Preamble
We, the members of the Boston College Dramatics Society, in order to create unity of purpose, organization, and operation do ordain and establish this Constitution of the Boston College Dramatics Society.

Article I: Name
This organization will be known as the Boston College Dramatics Society.

Article II: Mission Statement
The Dramatics Society is committed to developing talent and giving opportunities for theatrical expression in the Boston College community, awakening and nurturing an appreciation for good theatre in the members of that community, and presenting plays of artistic merit to that community.

Article III: Meetings

Section 1: Board Meetings
In order to ensure a smooth theatrical season, executive board meetings will be held weekly at a day and time convenient to all board members.  They will be attended by presided over by the President or Vice-President (see Article IV for more on the roles of Officers) and if neither are present, the meeting will be postponed.

Section 2: General Meetings
Being that the Dramatics Society is a company devoted to the community of Boston College, general meetings in which members of that community are invited to attend in order to discuss issues relevant to the executive board, productions, and events, will be held no less than once a semester at a date and time to be determined in conjunction with the Department of Theatre.           

Article IV: Officers

Section 1: President
The President is responsible for overseeing all workings of the board and providing guidance where necessary.  The President must have a full and detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the Dramatics Society and each board position.  The President must have at least two years experience on the executive board. 
Duties:

• runs all board and general meetings,
• is the primary communicator between the Dramatics Society, the Department, and the Contemporary Theatre board on matters legislative and secretarial,
• ratifies the vote tally after each election (see Article V, Section 3)
• delegates tasks amongst board members, and
• works with the Vice President on production aspects.

Section 2: Vice-President
      The Vice President acts as the production manager for all DS shows.  The Vice President must have at least one year experience on the executive board.
Duties:

• attaining rights and scripts for each production,
• meeting with the RTAC staff to go over and sign the space agreement prior to the commencement of production activities,
• attaining rehearsal space for the production,
• scheduling and running weekly production meetings with the director, stage manager, Technical Director, and designers,
• acting as the liaison between the DS Board, the production team, and the RTAC,
• making sure publicity efforts are coordinated between director and the DS Publicity Director, 
• working closely with the Technical Director to schedule and plan for build weekend, and
• presiding at board meetings in absence of the president. 

Section 3: Financial Coordinator
The Financial Coordinator manages the DS budget.  The Financial Coordinator must have at least one year experience on the executive board. 
Duties:

• collects reimbursement for all approved purchases for the productions and turns them into the department,
• acts as the authority in the budget allotment for each DS production,
• keeps the itemized ledger for the board up to date at all times,
• coordinates financial information with the RTAC, and
• works closely with the Secretary to plan the DS Banquet. 

Section 4: Secretary
The Secretary’s duties are twofold: to act as primary events coordinator for the board and as the documentarian for all board activities. 
Duties:

• keeping minutes at meetings in a dedicated notebook,
• distributing minutes from previous meetings to members,
• keeping all production flyers, programs, and reviews for historical purposes,
• creating/maintaining a storage system for the aforementioned items,
• presiding over ratification, amendment, and review of this Constitution,
• coordinating and planning the Christmas and Valentine parties, and
• working closely with the Financial Coordinator to plan the DS Banquet. 

Section 5: Technical Director
The Technical Director (TD) acts as the ultimate authority for the technical aspects of DS productions.  The TD must have significant experience in the realm of set construction and lighting for their name to be accepted into the running.
Duties:

• supervises build day, put-in, riser put-in, and strike, and must be on call during production week to help as necessary,
• works with the production set designer to make sure the designs are feasible and safe,
• creates the set budget,
• organizes the schedule for build, put-in, riser put-in, and strike
• submits the schedule to the TD of the RTAC for approval.
  
  Section 6: Publicity Coordinator
  The Publicity Coordinator is the head of publicity operations for DS productions and events.

Duties:

• contacts the campus newspapers to arrange for previews and reviews for each production,
• contacts all other media outlets (BC Cable, radio, etc.) in advance of upcoming productions,
• works carefully with the director of each DS production to create a publicity campaign,
• creates and distributes fliers, quarter-sheets, and other forms of outreach to the campus.

Section 7: Administrative Coordinator
Duties:

• generate programs for each production,
• send emails to the listserv about upcoming events that may interest the community,
• write and distribute the DS newsletter no less than once every two months,
• and maintain the DS website.

Section 8: Faculty Advisor
The Faculty Advisor is a member of the Boston College faculty who can guide the board and advise on many topics, as well as mediate between the board and the Department if necessary.

Article V: Membership and the Executive Board

Section 1: Membership
Membership is open to all undergraduate students of Boston College, regardless of affiliation or lack thereof with the Boston College Department of Theatre or any other student theatre organization.  After participating in one production of any kind at Boston College, a student is considered a member of the Dramatics Society.

Section 2: Qualifications
A candidate may run for an executive board position if they have participated in two productions during their time at BC.  Presidential candidates must have two years experience on the executive board to run, while those seeking the post of Vice-President and Financial Coordinator must have one year experience.  All other posts are open to all members of the community.

Section 3: Voting
Voting will take place no earlier than January 15 and no later than February 10 of each Dramatics Society season. Candidates seeking election will submit their qualifications and campaign platforms to the board the week of elections.  These will be posted on the DS bulletin board for voters to read. In the case of the Technical Director, the board has the ability to screen candidates for appropriate experience in their field. All student theater majors and members of all student theatre boards are eligible to vote in elections. The board will tally the votes in the presence of the Dramatics Society advisor and the vote will be ratified by the President.

Section 4: Inauguration
After the vote has been ratified by the President, it is their duty to contact the newly elected board members in a timely fashion.  The newly elected board members will be presented to the community at the annual Dramatics Society Valentines Party, after which they will shadow their senior members until the end of the current season, at which time they will assume their new roles.

Article VI: Amendments and Review

Section 1: Votes
This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the executive board with the approval of the faculty advisor.

Section 2: Proposing Amendments
Any board member may propose an amendment.  This amendment must be submitted in writing at a board meeting to be voted upon at the subsequent meeting of the board.

Section 3: Quorum
Members present at the voting meeting will be the basis for determining a quorum.

Section 4: Review
It should be the duty of the executive board of the Dramatics Society to ensure that this constitution remains up-to-date.  Thereby, it should be that the Secretary undertakes an official review on a decennial basis. 

Article VI: Ratification           
This constitution will take effect when approved by a three-fourths majority of the board members, at which point it will be signed into law by those in the majority as well as the faculty advisor.  Amendments shall be attached to the constitution in a neat and orderly fashion, signed in a similar manner. 

Back to da DS page!