Article I: STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of the Brown University Band (hereafter, The Band) shall be to play at appropriate university functions. Appearance of the Brown University Band at such functions shall be subject to the approval of the Brown University Band Board.
Article II: MEMBERSHIP
Membership to the Brown University Band is open to all undergraduates and graduates of the Brown University community and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, status as a veteran, sexual orientation or national or ethnic origin. Majority membership consists of full-time undergraduate Brown students. Membership is further subject to Article XI below.
Article III: OFFICERS/LEADERSHIP
Membership to the Brown University Band is open to all undergraduates and graduates of the Brown University community and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, status as a veteran, sexual orientation or national or ethnic origin. Majority membership consists of full-time undergraduate Brown students. Membership is further subject to Article XI below.
The role of each Band Board position is as follows:
President: The president of the Brown Band is responsible for scheduling and running Band Board meetings, running elections, and officially representing the band to the University administration, undergraduate finance board, and student council. The job includes planning events and making sure events, rehearsals, and performances run well. The president also delegates responsibilities to the other band board members and takes care of anything else that needs to be done. If it's not someone else's responsibility, it's the president's.
Vice President: It is the primary job of the vice president to oversee band field rehearsals and to ensure that the band is organized and ready to play at both home and away games. Duties to this end include everything from creating form sheets and censoring scripts to making sure the band sounds musically together. The VP is also in charge of meeting with officials outside of the band, including athletic department administrators, Brown police and security (for things like caroling and reserving field rehearsal space), and other random Brown administrator-types. The VP is in charge of the hockey pool. And lest we forget the most important job of all, the VP is in charge of finding food for the band, whether it be pizza, bagels, or those nasty Ratty bagged lunches.
General Manager (Mom): The general manager is responsible for managing instruments and uniforms, as well as acquiring whatever equipment the band or the music library may require. The general manager also acts as the Band Board liaison to the various appointed positions (more specifically section leaders, librarians, and conductors). This involves keeping them aware of band board news, bringing up their concerns to the band board, and staying on top of what each section needs. The general manager also holds weekly meetings (usually before each rehearsal) with the section leaders and librarians to update the music in the flip folders.
Business Manager: The Business Manager is in charge of maintaining and directing the expenditure of all of the financial accounts of the Brown University Band. This includes submitting a budget to the University Finance Board (UFB) to appropriate funds from the University. Additionally, the Business Manager is expected to reserve transportation for road trips, to assist the Corresponding Secretary in determining directions on away trips, to make reservations for the annual Bandquet, and to assist the Friends of the Brown Band (FOBB) liaison with any donations.
Corresponding Secretary (corsec): In charge of away trips and communication on behalf of the band with people outside of the University. For an away trip it is the corsec's job to reserve hotel rooms, get directions to the hotel, the stadium, parking lots, practice fields, and anywhere else the band may decide to visit, and communicate with the home band about performance regulations and any other matters that may arise. The corsec is also responsible for sending out thank-you notes on behalf of the band and ordering the buttons for football season.
Recording Secretary (recsec): The recsec serves as the connection between the Band Board and the band. The recsec is in charge of the official attendance records and must take attendance at every rehearsal and event as well as keep track of who is planning on attending events and getting more people if needed. The recsec creates a weekly band notice and e-mail and also has the official email list, which means all emails that are sent out to the band must come through the recsec first. The recsec keeps all minutes at board meetings, writes a winter letter along with the corsec, and collects quotes. Also, the recsec is able to obtain recs from the Student Activities Office.
Section B: Appointed Positions
Each section shall choose a Section Leader at the beginning of the academic year or at any time when the current section leader chooses to resign. The purpose of the section leader shall be to advise and co-ordinate the members within their sections, update the Band Board on the needs of that section, and maintain the music folders for that section.
Student Conductors shall be chosen by majority vote of the Band Board to serve a term of indefinite length. The Band Board, in choosing the Student Conductors, shall take into consideration the opinion of the Faculty Conductor and the current Student Conductors. The Band Board shall review the qualifications of the Student Conductors annually, no later than one week after general elections have been held. If the Student Conductors are found to be unsatisfactory, the Band Board may remove them from office and immediately appoint a new Student Conductor. Otherwise, the Student Conductor shall serve as long as he or she likes. When the Student Conductor resigns or otherwise leaves his or her post, the Band Board shall immediately choose another to take his or her place. Each year no more than three members of the Band shall be working with the Student Conductor to insure that there will be qualified replacements for him or her should he or she resign during the year.
Librarians are wonderful people responsible for updating the music library, maintaining an accurate record of the library.s contents, keeping the library organized, copying and distributing music to the section leaders, and collecting and re-filing used music. They work closely with the conductors, who inform them weekly of what music to copy and distribute, and with section leaders, who receive music from and turn music in to the librarians. Librarians are selected by the Band Board from a list of possible candidates based on organizational skills and sense of responsibility.
The Historian is responsible for maintaining the written, oral and visual traditions of the band. This generally consists of taking pictures and/or helping to acquire pictures of events to be displayed on the webpage and other appropriate forums, working with the Band Board to collect and preserve memorabilia (such as buttons, trophies, uniforms, awards plaques, past Band CD albums, etc.) and updating and maintaining the Band historical files/books by keeping a written record of any and all important events involving the band that might be useful for future reference. The Historian should also be a source for the band's musical and non-musical traditions, including knowledge of the appropriate situations for each tradition, past and present song lyrics (as they are ever changing), acting as a source of spirit, etc. The Historian is appointed by Band Board and will as long as needed. When s/he is entering his/her final football season, an assistant must be appointed and commence training.
The Public Relation Chair focuses on publicity for the band. The PR Chair should design advertisements for band events and distribute them across campus. The scope of this position is not limited to table slips and flyers. The PR Chair should additionally seek advertising space in newspapers and on-line. Also, the PR Chair should advise the Band Board regarding all issues pertaining to the distribution and display of Brown Band paraphernalia.
The Friends of the Brown Band (FOBB) liaison is responsible for getting parents, alumni, and faculty to give money to the band so that we can all have fun and play some good music. The FOBB liaison must also coordinate with the folks over at the University Development Office and the Sports Foundation in order to see what we can do to hit people up for money for the band. This includes devising and coordinating mass mailings, ads, and any sort of other spiffy thing to convince people that helping the Band out isn't just good for the Band, it's good for the children too. The FOBB liaison must also try to sucker, I mean enlist, Bandie alums into helping to raise money from other alums. The FOBB liaison must also represent the Band in front of groups of alums and other assorted people to explain why the band needs their money and why they should renounce all worldly possessions and give it all to the Band. The FOBB liaison must also coordinate with the Business Manager to determine how much money the Band's got coming in in the form of donations.
The Scriptwriter is responsible for producing, by whatever means necessary, a Script in time to be used for a game. This includes scheduling, organizing, and running a scriptwriting meeting, soliciting other band members to assist in writing script, negotiating the various suggestions into a single document, and delivering the final copy to the Vice President and the Reader.
The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the Band web page, keeping it updated and posting band-related information on the web page.
The Band Board may appoint a drum major (s) at the beginning of football season to serve during football season.
Article IV: ELECTIONS
Elections shall be held annually within two weeks before the final football game. Elected officers shall assume their duties after halftime of the final football game of the season. All officers shall be elected for a term of one year; any Band member may run for office and any officer may run for re-election.
Should an elected officer resign his or her position, or otherwise leave the organization, a special election shall be held immediately to fill the vacated office. All election rules shall be in effect for all special elections (see below). Should any officer holding an appointed position (except for Student Conductors and Section Leaders) resign his or her position or otherwise leave the organization, the President shall immediately appoint someone to fill the vacated office. The Student Conductor is a special case as noted above.
Band members shall vote for President, Vice-President, General Manager, Business Manager, Corresponding Secretary, and Recording Secretary. Each Band member shall have one vote for each office. Officers shall be elected in the following order: President, Vice-President, General Manager, Business Manager, Corresponding Secretary, and Recording Secretary.
Section D: Election of President
The outgoing President shall conduct the elections and shall have no vote during the election of the office of the President except in case of a tie. If a tie arises, he or she shall cast one vote with which to break the tie. After a new President has been elected, the outgoing President can vote in the remaining elections; the newly elected President, however, cannot vote unless a tie arises. If a tie arises, he or she shall cast one vote with which to break the tie. If a presiding officer wishes to run for the position of President, then the next residing officer in Article II, section A shall preside. The person who runs the election of the office of President shall have no vote unless a tie arises. If a tie arises, he or she shall cast one vote with which to break the tie. After the election of the office of President has ended, the outgoing President shall resume his duties.
Two or more persons may not run together for the same office. Band members may nominate anyone, including him/herself, for any position. The President shall ask for a second of the nomination, and whether the nominated person accepts the nomination. A move to close shall be utilized to close nominations for each candidate. After nominations have been closed, each candidate has two and one-half minutes in which to state his or her position if he or she so desires. Each candidate shall appear individually before the band, while other candidates are locked in cages at least one-half mile away. When the candidates have completed their statements, they shall leave the room, during which time Band members shall discuss their qualifications. The discussion shall last no longer than five minutes per office.
In the event that there are time constraints on elections, the current President may choose to use the run-off format to narrow the list of candidates down to two or three before discussion. Voting during the run-off election shall be by show of hands. The following are suggested guidelines: 3-5 candidates may be narrowed down to two (those candidates that receive the most votes remaining). 6 or more candidates should be narrowed down to three (those candidates that receive the most votes remaining).
The remaining 2-3 candidates shall appear simultaneously before the band, and members shall, under the direction of the President, ask questions of the candidates. This should take no more than 5 minutes per office.
If a tie arises during a run-off, tie-breaking procedures shall go into effect. The two persons with the greatest number of votes shall be placed in the final vote.
Those candidates who are not in the final vote shall remain outside the Band room during the final ballot. Voting during the final ballot shall be by secret ballot. To be elected, a person must secure a majority of the votes of the Band members present contingent on their ability to fulfill Article III, Section A. However, if a candidate.s ability to perform the tasks of his or her position had been misrepresented during the course of an election, than the election is automatically null and void, and the election must be held again at the earliest possible convenience. By the same token, the Band Board itself does not have the power to impeach or force resignation from any of its officers.
Article V: FINANCES
The Band receives funds from University Relations for capital expenditures, lessons, hotels and food. Furthermore, the Band reserves the right to create accounts with University Relations into which monies for various items may be deposited or transferred. Other expenses of the Band shall be paid through the Office of Student Activities, and all funds collected by the group from any source shall be deposited with the Office of Student Activities, except as noted above. The Brown University Band agrees to follow all regulations regarding all financial transactions as set forth by the Office of Student Activities. The Band Board also reserves the right to collect dues from the membership of the band.
Article VI: ADVISOR
The Advisor meets regularly with the Band Board to advise them in their decision making regarding the management and long-term development of the Band. The Advisor assists in the musical direction of the Band as requested by the Band Board and the Student Conductors.
Article VII: AMENDMENT PROCEDURE
Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by any Band member. The amendment must first be brought up before members of the Band Board in writing and must then be brought before the Band members for a vote at the next business meeting and acted on according to Article IX of this constitution. Once an amendment has been accepted by the Brown University Band, it shall be given to the UCS Vice President at least two (2) full days before the next regularly scheduled full council meeting. A representative from the group shall attend this meeting to present this amendment for UCS approval. Upon receipt of a simple majority from UCS, this amendment shall be considered a formal part of the Brown University Band constitution.
Article VIII: IMPEACHMENT
Any officer may be impeached at any time. Any Band member may start impeachment proceedings. To impeach an officer, the motion must first be brought before the Band Board. If the motion of impeachment is brought before the Band Board, one member of the Band Board is obligated to bring the motion before the Band at the next gathering of the Band. If a Band Board member fails to do so, the person who brought the motion before the Band Board has the right to bring the motion before the Band members. To complete the impeachment proceedings, a two-thirds vote of the Band membership must be secured to impeach the officer. Only one ballot shall be taken; it shall be done by secret ballot. This is the one and only ballot to be taken even in the case of a tie, since a tie means that the necessary two-thirds vote has not been secured.
Article IX: QUORUM
The presence of two-thirds of the eligible Band membership at a meeting shall constitute a quorum. An eligible band member is defined as a band member who has paid dues for that semester. A quorum must be present at all meetings at which voting will take place. A majority vote (defined as one-half plus one) of the quorum must be secured to elect officers, and a two-thirds majority of the Band membership must be secured to amend this constitution. For all other decisions (except impeachment -- see Article XIII), a majority vote shall be required.
Article X: GENERAL REGULATIONS
1. Regulations governing admission: All students desiring admission to the Brown University Band shall audition before the Band Board.
2. Regulations regarding attendance: Full attendance shall be required at every rehearsal and designated events. Members not complying with this rule are subject to dismissal at the discretion of the Band Board.
3. Any Band member who has not violated attendance regulations may only be dismissed by unanimous vote of the Band Board.
4. Regulations governing uniforms and equipment: All members who have been issued University property shall sign for said property and be responsible for the condition of this property and return it when it is called for. Any member failing to turn in University property will be charged for said property.
5. Any band member who damages the band's equipment (outside of normal maintenance problems) will be responsible for any repairs. If a member has concerns about this, the matter shall be brought before the Band Board.
Article XI
1. All senior band members who attend the annual Bandquet shall be awarded a gift; these gifts shall be chosen by a committee appointed by the Band Board.
2. The Irving Harris Trophy shall be awarded annually by the vote of Band members to the person who has contributed most to the welfare of the Band during the previous football season. Persons shall be nominated for this award; the person who nominated each candidate shall be given adequate time to give his or her reasons as to why the nominee should be given this award.
3. The Paul L. Maddock Award shall be given to the person who has contributed most to the spirit of the Band. This person cannot be a person holding an office of the Band (i.e. President, Vice-President, General Manager, Business Manager, Corresponding Secretary, or Recording Secretary), but he or she may have been an officer in the past. The recipient of this award shall be chosen by majority vote of the Band Board with the consideration of a secret ballot vote of the band. More than one person may be given this award if the Band Board feels that more than one person is deserving of it.
4. The Walter Axelrod Award shall be given to the freshman that has contributed the most to the Band. The recipient of this award shall be chosen in the same manner as the Student Conductor (Article III, Section B), and shall be presented at the annual Band banquet. A freshman Band member is defined as any person who has joined the Band after the end of last Football Season.
5. All of the above awards shall be made at the annual Bandquet.
Article XII
This constitution, ratified on November 13th, 2001 , supersedes all former constitutions of the Brown University Band.
We, the undersigned, attest to the validity of the above information and that we are members in good standing of the Brown University Band.