CONSTITUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF VIETNAMESE SCHOLARS AND STUDENTS
ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be known as the Association of Vietnamese Scholars and Students at Michigan State University, hereafter the AVSS.
Section 2. The purpose of the AVSS is to provide Vietnamese scholars and students at Michigan State University (MSU) with certain assistances, and recreational and cultural activities. It also aims at establishing and maintaining the friendship and professional networking among Vietnamese scholars and students, and between Vietnamese scholars, students, and the people of the local community.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in the AVSS shall be open to Vietnamese scholars and students, and those who are interested in Vietnam-related studies and issues, at MSU and from nearby universities and/or colleges. Significant others included. The AVSS will not discriminate on the basis of age, color, gender, disability status, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or weight.
Section 2. Anyone who participates in the activities organized by the AVSS is considered a member of the AVSS. To become a regular member, one must register with the Secretary of the AVSS. Only MSU scholars and students may be elected officers and/or voting members.
ARTICLE III: OFFICERS
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following elected officers: one President, one Vice-President, one Secretary, and one Treasurer.
(a) President
(i) The President shall make sure that everything is in accord with the Constitution.
(ii) The President shall be responsible for suggesting an activity schedule for the Executive Committee, and shall lead the Executive Committee in conducting and executing activities of the AVSS.
(iii) The President shall be in charge of public relations.
(iv) The President shall keep a copy of all the records of the AVSS.
(b) Vice-President
(i) The Vice-President shall help the President in planning events for the AVSS.
(ii) The Vice-President shall act on behalf of the President in case the President is absent.
(iii) The Vice-President shall assume the position of the presidency as the Interim President if the President resigns or is duly removed from the office.
(c) Secretary
The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes at all meetings, keep a record of activities of the AVSS, and communicate them to all members.
(d) Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the budgets and finance of the AVSS. He or she must also maintain a complete record of the financial activities of the AVSS and report the complete budget and financial information to all members.
Section 2. In addition to the elected officers in the Executive Committee, the AVSS may have several appointed officers. The appointed officers shall be selected by the elected officers of the Executive Committee. The possible positions are: observer(s), chairperson(s) of working committee(s), assistant(s), and webmaster.
Section 3. Every elected officer is expected to serve at least one term and at most two consecutive terms. One term means one complete academic year, starting from the Fall semester of the calendar year in which he or she is elected to the end of the Summer semester of the following calendar year. Elected officers who serve two consecutive terms must win a reelection for the second term. Each officer will remain at his or her position until the next officer is installed or until the officer leaves MSU, resigns, or is duly removed from the office.
Section 4. The Executive Committee shall be elected in the election, which follows the Summer or Fall semester general meeting, by a simple majority of regular members present at the meeting. A supplementary election may be held if necessary because of lack of candidates standing for elected officer positions in the preceding election.
In order to run in the election for an officer position, eligible members may nominate themselves or to be nominated by any other member. Candidates for all positions must indicate their willingness to serve according to the Constitution.
Section 5. An executive recall may be initiated by any three regular members, by submitting the proposal in writing to the Secretary. Members shall be informed of such recall at the next AVSS general meeting, and a debate and vote on the recall shall take place at a subsequent general meeting. A recall requires a two-thirds vote of the regular members present at the meeting to pass.
ARTICLE IV: OPERATING PROCEDURES
Section 1. General meetings open to all members shall be held at least once each semester or when called for by a simple majority of regular members. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the President at least once each semester, whenever necessary.
Section 2. Executive Committee meetings will proceed in a style comfortable to the President. The rules of order for general meeting shall be planned out by the Executive Committee before the event occurs.
Sections 3. Working committee(s) can be formed if necessary; such judgment will be decided by the President and voted on by the Executive Committee. Such committee(s) will be led by a member of the Executive Committee and will consist of general members willing to join. In case a member of the Executive Committee is unable to lead a committee, a regular member will be selected by the Executive Committee to chair that committee.
ARTICLE V: GENERAL RESTRICTIONS
In order to maintain the integrity of the University, the AVSS must maintain its local autonomy. The AVSS will not endorse or advocate any political cause or objective not related to its purposes. The AVSS will always remain independent, distinct, and separate from any other organization and/or government.
ARTICLE VI: FINANCES
The membership fee shall be determined during the first general meeting of each year approved by the two-thirds vote of the regular members present at the meeting. The AVSS may likewise require additional fees from the members and raise funds from other sources, as agreed upon by the majority of the regular members.
ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Any three regular members may propose an amendment.
Section 2. Members shall be informed of the proposal at the next general meeting, and a debate and vote on the proposed amendment shall take place at a subsequent general meeting.
Section 3. A constitutional amendment requires two-thirds vote of the regular members present at the meeting to pass.
ADOPTION OF THIS CONSTITUTION
This proposed Constitution of the Association of Vietnamese Scholars and Students at Michigan State University, hereafter the AVSS, was approved by the Constitutional Committee on August 13th 2005, adopted and ratified on August 27th, 2005.
The
Constitutional Committee was chaired by Khang Hoang, and includes the
following members in no particular order: Hien V. Huynh, Minh Q. Duong,
Thuan Q. Do, Thuy T. Tran, Dong-Luu T. Tran, Hanh M. Bui, Hannah-Hanh D.
Nguyen, Dinh N. Pham, Minh C. Nguyen, Hoa B. Nguyen, and Tuan A. Nguyen.
