LUC buildOn Constitution

Loyola University Chicago | Center for Student Engagement

Calendar Years (2023-2024)

Article I- Name

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be LUC buildOn

Article II- Purpose

Section 1. Purpose & Mission Statement

 buildOn strives to bring attention to service for others with an emphasis on global
awareness and the importance of education. We aim to raise awareness and funds
to build a school in economically poor countries with low education rates.
buildOn is not a religiously or politically affiliated group. We do not discriminate
against race, color, sex, age, or nationality. We welcome all.
This purpose does not contradict the University’s mission or its Catholic, Jesuit
character.

Section 2. National Affiliations

 buildOn LUC is a chapter of the national, non-profit organization,
buildOn. buildOn is a national organization, where the money we raise
will be donated to under the name of Loyola University Chicago. And, the
national organization will facilitate the building of the school and the
treks students could partake in. All actions and choices will be made by
the chapter here at Loyola, not the national organization. The
involvement of the national organization is limited to simply to the
donations and getting resources.

Article III- Membership

This article outlines the requirements and expectations for membership to be granted into the
organization. It typically includes three levels of eligibility: general membership, committee
membership, and executive board/officer membership. These sections detail the initial requirements to
be eligible for participation.

Section 1. Requirements for Membership

 Active members shall be present at 80% percent of the meetings that are held
by the organization over the course of a semester.
 Active member shall participate in tabling at least once a month and can make
up a missed meeting with tabling or helping run an event.
Section 2. All members, including voting members, of the organization
must be matriculated, currently enrolled students at Loyola
University Chicago.

Section 3. Removal of Membership

-

Grounds for removal include negligence or any form of conduct which is damaging to the organization

Section 4. Appeal of Removal of Members

 Members that are on track to removal may submit an appeal through a email
with any necessary explanations and the executive board will deliberate and
make the final decision
 Such members may also choose to make an appeal in person

Article IV- Duties of Officers

This article outlines and details the organizational structure, including all members of the executive
board. The positions, their duties, and qualifications should be outlined in this section.

Section 1. Elected Officers

The executive board will consist of the President, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice
President of Finances (Treasurer), Public Relations Coordinator, Service Coordinator, Events
Coordinator, CAN Representative

Section 2. At least two officers (the president and treasurer) are required
to complete the RSO Orientation offered by Center for Student
Engagement.
Section 3. Qualification for Holding Office
 Any member that has been active for an entire semester will be eligible for
holding a position

The officer must commit to completing all duties listed under the position
descriptions
 The officer must commit to attending all executive board meeting barring
extenuating circumstances.
Section 4. Duties of Officers
President: Isma Manzoor
 Oversee all e-board members and be accessible for help
 Come up with presentations for GBM
 Approve any event ideas with the e-board
 Approve all flyers before they are distributed
 Review funding information for correctness before it is submitted
 Oversee the email - respond to important inquiries
 Be a liaison between BuildOn at Loyola and BuildOn national nonprofit - keep in contact
with Chicago branch manager

Vice President: Arsheen Sukhera

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  Meeting Notes
 Booking Rooms & Tables in Damen
 Keep track of attendance - have spreadsheet updated after each GBM
 Sending out mass emails
 Placing food orders and contacting the vendors

Treasurer: Haashir
 Manage all financial forms necessary for funding for the duration for the term
 Spot funding deadline - done at least 5 days before the deadline
 Keeping track money raised
 Collect receipts and digitalize for submission

Public Relations Coordinator/Social Media Chair: Nafia

 Reaching to other organizations to collaborate
 Getting speakers if need be
 Photography at the events
 Social Media positions: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Page, and Snapchat
 Flyers and Posters - send to President for approval

Event Coordinator: Muiz

 Report to oversee event set up and break down
 Manage all volunteers for duration of event
 Communicate to team all things needed for the day of event
 Provide brief report of the executive board within a week following the event

CAN Representative: Mohammad Abdul Muiz

 Attend all CAN meetings
 Attend all executive board meetings – relay all necessary information from CAN to
executive board

Adviosor: Omar Mozaffar

Section 5. Vacancy of an Office:
 Vacancies will be published to the general body and applications will be
accepted for two weeks, at which time the candidates interviewed and will be
decided through a vote in the executive board
Section 6. Executive Board Resignation
 Withdrawal from the organization shall be done through writing, therefore
and email should be sent to the official email stating the member or officers
decision to withdraw and the reason if they should choose to disclose it
 Ideally, each resignation should come with one week’s notice, but immediate
resignations will still be recognized.

Section 7. All changes in officers shall be submitted to Center for Student

Engagement via LUCommunity and email within two weeks of
such a change.

Article V- Elections

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 This article outlines and details the process and procedures for electing/selecting executive board
positions. What should be stated in this section is who oversees the process; requirements to enter the
selection process; how the process operates; how a new officer/executive board member is affirmed or
selected; and when their term begins and ends

Section 1. Election Timeline

 Applications for open officer positions will be held in late March of each year.
There will be a two week period of applications and the candidates will then
be interviewd and selected by the executive board.
 The chosen candidates will shadow the positions they will be taking on for the
following school year so they are prepared for their upcoming role.
Section 2. Nomination Process
 Describe how students are nominated for office.
o In order to be nominated for office, students must fill out the
application sent though the official organization email before the set
deadline. No candidate submitting the application after the set
deadline will be considered for the position.
o The applications/nominations will then be processed by the executive
board.
Section 3. Election and Voting Procedures
 State whether officers will be elected by plurality or majority vote.
Officers will be elected by majority vote.
o A plurality vote means that one candidate must get more votes than
anyone else.
o A majority vote means that a candidate must receive one more than
half (50% + 1) of all votes cast.
 During late March of Spring semester, applications will be distributed for the
vacant position through the official organization email. All candidates must
meet the deadlines and are required to have been an active member for at
least one semester completing the requirements outlined in Article III,
Section 1. Once the application period is over, the executive board will
deliberate over the application in the executive board will hold a meeting
dedicated to deliberating over applications. Each application will be given the
same amount of attention and a candidate must gain the plurality of the votes
in order to be elected. If there is a candidate, applying for multiple positions,
each application will be looked at separately. Interviews maybe requires if the
executive board does not come to a decision at the meeting for deliberation.

Section 4. Grounds for Removal

 Two-thirds (2/3) of the executive board must agree as listed on the
LUCommunity roster must sign a petition to ask for impeachment.

Section 5. Procedure for Impeachment

 What is the process for removal of a member of the organization? This should
be framed in the following way:
1. Charge or complaint brought against an individual
2. Evidence to support complaint presented
3. Individual given opportunity to argue a defense and offer counter
evidence
4. Vote is taken (vote count must be specified in the Constitution)

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  What type (e.g., secret ballot, voice vote, roll call vote, etc.) of vote is required
for removal? Is voting determined by eligible voters present or by individuals
present?
 Active members, officers, or advisor being impeached must be notifies at least
one week in advance of the impeachment hearing. The impeachment hearing
must occur while classes are in session. The moderator of the hearing will be
the President unless they are being impeached, in which case it will be the
Vice President of Internal Affairs. Three-fouths (2/3) of the active executive
board members must be present in order for the hearing to be held. The
moderator will read off the claims and evidence of the charges and the officer
in question will be given a chance to present their case. An anonymous ballot
will be held at the conclusion of the hearing for the final decision. A plurality
of votes will decide the outcome of the hearing, with each active member
excluding the moderator and officer in question having a vote.

Section 6. Procedure for Appeal of Impeachment

 Any member officer whose membership is revoked will have one calendar
week from the date of the impeachment hearing to write a letter of appeal.
The appeal must be in writing and delivered to an executive board member or
through the official buildOn email. The executive member will then deliberate
over the appeal and report on their final decision one calendar week from
when the appeal was received.

Section 7. All changes in officers shall be submitted to Center for Student

Engagement via LUCommunity and email within two weeks of
such a change.

Article VI- Committees

Section 1. Committee Eligibility

 In order to serve on any possible committees that may be created, a member
must be member of the organization and must join the organization’s
LUCommunity. Additionally, the member must meet the outlined
requirements in Article III, Section 1.

Article VII - Meetings

This article should detail any meeting the organization holds, which can vary from executive board
meetings, committee meetings, general body meetings, and special meetings. The process of how and
who can call a particular meeting, who runs the meeting, and the purpose of the meeting should be
outlined. Each different type of meeting needs to have its own section so full understanding of the
process and procedures can be conveyed.

Section 1 Meetings
 There will be a general body meeting every single month.
 There will be bi-weekly executive board and all 2/3 of the members must be
present for the meeting to continue

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  Each meeting – general and executive – will have meeting notes taken by the
VP of Internal Affairs.

Section 2 Special Meetings

 A special meeting maybe called by only the President of the organization in
case of vacancies or other emergencies. The president must provide at least a
24 hours notice for a special meeting.

Section 3 Quorum
 Quorum for a general body meeting will be an attendance of at least 30% of
the members, as listed on LUCommunity, are present
 Quorum for an executive board meeting will be an attendance of 50% of the
officers as listed on LUCommunity, are present

Article VIII – Advisors

Section 1. Agreement and Expectations

 buildOn LUC shall maintain at least one full time Loyola faculty or
staff advisor at all times, per the requirement set out for all
registered student organizations by Center for Student Engagement.
The advisor shall: Serve as the official staff representative of the college,
ensure all college policies are upheld, ensure all reasonable steps are taken to
ensure the safety and welfare of the club members, assist officers in
understanding their duties.

Section 2. Changes in Advisor

 Any changes in advisor shall be submitted to Center for Student
Engagement via LUCommunity and email within two weeks of such
a change.

Article IX-Amendment & Ratification

This article outlines the process and procedure to amend the organization’s constitution.

Section 1. Ratification
 A proposed amendment to this constitution shall be presented to the members
at least ___1__ weeks prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be held.
 Ratification of an amendment to this constitution shall require a (1/2, 2/3, ¾,
majority _3/4__ of the voting membership of the voting members present at a
regularly scheduled business meeting of the organization.
Choose a building block.

Section 2. Changes to Constitution

If an organization’s Constitution is changed in any way, one new
copy of the Constitution must be submitted to Center for Student

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 Engagement via LUCommunity and email within two weeks of such
change.

Article X – Non-Discrimination Statement

No student is to be excluded from membership or participation on the basis of his or her race,
color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, age, veteran’s status, marital status, political affiliation or physical, mental or medical
disability unrelated to the purpose of the organization. Discriminatory behavior regarding
organizational activities or the actions of members is a violation of University policy and may be
addressed by the University as inappropriate.

Article XI – Anti-Hazing

The (buildOn LUC) considers hazing to be a destructive and degrading activity which is
inconsistent with the standards of this student organization. Hazing, defined as, “…any
intentional or reckless action or situation, created to produce emotional or physical discomfort,
harassment, humiliation or ridicule”, is strictly prohibited the (buildOn LUC) recognizes the
dignity of every individual and opposes all forms of hazing. Hazing activities may also violate the
Illinois Hazing Act 720 ILCS §5/12C-50.

Article XII – Not-For-Profit Statement

Any funds obtained through fundraising or other means must be deposited back into the
organization’s LUCommunity account. Organizations may make donations to non-profit
organizations or pay for goods and services for their organizational use by submitting a payment
request in LUCommunity.

Article XIII – Statement of Compliance with Campus Regulations

This organization shall comply with all Loyola University Chicago policies and procedures,
including but not limited to, those policies set forth in the Center for Student Engagement
Registered Student Organization handbook and the Loyola University Chicago Community
Standards, as well as local, state, and federal laws.

Article XIV – Statement of Land Acknowledgements

The Loyola University Chicago community acknowledges its location on the ancestral
homelands of the Council of the Three Fires (the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes) and a
place of trade with other tribes, including the Ho-Chunk, Miami, Menominee, Sauk, and
Meskwaki. We recognize that descendants of these and other North American tribes continue to
live and work on this land with us. We recognize the tragic legacy of colonization, genocide, and
oppression that still impacts Native American lives today. As a Jesuit University we affirm our
commitment to issues of social responsibility and justice. We further recognize our
responsibility to understand, teach, and respect the past and present realities of local Native
Americans and their continued connection to this land.

Article XV - Constitutional Review

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As a recognized student organization, we will participate in a constitutional review process every
year. It will be updated according to the new sample constitution (if necessary) and will meet
with the Center for Student Engagement to review it. Center for Student Engagement
reserves the right to meet with a Registered Student Organization at any time, to request an
update to their constitution.

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