Description
The purpose of Student Reformationists is to:
- Identify problematic (e.g. harmful) federal and State of Iowa laws (and local ordinances, regulations, etc.), and promulgate lawful, goodwill efforts to repeal such laws (and overturn such rulings).
- Propose amendments to existing laws, propose new laws, and promulgate efforts for the amendment of and enactment of such laws, such as general outreach (e.g. disseminating handouts and/or gathering petition signatures to/from fellow students and general public).
- Create committees (or “task forces”) to build grassroots suits at law and/or equity, then seek legal representation and/or file such suits pro se.
- Suits are geared toward the protection of civil and constitutional rights, monopoly busting and corruption (e.g. racketeering) suits, public interest, public benefit, and environmental protection. Members may propose a vote to pursue another just cause which Student Reformationists then deem worthy, upon successful vote. Suits shall be brought in good faith and built with the utmost care and research.
Identify and list problematic (harmful) scriptures of various religious texts, with a primary focus on Abrahamic religions. Secondary tasks include:
- Compile well-cited documentation of historic and modern (political) injustices being caused and/or exacerbated by the existence of such scriptures, then list each set of injustices alongside corresponding verses.
- Propose to have all such verses removed from the “Living Word” of the religious texts from where they are currently written, and have them moved into a prologue within the same book.
- Once a list is complete, we shall contact the heads of the various religions and, starting with Christian religious organizations (since we are living within a Western society), invite them to a “Remedial Council”. The Remedial Council shall be as a modern day equivalent of the Councils of Rome, such Religious bodies shall then vote whether or not their organization shall choose to archive the current version of the Holy Bible and replace with this new version, wherein the list of verses alongside reasonings shall be placed into a prologue. This “new” version of the Holy Bible shall then be used in place of the old Roman version of the Bible within these organizations. We shall remain open to organizations, by their own volition, to join in this decision at any future date, and thereby enter into our Registry.
The primary goals of Student Reformationists include:
- To educate the masses about why state and federal laws ought be repealed, amended, or enacted. Promulgate efforts (e.g. petitioning, concerts, events, suits) in favor thereof.
- To educate the masses about why the Holy Bible and Quran (and other religious texts which we may find to contain problematic verses) ought to be reformed, and to work toward continued efforts toward global peace through reformation. Public apologies may be requested to organizations, if Student Reformationists, by vote, deem such apology and acknowledgment necessary.
The beliefs of Student Reformationists include:
- “We the People” are the rightful masters of the state and federal governments, and that we must “peaceably assemble” to create needed reforms.
- That various religious texts, at the time this constitution was drafted, are flawed and contain harmful “ungodly” scriptures which ought to be removed from the Living Word. We believe that a loving Creator would never have created such scriptures, but rather these verses were created by humans. Some within our organization may feel “moved by the Holy Spirit” to work toward worldwide religious reformation, while others may find other more humanitarian reasons for why such reforms are needed.
Student Reformationists has religious, political, and humanitarian endeavors; we are united in our efforts to create a better future for human and naturekind.
The scope of Student Reformationists is to work within the bounds of the law, and to work toward reforming laws when laws are unjust. Our primary audience is fellow students. Our secondary audience is the general public.
Affiliations
This organization has no affiliations.
Constitution / Tier
Membership Information
| Student Members |
4 |
| ISU Members |
1 |
| Non-ISU Members |
0 |
| Allowed Members |
Persons who attend 3 sessions shall have a permanent name badge presented to them at the fourth meeting, at which time they become Members. Community Members (non-student Members) are given separate badges (name tags) for indication purposes (because Community Members do not have voting rights, whereas student "Members" do). |
| Allowed Officers |
Officers must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.
|
| Membership Qualifications |
Participation and active engagement which benefit and do not undermine our endeavors. |
| Membership Restrictions |
None at this time. |
| Elections/Selection |
Second meeting of the semester – Prospective Officers give a pitch why they would like the position. Officers leave the room while Members vote.
Majority vote wins.
Third meeting of the semester –
– Prospective Court Jesters may perform 90 second comedy routines, then leave room
for vote to decide.
No elections for President, Vice President, or Treasurer during initial semesters of operation because these roles are filled by founding members. Otherwise elections shall occur during the second meeting of the semester. |
| Meetings |
Every Friday @ 4:00 pm. |
Description of Regular Meetings/Activities
| First meeting of the semester –
– Purpose of Student Reformationists explained to attendees. Two prongs of reformation:
– Political reformation; here are some model cases that prove Citizens can build
successful cases through grassroots efforts:
– Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company – one of the first
environmental cases in the nation, wherein a group of private Citizens
gathered together to build a suit against mining debris from hydraulic
mines that was severely polluting the Yuba River. The
outcome of the suit was that no tailings (debris) could enter the river
from anyone doing anything upstream.
– Erin Brockovich – a non-lawyer who built a class action lawsuit in favor
of the residents of Hinkley, CA. This case proves that private Citizens
can build successful, meaningful suits to hold companies accountable.
– Officer roles explained.
– Upcoming voting during second and third meetings explained. Students interested in
leadership positions urged to prepare their 90 second pitch for the position.
Second meeting of the semester – Prospective Officers give a pitch why they would like the position. Officers leave the room while Members vote. Prospective cases and religious reformations work explained, Members and Community Members urged to consider:
– Which Task Force (committee) they are interested in joining, or
– What other suits of public interest they are interested in pursuing. Urged to send
proposals to the President prior to the next meeting.
Third meeting of the semester –
– Members and Community Members with proposals may pitch their cases for ~5
minutes (longer if needed maximum of 10 min), take questions. Total time: 10 min for
pitch and Q & A.
– Everyone is divided into Task Forces.
– Prospective Court Jesters may perform 90 second comedy routines, then leave room
for vote to decide.
Following meetings – Prior to meetings, Members and Community Members may propose “problem scriptures” within various (Abrahamic) religious texts. Upon approval (President’s discretion), at the following meeting or meeting after, that person may give a 5 min..pitch to Student Reformationists to state their case and give reasonings. Followed by a vote, upon ⅔ vote, that student may compile related scripture(s) alongside historical and/or modern political issues caused and/or exacerbated, at least potentially in part, by such scripture(s) and have it added to our list (posted in our Discord).
Students divide into Task Forces and get to work on their assignments.
When a case is prepared, the Task Force alerts the President, and a presentation is scheduled. Other Members and Community Members are urged to review their work, ask questions, ask for clarification, and assist with research so a final draft may be proposed.
Once a final draft is complete (e.g. a petition), outreach to find legal representation may be performed. If no assistance is to be found, the Task Force may then elect to file the case pro se. Journalists are sought.
|
Description of Special Events
| Annual field trip to state capitol to meet with legislators or governor, and to visit the law library and learn to use WestLaw. |
| Public screenings of impactful films related to our endeavors, such as Milk and Erin Brockovich, for example. One per semester. |