Constitution of the Global Citizenship Initiative 

Established in 2018 
 
Article I: Name and Mission Statement 
This organization will be named the Global Citizenship Initiative at UVA, and 
abbreviated to GCI, which is established for the expressed purpose of: 
1. Promoting global citizenship* by bringing international opportunity and 
understanding to the University of Virginia, and encouraging globally 
mindful actions in everyday life; 
2. Fostering relationships between Global First cohorts to promote the 
ideals of global citizenship, while also providing a means to help new 
Global First students acclimate to the University of Virginia; 
3. Connecting students who have experience abroad with students at the 
University of Virginia; 
4. Promoting all study abroad opportunities by providing support to 
individual study abroad program potential students and alumni;  
5. Promoting diversity by bringing people of different backgrounds, 
experiences, and perspectives together to share and learn from each 
other; 
6. Helping connect the University of Virginia to the world with sustainable 
connections with international universities and networks. 
*Global citizenship will be hereby defined as follows: 
● A consciousness that fosters understanding surpassing cultural, national, 
and linguistic barriers 
● The process of understanding one’s local identities and bringing them to 
the global stage while interacting with the local identities of others. 
The Global Citizenship Initiative at UVA understands school policies and is 
committed to abiding by said policies.  
 
Article II: Membership 
While anyone who is affiliated with the University of Virginia in an official 
capacity is welcome to attend general body meetings and encouraged to attend the 
various programs that the organization will offer throughout the year, active 
membership shall be limited to persons who satisfy at least one of the following 
requirements: 
1. Accepted and enrolled as a Global First Student 
a. These students will be automatically awarded membership in GCI upon 
committing to a Global First program. 
 2. Participated in and/or is affiliated with the Global First program, as either a 
study abroad mentor or a member of associated faculty 
3. Have studied or completed an internship abroad for at least one semester, one 
summer, or one January Term, regardless of whether or not such 
program/experience was specifically sponsored by the University of Virginia 
4. Have status as an international student at the University of Virginia 
5. Attended at least three meetings or events during a given semester 
There are no dues or fees associated with being a member of the Global 
Citizenship Initiative at UVA. 
If a prospective member fails to satisfy one of these requirements, that member 
will retain active membership at the discretion of the officers, via a majority vote. To 
retain membership, the member must provide a reasonable excuse for failing to satisfy 
one of the requirements (i.e. study abroad, class, exams, illness, etc.) and must still 
make meaningful contributions to the organization during the course of the semester. 
The Global Citizenship Initiative at UVA does not restrict its membership, 
programs, or activities on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, marital 
status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including 
pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family and genetic information. 
 
Article III: Officers 
The Global Citizenship Initiative at UVA will be governed by the following means: 
1. President: An elected President will preside over general and board meetings. 
The President will maintain the power to approve all committee chairpersons, 
shall present all motions to the body present. The President will have the 
authority to deposit and withdraw funds from any GCI accounts. 
2. Vice President: An elected Vice President shall share all of the President’s 
responsibilities and will act in place of the President during their absence. 
3. Secretary: An elected Secretary will take attendance and notes at each meeting 
and report the minutes via email and/or at the beginning of the next meeting. 
The Secretary will bring an agenda to each meeting, and will be in charge of 
general communications (i.e. weekly meeting and calendar reminders, monthly 
newsletters, the website, etc.). The Secretary will maintain a list of members 
and add new members to the GCI listserv as necessary.  
4. Treasurer: An elected Treasurer will keep a written account of and oversee all 
financial transactions and monetary accounts. The Treasurer will be 
responsible for submitting a budget proposal at the beginning of each semester 
to the Executive Board. The Treasurer will be in charge of fundraising, and 
when eligible, apply for grants. The Treasurer will have the authority to deposit 
and withdraw funds from any GCI accounts.  
 5. Global First Membership Chair: An elected Membership Chair is responsible for 
connecting Global First students and alumni and ensuring the success of the 
Global First Sibling Program (i.e. pairing siblings, cultivating the relationship 
between Global First students, planning & ensuring program-specific events, 
etc.). In order to be elected to the Membership position, all eligible parties must 
be a Global First alumnus, except in the extremely unlikely position where no 
Global First alumnus runs for the position.  
6. Social Chair: An elected Social Chair is responsible for planning and overseeing 
all social events, and will work in tandem with the Secretary for publicity. The 
Social Chair will have the authority to deposit and withdraw funds from any GCI 
accounts with approval of the President and Treasurer.  
All Executive Board positions shall attend ⅔ of all general and executive 
meetings. If an officer is unable to fulfill this requirement, they may be removed from 
their position at the discretion of the rest of the Executive Board. 
In order to be eligible to run for an executive position, interested parties must 
submit an application to the current Executive Board that demonstrates interest and 
fulfillment of the GCI’s mission. 
 
Article IV: Elections 
All members are eligible to vote in all general elections. 
All Executive officers shall be elected by a majority vote of eligible voting 
members of the Global Citizenship Initiative. All elections for the Executive Board will 
be held on an annual basis at the end of March (no elections should be held in April), 
with interim and emergency elections being held as needed. The President will take 
submitted applications as outlined in Article III. Candidates and all of current 
Executive Board are allowed to vote in Executive Board elections. The online ballot for 
the Executive Board election will be posted twenty-four hours after the election 
general body meeting, in which candidates’ speeches and their transcriptions will also 
be distributed via email or some equivalent communication. The online ballot will be 
available for one week after posting. All voting shall be done by secret ballot to be 
collected and tabulated immediately after closing the ballot by the Executive Board. 
Results will be announced shortly following tabulation. Newly elected officers will be 
advised by incumbent officers in preparation for their duties. The incumbent term 
ends and the new term begins on the last day of the Spring Semester. 
Any officer in violation of the Organization’s purpose or constitution may be 
removed from office by the following process: a. A written request by at least three 
members of the Organization, b. Written notification to the officer of the request, 
asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak. A 
two-thirds majority of the Executive Board is necessary to remove the officer. 
 
Article V: Meetings 
General body and executive-specific meetings will each occur at least twice a 
month, but general and board-specific meetings may occur more frequently 
depending on member interest and at the discretion of the President. The date of the 
next meeting will be agreed upon at the end of each meeting and will be included in 
the Secretary’s minutes of the meeting. For a standard meeting, three members must 
be present at executive or committee meetings and six members must be present at a 
general meeting for a quorum. Fifty-one percent of the active currently enrolled 
members are required for an election meeting. 
The following is a basic outline of the agenda to be followed during general 
body meetings: 
● Opening statements and report by the President and/or other officers 
● Committee and/or event announcements 
● Vote on any and all committee motions and decisions 
● All other business as brought forward by members of CGI 
● Dismissal by the President 
 
Article VI: Amendments and By-Laws 
The constitution is binding to all members of the Global Citizenship Initiative, 
but the constitution is not binding unto itself. 
1. Amendments to the constitution may be proposed in writing by any member of 
the Global Citizenship Initiative. Amendments should be submitted to the 
President, who will then designate time for discussion of the proposed 
amendment at the following full-body meeting. 
2. Proposed amendments will become effective following approval of two-thirds 
majority vote of voting members. 
By-Laws: Committees may be created as necessary by the officers of the 
Executive Board for specific events/projects. Any member (including the officers) may 
serve as a committee chair. Committee chairs will be appointed by a two-thirds 
majority vote of the Executive Board and is approved by the President. They will 
coordinate the planning and execution of the committee project. Any number of 
members may be on a committee.