Russian-Speaking Student Association (RUSSA) Constitution
Drafted by Roman Voronov on November 14, 2005

Article I – Name and Purpose

Section 1 – Name
• The name of this organization shall hereby be known as Russian-Speaking Student Association, or RUSSA.

Section 2 – Purpose
• Our primary purpose is to create a community of Russian-speaking members attending OU. All others interested in the Russian culture and cultures of those whose first language is Russian, are also welcome. Russian-Speaking Student Association will allow its members to cultivate and share their cultures, practice their language, and disseminate general knowledge about a Russian-Speaking community at OU. It will also ease the transition for new members of the Russian-speaking community.

Article II – Membership, Qualifications, and Non-Discrimination Policy

Section 1 – Membership
• RUSSA recognizes both members and associate members as is identified by the Student Code. 10 SC 4.2(c)
• Only University of Oklahoma students may be full members.
• Members of the University community (faculty, staff, and spouses) maybe associate members.
• There are no other types of membership as is dictated by the Student Code. Specifically neither alumni, nor honorary membership are allowed. Also, RUSSA will not grant membership to students attending another university.

Section 2 – Qualifications
• The only qualification that is required to enter RUSSA is genuine interest in the Russian culture and/or the culture of other Russian-speaking countries.

Section 3 – Non-Discrimination Policy
• Membership in, association with, and benefits emanating from RUSSA and its related activities shall be based upon such considerations as performance, educational achievement, and other criteria related to the goals of the organization and purposes of the activities. Judgments in this regard based solely on an individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, marital status, or political belief are not judgments based on such considerations. Further, the purpose of the organization must be consistent with public policy as established by prevailing University Community standards.

Article III – Organization Leadership: Titles, Terms of Office, Type of Selection, and Duties of Leaders

Section 1 – Titles
• RUSSA shall have the following five titles: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Activities Director.

Section 2 – Terms of Office
• Officers shall be in office for one year, unless they volunteer to give up their duty, or voted off by the 2/3 of votes by all members, in the extraordinary circumstances.

Section 3 – Type of Selection
• RUSSA shall hold annual elections, for the five titles mentioned in Section 1 of Article 3 of the RUSSA Constitution. The elections will be held one week prior to the deadline for renewal of Organization Registration, as dictated by UOSA.

Section 4 – Duties of Leaders
• President: conduct official meetings of RUSSA and encourage and participate in all organization activities.
• Vice-President: support and assist the President, conduct business in the absence of the President, and take roll at official meetings. Public relations activities shall be the prime concern of the Vice-President (ex. campus advertising of upcoming events and meetings).
• Secretary: in charge of collecting, organizing, maintaining contact information for current or potential members, and recording and distributing materials about RUSSA meetings, such as meeting notes, as well as sending out official notices that would be of any interest to organization members.
• Treasurer: collection of dues(if applicable) and/or additional organization moneys, keeping detailed monthly account records, and applying for any fee allocations or sources of revenue for the organization.
• Activities Director: Develops and supervises all activities of RUSSA members by developing monthly newsletters, planning activities and programs with entertainers, volunteer agencies, and other organizations.

Article IV – Advisor: Qualifications, Responsibilities, and Role in Organization

Section 1 - Qualifications
• RUSSA shall have as an advisor a full-time member of the University faculty or staff.

Section 2 – Responsibilities
• The organization’s advisor is responsible for sponsorship management, mentorship, and overall guidance.

Section 3 – Role in Organization
• The advisor, if he/she desires, may vote on any issue equivalently to an officer. Additionally, the advisor may grant permission to dismiss an officer from duty, if it is so desired by the majority of the officers and is agreed upon by a 2/3 majority of the organization members in an emergency vote.

Article V – Executive Committee or other Committee (If Needed): Size and Composition of the Committee(s):

Section 1 – Name of Committee
• This committee shall be known as Executive Committee

Section 2 – Members of Committee
• Members of committee shall be all organization officers and the advisor.

Section 3 - Duties and Responsibilities of Committee
• The committee shall represent the general membership, conduct business of the organization between general meetings of the membership, and report their actions at the general meetings.

Article VI – Meeting of the Organization: Required Meetings, Frequency, Notification of, and Attendance

Section 1 - Required Meetings
• A member must attend 2% of the annual meetings in order to maintain his membership.

Section 2 – Frequency
• Meetings will be held on as need basis, with the exception of the first fall semester meeting that will be held one week prior to the prior to the deadline for renewal of Organization Registration, as dictated by UOSA.

Section 3 – Notification of meetings
• Notification of meetings, along with agenda, will be mailed electronically to the organization members one week prior to the meeting itself.

Section 4 – Attendance
• Failure to attend the first fall semester meeting may render a member ineligible for participation in officer elections. Permission to participate shall be granted by current organization officers, collectively.

• A member may be exempt from attendance requirements due to emergency situations, such as medical emergency, death in the family, etc. Exemptions shall be granted by one of the organization officers.

Article VII – Method of Amending Constitution: Proposals, Notice, and Voting Requirements.

Section 1 – Proposals
• Amendments must be submitted in writing to the President, at least two weeks before presentation at an organization meeting.

Section 2 – Notice
• Notification of proposed amendments, along with their contents, will be mailed electronically to the organization members one week after they are received by the President. Contents of the amendments will be read at two consecutive meetings and the voting will take place immediately after the second reading.

Section 3 – Voting Requirement
• Amendments will be voted on by present members (2/3 majority).

Article VIII – Miscellaneous Procedures: Quorum, Dissolution of Organization, Impeachment of Officers and Members, Parliamentary Authority, Etc.

Section 1 – Issues Not Covered
• In the event that a topic is not covered in this manuscript, RUSSA will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised (www.rulesonline.com), until a proper change to the constitution is made.

Section 2 – Impeachment of Officers and Members
• Impeachment of an Officer or a Member requires a vote in favor to do so by the 2/3 majority of all members. In extraordinary circumstances the advisor may grant permission to dismiss an officer from duty, if it is so desired by the majority of the officers and is agreed upon by a 2/3 majority of the organization members in an emergency vote. See Article III – Section 2 and Article IV – Section 3.

Article IX – Preemption Statement

Section 1 – Preemption Statement
• None.
• RUSSA is independent from any national or parent organization.