University of Georgia “La Unidad Latina”, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.

CONSTITUTION

Constitution for the University of Georgia Chapter of “La Unidad Latina”, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. at University of Georgia

ARTICLE I

NAME

This organization shall be known as “La Unidad Latina”, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Incorporated. A student organization chartered at University of Georgia University henceforth referred to as LUL.

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE

The purpose of LUL is to:

1. Uphold the traditions of University of Georgia University. 2. Improve relations between students and the administration. 3. Aspire to bring men together to pursue the development of fellowship and the unification of the community as a whole. 4. Strive towards the pursuit of academic excellence, community involvement, and cultural awareness. 5. To develop leadership skills amongst students.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

A. Members of LUL will be University of Georgia students who meet eligibility requirements for participation in extra-curricular activities as stated in the UGA Catalog and SGA policies. Only University of Georgia students can vote or hold office. B. There shall be no maximum number of members. C. Active membership will take effect when an interested party finishes the Leadership Development Process, signs up on the membership roster, meets all requirements (including those listed in the Academic Policy), and pays all dues.

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS/COMMITTEES

Section I.

According to the UGA Catalog, only eligible UGA students can hold or run for office and they must:

• Be a member of the organization in good standing o Must have no violations of the campus’s code of student conduct o Hold a minimum semester grade point average of 3.0 for the semester prior to taking office • Have earned at least a semester of respectable and active membership o Be able to complete one full year of service o Minimum of 13 hours of chapter approved community service o Attend chapter meetings and philanthropic events • Must have a minimum of 9 credit hours but no more than 16 credit hours • Is limited to a maximum of 2 office positions per term.

Section II.

LUL shall have as officers a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The length of the term for all officers shall be one year effective the last meeting of the spring semester.

(A) The President shall be the chief executive officer of the organization and shall preside over all meetings. He shall be in charge of the relations with all other campus organizations and shall follow all Presidential duties – and those deemed necessary throughout the term – such as: a. Setting the agenda for each Chapter meeting b. Ensuring the same procedure is followed for each meeting

(B) The Vice-President shall be the advisor to the President and shall be responsible for all matters of internal affairs for the organization as well as for ensuring LUL meets all Five- Star requirements as set by the Office of Student Activities. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall serve as presiding officer at the meetings.

(C) The Secretary shall keep and maintain current organization membership rosters and accurate minutes of all meetings of the organization. The Secretary shall carry on all correspondence with other organizations and will be responsible for the reservations of rooms for all chapter meetings.

(D) The Treasurer shall have charge of all monetary responsibilities for the organization and will disburse funds on proper authorization of the organization’s officers. The Treasurer will maintain treasurer’s ledger with all receipts, disbursements, and current balances. The Treasurer shall be responsible for fulfilling the organization’s financial obligations. He will be generally accountable for the fiscal solvency of the organization. The Treasurer will also be responsible for collecting Chapter dues at the first Chapter meeting of each semester, enforcing fines and sanctions, creating and submitting all fund proposals, as well as creating and executing all Chapter fundraising events.

(E) Other officer positions (in rank order) will include:

a. Academic Chair i. Responsible for assuring all members maintain satisfactory academic achievements ii. Responsible for carrying out punishments as designated in the Academic Policy (Appx. A) b. Community Service Chair i. Responsible for assuring all members successfully complete all community service hours as designated by this Constitution as well as by Five-Star ii. Responsible for maintaining accurate records of ALL community service hours completed by each active Chapter member iii. Responsible for creating community service events with committee, as well as creating fundraisers/events for chapter philanthropy iv. Chapter Philanthropy will henceforth be The PCD Foundation c. Social/Events Chair i. Responsible for all social activity for Chapter 1. Includes mixers with other organizations 2. Includes all parties ii. Responsible for serving as liaison between LUL and all other organization for collaborations 1. Includes ensuring LUL support of most supportive organizations iii. Responsible for planning/creating/executing ALL events with committee d. Historian i. Responsible for maintaining an accurate history of the Chapter since founding to current date. 1. Includes past Chapter rosters, awards, events, etc. ii. Responsible for maintaining an accurate record of all Chapter activities and events. iii. Responsible for maintaining and caring for any and all chapter treasurers/awards for presentation during tabling. iv. Responsible for the application of any and all awards during the term of office. e. Social Media Coordinator/Webmaster i. Responsible for maintaining Chapter presence on ALL social media avenues 1. Includes Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google +, and any other major social media avenue deemed necessary 2. MUST post regularly on most important avenues (Facebook/Twitter) a. Posts must relative to LUL’s values and/or major issues/interesting developments/professional information/UGA-related issues/events 3. MUST create and maintain ALL LUL events on Facebook ii. Responsible for maintaining Chapter website f. Recruitment Chair i. Responsible for all recruitment activities 1. Informationals/Interest Group Meetings ii. Responsible for supervising Interest Group (IG) 1. Includes maintaining IG listserve ([email protected]) 2. Includes attending and running all Interest Group meetings 3. Includes serving as liaison for all regional IG activites a. Includes SoCo (if applicable) b. Includes any and all roadtrips g. Alumni Advisor i. Shall be elected at the end of every Spring semester ii. Must meet the following criteria: 1. Be a graduated alumnus of the University of Georgia Chapter 2. Must have held at minimum three positions during tenure as an undergraduate a. At least one of these three positions must have been either Vice President or President. 3. Must be able to attend at least 25% of the chapter meetings as designated by the current President iii. The Alumni Advisor will serve as a point of reference for chapter in the event of conflicts between members, lack of ideas, and other chapter conflicts that will require outside mediation iv. The Alumni Advisor will also be responsible for ensuring that the Chapter works efficiently and will work closely with the current President to ensure maximum efficiency v. The Alumni Advisor will have no voting rights, but will maintain the right to voice opinions during voting procedures h. Salsita For You Coordinator i. Salsita For You Coordinator shall be elected during the Spring semester. ii. Salsita For You Coordinator is responsible for the overseeing, organizing, planning, and executing of Salsita For You at the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month for that given year. i. Hermano Bonding Chair i. Responsible for creating and executing all Hermano Bonding events throughout the year starting from the moment elected.

(F) In the event of disagreement between the President and other officers, there shall be a vote decided by plurality by all active members in attendance of the meeting. Majority rule shall decide the course of action.

(G) Other officer positions may be created as deemed necessary.

a. Any active member may propose a new position to be created, at which time the President and Vice President will present it to a Chapter vote of which a plurality is necessary in order for said position to be created and initiated into the Constitution.

Section III.

Committees shall be as follows:

(A) There shall be 3 committees: a. Salsita For You Committee b. Events Committee c. Community Service Committee (B) Each committee must comprise of at least 3 Hermanos at any given time. (C) Each committee is responsible for meeting each week prior to Chapter to discuss and execute plans. (D) The heads of each committee shall be as follows: a. Salsita For You – Salsita For You Coordinator b. Events – Social/Events Chair c. Community Service – Community Service Chair (E) The heads of each committee are responsible with keeping the President updated at any given time. (F) The responsibilities of each committee are as follows: a. Salsita For You Committee i. Shall be appointed by the elected Salsita For You Coordinator at the last meeting of the Fall semester. ii. Tasked with securing sponsorships and planning, organizing, and executing Salsita For You. b. Events Committee i. Shall be appointed by the Social Chair after election. ii. Tasked with planning, organizing, and executing all educational, cultural (aside from Salsita For You), and social events throughout the year. c. Community Service Committee i. Shall be appointed by the Community Service Chair after election. ii. Tasked with planning, organizing, and executing all community/philanthropic-oriented events throughout the year. iii. Responsible for assuring all active members complete the amount of hours as designated by this Constitution.

Section IV.

Officers will be elected in the following manner: Plurality Vote

(1) Elections will be held at the end of each Spring semester.

(2) Qualified candidates shall submit a written letter of intent to the Secretary one week prior to the scheduled election date.

(3) On the date of the election, the Secretary shall announce the positions to be voted on, followed by the candidates for the position.

(4) Candidates for a position will give an oral presentation stating their reasons for running.

(5) After all candidates for a position have spoken, they will be asked to leave the room and all other active members currently present will be allowed to openly discuss each of the candidates’ stance.

(6) After discussion, a closed ballot election will be held.

(7) Voting decisions shall be based on a plurality.

(8) The current President, Vice-President, and Secretary will then take the ballots and count them in another room. In the case that all three officers are running for positions, two chapter- appointed supervisors will oversee the counting.

(9) The process will begin with the election of the President and shall follow the order as listed above.

(10) Candidates not elected to an office wherein the candidate has met all of the requirements stated above shall be allowed candidacy to any office remaining unfilled on the ballot.

(11) New officers take office at the first meeting of the May-mester.

Section V. Officers shall be removed in this manner: Plurality Vote

(A) Any member of the organization may file charges for suspension upon an Officer for failure to maintain his responsibilities to the organization (i.e. failure to pay dues, persistent absence from meetings, lack of participation in activities, etc.). A written claim of charges must be presented to the organization, which will then convene, review the charges and render a decision based on a plurality vote.

(B) All documentation for removal (i.e. claim, minutes of hearing, and final decision rendered) must be provided to applicable advisors in a timely fashion.

(C) An Officer may remove himself by providing written notice to the organization accompanied by the expected duration of inactivity.

(D) If the President is removed or resigns, the Vice-President will take his place in the interim. If any office other than the President is removed or resigns, the president will take his place in the interim. A special election will be held at the next possible meeting to fill vacancies.

Section VI. Officer resignations shall be handled as follows:

(A) Officers shall have a one month “grace” period from time of election where they may resign without any notice or consequence (B) After above-mentioned “grace” period, officers MUST submit written documentation to the President stating intent to resign at least three weeks prior to resignation date. Officers must also appoint and/or nominate a replacement in said written submission. (C) Chapter shall vote on said replacement as soon as possible after resignation intent is submitted. Vote shall be determined by a plurality. (D) Prior to relinquishing officer rights, said officer MUST train and/or transfer all materials and/or contacts to his replacement.

ARTICLE V

DUES, FINES, SANCTIONS, and REQUIREMENTS

Section I. Chapter Dues a. Chapter Dues are hereby designated as $25, which shall be due by the first meeting each semester (Fall/Spring ONLY). b. Chapter Dues may be increased at the Chapter’s discretion by a plurality vote to be taken at the last meeting of each semester. c. Chapter Dues may never be decreased.

Section II. Unexcused meeting absences: a. First three offenses shall be excused b. For the Fourth and Fifth offenses, the offender shall be fined $5 c. For the Sixth and Seventh offenses, the offender shall be fined $10 d. For the Eighth offense, the offender shall be fined $20 and lose all Officer and/or Pledging Rights to be determined by the Chapter

Section III. Deliberate work neglect: a. First Two offenses shall be excused b. For the Third offense, the offender will get a warning and shall be fined by an amount determined by the Chapter c. For the Fourth offense, the offender shall be fined by an amount determined by the Chapter and shall lose all Officer and Pledging rights

Section IV. GPA Requirements: a. All members must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 Prior Semester GPA in order to participate in any Greek-related activities as a member/representative of LUL b. All members wishing to participate in strolling activities must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 Prior Semester GPA c. Refer to Academic Policy

Section V. Community Service Requirements: a. All active members must complete a total of 13 hours of community service during each semester by attending Chapter-mandated community service events. b. Chapter-mandated events shall be events created by and/or sponsored by the Chapter.

Section VI. Appeals a. All of the above fines and sanctions can be removed and/or appealed at the decision of the Chapter b. Consideration for individual cases can be amended at the discretion of the Chapter

ARTICLE VI

ADVISOR

Section I. A full time UGA faculty or staff member will serve as advisor to the organization.

Section II. Nominations for advisor will take place amongst officers. The officers will choose by consensus the advisor and invite him/her to serve as advisor for the next academic year.

Section III. During Officer Elections, the organization will vote on whether to continue the Advisor appointment or not. 2/3 of those voting must vote in favor of the advisor to retain the Advisor for the next academic year.

Section IV. The duties of Advisor include: meeting with organization officers, reviewing the yearly budget, signing all required paperwork and advising on issues of risk management, organization leadership, and University of Georgia policy.

Section V. The Advisor can be removed for not carrying out the duties and expectations as defined in this document. Any member can bring concerns to the officers. The officers will meet with the Advisor to discuss the concerns. After this meeting, the officers will vote on whether to remove the Advisor. If there is a majority vote, then the Advisor will be removed.

Section VI. If an Advisor steps down or their term is not continued, the officers will follow the process stated in Article VI Section II.

ARTICLE VII

DUES

Section I. National Dues will be determined by the National Council and must be paid by each member between August 1st and October 1st of each Fiscal Year.

Section II. Chapter Dues will be $25 per semester. Chapter Dues will be paid at the beginning of the first Chapter Meeting of each semester.

ARTICLE VIII

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

Section I. Robert’s Rules of Order will govern all meetings. 2/3rds quorum is required to conduct business.

ARTICLE IX

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Section I. Amendments to the constitution shall be submitted to the Officers in writing for consideration. A reading or email of the proposed amendment(s) will be required prior to submitting the amendment to a vote.

Section II. Written notification of the proposed amendment to all voting members must be made by mail or email, at least two weeks in advance of any proposed change in the constitution.

Section III. Amendments will be determined by a plurality vote.

Section IV. Amendments are subject to the approval by the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Committee.

Appendix A. Academic Policies and Action Plan

It is in the interest of the Fraternidad and in its core values that the academic standing of each and every one of its members exceeds and at the very least meets expectations. With this in mind, a bar has been set at the measure of a 3.0 cumulative GPA for an Hermano to remain in good chapter academic standing. With this academic standing come rewards and consequences. Art. I: Chapter Academic chair must develop and implement an academic plan and policy for continued individual and chapter success.

Art. II: A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be kept by each and every Hermano of the Fraternidad in order to maintain good academic standing with in the Chapter. The individual GPA goal will remain a 4.0 or a .01% improvement of the previous semester institutional GPA.

Art. III. Study hours are mandated by chapter and will be determined by a chapter vote at the first Chapter Meeting of every semester. Every Hermano will provide a copy of their classes’ syllabi to the academic chair for record keeping and every Hermano will also fill out, and upkeep their corresponding Hermano GPA sheet located on Google Docs.

Art. IV: Hermanos who remain in good chapter standing according to Art. II, have the privilege to “Stroll, Step, partake in any Stroll or step practice, and partake in any social events the Fraternity participates in.” Exceptions for individuals will be brought up to a chapter vote in which the Academic Chair will not partake upon, but will revise and approve or dismiss based solely on significant academic improvement. A congratulatory Dinner or award will be provided for all those Hermanos that finish the current semester with a GPA of 3.5 or above.

Art V: Hermanos with below a 2.5 cumulative GPA Spring semester must attend an academic success workshop sponsored by the office of undergraduate studies during both FALL and SPRING semesters of the enrolled year. The Time, place and date will be provided by Greek Advisor. Hermanos who do not remain in good chapter academic standing will NOT “Stroll, Step, partake in any Stroll or step practice, or partake in any social events the Fraternity participates in.” In congruence with certain privileges being removed, those Hermanos who do not remain in good Chapter standing are required to schedule a meeting with the Chapter’s Academic chair to schedule a full mandatory regime of set study hours to be logged in a weekly basis.

ARTICLE X

NON-DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE A. Membership and all privileges, including voting and officer positions, must be extended to all students without regard to race, color, sex (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity or national origin, religion, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

However, religious student organizations will not be denied registration solely because they limit leadership positions to students who share the same religious beliefs.

B. Membership and all privileges, including voting and officer positions, must be extended to all students as stated in the University of Georgia Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Title IX states that: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.