Constitution of the United Minorities Council

PREAMBLE
We, the members of the cultural minority (hereafter "minority") groups of the University of Pennsylvania, in order to represent the interests of the minority community at this institution, do hereby establish the United Minorities Council. It is our aim to voice the common interests and causes of the minority community; to provide a forum for discussion and exploration of and action on issues of concern to minorities; and to present and to celebrate the richness of our diverse cultures and backgrounds to the University community and beyond.
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the United Minorities Council of the University of Pennsylvania.
ARTICLE II: Structure
Section I: Membership and Constituency

A. The United Minorities Council shall be an umbrella organization comprised of 13 constituent groups: Black Student League, Caribbean American Students Association, Check One?, Chinese Student Association, Dessalines Haitian Students Association, Korean Students Association, Penn Nihon Club, Penn Philippine Association, Penn Taiwanese Society, South Asia Society, Six Directions, Vietnamese Students Association, Penn Arab Student Society, and Sangam.

B. All minority students at the University of Pennsylvania who are members of the above minority groups are constituents of the UMC may be represented by Council Representatives At Large.

C. Requirements for membership in the UMC are as follows:

  1. Co-sponsorship of at least two events during the academic year with at least one other UMC group.
  2. Attendance of fall and spring semester retreats by two members of respective constituency.
  3. Active participation in Unity Week and Celebration of Culture whether that be through co-sponsoring an activity, helping with set up, helping with clean up, or the programming of event.
  4. Attendance of bi-weekly meetings; Representatives must attend all meetings and President must attend every other meeting.
Section II: The General Council

The General Council shall serve as the main body of the United Minorities Council and shall consist of at least one (1) representative from each member organization.

A. The representative shall be chosen by each member organization in accordance with its own regulations.

B. Those interested in being members At Large must first approach an Executive Officer who will bring the matter to the Executive Board and then to the General Council.

  1. Those interested must attend 3 consecutive council meetings before being named Members At Large.
  2. There must be no fewer than 10 Members At Large from which to elect one Council Representative At Large. The At Large Rep is responsible for keeping the members informed of the council meetings. If the number of At Large Members falls below five, the At Large rep will lose his/her status. All remaining members may continue to attend council meetings.
  3. The election for the At Large Representatives shall be overseen by the Executive Board, but the At Large constituency shall be overseen by the Vice-Chair.
  4. The At Large Representative shall have the same rights and responsibilities as representatives of constituent groups except the payment of dues. Once the At Large Council constituency reaches 10 members, the Council shall be granted the power of one collective vote, equivalent to the member organizations of the General Council.
C. General Council meetings shall be held biweekly. The presidents of each member organization shall attend the first meetings of every month.

D. General Council meetings shall be open to the public with the exception of those occasions when a motion is made to close a meeting and the motion carries with a majority vote.

E. Two (2) consecutive or total three (3) absences of a representative from a member organization during the academic year session will lead to probationary status. One additional absence shall lead to dismissal from the UMC upon determination by the General Council.

F. Duties of the representatives include but are not limited to:

  1. Attend general council meetings;
  2. Inform respective constituencies of United Minorities Council activities;
  3. Convey any pertinent issues or questions to General Council;
  4. Check in with the recording secretary at every meeting; and
  5. Attend the United Minorities Council Retreat each semester.
G. Reasons for probation as seen fit by the executive board are, yet not limited to:
  1. Not fulfilling co-sponsorship requirements;
  2. Not sending representatives to the fall or spring semester retreats;
  3. Not participating in Unity Week or Celebration of Culture.
H. When a group is put on probation, it will lose the privilege to vote as well as its access to its resources at the Greenfield Intercultural Center. Written notice will be given to the president of the respective group which will state reason(s) for probation, how long probation will last and what the group must do to be taken off of probation as the executive board sees fit.
Section III: Executive Board

The Executive Board of the United Minorities Council shall be comprised of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Political Chair, Admissions Co-Chair, and Programming Chairs. Members of the Executive Board must be full-time undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania and must discharge their duties faithfully, impartially, and promptly.

A. The Chair shall:

  1. Serve as the chief executive officer of the United Minorities Council;
  2. Officially representative the United Minorities Council;
  3. Preside at all the General Council and Executive Board meetings;
  4. Serve as an ex-officio member on all standing committees;
  5. Establish or remove any standing committees and/or appoint members to committees as necessary with the approval of the General Council;
  6. Approve all expenditures by the General Council from the United Minorities Council budget;
  7. Provide consultation as needed for programming; and
  8. Help coordinate and facilitate retreats at the beginning of fall and spring semesters.
B. The Vice-Chair shall:
  1. Assume the responsibilities of the Chair when the Chair cannot fulfill those duties;
  2. Act as a mediator for internal conflicts;
  3. Oversee and coordinate progress of all standing committees;
  4. Assist the Chair in representing the United Minorities Council; and
  5. Oversee the activities of the Members At Large to check their eligibility and to promote a stronger connection with the UMC.
C. The Political Chair shall:
  1. Be a liaison between the University Community, the Surrounding Community, and the UMC;
  2. Serve as the chief researcher of the UMC.
  3. Keep the general Council and/or Executive Board informed of University agendas.
  4. Assume the responsibilities of the Chair in the absence of the Chair and the Vice-Chair.
D. The Treasurer shall:
  1. Oversee and coordinate all financial matters;
  2. Consult with the Chair prior to expenditure of the United Minorities Council funds; and
  3. Submit a written and an oral financial report to the General council monthly.
E. The Corresponding Secretary shall:
  1. Assist the Chair in preparing materials for all General Council meetings;
  2. Be responsible for all official correspondence between the United Minorities Council and any other organization as approved by the Chair and the General Council; and
  3. Shall assume the duties of a historian to record events throughout the year regarding UMC matters and stored in the UMC office for future reference and memories.
F. The Recording secretary shall:
  1. Keep attendance for all General Council meetings;
  2. Take minutes at all General Council meetings and executive Board meetings;
  3. Maintaining and update all records and files pertaining to the United Minorities Council business;
  4. Maintain, with the Corresponding Secretary, an updated address and telephone list of all the General Council.
G. The Admissions Co-Chair shall:
  1. Serve as chief officers of the Admissions Committee;
  2. Maintain a working relationship with the Admissions Office;
  3. Help coordinate and facilitate minority pre-applicant weekends and the annual minority Scholars Invitational weekend program;
  4. Provide consultation as needed for other programming efforts; and
  5. Give updates at UMC general meetings.
H. The Programming Co-Chair shall:
  1. Serve as chief officer of the Programming Committee;
  2. Plan annual UMC events (such as Unity Week and Celebration of Cultures);
  3. Foster group interaction through co-sponsorship and joint programming;
  4. Provide consultation as needed for other programming efforts; and
  5. Give updates at UMC General Council meetings.
ARTICLE III: Finance
A. Each member organization shall be required to contribute a minimum of fifty United States dollars ($50) to the United Minorities Council Treasury.
ARTICLE IV: Meetings and Procedures
All General Council meetings will be biweekly. Executive Board meetings will be held weekly or when the General Council cannot be reached. The Chair of the United Minorities Council reserves the right to call additional meetings, as he or she deems necessary. No voting during a General Council meeting shall occur unless a quorum of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members are present. All motions shall be considered by a simple majority of those members present unless otherwise specified herein. The members of the United Minorities Council Executive Board shall not vote during General Council Meetings. Robert's Rules of Procedure shall be employed generally but may be suspended by consensus.
ARTICLE V: Nominations and Elections of Executive Board
A. Nominations. Official nominations for the election of Chair and Vice-Chair shall be opened as of the second meeting of the General Council of the Fall Semester and closed two weeks thereafter. Nominations for the remainder of the Executive Board positions shall commence the meeting after Winter Break and close two weeks thereafter. Nominations can be extended to the day of the elections only if a motion to do so is carried by majority vote.

B. Qualifications for Candidacy

  1. All candidates must be full members of a member organization of the united Minorities Council or an active At Large Member.
  2. No member may hold concurrently an office on the Executive Board of the united Minorities Council and the executive board of a member organization.
  3. No member may hold concurrently an office on the Executive Board of the United Minorities Council and serve as UMC Representative of a member organization.
  4. All candidates must be full-time undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania who are of good character and good academic standing.
  5. All candidates must be present at elections. Exceptions may be granted by the Executive Board if there is sufficient reason to do so. In that case, the candidate's speech may be read by the nominator or another designated person. Lack of attendance without just cause will result in withdrawal of the candidate's name from the position.
C. Elections
  1. Elections Schedule. Elections for Chair and Vice-Chair shall be conducted in the last meeting of the Fall semester after nominations have closed. The positions of Chair and Vice-Chair elect shall remain as such until the rest of the Executive Board has been elected. The election for the remaining members of the Executive Board shall occur during the General Council Meeting one week after nominations are closed. Candidates may choose to drop down to run for another positions.
  2. Speeches and Question and Answer Periods. Chair and Vice-Chair candidates shall be allotted five (5) minutes of speaking time. Candidates for Political Chair, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Admissions Co-Chairs, and Programming Co-Chairs, shall be allotted two (2) minutes of speaking time. Chair and Vice-Chair Question and Answer periods shall be ten (10) minutes of duration. Question and answer periods for the remaining positions on the Executive Board shall be five (5) minutes of duration. A motion may be made to extend any time period. The motion must be seconded and approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the General Council in order to carry.
  3. Voting. Absolutely no voting for Executive Board Elections shall take place unless two-thirds (2/3) of the General Council are at the election meeting. No proxies are permitted. In the event of a tie, the tied candidates will have a run off election. If the tie cannot be broken by a run-off election, then the Chair shall cast the deciding vote.
D. Terms of Office
  1. Terms of office for all Executive Board positions shall commence after the entire new board has been elected.
ARTICLE VI: Impeachment and Removal of Officers
Section I: Impeachment

Any member of the General Council, including the Executive Board, may move to impeach any elected officer based on constitutional grounds. Said motion must be seconded and carried by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the General Council. An impeachment meeting must then be called and held within one (1) month after said motion has been carried. The charged officer(s) shall remain in office until officially being removed by impeachment. The charged officer(s) and all the General Council must be present with a written notice of charges at the meeting where motion for impeachment is made. The Chair shall preside over impeachment meetings unless he or she is being charged, in which case the Vice-Chair shall preside.

Section II: Removal

In order for a motion for removal of the charged officer(s) at the impeachment meeting to be considered, all of the General Council must be present at the designated impeachment meeting. The motion for removal shall require at least three-fourths (3/4) affirmative vote of the General Council.

Section III: Invalidation

All impeachments and removals shall be considered invalid if there is any breach of the United Minorities Council Constitutional Impeachment Policy.

ARTICLE VII: Replacement of Officers
If for any reason, there are Executive Board positions not filled after the time of election, they may be filled at the discretion of the Executive Board members.
ARTICLE VIII: Admission to the United Minorities Council
Section I: Conditions
Any organization shall be considered eligible for membership in the United Minorities Council provided that the organization represents African/Caribbean American, Asians/Pacific Islander, Latino, Chicano, Native American, South Asian, Arab/Semitic, or Multi-racial students at the University of Pennsylvania; does not have a definitive position within its own charter that is counterproductive to the goals and aims of the UMC. The organization must have an outside source of funding, such as but not limited to the Students Activities Council of the University of Pennsylvania.
Section II: Procedure
Any organization applying for admission shall approach the Chair, who shall present a special General Council meeting. At the meeting, the applying organization shall present itself before the council whereby the council shall then consider and vote upon the application. If the discussion needs to be extended to the next General Council meeting, a motion must pass by majority vote. All members of the General Council not on probation must be present al all meetings in order for the application to be considered. A three-fourths (3/4) favorable vote shall be necessary for admission of the prospective organization.
ARTICLE IX: Adoption of Amendments to the Constitution
Proposed adoption of and amendments to the Constitution must be presented in writing to the Executive Board at least one (1) week before the General Council meeting where the proposal(s) is to be considered. All of the General Council not on probation must be present in order for voting on the proposal(s) to occur. Amendments shall be ratified by a three-fourths (3/4) favorable vote of all the General Council. The adoption of the Constitution shall be ratified by a three-fourths (3/4) vote as well.
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