The current LSMSAAA Constitution took effect in February 1998, after the original version collapsed (through officer resignations). The new Constitution was designed by members of an electronic mailing list called the "Virtual Constitutional Convention," under direction of Steve Voss ('86).
The 1998 Constitution includes 11 sections:
This Constitution provides for an organization called the LSMSA Alumni
Association (hereafter "LSMSAAA"). The LSMSAAA is intended to
(a) ...Promote the institutional interests of the Louisiana School for
Math,
Science and the Arts (hereafter "Louisiana School")
(b) ...Serve as a voice for graduates of Louisiana School in matters
affecting the school's continuing reputation as an educational
institution
(c) ...Promote the interests of all students, faculty and staff associated
with the Louisiana School, past and present.
Anyone ever associated with the Louisiana School -- whether as a student, member of the faculty, or member of the staff -- is automatically a member of the LSMSAAA.
The LSMSAAA has three levels of active membership:
(a) Lifetime Member - Any member who has paid lifetime dues 10 times
(whether
consecutively or not).
(b) Graduate Member - Any graduate of the Louisiana School who has paid
dues
(regular or lifetime) for the fiscal year, but is not a Lifetime Member.
(c) Adjunct Member - Any member who has paid dues (regular or lifetime) for
the fiscal year, but is not a graduate of the Louisiana School and does not
hold
Lifetime Membership.
Individual members are responsible for maintaining contact with the LSMSAAA. Members who do not notify the Recording Secretary of their current addresses (electronic and/or postal) temporarily lose the right to communications from the Executive Council. Failing to register does not sacrifice any other right protected by this Constitution.
Members who wish to activate their status for a given fiscal year must
submit
dues to the LSMSAAA Treasurer, unless they already possess Lifetime
Membership.
The fiscal year runs from June 30 of one year to June 29 of the next.
(a) The rate for "regular dues" is $12 annually. If a member is willing to
receive LSMSAAA communications electronically, dues are reduced to $9.
(b) The rate for "lifetime dues" is $25 annually.
Members may pay dues to cover a given fiscal year at any time.
(a) If dues are paid prior to the beginning of that year, all associated
rights and privileges begin (or continue, for members who are already active)
at
the start of the fiscal year.
(b) If dues are paid after a fiscal year has already begun, relevant rights
of membership begin upon receipt of payment by the Treasurer; no privileges
are
retroactive.
(c) Once a member has paid lifetime dues sufficient to cover 10 fiscal
years,
regardless of timing, that person becomes a Lifetime Member. No act of the
Executive Council may revoke Lifetime Membership.
Dues requirements for a given fiscal year are governed by constitutional rates in effect at time of payment. Subsequent increases do not effect those who have paid already, nor may they revoke Lifetime Membership once someone has qualified.
The LSMSAAA may charge user fees for activities, services and products it organizes or subsidizes, at discretion of the President. All funds so collected, not just the net profits, must be turned over to the Treasurer without delay for addition to the General Fund. No additional dues or fees may be charged for members to exercise rights and privileges granted in this Constitution.
Three-fourths of all dues money collected goes into the General Fund. The remaining quarter of dues goes into the Communications Fund, and is earmarked for postal or electronic communications. All proceeds collected through user fees, as well as dues from members who waive the right to postal communications, go into the General Fund.
The Executive Council consists of five elected officers: the President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Vice President and Natchitoches Liaison.
The President is the primary executive officer of the LSMSAAA, bearing
the following powers and responsibilities:
(a) Public Relations - To act as the official voice of the LSMSAAA in its
interactions with faculty and staff of the Louisiana School, with the LSMSA
Board of Directors, and with all others inside and outside the Louisiana
School
community.
(b) Budgeting - To decide how the General Fund should be spent and how
LSMSAAA resources should be distributed, in keeping with the general purposes
of
the LSMSAAA. Even if the President delegates this spending authority, either
in
part or in full, no one else may pass a valid General Fund expenditure request
to the Treasurer.
(c) Leadership - To preside over the time, place and manner of
communications
among members of the Executive Council, and establish guidelines for the
conduct
of business. To delegate authority and responsibilities, in keeping with the
general purposes of the LSMSAAA.
(d) Communications - To provide a brief Presidential Report to the
Recording
Secretary no later than two weeks before each newsletter must be distributed.
The Report should outline the current state of the LSMSAAA, including any
ongoing projects of the Executive Council.
(e) Succession -- To fill vacancies in the Executive Council, including
those
created by implicit resignation, in keeping with the line of succession for
each
office.
The Treasurer is the LSMSAAA's sole financial officer, bearing the
following powers and responsibilities:
(a) Communications - To provide a Financial Report to the Recording
Secretary
no later than two weeks before each newsletter must be distributed. The
report
should outline the current balance in LSMSAAA's accounts, including an
itemized
list of all expenditures since the last Financial Report, and indicate the
procedure for paying dues (i.e., mailing address, form of payment). In no
case
may the procedure place an undue burden on active or inactive LSMSAAA members
wishing to pay their dues.
(b) Treasury - To collect all dues payments, and safeguard all LSMSAAA
funds.
To keep track of balances in the General Fund and Communications Fund. The
Treasurer may not provide money from the General Fund to anyone other than the
acting President, and may not provide money from the Communications Fund to
anyone other than the acting Recording Secretary. The Treasurer may not spend
LSMSAAA funds for any reason, aside from expenses directly related to
maintenance of LSMSAAA accounts, nor may the Treasurer receive delegated
powers
to do so.
(c) Veto - To review all expenditure requests from the President (for the
General Fund) or Recording Secretary (for the Communications Fund), and decide
within two days of receiving the request whether and how much to fund the
appropriation. If the Treasurer accepts at least a portion of the request,
those funds must be provided within a week. If a portion of the request is
rejected, the Treasurer immediately must notify the officer who made the
request. The Treasurer also must prepare a Veto Notice explaining why the
funds
were refused, and provide that report to the Natchitoches Liaison at least a
week before the next meeting of the General Assembly.
(d) Database Management - To maintain a record of all dues paid by members
for the given fiscal year and, for people who have paid in advance, any future
fiscal years. To maintain a record of how many years each member has paid
lifetime dues. To inform the Recording Secretary when LSMSAAA members
activate
their status for a given fiscal year.
The Recording Secretary is the LSMSAAA's primary communications
officer,
bearing the following powers and responsibilities:
(a) Archiving - To collect all reports and official communications from
other
LSMSAAA officers, and hold them for at least 10 years.
(b) Public Information - To provide full election results to any LSMSAAA
member upon request, once these are released by the Vice President. To make
archived reports available to active members when requested, at the
convenience
of the Recording Secretary. To make reasonable efforts, beyond those
explicitly
required, to spread information about the LSMSAAA.
(c) Database Management - To maintain a database with each active LSMSAAA
member's current addresses, electronic and postal.
(d) Communications - To distribute a newsletter to all active members with
registered electronic mail addresses, regardless of dues status, within two
days
of March 30 and September 30. To distribute a printed copy of the biennial
newsletter to all Lifetime Members, and to all other active members who
refused
the electronic communications discount, within two weeks of disseminating the
electronic version. This newsletter must contain the text from all official
reports and communications submitted by members of the Executive Council since
distribution of the last newsletter.
(e) Budgeting - To decide how the Communications Fund should be spent, in
keeping with the elections and communications requirements of this
Constitution.
The Recording Secretary bears ultimate responsibility for passing any
communications expenditure request to the Treasurer for review.
(f) Elections - To carry out all informational tasks necessary for LSMSAAA
elections, as provided in other sections of this Constitution.
The Vice President is the LSMSAAA executive officer in charge of
elections and Special Chapters, bearing the following powers and
responsibilities:
(a) Balloting - To collect the ballots and tally the results for annual
elections, or to locate and appoint others who will do the same.
(b) Communications - To provide an Election Report, along with all valid
ballots cast, to the Recording Secretary no more than one month after an
annual
election's balloting deadline. The report should include all vote tallies,
and
indicate the ultimate result of each contest.
(c) Charters - To consider applications for Special Chapters, and determine
in each case whether to provide a charter. Within a month of receiving such a
request, the Vice President must issue a ruling to the Recording
Secretary.
(d) Database - To keep record of the active membership of all special
chapters.
(e) Support - To carry out, within reason, such tasks as the President sees
fit to delegate.
The Natchitoches Liaison performs all functions of the LSMSAAA that
require presence in the state of Louisiana, and bears the following powers and
responsibilities:
(a) Chair the General Assembly - To call meetings of the General Assembly
once a year, and find a location for the meeting that will be convenient for
active members. In any case, the General Assembly must meet in the state of
Louisiana, in a town or city with at least as many residents as Natchitoches.
The Natchitoches Liaison may not schedule meetings of the General Assembly
without notifying active members at least one month in advance.
(b) Archiving - To store all Veto Reports submitted by the LSMSAAA
Treasurer,
and present them at meetings of the General Assembly for possible
override.
(c) Communications - To provide a General Assembly report to the Recording
Secretary no later than two weeks before each newsletter must be distributed.
The report should outline the events of any General Assembly meeting that have
taken place since the last newsletter.
(d) Communications - To serve as a conduit between the Louisiana School
administration and the Executive Council. To keep active members, and
especially the Executive Council, abreast of activities at the school.
(e) Research - To gather specific information about the Louisiana School
when
such information is requested by other members of the Executive Council. To
fulfill such requests, when reasonable, from other active LSMSAAA members.
(f) Support - To carry out such reasonable tasks as the President sees fit
to
delegate, especially those that are only feasible for someone residing near
Natchitoches.
The General Assembly may consist of all active LSMSAAA members, and bears responsibility for officer impeachments and appropriations veto overrides. No meeting of the General Assembly may last more than two hours beyond the starting time announced by the Natchitoches Liaison; actions conducted afterward are not valid.
All active members who attend a meeting of the General Assembly are considered part of the Assembly while present, and receive a single vote for any item on the agenda. Any active member who has forwarded an unambiguous proxy vote on a particular issue is also a member of the General Assembly for purposes of that vote. Executive officers who are present may participate and vote same as any other active member. For any decision of the General Assembly to be binding, a quorum of 10 members must be present during the vote.
The General Assembly may opt to remove any Executive Council officer for violating the letter or the spirit of this Constitution. At least two-thirds of those present or voting by proxy, and in any case no fewer than seven active members, must choose to remove the officer for the action to be binding. The Natchitoches Liaison may determine the process for considering an impeachment, but in no case may a vote be delayed past the two-hour limit for any given meeting.
The Natchitoches Liaison must read or distribute to the General Assembly all veto reports submitted by the Treasurer since the last meeting. The General Assembly may override any veto; in such a case the Treasurer must provide funds to cover the requested expenditure within a week of being notified. At least two-thirds of those present or voting by proxy, and in any case no fewer than seven active members, must choose to override the veto for the action to be binding. The Natchitoches Liaison may determine the process for considering a veto override, but in no case may a vote be delayed past the two-hour limit for any given meeting.
The Natchitoches Liaison may schedule additional meetings of the General Assembly if 15 or more active members of the LSMSAAA request one. These meetings are scheduled at the discretion of the Natchitoches Liaison, but otherwise must meet all requirements for calling and convening the annual General Assembly gathering.
The Louisiana School Mediator is the LSMSA administration's voice in the LSMSAAA. The Mediator holds no direct responsibilities during the regular functioning of the LSMSAAA, and is therefore not a member of the Executive Council. However, in periods of constitutional crisis the Mediator has authority, if desired, to stabilize the LSMSAAA either through interim appointments or constitutional rulings.
The Louisiana School Mediator serves at the discretion of the LSMSA Executive Director. At any time, the Executive Director may replace an acting Mediator through appointment of a replacement. The term of office is otherwise unlimited. Aside from members of the LSMSAAA Executive Council, anyone may be appointed to this position.
The Mediator serves as the last recourse during a succession crisis. When no one in the line of succession is able or willing to take on the duties of LSMSAAA President, the Mediator may choose an interim officer to serve in this role. Similarly, the Mediator may appoint an interim Treasurer, to serve as a check on the President's spending authority, when no one is eligible or willing to take on such duties through normal succession.
Should a dispute that requires speedy resolution arise regarding the meaning of any portion of this Constitution, the Mediator may choose to adjudicate between competing parties. Once the Mediator determines how the Constitution should be interpreted, that judgment is binding on officers and members of the LSMSAAA. Whenever possible, however, such ambiguities ultimately should be resolved by the voting membership through the amendment process.
Faced by an otherwise intractable constitutional crisis, the Louisiana School Mediator may order immediate, temporary amendment of this Constitution. Recourse to this power should be exercised with extreme restraint, and the voting membership must be permitted to rule on any such temporary changes -- as soon and as completely as is feasible -- through the standard amendment process.
Any decision of the Louisiana School Mediator should be treated as revocable whenever possible, either through appointment of a new Mediator by the LSMSA Executive Director or through the constitutional amendment process.
(a) The President and Vice President each must be a Graduate Member or
Lifetime Member the entire time they hold office. No others may assume these
posts through election, succession or appointment.
(b) The Treasurer and Recording Secretary each must be an active member the
entire time they hold office.
(c) The Natchitoches Liaison must be a member of the LSMSAAA who resides
within 75 miles of Natchitoches or is a student enrolled at Northwestern State
University.
(d) No President, Vice President, Treasurer or Recording Secretary may be
employed by the Louisiana School or the LSMSA Board of Directors, if such a
job
provides any form of remuneration beyond reimbursement for expenses. Sitting
as
a member of the Board does not, in itself, qualify as employment even if
backed
with some sort of monetary reward for service.
(e) No one may hold two Executive Council offices simultaneously, with one
exception: serving as Natchitoches Liaison does not preclude holding another
post.
(a) Election years -- All offices of the Executive Council must be
filled
through elections held every four years, starting in 1999 (i.e., 1999, 2003,
2007, etc.).
(b) Election-year notification - The Recording Secretary must notify all
active members of a coming election no later than January 31. This
notification, which may take the form of electronic mail (transmitted by the
deadline) and/or postal mail (first class, postmarked by the deadline), must
indicate the final cutoff for declaring candidacy, and specify the process for
making such a declaration. In no case may the requirements for filing a
candidacy place an undue burden on potential contestants, nor may candidates
be
charged any direct fee (beyond their standard dues) as a requisite for
inclusion
on the ballot.
(c) Filing deadline - Those seeking a post on the Executive Council must
declare candidacy no later than March 15 of the election year. It is the
candidate's responsibility to ensure that a declaration is registered by the
deadline.
(d) Incumbency - Sitting members of the Executive Council may run for
reelection, or for any other post on the council, without restriction. No
candidate for office in any given election may be directly responsible for
counting votes.
(e) Limits on ballot access - A candidate may only declare for a single
Executive Council post in any given election, with one exception: candidates
may
seek to serve as both the Natchitoches Liaison and one other officer
simultaneously.
Any group consisting of at least 30 active members may demand a recall election for a member of the Executive Council. For a recall vote to appear on a given year's ballot, petitions with a combined list of 30 active members' signatures must be provided to the Recording Secretary no later than March 15.
Failure to carry out certain tangible duties constitutes implicit
resignation on the part of executive officers. For each officer, the
following
permits, but does not require, immediate recourse to the relevant line of
succession without convening the General Assembly:
(a) President - Failure to meet the deadline for submitting a Presidential
Report.
(b) Treasurer - Failure to meet the deadline for providing a Financial
Report, with details on how members may pay dues; failure to either provide
funds or issue a veto decision within a week of receiving any appropriations
request; failure to meet the deadline for providing a Veto Notice.
(c) Recording Secretary - Failure to meet deadlines for distributing the
required newsletter; failure to meet the deadline for notifying active members
of a coming election; failure to meet the deadline for distributing valid
election ballots.
(d) Vice President - Failure to meet the deadline for providing an Election
Report; failure to rule on a potential Special Chapter's application for
charter
within a month of the request.
(e) Natchitoches Liaison - Failure to meet the deadline for providing a
General Assembly report; failure to call and oversee a valid meeting of the
General Assembly, including consideration of all impeachments and veto
overrides, within 400 days of the previous gathering; failure to answer,
within
a month, reasonable executive officer requests for information.
(a) Should an ineligible candidate appear on the ballot inadvertently
and
win election, the office devolves at point of discovery to the valid candidate
who received the greatest number of votes, unless an intervening election has
provided a qualified officer for the post in question.
(b) Should the President resign, fall out of eligibility, lose an
impeachment
proceeding, become incapable of performing required duties, or otherwise
vacate
the office, the Vice President becomes the new President. However, if the
Vice
President simultaneously becomes ineligible to serve or is unwilling to accept
the promotion, the presidency follows this line of succession until someone is
both eligible and willing: the Treasurer, the Recording Secretary, the
previous
President, the previous Vice President, an appointee of the Louisiana School
Mediator.
(c) Should the Treasurer move to a different post on the Executive Council,
resign, fall out of eligibility, lose an impeachment proceeding, become
incapable of performing required duties, or otherwise vacate the office, the
Vice President (if elected) becomes the new Treasurer. However, if the Vice
President simultaneously becomes ineligible to serve, or is unwilling or
unable
to accept the promotion, the office of Treasurer follows this line of
succession
until someone is both eligible and willing: the previous Treasurer, the
previous
President, the previous Vice President, the Recording Secretary (if elected),
an
appointee of the Louisiana School Mediator.
(d) Should the Recording Secretary move to a different post on the
Executive
Council, resign, fall out of eligibility, lose an impeachment proceeding,
become
incapable of performing required duties, or otherwise vacate the office, the
Vice President becomes the new Recording Secretary. However, if the Vice
President simultaneously becomes ineligible to serve or is unwilling to accept
the promotion, the office of Recording Secretary follows this line of
succession
until someone is both eligible and willing: the previous Recording Secretary,
the previous President, the previous Vice President, an appointee of the
President.
(e) Should the Vice President move to a different post on the Executive
Council, resign, fall out of eligibility, lose an impeachment proceeding,
become
incapable of performing required duties, or otherwise vacate the office, the
vice presidency follows this line of succession until someone is both eligible
and willing: the previous President, the previous Vice President, an appointee
of the President.
(f) Should the Natchitoches Liaison resign, fall out of eligibility, lose
an
impeachment proceeding, become incapable of performing required duties, or
otherwise vacate the office, the President should appoint an eligible and
willing Natchitoches Liaison with all deliberate speed.
(g) Should the Louisiana School Mediator resign, become incapable of
performing required duties, or otherwise vacate the office, the LSMSA
Executive
Director should appoint a new Mediator with all deliberate speed. Until such
appointment, the previous Louisiana School Mediator may act in that
capacity.
(h) In all cases, reference to a "previous" officer should be construed as
meaning the last such officer to leave a post voluntarily.
Any member of the Executive Council may propose an amendment to this Constitution. For consideration of a proposed amendment in any given year, the executive officer must provide a petition to the Recording Secretary no later than March 15. The petition must provide the wording of any suggested amendment, with unambiguous directions regarding what will be changed or removed in the current document and what will be added.
Any group consisting of at least 15 active members may propose an amendment to this Constitution. For consideration of a proposed amendment in any given year, a petition with at least 15 active members' signatures must be provided to the LSMSAAA Recording Secretary no later than March 15. The petition must provide the wording of any suggested amendment, with unambiguous directions regarding what will be changed or removed in the current document and what will be added.
Should petitioners propose multiple amendments that would change a particular portion of the Constitution, the Recording Secretary may rewrite the specific amendment choices facing voters for clarification purposes, for example to allow a two-stage vote (whether to change a provision, and if so which alternative to implement). In any case, one option for voters must be to maintain the status quo.
If the Recording Secretary does not receive any valid constitutional amendment proposals, and Executive Council posts are not up for election or recall, then no balloting is required in a given year.
Each year's ballot must be legible, without unreasonable complexity. It must include all valid amendment proposals, the option to recall any executive officer who has been challenged by a valid recall petition, and, in election years, the names of all candidates who meet the eligibility and filing requirements for a given office.
The ballot must clearly indicate the voting deadline, and any other requirements for a vote to be counted. In no case may the requirements for voting place an undue burden on active members, nor may members be charged any direct fee beyond their standard dues as a requisite for voting.
All ballots must identify who will tally the results, and the addresses (at least one postal and one electronic for each active member) to which ballots may be submitted.
Any LSMSAAA member who holds active status on April 15 of the election year may vote. The Recording Secretary must distribute a ballot through electronic or first-class postal mail to every eligible, registered voter no later than that date (where distribution is gauged by the official postmark for postal mail).
Voters must submit ballots through electronic or postal mail no later than May 31 (with the date of submission determined by the official postmark for postal mail). Ballots sent after this date are invalid. All ballots must be signed; unsigned ballots and those not submitted by active members are invalid.
For a proposed amendment to take effect, 2/3 of all valid votes on the issue must favor changing the status quo, unless the amendment vote involves whether to reverse constitutional changes imposed by fiat, in which case only a voting majority must favor change. If voters approve two amendments that change the same portion of the Constitution, the Recording Secretary must reconcile the language of the two amendments. The resultant provision should preserve as much as possible the spirit of both amendments approved by the voters, yet do so in such a way that the constitutional language remains internally consistent. Unless otherwise specified in the amendment proposal itself, any constitutional amendment approved by the voting membership takes effect on June 30 of the election year.
If votes to remove an executive officer outnumber those against doing so, the individual is stripped of office. The replacement should come from the line of succession for that post. In no case may a recalled officer be returned to the lost post, except by the voting membership.
Whichever candidate receives the most votes (i.e., a plurality) for a given post wins. In case of a tie, responsibility for selecting between the two devolves onto the candidate who came in third place. If only two candidates contested the election, the current Vice President must choose one to be the acting officer; the next General Assembly to convene with a quorum then may select the permanent officer from among the two candidates. The incoming Executive Council assumes office on June 30 of the election year. The outgoing Executive Council must transfer all funds, archives and resources of the LSMSAAA to the relevant, newly elected officers with all deliberate speed, and certainly no later than July 15.
Any group of at least 10 active members may seek to establish a Special Chapter. Should membership in a Special Chapter fall below 10 at any time, that chapter ceases to exist. Members may not belong to two Special Chapters simultaneously.
Special Chapters have no responsibilities under this Constitution, nor does an official charter confer any additional rights to either officers or members. In no case are powers delegated to such a chapter imbued with constitutional authority or responsibility.
An application for a Special Chapter charter must be submitted to the LSMSAAA Vice President. The application should include a list of at least 10 founders (active members in the LSMSAAA), as well as by-laws under which the Special Chapter will operate (including powers of any chapter officers, conditions for membership eligibility and the procedure for amending by-laws). The Vice President chooses whether to grant the charter. An acting Vice President may revoke any Special Chapter's official charter at any time.
Any action not explicitly forbidden to an officer of the Executive Council should be considered permissible under the terms of this Constitution, unless it violates the spirit or letter of a protection guaranteed to an active member, or infringes upon the spirit or letter of powers provided to another officer of the LSMSAAA.
Credit for paying "supporting dues" under previous incarnations of the LSMSAAA constitution and organizational by-laws still counts as credit toward Lifetime Membership under this Constitution. Similarly, anyone who has already earned Lifetime Membership under terms of the old constitution and by-laws retains that status.
Should any part of this Constitution violate applicable state or national law, only those portions in direct violation of the law are invalidated as a result. The Constitution, to whatever extent is legally possible, should be retained by the LSMSAAA.
Rachel Hughes, Anita DeRouen and Brian Beavers are not ineligible to serve in any LSMSAAA office by virtue of their employment with the Louisiana School.
Acting Natchitoches Liaison Rachel Hughes is authorized to organize and conduct an election for interim officers (except for Treasurer) under this Constitution as soon as is feasible. The interim officers immediately gain all titles, rights, privileges and powers that the Constitution sets aside for future elected officers, except that they will not be able to serve full terms without successfully running for reelection in 1999.
Micah Luftig is the only legitimate remaining officer of the LSMSAAA under the old constitution. Therefore, no interim Treasurer is needed; Luftig may continue serving in that capacity, within the normal duties and constraints of office set by this document, until the 1999 election.
All resources possessed by the LSMSAAA under its old constitution are still possessed under this Constitution. Half of all LSMSAAA funds remaining when the interim officers join the Executive Council go into the General Fund; the other half goes into the Communications Fund.
Any amendments proposed in 1998 (for either the 1998 or 1999 elections) require a majority (more than 50%), not a supermajority, of votes to represent official changes to this Constitution.
Subsections 11.5 through 11.9 of this Constitution will become obsolete no later than June 30, 1999. They cease to be part of the official LSMSAAA Constitution on that date.