The iNtuitons Constitution
PREAMBLE
iNtuitons, an experimental theatre group at the University of Pennsylvania founded in 1980, in order to provide an outlet for ideas "classical," "avant-garde," "experimental,” or otherwise too unusual to be supported by other groups in the Theatre Arts Council, does hereby re-establish this Constitution in the spring of 2015.
ARTICLE I
Section 1: Membership
A member of iNtuitons is an affiliate[1] of the University of Pennsylvania who has participated fully[2] in at least one iNtuitons production.
ARTICLE II
Section 1: Mission
The Board of Governors is responsible for the continuing existence of the group.[3]
Section 2: Composition
The Board shall be composed of at least seven members: Chair, Vice-Chair/Social Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Technical Director, PAC/TAC-e Representative, and Webmaster, to be chosen in the spring before May 1 each year by the group membership. If there are more than 7 board members, we encourage separate roles for Vice Chair and Social Chair, the DEI Chair, and the creation of the Assistant Technical Director position. If necessary, positions may be held by two individuals at the discretion of the board. The Board shall be composed of not more than eleven members, with specific positions (including General Board Member) assigned internally. [4]
Section 3: Elections to Board
A valid election must involve the participation of at least two-thirds of the Board of Governors. The electoral system shall be executed as follows:
Section 4: Elections within Board
Board positions shall be determined at a meeting after the board membership has been elected. Only the new board may nominate or vote, but all members may attend to voice their comments. The electoral system shall be executed as follows:
Section 5: Der Über Board
Each year's Board may officially act as the Board of Governors once new positions have been assigned. The previous board shall maintain responsibility for all projects initiated during its tenure until the end of the spring semester. Each old board member must fully transition their successor.[8]
ARTICLE III
Section 1: Chair
Duties of the Chair: to call meetings, to run elections and meetings, to generally ensure that all responsibilities of the Board are fulfilled, to perform any other duties not delegated to other board members, to interpret this constitution when disputes arise over its meaning, to act as producer-mentor, and to ensure that “iNtuitons” is spelled correctly on all materials. [9]
There may be two Co-Chairs on the board. In this case, one Chair presides over the board for the Alternative Theatre Festival and the fall show. The other Chair will preside over the board for the winter and spring shows.
No member may hold the position of Chair for more than two semesters, which may either be consecutive or non consecutive.
Section 2: Vice-Chair
Duties of the Vice-Chair: to assist the Chair in all capacities, to act as Chair whenever the Chair is unable to do so, to maintain an alumni directory, to hold at least one alumni event per year.
Section 3: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair
Duties of the DEI Chair: to introduce initiatives around wellness and DEI, and to implement them alongside iBoard after iBoard’s approval. The DEI Chair will lead the conversation about scripts and identify sensitive content related to representation, DEI, language, etc, and assist with DEI conversations in rehearsal rooms. They will attend any TACe or PAC training and conversations related to DEI, relay relevant information back to board, and accomplish necessary duties related to these events. They will spearhead initiatives during auditions and other recruitment periods to reach out to underrepresented groups in TACe.
In the case that a DEI Chair is not elected, the DEI Chair’s roles will be assumed by the remaining board members.
Section 4: Technical Director
Duties of the Technical Director: to advise, assist, and monitor the technical aspects of all productions. The technical director will oversee all technical aspects of the production. They will also serve as load-in specialist, unless this position is otherwise delegated.[10]
Section 5: Treasurer
Duties of the Treasurer: to represent iNtuitons at all SAC meetings and any other relevant meetings, to produce a budget detailing annual expenses for the following academic year, to present it before and submit it to SAC, to present the iNtuitons Account Summary[11] to the Board after the completion of each production.
Section 6: Secretary
Duties of the Secretary: to record and distribute minutes of all board meetings, to keep and update a list of membership, to record a brief history of each show, to update the Constitution when amended.[12]
Section 7: PAC/TAC-e Representative
Duties of the PAC/TAC-e Representative: to attend all PAC and TAC-e meetings and events, to communicate all necessary information to the board, to ensure that all necessary PAC and TAC-e responsibilities (including the completion of show-related forms) are fulfilled, and to serve as the designated member of any collaborative inter-board productions (e.g. One Acts).
Section 8: Webmaster
Duties of the Webmaster: to manage the iNtuitons social media presence and the website; to publicize actively the Alternative Theatre Festival, director proposals, and Board elections; and to liaise with each production’s Publicity Manager.[13]
Section 9: Social Chair
Duties of the Social Chair: to plan the date, time, and location of all social events (BYOs, mixers, opening and closing night parties, etc.) for Board and each show’s production staff; to acquire necessary food and beverages; to coordinate outing logistics; to maintain both board and production social calendars; and anything else deemed necessary and proper.
Section 10: General Board Member
Duties of a General Board Member: to fulfill any responsibilities not otherwise held by other positions and to assist all other board members in their duties.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1: Impeachment
At a formal meeting announced at least 48 hours in advance, a two-thirds majority of the board may impeach a member of the board. To initiate impeachment proceedings, the concerned parties must produce a written petition which includes the name of the person being impeached, the reasoning for impeachment proceedings, and signatory approval of at least ⅓ of board membership. This petition must be delivered to the chair. If the impeachment process is directed at the impeachment of the chair, the vice-chair shall conduct the meeting and shall be responsible for contacting the chair and announcing the board meeting. A board member not fulfilling their responsibilities as outlined by this Constitution is grounds for impeachment.
Section 2: Necessary and Proper
The Board shall be empowered: to create and fill such offices within the club as may seem necessary and proper[14]; to fill any positional vacancies which occur during the year; and to establish such rules for its own proceeding as it may deem necessary.[15]
ARTICLE V
Section 1: Regular Meetings
The Board shall meet at least once every month during the fall and spring semesters. A quorum consists of at least four board members. Board members have one vote except in the case of a tie where a re-vote shall be held and the Chair shall have two votes. A simple majority is required and secret ballot shall be kept if any board member should wish it.
Section 2: [redacted](deleted April 17, 1991)
Section 3: Proposals
The Board shall solicit proposals and interview potential directors for all productions before the end of the previous semester, the purpose of which shall be to determine both the semester’s show and its director. The director and producer of any production may be an iNtuitons board member if they are so qualified. If the Chair wishes to direct any iNtuitons production, the Vice-Chair shall assume any show-related Chair responsibilities for the duration of the show.
Section 4: Show responsibilities
Each Board member shall hold a position[16] in the production staff of all iNtuitons shows during their tenure.
Section 4: Collaborations
On collaborations: Let iNtuitons never forget her precious autonomy, but work in harmony with such groups deemed worthy. We shall collaborate in any cases where our partnership with other groups allows us to ascend to new heights of theatrical excellence. "Your corn is ripe today; mine will be so tomorrow. 'Tis profitable for us both, that I should labour with you today, and that you should aid me tomorrow." (David Hume)
ARTICLE VI
Section 1: Amendments
The Constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Governors.
Section 2: Ratification
The Constitution is hereby ratified on the twenty-eighth of March in the year two thousand fifteen by unanimous vote of the current Board of Governors:
Alex Polyak, Chair
Carla Hoge, Vice-Chair
Jeremy Cohen, Treasurer
Noelle McManus, Tech Director
Saseen Najjar, Secretary
Ahmed Mohieldin, TAC-e Representative
Eirini Lemos, Publicity Manager
Stephanie Zhu, Webmaster
Matt Sirkot, Social Chair
NOTES
[1] Affiliation with the University of Pennsylvania is a requirement for involvement in an iNtuitons production. The Board of Governors may waive this requirement for reasons that it deems appropriate.
[2] If elections are held before the completion of the Spring show, the Board of Governors may waive the “fully” requirement.
[3] Should the apocalypse come, one board member must be the designated survivor.
[4] The Great Uber Board Fiasco of 2013-2014: This was an exceptional circumstance whereby prior (“these are George W. Bush’s wars”) boards had royally fucked up in pursuing recruitment, leading to a dearth of members. In a moment of crisis, seven freshmen members were recruited and as a result, we had a board where the majority of members were one class. Future boards should bear in mind that it may be possible to create an uber-board, where there are more than 12 members, with the senior-most members taking “Senior Status” as an advisory/transition type role. But in general, through painful experience, the board of governors is best capped at 12 members.
[5] Preferably an iNtui-Alum, TAC-e Chair, or (as per tradition) the Chair of PenNaatak.
[6] For example, if a nominee is ranked by five voting members as rank 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8, their final vote will be 27. Each candidate must receive one vote from each voting member (e.g., if fifteen voters, each candidate receives fifteen numerical ranks). So, knuckleheads, the lower the score, the better. A voting member may give any number of people the highest (worst) score possible.
[7] See II.2.n4.
[8] Acquaint them with responsibilities and resources, introduce them to necessary contacts, ensure their awareness of relevant meetings, listservs, etc.
[9] See the Grand Cloud 9 Debacle of 2012, a production by our sister company, iNtuitions
[10] SAC Online
[11] Tech Director will count as a tech position on its own. The TD will not be required to take on any other tech position.
[12] In the event that no member is forthcoming when asked to produce the semester show, the vice-chair shall be the designated producer.
[13] If a production has a specific Publicity Manager (not necessarily a Board member), the Publicity Director should liaise or collaborate with them accordingly. In the event that there is no show-specific Manager, the Director must fill this role.
[14] See McCullough v. iNtuitons, 1819
[15] Most often, by simple majority vote.
[16] Includes but not limited to: acting, directing, producing, mentoring, and any and all technical positions.
iNtuitons, an experimental theatre group at the University of Pennsylvania founded in 1980, in order to provide an outlet for ideas "classical," "avant-garde," "experimental,” or otherwise too unusual to be supported by other groups in the Theatre Arts Council, does hereby re-establish this Constitution in the spring of 2015.
ARTICLE I
Section 1: Membership
A member of iNtuitons is an affiliate[1] of the University of Pennsylvania who has participated fully[2] in at least one iNtuitons production.
ARTICLE II
Section 1: Mission
The Board of Governors is responsible for the continuing existence of the group.[3]
Section 2: Composition
The Board shall be composed of at least seven members: Chair, Vice-Chair/Social Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Technical Director, PAC/TAC-e Representative, and Webmaster, to be chosen in the spring before May 1 each year by the group membership. If there are more than 7 board members, we encourage separate roles for Vice Chair and Social Chair, the DEI Chair, and the creation of the Assistant Technical Director position. If necessary, positions may be held by two individuals at the discretion of the board. The Board shall be composed of not more than eleven members, with specific positions (including General Board Member) assigned internally. [4]
Section 3: Elections to Board
A valid election must involve the participation of at least two-thirds of the Board of Governors. The electoral system shall be executed as follows:
- All members of iNtuitons who are currently enrolled students are eligible to vote.
- Nominations are open to all members and can be self-made; nominations can be made up to and including the time of the general elections. All nominations require a second.
- The officer presiding must be an outgoing member of Board (preferably the Chair). If there are no outgoing members, an external mediator[5] shall be asked to preside.
- Each member voting shall rank the nominees from first to last, with first rank being the nominee whom they most want on board.
- If there is a member running for iBoard whom a voter strongly feels would be detrimental to the functionality of iNtuitons Board, they may ‘no-vote’ them by intentionally writing an X next to their name beneath their rankings of the other running members. If the voting body is less than 15 people at iBoard elections, three people ‘no-voting’ a running member means that member will not get elected. If the voting body is 15 people or more, four people must ‘no-vote’ for that person to not be elected onto the board of governors.
- The presiding officer will then tabulate the results by counting the rankings for each nominee.[6]
Section 4: Elections within Board
Board positions shall be determined at a meeting after the board membership has been elected. Only the new board may nominate or vote, but all members may attend to voice their comments. The electoral system shall be executed as follows:
- Board members may run for as many positions as they wish, but may only hold one position, unless it is a bundled position as listed above. The board shall be elected in the following order: Chair, Vice-Chair, DEI Chair, Technical Director, Treasurer, Secretary, PAC/TAC-e Representative, Webmaster, Social Chair, General Board members.
- The presiding officer for the Chair election must be an outgoing member of Board (preferably the soon-to-be-previous Chair). If there are no outgoing members, an external mediator shall preside.[7] For all other positional elections, the (new) Chair shall preside.
- The presiding officer, before each position, shall accept nominations for that position. Self-nominations are allowed, but all nominations must have a second. Nominations may be declined by the nominee.
- Nominees shall give brief statements about why they want to run for a specific position. They will then leave the room and remaining board members will constructively discuss. The presiding officer will then conduct a blind vote. The nominee receiving a majority of votes will immediately become the position. If no nominee receives a majority, there will be a runoff between the two nominees receiving the highest number of votes. If there is a tie between two nominees (each having half of the total number of votes), the Chair will have the deciding vote.
- Board members may be re-elected once to the same position, except for the Chair, who may not be re-elected as Chair, but may hold any other Board position.
Section 5: Der Über Board
Each year's Board may officially act as the Board of Governors once new positions have been assigned. The previous board shall maintain responsibility for all projects initiated during its tenure until the end of the spring semester. Each old board member must fully transition their successor.[8]
ARTICLE III
Section 1: Chair
Duties of the Chair: to call meetings, to run elections and meetings, to generally ensure that all responsibilities of the Board are fulfilled, to perform any other duties not delegated to other board members, to interpret this constitution when disputes arise over its meaning, to act as producer-mentor, and to ensure that “iNtuitons” is spelled correctly on all materials. [9]
There may be two Co-Chairs on the board. In this case, one Chair presides over the board for the Alternative Theatre Festival and the fall show. The other Chair will preside over the board for the winter and spring shows.
No member may hold the position of Chair for more than two semesters, which may either be consecutive or non consecutive.
Section 2: Vice-Chair
Duties of the Vice-Chair: to assist the Chair in all capacities, to act as Chair whenever the Chair is unable to do so, to maintain an alumni directory, to hold at least one alumni event per year.
Section 3: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair
Duties of the DEI Chair: to introduce initiatives around wellness and DEI, and to implement them alongside iBoard after iBoard’s approval. The DEI Chair will lead the conversation about scripts and identify sensitive content related to representation, DEI, language, etc, and assist with DEI conversations in rehearsal rooms. They will attend any TACe or PAC training and conversations related to DEI, relay relevant information back to board, and accomplish necessary duties related to these events. They will spearhead initiatives during auditions and other recruitment periods to reach out to underrepresented groups in TACe.
In the case that a DEI Chair is not elected, the DEI Chair’s roles will be assumed by the remaining board members.
Section 4: Technical Director
Duties of the Technical Director: to advise, assist, and monitor the technical aspects of all productions. The technical director will oversee all technical aspects of the production. They will also serve as load-in specialist, unless this position is otherwise delegated.[10]
Section 5: Treasurer
Duties of the Treasurer: to represent iNtuitons at all SAC meetings and any other relevant meetings, to produce a budget detailing annual expenses for the following academic year, to present it before and submit it to SAC, to present the iNtuitons Account Summary[11] to the Board after the completion of each production.
Section 6: Secretary
Duties of the Secretary: to record and distribute minutes of all board meetings, to keep and update a list of membership, to record a brief history of each show, to update the Constitution when amended.[12]
Section 7: PAC/TAC-e Representative
Duties of the PAC/TAC-e Representative: to attend all PAC and TAC-e meetings and events, to communicate all necessary information to the board, to ensure that all necessary PAC and TAC-e responsibilities (including the completion of show-related forms) are fulfilled, and to serve as the designated member of any collaborative inter-board productions (e.g. One Acts).
Section 8: Webmaster
Duties of the Webmaster: to manage the iNtuitons social media presence and the website; to publicize actively the Alternative Theatre Festival, director proposals, and Board elections; and to liaise with each production’s Publicity Manager.[13]
Section 9: Social Chair
Duties of the Social Chair: to plan the date, time, and location of all social events (BYOs, mixers, opening and closing night parties, etc.) for Board and each show’s production staff; to acquire necessary food and beverages; to coordinate outing logistics; to maintain both board and production social calendars; and anything else deemed necessary and proper.
Section 10: General Board Member
Duties of a General Board Member: to fulfill any responsibilities not otherwise held by other positions and to assist all other board members in their duties.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1: Impeachment
At a formal meeting announced at least 48 hours in advance, a two-thirds majority of the board may impeach a member of the board. To initiate impeachment proceedings, the concerned parties must produce a written petition which includes the name of the person being impeached, the reasoning for impeachment proceedings, and signatory approval of at least ⅓ of board membership. This petition must be delivered to the chair. If the impeachment process is directed at the impeachment of the chair, the vice-chair shall conduct the meeting and shall be responsible for contacting the chair and announcing the board meeting. A board member not fulfilling their responsibilities as outlined by this Constitution is grounds for impeachment.
Section 2: Necessary and Proper
The Board shall be empowered: to create and fill such offices within the club as may seem necessary and proper[14]; to fill any positional vacancies which occur during the year; and to establish such rules for its own proceeding as it may deem necessary.[15]
ARTICLE V
Section 1: Regular Meetings
The Board shall meet at least once every month during the fall and spring semesters. A quorum consists of at least four board members. Board members have one vote except in the case of a tie where a re-vote shall be held and the Chair shall have two votes. A simple majority is required and secret ballot shall be kept if any board member should wish it.
Section 2: [redacted](deleted April 17, 1991)
Section 3: Proposals
The Board shall solicit proposals and interview potential directors for all productions before the end of the previous semester, the purpose of which shall be to determine both the semester’s show and its director. The director and producer of any production may be an iNtuitons board member if they are so qualified. If the Chair wishes to direct any iNtuitons production, the Vice-Chair shall assume any show-related Chair responsibilities for the duration of the show.
Section 4: Show responsibilities
Each Board member shall hold a position[16] in the production staff of all iNtuitons shows during their tenure.
Section 4: Collaborations
On collaborations: Let iNtuitons never forget her precious autonomy, but work in harmony with such groups deemed worthy. We shall collaborate in any cases where our partnership with other groups allows us to ascend to new heights of theatrical excellence. "Your corn is ripe today; mine will be so tomorrow. 'Tis profitable for us both, that I should labour with you today, and that you should aid me tomorrow." (David Hume)
ARTICLE VI
Section 1: Amendments
The Constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Governors.
Section 2: Ratification
The Constitution is hereby ratified on the twenty-eighth of March in the year two thousand fifteen by unanimous vote of the current Board of Governors:
Alex Polyak, Chair
Carla Hoge, Vice-Chair
Jeremy Cohen, Treasurer
Noelle McManus, Tech Director
Saseen Najjar, Secretary
Ahmed Mohieldin, TAC-e Representative
Eirini Lemos, Publicity Manager
Stephanie Zhu, Webmaster
Matt Sirkot, Social Chair
NOTES
[1] Affiliation with the University of Pennsylvania is a requirement for involvement in an iNtuitons production. The Board of Governors may waive this requirement for reasons that it deems appropriate.
[2] If elections are held before the completion of the Spring show, the Board of Governors may waive the “fully” requirement.
[3] Should the apocalypse come, one board member must be the designated survivor.
[4] The Great Uber Board Fiasco of 2013-2014: This was an exceptional circumstance whereby prior (“these are George W. Bush’s wars”) boards had royally fucked up in pursuing recruitment, leading to a dearth of members. In a moment of crisis, seven freshmen members were recruited and as a result, we had a board where the majority of members were one class. Future boards should bear in mind that it may be possible to create an uber-board, where there are more than 12 members, with the senior-most members taking “Senior Status” as an advisory/transition type role. But in general, through painful experience, the board of governors is best capped at 12 members.
[5] Preferably an iNtui-Alum, TAC-e Chair, or (as per tradition) the Chair of PenNaatak.
[6] For example, if a nominee is ranked by five voting members as rank 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8, their final vote will be 27. Each candidate must receive one vote from each voting member (e.g., if fifteen voters, each candidate receives fifteen numerical ranks). So, knuckleheads, the lower the score, the better. A voting member may give any number of people the highest (worst) score possible.
[7] See II.2.n4.
[8] Acquaint them with responsibilities and resources, introduce them to necessary contacts, ensure their awareness of relevant meetings, listservs, etc.
[9] See the Grand Cloud 9 Debacle of 2012, a production by our sister company, iNtuitions
[10] SAC Online
[11] Tech Director will count as a tech position on its own. The TD will not be required to take on any other tech position.
[12] In the event that no member is forthcoming when asked to produce the semester show, the vice-chair shall be the designated producer.
[13] If a production has a specific Publicity Manager (not necessarily a Board member), the Publicity Director should liaise or collaborate with them accordingly. In the event that there is no show-specific Manager, the Director must fill this role.
[14] See McCullough v. iNtuitons, 1819
[15] Most often, by simple majority vote.
[16] Includes but not limited to: acting, directing, producing, mentoring, and any and all technical positions.