Contents 1 Mission Statement 2 Constitution 3 Activity Programs 4 Funding 5 Advertising 6 Officers 7 Discussion

[edit] Mission Statement

CPS Connection is an after school program for middle school students in Cleveland's inner city schools. The objective of our group is to provide a positive influence in students’ lives that will encourage them to avoid negative influences. This is done by providing fun and dynamic programs that kids want to participate in (like introduction to art and music, debates about current affairs that affect them, hands-on science and math demonstrations and projects, or a creative business project). The programming will be tailored to the kid's interests, so as to facilitate maximum participation and to get the kids to want to come to our program. The idea isn't to tutor these kids or prepare them for a test, but to encourage them to be curious about the world around them. Case students will be an integral part of this program, as they will serve as role models and leaders of the programs for the students. This will be a unique opportunity for Case students to experience the diverse cultural heritage that Cleveland’s children comprise.

[edit] Constitution

Being a recognized group of the USG, the Cleveland Public Schools Connection needs a governing document or constitution to help guide its activities. Below is ours:

CONSTITUTION OF THE CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONNECTION OF CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

PREAMBLE As authorized and required by Case Western Reserve University, we, students of Case Western Reserve University, do establish and hold this Constitution and form Cleveland Public Schools Connection in order to provide an after school program for middle school students in Cleveland inner city schools and a positive adult influence in students’ lives that will encourage them to remain in school and avoid negative influences.

ARTICLE I Name and Purpose SECTION 1. NAME. This organization shall be called Cleveland Public Schools Connection, and may be abbreviated CPSC.

SECTION 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this organization shall be threefold: (1) To provide interactive community service opportunities for students at CWRU. (2) To provide quality afterschool programming for Cleveland middle school students. (3) To encourage community interaction between the CWRU campus and area schools, especially with middle school students.

ARTICLE II Membership SECTION 1. ELECTED OFFICERS. The following officers shall be elected and shall form the Executive Board: (1) President (2) Senior Vice President (3) Treasurer (4) Secretary (5) Vice President of Program Coordination (6) Vice President of Public Relations

SECTION 2. NON-ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICERS. The following officers shall be appointed by the Executive Board as necessary by a majority vote of the Executive Board: (1) School Coordinator (2) Information Technology (IT) Official (3) Bookkeeper (4) College Representative

SECTION 3. MEMBERSHIP DEFINED. (1) ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP shall be granted to all those Case community affiliates who meet the following requirements: (a) Attendance at three or more official CPSC-sponsored functions, which are as follows: (i) Executive Board Meetings; (ii) General Body Meetings; (iii) School Site Visits.

SECTION 4. GENERAL BODY. The General Body shall be comprised of the Executive Board described in Section 1, the Non-Elected and Appointed Officers described in Section 2, and the Active Members as described in Section 3.

SECTION 5. VOTING. Active Members only shall have voting privileges.

ARTICLE II Executive Board Eligibility, General Elections, Term of Office, Provisional Elections, Vacancies SECTION 1. EXECUTIVE BOARD ELIGIBILITY. (1) All Active Members shall be eligible to be elected for Executive Board positions. (2) Non-Elected and Appointed Officers do not necessarily have to be active members.

SECTION 2.GENERAL ELECTIONS. (1) General Elections shall be held once a year in the Fall semester at the last General Body meeting of the semester. (2) All Executive Board positions shall be open for election during the General Elections. (3) The Executive Board shall be elected by a majority vote of all Active Members present at the election meeting. (4) The general body shall appoint an Elections Director two weeks before the annual elections. The Elections Director will oversee the election process and may not run for any offices. (5) Letters of intent shall be accepted for a minimum of one week prior to the election. Candidates wishing to run for office shall submit letters of intent to the Elections Director. The Elections Director shall use the official organization form of communication (currently the e-mail list) to advertise the call for letters of nomination as well as the election proceedings themselves, a minimum of one week in advance.

SECTION 3. TERM OF OFFICE. The Executive Board shall hold a term of office beginning immediately after the Fall elections and lasting one academic year (two semesters), from the following Spring semester to the next Fall semester.

SECTION 4. PROVISIONAL ELECTIONS. Provisional Elections shall be held whenever an Executive Board office becomes vacant. (1) The term of office for officers elected in a Provisional Election shall be no more than one semester. (2) After one semester, the person holding said position must be reelected in either another Provisional Election or a General Election.

SECTION 5. VACANCIES. (1) If the office of President becomes vacant, the Senior Vice President shall assume that office until a Provisional Election can be held. (2) If any office other than that of the President becomes vacant, the President shall appoint a replacement until a Provisional Election can be held.

ARTICLE III Executive Board Duties and Responsibilities, Non-Elected and Appointed Officers Duties and Responsibilities

SECTION 1. EXECUTIVE BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILTIES.

(1) The President shall a. Be listed as the “President” on all official USG forms, and must be an undergraduate student in accordance with USG By-Laws. b. Attend all Executive Board Meetings, except in special circumstances with advance notification of the rest of the Executive Board; c. Establish the times, dates and locations for Executive Board meetings, and prepare agendas for each meeting; d. Oversee external relations between CPSC and other CWRU campus and community organizations, excluding regular communications with site schools; e. Be responsible for informing the Executive Board of all external programs, events and issues at Executive Board meetings. f. Oversee administrative duties; g. Make final approvals to major events and projects; and h. Be responsible for planning the future expansion and direction of CPSC.

(2) The Senior Vice President shall a. Be listed as the “Vice President” on all official USG forms, and must be an undergraduate student in accordance with USG By-Laws; b. Attend all Executive Board Meetings, except in special circumstances with advance notification of the rest of the Executive Board; c. Report directly to the President; d. Assist the President in any duties as directed; e. Assume all Presidential duties in absence of the actual President; f. Oversee internal relations, including the Vice President of Program Coordination, Vice President of Public Relations; g. Be responsible for informing the President and the other members of the Executive Board of all internal programs, events and issues at Executive Board meetings; h. Establish the times, dates and locations for General Body meetings, and prepare agendas for each meeting; i. Attend all General Body meetings and be responsible for overseeing membership tracking; and j. Coordinate the present direction of CPSC, ensuring that the goals of CPSC are realized.

(3) The Treasurer shall a. Be listed as the “Treasurer” on all official USG forms, and must be an undergraduate student in accordance with USG By-Laws. b. Attend all Executive Board Meetings, except in special circumstances with advance notification of the rest of the Executive Board; c. Report directly to the President; d. Create a budget in conjunction with the President and Vice President of Program Coordination for each semester during their term; e. In conjunction with the President and Secretary, submit all USG Mass Funding & Recognition materials each semester during their term; f. Maintain the organization budget each semester during their term; g. Manage all disbursements, keeping records of all documents submitted to USG; h. Petition USG for any additional funding as needed and/or requested by other members of the Executive Board; and i. Be responsible for fundraisers and donations from non-university affiliated sources;

(4) The Secretary shall a. Be listed as the “Secretary” on all official USG forms, and must be an undergraduate student in accordance with USG By-Laws. b. Attend all Executive Board Meetings, except in special circumstances with advance notification of the rest of the Executive Board; c. Report directly to the President; d. Record, store, and distribute minutes of the Executive Board meetings; e. Maintain contact information about the Executive Board; f. Maintain the member list and member contact information, including the official organizational mailing list; g. Maintain an updated Constitution; h. Document and store a list of CPSC affiliates; and i. Be responsible for contacting the General Body about upcoming General Body Meetings;

(5) The Vice President of Program Coordination shall a. Attend all Executive Board Meetings, except in special circumstances with advance notification of the rest of the Executive Board; b. Report to the Senior Vice President directly, and the President indirectly; c. Be responsible for keeping the Executive Board apprised of activities at all site schools as needed; d. Work in conjunction with Treasurer to develop a budget; e. Be the general liaison to all host schools; f. Meet regularly with all School Coordinators; g. Attend General Body meetings as directed by the Senior Vice President; h. Ensure transportation to each host school in conjunction with each School Coordinator and the Treasurer; i. Be responsible for retaining existing membership and recording membership tracking; and j. Maintain records of all host schools, including volunteer attendance at host school visits and host school activities.

(6) The Vice President of Public Relations shall a. Attend all Executive Board Meetings, except in special circumstances with advance notification of the rest of the Executive Board; b. Report to the Senior Vice President directly, and the President indirectly; c. Attend General Body meetings as directed by the Senior Vice President; d. Be responsible for recruitment and generating new membership; e. Create committees as needed to plan and manage CPSC events; f. Be responsible for all campus advertising; and g. Be responsible for raising CPSC visibility and awareness.

SECTION 2. NON-ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICERS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

(1) The School Coordinator(s) shall a. Report directly to the Vice President of Program Coordination, and indirectly to the Senior Vice President and President. b. Meet regularly and as needed with the Vice President of Program Coordination; c. Attend Executive Board and/or General Body meetings as directed by the Vice President of Program Coordination; d. Be a liaison to one specific school only; e. Be responsible for keeping the Vice President of Program Coordination informed of all activities at that school; f. Be responsible for all programming at an individual host school; g. Be responsible for purchasing supplies for that host school, with approval from the Vice President of Program Coordination and Treasurer; h. Set up additional meetings with CPSC volunteers as necessary; i. Maintain records of volunteer attendance and share these records with the Vice President of Program Coordination and Secretary as directed by them; j. Complete site visit reviews after each host school visit; k. Be responsible for all communication with their host school’s officials and students, including setting up visits to discuss the program with the students, distribute program sign-ups, establishing program dates; l. Be responsible for establishing meeting times and locations for group transportation to host school; and m. Be responsible, in conjunction with the Vice President of Program Coordination and Treasurer, for ensuring the availability of group transportation for each host school site visit.

(2) The Information Technology (IT) Official shall a. Report directly to the Vice President of Public Relations; b. Meet and/or communicate as needed with the Vice President of Public Relations; c. Attend Executive Board and/or General Body meetings as directed by the Vice President of Public Relations; d. Be responsible for maintaining any and all websites, including the organization’s filer site, wikis and official CPSC websites; e. Be responsible for any IT issues; and f. Generating new ways to use the internet to advance the mission and goals of CPSC.

(3) The Bookkeeper shall a. Be appointed as needed by the Secretary; b. Report directly to the Secretary and indirectly to the President; c. Attend Executive Board and/or General Body meetings as directed by the Secretary; d. Be responsible for all inactive CPSC records, including records not currently in use.

(4) The College Representative shall a. Be appointed as needed by the Vice President of Public Relations; b. Report directly to the Vice President of Public Relations; c. Be responsible for generating new membership from the College that they represent (i.e. School of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, Weatherhead).

ARTICLE IV Expulsion and Impeachment SECTION 1. EXPULSION. (1) Members of the Executive Council may not miss more than three consecutive or four total meetings in a semester. Upon reaching this limit, any member of the Executive Council may call for their resignation and the President shall call a provisional election to replace said officer.

SECTION 2. IMPEACHMENT. (1) Any voting member may call for impeachment proceedings against any officer whose performance is deemed unsatisfactory (ex. not attending events). (2) A written call for impeachment must be submitted to a member of the Executive Board, at which time the President shall call a special meeting to discuss the officer's performance and vote on the impeachment. (3) The meeting must be announced via the official means of communication one week in advance. (4) The officer in question shall be given adequate opportunity to defend their performance. (4) A two-thirds majority of voting members present at the impeachment proceedings is required to remove the officer from their position.

SECTION 3. If an officer is expelled, that officer shall relinquish all responsibilities and connections with CPSC for the remainder of that academic year and that office shall be considered vacant, to be filled in a provisional or general election.

ARTICLE V Group Advising SECTION 1. A Faculty/Staff advisor shall be appointed as specified by the USG by-laws. The duties and length of term of such an advisor shall be determined by the Executive Council.

ARTICLE VI Amendment SECTION 1. (1) This constitution may be amended at any official CPSC meeting. (2) Amendments must be submitted to the Executive Board in written form and distributed to the membership via the official means of communication at least ten days prior to a vote. (3) An amendment must be passed by two-thirds of the voting members present at the meeting.

ARTICLE VII Non Discrimination SECTION 1. Cleveland Public Schools Connection does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender identity, veteran status, religious affiliation, national origin, disability, marital status, ethnicity, skin color, race, HIV status, health status, age, economic status, ancestry, sexual preference or orientation, political affiliation or cultural background.

[edit] Activity Programs

As described above in the Mission Statment, this is the bread and butter of our organization. These are the activities which will provide the interaction between Case and the Cleveland Municipal School system. We are still in the process of defining these programs and securing funding for them. See the Activity Programs page for more info. Please feel free to give your ideas on the discussion page!

This semester (Fall 2007) will be our second semester at Buhrer School on the west side of Cleveland (click here for transportation directions). We will be hosting six different activity groups with the kids:

• Cooking
• Drama
• Martial arts
• Outdoor skills
• Science
• Sports

You can sign up for helping out with the activity groups here.

[edit] Funding

As with all groups we need MONEY, MONEY, MONEY to operate! We don't require a large sum of money but our activity programs could benifit greatly by a small operating budget. See the Funding page for more info. Here is a list of our current contributors:

• Undergraduate Student Government

[edit] Advertising

The importance of advertising is something not to be overlooked. Being a new group we strive to gain more visibility in the USG and on the Case Campus in general. See the Advertising page for more info. Here are some of the ways in which we try to get our group known:

• Student Activities Fair
• Flyers around campus
• Tents on dinning room tables
• This page
• Facebook group
• Saturday of Service (see meeting minutes)

[edit] Officers

Here is a list of the current CPSC officers:

• President: Ashley Solomon
• Vice President: Elliot Pohlmann
• Treasurer: Jeff German-Lortie
• Secretary: Paige Smith
• Program Coordinator: Unfilled
• Information Technology Official: Jonathan Leong

See the Officers page for a description of the various offices and letters of intent by the current occupants.

[edit] Discussion

The "Discussion" page is where all of our updates are posted. Check it regularly for current announcements and meeting agendas/minutes (the past meeting agendas/minutes are on a separate page). Add your input to the Cleveland Public Schools Connection! Click on the "Discussion" tab above to view what others have to say about CPSC. Add us to your watchlist so that you can get email notifications when discussions happen. Learn about how to do this at Help:Watching.