Chapter I – Name

1. Name: the official name of this organization shall be “Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chinese Entrepreneurs Organization”.

2. Acronym: it will be hereafter referred to as “MIT CEO”.

 

Chapter II – Mission

1. Who: MIT CEO welcomes students, postdocs, researchers, young professionals, professors, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs-to-be, executives of large corporations, investors, etc. who are passionate about the pursuit of achievements in entrepreneurship or career development, to join the MIT CEO community.

2. Mission: MIT CEO was founded to help members to build world-class companies, to create a sustained collaboration mechanism between high-tech communities and large corporations across China and the U.S., and to help efficiently connect esteemed investors with high quality startups around the Greater Boston area.

3. Vision: To become one of the most influential Chinese student organizations under the dome of ‘entrepreneurship’ in North America. 

 

Chapter III – Membership 

1. Nondiscrimination: MIT CEO will abide by the MIT’s Nondiscrimination policy and the Massachusetts Hazing Law. 

2. Eligibility of attendance: all MIT CEO members are eligible to attend events held by MIT CEO, although MIT CEO reserves the right to reject attendance due to capacity issues.

3. MIT CEO members: people who have attended more than one MIT CEO events, and acknowledge MIT CEO’s mission and vision. 

4. MIT CEO club members are MIT CEO members who are:

4.1. doing start-ups as founder/CXO or working in venture capital or related positions in start-up field, or

4.2. serious entrepreneur-to-be, who are planning to run startups in the near future. 

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Chapter IV – Offices

1. Executive team​​

1.1.   At least one co-president and the treasurer shall be distinct registered MIT students.

1.2.   At least 5 current MIT students, and half of the executive team members shall have MIT affiliations.

1.3.   New members: shall be added after an appropriate voting process and confirmed by more than 2/3 of the board.

1.4.   Removal:

1.4.1.   Team members that are absent from three consecutive team meetings automatically enter the removal voting process. Attendance is tracked by the board.

1.4.2.   Board members can initiate a voting process for removal of executive team members.

1.4.3.   Removal can be executed if voted for by more than 2/3 of the board. 

​   2. Board

2.1.   Size: The board shall constitute 5 or 7 members. Number of board members shall not exceed 1/3 of the number of executive team members.

2.2.   Co-presidents: Co-presidents are automatic board members.

2.3.   Term limits: Each term is one fiscal year (from June 1 to May 31). Members can serve for a maximum of 3 consecutive terms.

2.4.   Eligibility: Board member candidates shall be executive team members for at least 6 months. This requirement can be lifted if approved by more than 2/3 of the current board members.

2.5.   Responsibilities: 

2.5.1.   Confirmation of new events

2.5.2.   Confirmation of new external collaborations

2.5.3.   Vote on the president and board member candidates nominated by the presidents if a vacancy occurs or is expected.

2.5.4.   Deliberate and vote on other important matters

2.6.   Vacancies: 

2.6.1.   Vacancies due to end of term

2.6.1.1.   Co-presidents as an entity can nominate current board members and other executive team members as candidates. Nomination shall be confirmed by the nominee before presented to the current board for voting. All executive team members shall be informed before the nomination process starts.

2.6.1.2.   Candidates are voted at the same time, regardless of whether they are in the current board.

2.6.1.3.   Nomination and voting shall be done after the co-presidents of the next term are elected.

2.6.1.4.   The number of board members for the next term shall be determined prior to the nomination of candidates and confirmed by more than 1/2 of the board.

2.6.1.5.   The number of the nominees shall not exceed two times the number of vacant seats. 

2.6.1.6.   The list of candidates shall be presented to the board at least 7 days before the voting process. Current board members shall keep the list confidential during this time.

2.6.1.7.   Voting process consists of two steps. 

Step 1: For each candidate, current board members give Approval Voting with equal weights. Depending on the number of vacancies, the first 3 or 5 nominees getting more than 2/3 of the votes are automatically elected; If ties happen, the relevant nominees enter the second step. If the number of candidates that receive 2/3 of the approval is less than the number of seats, the co-presidents shall re-nominate.

Step 2: In case of ties, each board member votes for exactly one of the tied nominees, and the one with more than 2/3 of the votes gets elected. If no one gets elected after two rounds of Step 2 voting, the co-presidents shall re-nominate.

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2.6.1.8.   Voting and confirmation of new board members shall be completed no later than 30 days before the end of term (May 31).

2.6.1.9.   Exiting board members shall assist incoming board members in transferring their responsibilities.

2.6.1.10.   New board members shall be announced first to the executive team, followed by an announcement to the public.

2.6.2.   Vacancies due to membership revocation, illness, etc.

2.6.2.1.   Co-presidents shall nominate

2.6.2.2.   Current board members do approval voting, and the nominee needs more than 2/3 approval to be elected. 

2.7.   Removal:

2.7.1.  Board members that are absent from three consecutive board meetings automatically enter the removal voting process. Attendance is tracked by the board.

2.7.2.  Board members can initiate the voting process for the removal.

2.7.3.  Removal can be executed if: voted by more than 2/3 of the board except the nominee; or more than 1/2 board members plus more than 1/2 of the rest of the executive team.

   3. Co-presidents

3.1.  Number: There shall be two co-presidents.     

3.2.  Responsibilities:

3.2.1.  Represent MIT CEO

3.2.2.  Call and preside over the board and executive team meetings

3.2.3.   Nominate new co-presidents and board members

3.2.4.  Official designated signer

3.3.  Eligibility: new co-presidents shall be elected from the current board members; but this clause can be lifted if more than 2/3 of board members agree to do so.

3.4.   Term limit: no more than 2 consecutive terms.

3.5.   Vacancies

3.5.1.   Normal end of term

3.5.1.1.   Sitting Presidents shall nominate pairs of co-president candidates.

3.5.1.2.   An individual could be in more than one entity options.

3.5.1.3.   Nomination should be confirmed with the nominees before presented to the board for voting

3.5.1.4.   Candidates of co-presidents shall be approved by more than 2/3 of the board.

3.5.1.5.   Voting process

Round 1: Each board member can choose three pairs of candidates to grant 5, 3, and 1 points. The two pairs with the most points enter the next round.

Round 2: Each board member votes for only one pair of candidates. If one pair receives more than 2/3 votes, it will be elected as new presidents.

Round 3 (optional): if nobody wins in round 2, all voting members do “yes or no vote”.  if the higher ranked entity gets 2/3 or more, then pass; or else vote on the lower ranked entity. If they get 2/3 or more, pass; otherwise, choose the highest ranked entity.​​

3.5.2.   Vacancies due to membership revocation, illness, etc.

3.5.2.1.   A new president shall be elected within one month.

3.5.2.2.   Current president shall nominate the candidate and be confirmed  by at least 2/3 of the board members.

3.6.   Removal: same as 2.7

   4. Visiting committee

4.1.   Who: board members for the past two terms

4.2.   Responsibilities and rights: 

4.2.1.   Providing non-binding suggestions; 

4.2.2.   Accessing annual reports

4.3.   Removal: voluntarily, or after serving two terms

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Chapter V – Meetings

   1. Executive team meetings

1.1.   There shall be at least one executive team meeting every fiscal year for on-boarding of new executive team members.

1.2.   The executive team meetings shall be called by the co-presidents.

1.3.   All executive team members shall participate in the executive team meetings.

   2. Board meetings

2.1.   There shall be at least one board meeting, e.g., the election meeting, every fiscal year. The election meeting shall be held in the spring term and at least four weeks before the office transition date of that fiscal year.

2.2.   In addition to the election meeting, board meetings can be called by the co-presidents.

2.3.   All board members shall participate in the board meetings. 

2.4.   All executive team members are welcome to attend the board meetings and take part in the discussion if interested.

2.5.   The duties of the board meeting include:

2.5.1.   Election or removal of the executive team members, including the co-presidents and board members.

2.5.2.   Vote for decisions.

2.5.3.   Amend the Constitution.

   3. Visiting committee meetings

3.1.   Visiting committee meetings shall take place at least every fiscal year between the board and the visiting committee.

3.2.   The duties of the visiting committee meetings include:

3.2.1.   Visiting committee members give non-binding suggestions. 

3.2.2.   Inform visiting committee members of the current status of MIT CEO, including but not limited to sharing the annual reports.

 

Chapter VI – Events

   1. Responsibility:

1.1.   Event sponsor: one board member who promotes event

1.2.   Event lead: one executive team member who is responsible for event planning and execution

1.3.   Event sponsor and event lead can be the same person

   2. Event: All executive members can initiate event proposal: All events need to be approved by the majority of board member

   and oversight by one executive board member as either sponsor or lead

2.1.   Events that meet the ASA requirements for registration should be registered on MIT Atlas by the event lead.

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Chapter VII – Sponsorship and Partnership

1. Purpose: MIT CEO is a nonprofit student activity recognized by MIT Association of Student Activities. The income from sponsorship and partnership shall be used to achieve its objective, rather than distributed to the organization's members.

2. Agreement: All sponsorship and partnership, except for donation, shall be guided by a signed agreement between MIT CEO and the sponsor/partner. The agreement shall state the duration of the sponsorship/partnership and the rights and responsibilities of the parties.

3. Donation: MIT CEO is eligible to receive donations from individuals and organizations to support its daily operation. The donation shall be sent to MIT CEO’s financial account with the Student Activities Financial Office. MIT CEO does not have an obligation toward the donors, but shall acknowledge the donors on its social media if requested.

4. Partnership can be proposed by any team member, and partnership can be established if voted by 2/3 of executive board members.

5. All sponsorship and partnership shall abide by the policies and rules of MIT Association of Student Activity.

 

Chapter VIII – Amendments

The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the voting members present at a board meeting. The text of any guideline amendment must be distributed with the agenda for each meeting at which the amendment is to be considered. Amendments shall be presented by any member of the organization.

 

 

Chapter IX – ASA Governance Clause

MIT CEO agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities, and its executive board. This constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Board to ensure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.