Bylaws of the

University of Michigan

United Asian American Organizations

(revised 2/11/2007 )

Article I

Voting Membership Requirements

1. Requirements for voting membership status:
   
   
   1. Organization must be recognized by the Michigan Student Assembly
      
      
   2. A minimum of one representative must be sent to 75% of all UAAO Assembly meetings
      
      
   3. Organization must agree to abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of UAAO
      
      
   4. Active individuals (Members At-large) within UAAO have one collective vote. Each individual will cast a vote and the majority will represent that collective vote. If the vote goes 50/50, the vote cannot be represented. Active individuals are those who attend general body meetings regularly or serve on any of the programs under the Programming, Internal, External, Advocacy, Service, Community Historian, or Finance committees.
      
      
   5. All additional requirements that are added as Amendments to the Bylaws, as stated in Article IX of the Bylaws.

Article II

Election of Executive Officers

1. All officer positions in UAAO last for a period of one academic year. Elections for the Executive Board are held at the end of March. Officer transition begins immediately upon election, and the new officers preside after the official turnover during the A/PIA Awards Ceremony.
   
   
2. Applications for officer positions are due to the Co-Chairs of UAAO two weeks prior to the elections. These applications are made available to representatives, organizational officers, UAAO executive officers, and all interested individuals. An individual may run for only one position.
   
   
3. In order for an organization to vote, there must be an authorized representative from that voting member organization at the election. If a UAAO representative cannot be present for elections, they must find a suitable alternate to vote in their place. The alternate's name must be submitted to the UAAO Co-Chairs one week before the elections.
   
   
4. The election process will take place in the following order:
   1. Candidate speeches:
      • Limited to five minutes in length
      • Order of speeches is determined by drawing numbers
   2. Community discussion:
      • Discussion time length is subject to UAAO Board’s discretion
      • Candidates leave the room during discussion
   3. All candidates return to room for question and answer period.
   • Question and answer period is not to exceed five minutes per candidate.
     
     
5. When subpoints A - D are completed, the vote is taken.
   
   
6. All votes are cast by secret written ballot of the UAAO Assembly. A majority vote is necessary to elect an officer. The Executive Board is allowed one collective vote, excluding the Co-Chairs. Ballots are counted by the Co-Chairs with a neutral third party.
   
   
7. If there is not a candidate who holds a majority of the votes, then there is a run-off between the two top candidates.
   
   
8. All ties in voting are broken by the Co-Chairs of UAAO, or one of the Co-Chairs if the other Co-Chair is running for another position. Co-Chairs must come to a consensus to represent one vote.
   
   
9. Selection order is the following:
   
   
   1. Co-Chair(s)
      
      
   2. Advocacy Officer
      
      
   3. Community Historian Officer
      
      
   4. External Relations Officer
      
      
   5. Finance Officer
      
      
   6. Internal Relations Officer
      
      
   7. Programming Officer
      
      
   8. Service Officer
      
      
10. In case all of the positions are not filled, the newly-elected board will recommend candidates for empty positions. The same procedure detailed above will be used to elect these officers.
    
    
    

Article III

Transference of Executive Officer Responsibilities

Full transfer of responsibilities occurs at the beginning of the first UAAO Board meeting in the Spring/Summer term, as scheduled by the new Executive Board.

 

Article IV

Responsibilities and Powers of the Executive Board

All board members are responsible for attending all UAAO-sponsored programs, barring those members who present a reasonable excuse. At least one board member is responsible for attending each UAAO-sponsored weekly program. Every Officer is allowed up to three unexcused absences per term for any of the above items. An absence is excused only when an Officer contacts the Co-Chairs with a valid reason for his/her absence prior to the day of the meeting or event. Validity shall be determined by the Co-Chairs. If one Co-Chair cannot be present, the other Co-Chair shall assume the mentioned duties.

The responsibilities and powers of the Executive Board Officers also include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Co-Chairs
   
   
   1. Shall preside over all meetings, events and general assemblies, and is responsible for preparing relevant materials for such functions, with the assistance of UAAO Executive Board.
      
      
   2. Shall be responsible for the overall efficient operation of UAAO, and shall attempt to settle any disputes that may arise during meetings.
      
      
   3. Shall represent the concerns of UAAO
      
      
   4. Shall work together to strengthen the dynamics of internal and external relationships among the executive officers, UAAO advocates and members, faculty/staff, and the general APA community.
      
      
2. Advocacy Officer
   
   
   1. Shall organize actions to address any racial harassment, discrimination, violence and/or other injustices that a student of color may have encountered.
      
      
   2. Shall serve as the contact person for any group requesting the support of UAAO to address any injustices that a group or individual may have experienced.
      
      
   3. Shall serve to promote awareness within the Asian Pacific Islander American community and others outside the community about issues and concerns facing A/PIA individuals.
      
      
   4. Shall serve as an advocate for the A/PIA Studies/Ethnic Studies program at the University and will organize efforts to recruit and retain A/PIA Studies Faculty.
      
      
   5. Shall serve to promote awareness of general campus issues and happenings within Student Government.
      
      
   6. Shall serve as program liaison to the annual A/PIA High School Conference, which will be planned by a committee organized at the beginning of the year.
      
      
3. Community Historian Officer
   
   
   1. Shall maintain a notebook containing full minutes, agendas, calendars and UAAO policy and decisions.
      
      
   2. Shall be responsible for the upkeep and development of an archival record or UAAO materials and minutes.
      
      
   3. Shall work to re-establish the A/PIA Alumni Council and coordinate an Alumni visit each year, alongside an Alumni newsletter.
      
   4. Shall oversee A/PIA Heritage Month planning with the assistance of MESA.
      
      
   5. Shall oversee the production of the UAAO Proactive magazine in conjunction with the External, Internal, and Service Officers.
      
      
4. External Relations Officer
   
   
   1. Shall establish ties with other Asian Pacific American student groups at other universities across the country.
      
      
   2. Shall maintain ties with MAASU, ECAASU, NAASCON, and other A/PIA group consolidations.
      
      
   3. Shall serve as a liaison to other organizations outside the University of Michigan and as a contact at various conferences at other universities.
      
      
   4. Shall serve as a liaison between other major student groups of color
      
      
   5. Shall create collaborative events for the MLK Symposium and other forums that encourage community involvement.
      
      
   6. Shall oversee the production of the UAAO Proactive magazine in conjunction with the Internal, Service, and Community Historian Officers.
      
      
5. Finance Officer
   
   
   1. Shall be responsible for overseeing all financial activity in consultation with MESA, the Co-Chairs, and other officers related to financial transactions.
      
      
   2. Shall be responsible for the preparation of the annual budget, maintain up-to-date financial records, and give financial reports when necessary.
      
      
   3. Shall be responsible for the prompt payment of UAAO bills and debts.
      
      
   4. Shall be responsible for the financial development of UAAO through fundraising efforts.
      
      
   5. Shall provide guidance to UAAO member groups on funding matters.
      
      
6. Internal Relations Officer
   
   
   1. Shall establish ties with all Asian Pacific Islander American groups on campus and encourage them to actively participate in or join UAAO.
      
      
   2. Shall be responsible for the maintenance of all UAAO e-mail groups and the UAAO web page in order to maintain effective correspondence for UAAO and its constituents.
      
      
   3. Shall maintain an updated calendar of campus-wide A/PIA events.
      
      
   4. Shall facilitate intergroup activities among UAAO member groups.
      
      
   5. Shall coordinate the training and development of representatives from UAAO member groups.
      
      
   6. Shall serve as program liaison and resource to the APA101 Mentorship program.
      
      
   7. Shall oversee the production of the UAAO Proactive magazine in conjunction with the External, Service, and Community Historian Officers.
      
      
7. Programming Officer
   
   
   1. Shall serve as a liaison to UAAO for the annual Generation APA program
      
      
   2. Shall plan the annual A/PIA Awards Ceremony
      
      
   3. Shall assess and be responsible for the programming needs of the A/PIA community, which includes, but is not limited to, social, cultural, educational, or charitable functions. The Programming Chair should work with other officers and organizations, or establish a committee, when applicable.
      
      
   4. Shall develop the UAAO Fall Retreat.
      
      
8. Service Officer
   
   
   1. Shall work to create opportunities for A/PIAs to participate in events and programs around community service and social change.
      
      
   2. Shall assist, advise or coordinate with member-organizations on service-related programs.
      
      
   3. Shall serve as liaison to an annual UAAO Alternative Spring Break site, and will work with Project Serve to coordinate this.
      
      
   4. Shall oversee the production of the UAAO Proactive magazine in conjunction with the External, Internal, and Community Historian Officers.
      

Article V

Appointed Positions

Individuals with appointed positions will be delegated based on the needs of UAAO, and will be appointed by the executive board. The responsibilities and powers of appointed positions will be defined by the executive board.
 

Article VI

Resignation of Executive Officers

1. In the case of a Co-Chair's resignation or permanent inability to serve, the following steps should be taken:
   
   
   1. The other Co-Chair will assume all responsibilities until another Co-Chair can be elected. If both Co-Chairs are absent, the UAAO Executive Board recommends a candidate from the UAAO Executive Board.
      
      
   2. The UAAO Executive Board recommends a candidate from the UAAO Executive Board.
      
      
   3. At the following UAAO General Assembly meeting, the UAAO General Assembly votes to approve the recommendation with a 2/3 majority vote.
      
      
   4. If the recommendation is not approved, the UAAO General Assembly may suggest an alternate candidate to approve with a 2/3 majority vote.
      
      
2. In the case of an Executive Board Officer other than a Co-Chair, the Executive Board will make a recommendation on how to fill the position with a 2/3 majority approval by the UAAO Assembly.

Article VII

Removal from Office

In the case of an attempted removal of an Executive Officer, the following procedure is followed:

1. A motion must be made by a member of the UAAO Assembly, and seconded by another member. Then, a formal vote will be taken, of which a 2/3 majority is needed to continue the removal process.
   
   
2. If a motion is made to remove a Co-Chair from office, the other Co-Chair calls the meeting and runs the proceedings. The other Co-Chair also takes over all duties of the Co-Chairs until after the vote to remove is taken. For any other officer, the Co-Chair mediates the proceedings. If a motion is made to remove both Co-Chairs from office, the remaining executive officers shall mediate the proceedings.
   
   
3. The member who made the original motion will be given ten minutes to present the reasons for the motion. Then, the officer in question will be given ten minutes to give a rebuttal. Next, there will be a twenty-minute discussion period among the entire UAAO assembly.
   
   
4. During the formal vote, each representative of a voting organization, as well as each board member, minus the moderator, will be allowed one vote. A 3/4 majority vote is required for removal from office. In the case of a tie, the moderator will break the ti

Article VIII

Dissolution of UAAO

In the event that the dissolution of UAAO becomes necessary, the UAAO Executive Board will choose an appropriate Asian or Asian Pacific Islander American organization(s) or charity(s) to which all UAAO funds and material goods will be released.

Article IX

Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any member of UAAO, voting or non-voting. All amendments are adopted by a 3/4 majority vote by the voting members of UAAO. Each Executive Officer will be allowed one vote, with the exception of the Co-Chairs.

 

Article X

Representative Responsibilities

1. Required to attend the annual UAAO retreat.
   
   
2. Required to attend all UAAO assembly meetings or, in the case that one cannot attend a meeting, the representative must send another member or their organization.
   
   
3. Effectively relay information to their respective groups.
   
   
4. Represent the concerns of their respective groups to UAAO.
   
   
5. Represent UAAO concerns and voice to their respective groups.
   
   
6. Be an active member of a UAAO committee.
   
   
7. Encourage intergroup relations and collaborations.
   
   
8. Amnesty policies will be determined on a year-to-year basis by the UAAO Executive Board.