Last Edited: Thursday, August 2, 2018*

 
TechTones A Cappella Constitution 

The Constitution of an organization contains the fundamental principles which govern its
operation. A constitution will serve to clarify the organization's purpose, outline its basic
structure, and provide a cornerstone for building an effective organization. It will also allow
members and potential members to have a better understanding of the organization's purpose,
and mission; and how the organization functions.

Article I - Name
Section 1​ The Name of the organization shall be ​TechTones A Cappella​, a Texas Tech
University Co-Ed A Cappella Group.
Special Note: The name of the organization cannot include Red Raiders, Texas Tech, TTU, or
Texas Tech University. The name can include "Raiders" or "Tech."

Section 2​ ​Identify any affiliations with national, regional, etc. groups and specify what the
relationship is between the Texas Tech student organization and the other groups.

There are no current affiliation with any other groups.

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Article II - Purpose
Section 1​ The purpose of the organization shall be to:
1)​ R
​ ehearse and perform a cappella music in a co-ed group, as well as compete in a cappella

competitions
2)​ P
​ rovide the Texas Tech community with entertainment by way of a cappella singing

3)​ P
​ romote a spirit of enthusiasm, goodwill, and community through music

4) Act as a parent group for other a cappella groups formed at Texas Tech.

Article III - Membership

Section 1​ Membership Requirements:
1. Selection: An audition, callback, and choreography audition are required of each
potential and non-executive current member, and then the Executive Board will
deliberate over who will make the best musical contribution to the group overall.
2. Rights and Responsibilities: Every member has the right to be treated with respect and
express their opinions, as long as they do so respectfully. Every member is responsible
to regularly attend scheduled rehearsals and put in their best effort.
3. Resignation: Every member has the right to resign from the group, but must inform the
officers at least a week before any scheduled performances.
4. Dues: $20-30 per semester.
5. Expulsion Procedures: If a member’s conduct or lack of preparation impacts the group
negatively and continuously, the Vice-President will bring their concerns to the individual
is a formal meeting granting the individual a probationary warning period to improve their
attendance and conduct, lasting two weeks to a month.
Probation includes:
● Revoked voting privileges
● Revoked performance privileges
● Loss of solo
● Presence at all rehearsals
6. If the behaviors continue, an executive meeting will be called. The Board will go over all
issues concerning probation, hear the members plea, and then vote on the status of the
member’s membership. If an individual breaks any school rules or misrepresents the
core values of the group and the university, he or she may be expelled immediately.
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Section 2​ If applicable, guests or associate members. The guest/associate members do not

have the same privileges as regular members. All of the officers of the student organization
must be Texas Tech Students.

Section 3​ Anti-discrimination Statement

TechTones A Cappella​ does not deny or define membership on the basis of race, color, religion,
national origin, gender, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender
identity, or gender expression

Article IV - Officers
Section 1​ The Executive Cabinet will be comprised of:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. Social Chair
6. Music Director

All officers must be Texas Tech students.​

Section 2​ Offices and Responsibilities.

President:​ as the liaison between our academic advisor and community members, the
president is responsible for for communication with person(s) wanting the techtones to perform
for their event(s). The president speaks on behalf of the group, and is the primary image of the
group
Vice President:​ President of the executive board, and group administrator. This position takes
attendance at rehearsals, communicates with members about membership status, and makes
sure the executive board is efficiently and successfully performing tasks.
Secretary: ​In charge of the day to day, the secretary is in charge of making sure rehearsal
spaces are booked, as well as keeping notes of things the group needs to work on, as well as
notes from any meeting or rehearsal.
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Treasurer: ​In charge of documenting money, the treasurer plays an important part of keeping
money secure, as well as inquiring fundraising opportunities for the group. Money will be
managed via PayPal,as well as documented in TechConnect.
Social Chair:​ In charge of anything that does with public relations, the Social Chair plays a
crucial part in keeping fans updated with what’s happening, as well as planning social events
and the annual TechTones retreat.
Music Director:​ Knowledgeable in choral studies, the music director is in charge of the
technical side of rehearsals including, but not limited to: warm ups, vocal exercises, conducting
rehearsals, checking for part knowledge, and running selections of music.
Section 3​ Non-Executive Roles.
Techtones has two non-executive roles that must be assigned by a vote of the executive team.
1) Choreographer
2) Composer
*These are voted upon once the Executive Board has been organized.

Article V - Officer Elections

Section 1: Voting​ At the end of every spring semester, the group will hold elections for officer
positions for the following year. If a member desires to take on a position, it is recommended
that they shadow the previous electee preceding the term they intend to run for.
Section 2: Impeachment​ If an officer fails to perform their outlined responsibilities and/or
abuses their position, any member of the group can bring it to the attention of the officers or the
entire group. An official meeting with the group will be help discussing the concerns and will be
readdressed with the faculty advisor. Should the majority of the group and the faculty advisor
see that the current officer is unfit for the position, they will be removed from their position.
Section 3: Resignation​ If an officer wants to resign mid-semester, they must formally submit
their resignation two weeks before they intend to resign, in which the group can hold another
election for the vacant position.

Article VI - Relationship with Other Organizations*

There are no current affiliation with any other groups.
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Article VII - Finances

Section 1.​ Collection of Funds

a. Membership dues shall be collected at the first meeting each semester.
b. The Treasurer shall be responsible for applying for and documenting funds from the SGA and
the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Section 2.​ Management of Funds

a. Any costs incurred by the organization may be paid by the President or Treasurer.
b. All expenditures must be documented with an itemized receipt by the Treasurer.
c. All income must be deposited within 24 hours of receiving it.
e. Any funds donated to the organization shall be deposited by the Treasurer within 24 hours of
receiving it.

Section 3.​ Documentation

a. Documentation of any funds spent/gained must be added to TechConnect and available to all
members with reasonable notice.

Section 4.​ In the event that the organization ceases to exist, all assets shall be donated to the
Texas Tech School of Music.

Article VIII - Meetings

Section 1​ Regular Meetings
Regular meetings of this student organization shall be held twice a week. Special meetings can
be called if additional rehearsal is necessary. Rehearsals are mandatory to attend by all
members, unless a member has given 24 hours notice to the Vice-President. If the reason for
not attending is valid, the absence will be excused, otherwise, it will be an unexcused absence,
and said member will be put on immediate probation. Inthe event of an emergency, please give
as much notice as possible.
Section 2​ Quorum
Quorum will consist of a majority of members being present, and votes will be made by a
majority of those present at the meeting.
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Section 3​ Voting
a. All votes will be determined by a majority vote of all present eligible voters in the organization
unless otherwise specified.
b. All votes will be taken by a show of hands or polled unless otherwise specified.

Article IX - Faculty/Staff Advisor

Section 1​ Selection
a. If the organization needs a new Faculty/Staff advisor the executive board will take
nominations from the membership.
b. The membership will then take a vote of the nominated faculty and staff to identify the top
three candidates.
c. The executive board will meet with the top candidates in order most votes to identify a
faculty/staff member that is able to serve as an advisor.
d. If none of the nominated faculty or staff are able to serve as advisors then the executive
board will speak with the Student Involvement Staff for suggestions.

Section 2. ​Responsibilities
There will be one faculty/staff advisor of the student organization. The faculty/staff advisor will
not have any voting privileges and be an ex-officio member. Our current faculty advisor, as of
Spring 2017, is Professor Thomas Hughes.
Special Note: All changes to faculty/staff advisors must be made within ten business days on
TechConnect and a new university policy agreement must be submitted.​

Article X - Order of Business

Rehearsals will be conducted as follows, and bi-monthly officer meetings will also be held
regarding business details:
1. Attendance
2. Announcements
3. Vocal Warm-Up
4. Music Rehearsal
5. Closing announcements and open forum.

Article XI - Legal Agreement

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Section 1​ TechTones A Cappella agrees to abide by all federal, state, and local laws; and by
Texas Tech University Policies and Procedures.

Article XII - Parliamentary Authority

Section 1.​ TechTones A Cappella shall use Robert’s Rules of Order, current edition, as its
authority on parliamentary procedure.

Article XIII - Amendments

Section 1​ Amendments to the Constitution can be passed by a vote of majority.
Section 2​ A formal, written amendment can be proposed to the officers by any member of the
group. Subsequently, an all group meeting will be held to discuss and vote on the amendment.
If the amendment is voted on, the secretary will have responsibility of making the amendment to
the constitution and submitting it to the Student Organization Council. This amendment must
include the date of creation or last revision​.

*The Center for Campus Life recommends that your organization upload a copy of the latest
Constitution and By-Laws to the student organization file portion on your TechConnect Profile
so all members can review it. A review and study of the Constitution and By-Laws should be
included when officer transition is conducted.