Middle Eastern Law Students Association
INTERNATIONAL LAW SOCIETY
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I – NAME AND NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Section 1 Name: The name of the Organization shall be the International Law Society at the Moritz College of Law (ILS) referred to in this Constitution as “ILS”. The headquarters of ILS shall be the Moritz College of Law, 55 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43210.
Section 2 Non-Discrimination Policy:
ILS and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for reasons of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, sex, age, handicap, or veteran status.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section 1
The purpose ILS is to encourage the study and discussion of international law among students within the Moritz College of Law. ILS informs the student body of current developments in international law as well as of opportunities to study abroad. Further, the Society keeps its members abreast of intern and career possibilities within the field of international law.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP: QUALIFICATIONS AND CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
There shall be three (3) classes of membership for individuals in ILS. They are as follows:
Regular - Any currently enrolled Moritz student shall be eligible for full rights and privileges as a regular member upon receipt of notification of interest and dues, if dues are collected that academic year.
Honorary - Others such as faculty, alumni, professionals, etc. are encouraged to become members for a non-voting honorary membership upon receipt of notification of interest and any dues payable, if dues are collected that academic year.
Associate - Any Ohio State University student not enrolled at the Moritz College of Law are encouraged to become members for non-voting associate membership upon receipt of notification of interest and any dues payable, if dues are collected that academic year.
Section 2
Any regular member shall be eligible to vote after thirty (30) days of membership in ILS.
Section 3
Membership in ILS shall be for a period of twelve (12) months. Renewal of membership shall be the responsibility of both the individual member and the Treasurer.
Section 4
Annual dues for all members of ILS shall be decided at the first Executive Board meeting of the academic year. There shall be no upper or lower limits set for dues, except the lower limit cannot be less than $0 per annum.
Section 5
Any person who elects to become a member of ILS shall be deemed to have accepted this constitution and policies of the Organization and shall be bound by them in all respect as if he or she had been a member at the time of their adoption.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
Section 1
The Executive Board shall be made up of the mandatory officers of ILS who shall be those required by The Ohio State University’s Student Organization Guidelines. The Executive Board shall also be made up of optional officer positions created by the mandatory officers upon unanimous agreement.
Section 2
The Executive Board shall formulate, propose, and implement projects and supervise the activities of ILS. The Executive Board shall approve, by majority, any annual budget. None of the Executive Board’s actions shall be in conflict with the constitution. An officer of the Executive Board shall provide prior notice to the President, or equivalent, when they are unable to attend an Executive Board meeting.
Section 3
The term of office for all officers shall be for one-year term.
Section 4
The following are suggested examples of Executive Board positions and their respective roles:
A)President — The President shall direct and be responsible for the programs and developments of the Organization; the President shall be the presiding officer at all meetings; shall propose the annual budget; and by virtue of the position shall chair the Organization’s Executive Board.
B)Vice President — The Vice President shall take charge of the duties end responsibilities of the President in his/her absence or incapacity; and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.
C)Secretary — The Secretary shall have and maintain a list of all officers, board chairpersons and members of those boards. The Secretary shall have end maintain a list of all members of the Organization, shall notify members of meetings, conduct correspondence as directed by the President. The Secretary shall take minutes of all Executive Board meetings. Should the Secretary not be able to attend the Executive Board meeting the Secretary shall ensure another member of the Executive Board will take minutes of the Executive Board meeting. The Secretary shall send notice when membership will expire, and turn over all collected monies to the treasurer, giving an accurate record to the Treasurer and keeping a duplicate.
D)Treasurer — The Treasurer shall receive and deposit all money of the organization; shall maintain records of such funds; shall pay by check whenever feasible; all drafts written by the Organization shall bear the signature of either the Treasurer or President. The Treasurer shall give a statement of finances at every meeting of the Executive Board and give a complete financial report at the annual meeting.
E) VP of Marketing – The VP of Marketing shall be primarily responsible for promoting ILS meetings, speakers, fundraisers, and parties. This individual shall be responsible for making sure that each event has the appropriate advertising through signs, e-mails sent to the student secretary, Moritz E-Record, and making sure that events are placed on the academic and TWEM calendars. Although all officers shall assist this individual with these items, the VP of Marketing will be responsible for getting initiating and organizing these items.
F) VP of Education - The VP of Education shall be responsible for making sure that the database of outlines is up to date. The VP of Education shall make sure that there is a mix of both upper and first year outlines. The VP of Education shall also help in the spring to assistthe 1L rep. that puts together the day when we hear from the faculty that teaches international courses.
G)VP of Fundraising - The VP of Fundraising shall be responsible for organizing the ILS fundraisers such as the bake sales and any other events that they can come up with that help raise money for the group. As a general rule the VP of fundraising shall put on 2 fundraising events per semester.
Section 5
In the event that the President, or equivalent, of ILS is permanently unable to perform their duties, or should resign during their term, the Vice President shall be installed as the Organization’s President and the Executive Board shall appoint a new Vice President.
Section 6
In the event an officer, other than the President , or equivalent, of ILS is permanently unable to perform their duties, or a vacancy exists on the Executive Board the President shall appoint a regular member to fulfill the duties for the remainder of the unexpired term, with the simple majority approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE V – MEETINGS
Section 1
The President, or equivalent, shall call to order meetings of the ILS Executive Board as is necessary.
Section 2
The President, or equivalent, shall call to order as many general regular meetings of the ILS membership.
ARTICLE VI — STANDING Committees
Section 1
The standing committees of the organization may be as follows:
Public International Law and Human Rights
Private International Law and Business
International Programs, Internships, and Employment
Section 2
The officers of each committee shall be appointed by the President, or equivalent.
Section 3
The standing committees shall each meet, at a minimum two times per year.
ARTICLE VII – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this constitution, its bylaws, and policies.
ARTICLE VIII – ELECTIONS
Section 1
All reasonable efforts should be made to ensure that the elected officers of ILS shall be duly elected by eligible Regular members. Should this be outside the realm of all reasonable efforts the governing Executive Board shall appoint the successor mandatory officers using their best efforts.
Section 2: Voting
All membership is eligible to vote, bring motions, and second those motions. Every person is limited to one vote for each executive board position. Voting may take place during a membership meeting or through any other reasonable medium.
ARTICLE IX – YEAR
Section 1
The ILS year shall coincide with the financial year as dictated in The Ohio State University’s Student Organization Guidelines.
Section 2
All expenses incurred by a member on behalf of the society must be authorized by the Treasurer, or equivalent, prior to those expenses being incurred. All requests for reimbursement of expenses must be presented to the treasurer before the end of the financial year, together with all receipts.
ARTICLE X – IMPEACHMENT
Section 1
Any officer may be removed for malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance. A petition for removal of an officer shall be signed by at least one-third (1/3) of the regular members of ILS or one-half (1/2) of the members of the Executive Board. The petition shall be submitted to any member of the Executive Board. The member of the Executive Board receiving such a petition shall convene a special session of the Executive Board within (15) days. That Board member shall present the petition for consideration at that meeting.
Section 2
The petition shall be forwarded to the regular membership with a simple majority vote of the Executive Board finding just cause for a hearing of such removal. A meeting of the regular membership shall be held within thirty (30) days following the Executive Board vote, if the Board finds just cause.
Section 3
At the meeting of the regular membership, the officer receiving the petition shall present the findings and recommendations of the Executive Board. The officer in question will have an opportunity to present their beliefs regarding the matter. An officer shall be removed from office upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the regular members present,
Section 4
Members will not be removed unless they violate Article I, Section 2 of this Constitution (“Non-Discrimination Policy”); or may also be removed if dues are collected that year and the member refuses to pay, absent extenuating circumstances reviewable by the board.
ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS
Section 1
Amendments to this constitution may be proposed at any regular meeting or presented in writing to the President, or equivalent. Notice of such amendments shall be submitted, in writing, to the membership, unless extraordinary circumstances apply.
Section 2
The constitution shall be amended at a regular meeting of the Organization’s membership, by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, unless extraordinary circumstances apply.
Section 3
Examples of extraordinary circumstances include, but are not limited to, a situation where the organization is on the brink of being wound up and emergency action is required to ensure the continued existence of the society.
This constitution of the International Law Society at the Moritz College of Law was adopted on Thursday October 14, 2010.
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