Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the University of Chicago Objectivist Club.

Article II: Purpose

Section 1. The purpose of the University of Chicago Objectivist Club shall be to examine Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, in order that it may enrich the lives of its individual members, individuals in the University community, and individuals in the world beyond.

Section 2. The essentials of the philosophy of Objectivism are the following:

• Metaphysics: Objective Reality
• Epistemology: Reason
• Ethics: Rational Egoism
• Politics: Laissez-Faire Capitalism

Section 3. Objectivism is the name Ayn Rand gave to her philosophy and it is limited to the philosophic ideas she presented or endorsed during her lifetime.

Section 4. The meetings of the club will generally consist of discussions of issues which are of concern to the members, the exhibition of audio or video tapes concerning some aspect of Objectivism and the discussions that follow, the discussion of literature read either during or before the meetings, or the coordination of a larger activity or event that might involve non-members.

Section 5. The club will provide members and non-members with information on Objectivism in the form of pamphlets and other literature and in the form of campus activities, such as live, on-campus speeches and debates by leaders in Objectivist thought.

Section 6. The club will be affiliated with the Ayn Rand Institute, but does not claim to speak for ARI nor for Objectivism. The club will not be affiliated with persons, organizations, or philosophies incompatible with Objectivism.

Article III: Field of Membership

Section 1. Only registered students at the University of Chicago are eligible to become voters in club matters.

Section 2. Students may become members by invitation only. Members only are eligible to vote. The membership reserves the right to revoke a member's privileges and to ban her/him from further involvement in club matters after an appropriate hearing is held.

Section 3. Anyone may attend club meetings for free. Students, faculty, and staff of the University of Chicago may attend major club events for free, but others may be required to pay an admission fee. Contributions to the club for either general operation or a specific activity are welcome.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of a president, a vice-president, and a secretary-treasurer. Up to two additional positions, public relations manager and events coordinator, can be created during elections by a vote of at least two-thirds, if requested by a current executive committee member. If these positions are not created separately, the secretary/treasurer will assume the role of public relations manager, and the president will assume the role of events coordinator.

Section 2. Members of the Executive Committee must be club members. To be elected as an Executive Committee member, one must have been a club member for at least two quarters, one of which must be the quarter in which (s)he seeks election. Members of the Executive Committee shall serve, barring impeachment, for a period beginning at the start of Summer Quarter and ending at the end of the Spring Quarter in the next year.

Section 3. Responsibilities of the Executive Committee

• President: To plan meetings, preside at them, maintain club mailing list, and notify members of meetings and events.
• Vice-President: To perform the duties of the president in the president's absence, aid the president during meetings, and retain all club property, purchase and transport refreshments for meetings and events.
• Secretary/Treasurer: To possess the constitution at all club meetings and maintain records of any amendments to the constitution, maintain records of the election/replacement/impeachment of Executive Committee members, to maintain the club's financial records, to take minutes and attendance.
• Public Relations Manager: To maintain the club web page, handle all advertising and publicity.
• Events Coordinator: To plan events and fundraisers with the help of the ORCSA staff.

Section 4. Election/Replacement of Executive Committee Members:

• The Executive Committee members shall be elected at the end of Spring Quarter for a term to begin in Summer Quarter.
• Before the end of Spring Quarter, the president will e-mail the club to announce a meeting to elect officers for the next academic year. Nomination and election will take place during this meeting. The secretary is responsible for tallying ballots cast by club members, and announcing the results.
• Should an office become vacant, the president, or vice-president, assuming the president is unavailable, will inform the members of the club, via e-mail, of a special election meeting.

Section 5. Impeachment of Executive Committee Members

If at least one member of the Executive Committee deems it necessary to remove another member of the Executive Committee from her/his position, (s)he may inform the members of the club, via e-mail, of a meeting to discuss the removal of that particular Committee member. At the meeting, at least two-thirds of the voting members must agree to the impeachment for it to pass. Upon passage, the officer will be removed from her/his position. No voting member may be expelled from the club while an impeachment process is pending.

Article V: Handling of Funds

All of the funds of the club will be kept in the club's account at the Office of the Reynolds Club & Student Activities. The treasurer will be responsible for maintaining the account. Two members of the Executive Committee must approve of any transactions using club finances.

Article VI: Amendments

Amendments must be approved by at least two-thirds of the members. Amendments may be proposed by a club member during the appropriate portion of any meeting and will be considered for passage during the following meeting. Proposed changes will be voted upon in a process similar to the one used in the election process.