About the Society

Preamble

We, students of the American University of Iraq – Baghdad, gathered as the Society of Arts and Letters, in a city that once kept the House of Wisdom and still keeps al-Mutanabbi Street, adopt this Constitution so that our Society is open to every student, governed in the open, careful with people and money, and built to outlast those who founded it.

Our motto

والقرطاسُ والقلم

The paper and the pen

From al-Mutanabbi's most quoted line: the horses, the night and the desert know me; so do the sword, the lance, the paper and the pen. We keep only the last two.

Four pillars

• Connecting students

  From every college, into one room and onto one page.

• Fostering creativity

  Deadlines, editors and stages that turn drafts into finished work.

• Celebrating culture

  Arabic and English side by side; Iraqi writing next to world writing.

• Building a community

  A society people stay in, and come back to.

At a glance

Open and free

Any enrolled AUIB student can join. No fee, no audition, no portfolio. Members who take part in two activities a semester vote.

Members hold the power

The General Assembly of all members elects the officers, changes this Constitution and can remove anyone who abuses a role.

A Council runs the work

Four elected officers and six appointed directors meet every two weeks, adopt the budget and greenlight programs.

Elections every April

Secret ballot with AUIB sign-in, run by a committee of non-candidates. Ranked choice when more than two stand. Presidents serve two terms at most.

Editors decide the art

Program editors and directors make creative calls. The Council overrules a selection only on grounds of law, safety or University policy, and in writing.

Every dinar is logged

Spending limits, two people on every cash count, receipts for everything, and charity money passed on in full.

Fair process

Anyone facing discipline hears the concern and can answer it. Removal of an officer needs two-thirds of members voting.

Written to last

Minutes, reports and an archive are kept for the next generation. Core principles can only be changed at two meetings, a month apart.