Caribbean Student Association
No Strangers Among Us; We Are All Family
Note:
The constitution is a document that CSA must abide by and will abide by. Please Read this carefully. THANK YOU.
| Article I: Purpose | Article II: Membership | Article III: Dues | Article IV: Officers |
| Article V: Elections | Article VI: Meetings | Article VII: Advisors | Article VIII: Amendments |
Article I: Purpose The Caribbean Students' Association (CSA) recognizes the fact that the Caribbean people have many different ancestral origins. Therefore, there should be equal treatment regardless of ancestral origin.
Section 1:
The Caribbean Students Association recognizes the fact that the Caribbean islands are populated by different nationalities i.e. African, Amerindian, East Indian, European and Oriental. The Caribbean Students Association will operate with that fact always in mind.
Section 2:
Since there is a scarcity of written history about the Caribbean islands, the Caribbean Students Association will seek to create an awareness among its members and fellow students of the rich, creative and developing history of our islands by researching and documenting past and current events.
Section 3:
The Caribbean Students Association will be a medium for the active dissemination of cultural, political, and historical information about the Caribbean islands and people. The Association will maintain contact with Caribbean embassies in the United States, and keep on hand written literature on the region.
Section 4:
The Caribbean Students Association will seek to share cultural experiences with other students through guest lecturers, seminars, workshops, field trips, and various social activities.
Section 5:
There will be a commitment made by members to provide academic tutoring and counseling for other members who might need assistance.
Section 6:
The Caribbean Students Association will maintain contact with its former members so they may continue to provide assistance.
Section 7:
The Caribbean Students Association will actively seek out new P.S.U. students from the Caribbean and will aid them in adjusting to life at P.S.U. The Association will also seek to aid members who may encounter problems at the University's administrative level.
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Article II: Membership
The Caribbean Students Association will consist of three types of membership: active, associate and honorary.
Section 1: Active Membership
(a) Faculty, staff and registered full-time and part-time student. This is not limited to Caribbean Nationals.
(b) Payment of dues as specified by the Executive Officers and approved by the Association.
(c) Attend 80 percent of the meetings.
(d) Nominate and vote for officers.
(e) Can be elected or appointed to positions in the organization.
(f) Participate in group activities.
(g) Vote on group decisions.
Section 2: Associate Membership
(a) Spouses of active members and interested members of the State College community.
(b) Payment of dues as specified by the Executive Officers and approved by the Association.
(c) Attend 30 percent of the meetings.
(d) Participate in committees.
(e) Participate in group discussion.
Section 3: Honorary Membership
(a) Any individual who the Executive has, with the Association's approval, deemed worthy of this honorary status because of her/his significant contributions to the Caribbean Students Association.
(b) Participate in group discussions and activities.
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Article III: Dues
Section 1:
Dues shall be payable by the ninth (9th) week of each semester.
Section 2:
The Dues paid by Associate Members shall be no greater than 40% of those paid by Active Members.
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Article IV: Officers
Section 1: Titles and Terms
(a) The Executive Officers of the CSA shall be the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Assistant Secretary.
(b) The duration of each term will be one year, starting thirty-one (31) days after the date of elections.
(c) The previous Executive Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the new Executive Officers during the next year if present at Penn State.
Section 2: Duties of Officers
The President Shall:
(a) Be the Chief Executive Officer and official spokesperson of CSA.
(b) Make the final decision in all disputes e.g. in event of a 50/50 vote, or in an emergency, he/she will make the final decision.
(c) Appoint representatives to outside positions (such as within the ISC) and form Ad Hoc Committees as deemed necessary with the approval of the other Executive Officers.
(d) Be responsible for chairing all meetings of the CSA.
The Vice President Shall:
(a) Assume the President's responsibilities in case the President is unable to fulfill his term of office.
(b) Act as Spokesperson for CSA upon the approval of the President.
The Treasurer Shall:
(a) Be responsible for preparing and submitting an operating budget to the ASA office, ON TIME, with the prior approval of the Executive Officers. These funds will be supervised by the ASA and the CSA Executive Officers.
(b) Report to the CSA on the amount of money available for activities when requested.
(c) Arrange and handle all CSA monetary transactions.
(d) Keep financial books and accounts updated.
The Secretary Shall:
(a) Keep minutes of the meetings and read them in the next meeting upon request of the President.
(b) Distribute the information and acquaint members of upcoming activities and meetings.
(c) Handle all correspondence.
(d) Prepare and maintain an open file of all CSA activities and transaction to be kept as a permanent CSA record.
(e) Prepare and distribute a list of members by the eighth (8th) week of the Fall Semester, which shall be periodically updated.
The Assistant Secretary Shall:
(a) Share secretarial duties.
(b) Maintain constant communication between Executive Officers and the members.
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Article V: Election of Officers
Section 1: Eligibility
Only Active Members (as defined by Article 11) who are degree candidates in good standing at the Pennsylvania State University shall be eligible to be candidates for the Executive positions. The term "in good standing" shall be defined according to University rules and policies.
Section 2: Elections Chairperson
(a) Before the end of the second week of the Spring Semester, the President of the CSA shall nominate an Elections Chairperson from among the list of Active, Associate, and Honorary members of the CSA. If an Active Member is nominated, the member may not be a potential candidate for office. The President's nomination shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Officers of the CSA.
(b) The President of the CSA shall not nominate himself/herself as Elections Chairperson, except on special elections.
(c) The Elections Chairman will be responsible for selecting the dates for nominations and elections, for making public these dates, for running the elections, and for making the results of elections public. The decisions of the Elections Chairman can be overruled by a majority vote (>50%) of the Active members.
Section 3: Nominations
(a) Nominations for Executive positions will be accepted at a special meeting to be held two weeks before elections
(b) Any Active, Associate or Honorary member of the CSA may submit a nomination, which must be seconded by a member other than the nominee. A member may not nominate more than one (1) name for the same position but a member may submit a nomination and second another nomination for the same office. A member may not second his/her own nomination.
(c) Only members who satisfy the eligibility requirements (Article V, Section 1) may be nominated.
(d) The same member may be nominated for a maximum of two Executive positions.
(e) Candidates will have until the day of the elections to accept or reject a nomination.
Section 4: Elections
(a) Elections will be held at a special meeting, which shall take place no earlier than one month after the beginning of the Spring Semester and no later than one week after the Mid-Semester recess (Spring Break).
(b) If no more than one candidate was nominated for the Executive position, nominations will be accepted from the floor at the beginning of the elections meeting, according to the procedure outlined in Article V, Section 3. Exceptions to this rule may be made upon the discretion of the Elections Chairperson.
(c) If no candidate is nominated for an Executive position, the position shall be filled by Presidential appointment until the Executive Officers call for a special election.
(d) Each candidate for office must be present at the election meeting or be excused by the Elections Chairperson.
(e) There must be a quorum at the meeting before the election process can begin.
(f) The order of the election shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Assistant Secretary. Prior to the voting for each position, the nominees will have the option of giving a brief presentation to the active membership of the CSA.
(g) Voting will be by secret ballot. The votes will be counted by the Elections Chairperson. To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority, (>50%) votes of the active members present. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes will compete in a "run off." If there is a tie between these two candidates, a second voting between them will be immediately held. If there is a tie after the second voting, the nominees will be required to give a brief presentation to the Active members after which a third voting will take place. If there is still a tie after this third voting, the position will be filled by Presidential appointment until the Executive Officers call for a special election.
(h) In the case of a tie in a "run-off" for the position of President, the Vice-President will serve as President until the Executive Officers call for a special election for President. A losing candidate will have the option of being a candidate for one of the remaining positions to be filled unless he/she has already been a candidate for two positions. After the elections have been held, the Elections Chairperson will announce the results to the membership. The results of the election will then become part of the permanent record of CSA for that year.
(i) Any special election held during the year will be conducted according to the procedures herein outlined. The President of the CSA, the Vice-President in the President's absence, or any member of the CSA selected by the executive officers shall serve as Elections Chairperson for special elections.
(j) Absentee voting is allowed but such ballots must be enclosed in sealed envelopes and handed-in to the Elections Chairperson prior to the elections.
(k) An absentee vote will count in a "run-off."
Section 5: Vacancy Policy
(a) Vacancies for the offices of Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Assistant Secretary shall be filled by Presidential appointment until the Executive Officers call for a special election.
(b) If the President is unable to complete his term of office, the Vice-President shall immediately become President. The Executive Officers will then call for a special election for Vice-President, which must be held no later than six weeks after the vacancy.
Section 6: Recall of Officers
(a) An officer may be recalled from his/her position according to the following procedures. Charges shall be filed in writing and signed by a minimum of one-quarter (1/4) of the active members of CSA.
(b) A special meeting shall be convened to consider the recall. There must be a quorum at the meeting for a recall vote to be held. Two-thirds of the active members present must approve the recall position.
(c) If an officer is recalled from his/her position, the procedures outlined in Section 5 will be followed to fill the vacancy.
Section 7: Disciplining of Members
(a) Members of the CSA will be disciplined according to the procedures outlined by the Executive Officers and approved by the membership.
(b) The member to be disciplined should have an opportunity to plea his/her case.
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Article VI: Meetings
Section 1:
Meetings will be held on a regular basis upon the discretion of the Executive Officers.
Section 2:
Meetings will be open to the public except on special occasions.
Section 3:
Meetings will be run according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly revised.
(Robert, H.M.: The Scott, Freshman Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised; Glenview, III: Scott, Fresman. 1981)
Section 4:
A quorum of CSA shall constitute at least two-thirds (2/3) of the active membership.
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Article VII: Advisors
CSA will choose advisors in accordance with the University regulations.
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Article VIII: Amendments
Section 1:
Amendments to the Constitution may be presented in writing by any Active, Associate or Honorary member of CSA.
Section 2:
Proposals for amendments will be considered at the next regular meeting after they are proposed, provided that all members of the CSA have been notified of the purposes of that meeting.
Section 3:
Amendments to this constitution may be passed by two thirds of the Active members present, provided that there is a quorum at the meeting.