Lawrence International is governed by a combination of the jurisdiction of the executive board, past precedent, and the LI Constitution. Various practices have, over time, deviated from the Constitution. Therefore, the Constitution is currently under review and undergoing substantive changes. Until such a time as when the Constitution is updated, it remains subject to the sole interpretation of the executive board.
The present Constitution, pending updates and subject to board interpretation, is as follows:
The Constitution of Lawrence International
We, the members of Lawrence International (L.I.), in order to
1. promote integration among the cultures represented in the Lawrence University community;
2. facilitate the adjustment of international students to college life and American society;
3. facilitate American understanding of diversity;
4. foster comradeship among L.I. members;
5. transcend the boundaries of membership through activities open to the Lawrence University and Fox Valley Communities.
do ordain and establish this Constitution for Lawrence International.
Article I: Principles
The organization and its members, in pursuit of the purposes stated in the Preamble, shall act in accordance with the following principles.
1. Equality of all its members, regardless of nationality, sex, or race.
2. Fulfillment of the obligations assumed by membership.
3. Political neutrality: L.I. shall refrain from taking any stance on political issues pertaining to any country.
Article II: Membership
Section I. Membership in L.I. Is open to all Lawrence University students, faculty members, and staff who espouse the purposes of the organization above and who are able and willing to carry out those purposes. Membership is to be recorded on the mailing list of L.I.
Section II. A member of L.I. Who has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Constitution may be expelled from the organization by the Executive Board.
Section III. Rights: to attend meetings and special events; to voice suggestions for the betterment of the organization; to propose activities; to nominate and vote for Executive Officers.
Section IV. Expectations: to attend weekly meetings; to collaborate with the Executive Board during special events; to report any violation of the present Constitution to the Executive Board through written statement.
Article III: Executive Board
Section I. Composition: The Executive Board shall consist of one President, one Vice-President, one Treasurer, one Creative Manager, two Event Coordinators, one Communications Chair, one Community Building Chair and one optional Exchange Student Representative.
Section II. The Executive Board shall start its functions immediately following the formal announcement of election results. Its term will last beyond the following general elections when it will transition in the new Executive Board. By the end of the academic term in which the general elections take place, the outgoing Executive Board should be fully dismissed.
Section III. The Exchange Student Representative will be a one-year exchange student optionally elected from the exchange student group for that year in early Fall Term. The Exchange Student Representative will serve on the board till the termination of the current board.
Section IV. Voting: All decisions made by the Executive Board except those pertaining to dismissal procedures shall be based on majority vote.
Section V. Resignation procedures: should any Executive Officer desire to resign, she/he shall submit a letter of resignation to the Executive Board at least two weeks in advance, where she/he shall include: reasons for resigning and at least two recommendations to cover his/her vacancy. The Executive Board shall call on the elected board members on the recommendation list to fill the vacant position, then the vacant office shall be open to the general membership. The position shall be publicized in the weekly memo. Members interested in the open position shall give a brief oral statement at the following General meeting stating their interest in joining the Board. The members shall vote on the candidates. The President and Advisor will count the votes and the President shall call the candidates to inform them of the results. The results will be presented to the L.I. membership via the weekly memo. Note: Once specific duties for a particular event have been undertaken, executive officers must complete them regardless of resignation procedures.
Section VI. Procedure for dismissal of Executive Officer: any board member may propose a vote for dismissal of another officer. The proposal must be ratified by at least three other officers. The President calls the vote. A unanimous vote is required for the dismissal to go into effect. Grounds for dismissal of Executive Officers: violation of L.I. Constitution; unsatisfactory performance and/or non-fulfillment of duties; a minimum of three unexcused absences to executive meetings (two instances of tardiness – 10 minutes or over – shall count as one unexcused absence).** Executive Officers who are prosecuted for dismissal may appeal to the general membership by means of a referendum, which shall take place within one week after the board initiates dismissal procedures. The Executive Board shall revise, and may revoke, its dismissal decision upon completion of the referendum. Fifty percent of the vote on the Executive Board will suffice to revoke the decision. Should the decision of dismissal remain after the vote following the referendum, the defendant may appeal to L.I.’s official advisors, who shall meet with the defendant and one delegate from the Board to revise the decision. The Advisor shall have the power to invalidate the dismissal. Executive Officers who are dismissed from the Board may not run for office in subsequent Lawrence International elections.
** Absences are to be excused in advance. The legitimacy of excused absences is left to the discretion of the President and the Vice-President. If both officers do not agree with the justification of the absence, the matter shall be discussed and the judgment shall be done at the following Board meeting.
Section VII. Functions and powers of the Executive Board.
1. to achieve goals and purposes of the organization;
2. to enforce compliance with the obligations and duties stated in the present Constitution;
3. to promote membership participation in all events through sign-ups and advertising of upcoming events;
4. to plan and carry out L.I. activities.
Section VIII. Duties of Officers.
General Obligations:
1. attend executive meetings
2. attend weekly meetings
3. present officer reports at every Executive meeting
4. sign up to cooperate in ALL special events
Rights: all officers shall enjoy the right to propose a vote, voice their opinions and initiate any L.I. activity outside their jurisdiction.
Specific Duties:
1. President: to call Executive meetings; to preside over executive meetings; to attend weekly meetings with the Vice President and Advisor of L.I.; to overlook the functioning of the Board; to call votes; to serve as a liaison between L.I. and the community (Lawrence University faculty, staff, local community); to enforce attendance and membership policies; to coordinate the Orientation for International Students and the International Cabaret.
2. Vice-President: to assist the President in planning activities, in case of the President’s inability to discharge her/his powers and duties, the same shall devolve on the Vice-President; to plan and assign duties to other Executive Officers; to ensure satisfactory performance of other officers to collaborate with other officers; to attend LUCC meetings; to attend weekly meetings with the President and Advisor of L.I.; to take minutes at Executive Meetings; to make room reservation requests for L.I.’s events.
3. Treasurer: to coordinate with the Events Coordinators; to prepare L.I.’s budget proposal; to submit proposal to LUCC; to keep record of L.I.’s financial status and budget allocation; to prepare weekly fiscal reports; to submit one written report to the Executive Board on a monthly basis; to keep in touch with the LUCC Finance Committee; to handle reimbursements and any other transactions through the Campus Activities Office.
4. Creative Manager: to be responsible for visual promotion for L.I.’s upcoming events; which entail preparing and posting signs, table tents, flyers, etc; to take photographs during events (if unable to attend the event, the Publicity Manager should designate a substitute); to collect photographic material from LI members; to update LI’s yearbook.
5. Events Coordinators: to plan activities for weekly meetings, to announce planned activities at least one week in advance; to take into consideration members’ suggestions for activities (weekly events include presentations, group discussions, shopping trips, cookouts, games, etc.); to plan and carry out special activities; to assign duties to other Executive members; to sign-up regular members for extra help; to clear financial issues with the Treasurer and Vice-President; to make all necessary reservations (International House, Vans, etc.); to place food orders with Warch Campus Center (special events include theme dinners, fundraisers, educational and recreational trips, dances, parties, etc.).
6. Communications Chair: to update the organization’s membership database; to send emails to the General Membership; to manage Lawrence International’s social media accounts; to promote events via online channels; to be the main contact person for other purposes for Lawrence International, alongside the President.
7: Community Building Chair: to attend CODA weekly meetings; to coordinate biweekly LI Membership bonding events; to maintain contact with on-campus cultural organizations for collaboration opportunities; to connect with all one-year exchange students if an Exchange Student Representative isn’t elected that year.
8. Exchange Student Representative: to connect and relay information about events and activites to all exchange students, Waseda students included; to assist the board in activities and other work pertaining to the board.
9. Advisor: Executive officers shall nominate one or more advisors from Lawrence University faculty and/or staff to whom they are ultimately answerable. The advisor may attend all Executive Board meetings and all LI events. The advisor may be consulted by the President of LI and/or a designated delegation of Executive Officers about all matters pertaining to the functioning of the organization.
Article IV: Procedure for appointment of Executive Officers
Section I: Only three of the seven general board positions will be open for election. During the general elections, the President, Vice-President and three general board members will be elected. Within the first week following the formal announcement of election results, the incoming President and Vice-President will consult the three general members and assign specific positions (as outlined in Article III Section I) based on preferences and skill sets. Immediately after, the newly-elected Executive Board will open applications for the remaining three positions. These positions will not be elected, but will be appointed. Upon the receipt of applications, the outgoing and incoming Executive Board will together determine the most suitable candidates for the positions. Each member of the outgoing Executive Board will have half a vote while each member of the incoming Executive Board will have a full vote. A member of both boards will have only one full vote. Upon acceptance of positions by the appointees, the Executive Board will be complete, with the exception of the Waseda Representative who will join in early Fall Term.
Section II: The date and procedures of the election shall be sent to the general membership via email in advance of the elections. At a general meeting or specifically arranged information session, the outgoing Executive Board will describe its duties to general members. Nominations will be collected from the general membership. Members will also have the opportunity to declare their intention to run.
Section III: Only current members of Lawrence International, as maintained on the mailing list, will be eligible to contest and vote in the elections. There will be separate elections for President, Vice-President, and general board members.
Section IV: At a pre-publicized date and location, the executive board will arrange for the candidates to deliver a speech and engage in discussion with the general membership regarding their platform.
Section V: The election will be conducted online via the Lawrence International webpage on www.lawrence.edu. The election web page will list all the candidates for each category, along with their submitted photographs and statements. The link to the poll will be sent to the general membership on the mailing list via email. The general membership will be notified of the deadline for voting in advance. The link may not be forwarded to non-members. Each member may only vote once. Votes from non-members will be discarded. In the case of multiple votes from the same member, the earliest vote will be considered valid while any further submissions will be considered void.
Section VI: The President and staff advisor of Lawrence International will have the responsibility for and sole authority over the preparation for, the operation of, decision-making regarding and the announcement of results of the elections.