Constitution

Preamble
We, the membership of the Harvard Black Students' Association (BSA), acknowledge the value of the diversity and distinctiveness of the black undergraduate community at Harvard College and recognize both the need for unity among black students and a strong relationship among all undergraduates. We offer this constitution as a declaration of our resolve to promote the political, social and cultural health of the community in general and of black people in particular. [up]

Purpose
The purpose of the Harvard Black Students' Association is to establish a sense of community, or more appropriately, communities. The BSA shall endeavor to establish and promote interaction among black students at Harvard College. In addition, the BSA shall endeavor to promote interaction among all members of the Harvard community. As a means to the aforementioned goals the BSA shall organize venues and channels to address those issues. [up]

Membership
All Harvard students of African descent are considered to be affiliated with the BSA. However, a member of the Harvard Black Students' Association shall be defined as any Harvard College undergraduate who has paid dues and is in good standing with the College. These members are:
» entitled to compete for any office of the BSA and to vote in elections
» entitled to vote on issues of constitutional interpretation and in cases of proposed amendments
» responsible for articulating, with the assistance of the BSA Board, matters of policy and general purposes
Non-paying members are encouraged to participate fully and freely in all aspects of the BSA. Formal membership drives shall be conducted at the beginning of each academic term. [up]

The Board of the Harvard Black Students' Association
The Board of the Harvard Black Students' Association will be embodied in eleven (11) officers. The Board shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Historian, an Arts and Entertainment Chairperson, a Publications Chairperson, a Public Service Chairperson, a Political Action Chairperson, a Senior Representative, and a Freshman Representative.
The Board of the BSA is required to meet at least once per week to provide planning and leadership for the BSA. The Board has final say over all BSA directives.

There are also auxillary Board positions. These individuals are not on the Board, and are not held up to the same level of responsibility as Executive Board members. Rather, they act as an extended support system. These positions are
» Technology Chair : maintains the website and tends to the technological needs of the Association
» William Monroe Trotter Scholars Program (WMTSP) Director : coordinates the creation of the curriculum, recruits mentors, secures funding, and coordinates communication between the BSA, the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA), the Harvard Public Service Network (PSN), and the Federal Work Study Program.
» Programming Coordinator : Spearheads the planning of the larger BSA events (works with the Arts & Entertainment Chair). [up]

Responsibilities of the Officers
» The President of the Harvard Black Students' Association shall chair all Board Meetings and General Meetings. The President shall initiate and maintain contact with administrators, students and alumni/ae. The President shall be responsible for meeting with the Presidents of other black community groups on at least a monthly basis to coordinate a sense of community amongst black undergraduates. The President shall act as a spokesperson for the BSA.
» The Vice-President of the BSA shall assume all the responsibilities of the President in the absence of the President. The Vice-President shall ensure that all Board Members of the BSA are apprised of BSA policy and directives and shall delegate responsibilities as necessary with the assistance of the President.
» The Secretary of the BSA shall be responsible for all internal information of the BSA. The secretary should record minutes of all Board meetings, save them, and be able to produce them upon request of the general membership and officers. The Secretary shall oversee the BSA Library and shall ensure that all relevant information is collected and saved for use by future Boards. In addition, the Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that the membership, members of the Harvard Community and members of the Boston and Cambridge communities, when appropriate, are cognizant and apprised of BSA events, policy and directives. The Historian shall be responsible for maintaining and, if necessary, moderating BSA e-mail lists.
» The Treasurer of the BSA shall maintain accurate and detailed records of financial transactions and maintain a working relationship with all BSA corporate sponsors. The Treasurer shall ensure the financial health of the BSA by establishing a budget for the year and each event, seeing that officers are fiscally responsible and adhere to the budget, and monitoring the overall cash flows and bank account of the organization.
» The Historian shall be responsible for responding to communication received through the BSA website (www.harvardbsa.com), as well as helping to collect information (flyers, programs, posters [with permission from the parent organization]) for submission to the Harvard University Archives. Finally, this person would be responsible for taking pictures and video at our events and would work with the Technology Chair (an auxillary Board position) to put this media on the website. In addition, the Historian shall be responsible for ensuring the long-term goal of enhanced cooperation and contact between the current membership and members who are alumni/ae of Harvard College. The Historian shall be responsible for working with the Harvard Alumni Association and black alumni organizations and for maintaining an alumni/ae database that ensures easy dissemination of information and coordination among the membership.
» The Arts and Entertainment Chairperson shall be responsible for ensuring that the BSA engages in events of cultural and social relevance by means of events, shows, and general education.
» The Publications Chairperson shall be responsible for providing the membership of the BSA with informative and/or expository publications.
» The Public Service Chairperson shall be responsible for motivating the membership of the BSA to engage in public service and volunteer projects in the long-term and short-term.
» The Political Action Chairperson shall be responsible for organizing conferences and panels which advance the aim of the Harvard Black Students' Association to educate on various issues of concern to the black, undergraduate community and the Harvard community. The Political Action Chairperson shall be responsible for keeping the BSA community informed of political issues on and off campus.
» The Senior Representative shall be responsible for motivating members who are seniors to continue active participation in the BSA and for bridging the gulf between seniors and other students, especially first-year students. The Senior Representative shall also be responsible for organizing an annual Career Fair and other activities for seniors and other BSA members to explore future career and education opportunities. The Senior Representative, along with the Historian, shall be responsible for collecting contact information from the senior class and connecting them with black alumni organizations.
» The Freshman Representative shall be responsible for representing the views and articulating the needs of freshmen to BSA Board members and the membership of the BSA. The Freshman Representative shall assist the Publicity Chairperson in ensuring that freshmen are aware of BSA events, policy, and directives. The Freshman Representative shall be the Freshman Black Table President.

All BSA Board positions are open to all members of the BSA who are in good standing with the College at the time of their election and over the course of their tenure with two exceptions.

The Senior Representative shall be a senior over the course of his or her tenure and be elected by the entire membership.
The Freshman Representative shall be a freshman and a member in good standing over the course of his or her tenure and be elected by only freshmen who are members in good standing.

All Board members shall have voting privileges. [up]

Committees
All Board members shall have the power to create standing committees at their discretion to assist in carrying out their duties but the responsibility of carrying out the duties of officers shall fall on the appropriate officer. [up]

Records
The records and files of the Harvard Black Students' Association shall be open to inspection by the membership and the general community at the discretion of the officers. [up]

Meetings
All Board Meetings shall be open to members of the Harvard Black Students' Association who are in good standing, insofar as members do not impede the progress of the Board. Guests may attend Board Meetings at the invitation of officers. General Meetings shall be held in every month of the academic year. [up]

Quorums
No quorum is necessary to conduct a general meeting. A simple majority (51%) of Board members is sufficient to constitute a quorum in a Board meeting. A simple majority (51%) of Board members is sufficient to decide all matters of business.

Elections
Elections for the Board of the BSA shall take place each year during the month of April. Elections shall be held at a General Meeting with an open forum for discussion and questioning of candidates.
All officers shall be elected by a plurality of those voting (in person and absentee). If no candidate receives at least 40% of the vote for the office of President, then there shall be a run-off election between the two candidates who received the most votes. The run-off election shall occur within the following week.
All members of the BSA at the time of election and will not have graduated at any point over the course of their tenure may run for a position on the Board of the BSA.
Nominations shall be submitted in sufficient advance of the date of elections to the Secretary. Self-nominations are permitted.
Those who accept nomination are called candidates. Candidates must submit a position paper that will be distributed to the membership by the Secretary in order to run for a position on the Board. Candidates may run for more than one position on the Board of the BSA. In this case, candidates have the option to submit position papers for more than one position.
Newly elected officers of the Board shall assume their responsibilities the first day of Spring Reading Period. The previous officers should assist the newly elected officers by sharing information necessary for the execution of responsibilities, submitting a written recapitulation the activities of the BSA, and settling all matters relating to their board, including financial obligations. [up]

Removal of Officers
The membership may call for the removal of an officer by presenting a petition to the Board with the signatures of twenty percent (20%) of the membership. After receipt of such a petition, the Board will give notice to the membership at least one (1) week prior to the next scheduled General Meeting where the petition must be entertained. Elected officers of the BSA may be removed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire membership.
Any Board Member of the BSA with three (3) unexcused absences from Board Meetings automatically vacates his or her position. Absences from Board Meetings may be excused at the discretion of the President using guidelines created by the Board. The Secretary shall record all absences. [up]

Vacancies
Any Board vacancy shall be filled by a simple majority vote (51%) of the Board at the first Board meeting after the vacancy occurs. Any person who fills a vacancy on the Board of the BSA must submit a position paper to the membership delineating his or her commitment to the principles of the BSA as well as his or her qualifications. [up]

Amendments
The entirety of this constitution or any part of this constitution and its bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote (51%) of the membership. Amendments may be suggested by a simple majority (51%) of the Board of the BSA or by a petition of twenty percent (20%) of the membership.
Proposed amendments that originate by petition shall go first to the Board, which shall call a meeting of the membership within six (6) weeks after having received the petition. At this meeting, the Board shall give its recommendations regarding the amendment. [up]

Ratification

This constitution shall be ratified by a simple majority vote (51%) of the membership. [up]

Enabling Clauses
The membership shall, by a simple majority vote (51%), decide on any question of constitutional interpretation and interpretation of bylaws. The membership of the BSA shall have all the powers necessary and proper of executing the purposes and ensuring the efficient functioning of the BSA. [up]

© Harvard Black Students' Association Constitution
Ratified February 20, 1998
Authored by Jason B. Phillips '99, Publicity Chair 1997-98
Amendments proposed by the 2002-2003 Board. Approved April 19, 2003 by the membership of the BSA.
Amendments proposed by the 2004-2005 Board. Approved October 8, 2004 and April 15, 2005 by the membership of the BSA.
Amendments proposed by the 2005-2006 BSA Board. Approved 14 April 2006 by the membership of the BSA.
Amendments proposed by the 2009-2010 BSA Board. Approved 05 April 2010 by the membership of the BSA.