CONSTITUTION

Article I -Name

The organization shall be officially known as TUnisian Student Association in North America (TUSANA).

Article II -Registration

The Association shall be incorporated as a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious organization registered at the University of Houston.

Article III -Purpose

TUSANA has adopted the following as its aims and objectives:
• To create, develop and animate a network at the University of Houston of Tunisian students and people interested in Tunisia.
• To preserve, maintain and perpetuate contact between all members and with the alumni.
• To promote the Tunisian heritage and the cultural outreach.
• To protect and care for the affairs of its members and to objectively analyze and to strive to solve their problems.
• To help incoming Tunisian students settle in USA and Canada, offer them guidance, support and answer to their preoccupations (administrative papers, housing, mean of transportation ....).
• To provide assistance to Tunisian students applying for American and Canadian universities.


Article IV -Membership

Section 1 The membership of this organization shall be open to all students actively enrolled at the University of Houston.
Section 2 Associate membership shall be open to Tunisian faculty, staff, alumni, and families of student members.
Section 3 Membership in this organization shall not be discriminated on the basis of race, religion, sex, national origin, or handicap.
Section 4 Student and associate membership shall be recognized upon payment of annual dues.
Section 5 Honorary membership shall be granted by the TUSANA Executive Committee to people who have shown distinction, commitment, and an interest in the promotion or TUSANA’s objectives.
Section 6 Members shall pay dues in the amount of $20 on a yearly basis.


Article V -Officers

Section 1 The Officers are the main decision making body of TUSANA and shall consist of the following officers:
a. President
b. Vice-President
c. General Secretary
d. Treasurer
e. Public relations committee


Section 2 Officers of the TUSANA should:
a) Be currently enrolled at the University of Houston, and been active members of the organization for at least one semester.
b) The president of TUSANA must be a native of Tunisia or be of Tunisian parentage.
c) The President shall be elected only if he has been part of a previous executive board of the organization.

Section 3 The duties of the executive officers shall be as defined below:

a. President:
Shall preside over both the general and the executive body meetings and shall be the overall spokesman for TUSANA in consultation with the executive body.

b. Vice-President:
Shall assist the president in all official deliberations; shall assume the duties of the presidency in the absence of the president; shall be assigned special duties by the executive body.

c. General Secretary:
Shall, in consultation with the executive body, prepare agenda for all general and executive body meetings; shall take minutes at both general and executive body meetings; shall be responsible for the general correspondence of TUSANA.

d. Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall keep a faithful and up-to-date record of received and disbursed money and report same to each regular meeting. Shall be responsible for collecting all dues; shall be responsible for all financial correspondence; shall be responsible for fund-raising activities; shall present financial statements to the executive body.

e. Public relations committee:
Shall be in charge of public relations .Shall recruit new members; shall be responsible for maintaining a database of all members. Shall be responsible for the programs and activities such as social, athletic and cultural activities of the association.
Section 4 Term of Offices
a. Executive Body (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer) may hold office for a period not to exceed one year term subject to re-election.
b. Other officers may hold office for any number of two-year terms subject to re-election.
Section 5 Provisions for removal of any officers
An officer shall be removed only if all the following points are fulfilled
a) The executive board noticed that an officer was not fulfilling the requirement of his duties.
b) An election from the Executive member shall be proceed and the result shall be unanimous.


Article VI -Elections


Section 1 The choice of officers of the Executive body by the membership shall be done through secret balloting at a general membership meeting every year on June.
Section 2 All nominees for office should be present at the time of election but, with prior arrangement, may be elected proxy.
Section 3 An officer can be elected if he collected more than the half of the votes of the members.
Section 4 The Executive members are the only ones to vote for the different committee members.
Section 5 Filling of the Vacancy of an Office
a) Elections must be held within 2 months after the vacancy occurs.
b) In the event, an election cannot be held within the required 2 months, the Executive Body can appoint someone to the vacant office until the next General Assembly.


Article VII -Meetings

Section 1 At least once a semester, a presentation shall be held at the University of Houston to promote Tunisia by a presentation.
Section 2 TUSANA should participate to the international activities hold at the University of Houston.
Section 3 A membership meeting shall be held at least once every year.
Section 4 Emergency meetings shall be called by at least two of the Executive Body members upon request of any member of the Executive Body or of the membership.
Section 5 Executive Body meetings shall be called by the President or, in his absence, by the Vice-President or General Secretary.

Article VIII -Executive Board

President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer sits on the executive board.

Article IX -Amendment of Constitution

The constitution of the association may be amended upon petition by a member and on approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership.