CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE HARVARD GRADUATE STUDENT CANADIAN CLUB/CLUB CANADIEN DES ETUDIANTS SUPERIEURS D'HARVARD

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Article One. Name.
The name of this organization shall be "Harvard Graduate Student Canadian Club"/"Club canadien des étudiants supérieurs d'Harvard".

Article Two. Purpose.
The Harvard Graduate Student Canadian Club [hereafter referred to as HGSCC] is dedicated to the goal of providing services to the members of the Harvard community interested in Canadian culture and issues. The activities of the HGSCC shall include, but not be limited to: holding social functions, both general, and of a distinctly Canadian nature, organizing speakers on Canadian issues, and holding special events relating to important political, athletic, and social occurrences in Canada. The HGSCC shall also use its resources to inform the Harvard community of the various events it will be organizing and sponsoring.

Article Three. Criteria for Membership.
Membership in the HGSCC shall be open to all students currently enrolled in Harvard University, regardless of sex, race, creed, age, colour, national origin, physical disability, or sexual orientation.

A majority of the members of the HGSCC shall be registered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Once attained, membership shall continue until a students severs connections with the University, whether by graduation or withdrawal. Membership shall therefore not be terminated by the taking of a leave of absence. Any member may formally withdraw by so informing in writing one of the officers.

A majority vote of the membership shall be required before any membership fee shall be assessed. Such a vote shall authorize a membership fee for the current academic year.

Article 4. Officers.
The officers of the HGSCC shall be the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. Any student currently registered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is eligible to serve as an officer

The president shall be the chief executive officer of the HGSCC and shall exercise general supervision and control over its programs as well as chair its business meetings.

The Vice-President shall assist the President in the duties of that office. Should the President leave the office prior to completing the term, the Vice-President shall assume the office until the next regularly-scheduled election. The new President shall fill the vacancy in the Office of Vice-President by appointment.

The Secretary shall be responsible for distributing information about the organization, handling correspondence, notifying members of the organization's meeting, maintaining written records of meetings and other business.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping the financial records, collecting dues which the organization may have, handling other financial matters as they occur, and submitting financial reports.

Article Five. Election.
Officers shall be elected annually by the membership of the HGSCC. Elections shall be held in April. The term of office shall commence one week after the date of the election.

Students interested in serving as officers shall so inform the Secretary prior to the day of the elections. In electing officers, each member shall have one vote, and members shall be entitled to vote by written proxy. Candidates must obtain a majority of all votes cast in order to be elected to office. In the event that no candidate attracts the requisite number of votes for election, a run-off shall be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.

Article Six. Meetings.
Regular meetings of the HGSCC shall be held at least once each semester.

The President shall preside over all business meetings of the HGSCC. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside over all business meetings of the HGSCC. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside.

Special meetings of the HGSCC may be called by any 4 members, who shall so inform the Secretary at least one week prior to the date of the proposed meeting.

The Secretary shall be responsible for informing the membership of the date, time, place, and agenda of all regular and special meetings.

For the purpose of voting at business meetings, a quorum shall be defined as a majority of the membership. Each member shall have one vote, and may vote by written proxy if necessary.

Article Seven. Amendments.
Any member shall be entitled to propose amendments. These proposed amendments shall be communicated to the Secretary, who shall schedule a meeting for the purpose of voting on these amendments. If the date of submission of these amendments is near the date of a regular or special business meeting, then no additional meeting need be scheduled. A two-thirds majority of all votes cast shall be required for any changes to this constitution. The Dudley House Office must be notified of any amendments to this constitution.

Article Eight. Language.
All official business of the club may be conducted in either of Canada's two official languages, English or French.