About Us

History

Contitution

History

The Russian Bazaar was founded in January of 1997 by Masha Ageeva and Etery Mudzhiry. Over 40 people attended the founding meeting of the club. The first official event of the Russian Bazaar was a St. Valentine's Day dance party which was attended by nearly 100 people. Since its founding the Russian Bazaar has grown to include over a hundred members. Most recently (between 2003 and 2004), the Russian Bazaar has had many Russian cultural events, including a trip to the Hillwood museum in DC and a visit to Dostoevesky's play "The Brothers Karamazov".    The club has also organized several fundraisers. In 2003 the club organized a Date Auction of club members and E-board to benefit the victims of Chenobyl. The Russian Bazaar also organized a fundraiser (in the Marvin Center and at Baja Fresh) to benefit the injured children from terrorist school attack in Beslan, Russia.    With the help of the members of GW ISS and The Bank of America, the Russian Bazaar raised over $10,000 which went directly to the children in Spiranskaya hospital ( the Central Children's hospital #9 in Moscow).    In 2004 and 2005 the Russian Bazaar organized social events such as a trip to the St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Washington for a traditional Russian bazaar, and multiple dinner and movie nights. In February 2006, the club organized a fundraiser to benefit Russian orphans. The fundraiser featured food, music, and an auction of the children's own artwork. We have received news that the orphanage used the money raised to add a small movie theater for the children to enjoy. In the Spring of 2006, the Bazaar also organized a date auction benefitting charity. Most recently, the Russian Bazaar undertook its biggest challenge yet- planning a monumental Slavic Spring Festival for the D.C. community. The Festival was held on March 31st, 2007, and was hailed as a great success. With the support of nine embassies and the Russian Cultural Center, the Bazaar created a day-long celebration of traditional Slavic culture. The Festival featured food and performances by traditional song and dance groups such as Barinya, as well as Eurovision contest winner Ruslana!

Constitution

The Russian Bazaar Club Constitution Click here to download (Word file) Article I The Russian Bazaar Article II Section 1: We will increase awareness of the Russian culture in the GW and DC communities. We will foster an appreciation of the Russian culture among our members and celebrate the culture through various social and cultural events. We will aid students studying the Russian culture and language. We will give our philanthropic support to Russian organizations in need of aid. Section 2: We, The Russian Bazaar, will abide by all established University policies. Article III Section 1: Any registered GW student with interest in the Russian culture or the Russian language may be a part of The Russian Bazaar. Members are identified by signing a sign-up sheet at meetings and being added to the listserv. No dues are required of members. Section 2: A member may withdraw from the organization at any time. Section 3: Membership is granted without consideration of race, gender, color, creed, citizenship, national origin, and sexual orientation. No discrimination will be allowed among members on the basis of any of the above. Article IV Section 1: There are officers. These officers will constitute an executive board that will meet separately from the general body meetings. They are as follows: President: Responsible for ruling over the executive board. The main point of contact between the organization and the university. Presents at meetings of the executive board and of the general body. Responsible for authorizing and approving all events. Liaison between the Russian Bazaar and the rest of the Russian community in DC. Vice President: Responsible for assisting the President in duties as necessary. Will take over president's responsibilities if president is unable to fulfill them. Financial Officer: Responsible for handling the budget, filling out co-sponsorship, reimbursement forms, and other materials related to finances. Acts as a main liaison between the organization and the Student Activities Center. Cultural Events Chair: Proposes and organizes events related to the Russian culture (i.e. Art exhibits, plays, concerts, etc.). Creates an annual budget for the cultural events. Actively participates in the decision making process of the executive board. Social Events Chair: Proposes and organizes events focusing on building stronger relations within the organization (i.e. Parties, mixers, picnics, movie nights, etc.). Creates an annual budget for the social events. Actively participates in the decision making process of the executive board. Event Coordinators: Responsible for the detailed planning, scheduling, and coordinating of specific event(s) outlined annually by the President, as well as assisting Event Chairs with their planned activities. For 2005-2006: main responsibilities include coordinating the Date Auction and Fall Fundraiser. Freshman Representatives: Responsible for creating awareness of the organization among other new students. Attend executive board meetings, accustom themselves with the duties of the existing board members, while preparing to fulfill higher ranking positions in the following academic year. Webmaster: Creates and maintains the official website of the organization. Secretary: Responsible for taking minutes of all meetings, including the executive board meetings, keeping them on record, and emailing the members on a regular basis. Fulfills other duties as requested by the President. Article V Section 1: Officers such as: Secretary, Freshman Representatives, Webmaster and Event Coordinators are self nominated, but selected by the President and Vice President based upon individual interviews at the beginning of the fall semester. Officers such as: President, Vice President, Social Events Chair, Cultural Events Chair, and the Financial Officer are self nominated on the basis of prior experience as members of the executive board. Upon nomination, a democratic silent ballot election is held, absentee ballots are not valid. These officers will be elected at the end of spring semester and will hold office for fall and spring semesters of the following year. Officers will make a speech to other members of the club and members will vote by silent ballot. In the event of a tie, the candidates can choose to either share the position or to have a second vote. If an officer is seen unfit to perform his or her duties, the members of the e-board will vote to ask the officer to resign. If the officer is asked to resign and refuses, the matter will be brought to the organization as a whole to vote. If the organization votes for the resignation of the officer, the officer must resign. A new officer will be appointed by the existing board within 2 weeks of the previous officer's resignation. If an officer decides to resign based on the following: illness, study abroad, academic suspension, or early graduation; he or she may propose a replacement for him/herself, however the right to appoint a replacement is reserved to the executive board. A resigning President forfeits his/her office to the Vice President. Article VI Finances/ Allocations of Funds Section 1: The organization will finance its activities through Student Association and the available co-sponsorships. The Russian Bazaar will submit an annual Student Association budget request. Financial records will be kept by the Financial Officer. Expenditures will be proposed by the members of the executive board, approved by the President, and monitored by the Financial Officer. Article VII Amendments Section 1: Amendments may be proposed and voted on by the executive board. Amendments are voted on within two weeks of their proposal. Voting will be in a form of a secret ballot. .