The

Constitution 

of the

Asian Student Council

at the College of William and Mary in Virginia 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1. Name

 

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

2. 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 the 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.

 

3. 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 organizational constitution to the Council Secretary at least two weeks before the last Council Meeting of the semester.  The Secretary 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 the unanimous consent of all current Councilors. 

3. Revocation of Membership

Should any member organization fail to fulfill its obligations of membership, the Council should give that organization written warning and reasonable recommendation for reform.  If the organization neglects to correct its dereliction within due time, the Council may vote to revoke the membership of that organization.  The Councilor of the organization under review is not permitted to vote, and only a unanimous decision of the remaining current Councilors can revoke membership. 

4. The Council

 

The Council shall comprise the Presidents of each Member Organization, the Council Chairperson, and Treasurer.  The duties and obligations of each are as follows: 

1. Councilors

The Councilors shall represent their respective member organizations on the Council.  The Councilors shall be the only voting members in 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 Council Chairperson and Treasurer,
• to collectively appoint chairpersons of ad hoc committees to handle major events and particular concerns,
• to vote on applications for and revocations of membership,
• to promote the purposes of the Council, uphold its Constitution, and insure its welfare.

 

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

2. Chairperson

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

• to call and preside over all Council Meetings,
• to secure a location for all Council Meetings,
• to insure that Council Meetings are conducted in an orderly, efficient, and harmonious fashion,
• to handle all matters which maintain relation with Asian alumni of the College such as keeping records of Asian Alumni and organizing the Annual Homecoming Asian Alumni Reception,
• to handle all matters which encourage the recruitment and enrollment of Asian students such as insuring participation at the College Open House and writing to accepted freshman,
• to advertise Council events to the College and community,
• to notify member organizations of all activities by telephone and mail, and
• to keep on file a current directory of all Member Organizations.

 

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 the University Center Activities Board,
• to manage the Council bank accounts and local accounts,
• to oversee fundraising projects,
• to provide the Council with a monthly statement of all the Council finances,
• to keep the minutes of every Council meetings, and
• to fulfill the duties of the Chairperson in his or her absence.

 

5. Appointment of the Chairperson and Treasurer

1. General Appointment

General Appointment of the offices of Chairperson and Treasurer will occur at the April Council Meeting.  All Member Organizations should have held their General Elections by that time so that their newly elected president may act as their Councilor. 

1. Nomination

Candidates for the offices of Chairperson and Treasurer must be an active member of a Member Organization and be nominated by a Councilor.  However, a Councilor may not nominate a member of his or her organization, and may not nominate more than one person for each office.  Names of nominees must be submitted to the current Chairperson one week in advance of the April meeting.  The Chairperson 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. 

To ensure The current Chairperson may not be nominated for either position, and in the event that the current Chairperson is also a newly elected Councilor, he or she will not have the right to nominate candidates for either office. 

2. Presentation

The current Chairperson 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. 

3. Appointment

Once all statements have been heard, all persons besides the Councilors will recess from the room.  The Councilors will deliberate and come to a common decision.  Upon their decision, the other attendants of the meeting will return and the new Chairperson and Treasurer will be appointed. 

The term of both 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 office, the Council shall call a Replacement Appointment Meting at the earliest Council Meeting.  The Replacement Appointment procedure will be the same as outlined for General Appointment.  Should both the Chairperson and Treasurer be removed, the Council with appoint a Councilor to preside over the nomination and presentation process. 

3. Impeachment

 

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

6. Council Meetings

 

The Council wil hold a Council Meeting at least once a month during the academic year.  The Chairperson should make every effort to schedule each Council Meeting to allow all Council members to be present.  Should a Councilor miss more than two Council Meetings in a year, he or she forfeits his or her right to vote on the Council.  Should the Chairperson or Treasurer miss more than two Council Meetings during their term, this negligence will be the grounds for his or her dismissal. 

7. Dues

 

The Council shall not impose dues on its Member Organizations. 

8. Amendments

 

All proposed amendments to these bylaws must be submitted at a Council Meeting.  The Chairperson 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 unanimous consent of the Councilors is required to pass the proposal.  All such amendments will become effective immediately, pending approval by the Associate Vice President of Student Activities. 

9. 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 1^st 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