SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
PLEASE READ: Please note that this is a very simple, sample constitution, provided to assist groups in
preparing their OWN, ORIGINAL constitution with more substance. If you intend to apply as a new
organization, your application may be denied if you simply fill in the blanks and turn this in as a
completed constitution or you ignore required sections and/or clearly stated policies.
Refer to ETSU General Policies on Student Organizations and Tennessee Board of Regents Policies for
additional guidance when creating your constitution. These policies can be found at www.etsu.edu/sorc
in the Policies and Forms section.
Article I NAME
Section (1) The name of the organization shall be _____________________________.
Note: TBR 3.6—No person, group or organization may use the name of the institution
or school in any manner, provided that registered student organizations may use the
name of the institution or school following the name of the organization (i.e. “ETSU Kite
Flying Club” would not be permitted; however, “Kite Flying Club at ETSU” is
acceptable.) No person, group or organization may use the seal or any symbol of the
institution or school without the prior written approval of the president of the
institution or the director of the school, or his or her designee.
Article II PURPOSE/MISSION
The purpose(s) of this organization shall be to __________________________________.
Note: The purpose of your organization should be clear, comprehensible, and unique.
If your organization does not stand out as one that will be distinct from other
organizations already on campus, then your application may be denied. Explain how
your organization will offer a new perspective to the campus and how it will benefit the
campus and its students.
Article III MEMBERSHIP
Section (1) Membership in this organization shall be open to ___________________.
Example: “any ETSU student or ETSU faculty or staff members that are
interested in becoming a member of the organization.”
Note: If there are standards of membership such as class standing, grade point
average, etc., required in order to gain membership in your group, those requirements
should be outlined here. Example “All student members must be in good standing with
ETSU and are required to keep a minimum GPA of 2.0.”
Section (2) Membership shall be for ____________________ (length of time).
Example: “one academic year starting in the fall semester and ending in the spring.
Members are welcome to renew their membership the following academic term.”
Note: Many groups work on an academic calendar (August-May), while others follow a
calendar year (January-December) or the State’s fiscal year (July-June.)
SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
Section (3) A member shall be considered in good standing with the organization as long as he/she
fulfills the following criteria:
A. ______________ Example: “pays membership dues by the deadline stated;”
B. ______________ Example: “attends at least 50% of meetings each semester;”
C. ______________ Example: “performs a minimum of 25 hours of service per year.”
Note: Section (3) should clearly outline the expectations you have for regular members
including dues payment, general conduct, meeting and program attendance, service,
etc.
Section (4) Members who remain in good standing are entitled to the following benefits _________.
Example: “voting privileges, free entry to organization-sponsored events, eligibility for
leadership positions, opportunity to attend regional or national conferences or other
professional development, etc.”
Note: This section should outline the privileges of membership that could be lost if the
expectations outlined in Section (3) are not met.
Section (5) Failure to meet any of the requirements listed in Section (3) may result in loss of any or
all privileges listed in Section (4); and, in extreme cases, may be grounds for removal of
membership.
Note: If there are any requirements that are grounds for automatic removal of
membership, those should be stated here. For example, if an honor society requires a
certain grade point average, then students failing to maintain that G.P.A. will
automatically be dismissed.
Loss of privileges/membership shall be determined by ____________.
Example: “the faculty/staff advisor of the organization” or “the executive committee.”
Members being considered for disciplinary action may make appeals by __________.
Example: “providing written explanation/defense” or “attending a meeting to discuss.”
Note: Be very specific about how a member facing loss of privileges may plead their
case. To whom should they provide a written explanation? Is there a time limit for
appealing? Should they appear before a group in person? If so, what group and when?
Section (6) This organization shall not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender,
national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or political
affiliation.
Note: This statement is required for all organizations registered with ETSU.
Article IV DUES & TREASURY
Section (1) The local dues of (your organization’s name) is set at $_____ per ____ (semester/year).
Section (2) The national dues are set at $____________ per ____________________.
Note: If your organization is not affiliated and paying dues to a national entity, Section
(2) will not be needed.
Section (3) In the case of organizational dissolution, the organizational funds will ______________.
Example: “be donated directly to a non-profit organization voted upon by the existing
SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
membership.”
Note TBR 4:7—The organization must provide plans for the distribution of all funds and
assets in the event of dissolution.
Article V LEADERSHIP
Section (1) The elected officers of this organization shall include:
Examples:
A. President Note: Your group may use a different title, but all organizations
must have one person listed as the primary convener,
spokesperson, coordinator, communication contact, etc. for the
organization.
B. Treasurer Note: Any organization that plans to collect dues, make purchases
or conduct fundraisers must have one person responsible for the
treasury, though this role may be combined with others, such as
Secretary, etc.
C. Vice-President
D. Secretary
Section (2) Other appointed leaders of this organization shall include:
A. Historian
B. Committee Chairman (for each standing committee)
C. Parliamentarian
D. Other ____________________
E. An Advisor who is a current, full-time employee of ETSU.
Note: All registered organizations at ETSU are required to have a current
faculty/staff advisor listed in the directory at all times.
Section (3) Nominations will be held during the __________ meeting of the _________ semester.
Note: This will depend on your organization’s term of membership mentioned in Article
III, Section (2). In other words, if your term of membership is January-December, officer
nominations may happen the last week of November. That way, elections may take
place the first week of December in order for new leaders to transition and take office
in January. Think this process through completely.
Examples of the qualifications & procedures for nominations:
“A. Any person considering an elected officer position should become familiar with
that respective position by reading the duties listed in the constitution and/or
shadowing the current officer for a minimum period of time.
B. Any person nominated must be in good standing with the organization.
C. Persons nominated must be present in the nomination meeting.
D. Persons nominated must verify that they will be returning in the fall semester to
fulfill their position if elected as an officer
E. Persons nominated for the position of President or Vice-President must verify
that if they will be returning in fall, that they will be committed to a full term of
service as outlined in Section (5).
F. Nominations must be made one week prior to official elections.
G. Nominations may be submitted in writing by email or in person at the meeting
SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
designated for nominations.
H. Nomination must be formally accepted by the nominee and noted in the
minutes. Once accepted, the executive officers will verify qualifications (listed
above) and bring that information to the general membership prior to elections.”
Section (4) Election of officers shall be held during the ________ meeting of the _______ semester.
Note: Refer to the timeline in Section (3).
Examples of the procedures for elections:
“A. Elections will be conducted by paper ballot, facilitated by the meeting chair
with the assistance of the faculty/staff advisor. If the meeting chair is running for a
particular office, that specific vote will be facilitated by another member of the
executive committee.
B. At least 1/3 of members must be present in order to conduct elections.
C. Elections may be held by email with votes being sent directly to both election
facilitators (e.g. meeting chair and advisor), as long as all voting members are
notified a minimum of 2 days in advance and at least 1/3 of members participate
in the email vote.
D. Officers will be chosen by simple majority.”
Section (5) Term of office shall be for ___________. Example: “one academic year; August-May.”
Note: The term of office will most likely mirror the term of membership mentioned in
Article III, Section (2).
Elected officers are eligible to hold the same position no more than _______ time(s).
Section (6) Any officer (elected or appointed) may be removed from office by _______________.
Example: “a majority vote of the members” Or “the executive committee in consultation
with the faculty/staff advisor for failure to fulfill the roles and responsibilities outlined in
Article VI.”
Note: The advisor should be present for any process to remove an officer.
Officers being considered for disciplinary action may make appeals by __________.
Example: “providing written explanation/defense” or “attending a meeting to discuss.”
Note: Be very specific about how an officer facing removal may plead their case. To
whom should they provide a written explanation? Is there a time limit for appealing?
Should they appear before a specific group in person? If so, what group and when?
Section (7) Should an office become vacant in mid-term, a new officer shall be chosen by _________.
Example: “appointment by the executive officers and approval by the faculty/staff
advisor” or “special election, with nominations being held one week prior to elections.”
Section (8) Requirements to be an officer include being a registered student, in good academic
standing, at ETSU for the entire term of office. Officers should maintain a G.P.A. of at
least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Note: These are the minimum requirements according to ETSU and TBR. Your group
may have additional requirements, but these must be included and followed in order
for the organization to be recognized at ETSU.
SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
Section (9) A current, full-time employee of ETSU will be selected to serve as advisor by the
executive board members at the beginning of each term.
Note: Advisors may be selected for an unlimited amount of terms. Also groups can
have more than one faculty/staff advisor in addition to alumni and community advisors
if they choose.
Article VI DUTIES OF LEADERSHIP
Note: This section should include all roles and responsibilities charged to each officer
(elected and appointed) within the organization. Providing details will assist your
officers in their transition each year. There should be a section here for every officer
listed in Article V, Sections (1) & (2).
Section (1) The (president/chairperson) shall serve as head of the organization and be responsible
for _________________________________________________________________.
Examples: “calling for and presiding over all scheduled meetings, serving as the
spokesperson and point of contact for the organization, voting only in the case of a tie,
providing a charge and general oversight for all committees, establishing goals for the
organization to work toward, etc.
Section (2) The vice president shall serve in absence of the president, and shall perform such duties
as assigned by the president.
Note: Many groups require the V-P to chair a standing committee, for others, the V-P
serves as the chairman of the general meetings.
Section (3) The secretary shall be responsible for maintaining all records of the organization (e.g.
constitutional amendments, meeting minutes, membership rosters, attendance), and for
recording the minutes of all meetings and communicating with membership on behalf of
the executive committee.
Note: These are generally the duties of the secretary, though some organizations
include management of the treasury and/or oversight of marketing and publicity.
Section (4) The treasurer shall be responsible for managing the organization’s finances.
Note: Duties may include collection of dues, coordination of fundraising efforts, general
bookkeeping and financial reports to the executive committee, deposit of all funds in
the organization's account, and approval of expenditures in conjunction with the
president or faculty/staff advisor—requirement of at least two signatures and/or a
vote of the general membership to approve budget expenditures is strongly advised.
These procedures should be written in the constitution and strictly followed.
**Organizations registered with ETSU do not automatically obtain non-profit status,
and therefore are responsible for paying any taxes associated with profitable activities
conducted by the group. If your organization is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, a
tax return 990 must be filed annually with the Internal Revenue Service, and your
organization’s financial records are subject to audit by the IRS at any time.
Section (5) The Advisor shall_____________. Example: “attend at least 3 meetings each semester,
SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
assist with elections, oversee removal or members or leadership, etc.”
Article VII COMMITTEES
Section (1) There shall be ___ (number) standing committees, and their charge is as follows:
Examples:
“A. Fundraising Committee: Responsible for ensuring that enough funds are raised
annually to cover costs associated with programming, travel, activities, etc.
B. Marketing Committee: Responsible for publicity materials related to open activities,
recruitment, fundraising and community involvement.
C. Membership Committee: Responsible for managing the recruitment of new
members, new member orientation and verification of current members fulfillment of
requirements for good standing.”
Section (2) The president and/or executive committee may create new committees as needed.
Article VIII ORGANIZATION MEETINGS
Section (1) There shall be a minimum of __ meetings per month during the spring and fall
semesters. Additional meetings may be called as necessary by the president. Additional
meetings must be announced at least ___ in advance of the meeting date.
Section (2) The business of these meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of
Order.
Note: This is an example of a meeting format; if you do not use parliamentary
procedure, DO NOT put this in your constitution.
Section (3) This organization is subject to the policies and procedures of ETSU and the Tennessee
Board of Regents. Note: This statement is Required.
Section (4) A quorum for conducting business shall be considered to be ____________.
Example: “1/3 of the members of the organization” or “a minimum of 10 members
present,” etc.
Section (5) The advisor should attend at least one regular meeting per semester in addition to the
meeting of elections.
Note: If you have not defined the job of the Advisor, this needs to be addressed at this
time, if not in Article VI, Section (5).
Section (6) All general meetings shall be open to ____________.
Example: “any ETSU students, faculty, or staff that are already members in the
organization or have an interest in obtaining membership with the organization.”
SAMPLE CONSTITUTION
XYZ Organization at ETSU
Article IX AMENDMENTS
Section (1) Any member may submit a proposal amend this constitution.
Section (2) Amendments may be made according to the procedure below.
Example:
“A. Proposed amendments must be submitted two weeks in advance to an executive
officer; the amendment will be voted on at the following meeting.
B. Executive officers and active members will be eligible to vote on any amendments.
C. For an amendment to pass, a 2/3 majority vote of members and officers present,
provided there is a quorum, will be required.
D. Passed amendments will be noted in the minutes and placed in the constitution.
The revised constitution will be distributed to all members within 2 weeks.”
Section (3) Amendment repeals may be made according to the following procedure:
Example:
“A. Motions to repeal a constitutional amendment must be submitted in writing. No
oral repeals are acceptable.
B. For a repeal to pass, a 2/3 majority vote of members and officers present, provided
there is a quorum, will be required.”
This constitution of the XYZ Organization at ETSU has been ratified (or amended) by the general
membership on _________________ (date).
_________________________________ _________________________________
(Signature of the President) (Signature of Secretary)
_________________________________ _________________________________
(Printed name of President) (Printed name of Secretary)
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Before applying to be a new organization, we strongly encourage you to submit a copy
of your constitution to the SORC/Student Activities Graduate Assistant for review.
Recommended changes will be noted and returned to the organization.
