The Constitution of the MIT Quiz Bowl Team Article I : Purpose The MIT Quiz Bowl Team is an organization of MIT undergraduate and graduate students who compete in and host academic trivia (i.e. quiz bowl) competitions. The purpose of the MIT Quiz Bowl Team is to promote and encourage participation in quiz bowl events, academic competitions, and trivia games, and the accumulation of trivial knowledge; to host on-campus and interscholastic quiz bowl tournaments; and to recruit, train, and support the quiz bowl teams which represent MIT in intercollegiate competition. Article II : Membership 1. A member is defined as an eligible person who attends team practices and/or participates in interscholastic quiz bowl events as part of the team. 2. Any MIT undergraduate or graduate student is eligible to become a member of this organization. 3. The membership of this organization will at all times contain at least 5 MIT students. 4. This organization does not discriminate based on any characteristic listed in MIT's Non-Discrimination Statement. Article III : Officers 1. Supreme responsibility and authority for the MIT Quiz Bowl team will be vested in a body of officers - President, Treasurer, and Communciations officer. All officers must be members and no person may hold multiple offices at the same time. While it would be preferable if these offices were held by undergraduates, it would not be required. The officers of the MIT Quiz Bowl team serve as the officers for the Campus Activities Complex Program Board's Academic Competitions Committee. A. President i. The President is the official representative of the group to any other organization and to MIT. Supreme authority and responsibility among the officers reside with the President. ii. Responsibilities of the President include: - Attending required Program Board and ASA meetings. - Being the primary administrative liaison. - Organizing and running weekly practices with the other officers. - Organizing attendance at tournaments. - Acting as the primary interscholastic contact. B. Treasurer i. The Treasurer is responsible for the finances of the MIT Quiz Bowl Team and is required to sign all checks and vouchers of the group. ii. Other responsibilities of the Treasurer include: - Attending required Program Board and ASA meetings. - Organizing and running weekly practices with the other officers. C. Communications Officer The responsibilities of the Communications officer include: - Assisting the President in maintaining interscholastic communications. - Maintaining the team's web site, Athena locker, and the collegebowl and bowladmin mailing lists. - Providing communications within the team of tournaments, duties, etc. - Organizing and running weekly practices with the other officers. 2. Elections: 1. Elections of officers shall occur at a practice during the month leading up to Spring semester final exams. 2. Any active member of this organization is eligble to run for office. 3. Quorum for elections is four times the average integer number of MIT teams which have participated in invitationals attended by MIT teams during the past year. The only exception to this is for the election which immediately follows the ratification of this constitution. 4. Any member is elected if he or she wins a majority of the voting members. 5. If more than two people are running and no one wins a majority, then the person with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballot and votes are recast. If there is a tie for fewest votes, both people are dropped unless it reduces the number of candidates to one, in which case the officers as a whole decide which candidate to drop. 6. The term of office runs from the date of the election until the following year's election. 3. Removal : Officers may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the members present. The quorum for removal is the same as for elections. 4. Elections and removals require a one week advance notice to the members of the team, including an announcement on the general mailing list. The only exception to this is for the election which immediately follows the ratification of this constitution. Article IV : Practices 1. Practices are to be held at least once a week, with the exception of vacation weeks. 2. Practices will be organized and run by the officers. 3. There is no quorum for a practice to be held. 4. Non-members may attend practices with the permission of the officers, but non-members may not participate in any interscholastic events as a member of an MIT team. Article V : Amendments 1. Amendments may be presented by any member of the organization. 2. Amendments can be passed only by a two-thirds vote of the members present. 3. Quorum for passage of amendments is four times the average integer number of MIT teams which have participated in invitationals attended by MIT teams during the past year. Article VI : Policies 1. The policies of MIT Quiz Bowl Team are created by the officers to set standards for participation of the team in intercollegiate competitions. 2. Policies will carry over from year to year and can only be changed by the unanimous consent of all three current officers. Article VII : Institute Relations The MIT Quiz Bowl Team receives funding from the Campus Activities Complex Program Board to participate in interscholastic quiz bowl competitions in exchange for organizing and running the intramural MIT IAP College Bowl tournament and, if requested, other on-campus quiz bowl and quiz bowl-related events. The team is also to be recognized as a Class II activity by the MIT Association of Student Activities. 1. The MIT Quiz Bowl Team will adopt the policies and comply with the mission of the Campus Activities Complex. 2. The MIT Quiz Bowl Team agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities, and its executive board. This constituion, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Board to insure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.