About SFL
Mission Statement

George Mason University Students for Life is a student organization committed to promoting compassionate alternatives to abortion at GMU, to support pro-life members of the Mason community, and to educate our colleagues about abortion to promote the "culture of life."

What We Do

Students for Life is a nonpartisan organization that recognizes that life begins at conception, that all life deserves equal protection, and that abortion ends the life of a child. We promote compassionate alternatives to abortion such as adoption and pregnancy care centers through education, events, and advertising. We support initiatives that make Mason's campus more accommodating for student parents, and we support organizations such as Feminists for Life who work to systematically eliminate the reasons that compel women to choose abortion. We recognize that abortion can have devastating effects on the women and men involved with it, and we promote organizations such as Project Rachel that offer hope and healing to women and men who have been hurt by abortion. We support pro-life activists on campus and bring the pro-life message to tomorrow's leaders attending Mason today by hosting events, providing pro-life educational resources, networking with larger pro-life organizations, and providing a supportive pro-life community.

Constitution of George MasonUniversity Students for Life

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Article 1: Name.The name of this organization is the GMU Students for Life.
Article 2:  Purposes. To establish justice and the right to life for the unborn through education. To help women and men in crisis pregnancies find support services for themselves and for their unborn children.
Article 3:  Membership:

Section 1:  Active Members.  Only students who are currently enrolled at George Mason University shall be considered “Active Members”. They shall maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 and be in good academic standing with the university. They shall vote in officer elections.
Section 2:  Honorary Members.  Members who are alumni and community members shall be considered “Honorary Members”.
Section 3:   Associate Members.  Members who are members of the GMU faculty or staff, or students from other schools shall be considered “Associate Members”.
Section 4:  Termination of Active Membership. An Active Member automatically becomes an Honorary Member when the Active Member ceases to be currently enrolled at GMU. A member shall be removed if the Executive Board deems their conduct inappropriate.  The Executive Board shall vote at a special meeting and if a simple majority is reached, the member in question will be removed.
Section 5:  Membership in this organization will not be restricted on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, sex or age.

Article 4: Officers.
Section 1: Officers.  The officers of the organization shall be President, Secretary, Vice-President, and Treasurer.  The same person may hold any number of offices if the Executive Board membership falls below four (4) persons.  Only an Active Member with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 shall hold a position as officer.
Section 2:  President.  The President shall have general supervision, direction and control of the conduct and officers of the organization. He or she shall preside over all meetings of the members and only vote in case of a tie.
Section 4:  Vice-President.  The Vice-President shall perform all the duties of the President when he or she is unable to perform them.
Section 5:  Secretary.  The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, a book of minutes of all meetings of the members, with the time and place of holding, and the names of those present or represented at meetings.
            The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, a membership list, showing the names of the members, their addresses, their phone numbers, their email addresses, the date of membership, whether a member is a Active Member or Honorary Member, and the date of suspension, termination or resignation of any member.

Section 6:  Treasurer.  The Treasurer shall keep and maintain or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions of the organization.  The books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection by any Executive Board member and the Advisor.
Section 7:  Term Limits.  There will be no term limits on officers.  Each term shall be only one year for each office.
Section 8:  Termination of Officers.  Officers shall be removed from office if the Executive Board deems their conduct inappropriate.  The Executive Board shall vote at a special meeting and if a majority is determined, the officer in question will be terminated from office.  A special election of the Active members will be held to elect a replacement officer.  Officers may also resign their office. The resignation shall be submitted to the President and a special election shall be held to replace the resigned officer.

Article 5: Elections.

Section 1:  Selection of Officers.  Each officer shall be elected annually in March by a vote of the Active Members. Nominations shall be submitted to the President, Vice President and Secretary by secret ballot. Nominees will present their qualifications before the Active Members at the meeting in which the election will take place. In case of a tie, the president shall vote to break the tie.
Section 2:   Advisor.  The primary advisor shall be a member of the faculty or staff at George Mason University .  The Executive Board shall select an advisor by a majority vote. The advisor chosen will be approved by a majority vote of the active members. The advisor shall be removed of their duties if the general body of Active members and the Executive Board vote and a majority is reached at a special meeting to remove the advisor.  The advisor may offer guidance and support but may not have a vote.

Article 6: Meetings

Section 1:  Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Active Members shall occur at least two times per semester, except during the summer semester. The President shall preside over all meetings.  The quorum shall be a simple majority of the active membership plus one officer.

Section 2:  Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Active Members may be called by the President or by the Executive Board.  Notice shall be given to all Active members at least five (5) days in advance and shall specify the meeting place, the date, the time, and the general purpose of the meeting.

Section 3: Rules Used.  The rules contained Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the organization in all cases to which they are applicable.

Article 7:  Finance.  There shall be no dues required of any members. The organization shall not incur any debt.

Article 8:   Amendment of Constitution.  This Constitution shall be amended by the following procedure:
1.      by proposing in writing and reading the change at a general meeting of the membership;

2.      by bringing the proposed change up for a vote at the next general meeting;

3.      a quorum of the Active Members is necessary to hold the vote;

4.      The office of Student Activities must review all amendments in the same manner as a completely new constitution.

Article 9:   Ratification of Constitution.  This Constitution shall be ratified by the following procedure:

  1. by proposing in writing this Constitution at a general meeting of the membership;
  2. by bringing this Constitution up for a vote at the next general meeting;
  3. a quorum of the Active Members is necessary to hold the vote;
  4. This constitution shall become effective upon approval by a ¾ vote of the membership, the Council of Student Organization Umbrella Leaders and the Associate Dean of University Life/ Director of Student Activities.

Article 10:  Executive Board.  The organization shall have an Executive Board that shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Executive Board shall vote on all decisions other than those decisions to be made by the Active Members. 

Section 2:  Meetings.  The Executive Board shall meet at least once per semester except during the summer semester.  Attendance shall be open to any member.

Section 3:  Appointments to Executive Board.  The Executive Board, at any time, may appoint a Active Member to the Executive Board, whose term shall continue until he shall resign, be removed, or be otherwise disqualified to serve, or until new officers are elected.  Removal of someone appointed to the Executive Board can only occur by a simple majority vote of the Executive Board
This constitution was drafted on 12/17/03 .

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