CPU > About > Constitution > From 2005

CPU Constitution (2005)

This constitution reflects an archive of the CPU's constitution as of 2005.
See the current constutition.

>> Jump to: Article 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Appendix

Mission: The Columbia Political Union, organized for and by the students and faculty of Columbia University, seeks to enhance involvement in the political process, domestic and international, and draw every member of the campus community into an ongoing discussion of political ideas. As a non-partisan group, we will do our best to incorporate all points of view, and voices from a variety of political backgrounds.

Constitution and Governing Procedure

Article 1: Governance

  • Section 1: A Governing Board will control and be responsible for the Columbia Political Union. The Board will be comprised of seven seats. When voting, each seat will have one vote. The seats will each be filled by one representative of each of the following member-groups.
    1. The Columbia College Republicans (see sections 2, 4 and Appendix A)
    2. The Columbia College Democrats (see sections 2, 4 and Appendix B)
    3. The Party of the Left (see sections 2, 4 and Appendix C)
    4. The Party of the Right (see sections 2, 4 and Appendix D)
    5. The Graduate Student Body (see section 5)
    6. The Undergraduate Student Councils (see section 6)
    7. The Student Governing Board of Earl Hall (see section 6)
    8. The Faculty (see section 7)
    9. The General Manager of the Executive Committee will chair the Governing Board, but will serve only as a non-voting, ex-officio member.
  • Section 2: By March 1, 2001, each group represented within the Board of Governors must generate a Charter delineating how it will govern itself, and annually select its representative to the Governing Board. That Charter will then be added to this Constitution. While each group is permitted to create a governing arrangement of its choice, each must generate a fair, accessible, and transparent process by which groups and individuals not originally included in the group's Charter may petition for representation within that group. Each group’s Charter must be approved by the University Chaplain or her/his designate, and he or she will, in the future, act as a mediator in disputes over who receives representation within any one member-group.
  • Section 3: The Columbia Political Union will hold an annual meeting each year during the third week of April, at a time and place designated by the University Chaplain or her/his designate. At that meeting, a new Governing Board will be seated and that new Governing Board will select the Executive Committee for the coming year. The meeting will be chaired, and its remaining agenda determined by the outgoing General Manager. Any group which fails to send a representative to the annual meeting will lose its representation on the Governing Board until the next Annual meeting, a year later.
  • Section 4: In order for groups 1 through 4 to be seated at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors, they must prove, to the Chaplain or his/her designate’s satisfaction, that their membership over the previous academic year included a minimum of 20 actively enrolled Columbia students. If membership is insufficient during any academic year, that group’s vote on the Governing Board will be suspended until the group’s leaders can prove, to the Chaplain or her/his designate's satisfaction, that 20 actively enrolled Columbia students have joined.
  • Section 5: If a graduate student group wishes to be involved in selecting the graduate school representative to the Governing Board, it will, two weeks prior to the annual meeting, submit a written request to the General Manager. In doing so, graduate student group applicants must prove to the General Manager’s satisfaction that they are A) politically active, and B) comprised of at least 10 active members. During the succeeding two weeks, before the new Governing Board is seated, the General Manager will call a meeting of representatives of the outgoing Governing Board. At the meeting, each group represented will have the opportunity to both nominate one candidate, and cast one vote in the election for the Graduate Community representative to the Governing Board. Any graduate student involved in a recognized applicant group may be nominated. The candidate with the largest plurality will become the representative. Typical Governing Board procedure will apply. In no candidate receives a plurality, the outgoing Governing Board will select the incoming representative. The Graduate Representative will be responsible for the normal duties conferred upon Governing Board members as well as keeping the all graduate student groups well informed of CPU operations.
  • Section 6: The presidents of both the undergraduate student council representing the largest constituency, and the Student Governing Board of Earl Hall will have seats on the Governing Board. They both have the prerogative of seating a designate in their stead.
  • Section 7: The Representative of the Faculty to the Governing Board of the Columbia Political Union shall be the University Chaplain or a faculty member appointed by the Chaplain. The Representative of the Faculty shall name four members of the faculty, who will give counsel to the Representative in matters of the CPU.
  • Section 8: The Columbia Political Union strives to include the voices of all members of the Columbia community, and is committed to ensuring that no particular viewpoint be given special or extra representation on the board. At the same time, we acknowledge that the variety of political points of view is too expansive for every voice to be given specific representation. As such, at no time will the make up of representation on the governing board be changed without the expressed approval of 75% of the board.
  • Section 9: The Governing Board will meet, either in person or through correspondence, in the additional three circumstances:
    1. At any time when a majority of board members request a meeting.
    2. At any time when the Executive Committee requests a meeting.
    3. At any time when the University Chaplain or her/his designate requests a meeting.
  • Section 10: Votes of the Governing Board will, unless otherwise specified in this Constitution, be taken on a majority basis. Each recognized member-group will have one vote. Sixty-seven percent of the entire board constitutes a quorum. Votes may be done over email. In every case of a vote, the chair must make a good faith effort to give every board member an opportunity to cast their vote. If the vote on a motion is a tie, the motion will be considered dead.

Article 2: Executive Committee

  • Section 1: The Governing Board of the Columbia Political Union will, at its annual meeting in April, select a non-partisan Executive Committee. Members of that Executive Committee will oversee the operations of the Columbia Political Union until the next annual meeting of the Governing Board, the following April. The outgoing General Manager will take nominations from members of the Governing Board on a position by position basis, and nominees will be asked to accept or reject the nomination. Votes will be decided on a simple majority system, losers from any one race matriculating down to the election for the next position, if they so desire. If, in the course of any one vote, no single candidate receives a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated from consideration, and the Board will vote again. Ties will be decided by the outgoing General Manager. Disputes on election procedures will be resolved by the University Chaplain or her/his designate.
  • Section 2: Positions and Responsibilities on the Executive Committee:
    The Following positions will be available on the Executive Committee, though the Governing Board can amend the structure and responsibilities of the Executive Committee at any time, with a simple majority vote:
    • A. A General Manager will preside over monthly meetings, and act as the Political Union's chief executive. He or she will be the group’s primary liaison with the university’s administration, and will control both the group’s membership list and email correspondence. He or she will make a concerted effort to coordinate events with member groups, respecting their right to sponsor and run events, according to agreed upon guidelines.
    • B. A Treasurer will handle the group's financing, lead petitions for additional funding, handle reimbursements, and make monthly reports on the group's finances to other members of the Executive Committee.
    • C. An Events Coordinator will oversee the logistical planning, staffing, financing, and Union sponsorship of events held on campus, including speakers, debates, etc.
    • D. A Publisher will coordinate the financing, production, content, editing and distribution of all CPU sponsored pamphlets, fliers, magazines, etc., excluding the Columbia Political Review.
    • E. A Webmaster will create and maintain the Union's website, which will include links to member-groups sites, a schedule of events, a copy of this Constitution, copies of publications, and access to available video-taped segments of our events.
    • F. Communications Coordinator will facilitate co- sponsorships with other campus groups, undergraduate and graduate, bring other groups’ requests for co-sponsorship to the attention of the Executive Committee, coordinate postering around campus for events, and serve as the Union's primary spokesperson.
    • G. An Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Political Review will coordinate the financing, production, content, editing and distribution of the Columbia Political Review.
    • H. A General Manager Ex-Officio will serve in the event that the outgoing General Manager is not a graduating senior. A General Manager Ex-Officio will be a non-voting Executive Committee member. The General Manager Ex-Officio will serve in a purely advisory capacity, with the ability to take on projects at the discretion of the General Manager. The General Manager Ex-Officio will not in any way be the head of representative of the organization unless at the discretion of the General Manager.
  • Section 3: Guidelines for Executive Committee Members: All elected members must agree to the following guidelines, or resign their positions:
    • A. Members of the Executive Committee may be active in political groups, but must show absolutely no special favor when acting in their capacity as an Executive Committee Member.
    • B. Members must attend every monthly meeting of the Executive Committee. Meetings will be held during the first week of each month. The Executive Committee will decide whether these meetings will be open to the public.
    • C. If a Committee Member fails to attend three monthly meetings, a motion for permanent replacement shall be automatically advanced on the occasion of his or her third absence. The motion will require a plurality of the Executive Committee, and shall name a replacement, subject to the ratification of the Governing Board.
    • D. Members of the Governing Board may not sit on the Executive Committee.
  • Section 4: If a member of the Executive Committee fails to heed the responsibilities or guidelines stated above, the Governing Board may remove that member from the Executive Committee, and replace him or her by a simple majority vote. Such motions may be introduced during a meeting or through correspondence. When and if the Governing Board is asked to decide on the fate of a General Manager, the Treasurer will preside.
  • Section 5: Votes of the Executive Committee will be taken on a majority basis. Each recognized member of the Executive Committee will have one vote (with the exception of the general Manager Ex-Officio). A quorum constitutes 75% of the committee. Votes may be cast over email. In every case of a vote, the chair must make a good faith effort to give every committee member an opportunity to cast their vote. If the vote on a motion is a tie, the motion will be considered dead.
  • Section 6: Minutes of every meeting and decision of the Executive Committee will made available to the Governing Board.

Article 3: Correspondence, Events, and Publications

  • Section 1: All Correspondence, Events, and Publications of the Columbia Political Union must be approved by the Executive Committee, whose approval will be dependent on a non-partisan evaluation of whether any individual event contributes to the Union’s mission.
  • Section 2: A good faith effort will be made to include the viewpoints of all member-groups at every CPU activity. However, no one event will be hindered because a single group is unable or unwilling to participate.
  • Section 3: Partisan events open to the Columbia community will be permitted, as long as invitations to hold similar such events are extended to representatives of opposition groups, and university protocol is followed. Note that as individual events vary, the specific venue, technical requirement and publicity need not be employed for every such event, as long as similar audiences are invited.
  • Section 4: The General Manager will control email broadcasts to the CPU membership. At his or her non-partisan discretion, events and activities that may be of interest to the membership will be sent out even if the events themselves are partisan in nature. Such notices will also be posted on the CPU website.
  • Section 5. All events of the Columbia Political Union will be done in accordance with Columbia University policy, and, when appropriate, in consultation with the University’s administration. When and if an event approved by the Executive Committee requires collaboration with the administration (i.e. press releases, security) to which any group objects, that member group’s representative to the Governing Board may approach the Chaplain, her/his designate or General Manager, and express their grievance. If no negotiated settlement can be reached to satisfy every member group, the aggrieved member-group may ask for a vote of the Governing Board. Members supporting the event and those seeking relief will then present their arguments to the Governing Board, in person or via email. At that time, the Governing Board will, by plurality vote, approve one of the following two resolutions:
    1. “The Columbia Political Union recognizes the objections of certain member- group(s) to this event, and agrees that the objection cites a situation which compromises the mission and guidelines of the Union. As such, we the Governing Board, withdraw the Columbia Political Union’s support and association, financial or administrative, from the event.”
    2. “While noting the objections of certain member-groups to the Columbia Political Union’s support and endorsement in this event, we believe it is in the best interests of the Union and the Columbia community to maintain the Union’s involvement.”
  • Section 6: At times when there is reason to expect that certain members of the Columbia community will want to protest during a Columbia Political Union event, the Executive Committee will make a good faith effort to inform them of security arrangements prior to the event.
  • Section 7: If controversy arises during the course of a Columbia Political Union-sponsored event, the Executive Committee will investigate the event, and report its findings to the Governing Board. If a plurality of members think it appropriate, the Governing Board will then evaluate whether or not the controversy resulted from a violation of policies to which the Union agreed before the event, and publish a finding.

Article 4: Financing

The First Governing Board will set up a committee to evaluate the most effective way to fund the Columbia Political Union’s activities. That committee will present a financing structure, which will then be ratified by 50% or more of the Governing Board, and subsequently inserted into this Constitution.

Article 5: Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution will be submitted to the Governing Board by any member of that Board at any meeting. In order to pass, any proposed amendment must receive the support of 75% of the board.

Article 6: Ratification

To be ratified, this document must be signed by each member group, as specified in Article 1.

Appendix

Appendix A: College Republicans

Appendix B: College Democrats

The College Democrats' Executive Board nominate and vote on the Democrats' representative to the Governing Board of the Columbia Political Union.

Appendix C: Party of the Left

The role of the "Party of the Left" in the CPU shall be overseen by the Columbia Student Solidarity Network (CSSN). CSSN's steering committee shall have the power to appoint a representative to the CPU governing board; however, in the case of dispute about who is the duly appointed representative, the general body of CSSN and its member groups shall have the power to make a final decision. As CSSN is an umbrella organization for a number of groups with a wide variety of viewpoints, the representative should try, whenever possible, to represent as many of these viewpoints as possible.

Appendix D: Party of the Right

Mission: The Party of the Right is an umbrella organization representing conservative libertarian and traditionalist groups within the Columbia Political Union. In this capacity the Party of the Right will act to promote the interests of its members and ideological allies, while ensuring that the CPU remain balanced and non-partisan.

  • Article 1
    • Section 1. Pursuant to Article I of the CPU constitution, the Party of the Right will choose an individual to represent its members in the Governing Board of the CPU. The representative will be chosen by a majority vote of the Presidents of the member organizations. The election will be held in March.
    • Section 2. To be a candidate an individual must be an enrolled student at Columbia, and nominated by the board of at least one member organization. No representative may be a board member of any organization in the Party of the Right or any other political group.
  • Article 2
    • Section 1. All member groups of the Party of the Right must be organizations recognized by the SGB, CCSC, GSSA (General Studies…), SGA (Barnard…), (Business School), (Law School), or the GSC (Grad student…). As the Party of the Right exists to represent the students and groups on the right, all member groups must espouse classically liberal, conservative, libertarian, or traditional viewpoints. Groups wishing to join the Party of the Right must petition its associate organizations, and show that a majority of its members wish to join the CPU and Party of the Right. Prospective groups must be accepted by two-thirds of the member group presidents. Any group found to promote opposing views may be dismissed by a two-thirds vote of the member group presidents. Votes relating to membership shall be recorded and made public in such manner as the by-laws provide, subject to approval by the CPU and the Chaplain of the University.
    • Section 2. The membership of the CPU Party of the Right will initially be composed of the Columbia College Conservative Club. Before the representative of the Party of the Right in the CPU Governing board is elected, other groups at Columbia must be allowed to petition to join the Party of the Right. The board of the Columbia College Conservative Club will have full discretion to accept the first two additional member organizations. Thereafter, normal membership rules will take effect.
  • Article 3.
    Nothing in this Charter shall be read in any manner to override the constitution of member groups. By laws of member groups must be in compliance with the provisions set forth in this Charter. Member groups shall have the right to leave the Party of the Right and CPU, by showing that a majority of members wish to do so.
  • Article 4.
    • Section 1. This Charter will take effect upon acceptance by the CPU.
    • Section 2. Amendments to this charter may be presented by a member group, but must be accepted by three quarters of the presidents of the member groups.

Copyright © 2005 by The Columbia Political Union