Table of Contents

House of Apollo Constitution

Preamble:

The House of Apollo Constitution exists with the intention to broadly define policies which affect the administration, membership and finances of the House, as well as the rights and values of its Members.

1. Definitions

  1. a. ‘House of Apollo’ and ‘the House’ will be defined as the organization which resides at 236 N. Harrison Road, East Lansing, Michigan.
  1. b. ‘Premises’ will be defined as the land and building in which the House resides.
  1. c. ‘Member’ will be defined as any person who holds a contract with the MSU Student Housing Cooperative for residence in/at or occupation of the Premises, for the duration which is stated in the contract.
  1. d. ‘Total Membership’ will be defined as the number of Members of House of Apollo.
  1. e. ‘Member Space’ will be defined as any room of the Premises which may be, but has not yet been, designated to a Member (or Members) for occupation during their membership of House of Apollo.
  1. f. ‘Member Room’ will be defined as a room which has been designated to a Member (or Members) for occupation during their membership of House of Apollo.
  1. g. ‘Common Space’ will be defined as all of the Premises which is not a Member Space.
  1. h. ‘House Property’ will be defined as all items located on the Premises which do not belong to any combination of individual members.
  1. i. ‘House Approval’ will be defined as either:
    1. i. A majority vote of members present at a quorum House Meeting who are in favor of a proposal.
    2. ii. A majority vote of members comprising Total Membership who are in favor of a proposal.
  1. j. ‘Quorum’ will be defined as an absolute majority of the Total Membership of the House of Apollo.

2. Membership

  1. a. No one may reside in House of Apollo without first signing a valid contract, except guests of members of House of Apollo.
  1. b. Prospective members must undergo the following process prior to signing a Contract for Membership, Co-Management, & Occupancy for House of Apollo:
    1. i. Prospective member must first be an applicant approved by the SHC.
    2. ii. Prospective member must be given a tour of the House, and have explained all responsibilities of a member of House of Apollo.
    3. iii. Prospective member must attend one regular House meal.
    4. iv. Prospective member must attend one regular House meeting.
    5. v. Prospective member must be approved unanimously by all House Members.
  1. c. Prospective member will be allowed to sign a Contract for Membership, Co-Management, & Occupancy with House Approval.
  1. d. Prospective members with become members for the duration stated on their completed Contract for Membership, Co-Management, & Occupancy upon payment of Member Shares and Member Dues.
  1. e. Members are required to:
    1. i. Understand and promote the Rochdale Principles of Cooperation.
    2. ii. Take an active part in the affairs of the House by attending House meetings.
    3. iii. Maintain House facilities beyond the scope of regular chores.
    4. iv. Obey all rules and policies that are decided by the House, so long as they comply with the rules and policies of the MSU SHC.
  1. f. Inactive Membership
    1. i. An Inactive Member will:
      1. 1. Have their charges reduced for the duration of Inactive Membership for those costs of the House which are reduced by Member’s absence.
      2. 2. Not be counted as a member of House of Apollo for the purpose of determining Total Membership.
      3. 3. Have no right to vote in matters of the House.
    1. ii. A member who plans to be absent from the House for a period exceeding thirty days may apply for Inactive Membership by notifying the Finance Officer in advance of a House Meeting, which precedes the desired date range of Inactive Membership.
    2. iii. A member will be declared an Inactive Member for a proposed range of dates with House Approval. Inactive Membership will never be applied retroactively, and proposed ranges of dates will always begin at any time following the proposal.

3. Member Rooms

  1. a. Before the end of each contract period, the order of seniority for all contracted future members of House of Apollo will be determined for the following contract period. The Membership Officer will then, in order of most senior to least senior, allow each contracted future member to choose their Member Room for the following contract period.
    1. i. Seniority is determined by the number of continuous semesters a member has been contracted with House of Apollo. In the event of a tie, the most recent contract signing dates will be compared and used as a tie-breaker, followed by the number of semesters lived in the SHC. In the event of a tie at this stage, the House will determine the best method for determining seniority.
    2. ii. Returning members have the right to retain their Member Room for the coming contract period. The Membership Officer will account for this if notified of the returning member’s will in advance.
  1. b. In the event that a member wishes to release their contract, they will be responsible for finding a replacement for their Member Room, as opposed to any existing vacant Member Space within the House. Until a replacement member has signed a contract, a member retains all rights to their Member Room regardless of occupation.
  2. c. A member may trade their Member Room with another member if both parties agree to do so.
    1. i. In this case, both parties are equally responsible for notifying the Member Services Coordinator of the MSU SHC and the Finance Officer of House of Apollo in writing and in a timely manner.

4. Guests

  1. a. Any person who is not a member of the House, who is also brought onto the Premises by a Member, will be considered a guest of that member.
  2. b. Guests may stay on the Premises overnight provided the following conditions are met:
    1. i. If the guest will be using a parking space overnight, the member will notify the House with a description of the guest’s vehicle.

5. Events Policy

  1. a. Parties
    1. i. An event that takes place on the Premises of House of Apollo shall be defined as a party when all of the following conditions are met:
      1. 1. The event is advertised to Houses of the MSU SHC.
      2. 2. The event takes place in Common Space.
      3. 3. The party has live entertainment or amplified music.
    1. ii. A party may only take place with House Approval.
      1. 1. A member of the House who votes in favor of hosting a party will be expected to participate in the setup and cleanup of the party.
      2. 2. A member of the House who votes in opposition of hosting a party is expected to not participate in the festivities of the party. Such members will not be expected to participate in the setup and cleanup of the party.
    1. iii. A party must be approved for a specific date. In the event that a specific date is not included in the proposed in advance of House Approval, a party is never truly approved by the House.
    2. iv. There will be no more than one party hosted during a semester.

6. Administrative Positions

  1. a. The titles and primary responsibilities of administrative positions within House of Apollo will consist of:
    1. i. Membership Officer
      1. 1. Responsible for communicating with prospective members in a timely manner, as well as scheduling House tours, House meals, and House meeting visits with all prospective members.
      2. 2. Responsible for alerting prospective members whether they have been approved by the House in a timely manner.
      3. 3. Responsible for reporting the discussions and decisions of the Membership Committee during House meetings.
    1. ii. Education Officer
      1. 1. Responsible for submitting the latest revised House of Apollo Constitution to the Vice President of Education.
      2. 2. Responsible for compiling a digital album of photos of the House and its Members.
      3. 3. Responsible for reporting the discussions and decisions of the Education Committee during House meetings.
    1. iii. Finance Officer
      1. 1. Responsible for paying bills issued to House of Apollo in a timely manner.
      2. 2. Responsible for reimbursing members for purchases authorized by the House in a timely manner.
      3. 3. Responsible for recording accurate and up-to-date information in the House of Apollo Charge Sheet and the House of Apollo Reconciliation Workbook, as well as ensuring each of these documents are available for viewing by all Members of House of Apollo at all times.
      4. 4. Responsible for reporting the discussions and decisions of the Finance Committee during House meetings.
    1. iv. Facilities Officer
      1. 1. Responsible for keeping a detailed list of ongoing maintenance concerns.
      2. 2. Responsible for facilitating maintenance projects that are beyond the capabilities of the Members of House of Apollo.
      3. 3. Responsible for reporting the discussions and decisions of the Facilities Committee during House meetings.
    1. v. Taskmaster
      1. 1. Responsible for determining whether chores and work duties assigned to members have been completed.
      2. 2. Responsible for setting a consistent time that completion of chores and work duties will be assessed on a weekly basis.
      3. 3. Responsible for reporting chore and work duty fines given and bounties taken to the Finance Officer in a timely manner.
      4. 4. Responsible for ensuring the accuracy of fines and credits listed on the House of Apollo Charge Sheet prior to the end of each month.
    1. vi. Meeting Facilitator
      1. 1. Responsible for ensuring House meeting procedure is adhered to by all of those in attendance of each House meeting.
    1. vii. Meeting Minute Taker
      1. 1. Responsible for recording the minutes of every quorum House meeting, as well as ensuring that all meeting minutes are available for viewing by all Member of Apollo at all times.
      2. 2. Responsible for recording the number of those in favor of, those opposed to, and those abstaining from, all proposals which have met quorum during or outside of meetings.

7. Amendment

  1. a. Amendments to the House of Apollo Constitution will be made only after the following conditions are met in the order written as follows:
    1. i. The proposed amendment will be provided to all House Members for review, at minimum, two days prior to the meeting at which it will be discussed. The proposed amendment will be presented to House Members as it will be written in the House Constitution.
    2. ii. The proposed amendment will be approved with House Approval during a quorum House meeting.
    3. iii. If approved, the proposed amendment will be adopted under a temporary status, to be enforced as part of the Standing Rules, for a period of one week at minimum.
    4. iv. The proposed amendment will be reapproved with House Approval at the next quorum house meeting.
      1. 1. If approved, the amendment will be added to the House of Apollo Constitution, going into immediate and permanent effect.
      2. 2. If not approved, the temporary status of the amendment will be revoked, and it will cease to be enforced as part of the Standing Rules.
  1. b. Each amended revision of the House of Apollo Constitution will be archived and available for viewing by all Members of House of Apollo at all times.

8. Supremacy Clause

  1. a. All policies and directives established by the House of Apollo Constitution, the House of Apollo Standing Rules and valid decisions of the House will be binding on the House and its Members in the following descending order of supremacy:
    1. i. The House of Apollo Constitution
    2. ii. The House of Apollo Standing Rules
    3. iii. Decisions of House of Apollo

House of Apollo Standing Rules

Preamble:

The House of Apollo Standing Rules exist to clearly define the operational procedures of the House, encourage flexible experimentation with new or replacement policies, and hold Members accountable to each other and to the decisions of the House. In the spirit of accountability and to promote collaboration, Members are expected to adhere to any policy up until a replacement has been proposed and approved by the House.

1. Quiet Hours

  1. a. Members of House of Apollo will not create noise which could disturb other Members during quiet hours.
  2. b. The beginning and ending of quiet hours for each day of the week will be as described in the following table:
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
11:00pm 11:00pm 11:00pm 11:00pm 11:00pm 2:00am 2:00am
8:00am 8:00am 8:00am 8:00am 8:00am 10:00am 10:00am

2. Bounties

  1. a. A bounty is posted as a result of a chore duty going uncompleted, allowing other Members to complete the chore.
  2. b. A bounty is taken when the chore is completed by another Member. The Member who did not complete the chore is fined, and the Member who took the bounty has their account credited an equal amount.
    1. i. The amount of the bounty is calculated using the conversion of $1/point.
    2. ii. Failure to clean the bathroom on Member's assigned week will result in fine of $10.
  1. c. When a bounty is not completed by the time chores are checked again, the credit associated with taking the bounty is put into House Savings.

3. House Chores

  1. a. General
    1. i. Each Member of House of Apollo is required to complete their assigned chores each week. The assignment of chores is done at the start of each week except for House Shopper and Office Laborer, which are assigned at the beginning of the semester.
    2. ii. Failure to complete a chore will result in a bounty being posted.
      1. 1. For each week the chore is not completed by the Member assigned the chore, an additional $5 is added to the bounty.
    1. iii. Members may request a one day extension on their weekly chore subject to the Taskmaster's approval.
  1. b. Chore Descriptions
    1. i. Upstairs Sorcerer (15 points)
      1. 1. Must sweep and Swiffer upstairs hallways
      2. 2. Must sweep and Swiffer stairs leading upstairs and the study room
      3. 3. Must organize study room and any other out of place objects in common areas
    1. ii. Downstairs Demon (15 points)
      1. 1. Must sweep and Swiffer ground floor hallways
      2. 2. Must sweep and Swiffer stairs leading down to the basement
      3. 3. Must sweep the basement hallway
      4. 4. Must wipe down handrails on the stairs
    1. iii. Dining Druid (15 points)
      1. 1. Must sweep and mop dining room floors
      2. 2. Must put away objects on tables/desks
      3. 3. Must clean tables/desks
    1. iv. Den Dragon (15 points)
      1. 1. Must sweep and mop den floors
      2. 2. Must wipe tables and surfaces
      3. 3. Must take dishes to the kitchen and label them with house clips
      4. 4. Must straighten pillows, blankets, and couch covers
    1. v. Rations Ranger (15 points)
      1. 1. Must wipe inside of GUFF fridge
      2. 2. Must throw out expired/unnecessary items and organize food in GUFF fridge
      3. 3. Must organize the pantry and spices
      4. 4. Must throw out expired/unnecessary items in the pantry
    1. vi. Laundry Goblin (15 points)
      1. 1. Must wash/dry all laundry in the blue bin
      2. 2. Must fold and put laundry away
      3. 3. Must clean lint filters
      4. 4. Must wipe down tops of machines and under the rim of the top-open washer
      5. 5. Must sweep floors near the laundry machines
    1. vii. Kitchen Wizard (15 points)
      1. 1. Must clean counters and table
      2. 2. Must clean inside and outside of microwaves
      3. 3. Must organize countertop appliances
      4. 4. Must pick up out of place items on counters, tables, and on and around the corner bench
    1. viii. Kitchen Warlock (15 points)
      1. 1. Must wipe down ovens
      2. 2. Must clean stovetops
    1. ix. Rec Room Regent (15 points)
      1. 1. Must sweep rec room floors
      2. 2. Must wipe tables and surfaces
      3. 3. Must put away objects on tables/desks
      4. 4. Must take dishes to kitchen and label them with house clips
      5. 5. Must straighten pillows, blankets, and couch covers
    1. x. Trash Removal (5 points)
      1. 1. Must empty a house trash bin and put full trash bag into dumpster
      2. 2. Must put new trash bag in emptied trash bin
    1. xi. Mail Sorter (5 points)
      1. 1. Must bring in mail and sort it into appropriate mailboxes
    1. xii. Bathrooms
      1. 1. Must mop floor
      2. 2. Must clean toilet and sink
      3. 3. Must empty shower drain
      4. 4. Must empty trash
      5. 5. Must wipe mirrors
      6. 6. Must replace toilet paper, towels, and bath mat
      7. 7. Must refill soap
    1. xiii. House Shopper (15 points)
      1. 1. Must keep list of what household goods are running low
      2. 2. Must go on regular shopping trips to replenish GUFF food and other supplies that are running low
    1. xiv. Office Laborer (15 points)
      1. 1. Must report to MSU SHC Office and perform tasks assigned by the office for a number of hours assigned by the office

4. Dish Duty and Kitchen Duty

  1. a. Members who use dishes to cook house meals must promptly label said dishes with house dish clips, and place them in the designated dish area.
  2. b. Members who use dishes for any other purpose must either:
    1. i. Wash said dishes immediately after use.
    2. ii. Promptly label said dishes with their personal dish clips, and place them in the designated dish area.
  1. c. Dishes labeled with personal dish clips must be washed within twenty four hours of being placed in the dish area, or the member responsible for them will be fined $5. A member may request an extension of up to twenty four hours, to be approved by the taskmaster.
  2. d. A Member is required to complete Dish Duty on the days they are listed on the dish day schedule, as posted by the Taskmaster or other assigned Member. Dish Duty requires that the member:
    1. i. Puts away all dry dishes
    2. ii. Washes all unpinned dishes and all dishes labeled 'house' with dish clips
    3. iii. Refills soap dispenser(s)
    4. iv. Cleans the sink area, including the backsplash and inside of the basin
  1. e. A Member is required to complete Kitchen Duty on the days they are listed on the dish day schedule, as posted by the Taskmaster or other assigned Member. Kitchen Duty requires that the member:
    1. i. Cleans counters
    2. ii. Cleans stovetops
    3. iii. Sweeps and mops floors
  1. f. Dish Duty and Kitchen Duty must be completed by 9 PM on the day of the assignment. If it is not completed during this time frame and the Member assigned does not request an extension, a $10 bounty is immediately available, and an equivalent fine levied against the member responsible. Bounties stack over multiple days that the chore is not completed until the next time that it is done.

5. Amendment

  1. a. Amendments to the House of Apollo Standing Rules will be made only after the following conditions are met:
    1. i. The proposed amendment will be presented as will be written during a quorum House meeting.
    2. ii. The proposed amendment will be approved with House Approval during a quorum House meeting.
  1. b. Each amended revision of the House of Apollo Standing Rules will be archived and available for viewing by all Members of House of Apollo at all times.

Appendix A: Purchase Planning for Food & Supplies

Table 1: Dry Pantry

item build-to quantity unit target cost (total) purchase location
Flour 10 lbs. $2.39 Meijer
Sugar (White) 4 lbs. $1.39 Meijer
Brown Sugar 4 lbs. $3.99 Meijer
Baking Powder 8 oz. $1.69 Meijer
Baking Soda 16 oz. $.69 Meijer
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 102 fl. oz. $20.00 Meijer
Vegetable Oil 48 fl. oz. $2.69 Meijer
White Vinegar 1 gallon $2.49 Meijer
Soy Sauce 1 bottle $1.99 Meijer
Sriracha 28 oz. $3.49 Meijer
White Bread 2 loaves $2.58 Meijer
Wheat Bread 2 loaves $2.58 Meijer
Peanut Butter (Creamy) 1 container - Meijer
Peanut Butter (Crunchy) 1 container - Meijer
Honey 1 oz. $8.99 Meijer

Table 2: Fridge Pantry

item build-to quantity unit target cost (total) purchase location
Grade A Large Eggs 48 eggs $2.39 Meijer
Milk (Whole) 2 gallons $1.39 Meijer
Milk (2%) 2 gallons $3.99 Meijer
Almond Milk .5 gal $1.69 Meijer
Unsalted Butter Sticks 2 lbs. $.69 Meijer
Ketchup 64 oz. $20.00 Meijer
Mustard 20 oz. $2.69 Meijer
Mayonnaise 30 oz. $2.49 Meijer

Table 3: Cleaning Supplies

item build-to quantity unit target cost (total) purchase location
Hand Soap 48 eggs $2.39 Meijer
Dish Soap 2 gallons $1.39 Meijer
All-Purpose Cleaner 2 gallons $3.99 Meijer
Paper Towels .5 gal $1.69 Meijer
Toilet Paper 2 lbs. $.69 Meijer
33 Gal Trash Bags 64 oz. $20.00 Meijer
13 Gal Trash Bags 20 oz. $2.69 Meijer