College Student Personnel Association
Constitution
Article I - Name
This organization shall be known as the College Student Personnel Association of Eastern Illinois University and may be refered to as COSPA.
Article II - Purpose
This organization shall function with the following purposes:
A. To provide professional development opportunities for the students in the College Student Affairs (CSA) Program.
B. To promote cohesiveness and interaction among the students in the EIU CSA graduate program and to provide a structure through programming, social activities, and special projects to take place.
C. To increase awareness and understanding of the function of professional associations in the field of student affairs.
D. To assist students in the CSA program in academic and professional skill development.
E. To increase awareness of CSA as a field of study.
Article III - Membership and Dues
Section 1
The membership of COSPA shall consist of participatory members as defined below:
A. Participatory Membership - Any full or part time student enrolled at Eastern Illinois University can become a member when they pay their dues.
Section 2
Dues of $20 shall be paid by participatory membership, per year. They are $10 per semester. Dues are collected by the Executive Administrator and are subject to change by a majority vote of the full membership.
Article IV - Executive Officers
The executive officers of COSPA shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Executive Administrator, Professional Development Chair, Community Development Chair, Recruitment Chair, and Public Relations Chair.
Article V - Duties of Executive Officers
Section 1
President shall have the following duties:
A. To call meetings and preside over the same
B. To set and attend all Executive Board and full membership meetings, discuss present programming activities and proposed programming events, set goals, etc....
C. To encourage interaction and discussion among the executive members
D. To develop and distribute an agenda at all meetings.
E. To delegate tasks and to follow up on those delegated tasks
F. To oversee all programs and activities.
G. To represent COSPA at any other campus organizations or events as requested.
Section 2
Vice-President shall have the following duties:
A. To assume the duties of the President in the absence or disability of the latter.
B. To attend all Executive Board meetings and weekly full membership meetings.
C. To coordinate special projects as needed and arise and oversee the resulting special committees.
D. To serve as liaison between COSPA and the Department of Counseling and Student Development.
E. To coordinate award applications for all upcoming conferences and other such events
F. To coordinate fund-raising for the group.
G. To search and communicate scholastic opportunities and events.
H. To make sure CSA is represented on GSAC.
Section 3
Executive Administrator has the following duties:
A. To attend all Executive Board meetings and weekly full membership meetings.
B. To function as recording secretary at all executive meetings.
C. To write, duplicate, and distribute all meeting minutes to the executive board
D. To type upon request all special correspondence regarding COSPA.
E. To oversee proposals for funds and allocation of those funds, in conjunction with the advisor.
F. To keep a record of all income and expenditures.
G. To keep a record of all dues.
H. To give a report on the financial standing of the group at every weekly full membership meeting.
I. To review the constitution once a year and recommend any needed changes.
Section 4
Professional Development Chair has the following duties:
A. To chair the Professional Development Committee (PDC) and solicit membership of the committee.
B. To assess the current educational and professional development programming needs and desires of CSA graduate students.
C. To coordinate educational and professional development programming according to the results of a needs assessment.
D. To collect and distribute information regarding professional associations to COSPA members.
E. To coordinate new CSA student mentoring.
F. To attend all Executive Board meetings and full membership meetings.
Section 5
Community Development Chair has the following duties:
A. To chair the Community Development Committee (CDC) and solicit membership for the committee.
B. To call all meetings of the CDC and preside over them.
C. To coordinate social programming according to the results of a needs assessment.
D. To attend all Executive Board meetings and full membership meetings.
E. To develop one community service project each semester.
Section 6
Public Relations Chair has the following duties:
A. To chair the Communications Committee and solicit membership for the committee.
B. To call all meetings of the Communications Committee and preside over it.
C. To coordinate and distribute the publicity of all events.
D. To coordinate the public relations efforts of COSPA.
E. To coordinate the publishing of a monthly newsletter for on campus members and a semesterly newsletter for alumni.
F. To coordinate and update the WebPages.
G. To attend all Executive Board meetings and full membership meetings.
Section 7
Recruitment Chair has the following duties:
A. To coordinate the planning of College Student Affairs Days in the Spring Semester.
B. To solicit membership to the graduate student recruitment committee.
C. To communicate with all prospective graduate students through email, letters, or any other form of communication needed to inform them of recruitment events.
D. To work on recruitment all year long by creating publication materials, post EIU information on the internet, and attend conferences for recruitment.
Section 8
The Advisor shall have the following duties:
A. To serve as the liaison between COSPA and the Department of Counseling and Student Development.
B. To provide support for COSPA activities.
C. To inform alumni of COSPA's activities through the alumni newsletter and other forms of communication.
Article VI - Meetings
Section 1
Full COSPA meetings shall be held every week and shall be operated under Robert's Rules of Order. They will be held at a time and place which is suitable for the members of COSPA.
Section 2
Executive Board meetings shall be held at least once a year for goal setting and at the request of the President.
Section 3
The President or Vice-President may also call special emergency meetings if a need arises. The Executive Board members shall assist in notifying all members.
Section 4
Quorum shall be half of the participatory members.
Article VII - Elections
Executive Board Elections will be executed the first week of November for the following semester. These positions shall be filled during the first week of the semester as needed. The Executive Board Elections should adhere to the following guidelines:
A. Any voting member (defined as a participatory member) is eligible for any of the Executive Board positions.
B. A member can nominate any voting member or him/herself to be a candidate for any office.
C. After assuring the nominees approval, each position starting with the President shall be voted on separately by secret ballot.
D. Nominees who run for a position and are not elected may run for another office.
Article VIII - Amendments
Amendments may be ratified by a simple majority of the participatory members who are present. Amendments shall be declared adopted which are presented at two full membership meetings and receive a majority vote at both meetings by the voting members present.
Updated: August 31, 2006
