Article I. Name

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community. Our name is intended to recognize the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson who was a prominent gay liberation activist. 

Article II. Purpose

Section 1. The purpose of this organization shall be:

To connect members of the Duke LGBTQIA+ community and allies to create a safe space for exploration, curiosity and engagement.

To support queer leaders and cultivate their individual and collective strengths.

To center intersectional identities along with queer and trans joy, and to build non-cis/heteronormative ways of being. 

Article III. Membership

Section 1. All current first-year students, sophomores, and juniors will be eligible to apply for membership in the Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community for the following academic year.

Section 2. The total number of individuals that can be official members of Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community will be determined each year by the space allocated to the group by Housing & Residence Life.

Section 3. The application will be distributed to all eligible undergraduates no later than February 1 of each year.

Section 4. All current members of the Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community will have a “right of return” as a member the following year, provided they do not lose such a privilege, as outlined in Article III Section 5 and Article III Section 6. Right of return dictates that any current individual within Marsha’s Home may remain within the LLC for the following year without having to apply again.

Section 5. All members are expected to attend at least three (3) LLC hosted events per semester. Any member that does not achieve this minimum quota will lose their right of return for the following year.

Section 6. In rare circumstances, the Executive Board has the ability to reject the right of return privilege by consensus voting. This will only occur in cases of violation of the Marsha’s Home Conduct Standards. The party whose right of return is in question shall have the opportunity to attend the Executive Board meeting where such a decision is made and speak on their behalf before the vote is taken.

Section 7. All membership and right of return policies are subject to approval by Housing & Residence Life.

Article IV. Conduct

Section 1. The Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender, religion, citizenship, or age in its membership, activities, and projects. The Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community shall not tolerate harassment of any kind.

Section 2: All issues that are spoken of in confidence are not to be shared with any other individuals. These issues include but are not limited to, private information about other persons, deliberations, nominations, and any other topics specified by the President and/or Executive Board. Infringement of such can and will lead to the dismissal of the individual who broke confidentiality.

Section 3: Any knowledge on the infringement of any laws, policies, or community values by a member of the LLC should be reported to a member of the Executive Board immediately. Upon reporting, the Executive Board will meet to confidentially discuss the infringement and next steps; if the individual is a member of the Executive Board, they will be immediately placed on temporary suspension from their position. This suspension will only be lifted when the accused is proved beyond a reasonable doubt to be not guilty by University, local, or federal authorities. If the individual is found to be guilty post-investigation by University, local, or federal authorities, the Executive Board will formally dismiss the guilty party, and reconvene with the accuser to discuss best steps moving forward.

Article V. Executive Board

Section 1. The Executive Board of the Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community will consist of a President, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Treasurer, and Social Chair.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall hold, at a minimum, one meeting every two weeks.

Section 3. The responsibilities of each member of the Executive Board are as follows:

President

1. Share, hold, and execute the responsibilities and duties of the corresponding office.
2. Maintain order and preside over meetings.
3. Oversee and coordinate the activities of the executive council, and general bodies. They are to delegate duties amongst officers and members.
4. Oversee all campus programming including the house course and any house trips.
5. Bridge communication with identity and cultural centers on campus.
6. Assure the execution of the decisions made by the executive team. 
7. Represent the organization at official University functions.
8. Inform members and administrators of problems that may arise concerning the organization.
9. Enforce the Constitution and are charged with making all officers aware of their responsibilities and the organization’s procedures.
10. Serves as an ex-officio member of any committee that is create through by-law
11. Maintains organization in good standing with Duke University via communications with HRL (Housing and Residence Life) and/or other interested University entities.
12. In charge of implementing elections and ensuring there are house course instructors for each semester.

Vice President of External Affairs

1. Develop programming events that foster interaction between faculty, administrators, and students.
2. Develop programming that is academically-focused and encourages discourse, inquiry, and exploration of pertinent issues.
3. Bridge communication and collaboration with relevant academic departments at Duke University.
4. Coordinate publicity for academic themed events that have been organized and contact the Social Chair as needed.
5. Organize any house trips including transportations, events, itinerary.
6. Responsible for connecting with the Academic Advisor once a month. 

Vice President of Internal Affairs

1. Set the agenda for programming under the provision of the executive team.
2. Promote community within the organization.
3. Administer duties associated with social programming, including being the point of contact for specific programming events with other students. 
4. Bridge communication and collaboration with other student organizations at Duke University.
5. Create social opportunities for interaction with other student organizations or the general Duke student body, as well as within Marsha’s Home membership.
6. Coordinate publicity for social events that have been organized and contact the Social Chair as needed.
7. Work to increase Marsha’s Home’s interaction with the Durham community, and make contacts with Durham community members with whom Marsha’s Home could work on local issues.

Treasurer

1. Update all record keeping.
2. Take minutes and record attendance at all council meetings and events.
3. Be responsible at all times for the maintenance of Marsha’s Home budget and account.
4. Mediate all monetary transactions including payments, transfers, etc. 
5. Maintain and keep records of all monetary transactions, receipts, and expenditures.
6. Create and submit budget proposals and annual budget reports 
7. Compile a finance report at the end of the academic year.
8. Inform the executive team about financial matters and consider how to most properly manage the finances.
9. Report account balance at executive team meetings at least monthly.

Social Chair

1. Administer the Marsha’s Home e-mail list via DukeGroups.
2. Responsible for checking the Marsha’s Home gmail (marshashomeduke@gmail.com) and replying as needed.
3. Be responsible for publicity of all events.
4. Carry out Marsha’s Home publicity needs. This may include social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc), and Tshirts, but is not limited to these activities.
5. Keep a record of all events along with saving appropriate documentation, such as publicity materials, photographs, programs, etc.
6. Coordinate publicity efforts with the Secretary and assist with the website as needed.
7. Take pictures at events

Article VI. House Course Instructors

Section 1. The House Course Instructors are responsible for teaching the house course for the incoming members of the house. They are chiefly responsible for designing the curriculum, arranging professors to come speak, and assigning homework. It will take place each semester.

Section 2. House Course Instructors will be selected by the instructors from the prior semester. These selections will be subject to approval by the executive team. Upon approval these instructions will apply via the guidelines outlined by Trinity College to be approved as House Course Instructions. 

Article VII. Removal of Officers

Section 1. Officers may be removed with a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the general body. The officer in question must be notified of the vote of removal at least one (1) week in advance and shall have the opportunity to speak before the general body prior to the vote.

Article VIII. Advisor

Section 1. A full-time faculty member will be selected to serve as the Academic Advisor for Marsha’s Home. The advisor shall be an ex-officio member of the organization and all of its committees.

Section 2. At least one full time faculty member will be selected as a faculty advisor for Marsha’s Home. The advisor(s) shall be an ex-officio member of the organization and all of its committees.

Section 3. At least one full time faculty member will be selected as a faculty advisor for Marsha’s Home. The advisor(s) shall be an ex-officio member of the organization and all of its committees.

Section 4. The responsibilities of each advisor are as follows:

Academic Advisor 

1. Develop the curriculum for the LLC’s house course according to the theme of the LLC. 
2. Oversee the teaching of the house course and attend at least two classes per semester. 
3. Build a relationship with the student leadership of the LLC through frequent communication and meetings.
4. Provide student leaders with on-going feedback and development opportunities/conversations.
5. Complete quarterly and year-end annual report of success of the living learning community
6. Assist in resident completion of Fall and Spring Residence Feedback Survey
7. Create unique opportunities for students to engage in the academic discipline or intellectual theme of the LLC.
8. Help connect students to other faculty and staff from your department or campus network.

Faculty and Staff Advisors

1. Establish a strong relationship and communicate with the Housing and Residence Life and Office of Undergraduate Education partners and liaisons, along with other LLC Advisors as appropriate.
2. Maintain regular communication and interactions with residents.
3. Provide a welcome letter and updates concerning Marsha’s Home processes and procedures.
4. Maintain visibility in Craven and Marsha’s Home space.
5. Build a relationship with the student leadership of Marsha’s Home through frequent communication and meetings.
6. Provide student leaders with on-going feedback and development opportunities/conversations through active ongoing communication.
7. Encourage student leaders to develop events, initiatives, or projects that enhance community development and align with the theme of the LLC.
8. Develop a recruitment and selection plan with the Marsha’s Home student leadership teams
9. Confirm final list of residents for the upcoming year to Housing and Residence
10. Life by the designated deadline.
11. Aid in interpretation of the Constitution
12. Attend at least one executive team meeting per semester.

Article IX. Committees

Section 1. Committees of the organization shall be created if necessary by the executive board in order to organize and distribute the workload of the organization. Committees shall be governed by the Constitution and shall not have authority over the executive board or the general body.

Article X. Election of Officers

Section 1. Elections must be openly publicized for at least two (2) weeks and open to the membership of the organization.

Section 2. The President, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Treasurer, and Social Chair for the following year will be elected before the end of every academic year in April. If no candidate for any particular race receives a majority, the candidate with the least number of votes shall be eliminated from the race, and the body shall vote on the remaining candidates again. This process should be repeated until a candidate receives a simple majority of the votes.

Section 3. All candidates will be determined on a self-nomination basis. Individuals who are interested in running will fill out a form circulated by the current present to indicate the position(s) they are interested in running for and their platform. 

Section 4. Only Living Learning Community members for the following year are eligible to participate in the elections, including run for executive positions, nominate members for executive positions, and vote in the elections.

Article XI. Amendments to the Constitution

Section 1. Amendments to this constitution may be presented by any current member of the Marsha’s Home Living Learning Community.

Section 2. Proposed amendments should be presented to the Executive Board at one of its official meetings, and must have the signatures of no less than fifty percent of the total members.

Section 3. Following the submission of an amendment proposal with all necessary signatures, the Executive Board shall coordinate vote by all members of the Living Learning Community, where a two-thirds (⅔) majority in favor shall result in the passage and adoption of the amendment.

Article XII. Ratification of the Constitution

Section 1. Consent of all members of the executive team is needed for the ratification and establishment of this constitution. If said consensus is not achieved, this constitution becomes null and void.

Signatures

J Shoemaker

Jordan Reaves

Layla Arty

Nathalia Compres Perez

Cat Xia