Constitution
Article I—Name
The name of this organization is Taft College Literary Magazine.
Article II—Purpose
II.A Mission
It is the mission of the Taft College Literary Magazine to provide editorial and production experience in literary publication to students of Taft College, assist the community of Taft in networking with writers globally, and promote imaginative literature in Kern County.
II.B Goals
II.B.1 Create an Annual Literary magazine produced and edited by students of Taft College.
II.B.1.a Determine whom to accept submissions from and during what submission period.
II.B.1.b Make a call for submissions with explicit submission guidelines.
II.B.1.c Select submissions for publication.
II.B.1.d Select cover art.
II.B.1.e Design cover and content of magazine.
II.B.1.f Send magazine to printer in advance of release reading.
II.B.2 Coordinate and promote an annual release and reading for the magazine.
II.B.2.a Determine and secure an appropriate venue on a feasible release date.
II.B.2.b Contact selected authors from magazine to secure a line-up of readers.
II.B.2.c Promote the event through local journalism, postings, internet, and word of mouth.
II.B.3 Distribute the finished magazine.
II.B.3.a Determine points of distribution and estimate numbers to leave there.
II.B.3.b Determine number of magazines to give to each author and to each member of club.
III.B.3.c Promote the finished magazine and its whereabouts
Article III—Membership
III.A Membership
Any Taft College student possessing a 2.00 cumulative average for all courses taken at Taft College may be a member and a minimum of 5 units per semester.
III.B Honorary Membership
Provisions may be made to include members of the community. Such positions will be awarded at the discretion of the officers and active club members.
Article IV—Qualification for and Terms of Officers
IV.A Qualifications
Officers of the Taft College Literary magazine must be members of Taft College Literary Magazine with interest in the position.
IV.B Terms
Officers of the Taft College Literary Magazine will hold office for one calendar year.
Article V—Elective Officers and Appointments
V.A. Editor in Chief
V.A.1. Duties
The Editor in Chief is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Taft College Literary Magazine from beginning to end. It is his/her responsibility to schedule meetings at times that work for the organization and see that the club as a unit works to meet the specific goals stated in section II.B. It is also the Editor in Chief’s responsibility to recognize any need for fundraising and initiate or approve such activities.
V.A.2 Appointment
The Editor in Chief will be elected by the majority of the Taft College Literary Magazine.
V.B. Editorial Board
V.B.1 Duties
The editorial board is responsible for determining a set of criteria for accepting submissions into the annual literary publication. Additionally, it is the charge of the editorial board to review all submissions and determine which ones will be printed in the magazine.
V.B.2 Appointment
Four to eight members of the editorial board are needed. If more than eight members seek this position, members will be elected by the majority of the Taft College Literary Magazine.
V.C. Publicist
V.C.1 Duties
It is the role of the publicist to place the call for submissions (II.B.1.b), publicize the release party (II.B.2.c), and promote the magazine itself (III.B.3.c).
V.C.2 Appointment
At least one member must act as publicist. There is no limit to the number of publicists for the Taft College Literary Magazine.
V.D. Event Coordinator
V.D.1 Duties
The event coordinator oversees the venue and execution of the annual release party (II.B), working closely with the publicist. Additionally, if Taft College Literary Magazine sponsors additional events, the event coordinator takes a lead role in securing a venue and overseeing the execution of the events.
Article VI—Nominations and Elections
VI.A.1 Officer Nomination
Any active member of the club is eligible to run for an office position.
VI.B.1 Election
After nomination, all officer positions will be put to a vote before all attending, active members. A majority vote (>50%) shall determine approval of officers.
VI.C.1 Removal of Officer
If an officer has proven their self unable to fulfill their responsibilities and adequate evidence can be provided to such, the officer can be removed by a two-thirds vote in which at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the active members are present for said vote. Evidence must be provided to the Editor in Chief and the Advisor and be approved by the Advisor. All active members must be informed seven (7) days prior to meeting if such a vote is to occur.
Article VII—Funding for Literary Publication
VII.A.1 Funding
It is the goal of the club to produce a progressively higher quality journal as independently as possible. Ideally, this would be achieved through fundraising, grants, and other sources of club earned finances. It will be at the discretion of the club as a whole to determine what type and quality of journal will be produced and achieve the funds to do so.
Article VIII—Community Events
VIII.A.1 Public Events
In agreement with the mission statement, the club will coordinate public events intended to promote networking between writers, imaginative literature, and literacy. This may include, but is not limited to: book readings, writing workshops, and outreach to future writers at all levels. Any event promoting creative writing of any kind or literacy should be considered as a possible club activity.