| (Latino Undergraduates Creating History in America) ARTICLE I: NAME The name of the organization shall be Latino Undergraduates Creating History in America, where its acronym will be La L.U.C.H.A. ARTICLE II: MISSION STATEMENT La L.U.C.H.A. stands for the unification of the Latino culture for the enlightenment and understanding through empowerment and education. ARTICLE III: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The main aims and objectives of La L.U.C.H.A. are: Section 1: a.) To promote social and self awareness of the Latino Culture b.) To promote unity among organizations of color c.) To promote community service Section 2: a.) To educate the Syracuse University community about the Latino Culture b.) To work separately or in conjunction with other organizations c.) To encourage empowerment through education ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP Section 1: La L.U.C.H.A. is open to all matriculated students of Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Section 2: Membership primarily focuses on, but is not limited to, people of Spanish and Latin American descent. ARTICLE V: BOARD MEMBERS Section 1: The Board shall be responsible for all organization, for the following and interpreting this Constitution and serving as the voice and motivating force for the constituency of La L.U.C.H.A. Section 2: The Executive Board is separated into six different positions, which are a.) Chair of Education b.) Chair of Finance c.) Chair of Cultural Affairs d.) Chair of Community Affairs e.) Chair of Public Affairs f.) Historian/Administrative Assistant g.) Editor of La Voz de La L.U.C.H.A. Section 3: Board members are responsible for setting an agenda prior to each board and general meeting. Section 4: All board members are responsible for calling all constituents in the event of an emergency general meeting. Section 5: If for any reason, an executive board position is not filled for an extended period of time, the executive board must divide and share responsibilities of that executive board position accordingly. ARTICLE VI: TERMS OF OFFICE Section 1: All members of the Executive Board are eligible for re-election Section 2: All Officers mentioned in Article V shall be elected and shall continue in office for one year, or until their successors in office are selected. ARTICLE VII: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Executive Board Section 1: a.) The Executive Board shall be responsible for the enforcement of all the laws of the organization. b.) The Executive Board shall have the power to call all the meetings of the organization. c.) The Executive Board, through its officers, shall represent the organization at any administrative faculty, community, religious, or student committee where such representation is called for. d.) The Executive Board shall present to the student government or administration body any petitions, suggestions, or recommendations from the organization. Education Chair Section 2: a.) The Chair of Education is responsible for making constituents aware of relevant issues. b.) He/she will supervise presentations, speakers, workshops, rallies, and all those events pertaining to awareness. c.) He/she will research campus issues, and organize political action. Finance Chair Section 3: a.) The Chair of Finance is responsible for keeping an accurate record of costs, and update the budget monthly b.) He/she is responsible for all contingency requests and complying with process established by the Student (Government) Association c.) He/she is responsible for writing and submitting the following year’s budget and assisting in the representing of the organization in all matters concerning the allocation of funds to the organization. Cultural Chair Section 4: a.) The Chair of Cultural Affairs is responsible for programming events that empower and inform the Latino community at Syracuse University, while educating the student body, faculty, and staff on Latino issues and contributions. b.) He/she is responsible for coordinating and creating a tentative agenda of events for the following academic year. c.) He/she shall assist in the written portion of next year’s budget. Community Affairs Chair Section 5: a.) The Chair of Community Affairs is responsible for creating a social, political, educational, and economic consciousness among the constituency through activities that promote awareness of the aforementioned factors to the Syracuse community. b.) He/she is responsible for building the spirit and pride within the Latino community through various events and activities c.) He/she is responsible for empowering Latinos by keeping them informed of leadership events, scholarships, and encouraging constituents to get more involved in the serving of the community. Public Affairs Chair Section 6: a.) The Chair of Public Affairs is responsible for communicating with other organizations and departments of the university. b.) He/she is responsible for publicity, correspondence, dialogue with alumni, and the dissemination of information. Historian/Administrative Assistant Section 7: a.) Historian shall keep accurate minutes of all board and general body meetings, and preserve the history of the organization. b.) He/she shall take attendance at all general body meetings, board meetings, and activities. c.) He/she shall make minutes available to all interested constituents and board members. d.) He/she shall bring a copy of the constitution to every executive board meeting. Editor of La Voz de La L.U.C.H.A. Section 8: a.) The Editor of La Voz de La L.U.C.H.A. is ultimately responsible for reviewing and partaking in format, organization, editing, and printing of written material and art included in La Voz de La L.U.C.H.A. newsletter. b.) He/she shall ensure that the primary content of the newsletter remains focused on informing and educating the Syracuse University community about Latino issues and problems in the United States. c.) The editor of La Voz de La L.U.C.H.A. is responsible for ensuring the production of the newsletter each academic semester. ARTICLE VIII: ELECTIONS Voting Eligibility Section 1: The active members, including current board members, shall appoint all nominees for office positions. Candidacy Section 2: a.) Any active undergraduate member is eligible to run for a position. b.) All candidates must submit a letter of intent at least 3 days prior to the election forum. Process Section 3: a.) Elections are to be held at least 21 days before the last day of classes. b.) The general body membership will be informed of all openings for executive 30 days before the election process begins. c.) An election commission of 3 people shall be established at least 7 days before the elections. The commission is selected from a random group of interested constituents. These constituents may not run for office, and must be active members, but not board members. d.) There shall be two forums. All candidates must participate in both. All will be allotted the same amount of time for platform presentations. e.) A question-and-answer period shall be moderated by the executive board and general body f.) Election must take place in form of secret ballot for 24 hours. g.) The commission will ensure all candidates are represented fairly. They will also count the votes of the election. Substantial Membership Section 4: a.) In the event that the membership is not substantial enough to fulfill previously mentioned requirements, then the executive board shall handle responsibilities of the election process accordingly. ARTICLE VIII: OFFICE VACANCY Section 1: a.) In the event that a board member resigns or is impeached, letters of intent will be accepted from any active member of the organization. No board member may resign his/her position to run for another office. b.) An immediate forum will be organized by the board and all candidates must participate. c.) The new board member will be elected by secret ballot vote following the forum. ARTICLE IX: IMPEACHMENT Section 1: a.) In the event of poor performance of lack performance, the position of leadership can by taken away from any board member. b.) At any time, a constituent or board member may call for an evaluation of a board member’s duties and performance in written form. c.) An emergency meeting shall take place upon which the call for evaluation will be discussed with the person in question. A warning shall be given at this meeting and the person in question will be placed on probation for a month. d.) At the following general body meeting, constituents will be informed of the status of the board member in question. e.) At the end of the probation period, the person in question shall be re-evaluated. A secret ballot vote will take place with the organization determining the future status of the person in question. ARTICLE X: MEETINGS Section 1: There shall be a minimum of two meetings every month and four executive board meetings every month. Section 2: It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to call an extraordinary meeting of the organization when the board is convinced that business of sufficient importance has arisen. Section 3: The order of business of every meeting of the organization shall consist of: Call To Order The Statement of the subject of the meeting The Transaction of the business for which the meeting is called The Transaction of miscellaneous business Adjournment ARTICLE XI: COMMITTEE FORMATION/AMENDMENT Section 1: Over the course of time, the board of La L.U.C.H.A. and its constituents may feel the need to create or abolish a committee or position in organization. In these instances, anyone can submit a written proposal for a course of action. Section 2: The proposal must be represented to the board, who in turn must write an amendment to this constitution. Section 3: The amendment shall be presented at a general body meeting consisting of 1/3 of the participating constituency. Section 4: All present shall vote by a show of hands. A 2/3 vote is necessary to pass the amendment. ARTICLE XII: FACULTY ADVISOR Section 1: The organization shall have a Faculty Advisor established by the beginning of each academic year. |
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