Constitution
Of
Catholic
Student Fellowship (CSF)
Operated out
of St. Augustine Parish and
Catholic
Student Center in Gainesville
Mission Statement
Catholic Student Fellowship is a community of believers who, in line with Catholic teaching, seek to enrich our faith and morals and to live out our Christian vocation for the greater glory of God. We accomplish this through prayer, praise and worship, community service, faith-sharing, Bible study, apologetics, and facilitated discussions.
Article I
Name and Purpose
Name of Organization: Catholic Student Fellowship
Purpose: The goal of CSF is to form its members through the teachings of the Catholic Faith, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of The Blessed Virgin Mary. We seek to learn and understand and apply the Catholic faith through the study of Scripture and Sacred Tradition as it has been handed down to us by the Magisterium of the Church.
Article II
Membership
Membership in CSF shall be open to all students and college-age persons who share interest in common with the mission of the organization. Members will not be discriminated against based on race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, or any disability.
At least three elected officers, one of whom must be a coordinator, and six other members (for a total of nine) must be present to hold a vote for any reason.
Article III
Finances
No membership fees or dues are collected. Activities are supported by yearly appropriations within the budget of St. Augustine Parish and Catholic Student Center.
Article IV
Leadership and Responsibilities
Section 1- Requirements for Elected Positions:
1. Two individuals called coordinators will share the responsibilities of leadership equally.
2. Coordinators must remain loyal to the goals of the organization as defined in the mission statement and Article I. In addition, prospective coordinators must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- At the time of the election CSF leaders must be between 18 and 25 years of age, and have been a registered student at either the University of Florida or Santa Fe Community College within the past two years, and must be a registered member of St. Augustine Parish.
- Prior to becoming a leader one must have been an active member of the group for at least one-year prior and must have attended at least one-fourth of the previous year's monthly planning meetings.
- It is highly recommended that all prospective coordinators participate in some type of religious formative experience.
- In order to ensure that leaders can devote the necessary amount of time required and also to prevent a conflict of interests, CSF leaders may not be in a major position of leadership in another church ministry.
B. Secretary, Coordinator of Music Ministry, Coordinator of Service Projects
1. These individuals must meet the following requirements at the time of the election:
- Must be a registered member of St Augustine Parish
- Must be between 18 and 25 years of age
- Must have been active in the group for one semester and must have shown active interest in the planning of the group's activities
Section 2-Leadership:
1. An individual may serve two terms as CSF Coordinator as long as that person meets eligibility requirements or until that person vacates their position either by choice or by extenuating circumstance.
2. The CSF Coordinators will serve one-year terms, which start in January and end in December.
3. At the planning meeting held at the end of October candidates who wish to run for the position of CSF Coordinator, Secretary, Coordinator of Music Ministry, and Coordinator of Service Projects will submit a written application describing how that person will carry out the goals of the organization. After careful consideration of these applications by the current leadership a formal election will be held at a general Monday meeting in late November.
The election will begin with the presentation of all eligible candidates. Elections for the two CSF Coordinator positions will be held using dual balloting. If there are only two candidates, those two will automatically win. If there are more than two candidates, then a vote will be held by secret ballot. Each voter will be given one ballot on which they will write the names of the two candidates they wish to vote for (they can't vote twice for the same person). If no candidate receives a simple majority in the first balloting, then the ballot for the next vote will be chosen as follows: The lower half of the candidates on the first ballot (the half that received the fewest percent of the votes) will be dropped from the ballot. If the number of candidates is odd, the number dropped from the ballot will be rounded down (for example, if there are 7 candidates, then 3 will be dropped from the ballot and 4 will remain. Having an even number of candidates ensures that we will be left with an even number of candidates (2) in the end). As long as no candidate has received a simple majority of the vote, ballots will continue to be cast for 2 different candidates. However, if at any point in the balloting a candidate’s name appears on a simple majority of the ballots, that person is automatically elected. If at that point there is still one CSF Coordinator position to be determined, then the balloting procedure will continue as outlined above with the exception that ballots will from that point forward be cast for only one candidate (this is also how the balloting will be done for Secretary, Coordinator of Music Ministry, and Coordinator of Service Projects). In the unusual circumstance that the system of double voting results in 3 candidates’ names appearing on a majority of the ballots, then the 2 candidates who receive the most votes will be declared the winners.
If more than two candidates remain and the votes are ever equally split between the remaining candidates, then all candidates will remain on the next round of balloting and voting will continue until the deadlock is broken, with the balloting continuing into the next Monday meeting if necessary (only the voters present at the first election meeting would be eligible to participate in the voting process).
After the election and prior to the beginning of their terms the new CSF Coordinators will hold a meeting with the Pastor to discuss their goals for CSF and to be affirmed by the pastor as the new CSF Coordinators. Also, in the event that the either of the positions of Secretary, Coordinator of Music Ministry, or Coordinator of Service Projects is vacant after the election then the new CSF Coordinators shall appoint someone to that vacancy.
4. In the event that the position of CSF Coordinator becomes vacant for any reason, the remaining CSF Coordinator, along with the elected officers, will choose a replacement. This person must meet all eligibility requirements for the position. The replacement will serve for the remainder of the current term. The term served will not count towards the two-term limit placed on CSF Coordinators.
5. At any time, any member of CSF may submit a grievance to the Parish Staff Liaison requesting the removal of a CSF leader. The request for removal must be accompanied by a grievance that the individual making the request deems as sufficient grounds for removal. The grievance will be announced at the next monthly planning meeting, and then again at the subsequent weekly meeting. The leader against whom the grievance has been laid will then have one month to address that grievance. If the grievance is addressed to the aggrieved party’s satisfaction the request for removal may be withdrawn. If at the end of that month the request for removal has not been withdrawn then at the next weekly meeting a vote to remove the leader will be held. A 2/3 + 1 majority is required for removal of the leader
Section 3-Responsibilities:
1.
CSF Coordinators
- To oversee the activities of CSF in accordance with the mission statement and make final decisions in all matters relating to the group.
- To coordinate weekly meetings and monthly planning meetings.
- To plan and coordinate CSF retreats.
- To hold themselves and anyone associated with the group accountable to the mission statement and to the group’s purpose as laid out in Article I.
- To act as a liaison between CSF and other organizations.
- These individuals are to be held accountable to the Pastor and to the mission statement of the group.
2. Secretary
- To maintain the CSF listserv and write e-mails to the group reminding them of upcoming topics and activities related to the group.
- To keep accurate records and minutes of the monthly planning meetings.
- To produce a member phone and e-mail list each semester.
- To update the church bulletin on a weekly basis and insert announcements both in the bulletin and at Mass.
- To schedule invited guest presenters.
3. Coordinator
of Music Ministry
- To lead the CSF members in praise and worship at the weekly meetings and at any group related events.
- To prepare the music and serve as music coordinator for the CSF Retreat.
4. Coordinator of Service Projects
- To oversee and promote service projects within CSF.
- To work with the Secretary to promote service projects in the bulletin and within the parish
5. Parish Staff Liaison
- As a staff liaison to CSF this person represents the parish and is not technically a member of the group; therefore, this individual is not subject to anything in this constitution that pertains to members
- To act as an observer and as a go-between between the Pastor, church staff, and the CSF group
- To aid in maintaining the Catholic integrity of the group in accordance with the mission statement and Article I.
- To receive grievances from the members and present them to the planning meetings as outlined in Article IV Section 2 Paragraph 5.
Article V
Amendment Process
1. This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the CSF members present at any monthly planning meeting.
2. Any member of CSF may submit an amendment in writing to the leaders and the amendment will then be presented and voted on at the next monthly planning meeting as defined in Article V Paragraph 1.
3. Any amendment may be repealed by another amendment that specifically calls for its revocation; however, no changes may be made to the body of the constitution itself.
