About the Asian American Association
Constitution
ARTICLE I: Name
SECTION 1: The name of this organization shall be the Asian American Association.
ARTICLE II: Purpose
SECTION 1: The purpose of this organization is to promote greater recognition of Asian cultures, history, and heritage to The College of New Jersey community. In addition, it shall support and focus on the needs of Asian students, faculty, and staff. This is to be achieved through educational, cultural, and social programs, activities, and projects.
ARTICLE III: Qualifications for membership
SECTION 1: All student, faculty, or staff member attending or employed by The College of New Jersey are eligible for membership in this organization. Membership is open without discrimination to gender, race, religion, national origin, handicap, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and lifestyle.
SECTION 2: Active members are those who attend 75% of all meetings for one semester and actively participate in activities. Honorary members are those who participate in a majority of club activities but are unable to attend 75% of all meetings because of other circumstances (i.e. class or employment warrants automatic honorary membership with verification to the executive board). Other situations will be dealt with according to executive board decisions.
SECTION 3: Any member not following rules and regulations of this organization will be considered inactive.
SECTION 4: Active and honorary members shall have all voting privileges.
ARTICLE IV: Executive Board
SECTION 1: The Executive Board shall consist of six positions: President, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice-President of Internal Affairs, Treasurer, Secretary, and Publicity Coordinator. Where necessary, executive board members shall supervise one or more committees with the assistance of an appointed committee chairperson.
SECTION 2: Eligibility: Any TCNJ student who has previously served or is currently serving on the executive board or board of committee chairs of this organization, and fulfills the standards for qualification as set by the Student Leadership Criteria (see attached). The previous requirement excludes the positions of Secretary and Publicity Coordinator.
SECTION 3: Term of office shall be one year beginning in May, ending in April.
SECTION 4: Officers' duties listed in Article V.
SECTION 5: The executive board, under the leadership of the President, is responsible for determining and executing the policies of the organization. With these responsibilities, the executive board must also bear in mind the best interests of the membership, and must stay loyal to the purpose and policies of the organization.
SECTION 6: The executive board must also allocate and disburse the organization's funds except in cases where a particular allocation does not directly relate to the general welfare of AAA and where a particular allocation will cause a dramatic fiscal loss.
SECTION 7: Attendance Policy: Barring any unforeseen circumstances, every officer must attend all executive and general board meetings and serve their designated office hours.
SECTION 8: The executive board is responsible for attending retreats, specifically two retreats (although more may be necessary).
a. They must attend the leadership retreat as sponsored by the Office of Campus Life to prepare for the upcoming year.
b. They must coordinate a retreat at the end of the year with the newly elected executive board to assist in the annual transition of the executive boards by giving suggestions, addressing issues, and providing avenues toward securing programs, etc.
SECTION 9: All officers are responsible for holding office hours. The minimum recommended amount of time is 2 hours per week. The purpose for holding office hours is to provide members immediate access to the executive board, and to allow executive board members time to prepare for events, to hold meetings, and to supervise committees.
ARTICLE V: Duties of each Executive Board Officer
SECTION 1: President
a. to call and coordinate executive functions
b. to supervise and follow through with events
c. to meet with the organization's advisor(s)
d. to initiate and implement the policies determined by the organization and the executive board
e. to delegate responsibilities to the officers and to supervise their actions all policies set forth by the organization conform to the purpose, ideals, and regulations as stated in the constitution
g. to pick up all mail and correspondences for AAA
h. to coordinate office hours and develop proper procedure for fulfilling office hours and procedures
SECTION 2: Vice-President of Public Relations
a. to substitute for the President whenever necessary, specifically during situations in which the President is unable to fulfill certain responsibilities pertaining to public relations, such as attending campus committee meetings, events of high visibility, etc.
b. to faithfully perform the responsibilities delegated by the President
c. to supervise the following committees: Philanthropy, Asian Awareness Celebration, Multicultural Program - "The Mystique of the East"
d. to address, discuss, and confront issues concerned with the organization and its members with the campus community and abroad
SECTION 3: Vice-President of Internal Affairs
a. to substitute for the President whenever necessary, specifically during situations in which the President is unable to fulfill certain responsibilities pertaining to internal affairs, such as calling executive board meetings, conducting general board meetings, attending meetings with the advisor, deliberating hearings in which officer's responsibilities are questioned, etc.
b. to faithfully perform the responsibilities delegated by the President
c. to supervise the following committees: Activities, Homecoming, Semi-formal
d. to address, discuss, and confront issues concerned with the internal affairs of the organization
SECTION 4: Treasurer
a. to keep an up-to-date account of the organization's finances and to provide financial information to the executive board whenever necessary
b. to finance all activities, events, projects, etc. coordinated by AAA, as allocated by the budget or by the earnings gained through fundraising endeavors
c. to maintain communication with the Student Finance Board through the organization's liaison to ensure that vouchers, receipts, cash advances, budget proposals, SFB policies and procedures, etc., are handled adequately
d. to attend training and information sessions regarding the responsibilities of the position
e. to maintain a balanced budget
f. to acquire the necessary signatures for all documents specific to the position
g. to supervise the Fundraising Chairperson and committee
a. to keep a written, accurate, and up-to-date account of all proceedings and decisions taken by the organization in executive and general board meetings
b. to record all voting procedures and motions occurring during those meetings
c. to keep a record of attendance and maintain the organization's directory, roster, and telephone distribution lists
d. to prepare and distribute copies of the agenda
e. to prepare letters, cards, memos, etc. whenever necessary
f. to keep members informed of plans and events
g. to supervise the following committee chairpersons: Historian, Internet, and Newsletter
h. in the event that the secretary will not be available to take minutes (at meetings), one of the committee chairs supervised by the secretary will be asked to take minutes. It is the responsibility of the Secretary to find someone to fill the vacancy at the meeting
a. to advertise all activities, projects, events, etc. that are prepared, coordinated, and sponsored by the organization by creating, posting, and distributing flyers, chalking sidewalks, arranging mass-media advertisement through the RHA channel, WTSR radio station, and e-mail, as well as off-campus publicity if necessary
b. to supply an oral or written progress report to provide an update about publicity at every executive board meeting
c. to follow all posting procedures as outlined by the Office of Campus Life and the Office of College Relations
d. The Publicity Coordinator has the right to form a publicity committee and to delegate responsibilities within that committee.
ARTICLE VI: Board of Committee Chairpersons
SECTION 1: The board of committee chairpersons shall consist of ten positions, which include the following six term positions: Philanthropy, Activities, Fundraising, Historian, Newsletter, and Internet; and the following four special event positions: Homecoming, Asian Awareness Celebration, Multicultural Program, and Semi-Formal.
SECTION 2: Eligibility: Any TCNJ student is eligible for a committee chair position as long as the applicant fulfills the standards for qualification as set by the Student Leadership Criteria (see attached).
SECTION 3: All committee coordinators will be filled by appointment. Term positions will be appointed for one academic year beginning in September and ending in May. Special event chairs will be responsible for coordinating the specific events. It is also possible that two special event chairs may be held by one individual. (It is recommended that the two events are not in the same semester.)
SECTION 4: All organization members interested in an appointed position must have a minimum 2.0 grade point average, fulfill the qualifications as established by the Student Leadership Criteria (see attached), and submit an application to the Executive Board. Decisions will be made immediately following all election procedures by the newly elected executive board.
SECTION 5: Committee chairpersons plan, organize, and coordinate specific activities according to their specific job description, and are supervised by an executive board members (as listed in Article VII). All major decisions must be agreed upon by the majority vote of the executive board. Specific duties for committee chairperson are outlined in Article VII.
SECTION 6: All committee chairpersons are required to spend a minimum of 30 minutes a week in office hours with their supervising executive board member to provide updates and information, to ask for assistance, and to share their ideas.
SECTION 7: With issues pertaining to particular events concerning their specific position, and during executive board meetings when such voting on issues will be taking place, committee chairpersons will have the opportunity to vote.
SECTION 8: Attendance Policy: Committee chairpersons must attend their designated office hours and general board meetings. Term chairpersons are encouraged to attend executive board meetings. Special Events chairpersons are required to attend executive board meetings in order to discuss relevant issues and to update the executive board about their event, so that all decisions can be finalized.
ARTICLE VII: Duties of each Committee Chairperson
SECTION 1: Philanthropy:
a. to organize, advertise, and attend three community service projects per semester
b. supervised by the Vice-President of Public Relations
a. to organize, advertise, and attend three social activities per semester
b. supervised by the Vice-President of Internal Affairs
a. to update the organization photo album and scrapbook by taking pictures of events, projects, meetings, etc. and by saving flyers, programs, newspaper clippings, etc.
b. supervised by the Secretary
a. to publish the AAA Newsletter "The Mystique" two to three times per semester incorporating topics addressing the Asian college community on the TCNJ campus, advertisements of events, reviews of programs, and insights about the organizations and college issues
b. to organize a staff of writers and delegate responsibilities in regard to the publication of the newsletter, e.g. layout and formatting, features, current events, advertisements, copy editing, etc., and to establish meeting times to allow staff the opportunity to brainstorm and discuss ideas for upcoming issues.
c. supervised by the Secretary
a. to organize, disseminate, and advertise any information (when necessary) to all members of the organization concerning its news and events via the AAA of TCNJ web page and e-mail
b. to maintain an updated and private electronic mail address book
c. to utilize and maintain the security of the e-mail account information, such as passwords, etc. that must be held confidential amongst the Internet chairperson, the Secretary, and the President
d. supervised by the Secretary
a. to organize, coordinate, and participate in all fundraising events for the organization
b. supervised by the Treasurer
a. to attend all Homecoming meetings and coordinate extra meetings, if necessary
b. to prepare rosters for events
c. to provide information and updates on events to the organization
d. the coordinator reserves the right to establish committees under his or her supervision
e. supervised by the Vice-President of Internal Affairs
a. to establish theme and develop calendar of events
b. to prepare, coordinate, and supervise events and functions
c. to contact venues, facilitators, speakers, and performers for the program
d. to update the organization on the progress of events
e. to provide manpower, security, dining services, as necessary, for the events
f. the coordinator reserves the right to establish committees under his or her supervision
g. supervised by the Vice-President of Public Relations
a. to establish theme and develop program of performances
b. to reserve space for rehearsal and show
c. to contact technical crew, performers outside TCNJ, etc.
d. to update and inform organization of progress
e. the coordinator reserves the right to establish committees under his or her supervision
f. to uphold the following criteria for participation in the show (specifically when length of show becomes an issue): active participation in the organization's activities and events as demonstrated through attendance and involvement, significant and/or necessary representation of countries, outside acts (i.e. performances by non-members) should be excluded unless they represent a country that is not represented; these recommendations are subject to change according to the decisions made by the current executive board and Multicultural program chairperson
g. supervised by the Vice-President of Public Relations
a. to establish date, place, and theme of the semi-formal. (It is recommended that the semi-formal chairperson supply the organization three potential sites according to the best date agreed upon by the membership.)
b. to coordinate dinner and dance schedule
c. to provide invitations, decorations, and gifts
d. to contact dining services, musicians and/or DJs, photographers, transportation services, etc.
e. supervised by the Vice-President of Internal Affairs
ARTICLE VIII: The Advisor
SECTION 1: The advisor must be a faculty member, staff member, or administrator of the college.
SECTION 2: The organization shall have the power to select a cultural advisor annually. This selection is limited to The College of New Jersey faculty, administration, or staff
SECTION 3: The advisor(s) shall attend all appropriate meetings and retreats, and be thoroughly familiar with the affairs of the organization. The advisor's responsibility is to give guidance and lend ideas.
SECTION 4: The advisor is required to facilitate the election procedures in April.
SECTION 5: The advisor shall also participate in proposing the yearly budget, sign vouchers and contracts (Note: ALL CONTRACTS MUST BE REVIEWED AND SIGNED BY THE ADVISOR), and meet with the organization's president on a regular basis.
ARTICLE IX: Meetings
SECTION 1: Communication between the executive board, board of committee chairpersons, and the general board will consist of distribution lists (through the ROLM phone system) established by the Secretary. Accommodations will be made for AAA members who live off-campus.
SECTION 2: The executive board, consisting of President, Vice-President of Public Relations, Vice-President of Internal Affairs, Treasurer, Secretary, and the Publicity Coordinator, shall have a weekly informal officer's meeting in order to prepare themselves for the general board meeting and discuss matters pertaining to the organization.
SECTION 3: Executive board meetings are not open to general board members of AAA. However, committee chairpersons are recommended to attend executive board meetings to stay informed with the affairs of the organization and to share information on their specific program, event, or project.
SECTION 4: A quorum during executive board meetings is the President, and three other members of the executive board. Without this quorum, no action can be taken.
SECTION 5: The President does posses the privilege to vote during executive board meetings. If there should be a tie at the conclusion of the voting process, the advisor has the responsibility to make the final decision. However, these decisions can not be made unless the advisor and the executive board have been able to discuss all the options at another meeting, and the advisor is made aware of all reasons and opinions as expressed by the members of the executive board.
SECTION 6: Special and/or mandatory meetings of the executive board may be called upon by the President or by two-thirds agreement of the executive board.
SECTION 7: Weekly general board meetings shall be held at a time selected by the organization. The format of these meetings shall include attendance (signing-in), distribution and carrying out of the agenda (which would include president's report, various officer and committee reports, voting on various motions on the floor, announcing future AAA and college programs, and other miscellaneous business), and adjournment.
SECTION 8: Special meetings of the general board may be called upon by the President, or by two-thirds agreement of the executive board, or by written request by 10% of the AAA membership.
SECTION 9: A quorum for general board meetings shall consist of half plus one of the current voting members, a.k.a. active and honorary members. A simple majority of quorum is required to pass a motion.
SECTION 10: All executive board meetings and general board meetings shall be convened by the President or the acting President.
SECTION 11: Individual committee meetings shall occur at the discretion of the committee chairperson and the supervising executive board member of that committee.
SECTION 12: The (newly elected) executive board shall also hold three summer meetings in order to discuss ideas, plans, and programs for the following year, as well as specific AAA policies, procedures, and responsibilities as outlined in the Constitution.
ARTICLE X: Elections
SECTION 1: Nomination shall be made by members only, including self-nominations, and must be seconded by another member to be accepted as a viable nomination. All candidates must be active members, have a minimum 2.0 grade point average, and submit a written or oral application supplied by the Executive Board. It is recommended that nominations be held two weeks prior to the day of elections, so that the active membership roster can be submitted to the Office of Campus Life for review of eligibility.
SECTION 2: Voting privileges are ultimately determined by attendance. Therefore, only active members and honorary members shall be eligible to vote in elections.
SECTION 3: In order for honorary members to secure their privileges to vote, they must submit a written request for voting privileges. This request must explain what other commitments prevent them from attending meetings on a regular basis and what participation they have provided outside the meetings. This request must be submitted to the executive board during its meeting before the week of elections will be held.
SECTION 4: Formal elections for Executive Board Positions will be held once a year during the second week of April.
SECTION 5: Requirements for eligibility are listed in Article IV: Section 2. If, for some reason, an active member wishes to run for any executive board position but does not fulfill the requirements for eligibility, the individual must present an appeal to the general board at its next meeting. The general board will then decide if this individual has exhibited appropriate reasons to be placed on the ballot.
SECTION 6: All voting will be conducted by secret ballot and the results tabulated by the advisor as well as two non-office seeking voting members of the organization appointed by the advisor.
SECTION 7: Elections will occur in the following order: President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, Publicity. The specific election procedure for each position is as follows: (1) Final nominations, per Article X, Section 1. (2) An open forum shall be held prior to the balloting at which time the candidates shall have a reasonable time to present their platform to the executive board and the general board. (3) A closed door discussion about the candidates will be held following this open forum. (4) Voting.
SECTION 8: All officers shall be elected by a majority vote. If there is no majority winner after the initial vote, the top two vote-getters will run again. The candidate with the most votes will be elected.
SECTION 9: All committee chair positions will be filled by appointment. Interested candidates must submit an application of interest to the newly elected executive board. An interview session will be established between the executive board and the candidate. Prior to this interview, the executive board will review the candidate's application. During the interview, the candidate will be asked several questions, and these answers will provoke discussion of the candidate's potential amongst the executive board after the interview. If other candidates wish to be appointed for the same position, the same procedure applies. Following all interviews (for one position), the executive board will appoint by majority vote the candidate it feels will fulfill the responsibilities of the job and will perform to the satisfaction of the organization.
SECTION 10: There will be a transition of power beginning at the conclusion of elections until the designated date of that year's graduation. The term of office for each newly elected officer and chairperson shall extend from the time of graduation until the next designated election.
SECTION 11: The executive board shall determine any additional election procedures or details as it deems necessary that year. (For example, following the election of the two VPs, they are permitted to choose amongst themselves which role they would like to fulfill: Public Relations or Internal Affairs; or election procedures can warrant candidates to run for the specific roles prior to elections.)
ARTICLE XI: Removal of Officers or Committee Chairs
SECTION 1: Ground for impeachment shall include:a. Constant failure to perform the assigned duties due to conscious and constant negligence
b. Deliberate pursuit of policies contrary to the constitution of AAA
c. Any deliberate action which may compromise the purpose of AAA
SECTION 2: Any officer who is in violation of the organization's purpose or constitution, as described above, may be removed from office via the following procedure:
a. A written request or petition by one-fourth of the active general board or two-thirds of the executive board is necessary to begin the process of removal of an executive board or committee chairperson.
b. The President must confront the officer in question (via formal letter and meeting) to determine whether or not there is substantial evidence that an open hearing is required. The President must inform the officer in question of their violations and/or conduct and the concerns as addressed by the members. The officer in question must discuss the causes and situations that have allowed or perpetuated these actions. In cases where the President is under question, the Vice-President of Internal Affairs will assume the responsibilities toward deliberation.
c. Failure by the officer in question to meet the President's request for a meeting is just cause for (1) the officer's resignation per President's request and/or (2) the immediate impeachment of the officer in question by a two-thirds vote of the executive board.
d. If the officer in question responds to the request for a meeting with the President, and substantial evidence for impeachment is acquired, the officer in question must be prepared to address these concerns to the organization during an open hearing, which will be announced to all active and honorary members.
e. The President or VP of Internal Affairs shall preside over the hearing.
f. A two-thirds vote by current active and honorary voting members is necessary to remove an officer.
g. The removal of the individual through this process prevents him or her from holding another position in the organization during the next academic year.
ARTICLE XII: Succession
SECTION 1: At the conclusion of the election process, the two newly elected Vice-Presidents must agree upon who will succeed the President when circumstances arise that would warrant the dismissal or resignation of the President.
SECTION 2: If, for a valid reason, the position of the Presidency shall be vacated, one of the two Vice-Presidents shall fill the vacancy as agreed upon during the past election.
SECTION 3: If, for a valid reason, the position of Presidency is vacated again, the order of succession then follows: remaining Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Publicity Coordinator.
SECTION 4: If, for a valid reason, a position besides the Presidency is vacated within the first semester term, election procedures will be utilized to fill the position.
SECTION 5: If, for a valid reason, a position besides the Presidency is vacated during the second semester term, then the President may choose to appoint any organization member to fill the vacancy until the next election. This appointment must be agreed upon with a majority vote by the executive board.
SECTION 6: Resignation of any executive board member or committee chairperson from his or her position requires two weeks formal notice to the President and / or the executive board.
ARTICLE XIII: Financial Provisions
SECTION 1: This organization will finance its activities by submitting a budget to the appropriate committee of the college on an annual basis and make requests for funds it deems necessary for the coming year. It is not anticipated at present that dues or fees will be charged. However, the officers of the organizations reserve the right to charge dues or fees as financial needs are calculated.
ARTICLE XIV: Amendments to the Constitution
SECTION 1: This Constitution shall be binding upon all organization members. Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed in writing by any voting member at any meeting, in which a majority of voting members must vote to allow further discussion of the proposed amendments. These proposed amendments will be placed on the agenda for the next general board meeting for this purpose. Proposed amendments will become effective following approval of a two-thirds vote of current active members.
ARTICLE XV: Ratification of the Constitution
SECTION 1: This Constitution shall be ratified by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members present at the meeting for this purpose.
15 (yes), 1 (no), 1 (abstention).
Those present at this meeting were 17 of 28 active members, allowing quorum: Divya Bhoj, Cristina Cayetano, Shoma Datta, Phoebe Del Castillo, Palak Doshi, Sylvia Fonseca, Jacqueline Gill, Mark A. Habana, Viraj Mane, Melissa Narvaez, Gladys Pakingan, Peter Prieto, Gayatri Rao, Edgar Sanchez, Erica Tang, Reshma Thani, and Lori Vales
