Michigan State University Model United
Nations Organizational Constitution
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Article I: Purpose and Activities
Section 1: The organization shall be known as Michigan State University Model United Nations, or MSUMUN. Section 2: MSUMUN shall seek to provide an educational and social opportunity for members to expand their knowledge of international affairs and global politics, including but not limited to the activities of the United Nations. Section 3: The main activity of MSUMUN shall be the sponsorship of annual Model United Nations conferences, known as the Michigan State University Model United Nations conference, provided for organized high school groups and Red Cedar Model United Nations conference provided for organized middle school groups. Section 4: The conference shall be paid for through a combination of delegation fees and third-party contributions. The MSUMUN organization shall be not-for-profit. Section 5: The conference shall simulate several committees of the United Nations and/or various other international organizations. The group members shall Chair the committees, and delegates shall be high school students from various Model United Nations groups. Article II: Membership and Staff Structure Section 1: Membership in the Staff of MSUMUN is open to all Michigan State University students. In addition, up to 10% of the membership may be designated as volunteers, who can be alumni, students at another institution, or non-students. Volunteers may be Chairs, Assistant Chairs, Crisis Directors, Assistant Crisis Directors, and any other position Secretariat may deem necessary. Volunteers are to follow the same voting restrictions as alumni. MSUMUN will not discriminate on the basis of age, color, gender, gender identity, disability status, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or weight. Also, only MSU students may be officers and/or voting members. Section 2: The executive board of the organization shall be known as the Secretariat, whose primary purpose shall be the coordination of the annual MSUMUN conference. The presiding officer shall be known as the Secretary-General. Section 3: The term of office for the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General shall begin and end with elections of each year. The term of office for the remainder of the Secretariat and all other Staff shall begin at their hiring and end with the close of both conferences and the end of voting procedure. A Secretariat member's duties that extend beyond this term (taxes, following up with attendees, for example) should be completed by the Secretariat member under the supervision of the new Secretary-General. Section 4: The remainder of the membership shall consist of Chairs and Assistant Chairs for each committee, Crisis Directors and Assistant Crisis Directors for crisis committees, and conference services Staff, as well as any other positions deemed necessary by the Secretariat. Section 5: The Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General shall be elected by a simple majority vote immediately upon adjournment of the conference. The Election of the Secretary-General shall occur first, immediately followed by the election of the Deputy Secretary-General. Candidates can only run for one position. Candidates for Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General shall be nominated from the current Staff or volunteer roster. In the event of there being no nominations for Deputy Secretary-General, the candidates for Secretary-General shall be automatically nominated for Deputy Secretary-General. An interview process shall select the remaining members of the Secretariat; serving as interviewers shall be the newly elected Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. The remainder of the Staff will be selected through an interview process conducted by the Secretariat.
Section 1: The Secretariat shall convene for meetings when they deem necessary. All meetings shall be open to the Staff. Section 2: Meetings shall be run by the presiding officer, the Secretary-General, or in their absence, the Deputy Secretary-General. Section 3: Each of the meetings shall include reports by each member of the Secretariat and a review of the organization's budget. Section 4: Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed to the Michigan State University International Relations Organization provided that the organization is exempt under section 501(c)(3) at the time such dissolution takes place. Article IV: Removal and Replacement of Secretariat Members Section 1: A Staff member who fails to effectively perform their duties may be removed or have their voting rights stripped by the decision of the majority of the members of the Secretariat. A Secretariat member who fails to effectively perform their duties can be removed from office by a 2/3 vote of the majority of the remaining members of the Secretariat. During the period between elections and the appointment of the remainder of the Secretariat, neither the Secretary-General nor the Deputy Secretary-General may be removed from office. Section 2: In the case of the removal or resignation of the Secretary-General the Deputy Secretary-General shall become the Secretary-General for duration of the MSUMUN Conference season until the regularly held elections. Section 3: In the case of the removal or resignation or promotion of the Deputy Secretary-General the position shall be filled via election of a simple majority of Staff and Secretariat. Section 4: Should any other member of the Secretariat resign or be removed the position shall be filled via an interview process by the Secretariat. Article V: Amendments Section 1: Any member of the organization may propose amendments at any time, and such proposals must be introduced at the following meeting of the Secretariat. Staff must be notified of the pending amendments at least one week before said amendments are debated and voted on. Section 2: Debate on the amendments shall be conducted through moderated caucuses, chaired by the Secretary-General, to debate the merits of the amendments under consideration. Section 3: Amendments shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of each the Secretariat and the Senior Staff. An amendment shall not be voted upon unless a quorum of half of Secretariat members and half of the Senior Staff are present for voting procedures. Section 4: In the case of March 13-15, 2020 Session of MSUMUN, the current Secretary-General, Monica Pham, and the current Deputy Secretary-General, Anna Lin, are permitted to retain authority of Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General past the election of a new Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, during which the newly elected Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General will serve in an advisory role, until the date of May 1st, 2020. On this day (May 1st, 2020), the full authority of both offices are transferred to the newly elected Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. |
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