Constitution of La Fuerza Latina
Updated Spring Semester of 2001
Our Mission
Statement:
We, the
Latino Community of Denison University, endeavor to make the presence of
Latino/a students known at Denison University Denison Denison University Denison University Denison Denison University
Article I
- Name
The name of the organization shall
be La Fuerza Latina
Article II
- Purpose
A.
To acknowledge the presence
of Latino/a students at
B.
To promote Latino/a awareness within the community.
C.
To create a comfortable
environment for Latino/a students within
D.
To support our Latino/a
students and staff academically, socially, and through instances of
institutional discrimination, academic retention, gender stratification, and
social racism.
E.
To facilitate a cultural
exchange among students of different backgrounds without the exclusion of
Latino/a students.
F.
To protect the interest of
Latino/a students through active participation in campus governance academic
institutions, other student organizations, and scholastic endeavors.
G.
To serve as the main voice
for the interests of Latino/a students at
Article
III - Membership
La Fuerza
Latina shall be a student run organization. La Fuerza Latina shall operate on
an active membership policy for all
Meeting
dates will be weekly. Upon confirmation of the new executive board,
proper dates/times will be assigned for general assembly meetings. Anyone
who is interested in attending a La Fuerza Latina meeting is welcome to join
regardless of race, religion, sex, creed, handicap, national origin or sexual
orientation.
The main
focus of La Fuerza Latina's meetings will revolve around enriching the
A regular
member will be responsible for attending the meetings. To be considered an active member one must
have attended 2/3 of the scheduled meeting.
If a member cannot come to a meeting, than she/he must contact the secretary
within 24 hours in order to be excused.
Article IV
- Officers
Section 1 - Executive Board
The Executive Board will consist of the following:
1. President (will also serve as Academics Chair)
2.
Vice-President (will also
serve as Social Chair)
3.
Secretary (will also serve as
Constitution/Communications Chair)
4.
Treasurer (Finance Chair)
5.
DCGA Community
Representatives
6.
Sergeant of Arms
The purpose of the executive
board shall be to act as the directing body of La Fuerza Latina. The executive
board is ultimately responsible for all administrative and internal activities.
Section 2 - Elections
1.
Officers of the organization
shall be elected during the month of March by a majority vote of active
members.
2.
Nominations for executive
positions shall be submitted to the current secretary at the general meeting
two weeks prior to elections.
3.
At the following meeting, the
secretary shall announce the official nominations. At that time, candidates
will have the opportunity to speak on their own behalf.
4.
After the March elections,
newly elected officers will spend a one-month training period under the
supervision of current executive officers. Training will consist of planning
events for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Section 3 - Qualifications
In order to be nominated for an executive position and/or Chair
of Committee, the candidate must:
1.
Be an active member of the La
Fuerza Latina.
2.
Be enrolled as a full time
student at
3.
Must be present on campus
during the academic year of elected term.
4.
Maintain a Minimum Cum GPA of 2.0 or above
Section 4 - Terms
1.
Elected officers shall take
office on the first meeting after Semana Latina,
2.
They will hold their position
for one year,
3.
Officers may run for
re-election for a second term (two years maximum) per office.
Section 5 - Resignation
If for any reason, any
officer must leave the organization, then the executive board will appoint a
member to the vacant position and have their appointee ratified by the general
assembly. The exiting officer must submit
a letter of resignation to the Secretary of the Executive Board.
Section 6 - Duties of Officers
Each officer is expected to
serve as a positive role model, while keeping in mind that their position is
both a responsibility, as well as a privilege. In addition, each officer is
required to abide by Denison University rules and procedure.
1.
President: The President’s power
shall be to convene and preside over Executive Board meetings, conduct all
official La Fuerza Latina business, delegate authority to executive board
members, and run the general assembly meetings. The responsibilities hereto the
President is as follows:
Strictly
uphold and adequately maintain the organization’s purpose,
Chairing the Academics Committee and recruit members for the
committee.
2.
Vice-President: The Vice-President’s
power is assuming all the responsibilities of the President, presiding over
meetings, and conducting all official La Fuerza Latina business. The Vice President is responsible for:
Considering
all social activities/co-sponsorships involving other student-organizations,
academic bodies, and outside organizations,
Chairing the Social/Cultural Committee and recruit members for
the committee.
3. Secretary: The Secretary has the power to call the meeting into order based
on 2/3 quorum attendance; if no quorum is present then she/he must cancel the
meeting. She/He is responsible for:
Recording
official minutes,
Taking
attendance from all executive board and general meetings,
Creating
agendas,
Maintaining
communications between the executive board and the general assembly members,
Keeping a
master E-Mail/Address list of all Members and Alumni,
Receiving
all submitted nominations and motions to nominate, remove, or commend an
officer/member,
Keeping
records of executive board voting and elections in a secure location so the
information can be passed to the next secretary.
Updating the La Fuerza Latina Constitution every two years. The Secretary will serve
as Chairperson of the Constitution Committee and recruit members for the
committee,
4. Treasurer:
The
Treasurer’s power shall be in coordinating all money transactions of La Fuerza
Latina. She/He is responsible for:
Keeping an
account of all receipts and expenditures,
Informing officers
of the quantity of funds available in the budget,
Maintaining
an updated balance sheet,
Allocating
money to the proper committees,
Writing
the new fiscal budget,
Making
requests for reallocation of money within budget to DCGA,
Section 7. DCGA Community Representatives
Each
Latino Community Representatives shall vote in DCGA. They shall not vote on La Fuerza Latina
Execute Board decisions. They are
responsible for:
Acknowledging the concerns of Latino students to DCGA.
Introducing resolutions and bills that are in the best interest
of the Latino Community.
Addressing the general assembly and executive board about all
DCGA activities and happenings.
Pursuing
Latino interests within the Denison Community.
Section 8. Historians
There
shall be two historians. They shall not
vote on La Fuerza Latina Executive Board decisions.
Both
Historians share the responsibility of maintaining the La Fuerza Latina
Homepage (www.denison.edu/student-orgs/latino/).
One
historian shall be responsible for composing a La Fuerza Latina’s Newsletter, El Poder Latino.
The other
historian shall be responsible for maintaining a visual and written record in an
organized history book/computer file. A visual and written record of La Fuerza
Latina sponsored events will be available throughout the year.
Section 9. Sergeant At Arms
There will be a Sergeant at Arms chosen if need be by the
Executive Board to bring a meeting into order.
The President shall appoint the Sergeant At Arms for the meeting’s
remainder. If the President is not in
attendance, the appointment of a Sergeant At Arms shall be carried out by
highest ranking Executive member. If a
moment arises, the Sergeant at Arms will be responsible for:
Recognizing speakers in the
order appropriate to be recognized by the General Assembly.
Facilitating the remainder
of the meeting.
Adjourning the meeting.
Article V
- Meetings
The purpose of the meetings (both
Executive and General Assembly) is to conduct any official business concerning
the organization. Official business shall include yearly elections of the
officers and any other major decisions effecting the organization.
1.
Executive Board meetings will
be held on a weekly basis on an established weekday, time, and location, which
will be determined at the beginning of each academic semester. Any La Fuerza Latina member may attend;
however, she/he may not vote on issues until it is officially brought to the general
meeting.
2.
General Assembly meetings
will be held every week on an established weekday, time, and location, which
will be determined at the beginning of each academic year. The officers of the
executive board may call emergency meetings when the need arises.
3.
All meetings encourage
attendance and needs a 2/3 general assembly member (not executive board member)
quorum in order to proceed.
Article VI. Committees
The
purpose of committees is to organize La Fuerza Latina sponsored activities and
ensures the participation of the General Assembly.
Section 1. Standing Committees
Standing
Committees are permanent bodies of La Fuerza Latina and will consist of general
assembly members. These committees are
the Academic Support, Social/Cultural, and Finance Committees.
1.
Academic Support Committee: This committee is responsible for:
a.
Planning two community
town hall meetings outside the dates of National Hispanic Heritage Month and
Semana Latina for students, faculty, staff, and other community members
throughout the year.
b.
Accumulating information on,
and creation of, a database that records all available academic scholarships,
grants, or opportunities for Latino/a students and staff.
c.
Maintaining a record on
accepted, retained, dropped-out, and failing Latino/a students and the number
of Latino/a personnel working for Denison University,
d.
Reporting on the academic
integrity of the Latino/a Community monthly to the general assembly.
e.
Awarding certificates of
achievements to all members who have maintained a minimum of a 2.7 Cum GPA.
2.
Social/Cultural Committee: This committee is responsible for
a.
Planning all official La
Fuerza events, co-sponsorships, and events with other student organizations,
academic departments, and outside organizations.
b.
Reserving rooms,
transportation, dinner reservations, and other functions of social events that
require immediate attention. All
activities recommended by the Social Committee must meet the approval of the
Executive Board.
c.
Publicity of all official La
Fuerza Latina events and co-sponsorships.
d.
Reporting the activities of
other student organizations to the general assembly as well as other events,
speakers, and important community meetings throughout the Denison Community.
3.
Finance Committee: This committee is
responsible for:
a.
Planning a budget for next
fiscal year.
b.
Conducting fund-raisers for
relief efforts, donations, or other appropriate activities.
c.
Approving individual
co-sponsorships.
d.
Reporting to the organization
on use of budget every month.
Section 2. Constitution Committee
This
committee is responsible for updating the La Fuerza Latina’s Constitution every
two years, and the new Constitution must be approved by General Assembly by
simple majority.
Section 3. Creation of New Committees
If there arises a need to
create a new committee by the General Assembly, it is then required that a
proposal be given to the secretary with all due intent and purpose for the
committee. The executive board must give
approval. The Chairperson will be designated
by the committee proposal.
Article
VII – The Role of the Advisor
A.
The advisor shall be a
faculty, staff, or administrator of Denison University.
B.
Acting as the
mentor/facilitator, the role of the advisor will be to serve as a liaison
between students and Administration.
C.
The advisor shall provide
ideas and suggestions to promote the purpose of La Fuerza Latina.
D.
The advisor shall provide
availability to facilities, equipment, and information on the Latino community
in the United States, Latin America, and abroad.
Article
VIII - Amendments
1.
Any active member may propose
an amendment in written form to the Secretary.
Its purpose must have clear intent on amending the constitution. Any amendments proposed while the La Fuerza
Latina Constitution is under review will be referred to the Chairperson of the
Constitution Committee (refer to Article IV, Section 6).
2.
A proposal will be submitted
by the secretary to the general assembly as new business and will be voted upon
as old business.
3.
Amendment must reach
2/3-majority vote in order to pass of active voting members present.
Article IX -
Impeachment/Removal of Officer
Section 1 – Grounds of Impeachment
Any elected officer may be subject to impeachment if she/he:
1.
Does not perform the duties
and responsibilities as stated by the constitution.
2.
Does not respect or honor the
purpose behind La Fuerza Latina.
3.
Is found guilty of a serious
campus violation, or is found to be on academic/social probation.
Section 2 - Impeachment
Impeachment is an official
challenge to an officer's commitment to La Fuerza Latina and its members.
Procedure of Impeachment shall be:
1.
Any active member may submit
a motion to remove an officer.
2.
The secretary must present
the evidence first to the executive board unless she/he is the officer in
question. In that case, the vice president shall present the motion. If the
executive board, through a simple majority, agrees that the evidence is
sufficient, then the motion is presented to the general assembly as new
business.
3.
If the officer in question
chooses not to resign, the removal decision will be simply based upon a
majority vote of active members of the organization.
Section 3 - Appeals
An officer that has been
removed from office has only one opportunity and one week to appeal the removal
decision. If the removed officer is found innocent with a majority vote of the
general assembly, then the removed officer reassumes all responsibilities and
rights of that office immediately.
~FIN~
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