Constitution

Section 1
Organization
This organization shall be known as the Registry of Small Ensembles of Cornell University.

Section 2
Purpose
The purpose of the Registry of Small Ensembles shall be: to help people start and join small instrumental music ensembles; to expose more people to small ensemble music; and to establish a regular Combined Concert for its Active Ensembles.

Section 3
Membership
Membership is open to students, staff, and faculty members of Cornell University, as well as members of the University community. Membership is granted by the President. Members may participate in multiple Active Ensembles.

Section 4
Active Ensembles
The status of Active Ensemble is granted by the Board of Officers. Eligible ensembles shall consist of members performing on concert band or orchestral instruments, with exceptions possible at the discretion of the Board of Officers. All ensembles must have approval of the Board of Officers before using the name of the Registry of Small Ensembles.

Section 5
Performance Eligibility
Performance eligibility for a concert held by the Registry of Small Ensembles shall be determined by the Board of Officers and the Advisor. An Active Ensemble can attain performance eligibility during a Progress Check. Details of the Progress Check are provided in the Bylaws.

Section 6
Officers
The Officers of the Registry of Small Ensembles shall be the President, Treasurer, Librarian, Secretary, and Summer Coordinator. Together, these Officers compose the Board of Officers.

The required offices are that of President, Treasurer, Librarian, and Secretary; a person may hold only one of these offices at a time. The office of Summer Coordinator may be held by another officer, in which case the person holding dual offices shall be limited to one vote in any organization matters.

Terms of office begin on Commencement Day in May, lasting until the Commencement Day of the following May. An Officer may be removed by a unanimous vote of the other Officers.

The Order of Succession is as follows, in descending order: President, Treasurer, Librarian, Secretary, Summer Coordinator. That is, if an office is vacated, the next lowest Officer in the Order of Succession shall assume the responsibilities of the vacated office until a replacement can be elected. The election of a replacement should occur as soon as possible.

Specific duties are listed in the Bylaws.

Section 7
Elections
The Board of Officers for an upcoming term shall be elected at the Election Day Meeting, which shall be no earlier than April 1, and no later than the first official day of Spring Final Exams. The date, time, and location of the Election Day Meeting must be announced at least two weeks prior to Election Day. Specific procedures are listed in the Bylaws.

Section 8
Meetings
The President shall hold and direct Regular Meetings of the Registry of Small Ensembles no less than once a month throughout the months of September through November and January through April. Regular Meetings shall be open to all current members. Additional meetings of the Registry may be called at the discretion of the President. In the Summer Period, additional meetings may also be called at the discretion of the acting Summer Coordinator.

Section 9
Advisor
The advisor shall be a faculty or staff member of the Cornell University Department of Music.

Section 10
Amendments
The Constitution or Bylaws may be amended by a three-fourths (3/4) vote at a meeting of the Registry, provided that the proposed amendment is submitted in writing and received by the Board of Officers at least one week prior to the vote. Such a vote must occur during the Fall or Spring semester. Eligible voters shall be current members in attendance who either: have attended two-thirds (2/3) of the Regular Meetings of the current semester; have performed in a Combined Concert of the current term of office; and/or have been approved via Progress Check to perform in an upcoming Combined Concert of the current term of office. The quorum for amendment votes shall be two Officers.

If an amendment is passed, the Constitution and any supplemental documents shall be revised accordingly and reprinted with an indication of the date of ratification.

Bylaws

Section 11
Duties of Officers
The duties of the Officers shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. President
(a) Establishes and directs meetings.
(b) Manages scheduling and acquisition of performance venues.
(c) Schedules and directs Progress Checks.
(d) Communicates general announcements to members.
(e) Oversees recruitment and publicity efforts.
(f) Acts as chief organization authority in interaction with other organizations.
(g) Sets with the Summer Coordinator the duration of the Summer Period.

2. Treasurer
(a) Adheres to University regulations governing the position of Treasurer.
(b) Maintains accurate and current budget record books.
(c) Approves purchases and manages payments to ensure operation within the budget.
(d) Prepares and presents requests to the SAFC as needed.
(e) Collects dues and fines from members as needed.

3. Librarian
(a) Maintains the music inventory of the organization.
(b) Oversees circulation of organization music to and from members.
(c) Manages music loans with university libraries as needed.
(d) Researches and manages acquisitions of music as needed.

4. Secretary
(a) Records minutes at meetings.
(b) Maintains records of membership, offices, and Active Ensembles.
(c) Oversees production and distribution of programs and advertisements.
(d) Revises the Constitution and supplemental documents in the event of amendment.

5. Summer Coordinator
(a) Sets with the President the duration of the Summer Period.
(b) Updates the Board of Officers throughout the Summer Period.
(c) Assumes the duties of Section 11.1(a-e) during the Summer Period.
(d) Assumes duties of the Treasurer, Librarian, or Secretary as needed if they are absent for the Summer.

Section 12
Election Procedures
The Election Meeting shall be initiated by the current President. Election of offices shall occur in Order of Succession. Eligible candidates shall be current members in attendance. Eligible voters shall be current members in attendance who either: have attended two-thirds (2/3) of the Regular Meetings of the current semester; have performed in a Combined Concert of the current term of office; and/or have been approved via Progress Check to perform in an upcoming Combined Concert of the current term of office. The quorum for elections shall be two Officers.

For the election of each office, the highest ranking current Officer who is not a candidate for that office shall direct the proceedings, and the procedure shall be as follows:
1. Nominations shall be declared: after each nomination, the nominee in question shall accept or decline.

2. Each candidate shall be allowed a speech of no more than 10 minutes, to be presented in alphabetical order of the surnames of the candidates.

3. The candidates shall then exit, and the remaining members shall vote by secret ballot, naming one preferred candidate.

4. All non-candidate Officers shall act as Tellers and tally the votes. If this yields less than three Tellers, the Officer directing proceedings shall appoint non-candidate voters as Tellers to yield three Tellers.

5. A simple majority is necessary to win the office. If no candidate wins a majority, a second vote shall be conducted between the candidates receiving the two largest numbers of votes. If the second vote yields a tie, the Officer directing the proceedings shall determine the victor.

6. All attendees return, and the victor is announced.

The acting Summer Coordinator should be on campus at least once a week for two-thirds (2/3) of the weeks between June 1 and August 15. If the new President chooses to make this commitment, the office of Summer Coordinator shall be vacant by default, and its duties shall be assumed by the President. Otherwise, a separate Summer Coordinator shall be elected.

The new President must declare his or her intentions regarding the office of Summer Coordinator by Election Day or May 1, whichever is later. The election of a Summer Coordinator may occur on a later date, provided that it occurs before the first day of Spring Final Exams and is announced at least one week in advance.

If any required office cannot be filled at the Election Meeting, then the current Board shall have until the end of spring final exams to appoint a person to the office by a simple majority vote of the Board.

Section 13
Summer Period
During the Summer Period, if the Summer Coordinator exists, responsibilities under Section 11.1(a-e) are transferred from the President to the Summer Coordinator. The default Summer Period is June 1 to August 15, but this may be modified by agreement between the President and Summer Coordinator.

Section 14
Combined Concerts and Progress Checks
The Officers may designate a concert held by the Registry to be a Combined Concert. To perform at a Combined Concert, each Active Ensemble shall schedule a Progress Check with the Board of Officers and the Advisor to gauge the performance-readiness of musical works that the ensemble would perform. Each Progress Check must be observed by at least the Advisor or one Officer. The Officers and Advisor may either approve the musical work(s) for performance, or recommend a Follow-up Check. If the ensemble fails to gain approval at a Follow-up Check at least one week before the performance, the Officers and Advisor may disallow performance of the musical work(s).

Drafted by Feitau Kung, October 25, 2004.
Recorded by Feitau Kung: Amendments to Sections 8, 10, 12 and 14 ratified on April 16, 2006.
Recorded by Feitau Kung: Amendment to Section 12 ratified on May 13, 2006.

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