The National Band Association -- Student Chapter Constitution The University of Southern Mississippi Article I: Name and Purpose Section 1. This organization shall be known as the National Band Association Collegiate Chapter-The University of Southern Mississippi. Section 2. The purpose of this organization shall be: -To promote the excellence of band throughout the state -To encourage the composition and performance of quality music for young bands -To assist people who are interested and/or involved, in any capacity and at any level, in the band movement -To promote pride and enthusiasm in the band movement -To encourage interested students to pursue careers in music -To promote a spirit of cooperation and dialogue among university students, band directors, performers, representatives of the music industry, and all other supporters of the band movement -To provide opportunities for university students to collaborate, network, and build relationships with professionals in the band movement Section 3. The National Band Association Collegiate Chapter-The University of Southern Mississippi will be responsible for the observance of the rules and regulations established by the university. Article II: Membership Section 1. Members of the organization must be a part of any USM instrumental ensemble. Section 2. Membership is contingent upon the payment of dues as stated in article XI. Section 3. Upon payment of the dues, members will receive a one-year subscription to The Instrumentalist. Section 4. Honorary membership may be awarded to any person. Nominations may be submitted by any NBA member(s). Nominations shall be submitted in writing, and each nomination shall be reviewed by the Executive Board. Upon approval, the nomination will be presented to the general membership for a vote. Section 5. Consistent with all applicable federal and state laws and university policies, this organization and its subordinate bodies, officers and members shall not discriminate for or against any person by reason of age, gender, marital or parental status, race, creed or religion, color, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or physical handicap. Section 6. The primary control of the National Band Association Collegiate Chapter-The University of Southern Mississippi rests with the student members. Article III: Officers Section 1. The Executive Board for the Association shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, two Historians and one Sergeant at Arms. Section 2. Any candidate for the Executive Board must be a member of the Association for at least one academic year. The candidate(s) for President must have served on the Executive Board for at least one year. (Effective fall 2005) Section 3. The holding of office shall be restricted to full or part-time students in good academic standing with The University of Southern Mississippi. Section 4. Each officer shall begin his or her term in office at the completion of the spring semester and serve for the duration of the following academic year. Section 5. If a vacancy occurs in the Presidency, the Vice-President shall fill the duties of that office for the remainder of the term. Any other vacancies shall be filled by election. Section 6. The officers shall be considered the Executive Board. Article IV: Duties of the Officers Section 1. The President shall preside at meetings, uphold the constitution and represent the Association. The President shall also assign special committees as approved by the student chapter. Section 2. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President and serve as head of public relations. Section 3. The Secretary shall make a record of all meetings of the Association and its Executive Board. These records will be typed and kept on archive with the Historian. Also, it is necessary for the secretary to preside over the elections of the Executive Board. Section 4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds and will disburse such funds as approved by the Executive Board. The Treasurer will keep financial records of all transactions as well. Section 5. The two Historians shall assist the President in establishing and maintaining relationships with the State and National Executive Boards. The Historians shall also maintain a record of all activities and programs in which the Association is involved. The Historians will keep photographs and other historical information in archives. Section 6. The Sergeant at Arms shall keep attendance at all general meetings, at meetings of the Executive Board and other chapter functions. He or she shall also be responsible for keeping order at all chapter meetings. Article V: Executive Board Section 1. The Executive Board shall be responsible to the entire membership for upholding the terms of this constitution. Section 2. This Executive Board shall be supervised by the faculty advisor. Section 3. There shall be at least one meeting of the Executive Board between regular chapter meetings to discuss plans of the chapter. Section 4. The power to make decisions in all necessary matters not related to the general membership shall be granted to the Executive Board. Article VI: Elections Section 1. Any registered member may vote in Executive Board elections or on any major issues concerning the Association. Section 2. Nominations for Executive Board will be taken one general meeting prior to elections. Section 3. Any nominations may be declined at the request of the nominee. Section 4. Elections for the Executive Board shall be held in April for the following academic year. Section 5. All elections will be held by secret ballot. Section 6. In order to be elected, the nominee must receive a simple majority of the votes cast for that position. The Secretary shall be in charge of all elections of the Executive Board. Article VII: Impeachment Section 1. All officers are open to impeachment by a petition signed by at least 2/3 of the general membership of the Association. Section 2. In the case of a recall election, Article IV, Section 2 will still have bearing. Article VIII: Faculty Advisor Section 1. There shall be a faculty advisor who oversees the Association. Section 2. The Advisor shall be: a. A University of Southern Mississippi music faculty member b. A member of the National Band Association Section 3. The responsibilities of the advisor shall be to: a. Advise and promote interest in the National Band Association b. Provide guidance in the programs and activities as carried out by the chapter c. Serve as an intermediary between the student member chapter and the university administration Article IX: Meetings Section 1. There shall be bi-weekly meetings of the Association per month during the regular academic school year. Section 2. At the Presidents discretion, meetings can be cancelled due to inadequate attendance. Section 3. Executive Board meetings shall be held as determined by the President. Section 4. The Executive Board may call special meetings of the Association at any time. Article X: Amendments Section 1. Any member of the Association may propose amendments to the constitution. Section 2. Any proposed amendment(s) must first be submitted in a formal style to the Executive Board for discussion and vote of the chapter. Section 3. A notification of the proposed amendment(s) shall be given to the general membership at least one week prior to the meeting. Section 4. Any amendment to this constitution requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the general membership. Section 5. A secret ballot shall be used when voting on proposed amendments. Section 6. Constitutions and Bylaws shall be reviewed at least once every three years. Article XI: Finance Section 1. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the verification that each student is a registered member of the National Band Association. Section 2. Any dues gathered above and beyond the national dues will be used to facilitate local chapter activities. Section 3. All dues will be collected at the beginning of the academic year. Student membership runs from September 1 through August 31. Section 4. Committee expenses will be financed upon the approval of the Executive Board. Section 5. Only the treasurer and/or faculty advisor will disburse the collected dues mentioned in Section 3. As adopted by: Jason Barfield Ellen Crosby Michael Schultz Greg Springer Christian Sweatt Cornelius Young