SIGNING GATORS CONSTITUTION

2016-2017

Article I. NAME OF ORGANIZATION

The name of this organization shall be Signing Gators. No acronyms
will be utilized for any business matters.

Article II. PURPOSE STATEMENT

Signing Gators shall serve to educate its members about American Sign
Language and Deaf culture and provide opportunities for engagement
within the Deaf community.

Article III. COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

Upon approval by the Department of Student Activities and
Involvement, Signing Gators shall be a registered student organization at
the University of Florida. Signing Gators shall comply with all local,
state and federal laws, as well as all University of Florida regulations,
policies, and procedures. Such compliance includes but is not limited to
the Universitys stance on Non- Discrimination, Sexual Harassment
(including sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, and
stalking), Hazing, Commercial Activity, and Student Leader Eligibility.

Article IV. UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS

Section A. Non-Discrimination
Signing Gators agrees that it will not discriminate on the basis of
race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin,
 political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran
status as protected under the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment
Assistance Act.
Section B. Sexual Harassment
Signing Gators agrees that it will not engage in any activity that is
unwelcome conduct of sexual nature that creates a hostile
environment. Behaviors that could create a hostile environment
include sexual harassment (which could include inappropriate
sexual comments), sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic
violence, and stalking.
Section C. Hazing
Signing Gators agrees that it will not initiate, support, or encourage
any events or situations that recklessly, by design, or intentionally
endanger the mental or physical health or safety of a student for
any purpose including but not limited to initiation or admission
into or affiliation with any student group or organization.
Section D. Responsibility to Report
If this organization becomes aware of any such conduct described
in this article, Signing Gators will report it immediately to Student
Activities and Involvement, the Director of Student Conduct and
Conflict Resolution, or the Universitys Title IX Coordinator.

Article V. MEMBERSHIP
Membership in this organization is open to all enrolled students at the
University of Florida. Non-enrolled students, spouses, faculty, and staff
may be associate members. Associate members may neither vote nor
hold office. All members and associate members are free to leave and
disassociate without fear of retribution, retaliation, or harassment.
 Article VI. OFFICERS
Section A. Requirements
All officers of Signing Gators must meet the requirements outlined
in Section 6C1-4.003 of the University of Florida Regulations. In
addition, they must be an active member of Signing Gators, as
defined in Article XI. Active Membership.

Section B. Term of Service

Officers shall be elected by the membership. Elections for the
Executive Board members shall be held annually, at the end of the
Spring semester in the month of April, and terms of service for
officers shall be one calendar year. Non-registered students,
inactive members, and faculty advisors cannot vote.

Section E. The Executive Board

The Signing Gators Executive Board shall be comprised of the
following positions:

1. President: The President shall be responsible for the coordination

of Signing Gators events on campus, within various Deaf
communities, and in partnership with peer organizations. In
addition, the President is the official spokesperson of the
organization to the umbrella organization Volunteers for
International Student Affairs (V.I.S.A.) and Student Activities and
Involvement. The President shall preside over all Signing Gators
meetings and matters of the Executive Board.

2. Vice-President: The vice-president will assist the president in

management of all Signing Gators functions and will serve in
presidential capacity in the presidents absence. The vice-president
shall also schedule at least two guest speakers per semester and
assist other officers with their duties.

3. Treasurer: The treasurer is responsible for maintaining all Signing

 Gators finances and fundraising. They shall discuss the Signing
Gators monthly budget with the Executive Board, collect all
profits from events, create ideas for fundraisers, and monitor all of
Signing Gators monetary activities. No organization funds shall
be spent without majority approval of the Signing Gators
Executive Board. Additionally, the treasurer shall be responsible
for the Signing Gators t-shirt design, ordering, and distributing.

4. Secretary: The secretary is responsible for tracking attendance at

all Signing Gators functions, distributing meeting minutes to all
members of Signing Gators and providing announcements and
updates through e-mail and social media. The secretary will also
maintain the Signing Gators listserv and verify the activity status
of each member. The secretary is responsible for event permitting,
room reservations, and reserving tarp spaces.

5. Event Coordinator: The Event Coordinator is responsible for

organizing qualified students to perform in events maintained or
participated in by Signing Gators, with focus on university
functions. Specifically, the Event Coordinator will focus on UF
Athletic Association and commencement ceremony performances.
They must collaborate with UFs athletics office regarding the
number of volunteers needed for performances, any pre-
performance meetings and procedures, and inform the office of any
changes in plans. It is also their responsibility to relay the previous
information to the members. The event coordinator is responsible
for teaching and training the ASL volunteers the Alma Mater and
the National Anthem. If no volunteers are available, the Event
Coordinator will volunteer themselves.

6. Volunteer Coordinator: The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible

for organizing volunteers to participate in service events
maintained by or affiliated with Signing Gators, with focus on
community functions and outreach.
 7. Additional Duties: The President and the Treasurer are the
organizations official liaisons to V.I.S.A. All officers are expected
to maintain a close working relationship with the Faculty Advisor.
In addition, all officers are expected to be knowledgeable of
V.I.S.A., Student Government, and Student Activities and
Involvement policies and procedures. Additional duties may be
added at any time, as determined by the Executive Board.

Section D. Membership Vacancy

In the case that a member of the Executive Board should be
temporarily or permanently absent from duty, the position shall be
immediately filled through an appointment made by the Executive
Board that is confirmed by the general body through normal
electoral procedure.

Section E. Removal of Officers

If an officer wishes to resign, the officer must provide three weeks
of notice to the president and have all documents prepared for he
person who will be replacing them. Officers may be forcibly
removed through an impeachment procedure for misuse of
authority, neglect of duties, and/or abandonment of office. A
forced resignation can be determined by a two-thirds majority vote
of the current officers. Alternatively, members may begin an
impeachment process by doing the following:

1. File a Motion of Censure: A member may make a Motion of

Censure at any time, for any reason as long as there is a clear
statement of how the officer misused the duties of their office,
neglected their duties, or abandoned their office. A Motion of
Censure can be made at any time during a general body meeting,
by any active member. Once this motion is seconded, it will then
be discussed by the general body to determine the process to
remedy the concerns. The officer in question then has two-weeks
to remedy those concerns, and present their progress to the
membership.
 2. Request an Impeachment Hearing: If concerns are not remedied
in two-weeks, members may file a Request for an Impeachment
Hearing. The impeachment hearing will occur as follows: The
member filing a Request for an Impeachment Hearing must state
the formal charges of impeachment as described in the censure
process and describe why these offenses are impeachable. The
individual being impeached will receive 5 minutes to present their
position. The general body may have a 3-minute question-and-
answer period. The general body may excuse the individual in
question to commence debate for 3 additional minutes. At the end
of the debate, an anonymous vote will occur via paper ballots. A
two-thirds vote will determine the outcome of the impeachment
hearing.

Article VII. ELECTIONS

Section A. Eligibility
Any active member of Signing Gators, as defined by Article XI,
may seek an office on the Executive Board. Individuals seeking
office must be physically or virtually present at the elections
meeting. Serious conflicts may be accommodated given notice to
the Executive Board.
Section B. Procedures
1. Notification to Members: Eligible members interested in an
Executive Board position must inform the President of their
intentions three weeks prior to elections so that the entire body of
the organization can review their qualifications. The Executive
Board will notify all active members of the names, position, and
qualifications of the individuals wishing to run for office.
Notification will occur no less than two weeks prior to the
elections.
 2. Elections Proceeding: During elections, all nominees for each
office will be removed from the voting area. They will individually
be brought back in to present a short platform, up to four minutes,
followed by a two-minute question-and-answer period. After all
nominees for an office have presented, eligible voters will then
vote using a secret ballot. All voting decisions shall be made by
taking a simple majority vote (50% +1) of active members present.
The presiding President and Vice President will be responsible for
anonymously recording each ballot. In the event of a tie, another
vote shall take place. If a tie still exists, the presiding officer shall
have the deciding vote.
If there is only one candidate running for an office, members shall
have the option to vote either for or against the lone candidate. In
the event of a majority vote against the candidate, new
nominations will be accepted and another election will be held as
soon as possible; by the next meeting at the latest.

Article VIII. STUDENT ORGANIZATION ADVISOR

The Signing Gators advisor should attend executive and general body
meetings. He/she will be responsible for providing ideas to promote the
Signing Gators, suggest activities that would best benefit the
organization, and provide resources for the Signing Gators. Due to the
advisors position as a UF faculty member, they will not be allowed to
vote in the officers election in order to avoid any conflict of interest.
The position of Signing Gators advisor will be first offered to the current
American Sign Language professor at University of Florida. Should the
current ASL professor decline the position, the officers of Signing
Gators will decide the top two candidates, to then be voted among by the
general body. The candidate with the most votes will be offered the
position. If the candidate declines, then the position will be offered to
the remaining candidate. The election of a student organization advisor
shall occur on the same day as the election for Signing Gators officers,
in April. The nominations for student organization advisor will start in
March, the same as for the officers of Signing Gators. The chosen
faculty advisor will remain as an advisor for the Signing Gators during
the fall and spring semesters until the election in April.

Article IX. FINANCE

There will be no membership dues for Signing Gators. The activities of
the organization may be funded through Student Government.

Article X. DISSOLUTION OF ORGANIZATION

In the event that the Signing Gators disband, any debts or claims will be
paid off using the money from the treasury. The remaining money will
be donated to Norton Elementary School to enhance education
experience for Deaf or hard of hearing elementary kids.

ARTICLE XI. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

Section A. Point System
Active membership status shall be based on a point system,
quantifying attendance at various Signing Gators functions. The
active membership status, for an entire academic year, shall be
bestowed upon any member who receives a predetermined number
of points during either the Fall or Spring semester.
The Executive Board of Signing Gators is the final decision-
making body for determining point values of events. At the
beginning of each semester, the Executive Board shall notify the
general membership of this point breakdown.
Section B: Petition Process
Any member of Signing Gators may choose to petition for active
 membership. Petitions may be heard by the Executive Board via
live or digital media and final decision regarding the members
status will be made by simple majority vote of the Executive
Board.

ARTICLE XII. COMMITEES

Section A. Committee Membership
1. Committee Chairs: The Vice-President of Signing Gators will
appoint the chair of all committees pending approval by the
Executive Board. Committee chairpersons will be responsible for
communicating the committees progress to the Executive Board.
2. Committee Makeup: At least one officer will serve on each
committee. Committees will be made up of between two to five
members of Signing Gators.
Section A. Ad-hoc Committees
The Vice-President of Signing Gators, in coordination with the
Executive Board, may appoint an ad-hoc committee at any time.
Ad-hoc committees will be formed to complete a specific task.
After that task is complete, the committee will be automatically
dissolved.
Section B. Committee for Deaf Community Relations
The Committee for Deaf Community Relations is responsible for
engaging and networking with individuals in the Deaf community
for the purpose of exposing our members to Deaf culture.
Section C. Committee for Public Relations
The Committee for Public Relations is responsible for promoting
and advertising the organization amongst all communication
channels including but not limited to: V.I.S.A. listserv, social
 media, newsletters, etc.
Section D. Committee for Special Events
The Committee for Special Events is responsible for assisting in
the development and implementation of special events hosted by
Signing Gators.
Section E. Committee for Academic Excellence

The Committee for Academic Excellence is responsible for

managing the screening and selection process for American Sign
Language Honor Society as well as hosting academically enriching
events for the membership.

Article XIII. RULES OF ORDER

Roberts Rules of Order, Latest Edition shall be the parliamentary
authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered herein.

Article XIV. AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION

The Signing Gators constitution may be amended with a majority vote
by the members present during any regular meeting. However, the
proposition for an amendment must be submitted to the vice-president or
the president at least three weeks before the voting in order to receive
approval from the Center for Student Activities and Involvement.