CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of the organization shall be "Pakistani Student's League" at the University of Virginia.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose of the Pakistani Students League shall be to promote awareness of the rich Pakistani culture throughout the UVA community, to aid and assist fellow Pakistani students, and to plan and coordinate activities with other UVA organizations.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

The organization will not restrict membership and/or activity by reason of age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam eras. Notwithstanding these requirements, the organization may restrict membership based on an ability to perform the activities related to the organizations purpose.

Dues for membership are determined by the board at the beginning of the fall semester and are subject to change.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

The officers of Pakistani Students League include the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Social Chair. Although the specific duties of each officer have been outlined below, they are not restricted to and/or limited by such descriptions. All offiders can help other officers (with the exception of the Treasurer, who will solely handle all financial matters or the organization) with any other specific tasks or duties in order to manage the organization in a better manner for the betterment of the community.

President

The President shall be the official representative of the Pakistani Students League. He/she shall preside over meetings of the organization and be the final arbitrator of disputes between members or officers.

Vice-President

The Vice President shall assist the President in all organizational matters. In the event that the President is unable to attend a meeting, he/she shall preside over the meeting.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall prepare the PSL budget for the coming year, keep track of all expenditures, collect dues from members, be responsible for all banking formalities, manage all appropriations and attend all hearings from Student Council concerning Treasurers.

Secretary

The Secretary shall record and keep minutes of all meetings of the Pakistani Student's League including general body meetings, and also maintain a list of all dues paying PSL members. He/she must help facilitate the weekly officer meetings and discussions with the president. Recording every part of the organization on paper is the esential task of the Secretary.

Social Chair

The Social Chair shall be in charge of organizing social events within the PSL as well as planning events that aim to create more awareness of the Pakistani Student's League among the University of Virginia community at large. Most of the networking with other student groups, business organizations and external affairs is handled by the Social Chair.

ARTICLE V: TERMS OF OFFICE

The term of office shall commence one week after election result notification. During this week between election notification and the new term, the respective former officers shall give the new officers proper instruction as to their duties.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTIONS

Procedures for Annual Elections

  1. Nominations

    • Members may nominate any other member provided the nominee accepts the nomination. Non-members are not allowed to nominate other members.

    • A member may be nominated for multiple positions and run for them, although he/she can only be elected for one position. An officer may not hold more than one position during a single term.

     • Elections must be advertised at least one week prior to the date of the elections.

    • All students listed by the Secretary as voting members of the organization are eligible to nominate candidates and vote for officers.

    • Nominations shall continue via e-mail until noon of the Election Day.

  2. Elections

    • For any given office, the candidates shall draw a number in order to determine the order of speeches.

    • A candidate for the same position shall not be present in the same room during the speech of another candidate.

    • Candidates shall be given a short period of time not exceeding 3 minutes in order to give their speeches, followed by a brief question and answer period not exceeding 3 minutes.

    • In order to vote for a particular office, eligible voters must be present through all speeches given for that office.

    • The winner is determined by a majority vote from the present eligible PSL eligible voters.

    • The winners will be announced that night after the meeting via email.

  3. Run-off Elections

    • In the event that no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, run-off elections shall be held and the contestants shall be given the opportunity to speak for an additional 2 minutes, followed by no more than 3 questions from the eligible voters for questions/answers.

  4. Special Circumstances

    • In the event that a position is left unfilled after an election, or if an officer resigns, the board shall appoint a new officer through a formal interview process provided a majority of members give their consent at a general meeting.

    • Otherwise, elections for this position will be held at a general meeting with a majority vote leading to the selection of a new officer as stated in the procedures for elections.

  5. Other Miscellaneous Details

    • All eligible voting members constitute of those members who have paid their dues for the semester.

    • If you have not paid your dues, you will be allowed to pay them at that time and become a member.

    • The dues are $10.00 for the each semester (Fall & Spring) and will be for this academic year.

    • If an individual has not paid their dues they will not be considered a member of the organization.

    • All non-members may participate in the question/answer sessions, although they will not be allowed to vote.
    • There will be no accommodation for absentee ballots

    • Nominees must be present at the meeting in order to be eligible to run for their position