The NSO | Contact | The NSO Constitution

The NSO Constitution

Last Updated According to the Constitutional Convention of September 20, 2009

  1. Mission
  2. Members
  3. Powers
  4. Ensigns
  5. Sectors
  6. Lieutenants
  7. Attendance
  8. Elections
  9. Impeachment
  10. Amendments
  11. PTB Meetings
  12. Founders

    13. I. Mission

    The No Such Organization (NSO) shall provide social events for NSO members to gather and be their natural selves in a NSO environment, and provide resources of science fiction, fantasy, anime, gaming, and other NSO interests, in order to educate Vassar's NSO members and the general student body. And have fun.

    II. Members

    The primary requirement for membership is an interest in NSO activities. Those qualified can become members by signing their names to a membership list at an NSO event, or emailing a request for membership to one of The Powers That Be.

    A full member is a member satisfying the above condition who is also a member of the Vassar student body.

    There may also be any number of honorary members, who need not go to Vassar or be on the mailing list. To become an honorary member a person must request that status from the Powers That Be and be approved by a majority vote. A former member in good standing shall be granted honorary membership upon his/her request to the Powers That Be.

    Any full member can vote in the PTB election. The Vote Counter must affirm that each voter is a current member of the Vassar student body.

    The Powers That Be can, by a majority vote, revoke an individual's membership in response to an instance of gross negligence or deliberate neglect by said individual having lead to a substantial negative impact of an NSO event.

    III. Powers

    Five (5) Positions constitute the Powers That Be (PTB), elected full members who plan and oversee events. Any Power may appoint assistant(s) as he/she deems necessary. The Power shall remain responsible for fulfillment of his/her duties. These positions are:

    1. President -- First Minister of Whatever Comes to Mind
      1. First among equals
      2. Contact person
      3. In charge of meetings of the Officers
      4. Running of the Newsletter
    2. Treasurer -- Chief Bureaucratic Goombah
      1. Dealing with VSA forms and paperwork
      2. Maintenance of financial assets
      3. Provide information in the NSO's financial status to members upon their request
      4. Keep in contact with any member that has a budget
    3. Secretary -- Chronicler and Keeper of Logs
      1. Keeping notes and minutes of the PTB meetings
      2. Writing organizational reports & reviews
      3. Responsible for making sure the NSO website is up to date
    4. Marketing Coordinator -- Cultural Attaché
      1. Publicizing and promoting the NSO and events
      2. Responsible for the creation and distribution of advertising material (i.e. flyers, posters, etc.)
      3. Distributing advertising materials on and off-campus according to the specified regulations of the College
      4. Responsible for maintaining the NSO bulletin board
      5. Making sure the yearly NSO shirts are produced in a timely fashion
    5. Event Coordinator -- Ensign Coordinator
      1. Programming
      2. Coordinating and advising ensigns
      3. Responsible for reserving event space through the correct channels

    IV. Ensigns

    Ensigns are full members who are volunteers or who have been assimilated by the Ensign Coordinator at an Event meeting, which is to be held within the first week of classes for each semester. Ensigns run or help with specific events or other tasks, such as posting signs. Members wishing to serve as Ensigns will apply to the Ensign Coordinator. The term of ensignship shall be the duration of the semester. An Ensign may propose to organize and be in charge of an event. If the PTB accept this proposal, they may grant that Ensign the title "[event] Ensign" or "Ensign of [event]," at their discretion. A specific event is defined as either a one-time occurrence or a regularly scheduled event. First-semester freshmen who wish to become ensigns may only co-host an event with another ensign who has been a full member of the NSO for at least one year. Honorary members shall not be eligible for ensignship, but may run events with the co-sponsorship of a current ensign. Ensignship may be revoked by a majority vote of the PTB.

    V. Sectors

    Due to the diverse nature of the NSO population, subsections devoted to specific foci (e.g. gaming or fantasy) may be formed by the PTB when warranted. The formation of a sector is warranted when a significant number of NSO members wish to participate only in events associated with that Sector's focus. Any member who wishes not to be on the general mailing list may choose to be on a Sector mailing list. Sectors are run by Lieutenants (see section VI. Lieutenants).

    Examples of NSO sectors include the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show production and NonCon.

    VI. Lieutenants

    Lieutenants shall be NSO members who have been entrusted by the PTB with to be in charge of a sector. If the sector is recurring the following year, the current Lieutenant must designate someone to replace him or her, and this choice must be approved by a majority vote of the PTB. If the PTB does not approve of the decision, they must meet with the current Lieutenant at least one month before the end of the semester in order to discuss a solution. Lieutenants are responsible for serving as a contact between their sector and the PTB, requesting funds from the NSO's budget for their sector's use, as well as running events within their sector, with the help and guidance of the PTB.

    VII. Attendance

    NSO events shall be open to members of the Vassar community and their guests, and to honorary members.

    The PTB or the person responsible for an event, at the request of more than one attending member may ask someone to leave or exclude him or herself from an event.

    The PTB, with a majority vote, may ban a person from one or more events or types of event for a period of time up to the remainder of the academic year in which the ban was considered.

    VIII. Elections

    Elections shall be held within two weeks of the end of Spring Break, and whenever needed to fill a sudden vacancy caused by resignation or impeachment.

    Elections shall be run in a fair and equitable manner of the PTB's choosing. Each full member will be allowed to vote for at most one candidate or write-in candidate for each position. Abstentions and "No" votes are also permissible. The election e-mail will be sent out to all full members by the First Minister. The votes shall be counted by a neutral NSO full member, defined as a non-PTB member and an outgoing senior. The Vote Counter must be unanimously decided on by The Powers That Be. The Vote Counter will be responsible for assuring that each vote counted is made by a full member. A majority of non-abstaining votes is required to carry the election. In the case of an indecisive election through lack of a majority, the election of a candidate who fails to accept the position, the PTB currently in office shall have the option to hold another election for the position, or decide upon a joint tenure of the office. Joint tenure shall be held only by the two candidates who received the most votes in the first election, and the arrangement must be agreed to by both candidates. In the case that a run-off election results in a tie and the two candidates refuse to have joint-tenure, the PTB shall break the tie.

    Officers-elect shall spend the remainder of the semester with the incumbent officers learning their duties so that they will be prepared to take their positions the next August.

    Officers leaving office shall become Officers Emeriti. They shall retain advisory powers.

    A constitutional convention shall be held at least one month before the end of the fall semester for purposes of ratification and submission of the constitution to the VSA.

    Only one constitutional convention will be held per semester. A second constitutional convention may be held in the spring semester if agreed upon with a majority vote by The Powers that Be.

    IX. Impeachment

    In order to remove an officer from office, three members of the NSO must enter petitions for a vote. The Impeachment Trial will take place as soon as feasible at a date assigned by the other officers, taking into consideration the schedule of the impeachee. The impeachee can and must be present at his/her own impeachment trial. The impeachment trial shall be announced to full members (as defined above), and all full members should make an effort to attend. If 70% of the attending non-abstaining voting membership votes for impeachment, the officer shall leave his office and join the ranks of the membership. An election will then be held for all members who have not been impeached within the last two years.

    Attendance Policy: An officer of the PTB shall be considered for impeachment if he/she has missed three (3) consecutive scheduled meetings with fellow Powers (without prior notification to the other PTB of a sufficient reason for his/her absence), or displayed gross negligence of executive responsibility in other regards.

    X. Amendments

    If three members propose an amendment to the Constitution to the PTB, the membership shall be convened as soon as feasible for discussing and voting on the proposed amendment. The amendment shall be official only with the approval of two-thirds of the attending non-abstaining voting membership.

    XI. PTB Meetings

    PTB Meetings are open to the general membership. They should be announced in the newsletter preceding the meeting along with a general outline of what will be discussed, so that the membership can know the issues on the table and attend meetings accordingly. The membership may also use this time to raise issues. The minutes of every PTB meeting, as recorded by the Chronicler and Keeper of Logs, shall be made available on-line for members who are unable to attend meetings.

    Emergency PTB meetings may be called if a majority of the PTB finds it appropriate. These meetings do not have to be announced to the membership, but should only be called if the issue being discussed requires immediate attention.

    XII. Founders

    Dave Barker
    Marc Hartstein
    Keri Bas
    Allison Lee
    Mike Benedetto
    Richard Lewis
    Jocelyn Brown
    Michelle Smoyer