CAMPUS ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION

 

 

 

We the members of the Association for Bahá’í Studies at

having founded a voluntary Association, do hereby make and establish this constitution in order to promote the study of the Bahá’í Faith and its application to the needs of humanity.

 

The Bahá’í Faith stands identified with, and revolves around the principle of the organic unity of mankind as representing the consummation of the whole process of human evolution.  It recognizes the unity of God and of his Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society.  It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education and the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth, exalts work performed in the spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and adumbrates the necessary agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace.

 

DEFINITIONS

 

Association:      The Association for Bahá’í Studies at

 

Bahá’í :           A member in good standing in the Bahá’í community and recognized as such by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of

 

National Spiritual Assembly: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of

 

Spiritual Assembly: The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of

 

Board: The Board of Directors of the Bahá’í Association

University: The University of

ARTICLE 1 -NAME

 

This Association for Bahá’í Studies at shall be known as The Association for Bahá’í Studies at

 

 

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

 

The purpose of the Association shall be to study the teachings, history, and philosophy of the Bahá’í Faith, and to explore their application to the present world by sponsoring such activities as lectures, conferences, informal gatherings, and distribution of literature on the Bahá’í Faith.  This Association shall not endorse any partisan political group or activity, on or off campus.

 

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

 

Membership in the Association is open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of their families, irrespective of race, colour, class, nationality, or religion.  Any such person may join and remain a member of this Association by assenting to its principles and purposes as stated within this constitution.  If the membership drops below three, the Association is suspended.

 

ARTICLE IV - GOVERNMENT

 

The government of this Association shall be vested in a Board of Directors, whose number shall be no fewer than three or more than five, and who each agree to administer the affairs of this Association in accordance with the principles of Bahá’í Administrative Order.

 

1.    All elections shall be by secret ballot, without either nominations or electioneering.  All members of the Association are eligible to vote and to be elected, except in the case of a by-election when those directors already on the Board may vote as members of the Association, but may not be voted for.

 

2.         A General Election for the Board shall be held as soon as possible following the formation of the Association and thereafter once each year when the formation of clubs is called for by the Student Federation of the university.  A vacancy on the membership of the Board shall be filled by a by-election to be called by the Board within fourteen days of the declaration of the vacancy.

3.         The members of the Association shall be notified of an election at least fourteen days before the date it is to be held, in an election call which shall include a list of the names of those eligible for election and the number of directors to be elected.  A ballot shall be invalid if it contains more or fewer names than the number of directors to be elected, or if it contains more than one vote for the same person.

 

4.    Election shall be by plurality vote.

 

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS AND COMMITEES

1.    The officers of the Association shall be elected from among the Board of Directors, by a majority vote of all the members of the Board, and shall comprise a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.  At the discretion of the Board of Directors, two of these offices may be held by one person.

 

1.1       The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Association.

 

1.2       The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties of the Chairman in his or her absence.

 

1.3       The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings and activities of the Board and of the Association and shall be responsible for the handling of all correspondence.  Upon expiration of his or her term of office, he or she shall turn over all records of the Association, including those of the Board, to the incoming Secretary.

 

1.4       The treasurer shall render to the Association periodic reports of income and expenses and shall, upon the expiration of his or her term of office, deliver to the incoming Treasurer an accounting of funds taken in and disbursed, and shall transmit to him or her all funds of the Association then on hand.

 

2.       Committees of the Association shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, from time to time as the need arises, from among the general membership of the Association.

 

ARTICLE VI - FINANCES

 

There shall be no dues payable by, nor assessments levied against, the members of the Association.  The Association may, however, accept funds from the University, such as are given to other University Societies, may accept voluntary donations from any of its members or from any other source, and may raise funds by events that it sponsors.  The funds of the Association are for the promotion of its own activities, and no contributions may be made from them to any Bahá’í fund, whether local, national, or international, unless specifically and exclusively for charitable and humanitarian purposes.

ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS

This constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the members of the Association, provided that the members have been given at least fourteen days notice of the meeting at which the vote is to be taken, and of the proposed amendment, and provided that the amendment receives the approval of both the proper campus authority and the National Spiritual Assembly.

 

ARTICLE VIII - AFFILIATION

This Association is responsible in all respects to the campus authorities and to the National Spiritual Assembly, or its designated representative.

 

ARTICLE IX - SPONSORSHIP

Any faculty sponsor deemed necessary for this Association by the University shall be one who, in addition to being on the staff of said institution, has sufficient knowledge of the Bahá’í teachings to give necessary and proper guidance to this Association.

 

ARTICLE X - DISSOLUTION

 

The Association shall be dissolved for any one of the following reasons:

 

1.       If there ceases to be on its membership at least three members who are students at the University, or members of its faculty or staff.

 

2.       If the University authorities so rule as the result of a breach of the applicable rule and regulations of the University governing the functioning of student societies.

 

3.       If the relevant Spiritual Assembly so decides.

 

In the wake of dissolution, ownership of all club assets will be transferred to the respective Spiritual Assembly or the University, as appropriate.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF we have executed together these Articles of Association this day of 19

 

 

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Associate

 

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Associate

 

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Associate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1995-96

 

 

POLICY STATEMENT

CAMPUS ASSOCIATIONS FOR BAHÁ’Í STUDIES

 

NAME

The original copy of the Campus Association Constitution, which had been approved by the Universal House of justice, contained the word “chapter” in both the title and the text.  It was later learned that several universities would not permit a chapter of a parent organization to be formed as a student organization; therefore, it was decided to delete the word "chapter" from the constitution and have the Bahá’í Club form a separate and distinct organization called the Association for Bahá’í Studies at BLANK university.  In the eyes of the university, the Campus Association is to be an independent organization under the auspices of the Local Spiritual Assembly in whose jurisdiction it falls and should therefore not be referred to as a "chapter" or "local branch" of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Ottawa.  Thus, if a Bahá’í Club decides to form a Campus Association for Bahá’í Studies, it must have the approval of its Local Spiritual Assembly. (See enclosed Sponsorship Form.) Campus Associations must use their full legal names at all times, on all correspondence, and on all promotional materials.  The legal name of a Campus Association is "The Association for Bahá’í Studies at ..." (See Article I - Campus Association Constitution.)

 

DEFINITION

A Campus Association is a new, creative administrative vehicle for the promotion of the Bahá’í  Faith at an academic institution.

 

FORMATION

Any group of three or more individuals fulfilling the stipulations outlined in the Campus Association Constitution may, with the express approval of their Local Spiritual Assembly, form a Campus Association.  Once a Campus Association is formed, the Local Spiritual Assembly of that community is responsible for the general guidance of the Campus Association.

 

PURPOSE

The purpose of a Campus Association is to promote the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith at an academic level.  Traditionally, Bahá’í clubs have been involved in such activities as holding firesides, social events, etc.  The Campus Association, in addition to these activities should work towards attracting serious-minded professors and students to study the Faith.

 

ROLE OF THE LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

The Local Spiritual Assembly is responsible for the formation, and the ongoing guidance and supervision of various activities of the Campus Association for Bahá’í Studies in their jurisdiction.  Normally, a liaison is appoinÍted from the Local Spiritual Assembly to assist the Campus Association and to make sure that they have the support of their Spiritual Assembly.

 

ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR BAHÁ’Í STUDIES IN OTTAWA

The Association for Bahi'i Studies in Ottawa serves as a resource to Campus Associations and Local Spiritual Assemblies in matters relating to activities organized for the university population.  The Association also serves as a coordinating body for all Campus Associations and produces a Campus Association Newsletter, sent to all Campus Associations and their jurisdictional Spiritual Assemblies.

 

CAMPUS ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION

Many former Bahá’í Clubs have changed their names to reflect an affiliation with the Association for Bahá’í  Studies.  Unfortunately, many of these clubs formed under their previous Bahá’í Club Constitution, rather than under the final, approved Campus Association Constitution.  The National Spiritual Assembly requires consistency among all Campus Associations; therefore, we request that all Bahá’í Clubs currently using the name "Association for Bahá’í Studies" try to re-form under the Campus Association Constitution that has been approved by the Universal House of Justice, the National Spiritual Assembly, and the Association for Bahá’í Studies. (See enclosed Campus Association Constitution.)

 

AMENDMENT PROCEDURE

We request that all Campus Association Constitution amendments be approved by the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Ottawa before being submitted to the appropriate academic review board.  We wish to ensure that the objectives and requirements of the Campus Association Constitution are met and the consistency is maintained.

 

MANAGEMENT OF FINANCES

As soon as the Campus Association is formed and officers elected, a budget should be submitted to the University Student Federation.  Normally, the budget contains such items such as expenses for organization of conferences, invitation of speakers, purchase of literature for sale or distribution, production of posters and advertisements, institutional membership/subscription to the Association for Bahá’í Studies, and other expenses pertaining to plans being organized by the Campus Association.  All Campus Associations should submit an annual financial report for audit to their university, the Local Spiritual Assembly and to the Association for Bahá’í Studies.  Since Spiritual Assemblies have jurisdiction over Campus Associations, the Campus Association must entrust leftover monies to their respective Spiritual Assemblies or the University, as appropriate, if the Campus Association is dissolved.

 

REQUEST FOR NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF OFFICERS

Records of all Campus Associations are kept at the Centre for Bahá’í Studies in Ottawa.  As soon as the election of the Board of Directors has been completed, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of these persons, along with the offices they occupy, should be sent to the Association.  The importance of correct contact with and information about with the Campus Associations cannot be overemphasized.  Address changes for the Campus Association must be reported to the Association office as soon as possible.  This will prevent incorrect information from being published and will ensure that all materials are received as quickly as possible.  Also, it would be very helpful if the name, address and telephone number of the liaison member of the Local Spiritual Assembly with the Campus Association also be kept in the Campus Association files. (See enclosed Officers' Report Form.)

 

CAMPUS ASSOCIATION REPORTS

The Centre for Bahá’í Studies does not require all the minutes from Campus Association meetings; however, we request that reports of various activities of the group be sent to the Association for Bahá’í  Studies at least twice per semester.  The Local Spiritual Assembly should also receive such reports more frequently so they may be kept fully informed as to the functions of the Campus Association in their jurisdiction.  Also, it would be greatly appreciated if copies of the Campus Association's annual report to the Local Spiritual Assembly be forwarded to the Association office in Ottawa.  All this will help us build a stronger networking among the various Campus Associations in Canada, and the various other institutions of the Faith.

 

CAMPUS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

The Association for Bahá’í Studies in Ottawa, as the national coordinating centre for all Campus Associations, produces a newsletter called Campus Association Newsletter, which shares news and activities of various Campus Associations and Clubs across Canada and other countries, reports on talks and conferences held by Campus Associations, and shares articles and reviews by students.  This newsletter is published once per semester, and several copies are mailed to each Campus Association and to their jurisdictional Spiritual Assembly.  We suggest the secretary of the Campus Association share the contents with all the members and ensure that the extra copies are distributed among members.  If you have any suggestions or comments about this publication, please do not hesitate to contact the Campus Association Coordinator at the Association for Bahá’í  Studies office in Ottawa.

 

INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION

The National Spiritual Assembly requests that the Association for Bahá’í Studies be financially self-sufficient in all areas of its operation.  To defray the extra costs of coordinating the activities of all Campus Associations across Canada, the Association for Bahá’í Studies asks that each Campus Association and jurisdictional Local Spiritual Assembly become Institutional Subscribers of the Association (see enclosed Membership brochure).  Member/Subscribers will receive four issues of The Journal of Bahá’í Studies, issues of the international Bulletin and the Campus Association Newsletter, discounts for institutional representatives at annual conferences, and other publication discounts.  Also, members of the Local Spiritual Assembly and the Campus Association are encouraged to become individual members of the Association for Bahá’í Studies.

 

COURSES ON THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH

The Association is working on developing curricula for establishing formal presentations and courses on the Bahá’í Faith. Campus Associations can assist the Association for Bahá’í Studies in its efforts to establish formal presentations on the Faith at institutions of higher learning.  Reports of all past efforts to establish both credit and non-credit courses would be welcome, as well as suggestions concerning the draft curriculum guide enclosed in this information packet.  Also, Campus Associations can assist the Association for Bahá’í Studies in developing a list of speakers and their areas of expertise to take advantage of these resources and plan to invite such speakers to various formal presentations on campus.

 

 

1990- 91