YALE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ASSOCIATION
POLICIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Current as of May 1, 2011
Yale International Relations Association, Inc.
Policies of the Board of Directors
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Policies of the Board of Directors..................................................................................3\r Section 1 - Power of these Policies...................................................................................................3\r Section 2 - Execution of these Policies.............................................................................................3\r Chapter Two: Board of Directors........................................................................................................3\r Section 1 - Positions and Primary Responsibilities.........................................................................3\r Section 2 - Transition of Secretaries-General..................................................................................7\r Section 3 - Transition of Directors in Elected Positions..................................................................9\r Section 4 - Elections.........................................................................................................................9\r Section 5 - Expectations of Directors.............................................................................................11\r Chapter Three: Association Finances.................................................................................................12\r Section 1 - Budget..........................................................................................................................12\r Section 2 - Taxes............................................................................................................................13\r Section 3 - Expenses and Records..................................................................................................13\r Section 4 - Banquets......................................................................................................................15\r Chapter Four: Recruitment................................................................................................................15\r Section 1 – Camp Yale, Freshmen Orientation Recruitment........................................................15\r Section 2 – Bulldog Days Recruitment..........................................................................................16\r Chapter Five: Transparency and Communication.............................................................................17\r Section 1 - Weekly Bulletins..........................................................................................................17\r Section 2 - Website........................................................................................................................19\r Section 3 - Board Meeting Minutes...............................................................................................20\r Section 4 - Independent Initiatives................................................................................................22\r Chapter Six: Member Benefits...........................................................................................................23\r Section 1 – International Trips......................................................................................................23\r Section 2 – Social Events...............................................................................................................26\r Chapter Seven: Security Council Simulation at Yale.........................................................................27\r Section 1 - Requirements of Membership.....................................................................................27\r Section 2 - Secretary-General Accountability................................................................................27\r Section 3 - Conference Dates.........................................................................................................28\r Section 4 - Hotel Contracts............................................................................................................28\r Section 5 - Other Contracts...........................................................................................................29\r Section 6 - Secretariat Selection.....................................................................................................29\r Section 7 - Committee Selection....................................................................................................29\r Section 8 - Classroom Reservation................................................................................................29\r Section 9 - Budget Approval..........................................................................................................29\r Section 10 - Delegation Registration.............................................................................................30\r Section 11 - Institutional Memory................................................................................................30\r Section 12 - Unwritten Expectations and Reserved Powers..........................................................30\r
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Chapter Eight: Yale Model United Nations Conference...................................................................30\r Section 1 - Requirements of Membership.....................................................................................30\r Section 2 - Secretary-General Accountability................................................................................30\r Section 3 - Conference Dates.........................................................................................................31\r Section 4 - Hotel Contracts............................................................................................................31\r Section 5 - Secretariat Selections...................................................................................................32\r Section 6 - Committee Selections..................................................................................................32\r Section 7 - Classroom Reservations...............................................................................................32\r Section 8 - Budget Approval..........................................................................................................32\r Section 9 - Delegate Registration...................................................................................................33\r Section 10 - Institutional Memory................................................................................................33\r Section 11 - Unwritten Expectations and Reserved Powers..........................................................33\r Chapter Nine: Executive Director......................................................................................................33\r Section 1 - Responsibilities of the Executive Director...................................................................33\r Section 2 - The Board of Strategy and Operations (BSO)............................................................34\r Section 3 - Events...........................................................................................................................34\r Section 4 - Interface with other YIRA departments......................................................................34\r Section 5 - Co-sponsorships..........................................................................................................35\r Section 6 – Fundraising.................................................................................................................35\r Section 7 – The United Nations Crisis Simulation at Yale............................................................35\r Chapter Ten: Hemispheres................................................................................................................36\r Section 1 - Requirements of Membership.....................................................................................36\r Section 2 - Guidelines for Operation.............................................................................................37\r Chapter Eleven: Model United Nations Team at Yale.......................................................................37\r Section 1 - Requirements of Membership.....................................................................................37\r Section 2 - Tryouts.........................................................................................................................38\r Section 3 - Spring Break Trip........................................................................................................38\r Chapter Twelve: Amendments..........................................................................................................38\r Section 1 - Process of Amendment................................................................................................38\r Section 2 - Updating the Policy Document...................................................................................39\r
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Chapter One: POLICIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 - Power of these Policies
(a) This document contains all current Policies of the Yale International Relations Association (YIRA) Board of Directors and is subject to the Yale International Relations Association constitution. No policy herein may contradict that constitution. (b) Policies codified herein are binding on future Boards unless otherwise stated. Policies stated to apply only to the current year should be revisited and amended by the Board each year, as outlined in XIII.1 of these Policies.
Section 2 - Execution of these Policies
(a) It is the responsibility of the YIRA President to furnish each newly elected or appointed members of the Board of Directors with the most recent copy of these Policies and to ensure that the most recent copy of these Policies is available to the YIRA membership. (b) Should a member of YIRA in good standing believe any of these Policies are not being
executed in accordance with the standards of the YIRA Constitution, he or she may submit a formal complaint to the YIRA President listing the sections violated and describing the circumstances of the violation. (c) The President is responsible to execute all Policies contained herein unless another position is designated the responsible party in the policy text or by the President.
Chapter Two: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1 - Positions and Primary Responsibilities
(a) President i. ii.
The President of YIRA is the organization’s chief representative to the membership, the Yale administration, and all relevant campus, regional, and global organizations. The President is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the YIRA Constitution, these Policies of the Board of Directors, and any other decision made by the Board of Directors.
The President will consult the Board of Directors on administrative matters and disclose to that body all executive decisions.
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iv. v. vi. vii.
The President will call meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Membership when it is relevant and prudent, in accordance with the YIRA Constitution. The President will attend as many YIRA events and planning, training, or reflection meetings that precede or follow such events as is feasible.
The President is the ultimate arbiter of all matters concerning more than one department or the organization as a whole.
All decisions made by Directors or other members of YIRA with the powers delegated to those persons by the YIRA Constitution, these Policies, or other documents or agreements must be disclosed to the President.
The President will determine who merits possession of a key to the YIRA office, a
credit/debit card linked to the YIRA bank account, and all other shared resources of the organization.
Responsibility for the conduct of all Directors and members representing YIRA and the fiscal and social prosperity of all of the departments and initiatives of the organization ultimately rests with the President.
viii.
ix.
(b) Vice President i.
The Vice President’s first set of responsibilities pertain to recruitment. He or she is responsible for organizing YIRA representation at Bulldog days and Camp Yale, getting in touch with the admissions office regarding registration and funding as an official undergraduate organization, and overseeing any recruitment events that will make YIRA appealing to prospective members. The Vice-President will collaborate with the Executive Director as appropriate to execute events.
The Vice President’s second set of responsibilities are to oversee the planning and execution of Domestic and International Trips.
The Vice President’s final set of responsibilities are administrative. The Vice President assists the President in overseeing the organization as a whole, and executes the President’s duties when he or she is unable to do so.
ii. iii.
(c) Treasurer i.
The treasurer is in charge of maintaining and overseeing the finances of the
organization. This includes everything from coordinating the creation of an annual budget, bookkeeping, collecting receipts for expenses, collecting checks received as
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conference revenue, writing checks, and regularly preparing reports on the state of the organization’s finances.
(d) Secretary i.
The Secretary is the primary record-keeper of the organization and is chiefly responsible for maintaining institutional memory in the form of notes, minutes, bulletins, photos, and follow-up reports.
The Secretary is responsible for recording, drafting and submitting minutes of Board meetings.
The Secretary sends out weekly bulletins to YIRA’s membership.
The Secretary must work with the YIRA Director of Technology to maintain, improve and update the Association’s website, as well as other important forms of online resources, including but not limited to the YIRA Facebook group, YIRA Wikipedia page, etc.
The Secretary works with the Vice President to maintain the Association’s email list and roster of members.
ii. iii. iv.
v.
(e) SCSY Secretary-General i.
The SCSY Secretary-General is responsible for administrating and organizing all things related to the SCSY conference.
(f) YMUN Secretary-General i.
The YMUN Secretary-General is responsible for administrating and organizing all things related to the YMUN conference.
(g) MUNTY Head Delegate i.
The MUNTY Head Delegate is responsible for the representation of Yale University at intercollegiate Model United Nations conferences in which MUNTY participates and for representing MUNTY on the Board of Directors.
The Head Delegate is responsible for all aspects of the traveling Model United Nations Team at Yale.
The Head Delegate may, at any time, delegate responsibility related to the management of MUNTY to other MUNTY members, but the Head Delegate retains ultimate authority over and responsibility for all decisions made.
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iv. v.
The Head Delegate is to act in his or her best judgment, taking into account the will of all active team members when making decisions that affect the team.
All powers necessary to lead MUNTY and represent Yale University at intercollegiate conferences reside in the Head Delegate as the Head Delegate assumes ultimate responsibility for the team’s conduct and success.
The Head Delegate is responsible for collecting dues from MUNTY members.
vi.
(h) Executive Director i. ii. iii.
The Executive Director is responsible for organizing all of YIRA’s on-campus events. The Director’s first responsibility will be to organize an intramural model UN conference in the fall semester.
The Director is in charge of coordinating the work of members interested in setting up and running speaking events for both YIRA members and the wider Yale community. This person often coordinates with other organizations, departments, and programs at Yale in co-sponsoring events, and is thus the primary representative of the organization to student organizations and University bodies on campus.
The Director is responsible for member relations. This includes planning Happy Hours, the Banquets, and other social events that will help build a YIRA community. The Executive Director may coordinate other conferences that he or she deems appropriate, such as an international relations symposium for high school students The Executive Director oversees the implementation of independent initiatives The Executive Director will seek and apply for sponsorship and funding when appropriate
The Executive Director’s final general responsibility is administrative. The Executive Director assists the President in overseeing the organization as a whole
iv. v. vi. vii. viii.
(i) Director of the Hemispheres Program i.
The Hemispheres director is in charge of coordinating YIRA’s community service programs, including weekly classes with New Haven high school students.
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Section 2 - Transition of Secretaries-General
(a) Application i.
Applications for the position of Secretary-General for each conference shall be chiefly written by the current Secretary-General of that conference (SCSY, YMUN). These applications will be made available to the entire YIRA membership by means of announcement in and attachment to the bulletin no more than two weeks after the conclusion of that conference so that the new Secretary-General can be selected no later than one month after the conclusion of that conference, as per V.8 of the YIRA Constitution.
The current Secretaries-General of YMUN and SCSY (in the case of the selection of the next YMUN or SCSY Secretary-General) and the President shall henceforth in this policy be referred to as the Secretary-General Selection Committee.
Submission of an application for a position on the Board of Directors is an implicit agreement to uphold the YIRA Constitution and these Policies and execute all duties of that office described therein.
Shortly thereafter, an application will be made available by the same means as
described above for the position Ex-Officio Director for Secretary-General Selection. Of the applicants, the Secretary-General Selection Committee will determine three to five YIRA members with varied levels of involvement with and years of experience with the conference and YIRA. Ideally, the Ex-Officio Directors will include one former Secretariat member, one committee director, and one staffer or Assistant Secretary-General, or a similar distribution.
ii.
iii.
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(b) Interviews i.
Once the Ex-Officio Directors are chosen by the Secretary-General Selection
Committee, these appointments will be confirmed by the Board of Directors as per IV.3 of the YIRA Constitution and the final list of applicants for the position of
Secretary-General will be addressed and approved by the Board of Directors pursuant to V.7 of the YIRA Constitution. The completed applications for the position of
Secretary-General and the time and place of the interviews will then be distributed to all Board members. Each of the candidates will be contacted and given an interview time. These interview times should be sufficiently spaced so as to limit the likelihood of face-to-face contact of candidates between interviews.
Any question that a Board member would like asked of a candidate must be submitted to the Secretary-General Selection Committee at least 24 hours before the interview is
ii.
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scheduled. The Secretary-General Selection Committee will finalize the list of questions and determine who among them will ask each. iii.
Shortly thereafter, the President shall call a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors, as per IV.11 of the YIRA Constitution. The Board members, current and Ex-Officio, will convene in Western Business Attire to interview the candidates. The Secretary-General Selection Committee will ask the predetermined questions of each candidate for a period of thirty minutes. No discussion of the candidates will take place between interviews.
After all interviews have been concluded, the President will give the Board any
structural remarks he or she sees fit, and those present besides the Secretary-General Selection Committee will discuss the candidates.
Once substantial discussion has taken place, the President will remind all Board members to ensure the anonymity of the names of the candidates and that all points made in deliberation are not to be discussed with anyone including other YIRA members, the candidates, or other persons present for deliberations. The Board will dismiss the Ex-Officio Directors from their posts as per IV.5 of the YIRA Constitution. All handwritten notes and copies of the applications will be collected by the President for shredding. The Board and former Ex-Officio directors will then be excused. The Secretary-General Selection Committee will remain to make the final decision by consensus, as per V.7 of the YIRA Constitution. The President will inform each
candidate privately of the decision. The Secretary will email out the result to the YIRA membership the following day or in the next YIRA Bulletin.
Should a current Secretary-General feel the need to recuse himself from being a member of the Secretary-General Selection Committee, he or she must discuss this matter with the President before the selection process begins. He or she and the
President will appoint a suitable replacement from the Board, which will be confirmed by the Board as per V.7 of the YIRA Constitution. Should the President feel the need to recuse himself from the Secretary-General Selection Committee, all his or her duties will be executed by the Vice President. Any person who recuses himself from the Secretary-General Selection Committee may still submit questions for the interview and may still observe the interview and offer opinions like a Board member.
iv.
v.
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(c) Immediate Duties i.
The Secretary-General-elect does not formally assume constitutional duties until May 1st. However, the Secretary-General-elect is considered an Ex-Officio Director on the Board as per V.10 of the YIRA Constitution. The Secretary-General-elect is expected to
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attend all meetings of the Board of Directors after his or her appointment and offer his or her insight on the matters at hand and is subject to the expectations outlined in II.5 of these Policies.
Section 3 - Transition of Directors in Elected Positions
(a) After the general YIRA election and before the first of May of that year, outgoing Board members will meet with their newly elected successors and pass on all relevant documents, calendars, keys, account information, contacts, and other elements of institutional memory. (b) All YIRA credit cards distributed to Board members ending their terms will be collected by the incoming Treasurer by May 1st. (c) Before the conclusion of Reading Week, the new Board of Directors will convene to reflect on the status of YIRA, exchange contact information, set goals to reach over the summer, and schedule the first meeting of the new school year.
Section 4 - Elections
(a) Elections Information Meeting i.
An informational meeting about YIRA elections shall be held at least one week before the annual YIRA General Elections meeting. The meeting shall be announced to the YIRA membership at least one week in advance.
Information about the responsibilities of each office up for election at YIRA General Elections as well as the procedure for elections shall be presented to those in attendance at the meeting. All Board members currently occupying positions up for election at YIRA General Elections will be present at the meeting to answer any questions. The text of all proposed constitutional amendments that will be up for approval at YIRA General Elections will be presented at the meeting. Copies of the YIRA Constitution will also be available for reference.
All information presented at the meeting will be made available to YIRA members who could not attend the meeting.
ii.
iii.
iv.
(b) Campaigning i.
Prospective candidates for YIRA office are encouraged to campaign by word of mouth in the lead up to elections.
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ii.
Candidates for YIRA office shall be allowed to submit candidacy statements that will be distributed to the membership in advance of the elections and will also be made
available at the YIRA General Elections meeting. These candidacy statements must be submitted to the YIRA President no later than noon three days before the election. Other than for the purpose of distributing all candidate statements together, official YIRA equipment, websites, e-mail, and any other forms of communication cannot be used for campaigning purposes.
iii.
(c) Elections Supervisory Committee i.
The elections shall be administered and presided over by the three-member Elections Supervisory Committee chosen by the Board as laid out in the YIRA Constitution section V.6. Members of the Elections Supervisory Committee are permitted to vote, but are not permitted to participate in deliberations or make any sort of political statements during elections.
The Elections Supervisory Committee shall admit into the elections room only those YIRA members who have been deemed eligible to vote per the constitution. They shall also determine whether a quorum is present to conduct business per the YIRA Constitution section VII.1.
ii.
(d) Elections i.
Amendments: Voting on constitutional amendments shall happen first, before voting on offices. Amendments will be considered in the order they were proposed, as outlined by the constitution, and are immediately put into effect upon adoption. Nominations: The Elections Supervisory Committee will accept nominations for the position up for election from any YIRA member present at the meeting. Once nominated, a nominee must immediately accept or reject his or her nomination. Acceptance of a nomination for a position on the Board of Directors is an implicit
agreement to uphold the YIRA Constitution and these Policies and execute all duties of that office described therein.
Speeches: Once all nominations have been received, candidates will give speeches in alphabetical order based on their last names. Each candidate will have four minutes to give his or her speech. Afterwards, the candidate will have five minutes to answer
questions from the membership present, deducting time only from the amount of time it takes for the candidate to respond to questions. The Elections Supervisory Committee will select which members ask questions of each candidate. The other candidates for the same position may not be in the elections room during this period.
ii.
iii.
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iv.
Deliberation: Once all candidates have made speeches and have been escorted to
another room, deliberations on the candidates will begin. Deliberation shall proceed in three rounds. In the first round, every member present is entitled to make one speech that is at most one minute long. Once the number of people wishing and eligible to speak in that round has expired, deliberations will move to the second round in which each member is entitled to make one speech that is thirty seconds long. Once the number of people wishing and eligible to speak in the second round has expired, deliberations will move to the third round in which each member is entitled to make one speech that is fifteen seconds long. No member can reclaim speaking time or a speaking opportunity that they did not use in a previous round. Once the number of people wishing and eligible to speak in the third round has expired, the meeting shall move directly into voting procedure.
Voting: Per the YIRA Constitution V.5, voting will be by secret ballot. Ballots will be counted by the Elections Supervisory Committee.
Runoff: If the Elections Supervisory Committee determines that no candidate has won a majority, the candidate who received the fewest number of votes will be brought back into the elections room. One round of speeches in which each member will be allowed to make one fifteen-second speech will be permitted before the next round of voting. Once the number of people wishing and eligible to speak has expired, the meeting shall move directly into voting procedure on the runoff candidates. This procedure shall be repeated until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
v. vi.
Section 5 - Expectations of Directors
(a) Attendance and Prioritization i.
Each director will be in attendance at every Board meeting and scheduled bi-weekly meeting with the President or Vice President unless excused by the President. Situations that would grant excuse include illness, family emergency, jury duty. Situations that would not grant excuse include impending paper or exam deadline, conflict with on-campus event hosted by another organization. Meetings will be as brief and efficient as possible so that all members can attend to their other
responsibilities and frivolities, however membership on the YIRA Board and meetings of that Board take priority. Attendance to Town Hall meetings shall be held in similar regard.
Each director should make a reasonable effort to attend all events hosted by all departments in YIRA. This goes beyond the regular membership requirement of staffing SCSY and YMUN, and extends to active participation in events led by the
ii.
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Executive Director and Hemispheres and Independent Initiatives as they arise. Board members will engage other members at these events professionally and
enthusiastically, welcoming new faces and encouraging enthusiasm among veteran members. iii.
Each director will be available to help set up, staff, and clean up all recruitment and retention events, including Happy Hours, banquets, bazaars, and mixers.
(b) Accessibility and Responsiveness i.
Each director will address every question or request for information within 24 hours of receipt of that question or request for information. This does not mean that the answer or information needs to be delivered within 24 hours, but that within 24 hours the petitioner knows the director has received the request and has an idea of when he or she will get the final response.
Each director will respect all deadlines set by other Board members or other members in the organization acting with authority granted by the Constitution, these Policies, or a Board member. These include deadlines for committee or international trip
application, topic paper, submission of department updates or announcements for the Weekly Bulletin, End of Semester reports, budget updates, etc.
ii.
Chapter Three: ASSOCIATION FINANCES
Section 1 - Budget
(a) Department budgets: Once elected or appointed and before the end of Spring term, each department head must complete a preliminary departmental budget and submit it to the Treasurer. Department heads are responsible for obtaining the prior year’s budget from the outgoing Treasurer. The Treasurer is subsequently responsible for compiling a Financial Report delineating the compiled projections for income and expenditures for the coming year to be juxtaposed with how income and expenditures occurred during the previous year. (b) Executive review: Once each department has submitted its budget and prior to the first Board meeting of the year, the Treasurer and President should meet with each department head to discuss every line item in that department’s budget, looking for ways to increase revenue, cut costs, and eliminate excess spending. (c) Board review: The Board will review the budget in two phases. The Treasurer will present the initial compiled budget, and his budgetary report to the Board, which will decide which line items are essential and which are discretionary. For example, essential expenditures might include happy hours and banquets, while discretionary expenditures might include
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independent initiatives and YIRA sweatshirts. The Treasurer will then prepare a baseline budget of the essential expenditures and will prioritize the discretionary items for Board discussion. In turn, the Board will discuss the ordered list of discretionary expenditures in sequence to decide how much it is willing to allocate to each line item.
(d) Philosophy: Decisions should be made “on the margin”, i.e. considering how additional spending on one line item will impact spending on other line items. (e) Transparency: The Board should provide the membership with information regarding how it has chosen to allocate YIRA’s finances for the coming year. (f) Accountability: The Treasurer is responsible for ensuring that all Board members are held accountable for all money that they spend. The Treasurer must consistently be aware of the financial standing of the organization. (g) Financial advisor: The Treasurer shall be the financial advisor to all constituent programs of YIRA and will help them find new sources of revenue (h) Mid-Year Report: The Treasurer will be responsible for compiling a report at the end of the Fall semester to be presented to the Board and presented to the membership outlining what happened with YIRA finances during the Fall semester. The Board must review this report and determine how financial allocations will change for the Spring semester as a result of the income and expenses that were procured in the Fall.
Section 2 - Taxes
(a) Sales Tax: As a 501c3, YIRA is exempt from sales taxes. In order to take advantage of this, when people make purchases that are sales taxable, they will need a Cert-119 form. If this is the case, they must request this from the Treasurer. (b) W9 – Request for Tax ID: People making payments to YIRA (most often schools and clubs for the conferences) will need a W9 form, a request for Tax ID, for their tax purposes. These should be requested from the YIRA Treasurer a week before they are required. (c) Annual Filing: Needs to be completed during Winter break and is due in February.
Section 3 - Expenses and Records
(a) Board Debit Cards: At the beginning of the year, the Treasurer will take each Board member, either individually or as a group, to the Chase Branch. Each should bring two
types of photo ID. The Treasurer will need to make sure he or she has been added as a signer on the account and will make sure all old members have had their cards cancelled. Each new Board member gets a debit card with the customer service representative. The cards will be
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mailed to the YIRA PO Box. The Treasurer will write down the last four digits of each board members debit card. This will make identifying expenses easier.
(b) Check Deposits: The primary source of checks for the organization is YMUN and SCSY. Checks will be deposited as soon as possible once they have been received. Checks must be made out to “Yale International Relations Association”. If checks are made out to the USG in charge of finances, the USG needs to ensure that he or she signs the check over by writing on the back “Pay to the order of Yale International Relations Association”. The Treasurer will then record the check in an excel spreadsheet and in QuickBooks. All checks must be endorsed by using the YIRA business endorsement stamp. (c) Writing Checks: Many expenses will require a check rather than a debit card transaction. If a check is needed, the Treasurer will request the following information: payee, amount, and purpose. Checks are kept in the corporate checkbook. Upon request, the Treasurer will fill out the check and the stub to the left of the check. They will also enter the information in QuickBooks by selecting “Write Checks”. Once the check is deposited, QuickBooks will recognize it and will not double count it. Not entering the check into QuickBooks leads to unclaimed liabilities that get forgotten when people do not deposit the check for some time. (d) Recording Expenses: i.
Categorizing Expenditure: QuickBooks allows you to categorize expenses. The list of categories and subcategories can be viewed from the toolbar. Once expenditures are entered in QuickBooks, the Treasurer will type in the category and subcategory of the respective expense.
Keeping Receipts: Receipts are necessary for all expenses. The Treasurer needs to ensure that he or she is getting receipts for expenditures and be on the lookout for expenses that do not make sense. When turning in receipts, YIRA members need to ensure that they are writing down what the receipt is for. The Treasurer will file all of the year’s receipts. In addition to these expense receipts, the Treasurer will hold onto deposit receipts and other financial papers. The Treasurer needs to make sure that he or she is keeping a record of the receipts for at least at year.
TYCO: Keeping track of TYCO expenses is slightly more complicated. YIRA has an account with TYCO that we periodically pay. The bills get sent to the YIRA PO Box and the President must pick them up and give them to the Treasurer. TYCO bills need to be paid in person. These receipts need to be categorized. Whenever someone uses the account, they should write their name and the category it goes in. Once the division of the bill is figured out, the Treasurer will enter the information in QuickBooks and use the “Split” feature to categorize the bill into multiple locations.
ii.
iii.
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(e) Generating Reports: To display information for board reports and general observations, the Treasurer may use the “Reports” feature of QuickBooks. All YIRA members can ask for
financial information from QuickBooks at any point throughout the year. The Treasurer will provide this information within a week. (f) Reimbursement Policy: All individuals who ask for a reimbursement must complete the reimbursement form and attach to it a receipt for the expenses for which they would like to be reimbursed. It is the responsibility of the Treasurer to write reimbursement checks and maintain consistent record of all reimbursement forms and respective receipts. (g) Other Documents: The Treasurer is responsible for keeping other financial YIRA documents such as its certificate of incorporation and proof of 501c3 status.
Section 4 - Banquets
(a) Date: The Executive Director will choose a date in the first half of reading week so people do not feel stressed. The date must be finalized eight weeks before the day of the banquet. (b) Location: The Executive Director will choose a space for the banquet and will review all possible locations and the Board will collectively confirm or revise the Executive Director’s recommendation. (c) Invites: Everyone who has contributed substantially to YIRA during the past semester is eligible for the banquet as per III.3 of the YIRA Constitution. The Executive Director will use the YIRA membership list to invite members to the banquet. The Executive Director will make sure that all department heads are satisfied with the list of invited people and will add anyone who the Board believes should be added and who is not in the YIRA membership list. The Executive Director will work with the Secretary to create an invitation and will track RSVPs.
Chapter Four: RECRUITMENT
Section 1 – Camp Yale, Freshmen Orientation Recruitment
(a) Pre-Orientation Email i. ii.
The Vice President and Secretary may send an email to all freshmen two days prior to the opening of undergraduate residences to all freshmen.
The email may be sent to email addresses collected during the Bulldog Days Extracurricular bazaar the pervious April (see Chapter V, Section 2).
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(b) Extracurricular Bazaar i.
The Vice President shall be responsible for securing a table at the Freshmen Bazaar during Camp Yale and organizing a contingent of YIRA members to represent the organization. The Vice President should put considerable thought and planning into the purchase and use of YIRA paraphernalia to entice freshmen and upperclassmen to learn more about the organization.
Flyers publicizing an information session should be distributed during the bazaar.
Other ideas for paraphernalia and flyers include, but are not limited to, tote bags, pens, executive board contact information flyer, folders, and brochures.
ii.
(c) Information Session i.
During freshmen orientation, the Vice President is responsible for organizing a YIRA information session in order to advertise the various departments of YIRA to
prospective members. Ideas for promoting the information session include but are not limited to, holding a barbeque, offering free milkshakes at Yorkside, organizing a happy hour.
The YIRA Information Session must involve the heads of constituent YIRA
departments and programs. The specific structure of the Information Session is subject to change and is determined by the Vice President in consultation with the Board and collaboration with the Executive Director.
ii.
(d) Departmental Recruitment Plans
i. ii.
Each department head is responsible for creating additional recruitment plans and events to attract members to specific departments, programs, and activities. YIRA wide recruitment plans and events are to take precedence over departmental or program recruitment efforts for all members of the YIRA Board of Directors.
Section 2 – Bulldog Days Recruitment
(a) The Vice President shall be responsible for securing a table at the Bulldog Days
Extracurricular Bazaar and organizing a contingent of YIRA members to represent the organization and answer all questions prospective freshmen may have at the event. (b) A list of prospective freshmen emails and contact information must be acquired during the Bulldog Days Extracurricular Bazaar. (c) The Vice President is also responsible for organizing an event with food or beverages during
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Yale Bulldog Days to entice prospective freshmen and offer them an opportunity to meet current YIRA members in order to promote the organization to prospective freshmen. (e) The Vice President should incorporate the newly elected YIRA Board, in particular the Vice President elect, into Bulldog Days recruitment plans.
Chapter Five: TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION
Section 1 - Weekly Bulletins
(a) Definition and Objectives i.
Weekly Bulletins are bulletins sent by the Secretary to the YIRA membership on a weekly basis during the school semester containing important information about news and updates, events, and opportunities related to YIRA, as well as any other information deemed relevant by the Board
The purpose of the Weekly Bulletins is to inform and to communicate to members useful information in a concise, convenient, presentable, and informative manner
ii.
(b) Recipients i.
The Weekly Bulletin is to be sent to all interested recipients (i.e. not simply those who qualify for membership benefits), that is, anyone currently subscribed to the YIRA mailing list including: • Current members • Prospective members • Non-members • Former members • Alumni • Faculty (c) Method and Timeline i.
The process by which bulletins are crafted involves four steps:
• Content submission: the Secretary must send an email to the Board and any other parties he/she deems relevant, requesting submissions for YIRA’s Weekly Bulletin.
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• Synthesis of information: All information received must be filtered, synthesized and made to fit in the bulletin format; any information deemed irrelevant is disposed, and an email sent to the submitter informing him/her of this action; this must be completed. • Draft Approval: A draft of the bulletin is sent to the YIRA President and/or Vice President, who must give written or oral approval for the content of the bulletin before it is distributed to the membership. • Sending: The bulletin should be sent on Sunday evening of any the week in which classes are in session, unless no relevant information has been accumulated. (d) Content i. ii.
The content of the Weekly Bulletins must be concise, presentable and informative. In general, information contained in the Weekly Bulletins falls into three categories: • News and updates (e.g. Secretariat selections, awards won in competition, updates from YIRA departments, etc.) • Events (e.g. MUNTY tryouts, Speakers Committee events, Happy Hours, Banquets, etc.) • Opportunities (e.g. Secretariat applications, Spring Break trip applications, staffing opportunities, relevant internships, etc.) iii.
Appended to each bulletin will be a copy of the most recent Board meeting minutes, and each bulletin with minutes attached will contain several brief bullet points outlining the issues discussed in the minutes.
(e) Content eligibility i.
All information relating to YIRA or any YIRA department should generally be eligible for submission for inclusion in YIRA’s Weekly Bulletin, in particular if it has been submitted by a Board member, although Board members should bear in mind the importance of relevance and brevity in their submissions.
The Secretary should use his or her discretion when editing submissions by Board members, taking care to condense and synthesize to ensure the conciseness and presentability of information; removal or rejection of any submission by a Board
member or YIRA member from a constituent department should be discussed with the
ii.
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submitting member and the President, with final decision on inclusion resting with the President. iii.
Eligibility for information or advertisements for events and opportunities not related to YIRA, but other Yale or outside organizations will always be included after YIRA materials and should be evaluated based on the following criteria (in order of importance):
• Relevance: any information or organizations represented should relate to
international relations and global affairs, and as such, bear general relevance to YIRA’s goal of promoting awareness of international relations and global affairs. • Interest: the event or opportunity should be of an interesting nature which would appeal to the YIRA membership, since YIRA’s bulletin ultimately serves its members. • Partnership organizations: there are several Yale organizations which, over the past several years, have consistently cooperated with YIRA on important initiatives, such as the International Students’ Organization (ISO); these organizations should be given preference in the consideration of eligibility. (f) Format i. ii. iii.
The Weekly Bulletin should be a quick source of information for members, concise and presentable.
The Weekly Bulletin must utilize and propagate the “YIRA Brand,” including organization-standard titles, text, fonts, layout, and images.
The Weekly Bulletin will be personalized and addressed to the name of the individual listed in the recipient list.
Section 2 - Website
(a) Definition and Objectives i. ii.
The website is the official website of the Yale International Relations Association, located at www.yira.org.
The website is intended as a portal for many audiences: for YIRA members to find out useful and timely information, for non-members wanting to find out about YIRA, and for alumni to connect with YIRA.
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(b) Maintenance i.
The website is to be maintained by the Director of Technology (or equivalent) and the Secretary; the Director of Technology is responsible for the technical aspects of the website, while the Secretary is responsible for the website’s content. The formal breakdown of duties is as follows:
• Updating content: the Secretary should work to update all content on the website’s pages regularly to ensure that the content reflects the current state of each of the YIRA departments; this should include updating of the minutes as and when Board meetings are held, photos when events are held, names and bios of newly-elected or –appointed Board members, etc. • Addition of news, announcements and upcoming events: the Secretary should keep the website current and informative to current and prospective members by adding all information regarding news and announcements and upcoming events; these can generally be adapted from the Weekly Bulletins. • Improvements: the Secretary and Director of Technology should continually work together to improve the website by eliminating bugs, improving the technical capacity of the website, and the website’s physical appearance. ii.
To update content, the Secretary should use YIRA’s content management system admin.yira.org; this system allows the Secretary to update content without any
knowledge of HTML; user accounts and passwords are made available to the Director of Technology and Secretary, and the Director of Technology should be responsible for making alterations to the program as and when necessary to improve content management of the website.
Section 3 - Board Meeting Minutes
(a) Definition and Objectives i. ii.
Board minutes are an extended summary of what occurred during YIRA Board meetings, recorded, written, and disseminated by the Secretary. The minutes are intended as
• A reminder to Board members of what was said, and what projects require follow-up and by whom.
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• A tool for institutional transparency, giving members a sense of what issues the Board is considering, and what decisions have been made.. (b) Method and Timeline i. ii.
The Secretary will take notes throughout the Board meeting, and is generally the only member of the Board permitted to use a laptop during the course of the meeting. Minutes will be written up by the evening of the day after the Board meeting took place, and then sent out as a draft that same evening to the Board; this email should seek input from other Board members on whether any changes or additions are needed.
In particular, the Secretary will actively seek input on the draft from Board members who were absent during the meeting or during parts of the meeting, so they may give their views on issues that were discussed, and so that the revised minutes can also reflect these views.
After revisions are made, a final version of the minutes will be sent to the Board. The final version should be posted on YIRA’s website within five days of the Board meeting having taken place, and appended to the next Weekly Bulletin as described in VI.1.d.iii of these Policies.
iii.
iv.
(c) Content i. ii.
The Secretary should use his or her discretion as to what to include in the minutes. Important things to note:
• Date, time and venue of the meeting • Board members in attendance • Important decisions made
• All follow-up action items and deadlines • Time of meeting called to order and adjournment iii. iv.
Content should be organized in a way that follows the agenda items of the meeting. The Secretary may at his discretion or at the request of the Board compose two versions of the Board Meeting Minutes, one for internal record keeping and one for publication to the membership.
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(d) Format i. ii.
The format of the minutes should be presentable and easy-to-read, listing out points raised in bullet-point fashion and emphasizing decisions made.
The Secretary should use his or her discretion to alter the format of the minutes as he/she sees fit, subject to approval from the President.
Section 4 - Independent Initiatives
(a) Definition and Objectives i.
Independent initiatives are a mechanism by which individual YIRA members can approach the Board with ideas for new programs or events which they believe can and should be implemented.
Although YIRA has a long history of individual members forming new initiatives to further YIRA’s objectives, the Independent Initiatives program formalizes this process, and allows any member to approach the Board with an initiative without having to know a specific member of the Board, making YIRA’s resources more broadly accessible to all members.
The Independent Initiative Application is currently available at ii. iii. (b) Submission Process i. In order to submit a proposal for an independent initiative, the following process should be followed: • Step 1: Step 1: Formulate idea and fill out Independent Initiatives form and submit form online; if the member wishes, he or she may also approach the Executive Director individually for advice and/or feedback. • Step 2: The YIRA member will be invited to a subsequent meeting of the Board of Strategy and Operations and will be asked to present his or her idea. After the BSO adjusts and clarifies the fine details of the initiatives, a formalized proposal will be presented to the Board of Directors to discuss and vote on whether the initiative should be implemented and what if any funds will be allocated. - 22 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors • Step 3: The Board of Strategy and Operations will be the key liaison on the initiative with the YIRA member proposing the idea. • Step 4: Periodic reports are made to the Board of Directors by the Board of Strategy and Operations and the YIRA member on the progress of the new initiative. Receipts for reimbursement up to the value determined at the inception of the Initiative may be submitted to the Treasurer. A specific format and/or timetable for these reports may be established at the inception of the Initiative. ii. Newly approved Initiatives will be publicized on the YIRA Website, in the Weekly Bulletin, and at Town Hall meetings as relevant. Chapter Six: MEMBER BENEFITS Section 1 – International Trips (a) International Trip Leaders – Application and Selection Process i. ii. The YIRA Board is responsible for selecting all International Trip Leaders. All Yale undergraduates are eligible to apply to lead a YIRA International Trip, provided that they agree to meet the requirements of YIRA memberships going forward, including but not limited to, satisfactory participation in and staffing of SCSY and YMUN. All International Trip Leaders must staff SCSY and YMUN to the full satisfaction of the respective Secretary-General of those conferences. The Vice President and President are responsible for creating an application for trip leaders and interviewing all individuals who submit an application. The YIRA Board should select trip leaders who demonstrate a great degree of commitment to all components involved in the successful execution of an international trip, including but not limited to, promoting the trip, drafting an application for trip participants, interviewing all applicants deemed worthy, facilitating group bonding events, seeking extensive sources of funding, remaining in close communication with all contacts on the ground in those countries to which they wish to travel, and taking all necessary safety precautions before and during actual travel, as well as maturity, graceful composure in stressful situations, and an ability to maintain group cohesion, etc. Decisions may be based upon additional criteria the YIRA Board deems appropriate. iii. iv. v. - 23 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors vi. vii. All international trip leaders must go through an application and interview process, regardless of what time they plan on leading their trip. The deadline to submit an application and be interviewed by the President, Vice President, and other interested Board members, in order to lead YIRA International Trips during fall or winter break should be in mid-September. The deadline to submit an application to lead YIRA International Trips during spring or summer break should be in mid-October. Given the high degree of preparation needed to organize an international trip, all prospective YIRA International Trip Leaders must apply in pairs. YIRA International Trips cannot have less than or greater than two leaders per trip. The YIRA President and Vice President are not eligible to be Trip Leaders, and YIRA Board members who apply to lead a trip are not eligible to consider trip proposals. viii. ix. x. (b) International Trip Participants – Application and Selection Process i. ii. The YIRA President, Vice President, and the pairs of Trip Leaders are responsible for selecting the final list of participants for each YIRA International Trip Final authority on selection of YIRA International Trip Participants rests with the YIRA Vice President, President, and the pairs of Trip Leaders, although the decision-making process should nonetheless ensure reasonable input from the members of the YIRA Board of Directors. All Yale undergraduates are eligible to apply to participate in a YIRA International Trip, provided that they agree to meet the requirements of memberships going forward, including but not limited to, satisfactory participation in and staffing of SCSY and YMUN. All International Trip Participants must staff SCSY and YMUN to the full satisfaction of the respective Secretary-General of those conferences. If they fail to do so, they will not be eligible to receive a YIRA International Trip Stipend. All Trip Participants are expected to staff both SCSY and YMUN. Under the guidance of the Vice President, the Trip Leaders shall release an application to all YIRA members who wish to apply for to participate in a YIRA International Trip. All applications shall be submitted and reviewed by Trip Leaders as well as the Vice President and President. The Trip Leaders will personally interview all those YIRA members who apply to - 24 - iii. iv. v. vi. Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors participate in an international trip. The YIRA Vice President and President are encouraged to participate in the interview process. vii. After all participant applicants have been interviewed, the Trip Leaders will draft a list of individuals they deem worthy of a position on their respective international trips. This list will be discussed at length with the Vice President and President, and a final list of Trip Participants will be determined. The Vice President, President, and Trip Leaders will accept Trip Participants who fulfill criteria including but not limited to past individual contribution to YIRA which can be measured by their satisfactory staffing of SCSY and YMUN, and involvement in organizing YIRA Events, the Hemispheres Program and MUNTY, the manner in which the individual will contribute to the group dynamic before and during the trip itself, individual maturity and ability to relate well to others, their knowledge of and passion for the issues being discussed on the trip and/or the regions to which participants will travel, etc. The largest number of qualified Trip Participants should be accepted in order to give the greatest number of YIRA members the opportunity to participate on YIRA International Trips. Decisions may be based upon additional criteria the Vice President, President, and Trip Leaders deem appropriate. After the Vice President, President, and Trip Leaders agree on the final list of Participants for each respective International Trip, the Vice President will present the names and qualifications of each participant selected to the Board. All YIRA International Trip Participants must go through an application and interview process. The deadline to submit an application and be interviewed by Trip Leaders in order to participate in international trips during fall or winter break should be in late-September, early October. The deadline to submit an application and be interviewed by the President and Vice President in order to participate in international trips during spring or summer break should be in early-November. viii. ix. x. xi. xii. (c) International Trip Stipends i. ii. The YIRA Board of Directors shall determine the value of the YIRA Trip Stipend for YIRA International Trip Leaders and Participants. A YIRA member in good standing can receive a stipend to help subsidize his or her attendance on an international trip if this YIRA member has successfully staffed SCSY - 25 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors and YMUN to the full satisfaction of the respective Secretary-General of those conferences. If any participant fails to do so, that participant will not be permitted to receive a YIRA Trip Stipend. iii. The list of all trip participants eligible for a YIRA Trip Stipend will also be presented to the YIRA Board with a brief synopsis of their qualifications and involvement in YIRA. (d) Collaboration with Trip Leaders i. The YIRA Vice-President will be responsible for supervising the organization of all aspects of the international trips. This will require frequent meetings with the trip leaders to ensure that all preparations are being made in a timely manner. Elements to consider include but are not limited to, making strong contacts on the ground, developing a practical itinerary that involves a balance of meetings, work, and rest for all trip participants, organizing several events through which trip participants can bond and become more familiar with the history of the regions to which they will be traveling and the personalities with whom they will be traveling, seeking out all possible sources of funding to help subsidize as much of the trip as possible, planning out transportation to and from the airport and all transportation during the trip, reserving all necessary accommodations for the duration of the trip, etc. Section 2 – Social Events (a) Happy Hours i. The YIRA Executive Director is responsible for organizing frequent, though practical, YIRA Happy Hours throughout the academic year. The exact number of Happy Hours is to be determined in conjunction with the Board of Directors in order to account for budgetary and time constraints. All YIRA members who are active in any of YIRA's constituent programs and activities are permitted to attend YIRA Happy Hours. Any YIRA member is welcome to assist the Executive Director in the organization and execution of YIRA Happy Hours. ii. iii. (b) Inductions i. The Executive Director may hold at least one induction ceremony for new YIRA members every school year. It is possible, however, to organize two induction ceremonies - one per semester. - 26 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors ii. Inductions should incorporate both current and new YIRA members in order to facilitate inter-class bonding. The Board of Directors must take an active role in assisting the Executive Director in his or her efforts in orchestrating this event. (c) YIRA Banquets i. ii. YIRA banquets should be held at the end of each semester. The YIRA Executive Director is responsible for organizing both Fall and Spring/End-of year Banquets. Details, including where and when the banquets will be held, are determined by the YIRA Executive Director, with consultation from the Board of Directors. (d) Retention Events ii. The YIRA Executive Director, in coordination with the YIRA President and YIRA Board, will be responsible for organizing and overseeing other social events throughout the year to continue to foster bonds between YIRA members. Chapter Seven: SECURITY COUNCIL SIMULATION AT YALE Section 1 - Requirements of Membership (a) Those who have successfully staffed SCSY must do one of the following to the satisfaction of the Secretary-General: i. ii. iii. Serve on the secretariat, Serve on a committee dais team or as a crisis staffer, Complete other tasks assigned by the Secretary-General (b) YIRA membership will be awarded to those who staff SCSY as explained in Article III of the Constitution. (c) Any Yale student may staff SCSY. (d) Staffers of SCSY, as members of YIRA, are subject to the membership rules and guidelines held for all members in Article III of the Constitution. Section 2 - Secretary-General Accountability (a) The YIRA President and Vice President are responsible for ensuring that the Secretary-General of the Security Council Simulation at Yale (SCSY) is making reasonable progress - 27 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors towards conference preparation. Relevant metrics include: choosing conference dates (VII.2), signing hotel contracts (VII.3), selecting a Secretariat (VII.4), choosing committees (VII.5), reserving classrooms (VII.6), proposing a budget (VII.7), registering delegations (VII.8), and preserving institutional memory (VII.9). (b) By a unanimous vote, the Board may remove the Secretary-General for failing to meet expectations in conference preparation. In an open Board meeting, the President must present the case against the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General must be given an opportunity to present his or her own case. If the Secretary-General is removed, the Board must accept nominations for a replacement immediately. The Board must choose among these nominees in a closed meeting directly following the open one following the procedures outlined in the YIRA Constitution. Section 2 - Conference Dates (a) To ensure flexibility in selecting conference dates, hotel contracts are signed two years in advance of the conference. Thus the previous Secretary-General will have already chosen conference dates for the current Secretary-General and the current Secretary-General is responsible for choosing dates for the next Secretary-General. The current Secretary-General will finalize conference dates for the next Secretary-General’s conference before Spring Break of his or her term. (b) SCSY typically falls on weekend in October and runs from Thursday through Sunday. The Secretary-General should select conference dates based on four criteria: First, there must be enough hotel rooms available at the Omni and/or Marriott to accommodate the delegates. The Omni Grand Ballroom must be available for Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Second, there must be enough classrooms available at Yale to accommodate committees, crisis rooms, and administration rooms. Third, the Secretary-General should coordinate with the Secretariats of NCSC and UPMUNC to avoid conference overlap and competition for attendees. Finally, the Secretary-General should consult the Yale academic calendar to avoid staffer conflicts including midterms, Parents’ Weekend, Thanksgiving Break, and Halloween. Section 3 - Hotel Contracts (a) Having selected potential conference dates, the Secretary-General must negotiate draft contracts with the Omni and/or Marriott hotels and present these contracts to the Board, which in turn must approve the contracts before the Secretary-General can sign them and consider conference dates finalized. The finalized dates should be published to the YIRA membership immediately so that members can plan accordingly. - 28 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors Section 4 - Other Contracts (a) The Secretary-General must also negotiate draft contracts with venues for any other conference events such as Club Night and Lounge Night. At some point before or after being signed, these contracts must be presented to the Board. Section 5 - Secretariat Selection (a) The Secretary-General should select a Secretariat to aid in conference preparation by Spring Break of his or her term. Selection will result from a competitive application process available to the YIRA membership based on competence, ideas for improving SCSY, experience with the conference, commitment to the Secretariat, and service to YIRA. The Secretary-General must present his or her proposed Secretariat to the YIRA Board for approval. (b) The specific structure of the Secretariat is up to the discretion of the Secretary-General. Section 6 - Committee Selection (a) The Secretary-General, with input from his or her Director General and UnderSecretaries-General of Committees, will select committee proposals and Dais Teams in a competitive application process based on competence, experience, knowledge of the topic(s), commitment to the conference, and service to YIRA. Committees must be selected by the end of the spring semester of his or her term. Section 7 - Classroom Reservation (a) The Secretary-General is responsible for reserving classrooms by the beginning of the fall semester of his or her term. The classroom request form requires concurrence by the Yale College Dean’s Office, which ensures that the Yale administration is aware of the conference dates and can plan accordingly. Section 8 - Budget Approval (a) The Secretary-General is responsible for presenting a preliminary budget to the Board before the end of Reading Period in the Spring Semester. This budget will include both projected revenue based on the proposed conference fee schedule and previous attendance data and projected expenditures based on prior years’ budgets. - 29 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors Section 9 - Delegation Registration (a) The Secretary-General and his or her Secretariat must make a reasonable effort to recruit enough delegates to generate enough revenue to cover conference costs. Registration must open by the beginning of the fall semester of his or her term. Section 10 - Institutional Memory (a) The Secretary-General is responsible for preserving SCSY’s institutional memory for future Secretary-General’s. This includes maintaining the Secretary-General’s Guidebook, passing on conference documents, and advising the next Secretary-General as necessary. Section 11 - Unwritten Expectations and Reserved Powers (a) This document describes the minimum, essential functions of the Secretary-General and is not meant to be a complete list of the Secretary-General’s duties. All additional powers are reserved for the Secretary-General as stipulated in the YIRA Constitution. Chapter Eight: YALE MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE Section 1 - Requirements of Membership (a) Those who have successfully staffed YMUN must do one of the following to the satisfaction of the Secretary-General: i. ii. iii. Serve on the secretariat, Serve on a committee dais team or as a crisis staffer, Complete other tasks assigned by the Secretary-General (b) YIRA membership will be awarded to those who staff SCSY as explained in Article III of the Constitution. (c) Any Yale student may staff YMUN. (d) Staffers of YMUN, as members of YIRA, are subject to the membership rules and guidelines held for all members in Article III of the Constitution. Section 2 - Secretary-General Accountability (a) The YIRA President and Vice President are responsible for ensuring that the Secretary-General of Yale Model United Nations (YMUN) is making reasonable progress towards - 30 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors conference preparation. Relevant metrics include: choosing conference dates (VIII.2), signing hotel contracts (VIII.3), selecting a Secretariat (VIII.4), choosing committees (VIII.5), reserving classrooms (VIII.6), proposing a budget (VIII.7), registering delegations (VIII.8), and preserving institutional memory (VIII.9). (b) By a unanimous vote, the Board may remove the Secretary-General for failing to meet the Board’s expectations in conference preparation. In an open board meeting, the President must present the case against the Secretary-General and the Secretary-General must be given an opportunity to present his or her own case. If the Secretary-General is removed, the Board must accept nominations for a replacement immediately. The Board must choose among the nominees in a closed meeting directly following the open one following procedure in the YIRA Constitution. Section 2 - Conference Dates (a) The current Secretary-General will finalize conference dates within a month of being selected, in consultation with the previous Secretary-General and YIRA President. The conference typically falls on the third weekend of January, or at the end of the spring semester shopping period. (b) The Secretary-General should select conference dates based on three criteria: i. There must be enough hotel and conference rooms available at the Omni to accommodate a significant portion of YMUN delegations, host midnight crisis sessions, the delegate dance and movie night and the conference’s Closing Ceremonies. The Secretary-General must sign a contract with the Omni before dates are considered finalized. There must be enough classrooms available at Yale to accommodate committees, crisis rooms, and administration rooms. Specific rooms may be difficult to guarantee far in advance of the conference due to second semester shopping period. The Secretary-General should attempt to coordinate with the Secretariats of ILMUNC and HMUN to avoid conference overlap and competition for attendees. The Secretary-General should also avoid the weekend of MUNTY’s spring conference(s). ii. iii. Section 3 - Hotel Contracts (a) Once conference dates are finalized, the Secretary-General should move forward with contracts for room blocs in local hotels. As noted in VIII.2 (Conference Dates), the Omni Hotel contract must be final before conference dates are set. At this time, the dates should be published to the YIRA membership immediately so that members can plan accordingly. - 31 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors (b) Once Omni contract is set, the Secretary-General should move forward with contacting other hotels to set up room blocs for conference participants. Reasonable progress should be made by spring break after the appointment of the Secretary-General. Section 4 - Secretariat Selections (a) The Secretary-General should select a Secretariat to aid in conference preparation by spring break after his or her appointment. Selection will result from a competitive process available to the YIRA membership based on competence, ideas for improving YMUN, experience with the conference and Model UN in general, commitment to the Secretariat, and service to YIRA. The Secretary-General must present his or her proposed Secretariat to the YIRA Board for approval. (b) The specific structure of the Secretariat is at the discretion of the Secretary-General. Section 5 - Committee Selections (a) The YMUN Secretary-General, with input from his or her Director General and UnderSecretaries-General of Committees, will select committee proposals and Dais Teams in a competitive application process based on competence, experience, knowledge of the topic(s), and service to YIRA. Committees must be selected by the end of the spring semester of his or her appointment. Section 6 - Classroom Reservations (a) Once the Secretary-General has selected dates for the conference, he or she is responsible for reserving classrooms in a timely manner. The classroom request form requires concurrence by the Yale College Dean’s Office, which ensures that the administration is aware of the conference dates and can plan accordingly. Section 7 - Budget Approval (a) The Secretary-General is responsible for presenting a preliminary budget to the Board before the end of Reading Period in the Spring Semester. This budget will include (1) projected revenue based on the proposed conference fee schedule and previous attendance data and (2) projected expenditures based on prior years’ budgets. This should all be done in consultation with the Treasurer. - 32 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors Section 8 - Delegate Registration (a) The Secretary-General and his or her Secretariat must make a reasonable effort to recruit enough delegates to generate enough revenue to cover conference costs. Registration must open by the beginning of the fall semester after his or her appointment. (b) Regular conference rates apply to all single and multiple-delegation registrations, with two exceptions: those qualifying for financial aid and those registering under the YIRA Hemispheres program. Determinations of financial need will be made using a financial aid application, and will be made by the Secretary-General in consultation with the YIRA Board. Director of Hemispheres program will be expected to submit a list of delegates attending YMUN to the Secretary-General by the regular registration deadline; these delegates will not pay any fees to attend YMUN. Section 9 - Institutional Memory (a) The Secretary-General is responsible for preserving YMUN’s institutional memory for future Secretaries-General. This includes maintaining documentation of all conference preparation and oversight, passing on conference documents including contracts and financial records, and advising the next Secretary-General as necessary. Section 10 - Unwritten Expectations and Reserved Powers (a) This document describes the minimum, essential functions of the Secretary-General and is not meant to be a complete list of the Secretary-General’s duties. All additional powers are reserved for the Secretary-General as stipulated in the YIRA Constitution. Chapter Nine: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Section 1 – Responsibilities of the Executive Director (a) Membership Operations i. The Executive Director will be responsible for the implementation of YIRA membership operations, which include, but are not limited to Happy Hours, spring and fall banquets, speaking engagements, post-international trip events, and all other events that pertain to membership retention. The Executive Director shall facilitate co-sponsorships with other student organizations. ii. - 33 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors iii. The Executive Director will assist in overseeing the marketing and publicity of YIRA related events that are not directly under the purview of a specific constituent programs. Section 2 - The Board of Strategy and Operations (BSO) (a) The Executive Director shall be responsible for the recruitment, selection, and management of the Board of Strategy and Operations, which is the body that will assist him or her in executing the duties of the Executive Director (b) At least one additional officer of the BSO shall be named within a month of the election of the Executive Director to assist in his or her responsibilities (c) The remaining vacancies on the BSO shall be filled no later than the starting date of the Security Council Simulation at Yale (d) BSO officers shall be selected on the basis of a formal, competitive application and interview process that is overseen by the Executive Director (e) The BSO shall meet regularly and will be moderated by the Executive Director unless he or she decides to appoint a different BSO officer to moderate the meeting in his or her absence Section 3 - Events (a) The Executive Director will oversee the coordination of all YIRA on-campus events that are not directly under the purview of a constituent program, i.e. YMUN, and SCSY. This includes at least one intramural Model UN conference that will take place in the Fall semester Section 4 - Interface with other YIRA departments (a) The Executive Director shall regularly meet with Directors of other constituent programs to assess their departmental needs and facilitate improvements in conjunction with the Board of Strategy and Operations, as deemed appropriate by all of the involved Directors. (b) The Executive Director will work with the Vice-President to ensure that recruitment for ad hoc Model UN trips is being executed well, as UNCSY is a prerequisite for attending a subsidized trip. They will also collaborate on executing events that take place on campus after an international trip (c) The Executive Director shall coordinate with the MUNTY Head Delegate to determine the year to year policy regarding MUNTY participation at UNCSY - 34 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors (d) Should the Executive Director decide to execute an international relations symposium for high school students, he or she will coordinate with the YMUN Secretary-General and Director of Hemispheres to collect contacts for the purpose of recruitment (e) For programs that have yet to become formally incorporated into YIRA, the Executive Director will regularly meet with the heads of the developing programs to provide assistance as necessary (f) The Executive Director shall assist the YIRA President as necessary in overseeing the organization as a whole Section 5 - Co-sponsorships (a) The Executive Director shall serve as the liaison between YIRA and student organizations to put on speaking engagements and other collaborative efforts. (b) If another organization seeks to request money from YIRA in exchange for sponsorship, it is the responsibility of the Executive Director to ensure that he is operating within his budget and to coordinate the delivery of checks between the YIRA Treasurer and third party. (c) The Executive Director shall ensure that when YIRA provides financial sponsorship to another organization that appropriate resources will be invested into the event to ensure that it will be successful and preserve the reputation of the Association Section 6 – Fundraising (a) The Executive Director shall oversee fundraising that is not directly related to a formal constituent program (b) The Executive Director is responsible for actively seeking out grants and sponsorship opportunities for IRSY, UNCSY and other YIRA programs as determined necessary Section 7 – The United Nations Crisis Simulation at Yale (a) The Executive Director shall serve as the Secretary-General of an intramural Model United Nations conference (b) UNCSY Funding and Relationship with Board i. The United Nations Crisis Simulation at Yale (UNCSY) Secretary-General will be responsible for obtaining grants to fund the conferences. A complete budget that details the amounts of - 35 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors funding and expenses will be submitted to the YIRA Treasurer and put before the Board for a vote. ii. iii. The Secretary-General of UNCSY will coordinate with other departments as necessary to ensure adequate staffing and attendance at UNCSY. A dialogue between the SCSY and UNCSY Secretaries-General and will take place no later than three months after the new YIRA Executive Director is named regarding potential SCSY committees to be used at UNCSY The UNCSY Secretary-General will engage in a dialogue with the MUNTY Head Delegate before the end of Spring term to discuss the relationship between MUNTY-UNCSY, chiefly which, if any, MUNTY members will be required or encouraged to attend UNCSY and to facilitate recruitment for MUNTY and ad hoc domestic Model UN trips, the latter for which attending UNCSY will be a mandatory pre-requisite. The UNCSY Secretary-General is expected to promote and contribute to the recruitment efforts of the Yale International Relations Association during his or her entire tenure. iv. v. (c) Dates of UNCSY i. ii. UNCSY will be held prior to the Security Council Simulation at Yale and tentative dates will be presented to the Board at a minimum of three months prior to the intended event. UNCSY can be held in the Spring, provided that a preliminary proposal and budget for the conference is presented to the YIRA Board at least 3 months prior to the tentative date. Chapter Ten: HEMISPHERES Section 1 - Requirements of Membership (a) A recognized member of Hemispheres must do one or more of the following: i. ii. Be a regular teacher in weekly international studies classes. Be an advisor and coach to the Hemispheres YMUN team. (b) Membership may be awarded to those who partially fulfill multiple criteria at the discretion of the Director of Hemispheres. (c) Membership must be approved and confirmed by the Director of Hemispheres. (d) Any Yale student may become a member of Hemispheres and thus a member of YIRA. - 36 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors (e) Members of Hemispheres, as members of YIRA, are subjected to the membership rules and guidelines held for all members in III of the YIRA Constitution. Section 2 - Guidelines for Operation (a) Coordinate with other YIRA departments to make the most of YIRA experience and potential. Possible and existing inter-departmental co-operations include: i. ii. iii. iv. Host a “geography bee” with notable alumnus or personage as judge, invite Hemispheres students to Speakers events, host events in local New Haven schools, etc. YMUN – bring New Haven high school students to YMUN conference as New Haven MUN team SCSY – invite Hemispheres students to staff the conference in assistant capacities as ASGs, runners, etc. MUNTY – invite MUNTY members to help train New Haven MUN team in parliamentary procedure, impromptu speaking, and position paper/resolution writing. (b) Coordinate with other Yale student organizations such as ISO ASA, LASO to recruit teachers, find guest speakers, and plan events. In addition coordinate with such community service organizations as Dwight Hall, IRIS volunteers, and PSI program to find schools, students, or international communities that would like to work with YIRA Hemispheres. (c) Coordinate with other Yale and New Haven organizations such as PIER, IRIS, and the Macmillan center to find further opportunities and be of greater service. Chapter Eleven: MODEL UNITED NATIONS TEAM AT YALE Section 1 - Requirements of Membership (a) In order to be considered an active member of the Model United Nations Team at Yale (MUNTY) and to be allowed to travel with and compete for the team, each MUNTY member must: i. ii. iii. iv. Fulfill all official requirements of a SCSY staffer; Fulfill all official requirements of a YMUN staffer; Compete at HNMUN, unless excused by the MUNTY Head Delegate; Compete in at least one intercollegiate conference per year, such that: - 37 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors • a year consists of two consecutive semesters, • a year coincides with the academic year if the MUNTY member was accepted during fall tryouts, and • a year coincides with the calendar year if the MUNTY member was accepted during spring semester tryouts; v. Demonstrate a level of engagement in team preparation and performance satisfactory to the MUNTY Head Delegate Section 2 - Tryouts (a) The MUNTY Head Delegate is responsible for organizing MUNTY tryouts in the fall. (b) All Yale undergraduates are eligible to tryout regardless of previous participation in YIRA, provided all agree to meet the requirements of membership going forward, as outlined in V.1 of the YIRA Constitution. (c) Final authority on the list of members submitted to the YIRA Board rests with the MUNTY Head Delegate. The MUNTY Head Delegate should nonetheless ensure reasonable input is received from current team members in making an informed decision. (d) Decisions may be based on any criteria the MUNTY Head Delegate deems appropriate. (e) The YIRA Board should be notified of who tried out and who was selected as soon as is practical, but no later than the scheduled meeting following final deliberations. (f) The MUNTY Head Delegate may organize additional tryouts and accept new members to the team throughout the year at his or her discretion. Section 3 - Spring Break Trip (a) MUNTY may submit a proposal to go to an international Model UN conference during Spring Break to be considered by the Board of Directors. Chapter Twelve: AMENDMENTS Section 1 - Process of Amendment (a) By a majority vote of the Board of Directors, meeting in open session with requisite quorum, any of these Policies may be altered, removed, or added to. Renumbering after alteration will be assumed for any policy proposals. - 38 - Yale International Relations Association, Inc. Policies of the Board of Directors (b) Amendments to these Policies should indicate relevant codes herein, if applicable, as well as the correct numbering of any insertions or modifications. (c) Any Board member or YIRA member may present additions or amendments at any open meeting of the Board of Directors. Such additions or changes must be submitted to the President three days before said meeting for inclusion in the meeting agenda and materials. Section 2 - Updating the Policy Document (a) The President will be responsible for incorporating changes, maintaining an archive of former versions and failed amendments/additions, and the general maintenance of these Policies. (b) The President will ensure that the updated Policy document is distributed to the Board of Directors and made available to the general membership. - 39 - 因篇幅问题不能全部显示，请点此查看更多更全内容