CONSTITUTION

OF THE WOODBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY AT

HARVARD COLLEGE

Last Amended: September 2011

Article I. Name
Article II. Purpose
Article III. Membership
Article IV. The Executive Board
Article V. Responsibilities of Officers
Article VI. Non-Board Positions
Article VII. Term duration
Article VIII: Elections
Article IX. Vacancies
Article X. Meetings
Article XI. Amendments

Article I. Name
The name of the organization shall be The Woodbridge International Society at Harvard
College, hereafter referred to as “the Society.”

Article II. Purpose
The Society is concerned with both the support and enhancement of the international community at Harvard College, and the facilitation of ties between international students and their American counterparts on campus. In addition to representing the interests of the international student population, the Society aims to provide a social and intellectual forum for individuals from all over the world, educate members of the Harvard College community on issues of international importance, build a global network among students of the College, and foster a spirit of global awareness and cultural exchange.

Article III. Membership
Membership in this Society shall be open to all students in good standing currently enrolled in Harvard College regardless of nationality, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender orientation, or physical disability. Active Members are Harvard Students subscribed to the Society’s official email list, “Woodbridge-list.”

Article IV. The Executive Board
A. The leadership of the Society shall consist of an Executive Board of ten (10) members. All ten (10) members shall be equally empowered within the Society and equally responsible for the welfare of the Society and the fulfillment of its purpose as stated in Article II.

B. The Executive Board shall be responsible for planning and overseeing the execution of the Society’s activities and projects.

C. Members of the Executive Board shall be directly involved in the projects of the Society.

D. The Executive Board shall have the authority to create any special committees, subcommittees, or positions.

E. The Executive Board must approve of all new projects undertaken by the Society.

F. The Executive Board must approve the Society’s budget and authorize any disbursement of funds.

G. The Executive Board shall hold at least one open meeting per year, in which Society members will be allowed to attend and discuss the activities, projects, and financial standing of the organization.

H. In all Executive Board decisions, an effort should be made to strive for consensus. However, when this is not possible, a simple (1/2) majority will be required for Board decisions.

Article V. Responsibilities of Officers
The Executive Board shall consist of the following positions for the purpose of division of administrative responsibilities: The eight (8) elected officers shall consist of: two (2) Co- Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, Social Chair, Director of International Awareness and External Outreach, Director of Publicity and Student Liaisons, and Director of Fundraising and Alumni Affairs. In addition, there shall be two (2) appointed positions: The Director of International Freshman Affairs and Technology Chair. All officers shall be registered undergraduate students of Harvard College and Active Members of the Society as defined in Article III.

A. The CO-PRESIDENTS shall share the role of a chief executive of the Society. They shall maintain general coordination of its activities and projects, oversee its holistic functioning, and provide support for the other members of the Executive Board. The Co- Presidents are responsible for organizing meetings, overseeing the Society’s long-term goals, and representing the Society to the Harvard administration, including the Society’s academic advisor(s). The Co-Presidents shall be required to have served as members of the Woodbridge Executive Board prior to election. The Co-Presidents will be elected as a single ticket.

B. The TREASURER shall have general charge of the Society’s finances, including the preparation of the Society’s overall annual budget and annual financial report(s). He/she shall keep accurate records of financial affairs and be responsible for grant applications within the University. The Treasurer shall present a monthly financial report to the Executive Board. In addition, he/she shall coordinate fundraising activities with the Director of Fundraising and Alumni Affairs.

C. The SECRETARY will assist the president in administrative work. He/she shall keep records of all meetings of the group and of all activities and projects, including but not limited to agendas, attendance lists, membership lists, and minutes. In addition, the Secretary shall handle the Society’s mail correspondence. At the end of his/her term, the Secretary shall archive all above documents. Along with the President, he/she is responsible for the preservation and transfer of institutional knowledge. This might be achieved through the generational Board Binder outlining the successes, failures, agendas, to-do lists, and how-to plans of each outgoing Board, and/or a digital transfer of institutional knowledge through electronic documents and files from the outgoing to the incoming Executive Board using the Harvard University Archives.

D. The SOCIAL COMMITTEE CHAIR is responsible for overseeing all social aspects of the Society. He/she is responsible for convening the Social Committee, which will directly administer the social aspects of the Society’s projects. The Social Chair is responsible for maintaining a vibrant social life within the organization through regular parties, activities, and events whose principal focus is not cultural or educational. The Social Chair also has primary responsibility for the organization of the annual Fiesta in coordination with members of the outgoing Board, and assisted by members of the incoming Board. The Social Chair shall convene and receive logistical support from the Social Committee as outlined in Article VI, Section A.

E. The DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS AND EXTERNAL OUTREACH aims at facilitating international education and connecting the Harvard international community to the outside world. This involves educational activities such as the faculty dinner series – dinners/luncheons with eminent faculty members or other professionals with the goal of promoting discussion on global understanding, citizenship, and peace – and workshops involving cultural lessons such as music, dance or cooking that build on the activities of the Woodbridge Social Committee. Furthermore, the Director specifically acts as a liaison between the Society and non-student group entities, such as Harvard administrative offices (e.g. OCS, OIP, various Centers, etc.), NGOs, and businesses. The Director of International Awareness and External Outreach shall convene the Outreach Committee along with the Director of Publicity and Student Liaisons, as outlined in Article VI, Section B.

F. The DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY AND STUDENT LIAISONS shall be responsible for advertising the Society’s events to its members and to the larger Harvard community, liaising with other student groups at Harvard and other colleges, and handling electronic correspondence between the Society and its members. The Director of Publicity and Student Liaisons shall convene the Outreach Committee along with the Director of International Awareness and External Outreach, as outlined in Article VI, Section B.

G. The DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING AND ALUMNI AFFAIRS shall be responsible for the maintaining of relationships with all Society alumni, as well as the Society’s fundraising efforts. His/her alumni-related responsibilities will include but not be limited to maintaining alumni information and mailing lists, preparing and sending an annual Alumni Newsletter, and liaising with the Harvard Alumni Association. He/she shall specifically be responsible for coordinating Woodbridge’s annual International Career Forum by utilizing Society alumni and other connections in the graduate schools and various occupations. The Director’s fundraising responsibilities include initiation of programs to raise funds for the Society; these may include merchandise sales, fundraising activities, coordination of revenue-generating events, or donation campaigns.

H. The DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL FRESHMAN AFFAIRS shall be one of two non-elected position on the Woodbridge Executive Board. He/She will be chosen by the Executive Board and relevant administrators from the Harvard International Office (HIO) and Freshman Dean’s Office (FDO) through a comprehensive application and interview process. The Director of Freshman Affairs will hold overall responsibility for all aspects of the Society relating to its freshman members before, during and after the Freshman International Program (FIP). His/Her responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Mentor-Mentee Program: coordinating international admitted student calls, recruiting and training Mentors, coordinating pairings by region and interest.

2. FIP Program: organizing FIP sessions and activities, working within a budget, selecting FIP leaders, utilizing program evaluations, designing the program schedule, coordinating social events, organizing presentation panels, managing airport pick- ups, and working closely with the HIO/FDO administrators.

a. The Director of International Freshman Affairs will have final discretion on choosing FIP Leaders to help coordinate the many aspects of the program, but will solicit opinions from the Woodbridge Executive Board.

b. The eight (8) elected members of the Board have automatic spaces as FIP Leaders for the upcoming fall after their election

3. Mentor-Mentee Program: continuing and expanding upon FIP community through the term-time Mentor-Mentee Program, including facilitation of Mentor-Mentee program events.

4. FIP Reunions: organizing reunions for the past classes of Freshman International Program alumni, procuring funding, designing social events, conducting outreach to each class.

5. The Director of Freshman Affairs shall convene a committee of Freshman Representatives to assist in term-time (post-FIP) affairs, as outlined in Article V, Section C.

I. The TECHNOLOGY CHAIR shall be one of two non-elected positions on the Woodbridge Executive Board. He/She will be chosen by the Executive Board through a comprehensive application and interview process. Application considerations may include but not be limited to: knowledge/proficiency in web designing and programming, innovativeness/appeal of ideas, responsibility/effectiveness of execution, and dedication/commitment to the Society. His/Her responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Maintenance of the official website of the Society, including periodic and regular updates on the Society’s events, publicity, and multimedia.

2. Maintenance of any corollary websites of the Society, including the Freshman International Program website (in collaboration with the HIO, FDO, and Director of International Freshman Affairs) and the Society’s Facebook group and page.

3. Maintenance of the Society’s computer networks and accounts.

4. Transfer of institutional knowledge and technical access to the next Technology Chair.

5. Assist in brainstorming and executing online projects, as per requests from or with the approval of the Board.

Article VI. Non-Board Positions
Four categories of non-board positions of responsibility shall exist within the Society, each overseen by a different member or members of the Executive Board: the Social Committee, Outreach Committee, Publicity & Student Liaisons Committee, Fundraising & Alumni Affairs Committee, and Freshman Representatives. The Executive Board shall retain the authority to create new committees and positions as outlined in Article IV, Section D.

A. Social Committee
1. Oversight

a. The Social Committee shall be overseen by the Social Committee Chair.

2. Members

a. The number of members will be determined by the incoming Social Committee Chair in consultation with the incoming Board and outgoing Social Committee Chair at the beginning of the new Board term, based on the needs and projects of
the society.
b. Any active member of the Society may serve as a member of the Social Committee.
c. There should be an attempt to have both under and upperclassmen, with members of the freshman class added in the fall.

3. Applications

a. Members of the Social Committee shall be chosen by application.
b. It is possible but not required to hold to a spring application round shortly after the election of the new Social Committee Chair. There must however be one application cycle in the fall, open to freshmen members of the Society.

i. The fall application cycle must be completed within 5 weeks after the start of the academic school year.

c. Application considerations may include but not be limited to:

i. innovativeness/appeal of ideas
ii. responsibility/effectiveness of execution
iii. dedication/commitment to the Society.

4. Responsibilities

a. Assisting the Social Chair in fulfilling the Committee’s goals and tasks for the term.
b. Brainstorming and executing events that promote the social aspects of the Society.
c. Assisting the Executive Board in the planning and execution of Society-wide activities.

B. OUTREACH COMMITTEE
1. Oversight

a. The Outreach Committee shall be overseen by the Director of International Awareness and External Outreach, and the Director of Publicity & Student Liaisons.
b. Outreach Committee members shall not be assigned to a particular Director, but instead share in the responsibilities of both internal and external outreach, as overseen by both of the Directors.

2. Members

a. The number of members will be determined by the incoming Outreach Committee chairs in consultation with the incoming Board and outgoing Outreach Committee Chairs at the beginning of the new Board term, based on the needs and projects of the society.
b. Any active member of the Society may serve as a member of the Outreach Committee. c. There should be an attempt to have both under and upperclassmen.

3. Applications

a. Members of the Outreach Committee shall be chosen by application.
b. It is possible but not required to hold to a spring application round shortly after the election of the new Chairs. There must however be one application cycle in the fall, open to freshmen members of the Society.

i. The fall application cycle must be completed within 5 weeks of the start of the academic school year.

c. Application considerations may include but not be limited to:

i. innovativeness/appeal of ideas
ii. responsibility/effectiveness of execution
iii. dedication/commitment to the Society.

4. Responsibilities

a. Assisting the two Outreach Committee Chairs in fulfilling the Committee’s goals and tasks for the term.
b. Helping design and implement publicity initiatives for Society events.
c. Brainstorming and executing events that promote cultural education and international awareness both within and outside of the Society.
d. Assisting the Executive Board in the planning and execution of Society-wide activities.

C. FRESHMAN REPRESENTATIVES
1. Oversight

a. The Freshman Representatives shall be overseen by the Director of International Freshman Affairs.

2. Members.

a. The number of Freshman Representatives will be determined by the incoming Director of International Freshman Affairs, in consultation with the incoming Board and the outgoing Director at the beginning of the new Board term, based on the needs and projects of the society.
b. Any active member of the Society who is a first-year student at Harvard College may serve as a Freshman Representative.

3. Applications

a. Freshman Representatives shall be chosen by application.
b. The application cycle for Freshman Representatives shall take place in the fall, and must be completed within five (5) weeks of the start of the academic school year.
c. Application considerations may include but not be limited to:

i. innovativeness/appeal of ideas
ii. responsibility/effectiveness of execution
iii. dedication/commitment to the Society.

4. Responsibilities

a. Assisting the Director of International Freshman Affairs in fulfilling his/her goals and tasks for the term.
b. Brainstorming and executing events that will build and strengthen the freshman class community within the Society.
c. Assisting in the implementation of the Mentor-Mentee program.
d. Assisting in organizing FIP Reunions for past classes.
e. Assisting the Executive Board in the planning and execution of Society-wide events.

Article VII: Term Duration
The official term of office for the Woodbridge Executive Board shall start on the day following Fiesta Mondiale, Woodbridge’s largest annual social event, and terminate on the day of Fiesta Mondiale the following spring.

A. The initiation of a Board’s term shall happen after a spring Executive Board elections take place, with the interim period between elections and Fiesta dedicated to the transfer of institutional knowledge between the old and new boards, and the collaborative preparation for Fiesta Mondiale.

B. There shall be no period of Joint Board jurisdiction per se, but rather a window of learning and observation in which the new board observes and assists the old board.

C. No Executive Board shall be permitted to pursue any action that would extend the duration of their own term beyond the typical one-year length. However, Executive Board members are eligible for reelection to the same or different board position.

Article VIII: Elections
A. Officers shall be elected annually during the month of January or February in a public election. Candidacy Statements will be due at the end of the first full week of the spring semester with elections taking place one week later.

1. In the event that there is a significant barrier to meeting this schedule, the Executive Board can elect to move the dates by up to two weeks provided the one-week gap between the two is maintained.

2. Members of the Society shall be informed of the exact date of the elections at least two weeks in advance.

3. The new Director of International Freshman Affairs will be selected prior to these elections by the previous board in collaboration with the FDO and HIO. The selection process will most likely happen during the fall semester, although His/Her term will not start until the new Executive Board is elected.

B. An impartial Election Commissioner shall be appointed by the Board at least a week in advance of the Election. The Election Commissioner may not run for an Officer position or be a member of the current Board. He/She may be a member of the Woodbridge Graduate Board. It is the Election Commissioner’s responsibility to ensure that the election be a fair process conducted in an orderly fashion, following the guidelines enumerated in Article VIII, Section D.

C. Prior to the election, all candidates running for election to the Executive Board must meet with the person currently holding their desired position in order to discuss the role and responsibilities they will be expected to assume. In the instance that the Executive Board member currently in that position is running for reelection, all candidates in the running for said position must meet with the Co-Presidents instead.

D. The Elections are governed by the following rules:

1. Any member of the Society is eligible to vote provided he/she became an Active Member as defined in Article III up to two (2) weeks prior to the election date.

2. Every active member of the Society is eligible to run for an Officer position.

3. Each candidate must submit a Candidacy Statement to the Election Commissioner one week before the day of elections. The Statement may address multiple positions in preparation for drop-down voting, but must directly address each respective position that the candidate is considering. Candidacy statements may speak to the candidate’s personal qualities, relevant experience and qualifications, and vision for the position(s) in question.

4. Proxy votes may be submitted by email to the Election Commissioner at least twenty-four (24) hours before the starting time of elections. Proxy votes must select only one candidate per position, and give a reason preventing attendance at elections that qualifies as an unavoidable conflict as judged by the Election Commissioner. Proxy voting will be publicly discouraged by the Election Commissioner, due to the preferable option of voting based on election day speeches and drop-down considerations.

5. Quorum for elections is at least thirty (30) voting members of the Society, including proxy votes submitted to the Election Commissioner at least twentyfour (24) hours before the starting time of elections.

6. No member shall be allowed to vote for a position without having heard the full speech and subsequent question and answer session preceding voting for that position. Arriving late or leaving early will revoke a member’s voting rights for the position in question.

7. The Officers shall be elected in the following order: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Social Committee Chair, Director of International Awareness & External Outreach, Director of Publicity & Student Liaisons, and Director of Fundraising & Alumni Affairs.

8. Candidates shall deliver short speeches explaining their candidacy immediately before voting procedure on the respective position. Speech time shall be set and moderated by the Election Commissioner, and conveyed to all candidates prior to the election.

9. Following speeches, candidates will engage in a brief question and answer series in which they will answer questions posed to them by Woodbridge Society members. This session will be timed and moderated by the Election Commissioner. Preference for the first question may be given to the respective incumbent officer.

10. Votes shall be in a secret ballot form with precisely one candidate on a ballot.

11. The candidate with most votes shall become the elected Officer.

12. In case of a tie, a second round of elections shall be held amongst the tied candidates.

13. In the case that a candidate is not elected to a specific Officer position, he/she may run for other Officer positions that were designated in the candidate’s candidacy statement. Drop-down voting is thus allowed only when a candidate has preordained that he/she would be interested in more than one position, and addressed to the Society his/her desires and qualifications for those positions on the Executive Board.

E. Electronic Elections.

1. Electronic elections may be held instead of regular elections after consensus decision by the Executive Board.
2. Electronic Elections must be administered through online system that guarantees anonymity of voters and restricts voting privileges to members of the Society (like Qualtrics).
3. Prior to electronic elections, the outgoing board must host a question and answer event, as described in Section C, 8&9. Candidates not present at the Q&A event shall not be eligible for election.
4. Electronic elections must be announced at least one week before proposed deadline for vote submission.

Article IX. Vacancies
A. Any Executive Board member may resign by submitting an official statement of resignation to the Executive Board and Society.

B. In case of misconduct or negligence, a member of the Executive Board may be impeached. Impeachment necessitates the following procedure:

1. A motion signed by: a. at least three members of the Executive Board and ten voting members of the Society, or b. at least twenty Active Members of the Society.

2. A special voting session attended by at least thirty (30) Active Members of the Society, the date of which the board member in question shall be informed of one (1) week in advance.

a. Both the initiator of the motion and the Executive Board member in question shall have the floor before voting begins. Failure of the board member in question to appear at the voting session shall take away his/her right to represent himself/herself.
b. A two-thirds majority of the voting session is needed to complete the impeachment process.

C. In case of resignation, impeachment, or any other voluntary or involuntary vacancy in the Executive Board:

1. The Executive Board shall designate the duties of the vacant officer position to one or more of its members.

2. If the vacancy occurs more than three (3) months prior to Executive Board elections, the Executive Board shall call for special elections to fill the vacant positions.

Article X. Meetings
A. Executive Board meetings shall be held at least two (2) times a month for the purpose of determining activities, programs, and other business of the Society.

B. The President and Secretary are responsible for preparing an agenda in coordination with other members before the meeting.

C. The Board shall employ all available means of communication to keep members informed of its activities.

D. An Open Meeting between the Executive Board and members of the Society shall be held at least once per term of office to inform members of the progress of Society projects, finances and activities.

Article XI. Amendments
A. This constitution may be amended through the following two-step procedure:

1. A petition signed by fifteen (15) Active Members of the Society and approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board.

2. A simple majority vote through one of the following:

a. a special voting session attended by at least twenty (20) members of the Society.
b. an electronic notification of the Constitutional reform through the official Society e-mail list, followed by an online voting session in which members may anonymously submit their approval for or against the reform.

B. The constitution must be amended at least one month in advance of Officer elections.

©Woodbridge International Society at Harvard College