Welcome!
Constitution
the
preamble
We, the members of Asian American Association believe that Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) students campus-wide should bind together in an effort to be more visible on campus, diminish stereotypes and discrimination, establish networking opportunities, and unite as the voice of the University of Missouri APIA student, do enact and establish this Constitution for the governance of our members.
chapter
1
Article I - Name
Section 1 - The name of this organization shall be the Asian American Association.
Section 2 - The organization name shall be known by the initials AAA.
Article II - Purpose
Section 1 - The purpose of AAA is to organize students of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) heritage on a pan-Asian basis. Our five goals include:
To establish a social network of APIA students for the exploration and relief of shared culture experiences,
To provide a support network for APIA students at the University of Missouri-Columbia and others of APIA heritage in the community that is able to handle our particular needs as people of color,
To program events reflecting and revealing the rich traditions of APIA culture, history, and philosophies to give mainstream society a more complete picture of the world outside of Western models,
To educate people and create awareness that discrimination transcends the polarization of black-or-white issues and to work for the accurate inclusion of APIA culture, history, and issues into society’s cultural awareness,
To bridge the schisms found among the various cultures we represent as Asian Pacific Islander Americans in order to work more effectively towards establishing a true community, as well as lending more strength to our collective voice to address issues that affect us as a whole.
Article III - Non-Discrimination
Section 1 - This organization shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era.
chapter
2
Article I - Membership
Section 1 - All those who become members of this organization during the fall semester of 1992 shall be known as charter members.
Section 2 - Membership shall be open to any student who is currently enrolled at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Faculty, staff, and other non-students may be honoree members.
Section 3 - Active membership must be in good standing with the University of Missouri - Columbia and must be enrolled in at least six credit hours.
Article II - Membership Dues
Section 1 - A $10 membership due per member will be collected at the beginning of each semester, in order for the student to establish active membership status. A $15 membership due paid in the beginning of the fall semester will apply for the academic year.
chapter
3
Article I - Executive Officers
Section 1 - The following officers shall be elected on a yearly basis: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2 - The executive power of AAA shall be vested in the President.
Section 3 - Each executive officer shall be in good academic standing at the University of Missouri - Columbia (2.0 GPA or above) and registered for at least 6.0 credit hours.
Section 4 - All officers shall serve the term of one academic year, beginning the day after the last day of classes in May and shall serve until the last day of classes of the following winter semester.
Article II - Committee Chairs
Section 1 - Committees include but are not limited to the following committees: Programming, Service, Social, External Networking, Publicity, and Intramural Sports.
Section 2 - Committee Chairs shall be selected after executive officers have been elected. Incumbent chairs may reapply for their current position at this time. Each committee shall have the option of being co-chaired by two appointed members of AAA.
Section 3 - Executive officers shall select committee chairs based on an application and interview process
Section 4 - Committee Chairs shall serve the term of one academic year, beginning the day after the last day of classes in May and shall serve until the last day of classes of the following winter semester.
Section 5 - Vacancies shall be filled at the discretion of the Executive Board.
Section 6 - Duties of Committee Chairs
Present any program proposals from their committee meetings to the Executive Board,
Oversee any progress proposed by their respective committees, including: working with administrators, reserving rooms, contacting agents, and any other duties needed to ensure the success of a program,
Each Committee Chair shall submit a complete report of the work done during his/her term of office for the succeeding Committee Chair.
Article III - Executive Board
Section 1 - The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, committee chairs, Historian, and Webmaster.
Section 2 - The Executive Board shall meet twice a month before AAA general meetings.
Section 3 - Two-thirds of the members of the Executive Board is needed for a quorum.
Section 4 - All decisions within the Executive Board shall be passed with a simple majority. In the event of a tie, the President shall have the deciding vote.
Article IV - Election of Officers
Section 1 - Officers shall be elected during the winter semester meeting of each year.
Section 2 - Candidates running for Officer positions shall announce their bids to the membership prior to election.
Section 3 - Two-thirds of the active members must be present at the time of voting.
Section 4 - Voting shall be by secret vallot. Officers will be elected by plurality.
Section 5 - If a tie should occur, a run-off election will occur as soon as possible after the original election.
Section 6 - Vacancies in office shall be filled at the next meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, following the same procedure as annual elections.
Article V - Executive Officers’ Powers and Duties
Section 1 - Duties of the President
To lead all Executive Board and general meetings of AAA,
Must be accountable to the advisor – work closely with advisor concerning all decisions. Must keep advisor informed about AAA’s agenda, and must be willing/able to communicate openly and honestly,
Make all final decisions for AAA,
Execute extra duties promptly and accurately when necessary,
Be informed of the duties of all executive officers in order to help coordinate the organization’s activities,
Represent AAA campus-wide with an enthusiasm to work for the APIA students,
Submit a complete report of the work done during his/her term of office for the succeeding President.
Section 2 - Duties of the Internal Vice President
Assume President’s responsibilities when he/she is unavailable,
Lead general meetings when President is absent,
Lead executive board meetings when President is absent,
To be a liaison between the Executive Board and general members,
Present Executive Board announcements during general meetings,
Work closely with the Social Chair in creating social events that promote group unity,
Submit a complete report of the work done during his/her term of office for the succeeding Internal Vice President.
Section 3 - Duties of the External Vice President
Function as the head of member recruitment,
Establish and maintain relationships with organizations in the Columbia community,
Establish and maintain relationships with MU administrative offices and student organizations,
Work closely with the Service Chair to create outreach programs targeted toward both the MU campus and the Columbia community,
Work closely with Publicity Chair in creating advertising AAA events and producing any newsletters, flyers, etc.
Work closely with Treasurer in creating fundraisers and establishing,
Keep records of any programs of interest to AAA on campus and in the community,
Submit a complete report of the work done during his/her term of office for the succeeding External Vice President.
Section 4 - Duties of the Secretary
To serve as the historian by maintaining/updating documentation for AAA,
Record minutes at meetings and send minutes to all AAA members,
Keep attendance records at each meeting,
Create and update a timeline with detailed notes of all AAA events,
Design and submit a newsletter to be distributed each semester,
Work with webmaster to maintain the AAA website,
Establish and maintain relationships with MU student organizations,
Attain a group photo of AAA’s membership during his/her term to be added to the records,
Submit a complete report of the work done during his/her term of office for the succeeding Secretary.
Section 5 - Duties of the Treasurer
Keep a complete record of expenses of the organization’s functions,
Authorize organization expenditure with the approval of the Executive Board,
Authorize the organization’s yearly budget with the assistance of AAA’s advisor and the Executive Board.
Give financial reports to the organization at each meeting,
Collect and track AAA member dues. Track active members and non-active members,
Oversee any fundraising events sponsored by AAA.
Submit annually the financial records for audit by the Student Organizations Auditor in UMC Accounting Services,
Submit a complete report of the work done during his/her term of office for the succeeding Treasurer.
Article VI - Removal of Officers and Committee Chairs
Section 1 - Any member may make a motion for the removal of an officer providing that evidence supports the removal.
Section 2 - Grounds for removal include the inadequate fulfillment of duties or the violation of regulations described in the M-Book, University policies, or any federal, state, or local laws.
Section 3 - A four-fifths vote by the membership is needed to remove an officer. Two-thirds of the entire membership is needed for a quorum.
Section 4 - An election for a new officer should be conducted at the next scheduled meeting.
Section 5 - Any member of the Executive Board or member of the committee of the chairperson in question may recommend the removal of a Committee Chair to the Executive Board. A simple majority in the Executive Board is needed to remove a Committee Chair.
Article VII - Meetings
Section 1 - The entire membership of AAA shall meet twice a month. The Executive Board shall determine specific dates.
Section 2 - The Executive Board may call emergency meetings.
Section 3 - Meetings will be open to all interested students unless the purpose of the meeting is to discuss personal matters or decisions.
chapter
4
Article I - Advisor
Section 1 - At least one faculty or professional staff member (at least 75% FTE) shall be selected to serve as advisor to the Executive Board and members of AAA.
Section 2 - If necessary, the Executive Board shall select a new advisor with the approval of the membership. The active membership shall vote on accepting the advisor with a simple majority needed for acceptance.
chapter
5
Article I - Amendments to the Constitution
Section 1 - Any member of the organization may present amendments to the Constitution at any regularly scheduled business meeting. Decisions on amendments will be put to the membership after the Constitution has been read at two consecutive meetings.
Section 2 - A simple majority is needed to pass an amendment. Two-thirds of the entire membership is needed for a quorum.
Section 3 - Amendments to the Constitution must be submitted to and approved by the Coordinator for Student Organizations before they become effective.
chapter
6
Article I - Compliance Clause
Section 1 - We agree to abide regulations described in the M-Book, all University policies, in addition to all federal, state, and local laws.
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