GALAXE: Charter

GALAXE Charter

Revised July 18, 1997 by membership vote. [The original charter.]

Mission Statement

GALAXE is a formal organization for Xerox employees (retired, salaried, hourly or non-direct), who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, or who support gay, lesbian, and bisexual concerns. GALAXE's mission is to offer support and visibility within Xerox and beyond to its members, and to provide an official point of contact between its membership and Xerox Corporation, as well as with other gay, lesbian and bisexual organizations external to Xerox.

Founding Principles

Open Membership: GALAXE is open to all Xerox employees, without regard to employment status, handicap, race, color, religious belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, or veteran's status.
Structural Concept: GALAXE is primarily conceived to be a vehicle for the synthesization and communication of the opinions and concerns of its members, not as a traditional “governing body.”
Self-Direction: GALAXE is a democratic organization. The membership of GALAXE hold the sole authority to determine its direction, to choose its representatives and liaisons, and to determine its position on social, political, or employee issues.

Goals

To provide a support network for lesbian, bisexual, and gay people at Xerox.
To serve as a liaison between the GALAXE membership and Xerox Corporation, and other organizations outside of Xerox.
To work with Xerox Corporation to recognize and address the needs and concerns of its bisexual, gay, and lesbian employees, and to support the development and implementation of Xerox policies and procedures pertaining to the value of a diverse work force.

Service Board

GALAXE is administered and facilitated by a Service Board, consisting of:

A Chairperson
A Membership Chair
A Communications Chair
An Education Chair
A Conference and Events Chair
A Facilitator
A Secretary
A Treasurer

The Service Board is elected by the GALAXE membership to represent GALAXE and its official positions. Service Board terms are one year in length. Service Board members may serve consecutive terms. Members of the Service Board are accountable to the GALAXE membership for their activities and communications. If the GALAXE membership feels that any member of the Service Board has failed to perform satisfactorily, that member may be removed from office by a 3/5 majority vote of no confidence by the membership.

Roles:

Chairperson

To act as the corporate liaison;
To facilitate the well-being and continued growth of the organization;
To initiate special elections that may be required in the event an officeholder is unable to complete his or her term.

Membership Chair

To maintain member relations, grow the membership, and maintain accurate membership records.
To conduct membership polls and elections to the Service Board

Communications Chair

To increase the awareness of GALAXE members through various media such as the newsletter and the website;
To communicate the positions of GALAXE in media releases, public contacts, and diversity awareness activities;· To work to increase the awareness of the organization, both inside and outside of Xerox;
To maintain the DL membership.

Education Chair

To increase Xerox and external communities' understanding of the needs and concerns of gay and lesbian employees (e.g. diversity training);
To enhance professional development and mentoring of the membership;
To serve as a contact for GALAXE members seeking information and clarification on Xerox Corporation's Non-Discrimination Policies regarding sexual orientation.

Conference and Events Chair

To coordinate all aspects of national GALAXE conferences;
To encourage and facilitate events bringing GALAXE members together.

Facilitator

To select an appropriate voting process for polling the membership and reaching group consensus.
To insure compliance with Xerox Internet/E-mail Policy
To facilitate group interaction using the Leadership Through Quality tools and to ensure the appropriate and professional comportment of all participants, including in electronic communications.
Special Requirements:

Facilitators must remain neutral and objective. They may not defend any particular position in their role as facilitator, nor influence any group decision through their facilitation.

Secretary

To maintain accurate records of GALAXE activities, policies, and decisions;
To conduct correspondence with external gay, lesbian, and bisexual organizations;
To maintain archives of GALAXE correspondence and activities, both internal and external;
To record, and distribute to the GALAXE membership, minutes of GALAXE Service Board meetings;
To ensure recording and distribution of minutes from ad hoc committee meetings.

Treasurer

To annually develop a budget for the organization, and coordinate requests for funds from Xerox Corporation;
To collect, pay out, and be responsible for any GALAXE moneys as directed by the Service Board;
To maintain accurate records of GALAXE finances.

Conducting Business

Any GALAXE member may introduce a proposal, subject to a vote of approval of the membership, that empowers a Service Board member or other member to conduct GALAXE business. This may include, but is not limited to, the deciding of GALAXE policies or official positions, the selection of special committees, instructions to Spokespersons, the election or removal of Service Board members, and any financial affairs the membership may deem necessary.

Voting

Voting rights are accorded all full GALAXE members. For an election of Service Board members, the Facilitator will distribute, collect and tally electronic and hardcopy ballots. For routine polling of the membership (e.g. voting on GALAXE platform issues), the Facilitators will select and administer the most appropriate method to reach consensus or majority opinion.

Special Committees

Ad Hoc committees, answering to the GALAXE membership, may be formed to work on specific projects, such as developing proposals for membership vote, or organizing special membership activities. Ad Hoc committees are subject to all normal provisions of the Charter, including communications and conducting business.

Membership

Individuals can register themselves as members of GALAXE (necessary for voting) by contacting the Secretary through electronic or hardcopy mail. Every January the Membership Chair will confirm that the membership listing is current. There are two levels of membership, Full Member and Associate Member:

Full Members are dues paying members with voting privileges and all other privileges as are or will be established.
Associate Members do not pay dues but are entitled to participate in all discussions, and other privileges at established costs.

Dues are determined annually by the GALAXE Service Board, and when modified, must be approved by majority vote of the membership.

Chapters

GALAXE members are empowered, and encouraged, to create local organizations within the boundaries of the GALAXE charter.

Election of Service Board Members

Nominees: Any member may run for any office of GALAXE.
Voting:

Voting may be either with paper ballot or by electronic mail (verified by user address). A registered member may only vote once by either means.
When voting is in progress for Xerox Employee specific issues, non-employees will not be eligible to participate in this process.

Election:

The election process will take two weeks and will be determined by a majority.
In the case of a “tie” (equal number of votes for two or more candidates) a 'runoff' election will be run immediately following with the candidates tied with the greatest number of votes.

Amendments

Any member, committee, or chapter may propose amendments to this Charter. A vote on such amendment proposals will be conducted by the GALAXE Facilitator. A simple majority is sufficient for adoption.