Student Philosophy Association of Barry University
Constitution

Article 1: Name

The name of the organization is "Student Philosophy Association."

Article 2: Purpose

The organization shall exist for the following purposes:

1)- To promote intellectual discussions among students and faculty members on topics of a philosophical nature in the areas of philosophy of religion, social and political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of science, and aesthetics.

2)- To establish an informal forum where sensitive and important issues can be discussed in a professional and friendly manner.

3)- To encourage the art of dialoguing with people that have view points different then one’s own.

4)- To organize formal colloquia, where students can present their views on a specific topic

Article 3: Membership

The association accepts all Barry University undergraduate students who enjoy debating and discussing philosophical issues. All members have voting privileges on any matters presented for their consideration.

All members and non-members are invited and encouraged to participate in our Student Colloquium Series. You can either submit a paper to read; volunteer to be a commentator at one of the sessions; or simply attend and ask questions, raise concerns, or give your view on the topic.

A senior cannot hold the Position of Vice-president.

Article 4: Organization

The officers of the Association are elected for one-year terms by popular vote of the members at an annual election meeting. The officers are President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Elections: Elections will be held on the second meeting of beginning of every academic year.

Article 5: Amendment to the Constitution

This constitution is subject to change by the general membership with a voting approval of ¼ of the members of the Association or by ¾ members of the General Committee Assembly.

Article 6: Conflicts Between General Committee Assembly and The General Membership

Any decision made by the General Committee Assembly can be vetoed and overwritten by 75% or more vote of the entire general membership.

Article 7: Principles

We accept as our principles:

1. Freedom of speech: the right of our members and non-members to speak freely.

2. Respect for others: all members should be treated with respect in our discussions and debates.

3. Freedom of religion: we do not discriminate based on religious beliefs.

We accept the cooperation of every person and organization that approves of our principles.

Article 8: Functions of the administration

Elections: Elections will be held on the second meeting of beginning of every academic year.

The General Committee Assembly will be made up of the president, the vice-president, the secretary, and the treasurer. They will be responsible for:

a)- Establishing the schedule for the upcoming semester.

b)- Recruiting new members.

c)- Choosing a guest lecturer.

d)- Advertising the meetings.

e)- Choosing the topics for informal group discussions.

f)- Organizes and coordinates the functions and events that have been decided by the General Assembly. It can also act independently within the organizations principles when deemed necessary.

g)- Performs the financial audit of the events and takes initiatives for the involvement of members in various tasks and functions.

h)- Maintains a member list and keeps books with assets and expenses.

i)- Convenes the General Assembly, stating the date, time, and place of the meeting.

j)- Can call urgent meetings if there are reasons for it, or if one third of the members request it.

President
The President will be in charge of the overall operations of the Association and will be the official representative of the Association.

Vice-President
The Vice-President will also be President- elect and will take over the position of President in the following academic year.

Secretary
The Secretary will be responsible for taking the minutes of the Association’s administrative meetings.

Treasurer
The Treasurer will be responsible for handling all situations concerning the funds of the Association, for instance, requests for funds (from the University or from members), maintaining the funds, etc.

SOC Representative
This may be any appointed member of the Association that must attend the Student Government meetings as the Association’s representative.

Article 9: Validity of meetings, conferences and decisions

A majority of the members has to be present in the annual meeting when elections are held. If a majority of members is not present, a second meeting must be called within a week. In this case, the presence of the majority of members is not required for the meeting to be valid. The views of the minority are respected and recorded if requested.

Article 10: Participation

Membership is open to all students, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, creed, marital status, public assistance status, or sexual orientation.

All the enrolled students of Barry University that accept the present constitution are welcome. All Philosophy Majors that accepts the constitution becomes immediately a member.

A member has no meaning as a mere name on a list. It is understood that members actively contribute and participate in the various functions according to their abilities. Under this spirit, every member should volunteer their services to achieve the group goals and try to support all of the programs involved. Every member must participate and pay a yearly fee, collected annually.

Any member who violates these principles or does not participate in any of the activities of the Philosophy Student Association for a period of one semester automatically ceases to be a member, unless that the majority of the General Assembly votes against this.

Miami Shores, Florida
April 16, 2001