CONSTITUTION
Article I: NAME
The name of this University of Notre Dame student club shall be “Students for ChildOriented Policy,” and its abbreviation shall be “SCOP.”
Article II: MISSION
Students for Child-Oriented Policy is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian Notre Dame student
organization that advocates the development and implementation of child-oriented
policies that respect what we understand to be the soundest understanding of the
principles of universal human reason, especially on the issues of marriage, education,
adoption, drug abuse, and pornography.
As a nonpartisan organization, SCOP is not an affiliate of any particular political party.
As a nonsectarian organization, SCOP refrains from affirming the claims to divine
revelation of any particular faith tradition, though we recognize the rational possibility of
divine revelation. SCOP recognizes the store of wisdom present in the great world
religions and warmly welcomes the religious perspectives of all faith traditions.
As a Notre Dame student organization, SCOP recognizes a special responsibility to serve
the common good of the University and its home state of Indiana. Accordingly, SCOP
will give special attention to strengthening the understanding of the first principles of
practical reason and advancing child-friendly policies on campus and across our state.
As a policy-advocacy organization, SCOP strives to influence public policy, preserving
policies that we believe benefit children and promoting changes that we believe would
promote the flourishing of children. SCOP’s advocacy efforts will include sponsoring an
annual conference and other events throughout the year, as well as making arguments in
the public square. They may also include direct appeal to voters or policymakers
regarding salient political issues.
As an organization committed to adherence to principles of human reason, SCOP
recognizes as a necessary though not sufficient criterion of child-oriented policy that it
not violate any practical principle of universal human reason.
SCOP focuses on certain human values, but we do not deny the value of countless other
forms of human activity. SCOP holds the union of a man and woman together that is
inherently oriented toward family life (i.e., marriage); the holistic formation of mind,
heart, and body (i.e., education); and the true friendship sought in the loving choice to
adopt for the sake of a child’s good, all things considered to be of intrinsic value to
human beings. Furthermore, SCOP holds drug abuse and pornography use to be
intrinsically harmful to human beings. We maintain, however, that there other forms of
human activity, including other forms of human community, that are intrinsically
valuable to human beings.
Article III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in SCOP shall be open to any interested undergraduate or
graduate students at the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, or Holy Cross
College. Alumni, parents, and community members cannot be members.
Section 2. Notre Dame faculty/administrators may join the club as “Associate
Members.” Associate members may not run for office and do not have voting rights.
Article IV: MEMBERSHIP FEES
Section 1. All members shall owe an annual membership fee of $10.00 due to the Club
Treasurer starting October 1.
Section 2. Members joining between October 1 and the end of the school year shall owe
$10.00 membership fee at the third meeting they attend.
Section 3. Members who are current on their dues payment shall be classified as “active”
members although all University of Notre Dame students may participate in club
activities.
Article V: OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of SCOP shall be a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, and a
Secretary.
Section 2. Only students may serve as officers, and at least half of the officers must be
Notre Dame undergraduate students.
Section 3. The duties of the Presidents shall include:
• providing leadership for the club
• maintaining focus and setting clearly-articulated goals for the club at the
beginning of each semester
• acting as the chief spokesperson of the club
• scheduling and announcing monthly meetings
• calling emergency meetings, pursuant to Article IX Section 4
• working with the Club Advisor to ensure the club is operating within the
expectations of the University
• Establishing and maintaining an effective relationship with the Club Coordination
Council, Student Activities Office, and other University administrative
departments
Section 4. The duties of the Vice President shall include:
• assisting the President with the fulfillment of his duties
• monitoring and ensuring adherence to all University policies and procedures
• chief responsibility for managing the SAOnline communication, while including
the President and relevant event organizer(s) as administrators on SAOnline
actions
• ensuring that all changes of officers are reported to the appropriate University
officials
Section 5. The duties of the Treasurer shall include:
• preparing all budgets including an annual budget for all committees to be
completed by September 1 as well as any budget requests, appeals, etc.
• keeping a record of all financial transactions
• meeting with the Club Advisor on a regular basis to review account balances and
financial transactions.
• maintaining membership records, including the name, dorm, class (year of
graduation), email, and amount of dues collected from each member
Section 6. The duties of the Secretary shall include:
• keeping detailed minutes of all meetings
• working to coordinate the press relations of the club, including, but not limited to:
relations with The Observer, Scholastic Magazine, The Irish Rover, and flyer and
poster approval
• regularly updating a SCOP website, Facebook page, and Twitter account,
according to any guidelines or priorities established by the President
• maintaining the SCOP listserv and preparing a periodic newsletter for the
President to distribute to the listserv
ARTICLE VI. OFFICER ELECTION AND IMPEACHMENT
Section 1. All Club Officers shall be elected before April 1 and will serve a term of May
1 – April 30. The time between elections and April 30 shall serve as a transition period
for new officers.
Section 2. Officer elections will consist of the following three-step process: 1.
nominations, 2. elections, 3. run-off elections (if-needed)
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Nominations – Nominations will be held the meeting prior to the scheduled date
of elections. Any active club member may nominate a fellow club member to any
of the club officer positions. Nominations will only be accepted during the
meeting prior to elections. Candidates can be nominated for more than one
position and they may nominate themselves for a position if they are not
nominated by another member.
•
Elections – Elections will consist of each candidate speaking for two minutes
followed by a three minutes of questions and answers from the club membership.
To be eligible for election, each candidate will state, “I affirm the mission of the
University of Notre Dame and the mission of Students for Child-Oriented Policy,
as stated in their respective mission statements.” Only active members present at
the meeting shall cast a vote, and only these votes shall count toward the
computation of the 50% + 1 required margin for election to office. The order of
elections shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and finally
Secretary. Candidates must be present to be elected, unless they are abroad. In
that case the student must send an email confirming that he willingly accepts the
position if elected and a written description of his qualifications for the position to
be read aloud at the meeting.
•
Run-off Elections: In the event that no candidate receives at least 50% + 1 of the
vote of the currently active club members, a run-off election shall be held between
the two candidates receiving the most votes.
Section 3. In the event that an officer is judged to be deficient in his duties (as decided
by a unanimous agreement of the three other club officers and the advisor), he may be
removed by a two-thirds vote of the club’s membership. He may first be offered the
opportunity to step-down from his office. A new person shall then be elected according
to Section 2.
ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Section 1. The Club Officers shall decide on an annual basis which committees need to
be established in order to advance the club's position on campus.
Section 2. All committee chairs will be appointed no later than April 30 by the President.
All appointments must be approved by a majority of the Club Officers. The selected
individuals must be contacted and accept their nomination by this date.
Section 3. Only students may serve as committee chairs.
Section 4. The duties of all committee chairs will be:
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Selecting members to serve on their respective committee.
Coordinating and chairing committee meetings, as needed.
Informing the Club Officers and Advisor of the plans, intentions, and progress of
the committee.
Becoming familiar with pertinent University policies and procedures.
ARTICLE VIII. ADVISOR
Section 1. The Club Officers shall unanimously agree upon and appoint an advisor no
later than April 30 to serve a term from May 1 - April 30.
Section 2. The Club Advisor must be a Notre Dame faculty member or administrator.
Section 3. The Club Advisor's duties shall include:
• Being available to meet with club officers once per month.
• Keeping informed of club issues and intentions.
• Providing oversight of account balances and financial transactions.
Section 4. The Advisor shall be an ex-officio member of the club, and as such, shall not
have voting rights.
Section 5. The Advisor shall have veto power over any decision made by the club that is
in direct violation of University policy. This authority shall be used only in circumstances
where the club officers knowingly intend to violate University policy.
Section 6. The primary Advisor and the club officers will annually invite members from
different academic departments and campus institutions to serve on a Board of Advisors.
The members of the Board are asked to provide advice and to seek the support of their
department or institution for SCOP projects.
ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS
Section 1. The club shall meet at least once per month. A listing of meeting dates shall
be established by the Club Officers and will be available at Student Activities Night and
announced at the first meeting. Flyers will also announce the first meeting.
Section 2. Only active student members may vote at meetings.
Section 3. At least half of the officers and one-third of the members must be present in
order for business to be conducted.
Section 4. In the event that an emergency meeting of the club needs to be held, the
President of the club shall have the authority to call such meetings. At least 24 hours
must be provided to all active members by sending out an e-mail.
ARTICLE X. DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS
Section 1. All disbursements of funds must be approved by the President and the
Treasurer.
Section 2. Reimbursement for expenditures will only be accepted for members who have
retained an original, itemized receipt and a description of the expense incurred.
Section 3. Any expenditure in excess of $200 must be approved by a majority of the Club
Officers.
Section 4. All financial transactions of the Club will be managed through the University
of Notre Dame's accounting system, as stipulated by the Student Union Treasurer's
Office.
Section 5. Only the Club Officers and the Club Advisor shall have the ability to charge
expenses to the Club via the University's account charge system.
Article XI. AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments may be made to this constitution at any time by a majority vote
of the active club membership.
Section 2. Members interested in proposing amendments to the constitution must submit
the proposed amendment to the President no later than seven days before the Club's next
meeting.
Section 3. The proposed amendment shall be presented via e-mail to the active club
membership no later than five days before the meeting where the amendment will be
debated.
Section 4. Upon receiving a majority affirmative vote in favor on a constitutional
amendment, the President shall submit the amendment in writing to the Student Activities
Office for review.