Dharma On Campus Constitution

Preamble

Dharma On Campus (DOC) is an organization dedicated to promoting the culture and philosophy of Buddhism. This organization would also serve as a platform to gather Buddhists and those interested in the Dharma from all over the campus and to provide an opportunity for the propagation of the Dharma in the University of Michigan. This organization also respects people of all religious faiths and very much encourage participation in interfaith council, dialogues and interfaith activities to enable its members to understand the benefits of pluralism and promote interaction with people of other faiths.

Article I. Name

This organization would hereby be officially named as "Dharma On Campus".

Article II. Purpose

The purposes of the organization are: 1) To represent the Buddhist community in the University of Michigan. 2) To enable the propagation of the Dharma in the University of Michigan. 3) To introduce the culture and philosophy of Buddhism. 4) To engage members in community work to develop a heart of compassion. 5) To foster goodwill, interaction and long lasting friendship among its members.

Article III. Membership

Section 1.

This club advocates a non-discriminatory and non-conversion policy. The first policy means that all student, regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, social status and academic achievement are eligible to join the organization. The non-conversion policy respects the basic human rights which covers their freedom to choose their own religion. So, no members or anyone in any of the organization's gathering, are allowed, by any means, to convert other people into their religion. Dharma On Campus is just an organization which seeks to promote a deeper understanding of Buddhism as a culture and philosophy and not merely religion.

Section 2.

Any students from the University of Michigan can become a member by any one of these methods: 1) Attend any monthly or mass meetings. 2) Participate in any events organized by Dharma on Campus. 3) E-mail or contact the office bearers personally. Club members can be identified by the T-shirt or the collar tags they are wearing.

Section 3.

Members who want to withdraw from the society can do so anytime. He or she can inform any of the office bearers. However, office bearers who want to withdraw from the club would have present a formal written letter to the club President as to why he or she decides to leave the club.

Article IV. Officers

Section 1.

President: Coordinates the running of the club Vice President: Takes over the duty of the President if he or she is unable to perform his or her tasks. Secretary: Minutes the monthly club meetings. Treasurer: Collects payments and prepares the club account. Dharma Education Director: Coordinates dharma related events. Youth Activities Director: Coordinates fellowships and gatherings. Service Director: Engages members in social and community work. Editor: Takes charge of club's newsletters. Publicity Director: Promotes club events and in charge of club membership. Webmaster: Designs and maintains club websites.

Section 2.

All ten office bearers of the organization will constitute an executive committee.

Section 3.

The duties of the advisor are as follows: 1) Provide support and advice to members and office bearers. 2) Generate some refreshing ideas for club activities. 3) Disciplne and reprimand the office bearers should the club become inactive or dormant for a long period of time. 4) Strengthen the bond and friendship among club members. 5) Chair an election.

Article V. Operations

Section 1.

Every student who becomes a member of this club is eligible for office but they are subjected to the regulations stated below: 1) A senior student will not be eligible for any of the posts because he or she will be needing some time off to study. However, a senior student can opt to be a member of the senior advisory council to mentor the progress of the office bearers and look after them. 2) Junior and sophomore students are eligible for the post of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. 3) Freshmen and sophomore are eligible for the post of directors, editors and webmasters because these posts would be a good opportunity for them to prove their capability before moving up to the higher posts.

Section 2.

Officers are elected during the Annual General Meeting. During the AGM, a mass meeting will be held and members who are present during the meeting can nominate up to five members whom he or she thinks is suitable to be an office bearer for a particular post. Then, members will vote for their candidates by raising their hands. The candidate that receives the highest vote will be the office bearer for the fiscal year. Then, the election chairperson will call for two members to propose and second the electoral process. It starts from the Webmaster and all the way up to the President. The office bearers will be elected in the month of August.

Section 3.

After the new office bearers are elected, they would be required to attend a training and leadership camp organized by the former office bearers. A month later, after they have proven their capabilities, they will officially assume their positions.

Section 4.

The advisor will chair the electoral process and control the overall discipline during the election.

Article VI. Finances

Section 1.

The organization will finance its activities by: 1) organizing fundraising projects. 2) selling T-shirts and collar tags. 3) obtaining grants or financial support from the university.

Section 2.

The Treasurer will be responsible for the organization's Finances.

Article VII. Amendments

Section 1.

Amendments can be proposed during regular monthly meetings. There must be a person to propose the amendment and another person to second the motion.

Section 2.

Any registered members of the organization can propose them.

Section 3.

Article VIII. Registration Renewal

Section 1.

The date for renewal will be on the 30th of September.

Article IX. Removal of Membership

Section 1.

Officers can be removed from the office if: 1) he or she fails to comply to rules and regulations. 2) he or she is involved in criminal offense. 3) he or she does not perform. (In cases of non-performance, other officers, members and advisor can tell the non-performing officer personally that he or she did not do his or her job well and should improvise on whatever he or she is doing. The non-performing officer should then be given three chances to improve. If despite several warnings, he or she still default on his or her duties, then officers, members or the advisor can bring the issue up during regular meetings and remove the officer from the post via election but the officer will be given a fair opportunity to explain his or her circumstances. This rule applies to every officer including the President.)

Section 2.

Firstly, the issue of removing officers must be brought up during

Section 3.

Members of the organization can be removed if they: 1) do not abide by rules and regulations. 2) are involved in criminal offense. 3) deliberately condemn, insult, degrade and demean people of any religious faiths.

Section 4.

The removal of organization members is at the jurisdiction of the officers. If a person is deemed unsuitable to be a member of the organization, he or she will be given three warnings by the officers. After the third warning, an official letter will be issued to terminate his or her membership. It is up to the officers whether to accept the ousted member or not once he or she is terminated.

Article X. By-Laws

The structure and purpose of the executive committee are as follows: President: Coordinates the running of the club Vice President: Takes over the duty of the President if he or she is unable to perform his or her tasks. Secretary: Minutes the monthly club meetings. Treasurer: Collects payments and prepares the club account. Dharma Education Director: Coordinates dharma related events. Youth Activities Director: Coordinates fellowships and gatherings. Service Director: Engages members in social and community work. Editor: Takes charge of club's newsletters. Publicity Director: Promotes club events and in charge of club membership. Webmaster: Designs and maintains club websites. The executive committee will be in power for one year. The constitution is also set up in such a way that no one member can hold the same office posts for more than two consecutive terms. Elections will be held in the month of of August. Then, it is compulsory for the new office bearers to attend a leadership training camp. They will officially assume their positions one month after the election. The new office bearers would also assume the responsibility to reregister the club for the new term. The election procedures are as follows: Officers are elected during the Annual General Meeting. During the AGM, a mass meeting will be held and members who are present during the meeting can nominate up to five members whom he or she thinks is suitable to be an office bearer for a particular post. Then, members will vote for their candidates by raising their hands. The candidate that receives the highest vote will be the office bearer for the fiscal year. Then, the election chairperson will call for two members to propose and second the electoral process. It starts from the Webmaster and all the way up to the President. The office bearers will be elected in the month of August. Meetings will be held month on the first and third Wednesday of the month in Room 2105A, Michigan Union, from 6.00pm to 8.00pm (subject to changes)