I recently responded to some questions from Greta Moran, a reporter for the Justice, on the chartering of a capella groups. This is something I’ve been working on as chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, and I thought I’d provide my responses below in full for anyone else who might be interested.
Why are there currently no chartered a capella groups?
A capella groups cannot come up for charter under the current Senate bylaws because they are exclusive; that is, they audition for members. A group might be able to come up for individual charter if it provided some way for non-performing members to get involved and actively demonstrated a commitment to that. This is similar to how theater groups are able to use f-board funds because they provide a way for those not in the actual performance to help out in set design, lighting, sound production, etc. Additionally, a capella groups which are gender-specific would have to demonstrate that they do not discriminate based on gender but rather on tonal qualities of voice which are often associated with a specific gender.
Groups which have duality of purpose with other clubs cannot be chartered… Does this apply to a capella groups?
Continue reading “Chartering of a capella groups… some FAQ”