East Campus/Past Versions of the Constitution

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This is NOT the official copy of the EC Constitution. For the official version, please check the EC web site. Discussion of future amendments can go on the discussion page (click the "discussion" link above)

February 2006

Article I - Name:

The name of the organization shall be the MIT East Campus House Committee (HouseComm).

Article II - Purpose:

The purpose of HouseComm is to represent the residents of East Campus and to promote their interests.

Article III - Membership:

  1. HouseComm consists of the following positions:
    1. The Executive Committee (Execcomm): Consisting of the President, who casts the deciding vote in case of a tie among the voting members, and three non-voting members: the Vice President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
    2. Ten voting hall chairpersons, each representing one floor (hall) of the dorm. In the event of co-chairpersons, each hall receives only one vote.
    3. Any other Comms created as needed by HouseComm.
    4. The Sergeant-At-Arms, who is the president's personal bodyguard and maintains general order at meetings.
  2. No person can hold more than one position in the Executive Committee.
  3. Someone holding one position may run for another, but must give up any conflicting positions upon election.
  4. Each Execcomm position must be held by an individual. The other positions may be held by one or more, at the discretion of HouseComm.

Article IV - Powers and Duties of Members

  1. What the President does:
    1. Chairs HouseComm meetings.
    2. Represents the dorm to the outside world, if such exists.
    3. Goes to Dormcon (Dormitory Council) meetings and votes on behalf of East Campus there.
    4. Nags people to carry out HouseComm decisions.
    5. Casts the deciding vote in case of a 50/50 tie vote of hall chairs.
    6. Yields the chair to the Vice President in the event that a conflict of interest or other matter warrant such action.
    7. Interprets this constitution and anything attached to it. The president has the final say, unless 6 out of 10 halls vote against it.
  2. What the Vice President does:
    1. Handles all the room assignments for the dorm.
    2. Helps the dorm out wherever he/she can.
    3. Doesn't get to vote, unless he/she:
    4. Does the President's job if for any reason the President can't or won’t.
  3. What the Treasurer does:
    1. Keeps all the financial records and budgets for HouseComm, and shows them to any resident who cares.
    2. Deals with campus administration's requests for financial records and audits.
    3. Files a complete financial report to HouseComm upon, when requested by any member, allowing two weeks for the report’s preparation.
    4. Gets all the financial responsibilities of the dorm, levies fines, withholds funds, and gives out money according to Execcomm and HouseComm decisions in a timely manner.
    5. Sets up the budget and maintains it.
    6. Takes responsibility for maintaining records of old funding proposals, and advises EC residents on the process of obtaining funding for events.
  4. What the Secretary does:
    1. Keeps all the records that no one else is keeping.
    2. Takes minutes for HouseComm and posts them within 3 days to the dorm’s email list.
    3. Posters for HouseComm at least 2 days before the meeting. (See Article XII)
    4. Keeps a hard copy of the minutes in the permanent files.
    5. Sends emails and other correspondence for HouseComm in general.
    6. Keeps this constitution and associated documents for the reference of anyone who cares.
    7. Calls role at the start of each Housecomm meeting, or upon the request of any member of Housecomm.
    8. Makes this document and all other official HouseComm documents available on the Web.
  5. What the hall chairs do:
    1. Vote at HouseComm.
    2. Enforce the rules and directives of HouseComm on their respective halls.
    3. Represent their respective halls and their hall’s interests to HouseComm.
    4. Inform their hall’s residents of HouseComm activities.
    5. Manage and record the financial affairs of their halls, or delegate the task.
  6. What Execcomm does:
    1. Supervises elections that happen within HouseComm and acts as prescribed in the East Campus By-laws.
    2. Creates or dissolves any non-voting committees, as they become necessary. This requires the confirmation of a simple majority of HouseComm. These committees report to and receive their funding from HouseComm. Their operation and resposibilities are perscribed in the By-Laws.

Article V - Elections

  1. Dorm-wide elections are run by an Elections Commissioner, elected at least two HouseComms before the election. Voting happens according to By-Laws.
  2. President and Vice President:
    1. The President and Vice President are elected annually on the first Tuesday of December in a dorm-wide election.
    2. Nominations must be accompanied by a petition of at least 20 percent of the residents of East Campus.
    3. Candidates must have been a resident of East Campus for at least two terms. Candidates must also be able to remain living at East Campus for the duration of the term of their office.
    4. The new President and Vice President take office at the first HouseComm of the spring term.
  3. Treasurer, Secretary:
    1. The Treasurer and Secretary are elected by HouseComm at the first meeting of the spring term.
    2. The Treasurer and Secretary must have been a resident of East Campus for at least one term prior to election.
  4. Hall Chairs:
    1. The Hall Chairs may be elected in any manner that the individual hall chooses, as long as the position is not vacant.
    2. A Hall Chair must reside on the hall that he/she represents.
    3. If a Hall Chair position is vacant, that hall must send a proxy representative.
  5. All undergraduate residents of East Campus are eligible to vote in any election or referendum run outside of HouseComm.
  6. The President of East Campus runs all elections that happen within HouseComm.
  7. Disputed Elections:
    1. If any election is disputed, seven out of the ten halls must vote to approve the validity of the election. If the disputed election is not approved, another election must be held within 10 school days of the disputed election.
  8. A candidate disputing an election must tell Execcomm within 24 hours of the posting of the election results.
  9. All unspecified vacancies are filled for the remainder of their term the same way as a regular election, or in any way approved by a two-thirds vote of HouseComm. This election must take place within 10 school days of the occurrence of the vacancy.
  10. In the event of a vacancy when it can’t be filled (i.e. Summer, IAP), a member of Execcomm may fill it until it can be.
  11. All positions may be held only by residents of East Campus.

Article VI - Meetings

  1. Regular meetings of HouseComm are held biweekly during the term, beginning within one week of the first day of classes (not including finals week). Meetings may be held more often at the discretion of the President or by a petition of a majority of the voting HouseComm membership. Any meeting may be suspended by a two-thirds vote.
  2. All meetings are open unless re closed by a two-thirds vote.
  3. By written notice, a voting member may send a proxy to a meeting to act as that member. A proxy must reside in East Campus. No proxy may transfer his proxy or act as an officer, and no one person may hold more than one voting position.
  4. A quorum is seven out of the ten hall chairs or their proxies. If a quorum isn't present, HouseComm can't do anything official except adjourn.
  5. Roll-call must be taken by the Secretary before a vote when demanded by any voting member of HouseComm and when voting on amendments to the Constitution and By-laws. A member must be there when roll is called in order to vote.
  6. In cases where strict conduct is required the President may order that Robert's Rules of Order be enforced in governing HouseComm proceedings.

Article VII - Removal From Office

  1. Any member may be removed from office for failure to perform his/her duties by a seven-out-of-ten paper ballot of the hall chairs. The vote must be taken at the meeting following the motion for expulsion. The member must be notified, in writing, at least one week the vote. No member may vote in his/her own expulsion.
  2. Any member who no longer resides in the hall he/she represents immediately loses his/her office.
  3. A Hall Chair is removed from office immediately if Execcomm receives a petition signed by one-half or more of the residents he/she represents. That former Hall Chair may be a candidate in election to fill the vacancy unless ineligible for reasons specified in this Constitution.
  4. Upon the reinstatement of a Judicial Commitee in accordance with the By-Laws, any member of HouseComm may also be removed by judgment of the Judicial Committee in compliance to the East Campus Judicial Code.

Article VIII - Judicial Powers

  1. East Campus does not have a Judicial Code or JudComm. In order to establish one, the Constitution may be amended by the process described below.

Article IX - Amendments

  1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of HouseComm. Amendments must be posted in writing for at least a week prior to the vote.
  2. The By-laws may be amended with a week's written notice and a majority vote of HouseComm, except for the voting procedure for Presidential and Vice Presidential elections. That procedure is amendable like Constitutional amendments.
  3. Additional committees may be established and defined immediately if approved by a majority vote of HouseComm.

Article X - Referenda

  1. Motions or amendments for referendum voting may be made either by petition of at least 100 East Campus residents or by a majority vote of HouseComm. The petition or HouseComm resolution must include the exact motion or amendment to be voted upon.
  2. The Secretary shall post any motion or amendment, with the date of the vote, within 48 hours of the introduction of the motion or amendment.
  3. Voting must happen between 5 and 10 days after the posting of the motion or amendment. Execcomm must decide the exact date of the vote within 24 hours of the petition or resolution.
  4. A simple majority of voters is necessary to pass any referendum whether or not it amends this Constitution.
  5. Any undergraduate resident of East Campus is eligible to vote on a referendum.

Article XI - Budget and House Tax

  1. Within three weeks of the beginning of the term, HouseComm makes a budget for that term at the budget meeting.
  2. Any member who wants a budget for the next term needs to submit a written budget to the Treasurer at least a week before the budget meeting. All of these budgets will be submitted to HouseComm at the budget meeting.
  3. The final budget must be posted by the Treasurer within three school days of the budget meeting.
  4. Each item of the budget is voted on by HouseComm, and the whole budget must be declared balanced or in surplus by the Treasurer. HouseComm may move to take out loans to cover any expense in the budget. Loans will be considered income in the current budget period.
  5. House Tax is determined by a majority vote of HouseComm during the Budget Meeting.

Article XII - Posting of Notices

Anything that HouseComm requires to be posted must be posted at least on the East Campus Bulletin Board in the Munroe stairwell, across from Desk.

Article XIII - Adoption of By-laws

HouseComm may adopt By-laws to this Constitution. The By-laws can’t violate this Constitution. Any By-law violating this Constitution in letter or spirit is null and void.

Article XIV - Emergency Powers

When HouseComm can’t meet, Execcomm can act as necessary for the welfare of the residents of East Campus. HouseComm must meet and be informed of any of these actions as soon as possible.

1999

Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be the MIT East Campus House Committee (HouseComm).

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of HouseComm is to represent the residents of East Campus and to promote their interests.

Article III - Membership

  1. HouseComm consists of the following positions:
    1. The Executive Committee (Execcomm): Consisting of the President, who casts the deciding vote in case of a tie among the voting members, and three non-voting members: the Vice President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
    2. Ten voting hall chairpersons, each representing one floor (hall) of the dorm. In the event of co-chairpersons, each hall receives only one vote.
    3. Permanent elected Committee chairs (Comms): Consisting of the Social Committee (Soccomm) Chair, Athletic Committee (Jockcomm) Chair, and Judicial Committee (Judcomm) Chair.
    4. Any other Comms created as needed by HouseComm (See Article IV, Section 9.b).
    5. The Sergeant-At-Arms, who is the president's personal bodyguard and maintains general order at meetings.
  2. One person can’t hold more than one of the positions listed in parts (a) and (c) of Section 1. Someone holding one position may run for another, but must give up any conflicting positions upon election.
  3. Each Execcomm position and the Judcomm chair must be held by an individual. The other positions may be held by one or more people.

Article IV - Powers and Duties of Members

  1. What the President does:
    1. Chairs HouseComm meetings.
    2. Represents the dorm to the outside world, if such exists.
    3. Goes to Dormcon (Dormitory Council) meetings and votes on behalf of East Campus there.
    4. Nags people to carry out HouseComm decisions.
    5. Casts the deciding vote in case of a 50/50 tie vote of hall chairs.
    6. Yields the chair to the Vice President in the event that a conflict of interest or other matter warrant such action.
    7. Interprets this constitution and anything attached to it. The president has the final say unless 6 out of 10 halls vote against it.
  2. What the Vice President does:
    1. Handles all the room assignments for the dorm.
    2. Helps the dorm out wherever he/she can.
    3. Helps run HouseComm.
    4. Doesn't get to vote, unless he/she:
    5. Does the President's job if for any reason the President can't or won’t.
  3. What the Treasurer does:
    1. Keeps all the financial records and budgets for HouseComm, and shows them to any resident who cares.
    2. Deals with campus administration's requests for financial records and audits.
    3. Files a complete financial report to HouseComm upon, when requested by any member, allowing two weeks for the report’s preparation.
    4. Gets all the financial responsibilities of the dorm, writes checks, levies fines, withholds funds, and gives out money according to Execcomm and HouseComm decisions in a timely manner.
    5. Sets up the budget and maintains it.
  4. What the Secretary does:
    1. Keeps all the records that no one else is keeping.
    2. Takes minutes for HouseComm and posts them within 3 days to the dorm’s email list.
    3. Posters for HouseComm at least 2 days before the meeting. (See Article XII)
    4. Keeps a hard copy of the minutes in the permanent files.
    5. Sends emails and other correspondence for HouseComm in general.
    6. Keeps this constitution and associated documents for the reference of anyone who cares.
    7. Calls role at the start of each Housecomm meeting, or upon the request of any member of Housecomm.
  5. What the hall chairs do:
    1. Vote at HouseComm.
    2. Enforce the rules and directives of HouseComm on their respective halls.
    3. Represent their respective halls and their hall’s interests to HouseComm.
    4. Inform their hall’s residents of HouseComm activities.
    5. Manage and record the financial affairs of their halls, or delegate the task.
  6. What Soccomm does:
    1. Coordinates the scheduling of parties and other social events.
    2. Handles the reservations of public areas and lounges no one else is taking care of.
    3. Knows and informs event hosts of Institute rules regarding social events.
    4. Tells the treasurer about any outside fines or fees from any social events.
  7. What Jockcomm does:
    1. Maintains and replaces the athletic facilities and equipment of the dorm as necessary.
    2. Coordinates the intramural teams of East Campus.
    3. Tells the dorm about athletic events.
    4. Tells the treasurer about any outside fines or fees from any athletic events.
  8. What Judcomm does:
    1. Runs the Judicial Committee.
    2. Takes care of the records and correspondence of the Judicial Committee.
    3. Follows the East Campus Judicial Code and the Dormitory Council Judicial Code.
    4. Tells the treasurer about any fines or fees from any judicial action.
  9. What Execcomm does:
    1. Supervises elections and acts as prescribed in the East Campus By-laws.
    2. Creates or dissolves any non-voting committees, as they become necessary. This requires the confirmation of a simple majority of HouseComm. These committees report to and receive their funding from HouseComm.

Article V - Elections

  1. President and Vice President:
    1. The President and Vice President are elected annually on the first Tuesday of December in a dorm-wide election.
    2. Nominations must be accompanied by a petition of at least 20 percent of the residents of East Campus.
    3. Candidates must be sophomores or juniors on the day of election, must have been members of HouseComm for one term, and have been a resident of East Campus for at least two terms.
    4. The new President and Vice President take office on Registration Day of the spring term.
  2. Treasurer, Secretary, Soccomm, and Jockcomm:
    1. The Treasurer, Secretary, Soccomm, and Jockcomm are elected by HouseComm at the first meeting of the spring term.
    2. The Treasurer and Secretary must have been a resident of East Campus for at least one term prior to election.
  3. Hall Chairs:
    1. The Hall Chairs may be elected in any manner that the individual hall chooses, as long as the position is not vacant.
    2. A Hall Chair must reside on the hall that he/she represents.
    3. If a Hall Chair position is vacant, that hall must send a proxy representative.
  4. Judicial Committee:
  1. Three members of the Judicial Committee are elected by HouseComm by the first meeting of the spring term.
  2. To serve on the Judicial Committee, one has to have been a resident of East Campus for two academic terms. 
  1. All undergraduate residents of East Campus are eligible to vote in any election or referendum run outside of HouseComm.
  2. All elections are run by Execcomm, if not otherwise indicated. Voting happens according to By-laws.
  3. Disputed Elections:
  1. If any election is disputed, seven out of the ten halls must vote to approve the validity of the election. If the disputed election is not approved, another election must be held within 10 school days of the disputed election.
  2. A candidate disputing an election must tell Execcomm within 24 hours of the posting of the election results.
  1. All unspecified vacancies are filled for the remainder of their term the same way as a regular election, or in any way approved by a two-thirds vote of HouseComm. This election must take place within 10 school days of the occurrence of the vacancy.
  2. In the event of a vacancy when it can’t be filled (i.e. Summer, IAP), a member of Execcomm may fill it until it can be.
  3. All positions may be held only by residents of East Campus.

Article VI - Meetings

  1. Regular meetings of HouseComm are held biweekly during the term, beginning within one week of the first day of classes (not including finals week). Meetings may be held more often at the discretion of the President or by a petition of a majority of the voting HouseComm membership. Any meeting may be suspended by a two-thirds vote.
  2. All meetings are open unless they’re closed by a two-thirds vote.
  3. By written notice, a voting member may send a proxy to a meeting to act as that member. A proxy must reside in East Campus. No proxy may transfer his proxy or act as an officer, and no one person may hold more than one voting position.
  4. A quorum is seven out of the ten hall chairs or their proxies. If a quorum isn’t present, HouseComm can’t do anything official except adjourn.
  5. Roll-call must be taken by the Secretary before a vote when demanded by any voting member of HouseComm and when voting on amendments to the Constitution and By-laws. A member must be there when roll is called in order to vote.
  6. In cases where strict conduct is required the President may order that Robert's Rules of Order be enforced in governing HouseComm proceedings.

Article VII - Removal From Office

  1. Any member may be removed from office for failure to perform his/her duties by a seven-out-of-ten paper ballot of the hall chairs. The vote must be taken at the meeting following the motion for expulsion. The member must be notified, in writing, at least one week the vote. No member may vote in his own expulsion.
  2. Any member who no longer resides in the hall he/she represents immediately loses his/her office.
  3. A Hall Chair is removed from office immediately if Execcomm receives a petition signed by one-half or more of the residents he/she represents. That former Hall Chair may be a candidate in election to fill the vacancy unless ineligible for reasons specified in this Constitution.
  4. Any member may also be removed by judgment of the Judicial Committee according to the East Campus Judicial Code.

Article VIII - Judicial Powers

  1. Judcomm and the Judicial Committee have the judicial power of East Campus. They handle all relevant cases according to the East Campus Judicial Code. Their decisions are final and binding unless appealed to the Housemaster and/or Dean's Office.
  2. The East Campus Judicial Code may be amended by a two-thirds vote of HouseComm. Proposed amendments must be posted in writing for at least a week before the vote. The East Campus Judicial Code is subject to approval by the Institute Judicial Committee.
  3. The Judicial Committee must review the East Campus Judicial Code to keep it current. Judcomm must present all recommendations to HouseComm for action.

Article IX - Amendments

  1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of HouseComm. Amendments must be posted in writing for at least a week prior to the vote.
  2. The By-laws may be amended with a week's written notice and a majority vote of HouseComm, except for the voting procedure for Presidential and Vice Presidential elections. That procedure is amendable like Constitutional amendments.

Article X - Referenda

  1. Motions or amendments for referendum voting may be made either by petition of at least 100 East Campus residents or by a majority vote of HouseComm. The petition or HouseComm resolution must include the exact motion or amendment to be voted upon.
  2. The Secretary shall post any motion or amendment, with the date of the vote, within 48 hours of the introduction of the motion or amendment.
  3. Voting must happen between 5 and 10 days after the posting of the motion or amendment. Execcomm must decide the exact date of the vote within 24 hours of the petition or resolution.
  4. A simple majority of voters is necessary to pass any referendum whether or not it amends this Constitution.
  5. Any undergraduate resident of East Campus is eligible to vote on a referendum.

Article XI - Budget and House Tax

  1. Within three weeks of the beginning of the term, HouseComm makes a budget for that term at the budget meeting.
  2. Any member who wants a budget for the next term needs to submit a written budget to the Treasurer at least a week before the budget meeting. All of these budgets will be submitted to HouseComm at the budget meeting.
  3. The final budget must be posted by the Treasurer within three school days of the budget meeting.
  4. Each item of the budget is voted on by HouseComm, and the whole budget must be declared balanced or in surplus by the Treasurer. HouseComm may move to take out loans to cover any expense in the budget. Loans will be considered income in the current budget period.
  5. House Tax is determined by a majority vote of HouseComm during the Budget Meeting.

Article XII - Posting of Notices

Anything that HouseComm requires to be posted must be posted at least on the East Campus Bulletin Board in the Munroe stairwell, across from Desk.

Article XIII - Adoption of By-laws

HouseComm may adopt By-laws to this Constitution. The By-laws can’t violate this Constitution. Any By-law violating this Constitution in letter or spirit is null and void.

Article XIV - Emergency Powers

When HouseComm can’t meet, Execcomm can act as necessary for the welfare of the residents of East Campus. HouseComm must meet and be informed of any of these actions as soon as possible.

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