Constitution

Proposed until the Founding Meeting on Tuesday, March 30, 2027, which adopts it.

Preamble

We, students of the American University of Iraq – Baghdad, establish the AUIB Society of Arts and Letters and adopt this Constitution so that the Society is open to every student, governed in the open by its members, and built to outlast those who founded it.

Article I. Name

1.1 The name of this organization is the AUIB Society of Arts and Letters (“the Society”), known as SAL.

1.2 The Society is a registered student organization of the American University of Iraq – Baghdad (“the University”), recognized by the Office of Student Life (“Student Life”). It follows the University’s policies; where this Constitution and University policy differ, University policy prevails.

1.3 This Constitution is written in English, with a separate Arabic edition. Where the two differ, the English text governs.

Article II. Purpose

2.1 The purpose of the Society is to cultivate a culture of literature and creative expression across the University.

2.2 The Society pursues four aims: connecting students, fostering creativity, celebrating culture, and building a community.

2.3 It does so through its paper, Qirtas; its theater company, the Company; its video show, Next Stop; and events held for the Society or for any party within or outside it.

2.4 The Society is nonpartisan and nonsectarian. It does not campaign for any party, candidate, religion, or sect.

2.5 The Society is not for profit. No member receives payment or profit from its work.

Article III. Membership

3.1 Membership is open to every student of the University, without dues, audition, or portfolio.

3.2 No one is excluded from membership, office, or any activity of the Society on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, sect, language, nationality, disability, college, year of study, or any other ground protected by University policy.

3.3 The Society has three classes of membership:

1. Members: students of the University who have joined on auibsal.org.
2. Associate Members: faculty, staff, and alumni of the University. Associate Members do not vote and may not hold office.
3. Honorary Members: people named by a vote of the Council for an outstanding contribution to the Society. Honorary Members do not vote.

3.4 Partners and guests are not members. Partners are organizations in the Society’s partner register; guests attend open events.

3.5 A Member is in good standing while they follow the Code of Conduct in the Policy Manual.

3.6 A voting member is a Member in good standing who has attended at least two events or general meetings in the current academic year, as recorded by check-in.

3.7 The Register of members is private and is seen only by the Executive Board and the Director of Membership. Members may choose to appear in a members-only directory.

3.8 Membership ends by resignation, by leaving the University, or by removal under Article VI.

Article IV. The Council

4.1 The Society is governed by the Council, which has nine seats:

1. The Executive Board: the three officers, the President, the Vice President, and the General Secretary.
2. Six directors: the Editor-in-Chief, the Director of Media, the Artistic Director, the Director of Events, the Director of Partnerships, and the Director of Membership.

4.2 The Council manages the Society between members’ meetings. It sets each term’s calendar of events, with at least one event a month; approves partners; names Honorary Members; and decides removals under Article VI.

4.3 The President leads the Society, chairs the Council, the Executive Board, and members’ meetings, and represents the Society to the University and beyond. The President serves as Publisher of Qirtas and never selects its work.

4.4 The Vice President assists the President and acts for the President when the President is absent. When the President is away for an extended period, the Council names the Vice President Acting President, with all of the President’s duties.

4.5 The General Secretary keeps the Society’s records and minutes, books rooms, and sends every request to Student Life.

4.6 The Editor-in-Chief heads Qirtas and Qalam, its summer program for high school students.

4.7 The Director of Media leads promotion, design, the Society’s channels, the web team, and Next Stop. The Director of Media promotes Qirtas but never decides its content.

4.8 The Artistic Director leads the Company.

4.9 The Director of Events leads the calendar of events and the event leads, and gathers each event’s needs.

4.10 The Director of Partnerships leads the Society’s partners and the charities it works with, and the Second Chapter book drive.

4.11 The Director of Membership keeps the Register, welcomes new members, leads the Typewriter Tour, runs hiring for every role, and records staff hours.

4.12 Until each director’s seat is filled, the President covers the Director of Events and the Artistic Director, the Vice President covers the Director of Partnerships, and the General Secretary covers the Director of Membership.

4.13 Central functions stay central: whatever the Society does centrally is done by its owner on the Council, never by an event’s or Qirtas’s own team.

4.14 Apart from covering an open seat under section 4.12, no person holds more than one Council seat.

Article V. Elections and Appointments

5.1 The officers are elected by the voting members by secret ballot. Voting is online on auibsal.org over a set window, with a voting point in person at the meeting.

5.2 The Editor-in-Chief is elected by the staff of Qirtas: its editors and contributors with at least one term on Qirtas.

5.3 The other five directors are appointed by the President, with the approval of the Executive Board, after an open call on Get involved.

5.4 To stand for election or be appointed to the Council, a person must be a Member in good standing, enrolled at the University, a Member for at least one term, and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. The GPA is checked only through Student Life, with the person’s consent, never by asking students for grades: for candidates before the ballot opens, for appointed directors before confirmation, and for every Council member at the start of each term. Student Life answers only “eligible” or “not eligible”; the Society never sees or stores grades. A Council member who falls below 2.0 is told privately and has one term to recover before the seat is declared vacant. The procedure is in the Bylaws.

5.5 Every appointed director serves their first term on probation, after which the President confirms them. Elected seats have no probation.

5.6 The term of office is one year, from the new Council’s first meeting in May. Appointed directors serve until the next Council takes office. Outgoing holders hand over in writing.

5.7 The procedure for elections and appointments is set out in the Bylaws.

Article VI. Vacancies and Removal

6.1 If the President leaves office, the Vice President becomes President.

6.2 If another officer’s seat falls vacant, a special election is held within 30 days.

6.3 A director’s seat that falls vacant is filled the way it was first filled.

6.4 A director may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Council. An officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Council or of a members’ meeting.

6.5 No one is removed from office or from membership without written notice of the reasons and a hearing at which they may answer.

Article VII. Meetings

7.1 The Council meets monthly during term. Council meetings are private.

7.2 General meetings of all members are held every two weeks during term, for news, plans, ideas, and questions.

7.3 The Annual Meeting of members is held each April from 2028. It receives the election results and the year’s reports, and the Mutanabbi Prize is given there.

7.4 Special meetings of members may be called by the Council or by members, with two weeks’ notice.

7.5 The quorum of the Council is a majority of the seats filled. The quorum of a members’ meeting is 10 percent of voting members or 15 voting members, whichever is lower.

7.6 Unless this Constitution says otherwise, decisions are made by a majority of votes cast.

7.7 Members may vote online on any members’ vote, as the Bylaws provide.

7.8 The General Secretary keeps the minutes of every meeting, linked to the meeting’s event.

Article VIII. Faculty Advisor and Advisory Board

8.1 The Society has a Faculty Advisor, a member of the University’s faculty, invited through Student Life. The Faculty Advisor advises the Council and does not vote.

8.2 The Advisory Board has five to seven members: faculty, alumni, and people from partner organizations, who serve as individuals. It is chaired by the Faculty Advisor.

8.3 Members of the Advisory Board are invited by the Council for two years. They do not vote.

8.4 The Advisory Board meets once a term to advise the Council.

Article IX. Qirtas, the Company, and Next Stop

9.1 Qirtas is the Society’s paper, with its own masthead and editorial independence; the President, as Publisher, never selects its work.

9.2 The Company is the Society’s theater company, led by the Artistic Director.

9.3 Next Stop is the Society’s video show, made by the Director of Media’s team.

Article X. Resources

10.1 The Society holds no money and no account, and charges no dues.

10.2 Student Life provides what the Society needs, to the best of its ability. The Society keeps needs lists and asks Student Life through the General Secretary, as the Bylaws provide.

10.3 Sponsors and partners give in kind only, never money.

10.4 Money collected for a charity belongs to the charity, never to the Society, and is never used for the Society’s costs. It is handled under the Policy Manual.

Article XI. Amendments

11.1 This Constitution and the Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of voting members at a members’ meeting, or online.

11.2 The text of a proposed amendment is sent to all members in writing at least two weeks before the vote.

11.3 An amendment takes effect once it is filed with Student Life and approved where the University requires.

Article XII. Parliamentary Authority

12.1 Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised governs the Society in all cases where it is consistent with this Constitution, the Bylaws, and University policy.

Article XIII. Transition

13.1 The 2026–27 academic year is the Society’s interim year.

13.2 The founding team, appointed by the President, serves until the first elections in October 2027.

13.3 The first elected Council serves until May 2028. From 2028, elections are held each April.

13.4 The Founding Meeting adopts this Constitution.