(To be shouted tunelessly in unison – it’s not a reading)
The Constitution of the Princeton University Band
Article 0: The Purpose of the Band
The Princeton University Band exists primarily for the enjoyment of its members and for the entertainment of the University community.
Article I: Band Members
Section 1
(a) The Princeton University Band (PUB) consists of voting members and participating members.
(b) Participating membership in the PUB:
(i) shall be automatically granted to any currently enrolled Princeton University students (graduate or undergraduate) who requests it from an officer of the PUB.
(ii) shall not be restricted on the basis of musical ability. There shall be no auditions or other tests of ability for
membership.
(iii) is retained by alumni of the PUB upon their graduation from the University.
(iv) shall continue indefinitely and cannot be revoked or annulled except by University ruling
(v) may be conferred upon any individual at the discretion of the President.
(c) Voting membership in the PUB:
(i) shall be granted to currently-enrolled Princeton University students who have attended at least one-half of all Band
functions in the last two months in which the University was in session.
(ii) may be granted, at the discretion of the President, to any participating member who is a currently-enrolled student.
This must be announced to the voting members immediately prior to the election they are participating in. Any
voting member may object to the President’s conferral of voting membership upon a participating member.
Following this objection, a two-thirds majority of voting members present may veto the President’s conferral.
(iii) shall continue as long as the member meets the attendance requirements and cannot be otherwise revoked or
annulled except as described in Article I, Section 1(e) or by University ruling.
(d) All voting and participating members are welcome at any Band event, but the officers may utilize publicized criteria
for allocating limited spots at events when resources or externally imposed constraints necessitate doing so. No enrolled student shall be turned away from such an event in favor of a non-student member.
(e) Any student who is expelled, suspended, or withdraws from the University automatically forfeits their voting or
participating membership in the PUB. If such a person is an Officer of the PUB, they shall automatically forfeit their
office as well. Students who voluntarily take time off from Princeton may retain participating membership.
However, if such a person is an Officer of the PUB, they shall automatically forfeit their office due to University rules
and regulations.
Article II: Band Officers
Section 1
(a) The officers of the PUB shall be: one President, one Drum Major, one Head Manager, one Student Conductor, one Treasurer, four Drillmasters, two Librarians, one Alumni Coordinator, and one Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Coordinator.
(b) Princeton University graduate student voting members may not serve as President, Drum Major, or Treasurer of the PUB. All other officer positions may be held by any student voting member. Graduate students may hold up to
three full term officer positions while enrolled as a graduate student.
(c) No person may hold any office for more than one term. Any person who has held an office for fewer than twelve
weeks while school is in session is eligible to hold that office again.
(d) No person may hold more than one office at the same time.
(e) To declare candidacy for the Presidency, a voting member must be nominated as described in Section 2(b). To declare candidacy for any other office, an interested member must declare their candidacy to the sitting President.
(f) Officers shall be elected at a presidential election (as described in Article II, Section 2 (c)) and at Band Council
(as described in Article II, Section 3) each November.
(g) Any Princeton University Voting Member who wishes to be a candidate for multiple officer positions in the PUB must
submit a ranking of the officer positions for which they are a candidate to the sitting President no later than the
deadline set and announced by the sitting President at least one week in advance. A ranking of “1” will denote the
officer position that is the candidate’s first choice. A ranking of “2” will denote the officer position that is the
candidate’s second choice, and so on and so forth. In the event that the candidate is elected to multiple offices,
they shall assume the office they have ranked highest, and other offices shall be filled by their respective runners-
up.
(h) Officers shall take office after the end of the football season at the annual banquet following their election. They shall
serve until the installation of new officers at the end of the following football season.
(i) In the event that two rounds of elections have been held and a vacant office cannot be filled by a non-senior voting
member, the acting President may appoint a senior member (including a member who has previously held the
vacant office) or a graduate student member that has held 3 offices previously to hold the vacant office. If a senior
member is chosen and graduates before the end of their tenure, a special election may be held within the first two
weeks of the fall semester to fill the position until the next round of elections. A member who holds the office during
the period of time between two weeks into the semester and elections will have been in the office fewer than twelve
weeks, and will thus be eligible to run for the same office during subsequent elections.
(j) If an officer position requires two semesters of voting membership for eligibility, but no candidates meeting this
requirement present themselves, the President may waive this requirement.
Section 2 (The President)
(a) The President must have served as an undergraduate voting member (Article 2, Section 1(b)) for at least one fall and
at least one spring semester.
(b) Nominations for President shall be made at least one week in advance of the election, by means of a nomination and a second by voting members of the Band. The current President shall publicize these nominations at least
one week in advance of the election.
(c) The President shall be elected at a meeting which shall take place annually in November by a majority vote of those Voting Members of the PUB present at the meeting. The current President shall announce the time and place of
this meeting to the membership of the band at least two weeks in advance of the election.
(d) If the President intends to resign, they shall tender a resignation in writing to the Drum Major. This resignation shall become effective immediately when received by the Drum Major.
(e) In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, a new President shall be elected within two weeks by seconded nominations from and majority vote of those current Voting Members of the PUB present at a publicly-announced
open meeting. The meeting shall be announced at least one week in advance.
(f) In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Drum Major shall serve as President until the election of a new
President as described in Article II, Section 2(e) of this Constitution.
(g) The President shall be the sole executive officer of the PUB.
(i) The President shall have the power to direct and coordinate the activities of the other officers of the PUB.
(ii) The President shall have the power to represent the PUB to outside organizations and to the University
administration in all matters pertaining to Band functions.
(iii) The President shall have the power to call all meetings of the Band and to appoint any necessary committees.
(iv) The President shall have the power to veto expenditures of PUB funds and, in case of emergency or when the
Treasurer is unavailable, to approve expenditures.
(v) Any Presidential executive decision shall be reviewed by the voting membership if so requested by at least three
voting members. A decision of the President may be overruled by a two-thirds vote of voting members who are
present at a vote that has been publicly announced at least one week in advance or by a two-thirds vote of the
other officers at any time.
(vi) Neither the President nor any other officer may publish official communications that contain policy positions or
express official viewpoints without first submitting the exact text of the communication to the PUB. At the request
of three voting members, the communication shall be discussed at a duly publicized open meeting and may be
published with the consent of one-half of voting members present at the meeting. If no meeting is requested
within twenty-four hours after the communication has been submitted to the PUB, the communication may be
published but only with the explicit written approval of one-half of the officer corps.
(vii) The President must hold townhall meetings at least twice in the spring semester and twice in the fall semester. A
townhall meeting must be announced at least a week in advance and will be open to all participating members.
All members who are at this meeting will have the opportunity to voice concerns and make suggestions
regarding the Band and its officers.
Section 3 (Band Elections)
(a) The Band Council shall be held in November for the purpose of electing non-presidential officers as described in Article II, Section 1(f), conferring awards, and conducting other business as necessary.
(b) Any voting member is eligible to attend Band Council.
(c) Councilors must stay for the duration of officer elections. In the event of an early exit deemed inappropriate by the rest of the council, the councilor’s votes will be discarded.
(d) The Band Council shall have the authority to settle any questions of interpretation with respect to this Constitution.
(e) Events Prior to Band Council:
(i) The President will release candidate statement questions to be answered by band members seeking to run for
officer positions.
(ii) The President will release the full submitted Candidate Statements for all positions at least one week in advance of
band council.
(iii) Concurrent with the release of the candidate statements, the President will set up an online forum space which is
accessible to all members of the band (e.g., a discord channel, a slack channel) set aside for Band Council
discussion for the positions of Alumni Coordinator, Librarian, Drill Master, Student Conductor, Head Manager, and
Treasurer.
(iv) This forum will be a space for members of the band to ask questions of the candidates for the positions of Alumni
Coordinator, Librarian, Drill Master, Student Conductor, Head Manager, and Treasurer and bring up any concerns
they have. Candidates can use this space to introduce themselves and answer questions. The space can also be
used for general discussion about the positions and elections.
(v) [For Drill Master and Student Conductor only] the current office holder(s) outline any pertinent information from
DMC and SC auditions in the forum.
(vi) Questions or concerns may be sent anonymously to the channel. Anonymous questions/concerns will be
approved for viewing by a majority vote of the subset of President, Drum Major, Head Manager, Treasurer, and
Student Conductor who are not running for that office.
(vii) The forum space will be open for band members to ask questions until 4:20pm two days prior to Band Council. It
will be open for candidates to respond to the questions until 6:09pm one day prior to Band Council, and then be
closed to further additions and changes.
(f) On the day of Band Council:
(i) Elections for the positions of Alumni Coordinator, Librarian, Drill Master, Student Conductor, Head Manager, and
Treasurer will be held using the following structure.
(1) Constitution Statement: The Chair will read the relevant statements from the constitution. These statements will
include the responsibilities of the office as set forth in the constitution and election procedures.
(2) Officer Statements: The current office holder(s) will have an opportunity to express their view of the office and
what it entails. The current office holder should not mention candidates for the office during this statement.
There will be 2 minutes per current officer.
(3) Voting: Voting will be closed ballot. For all single-winner elections, winners will be tabulated using a ranked choice
system. See Article II, Section 3(f)(iii)(2) for procedure on single-winner election voting. For multiple-winner
elections, winners will be tabulated using a multiple-choice voting system where each voter will cast a number
of unweighted, unranked votes equal to the number of open positions.
(ii) Elections for Band President and Drum Major will be structured as follows. The election for President will precede the Drum Major election. These elections will be otherwise known as PQADE (Presidential Question Answer
Discussion Election) and DQADE (Drum Major Question Answer Discussion Election)
(1) Each candidate may give a speech promoting their candidacy, after which each candidate will be given time to
answer questions from voting members. After this time period they may make a closing statement. During this
section, other candidates for the same office will not be present in the room.
(a) Questions or concerns from band members who wish to remain anonymous may be read by the Chair during
this section. Anonymous questions/concerns will be approved by a majority vote of the subset of President,
Drum Major, Head Manager, Treasurer, and Student Conductor who are not running for the office in question.
(2) After all candidates for a position have spoken and answered questions, all candidates will return to the room for
discussion, during which band members may ask clarifying/follow up questions or respond to candidate
answers.
(3) All candidates will be given equal time for their speeches, discussion periods, and closing statements.
(4) After discussion is concluded, the Band will proceed to closed-ballot ranked choice voting. See Article II, Section
3(f)(iii)(2) for procedure on single-winner election voting.
(iii) Voting System
(1) Tiebreaking: the President will, before they begin tabulating votes, cast a secret ballot where they rank all
candidates for each office in question. The President will also vote in multiple-winner elections on this ballot but
will rank every single candidate for every election, including multiple-winner elections. In the event of a tie
unbreakable by ranked-choice re-tabulation, whoever the President ranked highest in their tie-breaking secret
ballot will be the winner. The President will give their ballot to the highest-ranking officer in band who is not
running for any position before any votes are counted. This officer will confirm the tie-breaking results if it is
necessary.
(2) Voting: The single-winner system will function thus: each voter will rank all candidates for an office. The candidate
with the fewest first-choice votes will be eliminated, and the second-choice votes of their first-choice-rank
ballots counted as first-choice votes for the next candidate. This will be repeated until one candidate has a
majority of first-choice votes, including moving to counting third-place, fourth-place, votes and so on. The
candidate with the majority of first-choice votes will be the winner. Ranks for follow-up candidates will be
tabulated in the event that the winner does not take the position; this will be done by counting the next-choice
votes of the winner’s first-choice ballots as first-choice votes for the runners up until all ranks (second, third, etc)
are decided. (i.e., redo the process but eliminate the winner from all ballots, shifting ranks below the winner up on
each ballot by 1.)
(g) Duties of the Chair:
(i) It is the responsibility of the Chair to remain neutral during Band Council proceedings, as well as to ensure that the
conversation remains on topic and relevant. These criteria should be used when considering the approval of
anonymous statements. As such, it will be the responsibility of the Chair to publicize prior to Band Council that the
following items should not be considered throughout the proceedings of band council: Issues of physical or
mental health unless directly relevant, Other positions candidates may be running for or their preferences
between said positions, Concerns for a candidate’s own personal well-being if they do or do not attain the
position they are running for, Irrelevant personal attacks against candidates or other counsellors,
and Interpersonal relationships between candidates unless it will prevent them from doing their jobs.
Section pi (Officer leaves)
(a) Prior to Band Council, an officer candidate in great distress (due to circumstances involving mental health, family
emergency, or other unexpected/uncontrollable issues) can approach the President to request a leave of
officership upon election (if they are elected into a position).
(i) Action must be taken in a setting where the President is in attendance.
(1) Another officer of the candidate’s choice may be in attendance as a figure of comfort or support, but this is entirely optional.
(2) This request will take place in an environment which will allow the distressed officer candidate to remain anonymous to the all band members not in attendance at this meeting.
(ii) Leave will last up to 2 weeks and can be ended at any time.
(1) The current officer in this position will continue acting in their current position for this period of time. If they are
unable to fulfill this time commitment for any reason, an interim officer can be appointed by the President
(iii) The band will not be informed of this officer candidate’s decision to take leave until after band council had concluded and all officers have been elected
(b) At any point throughout the year, a distressed officer (due to circumstances involving mental health, family
emergency, or other unexpected/uncontrollable issues) can approach the President to request a temporary leave
of officership
(i) Leave will last up to 2 weeks and can be ended at any time, depending on when the officer has informed the
President that they are no longer in distress OR the 2-week temporary leave has come to an end.
(ii) During this time, an interim officer will be appointed by the President to fulfill the responsibilities of the officer on leave.
(iii) If after 2 weeks, the officer believes they are still unable to adequately fulfill the responsibilities of their officer position because of great distress (due to circumstances involving mental health, family emergency, or other unexpected/uncontrollable issues), the officer can approach the President and discuss the possibility of
stepping down from their position.
(iv) This amendment can be utilized for a total of 2 weeks by any acting officer. This time can be split up throughout the
office tenure, with any time taken off amounting to less than 2 weeks
Section 4 (The Drum Major)
(a) The Drum Major shall be elected from undergraduates who have served as a voting member (Article 2, Section
1(b)) for at least one fall and at least one spring semester.
(b) The Drum Major shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) The Drum Major shall be responsible for the planning, coordinating, and executing of all band performances.
(d) The Drum Major shall have control of the Band as a marching unit and shall be responsible for the writing and execution of all half-time shows.
(e) The Drum Major shall be responsible for the selection of the half-time announcer from the membership of the PUB.
(f) In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Drum Major shall serve as interim President as directed in Article II, Section 2(f) of this Constitution.
Section 5 (The Head Manager)
(a) The Head Manager shall be elected from those who have served as a voting member (Article 2, Section 1(b)) for at
least one fall and at least one spring semester.
(b) The Head Manager shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) The Head Manager shall be responsible for planning and coordinating PUB trips, including making arrangements for travel, meals, and lodging. The Head Manager shall also make arrangements for hosting members of visiting
bands.
(d) The Head Manager shall have the responsibility for the care and distribution of all uniforms.
Section 6 (The Treasurer)
(a) The Treasurer shall be elected from the undergraduate Voting Members of the PUB (Article 2, Section 1(b)).
(b) The Treasurer shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all financial matters involving the PUB. This record shall be open to inspection by any member of the PUB or officer of the Friends of Tiger Band (FOTB) upon request.
(d) All expenditures of PUB funds must be approved by the Treasurer. The treasurer shall make every effort to notify the President of such approval so that the President may veto the expenditure.
Section 7 (The Student Conductor)
(a) The Student Conductor shall be elected from those who have served as a voting member (Article 2, Section 1(b)) for
at least one fall and at least one spring semester.
(b) The Student Conductor shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) To be eligible to be elected Student Conductor, candidates must audition at an open rehearsal of the PUB.
(d) The Student Conductor shall be responsible for the musical performance of the Band.
(e) In the case of absence of the Student Conductor from a Band function, a substitute conductor shall be named by the Student Conductor and President ahead of time. If the Student Conductor becomes unavailable without warning and cannot contribute to the selection of a substitute conductor, the substitute conductor shall be
named by the Drum Major and President.
Section 8 (The Drillmasters)
(a) The Drillmasters shall be elected from the Voting Members of the PUB (Article 2, Section 1(b)).
(b) The Drillmasters shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) Drillmasters shall act in the general capacity of assistants to the other officers.
(d) Drillmasters shall supervise attendance at marching and music rehearsals, shall be responsible for granting excuses for absence from rehearsals or performances, and shall supervise formations of the Marching Band in cooperation with the Drum Major.
(e) Drillmasters shall have the responsibility for the care and transportation of all instruments and equipment owned by the PUB.
Section 9 (The Librarians)
(a) The Librarians shall be elected from the Voting Members of the PUB (Article 2, Section 1(b)).
(b) The Librarians shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) The Librarians shall be responsible for the storage, collection, distribution, and maintenance of all music owned by the PUB.
(d) The Librarians shall be responsible for procuring music as the Student Conductor or Drum Major shall direct.
Section 10 (The Alumni Coordinator)
(a) The Alumni Coordinator shall be elected from the Voting Members of the PUB (Article 2, Section 1(b)).
(b) The Alumni Coordinator shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) The Alumni Coordinator shall be responsible for organizing the Band reunion.
(d) The Alumni Coordinator shall make arrangements for visiting Band alumni at Band events.
(e) The Alumni Coordinator shall serve as a general assistant and adviser to the other officers at their request.
(f) The Penn Band.
Section 11 (The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator)
(a) The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator shall be elected from the Voting Members of the PUB (Article 2,
Section 1(b)).
(b) The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator shall be elected by an instant runoff vote of the Band Council at a
meeting within two weeks of the end of the football season.
(c) The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator must arrange for at least one (1) reflection session each semester
(d) The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator must arrange for at least one (1) workshop each semester
(e) The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator must familiarize themselves with the resources available to students
through the university and inform members of them upon request
(f) This section of the constitution shall be discussed, revised, and formally voted on at a town hall in Fall semester 2025
to amend and re-ratify the position and responsibilities of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator
Section 12 (Impeachment)
(a) An officer shall be subject to impeachment for negligence, misconduct, or incompetence at any time by a
two-thirds vote of the voting membership of the PUB.
(b) A motion and a second from any two voting members are sufficient to bring about such a vote.
(c) The time and location of the vote shall be publicized at least two weeks in advance by the President, or the Drum Major in the event the President is being impeached.
(d) The sitting President, or the Drum Major in the event the President is being impeached, shall preside over impeachment proceedings.
(e) Any officer subject to impeachment proceedings has the right to present a defense, confront opposing witnesses, examine all evidence, and call for members to speak on their behalf.
Section 13 (Resignation and vacancies)
(a) Any officer except the President who intends to resign shall tender their resignation in writing to the President. Resignations shall become effective immediately when received by the President.
(b) Following the resignation or impeachment of an officer who is not the President, the President may appoint an interim officer who will serve until such a time that an election may be scheduled to fill the vacancy.
(c) The election shall occur between one and four weeks after the vacancy arises, not including weeks during which
Princeton is not in session.
(d) The the vacancy shall be filled by simple run-off voting
(e) Presidential resignations and vacancies shall follow the procedures described in Article II, Section 2 (d-f)
(f) After the resignation or impeachment of a DM, Liberarian, or AC after the first football game of their term, if by one
week following the announcement of the vacancy fewer than two candidates have presented themselves, the
President may opt to forego holding a special election and can instead appoint a replacement, subject to two-
thirds approval of the officer corps.
Article III: Ivy Bands
Section 1
(a) The President, Drum Major, and Head Manager shall represent the PUB at Ivy Bands.
Section 2
(a) The President, Drum Major, and Head Manager may sign inter-band agreements only in order to provide for
improved interactions between the PUB and other Ivy League bands or administrations. Inter-band agreements
may not require the PUB to change its internal practices or violate any provision of this constitution. The officers
may not sign any public statement at Ivy Bands without the approval of two-thirds of the officer corps or one-half of
the voting members present at a meeting scheduled with one week’s advance notice.
Section 3
(a) Any agreement signed by the officers at Ivy Bands can be nullified by two-thirds of the officers not present at Ivy
Bands or by a majority of voting members present at a meeting publicly announced at least one week in advance.
The President shall schedule the meeting at the request of three voting members.
Article IV: Amendments
Section 1
(a) Amendments to the Band Constitution may be proposed by a petition presented by any member of the PUB. The
petition must be delivered in writing to the President.
Section 2
(a) Once duly proposed, amendments to the Band Constitution shall be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the voting members of the PUB present at a publicly-announced open meeting. The meeting shall be announced at least
one week in advance by the President no later than one week after receiving the proposed amendment.
Additionally, the announcement of the meeting shall contain the text of the proposed amendment.
(b) If the amendment has been duly proposed and announced a week in advance, amendments may be ratified at Band Council.
(c) The proposed amendment shall be read at least twice during such a meeting.
(d) The amendment may be modified at the meeting so long as the modifications remain on-topic in the judgment of
the President.
Section 3
(a) Amendments to the Band Constitution shall take effect immediately upon ratification.
Article V: Ratification
Section 1
(a) The Ratification of this Constitution shall require a two-thirds vote of the voting members of the PUB. The ratification vote shall take place at an open meeting publicly announced at least one week in advance.
Section 2
(a) A copy of this Constitution shall be available for inspection upon request, at least one week before the ratification
vote.
Section 3
(a) The ratification of this Constitution will void any previously existing Constitutions.
