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<head><title>The Constitution of Simmons Hall</title>
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<div class="maketitle">
<h2 class="titleHead">The Constitution of Simmons Hall</h2>
<div class="author" ></div><br />
<div class="date" ><span
class="cmr-12">January 13, 2016</span></div>
</div>
<ol class="enumerate1" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-3x1">PREAMBLE</li></ol>
<!--l. 62--><p class="indent" >For decades at MIT, dormitory communities have been developing sophisticated systems of self-governance.
These systems are entirely student-built and student-run, and they have received very little support or interference
from the MIT administration. Despite or because of this (you be the judge), these governance systems have
developed quite well.
<!--l. 64--><p class="indent" >According to the MIT administration, Simmons Hall is intended to signal a change from the current standards of
dorm life. This is largely true. However, the governance of Simmons Hall will not be a change away from the
self-governance model, but formalization and strengthening of it. The Simmons Hall governance model is intended to
allow the dorm to have more independence and a stronger voice in the decisions that affect it. Moreover, it is
intended to better define the relationship of Housemasters and Graduate Resident Tutors to the governance process,
encouraging their participation and support but ensuring that they do not assume control over governance
functions.
<!--l. 66--><p class="indent" >The Simmons Hall governance model is also founded on the concept of the House as an entity that is more than
just a building and more than simply the sum of its residents. All residents are supported by the House physically
and socially. Reciprocally, the House requires support from all of its residents. This House model works on several
basic principles:
<!--l. 68--><p class="indent" >Principle 1: All residents have an implicit responsibility to the House. There is not a select group of people who
handle all the functions of House governance and whom you can blame if dorm life is not what you
want it to be. It is up to everyone. If you want Simmons Hall to be a good place, you have to get
involved and make it that way. If you think Simmons Hall sucks, then there’s no one you can blame but
yourself.
<!--l. 70--><p class="indent" >Principle 2: There are varying levels of responsibility to choose from. You can run for an elected Office, or
volunteer to serve on a committee, or show up to House meetings, or on the most basic level, have respect for the
House and for your fellow residents.
<!--l. 72--><p class="indent" >Principle 3: The House speaks for the House. When the House makes a decision, it is explicit that the decision
was made through a democratic process that involves all House residents. There are no representatives who “call the
shots” for everyone.
<!--l. 74--><p class="indent" >Principle 4: If you do not like something, change it. While traditions are important to building culture, the
House should not keep doing something simply because people did it the year before, and other people did it the
year before that. Times keep changing and the House should keep thinking creatively and coming up with new ways
to improve House life.
<!--l. 76--><p class="indent" >Principle 5: House governance should be part of the educational experience for all residents. Students and faculty
alike should feel that they learned something from being an active member of the House. They should also feel that
they had some degree of fun and that their educational experience was better because they had a release from the
rigor of MIT academics and research.
<!--l. 78--><p class="indent" >This is the philosophy behind the governance of Simmons Hall. <br
class="newline" /><br
class="newline" />Jeff Roberts<br
class="newline" />Simmons Hall Founders Group, 1999-2002<br
class="newline" />Governance Subcommittee Chair<br
class="newline" />September 3, 2002
<ol class="enumerate1" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-5x2">GENERAL DEFINITIONS
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-7x1">Constitution of Simmons Hall
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-9x1">The purpose of the Constitution is: (a) to establish the overall model for governance of the
House; (b) to define the roles of some of the individuals and groups who are involved in
the governance of the House; (c) to define some of the procedures that guide the proper
functioning of House governance.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-11x2">The House
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-13x1">The House refers to the collective residents and communities residing within the Simmons
Hall dormitory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-15x3">House and Chair Policies
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-17x1">House and Chair Policies supplement the Constitution in guiding House governance, and may
be created and revised continually over time.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-19x2">House Policies may include, but are not limited to, policies on the use of House facilities and
House funds, rules of conduct such as quiet hours or regulations on the use of alcohol, policies
that establish the roles and responsibilities of new House governance groups or positions, and
policies that define or clarify House governance procedures.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-21x3">Chair Policies are determined by each current chair. These policies serve to clarify chairs’
roles and responsibilities as assigned by the constitution. They also serve to inform members
of the House of officers roles and responsibilities. The content of each chair’s policies can be
changed by said chair, however these changes must be announced at a House Meeting to take
effect. It is encouraged that a chair solicit house opinion before changing his or her policies.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-23x3">THE HOUSE
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-25x1">Introduction
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-27x1">The House makes many decisions that impact all its residents. It raises funds to use towards
House-shared resources and events. The governance of Simmons Hall is established on the
principle that when an issue affects all residents, every resident should have a voice in making
a decision on that issue.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-29x2">House Membership
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-31x1">Every official resident of Simmons Hall is a member of the House. Each member may cast
one vote in any House decision.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-33x3">Role and Responsibilities of the House
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-35x1">The House, by collective action, makes all major house-wide decisions and expresses the
official opinion of Simmons Hall on any matter of interest to the residents of Simmons Hall.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-37x2">The House is responsible for: (a) establishing House and Chair Policies, and making changes to
standing House Policies and the Constitution; (b) allocating House funds to be used towards
House-shared resources and events; (c) discussing and deciding upon any issue of relevance to
Simmons Hall or to MIT at large; (d) approving any resolution expressing the official opinion
of the residents of Simmons Hall on any such issue (e) electing House Officers to carry out
the will of the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-39x4">House Procedures
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-41x1">All official business of the House is discussed at meetings that are open and announced to all
members of the House and occur at least once within every two-week period during spring
and fall semesters that MIT classes are in session. House Officer meetings shall be held at
least a half an hour before general House meetings.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-43x2">Any House member may propose an item to be discussed or decided upon by the House by
submitting a proposal to the Chair of the House, who must place that item on the agenda of
the next House meeting if the agenda for that meeting has not been set.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-45x3">For all proposals brought before the House, four actions are available to the House: Approve,
Reject, Table, and Move-to-Full-Forum. The Chair of the House should remind participants
at the start of each semester that these options are available. Voting may take place during
meetings of the House or by ballot in the case of Move-to-Full-Forum. No item may be voted
upon until after it has been discussed at a House meeting.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-47x4">At least one author of the proposal must be present to advocate for it. Should no author
be present, the proposal shall be Tabled automatically, unless an author has presented the
House Chair an alternative advocate for the proposal in advance. Would the same proposal
be automatically tabled in this manner for the third consecutive time, it will instead be
automatically rejected to avoid cluttering the agenda with orphaned proposals.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-49x5">During debate on a proposal, motions may be raised. After a member of the House states
intention to raise a motion, another member must second the motion in order for it to have
any effect (i.e. “be raised”).
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-51x6">Proposals may be approved during a House meeting following a motion to vote. Once
seconded, the House chair should direct and tally a vote, unless a motion to object is raised
and seconded. In such cases, the House should return to debate on the proposal. Proposals
are approved by a majority vote yes, with the exception that proposals for Constitutional
Amendments require a two-thirds majority vote for approval.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-53x7">In the case where those assembled feel they are unanimously in favor of approving the
proposal, a motion to white-ballot can be used. When a motion to white-ballot is raised,
the House chair should ask those assembled if any are opposed. If any member of the House
present is opposed, then the motion fails and the House returns to Debate. Once a motion to
white-ballot fails for a particular measure, no further motions to white-ballot may be raised
for that measure. A motion to white-ballot may not be used to approve a constitutional
amendment.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-55x8">A motion to force-vote may be used to counter the case when a vote cannot be held due
to frivolous objections. Once raised in the course of normal debate, a motion to force-vote
causes the House Chair to poll the support for a vote of those assembled. This vote cannot be
interrupted by a motion to object or any other motion. If the force-vote passes with majority
support then the meeting should proceed as if a motion to vote had been raised, with the
exception that no motions, including motions to object, may interrupt the vote. For each
proposal, no more than one motion to force-vote may be raised in any five minute period.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-57x9">Proposals are moved-to-full-forum by a greater than one-third vote yes. A motion to
move-to-full-forum takes precedence over a motion to approve but a motion to object can still
return the House to debate. When a proposal is moved-to-full-forum, the Secretary should
create a description of the issue of contention with input from one or more proponents and
opponents. The Secretary would then publicly post the description and issue a full house
ballot on the issue to be concluded before the next house meeting. The results of this vote
would be final.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-59x10">A motion to force-move-to-full-forum works like to a motion to force-vote with two exceptions.
First it requires only one-third support to proceed and second an uninterrupted motion to
move-to-full-forum, not a motion to vote, is the result. For each proposal, no more than one
such motion may be raised in any five minute period.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-61x11">Proposals are tabled by a majority vote. A motion to table takes precedence over a motion
to move-to-full-forum and a motion to approve but a motion to object can still return the
House to debate. When a proposal is tabled, it is moved to the next house meeting.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-63x12">A motion to force-table entails an immediate and uninterrupted vote on house support for
said motion. Should a majority agree with the motion, then an uninterrupted motion to table
should proceed. For each proposal, no more than one such motion may be raised in any five
minute period.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-65x13">For all the motions above, the fraction of votes required is to be taken as a fraction of those
electing to vote on the motion. Any members of the House who are not present or who choose
to abstain shall not be included in the count of the total number of votes.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-67x5">House Executive Positions
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-69x1">The House elects one individual to serve as Chair of the House, one individual to serve as
Secretary, one individual to serve as Treasurer, and one individual to serve as President, each
for a one year term.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-71x2">The Chair of the House is the chief administrator of the House’s internal affairs. The Chair is
responsible for: (a) creating and distributing to all members a schedule of House meetings for
each academic semester, prior to the start of that semester; (b) explaining to the House how
House meetings work at the start of each semester; (c) adding proposals to the agenda of the
upcoming House meeting; (d) creating and distributing the agenda for each House meeting
at least one day prior to the start of that meeting; (e) facilitating and maintaining order at
all meetings of the House, following an established set of procedures and conducting meetings
in a fair way that allows all members an opportunity to speak; (f) conducting elections; (g)
generally overseeing the business of the House and directly overseeing the Historian, Social
Chair, Facilities Chair, Technology Chair and the Rooming Chairs.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-73x3">The President is the chief diplomat of Simmons Hall and the administrator of the House’s
external affairs. The President is responsible for: (a) being the primary representative of
the House to any outside groups, including, but not limited to, the Simmons’ caterer,
other dormitories and living groups, student governments, other student groups, MIT
administration, MIT faculty, and groups outside MIT; (b) presenting the official opinion of
the House, as determined by the House, to the aforementioned groups; (c) advocating and
negotiating on behalf of Simmons Hall to the aforementioned groups; (d) presenting items
for discussion and decision by the House on behalf of the aforementioned outside groups; (e)
representing Simmons Hall to the Dormitory Council and casting votes on behalf of Simmons
Hall; (f) communicating regularly with the Housemasters; (g) reporting regularly to the House;
(h) inviting outside guests to address the House; (i) directly overseeing the FROSH Chairs,
Athletics Chair, and Publicity Chair.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-75x4">The President shall have the power to convene Ad-Hoc Committees to assist him or her in the
execution of the responsibilities of the office. Should the President believe it necessary, he/she
has the power to form an Ad-Hoc Judicial Committee. The Chair of these committees, if not
the President himself/herself must be approved by a majority vote of the House. Should the
President be accused, the Chair of the House has the power to convene an Ad-Hoc Judicial
Committee.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-77x5">The Secretary is responsible for: (a) documenting all business of the House; (b) keeping a
public record of all decisions made by the House; (c) maintaining an archive to ensure that
such documentation is available to all present and future House members; (d) maintaining a
public record of the events and discussions that happen in the House and presenting those
records at every house meeting; (e) running full forum votes by publicly posting a description
of the measure(s) being voted on, then issuing a ballot on said measures to be concluded
before the next house meeting; (f) serving in lieu of the Chair of the House if the Chair is
temporarily unable to serve.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-79x6">The Treasurer manages the finances of the House and implements the financial decisions made
by the House. The Treasurer is responsible for: (a) receiving signatory privileges for all House
bank accounts, including the student activity account maintained by MIT; (b) keeping record
of all financial decisions made by the House; (c) reimbursing individuals for House-related
expenses approved by the House; (d) reporting at every meeting of the House, presenting
the balances of all House bank accounts and an itemized report of all account activity, and
making its reports available for viewing by all House Members; (e) Treasurer’s report should
include: current balances, anticipated budgets, and effects of current proposals on the budget.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-81x7">If the Chair position becomes vacant, the President assumes the responsibilities of the Chair
until a special election can be held to fill the position. Similarly, if the Presidency becomes
vacant, the Chair assumes the responsibilities of the President until a special election can be
held. In both cases, the special election must be announced immediately and run in compliance
with the procedures for regularly scheduled elections.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-83x4">COMMITTEE CHAIRS OF THE HOUSE
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-85x1">Committee Definitions and Membership
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-87x1">A committee is a group of House members who collectively focus on particular sets of issues
of importance to Simmons Hall. Committees may be established on a Standing or Ad-Hoc
basis.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-89x2">An Ad-Hoc Committee for any purpose may be convened by the President or by virtue of a
majority vote of the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-91x3">Any Standing Committee must be formed by action of the House in the form of an amendment
to this Constitution and included in the following section.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-93x4">There are fourteen Committee Chairs leading the Standing Committees. They are: (a) the
Social Chair; (b) the Technology Chair; (c) the Facilities Chair; (d) the Electrical Engineering
Lab Chair; (e) the Library Chair; (f) the Entertainment Chair; (g) the Reservations Chair; (h)
the Workshop Chair; (i) the Rooming Chairs; (j) the FROSH Chairs; (k) the Athletics Chair;
(l) the Publicity Chair; (m) the Historian; (n) the Chair. These Chairs and their committees
must exist at all times, and are elected for a one year term. The roles and responsibilities of
these committees are stated in this Article of the Simmons Hall Constitution.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-95x5">Each Committee Chair is responsible for: (a) maintaining a committee membership list; (b)
scheduling and facilitating meetings of the committee; (c) reporting on the activities of the
committee at House meetings. If the Chair(s) fail to report at House meetings, the Chair of
the House may choose either: (a) to allow the remaining committee members to elect a new
Chair; (b) to appoint a new Chair; (c) to dissolve the committee.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-97x6">Unless otherwise specified below, the House elects an individual or a ticket of two individuals
to serve one-year terms as Chair of a Committee of the House defined in this Article. These
Chairs are considered House Officers.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-99x7">Membership on any committee must be open to all members of the House. A member of the
House may join a committee by contacting the Committee Chair or the Chair of the House
and asking to be added to the membership list.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-101x8">If a committee member fails to report to meetings or otherwise fails to carry out the
responsibilities required of the individual by that committee, the Committee Chair may choose
to remove that individual from the membership of the committee.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-103x2">Committee Procedures
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-105x1">All business of each committee is discussed at meetings that are open and announced to
all members of the committee, and preferably announced to all Members of the House.
Committees may encourage discussion outside of meetings; however, all modes of discussion
must allow for participation from every member of the committee.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-107x2">Committee meetings should be held at appropriate times given the particular topic of the
committee’s attention. Committee meetings should typically occur once each month, unless
there is no business to be discussed at that time.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-109x3">Committees make decisions by group consensus or by majority vote. No decisions are made
until after the full membership of the Committee is given a chance to comment and/or vote.
Committee decisions are reported to the House by the Committee Chair. If any member of a
committee disputes a decision reported by the Committee Chair, the Chair of the House may
call a vote of the committee membership.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-111x3">Role and Responsibilities of the Social Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-113x1">The Social Chair leads the Social Committee comprised of all lounge representatives.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-115x2">The Social Chair is responsible for regularly reporting to the House Chair and the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-117x3">The Social Committee is responsible for organizing several House wide events each term.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-119x4">Role and Responsibilities of the Technology Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-121x1">The Technology Chair leads the Technology Committee that maintains the computing
resources managed by the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-123x2">The Technology Chair is responsible for (a) organizing, scheduling and running meetings of
the Technology Committee; (b) ensuring that the Technology Committee accomplishes its
goals; (c) reporting to the House Chair; (d) reporting regularly to the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-125x3">The Technology Committee is responsible for: (a) debugging and updating the Simmons
Database System, House mailing lists, and House web server; (b) proposing, implementing,
and maintaining technological solutions to meet and improve other House computing needs.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-127x4">The Technology Committee must maintain high standards of confidentiality and ethics when
dealing with the Simmons database and sensitive issues.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-129x5">Role and Responsibilities of the Facilities Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-131x1">The Facilities Chair leads the Facilities Committee comprised of the Electrical Engineering
Lab Chair, the Library Chair, the Entertainment Chair, the Reservations Chair, the Workshop
Chair, and the Kitchen Chair.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-133x2">The Facilities Chair is responsible for (a) organizing, scheduling and running meetings of the
Facilities Committee; (b) ensuring that the Electrical Engineering Lab Chair, the Library
Chair, the Entertainment Chair, the Reservations Chair, the Workshop Chair, and the
Kitchen Chair fulfill their jobs to their fullest extent; (c) working with the House Manager to
accomplish tasks; (d) reporting to the House Chair; (e) reporting regularly to the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-135x3">The Facilities Committee is responsible for creating, recommending, and overseeing the
implementation of policies regarding the use of House-owned equipment and spaces.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-137x6">Role and Responsibilities of the Electrical Engineering Lab Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-139x1">The Electrical Engineering Lab Chair is part of the Facilities Committee and maintains the
lab facility on the seventh floor. The Electrical Engineering Lab Chair is responsible for (a)
organizing training sessions for residents who want to use the lab (b) ensuring that residents
are properly trained and certified to use the lab (c) reporting to the Facilities Chair; (d)
reporting regularly to the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-141x7">Role and Responsibilities of the Library Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-143x1">The Library Chair is part of the Facilities Committee and supervises the library on the second
floor. The Library Chair is responsible for (a) creating and maintaining a checkout system
for library materials; (b) organizing the library; (c) obtaining new books when the desire is
expressed by the House; (d) reporting to the Facilities Chair; (e) reporting regularly to the
House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-145x8">Role and Responsibilities of the Entertainment Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-147x1">The Entertainment Chair is part of the Facilities Committee and maintains the Simmons Hall
movie, video game, and board game collection.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-149x2">The Entertainment Chair is responsible for: (a) maintaining an easily accessible, public list
of movies, video games, and board games (b) soliciting opinions from the House regarding
what new movies, video games, board games, or Pay-Per-View programming should be
purchased; (c) requesting funding for the purchase of new movies, video games, board games
and Pay-Per-View programming; (d) purchasing new movies, video games, and board games
to be added to the Simmons Hall movie collection; (e) managing the Pay-Per-View account;
(f) reporting to the Facilities Chair; (g) reporting regularly to the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-151x9">Role and Responsibilities of the Reservations Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-153x1">The Reservations Chair is part of the Facilities Committee and oversees the reservation
process of all Simmons public spaces according to the Policies of the Reservations Chair. The
Reservations Chair is responsible for reporting regularly to the Facilities Chair and the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-155x10">Role and Responsibilities of the Workshop Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-157x1">The Workshop Chair is part of the Facilities Committee and maintains the workshop facility
in the basement. The Workshop Chair must communicate with the administrators of the MIT
Environment, Health, and Safety Headquarters to ensure that residents are properly trained
and certified to use the workshop.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-159x2">The Workshop Chair is responsible for: (a) organizing training sessions for residents who want
to use the workshop; (b) communicating with the House Manager to grant card access to
the workshop for residents who have been properly trained and certified; (c) reporting to the
Facilities Chair; (d) reporting regularly to the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-161x11">Roles and Responsibilities of the Rooming Chairs
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-163x1">The Rooming Chairs manage room assignments for new and continuing residents according
to the Rooming Policies.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-165x2">There are always two Rooming Chairs. At each election, the House elects an individual to
serve as Rooming Chair for a two year term.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-167x3">The Rooming Chairs are responsible for: (a) managing and executing the Rooming
Policies; (b) maintaining a record of all Simmons Hall residents and their assigned rooms;
(c) communicating regularly with the Housemasters, House Manager and Desk Captain;
(d) communicating with the MIT Housing Office and DormCon Housing Committee on
housing-related issues, with the assistance of the President; (e) providing assistance to the
Desk Captain upon request whenever residents are moving into or out of the building; (f)
reporting regularly to the House Chair and the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-169x12">Role and Responsibilities of the Freshmen Recruitment Organizers for Simmons Hall (FROSH)
Chairs
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-171x1">At each election, the House will elect two individuals to serve as FROSH Chairs for one-year
terms.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-173x2">The FROSH Chairs lead the FROSH Committee in overseeing all activities related to the
housing selection process for incoming new students.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-175x3">The FROSH Chairs are responsible for (a) organizing, scheduling and running meetings of
the FROSH Committee; (b) ensuring that the FROSH Committee accomplishes its goals; (c)
reporting to the President; (e) reporting regularly to the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-177x4">The FROSH Committee is responsible for: (a) working with the Publicity Chair to produce
material for the Interactive Introduction to the Institute (I3) video, the Guide to First-Year
Residences, and any other material sent to incoming students regarding residential life; (b)
overseeing the planning and organization of events during Campus Preview Weekend and
Orientation Week for prospective or incoming students; (c) providing assistance to the Desk
Captain during any times at which residents are moving into or out of the building; (d)
communicating with the DormCon Residence Orientation Chair, I3 staff, and administration
on any of the above issues, with the assistance of the President.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-179x5">The FROSH Committee recruits specific volunteers to undertake particular activities, such
as the production of the I3 video, or organizing a Campus Preview Weekend party. These
volunteers are automatically and necessarily considered members of the FROSH Committee.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-181x6">The FROSH Committee may request that its members be granted early returns from
DormCon for Orientation Week. Only members of the FROSH Committee who assist in the
organization or implementation of Orientation week activities may be granted early returns.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-183x13">Role and Responsibilities of the Athletics Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-185x1">The Athletics Chair heads the Athletic Committee made up of the Simmons’ Intramural team
captains. The Athletics Chair shall be responsible for (a) organizing and coordinating House
participation in external athletic programs, especially the MIT Intramural Sports Program
(b) reporting to the President; (c) reporting regularly to the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-187x2">The Athletics Chair should communicate with the administrators of the MIT Intramural
Sports Program and take steps to coordinate Simmons’ involvement including, but not limited
to, surveying interest in participating in a given sport, and helping to recruit members for
intramural teams. The Athletics Chair should report regularly to the House regarding the
status of the House’s participation in Intramural Sports.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-189x3">The Athletics Chair should be responsible for bringing forth all proposals to the House
regarding dues for team participation and proposals for equipment for Simmons’ Intramural
teams.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-191x4">The Athletics Chair will also have an oversight role over the various Intramural teams and
should take steps to ensure that teams remain active in their league and do not incur punitive
fines. The Athletics Chair can recommend to the House not to fund historically negligent
teams.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-193x14">Role and Responsibilities of Publicity Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-195x1">The Publicity Chair is tasked with the promotion and publicity of the dorm and its events
through the use of media content including, but not limited to, posters, flyers, web campaigns,
7K display, and the I3 video. The Publicity Chair is responsible for (a) promoting the dorm;
(b) assisting the House Team and House Officers in publicizing dorm events; (c) writing
and releasing an alumni newsletter as a high-level overview of occurrences at Simmons; (d)
reporting to the President; (e) reporting regularly to the House.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-197x15">Role and Responsibilities of the Historian
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-199x1">The Historian is tasked with the high-level goal of preserving a record of Simmons history for
future students and alumni. The Historian is responsible for (a) ensuring the biweekly records
written by the Secretary are complete; (b) assisting the Publicity Chair with the writing and
publishing of the alumni newsletter; (c) creating a yearly retrospective as a high-level and
student-opinion-aware summary of the year.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-201x2">The Historian is responsible for ensuring that the history recorded by the Secretary, the
Publicity Chair, and the Historian is as unbiased as possible and reflects student opinions.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-203x16">Roles and Responsibilities of the Kitchen Chair
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-205x1">The Kitchen Chair is part of the Facilities Committee and maintains the kitchen facilities in
Simmons.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-207x2">The Kitchen Chair is responsible for: (a) maintaining a stock of permanent cookware available
to Simmons residents; (b) maintaining a stock of basic ingredients available to Simmons
residents; (c) ensuring that residents keep kitchens clean.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-209x5">OFFICER PROVISIONS
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-211x1">Elections
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-213x1">Only undergraduate members of the House are eligible to serve as officers. No individual may
hold more than one office simultaneously, except in cases where an office remains unfilled for
an extended length of time.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-215x2">All elections must be open to all members of the House, whether or not they are able to
attend House meetings.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-217x3">The election process is overseen by the Elections Organizer. By default, the Elections
Organizer is the Chair of the House. However, if the Chair intends to be a candidate in the
election or otherwise wishes not to be Elections Organizer, the Chair must select another
undergraduate member of the House (who must not intend to be a candidate) to be the
Elections Organizer. This selection must be approved by a simple majority vote of the House.
The selection of Elections Organizer must occur before the beginning of nominations. The
Elections Organizer cannot be nominated to be a candidate. The Elections Organizer hears
all complaints related to the fairness of the election procedure.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-219x4">Nominations for officer positions will occur during the week preceding the elections House
meeting. A nominee will be placed on the ballot if their name is mentioned. People can
nominate themselves and nominate multiple times. One can be nominated by proxy. The
Chair must nominate anyone who notified him/her by two days before the House meeting.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-221x5">During the week before the announced election meeting and the final meeting of the term,
there is a special election meeting. During this meeting, all candidates will be given three
minutes to present their platform and one minute to answer questions. A further several
minutes will be dedicated to questioning any/all of the candidates for a particular office.
Proxies may read the platform of missing candidates, but may not take part in the question
answering sessions.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-223x6">The voting period is the period after the elections meeting and before the agenda closes for
the next regularly scheduled house meeting. The winner of each election is determined using
instant runoff voting. In the case of a tie between two individuals for a position that can be
held by two people, they may chose to serve as co-chairs or to hold a runoff election.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-225x7">New officers take office during the first meeting of the spring term. During the transition period
(the time between election results and the first spring House meeting), outgoing officers have
the responsibility of training the incoming officers and handing over turnover files. Outgoing
officers also have the responsibility of helping to run the first meeting of the spring term.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-227x8">An office becomes vacant when the individual holding that office resigns or is no longer an
official resident of Simmons Hall. An Officer may resign by informing the Chair of the House
of one’s resignation, or the Chair of the House may assume that an officer has resigned if that
officer fails to communicate with the House or otherwise fails to undertake the responsibilities
of that office.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-229x9">If a House Officer position, other than one specified in article III.5.7, becomes vacant mid-term,
the resigning officer should be reminded of his/her duty to train the replacement. The Chair
of the House should notify the House that the spot has become vacant and that they may
demonstrate interest within the week. At the end of the week, one of two outcomes has
occurred: (a) 1 or 0 people have contacted the chair. In this case, the chair is permitted to
appoint said person (if one is found) to the office in question. The Chair must ratify the
selection at the next House meeting with a simple majority vote; (b) 2 or more people have
contacted the chair. In this case, the chair (with the help of other officers) must administer
a one-week mid-term election for the House to select between the candidates. Additionally, if
the end of the one-week special election would fall within one month of the end of a regular
election, then the House Chair may exercise discretion in deciding whether to run a vote /
appoint directly / wait for the main election.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-231x10">The previous section, Article 5 Section 1 Item 8, does not apply to the instance in which the
Secretary choses to assume the role of House Chair permanently.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-233x11">Provisionally elected officers take office immediately upon election and fill the vacant office
until the time of the next regular election.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-235x2">Impeachment
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-237x1">Any member or group of members of the House may propose an Article of Impeachment
against an officer, if that member or group feels that: (a) the officer is neglecting the
responsibilities of that office; (b) the officer is abusing the authority granted to that office;
(c) the Officer is not acting in the interest of the House. A proposed Article of Impeachment
must include an explanation that addresses at least one of these three points.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-239x2">A proposed Article of Impeachment is placed on the House agenda, discussed, and voted upon
in the same manner as is any other item of House business.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-241x3">If the Chair of the House is the object of the Article of Impeachment, the Secretary of the
House assumes the responsibilities of the Chair for all business relating to the Article of
Impeachment.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-243x4">If an Article of Impeachment is approved by a House vote, the Chair of the House holds a
hearing open to all members of the House. The proponent of the Article of Impeachment,
the object of the Article of Impeachment, and the Chair are given the opportunity to speak
at this hearing, and may invite witnesses to speak on their behalf, but any witness may be
dismissed by the Chair of the House on the grounds of irrelevance. No other individuals are
allowed to speak at this hearing.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-245x5">The Chair of the House may decide, based on the evidence presented at the hearing, to
remove an individual from office if and only if: (a) the information presented in the Article of
Impeachment is truthful in content; and (b) the Article of Impeachment sufficiently explains
why the impeached individual should be removed from office. After deliberation, the Chair
presents the decision, along with a written explanation, to the House.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-247x6">An office that is unoccupied as the result of impeachment proceedings is then treated in the
same manner as any other vacancy, except that the removed officer is no longer eligible to
hold that office.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-249x6">THE HOUSE SUPPORT TEAM
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-251x1">Live-In House Support Positions
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-253x1">MIT specially selects individuals to live in Simmons Hall in order to ensure the health, safety
and well-being of residents and to promote a vibrant and diverse social life. These include
Housemasters and Graduate Resident Tutors (GRTs), Visiting Scholars, and the Residential
Life Area Director among others. Along with the House Manager and staff, these individuals
collectively form a House Support Team, with the Housemasters serving as its head, that
operates independently of the House government but must remain in contact with the House
government in order to ensure a mutually supportive working relationship.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-255x2">Housemasters, GRTs, and any other individuals who are specially selected by MIT to live in
Simmons Hall are all considered Members of the House, but do not have any official standing
within the House, nor do they have any official responsibilities to the House. Nonetheless,
they are encouraged to participate in all activities of the House, and to offer their support
where the House would benefit from the specialized assistance they may be able to provide.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-257x2">The Housemaster Role
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-259x1">The Simmons Hall Housemaster team consists of the Housemasters and Associate
Housemasters, who are faculty members living with their families in Simmons Hall. The
Housemasters and Associate Housemasters are appointed to their positions by the Office of
the Dean for Student Life. They are expected to integrate fully into Simmons and to support
the entire dorm socially and intellectually.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-261x2">The Housemaster role in Simmons falls into four areas: (a) They hold frequent social events,
and participate actively in the social events held by House residents, in order to get to know
as many undergraduates as possible; (b) they help residents deal with problems, ranging from
inter-personal or inter-group issues to those of a highly personal and individual nature; (c)
they supervise the Graduate Resident Tutors; (d) they report to the rest of the MIT faculty
and to the MIT administration.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-263x3">When a new Housemaster or Associate Housemaster must be selected, a committee of House
Officers is formed to review candidates and make recommendations to the Dean for Student
Life.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-265x3">The Graduate Resident Tutor Role
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-267x1">Graduate Resident Tutors are MIT graduate students hired by the Office of the Dean for
Student Life to live in Simmons Hall, sometimes along with partners or families. They are
expected to integrate fully into the dorm and to provide support to a specific set of residents
living in a particular area of the building.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-269x2">The GRT role in the House falls into four areas: (a) They serve as advisors and mentors to
residents, particularly those living within their area; (b) they respond to crises and conflicts
that occur within the dorm, relying on their training and judgment; (c) they serve as advocates
for the interests of students, as liaisons between students and Housemasters, and sometimes
as liaisons between students and the administration; (d) they serve as community facilitators,
encouraging interaction and providing recreational opportunities for residents, particularly
those living within their area.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-271x3">The GRT role in the dorm expressly excludes any disciplinary component. Only the
Housemasters may officially recommend disciplinary action against a resident of Simmons
Hall.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-273x4">When new GRTs must be hired to fill open positions in Simmons Hall, a House committee
of House Officers and the Housemaster team is formed to review all candidates and provide
a list of recommended candidates to the Office of the Dean for Student Life.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-275x4">Other Special Live-In Positions
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-277x1">Other individuals who are selected to live in Simmons Hall may include Visiting Scholars and
their families, Residential Life Associates, or possibly others to be defined in the future.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-279x2">Individuals specially selected by an MIT authority to live in Simmons Hall, while Members
of the House, are not required to have any special responsibilities to the House. However,
the House may establish House Policies regarding the roles these individuals are expected to
play in the House. Live-in roles as defined by the House must complement, and must not
contradict, the roles as defined by the MIT authority responsible for appointing or hiring the
individuals.
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-281x5">Non-Live-In House Support Positions
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-283x1">Individuals who play significant support roles within the Simmons Hall community but are
not residents of Simmons Hall may include the House Manager, staff serving under the House
Manager, the dining hall staff, and others. These individuals are not considered Members of
the House, nor do they have any official standing with respect to the House, nor do they
have any official responsibilities to the House. Nonetheless, the House, through its officers, is
encouraged to communicate them, and ask for their support in areas where the House would
benefit from the specialized assistance they may be able to provide.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-285x7">USE OF HOUSE RESOURCES
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-287x1">Use of House Funds
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-289x1">Every House resident has an equal opportunity to benefit from House funds.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-291x2">All proposals made to the House should have an explicit time-frame built in. This is especially
important so that treasurers do not need to maintain logs indefinitely of approved, allocated
money that has never been spent. The “default” expiration of allocations (i.e. those that do
not specify otherwise) will be at the end of the term in which the money was intended to be
spent, or at the end of the current term if no intended date is specified.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-293x3">In order to carry out the duties of their offices, in accordance with Article II Section 5, the
Chair of the House, the President, and the Social Chair shall be granted a fund of $500 at his
or her discretion. If spent, this fund may only be replenished by vote of the House Committee.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-295x4">Simmons Hall is a member of the Dormitory Council (DormCon) and pays all associated
taxes.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-297x8">CONSTITUTIONAL VALIDITY
<ol class="enumerate2" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-299x1">Constitution Ratification
<ol class="enumerate3" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-301x1">This Constitution is offered by the Governance Subcommittee of the Simmons Hall Founders
Group to the residents of Simmons Hall. The residents of Simmons Hall have made certain
changes to reflect the first year of Simmons’ existence. The residents have also chosen to ratify
this Constitution with a two-thirds vote, following a consensus from the House that the voting
method is appropriate.
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
</li></ol>
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