The International Affairs Association

IAA Constitution (PDF)

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the International Affairs Association of the University of Pennsylvania.

Article II: Purpose

The purposes of this organization shall be to:

1. stimulate interest in international affairs among the students and community of the University of Pennsylvania, especially among the members of the Association,
2. promote the understanding of the important international issues of the day,
3. advance the prestige of the University in international affairs.

Article III: Membership

1. Membership eligibility shall be extended to any full-time, regular student at the University of Pennsylvania;
2. Faculty members and students other than full-time, regular undergraduates shall be eligible for membership in the Association, but not permitted to hold elected office;
3. Members are extended voting privileges for officer positions at the end of each term who have attended at least at least one-half of the general meetings in that academic year, one-fourth of the general meetings of that academic year, and one intercollegiate or Association conference.

Article IV: Officers

1. The officers of this Association shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Intercollegiate Director, Special Events Director, Secretary-General of the University of Pennsylvanian Model United Nations Conference and Secretary General of the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference, and will constitute the Executive Board;
2. The Executive Board shall supervise all activities of the Association;
3. The officers of the Executive Board shall consist of active members, be elected for a term of one school year, and express the intent of remaining at the University for the full duration of their terms;
4. Each officer may hold only one Executive Board position at any given time;
5. Should any Executive Board member cease to be an active member of the Association as defined above, neglect his or her duties as an officer, or act against the best interests of the Association, the Executive Board, with a two-thirds majority vote, can relieve the offending officer from his or her responsibilities;
6. If, during the regular term, any of the offices becomes vacant, elections shall be held within two general Association meetings to fill the post or posts for the remainder of the term.

Article V: Duties of Officers

1. It shall be the duty of the President to:

a. preside at all general Association meetings and serve as Chairman of the Executive Board,
b. supervise and direct the work of the Association,
c. ensure that all of the functions set forth in this Constitution are achieved,
d. serve as the liaison to the Association’s alumni,
e. speak for the Association before the campus and community,
f. maintain the finances of the club in conjunction with the Vice President;

2. It shall be the duty of the Vice President to:

a. aid and assist the President as the President deems necessary,
b. be prepared at all times to assume any or all of the President’s duties,
c. make all disbursements approved by the Executive Board,
d. audit the financial status of all functions of the club,
e. serve as the Student Activities Council (SAC) representative for the Association;

3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:

a. keep the minutes of each general body and Executive Board meetings,
b. oversee all correspondences including informing all members of general body meetings,
c. oversee the maintenance and efficacy of the Association’s website,
d. edit, publish and distribute the Ambassador newsletter at least six times per year,
e. maintain the Association’s library and historical records;

4. It shall be the duty of the Intercollegiate Director to:

a. determine participation in Intercollegiate Model United Nations activities including establishing conference contacts, choosing conferences to attend and coordinating participation,
b. prepare members of the Association for participation in intercollegiate activities;

5. It shall be the duty of the Special Events Director to:

a. plan all special events for the Association,
b. oversee and develop the Association’s community service program;

6. It shall be the duty of the Secretary-General of the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) and the Secretary-General of the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference (ILMUNC) to:

a. plan, organize and see to the effective running of an intercollegiate Model United Nations Conference,
b. appoint his own Under and Upper-Secretaries-General, guided by the advice and approval of the Executive Board,
c. present the financial records and a summary of current activities of the conference at each Executive Board meeting,
d. seek approval from the Executive Board for expenditures larger than $500,
e. seek approval from the Executive Board for all contracts made on behalf of UPMUNC or the Association while the contract is cancelable without penalty.

Article VI: Meetings

1. General Association meetings shall be held weekly during the academic year and may be called at the discretion of the President and/or the Executive Board;
2. There must be time allotted during General Body Meetings at least bi-weekly for members to air grievances or make announcements.

Article VII: Elections

1. Nominations of the Secretaries-General of the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference and Ivy League Model United Nations Conference shall be held at a general body meeting the week following the conference;
2. Elections for Secretary-General shall be held at the general body meeting following nominations. The outgoing Secretary-General can act as an observer to the Executive Board for up to two months following elections;
3. Nominations for elections for Executive Board positions other than Secretaries-General shall be held at a general body meeting during the last month of the spring academic calendar and elections shall be held the following week;
4. All active club members are eligible to run for all positions unless otherwise specified in this Constitution;
5. Newly elected Executive Board members will assume their responsibilities following the conclusion of the penultimate general body meeting;
6. The elections for each position on the Executive Board (not including Secretaries-General) shall be held consecutively as follows: President, Vice President, Secretary, Intercollegiate Director, and Special Events Director;
7. Candidates may “drop down” to run for other positions if they lose an election;
8. For elections in which there are more than 2 candidates, two sets of ballots will be cast such that:

a. The first set is in order following speeches and a period of question-and-answer (the parameters for which will be determined annually by the Executive Board) narrows the field to the top two contenders,
b. The second, immediately following the first, selects the winner;

9. In the event that there is a tie between the final two candidates, there will be two elected candidates;
10. There cannot be two Presidents such that in the event of a tie, the Executive Board must vote in secret to elect one of the candidates.

Article VIII: Amendments

1. Amendment to this Constitution requires support from at least all but one member of the Executive Board;
2. Amendments to this Constitutions requires a two-thirds vote of active members present at any general body meeting with due notice of said amendment having been given at a previous general body meeting.