Maryland Brazilian Society   

Constitution

PREAMBLE

We, the members of the Maryland Brazilian Society do hereby establish this Constitution in order that our purpose is realized to its fullest extent.

ARTICLE I.  NOTE

Section 1.    The name of the organization will be “Maryland Brazilian Society” henceforth referred to as “MBS”.

ARTICLE II.  PURPOSE

Section 1.    The MBS is established for the expressed purpose of fostering knowledge of Brazil – in all its aspects – and creating an environment where Brazilian people can interact with each other and with other members of the community interested in our country. MBS will be a network of Brazilians and friends and should also be able to dialogue with other associations on the University of Maryland, College Park campus and other Brazilian student associations nationwide. Moreover, we will develop ties with entities within the greater Washington D.C. area interested in celebrate and disseminate knowledge about Brazilian Culture, such as the Brazilian Embassy and BACI. The Society will also provide guidance and information for incoming students from Brazil (and other Portuguese-speaking countries) in their adaptation to life in Maryland.

Section 2.    The MBS intends to be a reference for the academic community engaged in research related to Brazil. It should a place for exchange of knowledge and sharing of academic interests.

Section 3.    The MBS understands and is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities of abiding by University of Maryland, College Park policies.

ARTICLE III.  MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.    Active membership shall be limited to persons officially connected with the University of Maryland, College Park as faculty, staff or registered students. Students enrolled in the spring semester as well as students enrolled in summer school are eligible for summer membership. In addition, the following requirements are necessary to constitute active membership:

1.        Payment in full of financial obligations as determined by organization.

2.        Attendance of at least 75% of all meetings during a given semester.

3.        Active participation in all activities sponsored by The MBS unless the activity interferes with either scholastic or financial constraints.

Section 2.    MBS welcomes associate members such as spouses, children, relatives or friends of current active members. MBS also welcomes any individual who directly or indirectly demonstrates connection with the Brazilian culture. Associate members may not vote, be nominated or hold elected office nor they are charged with annual dues.

Section 3.    The MBS openly admits students to its membership and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Section 4.    Membership withdrawal may be achieved by delivering of a written notice to the office, stating the reasons for withdrawal.

ARTICLE IV.  OFFICERS

The Maryland Brazilian Society will be governed by the following means:

Section 1.    An elected President will preside at all meetings of The MBS. The President will maintain the power to appoint all committee chairpersons shall present all motions to the body present and shall be present at 90% of the meetings of The MBS.

Section 2.    The MBS shall also maintain a Vice President.  The Vice President's duties shall be to preside at all meetings and functions that the President cannot attend. He or she will also be responsible for actively recruiting new members for the group.

Section 3.    Society members shall also elect a Secretary, who will handle members’ information, new members, rule observances at stated meetings, protocol, etc. He or she will also overlook marketing and advertising efforts and coordinate communication with members.

Section 4.    An elected Treasurer will be responsible for all Society’s dues, accounts, record-keeping and financial reports.

Section 5.    The role and duties of the faculty/staff Advisor include attending meetings, providing counsel to the organization’s officers and facilitating contact with official channels on campus.

ARTICLE V.  OPERATIONS

Section 1.    Voting eligibility

Those members meeting all requirements of active membership as set forth in Article III will be granted voting privileges.

Section 2.    Election Process

All officers shall be elected by a majority vote of eligible voting members of the MBS. All elections will be held on an annual basis during the month of November.

The President will take nominations from the floor, the nomination process must be closed and the motion seconded.  The nominated parties will be allowed to vote.

All voting shall be done by secret ballot to be collected and tabulated by the Secretary and one voting member of MBS, appointed by the outgoing President.

Section 3.    Removal

Any officer of The MBS in violation of the Organization's purpose or constitution may be removed from office by the following process:

a.        A written request by at least three members of the Organization.

b.       Written notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak.

c.        A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote is necessary to remove the officer.

Officers can also withdraw for personal or academic reasons. It can be done by the following process:

a.        A written request by the renouncing officer.

b.       Approval by the remaining members of the office.

In either case, extraordinary elections should be held to substitute for the outgoing officer.

Section 4.    Meetings

All meetings will occur on a monthly basis or other regular basis at a time selected by the MBS and will follow the procedure set forth below:

a.        Attendance

b.       Report by the President

c.        Committee reports

d.       Vote on all committee motions and decisions

e.        Any other business put forward by the members

f.         Dismissal by the President

ARTICLE VI.  FINANCES

The Maryland Brazilian Society will finance the activities it engages in by the following means:

Section 1.    Membership dues (appropriate amount set by the MBS) 

Section 2.    The MBS will submit a budget to the Student Government Association Finance Committee or Graduate Student Government Finance Committee on an annual basis and request funding appropriate to the effective operation of the organization for each year.

ARTICLE VII.  AMENDMENTS

The constitution is binding to all members of the Maryland Brazilian Society. But the constitution is not binding unto itself.

Section 1.    Amendments to the constitution may be proposed in writing by any voting member of the MBS to the office.

Section 2.    These amendments will be placed on the agenda for the officers meeting. The officers will decide if the amendments will be proposed at a regular meeting.

Section 3.    Proposed amendments will become effective following approval of two-thirds (2/3)-majority hand vote of active members.

ARTICLE VIII.  REGISTRATION RENEWAL

Section 1.    The MBS will apply to the Office of Campus Programs for registration on an annual basis one month after new officer elections.