Union Latina Constitution

The purpose of this organization shall be:
a) to increase intelllectual, cultural, and social interaction between Latino students and the rest of the Allegheny community in order to promote the identity, unity, and development of the Latino students at Allegheny College

b)to increase the Latino students visibility and involvement in campus activities and the Meadville Community

c) to actively work to recruit and retain Latino students at Allegheny College

INDEX
Article I: Name
Article II: Membership
Article III: General Assembly
Article IV: Officers
Article V: Appointed Positions and Committees
Article VI: Elections
Article VII: Terms of Office, Removals, and Vacancies
Article VIII: Amendments

ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this organization shall be Union Latina and maybe referred to as U.L.

ARTICLE II
Membership
A. Union Latina shall be a student run organization
B. All persons registered/enrolled as students at Allegheny College may become members of U.L.
C. All members in attendance have voting rights for general meetings. An active member is defined as having been present at 2/3 of the meetings. For elections see Article VI for voting rights.
D. Membership will not be denied to any persons on the basis of race, gender, religion, physical or mental handicap, sexual orientation, or age.

ARTICLE III
General Assembly
1. The General Assembly shall meet at least twice each month.
2. Shall have the power to implement any service program or activity as long as it does not violate this Constitution or College Policy
3. shall have the ability to provide an official voice through its Executive Board to express student opinion and have that ability to express its opinion in any matter effecting the goals and purposes of U.L.
4. shall have the power to request reports or other pertinent data from any U.L. officer of committee member

ARTICLE IV
Officers
The Executive Board shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian.
The Purpose of the Executive Board shall be to serve as the policymaking body of Union Latina to coordinate and implement policies and decisions for the efficient administration of Union Latina subject to approval by the General Assembly. All members of the Executive Board shall meet at least twice a month during the academic semester. All elected officers are required to attend all of Executive Board and General Assembly meetings unless excused by the President or because of serious health concern and must notify the President prior to their absence. All members of the Executive Board will aslo serve as members of the Latino Heritage Month Planning Committee. Members of the Executive Board shall serve as representatives of Union Latina of the meetings of other organizations. Any member of the Executive Board may choose to ask the Executive Board to appoint an assistant(s). The nominated assistant(s) shall be approved by the Executive Board and the General Assembly. This assistant(s) to the Executive Board member, shall not have voting rights at the Executive Board meetings. In addition, existing officers are required to train and familiarize the newly elected officers that will take their offices within allotted time frame explained in Article VII.

A. President:
1. Shall have been an active member of the General Assembly for at least one year prior to being elected to this office.
2. Shall preside over General Assembly meetings and Executive Board meetings.
3. Shall cast a vote only if General Assembly is deadlock on a vote except during the election process.
4. Shall be a member and the co-chairperson of the Latino Heritage Month Planning Committee.
5. Shall be involved with other College committees that effect the goals and purposes of Unión Latina.
6. Shall perform other duties as delegated by the General Assembly or as needed.
7. May not hold this election for more than two years.

B. Vice-President:
1. Shall preside over the General Assembly and the Executive Board in the absence of the President.
2. Shall serve as a member of the Latino Heritage Month Planning Committee.
3. Shall be responsible for planning and implementing at least two (2) cultural programs per semester.
4. Shall perform other duties as delegated by the President, or as needed.
5. Shall chair the Social and Recreational Committee.

C. Treasurer:
1. Shall organize the financial accounts, records, and books of U.L. and its various activities.
2. Shall supervise the expenditures of all student funds.
3. Shall disburse funds upon direction of the Executive Board, with the acknowledgement of the advisor, and with consent of the General Assembly.
4. Shall provide regular reports of U.L. funds to the General Assembly.
5. Shall serve as a member of the Latino Heritage Month Planning Committee, and be in charge of the Month's financial accounts.
6. With the President, shall co-chair the Budget Committee to formulate next year's budget. This budget will be presented to Allegheny Student Government (A.S.G.) at the end of the Spring semester upon the direction of the Executive Board with the consent of the General Assembly.
7. Shall keep contact with the Office of Diversity Affairs Budget manager and shall represent U.L. at the Treasurer Training sessions.
8. Shall be responsible for the co-sponsorships for Latino Heritage Month events as well as other U.L. events.
9. Shall serve as the contact with A.S.G. finance committee.
10. Shall perform other duties as delegated by the President, or as needed.

D. Secretary:
1. Shall be responsible for the recording of the Executive Board and General Assembly minutes.
2. Shall be responsible for the compiling, filing and organization of all U.L. records and keep a copy in the U.L. office
3. Shall e-mail the minutes of the previous meetings to the General Assembly and the Executive Board.
4. Shall perform other duties as delegated by the President, or as needed.

E. Historian:
1. Shall be responsible for documenting events and making a scrapbook of the year.
2. Shall serve as a member of the Latino Heritage Month planning committee.
3. Shall be responsible for keeping the web site updated.
4. Shall perform other duties as delegated by the President.

ARTICLE V
Appointed Positions and Committees

A. Latino Heritage Month Planning Committee:
1. Shall plan and implement a month of programs designated to promote the rich and diverse Latino heritage and to educate the general Allegheny community about issues important to the Latino students population.
2. Shall be co-chaired by the President and one non-Executive Board member. Its members shall consist of the rest of the Executive Board and representatives from the General Assembly, the faculty and other interested student organizations on campus and the Allegheny community.
3. Shall be responsible for other duties as required by the programs of the Month.
4. Shall consist of Publicity, Decorating and Calendar Committees.

B. Social/Recreational Committee:
1. The Vice President shall chair this Committee.
2. Shall be responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing social/recreational activities for members of U.L. and the rest of the Allegheny community.
3. Shall perform other duties as delegated by the General Assembly.

C. Other Committees:
1. Shall be formed as the need arises with the consent of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI
Elections
A. Candidates:
1. Any active member of U.L. shall be entitled to seek an Executive Board position.
2. Any member wishing to take part in the Executive Board must be a registered student at Allegheny College.
3. Candidates for the presidency of U.L. shall have been a member of the General Assembly for at least one year prior to seeking the above mentioned office.
4. Any member wishing to be part of the Executive Board must be in good academic and judicial standing with the college.

B. Nominations:
1. Any member seeking an Executive Board position may be nominated by another member or nominate him/herself.
2. Any member nominated must address the General Assembly within 48 hours after being nominated.
3. Nominations will open during the third week in February of each year and close by the following meeting.
4. Elections will be held during the first week in March of each year.
5. Write-In candidates for the Executive Positions will only be allowed under special circumstances as seen fit by the existing Executive Board.
6. If a candidate chooses to withdraw from the election, a written withdrawal must be submitted to the Election Committee at least 72 hours before the election day.

C. Votes Needed for an Election:
1. Any active member of U.L. may vote in the elections for the Executive Board.
2. The candidate who receives the most votes will be elected as an officer of the Executive Board.
3. If a tie remains for an Executive Board position, a run-off election must be held as soon as possible or as decided by the Executive Board.
4. The Advisor of U.L. shall oversee the voting process and vote tallying.

ARTICLE VII
Terms of Office, Removals, and Vacancies
A. Terms of Office:
1. The newly elected officers of the Executive Board shall assume the responsibilities of the Executive Board two weeks after the election.
2. These two weeks shall serve as a training period for the new officers.

B. Removals:
1. The subject of removal shall be discussed by the Executive Board before it is discussed by the General Assembly.
2. Removal proceedings of any Executive Board officer in violation of their constitutional duties for his/her office, shall be brought before the General Assembly.
3. Any Executive Board member may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the General Assembly.
4. A two (2) week period shall be given before removal proceedings begin.

C. Vacancies:
1. Any vacancies in the Executive Board occurring during the academic year shall be filled by election.

ARTICLE VIII
Amendments
1. An amendment to this Constitution may be brought up before the General Assembly by any member of this organization.
2. An amendment brought before the General Assembly must be seconded in order to be considered.
3. A two (2) week interval, or longer, shall be required between the introduction of an amendment and the actual voting on the amendment.
4. Any amendment shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the General Assembly to become part of this Constitution and passed by A.S.G. Senate by a 2/3 majority at two consecutive meetings.

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