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Fred Constitution

Fred Constitution

Preamble

The Fred Pfeil Community Project aims to foster an environment in which social, cultural, and academic interests intersect. In addition to providing a public space and regular events open to all Trinity students, we also aim to create a community based on intellectual curiosity, mutual respect, and democratic participation, with the ultimate goal to seek out, create, and develop a sense of community amongst its members in order to better serve the larger Trinity Community. To this end, The Fred seeks to promote the values of equality, open-mindedness, and inclusiveness to the entire Trinity community.

Constitution

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be The Fred Pfeil Community Project, hereinafter casually referred to as The Fred.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

  1. The Fred shall provide benefits to its members, while having expectations in return.

These members will be referred to hereinafter as Freddies

  1. Benefits
    1. Freddies will enjoy access to housing in the building from which the Fred operates.
    2. Freddies may seek funding for events and Fred groups[1] with proper approval by the Treasurer, Community Facilitators, and/or Fred General Meeting.
  • Freddies may use the materials, tools, and other resources the Fred accumulates through its mission.
  1. Expectations
    1. Freddies will regularly participate in the creation, execution, and attendance of bonding, weekly, and group events.
    2. Freddies will consistently attend and participate in weekly meetings that review the previous week’s events, hereinafter referred to as the Fred General Meeting.
  • Freddies are expected to respect other Freddies, public spaces, and Fred mission policies (as stated in the preamble), and the Fred Constitution with dignity.
  1. Freddies are expected to make all public spaces managed by the Fred available to the entire Trinity community, unless doing so would risk the health or livelihood of members in the Trinity community.
  1. The Fred shall (re)admit Freddies through the following application process
    1. The application committee shall be formed by simple democratic vote. Committee size shall consist of at least five elected Freddies. The Staff Advisor or a proxy will also attend meetings for the purpose of scheduling and moderating. The Staff Advisor will not conduct interviews or advocate for candidates. The number of Freddies in the committee and application deadline will be decided in a general meeting.
    2. The application committee Freddies shall be decided using the election guidelines outlined in Article III, Section C, with the exception of Article III,

Section C, Sub-Section 3. Results should be distributed as soon as possible.

  1. The role of the application committee is to admit the most desirable candidates on the grounds of (in no particular order):
    1. Past involvement in The Fred.
    2. Involvement in activities outside of The Fred. iii. Ideas for future involvement with The Fred. iv.   Benefit to the candidate from living in The Fred.
    3. Commitment to the ideals of community living.
    4. Commitment to furthering the ideals and mission of The Fred as outlined in the preamble. vii. Any other considerations determined at a general meeting at the outset of the process.
  2. The Fred shall admit students of any race, creed, color, and national or ethnic origin and regardless of sex or handicap. The Fred does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of any policies, admissions practices, housing, or group programs.
  3. The application committee will determine the form and content of the application at the outset of the process.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

  1. The following positions must be filled at all times:
    1. Two (2) Community Facilitators: Organize and moderate meetings, meet regularly with Staff Advisor, organize orientation events, oversee application process and housing lottery, perform any undefined duties deemed necessary for the well-being of the community.
    2. Treasurer: Responsible for submitting receipts to the Staff Advisor, keeping track of expenses, providing weekly budget updates to the Staff Advisor, and planning annual budgets to be ratified at general meetings.
    3. Secretary: Takes minutes at weekly meetings, sends minutes to all Freddies, heads committees formed to review and/or amend the Fred Constitution, and ensures that the community upholds the constitution.
    4. Two (2) Friday Night Coordinators: Oversees the committee established for each weekly event, delegates tasks to the committee necessary for the execution of the event, performs any task the committee fails to perform, prepares contracts for artists, works with the Advertising Coordinator. The Friday Night Coordinator is expected to oversee the preparations on the day of the event. The Friday Night Coordinator, or a proxy, should also be on hand to manage the event during the course of the evening.
    5. Two (2) Community Bonding Coordinator: Responsible for organizing events and activities designed to promote intra-Fred social health.
    6. Calendar Coordinator: Responsible for scheduling use of common room, posting and maintaining physical and electronic calendars accessible to all Freddies.
    7. Group Liaison: Responsible for communication with group contact Freddies, keeping records of group attendance, creating monthly updates of group activity, responsible for maintaining the vitality of the groups.
    8. Advertising Coordinator: Prepares fliers for weekly events, oversees distribution of fliers, and is responsible for all advertising.
    9. Alumni Liaison: Communicates regular Fred updates to alumni, organizes alumni events during Homecoming and other alumni reunion events, and facilitates communication among alumni and between alumni and The Fred.
    10. Space Coordinator: responsible for keeping the common spaces of the Fred (including but not limited to the 5th and 6th floor common rooms, library, kitchens, lobby, and hallway office) in working order. This will involve surveying them at least weekly for cleanliness and organizing a committee to keep the space functional. They will be in charge of organizing a total cleaning of all common spaces (a Fred “Do-It-Day”) at least once a semester. They will also be given a budget to update one space every semester in order to adjust it toward the current needs of the Fred. Finally, at the end every spring semester, they will place all common room valuables into one of the building’s storage rooms.
    11. Staff Advisor: A member of the Trinity Staff to serve as the Staff Advisor to The Fred.
  2. Impeachment
    1. If a Freddies finds it necessary to impeach an elected officer or committee member, he or she must present a written statement describing his or her grievance, along with signatures of one-fourth of the current Freddies, to The Fred’s Staff Advisor. After the presentation of the statement and list, the Staff Advisor will then destroy the list of signatures to protect the anonymity of the signatories.
    2. That statement will then be presented to the two community facilitators, who will begin the process by notifying the accused party of the statement.
      1. In the event that the grievance is directed at one of the community facilitators, the second one will be in charge of dealing with the impeachment process.
    3. After the notification has taken place, the community facilitators will then organize an emergency impeachment meeting during which both the accused and accuser must come and state their case. They must also be available for any questions that Freddies may wish to raise regarding the proceedings.
    4. This meeting will then be followed by a 48-hour period during which all Freddies will be given the opportunity to vote on the impeachment of the officer in question. The voting procedure will be as follows:
      1. Only the current Freddies for that semester may vote during the impeachment process.
      2. At least two-thirds of the Freddies must vote for removal.
    5. In the event of the removal or resignation of an officer, the process established in Article III, Section C will be followed for the election of a new officer.
  3. Officer Election Process
    1. After the membership for the following semester has been finalized by members of the Application Committee, an election for officers shall be held for the following semester as follows
    2. Nomination and voting procedures are to be determined at the general meeting preceding the election by popular vote. All voting methods must adhere to the following standards:
      1. Only voting Freddies may participate.
      2. Only those who have accepted membership for the current or following semester are defined as voting Freddies (voters).
      3. Every voter must be guaranteed a secret ballot. iii. Every voter must be given fair and equal opportunity to vote. iv.  The voting method must ensure that every voter may vote no more than once, and must ensure that only voters have participated.
      4. If too few candidates have been nominated to fill the necessary positions, the nomination deadline will be extended until an emergency meeting can be held. This meeting must take place before publicizing the nominees for the disputed position.
    3. Each Freddie may only hold each position for a maximum of two semesters.
    4. Each Freddie may not hold more than one position in any given semester.
    5. The winner(s) of the election will be determined by plurality.
    6. A term will last from the final day of the semester in which the officer is elected until the final day of the next semester.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS

  1. General Fred Meetings
  1. Will be held once a week while the college is in session, except on school holidays.
  2. Efforts will be made to reschedule the meeting in the event of a holiday conflict.
  3. Attendance is mandatory for all Freddies.
  4. General Fred Meetings shall be open to anyone.
  5. Community Facilitators shall fairly moderate discussion.
  6. The Secretary shall take notes or find a substitute to take notes in the event of his or her absence.
  7. All decisions will be determined by a simple majority vote of all Freddies present, unless otherwise defined in the constitution.
  8. Only those who have accepted membership for the current semester are defined as voting members for the Fred General Meetings.

ARTICLE V – EVENTS AND GROUPS

  1. Events
    1. All events and activities must be held in a common space and open to the entire Trinity community. Each person present is expected to act in accordance with the Trinity College Student Integrity Contract.
    2. The Fred will provide weekly events. These events should be open and publicized to the entire campus, with the goal in mind of offering additional social and cultural opportunities. The Fred should aim to provide a variety of events, catering to diverse interests.
    3. Though traditionally held weekly on Friday nights, any number of events may be held at any time during the week at the discretion of the Fred General Meeting.
    4. The Fred will also hold bonding activities, which are meant to improve our sense of community in the building. Although designed for Freddies, all non-Freddies are welcome to participate.
    5. All events and activities that will use a common space must be published on a public calendar, managed by the Calendar Coordinator.
  2. Groups
    1. Each Freddies is required to be in a Fred interest group (hereby referred to as ‘Fred Groups’ or ‘group’. Those groups can take a variety of forms, but must entail a time commitment of, on average, one hour per week.
    2. These events must be inclusive and held in a public space.
    3. The Fred, as a building, is open to other campus and community groups; however, they must also abide by our inclusive policies and reserve the space with the Calendar Coordinator at least three (3) days in advance.
    4. All group events must be published on a public calendar.

ARTICLE VI – HOUSING

  1. Primary Housing Lottery
    1. Once members are selected, the Community Facilitators must organize a housing lottery meeting.
    2. During this meeting, lottery numbers will be distributed by the Community Facilitators and subsequently publicized to the entire Fred.
    3. These numbers will be selected randomly within three seniority categories by Community Facilitators with no consideration for outside variables.
      1. Seniority will be defined as follows:
        1. Group 1 will consist of members entering their fourth or later semester in the Fred.
        2. Group 2 will consist of members entering their second or third semester.
        3. Group 3 will consist of members entering their first semester. ii. The Community Facilitators will pick the numbers for Group 1 first, who will receive the lowest numbers. Group 2 will receive the lowest remaining numbers, and Group 3 will receive the remaining numbers.
      2. The RA(s) of the Fred will receive the lowest number(s) in the housing lottery, and will otherwise follow the housing process established for all other members.
      3. Once numbers are distributed, members will have no less than one week to arrange potential housing options within The Fred.
      4. After this period of no less than one week, the Community Facilitators will organize a housing selection meeting during which all members will select their housing for the period during which they will be living in The Fred.
        1. Rooms will be chosen in ascending order of lottery numbers.
        2. Members who will be living in The Fred for only the spring semester will select housing in the mid-year housing lottery.
      5. There must be at least nine potential quad groups before the housing selection meeting can take place.
        1. In the event that there is an insufficient number of quad groups formed by mutual consent at the time of the housing selection meeting, then the housing selection meeting shall be postponed for a period of no less than 24 hours in order for new quad groups to form. If there is still an insufficient number of quad groups formed, the remaining quad groups will be formed by combining four freddies with the highest remaining lottery numbers per each quad needed in accordance with Trinity College’s housing guidelines and rules.
        2. If at the time of the housing lottery there are fewer Fred residents for the following semester than available rooms in the building, then

modifications to the housing policy will be made at a general meeting prior to the housing lottery.

  1. Selection of rooms for quad groups will be determined by the average of the lottery numbers of the members in each quad.
  2. Housing assignments will be determined prior to the first day of the Trinity College housing lottery.
  1. Mid-Year Housing Lottery
    1. At the end of the fall semester, any member currently residing in The Fred, who will continue to reside in The Fred for the spring semester, can opt out of their room and be placed into the Fred’s mid-year housing lottery.
    2. Opting out is a binding decision made by the member.
    3. Any current member who chooses to opt out of their room must do so no later than 48 hours before the spring housing lottery numbers are distributed.
    4. The rest of the housing lottery process will follow the rules established in Article VI, Section A.
  2. Disability Housing
    1. Every effort will be made to accommodate any student with a disability that would require him or her to live in a certain room.
    2. This consideration will supersede The Fred’s housing procedure outlined above.

ARTICLE VII – FINANCES

  1. Any use of Fred funds must be approved by majority vote at a general meeting.
  2. Funds should be approved at the end of the spring semester for summer expenditures.
  3. Fred Groups Expenditures
    1. The budget allotted to all Fred Groups will be determined by a vote at a General Fred Meeting at the beginning of each semester.
    2. Fred Groups may submit a proposal for expenditures to the elected Treasurer using the proposal form created by the Treasurer.
    3. It is the responsibility of the elected Treasurer to determine if expenditure proposals by groups are legitimate.
    4. If the Fred Groups collaboratively spend over the determined budget allotment, a proposal must be made at a General Fred Meeting to approve more funding.

ARTICLE VIII – CHANGES TO THE FRED CONSTITUTION

There are two types of changes that can be made to the Fred constitution:

Alterations – Alterations are a quick way to add, fix, or clarify meaning in the Fred constitution.

Amendments – Changes to the constitution that address a larger issue, or significant change to Fred operation.

  1. Alterations
    1. Alterations can be made at any Fred General meeting, providing the following criteria have been met:
      1. The suggested change to the constitution is less than 15 words either added, changed, or subtracted.
      2. There is at least 20% of the Fred’s membership at the General meeting
  • The change is sanctioned by the Community Facilitators
  1. A strong majority of 66% of Freddies at the meeting in support of the suggested alteration is required to pass the alteration. The Secretary will have amended the constitution by the following weekly meeting, to be approved by the Community Facilitators.
  1. Amendments
    1. Amendments can be made at any Fred General meeting, providing the following process has been performed:
      1. Proposing – The amendment is brought up in a Fred General Meeting at least a week before the vote.
      2. Advertising – After being Proposed, the Amendment is either put publicly accessible, electronically and/or in physical writing in the 1st floor lobby. If the amendment has gotten signatures (or otherwise fair assents of approval) from one quarter (25%) of the Fred’s membership, by the end of the next General meeting, a special discussion meeting will be held.
      3. Discussion – A meeting discussing the details of the amendment. If any change is made to the amendment larger than an Alteration, the Advertising step must be repeated. The meeting must be held open for at least thirty (30) minutes, and must be hosted by the Freddies(s) that proposed the amendment to the Fred General Meeting. Note that the supporters of the amendment who signed it in the Advertising stage are not considered proponents nor proposers of the amendment in question.
      4. Voting – If a semester has not passed since the proposal of the amendment and a discussion has been held, a vote may be called in any Fred General meeting to enact the amendment. At least three (3) days prior to the vote, the secretary must send a notice to all members in the Fred community that a vote will be held, along with a copy of the proposed amendment. In order to approve the amendment, a strong majority of 66% of Freddies attending the vote must support the suggested alterations. Otherwise, a change larger than an alteration must be made before the amendment can face a vote again. If more than a semester has passed since the proposal without a successful vote, the amendment is voided, and must start over the process.
    2. Upon successful completion, a committee to rewrite the Fred constitution is formed, to add the amendment to the Fred constitution. A note of the amendment’s name and date of adoption must be listed, as well as a description of the change if edits were made elsewhere to the Fred constitution. This process must be completed within one week of the successful vote. Else, the committee must present a reason for the delay at the following Fred General Meeting.
  2. In order to ensure that all Fred matters are handled clearly and with as little confusion as possible, The Fred Constitution shall be reviewed every 3 years, or as a result of the amendment of the Fred Constitution, whichever comes sooner.

ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION

  1. In the case of the dissolution of The Fred, all unspent Trinity College funds shall be returned, and the expenditure of privately obtained funds shall be determined at a general meeting.
  2. The fate of property purchased by The Fred using Trinity College funds will be determined in accordance with Trinity College policy.

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS

Amendment I

  • September 30th, 2018: In accordance with Article II.c.1.a, in order to provide a non-discriminatory space for any visitor to the Fred, the first floor public bathrooms will be labelled and available for use by people of all genders, sexes, or identities. The current signs will be replaced in time and in coordination with college administrators. Amendment II
  • March 21st, 2021: The Refinement of Procedure Amendment (Article VIII)

[1] As defined in Article 5.b

 

 

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