Saudi Students Association

The name of this body shall be the Saudi Students Association, hereafter referred to as the SSA

It is the mission of SSA at George Mason University to promote knowledge and awareness of Saudi culture through cultural and social forum within GMU community and within greater DC area. It is to the soul of this association to encourage cultural dialog and understanding of cultural differences for the sake of harmony and cooperation among GMU society and greater DC societies.
     Supported goals:
 o Engagement in different GMU activities (e.g. social events, sports, festivals, etc.) and cooperate with variety of GMU organizations.
 o Encourage Saudi students to interact and communicate with GMU communities and greater DC communities.
 o Promote friendships and mutual respect between individuals, families, and communities within GMU and greater DC area in general.
 o Arrange educational and social workshops to help new students adjust and feel comfortable in their new environment and living system.
 o Contribute to the diversified aspects of GMU and help students to succeed in their educational journey.
 o Initiate and support any other means to achieve this association‘s objectives.

Membership in SSA shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, sex or age.

To become a member one must submit the SSA a completed membership form to the Secretary and pay the applicable membership dues.

Membership in SSA is divided as the following: o Active Member: shall be any Saudi who is currently enrolled GMU student with a minimum academic achievement record defined as a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.0. In addition, the active member shall pay the membership dues defined as $25. Active Member shall have the privilege of voting and nominate him or herself to hold an executive position. o Regular Member: shall be any Saudi whom his or her status does not apply for Active membership. Regular Member shall pay the membership dues defined as $10. Regular Member shall have the privilege of voting. o Associate Member: shall be any GMU student or surrounding community member who subscribe to the set of purposes and goals defined in Article Two of this constitution. Associate Member has no voting privilege. o Honorary Membership: shall be granted to any GMU student, faculty, staff, or community member. Honorary membership can only be assigned by executive committee approval upon an extraordinary participation of the nominated member. Honorary membership can be paired with any other membership defined in this article. Honorary Membership has no voting privilege unless he or she holds another membership that grants that right.

To maintain membership, one must act, participate, and behave accordingly with the intended support of the purpose and set of goals of the association defined in Article Two.

Membership may be terminated upon decision of the Executive Committee for any action which violates the regulations and by-laws set forth by this constitution and contradicts the general purpose and set of goals defined in Article Two.

To become an officer, one must be an Active Member. Active Member shall maintain conditions defined in Article Three.

become either President or Vice President, in addition to fulfilling active membership requirements, one must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

The association shall be organized as follows: 1. President:Abdulrahman Saeed Alghaseb 2. Vice President: Amal Almowais 4. Treasurer: Hadeel Hajar 5. Cultural Activity Coordinator:Reem 6. Social Activity Coordinator:Salman Almeshil 7. Sport Coordinator: SAbdullah abubshait

The officers may appoint and terminate appointments of sub-committees and advisory bodies as may be appropriate for the better administration of the SSA.

Any officer shall have the right to resign. An officer must submit a hand written and signed letter of resignation to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall respond with acceptance or denial to the resignation request.

In the event of a vacancy in the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee shall appoint a new officer to fill the vacant position.

ADVISOR

There shall be at least, but not limited to one faculty advisor. He or she shall be selected by the officers immediately following the Election Meeting. Advisor/s shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.

The primary advisor shall be a member of the faculty or staff at George Mason University.

Advisors shall offer guidance and support for SSA, however, they shall not have the privilege of voting.

Election shall be held on the first Friday of the month of April of every academic year.

An election committee shall be compiled by the Executive Committee to maintain the process of elections including accepting nominations, collecting and verifying votes.

Members of election committee shall not be nominated for any position.

Members shall be notified at least one week in prior to election day. There are three ways that a notification needs to be presented: through the email list, posted in the SSA website, and through word of mouth.

Only Active members are eligible to be nominated as defined in Article Four unless they volunteer for election committee.

Nominations shall be submitted to election committee no later than the day before elections are hold.

General Assembly Meeting (GAM): GAM shall be held at least once every academic semester excluding summer semester. GAM shall be held not earlier than the start of an academic semester and not later than one calendar month after the first day of that semester. At least two weeks' notice shall be given for the General Assembly meeting.

The president will chair the GAM, but other general meetings may be chaired by his or her appointee.

GAM is not open for public and only members can participate in it.

General Member Meetings (GMM): GMM should take place no less than once a month. SSA general meetings are open to the general public. Community potluck may count as SSA meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to introduce new members to the SSA community and to create a healthy environment for discussing the mission of the association.

Executive Committee Meeting (ECM): A minimum of one ECM meeting must be held every month to evaluate the association’s goals, activities, and responsibilities. A minimum of five officers must be present at the meeting in order to conduct business.

SSA will follow and be subject to all GMU policies, procedures, and practices regarding organization accounts and finances.

There shall be a due of $25 for active members and $10 for regular members.

Dues shall be collected by the Treasurer or Secretary in the Fall term General Assembly Meeting.

All dues shall be collected from all members subject to dues no later than two weeks after the Fall GAM.

Additional contributions and collections may be requested for as the nature of activities requires. Fund-raising events may be organized when appropriate.

The Treasurer shall keep no more than $80 in petty cash. Any sum beyond that shall be deposited in a bank account to be designated by the Executive Committee.

Withdrawals should be signed by the President or Secretary in addition to the treasurer. Cash flows shall be reported regularly to the Executive Committee.

This constitution may be amended by majority voting during General Member Meeting.

An amendment may be proposed by any voting member by submitting a written draft for the proposed amendment.

The Executive shall review the drafted proposed amendment and put the proposal into public vote should they have no objections on the proposed amendment.

The Office of Student Activities must review all amendments in the same manner as a completely new constitution.

This constitution shall become effective upon approval by a ¾ vote of the membership, the Council of Student Umbrellas and the Director of Student Activities.