Our (Up-to-Date) Constitution

THE COMPACT WITH THE CHARTER AND LAWS OF NEXT MAKE, A GREAT SOCIETY TO BE RAISED UPON THIS CITY-ON-A-HILL

We, the People of Next Make and His Eminence's Most Loyal Subjects, do solemnly affirm that we shall uphold and defend (if not with Our lives, at least to the greatest extent Our free time and apathy allows) this Compact.

ARTICLE I: PURPOSE

The purpose of Next Make shall be to engage in Projects which challenge and develop the engineering and creativity skills of this Great Society. Since time immemorial, the Elites and the Bourgeoisie have controlled the design and construction of all industrial projects. We affirm that we shall return the Means of Production to the People; by allowing our Citizens the opportunity to practice, share, and build their skills, we plan to empower them to one day take these Means back and to use them wisely. In accordance with MIT's motto of "Mens et Manus," all shall have the Right to exercise their creativity and mental faculties towards the design and execution of projects requiring due skill in engineering, and the Right to Build shall always be Upheld.

ARTICLE II: CITIZENSHIP AND SUBJECTHOOD (MEMBERSHIP)

  1. All Citizens (henceforth referred to as "residents") of Next House are eligible to join this Great Society.
  2. A Subject of His Eminence (henceforth referred to as "Member") is defined as any resident of Next House that fulfills any or all of the following conditions:
    • Holds a seat on the High Council.
    • Holds an active role in the current semester's Project, as determined by the High Council.
    • Has attended two or more Convocations of the General Assembly (henceforth referred to as "meetings").
    • At the High Council's discretion, nonresidents of Next House may be conferred honorary subjecthood.
  3. Discrimination on the basis of age, gender, race, or any other characteristic specified in MIT's Nondiscrimination Policy shall be strictly Prohibited. All residents of Next House have an equal right to swear Undying Allegiance to His Eminence.
  4. Should the need arise for taxes (henceforth referred to as "dues) to be imposed upon the members of Next Make, all possible accommodations shall be made for any member facing financial hardship.

ARTICLE III: THE HIGH COUNCIL (OFFICERS)

The High Council of Next Make shall consist of the following Officers: His/Her Eminence, by the Grace of Next House, of Makers and Shapers the Supreme Leader, Defender of The People – otherwise referred to as "Supreme Leader" The Right Honorable Minister of Truth, Reeducation, and Public Enlightenment – otherwise referred to as "Vice President of Communications" Master of the Armory, General-of-the-Armies and Protector of His Eminence's Lands – otherwise referred to as "Vice President of Equipment and Tools" The Lord High Treasurer and Chancellor of the Exchequer – otherwise referred to as "Vice President of the Treasury" The members of the High Council will be charged with the following responsibilities: The Supreme Leader Will call meetings to order. Will correspond with foreign dignitaries, external agents, and generally act as the Head of State of Next Make. The Minister of Truth, Reeducation, and Public Enlightenment Will convey the Supreme Leader's proclamations to the General Assembly via Electronic Mail. At the High Council's discretion, these proclamations may also be made at rallies and/or small private dinners. Will administer the Electronic Registry of Membership (ERM, otherwise known as "mailing list") and website. The Master of the Armory Will keep a Census of equipment owned by the People of the General Assembly. Will control access to the private vault allocated by Next Exec for storing the People's Equipment. The Lord High Treasurer Will be responsible for administering the People's funds. Will prepare budgets on a semesterly basis for planning the People's expenditures. Will be responsible for promptly reimbursing Subjects for expenditures made in the service of the People. The Lord High Treasurer will not be solely responsible for making all purchases but should examine and approve all purchases made by Subjects for proper documentation. All Officers on the High Council are elected to terms not exceeding one calendar year. Elections for officer positions on the High Council shall take place annually at the end of the Spring semester if convenient. The election procedure is as follows: The Minister of Truth, Reeducation, and Public Enlightenment will issue a call both by email and at a meeting for candidates to the High Council. Any Member may nominate themselves for candidacy, provided they meet the requirements outlined in Article II. No petition for candidacy is required. The window for nominations will be open at minimum for one week. The Supreme Leader, in consultation with the High Council, will establish a date for the elections. This date should be communicated by the Minister of Truth, Reeducation, and Public Enlightenment to the General Membership. Prior to elections, candidates may make brief remarks in support of their candidacy. After remarks have been concluded, all present Members will vote by secret ballot. Any Member who will not be present must be guaranteed the right to vote by absentee ballot, provided they communicate this need to the High Council in advance of the election. The quorum for elections is one-third of all Members. A Candidate is elected to Office if they receive an absolute majority of all votes cast. In the case that no Candidate secures a majority, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is dropped from the ballot and ballots are recast. All newly elected Officers will take office from the beginning of the Fall semester. An Officer of the High Council may be denounced (henceforth referred to as "impeached") by the following procedure: A petition clearly indicating the reasons for impeachment should be submitted to the High Council. Such a petition must be supported by at least one-half of all Members. The High Council will set a date for the impeachment vote to be conducted. Prior to the vote, the accused Officer may make brief remarks in his/her defense. Removal requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all Members. There is no quorum for an impeachment vote. No Officer may be impeached in the four weeks prior to elections. Following the denunciation or abdication (otherwise referred to as "resignation") of an Officer, the High Council will set a date for a special election to select a replacement (using the procedures specified in clause 4), unless it is four or fewer weeks prior to the annual election.

ARTICLE IV: CONVOCATIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (MEETINGS)

Convocations of the General Assembly (henceforth referred to as "meetings") will take place. The purpose of meetings will be for the planning and execution of the current semester's Project. Meetings will be announced by the Minister of Truth, Reeducation, and Public Enlightenment to Members via email. Meetings will open with announcements by the Supreme Leader (or another designated Officer) and an appraisal of current progress on the semester's Project. Important announcements should be communicated to all absent Members via email by the Minister of Truth, Reeducation, and Public Enlightenment. Special meetings (e.g. seminars) may be announced and hosted at the High Council's discretion.

ARTICLE V: AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this Compact may be proposed by any Member through the submission of a petition to the High Council. Such a petition must bear the support of at least one-half of all Members. Any proposed amendments will be retained to be voted upon during the next annual election. At the High Council's discretion, speakers may be allowed to make remarks for and against the proposed measure for particularly contentious amendments. Two-thirds of all voters must vote in favor for the amendment to be adopted. Amendments will take effect immediately following their adoption.

ARTICLE VI: RATIFICATION

This Constitution will take effect following unanimous ratification by the High Council of 2017-2018.

SIGNATURES

Miles Dai Kevin Limanta Shahul Alam Austin Wang

Our (Outdated) Constitution

Wood is stronger than parchment, and the laser is greater than the pen. Therefore, we felt it both fitting and obligatory to engrave our Constitution, so that this cherished document would last long into the future (at least past our graduations). Armed with a Laser Cutter, some masonite, and with nothing better to do on a Friday night, a few bold and dashing Next Makers laser etched the fiery words of their Constitution so that they could zealously proclaim its message to all of campus:

(It was actually a lot of fun! Albeit slow...)

Next Make Constitution

Article I: Purpose

The purpose of Next Make is to further the MIT philosophy of Mens et Manus by having its members engage in interesting projects relevant to their interests. We want to provide a place for hands-on, practical learning. In our experience, there are many students at MIT who have wide-ranging technical knowledge and would be happy to share that knowledge with others. Next Make is a place for this knowledge-sharing to occur, through seminars, build parties, and shared projects.

Article II: Membership

  1. Any member of the MIT community is eligible to become a member of this organization. Participation in at least two build parties and one meeting will grant full membership status to a prospective.
  2. The organization’s membership will at all times consist of at least 5 MIT students and be more than half MIT students.
  3. This organization will not discriminate based on any characteristic listed in MIT's Nondiscrimination Statement.
  4. If this organization charges any monetary dues, there will be exceptions made for students that cannot afford these dues.

Article III: Officers

  1. This organization will have an executive board of five members. Of these board members, there are two specific officer positions:
    1. President
      1. The president shall be the official representative of the group to any other organization and to MIT.
      2. The president will preside over all meetings.
      3. The president is responsible for determining when meetings are and publicizing this to the group.
      4. The president is expected to organize and lead the Board in disbursing funds
    2. Treasurer
      1. The treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the group.
      2. The treasurer is required to sign all checks/vouchers of the group.
  2. Elections:
    1. Elections of board members shall occur near the end of the Spring term, after CPW.
    2. Any voting member of this organization is eligible to run for office.
    3. Quorum for elections is one half of voting members.
    4. Elections will be held in the following order:
      1. President
      2. Treasurer
      3. General Board Members (3)
    5. For each position, a member is elected if he/she receives the most votes. In the event of a tie, the candidate with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballot and votes are recast. If the tie cannot be resolved in this manner, the current executive board will decide by a majority vote.
    6. The term of office runs from the end of Spring semester until the same time the next year.
  3. Removal: Board members may be removed by a two-thirds vote of eligible members.

Article IV: Meetings

  1. Monthly group meetings are to be lead by the executive board and will address at least the following matters
    1. The board will set and remind participants of dates for upcoming group events.
    2. The board will discuss financial status and current funding sources and brainstorm further fundraising ideas.
    3. Members who wish to teach seminars will schedule times and appeal to the board for any resources they may require.
    4. The group will analyze progress on The Large Project and discuss the requirements to accomplish future milestones.
    5. Members may appeal their ideas for personal projects to the board in order to obtain funding.
    6. The final part of the meeting will be reserved for open discussion of technical topics.
  2. Seminars may be taught by any member after having been approved by the executive board. While no regular schedule will be enforced, these will likely occur on the same dates as build parties.
  3. Build Parties will occur regularly (approximately biweekly). Members will have the opportunity to work on The Large Project with others, and will additionally be welcome to work on any personal projects using Next Make’s resources. Members will have immediate access to the group’s tool supplies and will be able to collaborate with others in order to expand upon their ideas and skill-sets. Build parties that are close to milestones for the The Large Project will be dedicated almost exclusively toward the project in order to foster a strong sense of coherence within the community as it works toward a common goal. Build Parties will usually occur in Next House.

Article V: Amendments to the Constitution

  1. Amendments shall be presented by board members.
  2. Amendments shall be passed by a three-fourths vote of the members present at the meeting.
  3. Quorum for amending this constitution shall be two-thirds of all voting members.

Copyright Next-Make, 2018