Salsa Fusion Latin Dance Company CONSTITUTION

Article I. Name Salsa Fusion Latin Dance Company

Article II. Purpose and Goals Section I. Purpose

To promote the Latin culture and its popular dance styles through performances, lessons, and submersion. This organization seeks to unite different cultures and overcome barriers by creating a welcoming atmosphere through a shared interest in Latin Dance.

Section II. Goals

1. Maintain two performing teams: Show and Flare. 2. Attain and maintain the status of a well-recognized on-campus organization. 3. Improve quality of dancing. 4. Cultivate a diverse group of people to be able to express themselves through Latin Dance.

Article III. Teams Section III. Show Team (Couples)

1. Requirements: a) Mandatory rehearsals shall be held at least twice a week, and additional rehearsals will be scheduled as needed. b) A person in Show team must attend at least one community service activity, and participate in at least two of the following activities: lessons, fundraisers, workshops, and promotional events in order to be considered an active member. c) If a performer does not maintain their commitment to two or more events for which he/she has been selected to perform, the Director of Dance reserves the right to limit the events at which they will participate. d) A girl in the Show team must maintain their commitment to the Show team at all times. e) Each Show Team member must purchase his/her own dance shoes before their first performance. The shoe style must be approved by the Director of Dance.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 1 of 11 f) There is a new performer fee of $40 that includes the price of the first shirt. Each semester you remain on the team after the time of acceptance will then be a $35 fee. The fee shall be known as membership dues. These dues should be paid by the date established by the Treasurer and approval of the President.

2. Auditions: a) Auditions will be held during the first 3 weeks of the Fall or Spring semester and acceptance will be granted by the Directors of Dance and Assistant Directors of Dance, based on quality of dancing and commitment to the team. b) Closed auditions will be held for major performances and competitions.

Section II. Flare Team (Girls Team)

1. Requirements: a) Mandatory rehearsals shall be held at least twice a week, and additional rehearsals will be scheduled as needed. b) All girls in the Flare team must attend at least one community service activity, and participate in at least two of the following activities: lessons, fundraisers, workshops, and promotional events in order to be considered an active member. c) If a performer does not maintain their commitment to two or more events for which she has been selected to perform, the Director of Dance reserves the right to limit the events at which they will participate. d) All girls in the Flare team must maintain their commitment to the Flare team at all times. e) Each Flare Team member must purchase her own dance shoes before their first performance. The shoe style must be approved by the Director of Dance. f) There is a new performer fee of $40 that includes the price of the first t-shirt. Each semester you remain on the team after the time of acceptance will then be a$35 fee. The fee shall be known as membership dues. These dues should be paid by the date established by the Treasurer and approval of the President

2. Auditions: a) Auditions will be held during the first 3 weeks of the Fall or Spring semester and acceptance will be granted based on the quality of dancing and commitment to the team b) Closed auditions will be held for major performances and competition

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 2 of 11 Article IV. Officers

Section I. Requirement of Officers

1. An officer must comply with the rules of an active member (See Article III)

2. The candidates running for President and Vice President should have previously been an officer. Candidates running for other Officer Positions should have been previously members of the organization.

3. All officers are required to train their successor before their term as an Officer concludes

4. Have a minimum grade point ration as stated below an meet that minimum GPR in the semester immediately prior to the election/appointment, and the semesters during the term of office

a) For undergraduate students, at least a 2.00 overall GPR. In order for this provision to be met, at least six hours (half-time credits) must be taken for the semester under consideration. In one limited circumstance, summer semester hours may be applied to this provision. In order for summer coursework to qualify toward a grade point ratio prior to election/appointment, at least six credit hours must have been taken during the course of either the full or two summer session(s).

b) For graduate students, at least a 3.00 overall GPR. In order for this provision to be met, at least 4 hours (half-time credits) must be taken for the semester under consideration. In one limited circumstance, summer semester hours may be applied to this provision. In order for summer coursework to qualify toward a grade point ratio prior to election/appointment, at least four credit hours must have been taken during the course of either the full or two summer session(s) unless fewer credits are required as they complete the final stages of their degree.

5. Be in good standing with the University and enrolled:

a) Be at least half time (six or more credit hours), if an undergraduate student (unless fewer credits are required to graduate in the spring and fall semesters) during the term of office. Students enrolled in the Blinn TEAM program are also eligible to hold an office, as long as the student is meeting all applicable Blinn TEAM requirements and is in good standing with the program.

b) At least half time (four or more credits), if a graduate level student (unless fewer credits are required in the final stages of their degree as defined by the Continuous Registration Requirement) during their term of office.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 3 of 11 c) Be subject to removal from office by the organization and/or the organization's official University advisor should the student fail to maintain the requirement as prescribed in (a) and (b)

Section II. Voting Process

The following are definitions that clarify the process of Informal and Formal voting. These terms are mentioned in the subsequent sections.

1. Informal Voting requires that all officers vote by show of hand, and the option with 50% plus 1 vote will be the winning option.

2. Formal Voting requires that all officers vote by closed ballot, and the option with 50% plus 1 vote will be the winning option.

Section III. Officers and Duties

1. President - Part of the Executive Board. Shall oversee all aspects of the organization to ensure the satisfaction of all members. He/she leads Officer Meetings to delegate tasks to the respective Officers. The President also introduces new ideas to Officers to set the environment and direction of the organization. He/she functions as the spokesperson for organizational events, which includes, but is not limited to: formal meetings, open house, and informationals. Makes final decisions for the organization.

2. Vice President – Part of the Executive Board. Carries out activities that pertain to the internal affairs of the organization. Shall assist the President, presides over meetings in the absence of the President, schedules rooms for semester officer meetings and practices, plans and executes socials (create Socials agenda at the beginning of the semester and present it to the Officers), sends reminders about events such as socials, workshops, lessons, community service events, and any other internal organizational event to members. Shall bring all sections of the organization together, takes pictures of the socials and any other event he/she has planned, and creates an End-of-the- Year video for Banquet.

3. Treasurer – Part of the Executive Board. Shall oversee all monetary transactions, prepares and maintains a semester budget. Handles all SOFC business and is familiar with the office. Shall be informed of different opportunities and sponsorships. Responsible for collecting semester fees and keeping record of active members, for the member side and performing teams. Oversees fundraising activities and grant sponsorships by handling the money the organization receives. The Treasurer takes care of all money coming to the

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 4 of 11 organization and deposits it in the correct account with the SOFC. He/she is in charge of signing all checks and vouchers that the organization pays with, keeping records of all payments in a binder, submitting monthly reports of account statements to the other Officers, paying and keeping all bills the organization receives, and of maintaining records of member dues (each semester) by working with the Secretary to obtain the member list. He/she shall contact those who have not paid, and in case a member is not able to pay due to financial difficulty he/she shall appeal to other Officers for a formal vote on the matter. Shall attend the training session each semester in order to operate Marketplace correctly (another officer- preferably President or Secretary- must also attend).

4. Directors of Dance – Shall give introduction at performances, oversee auditions, warm- ups, rehearsals, costumes, and performances. The Directors will also have the right to invite other instructors for workshops. Choreographs the performance routine, or outsources the creation of the choreography with approval of the Officers. Responds to emails concerning performance events or auditions. In charge of maintaining the performance music readily available in CD or flash drive format. a) Director of Dance - Show Team Responsible for responding to performance requests, if he/she is not able to do so he/she shall inform the other Director of Dance in order to effectuate a reply. Shall designate a person to record performances. The Director of Dance for Show may have an Assistant of his or her choice of the opposite sex. He/she communicates any relevant information to the Assistant Director of Dance. b) Director of Dance- Flare Team Responsible for updating the Salsa Fusion calendar with any events that the organization has created (like practices and Officer meetings), any performance or workshop the organization has accepted, and any other event the organization will participate in. The Director is also responsible for checking in the teams at performance sites/events. The Director of Dance for Flare may have an Assistant of his or her choice. i. Assistant Director of Dance (one for each performance team) – This is not an Officer position; therefore they do not attend Officer Meetings, they report to their respective Director of Dance. They shall assist the Director of Dance and perform his/her duties in their absence. The Assistant Directors of Dance are jointly appointed by the current Directors of Dance. **If the Director of Dance for Show Team is female, then she is also applicable for the position of Assistant Director of Dance for Flare Team. **

5. Secretary – Shall assist the Executive Board as needed. Responsible for recording and distributing minutes of all business meetings and sending it to all Officers,

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 5 of 11 sending weekly newsletters to all members, creating a member contact list, responding to emails sent to the central email account, forwarding them to the proper person (Officers will have to carbon-copy the central Salsa Fusion email account in any reply) and maintaining and updating all organization paperwork which includes, but is not limited to applications, attendance sheets for Officers and Members, the Constitution, lists of members, etc. Shall inform the Executive Board when an Officer has more than three absences for disciplinary procedures. He/she will work with the Treasurer to record members who have paid dues.

6. Director of Public Relations– Carries out activities that pertain to the external affairs of the organization. The Director of Public Relations is responsible for initiating, implementing, and advertising fundraising ideas such as profit-shares, bake sales, First Fridays, etc. and is responsible for setting up Community service events. Shall oversee the whole process of advertisement (social media, sandwich boards, posters, flyers, etc.) which includes but is not limited to the design, making, and cost. Shall draft letters for outside partners for the purpose of funding grants or scholarship SalsaFusion awards. The Director of Public Relations is the person that communicates with other organizations, universities and institutions, and represents Salsa Fusion in other organization’s meetings (HPC meetings). He/she is responsible of taking pictures of the events he/she plans and executes, and of sending them to the Vice President for the End-of-the-Year Banquet video.

7. Lessons Coordinator- They are designated by the Directors of Dance, and approved through formal voting. Oversee all aspects of SFLDC Lessons and Workshops. Chooses an assistant LC to assist he or she in any lesson activities. They are responsible of creating the lessons schedule, preparing material to be taught at lessons, and conducting lessons. Responds to workshop requests, and lessons inquiries.

Section IV. Election Process

1. Election shall be held at the end of the spring semester. a) A quorum of 50% +1 of the members must be present and a majority vote will win. b) Newly elected officers shall assume responsibility beginning next semester.

2. Officers that decide to remain in their position will go through a formal voting within the current Officer group. They are considered re-elected for the upcoming year if they receive 50% +1 of the votes. If they receive less than 50% of the votes, the position will be considered open.

3. Elections will be held for open Officer positions only.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 6 of 11 4. The position of Director of Dance is not open for election, the current Directors of Dance jointly appoint new directors. a) Any candidate for the Director of Dance position must demonstrate they are able to teach effectively. Directors can verify their capability by having the candidates teach a small combination to the performers, or to the Directors themselves. This will disqualify the candidates that are not appropriate for this position. b) The Directors will then jointly appoint the best suited candidate, based on a complete performance review (teaching capability and/or other qualities) c) If the Directors of Dance are not able to jointly appoint a candidate, a formal voting process for the Officer team and the Performing Team will take place during the next meeting. The results will be provided to the Directors of Dance, and they shall take these results into consideration. The Director of Dance for Flare will appoint the next Director of Dance for Flare, and the Director of Dance for Show will appoint the next Director of Dance for Show.

5. Positions that become vacant in the middle of the year must be filled within two weeks. The Executive Board will appoint a member who demonstrates the most interest and capability of serving in the vacant position.

6. In case an officer that has been elected in May for an upcoming academic year is not able to hold the position for any reason, an Emergency Election shall be performed to fill the position before the academic year begins. 1. The available position will be announced to the organization. b) If the vacant position is for the role of President or Vice President, the position will be open only current or past officers. c) Any member can become a candidate if they fulfill the position requirements. d) An appropriate election process shall be decided by the officers, and conducted in a suitable time frame. e) The candidate with majority vote will win the election. f) The winning candidate will then take on the duties and responsibilities of the position once she/he has been announced to the organization as the elected officer

Section V. Officer Attendance

1. For any performances and planned events such as Socials, Community Service Nights, Workshops, etc. the Officer who has developed and led the execution of the event must be present at least 30 minutes before the established start time. At least three of the officers shall be present in any event planned by the organization.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 7 of 11 2. If the Officer responsible for the event is not able to be physically present to fully execute the event, he/she must designate another Officer, with their consent, to supervise and execute the event. The designation shall occur 24 hours prior to the event.

Section VI. Officer Meeting Attendance

1. Officers Meetings shall be held once a week. Dates and times will be subject to availability.

2. Missing an Officer Meeting without an excuse counts as one absence.

3. Executive officers are required to attend all meetings unless otherwise specified by a member of the Executive Board or excused.

4. An excused absence must be approved at least 24 hours before the event.

5. Roll will be taken five minutes after the designated time for scheduled meetings and/or rehearsals.

6. A person with three absences from mandatory events will be placed on probation, with the next absence resulting in removal of membership. Three tardies equals one absence

Section VII. Officer Disciplinary Procedure

Officers should uphold Officer requirements and protocol. If at any time there is a legitimate reason to believe an officer has not upheld their obligations, then the Executive Board should give the Officer notice by means of a letter of explanation.

An Executive Board meeting should be called within two weeks of receiving the notice and the Officer should have an opportunity to share their perspective regarding the situation. The Executive Board should reach a consensus on the matter.

Section VIII. Removal Procedures

1. Any officer failing to successfully fulfill the duties and responsibilities of their office shall be removed from that position. The entire Executive Board must be present at the meeting and a majority vote must be obtained in order to remove the Officer.

2. The open position will be announced to the organization in the next rehearsal and/or lesson, and any member that fulfills the requirements and is interested in the position will be able to run as a candidate.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 8 of 11 3. Once candidates have been established, an announcement shall be made to inform the members of the organization of a special election to fill the vacancy. A time and date will be set, as deemed appropriate by the Officer Team.

Article V. Membership

Section I. Prerequisites

1. Anyone is allowed to become a Member of Salsa Fusion provided they pay the member fee of $40 and have means to enter the PEAP building.

2. The fee shall be known as membership dues, and they shall be collected by the date established by the Treasurer and approved by the President. Dues include the Salsa Fusion t-shirt.

Section II. Socials

As a member of the organization, they will be invited to all socials and events Salsa Fusion plans and executes.

Section III. Lessons

1. Lessons shall be held once a week at a date and time set by the Lessons Coordinator.

2. The number of lessons given per semester will be decided by the Lessons Coordinator and the Executive Board.

3. Members attend as many lessons as they desire, there is not a minimum requirement or a maximum of lessons they can participate in.

Section IV. Instructors

1. The Lessons Coordinator will instruct all lessons with an assistant of their choice.

2. At least four members of the two performing teams must be present at lessons to help.

3. If a Show or Flare Team member wants to instruct a class, he/she must be approved by the Lessons Coordinator.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 9 of 11

Article VI. Finances

All money belonging to this organization shall be deposited and disbursed through the bank account established for this organization at the MSC Student Organization Finance Center and/or the Fiscal Office. The advisor to this organization must approve and sign each expenditure before payment.

Article VII. Advisor(s)

Section I. Requirements of Advisor(s)

The Advisor(s) of this organization must meet the following requirements:

a) Be a Texas A&M University employee as defined by the Human Resources Department: a faculty member, professional or associate staff member, or graduate assistant.

b) May attend executive as well as general meetings and be available outside those meetings for advice and consultation related to the operation of the organization.

c) Assist the organization in developing realistic goals for the academic year.

d) Participate in event planning and attend events when possible or when identified as necessary through the planning process.

e) Regularly receive statements from the SOFC and be aware of the organization’s financial status via review of these statements and approval of expenditures.

f) Attend a developmental seminar during their tenure as an advisor. This training must have been completed after April.

g) Be aware of the University Student Rules and other institutional guidelines that establish expectations for student behavior and activities.

h) Report all violations or potential violations of the aforementioned rules to the appropriate university officials. Advisor(s) should be familiar with the organization’s constitution and all other governing documents to ensure effective advising.

Article VIII. Point System

Section I: Performers

Each performer will be given the chance to earn a level of platinum, gold, and silver by collecting points throughout the year. These points will be used as an incentive to

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 10 of 11 inspire the performers to be active in the organization; points are added, but never subtracted. The points are awarded by attending practices, performances, lessons, socials, fundraisers, community service events, and any other events approved by the Salsa Fusion Officers. Performers must earn 95% of the points to be considered platinum level; 80% of the points to be considered gold level; 65% of the points to be considered silver level. A performer from each level will be given a prize at the banquet at the end of the semester, as decided by the Officers. If there is no one that meets the criteria for a specific level, a prize will not be given for that level for that semester. Performers are able to enter a prize drawing for only one level. In case of a tie, the Officers could vote on who they believe deserves the recognition.

Section II: Members

Each member will be given the chance to earn a level of platinum, gold, and silver by collecting point throughout the year. These points will be used as an incentive to inspire the members to be active in the organization; points are added, but never subtracted. The points are awarded by attending lessons, socials, fundraisers, community service events, and any other events approved by the Salsa Fusion Officers. Members must earn 95% of the points to be considered platinum level; 80% of the points to be considered gold level; 65% of the points to be considered silver level. A member from each level will be given a prize at the banquet at the end of the semester, as decided by the Officers. If there is no one that meets the criteria for a specific level, a prize will not be given for that level for that semester. Members are able to enter a prize drawing for only one level. In case of a tie, the Officers could vote on who they believe deserves the recognition.

Article IX. Amendments and Revisions

1. This constitution may be revised at any time by a quorum of 50% plus one of the active membership, subject to the approval of Student Activities. 2. This document must be reviewed every two years by the Officers and resubmitted to the Student Activities Office.

Last Reviewed: September 2015 Page 11 of 11