College House System Constitution -- Annotated Format

Preamble | Article I | Article II | Article III | Article IV | Article V
Ammendment 1

Preamble

In the spring of 1997, a new and inclusive College House system was established at Bowdoin College. This new system was conceptualized as "promot(ing) the intellectual and personal growth of individuals and encourag(ing) mutual understanding and respect in the context of diversity" (Commission on Residential Life Interim Report, p. 14). Later that spring, the Ad-Hoc Implementation Committee created basic structural guidelines for this new system. In congruence with those guidelines and the mission set forth by the Commission on Residential Life, this Constitution seeks to further fulfill the "Values of a Learning Community" as presented in the CRL Interim Report.

The purpose of this Constitution is to strengthen the structure of the College House System and to provide guidance to house members as they work to integrate the system into their lives as members of the Bowdoin College community.

Article I: Membership

A. Definitions

• 1. The brick residence hall College House associations are as follows:
  
  

  Appleton Hall:	Quinby House
  Coleman Hall:	[7 Boody St.] MacMillan House
  Hyde Hall:	[Howard Hall] Howell House (Ammended 10/00)
  Moore Hall:	Baxter House
  Maine Hall:	Helmreich House
  Winthrop Hall:	[Burnett House] Ladd House

• 2. College House members are defined as all students who have lived or who currently live in a house's associated first year dorm or, as in the instance of transfer students, have been assigned to that house by the Office of Residential Life.

• 3. College House residents are defined as members currently living in a particular house.

• [4. In the instance of Howard Hall, College House leaders are defined as the select group of occupants that further their residency role by taking a more active part in house affairs and meeting the expectations of house residents as described below.] (Ammended 10/00)

• [5.] 4. No one may hold membership in more than one house. (Renumbered 10/00)

  B. Rights of Members

  1. All house members possess the following rights in their respective houses:

     a. Full access to the use of house facilities including appliances, gaming tables, and house space.
     b. The right to attend all house functions.
     c. The right to attend all house meetings.
     d. The right to vote at house meetings concerning house affairs.

  C. Responsibilities of Members

  1. Inherent in the rights described in section B, all house members are expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

     a. Represent the house in a positive manner.
     b. Respect house property, house members, and neighbors.
     c. Be responsible for the behavior of their guests.

  2. In the event that an egregious violation of house policy occurs, the house member may be subject to the standard college disciplinary procedure as outlined in the Student Handbook.

  D. Additional Expectations of Residents

  1. In keeping with the values of Residential Life, and in addition to all previously mentioned rights and responsibilities for members, house residents are expected to make further contributions to house affairs. House residents are expected to:
     a. Create a positive and welcoming environment with respect to the house.
     b. Participate in the Orientation of the incoming first-year class.
     c. Take an active role within the house and during house activities.
     d. Assist in the basic housekeeping, maintenance and appearance of the house.

  E. Selected Positions of Membership

  1. In order to run the house efficiently, the following positions are essential:

     a. President - Responsible for organizing and facilitating weekly house meetings; acting as the official house representative at College functions and meetings; and acting as the representative to the Inter-House Council (IHC).

     b. Vice President - Responsible for acting as the primary house leader in the absence of the President; facilitating all elections; serving as one of two Student Assembly Representatives.

     c. Treasurer - Responsible for managing dues and financial resources provided by the College; allocating funds to officers/groups within the house according to voting procedures outlined below; and attending SAFC meetings when appropriate.

     d. Secretary - Responsible for recording minutes for each house meeting and generally keeping members informed of things happening in the house; maintaining a master calendar of events and reservations of common space that shall be publicly accessible to all members.

     e. Program Chairs (2 minimum) - Responsible for collecting ideas and suggestions from house members regarding house-sponsored events; planning and organizing events. The weekly meetings of the Campus Activities Board and the Inter-House Council must each be attended by one chair.

     f. Historian - Responsible for coordinating in conjunction with the programming chairs First-Year orientation events in cooperation with the Dean of First-Year Students; knowing the history of the house and passing on house traditions to new members; documenting and recording house events; maintaining copies of documents relevant to the history of the house and the house system.

     g. Student Assembly Representative - Responsible for attending all Student Assembly meetings; acting as the house liaison to the Assembly; and keeping house members abreast of the Assembly's work and initiatives.

     h. First-Year Residence Hall Representatives (2 per proctor group) - Responsible for facilitating first-year student involvement and input in the house; attending all house meetings.

     i. House Proctor Responsible for attending all house meetings; helping to mediate conflicts between house residents; serving as a resource for house residents in areas such as programming and dining for which information is provided during the fall Residential Life training; serving as a liaison to Facilities Management and as a contact person for all damage and vandalism; help maintain a clean living space and to hold house residents accountable for any messes especially in common areas (i.e. kitchen, bathrooms, etc.); running any mid-year housing lottery; serving as a liaison between the Office of Residential Life and the house residents; serving as a liaison between the proctors of the affiliated brick and the house residents; encouraging and promoting a healthy relationship with the proctors.

  Article II: Decision Making

  A. General Decision Making

  1. In keeping with the inclusive spirit of the Commission on Residential Life Report, all house members have a right to participate in all decisions concerning the house.

  2. Customarily, it is expected that decisions will be reached by general consensus at the regularly scheduled, designated, publicized meeting.

  3. In the event that general consensus can not be met, members have a right to hold a vote according to the process outlined here:

     a. It is expected that the right to vote will be exercised for the good of the house and in a manner consistent with the values of our learning community.

     b. Voting can only take place at designated and publicized meetings.

     c. Members may only vote while in attendance at said meeting.

     d. Each house will adopt whatever voting method members see fit except in the case of elections.

     e. Any general vote will be decided by a simple majority except as outlined for special cases.

     f. The President has the right to postpone a vote until the next designated and publicized meeting.

     g. Any necessary, last minute decisions must be approved by the President. In his or her absence, the Vice President will assume that responsibility.

  B. Expenditures Exceeding $150

  1. The following special procedures will apply to votes concerning expenditures over $150:
     a. Any house member seeking to propose an expenditure over $150 must submit a proposal on the designated form obtained from his or her house President.

     b. The expenditure must be proposed at a designated and publicized meeting.

     c. The President has the right to postpone a vote on an expenditure over $150 for a week from the meeting in which the original vote was scheduled to take place.

     d. In order to pass an expenditure over $150, a 2/3 majority of those present is required.

  Article III: Elections

  A. In the spring semester, elections for the offices of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Programming Chairs and Historian will take place. All elected officers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the House System Constitution and all other documents concerned with the creation and implementation of the College House System.

  1. A candidate may run for as many positions as he/she wishes until he/she is elected. Officers will be elected in the following order:
     a. President
     b. Vice President
     c. Treasurer
     d. Secretary
     e. Programming Chairs
     f. Historian

  2. In order to be elected to one of the above offices the candidate:
     a. Must not have been selected as the house proctor.

     b. Must have been chosen to live in the house.

     c. Must announce candidacy one week prior to the publicized and designated voting time.

     d. Must accompany declaration of candidacy with a statement no longer than a paragraph stating the reasons for running for office.

  3. Voting will take place at the designated and publicized voting time. The procedure for voting is as follows:

     a. Voting will be done by secret ballot.

     b. In the case of a two person election, the candidate who receives the majority of the votes will be considered elected.

     c. When there are more than two candidates, the single transferable voting method will be used to determine the winner.

     1. Each voter will place all of the candidates for each position in preferential order. For example, if there are five candidates for the position listed on the ballot, each voter will number the candidates from 1st choice to 5th choice.

     2. The first choices are totaled and if a candidate has greater than 50% of the votes, he or she is elected. If no candidate has enough voters, the candidate in 5th place is dropped and his or her votes are transferred to their 2nd preference. The votes are totaled again and a candidate is elected if they now have greater than 50% of the vote. If not, the candidate in 4th place is dropped and his or her votes are transferred.

     3. This process is continued until a candidate has greater than 50% of the vote and is therefore elected.

  B. In the fall semester, elections for Upper-class and First-Year Representatives and Student Assembly Representative will take place.

  1. Elections must take place within the first full week of classes.

  2. First Year Representative

     a. Two First-Year representatives will be elected from each pre-assigned proctor group.

     b. Elections will be held at a floor meeting presided over by the vice president of the house.

     c. The candidate who wins a majority of the votes cast by their proctor group becomes that group's representative.

  3. Upper-class Representative

     a. One non-resident member from each of the sophomore, junior and senior classes will be elected.

     b. Spring Election Procedures will be followed.

  4. Student Assembly Representative

     a. The second Student Assembly Rep will be elected from among the general house membership.

     b. Spring Election procedure will be followed.

  C. In the case of a position vacancy, the following procedure will be followed:

  1. The president will call for a special election to fill the vacant office.
     a. If the presidency should become vacant, the vice president will assume the office of President and a new vice president will be elected.

  2. Any current resident will be eligible to run for office.

  3. Spring Election procedure will be followed.

  Article IV: House Lottery

  A. Each spring a house lottery will be held after house residents have been selected:

  1. The Office of Residential Life will assign a room to the House Proctor prior to the house lottery.

  2. The President elect of the house is granted first choice of a room.

  3. The remaining assignments will be determined by separate lotteries according to class and in order of seniority.
     a. For each individual lottery, a member of the Office of Residential Life office shall be present.
     (1) That person will randomly assign each person a lottery number.

     (2) The individual receiving the lowest number in the lottery will have the first pick of any vacant room, followed by others in ascending order.

     b. In the case that two or more residents of different levels of seniority choose to room together, the pair will enter the lottery of the elder member.

  B. In the case of vacated space at any point during the year before the spring lottery:

  1. If a single room becomes open, all interested residents will enter a separate lottery to be run by the House Proctor. Should no resident choose to take advantage of the opportunity, the Office of Residential Life should seek to fill the room with a member of the specified house.

  2. If a space in a double becomes open, the remaining occupant should seek another roommate from among the membership. If unable to find a new roommate, the remaining occupant should work with the Office of Residential Life to fill the space should it be necessary.

  Article V: Amending the Constitution

  A. If at some future time it becomes necessary to amend this constitution, the following procedure shall be followed:

  1. A House member may propose an amendment at his or her house's regularly scheduled, designated, publicized meeting.

  2. The House membership may choose, by a majority vote, to recommend that said amendment receive further consideration by the other College Houses via the Inter-House Council.

  3. The President of said house will bring the proposed amendment to the next regularly scheduled IHC meeting.

  4. The House Presidents will then present the proposal to their general membership during a regularly scheduled meeting.

  5. At the following week's meeting, a vote shall be taken of the membership.

  6. In order for an amendment to be passed, it must receive a 2/3 vote in each College House. The Presidents will report the results at the next scheduled IHC meeting.

  We the undersigned, on this 15th day of March in the year of Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Nine, hereby accept this as the constitution for the Bowdoin College House System:

  Craig Bradley, Dean of Student Affairs
  Steve Lee '99, Chair of the E9
  Matthew Boyd '01
  Jeff Favolise '01
  J. Brian Haley '01
  Caitlin MacDonald '01
  Michael Prendergast '00
  Papri Bhattacharya '01
  Lauren Fitch '01
  Eben Gilfenbaum '02
  Sue Lynn Lee '01
  Tiffany Mok '02
  Laurie Nelson '01
  Lindsey Pettingill '02
  Steve Rulison '02
  Tom Ryan '01
  Jon Staley '02
  Barbara Thurston '01
  Nathaniel Waters '00
  John Yost '02
  Zoe Zeichner '02
  

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  Amendment 1

  Proposed Amendment to the College House System Constitution
  
  Proposed to the Inter-House Council on ____________ by Howell House
  Vote: _____________
  
  This amendment shall be enacted to reaffiliate Hyde Hall with the College House formerly located in Howard Hall. In addition to the changes given here, all previous affiliates of Howard House shall now be affiliates of Howell House.
  
  I. Article I, Section A, Paragraph 1, Line 4 is changed to read: "Hyde Hall: Howell House"
  
  II. Article I, Section A, Paragraph 4 is removed.
  
  III. Article I, Section A, Paragraph 5 is renumbered as Paragraph 4.