Students for a Free Tibet 

University of Massachusetts Chapter 

Students for a Free Tibet-UMass is a Registered Student Organization (RSO) that is a part of a larger international umbrella organization, Students for a Free Tibet. SFT-UMass was started in the spring of 1998. A collaboration between an already- existing Tibetan Students Association, Graduate Student Organization (GSO), and undergraduate students, SFT-UMass quickly gained a solid following of students who were dedicated to giving the Tibetan People a voice that they are not afforded. SFT is dedicated to raising awareness of the Tibetan crisis, educating people about events past and present in Tibet, and showing support for the campaign to save the country of Tibet, its culture, and its people. Many times throughout recent history it that the occupying People's Republic of China has violated countless human rights and is currently committing nothing less than genocide. SFT-UMass does NOT aim to vilify the Chinese people as they themselves are not responsible for the actions of their government and are often the victims of the same human rights violations that are suffered by the Tibetan People. We hope that through our actions we can help attain a peaceful resolution to this unfortunate situation. 

 Name: This student organization shall be officially named "Students for a Free Tibet" and employ the acronym SFT. 

 Mission Statement: Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is dedicated to promoting awareness, education, and political action concerning the issues facing the region formerly known as Tibet which is now claimed by the People’s Republic of China. 

On the eve of the Chinese invasion in 1950 Tibet was a free and independent country, governed by the Tibetan people. Most United Nations member countries condemn China’s "aggression" and "invasion." In addition, in 1959, 1960, and 1961 the UN General Assembly passed resolutions 1353-XIV, 1723-XVI and 2079-XX which called on China "to respect and implement the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people, including self-determination." China has repeatedly failed to comply. Tibet has an ancient culture that has had paramount influences on forming and influencing many other diverse and unique cultures. The people of Tibet have the same common rights as all the citizens of this globe, and these rights must be protected. 

•  Raising Awareness: The foremost goal of SFT is the raise awareness within the University and surrounding community of the unlawful actions being and having been committed in the region known as Tibet which formerly comprised of three regions now renamed as parts of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan and the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), all under the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China. The goal is not to vilify the People’s Republic of China but rather to show that illegal actions have been committed and are being committed against Tibet and its peoples which need to be halted and righted before the consequences of these actions become un-rectifiable. 
•  Education: Once more, it should not be SFT’s intent to vilify the People’s Republic of China but rather to provide accurate and unbiased information about the various events surrounding Tibet. It should be the aim of SFT to put forth relevant information about the political, social, and economic situations in Tibet and the consequences of these derived from the rule by a foreign government. 
• Action: It should be SFT’s aim to extend political pressure to members of the United States government, the government of the People’s Republic of China, leaders of other nations of the world and private companies that may contribute to the aforementioned situation in hope of restoring all three regions of Tibet to its natural and legally-coherent state of independence and to ensure the protection of it’s people’s rights and to force the People’s Republic of China to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the UN General Council. 

• Raise awareness surrounding the situation of Tibet through rallies, demonstrations, visual and audio presentations, etc.
• Put forth information about these issues through literature, visual and audio presentations, seminars, speeches, etc.
• Be active in supporting and proliferating the aforementioned ideals.
• Have meeting for all members every two weeks.

• Voting Membership: In order to be a Voting Member within the Students for a Free Tibet organization one must a.) be an UMass undergraduate student, b.) be registered in the organization including given name and surname, address, and student’s ID number, c.) have a record of attendance in at least five SFT meetings.
• Common Membership: All those interested are encouraged to join and participate in SFT. Common Membership is open to all men and women, including students of the Five College program, regardless or race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, mental or physical handicap, political belief or affiliation. It is not required that one registers with the organization but strongly advised for more accurate record keeping.

•  The President: The President’s duties include but are not limited to being the official representative of SFT, ensuring the well being of the organization, ensuring that the organization adheres to the SFT Constitution. The President carries the Signature of Responsibility. It is the President’s duty to present matters that need to be voted on to the Voting Members during each meeting. The President has exclusive veto power but is not afforded a vote unless in a tie-vote that needs to be decided in which case the President is afforded one vote. 
•  The Secretary: The duties of the Secretary include but are not limited to creating, assessing, storing and safekeeping of all SFT documentation and documentation associated with the organization. It is the duty of the Secretary to keep records of the activity of SFT. The Secretary is responsible for amassing and recording proposals to be voted on and presenting them to the President. The Secretary is afforded one vote. In the case where the President is not able to perform his/her duties the Secretary shall fill both positions until a suitable replacement can be elected. 
• The Treasurer: The duties of the Treasurer include but are not limited to the righteous handling of all SFT monetary transactions. It is the Treasurer’s duty to precisely keep records of these transactions. The Treasurer will also hold the Signature of Responsibility. The Treasurer is afforded one vote. In the case that the Secretary should not be able to carry out his/her duties the Treasurer will fill both positions until a suitable replacement can be elected. 

 Ratification: During the first meeting of the Students for a Free Tibet there shall be a vote to ratify the SFT Constitution. Only those who are undergraduate UMass students are afforded a vote. At least ten votes and a majority of votes (50% +1) are required to ratify the SFT Constitution. An official copy must be made available to the Secretary of the Registry who requires to approve the constitution and the ratification vote before it can be implemented. A copy of the Students for a Free Tibet Constitution must be made available to every member.