Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Broadside Policy Institute and the publication will be The Broadside Magazine.

Article II.  Purpose

This Constitution serves to be the guiding document of the Broadside Policy Institute.  The Broadside Policy Institute will publish the Broadside Magazine, a student-run periodical of conservative thought and opinion at North Carolina State University.  Founded in 1998 to advance the cause of individual freedom and limited government on campus, the Broadside Policy Institute stands as a bastion against a rising tide of incivility, collectivism, and statism in defense of the Old Republic.

Article III.  Editor in Chief

Section One: Appointment

The Editor in Chief will be the only appointed position.  There is no term for the Editor in Chief (beyond their graduation date).  The current Editor in Chief will appoint their replacement two weeks prior to stepping down or the end of the year.  If the current Editor in Chief violates the two week rule, the current members of the Inner Circle will elect a replacement by majority vote.

Section Two: Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the editor in chief shall be as follows: the Editor in Chief shall serve as the chief executive officer of the Broadside Policy Institute as well as the publisher of the Broadside Magazine.  The Editor in Chief shall serve as the spokesman of the institute, share responsibility for keeping the institute in good standing with the IRS with the Treasurer, is responsible for supervising all other officers, share with the Treasurer the authority to write checks, decide to approve or deny the expenses that any other officer recommends.  The Editor in Chief holds the final decision on all aspects of the publication.

Article IV.  Elected Officers

            Section One: Officers

The officers for the Broadside Policy Institute shall include the: Assistant Editor in Chief, Historian, Treasurer, Membership, Publicity, and the Webmaster.  The term for office shall be one academic year.  The group shall be known as the Inner Circle.

            Section Two: Assistant Editor in Chief

The duties and responsibilities of the Assistant Editor in Chief include: the Assistant Editor in Chief shall be responsible for maintaining communication with the Collegiate Network and share responsibility for maintaining all financial records with the Treasurer.  The primary duty of the Assistant Editor in Chief is to help the Editor in Chief get their job done.

            Section Three: Historian

The duties and responsibilities of the Historian include: the Historian is required to attend all meetings and record minutes.  They are also responsible for keeping up with the history of the Broadside Policy Institute.

            Section Four: Treasurer

The duties and responsibilities of the Treasurer include: the Treasurer is responsible for the finances of the Broadside Policy Institute.  They shall keep written records of all financial transactions made by the BPI.  They shall make a short financial report at all meetings as well as an annual financial report to the Broadside Policy Institute.

            Section Five: Membership Officer

The duties and responsibilities of the Membership Officer include: the Membership Officer is responsible for recruiting qualified writers to the Broadside.  They shall keep records of all members and report on their activities at every meeting. 

           Section Six: Publicity Officer

The duties and responsibilities of the Publicity Officer include: the Publicity Officer is responsible for publicizing the club and any events it sponsors.  This includes advertisements for the club and press releases.

            Section Seven: Webmaster

The duties and responsibilities of the Webmaster include: the webmaster is responsible for updating and troubleshooting the website. 

Article V.  Election of Officers

            Section One: Nominations

A meeting to nominate candidates for the officer positions must be held before 15 April.  At this meeting any member of the Broadside Policy Institute can nominate any other member (including themselves) for a position.  A nominee can reject a nomination if they do not want to be an officer.  Individuals can only be nominated for one position per election.

            Section Two: Elections

The Elections must be held within two weeks of nominations.  The format will be as follows: candidates will have up to two minutes to explain why they are qualified for the officer.  The order of “speeches” shall be Webmaster, Publicity Officer, Membership Officer, Treasurer, Historian, and finally the candidates for Assistant Editor in Chief.  Following the “speeches” members of the Broadside Policy Institute will vote in secret ballot for each position.  The ballots will be collected by the current membership officer and the Editor in Chief who will tally the votes.  The Editor in Chief will then announce the new officers. 

            Section Three: Special Elections

If an officer either resigns or is impeached, a special election will be held to elect their replacement.  The election will follow the procedures outlined in Section Two, except that there will only be one position open.  The term of the newly elected officer will close at the end of the academic year.

Article VI.  Inner Circle

The Inner Circle shall consist of the elected officers and the Editor in Chief.  The Inner Circle will have meetings twice a month.  These meetings can be in person, online, or over the phone.  The purpose is to keep the Inner Circle aware of everything within the Broadside Policy Institute.

Article VII.  Membership

Recruitment is a very important aspect of Broadside Magazine.  As such, the purpose of this article is to outline the policies and procedures involved in our screening and recruitment of potential writers.

Section One: Procedure for Application

·        Candidates will be required to submit an article, column, editorial on a subject they are passionate about and deem a conservative issue.

·        The article will be submitted to submit@broadsidemag.com

·        The Inner Circle will then review the article separately and email their vote and comments to the Recruitment Officer who will tally the votes.

·        Upon a majority vote, the candidate will be invited to attend an interview which will include all the members of the Inner Circle.

·        After the interview, the Inner Circle will discuss the candidate and take a vote.  A majority vote in the affirmative will result in the candidate being asked to join as a staff writer.

·        The Editor in Chief has the right to veto any candidate for any reason.  The Inner Circle can overturn this veto by a 4/5 vote.

·        The Inner Circle includes the Editor in Chief as well as the Associate Editors.

Section Two: Interest Meetings

·        The meeting will be held on campus in a room requested from Campus Authorities.

·        The meeting will be presided over by the Editor in Chief.

·        We will go over the ideology of the publication, the mission statement, and the procedure for application.

·        A list will be made of names, email addresses, and phone numbers to keep contact with potential candidates.

Section Three: General Staff (Amendment One)

General staff members do not write for the Broadside.  Instead these members of the staff perform activities such as website editing, photographer, and other duties.  General staff members are hired by the Inner Circle and the Editor in Chief.  They can be removed by a majority vote of the Inner Circle or on the instruction of the Editor in Chief.  Opposition will work the same as Article XII, Section Five.  If general staff decide that they would like to write, they must follow the same application procedure as other candidates.

Section Four: Good Standing (Amendment Two)

To remain in good standing, a member must:

·        Be present at fifty percent of the meetings

·        Write proficiently (ie at least one article every two months)

Section Five: Removal of Members (Amendment Three)

There are two methods to remove members who are not performing at an acceptable level.

·        If the Editor in Chief feels that a member is not longer performing their duties (ie writing, meeting deadlines, and other violations) they can remove that member.

·        If the Inner Circle does not agree they can veto the Editor in Chief by a unanimous minus one vote.

·        If the Inner Circle feels that a member is not longer performing their duties (ie writing, meeting deadlines, ect.) they can remove that member by a 2/3 vote.

·        The Editor in Chief can veto that decision.

·        The Inner Circle can overrule that by a unanimous minus one vote.

Article VIII.  Regular Meetings

Meetings shall be required at least once per month.  These meetings will be open to all members of the club, and people who wish to join.  The meetings will follow the following schedule:

·        Opening remarks by the Editor in Chief

·        Announcements

·        Old business

·        New business

·        Report from the Treasurer

·        Report from the Membership Officer

·        Report from the Publicity Officer

·        Closing remarks by the Editor in Chief

Article IX.  Impeachment of Editor in Chief and Officers

Any member of the Broadside Policy Institute can call for the impeachment of the Editor in Chief or any elected officer.  When called for during the “New Business” part of a meeting, a vote for an impeachment proceeding shall be called.  If a majority of the members vote for an impeachment proceeding, another meeting shall be scheduled within two weeks.  At this meeting the member calling for impeachment can present their evidence that an officer or the Editor in Chief have not performed their job effectively or appropriately.  Then the accused will have the opportunity to respond.  After this, members will vote whether to impeach the officer or not.  A two thirds majority vote is required to remove the officer or Editor in Chief.

Article X.  Resolutions and Amendments

Any member of the Broadside Policy Institute may present an amendment to the constitution to the Inner Circle.  The amendment will be voted on by members of the Inner Circle, and if passed with a majority vote, will be presented at the next meeting for a vote.  A two-thirds majority vote is required for an amendment.  If passed, the amendment will be added to this constitution under the next article number or the appropriate article.

Article XI.  Ratification and Effective Date

This constitution shall become effective upon a two-thirds vote by the membership.  The constitution was ratified on 8 November 2005 by a unanimous vote by the Broadside Policy Institute’s membership.

Article XII.  Amendments

Amendment One: Article XII, Section Three: General Staff

General staff members do not write for the Broadside.  Instead these members of the staff perform activities such as website editing, photographer, and other duties.  General staff members are hired by the Inner Circle and the Editor in Chief.  They can be removed by a majority vote of the Inner Circle or on the instruction of the Editor in Chief.  Opposition will work the same as Article XII, Section Five.  If general staff decide that they would like to write, they must follow the same application procedure as other candidates.

Amendment Two Article XII, Section Four: Good Standing

To remain in good standing, a member must:

·        Be present at fifty percent of the meetings

·        Write proficiently (ie at least one article every two months)

Amendment Three Article XII, Section Five: Removal of Members

There are two methods to remove members who are not performing at an acceptable level.

·        If the Editor in Chief feels that a member is not longer performing their duties (ie writing, meeting deadlines, and other violations) they can remove that member.

·        If the Inner Circle does not agree they can veto the Editor in Chief by a unanimous minus one vote.

·        If the Inner Circle feels that a member is not longer performing their duties (ie writing, meeting deadlines, ect.) they can remove that member by a 2/3 vote.

·        The Editor in Chief can veto that decision.

·        The Inner Circle can overrule that by a unanimous minus one vote.

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