The Organization of Latino American Students
Bylaws and Constitution
Last Updated: June 7, 2012
Article I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Organization of Latino American Students (OLAS).
Article II - Statement of Purpose
OLAS aims to foster and maintain a spirit of solidarity among students interested in Latino American cultures, including but not limited to Spanish speaking countries and their descendants. OLAS is an all-inclusive organization committed to promoting awareness of the uniqueness of Latino American cultures by providing a wide range of opportunities to participate in social, cultural, and community service events for all Davidson students, regardless of ethnicity. Membership entails matriculating to the OLAS e-mail list which can be initiated at any time during the year except one week prior to annual elections. No dues paying commitments are required from OLAS members.
Article III - Membership
Membership in OLAS is open to any Davidson College student in good standing with the College, and who subscribes to the objectives and ideals of the organization. In accordance with Article I. A.2, of the Student Government Association bylaws, and the nondiscrimination policy of the college, we will not discriminate against ethnicity, age, gender, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Article IV - Elections
Section 1
Executive Board Officer elections for the coming school year term will occur every March. Nominations are open to all OLAS members that will be present for the entirety of the subsequent year for specified offices. The newly elected officers will not take office until the upcoming fall semester; however, they will shadow their present predecessor. All Officers will be elected by a simple majority vote amongst all OLAS members on the Secretary’s most recent email list (the email list temporarily closes one week before elections until the day after elections are over). Elections will be run by the Faculty Adviser and by the outgoing Executive Board members.
Section 2
The time line for elections will be as follows:
The process will commence during the first General Meeting of March.At this General Meetings there will be sign-ups and nominations for all available Officer positions. A reminder will be sent by e-mail to those who wish to run or have been nominated for a position so that they can send the Secretary a “blurb” to send out to the Organization prior to voting. By Friday, interested students should turn in their “blurbs” by e-mail to the OLAS secretary by a specified time. Immediately preceding the closing of the “blurb” submissions, the Secretary must send all members a list of interested students and their “blurbs”. Over that weekend, votes will be casted only via e-mail. All members, as indicated by the Secretary’s most current email list, may participate. TheFaculty Adviser and the President, unless otherwise notified, will be in charge of tabulating the results. A clear time and date will be issued for the beginning and the end of the voting. In the result of a tie, the Faculty Adviser willdecide what to do on a case-by-case basis. By Tuesday, the Faculty Advisor or the President will be in charge of announcing the results to the new Executive Board then to the Organization’s general members. If there are open Officer positions, the Executive Board can nominate members and internally vote a member to office.
Section 3
In the event that an Executive Member has decided to terminate their leadership position within OLAS, they will not be allowed to re-run for leadership for a whole academic year.
Article V - Officers
Section 1
The Executive Board of the organization will consist of 1 President, 1 Vice-President, 1 Secretary, 1 Treasurer, 2 Social-Cultural Chairs, 2 Community Service Chairs, 1 Liaison, 1 Historian/Webmaster, 1 Publicity Chair, and 1 Faculty Adviser.
Section 2
Duties of the Officers:
President: will preside over all Executive and General meetings, will be the official representative of OLAS and its events, will be well informed about the Organization’s events, both past and present, will ensure that appointed committees meet their deadlines and provide support for them, will be responsible for amending the Constitution and By-Laws with the Faculty Advisor and the Vice-President should the need arise, will obtain an appropriate Faculty Adviser with prior consultation with Executive Members, will regularly update the Faculty Adviser on current OLAS related events and potential future events, will enforce and abide by this Constitution and its Bylaws, will organize Executive Board retreats, and will encourage solidarity and teamwork among the members of the Organization.
Vice-President: will preside at all meetings, will assist the President in organizing and implementing Executive Board retreats, will conduct official organizational business when the President assigns her/him to do so,will serve in the President's place in the case of the President's absence, will be in charge of Intercambio which will be published each semester.
Secretary: will keep official minutes and records for both general and Executive Board meetings; willand process all communications between members, including but not limited to, maintaining an up-to-date email list of General and Executive Board Members, reminding respective officers and members of General and Executive Board meetings, and noting absences of officers at General and Executive Board meetings; will be responsible for publicizing General Meetings in the Crier;willreserve OLAS’ meeting spaces for the academic year; will submit all Executive Board Minutes to the archives, will create a directory of outside contacts both past and present.
Treasurer: will keep accurate and up-to-date records of all financial matters,will head the preparation of the Activities Tax Council report/request every year, willfacilitate all financial transactions between the organization, its members, the Union Board, and all other pertaining entities.
Social-Cultural Chair(s):will maintain a record of all OLAS sponsored events in conjunction with the Historian in a list format, and will assist in organizing, planning,scheduling and implementing social-cultural events.
Service Chair(s):will design, organize, and promote service opportunities in and around Davidson College, will maintain a record of all OLAS sponsored events in conjunction with the Historian in a list format.
Liaison: will be the point of contact between the Organization and Davidson College affiliated organizations and departments including, but not limited to, the Admissions’ Office, Patterson Court Committee, and Student Government Association, will be in charge of taking minutes at these meetings, will communicate messages from the President to the Davidson College affiliated group, will be knowledgeable about involvement the Organization past and present, will appropriately represent the President and the Organization during these external meetings.
Faculty Adviser: will provide assistance to the Executive Board with administrative issues, will advise the Executive Board with issues related to the organization, will read Executive Board minutes in order to stay up-to-date, will aid in event programming, will assist the President and Vice President in constructing Executive Board retreats, and will serve as a resource for contacts in the Spanish Department and in the Davidson College community. The Adviser will have no vote regarding Executive Board proposals, unless said proposal reaches out the jurisdiction of the OLAS Executive Board. The Adviser is encouraged to attend meetings (general and Executive) if no other time commitments present themselves.
Historian/Webmaster: will be in charge of keeping the OLAS web site and Davidsonian blog up-to-date, will teach the President and Vice-President how to access and maintain the website should the Webmaster not be able to do so, will be in charge of the OLAS board located in Chambers, will take pictures at all OLAS events, will submit all posters, fliers, and copies of the website Executive Board members to the school's archives.
Publicity Chair: will publicize events by, but not limited to, designing and distributing posters (with mandatory help from all Executive Board members), will make PowerPoints for the LCD screen advertisements in the Student Union, and will publish all event information inThe Crierand Inside Davidson.
Section 3
If an Officer is showing signs of inactivity, or disregard to Officer duties, or has missed a total of three Executive Board and General Meetings per semester, or has missed a total of three OLAS affiliated events per semester, the Executive Board must vote to send a warning to said Officer. If voting supports, a warning must be given out to the Officer by the President within 24 hours. The Officer has three weeksafter the sent date to improve their activity. If the certain act continues, Executive Board members will cast a vote to determine if said officer is to be removed from his or her Executive Board position. Impeachment occurs if a majority of Executive Board members vote as such.
Section 4
All Executive Board Officers are required to attend a fall retreat outlining the goals and expectations of the organization and its members, and a spring recommitment retreat. It is suggested that the organizers of the retreat consult the Student Activities Office’s advisors.
Section 5
All Executive Board Officers are required to submit all outside contact information (including their specialty) to the Secretary in order to keep in the directory.
Article V - Meetings
Regularly scheduled Executive Board and general meetings will be held each semester and when called upon by the President. Committee meetings will be held at the discretion of the committee chairpersons.
Article VI – Committees
Section 1
All committee chairs fall under the direct supervision of the President and Vice-President. The Social-Cultural, Publicity, Historian, and Service Chairs will each preside over a committee of OLAS members.
Section 2
Each Executive Board member and general member should assist with at least one OLAS committee.
The OLAS Social-Cultural Committee is responsible for:
a. Planning and implementing all OLAS social and cultural functions including, but are not limited to, Cinco de Mayo festivities (May), dinners, parties, Hispanic History Month (September and October), Día de los Muertoscelebrations (November), Latino Food Tasting, music, dance, and visual or artistic expressions (special exhibits).
b. Co-sponsoring social and cultural events with the Spanish Department, the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, the Union Board, the Davidson International Association, the Black Student Coalition, etc.
The OLAS Community Service Committee is responsible for:
a. Designing, organizing, and promoting service opportunities through health clinics, the Latin American Festival in Charlotte, translation of documents, assisting area schools with their After School Spanish programs, etc.
The OLAS Publicity Committee is responsible for:
a. Designing, organizing, and promoting OLAS events through posters around campus and in the union, and LCD Screen advertisements.
The OLAS Historian Committee is responsible for:
a. Designing and updating the OLAS bulletin board on a monthly bases.
Article VII – Finances
Section 1
There will be no membership dues to participate, volunteer, or engage in any of the OLAS activities.
Section 2
Regarding all specific financial changes towards OLAS’ budget, it is the responsibility of the member(s) causing the change to be approved by the President and the Treasurer prior to said alteration.
Article VIII - Amendments to the Constitution
Section 1
All amendments must be approved through a simple majority vote amongst Executive Board Officers during an Executive Board Meeting.
Section 2
Amendments can only occur every 3 years since the last revision date. Should the Executive Board desire to change the Constitution before the 3 year deadline, a resolution must be drafted and approved by the Executive Board to be submitted to the Faculty Advisor for approval.
Article I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Organization of Latino American Students (OLAS).
Article II - Statement of Purpose
OLAS aims to foster and maintain a spirit of solidarity among students interested in Latino American cultures, including but not limited to Spanish speaking countries and their descendants. OLAS is an all-inclusive organization committed to promoting awareness of the uniqueness of Latino American cultures by providing a wide range of opportunities to participate in social, cultural, and community service events for all Davidson students, regardless of ethnicity. Membership entails matriculating to the OLAS e-mail list which can be initiated at any time during the year except one week prior to annual elections. No dues paying commitments are required from OLAS members.
Article III - Membership
Membership in OLAS is open to any Davidson College student in good standing with the College, and who subscribes to the objectives and ideals of the organization. In accordance with Article I. A.2, of the Student Government Association bylaws, and the nondiscrimination policy of the college, we will not discriminate against ethnicity, age, gender, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Article IV - Elections
Section 1
Executive Board Officer elections for the coming school year term will occur every March. Nominations are open to all OLAS members that will be present for the entirety of the subsequent year for specified offices. The newly elected officers will not take office until the upcoming fall semester; however, they will shadow their present predecessor. All Officers will be elected by a simple majority vote amongst all OLAS members on the Secretary’s most recent email list (the email list temporarily closes one week before elections until the day after elections are over). Elections will be run by the Faculty Adviser and by the outgoing Executive Board members.
Section 2
The time line for elections will be as follows:
The process will commence during the first General Meeting of March.At this General Meetings there will be sign-ups and nominations for all available Officer positions. A reminder will be sent by e-mail to those who wish to run or have been nominated for a position so that they can send the Secretary a “blurb” to send out to the Organization prior to voting. By Friday, interested students should turn in their “blurbs” by e-mail to the OLAS secretary by a specified time. Immediately preceding the closing of the “blurb” submissions, the Secretary must send all members a list of interested students and their “blurbs”. Over that weekend, votes will be casted only via e-mail. All members, as indicated by the Secretary’s most current email list, may participate. TheFaculty Adviser and the President, unless otherwise notified, will be in charge of tabulating the results. A clear time and date will be issued for the beginning and the end of the voting. In the result of a tie, the Faculty Adviser willdecide what to do on a case-by-case basis. By Tuesday, the Faculty Advisor or the President will be in charge of announcing the results to the new Executive Board then to the Organization’s general members. If there are open Officer positions, the Executive Board can nominate members and internally vote a member to office.
Section 3
In the event that an Executive Member has decided to terminate their leadership position within OLAS, they will not be allowed to re-run for leadership for a whole academic year.
Article V - Officers
Section 1
The Executive Board of the organization will consist of 1 President, 1 Vice-President, 1 Secretary, 1 Treasurer, 2 Social-Cultural Chairs, 2 Community Service Chairs, 1 Liaison, 1 Historian/Webmaster, 1 Publicity Chair, and 1 Faculty Adviser.
Section 2
Duties of the Officers:
President: will preside over all Executive and General meetings, will be the official representative of OLAS and its events, will be well informed about the Organization’s events, both past and present, will ensure that appointed committees meet their deadlines and provide support for them, will be responsible for amending the Constitution and By-Laws with the Faculty Advisor and the Vice-President should the need arise, will obtain an appropriate Faculty Adviser with prior consultation with Executive Members, will regularly update the Faculty Adviser on current OLAS related events and potential future events, will enforce and abide by this Constitution and its Bylaws, will organize Executive Board retreats, and will encourage solidarity and teamwork among the members of the Organization.
Vice-President: will preside at all meetings, will assist the President in organizing and implementing Executive Board retreats, will conduct official organizational business when the President assigns her/him to do so,will serve in the President's place in the case of the President's absence, will be in charge of Intercambio which will be published each semester.
Secretary: will keep official minutes and records for both general and Executive Board meetings; willand process all communications between members, including but not limited to, maintaining an up-to-date email list of General and Executive Board Members, reminding respective officers and members of General and Executive Board meetings, and noting absences of officers at General and Executive Board meetings; will be responsible for publicizing General Meetings in the Crier;willreserve OLAS’ meeting spaces for the academic year; will submit all Executive Board Minutes to the archives, will create a directory of outside contacts both past and present.
Treasurer: will keep accurate and up-to-date records of all financial matters,will head the preparation of the Activities Tax Council report/request every year, willfacilitate all financial transactions between the organization, its members, the Union Board, and all other pertaining entities.
Social-Cultural Chair(s):will maintain a record of all OLAS sponsored events in conjunction with the Historian in a list format, and will assist in organizing, planning,scheduling and implementing social-cultural events.
Service Chair(s):will design, organize, and promote service opportunities in and around Davidson College, will maintain a record of all OLAS sponsored events in conjunction with the Historian in a list format.
Liaison: will be the point of contact between the Organization and Davidson College affiliated organizations and departments including, but not limited to, the Admissions’ Office, Patterson Court Committee, and Student Government Association, will be in charge of taking minutes at these meetings, will communicate messages from the President to the Davidson College affiliated group, will be knowledgeable about involvement the Organization past and present, will appropriately represent the President and the Organization during these external meetings.
Faculty Adviser: will provide assistance to the Executive Board with administrative issues, will advise the Executive Board with issues related to the organization, will read Executive Board minutes in order to stay up-to-date, will aid in event programming, will assist the President and Vice President in constructing Executive Board retreats, and will serve as a resource for contacts in the Spanish Department and in the Davidson College community. The Adviser will have no vote regarding Executive Board proposals, unless said proposal reaches out the jurisdiction of the OLAS Executive Board. The Adviser is encouraged to attend meetings (general and Executive) if no other time commitments present themselves.
Historian/Webmaster: will be in charge of keeping the OLAS web site and Davidsonian blog up-to-date, will teach the President and Vice-President how to access and maintain the website should the Webmaster not be able to do so, will be in charge of the OLAS board located in Chambers, will take pictures at all OLAS events, will submit all posters, fliers, and copies of the website Executive Board members to the school's archives.
Publicity Chair: will publicize events by, but not limited to, designing and distributing posters (with mandatory help from all Executive Board members), will make PowerPoints for the LCD screen advertisements in the Student Union, and will publish all event information inThe Crierand Inside Davidson.
Section 3
If an Officer is showing signs of inactivity, or disregard to Officer duties, or has missed a total of three Executive Board and General Meetings per semester, or has missed a total of three OLAS affiliated events per semester, the Executive Board must vote to send a warning to said Officer. If voting supports, a warning must be given out to the Officer by the President within 24 hours. The Officer has three weeksafter the sent date to improve their activity. If the certain act continues, Executive Board members will cast a vote to determine if said officer is to be removed from his or her Executive Board position. Impeachment occurs if a majority of Executive Board members vote as such.
Section 4
All Executive Board Officers are required to attend a fall retreat outlining the goals and expectations of the organization and its members, and a spring recommitment retreat. It is suggested that the organizers of the retreat consult the Student Activities Office’s advisors.
Section 5
All Executive Board Officers are required to submit all outside contact information (including their specialty) to the Secretary in order to keep in the directory.
Article V - Meetings
Regularly scheduled Executive Board and general meetings will be held each semester and when called upon by the President. Committee meetings will be held at the discretion of the committee chairpersons.
Article VI – Committees
Section 1
All committee chairs fall under the direct supervision of the President and Vice-President. The Social-Cultural, Publicity, Historian, and Service Chairs will each preside over a committee of OLAS members.
Section 2
Each Executive Board member and general member should assist with at least one OLAS committee.
The OLAS Social-Cultural Committee is responsible for:
a. Planning and implementing all OLAS social and cultural functions including, but are not limited to, Cinco de Mayo festivities (May), dinners, parties, Hispanic History Month (September and October), Día de los Muertoscelebrations (November), Latino Food Tasting, music, dance, and visual or artistic expressions (special exhibits).
b. Co-sponsoring social and cultural events with the Spanish Department, the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, the Union Board, the Davidson International Association, the Black Student Coalition, etc.
The OLAS Community Service Committee is responsible for:
a. Designing, organizing, and promoting service opportunities through health clinics, the Latin American Festival in Charlotte, translation of documents, assisting area schools with their After School Spanish programs, etc.
The OLAS Publicity Committee is responsible for:
a. Designing, organizing, and promoting OLAS events through posters around campus and in the union, and LCD Screen advertisements.
The OLAS Historian Committee is responsible for:
a. Designing and updating the OLAS bulletin board on a monthly bases.
Article VII – Finances
Section 1
There will be no membership dues to participate, volunteer, or engage in any of the OLAS activities.
Section 2
Regarding all specific financial changes towards OLAS’ budget, it is the responsibility of the member(s) causing the change to be approved by the President and the Treasurer prior to said alteration.
Article VIII - Amendments to the Constitution
Section 1
All amendments must be approved through a simple majority vote amongst Executive Board Officers during an Executive Board Meeting.
Section 2
Amendments can only occur every 3 years since the last revision date. Should the Executive Board desire to change the Constitution before the 3 year deadline, a resolution must be drafted and approved by the Executive Board to be submitted to the Faculty Advisor for approval.
