OPTY Constitution

Article One: Name

This organization shall be known as Oak Park Temple Youth, also known as OPTY.

Article Two: Purpose

The purpose of this group shall be:

To help Jewish teens stay connected to Judaism in a fun, safe, and open environment.
To provide a way to meet other Jewish high school students.
To do the work of “Tikkun Olam,” repairing the world.
To foster a Jewish community specifically for teens.

Article Three: Affiliation

OPTY is affiliated with The North American Federation of Temple Youth, Chicago Area Region (NFTY-CAR), along with Oak Park Temple (OPT), a member congregation of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Article Four: OPTY Board Members

Six elected positions and two appointed positions shall govern OPTY. The elected positions, in gavel order, shall be President, Programming Vice President, Social Action Vice President, Religious and Cultural Vice President, Membership and Communications Vice President, and Freshmen Representative. The appointed positions shall be two Spaghetti Chairs.
Each board member shall serve a one year term starting and ending with the late spring/summer elections, with the exception of the Freshman Representative, whose term shall begin at kick-off, and Spaghetti Chairs, whose terms begin in the fall.
All board members must be members of OPT and enrolled in high school for the entirety of his or her term.
All board members are expected to:
Attend board meetings and OPTY events.
Represent OPTY as well as OPT.
Facilitate programs at events.
Go out of their way to include all OPTY members at OPTY events.
Regularly read and respond to board business communication.
Work with fellow board members at planning programs and events.
Assist fellow board members in their positions when needed.

Article Five: Position Descriptions

Section A.

President - The duties of the President shall be as follows:

To be the liaison between OPTY Board and the OPTY Advisor.
To make it his or her first priority to assist all OPTY board members with their duties.
To preside over board meetings.
To communicate with the NFTY-CAR regional board and maintain OPTY’s status as an active participant in NFTY-CAR.
To oversee all that takes place within OPTY.
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
To coordinate the election process for the incoming board members.
To count the ballots of all incoming board positions, with the exception of Spaghetti Chairs and any position that him/herself is running for, with the advisor at elections.
Section B.

Programming Vice President (PVP) - The duties of the Programming Vice President shall be as follows:

To coordinate the logistics and oversee programming for all events.
To assist the President as needed.
To assume the responsibilities of President if necessary.
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
Section C.

Social Action Vice President (SAVP) - The duties of the Social Action Vice President shall be as follows:

To research, organize, implement, and lead the social action programs and events.
To specifically incorporate social action into all events.
To keep OPTY members aware of the Jewish commitment to Tikkun Olam.
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
Section D.

Religious and Cultural VicePresident (RCVP) - The duties of the Religious and Cultural Vice President shall be as follows:

To research, organize, implement, and lead the religious and cultural programs and events.
To specifically incorporate a Jewish aspect into all events.
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
Section E.

Membership and Communications Vice President (MCVP) - The duties of the Membership and Communications Vice-President shall be as follows.

To record the minutes at every board meeting.
To publicize events through all available means.
To maintain an up-to-date calendar
To maintain an updated list of all OPTY members
To maintain and grow the number of active OPTY members.
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
Section F.

Freshmen Representative - The duties of the Freshmen Representative shall be as follows:

To represent the freshmen of OPTY.
To maintain and grow the number of active freshmen OPTY members.
To be the liaison between the OPTY board and OPTY freshmen.
To record the minutes should the MCVP not be present.
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
Section G.

Spaghetti Dinner Chairs - The duties of the two Spaghetti Dinner Chairs shall be as follows:

To prepare for and coordinate OPTY’s annual Spaghetti Dinner
To work with fellow board members to plan programs and events.
To serve as a general board member for the remainder of the program year if desired.

Article Six: Elections

The following board members shall be elected annually during the final event of the school year in gavel order: President, Programming Vice President, Social Action Vice President, Religious and Cultural Vice President, Membership and Communications Vice President. All OPTY members present at the event shall be eligible to vote.
The Freshmen Representative shall be elected during the fall Kick-off event. Only freshmen shall be eligible to vote in this special election. Should less than a minyan of freshmen be present, all OPTY members shall be eligible to vote.
Eligibility and Procedures

All OPTY board candidates, with the exception of Freshmen Representative, must have attended at least one OPTY event previous to the election.
All members must declare candidacy at date specified by the current board.
Letters of intent must be turned in at the time of declaring candidacy, at no more than 500 words.
Drop downs will be restricted to one time at the most for any position below them in gavel order. Those running for president will have the option of two-drop downs. Drop downs must be told before hand to the president or advisor at the time of candidacy declaration.
No campaigning will be allowed from the time the candidacy is declared to the time of elections. It will be allowed to promote attendance at elections. If the outgoing president has concrete evidence, then he or she has the power to ban the offender from elections with the board’s ratification.
Prior to voting, candidates shall give a speech limited to two minutes in length.
Speeches, with drop down speeches, shall be given in gavel order.
During candidate speeches the other candidates running for that position shall leave the room.
Voting

Incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and outgoing seniors shall be eligible to vote, and entitled to one vote each.
All OPTY members present for the entire event will be eligible to vote.
The options for voting shall be any of the candidates, abstain, and no-vote. Abstentions will be excluded from the tally.
The vote shall be conducted by secret ballot.
The candidate that receives a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner. In the event of a no-vote, the newly elected board will appoint an OPTY member to the position in consultation with the advisor.
If no majority is achieved on the first ballot, a run-off vote will be held between the two highest vote getters.
In the case of a tie for a board position, the outgoing board members shall decide whom to appoint by consensus.
If an outgoing board member is involved in the tie they shall be exempt from the discussion.
The president and advisor will certify the vote tally and inform the candidates of election results privately before making them public.

Article Seven: Appointments, Resignations, and Dismissals

The board may appoint cabinet positions at their discretion.
Should a board member violate the constitution or exhibit behavior detrimental to OPTY, the board has the right to remove the board member in question by a three-fourths vote.
If a board member is involved in illegal activities during an event it is grounds for dismissal.
In the case of a dismissal, the board shall appoint a new person for the position.
Board members may resign by submitting a resignation letter to the rest of the board. The letter will be made available to the general membership of OPTY.

Article Eight: Membership and Dues

High school aged members of Oak Park Temple gain automatic membership in OPTY.
In the event that a teen is not a member of OPT they may pay membership dues of $18 to the temple in order to join.
After graduating, all previous members enjoy honorary membership.

Article Nine: Amendments

This document may be amended. Any proposed amendments must be submitted to the board. If the board agrees to ratify it, the proposed amendment will be put to vote by the general membership of OPTY with a quorum of a minyan. The amendment must receive a three-fourths majority in favor for the amendment to be passed.

Article Ten: Enabling Clause

Upon its approval of the OPTY General Membership, this Constitution of the Oak Park Temple Youth shall be the only Constitution of the Oak Park Temple Youth and shall replace any previous Constitution of this organization.