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NJASC Constitution

Our Constitution was last revised on January 9, 2002. This year, a proposal to revise the NJASC Constitution will be presented for consideration at the Spring Awards Program on May 15, 2008 and then (if approved) for ratification at the Fall Business Meeting in October 2008.

A special March 2008 edition of the NJASC Review includes the entire Constitutional revision proposal.

ARTICLE I - Name

The name of this association shall be the New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC).

ARTICLE II - Purpose

The purpose of this association shall be, but it not limited to, aiding school councils in furthering and improving student participation in school government, while publicly representing the collective opinions of the students of New Jersey.

ARTICLE III - Affiliation

This association is affiliated with the National Association of Student Councils (NASC), New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and the Middle Level Student Activities Association (MLSAA).

ARTICLE IV - Membership

Section I

Any public, parochial, or private junior, middle or high school can attain membership upon payment of annual dues.

Section II
Any county or sectional student council organization can attain associate membership (full membership, but may not submit a candidate) upon receipt of a written application and payment of annual dues.

ARTICLE V - Executive Board

Section I

The Executive Board shall consist of nine members: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, three Executive members, Middle Level Representative, and State Board of Education Representative. All Executive Board members shall be present at the executive meetings and have equal voting rights with the exception of the President who votes only in the case of a tie.

Section II

President:

The President shall preside at all meetings and shall be chairperson of the Executive Board.

Vice-President:
The Vice-President shall preside in the President's absence or leave of office, and shall handle elections and public relations.

Secretary:
The Secretary shall record all minutes, organize and put together the scrapbook, and take care of all correspondence.

Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall keep the books of the NJASC. S/he shall receive and pay all bills and shall receive the dues of member schools. S/he shall prepare a detailed statement of all funds received and expended for the NJASC during his/her tenure of office. A copy of this statement shall be mailed to member schools within a month after the annual conference. S/he shall also coordinate the Top Ten Projects program.

Executive Member in charge of State Charity:
The Executive Member in charge of State Charity shall have the responsibility of chairing the NJASC Charity Drive.

Executive Member in charge of Publications:
The Executive Member in charge of Publications shall be the editor of the NJASC Review and other NJASC publications.

Executive Member in charge of Special Projects:
The Executive Member in charge of Special Projects shall coordinate the NJASC Regional Programs and Standards of Excellence Program.

Middle Level Representative:
The Middle Level Representative shall supervise the New Jersey Student Council week and the Honor School Program.

State Board of Education Representative:
The State Board of Education Representative shall be the official voice of the students of New Jersey as a non-voting member of the State Board of Education at their monthly meetings and will report to the NJASC Executive Board concerning the activities of the State Board of Education.

Section III
An Advisory Committee shall elect the Executive Director, who shall be from a member school and shall:

  1. Serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Board.
  2. Provide continuity between the Executive Board of one year and that of another.
  3. Keep the files and records of the Association.
  4. Assist the Executive Board in setting up the annual conference, business meeting, and awards program.
  5. See to it that principals and sponsors are informed of the Association's activities.
  6. Organize and supervise the annual Leadership Training Conference (LTC).
  7. Have the right to appoint an Assistant Director.
  8. Head and organize a Coordinating Committee which shall advise the Executive Director and the Executive Board in planning of the annual LTC.

Section IV
The powers and duties of The Executive Board shall be, but are not limited to:

  1. Planning the annual conference, and business meetings.
  2. Issuing reports of the annual conference.
  3. Assisting in the organization of new local student councils and helping with the organization of county, regional, or sectional Student Council information.
  4. Serving as a clearing house for Student Council information.
  5. Having jurisdiction over all of the NJASC funds.
  6. Further carrying out the duties necessary to fulfill the purpose of the NJASC.
  7. Sponsoring a leadership training conference.
  8. Sponsoring programs for member schools.
  9. Choosing one state charity to support per year

ARTICLE VI - Eligibility for Candidacy

Section I

The map of New Jersey shall be divided into two geographic sections; North and South. Each year, eligibility for office shall alternate between these two sections:

The Northern Section shall include counties of: Sussex, Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Morris, Warren, Union, Hunterdon, and Somerset.

The Southern Section shall include the counties of: Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, Cumberland, and Cape May.

Section II
In order for a candidate to be eligible, s/he must be a sophomore or junior, and remain in high school for the duration of his/her term, except for the middle level representative who must remain in middle or junior high school for the duration of his/her term.

Section III
In order for a candidate to be eligible, s/he must be present at the Running for State Office meeting held during the annual Fall Business Meeting.

Section IV

A nominating committee, consisting of the entire Executive Board, shall begin work on elections and nominations at least four weeks prior to the annual Winter Convention. Each member school on the geographic section of that particular year shall have the privilege of recommending one candidate for a position on the Executive Board. These recommendations shall be submitted at least six weeks prior to the annual Winter Convention. The nominating committee shall then form a slate composed of at least one candidate for each office and submit this slate to member schools at the annual Winter Convention

ARTICLE VII - Election of Executive Board Members

Section I

Members of the Executive Board shall be elected at the NJASC annual Winter Convention.

Section II
All candidates shall be present at the election and shall deliver a speech not to exceed two minutes in length except in the case of the candidates for President, whose speeches shall not exceed three minutes. Only credited representatives and candidates will be admitted to the floor of the Fall Business Meeting. There shall be no bartering of votes on the floor.

ARTICLE VIII - Removal of Executive Board Members

Section I

The failure of a member of the Executive Board to attend any NJASC function without a reason, or to perform their assigned duties as previously stated, may result in his/her removal from office. Also, the school from which the officer is enrolled shall retain the right to remove him/her from office.

Section II
Any member of the Executive Board may move for the removal of another member. A vote of all members, with the exception of the person in question, shall be taken. The motion must pass unanimously.

Section III
If a position of the Executive Board, with the exception of the President, becomes vacant, the Executive Board shall choose a runner-up for the position form the present board's election. If the office of the President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall then assume the President's duties and a replacement for the Vice-President shall be found in the same procedure as mentioned above.

ARTICLE IX - Voting Power

At all meetings of the NJASC, each member school shall have one vote.

ARTICLE X - Conferences

The Executive Board shall determine the exact time and place of all NJASC conferences.

ARTICLE XI - Dues

The amount of dues shall be determined at the annual Fall Business Meeting of the NJASC. The membership year shall be from January to January the following year.

ARTICLE XII - Advisory Committee

Section I

The Advisory Committee of the NJASC shall consist of the following people:

  1. A high school advisor from the Northern section, as defined in Article VI. Term, two years.
  2. A high school advisor from the Southern section, as defined in Article VI. Term, two years.
  3. A middle school advisor elected from the section of the state that just elected officers. Term, one year

Section II
The Executive Director(s) shall be from a member school, elected by the Advisory Committee, and approved by the advisors of the member schools at the annual NJASC Winter Convention.

ARTICLE XIII - Amendments

Suggested amendments to this Constitution and by-laws must be submitted at least sixty days prior to a regular Conference and must appear in the NJASC Publication before the Conference, Suggested amendments may be proposed at the Conference and accepted for consideration by a vote of one-third of the schools having delegates in attendance at the Business Meeting. Such amendments must again appear in an NJASC publication and shall be submitted to the delegates at the following Conference Business Meeting. If ratified by 60% of the member schools, the amendment(s) shall become effective within three months of the vote.

ARTICLE XIV

The birth of this association is marked by the first interscholastic conference of student council representatives in the country. This took place on January 14, 1927, at the invitation of the student council of New Brunswick Senior High School. This is now the annual conference of the NJASC occurring every January. As a result of the unification of the student councils in New Jersey, Columbia High School was selected to write a constitution creating a statewide student council association. It was at the following annual conference that an affirmative vote of 620 delegates representing 70 schools in the estate of New Jersey made this constitution effective as of 1933. The constitution has been amended numerous times since then in order to keep the association modern, the latest of which was made effective as of the 9th of January, 2002.