BRAZILIAN CLUB BY-LAWS AND CONSTITUTION

Revised on September 10, 2007 

PURPOSE OF THE CLUB: To unite students of diverse ethnicities in promoting Brazilian culture throughout the school. Members will have a unique opportunity to share and educate themselves about many aspects of Brazilian culture such as the language, festivals and events, history, music, traditions, etc.

ELIGIBILITY: Students must have a 2.0 GPA prior to entering the club and maintain it throughout the school year in order to remain a member in good standing. It is the student’s responsibility to get his/her report card from the counselor and present it to the club treasurer and sponsor prior to payment of club dues and after each grading period. Students must have good conduct in school in order to qualify as a member of the Brazilian club. Students with two referrals for discipline will not qualify.

                          . No student will be denied membership based on race, creed, sex, or ethnicity.       

                          . No students who have been in school since August will be allowed in the club after two weeks of the first official club meeting. New students enrolled in school after the deadline for membership and eligible to become a member of the club will be allowed to apply to become a member of the club.

FINANCES: Student must pay the club dues in order to be considered a member. It is required that every student willing to enter the club, read the by-laws and constitution prior to making his/her dues payment.

                     . Members and officers are required to make an annual contribution of $5.00.

                     . No reimbursements will be given to members when leaving the club under any circumstances or upon member/officer exclusion.

                     . Eligible club members will have two weeks from the first official club meeting to pay their dues. New students enrolled in school after the deadline for membership and eligible to become a member of the club will have two weeks to pay their dues from the date on their application form.  

                     . All monetary transactions (fundraising, dues, deposit, etc) must be handled by the club treasurer. If the treasurer is unavailable, the club sponsor will handle the money transactions.

                    . A receipt of club dues will be issued to every member.

                    . All merchandises and monies lost during fundraiser or any activity must be reimbursed. The member, officer or sponsor responsible for the loss the money or merchandise will have a deadline to reimburse the lost item. If the member is not in compliance, his or her name will be referred to the administration.

MEETINGS: .The club meetings will be held every two weeks, on Fridays in room 014 as per the agreement made between members and sponsor.

                      . The club sponsor must be present at all meetings. If the sponsor is not available, the meeting will be postponed.

                      . Meetings start promptly at 12:15 pm. No one will be allowed after 12:20 pm. Some exceptions may apply and the sponsor will judge each case separately.

   . Attendance and punctuality is very important since many decisions are made and ideas are discussed during the club meetings. A member and officer will be allowed no more than seven absences. Please bring excuse notes for absent days.

                     . If the member is involved with sports in school or any class that requires him or her to attend competitions off campus during club functions or meetings, he will be excused. He or her must prove in writing the excused absence. No more than 40% of absences will be allowed from the members who participate in sports or other competitions.

                   . Every member and officer is responsible for cleaning the room after the meeting. NO FOOD, FOOD WRAPS AND/OR BEVERAGES WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.

                    . The sponsor, if necessary, will call emergency meetings, the day before or in the morning of the meeting. All members will be notified by the school’s public address system.

CONDUCT AND PARTICIPATION:

q       It is expected that every member and officer have satisfactory conduct and interest in club matters.

q        Politeness, such as raising hand before speaking, listening to others, and making constructive criticism in a respectful way is expected from all involved in the club. RUDE BEHAVIOR WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

q       We should be united and avoid gossip in order to maintain a positive and unified atmosphere.

q       Club sponsor will judge the level of member and officer’s participation in fundraising and any other club activity. This evaluation will determine the inclusion or exclusion from club functions as well as possible exclusion from the club.

q       Posters, flyers or emails sent or displayed with the name of the Brazilian Club, logo, or members or sponsor names regarding any club function must be approved first by the Sponsor and second by the Activities Director.

EXCLUSION:

ANY MEMBER OR OFFICER WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CLUB FOR THE FOLLOWING:

1.      GPA below 2.0

2.      2 referrals for discipline

3.      Disrespectful behavior as judged by the sponsor

4.      More than seven absences

5.      Unsatisfactory performance in club functions (fundraisers, carnival, etc)

One warning will be given to cases # 2,3,4,5 depending of the case. The officers and sponsor will judge the cases. The sponsor will have the final say.

THE SPONSOR WILL JUDGE ANY OTHER CASE NOT LISTED IN THIS CLAUSE.