Constitution

Article I: The Establishment

Section 1: Founding Date

The Illinois Vietnamese Student Union was founded on the sixteenth of May, 2000.

SECTION 2: NAME

The organization shall be recognized as the Illinois Vietnamese Student Union. It may be referred to as Lien Doan Sinh Vien Illinois or I.V.S.U.

Article ÌI: Missions

To unify Vietnamese and Vietnamese American students.

To maintain and promote Vietnamese culture.

To strengthen the Vietnamese community in IL.

To empower Vietnamese and Vietnamese American students through leadership development.

Article III: Positions

The IVSU shall be a non-profit and non-partisan community based organization.

The IVSU shall organize a wide range of social, cultural, educational and philanthropic to accomplish the aforementioned missions.

Article IV: Membership

Membership of the IVSU shall be composed of organizations and individuals who share a common interest in the IVSU’s mission statement, and shall actively participate in the IVSU’s activities.

Article V: Offices

Section 1: Executive Board

The board of officers consists of the President, Internal Vice President, External Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Social Chair.

Section 2: Counsel of Representatives

The Counsel of Representatives shall consist of official representatives from different Vietnamese student organizations within IL.

Section 3: Members

Members shall be composed of active individuals who share a common interest in the IVSU’s mission statement, and shall actively participate in the IVSU’s activities.

Section 4: Board of Advisors

Members of Board of Advisors shall be appointed by the executive board.

Article VI: Election

SECTION 1: TERM OF ELECTION

The Executive Board shall be elected at the first meeting in October to a term of two years, and shall serve until their successors have been duly elected; the president, external vice-president and secretary shall be elected in October of odd years, and the remaining executive board members; internal vice president, treasurer, historian and social chair, shall be elected in October of even years.

SECTION 2: NOMINATION

Nomination shall be conducted as an open process at the first meeting of September and lasts through the 30th of September.

SECTION 3: SPECIAL CANDIDATE RULE

Members are only eligible for nominations to the president and treasurer positions after having been active members since the previous election.

SECTION 4: ELECTED TO OFFICE BY MAJORITY VOTE

A candidate for an office must receive a majority vote (>50%) in order to be elected. In the event that no candidate receives a majority vote on the first ballot, the two (2) candidates having the most number of votes shall advance to the second ballot.

*In the event of a tie in the second ballot, the current executive board shall cast the deciding vote with the majority consent of the executive board.

SECTION 5 : NOMINATE BY ORDER OF DECREE

Each officer shall be nominated and elected in the order of:

Social Chair (even year)

Historian (even year)

Secretary (odd year)

Treasurer (even year)

External Vice President (odd year)

Internal Vice President (even year)

President (odd year)

SECTION 6: MAXIMUM TERM ALLOWANCE

A person can hold the same office for a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms.

Article VII: Governing Procedures

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board provides governance to the organizations and represents the organization in the community. Elected and appointed Executive Board members need to be present at 80% of all executive meetings, general meetings, and IVSU events. Failure to comply may result in the impeachment of the board member(s). Extenuating circumstances must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board.

SECTION 2: DUTIES OF THE BOARD MEMBERS

President

Shall maintain general active management of the business of the organization.

Shall ensure the effective action of the board in governing and supporting the organization; oversees board affairs; and act as the representative of the board as a whole.

Shall speak to the media and the community on behalf of the organization.

Shall recommend committees to establish; and delegate a chairperson to each committee.

Shall ensure that board matters are handled properly, including preparation of meeting materials, functionality of committees, and recruitment and orientation of new board members.

Internal Vice President

Shall act as the President in his or her absence concerning internal affairs.

Shall be in charge of all inter-organization issues, including but not limited to roles and responsibilities of board members.

Shall maintain contact with each committee’s chairperson of committees to be sure completion of assigned their tasks.

Shall oversee the Counsel of Representatives’ activities.

Shall assist the President on the above or other specified duties.

Shall replace the President in the case the President fails to fulfill his or her duties.

External Vice President

Shall act as the president in his or her absence concerning external affairs.

Shall assist the President on the above or other specified duties.

Shall act as the official liaison for the organization to the community, including but not limited to internal student organization.

Shall be in charge of all public relation issues.

Treasurer

Shall manage the board’s review of an action relating to the board’s financial responsibilities.

Shall prepare a projected budget report for each event prior to its execution, and shall reconcile that with the actual budget report for said event after its completion.

Shall ensure the appropriate financial reports are made available to the board monthly.

Secretary

Shall inform members regarding the IVSU’s events.

Shall keep minutes of all meetings and provide them when necessary.

Historian

Shall keep all historical records pertaining to the IVSU.

Shall work closely with the President and External Vice President on press relation materials.

Social Chair

Shall organize activities to enhance social interaction within the IVSU.

Shall coordinate logistics and budgeting for IVSU’s social events.

Counsel of Representatives

Shall plan inter-school activities; provide its constituent organizations the opportunity to network; and to liaise between said organizations and the IVSU.

The Counsel of Representatives shall be composed of IVSU representatives from organizations chosen every year by the electors of those respective organizations.

The time, place, and manner of holding elections of the Counsel of Representatives shall be prescribed in each organization according to the by-laws thereof.

The Counsel of Representatives may punish its members for disorderly behaviors; and with concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) vote; expel a member.

General Staff

The General Staff shall be composed of act give IVSU members who do not belong to IVSU Executive Board or Counsel of Representative.

Shall help the executive board execute the IVSU’s overall mission.

SECTION 3: VOTING PROCEDURES

Major IVSU decisions shall be brought to the floor for a vote, in which each current Executive Board member, Counsel of Representatives, and General Staff member may cast a vote. The majority vote of each office shall determine the office’s vote in the final decision. Each of the three offices has one vote in the final decision, meaning each office’s voting power is weighted at one-third (1/3) the total votes within the IVSU, if and only if the number of core members is equal to that of the E-Board.

SECTION 4: MEETINGS

There shall be at least one (1) meeting per month. Additional meetings will be held when necessary.

SECTION 5: RESIGNATION AND REPLACEMENT

Elected members of the Executive Board may resign with consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the Counsel of Representatives and the General Staff members combined. In severe situations or circumstances, Executive Board members may resign with the consent of more than one-half (1/2) of the Executive Board.

Elected members of the Executive Board may be impeached and replaced with consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the three (3) the offices.

Appointed members of the Executive Board may resign with the consent of more than one-half (1/2) of the Executive Board.

Appointed members of the Executive Board may be replaced with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the elected members of the Executive Board.

Article VIII: Decisions

Decisions of the Executive Board are official if and only if they are approved by more than one-half (1/2) of the Executive Board members.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1: TO MAKE THE AMENDMENTS OFFICIAL

Any amendments to the Constitution shall be adopted by three fifth (3/5) of the e-board votes. A written notice of the proposed amendment must given at least two (2) weeks prior to a meeting. There shall be no voting by proxy. All such amendments shall become effective immediately, pending approval by the Illinois Vietnamese Students Union.