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Constitution of the Brandeis Asian American Student Association

Preamble:

Established in 1971 at the onset of anti-Asian sentiment, the Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA) felt the need to create a safe place for Asians and Asian Americans to freely voice their opinions and concerns. Though some of the same struggles exist today, the founding members laid the foundation for social and political activism for future generations.

As BAASA grows, we continue to promote activism and awareness to the Brandeis community and beyond. Our activities and programs are focused upon the involvement in Brandeis Academics, development of student leadership and collaborative efforts with other organizations. We seek to bridge and share our cultures with each other and the Brandeis community, and to educate ourselves and other about current issues dealing with race and politics. Through the implementation of our activities and programs, we uphold standards of the Brandeis community by promoting the universal acceptance and understanding of all peoples.

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Section I: Name

  1. The organization shall be known as the Brandeis Asian American Student Association.

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Section II: Membership

  1. The membership of this organization is open to all members of the Brandeis Community.

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Section III: Organization

  1. General Body
    1. The general body of this organization will meet at least twice a month.
      1. Regular meetings will be scheduled for a fixed time and day agreed upon by the membership no later than the first meeting of the general body.
    2. At the beginning of each regular meeting of the body, an agenda will be presented by a member of the executive board.
      1. Proposals for additions to the agenda will be entertained.
      2. A regular item on the agenda will be a presentation of progress reports for the various sub-committees and ad hoc committees. Proposals for new committees will also be heard.
      3. A member of the executive board will moderate the discussion.
      4. Following discussion of items on the agenda, there will be a general discussion of items of the direction of the organization.
    3. During period of crisis, emergency executive board meetings may be called on any day of the week at any hour of the day by any other member of the executive board. Members must speak to a member of the executive board about calling emergency meetings. Notices for such meetings will be posted in designated locations.
  2. Executive Board
    1. The executive board shall consist of seven (7) core positions elected by the general body. The seven core positions include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Intercultural Center (ICC) Representative, SKIN Coordinator and Webmaster.
    2. Responsibilities that all Officers share
      1. To maintain relationships between clubs on campus especially those pertaining to Asian Pacific American identity;
      2. To plan events which foster activity among club membership;
      3. To help lead and direct executive board and general membership meetings
      4. To interview and select a First Year Mentor once the executive board has been elected;
      5. To maintain an archive of all club activity through collection of agendas, flyers, pictures, etc.
    3. Responsibilities of Each Office
      1. President
        1. To set the general direction of the club upon consultation of the executive board;
        2. To proactively seek opportunities of learning more about the political and social definitions of Asian Pacific American;
        3. To determine a schedule for executive board officers to share in leading general membership and board meetings;
        4. To report weekly to the Intercultural Center Director about activities of the club;
        5. To maintain club relationships with other Intercultural Center Programming Clubs as well as other clubs listed under Brandeis charter;
        6. To approve of club communications including e-mails, open letters, and editorials submitted on behalf of the club;
        7. To create and ad hoc committees deemed necessary by majority vote of the club’s execut,ive board to deal with issues on or off campus;
        8. To delegate any aforementioned responsibility in the case the President cannot do so.
      2. Vice President
        1. To serve as the acting President in the case the President is not present;
        2. To assist the President in their duties aforementioned;
        3. To proactively seek opportunities of learning more about the political and social definitions of Asian Pacific American
        4. To keep relations with intercollegiate groups either locally or nationally and keep the membership informed of such opportunities;
        5. To serve as a supervisor to the First Year Mentoring program and to inform the First Year Mentor his or her duties;
          1. First-Year Mentor duties
            1. To actively recruit First-Year and Mid-Year Membership;
            2. To coordinate the “Big Sib/Lil Sib” Program;
            3. To plan activities with First-Years and Mid-Years with upperclassmen to foster mentorship and leadership;
            4. To be elected among the sophomore class during that academic year of service
      3. Internal Secretary
        1. To maintain up-to-date club records and archives on all BAASA related activities;
        2. To take minutes at all executive board meetings;
        3. To book all spaces and equipment necessary for club functions;
        4. To insure that all forms necessary for annual club renewal including the Constitution and No Hazing Forms are signed;
        5. To weekly update the club membership via e-mail all activities pertaining to BAASA and any other related organizations;
      4. External Secretary
        1. To assist the Internal Secretary in their duties aforementioned;
        2. To keep relations with intercollegiate groups either locally or nationally and keep the membership informed of such opportunities;
        3. To also serve as the Logistics Coordinator of APAHM
          1. To assist the APAHM Head Coordinator in their duties aforementioned;
          2. To facilitate the participation and cooperation of all Brandeis APIA clubs, organizations, associations in promoting APAHM
          3. To book all spaces and equipment necessary for APAHM functions;
          4. To actively promote APAHM events in the Boston collegiate area
      5. Treasurer
        1. To maintain up-to-date club records on the finances of BAASA including Marathon, Appeals Meetings, Finance Board Meetings, and anything pertaining to the finances of the club;
        2. To serve as the Financial Coordinator for the Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month;
        3. To deal with all transactions related to BAASA including collection of monies for culture shows or distribution of petty cash.
      6. Intercultural Representative
        1. To serve as the representative to the Intercultural Center Programming Board;
        2. To inform the general membership of the activities relating to the ICC;
        3. To plan events and activities with other clubs outside of BAASA (i.e. the Intercultural Center and mainstream clubs on campus);
        4. To be elected in the beginning of every year among First-year and previous Mid-Year students by the general membership.
      7. SKIN Coordinator
        1. SKIN: annual fashion show held at Brandeis University as a part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month during March.
          1. To showcase and celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the arts
          2. To break down APIA stereotypes and bring awareness to the Brandeis community
          3. To maintain the theme that APIAs are American and achievements range in areas beyond the preconceived notions and stereotypes existing in today’s society (*note:* not a culture show)
        2. To organize and coordinate the production of SKIN
        3. To contact APIA designers (clothing, jewelry, etc.), and performing and visual artists
        4. To actively recruit and coordinate models
        5. To delegate responsibilities by forming necessary committees (i.e. decorations, hair & makeup, setup, etc.)
        6. To work in close collaboration with the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Executive Board
        7. *note:* all funds earned through show ticket sales will remain in the BAASA treasury for use during the next year’s production of SKIN
      8. Webmaster
        1. To maintain an up-to-date listserv of membership;
        2. To serve as another moderator of e-mail messages to be distributed to club membership;
        3. To maintain a website that highlights club leadership, membership, activities, and other information pertaining to the club.
        4. To advertise on and off campus regarding club activities including forums, movie screenings, culture shows, and workshops;
    4. In early September, the executive board will, with the help of the ICC director, organize a meeting with the presidents and vice-presidents of all other Brandeis APIA clubs, organizations, associations, etc. to determine a set of deadlines for receipt of nominations and platforms and to set an election date/time/place for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month executive board. Elections will take place no later than mid-October.
      1. [1] Head Coordinator
        1. To set the general theme of APAHM
        2. To report weekly to the BAASA president about APAHM plans;
      2. [1] Publicity Coordinator
      3. The External Secretary will serve as the Logistics Coordinator of APAHM
      4. The Treasurer of BAASA will serve as the Finance Coordinator of APAHM
      5. [2] Opening Ceremonies Coordinator(s)
        1. Candidates seeking this position may not run as a team
        2. Candidates must run individually, and the two obtaining the most votes will be named Co-coordinators
      6. [2] Closing Ceremonies Coordinator(s)
        1. Candidates seeking this position may not run as a team
        2. Candidates must run individually, and the two obtaining the most votes will be named Co-coordinators
    5. Further delegation of responsibilities is also left up to the board. However, any new officers and their responsibilities must be made known to the general body at the earliest date before the elections. Any change of officers must also be made known to the general membership no later than two weeks of an election.
    6. The executive board will meet at least once a week at a fixed time and date agreed upon by the board members and made known to all members of the organization. These meetings will be open to all members of the organization, who have concerns and issues that need to be addressed by the executive board. Special board meetings may be called at any time; the hour and day will be posted at designated locations. In addition, if a subcommittee is formed, one member of the executive board must serve on that sub-committee. The responsibilities of this executive board will be as outlined in the following subsections.
      1. Administrative
        1. The coordination and monitoring of executive board work.
        2. The formulation of a budget to be approved by the executive board, the procuring of funds for the budget and the administration of the funds.
          3. The maintenance of official University status of the organization including the procuring of an office.
      2. Political
        1. The gathering and presentation of information relevant to a political situation.
        2. The formulation of strategy.
        3. The calling of emergency meetings and the implementation of emergency procedure.
      3. Problem Analysis
        1. The discussion of general group problems.
        2. The presentation of an analysis of these problems to the general body.

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Section IV: Decision Making

  1. Executive Board Decisions
    1. All executive board members shall have equal voice.
    2. Ultimate executive decisions arising out of necessity when the board is in conflict lie in the discretion of the President.
  2. Impeachment
    1. Motion to impeach any executive board officer shall come to a vote requiring majority approval of the executive board and ultimate approval of the Director of the Intercultural Center
    2. Terms:
      1. Neglect of constitutional duties
      2. Improper conduct or misuse of club name or resources
      3. Repeated failure to attend general and executive board meetings
        1. limit to four absences from executive board meetings and 1/3 of general meetings without due notice or reasonable cause
    3. Constitutional Revision
      1. Any and all revisions and amendments will be added with the unanimous consent of the executive board and majority vote of the general membership present at the time of hearing.
    4. Matters of Debate
      1. Any issue of parliamentary procedure not clarified in this document will be referred to Robert’s Rules of Order for a final decision or decision making process.

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