Founded October 21, 1991
Revised November 18, 1991
Revised November 15, 1994
I. NAME
Through the decision of the founding members, the name given to this club shall be The Association of Taiwanese Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a.k.a. MITATS.
II. PURPOSE
We, the Association of Taiwanese Students, are a group of undergraduate students who have assembled in the interest of the Taiwanese culture. We seek to broaden the Taiwanese cultural and social interaction within the MIT community, while examining the current issues germane to Taiwan, as they may interest or affect us.
III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: MITATS shall be based on the campus of MIT, to be expanded beyond MIT with a 3/4 approval of the MIT Chapter. Membership is open to all those within the MIT community, with an emphasis on the undergraduate population.
Section 2: Membership is defined by a reasonable initial annual fee to be determined by the Officers before the start of each academic year.
Section 3: Members must attend a minimum of 50% of general meetings to be considered active.
Section 4: All active members are entitled to participate in the voting process.
IV. ORGANIZATION
Section 1: The Officers of the MITATS shall consist of the six elected office holders. They will be held responsible for the interpretation and execution of this Constitution. The Officers, as a whole, have the power to call all necessary meetings.
Section 2: The Officers shall consist of the following members:
a. President: Must be conversant in Taiwanese and/or Mandarin. Responsible for holding all Officers accountable to their duties, for leading general meetings, for planning activities that may help to enhance the quality of the club, and for delegating other responsibilities as appropriate.
b. Treasurer: Responsible for collecting all relevant fees, for managing all financial matters that may exist, and for providing any financial information upon the request of any active member and/or Finance Board.
c. Secretary: Responsible for recording the minutes of every meeting, for managing all miscellaneous administrative details, and for providing any information upon the request of ASA and Finance Board or any active member.
d. Cultural Chair: Responsible for the initiation and execution of all activities that may promote cultural awareness and unity in the club and community.
e. Publicity Chair: Responsible for community awareness of any events relevant to the MITATS.
f. Social Chair: Responsible for the initiation and execution of all activities that may promote social unity in the club and community, and for managing any athletic activities of MITATS.
V. VOTING PROCEDURES
Section 1: Beginning in 1991, officers will be elected in December to serve a term of two semesters (spring, fall) commencing in February.
Section 2: Officer elections will occur during one general meeting, attended by at least 2/3 of the voting members. The electoral process shall proceed as follows:
a. Each current officer will describe their duties in writing, to be made available to all active members. Immediately following, all members may officially nominate candidates through internal or electronic mail, or an alternative method specified by the President. A tentative list of candidates must be made available by the President, at least one week after nominations. Nominees may decline candidacy up until the day of elections.
b. At the next general meeting, the outgoing President shall present the final list of candidates for each position. Prior to voting, each candidate must present a speech and answer any questions.
c. The voting members shall elect officers in the following order:
President, Treasurer, Cultural Chair, Social Chair, Secretary, and then Publicity Chair.
d. After each candidate has spoken, all voting members will preferentially vote in writing. The votes shall be tabulated and announced immediately after all elections have been completed.
VI. MEETINGS
Section 1: General meetings shall include all active members, to be held at least twice during the course of every semester. The decisions of these meetings, attended by at least 50% of the active membership, may overrule those of the Officers'. The event of a general meeting must be publicized no later than one week before its occurrence.
Section 2: Officer meetings will be held at least once a month in addition to general meetings. Officer meetings are open to all members.
Section 3: The minutes of all meetings of the MITATS are to be provided upon request of all ATS members.
VII. AMENDMENTS
Constitutional amendments may be proposed in writing by any active MITATS member. All proposals must be discussed at a general meeting, and then voted on at the following general meeting or by mail ballot. Approval must consist of 2/3 of the voting membership.
VIII. ASA CLAUSE
The MIT Association of Taiwanese Students agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities, its Executive Committee, and the Finance Board. This Constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Committee to insure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.
Amendment I. Historian
In light of increasing responsibilities from an expanding membership, we, the MIT Association of Taiwanese Students, feel it necessary to enlarge the MITATS executive committee. To better coordinate all MITATS activities, as well as to record the growth of the club, the office of the Historian shall be created.