MIT ATS
Association of Taiwanese Students

ATS Constitution

Founded October 21, 1991 Revised November 18, 1991 Revised November 15, 1994 Revised April 11, 2013

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.

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. The current fee is set at $5. If an individual cannot afford this fee, the fee may be waived at the discretion of the executive board.

Section 3: Members must attend a minimum of 50% of general meetings to be considered active.

Section 4: All members are entitled to participate in the voting process. Only active members and incoming freshmen demonstrating dedication to MITATS will be allowed to run for officer positions.

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. The Officers must consist of current MIT students, with the additional restriction that the Presidents and Treasurer all be distinct students.

Section 2: The Officers shall consist of the following members:

a. President: 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(s): Responsible for the initiation and execution of all activities that may promote cultural awareness and unity in the club and community.

e. Publicity Chair(s): Responsible for community awareness of any events relevant to the MITATS.

f. Social Chair(s): Responsible for the initiation and execution of all activities that may promote social unity in the club and community, and for managing the Big/Little Sibling Program and 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 at the time of election.

Section 2: Officer elections will occur during one general meeting.

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 to any ATS member.

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. The Historian(s) is/are responsible for documenting the accomplishments and activities of MITATS.

Amendment II. Officers

In light of the increasing size of our general body, we, the officers of MITATS, have decided to create co-chair positions for the following offices: President, Cultural Chair, Publicity Chair, Social Chair, and Historian. This brings the total number of elected office holders to thirteen.

Additionally, to give individuals of the freshmen class an opportunity to experience the inner workings of MITATS, we have created the position of Freshman Representative. Freshmen Representatives will be elected at the beginning of each academic year and will serve a term of one semester. The number of freshmen representatives will range from one to three individuals, as determined by the demonstrated dedication of the applicants.

Amendment III. Webmaster

With the increased web-based demands for our organization, MITATS feel that it is necessary to add the position of Webmaster to our executive committee.

Amendment IV. Membership

Section 5: Nondiscrimination Policy MITATS shall not discriminate based on any characteristic listed in the MIT Nondiscrimination Policy for membership, officer position, or in any other aspect.

Amendment V. Voting Procedures - in the event of redundancy or conflict, this amendment is intended to overwrite past procedures, but otherwise is intended to supplement existing procedures

Section 2: Officer elections will occuring during a specific election event held in December of each calendar year.

a. All active members may run for multiple officer positions and may run in pairs for co-chair positions. At least two weeks before the elections event, an email will be sent out with officer duties and nomination details. Candidates may be self nominated or nominated by another individual either through email or internally.

b. Voting will take place by position in the order that best allows for candidates to run for their preferred positions first, with the final order determined by the Presidents. Each candidate must present a speech and answer questions posed by current officers and general body members.

c. Voting can take place either in writing or electronically, and results will be announced immediately after all elections have been completed. The majority voting constitutes a quorum.

Amendment IV. Meetings - in the event of redundancy or conflict, this amendment is intended to overwrite past procedures, but otherwise is intended to supplement existing procedures

Section 1: Since a majority of MITATS activity focuses on hosting events open to both MITATS general body and the MIT community, there will only need to be one explicitly designated “general body meeting” at the start of each academic year. The role of general meetings and the decision-making process of these meetings will be filled by officer meetings (see Section 2)

Section 2: Frequency of officer meetings, which can be on a regular basis or as needed, will be decided at the first officer meeting after elections. These officer meetings will be run by the Presidents and open to all MITATS members, and all attendees will be allowed to participate in the decision-making process. Decisions will be made through a majority vote.

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