Welcome To Politics and Law Forum
Welcome to Pacific University 's Politics and Law Forum (PLF) !
PLF is an integral part of the political landscape at Pacific University . As a nonpartisan organization, PLF brings local and national speakers, campaigns, and presentations from fields related to politics to students. Our efforts revolve around educating Pacific and the surrounding communities about the many aspects of politics—including politicians, political processes, and much more.
Each year is unique and different; with the Tom McCall Forum as our only established, annual event, members of the Politics and Law Forum largely drive the schedule. Such independence allows limitless possibilities. For instance, PLF sponsored a pizza party for “Super Tuesday” in the February primaries, then hosted town halls and televised debates with the major U.S. Senate candidates from Oregon .
PLF embraces and accepts students at all of its meetings and events, and appreciates input for new activities and ideas to expand our presence.
We hope you join us for the exciting opportunities available in the Politics and Law Forum !
Best Wishes,
Mark Truax
President
Politics & Law Forum
Advisor: Jules Boykoff
Email: boykoff@pacificu.edu
President: Mark Truax
Email: mwtruax@pacificu.edu
Treasurer: Chris Belmont
Email: belm1651@pacificu.edu
Politics and Law Forum Constitution
Revised: February 27, 2008
Ratified: March 7, 2008
Article I – Name
This organization shall be known as the Politics and Law Forum.
Article II – Purpose
The purpose of the Politics and Law Forum is to aid students in becoming more familiar with the political field. The Politics and Law Forum is committed to providing resources and nonpartisan information to assist Pacific students with making informed political choices, preparing for a career in politics, assisting in internship placements, and/or hosting political events.
Article III – Membership and Cabinet Officers
Section I – Membership
Membership into the Politics and Law Forum is voluntary. Any undergraduate student enrolled at Pacific University is welcome to become a member of the Politics and Law Forum.
Participation in keynote activities is determined based upon a student's participation throughout the year. Notification of absences should be submitted in writing (Email) to one of the officers, preferably the Secretary, PRIOR to the meeting or event that will be missed. Failure to notify an officer of absences from general meetings will have a negative effect on ones ability to attend keynote political events.
Section II – Cabinet Officers
There are six (6) elected officers for the Politics and Law Forum: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, core Representative and Marketing and Communications Coordinator. Officers are required to attend scheduled cabinet meetings as set by the President.
• President
It is the duties of the President to oversee all operations of the Politics and Law Forum. The President will schedule meetings, work with other officers, members, and university departments to conceptualize and develop ways to bring politics to Pacific University . The President will meet regularly with the advisor to discuss the direction of the Politics and Law Forum. The President shall assign tasks, other than those outlined in this constitution, to other officers as needed.
• Vice-President
It is the duties of the Vice-President to oversee campus projects/events organized by the Politics and Law Forum as directed/needed. The Vice-President is first in line of succession and will serve and fulfill duties as President should the President not be available.
• Secretary
It is the duties of the Secretary to keep records of all proceedings for the Politics and Law Forum. The Secretary will keep records of all membership attendance and report those to the cabinet as requested. The Secretary will track all nominations for elected offices during elections and create a ballot accordingly. The Secretary is second in the line of succession and shall perform the duties of President should the President and Vice-President not be available.
• Treasurer
It is the duties of the Treasurer to keep records of all funds for the Politics and Law Forum. The Treasurer will check as needed with the Pacific Undergraduate Community Council Budget Authority on the funds in the Politics and Law Forum account and report to the cabinet as needed. The Treasurer will write or aid in writing any budget requests for Pacific Undergraduate Community Council or other campus organizations as requested by the President. The Treasurer is third in the line of succession and shall perform the duties of President should the President, Vice-President and Secretary not be available.
• core Representative
It is the duties of the core Representative to act as the liaison between the Pacific Undergraduate Community Council and the Politics and Law Forum. The core Representative will attend all core meetings as scheduled by Pacific Undergraduate Community Council (fourth Thursday night of each month) and report business of the Politics and Law Forum to Pacific Undergraduate Community Council and the business of Pacific Undergraduate Community Council to the cabinet. The core Representative will perform other duties as requested by the President. The core Representative is fourth in the line of succession and shall perform the duties of President should the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer not be available.
• Marketing and Communications Coordinator
It is the duties of the Marketing and Communications Coordinator to design and distribute all published material for the Politics and Law Forum, including all posters for campus events. The Marketing and Communications Coordinator will work with University Relations and the Marketing and Communications department for campus events that require approval from administration. The Marketing and Communications Coordinator will perform other tasks as needed as assigned by the President. The Marketing and Communications Coordinator is fifth in the line of succession and shall perform the duties of President should the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and core Representative not be available.
Section III – Cabinet Officer Elections
Elections of cabinet officers will take place annually at the last general meeting of the academic year. All cabinet positions are held for one academic year. No later than a week prior to the last scheduled general meeting of the year, the President will call for nominations of individuals for the six (6) elected offices.
The Secretary will then keep track of who has been nominated for which offices and create a ballot that will be used at the next general meeting to elect the new officers. The results will be tabulated at the election meeting and new officers will assume their posts following adjournment of the meeting. It is the responsibility of each outgoing officer to train as they see fit the new incoming officer on their new duties, including turning over all records an outgoing officer may have pertaining to the Politics and Law Forum.
The nominee understands that if he/she is elected, he/she is required to fulfill their needs as a cabinet officer for the entirety of that academic entire year. Those students, who are aware of obligations that would prohibit them from fully fulfilling their duties for the entire academic year, such as study abroad, internship, et cetera, are ineligible to run for office. If while students are removed from campus and elections are held for the following academic year's cabinet officers, the student is eligible to submit their name for nomination to the secretary if they so choose.
Article IV– Finances and Budget
The Politics and Law Forum will be granted a budget annually from the Pacific Undergraduate Community Council for use during that academic year. Allocation of that money for campus events will be based upon approval from the cabinet, either at a cabinet meeting or electronically (in the event a time constraint is a factor).
In the event that a budget request is needed to be submitted to the Pacific Undergraduate Community Council for an event, the coordinating cabinet officer is to author the budget request and submit to the cabinet for cabinet approval. Any cabinet officer may author and submit a budget request to the cabinet for consideration at any time. It is then the responsibility of the submitting cabinet officer to follow Pacific Undergraduate Community Council protocol for submission and approval. Once approval from the Pacific Undergraduate Community Council has been given, the cabinet officer is to notify the other officers so the Treasurer can track these funds accordingly.