Bylaws and such

They're so...official-sounding...

Bylaws for COUCH

Article I: Name
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be COUCH (Council On Urban Collective Happiness).

Article II: Purpose
Section 1. COUCH seeks to involve University students in the discussion and actions pertaining to the area’s ongoing development. We strongly believe that all students have a right to be involved in local affairs, especially on issues that pertain to housing. We recognize that students, as residents of the South Side community and users of its real estate, are entitled to have a say in the future of their neighborhoods. To these ends, we seek to connect students with those who are involved in local real estate to ensure that both parties’ needs are met and that their interests align.

Article III: Membership
Section 1. Any students interested in contributing to the realization of COUCH’s mission and goals are encouraged to join. However, voting membership is limited to currently registered U of C students.

Article IV: Officers
Section 1. COUCH’s executive positions shall be limited to the offices of Administrative Assistant, Treasurer, Event Coordinator, and Public Relations Chair.
Section 2. Officers must be currently registered students at the University and display a strong commitment to COUCH’s mission in the form of either past or present, active engagement with policies and issues involving student housing.
Section 3: All officers are expected to maintain good relations with community developers while promoting the goals of the organization.
o The Administrative Assistant is responsible for keeping notes and records of all meetings, including meetings between members of COUCH and those unaffiliated with the University, and making this information available to other members of the organization. He or she is also in charge of completing any basic clerical duties that may arise (copying, scheduling, etc.)
o The Treasurer’s duties entail the general management and allocation of COUCH’s funds. He or she oversees the creation of budgets as well as the deposit and withdrawal of the organization’s funds.
o The Event Coordinator supervises the planning, promotion, and production of any events COUCH chooses to hold. He or she also delegates planning responsibilities to individual members or groups of members as he or she sees fit.
o The Public Relations Chair is the public face of COUCH. He or she recruits new members, develop relationships with those outside the University, and help develop visual material and advertising for the organization.
Section 4. Officers shall be elected on a yearly basis, beginning in the last two weeks of spring quarter. Nominations from all members for all positions shall be posed, a meeting shall be called, and a majority vote shall elect a new officer. Officers may hold office for only one academic year.
Section 5. An officer can be removed with a majority vote by all members. Alternately, he or she may step down at any time. Nominations shall be made for his or her replacement, and a majority vote by all members will determine

Article V: Elections
Section 1. All members of COUCH shall be voting members. Elections for executive positions are to be administered as described above in Article IV, Section 4. If a member is unable to attend an election meeting, he or she may designate (in writing) a proxy

Article VI: Handling of Funds
Section 1. All funds collected will be deposited in COUCH’s ORCSA account by the Treasurer.
Section 2. The Treasurer shall be the primary officer designated to handle organization finances. Only the Treasurer may deposit or withdraw funds from the organization account, but he or she must have the consent of the other executive officers in order to do so.

Article VII: Amendments
Section 1. If a member wishes to amend the bylaws, he or she must notify all members of the organization to arrange a meeting, during which the amendment shall be drafted and a vote shall take place to approve the amendment. The Secretary shall be responsible for drafting the new bylaws or amendments.
Section 2. Amendments to the bylaws must be approved by a vote of two-thirds of the organization.