CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY BHANGRA (CMU BHANGRA) CONSTITUTION

Transcription

1 Established September 15, 2006 Last reviewed September 15, 2013 Article I: NAME CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY BHANGRA (CMU BHANGRA) CONSTITUTION The name of this dance team is CMU Bhangra. Article II: PURPOSE The purpose of Carnegie Mellon University Bhangra (CMU Bhangra) is to provide an opportunity and instruction for aspiring dancers. This organization will seek to encourage, advance, and promote the art of Bhangra dancing. The team seeks to promote the art of this Punjabi folk dance through various performances and competitions, on and off campus, and through instructive workshops. Article III: MEMBERSHIP 1) The Executive Board a. The board will consist of five members: two Co-Captains, two Managers (internal and external), and one Secretary/Treasurer. b. The co-captains will be responsible for the following: - Choreography, formations, and mix - Organizing performances - Running competitive and campus practices - Teaching the choreography, form, and formations to the dancers - Delegating work to the rest of the board and team members - Contacting competition organizers throughout the post-registration period - Researching competitions and presenting them to the team - All team members can inform the captains or the manager about competitions to look up - Creating an Alumni Relations mailing list and updating alumni monthly - Recording videos at practices and competitions, and uploading and sending the videos to the team within a few hours c. Both managers together will be responsible for the following: - Booking practice rooms and informing dancers of practice - Cleaning and keeping track of costumes, accessories, and instruments 1

2 - Helping the captains with choreography and formations - In the case where a captain is absent, filling in for him or her - Filling out and mailing competition registration packets - Acting as the point people for the campus team d. The internal manager will be responsible for the following: - Booking practice rooms and informing dancers of practice - Updating the team calendar - Organizing props pick-up and drop-off among team members - Acting as point person for campus team e. The external manager will be responsible for the following: - Finalizing lodging and transportation for competitions - Organizing all gigs and performances (on and off campus) - Applying to competitions - Renting out costumes and props - All team members are welcome to attend and contribute to discussion f. The secretary/treasurer will be responsible for the following: - Acting as the financial point person and Authorized Signer for the team (along with 1 captain) - Attending Student Activities and University financial meetings and seminars - Maintaining a budget and expense record for the team - Filing reimbursements for the team members - Taking meeting notes at board meetings and sending them out within the next hour to the board - Organizing fundraisers for the team with the help of other team members - Applying for additional funding to Carnegie Mellon University organizations as seen fit by the co-captains h. The managers will be elected at the end of the school year by the team based on the following criteria: - Responsibility - Management skills - Interpersonal skills - Dancing ability - Leadership potential i. The co-captains will be elected at the end of the school year by the team based on the 2

3 following criteria: - Leadership skills - Ability in terms of choreographing Bhangra - Ability to create formations and mix - Management skills - Interpersonal skills - Responsibility j. The Secretary/Treasurer will be chosen at the beginning of the school year by the co-captains and the managers through an application process based on the following criteria: - Organizational skills - Responsibility - Time management skills - Interpersonal skills - Willingness to contribute to team - Management skills 2) The dancers a. All dancers will be selected by an audition. - The tryouts will be within the first three weeks of the beginning of the new school year - Tryouts are open to all Carnegie Mellon University students - The only people who are not required to try out are the co-captains and managers - The tryouts will be conducted by the co-captains and any other people within the Carnegie Mellon community that the co-captains see fit and deem necessary - Between dancers will be selected for a Competitive Team which will perform at Bhangra in the Burgh as well as other competitions held in North America - Between dancers will be selected for a Campus Team which will perform at on-campus gigs and possible competitions later in the year. The main purpose of the Campus Team is to develop the dancers ability and to ensure the sustainability of the organization - The Campus and Competitive Teams will be selected by the co-captains following tryouts at their discretion b. The dancer responsibilities/duties include the following: - Attending all required practices and performances on time by checking on the team Google Calendar - Informing the co-captains and managers of absence from or arriving late to practice via at least 6 hours in advance (no texts or phone calls). Failure 3

4 to do so can result in extended practice time, monetary fines, props pick-up and drop-off, or further action deemed necessary by the captains - Attending practices dressed in appropriate clothing for athletic movement and maintaining hygiene - Everyone is expected to come to practice in a state of sobriety. Coming to practice under the influence of any substances can result in the immediate expulsion from the team - Keeping costumes and accessories clean and in order - Requirement to pay an annual fee (discussed in Article IV: Finances) - Attending and/or performing in at least one gig throughout the year per availability for gigs 3) The musicians a. The co-captains and managers will choose at least, but not limited to: - One dholi for Campus and Competitive teams - One chimta for Campus team - One chimta for Competitive team b. The instrumentalists responsibilities include the following: - Attending practices as deemed necessary by the co-captains - Keeping costumes and accessories clean and in order - Requirement to pay an annual fee (discussed in Article IV: Finances) c. The dholi(s) will be chosen by the following criteria: - Trying out for the team during the dancer tryout period - Ability to pick up dhol beats and play on beat with several Bhangra songs that the co-captains will choose d. The chimta(s) will be chosen by the following criteria: - Girl alternate(s) for the competitive team will be chosen to play chimta for the team at certain competitions as seen fit by the co-captains - Chimta players will be given 2-3 weeks to practice with the instrument and decide whether they would like to play it c. Additional information regarding musicians: - In the case of Campus and Competitive teams requiring the dholi on the same day, the co-captains will decide to either choose an additional dholi or not send a dholi with one group - The co-captains will choose who to work with to create the mix for the season - Music of practices will be created by the chosen mixer, the co-captains or managers, or other sources found by the co-captains Article IV: Late Policy 4

5 1) There will be a five minute grace period at the beginning of every practice. If people begin to abuse this privilege the captains will decide on the individual repercussions. 2) There will be extra mandatory practices based on the tardiness of the members. This will entail summing up the amount of time that people are late, and adding an extra practice (minimum of one hour) equal to the total time late. 3) Other forms of repercussions that will be exercised include, but are not limited to: - Pick-up and drop-off of props - Monetary fines - Meeting with the co-captains Article V: Finances 1) Membership dues a. Every member of the team is required to pay $60 at the start of the school year to cover costume and props purchases, accessories, costume dry cleaning, mailing of registration packets, and other costs that may arise throughout the year. Dues can be paid in cash or in check (Paid to: Carnegie Mellon University ) and must be given to the Secretary/Treasurer (or co-captains if Sec/Treas is not yet chosen) within one week of the first practice. There are potential higher costs for the individuals who travel throughout the year. b. The unused portion of the membership dues will be deposited into the Org Account and used for future expenses of the team. c. If a team member is to join or participate in CMU Bhangra at a later time in the year, they will be asked to pay a minimum of $30 to the team. 2) Reimbursements a. The Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for handling reimbursements in a timely manner for all team expenditures. b. Complete reimbursements are not guaranteed at the end of the year to all team members, as they depend on the balance in the team account after competitions and fundraisers. 3) School Funding a. At times of competition the Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for collecting funding from Carnegie Mellon University organizations to cover any costs discussed with the co-captains. 4) Fundraisers 5

6 a. The exec board, led by the Secretary/Treasurer, will be responsible for creating and organizing fundraisers. b. Team members will participate in all fundraisers that the organization chooses to hold or participate in. ARTICLE VI: NON-DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE 1) CMU Bhangra does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap/disability, or veteran status. ARTICLE VII: RESPONSIBILITY 1) All persons accepting membership in CMU Bhangra shall be required to agree that they will be governed by this living constitution and the by-laws of this organization. ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS 1) This living constitution may be amended at any governance and planning meeting of CMU Bhangra, or at any special meeting called for that purpose. A two-thirds majority of the executive committee must agree to the amendment for the amendment to pass. All amendments to the constitution and by-laws are subject to the approval of the Office of Student Affairs. (Signature) (Date) (Print Name Here) (Expected Graduation) 6