Constitution of the Baker West Activities Council
May 2003
Revised and Approved April 17, 2017
Advisors and BWAC Bank Account Holders:
Hall Director: Daniel J Kuhlman Resident Manager: Alex Brandt
Article 1. The Establishment of Student Council
1.1 The residents of Baker West hereby associate into an organization called The Baker West Activities Council. Authority for the operation of this student government is given to an Executive Board and General Body.
a. The policy of the Baker West Activities Council is that discrimination against any individual for reasons of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, handicap, veteran status et al. is specifically prohibited.
b. Accordingly, equal access to opportunities and programs is extended to all persons by the Baker West Activities Council.
1.2 The purposes of the Baker West Activities Council (BWAC) are:
a. To offer opportunities for involvement and leadership development to the residents of Baker West;
b. To represent the interests of the residents of Baker West by serving as a funding and information resource;
c. To provide activities that are both educational and social in nature and;
d. To promote Baker West resident participation with the arts in Baker West, on The Ohio State University campus and in the Columbus area.
Article 2. The Executive Board
2.1 Officers serving as the Executive Board shall be the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Advertising Chair, Social Media Chair, Wellness & Sustainability Chair, RHAC Representative, BSA Representative, and Red Cross Representative.
2.2 Executive Board members shall not be paraprofessional (RA) staff members.
2.3 The Executive Board shall be the primary organizational board for the BWAC.
2.4 The Executive Board members shall coordinate projects for the BWAC, as well as inform and educate all Executive Board members on the current projects of their respective organization or committee.
2.5 The term of office for Executive Board and BWAC Committee Members shall be one academic year, or until their successors are elected.
2.6 The purpose of the Executive Board shall be:
a. To coordinate meetings and activities;
b. Raise awareness for one specific issue through passive and/or active programming for the entire hall each semester;
c. To act as a liaison with other student governments and;
d. To provide a leadership opportunity to residents of Baker West.
2.7 All Executive Board members shall:
a. Attend weekly BWAC meetings.
b. Attend weekly Executive Board meetings.
2.8 The President shall:
a. Facilitate the BWAC Executive Board meetings;
b. Facilitate the BWAC meetings;
c. Assist the chairs of the committees and evaluate the progress of each committee;
d. Meet weekly with the advisor to BWAC;
e. Develop the agenda prior to the Executive Board meetings upon consultation with the advisor;
f. Distribute the agenda to the General Body prior to weekly BWAC meetings.
g. Temporarily fulfill the duties of any officer should a vacancy or absence occur;
h. Attend RHAC, BSA, and other training sessions as deemed necessary and;
i. Complete administrative paper work as necessary;
j. Other duties as assigned.
2.9 The Vice President shall:
a. Record the minutes of the BWAC meetings and distribute copies to the President, general membership and Advisor
b. Take and record attendance at the start of each BWAC meeting;
c. Advise members of their attendance record;
d. Distribute record of attendance to the President and Advisor as needed;
e. Run meetings in the absence of the President
f. Co-chair the Community Committee with the RHAC Representative;
g. Other duties as assigned.
2.10 The Treasurer shall:
a. Be responsible for the monetary resources of BWAC;
b. Maintain a complete up-to-date record of the finances and transactions of the BWAC and report those figures at the Executive Board and BWAC meetings;
c. Be responsible for the disbursement of BWAC funds within a week of request and approval of allocated funds;
d. Monitor the funds of the BWAC staff and RAs and keep accurate balances within those accounts;
e. Submit an estimated budget to the Hall Council each semester;
f. Submit a treasurer’s report to the University Auditor at the end of each semester;
g. Attend Treasurer Training;
h. Meet biweekly with the Advisor to BWAC;
i. Co-chair the Learning Committee with the Advertising Chair;
j. Other duties as assigned.
2.11 The Advertising Chair shall:
a. Complete the task of designing and producing publicity and advertisements for BWAC events and programs in coordination with the Social Media Chair;
b. Distribute and hang up advertisements within the building and promote BWAC events and programs to Baker West residents;
c. Co-chair the Learning Committee with the Treasurer;
d. Other duties as assigned.
2.12 The Social Media Chair shall:
a. Complete the task of designing and producing publicity and advertisements for BWAC events and programs in coordination with the Advertising Chair;
b. Distribute advertisements on social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and promote BWAC events and programs to Baker West residents;
c. Lead or delegate the responsibility of taking photographs and recording videos for use in advertisements and awards submissions like Hall of the Year;
d. Co-chair the Diversity Committee with the BSA Representative;
e. Other duties as assigned.
2.13 The Wellness & Sustainability Chair shall:
a. Generate awareness among Baker West residents on wellness and sustainability through BWAC practices and programs
b. Be responsible for raising awareness of wellness and sustainability issues in the residence halls including acceptable materials for recycling, emotional wellness care, energy efficiency, financial responsibility, etc.;
c. Be responsible for knowing the policies of The Ohio State University on wellness and sustainability issues;
d. Co-chair the Wellness Committee with the Red Cross Representative;
e. Other duties as assigned.
2.14 The RHAC Representative shall:
a. Serve as a liaison between BWAC and RHAC;
b. Communicate programs, activities, and relevant RHAC information to BWAC, and vice versa;
c. Serve on committees of their choice in RHAC;
d. Co-chair the Community Committee with the Vice President;
e. Assist in the completion and submission of RHAC grants;
f. Other duties as assigned.
2.15 The BSA Representative shall:
a. Serve as a liaison between BWAC and BSA;
b. Communicate programs, activities, and relevant BSA information to BWAC, and vice versa;
c. Serve on committees of their choice in BSA;
d. Co-chair the Diversity Committee with the Social Media Chair;
e. Other duties as assigned.
2.16 The Red Cross Representative shall:
a. Serve as a liaison between BWAC and the Red Cross;
b. Facilitate the administration and promotion of blood drives at least twice a year;
c. Co-chair the Wellness Committee with the Wellness & Sustainability Chair;
d. Other duties as assigned.
Article 3. The Appointment of Officers
3.1 The offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Advertising Chair, Wellness & Sustainability Chair, RHAC Representative, BSA Representative, and Red Cross Representative shall be filled by a selection process consisting of a vote of the BWAC membership.
3.2 Criteria for selection for office will be determined by the BWAC Advisor in conjunction with the Executive Board of the preceding year.
3.3 Voting will be completed by the fifth week of the Autumn Semester, before the Hall Council Executive Board Retreat, hosted by the Residence Life Program Coordinator for Leadership.
3.4 The Executive Board can, as needed, add positions to the Executive Board. This will be done in consultation with the Advisor(s). These positions will be filled by a vote of the current General Body members
Article 4. The Baker West Activitierts Council Membership
4.1 Membership in the BWAC is open to any resident of Baker West, excluding
paraprofessional (RA/RM) and Senior Staff.
4.2 The BWAC may form committees to do work on specific projects and it will be expected that BWAC members actively participate in these efforts.
4.3 The Executive Board and BWAC members must be in good standing with the university, which includes a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
4.4 The Advisor(s) to the BWAC shall be the Hall Director, Assistant Hall Director and/or Resident Advisor paraprofessionals. The Hall Director or Assistant Hall Director will serve as the primary advisor to the BWAC, and RA paraprofessionals may serve as additional advisors.
4.5 All residents of Baker West are considered general body members of the BWAC and retain the following rights:
a. All residents of Baker West may attend BWAC meetings;
b. All residents may participate in discussion, planning and programs of the
BWAC;
c. All residents may become eligible to vote on financial matters after good standing with BWAC is established and;
d. All residents may propose to the BWAC for program funding that directly
benefits the Baker West community.
4.6 General members may serve as committee chairs as committees are formed or deemed necessary.
Article 5. The Voting Membership
5.1 Voting membership shall be given to any member of the BWAC, including Executive Board Members with the exception of the President, who shall vote only in the event of a tie.
5.2 Meetings of the Executive Council, all members shall have one vote; the President shall vote only in the event of a tie or if the vote is conducted by ballot.
5.3 Voting procedure shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules, Newly Revised Edition. The President will tally up the votes, to be verified by the Advisor(s).
a. Each voting member has the options of yeah, nay, or abstain.
b. Abstentions will not be counted as “no” votes.
5.4 A vote on financial matters cannot be conducted by solely the Executive Board, general body members must be present and able to vote as well.
Article 6. Vacancies
6.1 If the office of the President becomes vacant, the Executive Council shall nominate a member to serve as President until an election occurs to fill the office. If no one wishes to take the role, the Vice President will step in as President and the BWAC RA Advisors will perform the responsibilities of the Vice President.
6.2 Within two weeks of the vacancy, the whole BWAC shall vote to determine which of the candidates shall assume the vacated position.
6.3 The nominated Executive board officer shall assume the responsibilities of the vacated office until a replacement is found.
Article 7. Issues with the Executive Board
7.1 If a member of the Baker West Activities Council has concerns or issues with an Executive Board member, they can address the primary Advisor, who will decide how to proceed with the input of the President.
Article 8. The Meetings
8.1 The Executive Board shall meet weekly during the academic year, unless an alternative schedule is approved. All Executive Board members are expected to attend this meeting, time and location of the meeting will be determined between the Executive Board and the advisor.
8.2 The BWAC membership will meet weekly throughout the academic year. BWAC members are all expected to attend this meeting; time and location of the meeting will be determined by the Executive Board and the advisor(s).
Article 9 The Advisor(s)
9.1 The primary Advisor(s) of the Baker West Activities Council shall be the Hall Director and/or Assistant Hall Director, to be determined by them.
9.2 The Advisor(s) will attend weekly BWAC meetings, weekly Executive Board
meetings, weekly meetings with the President, and (bi)weekly meetings with the Treasurer.
9.3 The BWAC Senior Staff Advisor shall be the official resource person to BWAC and its executives by informing council of official University policy in given issues and by contributing opinions and ideas on BWAC functioning and programming.
9.4 The Advisor(s) will provide general guidance but will leave the specific operation of the Hall Council to the Hall Council members.
9.5 Any and all policies made by the Advisor must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Council, except when decisions are in direct violation of federal, state, city, and/or University policy.
Article 10. The BWAC Bank Account and Funding
10.1 The BWAC treasury is funded primarily through the student activity fee paid by the residents of Baker. The treasury receives $8 per student each semester. That fee is allocated in the following manner to the account of Baker:
a. A $3.00 allocation per resident will be deposited into the floor funds of the RA of said resident. These floor funds will be managed by the Treasurer, but are under the control of the RA with consultation of the Hall Director or Assistant Hall Director.
b. The remaining $5.00 per resident will go into the general account, which is monitored by the FC. Requests for funding from this account will be made to the BWAC membership.
10.2 The BWAC Bank Account shall be maintained by the Treasurer and the
Advisor.
10.3 The BWAC checks must be signed by a combination of two individuals with signature power to be considered valid. Signature power will be granted only to the President, Treasurer and the Advisor(s).
10.4 Those with signature power will turn over the ledger and banking information to the new Treasurer and Advisor before the completion of the Spring Semester.
Article 11. Amendments
11.1 A proposal to amend the Constitution can be brought by any Hall Council member.
11.2 This Constitution can be amended only by a vote of two-thirds of present voting members.
11.3 If the amendment is approved by the Executive Board, BWAC membership and the advisor, the amendment will become affixed to the constitution.
Article 12. Expressed Powers
12.1 BWAC shall have the power to designate individuals as representatives of Baker Hall West to external organizations and activities.
12.2 BWAC shall have the power to establish residence hall regulations regarding the operation of BWAC in consultation with the Baker West staff and the Office of Housing Education in addition to or in clarification of those established regulations by BWAC.
12.3 BWAC also retains all powers given it by The Ohio State University, which are not expressly stated here.
Article 13. Bylaws
13.1 BWAC shall, at minimum once an academic year, and with the consultation of the General Body, review the constitution and bylaws to ensure they are accurate to BWAC and its current and future goals.
13.2 Any matters not addressed by the constitution or its bylaws shall be left to the discretion of the Executive Board and the Advisor.
Constitution of the Baker West Activities Council | Edited 2017 | 7