CONSTITUTION OF THE DELTA XI CAST
OF THE
ALPHA PSI OMEGA NATIONAL THEATRE HONOR SOCIETY

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

ARTICLE I - PURPOSE

The purpose of this, the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA, is to stimulate interest in theatre activities on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, campus and to secure for the Institute all the advantages and mutual helpfulness provided by a large national honor society. By electing to membership students or community members dedicated to theatre at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the society provides a reward for their participation. The Delta Xi Cast is not intended to take the place of any existing theatre organization.

ARTICLE II – REQUIREMENTS FOR INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. It is the policy of the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA to provide, to the maximum extent feasible, equal opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability for all aspects of the Cast’s activities.

Section 2. Hazing, reckless or intentional endangerment to health, or forced consumption alcohol or other drugs for the purpose of initiation or continued membership of the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA is strictly prohibited.

Section 3. Invitation to the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA is an honor and privilege bestowed on candidates who have demonstrated commitment to theatre on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus through outstanding integrity and service. It is the responsibility of the membership of the Delta Xi Cast to determine whether each candidate has met this criterion. Therefore, fulfillment of the minimum requirements alone will NOT be sufficient to elect a candidate to membership.

Section 4. A minimum participation within the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of two (2) Major Roles or four (4) Minor Roles, or an equivalent combination thereof, is required for formal consideration for invitation to the Delta Xi cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA. The listings below are not exclusive and may be subject to change as outlined in Section 3.

Major Roles may include but are not limited to: Lead or Principal Roles in a full-length theatrical performance, Lead Production Team positions (Producer, Director, Stage Manager, Master Electrician, Master Carpenter, Designer, etc), one full term on the Executive Board of any theatre organization on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus.

Minor Roles may include but are not limited to: Supporting or Ensemble Roles in a full-length theatrical performance, all performance roles in one-act performances, Production Team assistants or crewmembers, leadership positions in a theatre organization on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus.

Section 5. A Nominations Committee as defined in Article VIII Section 2 shall be formed to determine all candidates’ fulfillment of the aforementioned minimum requirements, as well as to determine the magnitude of roles the candidate may have performed that have not been listed in this document.

The Nominations Committee shall also decide upon, document, and submit to the membership for approval all policies and procedures for use at all Candidate Selection Meetings during the current initiation cycle.

The Nominations Committee shall present its results to the membership at a closed General Meeting. The membership must accept or amend the results presented before proceeding with the current initiation cycle.

ARTICLE III – ELECTION TO MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Candidates shall be elected to membership in accordance with the specifications defined in Article II during a Candidate Selection Meeting (CSM). A three-quarter majority vote of members present is required for final selection. All CSMs shall follow the membership-approved procedures presented by the Nominations Committee. Details of CSMs are to remain private to the attending members only. These meetings shall take place approximately three months prior to initiations unless otherwise decided by the membership.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section 1. The Officers of the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA shall be the Director (President), Stage Manager (Vice President/Secretary), and Business Manager (Treasurer). In addition, the cast shall solicit a Faculty Sponsor to be approved by the Institute.

Section 2. The Director shall call meetings, preside at all meetings, appoint committees, and provide general supervision of the affairs of the Delta Xi Cast in consultation with the Faculty Sponsor.

Section 3. The Stage Manager shall assist the Director and assume the responsibilities of the Director in case of his or her absence. The Stage Manager shall also record the minutes of all open meetings of the Delta Xi Cast and publish them in accordance with the Cast By-Laws.

Section 4. The Business Manager shall collect all membership dues and fees, pay bills sanctioned by the Delta Xi Cast, keep an account of all receipts and expenditures, manage all other financial affairs of the Delta Xi Cast, and report on the financial status of the Delta Xi Cast at each General Meeting.

Section 5. The Faculty Sponsor shall serve as an advisor to the Cast and, when necessary, shall serve as a liaison between the Cast and the Institute.

Section 6. In the event that an officer is temporarily incapable of performing his or her duties, said duties shall be assumed in accordance with the following:

The Stage Manager shall assume the Director’s duties.
The Business Manager shall assume the Stage Manager’s duties.
The Director shall assume the Business Manager’s duties.

Section 7. Should an entire administration be rendered temporarily incapacitated, the Faculty Sponsor shall appoint a temporary Director.

ARTICLE V – ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The term of an administration shall be one year.

Section 2. Officers for the following year shall be elected at the first General Meeting after Spring Initiations and shall be formally installed by the incumbent officers at a transition meeting as defined in the Cast By-Laws.

Section 3. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members present. All Delta Xi Cast members, including new initiates, are eligible for election.

Section 4. If an office becomes vacant, a new officer will be elected and installed to fill the vacancy at the next General Meeting. Should an officer need immediate replacement, and it is not feasible to wait until the next General Meeting, the remaining officers shall appoint a temporary replacement.

Section 5. During installation, each incoming officer will take an oath of office pledging to carry out the duties of said office.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS

Section 1. There should be at least one General Meeting of the Delta Xi Cast each month. On months where scheduling constraints prohibit monthly meetings, the meeting time may be moved or cancelled as deemed appropriate by the membership. There must be a minimum of one General Meeting every calendar quarter.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called at any time by the Director of the Delta Xi Cast or at the request of the Faculty Sponsor. Notification of the special meeting shall be published no less than one week in advance.

Section 3. A Quorum shall consist of the majority of the average number of members attending the twelve previous General Meetings, rounded up to the next whole number.

Section 4. At the close of each General Meeting, Quorum shall be recalculated from the current meeting attendance roster and announced along with the time for the next meeting.

Section 5. Meetings shall be conducted under the guidelines determined by the Director based on both standing policy and the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 6. No official business except agreement upon time of the next meeting shall be recognized at General Meetings at which Quorum has not been reached. However, status reports, updates, and motions concerning the operation of the meeting may be permitted. The count of members attending will be used to calculate future Quorum.

Section 7. The time, Quorum, and preliminary agenda for the next General Meeting shall be published no more than one week following the close of the current General Meeting and no less than two weeks prior to the next General Meeting.

ARTICLE VII – INITIATIONS, FEES, AND ASSESSMENTS

Section 1. The National Cast initiation fee must be paid to the Business Manager immediately following initiations.

Section 2. The Delta Xi Cast dues must be paid to the Business Manager on an annual basis.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall recommend the dollar amount of the Cast dues, subject to approval by the membership.

ARTICLE VIII – COMMITTEES

Section 1. The standing committee of the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA shall be the Executive Committee, consisting of the elected officers and the Faculty Sponsor. This committee will handle the daily operations of the Cast.

Section 2. The Chair of the Nominations Committee as outlined in Article II Section 5 shall be appointed by the Executive Committee at least two months prior to the first CSM of the current initiation cycle.

Section 3. The Director shall appoint other committees as necessary.

ARTICLE IX - IMPEACHMENT

Section 1. Should an officer be deemed by the membership unfit to fulfill his or her duties, impeachment proceedings may begin via presentation to the membership of a petition for impeachment, signed by the number of members greater than or equal to Quorum, at a General Meeting. This petition shall include Articles of Impeachment stating the facts behind the allegations. At least two-thirds of the signatories on this petition must have attended at least two of the four previous General Meetings in order for the petition to be recognized.

Section 2. During the meeting at which the petition is submitted, a motion to move forward with impeachment proceedings shall be placed on the agenda for the next General Meeting. The next General Meeting must be scheduled by consensus of the membership to be no more than four weeks following the current meeting.

Section 3. The officer being impeached shall be temporarily suspended from office. The remaining officers shall temporarily assume the impeached officer’s duties as per the requirements set forth in Article IV.

Section 4.

a) Should the membership approve the motion to impeach an officer, a closed special meeting for the purpose of an Impeach Hearing (heretofore referred to as Hearing) shall be scheduled to occur no more than four weeks following the current meeting. The results of the impeachment vote shall be published immediately following the close of the meeting.

b) The impeached officer must be officially notified by the highest ranking non-impeached officer no later than one week following the impeachment. Should the impeached officer wish to request a rescheduling of the hearing, they must do so within forty-eight hours of notification. Should said rescheduling occur, notice shall be published immediately. In the event that the impeached officer cannot be officially notified, impeachment proceedings will continue as previously scheduled.

Section 5.

a) The presiding officer of the Hearing shall be the highest-ranking non- impeached officer.
b) At the start of the Hearing, the membership raising the impeachment shall.
c) The impeached officer may choose to represent himself or herself, appoint a defender for representation, or resign his or her position and close the proceedings. If the selected defender is a non-member, he or she must be interviewed and approved by a majority of the non-impeached Executive Committee including the Faculty Sponsor.
d) If the impeached officer is not in attendance and has not designated a defender, the presiding officer shall appoint an appropriate representative.
e) The prosecutor must be a member.
f) The remaining attendees shall act as jurors to whom all arguments shall be addressed.
g) Anyone wishing to witness the Hearing must be a member or a membership-approved non-member. Members and non-members may deliberate , but only members have voting privileges.

Section 6.

a) The Hearing shall begin with a presentation of the rules of order as determined by the presiding officer. A motion to amend a specific rule, aside from those outlined herein, may be approved by a majority of the membership.
b) The prosecution shall begin with a presentation of the Articles of Impeachment and any supporting arguments to the attendees.
c) The defender shall then be given the opportunity for rebuttal.
d) The prosecution and defense shall each be allotted a maximum of thirty minutes to present their arguments as outlined in subsections (b) and (c).
e) Following the presentation of the arguments, each side shall be allowed an additional ten minutes for closing arguments, starting with the prosecutor.
f) Upon conclusion of all arguments, the representatives, with the exception of a non-member and the impeached officer, shall enter an absentee vote. The impeached officer and both representatives must then exit the meeting location.
g) The presiding officer shall open and officiate a discussion queue during which the jurors shall deliberate.
h) A motion to close the queue and move to final voting must be approved by at least three quarters of the jurors.
i) Following the close of the discussion, a vote by secret ballot to remove the impeached officer from office shall be taken. A two-thirds majority vote is required for removal from office.
j) The voting outcome shall be recorded and become part of the Cast archives.

Section 7.

a) The presiding officer must notify the impeached officer and publish to the membership and interested parties the outcome of the Hearing no more than forty-eight hours following the final vote.
b) Should the vote result in the impeached officer’s removal from office, he or she shall be immediately stripped of his or her title and must remit all documentation concerning his or her operations to the highest ranking non-impeached officer no more than one week following notification.
c) Should the vote not result in removal from office, the officer shall assume his or her duties at any time within two weeks of notification.

Section 8. Should an entire administration be subject to impeachment, the proceedings for each officer shall be chaired by the Faculty Advisor.

ARTICLE X – CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

Section 1. Constitutional Convention requires that the entire Constitution be subject to review and approval. Therefore, this may only be pursued if a significant change in context is needed that cannot under any circumstances be accomplished using an Amendment or By-Law.

Section 2. Should the articles of this Constitution require revision, the Executive Committee may raise a motion to hold a Constitutional Convention at any General Meeting provided notice of the intent to raise such a motion, along with supporting evidence, is published no less than two weeks prior to that General Meeting.

Section 3. Should the motion be approved by a three-quarter majority vote of the membership, Constitutional Convention shall proceed in the form of special, closed meetings called Article Review (AR) Meetings. Notice of Constitutional Convention, along with any and all starter documents and drafts, shall be published immediately by the Director. The Director shall also inform the Faculty Sponsor of the proposed changes. The AR Meetings shall be scheduled no less than two weeks following notification and no less than one week apart from each other in the event multiple AR Meetings are required.

Section 4. Constitutional Convention officially begins with the start of the first AR Meeting. Once this begins, every Section of every Article of the Constitution shall be subject to review and approval.

Section 5. The AR Meetings shall operate under the most recently established Quorum and procedural policy. Revisions may proceed for the Article as a whole or on a Section-by-Section basis, whichever is most efficient. Approval shall proceed first on a Section-by-Section basis, followed by approval of the Article as a whole. All decisions shall be made by acclamation. In addition, the Director and at least one other Executive Committee member must be present to officiate all Article Review meetings. The Director shall publish the drafts-in-progress within three days of the close of each AR Meeting.

Section 6. When all Articles have been reviewed and approved, a final vote by acclamation accepting the Constitution shall be called. Following final approval, all attending members must sign a statement declaring that they, acting as the representative majority of the Cast, approve the terms and conditions set forth in the newly revised Constitution. Signing this document closes Constitutional Convention.

Section 7. The newly revised Constitution shall immediately be published by the Director and submitted for ratification at the next scheduled General Meeting. A special, open Ratification Meeting may be called if no General Meeting is scheduled to occur within two weeks following the close of Constitutional Convention.

Section 8. The newly revised Constitution shall be ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of members present at the meeting. Upon ratification, the new Constitution shall immediately supersede all previously adopted Constitutions and Policies. A statement of Ratification must be signed by all members of the Executive Committee and attached to the Constitution document. No other changes to the Constitution, regardless of simplicity or importance, may be made without re-initiating Constitutional Convention.

Section 9. All paper copies of the Constitution must include the signed ratification statement. Electronic copies of the Constitution must also include an image of the signed statement with signatures obscured. Once the final document is updated, it shall be published in a forum open to the general public and placed in the Delta Xi Cast archives.

Section 10. If the Constitution is not ratified, procedure defaults to the most recently accepted standing policy. The Executive Committee may call another Constitutional Convention no less than three weeks following the ratification vote in accordance with the above procedures.

ARTICLE XI – AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Should the articles of this Constitution prove insufficient guidance for a particular situation, and said situation requires more detailed documentation than can be provided using a By-Law, the situation may be addressed using an Amendment, to be placed following the Articles of the Constitution and preceding the By-Laws. They shall be numbered in order of adoption starting with the number One, denoted by the Roman numeral I and divided into sections in the same manner as the Articles of this Constitution.

Section 2. A motion to amend the Constitution may be raised by any member at any General Meeting. An affirmative vote by one-third of members present shall place the proposed Amendment on the agenda for the next scheduled General Meeting. In addition, the context of the proposed Amendment shall be placed in the meeting minutes and published within forty-eight hours of the close of the meeting.

Section 3. Any member may write the first draft of an Amendment. It is the responsibility of the member who raised the Amendment to present the draft to the Executive Committee for review at least ten days before the next General Meeting. The first draft must be published no less than one week prior to the next General Meeting in order to be considered.

Section 4. The Amendment discussion at the scheduled General Meeting shall be closed. During discussion, the Amendment may be revised and updated as necessary. The Amendment shall be approved by a two-thirds majority vote.

Section 5. Following approval of the Amendment, ratification shall be placed on the agenda for the next General Meeting. Ratification of the Amendment requires a two-thirds majority of members present at that General Meeting. The ratified Amendment will be added to the Constitution in accordance with Section 1. Should the Amendment fail to pass ratification, it shall be destroyed in its entirety. Notes from the discussion shall be kept by the Stage Manager for a period of one year. The subject matter of a failed Amendment may not be raised again officially until two months following the vote.

ARTICLE XII – BY-LAWS

Section 1. Should any additional issue require documentation or clarification, it may be documented in the form of a By-Law to be placed at the end of the Constitution.

Section 2. A proposed By-Law must be published no less than two weeks prior to discussion at a General Meeting. Adoption of a proposed By-Law requires a two-thirds majority vote of members present at that meeting.

Section 3. Each By-Law may not address more than one issue of policy or procedure. In addition, a By-Law may not restrict or counterbalance the Articles or Amendments of this Constitution, nor unduly restrict the rights and privileges of Cast members.

ARTICLE XIII – COMPLIANCE WITH RENSSELAER UNION POLICIES

In the event that this Constitution comes in conflict with any Rensselaer Union policy aside from those referring to Constitutional changes, officer eligibility, membership criteria, and financial matters, this Constitution will be superseded by that policy.

AMENDMENTS

BY-LAWS

1. The Delta Xi Cast shall report to the National Business Manager the annual productions and activities of the Delta Xi Cast no later than the first of June of each year. Photographs, programs, and other supporting materials may be included and will be featured in Playbill at the discretion of the National Business Manager.


2. The official badge, coat of arms, colors, and other symbols shall be prescribed by the National Cast.


3. The Delta Xi Cast shall present at least one theatre production per academic year. The production should be selected six to eight months in advance. Selection may occur during a General Meeting or during a specially arranged Show Selection Meeting.


4. The Delta Xi Cast is encouraged to support or produce additional conventional or non-conventional theatre events on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus.


5. Closed discussions are defined as discussions at which only members of the Delta Xi Cast, Faculty Advisors, and other individuals authorized by the Executive Committee or membership may be present. All closed discussions shall remain strictly private to the Delta Xi Cast and authorized persons. A closed meeting is defined as a meeting at which all discussions are closed. Closed discussions and meetings shall be held in a non-public forum that may be barred by means of a closed door. A Sergeant-At-Arms may be appointed to keep watch over entrances and exits should the need arise. The Executive Committee is responsible for keeping under strict custody or destroying all written and electronic records taken during closed discussions.


6. The Delta Xi cast shall initiate at least one membership (pledge) class per academic year. The established timeframe for initiations is during the Spring semester. Additional pledge classes may be initiated at other times during the academic year with membership approval.


7. The Stage Manager shall maintain and update the records and operations of the Delta Xi Cast membership list and electronic mail (e-mail) distribution list.


8. The Constitution of the Delta Xi Cast of ALPHA PSI OMEGA shall be reviewed every five years at the November General meeting or a similar meeting time at which student members can be present. Changes may be recommended if necessary.


9. The term “publish” used in the Constitution, Amendments, and By-Laws describes the posting of information relevant to the Delta Xi Cast via electronic mail through the cast e-mail list as a primary means of communication. In addition, material may be posted in the RPI Playhouse or on the cast website.


10. Following an election, the sitting administration and the newly elected administration shall agree upon the time and location of an Officer Transition Ceremony, at which the incoming officers shall pledge their oaths of office. In addition, departing officers must release and transfer all electronic and physical documents to their newly elected replacements within four weeks of said election. The Officer Transition Ceremony must occur before completion of document transition, but it is not required for document transition to be completed before said Transition Ceremony. Article IX Section 7b supersedes this By-Law in the case of an impeachment.


11. The Director shall appoint an Archivist for the Cast. The Archivist shall be charged with maintaining the electronic and paper documents of the cast, making paper copies available to members upon request, and maintaining the physical location of the Cast documents (currently the RPI Playhouse office).


12. An Affirmation Vote shall be defined as a unanimous vote stating that the membership has operated fairly and according to the policies and procedures set forth prior to or during the meeting in question. Said vote is required at the close of each CSM in which the final list of candidates for initiation has been made, and at other meetings of great import.