THE PERMANT FLOATING RIOT CLUB alias THE MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY SOCIETY CONSTITUTION Article 1 : Name and Purpose Section 1 : The name of this organization is the Permanent Floating Riot Club (PFRC); But for obvious diplo- matic reasons will go by the name of the Michigan Technological University Science Fiction and Fantasy Society or it's initials (M'TUSFAFS), which- ever is most inappropriate. Historians have called it "Captain Duesters Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Michitreck", and a variety of other unpleasant names. Chapter 2 : The prupose of this organization is to provide an outlet for the promotion of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and other related sicknesses of the mind. Sub-section 1 : Activities can fall into one or more of the following categories : open and active participation in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and/or related activities; perpetuat- ing this organization after the present members leave this hole fine university; and making money to pay for the above mentioned categories. Examples : 1. movies 2. conventioning 3. printing the newsletter (The Riot Act)/and/or fanzine 4. throwing an occasional party 5. throwing an occasional banquet 6. throwing an occasional neo for getting out of line (if you don't know what one is you probably are one) 7. bringing speakers up here 8. becoming rich and famous. Paragraph 3 : This organization will abide by all the rules of Michigan Technological University, the city of Houghton, Houghton County, not to mention the Consti- tution of the United States, the United Nations Charter, and anyone else that could give us trouble. Article 2 : Membership, Dues, and Don'ts Section 1 : Qualifications : Members shall be all people (?) that show an interest in the activities of the organization and are willing to pay good money for the privilege of joining out honored ranks ($5.00 American) each year. (2) Section 2 : Franchise : Provide that only students of Michigan Tech be officers and/or voting members. Each voting member gets one vote, not two, and three is right out. No voting member shall be allowed any more than his/her/its vote nor any less. Chapter 3 : No discrimination on the basis of race, creed, sex, age, handicap, national or planetary origin, or ANYTHING else, shall exist in this fine, upstanding organization. Section 4 : Each individual membership unit shall be responsible for his/its/her own behavior at any organizational ac- tivity. Should anyone be caught doing anything in the name of the organization, without the express permission of the organization, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of its/his/her actions. Article 3 : Fearless Leaders Chapter 1 : Officers of this organization are as follows : President, Vice-President-(President in charge of vice)Treasurer, Secretary, and various heads of committees and honorary positions as needed. Section 2 : Duties : President- to preside over meetings, act as a figure head, and attempt to get things done. Vice-President-Treasurer- shall be responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all funds and record all the business transactions of the club to be made available at all meetings. Also in the absence or deference of the President to preside over meetings. Should be familiar with the base ten number system and comfortable with it and also be able to count well past one hundred. Secretary- to conduct all correspondance of the organization and record and preserve all minutes of meetings and make these records available at all meetings. Should be able to write in language other than Elvish. Section 3 : Elections : Nominations to office will be on the sixth week of spring term with elections to be held the second to last meeting of that term. Offices shall be won by a simple majority and take effect on the last official meeting of the term (usually the week-end proceeding final exams). If any officer should vacate an office before one-year term expires, there will be a stampede to fill this effice requiring an immediate election. (3) Article 4 : Meetings Section 1 : Meetings shall be held every week at a predetermined time and place. Section 2 : 25% of the total membership shall constitute a quorum to do business unless active membership should fall below 25% total membership in which case quorum shall become 90% of those active members present. Section 3 : Special or emergency meetings may be called by a majority of officers and a regular quorum (although scheduled meetings are generally the only ones recongnized). Section 4 : Any member who suggests use of Robert's Rules of Order to govern meetings may become subject to club activity number six (see Article 1, Chapter 2, Sub-section 1, Example 6). Chapter 6 : A member shall be considered an active member if said member does not accumulate more than four unexcused absences from regular meetings per term. Article 5 : Committees Section 1 : All committees shall be formed and recognized by a majority vote of members at a regular meeting, and shall report to the President. The number of committees shall at no time exceed the numbers of members. Article 6 : Amendments Section 1 : Amendments to this constitution may be proposed at any regular meeting. The organization may ignore the silly ones. Section 2 : Such amendments shall go into effect upon ratification by a 2/3 vote cast at any regular meeting or election providing a quorum can be had. Section 3 : Proposed amendments must be annouced one meeting prior to voting on said amendment. Section 4 : Due to the obvious perfection of this constitution, any amendments are unlikely. However; should the impossible happen, lightning strike, or hell freeze over; any amendments' wording shall be writ at the time of its proposal. (4) MOTION for the establishment of a PFRC alumni association. This association will be known as ASACKA, or the All Seeing All Knowing Council of the Ancients. The members of said association being dully graduated or otherwise released members of the PFRC; The graduated members being furthermore referred to as the 'All Wise Ancients' or less formally, simply the 'Wise Ones.' The active PFRC membership would be duly enjoined to see that each venerated member receives each copy of the Riot Act, or a similar alumni newsletter, regularly. The honored alumni members would remin 1/20,000 of their annual salary, or $1.00 per year, which ever is easier. All venerated most honored Alumni members shall be treated as full voting members at any and all meetings of the PFRC that they shall deign to grace with their presence, noting here that at their discretion the revered one may suspend the requirement that the undergrad members genuflect in their presence. Conditional upon availability, each member of the Circle of the Enlightened shall receive an ancient and powerful scroll proclaiming their worhtiness, or a xerox thereof. Also, a chairman, themself exemplary among the revered, shall be appointed in ASAKCA to execute, if any should arise, all the most dire and important shit jobs needed to keep the association functioning in harmonious accord with the Universe as a hole. (5) Amendment to the PFRC Constitution : Election Procedures Nominations for all PFRC offices will be opened in April, and the elections will be held sometime in May, preferably with at least two weeks separating the two events. Nominations will remain open until just slightly after the last possible moment. All offices will be filled, including those proposed on the spur of the moment. Nominations to regular offices may be refused, but spontaneous offices cannot, as their sole purpose is ridicule and abuse. The candidate who recieves the most votes on the first ballot gets stuck with the job, unless none of them recieve more than one vote, in which case they will all hauled off and shot. If a tie occurs, the decision may be made by any method agreeable to both candidates involved (flipping coins, arm wristling, a quick hand of poker, spitballs at ten yards, etc.). All offices take effect at the last regular meeting of spring term, so that everyone can get in a few jeers before going home for the summer. If an officer should be somehow misplaced and does not seem likely to return, an immediate election shall be held to replace the wayward one with some other unlucky sap. Any being which is sentient (or can fake it well) and has paid its dues is eligible to vote. Voting may be done by a show of hands (or other body parts) or by secret ballot, whichever is least convenient. Any blood shed in the course of elections shall be cleaned up before the meeting is adjourned.