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Constitution The small print Article I. Name The name of the association shall be "European Student Association at the University of Texas at Austin", hereafter referred to as the ESA. Back to top Article II. Purpose The ESA shall serve as a forum for UT students from Europe. The ESA will serve to make the UT community aware of the political and cultural situation in Europe and sponsor social activities. The ESA is an educational and non-profit organization. Back to top Article III. Structure The ESA makes its major decisions at General Meetings; it elects a Council as its executive board. The Council appoints committees to organize the activities of the ESA. Back to top Article IV. Membership Membership shall be open to all students, staff and faculty of the University of Texas at Austin, regardless of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, or handicap. Each new member must be endorsed by one Council member or a majority at a General Meeting. Membership becomes effective upon payment of the membership dues and must be renewed at the beginning of each long semester. Membership terminates when the old member is no longer registered at UT or the old member does not renew his/her membership by paying the membership dues. Back to top Article V. General Meeting General Meetings should be held on a regular basis, about once a month. There shall be at least one General Meeting during the first month and one during the last six weeks of every long semester. A quorum of one third of the members can demand that a General Meeting be held. The General Meeting shall determine the membership dues. The General Meeting may exclude up to two members per month from the association with a majority of two thirds of the present members. To exclude more than two members per month, the additional requirement of more than half of all members voting for the exclusion must be met. The vote to exclude a member shall be done by secret ballot. Member notifications for General Meetings can be done in the "Daily Texan" or equivalent UT paper. Important upcoming decisions such as constitutional amendments, impeachments, elections or dissolution shall be announced. Back to top Article VI. Voting All members, and members only, are entitled to vote at the General Meeting. Motions can be made by the Council or by a written proposal of five members at the beginning of a General Meeting. Unless otherwise specified in this constitution, for a motion to be passed, a quorum of one third of the members must be present, the motion must be discussed, and voted for by a majority of non-abstaining present members. If, at a General Meeting, less than a third of all members vote in favor of a decision other than Council elections, the Council may veto that decision. Back to top Article VII. Constitutional Amendments The Council or the lesser of ten and two thirds of the members can move to make a constitutional amendment. A written proposal must be given to the Council. The General Meeting can amend this constitution if, after a discussion, an absolute majority of all members and a two third majority of present members vote for the amendment. The Council must notify the members at least one week before the next General Meeting for that General Meeting, or, if there is a General Meeting within two weeks after the proposal has reached the Council, at that General Meeting for the following General Meeting. The actual presence of a member can be replaced by submitting a written opinion in favor or against the proposition previous to the General Meeting to the Council in a sealed and signed envelope. For such pre-voting, the Council shall provide the written amendment proposal and written "Pros and Cons" of the proposing party and the Council. Back to top Article VIII. Council The Council is composed of five members: the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and a fifth member. The President shall represent the ESA to other organizations; call and chair the Council and General Meetings; propose an agenda for the Council Meetings. The president has a casting vote at Council Meetings. The Vice President shall deputize for the president; supervise the day-to-day business with the heads of the committees; supervise publicity for the ESA. The Secretary shall take the minutes of all General and Council Meetings; maintain the records of the ESA, including membership lists; ensure that the meetings are properly notified. The Treasurer shall collect membership dues and maintain the accounts of the ESA and present such accounts to the General Meeting and the Council. The fifth Council member shall have the title and task given to him/her at the Council election. The Council meets on a regular basis, about twice a month. The Council shall set an agenda for the General Meeting and make reports of Council Meetings at the General Meeting. All publications, statements and activities outside the ESA meetings using the name of the ESA must be authorized by the Council. Back to top Article IX. Council Elections All Council members are elected for 6 months, with the office periods starting January 1 and July 1. Elections for the Council positions are held during the last 6 weeks of each long semester for all Council positions to be filled for the upcoming semester. All candidates must be ESA members. The president and the vice president must be citizens of a European country, must have lived in Europe during 5 of the last 10 years prior to enrollment at UT, and must have been a member of the ESA for at least one long semester before taking on their offices. Each candidate not fulfilling one of the above requirements can be exempted from it by a vote of two thirds of the members present at the General Meeting at which the candidate is nominated. Each candidate shall be proposed and seconded by a member of the ESA. Those duly nominated shall then proceed to an election. Election scrutineers shall be nominated and seconded from among the members not running for office. If no candidate receives an absolute majority during the first vote, a second vote will be conducted, where a simple majority will suffice. The Council members are elected in the order of Article VIII. Right after being elected, the president-elect shall determine the title and task of the new fifth Council member. The election for a Council position shall be secret if there is more than one candidate. The quorum for the Council Elections shall be a third of all members. If there is no quorum for the first scheduled Council Elections, a second General Meeting for Council Elections shall be called to take place at least two days after the first. For the second Council Elections no quorum is required. A Council member is impeached by the General Meeting by the same procedure as for a constitutional amendment. Back to top Article X. Council Vacancies If the presidency becomes vacant, the elected vice president becomes president. The new president then appoints an ESA member for his/her old position. If the presidency becomes vacant and there is no elected vice-president, the according to Article VIII. The highest ranking elected Council member becomes interim-president. The interim-president then appoints an ESA member for his/her old position. If any other Council position becomes vacant, the president appoints an ESA member for that position. Appointed Council members do not vote in the Council. At the General Meeting following the vacancy, a new Council member is elected for the Council position for which an appointment was made. In the case of an interim-presidency, a new president is elected and the old interim-president resumes his/her old position. The members must be notified of the by-election. Back to top Article XI. Committies The Council shall appoint committees for ESA activities. Committees can be formed for activities such as discussions, field trips, movies, newsletter, public relations, social events, and sports. Back to top Article XII. Official Language The official language of the ESA at General, Council, and Committee Meetings shall be English. For other purposes, other European languages are also recognized. Back to top Article XIII. Dissolution The ESA is dissolved if two thirds of all members decide to do so or the membership drops below seven for a whole long semester. In the case of the dissolution of the ESA, its funds and property are given to the International Office of UT to support other European student activities. Back to top Article XIV. Enactment This constitution has been unanimously ratified by the General Meeting and becomes effective on this 22nd day of February, 1990. 32 signatures (Founding Members) Back to top Please report all bugs to esa@www.utexas.edu.