
Executive Committee shall communicate with the staff of each production.
d)The
Executive Committee shall determine all policies of the RPI Players.
e)The
Executive Committee shall follow all Rensselaer Union Policies and Procedures.
IV: Meetings
a)The
Executive Committee shall meet at least twice a month during the academic
year.
b)Executive
Committee meetings shall be called by the President.
c)The
meetings shall be chaired by the President, or, in the President's absence,
the highest ranking officer in attendance.
d)At
the request of two or more members of the Executive Committee, the President
shall call a meeting within three days.
e)The
President shall notify the General Membership of the RPI Players
of Executive Committee meetings.
f)All
Executive Committee Meetings shall be open to the general membership of
the RPI Players unless voted closed by a majority of Executive Committee
members.
g)The
Executive Committee may invite specific persons to any meeting.
V:Voting
a)A
quorum shall consist of three Executive Committee members, and shall be
sufficient to conduct all business of the RPI Players Executive
Committee.
b)The
chair of the meeting shall only vote to break a tie.Each
other officer in attendance shall have exactly one vote.
c)A
majority of the officers present shall be sufficient to pass on all matters,
unless otherwise stated in this constitution.
Section
B:Production Selection Committee
I.The
chair of the Production Selection Committee shall be the Secretary-Historian.
II.The
majority of the members of the Production Selection Committee shall not
be Executive Committee members.
III.The
Production Selection Committee shall be bound by guidelines set by the
Secretary-Historian and approved by the Executive Committee.
IV.The
Production Selection Committee shall consist of members interested in selecting
productions for the RPI Players.
V.The
Production Selection Committee shall solicit recommendations for productions
from the general membership of the RPI Players during the time preceding
the production selection meeting.
VI.Before
any production selection meeting, the Production Selection Committee shall
prepare a preliminary list of productions to be voted upon.
VII.The
Production Selection Committee shall be responsible for researching all
productions being considered and shall present a summary of each to the
General Membership at the meeting.
Section
C: Nominating Committee
I.A
Nominating Committee shall be formed each year for the purpose of nominating
candidates for next term's offices.The
names of these committee members shall be posted when the committee is
established.
II.The
Nominating Committee shall consist of all interested Voting Members of
the RPI Players who shall be ineligible for office the next term.
III.The
Chair of the Nominating Committee shall be elected by a majority vote of
all members of the Nominating Committee.
VII.The
Chair of the Election Meeting shall be required to post a list of all candidates
who have accepted their nomination no fewer than five days before the Election
Meeting.
Section
D: Publicity Committee
I:The
Publicity Committee shall promote all aspects of the RPI Players.
II:The
Publicity Committee shall be responsible for all aspects of promoting the
RPI
Players, including, but not limited to, posters, advertisements, playbills,
and all RPI Players-logo items.
III:The
Executive Committee shall appoint a Publicity Director to serve for the
current academic year.
IV:The
Chair of the Publicity Committee shall be the Publicity Director.
V:All
members interested in helping to promote the RPI Players in any
way shall be welcome to join the Publicity Committee.
Section
E: Other Committees
The
Executive Committee shall have the power to form other committees to carry
out specific duties.
Article
IX: Finance
Section
A:Rensselaer Union Policies
The
RPI
Players shall follow all Rensselaer Union financial policies and procedures.
Section
B:RPI Players Budgetary Procedure
I:The
Executive Committee shall consult with the RPI Players Faculty/Staff
Advisor and Rensselaer Union appointed Student Activities Resource Person
about long-term goals and projects.
II:The
Executive Committee shall be responsible for compiling and soliciting budgetary
proposals from the general membership of the RPI Players.
III:The
Business Manager shall create the budget for the RPI Players from
input provided by the Executive Committee, and shall include any long-term
plans of the RPI Players with the budget.
IV:The
Executive Committee shall be responsible for presenting the budget of the
RPI
Players to the Rensselaer Union Executive Board in compliance with
Rensselaer Union Executive Board policies.
V:The
Business Manager shall oversee and manage the budget of the RPI Players
during the Business Manager's term of office.
Section
C:RPI Playhouse Budgetary
Procedure
I:The
Executive Committee shall consult with the RPI Players e Rensselaer Union Executive Board in compliance with
Rensselaer Union Executive Board policies.
VI:The
Business Manager, in collaboration with the Rensselaer Union Administration
Office, shall oversee and manage the budget of the RPI Playhouse
during the Business Manager's term of office.
Article
X: Productions
Section
A:Director
I:The
Executive Committee shall be responsible for selecting a Director for each
show before the date specified in the bylaws.
II:The
Director shall be responsible for all creative aspects pertaining to the
show.
Section
B:Producer
I:The
Executive Committee shall be responsible for selecting a Producer for each
production before the date specified in the bylaws.
II:The
Producer shall be responsible for all non-creative aspects of the production,
including but not limited to:
a)Scheduling
in conjunction with the Director.
b)Finance
under the guidance of the Business Manager.
c)Room
and building reservations for rehearsal and performance space.
d)Communication
with the Executive Committee
Section
C:Production Team
The
Production Team shall consist of the Producer, Director, Publicity Director,
and any other people chosen by the Producer to assist in the production
of a show.
Article
XI: Honor Fraternity
The
RPI Players is affiliated with the honorary theater fraternity, Alpha Psi
Omega.The Delta Xi cast of Alpha
Psi Omega shall represent the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community.
Article
XII: Faculty/Staff Advisor
Section
A:Purpose
The
Faculty/Staff Advisor shall serve as a liaison between the RPI Players
and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.The
Faculty/Staff Advisor shall help to provide continuity for the RPI Players.
Section
B:Selection and Tenure
I:The
Faculty/Staff Advisor shall be selected by a majority vote of the voting
membership of the RPI Players at the next general meeting after
the position is vacated.
II:The
Faculty/Staff Advisor shall serve in this position as long as that person
is able to fulfill the obligations of this position and is a member of
the faculty or staff of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
III:The
Faculty/Staff Advisor may vacate office by the following means:
a)Resignation
or Retirement
b)Departure
from RPI
c)Impeachment
IV:Should
the Faculty/Staff Advisor be impeached, the procedure shall be the same
as for the impeachment of an officer, as defined in Article IV, §
F.
I:The
club's constitution shall be effective immediately upon ratification by
at least 66% of the Voting Membership of the RPI Players and subsequent
approval by the Rensselaer Union Executive Board.
II:This
constitution may be voted upon no sooner than the first general meeting
after its original presentation to the RPI Players membership.
Section
C:Abrogation
This constitution abrogates all previous constitutions.