Mount Holyoke College Model United Nations Constitution

 

Mission Statement: MHCMUN is a wholly student run organization comprised of a committed and dedicated membership. Our members engage in a variety of on-campus and off-campus initiatives. MHCMUN is a unique organization in that it offers a number of opportunities to represent the College on the larger intercollegiate Model United Nations circuit, traveling across the country and internationally (when funding allows). To prepare for said conferences, MHCMUN holds weekly meetings on Sunday evenings filled with practice committee sessions and guest speakers. We hold trainings once week to prepare delegates for both Crisis and General Assembly conferences.  To further prepare our delegates, we hold mini-conferences each semester to hone our "in-the-moment" negotiation skills. The Five College Model United Nations Conference, too, is a favored MHCMUN activity in which we co-host, along with other Model UN organizations in the Five College Consortium, our very own intercollegiate conference. Throughout the year, either with these other organizations or on our own, we host a number of on-campus events for both the community at large as well as for MHCMUN.

 

Article I: The Model United Nations Season

• The Model United Nations Season is defined as one academic year, spanning both the Fall and Spring semesters;

 

Article II: The Executive Board

• The purpose of the Executive Board is to:

  • Run and direct the club,

  • Act as a forum for discussion of current issues related to MHCMUN,

  • Discuss future events,

  • Update the President as to what the E-board members are working on,

  • While the chair will take into consideration the views of the E-board, the chair will have final decision-making power;

• The Board will meet once a week, barring unforeseen circumstances;

 

Article III: Election and Removal of Executive Board Members

• Election time for each academic year, based on SGA deadlines, is the Spring semester preceding it, unless extenuating circumstances prevail;

• The MHCMUN Executive Board is appointed by the general body by a majority vote according to the following protocol:

  • All declarations of candidacy must be made at least a week before scheduled date of elections for elections conducted in the Spring and at least three days before scheduled date of elections for elections conducted in the Fall;

  • Candidacy is open to all members of MHCMUN with the following exceptions:

    • All candidates for President must have previously served on the MHCMUN Executive Board,

  • Candidates are allowed to run for up to two Executive Board positions with successful election to one position automatically disqualifying them from candidacy for another,

  • Elections will be conducted in the following order:

    • President

    • Vice-President

    • Treasurer

    • General Assemblies Trainer

    • Crisis Trainer

    • Events Coordinator/Outreach Co-Coordinators

    • Webmanager

  • Within the election for each position, the following protocol will be observed:

    • All candidates for the position will leave the room and return individually to address the general body in defense of their candidacy,

    • Following those speeches, the candidates will remain outside the room

    • While the candidates continue to remain outside the room, the members of the general body then cast secret ballots

    • The candidates may then return to the room while the ballots are counted by members of the outgoing Executive Board who are not candidates for the position in question;

    • Election results are then announced to the general body.

  • Same-day nominations will only be accepted if a position goes unfilled.

  • No campaigning is allowed.  All candidates who campaign are automatically disqualified from the elections;

  • The removal of an Executive Board member from office is brought to the organization by board consensus (excluding the member in question). The member is asked to withdraw from the Executive Board if there is a 2/3-organization majority in favor thereof. The member has the opportunity to present her case to the organization at large prior to the vote.

 

Article IV: Duties of Executive Board Members

• The individual duties of executive board members are as follows:

  • President (1-year) will:

    • Chair general club meetings,

    • Appoint Head Delegate for each conference based on expressed interest,

      • Appoints a representative for SGA with the consensus of the Board

      • Field concerns and desires of all MHCMUN members,

      • Provide conflict resolution advice,

      • Provide substantive and logistical support to all other board members,

      • Chair Executive Board meetings,

      • Assist in the selection of conference teams,

  • Vice-President (1-year) will:

    • Vice-chair general club meetings,

    • Vice-chair executive board meetings,

    • Take minutes at both general club meetings and Executive Board meetings,

    • Provide logistical support for all board members as needed, especially the President,

    • In the event that the President is unable to perform her duties, the Vice-President assumes the responsibilities of the President,

    • Manage the club attendance record;

    • Assign countries and provide topics with background information for simulations with the input of the Training Coordinators and President,

    • Assist in the selection of conference teams

  • Treasurer (1-year) will:

    • Manage the club’s account,

    • Oversee the club’s budget,

    • Work with other board members to find the most cost-effective uses of our budget,

    • Serve as our liaison to the MHC Business Office,

    • Work with the Events Coordinator to facilitate fundraising events;

  • General Assemblies Training Coordinator (1-semester/year) and Crisis Training Coordinator (1-semester/year) will:

    • Develop and maintain a comprehensive MUN training program for all active members attending conferences that includes an introduction to

      • international relations, the UN system, public speaking, research, writing and Specific MUN strategy

      • Serve a special role in preparing conference teams,

      • Assist in the selection of conference teams,

      • Be Head Delegate for conferences,

      • Have previous experience as follows:

      • Assistant Head Delegate or Head Delegate,

      • Attended at least 4 conferences in a year (2 a semester);

      • Events and Outreach Co-Coordinators (1-semester/year) will:

      • Plan and execute all MHCMUN fundraising events,

      • Plan and execute all MHCMUN social activities,

      • Oversee club recruitment and promotion of club activities and events,

      • Organize outreach activities to the campus and Five College Community,

      • Oversee the design and procurement of any and all MHCMUN merchandise;

  • Webmanager (1 semester/year) will: 

    • Maintain the MHCMUN website, webspace, and e-mail lists,

    • Maintain MHCMUN’s online presence on Facebook and other social media websites.

 

Article V: Meetings

• General club meetings will take place once a week during the academic year and will last no more than two hours,

• General club meetings will consist of:

  • General club announcements,

  • GA and Crisis Debate Simulations,

  • Relevant presentations or discussions,

  • Relevant guest speakers and/or panels,

  • Executive Board elections

• Training sessions will take place once a week and will last no more than one hour,

• Training sessions will consist of:

  • Basic analysis of the GA and Crisis structure,

  • Strategy for being both a successful delegate and FCMUN staff member,

  • Writing and speech making workshops and practice sessions,

  • Answering questions regarding pertinent MUN issues.

 

Article VI: Membership in the club

• In order to be a member of MHCMUN, one must be a Five College student in good standing with the college,

• To be considered an “active member”, a member must:

  • Attend more than 50% of all General Meetings and Training Sessions each semester,

  • Work at least one shift at a club event per semester,

  • Staff FCMUN, unless they are abroad or on leave;

  • Be present and voting at all elections,

  • If there are extenuating circumstances that preclude a member from participating in any of the above activities, it is their responsibility to communicate this with the President and Executive Board as soon as possible,

  • A member’s final status will be at the discretion of the Executive Board,

• Only active members are eligible to apply to and attend conferences,

• Five College members are allowed to apply to and attend conferences with the MHCMUN team as long as they provide their own funding,

• All active members are representatives of both MHCMUN and the College while on and off campus and must abide by the Honor Code as well as comport themselves in a manner befitting a Mount Holyoke College student,

  • Honor Code violations by any MHCMUN member will be referred to the Honor Code Council,

  • Any member found guilty of an Honor Code violation will lose their good standing with the club,

  • Any Executive Board member will be required to step down immediately.

 

Article VII: Conferences

• Conference Selection

  • It is the responsibility of the Executive Board to both select and apply for funding for the conferences that the club will attend during the academic year,

  • Executive Board members should be aware of all conferences for which the club is eligible to attend,

  • Upon creating a conference schedule, the Executive Board should establish a drop-out fee as follows:

  • Delegates travelling to a local conference (within driving distance) will be charged US$50 if they withdraw after the date specified on the conference application;

  • Delegates flying to conferences will be charged the airfare in addition to the US$50;

  • The Executive Board will also determine the security deposit required of each delegate (usually half of the delegate fee),

  • This deposit will be returned to the delegate at the end of the conference unless they violate the terms of the Delegate Responsibility Contract or the MHC Honor Code;

• Head Delegate Selection

  • Head Delegates (HDs) must:

    • Be a current GA or Crisis trainer Executive Board member,

    • Have served at least once as an Assistant Head Delegate,

    • If the GA or Crisis trainer are unable to attend, a qualified Executive Board member will be appointed, and priority will be given to former Assistant Head Delegates;

• HDs should refer to the Head Delegate Guide to prepare for the conference and are responsible for the following:

  • Serving on the team selection committee, as outlined below,

  • Choosing AHDs,    

  • Securing all transportation to and from the conference,

  • Making reservations for hotel accommodations and team dinner(s),

  • Assisting the relevant trainers with pre-conference trainings,

  • Organizing team bonding events,

  • Organizing at least one pre-departure meeting to convey all relevant information to delegates,

  • Ensuring that all delegates understand and sign the Delegate Responsibility Contract and turn in a deposit check,

  • Attending all Head Delegate meetings at the conference,

  • Collecting and relaying conference feedback from delegates to the conference staff,

  • Dealing with any emergencies that may arise at any and all hours during the weekend;

• Conference Team Selection

  • The Team Selection Committee is comprised of:

    • The President,

    • The Vice-President,

    • The GA Training Coordinator,

    • The Crisis Training Coordinator, and

    • The Head Delegate,

  • Once the Head Delegate receives the committee assignments for a conference, the President will make the conference application open to all eligible members,

  • Members should be given at least a week to apply for a conference,

  • Within 48 hours after the application deadline, the Team Selection Committee must convene to choose the conference team,

  • Within 24 hours of this meeting, the team should be announced and the selected members should be contacted,

  • Selected team members have 24 hours after being contacted by the Selection Committee to confirm their spot on the team,

  • Once a member has confirmed their spot on a team, they are responsible for the drop-out fee previously established by the Executive Board, unless extenuating circumstances arise,

• Delegate Responsibility

  • All delegates must abide by the Delegate Responsibility Contract and the MHC Honor Code,

  • All delegates must travel to and from the conference with the MHCMUN team, unless prior arrangements are made with the Head Delegate,

  • All delegates must stay with the MHCMUN team during the conference, unless prior arrangements are made with the Head Delegate,

  • If a delegate’s security deposit is cashed, they will be ineligible to attend the next two conferences on the club’s schedule,

• Conference Expenses

  • All conference expenses are paid for by The MHC Student Government Association (SGA) with assistance from MHCMUN fundraising, except for half the delegate fee.

 

Article VIII: FCMUN

• The Five College Model United Nations Conference is a conference for the collegiate Model UN circuit. Located in the Pioneer Valley, it is hosted on the campus of one of the member organizations. The clubs involved in the planning and execution of the conference are Mount Holyoke College Model UN, Smith Model UN, Amherst College Model UN, Hampshire College Model UN and the UMASS International Relations Club.

 

Article IX: Adviser

• MHCMUN is an entirely student-run organization. The selection of advisers for specific events or purposes is subject to the Executive Board’s discretion. Generally, any adviser appointed is the Chair of the International Relations Department at Mount Holyoke College;

 

Article X: Constitution

• An amendment or by-law may be presented by any member of MHCMUN and requires a ⅔ majority in favor to be instituted.