Constitution

Article 1: Name 

This organization shall be known as The Muslim Students Association at Duke and shall be abbreviated as Duke MSA when space or context dictate.


Article 2: Mission 

The mission of Duke MSA is to facilitate involvement and provide representation for Muslim students and their interests on Duke's campus in addition to celebrating the Islamic faith and the various cultures associated with it. Duke MSA seeks to accomplish this mission by fostering a tolerant, vibrant, and diverse community that will provide forums for discussing the realities of Muslims on Duke's campus and worldwide, facilitate ritual observances and spiritual practices of Muslim students, organize cultural events to celebrate Islam and Muslim students' experiences, and actively engage the surrounding communities through education and civil service.


Article 3: Members 

All undergraduate and graduate students at Duke University are eligible for membership. Members must notify the Secretary-Historian in order to be listed on the official roster. Only members on the official roster are eligible to vote on organization business. At least 50% + 1 of Duke MSA shall be undergraduate students.


Article 4: Non-Discrimination

Duke MSA adheres to Duke’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Related Misconduct. Discrimination and/or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, age, disability, or veteran status is prohibited.


Article 5: Officers

Any member of Duke MSA can become an officer. Officers shall be elected annually in the Spring semester by a majority vote of the membership. The officers of this organization and their basic duties follow. Every position has the additional role of serving as an ex-officio member of any committee that is created through the by-law. 

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary-Historian 

Weekly Activities Chair 

Civic Engagement and Outreach Chair

Events Chair 

Publicity Chair

Class Representatives 

Graduate Student Committee 


Article 6: Advisor 

A full-time faculty or staff member of Duke University shall be selected by the executive board and serve as the organization advisor. The advisor shall be an ex-officio member of the organization and all of its committees.

Advisor duties:


Article 7: Removal of Officers 

Officers may be removed with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the general body cast by ballot. The officer in question must be notified of the vote of removal at least one (1) week in advance and shall have the opportunity to speak before the general body prior to the vote.


Article 8: Executive Board 

The executive board of Duke MSA shall be composed of the organization officers, the advisor, and any appointees deemed appropriate by the President. The executive board shall generate and present recommendations to membership for approval that effect and promote the mission of the organization. 


Article 9: Procedural Meetings 

General body meetings shall be organized at least once per semester and at the discretion of the President at other times at an on-campus venue. The meeting shall be publicized to the general membership at least one (1) week in advance. During general body meetings, quorum shall consist of all members in attendance. 

In addition to general body meetings, Duke MSA executive board shall meet on a regular basis, at least weekly, during the Fall and Spring academic semesters and at the discretion of the President at other times at an on-campus venue. An executive board meeting may last no longer than 90 minutes unless the President notifies board members of a longer meeting at least 1 week in advance. Board members are allowed up to 2 unexcused absences and 3 excused absences per semester from these meetings. An excused absence must be recognized by the President at least 24 hours in advance before an executive board meeting. Arriving more than 10 minutes late to a meeting shall count as one half of an unexcused absence. If a board member exceeds the allotted number of absences, the executive board (including said board member) will discuss and vote on whether they remain fit to serve. Board members who are absent from a meeting may still be assigned tasks and are responsible for reading the minutes from that meeting as soon as possible.

Class representatives are only required to attend two meetings per month.


Article 10: By-laws 

By-laws shall be created to dictate the structure and procedures of the organization. By-laws may be proposed by any member and must obtain a majority vote of the members voting at the meeting. No by-law shall infringe on the authority of the constitution. Required by-laws, which shall be ratified annually, include:


Article 11: Committees 

Committees of the organization shall be created from time-to-time by the executive board in order to organize and distribute the workload of the organization. Committees shall be governed by by- law and shall not have authority over the executive board or the general body.


Article 12: Parliamentary Authority 

Meetings and voting shall be governed by a modified version of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, tenth edition. Modifications to Robert's Rules of Order shall be described in the Parliamentary Modification by-law.


Article 13: Elections

Elections must be openly publicized for at least two (2) weeks and open to the members of the organization. Elections shall be structured by the Election of Officers by-law. The election process will be formalized and be free of charge. Elections will be held in March to ensure plenty of time for transition from the old executive board to the new, and will abide by the following guidelines:


Article 14: Succession 

In the case that any member of the executive board must leave his or her post during the term of office, succession will result in the order of board members as mentioned in Article Five. No board member will be forced into a position – in the event that a position cannot be filled by succession, the board may agree on another board member to fill the vacancy, given that that board member’s current position ranks lower on the current list contained in Article Five. If no one on the executive board is able to fill the gap, the board may find someone in the general body to appoint. Also, if agreed upon by the board, a position may be merged into the responsibilities of another. For example, the Weekly Meetings Chair position may be merged with that of the President and Vice President jointly.


Article 15: Amendment 

Amendments to this constitution may be proposed in writing by any member and must obtain approval from EITHER two-thirds (2/3) of the entire executive board OR a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the general body.