(Active Minds Constitution)

Active Minds at Colorado State University (CSU) Constitution

Article 1 – Name

Section 1:  Title
Active Minds at Colorado State University (CSU)
Section 2:  Authorization
Active Minds at CSU will be affiliated with the national organization of Active Minds, located in Washington, DC.  See attached letter for the affiliation status.

Article 2 – Purpose


The purpose of this organization shall be:

  1. To increase awareness among CSU students about issues of mental health, symptoms of mental illness, and available resources in and around the CSU community.
  2. To become a point of reference for CSU students for information on Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Eating Disorders, PTSD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
  3. To become a liaison between CSU students and the mental health community through “flyering” campus with fact sheets, hosting and/or sponsoring charity fundraisers, guest speakers, and related events, and maintaining a comprehensive website.

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Article 3 – Membership


Active Minds is open to all members of the Colorado State University community (current students, staff, faculty members, or employees of the university), students and faculty alike.  They are required to register with the President and Secretary, for attendance and quorum purposes.   Colorado State University's recognized student organizations shall not deny membership to any student on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability.
 
Active Member:
To be considered an active member, the individual must be

  1. a current student,
  2. attend at least three meetings per semester, and
  3. assist in the planning of at least one event per semester.   Active Members are the only members able to vote and hold office.  If the Active Member does not meet the above requirements, he/she will be presented written notice of their inactive status at least 7 days prior to having her/him removed from the Active Membership list.

Participant:
Anyone registered, but not an active member is considered an Active Minds Participant and will be kept on the listserve to be notified via email of upcoming events.

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Article 4 – Elected Officers

The officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, Research Liaison, and Publicity Chair.  Any member of the group is eligible to hold office.  In case of a vacancy, the group will elect a replacement at the next meeting of the entire group.  If an officer is not performing duties as expected, he or she may be removed by a two-third majority vote of the organization.  Prior to this vote, a written notice will be distributed to the incumbent member within 7 days of the next meeting stating the committee’s intent to vote on his or her removal. 

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Duties of Officers
*NOTE:  In addition to listed duties, each officer will be named “Committee Chairperson” for one major Active Minds event for the year (flyering, coffee houses, stress relief activities, speakers, runs, education seminars, etc.).  Once officers are elected, board members will collaborate and decide who will be in charge of what event.

  • President:  Preside over general and board meetings; take the role of the primary authority regarding decisions pertinent to Active Minds; be in charge of the Active Minds email account; have the authority to deposit and withdraw funds from bank accounts; be the liaison between the organization and other related CSU authorities/organizations; act as Student Advisory Council (SAC) alternate.

  • Vice President:  Assist the President in important decisions pertinent to Active Minds; act as primary authority regarding issues at the Office of Student Life (sign up for banner poles, reserve tables for information distributions if needed, etc.)

  • Secretary:  Take attendance and notes each meeting and report the minutes via e-mail and/or briefly at the start of the next meeting; draft solicitation and thank you notes to be distributed after major events.

  • Treasurer:  Take responsibility for issues regarding SAC; keep a written account of all Active Minds funds transactions; along with the President, have the authority to deposit and withdraw funds from the organizations' accounts; act as SAC representative.

  • Research Liaison:  Responsible for keeping up on current mental health news, nationally and with organizations such as NIMH and NAMI, and reporting news to group members.

  • Publicity Chair:  Contact school and local newspapers and other publications about upcoming events; hold the responsibility for advertising to the general public.

  • Web master:  Set up and maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date, website for the organization.

Elections
Elections shall be held at the end of the spring semester for the upcoming academic year.  Any member may run for an office.  Nominations may be made from two weeks prior to the election meeting until the election for that specific office.  Officers must be elected by simple majority.  In case of a tie, the president determines the winner.  The elections are to be made by secret ballot at a standard meeting.  Winners are to be announced immediately.  If someone wins a race in absentia, the Secretary will email the winner within 48 hours of the election.

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Article 5 – Meetings

Meeting will be held a minimum of once a month.  Meetings may be held more often as the president deems necessary.  The date of the next meeting will be agreed upon at every meeting, and will be included in the Secretary’s minutes for that meeting.  All active members are eligible to vote.  For a standard meeting, half of the active members are required for a quorum.  Two thirds of members are required for an election meeting.

If a situation arises not covered by the constitution or bylaws the President may, but is not required to, defer to Robert’s Rules of Order.

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Article 6 – Advisor

  • Section 1:  Election
    The advisor of the organization will be nominated by the active members.  A list of possible advisors will be created and from that list, an advisor will be elected through a simple majority during a business meeting.  In case of a tie, the president determines the winner.  The secretary will email the advisor and request a formal letter of support from the advisor for that year.
  • Section 2:  Qualifications
    The advisor must be a CSU faculty/staff member or graduate student (with a consent form from their academic advisor) who has an interest in serving as an advisor.

  • Section 3:  Duties
    The advisor will be expected to attend at least one meeting of the organization per month and offer advice regarding the operations.
    The advisor will be expected to provide letters of support as requested by the members in order to obtain student chapter resources (e.g., a letter of support is needed to establish a web space for the organization on campus). 
    The advisor may not vote during the meetings but can offer advice to the organization.

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Article 7 – Amendments

Amendments may be proposed by any active member at a meeting.  If seconded, the amendments will be voted on at the following meeting.  A two-thirds majority is required to pass amendments.

Article 8 – Financial Structure

There will be no dues. 
The President or Treasurer will authorize expenditures from the organization’s account. 
The Treasurer will maintain a budget outlining the income (i.e., fund-raisers, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, and other funding sources) and expenses (i.e., advertising, equipment/room rental, printing, supplies, refreshments) accrued during the academic year. 
All income and expenditures will comply with CSU policy and state law on appropriate use of funds.

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Article 9 – By-laws

The same procedures as stated under Article 7 regarding changes to the constitution will be adopted for any by-laws to be created.

Article 10 – Committees

  • Committees for this chapter will fluctuate and be determined through demand and availability of resources. 
  • Committees may be created as necessary by the president for specific events/projects.  Any active member may be selected as a committee chair if no Board member is acting as such.  Committee chairs are appointed by the president and will coordinate the planning and execution of the committee project.  Any number of active members may be on a committee.

 

                                                                                       ________
Signature of President                                                Date

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