First Draft - ASF - Drafting Committee

Please enable JavaScript to view the full PDF

Draft Adivasi Students' Forum (ASF) Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai The Constitution of Adivasi Students’ Forum Article 1 Name Section 1.1 Name Adivasi Students’ Forum, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Hereafter, referred as ASF Section 1.2 Amendment a. The fundamental and core part of it can not be amended. b. The fundamental and core resides in the words ‘Adivasi’ and ‘Students’’. c. The other parts can be brought to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. Article 2 Aims & Objectives Section 2.1 Aims Adivasi Students’ Forum aims at creating a conducive environment, where the Adivasi Perspective is discussed, debated and nurtured as an alternative worldview. It aims at bringing critical thinking of the Adivasi community which is rooted in their culture and value systems, and works for the rights of the community and stands against the injustice done to them. It believes in diversity, mutual trust, respect, sharing, collaboration and dialogue. Section 2.2 Objectives a. To bring in Adivasi Perspective/ Worldview within academia and institutes of learning. b. To create awareness about Adivasi History, Culture, Leaders and issues faced by the community. c. To academically help Adivasi Students through mutual sharing, unlearning, relearning and discussions. d. To organize the Adivasi students within TISS Mumbai. e. To collaborate with the Adivasi students of other campuses, institutions and organizations. f. To collaborate and dialogue with other students’ groups/organisations on campus and outside. Section 2.3 Amendment a. The aims and objectives of Adivasi Students’ Forum ( Section 2.1 & Section 2.2 ) is subject to amendment through addition, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. b. No parts of ‘aims & objectives’ which came into effect along with the constitution ( on X ), can be deleted or changed. c. The changes brought to ‘aims & objectives’ after X, is subject to amendment Article 3 Membership Section 3.1 Criteria for Membership: a. Membership is open only to ​Adivasi/Tribal​ students of TISS, Mumbai1 b. All the members of ASF shall be members of the General Council. c. Membership fee is nominally fixed at Rs.50 payable only once at the time of joining.2 Section 3.2 Withdrawal and Impeachment of Membership a) Any member can withdraw the membership by informing the General Aguas through writing/email 1 ​The drafting committee will take care of membership drive for the initial first year, and later the baton will be handed over to either the Chief Council or the General Aguas, as the drafting committee deems fit 2 ​Membership/Renewal fee will not be refunded upon cancellation/withdrawal of membership b) A member can be impeached if they are found to be involved in any activities which are in direct/indirect violation of the constitution of ASF. Section 3.3 Impeachment Process a. The matter shall be brought before the Chief Council b. The Chief Council will present a report to General Aguas c. The General Aguas would present it to the General Council d. The General Council3 will discuss, deliberate and decide4 on the motion Section 3.4 Amendment a. Section 3.1 is subject to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee, except Section 3.1 clause (a) b. Section 3.2 and Section 3.3 are subject to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. Article 4 General Council Section 4.1 Constituents All the members of ASF shall constitute the General Council. Hereafter, GC. Section 4.2 Meetings a. There shall be a meeting of the General Council (GCM) at least once a month5 b. The Moderator and Minutes of Meeting Keeper for the General Council shall be appointed right before the meeting by the Chief Council or General Agua. c. The Compulsory General Council Meeting ( CGCM ) shall be called once in a semester. d. The date for CGCM shall be decided by General Aguas. e. The Chief Council and the General Aguas have the right to call a General Council Meeting. 3 The General Council’s quorum for impeachment meeting should be at least 2/3rd 4 If voted, it should be passed with 2/3rd majority 5 Via any mode which GC deems fit f. A General Council member can call a GCM, by writing6/email to the Chief Council or the General Aguas. g. A Special General Council Meeting ( SGCM ) would be called on at the end of every academic year to form the Chief Council. h. A member failing to attend three consecutive GCM, should give an explanation to the Chief Council in writing 7 i. The absence of aforementioned explanation can lead to collective disciplinary action by the General Council. Section 4.3 Duties and Responsibilities of General Council Members a. To abide by the constitution of ASF. b. To use the platform to talk about the Adivasi/tribal issues. c. To make endeavour towards the academic growth of our community members and others. d. To ensure one’s participation in the scheduled GCMs. Section 4.4 Amendment a. The ‘Constituents’ and ‘Meetings of General Council’ ( Section 4.1 and Section 4.2 ) are subject to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. b. The ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 4.3 ) is subject to amendment through addition, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. c. No parts of ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 4.3 ) which came into effect along with the constitution ( on X ), can be deleted or changed. d. The changes brought to ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ after X, is subject to amendment Article 5 Chief Council Section 5.1 Constituents a. The Chief Council shall consist of one representative each from all the Adivasi communities/tribes, in the organisation. b. All the members of Chief Council shall be called Chief Aguas 6 ​Submitted in hardcopy 7 e​ mail/hand-written c. The Adivasi communities/ tribes shall select one representative each from their respective community/tribes. d. In the Special General Council Meeting ( SGCM ), the consensus building will be done within tribes as well as the General Council, simultaneously. e. The tenure of Chief Agua shall be for one year f. A member shall be allowed to hold office for a maximum of two non-consecutive terms Section 5.2 Representation a. The Chief Council should have adequate representation, and mandatorily follow the ratio of ​40:40:10:10​ with respect to​ Men : Women : Differently abled : Gender & Sexual Minority b. A Chief Council must comply with the aforementioned ratio, except when there is insufficient number of members in any of the categories or they voluntarily deny to be part of it c. In case of absence of members in any category, the percentage of it should be equally divided among rest of the categories Section 5.3 Powers and responsibilities of the Chief Council a. The Chief Council shall have a primary role of an advisory body. b. The Chief Council shall seek reports from the Finance Committee. c. The Chief Council shall oversee all the necessary transactions. d. The Chief Council shall call the meetings in the absence of General Aguas at the beginning of academic year. e. The Chief Council shall facilitate the elections of General Agua and Gender Cell Members8 f. To create the academic calendar comprising of events and significant dates related to Adivasi/Tribal history Section 5.4 Coordinators a. Two members chosen amongst the Chief Council shall function as the Coordinators. b. They will act as the liasoning force between the team of General Agua and the General Council. 8 ​If a member of Chief Council wishes to contest for any post within ASF, they would stand barred from the powers and responsibilities of conducting the election ( Section 5.3.d). If they win, they must resign from the Chief Council or else, they can retain the post. c. They would oversee all the administrative functions within the Chief Council viz, meetings, recordkeeping of its attendance, Minutes of Meeting record and others. Section 5.5 Impeachment a. Any General Council member can initiate the impeachment motion against Chief Agua by writing to General Agua. b. The concerned Chief Agua would have to submit an explanation to General Agua. c. A report would be presented by General Agua before the General Council. d. The General Council9 will discuss, deliberate and decide10 on the motion. e. In case of a post being vacant, it should be filled within 15 days. Section 5.6 Amendment a. The ‘Constituents’ and ‘Representation’ ( Section 5.1 and Section 5.2 ) are not subject to amendment. b. The ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 5.3 ) is subject to amendment through addition, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. c. No parts of ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 5.3 ) which came into effect along with the constitution ( on X ), can be deleted or changed. d. The changes brought to ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ after X, is subject to amendment e. The ‘Coordinators’ and ‘Impeachment’ ( Section 5.4 & Section 5.5 ) are subject to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. Article 6 General Agua Section 6.1 Introduction and Number of General Aguas a. The General Agua is the executive and administrative head of ASF b. There would be a team of three General Agua who shall handle the administrative functions c. Third General Agua ( Treasurer ) additionally shall have the primary responsibility of overseeing the financial activities, transactions and planning. d. No two General Aguas shall be from the same Adivasi community/ tribe. 9 The General Council’s quorum for impeachment meeting should be at least 2/3rd 10 If voted, it should be passed with 2/3rd majority e. The tenure for the post would be one academic year. f. The General Agua cannot hold any official post in the Executive Body of Student Union11 Section 6.2 Elections of General Agua a. There would be two sets of elections. One would be for the post of two General Aguas, and other for the General Agua ( Treasurer ) b. At least two persons should nominate a candidate for the post. c. It can be​ ​nominated verbally in the GC, through an email or a letter. d. If there are more nominations than the posts stated, then the GC will have a discussion on the candidates e. When the discussion will go on, the candidates will not be present there. f. The GC should try to come to a consensus​ ​on one of the candidates. g. If consensus is not arrived at, the candidates will be asked for their views and allowed to have discussion among themselves. h. Still, if no consensus is arrived at, the GC can vote to choose the General Agua12. i. All the candidates will be given time to address GC​. Section 6.3 Duties & Responsibilities of General Agua a. To manage all the administrative and executive functions b. To maintain the transparency in the all the financial related issues ranging from subscription fee to committee related expenses c. To act as a mediator between the Chief Council and General Council d. To initiate the General Council Meeting e. To be the contact person for Student Union and other student organisations in the campus f. To maintain cordial relation with alumni g. To manage Minutes of Meeting ( MoM ) h. To be the de facto head of Resource Person Coordinator Committee i. To coordinate with the Documentation committee during the statement release j. To ensure the Knowledge Transfer sessions between the ex-committee members and newly appointed committee members k. To seek accountability with the committee members and power to propose the reshuffle if committees found inefficient. l. To create the academic calendar comprising events and significant dates related to Adivasi/Tribal history. 11 ​If they wish to have an official post, the resignation must be sought from them by the Chief Council. 12 They will be elected by the simple majority of the members present Section 6.4 Impeachment a. General Council members can initiate the impeachment motion against General Agua by writing to the Chief Council. b. The concerned General Agua would have to submit an explanation to the Chief Council. c. A report would be presented by the Chief Council before the General Council. d. The General Council13 will discuss, deliberate and decide14 on the motion. e. In case of a post being vacant, it should be filled within 15 days. Section 6.5 Amendment a. The fundamental and core part of ‘Elections of General Agua’ ( Section 6.2 ) can not be amended. b. The fundamental and core resides in the steps of ‘consensus building’, Section 6.2 clause ( d ), ( e ), ( f ) and ( g ) c. The other parts of ‘Elections of General Agua’ ( Section 6.2 ) can be brought to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. d. The ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 6.3 ) is subject to amendment through addition, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. e. No parts of ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 6.3 ) which came into effect along with the constitution ( on X ), can be deleted or changed. f. The changes brought to ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ after X, is subject to amendment. g. The ‘Impeachment’ ( Section 6.4 ) is subject to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. Article 7 Gender Cell Section 7.1 Introduction & Number of Members a. Gender Cell shall be an autonomous body. b. It shall not be answerable for its decision to any office bearer or any committee within the ASF. 13 The General Council’s quorum for impeachment meeting should be at least 2/3rd 14 If voted, it should be passed with 2/3rd majority c. It shall work as a preventive and redressal mechanism. d. It shall cater to the needs of anyone who has filed a complaint15 against any member of ASF e. It shall ensure that the complaint is investigated properly and appropriate action has been taken. f. It shall act as a support system by being an empathetic pillar for everyone. g. It shall oversee gender awareness campaigns and other creative modules to ensure sensitisation amongst all the members. h. It aims to create a safe space and ultimately a safe organisation for everybody. i. There would be a total of five members in the Gender Cell. j. The tenure is one year. k. Gender cell members can hold the post for two non consecutive terms. Section 7.2 Representation a. The two seats within the Gender Cell would be reserved for women members, two for men, and one for gender & sexual minority. b. In case of seats being vacant, it shall be filled by woman member(s). c. The coordinator of the Gender Cell Member should either be a gender & sexual minority or woman member. Section 7.3 Duties & Responsibility a. To play an empathetic role while addressing the concerned cases b. To investigate the cases which have been brought to the Gender Cell c. To assist individuals in reaching out to mental health professionals d. To take the suo motto, if the need arises e. To not limit the demography of the incident ( within or off the campus ) by guiding them through the formal & legal measures available to them f. To educate the members through sessions, seminars, webinars with respect to gender awareness & sensitisation g. To plan the orientation session at the beginning of the academic year h. To design campaigns and roll out creative modules for the awareness & sensitisation purpose i. To bring forth our narrative about Adivasi/tribal women and gender & sexual minority j. To act as a pressure group if formal & legal mechanisms fail to avail justice to any members of ASF 15 ​ Gender related discrimination, violence and acts of casual sexism. k. To document all the procedures and meeting with utmost accuracy l. To mandatorily give the report on the proceeding with respect to a complaint within 30 days m. To entertain the review petition on the availability of new evidences n. To debar the member of Gender Cell if there has been a complaint by any General Council Member, against the concerned Gender Cell member, till the investigation period o. To maintain confidentiality in all its proceedings, including the final report Section 7.4 Selection Criteria a. There would be two rounds of processes for selection. b. In the first round, the candidate shall file their nomination. c. They shall address the General Council, followed by a Q & A round. d. The General Council shall give their feedback and comments, and submit a report to General Agua. e. The GAs shall forward the report for further screening. f. The GAs shall form a team of experts to conduct the interview of candidates.16 Section 7.5 Impeachment The Gender Cell member can be impeached on the following grounds, if : a. The member has been frequently absent from its proceedings ( less than 75 % ). b. The member has conducted the proceeding of meeting in any gender insensitive manner. and the same has been brought out by the individuals involved in the dispute. c. The member has breached the clause of confidentiality. d. The member has violated the constitution of ASF in any manner whatsoever. e. The final investigation report is against the Gender Cell Member as discussed in Section 7.3 clause ( n ). Section 7.6 Amendment a. The ‘Representation’ (Section 7.2) and ‘Selection Criteria’ ( Section 7.4 ) can not be amended b. The ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 7.3 ) is subject to amendment through addition, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. c. No parts of ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ ( Section 7.3 ) which came into effect along with the constitution ( on X ), can be deleted or changed. 16 It shall comprise faculty and/or research scholars. d. The changes brought to ‘Duties and Responsibilities’ after X, is subject to amendment. e. The ‘Introduction & Number of Members’ (Section 7.1) and ‘Impeachment’ (Section 7.5) are subject to amendment, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee. Article 8 Committees Section 8.1 Formation & Functions of Committees For smooth functioning of any student led organisation, the volunteer driven committees act as the powerhouse to execute all the functions during the event ( or even otherwise ). Here is an exhaustive list of committees which need to be formed in order to do efficient work. Finance a. To coordinate with the General Agua ( Treasurer ) b. To collaborate with the ​Sales & Marketing​ team to ensure a cash inflow in the ASF fund ( Fund Raising ). c. To prepare the estimated budget and expenditure list prior to any event d. To take care of the monetary demands of all other committees e. To reimburse the extra costs which are incurred by any committee member or any other General Council Member on the personal basis, after a proper verification f. To tap potential sponsors ( organisations as well as individuals ) which can collaborate with ASF g. To prepare the final budget and expenditure, ( and getting it thoroughly audited ) post event, and present it to the General Council. Logistics a. To ensure that all the infrastructure support is being taken care of. b. To book the venue c. To obtain all the required approvals d. To work in close touch with all the committees which might need any support in terms of infrastructure. Food/Snack a. This committee needs to be looked at more as a committee which ensures that ‘food’ serves to bring people together b. To take care of all the needs of food during any official event. c. During the regular meet/chat sessions or any session of ASF, building and connecting each other with food. Media/PR a. To handle all the social media accounts of ASF. b. To build an impactful online presence and engage the audience with the ideologies, beliefs, and values of ASF. c. To schedule and execute interviews with our proponents and publish it on all of our platforms. d. To act as the Public Relation arm of ASF to ensure that our presence over mainstream media/social media is positive. Sales & a. To take care of sales & marketing of all the goods/commodities which Marketing/Promotion would help in getting funds for ASF. b. To ensure sale of all the products ( on/off campus ). c. To make an effort to come up with the new ways to increase the funds. d. To make our presence felt in the campus through exhibiting our culture Academic/Knowledge a. To provide the required support academically to all the members. b. To engage in discussions with the individual(s) who would ensure value addition. c. To bring people ( internal & external ) which would help ASF members in their academic endeavours. d. To arrange informal sessions/support groups Cultural/Expression a. To be at the forefront of ASF when it comes to expressing oneself. b. To reach out to the masses by broadening ways of expression ( Poetry sessions, standups, movie screening ) c. To organise informal sessions with the sole purpose of expressing oneself d. To inculcate the culture of expressing oneself within the members of ASF through different means Documentation a. To help the team of General Aguas with drafting all the statements b. To do proper research about the issues which are of importance c. To make sure that every events get documented Asset Management a. To keep the records of all the assets ( for eg. sari, decorative items, musical instruments ) which belong to ASF b. To keep the track of all the transaction of any asset of ASF which has been done with any member ( or non-member ) c. To ensure the safe storage of all the assets Helpline Initiative a. To reach out to all the aspirants who come from different backgrounds, guiding them through the admission procedure b. To help aspirants in every possible way to make their candidature successful c. To help them to reach out and connect with the existing student of particular school in which they have applied for Creative/Decoration a. To design the products which needs creative intervention ( such as t-shirts ) b. To brainstorm all the ideas with respect to decoration for any event c. To design posters, banners, flex, invitation cards d. To place posters/banners at the appropriate spot Resource Person a. General Agua would be the de facto head of this particular committee Coordinator b. To reach out to resource person with the aim of converting them for the scheduled events c. To keep the GAs in loop about all the progress d. To coordinate with other committees about the dates, final confirmation and logistics Campaign Designing a. To brainstorm the ideas that would help the organisation get self-sustainable in terms of funds. b. To provide the end to end layout for the complete plan. c. To liaison the work within different committees. Section 8.2 Coordinators of Committees a. There would be two coordinators in each committee. b. It is mandatory that at least one coordinator shall be a senior17 member. c. The senior member who becomes the coordinator of one committee should at least possess the experience of being in that specific committee for at least one year. Section 8.3 Amendment a. The ‘Formation & Functions of Committee’ ( Section 8.1 ), is subject to amendment by simple majority18 in the General Council. b. The ‘Coordinators of Committees’ ( Section 8.2 ) is not subject to amendment. Article 9 Advisory Committee Section 9.1 Introduction & Number of Members 17 A member who has spent a year or more in the organisation. 18 It shall be passed by simple majority with the members present and vote a. Advisory committee shall consist of a minimum one faculty member, alumni and someone who has a long association with ASF and shares its visions & values. b. However, section 9.1.a shall have to fulfil the criteria as mentioned in Section 3.1.a. c. It shall act as an advisory body for the suggestion and recommendation.19 Article 10 Amendment Procedure Section 10.1 Constitutional Review Committee and Procedure followed To bring amendments through the Constitutional Review Committee following procedure needs to be followed: a. Any member can propose an amendment by writing to General Aguas or bring the matter to the General Council’s concern. b. The General Council will deliberate on the matter and if deemed necessary a constitution review committee will be formed. c. The committee shall study and evaluate the respective sections proposed for amendment. d. The committee shall forward its report to the Chief Council. e. The Chief Council shall forward it to General Agua with its comments and suggestions. f. The General Aguas shall present the proposed amendment to the General Council. g. The suggestions provided by the Constitutional Review Committee would be non-binding on the General Council and it’s validation would be subject to General Council’s assent. h. The quorum of the General Council shall be 2/3rd of its members to have a discussion on the proposed amendment. i. The amendment shall be passed by 2/3rd majority of people present and voting. Section 10.2 Constituents of Constitutional Review Committee a. The Constitutional Review Committee shall be a team of six members. b. Two members shall be from the Chief Council. c. Two members shall be from the General Council. d. One General Agua. 19 It shall be of non-binding nature e. One Gender Cell member Section 10.3 Amendment a. The ‘Constitutional Review Committee and Procedure followed’ ( Section 10.1) and ‘Constituents of Constitutional Review Committee’ ( Section 10.2 ) are subject to amendment on the recommendation of the Constitutional Review Committee formed for this specific purpose. Article 11 Decision Making Process a. The Forum shall follow a very elaborate decision making process involving discussion, consultation and collaborations. b. The General Agua can be approached through verbal, mails and written letters to initiate a discussion on any matter. c. The General Agua shall bring the matter for discussion at the General Council. d. If the General Council is not able to come to a consensus, the General Agua shall have consultation with the Chief Agua. e. Then the matter shall be put for discussion in the Chief Council. f. The Chief Council shall present their observation, feedback and suggestions on the matter to the General Council. g. If the decision is not arrived at, then the matter can be put to vote. h. The decision can be passed by the simple majority of the people present and voting at the General Council.