The Constitution of the Asian Student Council

at the College of William & Mary in Virginia

I. Name

This organization shall be known as the Asian Student Council at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and is hereafter referred to as the Council.

II. Purpose

The purpose of the Council is fivefold:

· To act as a forum for communication among the Asian student organizations and for the coordination of their opinions and activities,

· To foster unity and camaraderie among Asian students at the College,

· To nurture understanding and pride in our Asian heritage,

· To promote education and awareness of Asian culture at the College and in the community, and

· To maintain relations with the College administration, other cultural organizations of the College, Asian associations at other universities, Asian alumni, and the Asian community.

III. Membership

1. Description

Membership to the Council is open to all recognized organizations of the College of William and Mary which promote the interests of the Asian or Asian-American students. Member organizations must pursue the purposes of the Council, maintain active involvement in Council functions, and abide by the Council’s regulations as outlined in the Constitution.

2. Application for Membership

Any organization wishing to join the Council must submit a formal letter of application and its constitution to a Co-Chair at least two weeks before the last Council meeting of the semester. The Council should encourage and seek networking with other Office of Student Activities-recognized organizations which may have similar purposes or interests aligned with the Council. A Co-Chair shall deliver copies of these documents to the Councilors at least a week prior to the said Meeting. The applicant organization shall gain Council membership the following semester only with consent through common decision of all current Councilors.

3. Revocation of Membership

Should any member organization fail to attend 2 out of 5 past meetings, the Council should give that organization written notification. If the organization neglects to correct its dereliction within due time, the Council may revoke the right to vote of that organization for a semester. When that member organization attends the next 3 meetings consecutively, they may request reinstatement of voting privileges. The Councilor of the organization under review is not permitted to vote, and only a common decision of the remaining current Councilors can revoke membership.

IV. The Council

The Council shall comprise of the Presidents of each member organization as Councilors, the Co-Chairs, Treasurer, ASC Liaisons, and Webmaster.

The duties and obligations of each are as follows:

1. Councilors

The Councilors shall represent their respective member organizations on the Council.

The duties of the Councilors are:

§ To plan and delegate responsibility of the Council functions,

§ To encourage the active and responsible participation of their organizations in Council functions,

§ To cooperate with the other Councilors and member organizations in a spirit of camaraderie and accord,

§ To represent the interests of Asian and Asian-Americans to the College administration and community,

§ To collectively appoint the Co-Chairs, Treasurer, and Webmaster,

§ To vote on applications for and revocations of membership, and

§ To promote the purposes of the Council, uphold its Constitution, and ensure its welfare.

In the event a Councilor cannot attend a meeting or function, it will be his or her duty to appoint a representative to go in his/her stead.

2. Co-Chairs

The Co-Chairs shall be appointed by the Councilors. The Co-Chairs will not have the right to vote unless there is a tie. In this case, the Co-Chairs will vote as one to reach a decision.

The duties of the Co-Chairs are:

§ To call, preside over, and facilitate all Council meetings,

§ To secure a location for all Council meetings,

§ To ensure that Council meetings are conducted in an orderly, efficient, and harmonious fashion,

§ To advertise Council events to the College and community,

§ To keep on file a current phone tree and email list of all member organizations’ executive boards,

§ To plan and delegate responsibility of council functions, and

§ To foster and maintain communication and cooperation among member organizations, and

§ To appoint the Webmaster at their discretion.

3. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be appointed by the Councilors. The Treasurer will not have the right to vote. The duties of the Treasurer are:

§ To keep all financial records of the Council,

§ To manage the budget from the student fees—its requests, funding, and reimbursement,

§ To understand how to request and obtain money from administrative offices, such as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Office of Student Activities, and the Reves Center, as well as from student organizations, such as the Student Assembly and Alma Mater Productions,

§ To manage the Council bank accounts and local accounts,

§ To oversee financial aspects of fundraising projects,

§ To provide the Council with a monthly statement of all the Council finances,

§ To keep the minutes of every Council meeting, and

§ To fulfill the duties of the Co-Chairs in their absence.

4. ASC Liaison

The ASC Liaison shall be elected within each member organization through their respective constitutions. The duties of the ASC Liaison are:

§ To vote in place of a Councilor if he/she is absent,

§ To attend each meeting to represent their member organization,

§ To foster community and unity among all member organizations,

§ To act as a bridge between the Council and their member organization,

§ To be responsible for Council duties such as planning for and participating in Council functions, and

§ To keep their organization updated on Council news, events and activities.

5. Webmaster

The Co-Chairs shall appoint the Webmaster at their discretion. The Webmaster shall not have the right to vote. The duties of the Webmaster are:

· To cooperate with the other Councilors and Member Organizations in a spirit of camaraderie and accord,

· To represent the interests of Asian and Asian-Americans to the College administration and community, and

· To develop and maintain the Asian Student Council website.

V. Appointment of the Co-Chairs, and Treasurer

1. General Appointment

General Appointment of the offices of Co-Chairs, Treasurer, and Webmaster will occur 1-3 weeks previous to SOAR at an April Council meeting. It is encouraged that all member organizations have their general elections by that time so their newly elected president may act as their Councilor. The Councilors will be notified 2 weeks in advance of when elections will be held.

A. Nomination

A candidate for the offices of Co-Chairs, Treasurer, and Webmaster must be an active member of a member organization. Open nominations will be accepted. Names of nominees must be submitted to the current Co-Chairs one week in advance of the April meeting. The Co-Chairs must confirm the nominee’s acceptance of the nomination, and advise the candidates of the duties of their prospective office and their mandatory presence at the April meeting. A person may be a candidate for both offices. A person may not simultaneously hold a Councilor and a Co-Chair or Treasurer position.

B. Presentation

The current Co-Chairs will introduce the candidates for both offices at the April meeting and preside over the presentation process. Candidates who are not present may not be appointed. After the presentation of the candidates for both offices, all candidates are welcome to offer a brief statement. If a candidate for any position loses, they may trickle down to other positions.

C. Appointment

Former Co-Chairs, Treasurer, and Webmaster should be facilitators and not sway the vote or contribute. The candidates must leave the room during deliberations. The Councilors, with the former Co-Chairs as facilitators, will deliberate and come to a common decision. Upon the Councilors’ decision, the candidates will return and the new Co-Chairs, and Treasurer will be appointed. The term for the offices is one full year. Persons unable to commit to the complete term should not be appointed.

2. Replacement Appointment

In the event an officer fails to carry out the full term of his/her office, the Council shall call a Replacement Appointment meeting at the earliest Council meeting. The Replacement Appointment procedure will be the same as outlined for General Appointment. Should both the Co-Chairs, Treasurer, and Webmaster be removed, the Council will appoint a Councilor to preside over the nomination and presentation process.

3. Impeachment

If a Co-Chair, Treasurer, or Webmaster neglects his/her duties and obligations, he/she should be warned by the Council that his/her position is in jeopardy. If after the warning, his/her performance is still unsatisfactory, he/she may be impeached by the common decision of the Councilors. An impeached officer’s position will be filled by a Replacement Election.

VI. Council Meetings

The Council will hold a Council Meeting at least once a month during the academic year. The Co-Chairs should make every effort to schedule each Council Meeting to allow all Council members to be present. Should a Councilor be unable to attend, an ASC Liaison or other representative should be there in their stead. At least 2/3 of the member organizations should be present for decision-making. If a representative from a member organization is not present, their vote is forfeited. If a Councilor or representative does not hear the points of argument set forth, he/she forfeits his/her right to vote on the issue. If a conflict is expected and any representative is unable to attend or will be tardy to a Council Meeting, a member organization should notify the Council in advance if possible. Co-Chairs shall issue 2 warnings to Councilors who are remiss in the duties of his/her position. Specifically, if Councilors are 5 minutes tardy without prior notification, they will be considered absent. Should the Co-Chairs, Treasurer, or Webmaster miss more than two Council Meetings during their term, this negligence will be the grounds for his or her dismissal.

VII. Dues

The Council shall not impose dues on its member organizations.

VIII. Amendments

All proposed amendments to these bylaws must be submitted at a Council Meeting. The Co-Chairs will then be responsible for making a copy of the proposed amendment available to the Councilors at least one week prior to the next Council Meeting. The consent of the Councilors, through common decision, is required to pass the proposal. All such amendments will become effective immediately, pending approval by the Associate Vice President of Student Activities.

IX. Funding Requests

All funding requests will be presented to the Co-Chairs in written form detailing the amount requested at least 10 days prior to the date of the event. The Co-Chairs will send out the written request to the Council one week prior to the deliberation as to give them time to consider it. On the day of the deliberation, the representative making the request will be present to explain the request and answer any questions. The representative will leave the room while the Councilors vote through common decision. Upon final decision, the representative may re-enter the room. Representatives may appeal final decisions once within one week of the decision. The Councilors will then use their discretion to allow for the appeal.

X. Ratification

This Constitution of the Asian Student Council at the College of William and Mary in Virginia was presented, accepted, and ratified on March 1, 1996, and will take effect at the first Council Meeting of April 1996. Its charter Member Organizations will be the Chinese Student Organization, the Filipino American Student Association, the Indian Cultural Association, the Korean American Student Association, and the Vietnamese Student Association. Furthermore, the ratification of the Constitution will dissolve the Asian Student Union, and Council will assume the rights and responsibilities of that organization.

Adopted this 1st day of March 1996

Khang Hsu

President of the Asian Student Union

Viengkuo Luangkhoth

President of the Chinese Student Organization

Julia Takafuji

President of the Filipino American Student Association

Dharmesh Vashee

President of the Indian Cultural Association

Andrew Kim

President of the Korean American Student Association

Fong Tuyet Lui

President of the Vietnamese Student Association

XI. This constitution of the Asian Student Council at the College of William and Mary in Virginia was reviewed, amended, accepted, and ratified in January 1, 2008.

Its charter Member Organizations will be Chinese Student Organization, the Filipino American Student Association, South Asian Student Association, the Korean American Student Association, the Vietnamese Student Association, and the Japanese Cultural Association.

Danny Allgeier & Kevin Chu

Co-President of Vietnamese Student Association

Anthony Elopre & Carling Sitterley

Co-President of Filipino American Student Association

Rashmi Joshi

President of South Asian Student Association

Lisa Pin & Vicky Yue

Co-President of Chinese Student Organization

Sewon Chung

President of Korean American Student Association

Jason Kanno

President of Japanese Cultural Association

Tong-June Moon & Stephanie Sun

Co-Chairs of Asian Student Council

XII. This constitution of the Asian Student Council at the College of William and Mary in Virginia was reviewed, amended, accepted, and ratified in April 26, 2009.

Malisa Savanh & Andrew Tran

Co-Presidents of the Vietnamese Student Association

Cherrie Soloria

Vice President of the Filipino American Student Association

Sravya Yeleswarapu

President of the South Asian Student Association

Preston Wong & Jessica Wu

President and Vice President of the Chinese Student Organization

Ben Yoo

President of the Korean American Student Association

Koji Ukai

Acting Representative of the Japanese Cultural Association

Kristian Obcemane, Agatha Kang, & Jade Park

Co-Chairs and Treasurer of the Asian Student Council