Student Peace Alliance

Sample Constitution

I. Purpose:

A. To advocate for evidence-based legislation and policy that will enhance our capacity to reduce violence and build sustainable peace both domestically and internationally.

We will work to organize and lobby local government officials to gain their support for pieces of legislation that fall within this purview.

B. To build peace on our campus and in our community

Practice and promote community peacebuilding efforts that engage people in the day-to-day work of understanding and preventing violence in our homes, communities, and institutions.

C. To educate in support of peace:

Peace is not the absence of violence-- it must be taught and developed. The Student Peace Alliance will work to provide education about peacebuilding, current policy initiatives, and the necessity for a national discussion on creating a non-violent and peaceful community.

II. Membership:

Those who attend three Student Peace Alliance meetings during a semester are members of the Student Peace Alliance.

III. Club Officers and Voting:

A. The organization will have officers that are in charge of club logistics. The officers will be composed of one president, a vice president, a treasurer, a secretary, a public relations officer and the committee chairs.

B. Elections will be held in the fall after assessing membership capacity. All members may vote in elections.

C. Committees may be proposed by any one individual. A committee will be added after a period of discussion and after a majority vote which deems the committee necessary. Committees can be created at any time through the year.

D. The roles of the officers will be as follows:

President

  • Evaluates and brainstorms goals for the organization with the members
  • Creates agendas for meetings
  • Works with other organizations to build coalitions
  • Helps determine and coordinate materials and resources for events
  • Coordinates with Student Peace Alliance headquarters

Vice President

  • Works closely with the president to plan and oversee chapter goals and daily functions
  • Leads meetings and events in the absence of the president
  • Takes on a large share of the administrative and organizational duties

Secretary

  • Documents the group’s decisions and takes notes at the meetings
  • Handles communication and coordination among the group
  • Handles paperwork
  • Keeps track of sign-up sheets and chapter members

Public Relations Chair

  • In charge of external communications, marketing and advertising for the group and its events
  • Creates PR materials (ie: flyers, tshirts, posters etc)
  • Coordinates efforts to distribute PR materials around campus and in the community
  • Coordinates and executes social media strategy (facebook groups, google groups, list-serves etc.

Treasurer

  • Keeps receipts and financial records
  • Organizes requests for funding for events
  • Handles reimbursements
  • Oversees fundraising efforts

IV.Decision-making

Decisions on club policies and projects shall be decided by the group as a whole. The organization will strive for consensus. If consensus can not be reached, the club will call for a vote on the particular issue.

V. Meetings:

Occur weekly and will be announced by one of the coordinators by email at least one day ahead of time.

V. Constitution and Amendments:

A. The constitution will be adopted by a group majority vote.

B. The constitution can be amended at any meeting. The group should strive for consensus to amend it.

VI. Statement of Non Exclusivity:

SPA is open to all members of the campus community. Student Peace Alliance does not discriminate on the basis of: sexual orientation, race, religion, gender, class, status, age, nationality, gender identity, political affiliations or physical ability. Furthermore we have a commitment to campus diversity and will work within our own configuration to reduce barriers between groups and identities, encouraging involvement from all parts of campus.