Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Random Hall Student's Association, hereafter referred to as Random Hall.

Article II: Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote the welfare and well-being of its members.

Article III: Membership

Section 1: Core Membership

All persons officially residing at 282 and 290 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, shall be members of Random Hall. Only members who are registered, undergraduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hereafter referred to as MIT, shall have voting privileges and shall be referred to as voting members. Honorary membership, which is non-voting, may be conferred to any individual if it is agreed to by a majority of those present and voting at a House Meeting.

Section 2: Emergency Membership

In the event that a Significant Disruption impacts members' residential status and the Chair of the Faculty declares emergency academic procedures, all students who were voting members at the time the emergency procedures were declared will be voting members as long as they are registered undergraduates and the emergency procedures are in effect. Any registered undergraduate who is assigned to Random Hall by Housing and Residential Services during the duration of the emergency procedures shall also be a voting member until the emergency procedures end or they are reassigned to another dormitory.

Article IV: Authority

Random Hall shall govern itself through the House Meeting of Random Hall and the Executive Committee of Random Hall, as well as the Judicial Committee of Random Hall. Together they shall have full governing authority in making executive and judicial decisions for the members of Random Hall as granted by the Dormitory Council at MIT and in accordance with the Uniform Judicial Codes and this Constitution. All acts and decisions of the House Meeting of Random Hall and the Executive Committee of Random Hall shall be considered to be acts and decisions of Random Hall.

Article V: House Meetings of Random Hall

Section 1: Function

The members of Random Hall, through the House Meeting, shall make all decisions concerning Random Hall, except as hereafter provided.

Section 2: Membership and Voting

Any member of Random Hall may attend any House Meeting. Voting members may exercise exactly one vote on each question; no other person may vote, nor may any voting member delegate any other person to vote as a proxy in their place.

Section 3: Decisions

Substantive decisions of Random Hall in a House Meeting shall be made by the majority of those voting, not counting abstentions, and shall be binding upon the membership of Random Hall and the Executive Committee of Random Hall except as otherwise stated in this Constitution.

Section 4: Quorum

A quorum for transacting business at the House Meeting shall be 21 voting members. If a quorum is not present, a meeting may be held but no business may be transacted.

Section 5: Meeting Frequency

House Meetings shall be held at least once per month, or more often as seen fit by the Executive Committee of Random Hall, or if any member of Executive Committee is presented with a petition signed by at least 20 members of Random Hall requesting a House Meeting. The Executive Committee shall call a House Meeting within 10 days of receipt of such a petition, excluding those periods designated as academic vacations by MIT. No meeting may be called in a period so designated.

Section 6: Publicity

The Executive Committee shall publicize each House Meeting. The publicity shall be distributed in writing at least 48 hours prior to the meeting in at least one conspicuous place in both 282 and 290 Massachusetts Avenue, including both front entrances. The publicity shall contain the date, time, place and purpose of the meeting and any other relevant information the Executive Committee may wish to include.

Section 7: Chairmanship

The President of Random Hall shall be responsible for the chairmanship of all House Meetings. All House Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order except as provided hereafter.

Section 8: Budget Meeting

A House Meeting shall be called for the third week of fall term and the fifth week of spring term by the Executive Committee. The purpose of this meeting shall be to establish a budget for the current term. Any person or group requesting funds shall submit an itemized request for funds for that term to the Executive Committee at least one week prior to the House Budget Meeting. Upon approving a new budget at a House Budget Meeting, the previous budget shall become void.

Article VI: Executive Committee of Random Hall

Section 1: Membership

Subsection A: Core Membership

The Executive Committee of Random Hall, hereafter referred to as ExecComm, shall consist of three Officers (the President of Random Hall, the Vice President of Random Hall, and the Secretary of Random Hall) and four Members-at-Large, such that no three Members-at-Large reside on the same floor.

Subsection B: Emergency Members-at-Large

In the event of a disruption in which there are both voting members of Random Hall residing in Random Hall and voting members residing elsewhere, ExecComm must include a number of representatives from each of the two groups equal to at least 1/14 of the voting members in that group, rounded. If the membership of ExecComm at any time does not satisfy this minimum requirement, a special election must be held by JudComm at the next house meeting to elect exactly as many Emergency Members-at-Large as are necessary to meet the requirement. Only those voting members of Random Hall who are to be represented by the Emergency Members-at-Large may vote in the special election. The Emergency Members-at-Large shall be equal voting members of ExecComm and shall be elected yearly according to Article VIII Section 4 until they are no longer needed to meet the requirement for representation, after which they shall resign from ExecComm.

Section 2: Power and Authority

ExecComm shall have the sole authority over the disbursement of funds as determined in the House Budget Meeting and in accordance with any established budgetary policy. ExecComm shall have the authority and responsibility to execute all provisions of this Constitution and all decisions of Random Hall made in the House Meeting. ExecComm shall have the authority and responsibility for assigning rooms in accordance with any room assignment procedures. Further, ExecComm shall have the authority to determine and make decisions upon routine matters. ExecComm shall be responsible for facilities in Random Hall as specified.

Section 3: Meetings

ExecComm shall meet at least once every two weeks, except over those periods designated as academic vacations by MIT. All of its meetings shall be open to all members of Random Hall; the Secretary of Random Hall shall give the members of Random Hall notice of such a meeting at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Any item may be brought into consideration by any member of Random Hall at any ExecComm meeting. If, for some reason, ExecComm must make a decision on any issue before an ExecComm meeting can be convened according to this article, the President or, in their absence, the Vice President, may call an extraordinary meeting of ExecComm to decide the issue. At an extraordinary meeting, ExecComm may conduct only that business which forces the calling of the meeting.

A quorum for conducting business at ExecComm meetings shall be at least two Officers and at least five total members. Each member of ExecComm shall have one vote on each question; in the event of a tied vote, the President of Random Hall shall cast an additional vote to decide the question. Proxies will be allowed for Members-at-Large. The President of Random Hall shall be responsible for the chairmanship of all ExecComm meetings.

Section 4: Officers

Subsection A: President of Random Hall

The President of Random Hall, hereafter referred to as the President, shall represent Random Hall to the Dormitory Council, MIT and any other organization. The President shall call and be responsible for the chairmanship of all House Meetings and all ExecComm Meetings. The President shall supervise all officers and committees, and see that they are performing their duties. The President shall be one of the financial signatories of Random Hall.

In case of conflict or disagreement arising from the wording of this Constitution, any Bylaws, or any amendments to either, the President shall have the power to interpret the meaning or intent therein, subject to reversal of their interpretation by a majority vote of ExecComm. Any interpretation is subject to reversal by a majority vote at the House Meeting. Any action taken by the President as President must be reported to ExecComm at the ExecComm meeting immediately following the action. ExecComm may then overrule the President and order appropriate measures to be taken.

Subsection B: Vice President of Random Hall

The Vice President of Random Hall, hereafter referred to as the VP, shall perform the duties of the President in their absence. They shall assist the President in representing Random Hall to the Dormitory Council, MIT, and any other organization. They shall be subject to the same constraint as the President when representing Random Hall as the VP.

Additionally, the VP shall be the Treasurer of Random Hall. They shall oversee the receipt and payment of the money of Random Hall as authorized by ExecComm and shall be responsible for all financial transactions of Random Hall. They shall keep permanent financial records and shall submit written reports to ExecComm, House Meetings and the Dormitory Council as directed. The financial records of the VP shall be open for inspection to all members of Random Hall. The VP shall submit a complete financial report at the ExecComm meeting immediately prior to the House Budget Meeting. They shall keep copies of all reports of a financial nature presented to ExecComm or at a House Meeting. They shall transact such business as is necessary in maintaining all financial accounts of Random Hall. The VP shall be one of the financial signatories of Random Hall.

Subsection C: Secretary of Random Hall

The Secretary of Random Hall, hereafter referred to as the Secretary, shall be responsible for all records of Random Hall except those specifically assigned to others. They shall record minutes of all ExecComm meetings and of all House Meetings, and shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of the minutes of those meetings as directed by ExecComm within three days after the date of those meetings for which they were recorded. The scretary shall give the members of Random Hall notice of ExecComm meetings at least 24 hours prior to any such meeting.

Additionally, the Secretary shall distribute copies of this Constitution to all new members of Random Hall and to any other member of Random Hall who requests a copy. The Secretary shall provide a summary of all Random Hall regulations to all new members of Random Hall at the beginning of each term. The Scretary shall issue notice of special meetings and disseminate other information as directed by ExecComm or by decision in a House Meeting. The Secretary shall preserve written reports from all the committees as they are presented. They shall keep an up-to-date record of all decisions of Random Hall.

The Secretary shall be subject to the same constraints as the President when representing Random Hall as the Secretary. The Secretary shall perform the duties of the VP in their absence.

Section 5: Members-at-Large

The Members-at-Large are the representatives of Random Hall to ExecComm. It shall be their responsibility to ensure that the residents of Random Hall have ample opportunity to be well informed, active participants in all the activities of Random Hall. They shall cooperate with all judicial, legislative, and executive branches of Random Hall. For the purposes of ExecComm meetings, Members-at-Large shall not be considered Officers. The Members-at-Large shall be subject to the same constraints as the President when representing Random Hall as Members-at-Large.

Section 6: Additional Committees and Delegation

ExecComm may appoint any persons who are members of Random Hall to carry out any of the duties of ExecComm. These persons shall be responsible to ExecComm and are subject to approval at the first House Meeting following their appointment.

Additionally, ExecComm may establish committees to carry out any of its duties, subject to approval at the first House Meeting following their establishment. Committees shall have the responsibility to perform duties as determined by ExecComm or Random Hall. Chairmen of the committees shall be elected at a House Meeting or appointed by ExecComm. All committees shall be subject to the mandates of ExecComm and the House Meeting, and each chairman shall report to ExecComm at least once per academic term. A Chairman may choose such members of Random Hall to aid them as they sees fit.

Article VII: Judicial Committee of Random Hall

Section 1: Membership

The Judicial Committee of Random Hall, hereafter referred to as JudComm, shall consist of five members: a chairman and four Members-at-Large.

Section 2: Authority and Responsibility

JudComm shall have the sole authority and responsibility to enforce the Rules and Procedures for Undergraduate Dormitory Judicial Committees of the Dormitory Council of MIT, hereafter referred to as the DormCon JudComm Code. In addition, JudComm may formulate any rules or regulations for its own operation, provided that such rules and regulations do not conflict with the DormCon JudComm Code, or with any provisions of this Constitution or any Bylaws. The JudComm Chairman shall represent Random Hall to the Dormitory Council Judicial Committee (hereafter, DormCon JudComm). Appeals of any JudComm adjudication may be made to DormCon JudComm in accordance with the DormCon JudComm Code. JudComm shall conduct elections as specified in this Constitution.

JudComm shall be responsible for holding both administrative reviews and full hearings concerning breaches of any rules, regulations or policies of Random Hall, DormCon, or MIT. It shall be responsible for investigating said breaches and for levying sanctions as defined in Section 3 if it finds them appropriate.

JudComm shall also be responsible for mediating disputes where both parties agree to mediation.

A panel for a full hearing shall be composed of all five members of JudComm if all are available and need not recuse themselves (as laid out in the DormCon JudComm Code). If any member of JudComm cannot be part of the panel, the panel will be composed of Random Hall's JudComm Chair and two JudComm members chosen randomly. If the JudComm Chair is unavailable, all three shall be chosen randomly.

The procedural officer shall be the Residential Life Associate. The procedural officer shall be an observer in the process whose sole function is to ensure that the JudComm does not deviate from the procedures outlined in this document, or from the DormCon JudComm Code. The procedural officer has no authority to influence the outcome of the decision.

All JudComm hearings will be closed to non-JudComm persons, aside from the procedural officer, the parties in question, and (for relevant periods) the witnesses. All JudComm deliberations will be closed to non-JudComm persons.

Section 3: Sanctions

JudComm may levy the following sanctions in accordance with the DormCon JudComm Code:

Informal Probation
Disciplinary Warning
Restitution (Compensatory Damages): JudComm can mandate that restitution be paid to an individual or to Random Hall itself.
Fine: JudComm may only levy fines specifically stated in an official and public Random Hall document such as any Bylaws.
Random Hall Service: Community service that benefits the Random Hall, with specific duties at the discretion of the Random Hall JudComm.

JudComm may not levy any kind of Referral sanction. JudComm may not levy any other kind of sanction not listed above.

Article VIII: Elections

Section 1: General

All positions in this Constitution may be held only by voting members of Random Hall. The tenure of office for any member of Random Hall holding a position shall extend from the announcement of their election to the announcement of the election of their immediate successor, unless otherwise stated in this Constitution.

Positions other than members of JudComm and members of ExecComm may be held jointly by multiple members of Random Hall. Members of JudComm and members of ExecComm form the constitutional positions. No one member of Random Hall may hold two constitutional positions simultaneously. There must be one and only one unique member of Random Hall per constitutional position. If an individual member of Random Hall is elected to a new constitutional position, that individual must resign any other constitutional positions effective immediately.

Section 2: ExecComm Officers

The elections for President, VP, and Secretary shall be held annually during the eleventh or twelfth week of the Fall term.

Nominations for these positions shall be made by petitions signed by at least 20 members of Random Hall; such petitions must be filed with the JudComm chairman before midnight on the Saturday preceding the election for the candidate's name to appear on the ballot. Election petitions shall be available from the JudComm chairman at least three weeks prior to the election. No reasonable facsimile of said petition may be refused by the JudComm chairman if it states the candidate's name, the Office they are running for, their class, their address in Random Hall, and if it contains the required number of valid signatures. The JudComm chairman shall post the petition cover sheets, containing the aforementioned information, at the place of balloting at least 24 hours before voting begins. A member of Random Hall may sign as many petitions as they see fit, but may sign a single candidate's petition only once.

The election shall be conducted by JudComm. The names of the candidates for each Office shall be placed on the ballot in alphabetical order, grouped by Office. On the day of the election of these Officers, voting members may vote from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and no ballots shall be counted until the balloting is over. Under extenuating circumstances, any voting member of Random Hall my cast, in advance of the election, an absentee ballot with the JudComm Chairman. The ballots shall be marked and counted as follows: Each voting member may vote for at most one candidate for each of the three Offices. A vote shall be indicated by an (X) or a (/) next to the candidate's name on the ballot.

Before tabulation, the total number of ballots cast shall be ascertained.

Any candidate receiving a plurality of votes cast for an Office shall be elected, provided that they received at least one-third of the votes cast for that Office.

If no candidate receives at least one-third of the votes cast for an Office, a run-off election shall be held within one week between the two candidates who received the most votes. The candidate who then receives the majority of votes cast shall be elected.

No one may be a candidate for these positions if they are to graduate before the next regular Officer election is to take place. The newly elected Officers shall take office at a House Meeting, called no more than ten days after their election. At this House Meeting, the outgoing Officers shall make their final reports.

Section 3: JudComm

The elections for the members of JudComm shall be held annually during the second week of the Fall term. No member of Random Hall may be elected to any JudComm position if they have not been a voting member of Random Hall for at least one semester.

The election shall be conducted by ExecComm. The JudComm Chairman shall be elected from all candidates for that position. If no candidate receives the majority votes cast, the candidate with the fewest votes shall be dropped from the ballot and the vote taken again. This process will continue until a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast. Subsequent to the election of the JudComm Chairman, all unsuccessful candidates for chairmanship are automatically placed in contention for the other members of JudComm. Each voting member may cast one vote for each of four candidates. The winners of each election are those four candidates who received the largest number of votes.

Section 4: Members-at-Large and Committee Chairmen

The Members-at-Large and Committee Chairmen shall be elected or appointed annually during the second week of the Spring term. JudComm shall conduct the elections of the Members-at-Large, and ExecComm shall conduct the election or appointment of all Committee Chairmen.

Article IX: Vacancies and Removal from Office

Section 1: Vacancies

In the event of a vacancy in any ExecComm Office, JudComm shall hold an election at a House Meeting to fill said vacancy within 14 days of the vacancy, excluding those periods designated as academic vacations by MIT. JudComm will post notice of said election at least 7 days in advance of the election. Members of Random Hall interested in running for a vacated Office must submit their nomination to any JudComm member by midnight of the date that is two days prior to the election. If no one has submitted their nomination to a JudComm member by the time of the election, or at the discretion of the member of JudComm running the election, any member of Random Hall who wishes to nominate themself at the election meeting shall be allowed to do so.

In the event of a vacancy in any JudComm office during the academic year, ExecComm shall hold an election to fill said vacancy in the same manner as stated above for a vacancy in an ExecComm office, with the President conducting the election meeting. In the event of a vacancy in any JudComm office due to members leaving Random Hall at the beginning of the summer, no additional JudComm elections shall be held before the ordinary election in the Fall term.

In the event of a vacancy in the office of Member-at-Large or in any Committee Chairmanship, ExecComm shall hold an election to fill said vacancy in the same manner as stated above for a vacancy in an ExecComm office with the exception that members of Random Hall who wish to run for Member-at-Large or a Committee Chairmanship need not submit their nomination in advance of the election meeting.

Section 2: Acting Officers

In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the VP shall act as Acting President until such time as a new President may be elected in the manner described above. In the event of a vacancy in the office of VP, the Secretary shall act as Acting VP until such time as a new VP may be elected in the manner described above.

In the event of a vacancy in the office of JudComm Chairman during the academic year, the remaining members of JudComm shall choose, in whatever matter they see fit, one member among themselves to act as Acting JudComm Chairman until such time as a new JudComm Chairman may be elected in the manner described above. However, if the vacancy is due to the departure of a JudComm Chairman at the beginning of the summer, that Chairman is required to appoint one of the junior or sophomore JudComm members as Acting JudComm Chairman before they leave for the summer. In the case of a JudComm consisting solely of departing members of Random Hall, an Acting JudComm Chairman shall be elected at the first House Meeting in May. The Acting JudComm Chairman will perform all of the duties of the JudComm chairman from the time when the JudComm Chairman leaves Random Hall until the next ordinary JudComm election.

In the event of a vacancy in the offices of Secretary or Member-at-Large, in any Committee Chairmanship, or in any JudComm office other than the Chairman, the office shall remain vacant until the election to fill said vacancy.

Section 3: Removal

The members of Random Hall may remove any Officer, Member-at-Large or Committee Chairman from office by a vote of at least 2/3 of the total voting membership of Random Hall voting in favor of removal at a House Meeting. This House Meeting must be called by petition signed by at least 20 members of Random Hall. The JudComm Chairman shall conduct the removal vote at the House Meeting. Under extenuating circumstances as determined by the JudComm Chairman, absentee ballots may be submitted any time before this House Meeting in writing to the JudComm chairman.

The members of Random Hall may remove any JudComm member from office by a vote of at least 3/4 of the voting membership of Random Hall voting in favor of removal at a House Meeting. This house meeting must be called by petition signed by at least 20 members of Random Hall. The President shall conduct the removal vote at the House Meeting. Under extenuating circumstances as determined by the President, absentee ballots may be submitted any time before this house meeting in writing to the President.

Article X: Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by the following procedure:

A proposed amendment must be submitted to the President, Vice President, or Secretary at least 72 hours prior to a regular House Meeting. The Secretary shall post the proposed amendment at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Following discussion at the House Meeting, a ratification vote may be called. The ratification vote shall begin not less than 4 days nor more than 14 days following the House Meeting and may be held via ballot or an online form disseminated via email.
The ballot/form shall contain spaces for indicating affirmative, negative, and abstention votes. The text of the amendment shall be posted in public spaces and next to the ballot or within the online form. Voting shall be held on three contiguous days. Any voting member who expects to be absent during this time may file an absentee ballot with the JudComm Chairperson. The ratification vote shall be administered by JudComm.

The Constitution shall be amended if the total number of affirmative votes exceeds three-fourths of the total number of votes, not counting abstentions, and the total number of votes exceeds a quorum's worth of the voting members of Random Hall.

Article XI: Ratification

This constitution shall be adopted by a balloted vote in the manner of an amendment vote. It shall supersede all previous versions of the Random Hall Constitution.