University Activities Center  

 Constitution  

Ratified Winter 2021 

Mission 

To create opportunities for the extra-curricular development of students through a full range of experiential learning while providing the campus community with a wide array of cultural, social, educational, and artistic campus involvement programming.  

Mandate 

Based on its mission, UAC endeavors to administer its resources in a responsible fashion, to  react to the needs of the campus through educational programming, to regularly fund a set of  standing committees to guarantee their continuing existence, to share expertise and resources with other student programming organizations when appropriate, to create leadership  opportunities for students through organizational positions, to follow ethical business practices,  and to regularly review its campus impact and make organizational changes to improve that impact.  

Non-Discrimination Policy 

The University Activities Center is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons  and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex,  sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or  veteran status in its membership or activities unless permitted by university policy for gender  specific organizations.  

Funding / Affiliations 

UAC, sponsored by the Center for Campus Involvement, is funded through the direct transfer of  a portion of the tuition payment of every registered student at the University of Michigan—Ann  Arbor campus every semester. This funding is mandated by Student Life (the Regents) and may  only be altered with their approval. Funding will be allocated to each UAC Student Sponsored Organization (SSO) Committee (hereby referred as “Committee”). As all allocations come from Student Life, all purchases are made on behalf of the University. Thus,  purchases by individual committees are property of UAC and the sponsoring unit, the Center for  Campus Involvement. As the sponsoring unit, the Center for Campus Involvement has the ability  to alter the structure of the University Activities Center to best align with departmental and  campus goals.  

Membership 

There are four kinds of individual membership within the UAC SSO structure: general, committee, committee chair, and executive chair. Upon joining the organization, all members agree not to undermine the purpose or mission of the University Activities Center.  

• General: All registered students at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor campus are general members of UAC through the payment of their tuition each semester. As this payment is not voluntary, UAC has a unique obligation to use the fee in a responsible manner. There are no formal voting rights at this level of membership. 

• Committee: This volunteer membership position consists of working within one of the committee structures on that committee’s programs and activities. This membership is achieved through various means, depending on the programming requirements and traditions of the specific Committee. There are no formal voting rights within UAC for this level of membership, although there may be such rights within the committee. Forced removal of Committee members is handled under the Committee’s own constitution, but must be discussed with the UAC advisor before action is taken. All Committees are registered SSO's with CCI. 

• General Board Representative: These appointed positions require being selected by a process outlined in the following section. This membership places those selected on the General Board of UAC, with all rights and responsibilities associated with this Board. There are limited formal voting rights connected with this level of membership as listed below. 

• Executive Chair: These volunteer positions require an application and interview process conducted by the outgoing Executive Board (non-reapplying Executive Board members) and UAC advisor. The general board will then vote the Executive Board in to office following the procedures described in detail below (see “Executive Board - Selection”). This membership places the student on the Executive Board of UAC, with all the rights and responsibilities associated with this Board. There are formal voting rights connected with this level of membership. 

Board Structures 

General Board: The General Board consists of all committee chairpersons as chosen by each individual committee. Each committee will put forth two chairpersons, referred to as “General Board Representatives.” They serve the course of an academic-year term and must be reinstated by the approval of their committees. The number of co-representatives can vary at the discretion of the responsible Executive Board. 

• Meetings: The General Board will meet monthly during the academic year and will be required to attend these and other general gatherings as determined by the Executive Board. Meetings are convened and chaired by a member of the Executive Board, usually the President or Executive Vice President. 

• Selection: The General Board Representatives will be selected by each committee at their discretion. The number of Representatives can vary at the discretion of the Executive Board in special circumstances. 

• Removal and Replacement: If a General Board Representative is removed or resigns as per each committee’s constitution before completing their term, a replacement must be made as quickly as possible by the discretion of their committee. If the removal or resignation is within one month of the end of the academic year, no replacement is necessary, provided that the committee still has one remaining General Board Representative. 

• Responsibilities: 

  • Plan and execute programmatic activities of their specific committees and those UAC-wide events specified by the Executive Board.

  • Create and develop committee membership around their programmatic goals. o Prepare incoming General Board Representatives from their respective committees. 

  • Attend any and all appropriate meetings and activities as specified by their committee or by the Executive Board. 

• Voting Abilities: 

  • New committee admission following presentation of the prospective committee

  • Amendments and ratification of Constitution and By-Laws 

  • Programming decisions that pertain to the entirety of UAC as specified by the Executive Board 

  • Executive Board positions for the subsequent academic year 

  • Other decisions as seen fit by the Executive Board 

• Voting Style: 

  • A motion will pass if a simple majority of General Board representatives present a favorable vote (unless otherwise noted). Each committee shall receive two votes for each motion, no matter how many representatives are present. 

  • There must be quorum for any such vote to be taken. Should a vote directly pertain to specific Representatives, those Representatives will be considered absent for the vote, for quorum purposes (see Quorum), and receive no vote.

• Quorum: Achieved when two-thirds of all UAC Representatives are present to cast a vote. The need for quorum can be waived by the majority vote of the Executive Board. Voting by proxy is permitted only by committee decision approved in advance by the Executive Board. 

Executive Board: The Executive Board consists of three positions: Director of Internal Affairs, Director of Finance, and Director of External Affairs. Job descriptions of each may be found in the UAC By-Laws. These members will serve for one academic-year and must reapply if the member wishes to return to the Executive Board for another term. 

• Meetings: The Executive Board will meet once weekly during the academic year and will plan and attend UAC general events. They will also attend additional Executive/Advisor retreats and will call Special/Judicial Meetings as necessary. Meetings are to be chaired by the UAC Advisor, and in their absence, by the Director of Internal Affairs 

• Selection: The General Board, in tandem with the outgoing Executive Board, will determine the candidates selected for these positions. The first phase of the selection process will consist of a written application and in-person interview conducted by the outgoing Executive Board and UAC advisor. At this point in the process, the outgoing Executive Board has the right to dismiss any candidates they do not see as fit for serving on the Executive Board. The candidates that move forward will then present a brief speech to the General Board. Immediately following each candidate speech, the outgoing Executive Board and UAC advisor will answer clarifying questions as they pertain to the candidate. These questions can only be regarding UAC policies and procedures as they relate to the candidate’s speech (i.e. General Board members can not present their opinions on a candidate). The candidate in question will not be present in the room for the clarification session. The General Board will then vote the new Executive Board into office, with each committee receiving two votes. The candidate with the highest number of votes will be officially elected into the position in question. The order of the positions for voting are as follows: Director of Internal Affairs, Director of Finance, and Director of External Affairs.This order can be adjusted based on applicants, and upon the current Executive Board's Discretion. Since candidates may run for more than one office, if they are not elected for one position they may run for a subsequent position. 

• Removal and Replacement: An Executive Board member may be replaced for failure to perform the responsibilities listed below. Any Executive Board member or the UAC Advisor can bring up a petition for removal of an Executive Board member to the UAC Advisor. This will then begin a closed process to the Executive Board member under petition. An Executive Board member can only be removed with a unanimous vote from the other members of the executive board and approval by the UAC Advisor in a closed vote. If an Executive Board member is removed or resigns from their position prior to the end of their term, the Executive Board must move immediately to replace them following the process outlined above. If the removal/resignation is within one month of the normal Executive Board selection process, the Board may elect to take on the duties of the missing officer pending the start of the selection process. 

• Powers/Responsibilities: 

  • Oversee selection process for incoming Executive Board. 

  • Approve all budgetary and financial transactions, at its discretion. 

  • Advise on all UAC-related programming and co-sponsorship activities with and through the General Board. 

  • Convene/attend all internal and external meetings.

  • Maintain office hours as needed. 

  • Participate in all UAC votes. 

  • Act as an official spokes-body for UAC. 

  • Set meeting agendas.  

  • Arbitrate all UAC-related disputes. 

• Voting: In order for a motion to pass, a simple majority of Executive members is required. If, in the event of a vote, an Executive member cannot submit a vote in person, voting by proxy is acceptable via any reliable technological medium

• Special Meetings/Judicial Hearings: Special Meetings will be typically called by the Advisor but may be called by any member of the Executive Board surrounding issues of crisis and urgency. Regular voting rules apply in Special Meetings. The UAC Advisor may institute adjustments appropriate to the specific needs of the Special Meeting. These adjustments could be up to and including the suspension of all voting rules and the shifting of control of the judicial process to the Director of University Unions and the Director of the Center for Campus Involvement. 

UAC Advisor 

The Advisor to UAC must be a staff or faculty member of the University’s Center for Campus Involvement. The UAC Advisor holds no official voting powers, but must ensure that UAC decisions are made in accordance with University codes and standards. The UAC Advisor will attend as many UAC events and meetings as possible and will act as a resource for both the Executive and General Boards. The UAC Advisor will also hold bi-weekly meetings with each UAC Committee and each UAC Executive Board Member. The UAC Advisor may be assisted by a Graduate Intern, who will provide assistance with general administrative tasks and/or bi-weekly committee meetings. 

General Board Committee Elimination and Admittance 

Elimination of a Standing Committee (that is, a committee that is an established member of UAC) may be considered if the committee has performed below Executive Board expectations for a period of at least two consecutive academic semesters. Should this be the case, the committee will continue to operate within a probationary context of two semesters; that is, the committee will receive heavy oversight and assistance from the Executive Board during the academic year, including the possibility of regular meetings with the Executive Board. If any member of the Executive Board is also a member of the committee on probation, the Executive Board member will be temporarily replaced while their group is pending review, unless this replacement is unanimously voted against by the rest of the Executive Board. The process for replacement will follow that of electing new Executive Board members into office, as outlined above (see “Executive Board - Selection”). 

After the two-semester probationary period, the Executive Board must vote on the committee’s elimination. Should the Executive Board vote upon the committee’s elimination, the vote must be presented to the General Board (with the exclusion of the Representatives from the probated 

committee). The General Board must make a motion to eliminate the committee, second the motion, and have a two-thirds positive vote (quorum) to complete the elimination. After the Executive Board has ruled to eliminate the committee and the vote goes to the General Board, the committee’s activities will be immediately suspended with a final termination pending the General Board’s vote. The General Board has the power to override the expulsion of a committee prior to semester’s end with a request from any General Board Representative except those Representatives facing expulsion, inciting the same voting process for elimination as above. 

Resignation of a committee by its own accord must be presented to the UAC Executive Board by the General Board members of the committee wishing to resign. In the event of a committee’s elimination or resignation, UAC retains all property and content associated with and produced by that UAC committee. 

A Probationary Committee is a new committee that comes to UAC from outside of the organization. 

Criteria: 

● Must meet or be willing to meet the UAC constitutional and operational criteria.

● Must be willing to turn all assets over to UAC upon admission. 

● Must not duplicate the programming of any current Standing Committee.

● Must create programming and engagement that is in line with the mission of UAC.

● Must have a programming objective that is not temporary in nature. 

Proposals for admission must come from the authorized managers of the outside organization to the Executive Board. After a majority approval there, the proposal will then go to the General Board for ratification by a two-thirds vote. Admission is granted for two years. The Probationary Committee will be reviewed after both the first and second years by the “outgoing” Executive Board, and may be given an additional non-tenured year, given full Committee status pending, or be eliminated as a UAC entity; pending the General Board’s two-thirds approval. A full reporting of the reviews must be presented to the incoming Executive Board to be included in its deliberations at the end of the second, and, if necessary, third years. Decisions concerning the final status of the Probationary Committee will be voted on by the Executive Board (Majority vote) and the General Board (two-thirds vote) at the end of the second or third probationary year.  

Proposals for Admission to UAC include a written application to be reviewed by the Executive Board. A budget including operational expenses must also be submitted to the Executive Board.  Prospective committees are also subject to interviews with both the Executive Board and General Board.  

Judicial Hearings and Appeals  

There are a number of transgressions that may result in a formal complaint being lodged toward a member or committee of UAC. These may include but are not limited to:  

● Student no longer in good standing with the University

● Misuse of UAC funds 

● Dereliction of duty 

● Poor representation of UAC to the University community, or beyond 

● Creation of circumstances that put UAC or the University in a position of civil liability ● Any crimes as defined by the University or state or federal statutes 

It is assumed civil and criminal activities may be handled by an outside agency in addition to UAC.  

Any member of the University community may lodge a complaint against any UAC Executive Board member, Committee, General Board member, or Committee member. Such a complaint must be made in writing and delivered in person or by email to the UAC Advisor or the UAC Director of Internal Affairs. 

The Executive Board by vote has the authority to immediately suspend any General Board member at any time during the judicial process if the complaint warrants the temporary removal of the defendant. Such suspension would be temporary, and would be made with the understanding that access to UAC accounts, to committee meetings, or to office resources may need to be  immediately limited until a full judicial meeting is convened.  

After such a complaint is lodged a Judicial Committee will be formed of three General Board members selected through a predetermined random process. This Committee will be created and managed by the UAC Advisor. No member of this committee will be allowed to have an invested interest in the complaint or be selected from the committee of the defendant.  

The Judicial Committee will decide if the complaint has sufficient merit to convene a Judicial Board. If the complaint is deemed to not have sufficient merit the complaining party will be notified in writing of the decision.

If the complaint is deemed to have sufficient merit, a Judicial Board hearing will be convened within 10 days, making all accommodations possible to the complaining and defending parties’ schedules.  

In the case of the complaint being made against a Committee, Committee member or Committee chair, the Judicial Board would be made up of two Executive Board members (one chosen by each side of the complaint), and one General Board member (chosen at random from a volunteer pool of non-involved committees). The Executive Board members in the Judicial Board cannot be from the defending or complaining parties’ committees.  

In the case of the complaint being made by or against an Executive Board member, the Judicial Board will be made up of one General Board member (chosen at random from a volunteer of non-involved committees), one Executive Board member (of the defendant’s choosing), and one Student Affairs staff member arranged for by the UAC Advisor.  

The Office of Student Conflict and Resolution (OSCAR) and CCI leadership will be consulted as needed; they may suggest a different format of “Judicial Hearing,” which will be adhered to with the discretion of the Executive Board. This alternate format may include the Student Organization Accountability and Recognition (SOAR) process.

The Hearing Process consists of members of the Judicial Board allowing both the complaining party and the defending party an opportunity to speak to the complaint. The parties may request, prior to the hearing, up to three other parties to speak to the issues raised in the complaint as witnesses. These additional parties are subject to approval by the Judicial Board. The complaining and defending parties will also be allowed to bring anyone of their choosing as an observer to this hearing, not subject to Judicial Board approval. The Judicial Board may also request additional parties to speak at the hearing, though they may not compel such participation. 

The Hearing will proceed even if neither the complaining nor defending parties are present.  Either party is able to request a rescheduled date at least 24 hours before the original date. If the Judicial Board rules in favor of the complaining party, sanctions up to and/or including removal from UAC may result. The Judicial Board will deliver its decision in writing to both parties within 48 hours of the Judicial Hearing. All decisions will be approved by the Director of the Center for Campus Involvement. 

Both the defending and the complaining parties have the right to appeal the decision of the Judicial Committee, or the Judicial Board, and must ask to do so within 3 business days of being notified of any decision. The Director of the Center for Campus Involvement and the Senior Director of University Unions will hear the appeal, with a representative from the Judicial Board and the appealing party present. The decision of the Directors will be final and will be rendered within 3 business days in writing or via email.  

Amendments and Ratification  

Proposals for amendment of the Constitution and By-Laws must be put forward by a member in good standing of the Executive or General Boards, and must first be approved by the Executive Board. This Constitution may only be amended through unanimous consent of the Executive Board and a simple majority vote of the General Board. A simple majority of the Executive Board and a simple majority of the General Board may only amend the By-Laws of UAC.  

The Constitution and By-Laws shall be reviewed for ratification whenever the Executive Board  deems necessary. The unanimous consent of the Executive Board and a simple majority vote of  the General Board must ratify this Constitution. 

University Activities Center 

 By-Laws 

Amended 1/28/21 

Transitions 

• The Executive Board members of the University Activities Center will transition to the incoming Executive Board members during the Winter semester each year. 

• The new Executive Board will be selected by the last General Board meeting of the semester in the manner outlined in the Constitution. After the new Executive Board is selected, they will attend the remaining E-board meetings for the rest of the year, and will receive training from the current Executive Board member holding their position. 

• The General Board will be selected at the beginning of each academic year, in the manner dictated by the Constitution. 

Executive Board Job Descriptions 

• Director of Internal Affairs 

  • They are the UAC administrative head in the absence of the UAC Advisor. 

  • They schedule General Board meetings and coordinate all associated logistics such as booking rooms and ordering food. 

  • They are the primary liaison between the General Board and the Executive Board. As such, they have responsibilities to maintain a good relationship with all General Board members and to have a general idea about the current state and activities of each committee. 

  • They will encourage and foster cooperation among all UAC groups. 

  • They will nominate authorized signers within the SOAS system for each committee at the beginning of the academic year. 

  • They will handle the communication of committee performances to the rest of the General and Executive Boards 

  • They will work with the UAC Advisor to maintain stocks of all marketing, office, and artistic supplies with the groups. 

  • They will work with the Director of External Affairs to plan and execute the large scale event/program for the wider student body, handling scheduling and management for the event. 

  • Acts as executor of UAC plans, providing project management.

• Director of Finance 

  • They are responsible for the financial wellness of UAC. 

  • They collect the budgets from the committees and notify each committee of its semester allocation. 

  • They communicate with committees concerning financial matters.

  • They are responsible for creating and monitoring the live budgets and tracking all purchases, gains, and allocations of money, in collaboration with the UAC Advisor. 

  • They will create and/or update a document with fundraising tips, which will be accessible by all UAC members. 

  • They will create plans for each semester’s budgeting session and will run the Executive budget meetings with the committees. 

  • They will work with the Director of External Affairs to plan and execute the large scale event/program for the wider student body, handling scheduling and management for the event. 

  • Acts as executor of UAC plans, providing project management.

• Director of External Affairs 

  • They are in charge of all general UAC marketing and advertising. 

  • They will maintain all UAC social media accounts. 

  • They act as an advisor to individual committee marketing heads. 

  • They arrange for advertising in UAC publications (e.g. program booklets, E3W, etc) when necessary. 

  • Will work to educate the campus population on all UAC events and UAC itself. 

  • They are responsible for UAC special events (Festifall, Winterfest, Retreats, Diag Days, All-UAC shows, etc). 

  • They will maintain direct partnerships between UAC and other student groups on campus. 

  • They will be given a budget to set up an event/program for the wider student body to spread UAC’s impact across campus. 

  • They will create and update a calendar listing all UAC events

  • They will maintain the UAC website. 

  • Acts as executor of UAC plans, providing project management.

Meetings 

• Executive Board 

  • The Executive Board will meet regularly each week. 

  • When outside groups contact an Executive Board member, the Executive Board will converse regarding this group at the next Executive meeting. 

• General Board 

  • The General Board will meet every month, unless otherwise determined by the Executive Board. 

  • General Board meetings will have two necessary components: Committee Reports and Executive Board Update. 

  • If guests from outside of UAC are on the agenda, they will speak at the beginning of the meeting.

  • When deciding meeting times, it is necessary to choose a time when the Director of Internal Affairs can run the meeting. If this is not possible, the Director of Internal Affairs’ designate will run the meeting.

Duties 

• UAC Advisor 

  • The staff of the Center for Campus Involvement will act as an advisor to the UAC committees and help UAC stay in compliance with University policies and guidelines. 

• Committees 

  • Each committee will report annually to the Executive Board regarding committee actions and practices. 

  • Each committee will be represented at General Board meetings. See the Constitution for proper absence procedure. 

  • Each committee will have one authorized signer responsible for filing room reservations, SORC requests, and vehicle rentals. 

Press Protocol 

• The Director of External Affairs of UAC will act as representative for the whole of UAC, any contact made by the press will be directed to them. 

Inner-Committee 

• Food for committee functions using UAC funds will be guided by a limit of $200. However, if a committee requests more funds due to the large size of its member base, a larger dollar amount may be granted at the discretion of the Executive Board, at the rate of $5 dollars a person. 

• UAC committees will give high preference to University of Michigan students and fair consideration to non-majors when satisfying committee needs.

• “Non-majors” are defined as those University of Michigan students not enrolled in a program aligned with the UAC committee. For example, MUSKET will give fair consideration to majors other than Voice, Music, and Theatre majors. 

• Apparel for committee members (not costumes) may only appear on ONE committee budget per year and may not exceed $15 per person. 

• Apparel for a second semester may be considered (in situations where new members join at the start of the second semester, for instance, though this is expected to be satisfied through the committee’s forethought). 

Technology 

• UAC members are permitted to access and use all UAC technology. Technology will be used in good faith and in accordance with UAC guidelines. 

• Committee Member’s that utilize UAC technology outside of the UAC office must notify the UAC Advisor of when the technology was removed and returned.

• Requests for repair and/or purchase of new technology may be made by the General Board for approval by the UAC Executive Board

• Printers and copiers in the UAC office are reserved for UAC business; printing and copying for purposes outside of UAC is strictly prohibited.

• Committee members are required to use UAC printers and copiers rather than an outside contractor for printing/copying needs. Printing and copying may be done outside of UAC office if and only if the UAC printers and copiers cannot meet the needs of the organization, per approval of the Executive Board.

Contracts 

• The sole responsibility for signing a contract that makes a financial obligation to or from UAC, lies with the official signers for UAC accounts, the Director of University Unions, or the UAC Advisor. 

• The authorized signers of UAC (Director of Internal Affairs, Director of Finance, and Director of External Affairs) approve allocations, transactions, and disbursements for purchase requests. One authorized signer from each committee will be responsible for submitting non-purchase request business, such as room reservations, SORC activities, and vehicle rentals. 

• The UAC office will be the official mailing address for all UAC business unless otherwise approved by the Executive Board. 

• If the UAC Executive Board has made a collective agreement with a Vendor, they reserve the right to require committees to use a specific vendor.

Committee Revenues

• Revenues from ticket sales and streaming are directed back to the UAC SSO General Fund.

• Revenues from gigs or services are retained by the earned Committee.

• Any Committee can receive donations specifically to themselves.

  • These funds are moved to a Committee-specific Gift Fund where they may be used in a current or future semester for any purchase the Committee deems appropriate.