CONSTITUTION
We, the Hellenic students of Cornell University, do hereby establish our organization, and draft this constitution in accordance with the policies of Cornell University and so that our purpose will be defined and realized to its fullest extent.

    Articles

    1. Name
    2. Purporse
    3. Language
    4. Means and Methods
    5. Membership
    6. Member Obligations
    7. Discontinuation of Membership
    8. Finances
    9. Officers
    10. Elections
    11. Meetings
    12. Termination
    13. Amendments
    14. Registration and Renewal
    15. Acknowledgments
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ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of the organization will be Hellenic Students Association (hereafter HSA).

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE
The purpose of the Hellenic Students Association is:
  1. to provide a framework for common activities of its members,
  2. to support interaction among its members on a regular basis,
  3. to help incoming Hellenic students from Greece, Cyprus, the US or other countries adapt to the academic and social environment of Ithaca.
  4. to preserve the Hellenic identity of its members,
  5. to inform members on important current and past issues pertinent to the Hellenic, American and international reality,
  6. to present the Hellenic view on these issues to the international community,
  7. to introduce members of the international community to modern and classical Hellenic culture

The HSA is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities and abiding by the policies of Cornell University.

ARTICLE III - LANGUAGE
The language spoken in the meetings of the members will be Greek if all members present feel comfortable expressing themselves in it or English.

All formal documents will be in English.

ARTICLE IV - MEANS AND METHODS
To fulfill its purpose, the HSA will utilize the following means and methods:
  1. meetings and discussions,
  2. public lectures by invited speakers,
  3. public exhibitions,
  4. letters to other organizations, expressing the view of the HSA on an issue,
  5. recreational activities (excursions, athletic events, etc.),
  6. subscriptions to publications from Greece, Cyprus and other countries,
  7. support to the efforts of any individual, considered to serve the purposes of the HSA in good faith.

The HSA may cooperate in the organization of such activities with other associations.

ARTICLE V - MEMBERSHIP
Membership will be limited to students, faculty, staff of the Cornell University and their immediate family. Any such person may apply for membership.

In addition, the obligations listed in Article VI must be met to maintain membership.

The name, home and work addresses and telephone numbers, name of the department, electronic mail address and dates of enrollment and withdrawal of each member will be kept in the Member List.

The HSA is open to all eligible individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, creed or sexual orientation.

ARTICLE VI - MEMBER OBLIGATIONS
The following requirements are necessary for members:
  1. Abidence by the rules defined by the Constitution and the decisions of the Association.
  2. Attendance of 30% or more of all meetings every semester.
  3. Participation in all activities organized by the HSA, except for financial, academic or other commonly acceptable reasons.
  4. Espousal of the purpose of the Association described in Article II

ARTICLE VII - DISCONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP
Any member may withdraw membership by expressing the will to do so in writing.

Failure to meet the conditions set in Article V and Article VI constitutes automatic discontinuation of membership. In particular, graduating students are considered to automatically withdraw their membership.

ARTICLE VIII - FINANCES
The HSA will finance the activities it engages by the following means:
  1. special fees determined in meetings to support organization of a planned activity,
  2. donations, with conditions consistent with the purposes of the HSA,
  3. profits from activities (Greek Night, etc.)
  4. University funding

All transactions will be handled by the Treasurer, with the prior approval of the President and the Academic Advisor.

ARTICLE IX - OFFICERS
The HSA be governed and represented by the following officers:
  1. An elected President, who will preside at the meetings, sign the letters sent by the Association, and represent the HSA at Cornell as well as events organized by other organizations.
  2. An elected Vice President, who will handle the paperwork and the correspondence of the HSA.
  3. An elected Treasurer, who will be responsible for accounts and all financial matters of the HSA. The Treasurer must be ready to present a budget to any member at request, and to the entire member body in the last meeting of office before elections.
  4. An Academic Adviser, a member of the Cornell Faculty or academic Staff, who must supervise and approve the activities of the Association. In accordance to Cornell regulation this position may be shared by two individuals.
  5. Two members of the HSA will be responsible for the maintenance of the web pages of the HSA.

An officer in violation of the rules set by the HSA may be removed from office by the following process:

  1. A written request by at least 5 members.
  2. Notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak.
  3. A majority vote of 60% is necessary to remove the officer.

Any officer that wishes to resign may do so in writing. The next meeting will include elections for this office in the agenda. The resigning member must keep the responsibilities of the office until a new officer is elected.

ARTICLE X - ELECTIONS
All members are eligible to vote.

The officers will be elected separately on an annual basis (usually in the beginning of the Fall semester) by a majority vote in an election meeting, with no fewer than 50% or fifteen, whichever is smaller, members of the HSA present.

The new officers assume office after the election meeting.

ARTICLE XI - MEETINGS
Meetings are to be held on a regular basis at least once every month during the academic year at a commonly acceptable day and time.

The agenda of the meetings will be predefined and announced by electronic and/or campus mail. All members must maintain direct or indirect contact with the President or the Vice President about the agenda of the following meeting.

Additional issues may not be put into the agenda during the meeting, unless at least 75% of the present members agree so.

ARTICLE XII - TERMINATION
The HSA can be terminated under one or more of the following conditions:
  1. if its registration is suspended by Cornell University ,
  2. if the number of members falls below ten (10),
  3. if the office positions cannot be filled, or
  4. if it is so voted by at least 75% of the total number of members.

In case of termination, the property of the HSA will be donated to Cornell University, or to a non-profit organization determined in the terminating meeting. By no means can it be distributed among members.

ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENTS
The constitution is binding to all members of the HSA. But it is not binding to itself.

Amendments to the constitution may be proposed annually, in the month after the elections.

If amendments are proposed by at least two members, they must be put in the agenda and be discussed in the next meeting.

Proposed amendments will be effective following approval of two thirds (2/3) of the present members. There must be no less than 50% of the total number of members present in the vote.

ARTICLE XIV - REGISTRATION
The HSA will apply to the Cornell Student Activities Office for registration at the beginning of the Fall semester and provide all information required by the University.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Hellenic Students Association of Cornell would like to acknowledge the help of Hellenic Student Association of Iowa State University, whose constitution was used as a basis of the new constitution of the HSA of Cornell.