Westfield State University Christian Fellowship

Westfield State University Christian Fellowship Constitution

Article I Organizational Name: Section 1: The name of this organization is Westfield State University Christian Fellowship (“Christian Fellowship”), hereafter known as “Christian Fellowship.” Article II: Purpose Section 1: The primary and overarching purpose of Christian Fellowship is to glorify God on campus and in the surrounding community in the following ways: a. We seek to encourage both members of Westfield State University (“WSU”) community and those in the surrounding community to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and to develop a personal relationship with Him; as the One and only Hope of mankind. b. We encourage one another to grow in spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, worship, outreach, and fellowship, and to pursue a spirit of excellence in all we do. c. We seek to present the call of God to the world mission, and to help students discover God’s roles for them. Section 2: The secondary purposes of Christian Fellowship are to contribute to the educational, cultural, and social climate of WSU by: a. Pursuing opportunities for programming, speakers, and acts of service which bring glory to God; and b. Encouraging development of students spiritually. c. Developing and modeling healthy human relationships.

Article III: Participation & Membership Section 1: Membership and participation in Christian Fellowship shall be open to full – time or part– time students of WSU who have paid their student activities fee for the current semester. Section 2: Accordingly, any WSU student may become a voting member of Christian Fellowship if the student attends fifty per cent (50%) of all meetings.

Article IV: Officers Section 1: The officers of Christian Fellowship shall be the President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer. Section 2: The powers and responsibilities of the officers shall be: a. President: The president shall have overall responsibility for providing spiritual leadership to Christian Fellowship and its officers, for ensuring that Christian Fellowship remains faithful to its purposes and beliefs, for overseeing all events sponsored by Christian Fellowship (including those that provide spiritual instruction), and for serving as the primary public face of the organization. In so doing, the president shall preside at all meetings, arrange all phases of Christian Fellowship’s meetings and events, act as liaison with the Student Government Association, delegate tasks as needed, and remain gracious and welcoming to all members and participants. b. Vice-President: The vice-president shall assist the president in providing spiritual leadership to Christian Fellowship, in ensuring that Christian Fellowship remains faithful to its purposes and beliefs, and in overseeing all events sponsored by Christian Fellowship. The vice- president shall preside at any meetings or events that the president cannot attend and handle any matters delegated to them. c. Secretary/Treasurer: Responsible for having an agenda for the meeting, taking minutes as needed, and keeping a list of the members of the club. Responsible for clubs financial position, as well as asking for funds from the SGA. Section 3: Officers shall be selected at the end of April. Officers shall be selected by the voting members described in Article III Section 2. Section 4: Any active members of the Christian Fellowship are eligible to run for office. Section 5: The prescribed terms of office shall be for the period of one (1) academic year, running from September to May.

Article V: Advisor Section 1:The advisor shall be a faculty member, staff member, or librarian of Westfield State University. Section 2: The advisors must be available for any guidance needed from the officers. The main goal is to provide assistance and guidance as it is needed at any time. Section 3: The advisor of the club will be chosen by a majority vote [Fifty per cent (50%)] of the members of the club.

Article VI: Elections Section 1: Any voting member of Christian Fellowship may nominate a candidate to be considered as an officer, either by contacting the President before the meeting or by nominating orally from the floor at the meeting. The President must present email nominations at the meeting so that there can be a second on the nomination. To be considered, a nomination must be seconded by another voting member. Section 2: Votes will be tallied by the current President. The President will only vote in the event of a tie. Section 3: No election may be held if there is not a quorum of fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) of the voting members present at the meeting. Section 4: In the event of a tie, a current President will be the tiebreaker, and will only vote in this event. Article VII: Meetings Section 1: Meetings for Bible study and prayer will be held at least once (1) per week. Section 2: The officers may hold special meetings including only the officers without the advisor. Section 3: Special meetings may be called by the officers as needed.

Article VIII: Vacancies Section 1: If an officer resigns during their term of service the club shall have an election during the next meeting in order to fill that vacancy. The guidelines for an election are stated above. Section 2: If an advisor resigns during their term of service the club shall have an election during the next meeting in order to fill that vacancy. The guidelines for an election are stated above.

Article IX: Constitution and Amendments Section 1: This Constitution shall be adopted upon receiving a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting membership, during a scheduled meeting. Section 2: This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members provided the amendment is approved by the Rules and Regulations Committee of The Student Government Association.

Article X: Removal from Office Section 1: Any officer of the Christian Fellowship may be removed if the individual otherwise fails to perform his/her duties. An active member may motion for the removal of an officer. A vote of fifty per cent (50%) plus one (1) is needed to remove an officer. Section 2: The advisor of the Christian Fellowship may be removed if the individual otherwise fails to perform his/her duties. An active member may motion for the removal of an advisor. A vote of fifty per cent (50%) plus one (1) is needed to remove an advisor.

Article XI

Recognition of Safety and Waiver of Liability

Section 1: A. The Student Government Association (herein, SGA) and this Club, Westfield State University Christian Fel- lowship, recognize that the overall safety and wellbeing of its Club members is a priority function of the Club.

B. This Club (named above) is only authorized to conduct its activities in a designated University approved location such as one provided on campus grounds or at a recognized location that is designed or approved for this Club’s specific activities.

C. Each Club member, as a material condition of membership, understands, accepts and agrees that his/her participation in this Club is voluntary and that he/she voluntarily assumes all risks and liabilities associated with his/her participation. Each Club member, by accepting membership, agrees to hold the SGA harmless from and indemnify the SGA against any and all liability, including, but not limited to physical, financial, emotional and property damage claims, whether sustained or inflicted, in connection with or in any way related to the participant’s participation in the Club.

D. Once approved the SGA acts as an administrative resource for the Club and is not responsible for manag- ing Club activities.

a. All Club activities which may include, but are not limited to practices, meetings, and competi- tions that are being held off of the Westfield State University campus must be supervised by a proper authority (Such as an advisor or coach or certified facility manager) and must be taking place in an appropriate setting for the activity. Secondly, all clubs operating their activities off- campus must complete proper paper work which may include but, is not limited to a travel waiver prior to the activity occurring. All paperwork must be completed and turned into the SGA office.

b. All Club activities being held on Westfield State University campus buildings and grounds must be registered in the Event Management System to ensure proper coverage and knowledge of the activities.

c. The responsibility of adhering to all expectations set out in “a” and “b” of this section lies with the officers and members of the individual Club.

B. Any and all injuries, whether incurred or inflicted in connection with Club activity, must be reported to Westfield State University Public Safety (413) - 572-5262 immediately per University reporting procedures. The SGA Parliamentarian or Representative must also be notified of such injury in writing no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the injury occurs. Reports of injuries will be kept by the SGA within the Club’s file.

C. After a report of such an injury has been made, all Club activities must cease while the cause of the injury is determined and an assessment of the situation occurs. After such determination and assessment by the Rules and Regulations committee, the club may resume its activities only if authorization from the SGA Parliamentarian to resume is issued in writing.

Section 2:

A. Failure to adhere to these conditions may result in sanctions, up to and including, revoking the Club’s active status as determined by the Rules and Regulations Committee.