FDR Distinguished Public Service Award in Washington DC, April 9th, 2008. Photos by Nick Bradley. |
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RIUA Constitution > Roosevelt Home > U Arkansas > RIUA Constitution
Constitution of the Roosevelt Institution at the University of Arkansas
A. Title, Membership, Purpose, and Principles
- The title of the organization is “The Roosevelt Institution at the University of Arkansas.” It shall be hereafter referred to as RIUA.
- The purpose of RIUA is to bring students of all disciplines together with the common goal of researching, proposing, and promoting informed public policy. RIUA aims to harness the enthusiasm, dedication, and innovation of student researchers to bring progress to the state, the nation, and the global community. As a campus based student think tank, RIUA will be able to serve the University as a conduit for student research, while at the same time encouraging student involvement on all levels, and creating a more active and thoughtful student body. We are dedicated to providing students with the skills and experience needed to bring positive change, not only during membership, but also upon leaving the University of Arkansas.
- Membership in the group is open to all students at the University as defined by the University of Arkansas.
- The organization will consist of a collection of policy centers, which generate policy ideas, divided into one of two divisions: a Challenges Division and a General Issues Division; an executive board who will coordinate the work of the policy centers as well as the interaction between RIUA, the University, and the national office; and a Board of Directors which will be comprised of the executive board and the leaders of each policy center.
- The organization has no partisan affiliation, but abides by the statement of principles as ratified by the Roosevelt Institution.
B. Policy Divisions
- The policy centers will be divided into two categories: a Challenges Division and a General Issues Division.
- The Challenges Division will incorporate all policy centers dealing with the three challenges adopted by the national organization each year.
- The General Issues Division will include all policy centers dealing with issues not directly related to the three challenges. This may include issues that are specific to the University of Arkansas, the state of Arkansas, or other communities.
C. Policy Centers
- Each policy center will be a combination of discussion groups for individual work and project teams for collective efforts.
- Each policy center will be comprised of students from the University of Arkansas who qualify to participate in student groups on campus as determined by the University.
- The members of each policy center will elect a policy director. Once a center director is elected, he or she may continue to serve in that role, without being reelected, unless the executive board decides that a reelection is appropriate.
- Members who have completed two policy projects may be given the title “fellow.”
- Centers will develop affiliations as appropriate with University organizations, academic programs, administrative units, and faculty members.
- As the organization grows, centers may be dissolved, merged, or created as appropriate under the recommendation of the policy coordinator with approval by the majority of the chapter membership.
- Policy Centers will be encouraged to meet three (3) times each month as decided by the members of each policy center. Failure to hold the required meetings will result in a review of the policy director and the members of the policy center by the Executive Board and/or the Board of Directors.
D. Administrative Structure
- The administrative structure will be composed of a Chapter Director, an Administrative Coordinator and a Policy Coordinator who will collectively be referred to as the “Executive Board”. The Executive Board will have the final decisions in all matters, and may override the decision of the Board of Directors as determined necessary.
- The Chapter Director will have the final decision within the Executive Board. He or she will serve as the liaison between the chapter, the University, the state, and the national office. The Chapter Director will serve as the primary representative of the chapter as needed. He or she will answer to the inquiries of the University or the national office, and hold responsibility for the actions, the vision, and the direction of the chapter.
- The Administrative Coordinator will coordinate with the policy centers to bring requested speakers, fund activities, build relationships with community members and policymakers, solicit requests for proposals, coordinate campus outreach, etc; and bring work from the policy centers to publications, the mainstream media, politicians, policymakers, and other think tanks.
- The Policy Coordinator will oversee the work of various policy centers. The PC may also recommend the creation, merger, or dissolution of policy centers in accordance with a vote from the majority of chapter membership. The PC will bring the needs of the policy centers to the Executive Board and work to provide any resources necessary to allow the successful completion of research projects in each center.
- Beyond the Executive Board, there will be a Board of Directors, comprised of the Executive Board and the policy directors from each policy center. The Board of Directors will be required to meet on four (4) occasions each year as determined by the chapter.
E. Rules and Leadership Transfer
- Leadership refers to all elected or appointed positions within the Roosevelt Institution at the University of Arkansas
- All leadership positions last for the academic year. Leaders are allowed to apply for re-election or continued appointment at the end of each academic year.
- Three separate processes will be used for selecting members for new positions. Process A will be implemented before the other two processes each year.
- Process A. For the Policy Coordinator and Administrative Coordinator
i. At a general chapter meeting the week before spring break, nominations for these positions will be accepted. Any member can submit a nomination for anyone other member, and if it receives a second and the candidate agrees, said candidate will be considered in the election. Students may concurrently run for both Policy Coordinator and Administrative Coordinator.
ii. All nominated candidates must post a statement arguing for their election.
iii. The chapter will convene to hear from the candidates and make a decision on who to elect. Each candidate will give a speech to the chapter stating their qualifications and vision. Candidates cannot be present to hear their competitors’ speeches. After each candidate has given his or her speech, he or she will leave the room.
iv. The chapter will then discuss the strengths of each candidate, with a focus on how each candidate could best serve the organization, either in or out of this position. Everyone should be allowed to speak their minds, as long as their intentions are to aid, not stall, the decision-making process.
v. Discussion will be closed following a motion, second and a majority vote.
vi. The chapter will then cast votes, ranking their top three candidates. The winner will be selected through two-thirds instant run-off voting process. In this process, a winner is selected if he or she is the first choice of two-thirds of the Steering Committee. If no candidate receives such a majority, then the candidate who received the least first-choice votes is eliminated. Ballots which listed the newly-eliminated candidate as a first choice will then be reassessed, with the second-choice vote now considered a first-choice vote. This process continues until one candidate has two-thirds of the vote
vii. Voting results are final. It is recommended that candidates are made aware of the voting results as soon as possible.
viii. The AC and PC must be selected before the conclusion of the spring semester each year.
- Process B. For the Chapter Director position.
i. Each applicant will have an interview.
ii. Chapter Director candidates will be interviewed and a decision will be made before the end of the spring semester each year.
iii. The Administrative Coordinator and the Policy Coordinator will select the next term’s Chapter Director, as approved by a majority vote of the chapter.
- Process C. For the Policy Center Directors.
i. The Policy Center Directors will be decided by the members of each policy center.
ii. Any candidate wishing to be selected as the director must submit an application and a prepared statement to the chapter at the third meeting of a newly formed policy center, or within two meetings after the end of the former director’s term.
iii. The chapter will follow the same two-thirds instant runoff voting procedure as outlined above.
iv. The director must be selected by the fifth meeting of a newly formed policy center, or within three meetings after the end of a former director’s term.
v. Each director will serve for one academic year, or until removed by the Board of Directors, or until his or her resignation.
- In Process A, B and C, newly elected leaders will work with the outgoing leadership to prepare over the summer and will assume their duties at the start of the next fall term.
F. Advisory Board
- The organization will have an advisory board of prominent, networked, and committed figures who will use their experience, skills, and talents to aid the organization.
- The advisory board may consist of professors, local politicians, writers, or other prominent individuals.
- The advisory board is only as an advisory body, and advisory board members may suggest, but not compel, any changes in the organization.
G. Impeachment and disciplinary action
- In the event that an officer of RIUA has committed acts of neglect, violation of the constitution or the bylaws, or other ethical violations, he or she may be brought up on impeachment charges within the Board of Directors.
- Impeachment of officers will be conducted by the Executive Board and voted by the Board of Directors in a three-fourths judgment.
- If the Administrative Coordinator or Policy Coordinator is under impeachment, the procedure will be overseen by the Chapter Director. If it is the Chapter Director under impeachment, the procedure will be overseen by the Administrative Coordinator and the Policy Coordinator.
- In cases not involving impeachment, the Executive Board will determine any disciplinary action against members of the chapter as approved by a majority vote in the Board of Directors.
H. Amendments and Dissolution
- The Board of Directors may amend this constitution by a three-fourths vote.
- If the group is dissolved, all property and funds will be allocated as determined by the Board of Directors.
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