بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Constitution for the Muslim Student Association of Purdue

Adopted 2006

 

Constitution Summary:

Article I – Name

Article II – Purpose

Article III – Affiliation

Article IV – Membership

Article V – Elected Officers

Article VI – Elections

Article VII – Committees

Article VIII – The Shurah Council

Article IX – Meetings

Article X – Finance

Article XI – Judiciary Procedures

Article XII – Amendments

Article XIII – Dissolution

Article XIV – Constitution Adoption, Interpretation, and Enforcement

 

Article I – Name

Section 1: Official Name

The organization will officially be known as the Muslim Student Association of Purdue University.

 

Article II – Purpose

Section 1: Mission Statement

The goal of Muslim Students Association (MSA) at Purdue University is to promote a proper understanding of Islam that is based on the Qur’an and Sunnah to all residents and students in Greater Lafayette. It is our hope that insha’Allah (God-willing), this understanding will foster mutual good-will within the community as well as clear misconceptions that are perpetuated. The MSA at Purdue stands upon the principles of inclusiveness, responsibility, and action. As an organization aimed primarily at the student body, we strive to remain inclusive of those who wish to understand, appreciate, and practice their Islam without compromising their morals and beliefs. The MSA also reaches out to those who are not Muslims, primarily to educate them about the misconceptions regarding Islam and the Islamic way of life.

 

Section 2: MSA Goals

1. The primary aim is to please Allah and to obey Him and His Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم ).
2. Promote educational Islamic Awareness through halaqas, workshops, and other activities.
3. Promote unity, brotherhood, and sisterhood among Muslims.
4. Create an awareness of Islam on the Purdue campus and community through education and interaction.
5. Educate campus authorities on how to better serve the needs of the Muslim community.
6. Develop activism of Muslims on campus and in the community.

 

 

Section 3: MSA Ideological Statement

The MSA will maintain a balance in the area of ideology, extracted from the Qur’an and teaching of the Prophet (SAW)(According to Ahl Alsunnah Waljama’ah). The MSA will not support one way of Islamic thinking over others. The MSA will as much as possible avoid presenting only a single side of an issue where there is clear disagreement amongst Muslim scholars.

 

Article III – Affiliation

 

Section 1: Affiliation with Purdue University Entities

The MSA will be a registered student organization with the Dean of Students Office and the Business Office of Student Organizations (BOSO).

 

Section 2: Affiliation with Other Organizations

The MSA will be affiliated and work closely with the Islamic Society of Greater Lafayette (ISGL).

 

Section 3: Independence of the MSA

The MSA will maintain itself as an independent entity separate from the above listed groups. The MSA will not affiliate itself with any other group, and will specifically maintain its independence from all political and ideological groups. This does not prevent the MSA from holding activities in conjunction with these groups.

 

Article IV – Membership

 

Section 1: Eligibility for General Membership

All Muslim students on Purdue Campus are considered general members of the MSA. We will not restrict membership based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical and mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran (special disabled veteran, Vietnam-era veteran or any other veteran who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized).

 

Section 2: Active Members

Only currently registered Purdue students, faculty, and staff may be active members in a registered student organization. Active members are ones who attend at least half of our events. In addition to this, in order to be considered an active member a member must have filled out a membership form and paid their dues for the academic year, if required. Only active members may vote or hold office. To be eligible to vote, a member must have paid their dues at least 2 weeks prior to election date.

 

Section 4: Removal

Any member who willfully disrupts the MSA from functioning, or causes dissention (fitna) among MSA members can be removed from the MSA membership as noted in Article XI.

 

Article V – Elected Officers

 

Section 1: Eligibility

In order to be eligible to hold office for the academic year following the elections, a member must be an active member. The candidate must be registered as a student for the entire academic year after the elections. In order for a candidate to be eligible to hold either the position of President or Vice-President, the candidate must have been an active member for at least one semester prior to the date of elections. The President position is only open to male candidates in accordance with Islamic law.

 

Section 2: Purdue Requirements for Holding Office

1. These regulations shall apply to the student officers of recognized student organizations on the West Lafayette Campus, and to the student participants in student activities representing Purdue University off campus, including extramural sports clubs, bands, glee club, and debate teams, and to those presented as student participants in all-campus dramatic and musical productions.
2. Each student organization or director of an activity shall be expected to define the requirements for eligibility of its own officers and participants.
3. Regardless of further requirements that may be established by a student organization or director of an activity, an officer or candidate for office of an organization or participant in an activity as defined in Section III-B-1of the Purdue Regulations must satisfy the following:

1. The student must be in good standing, i.e., has not been dismissed, suspended, or dropped from the University without thereafter having been readmitted.

2. Undergraduate students must have:

i.      Earned a total number of semester hours of credit not less than the number of her current classification according to the registrar minus one times 12; or

ii.     Earned a minimum of 12 semester-hours of credit in the semester immediately preceding and be currently enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours of course work.

3.  Graduate students must be enrolled as full-time, degree-seeking students.

1. University probation
   1. A student placed on disciplinary probation or probated suspension, as part of that probation, may be required to resign from an office in a student organization, refrain from seeking such an office, or discontinue participation in a special activity.
   2. Students on academic probation are not eligible to hold an executive officer position.
2. Students may not hold more than one executive officer position within an organization.

Section 3: Positions and Duties

There will be eight officers, referred to as the MSA board or simply the board. The duties for each position are the following:

 

1.       President

-       Ensure that the organization is functioning properly, and be responsible for its overall vision.

-       Direct and coordinate MSA activities.

-       Oversee the heads of the different committees

-       Be the main representative of the MSA to the media, the university, and other campus and off-campus groups, particularly ISGL.

-       The President is the primary BOSO signatory.

-       The President has added decision-making authority as outlined in Section 3 of this article.

 

2.       Vice President

-       Be the second in command in the MSA, taking on presidential duties in his absence.

-       Work closely with the president for the fulfilling the overall vision of the MSA.

-       Assist President in overseeing the heads of the different committees.

-       Follow up with the assigned duties of other board members.

 

3.       Secretary

-       Arrange board meetings and communication forums with the general membership.

-       Prepare and make available minutes from board meetings.

-       Keep track of membership.

-       Maintain a schedule of activities.

-       Reserve rooms for MSA events.

 

4.       Treasurer

-       The treasurer is the primary BOSO signatory.

-       Keep a record of all expenditures and arrange for the reimbursement of anyone who has made a pre-approved purchase for the MSA.

-       Report regularly to the board about the state of MSA’s finances.

-       Prepare and file all necessary forms for BOSO.

-       Solicit grants and donations when necessary.

 

5.       Education/Da'wah

-       Organize internal education activities for the general membership.

-       Arrange external education activities for the campus community.

-       Oversee the educational literature used by the MSA.     

-       Organize weekly halaqas, qiyams, fasting, and other religious activities.

-       Keep track of ideas for future activities submitted by our members.

 

6.       External Affairs

-       Communicate with other on-campus and off-campus groups that share interests with the MSA.

-       Assign and oversee liaisons for these organizations.

-       Conduct activities to draw more Muslims to the MSA.

-       Establish ties with other organizations on campus that share interests with the MSA.

 

 

7.       Sisters' Director

-       Be responsible for all sisters' specific activities.

-       Arrange regular social activities for the sisters.

-       Be responsible for the mentorship and academic advising of the younger members of the MSA.

-       Promote the unity of the sisters' in the MSA.

 

8.       Brothers' Director

-       Same responsibilities as the sisters' director, but on the brothers' side.

 

Section 4: Elected Officers

The board members will be elected by the active membership of the MSA as outlined in Article

VI.

 

Section 5: Decision Making Procedures

For approval, all decisions must be passed by a majority vote of the board, unless otherwise noted in this document. The President has the power to veto any decision or make any decision on his own, except decisions for which this document explicitly states the decision must be unanimous. However, usage of this power is strongly discouraged and should only be used in situations where an approved item is harmful to the MSA. For small day to day decisions or decisions that require immediate action, board members can use their discretion and make a decision on their own. However, the decision is still subject to the approval of the board.

 

Section 6: Substitution

Any board member who will not be able to satisfy their duties for a period greater than three weeks, because of travel, exams, family issues, or other valid reasons must appoint a substitute. The substitute must be confirmed by a three-fourths vote of the board. If the President requires a substitute, the Vice President will take on his duties and another substitute will be selected.

 

Section 7: Removal

Board members who repeatedly fail to satisfy their duties will be requested to resign. If the said member refuses to resign, they may be removed or demoted in accordance to Article XI.

 

Section 9: Replacement

If a board member resigns or otherwise is no longer on the board, then a replacement will be nominated by the President and must be approved by the majority of the board. If the President leaves the board, the Vice President will become President.

 

Article VI - Elections

 

Section 1: The Elections Meeting

The elections meeting will occur in the Spring Semester during March or April. The meeting time and place will be announced at least one month ahead of time on the website. There is no quorum for the meeting.

 

Section 2: Nominations

An eligible active member must be nominated by at least one other active member. The nominee, as well as the nominators must have been an active member for at least two weeks prior to the election to be eligible. Nominations will be due one week before the elections.

 

Section 3: Campaigning

No candidate may campaign on his or her own behalf, nor may anyone else campaign on the candidate’s behalf. Any one who is determined to have violated this in accordance with Article XI will be disqualified from the elections.

 

Section 4: Term

Elected Officers serve a one-year term. There is a 3-year term limit. The term starts on the first day of summer break.

 

Section 5: Elections Heads

Two MSA members will be selected by the board to run the elections at least one month before the election. Election heads are ineligible to hold office, but may vote.

 

Section 6: Diversity of Board

The board must have at least two members from each gender.

 

Section 7: Election

Only members who have been active members for at least two weeks prior to the election are eligible to vote. Each active member must vote for one person of each gender. The candidates of each gender who receive the most votes are elected to the board. Proxy and absentee votes are not allowed.

 

Section 8: Counting

After the election, results will be counted immediately by the election heads in the presence of at least one shurah member if any are available. Shurah members are described in Article IX. The results will be announced immediately. In the event of a tie, a tie-breaking run-off will be held immediately after the counting of votes.

 

Section 9: Appointing of Da’wah/Education and External Affairs Officers

After the new board is finalized, they will choose one person for each of these positions by majority vote. Preference for these positions shall be given to sisters.

 

Article VII – Committees

 

Section 1: Committee Heads

Committee heads will be appointed by the board with a majority vote. Any member can head a committee. The board will decide on the appointment process for the committee heads.

 

Section 2: Replacement

Committee heads who fail to satisfy their duties can be replaced with a majority vote by the board.

 

Section 3: Term

Committee heads will serve an appointed term determined by the board.

 

Section 4: Other Committee Members

Committees are open to all general and active members of the MSA.

 

Article VIII – The Shurah Council

 

Section 1: Purpose

The Shurah Council will serve as a mechanism to ensure the transfer of knowledge in the MSA. Board members can collectively or individually seek out the advice from the shurah on any issue.

 

Section 2: Number of Members

The Shurah Council will consist of at most ten people.

 

Section 3: Selection of the Shurah Council

The President and Vice President of the MSA are automatically added to the shurah council at the end of their terms, unless they are reelected. If one or both of these officers are reelected, the outgoing MSA board may select replacements from amongst the outgoing officers. Current MSA board members may not be on the council.

 

Section 4: Term

Shurah members will serve a 3-year term. The terms start on the first day of summer break.

 

Section 5: Extension

At the end of the term, a shurah member’s term can be extended for another year if the outgoing board agrees that the member’s presences will continue to be beneficial to the MSA. The term of the shurah member can be extended every year to include the following year.

 

Article IX – Meetings

 

Section 1: General Body Meetings

The MSA board must hold at least three general meetings a semester. Meetings will be publicized on the MSA website at least one week in advance unless there are special circumstances, such as the elections meeting or a meeting in which amendments to this document are to be discussed. The advance notice and quorums required for these meetings described in Article VII, Article XIII, and

Article XIV. There are no quorums for general meetings, and the board sets the agenda for each meeting.

 

Section 2: Board Meetings

The MSA board must hold a board meeting open to all members at least once a month, except during summer break. Board meetings can be called by the President. Meeting minutes must be made available to the shurah council on the website.

 

Section 3: Emergency Meetings

The MSA board may call an emergency meeting with a majority vote. There is no minimum advance notice for emergency meetings unless these meetings fall under other regulations, such as a meeting that discusses amendments to this document.

 

Article X – Finance

 

Section 1: Expenditure Approval

All expenditures for which a reimbursement is to be made must be pre-approved by the board if over $100. Expenditures under $100 may be approved by the treasurer and President.

 

Section 2: Accountability

The treasurer must report to the MSA in a general meeting at the end of the academic year with a summary of MSA expenses.

 

Article XI – Judiciary Procedures

 

Section 1: Major Offenses

Members of the MSA can be removed from the organization. These offenses include but are not limited to willfully creating dissent, abuse of MSA funds, abuse of MSA property, and willfully causing harm to the MSA or its members.

 

Section 2: Procedure for Members

A member can be removed from the MSA by a three-fourths vote of the officers and a majority vote of the shurah council. A meeting or conference call will be held with all of the officers and available shurah members, as well as the member in question.

 

Section 3: Procedure for Board Members

If a board member commits a major offense, or repeatedly fails to satisfy his or her duties as a board member, the board member may be removed from office. The officers can remove an individual board member to resign with a three-fourths vote.

 

Section 4: Disqualification of a Candidate

The procedure for disqualification of a candidate who has campaigned is identical to the procedure outlined in Section 2 of this article.

 

Article XII – Amendments

 

Section 1: Board Approval

Any proposed amendment must receive the unanimous approval of the board to be brought to the MSA’s active membership for a vote.

 

Section 2: Meeting

The general body meeting in which an amendment is to be discussed must be announced on the website two weeks ahead of time. The text of the amendment will be posted on the website. The quorum for this meeting is half the active membership.

Section 3: Final Approval

Only active members may vote on amendments. Proxy and absentee votes are not allowed. The amendment will become part of the constitution if three-fourths of the active members in attendance approve it, including abstentions. All amendments, changes, or deletions must be filed with Student Activities Office, 275 within one week of adoption.

 

Section 4: Non-Amendable Articles

Articles XII Section 4, Article XIII, and Article XIV cannot be amended.

 

Article XIII – Dissolution

 

Section 1: Procedure

The board must unanimously agree to dissolve the organization. The shurah council must also unanimously agree to dissolve the organization. A special meeting must be called, announced on the general email list at least one month ahead of time. The quorum for this meeting is four-fifths of the active membership, and the motion to dissolve can only be passed with a four-fifths vote, including abstentions.

 

Section 2: Financial Assets

All unspent BOSO funds shall remain the property of BOSO. All other assets shall be transferred to ISGL.

 

Article XIV – Constitution Adoption, Interpretation, and Enforcement

 

Section 1: Adoption

For this constitution to be adopted, the current MSA board must unanimously approve it. Then, the advisor must approve of the constitution. The constitution will then be turned in to the Student Activities Office for final approval.

 

Section 2: Interpretation

Any ambiguities in this constitution, or any items that are open to interpretation, will be resolved by a unanimous vote of the board. In the event that an item requires interpretation and the required support is not realized, a two-thirds majority of the shurah council including abstentions will resolve the issue. The shurah council may resolve the issue over email instead of in a meeting.

 

Section 3: Enforcement

It is the responsibility of the board to enforce the constitution. If the board does not adequately accomplish this, the shurah council will take on this responsibility.

 

Section 4: Adoption of a New Constitution

The procedure to adopt a new constitution is identical to the amendment procedure, as noted in Article XIV, except in the following areas:

1. The quorum for the meeting is two-thirds of the active membership of the MSA.

2. To adopt a new constitution, it must be approved by four-fifths of the active membership.