We the Muslim students of the University of Virginia, in order to promote the general welfare of the University, establish the Muslim Student Association at the University of Virginia as our representative body.
ARTICLE I: PURPOSE AND DERIVATION OF AUTHORITY
Acting under the authority delegated by the original MSA constitution, the Muslims of the University thus establish the revised Constitution.
Originating with a small group of Muslim students who wished to come together in the name of Islam and in the spirit of Muslim brotherhood, the Muslim Student Association at the University of Virginia expanded in order to encompass all aspects of Muslim life specific to the academic campus.
The goals of the MSA are thus:
1. To promote a diverse and unified community reflecting the various backgrounds and experiences of Muslim students.
2. To strive to become model Muslims in order to promote and serve Islam in both the University and Charlottesville communities.
3. To give the Muslim students at UVA a voice in University affairs.
4. To teach and learn Islam through educational, social and religious activities.
5. To be an active and vocal presence in the struggle for the weak and oppressed in the local and global arenas
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
A. Membership shall not be restricted by reason of age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran.
B. Anyone can participate in the organization.
C. Voting members shall be composed of those who have paid the membership dues.
ARTICLE III: OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
A. The members of the Muslim Student Association shall elect from themselves an eight member Shura Council. The Shura will be composed of one Chair (Amir), one treasurer, five council members, and a webmaster.
B. Elections shall be held during the spring semester. The Shura will divide the responsibilities of the Association amongst themselves prior to their term during the training process, which shall last from the time of elections to the end of the semester of the outgoing Council.
C. The Shura Council will create and implement committees that they find necessary to the success of the Association’s objectives. The committees shall be created with the help of the general body in order to keep regular members involved in MSA activities.
D. Committee chair positions will be held by members of the Shura Council only. Chairs will then have the power to create their own committees as they see fit in order to fulfill their tasks.
E. Committees, at the discretion of the committee chair, will have Committee Head positions, held by general body members. Power will be delegated to the Committee Head from the Committee Chair.
F. Committee Heads will be elected from the general body during general body meeting in the fall semester.
G. Committee Chairs and Heads will have the opportunity to rotate or leave positions at least once a semester.
H. The Shura Council will hold executive committee meetings once a week. These meetings will be mandatory for all Council members.
ARTICLE IV: ELECTIONS
A. Elections for the Shura Council shall be held during the spring semester, at least three weeks prior to the end of the semester.
B. The term of the outgoing committee will end at the end of the spring semester. The period from elections to the end of the semester will be used as a training period for the new Council.
C. In order to be able to run for a Council position, nominations must be seconded and accepted by the potential nominee.
D. Nominees must be present at elections and give an oral speech to the voting members.
E. The nominee with the most votes will receive the position.
F. In order to vote or run, members must have paid their membership dues.
G. A quorum of at least ¼ of the general body must be present during the elections.
ARTICLE V: IMPEACHMENT AND CENSURE:
A. A move to impeach an officer can be brought up by any member of the Shura Council only.
B. A unanimous vote by the Shura Council, excluding the officer in question, will be necessary in order to bring a motion of impeachment before the general body.
C. An officer will be impeached by 2/3 vote of general body members present at the vote..
D. The Council will have the power to establish any type of censure, such that does not violate this Constitution, for an officer or Committee Head who the Council deems to have failed to perform his or her duties.
E. The Amir can choose to initiate the censure against an officer or committee chair when he or she finds that the officer has failed to perform his or her duties.
F. The Council will have the power to censure the Amir only with a unanimous vote inside the Council, excluding the Amir.
G. An officer may resign by informing the Amir and preparing either a written document of an oral speech explaining the resignation, to be read in front of at least 1/3 of all voting members.
H. In order to fill a vacant Shura Council position, excluding the position of Amir, the Council will hold interviews for general body members interested in filling the position. The Council will then choose, upon a majority vote inside the Council, the member to replace the outgoing officer.
I. In the event where the position of Amir becomes vacant, a member of the Shura Council will be chosen to take the position through a majority vote inside the Council. The empty Council position will then be filled as described in Article V Section H.
ARTICLE VI: GENERAL BODY MEETINGS:
A. The Shura Council will decide during their training session how often they will plan to have general body meetings throughout their term in office.
B. The Council must hold at minimum one general body meeting a semester.
C. Dates and times of general body meetings shall be determined by the Council during the training period.
D. General Body Meetings will be mandatory for all Shura Council members.
ARTICLE VII: FINANCES:
A. The treasurer and Shura Council are authorized to appropriate and spend the money of the organization.
B. A majority vote among the officers will be needed in order to approve the budget prepared by the Amir and Treasurer.
C. The Treasurer will keep and manage all funds and be responsible for fundraising.
D. Council Members will be exempted from paying membership dues.
E. Membership dues will be no less then $5 a semester and no more then $20 a semester. The Council will determine membership dues during their training period.
ARTICLE VIII: BY-LAWS
A. The Shura Council may adopt by affirmative vote of a majority of the Council such By-Laws as shall not be in conflict with this Constitution.
B. By-Laws will establish membership dues, committees, chair positions, division of labor inside the Council, censures, general body meetings, and any other aspect of the Association that the Shura Council deems necessary.
C. By-Laws will carry over into the term of the next Council, unless changed by a majority vote of the Council.
D. By-Laws will be decided and settled during the training period of the Council. The Council will have the power to change them at any point of their term however.
ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENT
A. Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed as follows:
1. by written petition of five percent of the general body, submitted to the Council, or
2. by a majority vote inside the Council.
B. Ratification of an amendment shall require a majority vote of the general body at any general body meeting.
ARTICLE X: RATIFICATION
This constitution may be ratified by a majority of those full time students voting during the first general body meeting held by the Council of the 2004-2005 academic year and shall become effective immediately thereafter.
ARTICLE I: PURPOSE AND DERIVATION OF AUTHORITY
Acting under the authority delegated by the original MSA constitution, the Muslims of the University thus establish the revised Constitution.
Originating with a small group of Muslim students who wished to come together in the name of Islam and in the spirit of Muslim brotherhood, the Muslim Student Association at the University of Virginia expanded in order to encompass all aspects of Muslim life specific to the academic campus.
The goals of the MSA are thus:
1. To promote a diverse and unified community reflecting the various backgrounds and experiences of Muslim students.
2. To strive to become model Muslims in order to promote and serve Islam in both the University and Charlottesville communities.
3. To give the Muslim students at UVA a voice in University affairs.
4. To teach and learn Islam through educational, social and religious activities.
5. To be an active and vocal presence in the struggle for the weak and oppressed in the local and global arenas
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
A. Membership shall not be restricted by reason of age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran.
B. Anyone can participate in the organization.
C. Voting members shall be composed of those who have paid the membership dues.
ARTICLE III: OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
A. The members of the Muslim Student Association shall elect from themselves an eight member Shura Council. The Shura will be composed of one Chair (Amir), one treasurer, five council members, and a webmaster.
B. Elections shall be held during the spring semester. The Shura will divide the responsibilities of the Association amongst themselves prior to their term during the training process, which shall last from the time of elections to the end of the semester of the outgoing Council.
C. The Shura Council will create and implement committees that they find necessary to the success of the Association’s objectives. The committees shall be created with the help of the general body in order to keep regular members involved in MSA activities.
D. Committee chair positions will be held by members of the Shura Council only. Chairs will then have the power to create their own committees as they see fit in order to fulfill their tasks.
E. Committees, at the discretion of the committee chair, will have Committee Head positions, held by general body members. Power will be delegated to the Committee Head from the Committee Chair.
F. Committee Heads will be elected from the general body during general body meeting in the fall semester.
G. Committee Chairs and Heads will have the opportunity to rotate or leave positions at least once a semester.
H. The Shura Council will hold executive committee meetings once a week. These meetings will be mandatory for all Council members.
ARTICLE IV: ELECTIONS
A. Elections for the Shura Council shall be held during the spring semester, at least three weeks prior to the end of the semester.
B. The term of the outgoing committee will end at the end of the spring semester. The period from elections to the end of the semester will be used as a training period for the new Council.
C. In order to be able to run for a Council position, nominations must be seconded and accepted by the potential nominee.
D. Nominees must be present at elections and give an oral speech to the voting members.
E. The nominee with the most votes will receive the position.
F. In order to vote or run, members must have paid their membership dues.
G. A quorum of at least ¼ of the general body must be present during the elections.
ARTICLE V: IMPEACHMENT AND CENSURE:
A. A move to impeach an officer can be brought up by any member of the Shura Council only.
B. A unanimous vote by the Shura Council, excluding the officer in question, will be necessary in order to bring a motion of impeachment before the general body.
C. An officer will be impeached by 2/3 vote of general body members present at the vote..
D. The Council will have the power to establish any type of censure, such that does not violate this Constitution, for an officer or Committee Head who the Council deems to have failed to perform his or her duties.
E. The Amir can choose to initiate the censure against an officer or committee chair when he or she finds that the officer has failed to perform his or her duties.
F. The Council will have the power to censure the Amir only with a unanimous vote inside the Council, excluding the Amir.
G. An officer may resign by informing the Amir and preparing either a written document of an oral speech explaining the resignation, to be read in front of at least 1/3 of all voting members.
H. In order to fill a vacant Shura Council position, excluding the position of Amir, the Council will hold interviews for general body members interested in filling the position. The Council will then choose, upon a majority vote inside the Council, the member to replace the outgoing officer.
I. In the event where the position of Amir becomes vacant, a member of the Shura Council will be chosen to take the position through a majority vote inside the Council. The empty Council position will then be filled as described in Article V Section H.
ARTICLE VI: GENERAL BODY MEETINGS:
A. The Shura Council will decide during their training session how often they will plan to have general body meetings throughout their term in office.
B. The Council must hold at minimum one general body meeting a semester.
C. Dates and times of general body meetings shall be determined by the Council during the training period.
D. General Body Meetings will be mandatory for all Shura Council members.
ARTICLE VII: FINANCES:
A. The treasurer and Shura Council are authorized to appropriate and spend the money of the organization.
B. A majority vote among the officers will be needed in order to approve the budget prepared by the Amir and Treasurer.
C. The Treasurer will keep and manage all funds and be responsible for fundraising.
D. Council Members will be exempted from paying membership dues.
E. Membership dues will be no less then $5 a semester and no more then $20 a semester. The Council will determine membership dues during their training period.
ARTICLE VIII: BY-LAWS
A. The Shura Council may adopt by affirmative vote of a majority of the Council such By-Laws as shall not be in conflict with this Constitution.
B. By-Laws will establish membership dues, committees, chair positions, division of labor inside the Council, censures, general body meetings, and any other aspect of the Association that the Shura Council deems necessary.
C. By-Laws will carry over into the term of the next Council, unless changed by a majority vote of the Council.
D. By-Laws will be decided and settled during the training period of the Council. The Council will have the power to change them at any point of their term however.
ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENT
A. Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed as follows:
1. by written petition of five percent of the general body, submitted to the Council, or
2. by a majority vote inside the Council.
B. Ratification of an amendment shall require a majority vote of the general body at any general body meeting.
ARTICLE X: RATIFICATION
This constitution may be ratified by a majority of those full time students voting during the first general body meeting held by the Council of the 2004-2005 academic year and shall become effective immediately thereafter.