Prologue

The University of Notre Dame University Faculty for Life Chapter (ND UFL) is a local chapter of University Faculty for Life (UFL). It is established with the authorization of the National Board of UFL. ND UFL is organized to promote research, dialogue, and publication by faculty, administration, and staff who respect the sacred value of human life from its inception to natural death in the spirit embodied in Evangelium Vitae and Caritas in Veritate and are committed to the legal and societal recognition of the value of all human life. ND UFL is committed to providing an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of the political, social, legal, medical, biological, psychological, ethical, and religious dimensions of life issues. It seeks to promote the pro-life cause at Notre Dame through a variety of academic and other activities.

Article I

Section I - Membership

Membership in ND UFL is open to any faculty, administration, or staff member at the University of Notre Dame who respects the sacred value of human life from its inception to natural death in the spirit embodied in Evangelium Vitae and Caritas in Veritate and is committed to the legal and societal recognition of the value of all human life. "Active members" are those that are current on all national and local dues. This includes both Regular and Associate members of the national organization as defined by the UFL bylaws.

Article II

Section I - Officers

ND UFL shall have the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and two executive board members. All officers must be active members of ND UFL.

Section II - Duties

ND UFL Officers shall have duties described below and any other duties that the President shall from time to time decide is expedient for ND UFL.

President - The President shall be the chief executive of the ND UFL. S/He shall call and preside over all ND UFL meetings and Executive Board meetings. S/He shall supervise all organization activities. S/He shall have veto power concerning ND UFL expenditures which can be overturned by two thirds of all active ND UFL members. S/He shall serve as a liaison to any such other organizations as the Executive Board deems necessary. S/He shall have the power to appoint any such assistants as s/he deems necessary to assist her/him in fulfilling the duties of her/his office.

Vice President - The Vice President shall assist the President and shall preside in case of her/his absence or disability.

Secretary/Treasurer - The Secretary/Treasurer shall take minutes of all ND UFL meetings, maintain all ND UFL correspondence, and notify members of upcoming meetings. The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify the members of upcoming meetings in any manner the Executive Board may deem appropriate, including electronic mail, postings on bulletin boards, or other communications. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the ND UFL and shall present and supervise the budget. S/He shall be responsible for any fundraising activities and for the collection of local dues.

Executive Board Members – The Executive Board Members shall participate in all of the ND UFL meetings and assist with the formulation, management, and execution of ND UFL meetings, activities, and events.

Section III – Duration of Term

A term of each office shall be one year.

Section IV – Resignation and Vacancy in Office

Should an officer wish to resign before the expiration of her/his term, s/he must submit her/his resignation in writing to the President. In the event that any officer is unable or ineligible to fulfill her/his term for any reason, an election for that office shall be held during the next regularly scheduled ND UFL meeting following the vacancy. During the vacancy, the office may be filled on an interim basis by Presidential appointment.

Article III

Executive Board

The members of the Executive Board shall be the five elected officers. The Executive Board shall administer all routine business of the ND UFL. A majority vote of the active ND UFL members is sufficient to overturn a decision of the Executive Board.

Article IV

Section I - Committees

The Executive Board shall, as the need arises, establish committees consisting of ND UFL members at large. The President shall appoint Committee Chairpersons, to take effect upon approval of the Executive Board. The Secretary/Treasurer shall chair any committee formed concerning the finances of ND UFL.

Section II - Responsibility

All committee chairpersons shall be immediately responsible to the President who shall coordinate the committees and shall assign to the committees any responsibilities delegated by the Executive Board.

Article V

Section I - Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting shall be held in April of each year. The Secretary/Treasurer shall report the status of the budget at that time. Officers for the next year shall be elected at this meeting. The newly elected officers shall assume their responsibilities on June 30.

Section II - Elections

The procedure of all elections shall be as follows:

Elections shall be held at the Annual Meeting. Three weeks before the election, the Secretary shall e-mail all members to announce the upcoming election and application deadline. Any active member interested in elective office must notify the current President by the stated deadline. An individual must be an active member to run for any of the executive board offices.

The President shall prepare ballots with candidates’ names, organized by the office they seek.

Each person desiring a ballot must first be verified by the Secretary Treasurer as an active member, whose dues are current, before receiving a ballot. No proxies shall be allowed, and all voting is by secret ballot.

The President and two active members, selected by those attending the meeting, shall tabulate the ballots. No write-in candidates shall be allowed. A simple majority must be achieved. Absent a majority, a run-off election shall be conducted between the top two vote recipients. In the event of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

No candidate for office shall preside over an election meeting.

Article VI

Amendments and Bylaws

Any active member of the ND UFL may propose amendments or bylaws to this Constitution. Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer at least fourteen days before a ND UFL Annual or Executive Committee meeting. The proposed change shall appear on the agenda for the meeting at which it is to be discussed and the vote on the proposed change shall be conducted at the next annual election. Amendments or bylaws shall take effect upon ratification by two thirds of the active members.