HEIGHTS 2008-2009
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

INTRODUCTION

As the official literary and artistic publication and organization of the Ateneo de Manila University, Heights seeks to exemplify the ideals that are attuned to the goals and thrust of the school: Lux in Domino, Light in the Lord; and the Ignatian concept of Magis, the “more” in all things.

Faithful to the ideals of Ignatian spirituality, service, and excellence, the Publication and Organization is geared towards honing a community of readers, artists, and writers out of literature that is not only inspiring, but is also significant in enriching, informing, and forming a wise collective conscience.

In accepting the challenge of producing excellent literary publications and as a family committed to the growth of those whom they offer these publications to—their fellow Ateneans and eventually the whole Philippine literary community, Heights enacts this Constitution.

ARTICLE I: Name

The publication and organization established under this Constitution shall be known as Heights. It is the official literary and artistic publication and organization of the Ateneo de Manila University.

ARTICLE II: Declaration of Principles and Objectives

1)    Heights is made existent through the students’ publications fund, which is derived from the tuition fees of the studentry. Thus, Heights will not charge the studentry any corresponding monetary value for Heights issues under any circumstances.
2)    Heights, as the official literary folio of the University, aims to showcase the best literary works of students, faculty, and alumni of the Loyola Schools. It will do so by accepting contributions, sponsoring literary contests, soliciting works, or by any other means deemed appropriate by the Editorial Board.
3)    Heights shall select and publish works based on literary excellence as judged by Heights.
4)    Heights shall select and publish works responsibly and objectively.
5)    Heights shall work for a creative and encouraging environment in the University.
6)    Heights shall be published at least twice a school year.

ARTICLE III: The Editorial Board

1)    Composition of the Board: The Editorial Board shall be composed of the Executive Editors, the Deliberating Staff Editors, the Associate Deliberating Staff Editors, the Non-Deliberating Staff Editors and the Production Managers.
2)    Powers and Responsibilities of the Board:
a. The Board shall be the main policy-making and administrative body of Heights.
b. The Board shall be held responsible for the contents of Heights.
c. The Board shall provide procedures, rules, and regulations for all Heights members.
d. The Board shall approve the budgeting and disbursement of Heights funds. It may also undertake action to generate supportive funds for any Heights activity.
e. The Members of the Board shall be jointly held liable for any mistakes, misquotations, and improper attributions appearing in the Heights issue.
f. The Board shall choose the organization’s moderator for the school year with the approval of the Loyola Schools Dean of Humanities.
g. The Board shall be the final deliberating and selection body for all works to be published.
h. The Board shall make known its policies to all Heights members in a clear and effective manner. However, it reserves the right to deem any information confidential.
i. The Board shall have the power to propose amendments to the Constitution.
3)    Qualifications of the Editorial Board members:
a. The Executive Editors must have the following qualifications:
1. They must at least be a junior with an average QPI 2.50 for the past two semesters.
2. They must not be a succeeding officer of any other organization in the Loyola Schools.
3. They must have at least two years’ experience with Heights.

b. The Deliberating Staff Editors, the Associate Deliberating Staff Editors, the Non-Deliberating Staff Editors, and the Production Managers must have the following qualifications:
1. They must at least be a junior with an average QPI 2.50 for the past two semesters.
2. They must have had at least one year’s experience with Heights.
4)    Selection of the Editorial Board members
a. Nominations for all Editorial Board positions must be voted upon by the whole membership of Heights.
b. All nominees to the Editorial Board positions must undergo screening procedures prescribed by the Senior Board members with the advice of the Heights moderator.
c. All members of the incoming board shall be appointed by the Senior Board members based in the results of the screening and in accordance with pre-set criteria:
1. Literary and/or artistic aptitude
2. Knowledge of Heights history
3. Knowledge of the existing concerns of Organization and Publication
4. Leadership skills
5. Good Moral Character

ARTICLE IV: The Executive Editors

1)    Nature: There shall be three Executive Editors: the Editor-in-Chief, the Associate Editor, and the Managing Editor.
2)    Collective Powers and Powers and Responsibilities:
a.    They shall be responsible for the general decisions, activities, and concerns affecting the whole organization.
b.    They have the power to question, clarify, or justify all the decisions made by each of the respective Editorial Board members, such as deliberations, member formation, transactions, layout, press contacts, and other organizational concerns.
c.    They shall have the authority to nominate and appoint members into the Editorial Board in the event that, after exhaustive measures, the outgoing Senior Editors have failed to name a qualified editor/manager for an Editorial Board position. Vacant positions must be filled not later than thirty (30) days upon release of the Editorial Board Race results.
3)    The Editor-in-Chief
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall be the chairman of the Editorial Board. He/she is not required to vote on decisions to be made by the Board or the Executive Editors; he shall only do so in cases of deadlock in order to arrive at a final decision.
2.    He/she shall be responsible for calling all Editorial Board meetings, regular assemblies, and emergency meetings.
3.    He/she shall be held responsible for the final editing of the issue.
4.    He/she shall oversee all aspects of publication and must have at least rudimentary understanding of every stage.
5.    He/she shall be accountable to the administration of the Loyola Schools for all Heights affairs.
6.    He/she shall be the organization’s link to the Loyola Schools administration.
7.    He/she shall be responsible for calling planning and/or evaluation sessions for the Editorial Board.
8.    The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to participate in any activity concerning directly or indirectly the organization.
4)    The Associate Editor
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall be responsible for secondary editing of the issue.
2.    He/she shall assist the Editor-in-Chief in the overseeing of all aspects of production. Consequently, he/she must possess at least rudimentary understanding of every stage of the production.
3.    He/she shall be responsible for the literary formation of the organization and shall coordinate with the Deliberating Editors about the organization of projects geared towards this purpose.
4.    He/she shall take the role of Workshop Director for the year’s Ateneo-Heights Writers Workshop.
5.    He/she shall be responsible, and therefore have authority, over the Deliberating Staff Editors and their activities.
6.    He/she shall take over all powers and responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief whenever the latter is absent, indisposed, or otherwise incapable of discharging his duties.
5)    The Managing Editor
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall be responsible for recruitment and orientation of new members.
2.    He/she shall be responsible for staff formation activities and community building activities.
3.    He/she shall present the production schedule at the start of a school year for Editorial Board approval.
4.    He/she shall be the link of the organization to the other organizations within and outside the Loyola Schools.
5.    He/she shall be responsible, and therefore have authority, over the Non-Deliberating Staff Editors and the Production Managers, and their activities.
6.    He/she shall oversee the production of the publication in the printing stage, from submission to press to receiving copies from them.
7.    In instances when the Editor-in-Chief and/or the Associate Editor cannot discharge their duties, he/she shall assume all powers and responsibilities entailed by the other two positions.

ARTICLE V: The Deliberating Staff Editors

1)    Nature: There shall be three Deliberating Staff Editors: one for the Filipino staff, one for the English staff, and one for the Art staff. However, the Editorial Board has the authority to create other Deliberating Staff Editor positions, if it deems it necessary to do so.
2)    Powers and Responsibilities:
a.    He/she shall represent the staff in all Editorial Board meetings.
b.    He/she shall be responsible to the Editorial Board regarding the choice of works for the issue.
c.    He/she shall act as facilitator in all staff meetings and deliberation sessions.
d.    In consultation with the Associate Deliberating Staff Editor, he/she shall schedule all staff meetings and prepare their final agenda.
e.    In consultation with the Associate Deliberating Staff Editor, he/she shall formulate a Code of Internal Procedures for the staff. He/she may also choose to revise or reprocess the Code of Internal Procedures from past Deliberating Staff Editors, with the approval of the Executive Editors.
f.    He/she shall take part in screening applicants for his/her staff and in recommending all those eligible for membership.
g.    He/she has the authority to recommend to the Editorial Board any work for final deliberation, provided that the work had undergone staff screening.

ARTICLE VI: The Associate Deliberating Staff Editors

1)    Nature: There shall be three Associate Deliberating Staff Editors: one for the Filipino staff, one for the English staff, and one for the Art staff. However, the Editorial Board has the authority to create other Associate Deliberating Staff Editor positions, if it deems it necessary to do so.
2)    Powers and Responsibilities:
a.    He/she shall represent his/her staff in all Editorial Board meetings.
b.    He/she shall act as co-facilitator in all staff meetings and deliberation sessions.
c.    He/she shall assist the Deliberating Staff Editor in the performance of the latter’s duties.
d.    He/she has the authority to recommend to the Editorial Board any work for final deliberations, provided that the work had undergone staff screening.
e.    He/she shall take over all powers and responsibilities of the Deliberating Staff Editor whenever the latter is absent, indisposed, or otherwise incapable of discharging the latter’s duties.

ARTICLE VII: The Non-Deliberating Staff Editors

1)    Nature: There shall be four Non-Deliberating Staff Editors: one Editor and one Associate Editor for the Design staff, and two managers for the Special Projects staff. However, the Editorial Board has the authority to create other Non-Deliberating Staff Editor positions, if it deems it necessary to do so.
2)    The Design Editor
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall represent the staff in all Editorial Board meetings.
2.    He/she shall call all staff meetings.
3.    In consultation with the Associate Design Editor, he/she shall formulate a Code of Internal Procedures for the staff. He/she may also choose to revise or reprocess the Code of Internal Procedures from past Design Editors, with the approval of the Executive Editors.
4.    He/she shall supervise the laying out of the issue and shall be held responsible to the Editorial Board regarding the layout of the issue.
5.    He/she shall supervise production of the issue at the press with the final approval of the Editor-in-Chief.
3)    The Associate Design Editor
Powers and Responsibilities
1.    He/she shall represent his/her staff in all Editorial Board meetings.
2.    He/she shall assist the Design Editor in the performance of the latter’s duties.
3.    He/she shall act as co-supervisor for the layouting of the issue and shall be held responsible to the Editorial Board regarding the layout of the issue.
4.    He/she shall take over all powers and responsibilities of the Design Editor whenever the latter is absent, indisposed, or otherwise incapable of discharging the latter’s duties.
4)    The Special Projects Managers
Powers and Responsibilities
1.    They shall represent the staff in all Editorial Board meetings.
2.    They shall call all staff meetings.
3.    They shall assist each other in the performance of their collective duties.
4.    They shall coordinate with the Executive Editors and other Staff Editors concerned about the planning and production of activities, and the designation of which specific organizational events, projects, and ventures they will be put in-charge of.
5.    They shall coordinate with other Staff Editors about the organization and assignment of tasks and for the mobilization of the respective members concerned to carry out the project.
6.    They shall oversee the Special Projects Staff in the planning, production, and dissemination of propaganda and manpower during, and shall be held responsible to the Editorial Board for, the proceedings of events.
7.    They shall formulate a Code of Internal Procedures for the staff. They may also choose to revise or reprocess the Code of Internal Procedures from past Special Projects Managers, with the approval of the Executive Editors.

ARTICLE VIII: The Production Managers

1)    Nature: There shall be three Production Managers: one Business Manager, one Internal Secretary-General, and one External Secretary-General. However, the Editorial Board has the authority to create other Non-Deliberating Staff Editor positions, if it deems it necessary to do so.
2)    The Business Manager
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall be responsible for all Heights financial transactions and for the regulation of its cash flow and expenses.
2.    He
3.    He/she shall document all Heights financial affairs.
4.    He/she shall be the link between the/she shall have the authority to open a bank account under the Heights name and make all deposits and withdrawals of Heights funds in behalf of the organization with the prior approval of the moderator. organization and the Central Accounting Office.
5.    He/she shall prepare a semestral financial report which is available upon request to all Heights members.
6.    He/she has the authority to form a Business staff, after prior approval from the Editorial Board.
3)    The Internal Secretary-General
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall be responsible for all standard operational procedures of Heights.
2.    He/she shall be responsible for the documentation of all the meetings of the Editorial Board and to furnish copies to the Editor-in-Chief, the moderator, and for Heights files.
3.    He/she shall be accountable for all Heights files.
4.    He/she shall be accountable for all Heights contributions.

4)    The External Secretary-General
Powers and Responsibilities:
1.    He/she shall be responsible for the content of all Heights bulletin boards.
2.    He/she shall be in charge of Heights public communications including informing contributors and propaganda.
3.    He/she shall be responsible for the distribution of Heights copies to the Loyola Schools community.

ARTICLE IX: The Deliberating Staffs

1)    Nature: There shall be three Deliberating staffs: one for Filipino works, one for English works, and one for Artworks. However, the Editorial Board has the authority to create other staff groups, if it deems it necessary to do so.
2)    Powers and Responsibilities:
a.    The English and Filipino staffs shall be the main deliberating body on all literary works submitted for publication, except for directly solicited works.
b.    The Art staff shall be the main deliberating body on all works submitted for publication which concerns the visual arts, except for directly solicited works.
c.    The Art staff shall be responsible for providing illustrations/photographs for the issue.
d.    The Art staff shall act as the publicity arm of Heights.
e.    The English, Filipino, and Art staffs shall submit to the Editorial Board, through their respective Deliberating Staff Editors, a list of works accepted at the staff level. It shall be made known, however, that staff decisions can be overturned by Editorial Board decisions.
f.    The staffs shall abide by the Code of Internal Procedures set by their respective Deliberating Staff Editors and by the Editorial Board. Failure to do so shall be grounds for the expulsion of any staffer from the staff.
g.    The Editorial Board reserves the right to discipline, suspend, warn, or expel any staff member after giving him/her due process.

ARTICLE X: The Non-Deliberating Staffs

1)    Nature: There shall be two Non-Deliberating staffs: one for Design, and one for Special Projects. However, the Editorial Board has the authority to create other staff groups, if it deems it necessary to do so.
2)    Powers and Responsibilities:
a.    The Design Staff shall be responsible for the layout of the issue.
b.    The Design staff shall coordinate with the Art Staff regarding the publicity art of Heights.
c.    The Design staff shall submit to the Editorial Board, through their respective Non-Deliberating Staff Editors, samples of the layout. It shall be made known, however, that staff decisions can be overturned by Editorial Board decisions.
d.    The Special Projects Staff shall be responsible for the planning, production, and dissemination of propaganda and manpower during, and shall be held responsible for, the proceedings of events.
e.    The Special Projects Staff shall submit to the Editorial Board, through their respective Non-Deliberating Staff Editors, a list of plans and developments for their activities and events done at the staff level. It shall be made known, however, that staff decisions can be overturned by Editorial Board decisions.
f.    The Design and Special Projects staffs shall abide by the Code of Internal Procedures set by their respective Non-Deliberating Staff Editors and by the Editorial Board. Failure to do so shall be grounds for the expulsion of any staffer from the staff.
g.    The Editorial Board reserves the right to discipline, suspend, warn, or expel any staff member after giving him/her due process.

ARTICLE XI: Impeachment

1)    The impeachment of any Heights Editorial Board member may be petitioned to the Board by any editor or staffer through a letter of impeachment, formally written by the complainant and signed by at least two witnesses.
2)    Grounds for impeachment are:
a.    Gross dishonesty and fraud.
b.    Non-fulfillment of duties and responsibilities, thereby putting Heights at a disadvantage.
c.    Behavior unbecoming of an Editorial Board member.
3)    The impeachment of any Heights Editorial Board member requires a ½ plus 1 vote from the Editorial Board.
4)    The sanctions for impeachment are as follows:
a.    Suspension of all powers and responsibilities of the impeached.
b.    Public reprimand and disavowal of editorial title and rights through the release of a memo signed by the  Editorial Board members on the Loyola Schools Bulletin Board, the School of Humanities Bulletin Board, the Heights Promo Board, and  the official school organ.

ARTICLE XII: Resignation and Leave-of-Absence

1)    The resignation letter from both Editorial Board members and staffers shall be in triplicate and shall state the reason(s) for resignation.
2)    Letters for leave-of-absence from both Editorial Board members and staffers shall be in triplicate and shall state both the duration and reason(s) for the leave-of-absence.
3)    The leave-of-absence of any Heights staffer requires the approval of their respective editors and has to be noted by the Executive Editors.
4)    The resignation or leave-of-absence of any Heights Editorial Board member has to be acknowledged by the Executive Editors.

ARTICLE XIII: Amendments

1)    Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any member of the Editorial Board.
2)    A quorum of Editorial Board members (2/3) shall be required before action can be undertaken by the editorial board on any proposal to amend this constitution.
3)    The majority vote of the quorum is necessary to pass the amendment.
4)    Amendments become effective immediately after ratification.

ARTICLE XIIV: Enabling Provisions

1)    This Constitution shall become effective immediately after ratification by the Heights membership. A 2/3 plus 1 vote is necessary for ratification.
2)    Upon ratification, this Constitution shall supersede any previous Heights constitutions or guidelines.

*Compiled, revised, and edited from the Heights 2005-2006 Preliminary Draft of Constitution, the 1999 edition of “The Heights Handbook,” and the 2004-2005 Heights Codes of Internal Procedures, this month of July 2007 by:

AUDREY PHYLICIA TRINIDAD
Associate Editor

KATRINA PAOLA ALVAREZ
Managing Editor