Liberated Individuals For the Environment
Article I
Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be Liberated Individuals For the Environment as well as L.I.F.E. and LIFE.
Article II
Purpose
Section 1: The purposes of this organization is to promote environmental sustainability through outdoor exploration, information gathering and student/community outreach.
Article III
Membership
Section 1: Membership is restricted to all currently enrolled students, faculty, and staff of the Fremont Main Ohlone College Campus and the Newark Center for the Health Sciences and Technology.
A) A Club due of $5.00 is to be paid by all current members at the beginning of each semester to help with LIFE events and LIFE celebrations.
a. Members may participate in an event sponsored by LIFE, which is not required of all members. The formula that is to be used is as follows:
i. One (1) hour of participation is equal to $1.00 of the $5.00 required club due.
b. Members may participate in fundraisers to raise their club due. The formula that is to be used is as follows:
i. $10 of fundraised money is equal to $1.00 of the $5.00 required club due.
Section 2: Criteria for membership include paying a club due of $5.00
Section 3: A member is in good standing when he or she has no or low absences, demonstrates leadership skills and actively participates in all or most club events.
Section 4: The rights of voting and holding an office are reserved for club members only.
Article IV
Officers
Section 1: LIFE’s Board consists of seven (7) positions listed as follows: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Marketing Director, Historian, ICC/CSSC Representative.
Section 2: All officers as well as appointed committee(s) shall promote and uphold the duties outlined in Article V of the club constitution.
Section 3: Any member in good standing can run for office. In addition, all current members of LIFE may nominate themselves for positions on the LIFE Board.
Section 4: The LIFE Board will administer all elections via an internet medium. The Secretary with a club advisor present will count all votes.
Section 5: Nominations shall be made one (1) month before the end of each semester. Elections will take place two (2) weeks before the end of each semester. Those elected shall take office during the last scheduled Executive and General LIFE Meetings.
Section 6: Elected officers must receive the majority of votes to be elected.
Section 7: Vacancies in office shall be filled by appointment by the council.
Section 8: Elected officials must sign a binding contract to adhere to the club Constitution as well as the Ohlone Rules and Regulations including the ICC Handbook.
Article V
Duties of Officers
Section 1: President: The President shall:
A) Set and determine agenda for both Executive and General Meetings.
B) Shall keep a close connection with existing members of the board.
C) Shall act as a judge/mediator for LIFE.
D) Shall keep LIFE board on track.
E) Shall assign duties to members of the board.
F) Shall appoint officers and members to committees if necessary.
Section 2: Vice President: The Vice President shall:
A) Assume the duties and functions of the President upon the absence of the President.
B) Assist the President in fulfilling the President’s tasks.
C) Act as a mediator between LIFE members and the board.
D) Take on the duties of the ICC / CSSC Representative if the position is vacant.
Section 3: Secretary: The Secretary shall:
A) Assume the duties and functions of the President upon the absence of the President and Vice President.
B) Take minutes of all possible General and Executive meetings and keep a record of all the minutes.
C) Be responsible for taking attendance.
D) Accept nominations and be in charge of elections.
E) Keep a calendar of scheduled events.
F) Submit minutes to the advisors, board, and members.
G) Remind the president and the club members of events, deadlines, and meetings.
Section 4: Treasurer: The Treasurer shall:
A) Assume the duties and functions of the President upon the absence of the President, Vice President, and Secretary.
B) Keep track and records of money saved or spent.
C) Be responsible for transactions of all funds.
D) Report the club’s balance at meetings.
E) Maintain the club’s budget.
F) Write payment request for events
G) Write deposit requests for all income.
Section 5: Marketing Director: The Marketing Director shall:
A) Assume the duties and functions of the President upon the absence of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Financial Director/Treasurer.
B) Be responsible for advertising (flyers, banners, business cards, radio announcements, etc.) of LIFE event(s).
C) Facilitates message boards, blogs, and online groups.
D) Maintains the LIFE Facebook and Myspace with the Historian.
Section 6: Historian: The Historian shall:
A) Assume the duties and functions of the President upon the absence of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Financial Director/Treasurer, and Marketing Director.
B) Keep a scrapbook of pictures of all events that LIFE participates in and organizes.
a. Posting media on the LIFE Myspace or Facebook will fulfill this section.
C) Responsible for video footage or slideshow of events.
D) Post pictures on LIFE website(s).
E) Post minutes given by the Secretary, and agendas given by the President.
F) Maintains the LIFE Facebook and Myspace with the Marketing Director.
Section 7: Inter Club Council (ICC) / California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC) Representative: The ICC/CSSC Representative shall:
A) Assume the duties and functions of the President upon the absence of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Financial Director/Treasurer, Marketing Director, and Historian.
B) Represent LIFE’s interest at all ICC meetings.
C) Represent Ohlone College and LIFE at all CSSC meetings.
D) Represent the Ohlone College Student Body and LIFE at all Sustainability Committee Meetings.
E) Report out of aforementioned meetings during LIFE Executive and General meetings.
F) Maintain a contact list of all current Ohlone College Clubs.
G) Be responsible for completing the ICC Monthly Club Report and turning it into the ICC Chair during the last Tuesday of every month.
Article VI
Meetings
Section 1: Regular meetings will be held once a week. Board members shall determine the scheduling of meetings.
A) Regular meetings are defined as one (1) Executive and one (1) General meeting per week.
B) An advisor must also be present for a meeting to come to order and business to be conducted.
Section 2: Special meetings may be called by any officer of the Board or the club advisor.
Section 3: A quorum of two (2) general members and two (2) Board members shall be necessary to conduct business at a general meeting.
A) An advisor must be present to conduct business (LIFE Constitution Article VI, Section 1B)
Section 4: A quorum of four (4) of the seven (7) board officers shall be necessary to conduct business at an executive meeting.
A) An advisor must be present to conduct business (LIFE Constitution Article VI, Section 1B)
Section 5: The President may cancel a regularly scheduled LIFE meeting and/or event with advance notice of two (2) days to all Board and General members as well as the club advisor.
Section 6: During the course of each semester, a general member as well as Board officers are permitted a limited number of absences. Once this limit is reached, an executive session will be called to determine what actions officers wish to take. Reaching this limit is considered failing to perform the duties of office and/or membership and is cause for removal from the club or Board office position. This procedure is in accordance with the ASOC Constitution and By-Laws.
A) The Secretary will keep a record of absences and absences equivalents as accumulated by each member. (LIFE Constitution Article V, Section 3C)
B) There will be no deviation from this policy, however, it is at the discretion of only the LIFE Executive Board.
a. The limit is three (3) unexcused absences or equivalent. Being “absent excused” twice is equal to one (1) unexcused absence. Thus, six (6) excused absences or any combination of excused and unexcused absences will be cause for removal. An absent excused is defined as follows: i. Two (2) days advance notice must be given to the LIFE President or Advisor. ii. Emergencies require notice to the LIFE President or Advisor immediately.
C) Being “late” three (3) times is equivalent to one (1) unexcused absence. “Late” is determined by not being present when your name is read at roll call. In addition, in order to be counted at any given meeting, members must attend eighty percent (80%) of the allotted meeting time.
Article VII
Source of Power
The source of power of this club is the President/Superintendent of Ohlone College, the legal representative of the Board of Trustees, who delegates powers as appropriate to the ICC, which recognizes each club to conduct its business. In accepting this constitution Liberated Individuals For the Environment (LIFE) agrees to abide by the Ohlone College policies and regulations, which apply to students and student clubs.
Article VIII
Amendments and Ratification
Section 1: Any officer of the LIFE Board may propose amendments to this constitution.
Section 2: Amendments must be ratified by a majority vote of the Board.
A) Majority is defined as four (4) of the seven (7) Board members.
Section 3: The constitution must be reviewed each semester by the incoming Board. It must also be documented and approved by incoming board officers and club advisor.
Adopted by the LIFE Board on May 13, 2008. |
Constitution |