Mission Statement

It is the mission of the College Republicans at Western Michigan University to actively promote the conservative values and culture that have made the United States of America the greatest nation in the world. Our goal is to fervently campaign at the national, state, local, and campus level in order to further these ideals. Education on our campus concerning the conservative goals of limited government, fiscal responsibility, Constitutional freedoms, strong national defense, secure borders, national sovereignty, and superior personal and family values are of utmost importance to this organization.

Article I. Official Name of Organization

The name of this organization shall be the College Republicans at Western Michigan University, herein and after referred to as the WMUGOP. The WMUGOP is a charter member of the Michigan Federation of the College Republicans, herein and after referred to as the MFCR. As such the WMUGOP belongs to the College Republican National Committee, herein and after referred to as the CRNC.

Article II. Purpose of the Organization

Section I. To develop all Republicans on campus into an intelligent and politically aware Republican group that campaigns for and supports Republican candidates at all levels.

Section II. To provide, through this organization, a means to encourage participation in the activities of the Republican Party.

Section III. To promote in every honorable way conservative values and culture in order to diminish the spread of infectious Liberal ideals so prevalent in today’s society.

Section IV. To provide the student body the means to obtain a practical and conservative political education.

Section V. To instill effective political skills and strong leadership abilities in Republican students in preparation for future service.

Article III. Membership

Section I. Membership in the WMUGOP shall not be restricted in a manner that is contradictory to federal law, or any form of bias as described in the Western Michigan University Code of Student Conduct.

Section II. Any WMU student who subscribes to the above set of purposes and generally supports the Republican Party may be a member.

Section III. Other regulations and designation of membership status shall be prescribed in the bylaws.

Article IV. Officers

Section I. The elected officers of the WMUGOP, in order of authority, shall be: Chairman, Programs Vice-Chairman, Elections Vice-Chairman, Public Relations Vice-Chairman, Chief of Operations, and Treasurer. The names of these positions are binding and require a unanimous vote of the general membership to change.

Section II. Each officer must be an active member of the WMUGOP.

Section III. The duties of the officers shall be described in the bylaws.

Section IV. Officers elected in the annual election shall take office on the last day of the Spring semester.

Section V. Officers shall be elected in the manner prescribed in the bylaws.

Section VI. Procedure for removal of officers shall be prescribed in the bylaws. TO TOP

Article V. Executive Board

Section I. Decisions
Unless otherwise stated, the Executive Board shall make decisions by majority vote. All of its members shall have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chairman’s vote shall prevail.

Section II. Duties of the Chairman
To preside over all WMUGOP meetings;
To act as liaison and spokesman to any and all outside organizations and elected officials;
To veto any action of the Executive Board or general assembly that is unconstitutional;
To make an appointment to fill any vacancy on the Executive Board;
To enforce the Constitution; and,
To appoint subcommittees as needed.

Section III. Duties of the Programs Vice-Chairman
To preside over meetings in the absence of the Chairman;
To assist the Chairman in all programs sponsored by the WMUGOP taking place on or off campus; and,
To complete assignments, within reason, given by the Chairman.

Section IV. Duties of the Elections Vice-Chairman
To assist the Chairman in all election-related activities pertaining to federal, state, local, and campus candidates, or Republican conventions; and,
To complete assignments, within reason, given by the Chairman.

Section V. Duties of the Public Relations Vice-Chairman
To assist the Chairman in all promotion, public relations, and marketing for the WMUGOP;
To work in conjunction with the Chairman and Programs Vice-Chairman on advertising and media relations for WMUGOP programs; and,
To complete assignments, within reason, given by the Chairman.

Section VI. Duties of the Chief of Operations
To keep accurate records of the attendance at all WMUGOP meetings;
To maintain copies of all WMUGOP records;
To oversee the operations of the WMUGOP office;
To handle internal communications of the WMUGOP; and,
To complete assignments, within reason, given by the Chairman.

Section VII. Duties of the Treasurer
To serve as chief financial officer of the WMUGOP and maintain all financial records, contributions, transactions, receipts, and expenditures;
To work in conjunction with the Chairman and Programs Vice-Chairman on funding requests to the Western Student Association, Campus Activities Board, and similar funding organizations;
To comply and keep abreast of all relevant state and federal campaign finance laws;
To present and submit accurate records of the WMUGOP finances and to make copies of all receipts, checks, expenditures, and transactions; and,
To complete assignments, within reason, given by the Chairman.

Section VIII. Vacation of Chairman's Seat
In the event of the removal or resignation of the Chairman, the Programs Vice-Chairman will assume the role of Chairman and appoint a new Programs Vice-Chairman subject to a majority vote of the general assembly. Any other vacancy on the executive board shall be filled by appointment by the Chairman, subject to approval by a majority vote of the general assembly.

Article VI. Advisory Board

Section I. The advisory board shall consist of all the elected officers of the WMUGOP, as well as faculty and alumni advisors of the organization.

Section II. The faculty and alumni advisors shall be selected by the Executive Board. The faculty and alumni advisors may be removed at any time by the Executive Board.

Section III. The faculty advisor must be a member of the faculty of Western Michigan University.

Section IV. The alumni advisor must be an alumnus of Western Michigan University

Section V. The responsibility of the faculty and alumni advisors shall be to advise the organization on any matters they deem necessary whenever they wish or when called upon by the Executive Board to do so. They may also serve as representatives for the club to the university administration and alumni association, respectively.

Section VI. The faculty and/or alumni advisors are required to administer all Executive Board elections.

Article VII. Meetings

Section I. Meetings of the WMUGOP shall be held at least twice a month during the academic year.

Section II. The annual election meeting of the WMUGOP shall be held no earlier than April and no later than the week preceding finals.

Section III. Special meetings shall be called at the request of the Chairman, or by a majority of the Executive Board, or by a written petition of a majority of active members.

Article VIII. Amendments

Section I. An amendment must be proposed at one general meeting among the Executive Board and members and voted upon at the next general meeting.

Section II. An amendment must be approved by the Executive Board and three-quarters of active members present at a general meeting.

Article IX Endorsements

Section I. As a general rule, the WMUGOP shall not endorse any candidate for local, state, or federal office prior to the primary election.

Section II. If an extenuating circumstance shall arise, an endorsement must be approved by the Executive Board and three-quarters of active members present at a general meeting.

Section III. This does not prohibit individual members from participating in any campaign.

Article X. Conventions

Section I. The Executive Board shall determine the criteria for delegates to the MFCR convention. The delegate list must be approved by the Executive Board. The list shall be submitted by the Chairman unless he delegates the job to another officer. No delegate list submitted without the approval of the Chairman shall have any validity.

Bylaws of the College Republicans at Western Michigan University

Article I. Dues

Section I. Dues shall be announced at the first general meeting of the academic year.

Section II. The Executive Board shall determine dues at the beginning of each year.

Article II. Membership

Section I. Membership shall be classified as active and associate.

Section II. Active members shall be defined as members of the university who attend a minimum of four general meetings per semester and a majority of general meetings (upon initial attendance of the semester), pay dues (if applicable), and who perform the required number of volunteer activities per semester. The list of active members shall carry over from the previous semester until there have been four general meetings.

Section III. Volunteer activities shall be defined as activities taking place outside of the general meeting which work toward the education of the campus, assist federal, state, local, or campus conservative candidates, enhance the image of the WMUGOP, or are related to a Republican convention.

Section IV. The executive board shall determine which specific activities fulfill the criteria of a volunteer activity as defined in Section III.

Section V. The required number of volunteer activities shall be defined as two activities per semester for a member who joins prior to halfway through the semester and one activity for a member who joins after the halfway point of the semester.

Section VI. Associate members shall be defined as members of the university or community who maintain interest, appear on our email list, or identify as Republican or conservative, but are not active members.

Article III. Elections and Voting

Section I. Officers shall be elected in the following order: Chairman, Programs Vice-Chairman, Elections Vice-Chairman, Public Relations Vice-Chairman, Chief of Operations, and Treasurer.

Section II. Only active members may vote in elections of the Executive Board or on any issues requiring an election. The official active member list will always be in effect and will be updated before the election. The final active member list and a copy of the election ballot must be submitted by the Chief of Operations to the Executive Board for approval one week prior to the election. The active member list and ballot must be approved by the Executive Board in order to be valid.

Section III. The faculty and/or the alumni advisor shall administer all elections.

Section IV. Candidates for election for the Executive Board must declare their intent to run in a manner prescribed by the Executive Board.

Article IV. Powers and Duties of Officers

Section I. Chairman
The Chairman shall establish the agenda for the organization. The Chairman shall call and serve notice for a general meeting. The Chairman shall serve as the primary spokesman for the organization to Western Michigan University, the RNC, the MFCR, the CRNC, the Kalamazoo County Republican Party, and any other club, group, organization, or individual. The Chairman shall have the authority and responsibility to appoint all special committees or any other officials deemed necessary. The Chairman shall and sign “thank you” notes to all contributors.

Section II. Programs Vice-Chairman
The Programs Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties and authority of the Chairman in his absence. He is responsible for programs, campaigns, and any other projects prescribed by the club. He acts as advisor to the Chairman. He acts as a liaison to Young America’s Foundation.

Section III. Elections Vice-Chairman
The Elections Vice-Chairman assumes the duties of the Chairman in the absence of the Chairman and Programs Vice-Chairman. He is responsible for the management of all petition drives, door-to-door campaigns, phone banking, and other volunteer events that are related to elections at any level.

Section IV. Public Relations Vice-Chairman
The Public Relations Vice-Chairman assists the Chairman in all external communications for the WMUGOP. This includes sending out press releases, creating flyers, setting up interviews with the media, display cases, table tents, newspaper ads, etc. The Public Relations Vice-Chairman is in charge of any letters to the editor campaigns, and publicizing any endorsements made by the WMUGOP. These responsibilities pertain to general WMUGOP promotion, programs promotion, and campaign-related publicity.

Section V. Chief of Operations
The Chief of Operations shall be responsible for all internal club communication at the request of the Chairman. Internal communications refers to any correspondence between the Executive Board and the General Assembly. The Chief of Operations shall also be responsible for taking attendance and reporting this information to the Chairman. Minutes shall be kept at all general and board meetings. Any “thank you” or general notes to be distributed shall be done so by the Chief of Operations. Office operations overseen by the Chief of Operations include but are not limited to applying for the office, securing office keys, office hours, office supplies, decorating the office, and general upkeep. The Chief of Operations is also responsible for formatting the ballot and submitting it to the Executive Board for approval prior to an election.

Section VI. Treasurer
The Treasurer keeps all financial records for the WMUGOP. He is responsible for the organization’s assets. The Treasurer shall produce financial statements at the request of the Chairman or Executive Board. All cash is to be kept in a commercial banking institution designated by the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep records of all receipts. The Treasurer is responsible for the completion and submission of all documents related to funding received from University allocation bodies.

Article V. Duties of Appointed Officials

Section I. The Western Student Association (WSA) Representative shall be responsible for reporting all relevant information and issues of the WSA to the WMUGOP.

Section II. The Webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the WMUGOP website in a timely manner with upcoming events and current news of the organization.

Article VI. Removal of an Officer

Section 1. An officer may be removed from his or her position by a majority of the Executive Board and three-quarters of all active members present at a general meeting. Such removal shall not affect his status as a member of the WMUGOP.

Article VII. Amendment of the Bylaws

Section I. An amendment must be proposed at one general meeting among the Executive Board and members and voted upon at the next general meeting.

Section II. An amendment must be approved by the Executive Board and three-quarters of active members present at a general meeting.

Article VIII. Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Section I. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.