Name of Organization: The Panther Pitt Last

Home , Heinz Field, Petersen Events Center

Name of Organization: The Panther Pitt Last revised: April 2018 *Italics signifies being mandatory for all SORC Constitutions

Acceptance and Compliance to Registration Requirements and Limitations The Panther Pitt and its membership accept and will fully comply with the requirements and limitations of registration.

Limits of Registration The organization and members accept and will comply with the following limits of certification: registered student organizations are student associations and are not official components of the University. Registration does not permit a student organization to use or act in the name of the University, to represent the University, engage in any contractual obligation in the name of the University nor represent the organization as being an official part of the University. Registered student organizations are permitted to have approved external affiliations. Registration expressly permits registered student organizations to only operate on campus. Off-campus activities of registered student organizations are the sole responsibility of the organization, officers and members, unless expressly approved in advance by the University. Membership in a registered student organization and participation in its activities are voluntary and all risks of personal injury, property damage or other losses incidental to membership or participation in activities are assumed solely by the student organization and/or individual member(s) or participant(s).

Annual Re-registration The Panther Pitt will submit its annual re-registration application during the re-registration period following the election of new officers.

Purpose The Panther Pitt is a student group that unites all students into a single unit to support the University of Pittsburgh’s Varsity Football team. The group’s ultimate goal is to create an intimidating and extremely difficult environment for opponents to play in at Heinz Field. The group was started under the guidance of the 2012 Student Government Board’s Traditions Committee. The Panther Pitt loyally supports the Blue & Gold all day on Saturdays (and whichever day games may fall) throughout the season by leading cheers, supporting the Pitt Band, and staying until the game’s end to sing the victory song and alma mater with the players.

Activities The Panther Pitt members act as a liaison between the student body and the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department. They will help organize events and cheers at Heinz Field for the football games, as well as help organize watch parties for the event that Pitt is on the road for a big game. Leaders of The Panther Pitt will assist the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department in promoting Pitt Football to fellow students and fans, and by encouraging students to purchase season ticket packages. Using the group’s Twitter, @ThePantherPitt, Instagram, @ThePantherPitt, Snapchat, @ThePantherPitt, and Facebook account, they will inform students on the latest news on the team, recruits, events, and game day information.

Membership Requirements 1. Membership is open to currently enrolled Pitt students as defined herein. 2. All members must accept and comply with all of the requirements and limitations of registration as a condition of membership.

3. Membership in The Panther Pitt is voluntary and all risk of personal injury, property damage or other losses that occur incidental to membership or participation in activities are assumed solely by the student organization and/or individual member(s) or non-member participant(s). Accordingly, the University of Pittsburgh, its officers and agents shall not be responsible nor liable for any claims or causes of action for damage or loss of property or personal injury of any kind or nature which may arise out of or are incidental to the conduct of any organization’s activities or that of any individual’s participation in any group-related activity. it is further understood and agreed that it is the responsibility of the officers of the organization to assure that all of the organization’s members and non-member participants in all activities sponsored by The Panther Pitt are fully informed and advised of this ASSUMPTION OF RISK, and in the event any individual member or participant should express or indicate non-acceptance, the organization’s officers shall forbid participation and/or membership of such individual. In regard to the organization member or non-member participant Assumption of Risk, The Panther Pitt acknowledges that the University recommends that the organization members and non-member participants make every effort to arrange for the acquisition of liability insurance sufficient to protect all participants against those risks being assumed. For sport-related organizations, the University recommends that each individual have insurance sufficient to allow for any risks by participation, accident or by deficiencies in physical health. 4. No hazing or illegal discriminatory criteria for membership, including those listed in the University of Pittsburgh’s non-discrimination policy, will be used as a condition for membership in the organization. These factors include race, color, religion (except for religious organizations which may restrict membership to those who share their faith-based beliefs), national origin, ancestry, sex (except same sex organizations permitted under Title IX), age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability or status as a veteran. This non-discriminatory policy will be applied in a manner consistent with the requirements of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and other laws applicable to student organizations. 1. The Panther Pitt is open to any University of Pittsburgh student who has a love for Pitt Football and excitement to support our football team on game days. Students are advised to wear their official Panther Pitt t-shirt received with their student season tickets, or another navy-blue Pitt shirt to each home football game. The Panther Pitt will be a united body in support of Pitt Athletics. 2. The financial obligations of members, at this time, is just to buy student season tickets or single game student football tickets, although, this is not required. This is not directly affiliated with The Panther Pitt and can be purchased on the Athletics website. 3. Members can remove themselves from The Panther Pitt at any time by unsubscribing from forms of communication, such as email lists and our social media accounts.

Membership Procedures Recruitment takes place in the fall term just as the academic year starts. Once a student receives their tickets and free Panther Pitt shirt, they have become an official member of the club. You will not be removed from The Panther Pitt unless you choose to leave on your own power. You can remove yourself from The Panther Pitt by unsubscribing from forms of communication, and/or by not showing up to any scheduled events.

Voting Privileges

Voting privileges are limited to currently enrolled Pitt student members in good standing with the organization. The voting body of The Panther Pitt shall consist of the seven appointed officers. A simple two-thirds majority vote of the officers will pass a motion unless stated otherwise.

Officers, Responsibilities, and Duties In general, the seven officers as a whole represent The Panther Pitt and shall be treated equally. These seven members will be in direct communication, through the President, with the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department for suggestions, opinions, and/or concerns.

The organization shall have the following officers… President The President will act as Chief of Staff to facilitate and manage the roles of the six remaining officers. The President shall also act as spokesperson for The Panther Pitt when the student section is asked questions or when advocating for a cause. The President shall delegate tasks to the other officers and make his/her goals clear. The President shall oversee all social media posts coming from accounts ran by officers delegated by the President. Lastly, the President shall organize and run meetings for The Panther Pitt’s officers and members. Internal Vice President The Internal Vice President shall handle the duties of the President in the case of their absence. In addition, the Interval Vice President shall directly assist the President with his/her duties as well as offer their valuable and creative opinion to projects. They should also keep the President accountable for adopting new cheers, ideas, promotions, or anything else to better the student section. Also, the Internal Vice President shall brainstorm and implement their own initiatives, with guidance from the President, for the organization. Business Manager The Business Manager shall manage finances of the student section. These finances include, but are not limited to, the sale of promotional items. Donations, purchases, fundraisers, programming, conferences, and submitting allocations requests to the Student Government Board. All finances should be kept and managed through The Panther Pitt SORC account through the Simplicity website. The Business Manager is also responsible for assisting the President with planning any philanthropic events, as well as managing social media accounts. Vice President of Game Day The Vice President of Game Day will be directly in charge of collecting all relevant ideas and speaking about them during meetings. These ideas can include, but are not limited to: giveaways, outreach, season ticket sales, merchandise sales, game-day activities, pre-game activities, transportation, and more. The Vice President of Game Day will be in charge of executing events, giveaways, banner hangings, promotions, and/or cheers on campus or during game day at Heinz Field. Their role will also be called upon for the same duties during organized away game trips. They will work closely with the President and the Athletic Department to make sure all ideas are appropriate and to see if The Panther Pitt can contribute to the athletics initiatives. Vice President of Operations The Vice President of Operations is responsible for all internal operations regarding The Panther Pitt. They, along with the Vice President of Game Day, will be responsible for making sure that all game day activities are running smoothly. If a problem arises during a game day event, the Vice President of Operations should be prepared to fix it. The Vice President of Operations is also responsible for keeping and documenting meeting minutes during Athletics Administration meetings, as well as Officer meetings inside the organization. Public Relations Coordinator The Public Relations Coordinator will be directly, with the President, in charge of overseeing all social media posts are appropriate and operating as seen fit. The President will call upon the Public Relations Coordinator when a social media post needs to be published, and the Public Relations Coordinator will be responsible for making sure the appropriate parties are sending out the message. Their main goal should be advertising promotions, information, and The Panther Pitt in general to the rest of the student body and fans. They will be in charge of keeping the public updated on coaching changes, player information/updates, team schedules, upcoming games/events, and anything else relating to Pitt Football. It will also be their responsibility to live-tweet scoring updates during football games. Outreach Liaison The Outreach Liaison is the primary contact of The Panther Pitt from the Pitt Band. Being a member of the Pitt Band is the Outreach Liaison’s priority, and so, they will act as Officer of The Panther Pitt as well as a member of the Pitt Band. The Outreach Liaison is responsible for communicating Pitt Band cheers and chants to the President and Vice President of Game Day for the President to implement on game day. The Outreach Liaison is also responsible for coming up with new ideas to reach the surrounding Oakland and downtown community and helping The Panther Pitt become more visible and involved on campus and in the city of Pittsburgh.

Terms of Office On the first day of February, new officers are appointed by the current Panther Pitt officers and should take office the first day they are appointed. 1. An application schedule will be made public two weeks before positions are appointed. 2. In order to be a candidate for one of the six (excluding Outreach Liaison) positions in The Panther Pitt, you must submit a written application to the officer team during the application period. 3. An applicant for an officer position must be an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh with at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA. 4. The Outreach Liaison must be a member of Pitt Band. 5. In the case that an officer is an applicant, they lose their position only for that specific position discussion. The Panther Pitt advisor shall be asked to take their position as a voting member only for that specific officer election. 6. New officers will be selected after the interview process by a simple majority vote of the outgoing officer team.

Election of Officers The Election of Officers also can reference the above Terms of Office section. (1) the nomination procedure Officers are not nominated. They, as members, apply to be interviewed. The current Panther Pitt officers interview all applicants. (2) the eligibility requirements for each office Applicants must be current Pitt undergraduate students with a 2.5 cumulative GPA or better. The Outreach Liaison must be a member of Pitt Band. (3) the election process including when, where and how the votes are to be cast, counted and announced Votes are cast at the end of the interviewing period. Officers will decide which candidates they wish to join, and based on a consensus vote, the positions will be filled. The President counts votes, and will notify all applicants of their decision, regarding if they were chosen as an Officer or not. (4) the eligibility requirements for voting To vote, you must be a current Panther Pitt Officer. (5) the vote required to elect an officer A consensus vote of Officers must be reached before a member can become an Officer. (6) whether or not an officer can hold more than one position Each Officer can only hold one position. (7) whether or not absentee or proxy ballots can be cast Absentee ballots cannot be passed. All Officers that wish to vote must be present for interviews. (8) how contests of election results are decided and any other relevant policy or procedure. If contested, the Officers of The Panther Pitt will gather to discuss the outcome. The President will re-count the vote. In case of larger issues, there will be a re-vote.

Voting Powers of Officers All Officers retain voting rights. In the event of a tie, a re-vote will occur. If a tie occurs again, the Internal Vice President will be responsible for breaking the tie.

Removal of Officers To remove an Officer, the President will have a meeting with The Panther Pitt advisor regarding the Officer in question. The President will then interview the remaining Officers, and decide the best path for the student section. If the President decides that the Officer should be removed, they will consult the advisor and gain their insight once more. If they have the advisor’s approval, the President will terminate the Officer in question’s status. A unanimous decision to remove an Officer must be reached. If it is reached, the President will take the vote to be heard by the Student Government Board Judicial Committee.

Vacancies If an Officer is removed or steps down, the remaining Officers will join together to absorb that Officer’s responsibilities.

Meetings and Committees A minimum of one meeting shall be held per month with the Officers during the fall and spring terms. One general body meeting shall be held per semester that is publicly advertised and invites all of The Panther Pitt members. Committees shall be created on an as-needed bases and decided upon by The Panther Pitt.

Finances

The Panther Pitt shall fully comply with the University fundraising policies and procedures for registered student organizations. The organization will not maintain an outside bank account if it receives funding from Student Government Board. Finances shall be handled by the Business Manager and overseen by the President. Money shall be spent on promotions, giveaways, signs, banners, etc. that help improve the student section overall, and make it known as one of the best student-run gan groups in college football.

Publications Code

In compliance with the Publications Code for Student Organizations, all publications of the organization will comply with current copywriter laws, be distributed according to policies and procedures, refrain from expressions that are considered obscene or libelous according to current statute, advocate or insight the material interference or physical disruption of the educational process of the peace, order and decorum of the campus, or that advocate or insight imminent, lawless action or the violent overthrow of the government and identify the organization as publisher and specify that the group is a registered student organization at the University of Pittsburgh.

Adviser The advisor for The Panther Pitt is Joe Rood, the Director of Marketing for Pitt Athletics. His office as of the latest revision date is in the Petersen Events Center Marketing Office and his email address is [email protected].

External Affiliations University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department.

Bylaws None at this time.

Amendments

All constitution additions, revisions and deletions must be reported to the SORC. Amendments shall be presented by an Officer of The Panther Pitt and tabled for one week. Amendments shall be passed after a unanimous vote by the current Officers of The Panther Pitt.