Constitution of Shakespeare on the Lawn

University of Virginia

as of April 2023, last amended April 2023

Article I. Name & Purpose

Shakespeare on the Lawn (hereafter referred to as SotL) is primarily a student-run organization at the University of Virginia. Its purpose is to increase the availability and accessibility of theater to the general public, primarily through free performances of Shakespeare’s works. In addition, SotL is intended to provide an environment for those interested in the theater to perform their craft.

For the purposes of this document, a SotL “project” is defined as an activity that may include (but is not limited to) performances, lectures, discussions, and readings. The final product of a SotL project must be available to the general public and must be advertised as such by SotL.

Shakespeare on the Lawn does not restrict its membership, programs, or activities on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family and genetic information.

Inclusivity Statement

Shakespeare on the Lawn (SotL) works to increase the availability and accessibility of theatre to the general public. SotL is committed to creating an environment of mutual respect where everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, or any other characteristic, can come together in pursuit of this goal.

The organization stands firmly in opposition to discrimination in any form, and particularly to bigotry which seeks to invade the community under the guise of legitimate political discourse. Any individual who seeks to divide or to demean any persons on the basis of personal attributes or beliefs does not share the values of Shakespeare on the Lawn.

Shakespeare on the Lawn seeks to foster a culture of support and collaboration. Therefore, harassment is antithetical to the goals of our organization. At the discretion of the president (who, in the case of show-specific concerns, may defer to the current mainstage director), individuals or groups who harass, bully, and/or demean other persons within SotL may be subject to consequences, including but not limited to:

Having a mediated discussion about the behavior they must immediately change, and/or
Being stripped of voting rights, and/or
Not attending or participating in any official SotL activities or events for one or more semesters.

In addition, any individual holding a position in SotL, including SotL officers, may risk losing their current position in accordance with Article VIII if they are making SotL an unsafe environment for their peers.

Article II. Membership

Chapter I. Members

SotL has an open door membership policy. While there are qualifications for voting rights, any student or non-student can become a member by auditioning, volunteering their time for publicity or tech, attending a SotL meeting, and/or simply by asking.
To obtain voting rights, members of SotL shall complete either four service hours to the organization, or two service hours and full participation in a SotL mainstage production or small project as either a cast or artistic staff member.
1. One service hour will equal roughly one hour of real time spent working on any SotL endeavor that has been approved to count for service hours.
2. Completed service hours will be self reported to the Vice President.
3. Service hours can be completed by doing any combination of the following activities. The activities on this list do not require pre-approval from the Vice President to count for service hours.
  1. Painting/constructing sets.
  2. Helping to sew or otherwise make costumes.
  3. Setting up lighting/tech.
  4. Postering for a SotL production.
  5. Tabling for a SotL event or production.
  6. Organizing/cataloging the shed or other SotL materials.
  7. Staffing or hosting a SotL social event.
  8. Driving for a SotL event.
  9. Designing/producing SotL posters, programs, or merchandise.
4. Other opportunities for service hours can also be led by members of the Executive Committee or members of a SotL production’s Artistic Staff simply by clearing the opportunity as eligible for service hours with the Vice President. Similarly, any member of SotL may petition the Vice President for certain activities to be counted as service hours.
5. Members who chose to participate in a SotL production and wish it to count towards their voting requirements must be a part of the production or small project from beginning to end and complete the duties expected of them to the best of their ability.
  1. If the director of a production feels that a member of their cast or artistic staff has not completed enough of their duties in a production to satisfy their voting requirement, they may petition the Vice President to consider that part of the requirement incomplete. The Vice President may then conduct a thorough review of the reasons stated by the director and make a judgment using their own discretion. Reasons for a director to petition that the production portion of the voting requirement be considered incomplete for an member may include, but are not limited to:
    1. Three or more unexcused absences from rehearsals or artistic staff meetings.
    2. Unexplained lack of completion of a majority of their duties. Applicable only for duties and expectations that were clearly stated at the appropriate times during the production process.
    3. Blatant lack of respect for the director or other members of the cast or artistic staff.
6. Members completing the voting requirements with two additional service hours must report this to the Vice President for record keeping purposes.
Members who wish to earn voting rights must also attend two meetings of the General Body each semester.
1. If a member cannot attend both required General Body meetings, they may replace one of the meetings with an extra service hour.
If a member of SotL would like to retain their rights but cannot due to extenuating circumstances, they should contact the Vice President, who can consult with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair(s) and Publicity Chair about how to handle their voting rights.
A member’s voter eligibility will expire after a semester in which they fail to meet these requirements, and they will not be eligible to vote until they fulfill voting requirements again.
Upon fulfillment of the voting requirements, the Vice President shall announce new voting members to the general SotL membership.
Membership in SotL shall not be restricted by age, color, disability, gender identity, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, or family medical or genetic information. Sotl shall retain the right to restrict one’s membership if a member fails to uphold the ideals of inclusivity in the above section or targets others based on any of the above categories.
Each semester, the Vice President will ask the voting members if all voting members plan to continue voting the next semester. If a voting member does not plan to vote in the semester, they may voluntarily relinquish their voting membership and will no longer count towards quorum. A member may elect to relinquish their membership at any time, by notifying the Vice President of their decision.
If a member of SotL has voting eligibility for the semester that they are studying abroad, their voting status will apply to their following semester at UVA. A voting member who is abroad may still vote absentee in any elections that occur during their abroad semester, given that they earned voting membership in the previous semester.

Chapter II. General Meetings

During both the fall and spring semesters, the general membership of Shakespeare on the Lawn shall meet at least once a month. These general SotL meetings shall be intended primarily to keep all members informed of the state of SotL’s current projects, to discuss SotL management issues, to propose and vote on new projects, and to elect officers when necessary.

Meeting Regulations
1. In order for any decision made at any general body meeting to be binding, all of the following conditions must be met:
  1. At least 4 of the 5 officers and 50 percent of the voting members must be present. Those who submit absentee ballots at least two hours prior to the meeting may count toward fulfillment of this quorum.
  2. The meeting must have been announced at least 72 hours in advance on the general SotL mailing list (sotl@virginia.edu), with a proposed agenda. Any voting member may independently propose agenda items to the general SotL membership.
  3. In order for an amendment to the constitution to be binding at a general meeting, it must pass by a 2/3 vote and 2/3 of members must be present (or approved absentee) for the quorum.
  4. The following motions must be on the announced agenda for a meeting if they are to be voted on at that meeting:
    1. Election or removal of officers
    2. Constitutional amendments
    3. Election of SotL project proposals
    4. Replacing a director for a project
  5. Excused absences from meetings may be given at the discretion of the Vice President. An excused absence will count toward the membership requirement of 2 meetings per semester in the same way as an attended meeting. Anyone seeking an excused absence must request it of the Vice President at least 2 hours before the meeting from which they wish to be excused.
Voting
1. Voting on a SotL issue can only take place during a SotL general meeting.
2. Except as noted, during a general SotL meeting, a simple majority of voting members in attendance must vote in favor of a motion for it to be passed.
3. The wording of any proposed motion on the agenda may be discussed and altered at the meeting before the final vote is taken.
4. Any voting member is entitled to cast a secret ballot in any election if they so choose.
5. Any voting member shall be allowed to cast an absentee ballot provided:
  1. The member’s excused absence from the meeting is approved by the Vice President.
  2. The member’s ballot contains the full text/proposal of the vote, as reminded prior to the meeting. Absentee voters shall specify in their ballot whether their vote is for, against, or abstaining from the intent of the proposal and/or whether their vote is for or against the wording of the proposal as it stands. If changes are made to the wording of the proposal during the meeting, the President shall determine if those changes are significant enough to constitute a change in the intent spirit of the proposal. In such instances, absentee voters should be notified as the changes are finalized and given an appropriate amount of time as decided by the President, if they do not respond within the given timeframe, then their votes will change to abstentions.
    1. If the vote is cast exclusively for the exact wording of the proposal and the exact wording is changed, this vote will also change to an abstention.
    2. Absentee ballots may provide objections and provisions for a change in their vote based on anticipated changes.
  3. An absentee voter’s objections may be read before the group before the vote is taken if they so stipulate on their ballot.

Article III. Officers

Chapter I. Collective Officer Definitions and Duties

There shall be five (5) officers in SotL: the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Fundraising Chair, and Publicity Officer.
The officers shall hold a monthly executive meeting prior to the monthly SotL general meeting An official executive meeting shall require the attendance of a majority of (minimum ⅗) elected officers. At the executive meeting, the agenda for the general meeting will be determined but not finalized. All staff members have a responsibility to attend executive meetings and must contact the Vice President if they have a conflict. It is up to the discretion of the Vice President to determine what constitutes a legitimate conflict. The Director of a SotL project, as well as the technical director (or equivalent position) of said project, are considered Staff for the duration of their project. All Shakespeare on the Lawn members (voting and non-voting) are permitted to attend executive meetings.
. All officers are responsible for maintaining an updated Binder of their job responsibilities and information and resources that would be helpful to future officers. These binders should be updated each academic year by the March General Meeting (exec elections).
The officers have the power amongst themselves to:
1. appoint staff positions. These include, but are not limited to, Keeper, Outreach Chair, Social Chair(s), Assistant Fundraising Chair, Assistant Publicity Officer, and Webmaster/Historian.
2. Establish a working budget for SotL at the first executive meeting of the academic year. This budget must take into account any budgets previously created for that year (for example, a budget submitted to Student Council.) The officers shall calculate 5% of the working budget when a small project is proposed. This amount, or $200, whichever is higher, shall be the maximum amount available to be allotted to any one small SotL project for that year. The working budget shall set financial guidelines for that academic year and following summer. Any and all revisions to the working budget must be approved by all officers.

All officers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the content of SotL’s constitution.
The following officers may not be a director or producer for a major SotL project (as defined in VI. I) while holding said SotL office: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Publicity Officer.
The officers shall serve as a resource for all SotL projects.
While holding office, elected officers must complete their regular voting requirements and also organize and lead at least one service opportunity per semester, open to any member of SotL.
1. Officers must fully participate in the service opportunities they organize alongside all SotL members participating. Officers may not use the service opportunities they lead to complete their own voting service requirements – it instead functions as an extra service hour with a leadership component.

Chapter II. Individual Officer Duties

President: The President of SotL is in charge of maintaining the group. The president shall:
1. Maintain the status of SotL as a Contracted Independent Organization (CIO) at the University of Virginia (UVA);
2. Coordinate SotL’s presence at the Student Activities Fairs with the Publicity Officer.
3. Act as liaison and representative to Student Council and any outside University or community-based organization, as the need arises;
4. Keep order during and moderate all meetings pertaining to SotL business, excepting those exclusively pertaining to a SotL project;
5. At the beginning of the fall semester, report to the general SotL membership the earliest date on which SotL may request the reservation of any performance space within the University of Virginia for the next academic year.
6. Interpret and clarify SotL’s constitution to any individual who requests it or in any necessary circumstances;
7. Uphold all constitutional procedures;
8. The President shall confer with small project directors at least every two weeks during the period of said project and update the general membership on the status of the project.
Vice President: The Vice President is in charge of assisting the President in their duties. In addition, the Vice President shall:
1. Keep a current list of voting members, updated based on attendance at every general meeting, and shall report this list to the SotL general membership.
2. Schedule and reserve space for all monthly officers and general meetings
3. Compile the monthly SotL general meeting agenda with input from the officers and general membership.
4. Distribute SotL general meeting time, location, and agenda to the general SotL membership 72 hours prior to the meeting.
5. Record minutes at all general meetings and shall distribute these minutes to the general membership within 36 hours of each meeting.
6. Serve as Secretary of Shakespeare on the Lawn during the transition of old and new officers with regards to any financial institution.
Treasurer: The treasurer shall oversee the acquisition and dispensation of funds, and must approve a budget for any SotL project and any changes to said budget. In addition, the treasurer shall:
1. Oversee and pre-approve all fundraising activities, including, but not limited to, any necessary funds from the University of Virginia , UVA Student Council, and the community of Charlottesville.
2. Take advantage of grant opportunities at their discretion.
3. Provide at SotL general meetings a monthly financial report and provide an updated financial report, current to the date the request was made, to any voting member of SotL within one week of said request.
4. Coordinate the finances of any and all SotL projects with the producers of each project.
5. Be responsible for relations with, and serve a liaison to, SotL’s financial institution (i.e. bank).
6. coordinate reimbursements from any SotL funds to individuals and organizations, including payment of SotL storage space fees.
7. Keep a record of all SotL’s current and past liquid and physical assets.
8. Maintain and promote all activities related to SotL’s online merchandising vendor.
Fundraising Chair: The fundraising chair organizes fundraising events to support SotL projects. In addition, the fundraising chair shall:
1. Coordinate the selling of concessions during the run of each SotL mainstage production.
  1. If the fundraising chair is involved with the mainstage production in a capacity that prevents them from coordinating concessions, this responsibility falls on the assistant fundraising chair. If both the chair and assistant chair are involved in the production, they may opt to appoint a House Manager to coordinate concessions.
2. Plan and execute at minimum one non-concessions fundraiser per academic semester.
3. Plan and execute the Sonnetgram fundraiser to be held during the week of Valentine’s Day in the spring semester. Duties include coordinating sonnetgram creation, sales, and deliveries.
Publicity Officer: The publicity officer oversees promotion of the name of SotL and all SotL projects to the University and surrounding community. In addition, the publicity officer shall:
1. coordinate with directors and their staff to promote all SotL projects.
2. Coordinate with officers and staff to promote SotL as an organization and to attract new members.
3. Coordinate SotL’s presence at the Student Activities Fairs with the President.
4. Maintain a record of all publicity activities to include the attendance and duration of work completed by all current and potential members of SotL. An updated record of publicity credits should be sent to the Vice President by each General Meeting.

Article IV. Staff Positions

SotL Staff positions are appointed at the end of each spring semester by the current officers and the officers elect. In the event that this results in a tie, the president-elect shall make the final decision. Once appointed, staff members are expected to complete voting requirements during each semester in which they serve. All staff members are responsible for maintaining an updated binder outlining their positions’ responsibilities and providing resources for future staff members, in order to aid future staff members in understanding their positions. This binder should be updated each academic year by the April General Meeting.

Chapter I. Outreach Chair

The outreach chair shall act as a liaison to and a resource for SotL alumni, alumni, oversee SotL’s reading series, and serve as a liaison between SotL and the greater Charlottesville

community. The outreach chair shall:

Act as a liaison between the general membership of SotL and SotL alumni by
1. Keeping an updated contact list of alumni contact information.
2. Creating and distributing a newsletter for and about SotL and SotL’s alumni, no less than once a semester.
3. Promoting community between and among alumni and the general SotL membership.
Oversee SotL’s reading series by
1. Organizing at least one reading series event per semester, as well as a summer reading series event,
2. Choosing a director for each reading series event, which must be approved generally by the rest of SotL exec,
3. Possibly overseeing other elements of each reading series event, including the choice of show, artistic staff, etc, or by choosing to delegate these decisions to the director.
4. d. Securing a venue in which the reading series can take place.
Serve as a liaison with the greater Charlottesville community by
1. Reaching out to Charlottesville-based organizations and businesses for possible partnerships, sponsorships, etc,
2. Working with the rest of exec to ensure that SotL maintains a strong presence in the Charlottesville community.

Chapter II. Social Chair(s)

The social chair(s) shall organize and promote social activities for SotL. The elected officers shall determine how many social chairs are necessary. In the event that there are multiple social chairs, they may divide responsibilities as they see fit, provided that all responsibilities are filled. The social chair(s) shall:

Organize social activities that may include, but are not limited to: parties, readings, and outings. They shall find venues for said activities and organize set-up and clean-up of said activities.
Promote SotL community between project participants and the SotL general membership.
1. Organize a final ceremony for graduating and departing SotL members and participants at the end of the spring semester.

Chapter III. Assistant Fundraising Chair

The assistant fundraising chair shall aid the fundraising chair in the organization and promotion of SotL fundraising activities, including but not limited to Sonnetgrams.
The assistant fundraising chair shall aid the fundraising chair in all their duties enumerated in Article III, Chapter II.iv, and perform other duties as assigned by the fundraising chair.

Chapter IV. Keeper

The Keeper shall maintain a current inventory of SotL’s physical assets. At the conclusion of every SotL project, the Keeper must collect a report from that project’s Producer and/or Technical Director pertaining to the status of all SotL property including, but not limited to, alterations, damages, and new acquisitions.

The Keeper will coordinate with the Treasurer to secure storage space for SotL’s physical assets and maintain a current inventory of the storage space(s). The Keeper must also provide this continuously updated inventory to the Treasurer.
The Keeper will be responsible for the purchase, upkeep, and storage of all SotL weapons (including, but not limited to, swords and guns) as well as SotL lighting equipment (including, but not limited to, light fixtures, dimmers, spare lamps and fuses, control consoles, electrical cables, gels, patterns, and frames).
1. These items must be stored safely and, as appropriate, in a climate-controlled environment, though the Keeper is not required to provide such storage space.
2. At their discretion, the Keeper may oversee the loan or rental of SotL’s equipment to other organizations, provided that the renting party assumes full responsibility for, and is trained in the safe handling of, the equipment.
3. It is recommended that the large light board (“Liz Kerberos White”) and the gel frames not be rented out.
4. It is encouraged, but not required, that the Keeper also serve as lighting director for SotL projects.
  1. New purchases shall be reimbursable by SotL to the extent that they are covered by the working budget (see Article III.I.iii.b).
5. When SotL does not have a climate-controlled storage, the Keeper of Tech will also hold onto the make-up supplies in a safe, climate-controlled space.
6. If possible, the light and weapons keeper position should be combined with another elected or appointed position (i.e. one individual would take on the duties of keeper in addition to the duties of their primary position), however a separate keeper may be appointed if necessary.

Chapter V. Assistant Publicity Officer

The assistant publicity officer aids the publicity officer in promotion of the name of SotL and all SotL projects to the University and surrounding community. The assistant publicity officer shall aid the Publicity Officer in all their duties enumerated in Article III, Chapter II.v, and perform other duties as assigned by the Publicity Officer.

Chapter VI. Webmaster/Historian

The webmaster/historian is in charge of maintaining SotL’s web presence and maintaining the general SotL mailing list, and documenting and preserving all SotL projects. In addition, the webmaster/historian shall:
1. Maintain a current copy of the SotL constitution on the SotL website and update it according to changes noted in the meeting minutes.
2. Be a resource on digital equipment and technology resources (including, but not limited to, recording and photographing show) for directors, the historian, and the general SotL membership, should any of them require such assistance.
3. maintain and update a written history of SotL and all SotL projects, made available on the SotL website.
4. coordinate with the directors to document projects. This may include, but is not limited to, video recording and photographing projects.
5. Be a resource to the outreach chair

The webmaster may make minor grammatical and formatting corrections to the SotL constitution for clarity and correctness without a constitutional amendment, so long as these edits do not result in policy or language changes. The webmaster must show any such edits to the president, who may veto them if the edits constitute a substantial change.

Article V. Project Positions

Every SotL project must have a director and producer. All directors and producers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the content of SotL’s constitution.

Chapter I. Director

Within the sphere of their project, the Director shall have full creative and administrative authority.
The director of any project is ultimately responsible for all aspects of that project.
The responsibilities of the Director may include, but are not limited to, holding auditions and rehearsals, and ensuring the realization of a final product.
The director has the authority and right to act as representative and liaison of their project to the general SotL membership and outside entities for the purposes of their project.
To assist in their duties, a director may appoint any number of project staff members as they deem necessary. The director may also remove and or replace any project staff member.
For any major SotL project, the director must appoint a producer and a technical director. For small SotL projects, the director may also fulfill the duties of the producer and a technical director.
The director may elect to credit substantial contributions to the technical aspects of the project toward the publicity requirement for SotL membership (see Article II.I.iv).
1. In this case, the director, or a designated project staff member, shall track such participation and report a list of names to the Vice President within 48 hours of the conclusion of the project. “Technical aspects” may include but is not limited to set construction, painting, costumes, lighting, and storage logistics.

Chapter II. Producer

The producer of any project is responsible for the financial aspects of said project.
1. For their project, the producer shall create a budget with the director, the SotL treasurer, and the project’s staff members.
2. The producer must submit any budget to the Treasurer that is intended to be funded by Student Council; and the Treasurer applies for funding of their behalf
In working with the director, cast, and crew, the producer shall perform all scheduling duties, including securing space for and announcing all rehearsals and performances.
The producer or an appointed staff member must provide the Vice President with a full record of all SotL property used in their production, as well as any changes pertaining to the status of that property within a week of the end of the project.
The producer shall perform other duties as assigned by the director.

Chapter III. Technical Director

The Technical Director is chosen by the Director in order to organize and mobilize the technical aspects of the project.
In working with the technical portion of the artistic staff that a director may choose, the Technical Director is to oversee, manage, and support the needs to promote technical aspects of the project.
For the semester appointed, the Technical Director of the mainstage production will serve on the executive staff, as aforementioned in Article III, Chapter 1, Section 2, Part d, and for the duration of said semester, the Technical Director serves as the representative for technical theater related questions or requests that may arise either in or out of the SoTL members.
The Technical Director is furthermore responsible for recording hours of technical participation for member, as laid aforementioned (see Article II.I.iv) and report technical credits to the Vice President
1. It is at the discretion of the Technical Director to define what is technical participation and whether or not it should be awarded
It is the duty of the Technical Director to oversee the performance space, as a concern for safety, or pass on the duty at their discretion
If the Student Activities Building is used, then the Technical Director is responsible for working with Newcomb for the purposes of:
1. Obtaining and keeping the key
2. Meeting with the safety office
3. Scheduling fire inspection

Article VI. Clarification on Projects

The production of projects, as defined in Article I, are SotL’s main purpose.

Chapter I. Major SotL Projects

Every academic year, SotL will produce two (2) and only two major SotL projects.
A major SotL project is a play that may or may not be written by William Shakespeare.
1. Every major SotL project shall have a director, a producer, and a technical director; and they must be different people.
Every major SotL project must have auditions that are open to the University and surrounding community. All auditions for a major SotL project must be advertised.
All performances of major SotL projects must have free admission.
The president, vice president, treasurer, and publicity officer of SotL may not be a director of a major SotL project while holding their SotL office. The president, vice president, and publicity of SotL may not be a producer of a major SotL project while holding their SotL office.
Resource allocation including, but not limited to, the location of, funding for, and use of liquid and physical assets shall be determined for major SotL projects prior to such resource allocation for small SotL projects.

Chapter II. Small SotL Projects

Any SotL project that is not a major SotL project is a small SotL project.
A small SotL project shall have a director and a producer, and both positions may be filled by the same person.
The amount of SotL funds put toward a small SotL project may not exceed $200 or 5% of the SotL working budget as determined by the officers at the first officers meeting of the year (see Article III.I.iii.b).
1. In addition, the SotL treasurer shall pre-approve a budget for every small SotL project which includes internal and external funding of said project.
2. The director and producer of a small SotL project may request that the officers review the treasurer’s decision with regards to the budget of said project. The officers may vote to amend the treasurer’s decision with a 4/5 majority.

Article VII: Elections

Chapter I. Officer Elections

All elections are to be moderated by the President. Therefore, the President is obligated to act in as unbiased a manner as possible. If the current President is running for office, a current officer not running will moderate in their place.
All SotL officers shall be elected by a simple majority of present and absentee voting members at the SotL General Meeting in March or by special election.
Officers shall be elected in the order listed in Article III, Chapter I.i.
The election of each position will follow the below procedure:
1. All of the candidates for each officer position will leave the room and re-enter one at a time to give speeches individually. Speeches will have a 5-minute cap but are encouraged to be brief.
2. Once all candidates have given their speeches and left the room, anyone in the room may present a question to be asked of any or all candidates. If three or more candidates are running for the same position, the number of questions will be limited to five per candidate. The President shall record these questions.
3. Each candidate will re-enter the room individually, and will be asked by the President the questions that have been recorded.
4. After the candidate answers the question, the president can ask the voting membership if there are any motions for follow up questions. If there is a motion for a follow-up and it is seconded, the voting member may ask the candidate a follow up question. Any member can motion or second for a follow up question, with a hard limit of three follow-up questions per candidate.
5. Once all candidates have answered their respective questions, the voting members will proceed immediately to a vote.
6. In the event that no candidate acquires a simple majority, there will be a runoff election of the two candidates with the most votes.
7. In the event that 2/3rds majority vote abstains, then a special election shall be held for the particular position.
8. Any candidate who fails to win an office may run in any subsequent race.
Elected officers assume their duties on the day at which the official CIO renewal process is completed during the spring semester.
1. All officers are elected for terms of one year. To be elected as an officer one must be a voting member of SotL as described in Article II and a student of the University of Virginia .

Chapter II. Director Elections

All project directors must be elected at a general SotL meeting.

Major SotL projects.
1. Directors for the major SotL project in the Fall shall be elected in the February general SotL meeting. Directors for the major SotL project in the Spring shall be elected in the September general SotL meeting.
2. All present and absentee voting members may vote for up to as many SotL projects as are proposed, with ranked choice voting. All shows must be clearly voted for, either by rank or by abstention.
3. Each nominee will have 10 minutes to give their presentation. After this period the candidate will have 10 minutes to field questions from those present. Once this time period has elapsed, any voting member may motion for an additional 10 minute period for questions. If the motion is seconded, question time will continue. Only one extension can be granted per show. After the question period ends, the next nominee will have a chance to present.
4. Once each proposal has been presented, the candidates, as well as any persons that have been appointed as Assistant Directors in the proposals, will leave the room. The floor will then open to discussion about the proposals. 10 minutes will be allotted for each proposal; if the motion is seconded, an additional 5 minutes will be granted. Only one extension can be granted per show. After each show has been discussed, another 10 minute period will be allotted to discuss all of the shows together. An additional 5 minute period may be added if a motion to extend is made and seconded.
5. The proposal that receives the largest number of votes shall be the major SotL project for the next academic semester.
6. In the event that 2/3 majority vote abstains, then a special elections shall be held.
7. In the event of a tie, there shall be a runoff election to be administered by the president.
8. Prior to discussion, candidates may opt in to receive feedback written by the President and reviewed by the rest of elected exec (excluding any elected exec members who proposed a project at this time). If a candidate opts in to feedback, the President will take anonymous notes on constructive comments during discussion. The President shall send the feedback document(s) within one week of the proposal meeting.
Small SotL projects.
1. Anyone may propose to direct a small SotL project at any general SotL meeting. Anyone wishing to propose a small project must announce their intent to direct at least one week prior to the meeting at which the show is to be formally presented for election.
2. All small SotL project directors shall be elected at a SotL general meeting by a simple majority of present and absentee voting members.
3. Each small project director candidate will have 10 minutes to give their presentation. After this period the candidate will have 10 minutes to field questions from those present. If there are no more questions, the period will end and the next candidate (if there is more than one small project proposal) will have a chance to present.
4. Once the proposal presentations have concluded, the candidate(s), as well as any persons that have been appointed as Assistant Directors in the proposals, will leave the room. The floor will then open to discussion about the proposal(s). 10 minutes of initial discussion will be allotted for each proposal. After the allotted ten minutes, any present voting member may motion for an additional 5 minute extension. More than half the present voting members must vote to confirm the 5 minute discussion extension. This extension may be repeated as discussion time expires for as many times as confirmed by more than half the present voting members. If at the end of the initial 10 minutes of discussion the members have additional questions for the candidate(s), the President or other appointed discussion moderator may compile a list of no more than three (3) questions from the present members. The candidate(s) may then be recalled to answer the questions asked by the President or other appointed discussion moderator. After answering, the candidate(s) will withdraw. Should there be more than one proposal, another 10 minute period will be allotted to discuss all of the shows together. An additional 5 minute period may be added if a motion to extend is made and confirmed by more than half of the present voting members.
  1. Prior to discussions, candidates may opt-in to receive feedback on their proposals, excluding any commentary on their character. If the option of opt-in is taken, then the moderator will take anonymous notes on constructive comments

Chapter III. Special Elections

Special Elections for Officers:
1. If an officer should choose to step down during their term, or should be removed from office as outlined in VIII.I, a special election shall be held at the next first possible general membership meeting to determine a replacement. The new officer shall assume their duties immediately after the election. The procedure for special elections is the same as the procedure for regular elections.
Special Elections for Directors.
1. If the director of a major SotL project should choose to step down or is removed before casting for their show, a special election shall be held at the first possible general SotL meeting to elect a new director and major SotL project.
2. If the director of a major SotL project should choose to step down or is removed after casting for their show, the project’s staff and the officers of SotL shall select a new director. This director shall come from the project staff if the project staff so desires.
3. If the director of a small SotL project should choose to step down or is removed, then there shall be a meeting of the SotL officers and the participants in said project to determine the continuation or dissolution of the project. If the project is continued, then this group must appoint a new director.
Special Election due to Abstention
1. Officer Election
  1. Only the position that received the abstention will have the special election; and all candidates who previously ran are permitted to run again
  2. Election procedures will follow as laid out in Article VII.I
  3. The election will take place no later than the next general SotL meeting, but may take place sooner
2. Major SotL Shows
  1. Election procedures will follow as laid out in Article VII.II.1
  2. All proposals submitted in the initial election must be resubmitted; and are allowed to be altered between elections
  3. Election must take place no later than the next general SotL meeting, but may take place sooner; however, there must be an adequate time between meetings to allow for submissions

Article VIII. Removal of Officers, Staff, and Directors

Chapter I. Removal of Officers

If the SotL general membership should feel that an officer has been delinquent in their duties, any voting member may propose on the agenda for a general SotL meeting to remove an officer from office.
For a motion to remove an officer to pass, at least two-thirds (2/3) of the current voting members of SotL must vote in favor of their removal, regardless of the number of people at the meeting.

Chapter II. Removal of SotL Staff

The officers of SotL may replace at any time any SotL appointed position with a unanimous vote.

Chapter III. Removal of Project Staff

The director of any SotL project may remove any project staff member at any time, as they deem necessary. The director may remove the producer, provided that the producer is immediately replaced.

Chapter IV. Removal of Directors

If the participants in a project and/or the general SotL membership feels that a Director is being delinquent in their responsibilities, a vote may be called at a general SotL meeting by any member of SotL or any one directly involved with the project to replace the Director for that project. The proposal must be announced in accordance with the guidelines in Article II. II. i.
If the vote is called by a SotL voting member who is not directly involved in the project, their motion must be seconded by someone directly involved in the project.
To remove the director of a major SotL project, at least two-thirds (2/3) of the persons directly involved in the project must vote in favor of the removal, as well as two-thirds of the voting SotL membership.
To remove the director of a small SotL project, at least two-thirds (2/3) of the people directly involved in the project must vote in favor of their removal.

Article IX. Enactment of this Constitution

Chapter I. Ratification

This constitution can only be approved at a meeting consistent with the guidelines outlined in this document. Furthermore, a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present at the meeting is required to ratify this document. If passed, the constitution shall take effect immediately after the vote.

Chapter II. Emendation

This constitution can only be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present at the meeting. If passed, amendments shall take effect immediately after the vote. This amendment can only be approved by a vote consistent with the guidelines outlined within it.

Article X. Violation of this Constitution

Chapter I. Consequences

Any violations of this constitution that has enumerated consequences shall be followed as stated. Any violation that does not have an enumerated consequence shall be determined at the discretion of the officers and must receive an unanimous decision to execute.

Our Constitution