About Us - Documents

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the University of Vermont College Democrats, hereafter referred to as UVMCD.


Article II. Purpose

The purpose of this organization is to (1) stimulate political thought, interest, and active participation in governmental affairs among college students; (2) support and advance the philosophy, principle, and ideas of the Democratic Party; and (3) help elect members of the Democratic Party to office. To these ends, the UVMCD shall affiliate with the Chittenden County Democratic Party, the State of Vermont Democratic Party, and the College Democrats of America.


Article III. Membership

Section 1. Eligibility
Any enrolled student of the University of Vermont may join the UVMCD. This entire group will be known as the General Assembly.

Subsection A. No UVMCD active (voting) member shall be a member of any organization that advocates a racist philosophy.
Subsection B. No UVMCD active (voting) member shall hold membership in any organization that advocates a violent overthrow of the United States government and/or any organization that the United States government supports.
Subsection C. The UVMCD shall not discriminate based on sex, race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, socioeconomic status, age, or sexual orientation.

Section 2. Active Membership
Only Active Members of the General Assembly are entitled to vote in elections and on endorsements. Active membership shall be defined and voted on by the Executive Board.

Subsection A. All Executive Board members are considered Active Members.

Section 3. Honorary Membership
Any person, upon nomination by the Executive Board and a majority vote of UVMCD members, shall become an honorary member of the UVMCD. An honorary member may participate in all activities but shall have no voting power.

Section 4. Termination of Membership
The membership of any active member shall terminate upon resignation or expulsion. Expulsion shall be determined by the Executive Board and presented to the Active Members for a 2/3 vote. The active member facing expulsion shall have a right to defend oneself to the Active Members before voting.


Article IV. Executive Board

Section 1. Authority and Responsibility
The Executive Board shall have general authority and responsibility for the affairs of the UVMCD. As such, they shall maintain a supervisory and administrative role for the UVMCD.

Section 2. Composition
The Executive Board shall consist of the following elected positions: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and First-Year Representative.

Section 3. Creation/Removal of Executive Position
The President shall maintain the right to create or remove an executive position subject to a majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 4. Elections
Elections shall be held for Executive Board positions in the following manner:

Subsection A. When.
Elections for the First-Year Representative shall be held during the first week of October. Elections for all other Executive Board positions shall be held by April 1.
Subsection B. Eligibility
All Active Members are eligible for all positions, except for First-Year Representative. Only First-Year students are eligible for First-Year Representative.
Subsection C. Procedure

1. Nominations for positions shall be received by the Executive Board no later than two weeks before elections.
2. Executive Board is then required to provide all Active Members with a list of candidates one week prior to election day.
3. A simple majority vote on election day shall elect the winner. If no candidate receives that majority vote, a runoff between the top two vote getters shall be held.
4. All positions, except First-Year Representative, shall assume their positions May 1. First-Year Representative shall assume position immediately upon outcome of election.

Subsection D. Interim Elections.
If for any reason an elected position is vacated before the term ends, an immediate special election will be held following the procedure in Article IV.4.C. The President may appoint and interim person until the special election is held, if deemed necessary.

Section 5. Terms of Office.
Elected Positions are one-year terms. No person may hold the same office for more than two (2) years.
Section 6. Removal from Office.
Any Executive Board member may be impeached and removed from office on grounds of unethical or incompetent behavior in the following manner:

1. Any Active Member may bring charges of impeachment.
2. If by majority vote the Active Members agree to the charges, the Board member in question has one week to present his case to the Active Members.
3. At the conclusion of this week, a 2/3 vote of Active Members will result in the removal of the Board member.

Article V. Duties of the Executive Board.

Section 1. The President Shall:

1. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the UVMCD.
2. Act as the official representative and spokesperson for the UVMCD.
3. Define the year’s agenda for the UVMCD.
4. Enact mandates, policies, and directives of the Executive Board.
5. Preside over all official meetings.
6. Create any committees that he/she sees fit.
7. Appoint or remove, in consultation with the Executive Board, any positions he/she deems necessary.

Section 2. The Vice-President Shall:

1. Preside over meetings in case of Presidential absence.
2. Assume office of Presidency in case of unannounced vacancy until special elections are completed in accords with Article IV.4.C.
3. Assist and advise President in all official duties.
4. Be responsible for advising First-Year Representative.
5. Maintain official copy of UVMCD Constitution.
6. Coordinate membership recruitment.
7. Coordinate all UVMCD events.
8. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or President may assign.

Section 3. The Treasurer Shall:

1. Maintain complete records of all expenditures and receipts.
2. Be responsible for all financial and monetary duties of the UVMCD.
3. Prepare and work on next year’s budget.
4. Attend all relevant SGA meetings.
5. Act as liaison between UVMCD and SGA.
6. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or President may assign.

Section 4. The Secretary Shall:

1. Make all necessary preparation for organizational meetings.
2. Record and distribute all minutes of meetings in a timely fashion.
3. Maintain a roster, including contact information, of the General Assembly and determine Active Member status.
4. Maintain record, paper or otherwise, of UVMCD events and activities.
5. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or President may assign.

Section 5. The First-Year Representative Shall:

1. Serve as the voice on the Executive Board for all First-Year UVMCD members.
2. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or President may assign.

Article VI. Meetings.

Section 1. Frequency.
A schedule of meetings that includes at least two (2) meetings per month shall be set by the President.

Section 2. Quorum.
A quorum shall consist of at least ¼ of the Active Members and at least ½ of the Executive Board. A quorum shall be required before any official action can be taken.


Article VII. Endorsements.

Section 1. Overview.
As part of the function of the UVMCD, endorsements of candidates shall be made. The UVMCD may not endorse any member of a racist organization or anyone who supports a violent overthrow of the United States government and/or any organization it supports.

Section 2. Procedure.
Candidates for endorsements may be brought to the attention of the UVMCD by any member of the General Assembly. An endorsement committee may be created to do research on the candidates. Endorsements will be voted on by a simple majority vote of Active Members.


Article VIII. Dissolution.

Section 1.
If the UVMCD is dissolved, all unspent discretionary funds will be donated to the Chittenden County Democratic Party for use in recruiting College Students to their organization.


Article IX. Amendments.
Section 1.
Amendments to the UVMCD Constitution may be proposed by any Active Member. Amendments shall only be adopted on a 2/3 vote of all Active Members and a 2/3 vote of all Executive Board members.

Clubs in Good Standing

A club will be considered in good standing with the SGA if all of the following are correct:
1. It acts in accordance with the University Common Ground.
2. It has not violated any University policy (refer to the Cat’s Tale for a complete guide to university policies).
3. It conducts meetings that are open to all UVM students who are members of the Student Government Association.
4. It adheres to the Student Government Association Constitution.
5. It has an active student membership roster of 10 or more (at least 8 not including the exec. board).
6. It conducts at least two open meetings a month that are open, not including executive meetings [practice for athletic type clubs (i.e. soccer, crew, judo, etc.) will constitute a meeting].
7. It has acted in accordance with all risk management policies and procedures.
8. It has submitted a monthly report form to the Student Activities Committee by the 5th of every month while the University is in session.
9. It has updated contact information for their current president, treasurer, and advisor.
10. It follows all financial policies as set forth by the Student Government Finance Committee and the SGA Treasurer.
11. It has benefited the University by contributing to the overall social atmosphere.

Any club that does not adhere to these guidelines set forth by the Student Activities Committee is considered not to be in good standing with the SGA and is subject to the sanctions outlined in Article VII, Section 8 of the SGA Constitution.

Any question of inactivity should refer to Article VII, Section 8 of the Student Government Association Constitution. The guidelines set forth within the abovementioned article concerning inactivity will be upheld by the Student Activities Committee and the proper sanctions will be imposed.