| Constitution of the Unified Society of South Asians
July 16, 2001 Last updated (April 25, 2002)
ARTICLE
III: Membership Criteria
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of the organization shall be
the Unified Society of South Asians (USSA).
ARTICLE II: Mission Statement
Our mission is to enlighten
students of Arizona State University with the culture and heritage of
the South Asian countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan,
and Sri Lanka.
ARTICLE III: Membership Criteria
Section 1.Members consist of those individuals
who have registered and paid the membership fee of $5. Section 2.Voting member must be a current member.
ARTICLE IV: Officers
Section A:The association shall have the following
Executive Committee Members: a President, Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and Events Coordinator. The following will make up the general officers:
Public Relations and Foreign Ambassadors for each country. The Officers
shall be elected by a majority vote of the members, run-off elections
will be held when necessary. The Executive Committee is formed on the
basis of 'ONE MAN, ONE POST' principle. Section B: 1.
The term of office shall be for a period of one year.
2. A member cannot hold office for more
than 'TWO' consecutive or interrupted terms for a specific position.
3. A current office bearer cannot run for
election for more than one office. Section C:All Officers shall have the duties, responsibilities,
and powers stated in this constitution.
The President: By virtue of this office,
the President shall: 1.
Preside at all meetings and conduct the elections;
2. Serve as a liaison between Arizona State
University and other organizations on/off campus; 3.
Delegate authority whenever deemed necessary; 4.
Serve as the official spokesperson for the Association; 5.
Schedule meetings and secure a meeting place.
The Vice-President: The duties of the Office
of Vice-President shall be to: 1.
Organize subcommittees whenever necessary;
2. Serve as liaison between the Association
and Indian Students Association 3.
Preside at meetings in the absence of the president.
The Secretary: The duties of the office of secretary shall be to: 1.
Maintain the minutes of all official meetings. 2.
Assist the President in conducting the elections. 3.
Be in charge of the election process.
4.
Strive towards an increase in membership.
5.
Maintain email account and inform committee
at weekly meeting regarding all pertinent information.
6.
Provide webmaster and publicist with
detailed information regarding events.
The Treasurer: The duties of the office
of Treasurer shall be to: 1.
Allocate specific funds only upon sanction of the Officers; 2.
Collect membership dues. 3.
Maintain written accounts of the funds.
4. Arrange for reimbursements allotted
to the Association by the ASASU and/or any other organizations or businesses. 5.
Prepare and present the budget.
6.
Oversee financial sub-committees as
necessary. The Events Coordinator: The duties of the
office of EC shall be to:
1. Gather information regarding events
as in costs, places where event can be held, and plan according to the
approved budget plan. 2.
Prepare and present the budget plan and event itinerary.
3.
Oversee financial sub-committees as
necessary.
The Web Master: The duties of the office
of Web Master shall be to:
1. Maintain by updating the website with
the most recent events, meeting minutes. 2.
Update the mailing list by adding and deleting members.
3. Send emails out regarding upcoming events
as well as past event news.
The Publicist: The duties of the office
of Publicist shall be to:
1. Oversee the publicity and information
committees and establish sub-committees when necessary.
2. Be responsible for the proper portrayal
of the Association and its objectives. 3.
Contact media concerning approved activities.
4. Arrange for posting of notices and information
including the monthly newsletters sent out to all on mailing list.
5. Compile an annual report using information
provided by all Officers.
ARTICLE V: Meetings
Section 1.Regular weekly meetings will be held
for “EXECUTIVE” officers and bi-weekly meetings for all Officers. Section 2.The officers of the organization may
call special meetings at any time. A concerted effort must be made by
the officers to ensure that all members are aware of these meetings.
Section 3.If an officer is not able to attend a
meeting, he/she should contact the Secretary, so that absence is excused.
If an officer fails to show to three consecutive meeting that
will be the grounds to inform the officer of their discharge of their
position. The reasons is clear, this committee should
consist of individuals who can make time to dedicate to this organization
so that it may run well as well as efficiently.
ARTICLE VI: Elections
Section 1.Elections for all officer positions shall
take place during the ninth week of the spring academic quarter. Meetings
for elections may or may not coincide with general meetings. Section 2.In order to win an election, a candidate
must successfully acquire at least 51% of the votes cast at the election,
not including abstentions. If only one candidate is running for a certain
position, voters shall have the option of voting for the candidate,
against the candidate, or abstaining. In this case, if the sole candidate
does not receive at least 51% of the total votes cast (those in favor
plus those against), the position will be vacant until the following
general meeting, when another election will take place for this position.
During this time, additional nominations may be taken for the position.
In an election involving more than 2
candidates, if 50% of the vote is not reached by any of the candidates,
run-off elections will be held, in which the individual who receives
the fewest votes in the election before will be struck from the ballot.
This will continue until one candidate has received the needed 50%.
If there is an unbreakable tie between
2 candidates (each has 50% of the vote) in the final election, the President
of the organization will cast the deciding vote. This is the only instance
during the entire election process where the President may vote. Section 3.Elections/appointments must be publicized
to all USSA members at least 2 weeks before the actual election/appointment
is to take place. Notice of election will be the Publicist’s responsibility.
ARTICLE VII: Advisors
Section 1.The organization shall have at least
one faculty advisor, who will serve for a term of one academic year.
Section 2.The officers shall select advisorship.
Section 3.The officers shall inform the adviser
of the activities of the organization, including decisions made by the
organization and the results of any elections, which take place during
his/her tenure as advisor. Section 4.The Co-Founders of this organization
will serve as Permanent Advisors. By no means will the names of these people
change unless directed so by the Co-Founders by a unanimous vote. The
following are the five advisors:
1)
Amit Chandrakant Patel
2)
Mital J. Dholakia
3)
Monica Dev
4)
Ravish Naren Patel
5)
Vikesh Desai These persons will be able to be contacted via email. Contact information will be updated when necessary, it will be the President’s responsibility to make sure accurate information is available.
ARTICLE VIII: Committees
The officers shall appoint chairpersons
of all committees. Executive officers of the organization have the power
to create and eliminate committees as seen fit.
ARTICLE IX: Dues
There will be dues required from members
at the beginning of the semester. By paying dues the members will receive discounted
admission to events held throughout the semester. The money will be
invested in the activities for that semester.
If the money collected is wrongly used, an Executive Officer
should inform the advisors to see that appropriate action is taken. ARTICLE X: Amendments
Section 1.In order to vote on an amendment to the
USSA constitution, the advisors and all officers (both Executive and
General) must be present as well as members. Section 2.An amendment must be proposed at a meeting
at least one week before a vote regarding the amendment takes place,
A concerted effort must be made by the officers to inform members of
the proposed amendment. A vote regarding an amendment cannot take place
at the same meeting during which it was first proposed. Section 3.In order for an amendment to be approved,
3/4 of the voting members who are present at the meeting must vote in
favor of it. Abstentions do not figure in the calculation of the vote.
If there is a tie, then the officers and advisors shall vote. If a tie occurs then the advisors will determine the final vote.
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2002 © Unified Society of South Asians
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