Ateneo de Davao University

2014 Constitution of the

SAMAHAN NG MGA MAG-AARAL NG AGHAM PAMPULITIKA NG ATENEO

(SAMAPULA)

A Constitution of the Political Science Organization of

Ateneo de Davao University

PREAMBLEWe, the Political Science students of Ateneo de Davao University, School of Arts and Sciences, Social Sciences Cluster, with the aid of the Almighty God in order to express our inherent rights and political consciousness to establish a just and active student organization that shall promote, protect and preserve the solidarity, welfare and aspirations of the students and other sectors of society, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

ARTICLE IGENERAL PROVISION

Section 1.The organization of the AB Political Science students of Ateneo de Davao University shall be officially known as the Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Agham Pampulitika ng Ateneo or SAMAPULA.

Section 2.This Constitution shall be known as the 2014 SAMAPULA Constitution.

Section 3.The elected officials of the SAMAPULA shall be known as the Executive Committee (EXECOM).Section 4.The SAMAPULA Logo shall be for official use of the organization alone.

ARTICLE IIDECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

The SAMAPULA shall at all times strive to:

Section 1.Revitalize political interests within the student body alongside a proper orientation of key and basic political concepts and ideas.a. Develop critical awareness and involvement in socio-political and economic issues and other institutional consciousness within and outside the campus;

b. Advocate reforms/changes within the educational system to conform to the appropriate and beneficial needs of the students of Ateneo de Davao University;

c. Serve as an instrument that can formulate, express and actualize the plans and aspirations of the members;

d. Provide an avenue for free discussion in matters of interest and welfare of the whole studentry of the Ateneo de Davao University; and

e. Develop a sense of service and responsibility among the studentry.Section 2.Protect and promulgate the Magna Carta of Students Rights, Responsibilities and Welfare of the bona fide undergraduate students of Ateneo de Davao University.

Section 3.Provide measures that are geared towards insuring a well-rounded intellectual and spiritual development for every student.

Section 4.Uphold, value, and respect the human dignity as well as gender equality of every student and teacher in Ateneo de Davao University to promote harmonious relationship among peers within and outside the campus.

Section 5.Recognize, coordinate, and support SAMAHAN activities and advocacies.Section 6.The Political Science students as members of the SAMAPULA shall collaborate and support the activities and decisions of the Social Sciences Cluster Executive Government provided that it shall not violate any provision of this Constitution.Section 7.Any activity by the SAMAPULA shall not supersede this Constitution.

ARTICLE IIIMEMBERSHIP

Section 1.

Second, Third and Fourth year students of Ateneo de Davao University, major in AB Political Science upon completing an application for organization membership and full payment of the registration fee shall be members of the SAMAPULA.

Section 2.First year students shall be invited to selected activities of the SAMAPULA and shall only be limited as observers unless otherwise provided by the University Student Handbook or Rules and Regulations.

Section 3.A member of the organization, who wishes to withdraw his/her membership must submit a formal letter addressed to the President of the organization stating his/her intent and reason(s) for withdrawing his/her membership from the organization. Such letter must bear the signature of the moderator of the organization, upon which a copy must be submitted to the latter.

Section 4.Disciplinary Cases

a. Any member who has disciplinary cases shall be required to submit a formal written notice to the Class President regarding his/her disciplinary case.

b. The Class President shall forward the said notice to the organization President who shall execute the formal suspension.

c. He/she shall be required to submit a formal written notice to the Class President regarding the dismissal of his/her disciplinary case.

d. The Class President shall forward the said notice to the organization President and shall execute the formal reinstatement of the member.

e. The membership will not be reinstated unless completion of the requirement.

Section 5.Every member is required to pay a membership fee and thereafter a monthly due which will be fixed by the Executive Committee (EXECOM). ARTICLE IV

BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Section 1.The provisions stated below shall fully establish individually and collectively the members views on issues of organizational policy and matters of general interest to the members of this organization. Every member has the right to:a. Public redress and grievances;

b. Establish and issue regular updates regarding the SAMAPULA and other news coverage pertaining to school affairs and other relevant social issues;

c. Invite and hear credible persons in convocations and assemblies organized in connection with the affairs of the organization;

d. Be clearly informed of the regulations and policies which directly or indirectly affect them and to be informed through proper channels of any change which will be effective only after public notifications;

e. Be clearly informed of functions, purposes and compositions of existing organizational bodies and other organizational bodies to be created in the future that may be directly or indirectly affect them as a student;

f. Be informed and be protected from prejudice or capricious academic evaluation;

g. Know the resolution, decision and activities of the governing bodies established by this Constitution through the procedures as stipulated in Article XV;

h. Be advised in writing of any charge that may lead to any disciplinary sanction against him/her and to have sufficient time to seek and maintain counsel as well as to prepare his/her case, the right to trial where there is equal student voting representation and the right to due process; and

i. Recall their representative from office for any violation of the Constitution in accordance with this Constitution.Section 2.It is the responsibility of every member to:a. Exercise his/her rights as citizen of the Philippines as provided for in the Philippine Constitution without impairing his/her status as a student of the University;

b. Respect policies, rules and regulations provided that these do not transgress the laws of the land, University Statutes and students rights as mentioned in this Constitution and that of the SAMAHAN Constitution;

c. Safeguard and promote the academic and political rights among his/her fellow members;

d. Recognize and exercise his/her moral responsibilities to himself/herself and to his/her fellow members;

e. Maintain academic standards set by the Social Sciences Cluster and the Political Science and History Program;

f. Sustain the activities of the organization by paying the monthly dues as agreed upon by the EXECOM; and

g. Exercise his/her rights and responsibilities as a member of SAMAHAN.

ARTICLE V

SAMAPULA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEESection 1.The SAMAPULA Executive Committee (EXECOM) is the elected officers of the SAMAPULA organization which shall be composed of the President, the Internal Vice President, the External Vice President, the Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, the Treasurer, the Auditor, the Student Relations Coordinator and the Year Level Representatives.

Section 2.The EXECOM shall be the implementing body of the plans, policies and resolutions of the SAMAPULA organization.

ARTICLE VIPOWERS AND DUTIES OF THE SAMAPULA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEESection 1.The President is the Chief Executive officer of the SAMAPULA organization. The powers and duties of the President are:

a. The President shall execute all policies and resolutions of the organization;

b. Unless otherwise specified, the President shall be the presiding officer of any meeting of the organization;

c. The President shall have the power to call special or general meetings when deemed necessary;

d. The President shall be the official spokesperson of the organization;

e. The President shall have the supervision over all the activities of the organization;

f. The President shall have the power to create and abolish ad hoc committees if necessary with the approval of the EXECOM;

g. The President, together with the Treasurer, shall be signatories of the bank account of the organization;

h. The President shall have the power to create and/or plan the activities of the organization with the approval of the organization moderator;i. The President shall have the power to formalize the suspension and reinstatement of the member with disciplinary cases as stated in Article III Section 4; andj. The President shall be the official representative of the SAMAPULA organization to the Council of Student Organizations (CSO).Section 2.The Internal Vice President, next to the President, holds the power regarding the internal affairs of the organization. The powers and duties of the Internal Vice President are:

a. The Internal Vice President shall supervise and coordinate the internal affairs of the SAMAPULA under the direction of the President; and

b. The Internal Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of the President in matters concerning internal affairs in the absence of or at the direction of the President.

Section 3.The External Vice President, next to the President, holds the power regarding the external affairs of the organization. The powers and duties of the External Vice President are:

a. The External Vice President shall supervise and coordinate the external affairs of the SAMAPULA under the direction of the President;

b. The External Vice President shall assume the responsibility of the President in the matters concerning external affairs in the absence of or at the direction of the President;

c. The External Vice President shall take charge of all activities external in nature and must coordinate with the reliable persons outside the campus for the facilitation of any external affairs;

d. The External Vice President shall be responsible in coordinating with other organizations within the campus;

e. The External Vice President shall be the official representative of the SAMAPULA organization to the Social Sciences Student Executive Council (SS-SEC); and

f. The External Vice President shall conduct fund raising schemes to help finance the programs of the organization.Section 4.The Secretary-General shall be the principal administrative officer of the SAMAPULA. The powers and duties of the Secretary-General are:

a. The Secretary-General shall be the official custodian of all papers and records of the SAMAPULA;

b. The Secretary-General shall make the notices of meetings of the SAMAPULA and shall be forwarded to the Students Relations Coordinator for dissemination; and

c. The Secretary-General shall prepare the written agenda of the meeting of the SAMAPULA.

Section 5.The Deputy Secretary-General shall assume the position next to the Secretary-General. The powers and duties of the Deputy Secretary-General are:

a. The Deputy Secretary-General shall be the immediate substitute in the absence of the Secretary-General. It is the Deputy-Secretary Generals duty to perform the task inherent to the Secretary-General; and

b. The Deputy Secretary-General shall take charge on checking the attendance of the members during assemblies.

Section 6.The Treasurer shall be responsible to all financial duties of the organization. The powers and duties Treasurer are:

a. The Treasurer shall keep and record all cash inflows and cash outflows of the organization;

b. The Treasurer shall open a bank account for the organization with the approval of the President;

c. The Treasurer shall provide monthly reports regarding the expenses of the organization which will be forwarded to the Auditor for evaluation;

d. The Treasurer shall present the financial report during the organizations General Assembly after the evaluation;

e. In cases of emergency, the Treasurer shall present special financial reports; and

f. The Treasurer shall perform any responsibility delegated to him/her by the President.

Section 7.The Auditor shall be responsible for the evaluation of the organizations expenses. The powers and duties of the Auditor are:

a. The Auditor shall check and review the financial reports submitted to him/her by the Treasurer;

b. The Auditor shall inform the organization President regarding the financial status of the organization through financial reports provided by the Treasurer; and

c. The Auditor shall perform any responsibility delegated to him/her by the President.

Section 8.The Student Relations Coordinator shall take charge of the information dissemination, student relations and academic functions of the organization. The powers and duties of the Student Relations Coordinator are:

a. The Student Relations Coordinator shall inform the members of the organization regarding the meetings and assemblies;

b. The Student Relations Coordinator shall take charge of the updates and press releases; andc. The Student Relations Coordinator shall be the head of the affairs concerning academics.Section 9.The Year Level Representatives shall represent their respective year levels. The powers and duties of the Year Level Representative are:

a. The Year Level Representatives shall be the respective Class Presidents of their respective year levels;b. The Year Level Representatives shall be the Chairpersons of their respective year levels; andc. In case there will be more than one (1) section in each year level, each section shall have a different Year Level Representative as stipulated in Article VII of this Constitution.

ARTICLE VIICLASS OFFICERS AND CLASS ELECTIONS

Section 1.Second, Third, and Fourth year Political Science students shall elect a set of Class Officers which shall include a President, a Vice President, a Secretary and a Treasurer.

Section 2.In case there will be more than one (1) section in each year level, each section shall have a different set of Class Officers who shall be responsible on their respected sections only.

Section 3.The election of Class Officers shall be held at the beginning of the school year which shall be supervised by the EXECOM.Section 4.The election of the Class Officers shall be done through showing of hands, verbal through yays and nays, or any method agreed by the class.ARTICLE VIIIGENERAL ASSEMBLYSection 1.The General Assembly is a gathering composed of the EXECOM and all the members of the SAMAPULA.Section 2.The plans, policies and activities of the SAMAPULA organization shall be presented during the General Assembly.

Section 3.The EXECOM shall decide on the date, time and venue of the General Assembly.ARTICLE IXSAMAPULA TRIBUNALSection 1.The SAMAPULA Tribunal, as an autonomous body from the EXECOM, shall be the principal judicial body of the SAMAPULA organization.

Section 2.The judicial powers vested to the SAMAPULA Tribunal are:

a. To interpret the SAMAPULA Constitution;

b. To settle internal disputes of the SAMAPULA; and

c. To review impeachment cases as specified in Article X.Section 3.

The SAMAPULA Tribunal shall be composed of nine (9) members which is proportional to the number of the elected officers of the EXECOM.

Section 4.The members of the SAMAPULA Tribunal shall be appointed by the EXECOM.

Section 5.The members of the SAMAPULA Tribunal shall be known as Magistrates and shall elect a Chief Magistrate who shall be the head of the tribunal, a Deputy Chief Magistrate who shall take over during the absence of the Chief Magistrate, and seven (7) Associate Magistrates.

Section 6.The Magistrates of the SAMAPULA Tribunal shall serve a term of one (1) school year and is viable for immediate re-appointment by the EXECOM.Section 5.In case a Magistrate shall run for SAMAPULA office, he/she shall submit a resignation letter to the highest elected official present.ARTICLE X

SAMAPULA COMMISSION ON ELECTIONSSection 1.The created Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the EXECOM shall supervise and determine the date of the SAMAPULA elections.

Section 2.The SAMAPULA COMELEC is empowered to make the rules for the elections and plebiscites and the like.

Section 3.The SAMAPULA COMELEC shall be composed of five (5) members who shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the members of the EXECOM.

Section 4.The members of the SAMAPULA COMELEC are prohibited from running in any position of the organization.

Section 5.The members of the SAMAPULA COMELEC shall have the right to vote.

Section 4.The members of the SAMAPULA COMELEC shall elect a COMELEC Chairperson who shall be the head of the COMELEC.ARTICLE XISAMAPULA ELECTIONS Section 1.The election of incoming SAMAPULA officers shall be conducted before the end of the second semester as required by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA).

Section 2.The SAMAPULA COMELEC shall be the presiding officer of the election process of the SAMAPULA. Section 3.In case of a tie, the COMELEC Chairperson shall decide the winning candidate through the agreed process of the members of the SAMAPULA COMELEC.

Section 5.Each SAMAPULA member shall have one vote.Section 6.In case of the EXECOM positions, the seats shall be filled according to the qualifications set forth by the Constitution:a. The President, the Secretary-General and the Student Relations Coordinator shall be an incoming 4th Year Political Science student;

b. The Internal Vice President, the External Vice President and the Deputy Secretary-General shall be an incoming 3rd Year Political Science student;

c. The Treasurer and the Auditor shall be open to all incoming 3rd year and 4th year students;

d. The Class Presidents of every year level or section shall automatically be the Year Level Representatives to the EXECOM;

e. All candidates must have a QPI of at least 2.5 or its equivalent grade as provided by the University Student Handbook with no failing final grade(s) from the previous semester;

f. All candidates must not have any history of disciplinary cases.Section 7.Each office shall serve for one (1) school year.

Section 8.Any interested member of the SAMAPULA shall file a certificate of candidacy to the SAMAPULA COMELEC five (5) to ten (10) days before the regular election.

Section 9.Regular election shall be held before the end of the second semester.

ARTICLE XIIIMPEACHMENTSection 1.Any member of the EXECOM may be impeached on the following grounds:

a. Any willful and gross violation of the Constitution and laws of SAMAPULA;b. Gross neglect of duty which includes:

1. Habitual negligence of assigned task/duties;c. Any violation of the policies and regulations found in the University Student Handbook. d. Malversation of funds;

e. Three (3) consecutive unexcused absences from the regular meetings of the EXECOM. Excused absences however may be accorded by the following format:

1. A formal letter must be submitted 24 hours before the regular or prescribed meeting of the EXECOM to the Presiding Officer. It must be dully approved by the Presiding Officer;

2. In case of emergency, the Presiding Officer shall upon discretion consider validity of the absence provided that the absentee shall inform the Presiding Officer and submit a formal letter within three (3) days after his/her absence.

f. Any other forms of misconduct which undermined the integrity of the SAMAPULA.Section 2.The Impeachment Procedure shall be tried by the SAMAPULA TRIBUNAL.Section 3.Any member shall be given at least seven (7) school days of notice of the impeachment hearing from the time he/she receives the formal written charge. He/she shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard in the impeachment proceedings.

a. A 2/3 vote of the voting members of the EXECOM shall be sufficient to impeach any of its members;

b. A 2/3 vote of the members present in the General Assembly who constitute a quorum shall be sufficient to impeach any of its members;

c. The respondents shall have no right to vote on any of the impeachment proceedings.

Section 4.The Chief Magistrate shall be the Presiding Officer in all impeachment proceedings.ARTICLE XIIIVACANCIESSection 1.Any vacancy in the Office of the President shall be filled by the Internal Vice President.

Section 2.The vacancies in any position except the Office of the President shall be filled through an appointment by the SAMAPULA President.ARTICLE XIVRESIGNATION AND LEAVE OF ABSENCESection 1.Any officer of the Executive Committee who desires to resign or take a leave of absence must submit a formal letter that must contain the reason/s for his/her resignation or leave of absence addressed to the EXECOM one (1) week before the time he/she desires to vacate his/her position.

Section 2.The resignation or leave of absence shall be approved by the EXECOM.Section 3.All powers and functions, paper and documents of the officer who has validly resigned or taken a leave of absence shall be turned over temporarily to the specific committees or instrumentality where the officer belonged until the position left vacant shall have been filled or reoccupied.

ARTICLE XVAMENDMENTS OR REVISIONSSection 1.Any proposal to change this Constitution shall be made through a 2/3 vote of the EXECOM.

Section 2.Amendments to this Constitution may also be proposed by at least 20% of the members of the SAMAPULA.

Section 3.No amendment or revisions for this Constitution shall be valid unless it is ratified by a vote of at least fifty percent plus one (50% plus 1) of the entire SAMAPULA membership.Section 4.No amendment or revisions shall be made for this Constitution at least one school year from ratification.

SECTION XVITRANSITORY PROVISIONSection 1.The incumbent officers of the SAMAPULA shall continue to exercise their powers until the next set of officers shall assume office on April 1 of the next school year as stipulated in this Constitution.

Section 2.All policies and resolutions inconsistent with this Constitution shall be void.

a. All other Constitutions of the SAMAPULA are hereby repealed.

Section 3.This Constitution shall become effective upon ratification in a plebiscite by 50% plus 1 of the entire SAMAPULA membership.Commissioned by:

Maria Katherina L. Gumboc

Chairperson

Stephen Edgardo A. Gumban

Christine Jill S. Castro

Deputy Chairperson

Secretary-General

Jessa Mae B. Suico

Vicco G. Piodos

Deputy Secretary-General

Treasurer

Mc Vharn M. Catre

Kemberly Joy E. Funa

Commissioner

Commissioner

Katrina P. Guilonsod

Lam Sigfred R. Maquinano Commissioner

Commissioner

Jubelle Angeli C. Maturan

Jeff Calvin B. Pamonag Commissioner

Commissioner

Edzrafel V. Samama

Djumeil Gerard P. Tinampay

Commissioner

Commissioner

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