[TCCM] TCC Constitutional Amendments

[Margarita A Esteban]

Hello, members of the TCC!

Messages like this are few and far between, because we don't make changes to our constitution very often.  That being said, we on the TCC Council want to make sure that everyone is aware of what we're doing.  When changes are made to the constitution, it is our policy to inform the community at large.

The actual text for the amendments may be found below.  Here are the important points, though:
- Election procedures: In the past, the council has designated an "elections committee" in order to nominate candidates for the TCC council.  The new amendment eliminates the need for this committee, making the elections process more efficient.  All other aspects of the election procedure will remain the same.
- Treasurer voting privileges: This second amendment gives the treasurer voting privileges.

As you can see, these amendments do not affect the daily workings of the TCC.  However, if you have questions or concerns about these changes, we invite you to share them with us at tcc-council at mit.edu.  We will make a final vote on these amendments on November 5, so you have a month to get in touch with us.

One final note: for those of you who are interested in receiving regular updates from the TCC council, we have the mailing list tcc-council-listeners.  Send me an e-mail at tcc-chair at mit.edu if you would like to be added to the list.

Peace,
Maita Esteban
TCC Council Chair

------------------------
Original Text: The original text to the TCC constitution may be found here: http://web.mit.edu/tcc/admin/.  The proposed amendments will affect Art. 3, sec. 2 and Art. 5 sec. 1.

Proposed amendments:

Art 3. Sec. 2: The Treasurer shall be responsible for tracking funds in TCC's accounts at MIT.  The Treasurer shall provide assistance and advice on fiscal matters wherever appropriate. The duties of the Treasurer may be further enumerated in the Bylaws.

Art. 5. Sec. 1:  The standard elections procedure shall be as follows:
The council shall solicit nominations from the community at least two weeks prior to elections.  Nominees shall be chosen in consultation with the current office-holder and the Chaplain.  Any nominee who accepts the nomination is considered a candidate for the office. The Council shall elect an officer by exhaustive ballot in closed session at the Council meeting which falls closest to four weeks prior to the end of the office's term.  The council shall make known the list of candidates at least one week prior to this meeting.