Constitution

This document records the Constitution of the Open Computing Facility, as established on November 14, 2016 and amended on:

  1. March 6, 2017
  2. November 20, 2017
  3. February 11, 2019 (Sections 4.7, 5.2.4, and 5.3.1)
  4. December 2, 2019 (Sections 3.4, 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 4.11, 5.2.1, and 5.2.2)
  5. September 9, 2020 (Section 5.3.1)
  6. November 22, 2021 (Sections 4.9, 4.10, and 4.12)

Preamble

We, the computer-using community of the Berkeley campus of the University of California, provide by this Constitution an organization dedicated to the pursuit of obtaining and managing open computing resources. The intent of this organization is to provide an environment where no member of Berkeley's campus community is denied the computer resources they seek. This group's spirit can be traced directly to the former Undergraduate Computing Facility; however, this organization's membership is much more widely open. It is also the intent of this group to appeal to all members of the Berkeley campus community with unsatisfied computing needs and to provide a place for those interested in computing to fully explore that interest. It is the intention of this group that any OCF-sponsored computing facility always be controlled and maintained by an open and inclusive group of students.

Articles

1 Name

This organization shall be called the Open Computing Facility and may also be referred to as the OCF.

2 OCF Membership

Any UC Berkeley student, faculty or staff member may be an OCF Member. The eligibility of other UC Berkeley affiliated groups shall be subject to the OCF Decision Making Process.

3 Board of Directors

3.1 Duties

The Board of Directors shall normally be responsible for the creation, implementation and discussion of the majority of OCF actions. Also the Board shall review all of the actions of the General Manager, Site Manager, and their appointees at its discretion.

The Board of Directors shall be the “executive committee” as defined by the ASUC bylaw on ASUC chartered programs.

3.2 Board Membership

3.2.1 General Manager and Site Manager(s)

The General Manager and Site Manager shall be ex officio members of the Board and shall have no more and no less power than any other member of the Board in their capacity as Directors.

3.2.2 Other Ex Officio Directors

All ex officio members of the Board other than General and Site Managers will be non-voting members of the Board, and shall not be considered in computing quorum.

3.2.3 Other Directors

Other Directors shall be appointed and removed as provided for by bylaw.

3.3 Quorum

Quorum consists of 1/2 of the Board of Directors. Quorum must be met at Board meetings for Board votes to be valid.

[Amended at the Board meeting of November 20, 2017].

3.4 Committees

The Board of Directors includes committees, which sustain and promote specific functions within the Open Computing Facility.

[Added at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

3.4.1 Open Access

Committees may not restrict access to documents, data, code, or other information or resources from Directors. All significant actions taken by a committee should be discussed with the Board for feedback and accountability.

3.4.2 Enumeration

Committees and their purposes are defined as provided by bylaw.

4 Elected Officers

4.1 Offices

The General Manager and Site Manager are elected offices. Committee heads may also be elected as provided by bylaw.

[Amended at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

4.2 Joint Officership

It is allowed for two members to jointly hold the offices of General Manager or of Site Manager. In this case, the two officeholders will equally hold the authority and responsibility of their office. Neither of these offices may be jointly held by more than two people.

4.3 Candidate Eligibility

Only Board members may run for office.

4.4 Elected

[Repealed at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

4.5 Term Of Office

The terms of General Managers or Site Managers elected at a regular elections meeting shall begin on the first day following the end of the semester in which they were elected. The terms of General Managers or Site Managers elected at a special elections meeting shall begin immediately upon election.

In both cases their terms shall end after the last day of a Fall or Spring semester, or immediately if they resign or are removed from office by a vote of no confidence.

The terms of committee heads will be established by bylaw.

[Amended at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

4.6 Removal From Office

An officer shall be removed from office if, at a Board Meeting, the Board members pass a vote of no confidence in them. An officer shall not be eligible to preside over a debate concerning a vote of no confidence in themself.

4.7 Vacancies

If an elected office becomes vacant, the OCF Decision Making Process shall designate a member to act in that position until the office can be filled by election or special election as provided by Article 5.2.3.

[Amended at the Board meeting of February 11, 2019].

4.8 Incapacity

If an elected officer becomes incapable of discharging the powers and duties of their office, the OCF Decision Making Process shall designate a member to act in their position for the duration of the incapacity.

4.9 General Manager Duties

The General Manager is the chief political and executive officer of the OCF and the chair of the Board of Directors. The General Manager shall manage and oversee committees pursuant to the wishes of the Board of Directors. The General Manager is also responsible for matters relating to university affairs.

[Amended at the Board meeting of November 22, 2021].

4.10 Site Manager Duties

The Site Manager is the chief system manager of the OCF and is responsible for matters relating to lab space, user support and public service operations.

[Amended at the Board meeting of November 22, 2021].

4.11 Committee Heads

Committee heads are responsible for organizing their respective committees. Each established committee has at least one committee head.

[Added at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

4.12 Operations Manager Duties

The Operations Manager is in charge of the Operations Staff. The Operations Manager reports to the Board of Directors, and acts as a liaison between Operations Staff and the Board of Directors, as well as overseeing and handling projects and logistics involving Operations Staff.

[Added at the Board meeting of November 22, 2021].

5 Meetings

5.1 Sessions

The OCF is formally in session during the Fall Semester and the Spring Semester. The OCF is informally in session between the semesters.

5.2 Elections Meetings

5.2.1 Dates of Elections Meeting

The Board of Directors shall meet to elect officers at its final or penultimate meeting of the Fall and Spring semesters. This meeting is the Manager Elections Meeting. The Board of Directors may select a meeting to elect committee heads as provided by bylaw. Elections are exempt from the quorum requirement.

[Amended at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

5.2.2 Order of Business

The Manager Elections Meeting shall, in this order,

  1. elect the General Manager
  2. elect the Site Manager

[Amended at the Board meeting of December 2, 2019].

5.2.3 Special Elections Meetings

If an elected office becomes vacant, a special election shall be held at the next Board meeting to elect a replacement, unless a regular election is being held at the next Board meeting.

5.2.4 Nominations

Nominations for elected offices can take place either at the Board meeting before the election, or two Board meetings before the election. Nominations for a special election may also be made electronically over a medium available to all Directors up to 48 hours before the special election or 48 hours after the vacancy begins, whichever is later. Nominations can only come from Board members. Every nomination requires the approval of one other Board member who is not on the ticket and the approval of the nominees on the ticket to be placed on the ballot. Self-nominations are allowed.

[Added at the Board meeting of February 11, 2019].

5.3 Voting

5.3.1 Election of Officers

The election of officers shall be by secret ballot. Each ballot shall be a ranked list of candidate preferences. A candidate wins if there is a unique Condorcet Beatpath winner, otherwise the election will repeat. Write-in votes shall not be counted during the election.

[Amended at the Board meeting of September 9, 2020].

5.3.2 Other Votes

All other votes require a simple majority to pass unless otherwise specified.

5.3.3 Voting Eligibility and Proxies

Only Board members present at a meeting may vote.

6 The OCF Decision Making Process

6.1 OCF Board of Directors

The OCF Board of Directors shall have authority over any OCF actions.

6.2 OCF General Manager

The OCF General Manager shall have authority over any OCF actions except where such action conflicts with Article 6.1.

[Amended at the Board meeting of March 6, 2017].

6.3 OCF Site Manager

The OCF Site Manager shall have authority over any OCF actions except where such action conflicts with Article 6.1 or 6.2.

[Amended at the Board meeting of March 6, 2017].

7 Rights and Responsibilities of Members

7.1 Bill of Rights

7.1.1 Freedom of Speech

The OCF shall not interfere with the rights of members to freedom of speech or freedom of the press, subject to applicable legal regulations.

7.1.2 Grievance

Any individual who has a grievance with the OCF shall first contact the General Manager who will notify the Board if necessary to resolve it. If an individual is not satisfied with the resolution of their grievance, they must be allowed to present their case at a Board of Directors meeting for further discussion.

7.1.3 Freedom of Information

All documents that constitute the OCF operating procedures, policies, Board meeting minutes of open sessions, and expenditures must be made publicly available online or upon request.

7.1.4 Privacy

Individuals' rights of privacy shall not be violated without their consent except when necessary to maintain the functionality of shared services.

7.1.5 Participation in Governance

OCF members have the right to attend and be appointed to the Board of Directors, subject only to reasonable requirements that can be demonstrably justified for an inclusive and open computing facility.

7.1.6 Rights Not Enumerated

The enumeration in this Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by individuals.

7.2 Responsibilities of Members

7.2.1 Conduct

All users of OCF managed facilities shall comply with University of California regulations, including the UC Berkeley Student Conduct Code and any OCF regulations. The OCF reserves the right to deny services to any user who fails to follow any such regulations.

8 Amendments and Bylaws

8.1 Amendments

8.1.1 Process

A proposed amendment to the Constitution must be presented and seconded at a Board of Directors meeting at least one week before the meeting at which it is to be voted upon. At the Board meeting where it is voted on, there shall be a discussion period prior to the vote where concerns and comments can be raised. A 2/3 majority of the Board is required for the vote to pass.

8.1.2 Annotation

Whenever this Constitution is amended, an annotation of the date of ratification shall be added to the beginning of this document and shall be further noted immediately following the new amendment.

8.2 Bylaws

Bylaws may be created or modified as needed by the Board of Directors.

9 Dissolution

The assets of the OCF constitute a continuing trust for the benefit of all members of the Berkeley campus community interested in open computing facilities.

In the event of dissolution, all unspent ASUC funds shall return to the ASUC; all Graduate Assembly funds shall return to the Graduate Assembly. If the OCF is defunct for five (5) or more years, any privately obtained funds (including any funds left in miscellaneous accounts) shall be donated to The Electronic Frontier Foundation.

In the event that the Electronic Frontier Foundation no longer exists or has ceased to be a nonprofit, then the unspent funds shall be donated to the ASUC.