Lutheran Student Movement
In Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma
CONSTITUTION

YET TO BE RATIFIED

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Lutheran Student Movement (LSM) in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma (ALTO), hereafter to be referred as LSM-ALTO.

ARTICLE II – AFFILIATION

This organization exists as a region and affiliates itself with the Lutheran Student Movement of the United States of America, hereafter to be referred as LSM-USA, as defined in the constitution of LSM-USA.

ARTICLE III – PURPOSES

The purposes of LSM-ALTO shall be:

1. To facilitate and enhance the understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its implications for the professional and occupational life of the believers in the world, and especially in the sphere of higher education;
2. To enable and enlighten participation of believers in the serving ministry of Christ in the world;
3. To encourage active participation in the life and mission of the Lutheran churches;
4. To provide programs to meet the educational, fellowship, and recreational needs of members of the organization;
5. To communicate and cooperate with fellow Christians in ecumenical concerns, and to provide opportunities for encounter with and witness to non-Christian persons and groups;
6. To provide and encourage involvement with LSM-USA;
7. To support and encourage local campus ministries and student organizations, as well as individual students, within the ALTO region.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

Membership in this organization shall consist of:

1. Any part-time or full-time student, graduate or undergraduate, according to official records, who attend an institution within the ALTO region, as defined by the LSM-USA constitution, shall be eligible as a voting member of this organization and may hold office;
2. Associate members may be anyone other than students, as this organization reaches out to all. However, the associate members may not vote nor may they hold office;
3. Both voting and associate members, who may be entitled to any benefits resulting from the objectives of the organization.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

The makeup of the executive body of this organization shall be as follows:

1. The officers of shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary/treasurer, and one state representative for each of the four states that comprise the region.
2. The presiding officer of the executive committee shall be the president, followed by the vice-president and then secretary/treasurer.


4. The duties and responsibilities of each officer are as follows:
   1. The REGIONAL PRESIDENT shall,
      1. serve in the capacity of the Regional Representative to the LSM-USA Council as defined by the Bylaws of the LSM-USA; including, but not limited to attending the bi-annual meetings of the National Council;
      2. preside over meetings of LSM-ALTO at which they are in attendance;
      3. maintain correspondence, as necessary, with LSM-USA;
      4. maintain correspondence, as necessary, with both groups and individuals of LSM-ALTO.
   
   
   2. The REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT shall,
      fulfill any of the responsibilities of the Regional President should he or she not be able to fulfill them; this specifically includes, but is not limited to:
      1. attending any meeting of the LSM-USA National Council which the President is unable to attend;
      2. presiding over any meetings of LSM-ALTO at which the President is not in attendance;
      3. maintaining correspondence, as necessary, with both groups and individuals of LSM-ALTO.
   
   
   3. The SECRETARY/TREASURER shall,
      fulfill any of the responsibilities of the Regional President and Vice-President should neither be able to fulfill them; this specifically includes, but is not limited to:
      1. attending any meeting of the LSM-USA National Council which the President and Vice-President is unable to attend;
      2. presiding over any meetings of LSM-ALTO at which the President and Vice-President are not in attendance.
      3. record regional meetings of LSM-ALTO, and distribute such records to all regional officers;
      4. maintain a database of contact information for all campus ministries and affiliated organizations within the regional bounds of LSM-ALTO;
      5. maintain accurate financial records;
      6. receive and transfer funds;
      7. prepare a financial report for presentation at gatherings, retreats, events, or when necessary.
   
   
   4. Each STATE REPRESENTATIVE shall,
      1. help and assist, the President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer in the affairs of LSM-ATLO;
      2. serve as a liaison between the executive committee and the state which he or she represents;
      3. collect and maintain contact information for each campus ministry and affiliated organization within his or her state, and helping the Secretary/Treasurer keep the regional contact database up to date;
      4. be responsible for organizing any sub-regional or state-wide event and enlisting the participation of all member groups within that state;
      5. maintain correspondence, as necessary, with both groups and individuals within the state he or she represents.
   
   
   5. The President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the planning and execution of a regional-wide ALTO retreat. Each state representative is responsible for the planning and execution of at least one state-wide retreat, with the help of the Secretary/Treasurer.
   6. Officers will be elected by the voting members of the community having first been nominated and seconded; casting one vote each and a simple majority shall constitute victory.
   7. The election of officers for LSM-ALTO shall take place at gathering of regional members during the annual LSM-USA National Gathering. If there is not a LSM-USA National Gathering for the particular year, then officer elections will be held at one of the regional-wide ALTO retreats.
   8. The newly elected officers will take office at the conclusion of the LSM-USA gathering.
   9. Their term shall expire one year from the date at which they were elected into office.
   10. In the event of an officer being elected into an office position in the LSM-USA council, the next officer position, as stated in “Article V, Part B,” shall assume the duties and roles of the previous officer.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS

1. The meetings of the members shall be handled as follows:
   1. The members of this organization shall meet at least once a year to elect the executive officers. This meeting shall concur with the LSM-USA National Gathering, if at all possible.
   2. Other meetings may be called by the executive committee to vote on matters of finance, amendments, and other matters requiring a vote of regional members.
2. The meetings of the elected members of the executive committee shall be handled as follows:
   1. Members of the executive committee shall meet as often as necessary to meet the needs of the organization.
   2. In between physical meetings of the executive committee, the executive committee shall use virtual methods of communications (e-mail, teleconference, etc.) as often as necessary to meet the needs of the organization.
3. In addition to formal meetings of the members, this organization may offer meetings of, but not limited to, these types:
   1. Fellowship (social) events
   2. Bible Studies
   3. Service Projects
   4. Retreats

ARTICLE VII – ADVISORS

The executive committee shall be assisted by a regional advisor who will help facilitate programs, plan events, and generally advise the committee in the affairs of LSM-ALTO. This shall be achieved as follows:

1. The regional advisor shall be elected by the members of LSM-ALTO at the same time and in the same process as the officers, as described above.
2. If there is no one elected to the position, at any point during the term of executive committee, a regional advisor may be appointed by a majority vote of the executive committee.
3. The advisor must be a staff member or pastor of an affiliated campus ministry or church in the ALTO region who attended the annual LSM-USA national gathering.

ARTICLE VIII – WEBSITE

1. There shall be a website for the LSM-ALTO region that will be accurately maintained and updated as needed.
2. Anyone with prior web mastering experience, wishing to help out with the website, shall contact the president. The requester will then be referred to the team responsible for maintaining the website.
3. The team shall consist of the advisor, any officer, and up to five (5) members.
4. Only the advisor and the officers shall have access to the web server.
5. If any team member wants to update the site, the source code must be e-mailed to the head officer on the team for review and upload.
6. All team members are responsible for keeping their HTML source code up-to-date with the website.

ARTICLE IX – COMMITTEES

There shall be no permanent, standing committees, beyond that of the executive committee. Should it be deemed necessary to create a temporary committee, such a committee may be formed, by a super majority (2/3) vote of the executive committee to exist for the duration and purpose as specified by the executive committee. Any official, voting member may serve on any temporary committees and an effort shall be made to let the voting members know of such formation of a committee.

ARTICLE X – HANDLING OF FUNDS

1. All funds are to be handled through _________________________, with a specific designation for LSM-ALTO.
2. Only the President and the Treasurer of LSM-ALTO shall have access to these funds. All other inquiries shall be submitted to the President and Treasurer before authorization of funds shall be granted.
3. In the event that funds are being handled through a campus ministry, deposits shall be made to the campus ministry. The campus ministry and the ALTO Secretary/Treasurer shall both be responsible for keeping a running credit of ALTO’s funds.
4. For an authorization of funds to be granted, these steps should be followed:
   1. Submit the request to the President or Treasurer;
   2. The request shall be signed by both the President and Treasurer;
   3. The authorization of funds shall then only be granted; If though a campus ministry:
      1. The request should then be forwarded to the campus ministry, and approved by the appropriate person in the campus ministry;
      2. The check shall then be given to the President or Treasurer for cashing and usage for the event.
   4. All funds not spent shall then be handled by the treasurer, and deposited back into the account.

ARTICLE XI – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

In all matters not covered by its bylaws, LSM-ALTO shall be governed by "Robert's Rules of Order," as most recently revised.

ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENTS

Section I – Amendment Process

All amendments shall be known as a bill. This bill shall be given to the secretary at least ninety (90) days prior to the regional gathering and reviewed by the officers before presented to the members of LSM-ALTO. No edits shall be made at this time. Once presented by the secretary at the regional gathering, the bill may be amended by a simple majority vote. Once the bill requires no more amendments, a super majority (2/3) vote will take place at the LSM-ALTO regional meeting. If the bill passes, it will be put into effect and listed under “Article XII, Section II,” as “Amendment (the next available number).” If the bill fails, the bill will die.

Section II - Amendments