Constitution

Preamble

Whereas the aspirations of all present and future residents and living groups of this building must be to provide and sustain an impetus for the loose governmental union of and continued cooperation among the houses within; to obtain and wholly exact the full benefits of sufficient and necessary centralization that will ensue; and to maintain a diversity and community throughout the Houses; this document is entrusted to be the instrument with which such aspirations may be realized.

Article I: The Houses of New House

Dormitory, when abbreviated Dorm throughout this document, refers to the residents of New House collectively. Dormitory, abbreviated dorm, refers to the physical structure of New House.

Chocolate City, French House, German House, Russian House, Spanish House, House II, House III, House IV, House V, and any houses which may in the future be added by amending this document shall be considered the Member Houses of New House.

An undergraduate living in a room under his or her name in a Member House is a Resident. A Resident who lives in one House and pays a House tax/bill to another House shall be considered a Resident Member of the former and a Non-Resident Member of the latter. Those Residents who cannot be described as Non-Resident Members of any House are still Resident Members of the Houses in which they live.

Within one (1) week of the Registration Day of every term, a census shall be taken to determine the Resident membership of each House. At the discretion of Non-Resident House members and that House, a Non-Resident's census weight may be divided among those Member Houses.

The house tax is a fixed tax of $30 charged to each resident for each of the fall and spring semesters. The house tax may be changed through the official constitutional amendment procedures defined in Article VI.

New West Campus Houses, which opened in September 1975, consists of six physical houses, numbered (Roman and Arabic numerals are used interchangeably) sequentially from East to West. Houses II through V, Russian House, French House, and German House were the charter houses of the dormitory, the first four being all-male. At the dedication in 1978, Houses II through V were named for renowned patrons of the Institute. Thereafter, houses were referred to by either number or name. In 1979, Spanish House was granted the fifth floor of House III, and in 1982 the second floor of House IV. Houses I and VI were given patron names at a function in 1983. These two houses, containing three language houses, gained a new ILG during the 1980s: Chocolate City, an all-male proto-ILG, was given preferential Institute Rush and Housing privileges (like the Language Houses) in 1991. New House contains nine individual living groups, yet is still a dormitory under one name. The independent living groups are known as the ILGs, whereas the dormitory living groups shall be known as the LGs.

Article II: The Assembly

The primary governing body of the Houses of New House shall be an Assembly of representative delegates. The representatives shall be drawn from the Dormitory, organized into open House Delegations. The appointment of representatives to a Delegation shall be determined within the jurisdiction of the Member Houses.

Each Delegation shall consist of a number of representatives corresponding to the House membership divided by ten and rounded to the nearest whole number. A representative may cast as many as two votes, as a measure to account for missing members of a House Delegation, provided that the Delegation in question does not exceed its number of allotted representative votes as determined in the Bylaws.

• To pass measures and issue policy statements which reflect opinions and views of Residents on issues which affect the campus student body, the Dormitory, or any faction of the Houses; but the Assembly has no jurisdiction at the member House level
• To appropriate monies from the Treasury to cover expenses including compensations, acquisitions, repairs, and student events; or to terminate previous appropriations of this sort
• To compel the President or presiding officer to reconsider a decision made or action taken on behalf of the Assembly
• To remove persons from elected positions

• Ensure issues from Dorm meetings are properly reported to one's House government and Residents
• Assess the opinion of House Residents on issues raised by the Assembly
• Regularly brief the Assembly on House opinion, and vote so as to most accurately reflect the opinion within the House Delegation

Article III: The Administration

The thirteen Offices of the Houses of New House are of two types: the Administrative Offices and the Standing Committees. The Administrative Offices are the Presidency, Vice Presidency, Treasury, Secretariat, Commodities and Facilities Management, and the Campus Delegation. The Standing Committees of the Houses of New House are the Judicial, Conservation, Athletic, Social, R/O, and Housing Committees. Each Committee is headed by an elected Chair or Co-Chairs and constituted by at least one committee member from each House. Reference to an Officer refers to one of these elected positions. The Officers are collectively known as the Administration.

An Officer has the duty and responsibility to regularly report the status of the Office to the President and the Assembly at Dorm meetings. An Officer must be available to answer questions, confront issues, and note suggestions concerning the Office. An Officer has the power to execute and fulfill the aforementioned duties and responsibilities, and the duties and responsibilities particular to the Office, delineated hereafter and in the Bylaws.

President

• Act as the presiding officer of and set the agenda for Executive Committee meetings.
• Act on behalf of the Assembly when the Assembly is out of session and no Assembly-stipulated precedent exists for an issue in question Comply with the decisions of the Assembly
• Serve as Dorm Con Representative
• Act on behalf of the Dorm as its representative to the Institute and the outside world
• Set an agenda and calendar of events for the year
• Assume or delegate the duties and responsibilities of unfilled offices or unfulfilled duties in times of transition or absence
• Create committees, standing or ad hoc, as directed by the Assembly or otherwise
• Supervise the Elections Commissioner, or, in the case that the Assembly fails to appoint such, assume the duties thereof

Vice President

• Assume the duties, responsibilities, and powers of the Presidency in the absence of the President
• Coordinate development of meeting agendas and preside over general dorm meetings.
• Supervise and direct appointed Committees and keep the President informed of progress
• Assist the President in fulfilling Presidential responsibilities
• Supervise the management of Dorm computer resources

Treasurer

• Maintain accurate records of all bank accounts
• Prepare and issue detailed monthly cash flow reports
• Issue checks for funds allocated by the Assembly
• Disburse taxes and other revenues from the Institute to the individual Houses appropriately and promptly
• Supervise the Commodities Manager
• Work closely with RLA in obtaining contracts and agreements.

Secretary

• Act as parliamentarian at Dorm meetings
• Take minutes at Dorm meetings
• Make minutes accessible to Webmaster within two days of the adjournment of the meeting for posting on website
• Maintain accurate and updated list of Executive Committee Officers and all house officers
• Ensure the advertisement and publicity of all Dorm events, except those of a social or athletic nature
• Keep Dorm bulletin boards updated, including posting meeting minutes.
• Compile history of minutes for year

Faciliites Manager

• Obtain, maintain and schedule recreational or other facilities and equipment of the Dorm, including use of rooms and lounges
• Review and recommend request house-wide equipment, furnishing, and materials including, but not limited to furniture, game tables, audiovisual equipment, furniture, upholstery, etc.
• Work closely with each House to establish consensus for the placement of NH wide game tables, audiovisual equipment, etc.
• Work closely with House Manager and Housemasters to develop a comprehensive plan that would enhance the functionality and aesthetic aspects of New House.

Commodities Manager

• Work closely with House Manager to ensure maintenance of all vending machines owned by New House (Curt currently doing this)
• Order and maintain inventory of supplies and materials including copy machine paper
• Perform other duties as delineated in the Bylaws

Campus Delegation

• Represent the Dorm at campus meetings of the undergraduate student government
• Present the opinion of the majorities, minorities and pluralities of the Dorm at such meetings
• Report to the President and the Assembly issues discussed and decisions reached at campus meetings
• Be available to discuss any issues relevant to current undergraduate student governmental bodies
• Organize and supervise Dorm representatives to campus student government committees

Social Chair

• Organize, and ensure the advertisement and publicity of, Dorm w social events
• Coordinate with individual Houses the planning and execution of Dorm social events
• Effect communication with and among House social chairs
• Maintain monthly NH calendar of events

Rush/Orientation Chair

• Represent the Dorm at campus rush or orientation meetings
• With the Housing Chair, supervises the designation of early return workers who will work for the Dorm and their individual Houses
• Preside over pre-rush planning committees which will schedule Dorm rush events and the coordination of workers for those events
• Coordinate scheduling of individual House rush events
• Supervise Dorm activities, events and obligations during R/O
• Ensure that a collective Dorm effort is maintained throughout R/O, without sacrificing individual House identities
• Effect communication with and among House R/O chairs

Athletic Chair

• Organize, and ensure the advertisement of, Dorm athletic teams and events
• Preside over Dorm athletic committees and meetings
• Represent the Dorm at Institute intramural meetings, resolving Dorm issues and fulfilling Dorm obligations prior to institute deadlines
• Administrate and supervise Dorm intramural teams and referees
• Coordinate the use of Dorm athletic equipment by teams, or otherwise
• Work closely with House Manager and Housemasters in improving the Fitness Center
• Effect communication with and among House athletic chairs

Housing Chair

• Act as liaison between Residents and the house manager concerning residence
• Maintain an accurate record of residency with the house manager and desk captain of the Dorm
• Represent the Dorm and each House at campus room assignments meetings
• Direct the assignment of freshman and transfer students to the Houses during R/O and dorm-to-dorm and House-to-House transfers throughout the year
• Cooperate with the R/O Chair in supervising the designation of early return rush workers and allocating space for them during rush
• Effect communication with and among House room assignments chairs

Conservation Chair

• Represent the Dorm at campus recycling meetings or other conservational efforts
• Preside over Dorm recycling committees or meetings of conservational nature
• Coordinate with individual House recycling chairs the organization and execution of Dorm recycling

Judicial Chair

• Represent the Dorm to campus meetings or organizations judicial in nature
• Organize and manage New House Judicial Committee, which consists of one committee member for each house.
• Head the Judicial Committee which shall:
• settle disputes between Houses or Residents from different Houses
• hear appeals of the decisions of House judicial committees or panels
• be the authority on and have the final word on the interpretation of this or any supplementary documents
• onsist of one of the Judicial Committee members from each of the Member Houses

Publicity Chair

• Distribute publicity materials prepared by New House officers for New House events, and when necessary assist in the creation of such materials.

Movie Chair

• Supervise the purchasing of movies for New House desk rental.

Webmaster

• Maintain, update and keep current the official New House wide website.

I3 CD Manager

• Work closely with the Executive Committee in developing an effective marketing video that captures the essence of the living groups of New House.
• Work with DormCon and the Housing Office to produce the New House submission for the First Year Guide for residences.
• Serve as NH historian capturing and documenting house-wide news, events, activities, photos etc.

The election of the Administration shall occur immediately prior to fall semester finals every year. The Assembly shall select an Elections Commissioner; this person is prohibited from running in the election. If no one is selected or accepts the duty, the President assumes the role of Commissioner:

• Two weeks prior to the election date, the Commissioner shall have posted a flyer, requesting interested Residents to submit letters of intent of candidacy for Office.
• For the one week prior to start of the election, the Commissioner shall post (in the Arcade) copies of all letters of intent received.
• By the election date, the Commissioner will establish a convenient location to conduct the election for a duration of at least two weekdays, of which neither shall be Institute holidays.
• The Commissioner shall establish a convenient and secure means for each Resident to vote once.
• Results will be tallied by the Commissioner, incumbent Vice President and Secretary, and posted the following day.
• The results of the election shall take effect within one week after they are posted; during that time, the incumbent President will initiate and direct Transfer of Office procedures from the incumbent to the elected Administration as described in the Bylaws.

In the interest of:

• electing an experienced and competent President;
• promoting the impartiality of the President;
• and providing the opportunity for and encouraging greater participation in student government;

the following stipulations shall be enforced by the Elections Commissioner:

• that freshmen cannot run for the Office of President;
• that individual House presidents or chairmen cannot run for or hold the Office of President;
• that only one person may hold a given Administrative Office;
• that one or two persons may hold the Chair of a Standing Committee;
• and that no one may be elected to more than one Office.

Otherwise, all Offices are open to those who will be Residents of a Member House in the year they intend to hold Office.

Upon the vacancy of an Office other than the Presidency, the President shall immediately appoint a temporary Officer until the next Dorm meeting at which time the Office will be filled as follows:

• Nominations will be accepted from the floor;
• The nominees may speak;
• The Assembly then determines the elected Officer by secret ballot unless only one candidate has been presented, in which case any member of the Assembly may call for a white-ballot vote.

Upon vacancy of the Presidency, the Vice President shall assume the duties, responsibilities, and powers of the President until the Assembly next convenes, when the above procedure is followed.

A general petition is a means by which Residents can compel an Officer or the Administration to act on their will without taking the drastic measure of Impeachment and Removal. Upon receipt of a written petition signed by at least seventy Residents, the President shall:

• Call a special Dorm meeting within three days;
• Call an emergency Dorm meeting within 24 hours if time is critical;
• At the meeting, present the petition and allow the Assembly to resolve the special issue or concern.

If the petition is presented with the signatures of one-hundred sixty Residents, at the aforementioned special or emergency meeting, the Assembly shall take immediate and specific action as per the wording of the Petition.

Upon receipt of a Petition calling for the removal from Office of a Dorm Officer, the President (or the Vice President, if the President is the Officer in question) shall call a special Dorm meeting as above to conduct the trial.

At the meeting:

• The Petition will be presented;
• The Officer on trial shall be allowed to speak in his or her defense;
• The Assembly and the Officer on trial will openly debate the question;
• The Officer on trial will be allowed final remarks;
• The Assembly will make final remarks and vote on whether or not to remove the Officer.

A two-thirds (2/3) vote shall be required to remove the Officer, whereupon the President (or Vice President, if the President was removed) shall initiate Succession of Office procedures.

Article IV: Dorm Meeting Protocol

The primary means by which Dorm issues are discussed is deliberation at Dorm meetings, which are called by the President at least one week prior to a meeting. At least one Dorm meeting shall be held each semester, at which the executive committee must present a semester budget for approval by the assembly. A petition by 10 residents may call for additional Dorm meetings to address issues of concern to the entire Dorm population. The standard agenda for a Dorm meeting is as follows:

Dorm meeting assembly consists of the Administration, the Assembly, Residents, and any other interested residents or guests of the dormitory.

1. Attendance. The Vice-President takes House delegation attendance and distributes the voting cards (one or two cards per representative present) and reports the count to the Secretary.
2. Officers Reports. The presiding officer may call upon any of the Officers for a report entailing any changes in status of the Office since the last regular Dorm meeting.

1. Opening Remarks by the presiding officer, reiterating the planned agenda
2. Deliberation of the planned items of the agenda, using an abbreviated interpretation of the latest revision of Robert's Rules of Order and any special rules of order present within this constitution and its Bylaws or decided upon by the Assembly --- these special rules of order will always supercede those rules embodied in Robert's Rules, and will include, but not be limited to, the following:
   • In order to pass a motion, two-thirds of the votes cast must be in its favor.
3. Committees either standing or ad hoc with the consent of the Assembly in light of the deliberation of the meeting, are formed by the presiding officer
4. Further Issues which may have arisen through the course of discussion or otherwise

The presiding officer may propose potential issues for the upcoming Dorm meetings and encourage informal discussion with all residents present. The discussion may include remarks or complaints of individual houses or residents of the dormitory.

Adjournment of the meeting to a later date may be followed by the addressing of individual concerns on an informal basis with any Dorm Officer or House Representative.

Article V: Bylaws of the Houses of New House

The Houses shall enact and amend Bylaws by a two-thirds vote, one vote per House.

Article IV: Ratification and Amendment

The following houses are invited to ratify this document and join the Houses of New House: Chocolate City, Russian House, Spanish House, French House, German House, House II, House III, House IV, and House V. Ratification of this document entails the following:

• The incumbent President proposes (to recognized representatives of individual houses at a designated meeting) that the document be authorized for submission.
• With authorization, the President submits the document to individual house presidents and directs them to obtain a consensus for approval of or opposition to ratification, using individual house governmental procedures.
• The drafting committee observes non-trivial suggestions from houses and informs all houses of those changes prior to ratification.
• The house presidents announce (by attendance at a designated ratification meeting or by written statement delivered by proxy) the decisions of their respective houses for approval of or opposition to ratification.
• Ratification occurs when two-thirds of the houses offered membership approve. Presidents of the consenting houses sign the constitution, witnessed by the incumbent presiding officer, secretary, and treasurer.
• Ratification should have occured when all the houses offered membership approve by a majority of the members of each house. Presidents of the consenting houses should have signed the constitution, witnessed by the incumbent presiding officer, secretary, and treasurer.

Incumbent dorm officers are not forced out of office upon ratification During the first election following ratification, all eligibilities and stipulations on elected are imposed. This document shall supercede all previous or concurrent constitutions, formally or informally recognized.

Amendment of this document is proposed by any resident. Amendment entails the following:

• The resident presents to the President the proposed amendment by written statement prepared and suitable for submission to the Houses.
• At a Dorm meeting, the resident reads the proposed amendment to the Assembly and fields questions regarding its interpretation.
• The Assembly debates and revises the proposed amendment, if necessary.
• The President proposes to the Assembly that the proposed amendment be authorized for submission.
• With authorization, the President submits the proposed amendment to the House Delegations and directs it to be posted in public areas throughout the dormitory.
• At a Dorm meeting, House Delegations announce the decisions of their Houses.
• Amendment of this document occurs when approved by two-thirds of the Houses at the designated Dorm meeting.
• Amendments to this document shall be included within the body of the document.

Last Revised: SEPT 05, 2004

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