CONSTITUTION BYLAWS OF THE LATINA/O FACULTY AND STAFF ASSOCIATION

OF CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO

adopted on January 19, 2010

Statement of Purpose

The Latina/o Faculty & Staff Association (LSFA) has been established as an organization dedicated to providing voice and representation for the coalition of Latinas/os, Hispanic, Chicanas/os  and other related faculty and staff at California State University, Fresno. We join together to acknowledge and celebrate our often diverse, but common Latina/o heritage. We recognize and take pride in the growing numbers of Latina/o faculty and staff that have joined Fresno State: as of Spring 2010, there were currently a total of 387 Latina/o identified persons on campus—252 staff; 50 full-time and 61 part-time faculty; and 24 managers.

As an organization, we pledge to work collaboratively in order to achieve the following goals:

1. foster Latina/o leadership at California State University, Fresno;

2. promote a campus climate that is sensitive, representative, and fair to all ethnic groups, including for example, the cultural diversity within our own community (e.g., Latina/o, Hispanic, Chicana/o and others) through a variety of efforts;

3. provide support and input in the fair recruitment or hiring, retention, and promotion of Latina/o students, faculty, staff, and administrators on campus;

4. respond proactively to the needs of the growing Latina/o student body, with a commitment to broadening and deepening the curriculum with regard to Latina/o issues;

5. build strong, effective linkages with the University administration and with the surrounding community at large;

6. create a social support network of partnerships and personal friendships among the members of the organization;

7. encourage and empower individuals in the organization to become more actively involved in important University, community, professional, and political service with the purpose of creating a more harmonious and diverse community.

Constitution

I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association of California State University, Fresno.

II. PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization, hereinafter referred to as the LFSA, is to bring together members of Latina/o faculty and staff in order to:

2.01    foster Latina/o leadership at California State University, Fresno

2.02    promote a campus climate that is sensitive, representative, and fair to all ethnic groups, including for example, the cultural diversity within our own community (e.g., Latina/o, Hispanic, Chicana/o and others) through a variety of efforts;

2.03    provide support and input in the fair recruitment or hiring, retention, and promotion of Latina/o students, faculty, staff, and administrators on campus;

2.04    respond proactively to the needs of the growing Latina/o student body, with a commitment to broadening and deepening the curriculum with regard to Latina/o issues;

2.05    build strong, effective linkages with the University administration and with the surrounding community at large;

2.06    create a social support network of partnerships and personal friendships among the members of the organization;

2.07    encourage and empower individuals in the organization to become more actively involved in important University, community, professional, and political service with the purpose of creating a more harmonious and diverse community.

Bylaws

III. MEMBERSHIP

3.01    Participation, privileges, voting rights and interests for each member are equal.

3.02    Membership shall be open to all Latina/o faculty and staff employees of Fresno State and to any faculty or staff member of Fresno State who supports and subscribes to the principles and purposes of the Association as stated herein regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, physical disability, mental disability and medical condition.

3.03    Termination of membership shall occur upon written receipt by the Board of Directors of the Association from an individual member; membership shall also be terminated upon non-payment of annual dues.

IV. MEMBERSHIP DUES

4.01    Annual membership dues are payable to the Association by individual members in such amount as determined annually by the general membership.

4.02    Dues shall be paid by each member for the following year at the meeting/election of officers in May.

V. MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

5.01    General membership meetings shall be held at least once a month at a site designated by the Association President.

5.02    Notice of time and place of general membership meetings shall be sent to individual members with at least one week's notice.

5.03    Emergency meetings may be called by the President of the Association or by the Board of Directors. Written notice of special meetings shall be sent to the general membership at least two working days prior to such meeting.

5.04    Meetings shall be conducted in a manner established by the Board of Directors, and as such may be revised from time to time, insofar as such rules are not inconsistent or in conflict with the bylaws of the Association.

5.05    A quorum, for the purpose of conducting business in a membership meeting of the Association, shall consist of at least 30% (thirty percent) of the dues paying members. No voting shall take place in the absence of a quorum.

VI. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

6.01    The Board of Directors of the Association shall manage, direct, administer, and control the activities, affairs, and funds of the Association, except as otherwise provided by law

6.02    The Board of Directors shall delegate such duties as may be necessary to the proper board officer, standing committee, or ad hoc committee.

6.03    Each member of the Board of Directors shall strive to make one major contribution to the organization each year.

6.04    The Board of Directors shall serve without monetary compensation.

6.05    The Board of Directors shall meet each month; special meetings may be called by the Board President, or any two Board Members.

6.06    Notice of time and place of Board of Director's meetings shall be sent to each Board member at least three days prior to such meeting.

6.07    A quorum for the purpose of conducting Board business shall consist of one-half or more of the Board of Director members holding office.

6.08    In the absence of a quorum, the Board shall not transact business, except as otherwise provided by law.

6.09    Attendance at Board of Director's meetings shall be mandatory; individual Board members shall notify the Board President in advance of non-attendance.

6.10    Action may be taken by the Board of Directors without a meeting if all members of the Board consent in writing to such action; such written consent shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board.

6.11    The Annual Report will be submitted at the May meeting by the Board of Directors to the membership.

VII. OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

7.01    The Board of Directors of the Association shall consist of: the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Webmaster, the Activities Program Chair, the Historian Reporter, the Student Liaison Chair, Public Relations Chair, and the Fundraising Chair; Recruitment and Membership Chair; Professional and Leadership Chair, Student Scholarship Chair; Latina/o Commencement Celebration Chair; Latina/o Heritage Celebration Chair; and MPP Liaison.

7.02 The President shall: be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall, subject to the approval of the general membership, she or he shall perform all duties incidental to her or his office and such other duties as provided in these bylaws, or as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors and by the general membership. The major tasks of the President include: development of an active agenda of activities and programs in keeping with the spirit of the LFSA Statement of Purpose (see end of this document); effective governance of the Board and general membership responsibilities for the purpose of realizing the agenda items; capable and energetic representation of the Association at the University and community level; and primary organizational and writing responsibility for submission of the year's final Annual Report.

7.03 The Vice President shall: serve as chairperson of all official meetings of the Association in the absence of the President, or at the request of the President; serve as Chief Coordinator of all Association committees and programs; provide some assistance in writing the Association's Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.04 The Secretary shall: record minutes of each official meeting of the Association and of meetings of the Board of Directors; read minutes of the previous meetings at each subsequent meeting and make corrections as designated; maintain cumulative records of all meeting agendas and minutes in a binder; maintain an updated record of the membership listing; provide some technical assistance for the Associations' Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

Minutes should include date, place, and time of meetings, members and guests present, all main motions, seconds to the motions, outcomes of votes or consensus, and adjournment.  The minutes are not intended to be a record of discussions, nor serve as a newsletter for the organization.

7.05 The Treasurer shall: serve as custodian of all monies of the Association; establish and/or maintain a checking account for the Association; maintain a bookkeeping account of all funds; pay, upon authorization of the Board of Directors, all bills incurred on behalf of the Association; present a statement of accounts at each meeting of the Board of Directors; maintain an accurate, current roster of paid members and provide this listing to the other members of the Board of Directors; provide some technical assistance for the Association's Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be required by law or as prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.06 The Webmaster shall: create, maintain and update the LFSA website; collect information from all relevant Board Members and post this information in a timely manner; and perform other duties in consultation with the Board of Directors.

7.06 The Activities Program Chair shall: oversee, coordinate, and delegate responsibilities related to the Association's annual activities; provide some technical assistance for the Associations' Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.07 The Historian Reporter shall: assemble and chronicle a photographic and written archive of the Association's activities and programs; provide some technical assistance for the Association's Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.08 The Student Liaison Chair shall: oversee and coordinate activities and functions that involve students on campus in conjunction with the Association's activities and programs; provide some technical assistance for the Associations' Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.09 The Public Relations Chair shall: be responsible for developing and disseminating information digitally (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Blackboard, listserv, etc) and via paper announcing Association meetings to members as well as to the University and community as needed; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.10 The Fundraising Chair shall: oversee, coordinate, and delegate responsibilities as related to Association fundraising activities; provide some technical assistance for the Associations' Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.11 The Recruitment Chair shall: oversee, coordinate and be responsible for spearheading membership recruitment; provide some technical assistance for the Associations' Annual Report; and perform such other duties as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.12 The Professional and Leadership Chair shall: oversee, coordinate and be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with the local business and community leaders; spearheading events that promote or encourage professional relationships with business and community leaders

7.13 The Student Scholarship Committee Chair shall: be responsible for convening a committee of members who will select the scholarship recipients; will also be responsible for notifying the students, and sending the list of recipients to the scholarship office.  

7.14 The Latina/o Commencement Celebration Chair shall: oversee, coordinate and be responsible for developing and maintaining a relationship between the Latina/o Commencement Celebration committee and LFSA, including keeping the LFSA aware of the activities leading up to the commencement.

7.15 The Latina/o Heritage Celebration Chair shall: oversee, coordinate and be responsible for putting on events/activities which reflect the heritage of the Latina/o community; represent LFSA to local communities via public events.

7.16  The MPP Liaison shall: oversee, coordinate and be responsible for developing and maintaining a relationship between the MPP and LFSA.

VIII.QUALIFICATION OF OFFICERS

8.01    Commencing with the fiscal year 2009, the Association President shall be a regular member of the Association in good standing for one year prior to her or his nomination.

8.02    All other remaining Board members shall be a regular member in good standing for at least one year prior to her or his nomination.

IX. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

9.01    The May membership meeting shall be held for the purpose of electing officers of the Board of Directors of the Association for the upcoming fiscal year.

9.02    Nomination of officers shall be held thirty days prior to their election.

9.03    Officers shall be elected for a one year term and may not serve for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

9.04    A Nominations Committee shall be appointed by the President at the March meeting of each year and shall be responsible for conducting nominations and elections the following May.

9.05    The Nominations Committee shall be responsible for establishing rules and procedures for nomination and election of Board officers, with the approval of the current Board of Directors.

9.06    After the establishment of a quorum, at the general membership meeting in May, officers shall be elected by a simple majority vote.

9.07    Dues paying members, as specified in Section IV-4.02, shall be eligible to vote in the annual election of Association Board of Director officers.

X. COMMITTEES

10.01  The Association shall establish Standing Committees as designated from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors.

10.02  The resolution designating Standing Committees shall provide for the appointment of the Committee Chairperson and members.

10.03  The Association shall establish Ad Hoc Committees as designated from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors; the resolution shall provide for the appointment of the Ad Hoc Committee Chairperson and members.

XI. VACANCIES IN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

11.01  A vacancy in the office of the President of the Board of Directors shall be filled by the Vice President for the duration of the unexpired term.

11.02  Vacancies in the other elected offices shall be voted upon by the membership for the unexpired term.

11.03  In the event 50% or more elected offices are vacated, a special election shall be called to fill the offices of the unexpired term.

XII. FISCAL YEAR

12.01  The fiscal year of the Association shall be from June 1 to May 31.

XIII.BYLAWS AMENDMENTS

13.01  Amendments to these bylaws may be made by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at the monthly general meetings, provided that membership has been notified at least fifteen days prior to the meeting.

The aforementioned bylaws of the Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association of California State University, Fresno were unanimously ratified by Association members in good standing on:

            DATE: January 19, 2010

            LOCATION:   California State University, Fresno

 

FOUNDING OFFICERS (2009)

 

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