Constitution

ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association (HRCSA). The Chinese translation of this name is 哈佛大學中華學會.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

The purpose of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association is to promote awareness of Chinese culture and society while supporting a social environment for students of all backgrounds at Harvard College.

ARTICLE III

Structure

Section 1: Executive Board

  1. The Officers of the Executive Board shall consist of the President(s), Vice President, Secretary, Committee Chairs, Associate Chairs, and Freshmen Representatives.
  2. There may not be more than two (2) Presidents.
  3. There may not be more than two (2) Vice Presidents.
  4. There may not be more than one (1) Secretary.
  5. Each Committee may not have more than two (2) Chairs and no more than one (1) Associate Chair.
  6. No President may occupy a chair or associate chair position.

Section 2: Senior Council

  1. The Senior Council shall consist of former Executive Board members of good standing.
  2. Invitation to join the Senior Council shall be offered to individuals upon majority (50% + 1) approval of the current Executive Board.
  3. Members of the Senior Council shall retain their positions until the end of the academic year.

Section 3: Membership

  1. Membership shall be open to all students in good standing currently enrolled in Harvard College, regardless of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, or physical disability.
  2. A student shall be considered a General Member if (s)he is subscribed to HRCSA’s membership e-mail list.

ARTICLE IV

Membership to Executive Board

Section 1: Eligibility

  1. All officers shall be registered undergraduates in Harvard College.
  2. Harvard undergraduate students shall be considered eligible for membership to the Executive Board starting September 1 of their first year and ending upon their Commencement.

Section 2: Election Process for Presidents and Committee Chairs

  1. Annual elections for President(s) and Committee Chairs must be held prior to Harvard College’s winter break, on a date set by majority (50%+1) approval of the Executive Board.
  2. CSA membership must be given at least two weeks notice prior to any election.
  3. Candidate nominations will be accepted up to the beginning of the speeches for that particular office.
  4. If a pair of candidates runs as a ticket, it must be voted on as a ticket. Splitting a vote across tickets is not an option.
  5. Candidates who fail to win positions of their first choice may choose to participate in subsequent rounds of election for other positions on the Executive Board.
  6. Elections shall also be in accordance to Article III of the By-Laws.
  7. Outgoing Officers shall meet in closed session to resolve an unforeseen issue concerning the Election. Upon installation of new Executive Board, the new Executive Board should review the decision.

Section 3: Selection Process for Freshman Representatives

  1. The application process to be a Freshman Representative shall consist of a written application created by the Executive Board.
  2. An interview of all of the Freshman Representatives may be conducted by Executive Board members if deemed necessary by majority (50% + 1) vote.
  3. A candidate shall be chosen as a Freshman Representative within two weeks of the end of the application process by majority (50%+1) vote.

Section 4: Selection Process for Associate Chair

  1. Committee chairs can appoint an Associate Chair, subject to the approval of the Presidents, to assist them if necessary.
  2. There is no deadline for when Associate Chairs may be selected. 

Section 5: Term of Office

The term of office for any Executive Board position shall begin within four weeks of the decision, and shall end immediately upon the beginning of the next term of office.

Section 6: Filling a Vacant Office

  1. Notice of the Board’s desire to fill a vacant office must be sent to the entire CSA membership.
  2. At least one week must be allowed for nominations to come from any member.
  3. Nominees may be required, with a majority (50%+1) vote of the Executive Board, to submit a written application and/or to be interviewed by the Executive Board.
  4. A majority vote (50%+1) of the Executive Board shall determine which nominee, if any, shall fill the vacant office.

ARTICLE V

Duties

Section 1: Duties of Presidents

  1. The President(s) shall preside over all Executive Board and General Meetings.
  2. The President(s) shall represent HRCSA in all outside activities and relations, unless deemed otherwise by executive order.
  3. The President(s) shall be responsible for the general management of HRCSA.

Section 2: Duties of the Vice President

  1. The Vice President shall assist the President(s) in fulfilling Presidential duties, and shall assume such duties in the case of the absence of the President(s).
  2. The Vice President shall serve as supervisor of and counsel to the Executive Board.

Section 3: Duties of the Secretary

  1. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining accurate and complete records of HRCSA events, recording minutes of Executive Board meetings, and drafting of HRCSA documents, invitations, and internal memos.
  2. The Secretary shall be required, upon request, to supply any CSA general member with minutes of an Executive Board meeting.
  3. The Secretary shall assume Presidential duties in the case of the absence of the President(s) and Vice President.

Section 3: Duties of Committee Chairs

  1. The Chairs shall be responsible for their respective committee’s duties as outlined in the By-Laws.
  2. The Chairs are expected to assist the rest of the Executive Board in its activities.

Section 4: Duties of Freshman Representatives

  1. The Freshman Representatives shall be responsible for planning events to attract and retain new members.
  2. The Freshman Representatives are also expected to assist the rest of the Executive Board with its activities.

Section 5: Duties of Senior Council Members.

Members of the Senior Council shall be expected to provide assistance and advice to the Executive Board upon request.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

Section 1: Executive Board Meetings

Executive Board Meetings, attendance open to the general membership, should be conducted once per week. At the discretion of the President(s), attendance of part or all of an Executive Board Meeting can be restricted to Executive Board Members.

Section 2: General Meetings

General Meetings geared towards the entire CSA membership should be held at least once per semester. Under formal petition of at least twenty (20) general members, the Executive Board shall be required to convene a General Meeting within one week of submission of the petition.

Section 3: Committee Meetings

Committee Meetings may be held at the discretion of each committee’s Chair(s).

Section 4: Absence

Any Officer who cannot attend an Executive Board Meeting or General Meeting must give reasonable notice of their absence.

ARTICLE VII

Removals and Resignations

Section 1: Justification for Removal

Failure to abide by the principles and laws of the Constitution, and/or negligence of duties, shall be cause for removal of a Member.

Section 2: Process of Removal

  1. A motion for removal shall be entertained with the support of three Executive Board members or twenty (20) general members.
  2. The motion shall be discussed in a special meeting of the Executive Board, with the Member of concern not present during deliberation. However, at the request of the Member or of at least one-third of the Executive Board, said Member shall be asked to provide testimony testify regarding the charges for removal.
  3. Removal is authorized by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Board.
  4. Any person so removed may not be considered a Member for one calendar year.

Section 3: Resignation

Officers may submit their resignations to the Executive Board at any time.

ARTICLE VIII

Amendments to the Constitution

A signed petition of at least forty (40) general members, or consent of at least half (50%) of the Executive Board, is required for a proposed amendment to be considered. A proposed amendment must be introduced at least two weeks (2) before the Executive Board meeting at which it is voted upon. A three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of members present is required to pass the amendment.

ARTICLE IX

Adoption

The Constitution shall be ratified upon a unanimous vote of the Executive Board, shall take effect immediately upon ratification, and shall nullify all previous versions of the HRCSA Constitution.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

Quorum

In order for business to be considered legal, two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board must be present. Business conducted without a quorum must be retroactively reviewed by a quorum at the soonest possibility.

ARTICLE II

Committees

Section 1: Standing Committees

The following shall serve as standing committees:

  1. Finance. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for: developing a budget, overseeing the grant application process; managing reimbursement of expenses; and maintaining complete financial records.
  2. Cultural. The Cultural Committee shall be responsible for coordinating: the annual Chinese New Year Banquet; Festival Day; and other events that give students the opportunity to explore Chinese culture.
  3. Educational/Political. The Educational/Political Committee shall be responsible for coordinating events that give insight into Chinese and Chinese American sociopolitical experiences. The Committee must organize at least one large forum event per semester.
  4. Social. The Social Committee shall be responsible for coordinating events to make HRCSA easily accessible to students and to foster a greater sense of community within HRCSA. Such events must include at least one (1) Prefrosh Weekend event per year and two (2) parties per year.
  5. Public Relations. The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for: producing weekly e-mail newsletters; organizing publicity campaigns, which may include reserving sandwich boards, reserving digital displays, designing posters, organizing postering and handbilling schedules; and reserving rooms for events as needed.
  6. IT. The IT Committee shall be responsible for: maintaining the official HRCSA website; managing the HRCSA board, open, and membership e-mail lists; and implementation of new strategies to improve HRCSA use of IT.

Section 2: Special Committees

Special committees may be appointed by the President(s) as the need arises. A special committee shall be dissolved upon completion of its purpose.

ARTICLE III

Rules for General Elections

Section 1: Election Order

Offices will be decided in the following order: President(s), Vice-President, Secretary, Finance Committee, Cultural Committee, Educational/Political Committee, Social Committee, Public Relations Committee, IT Committee, and then other positions as necessary.

Section 2: Election Chair

General Elections shall be run by an Election Chair, the highest-ranking outgoing Board member. If that person cannot be determined constitutionally, a Senior Council member shall be called upon by two-thirds majority (2/3) vote of the Current Board.

Section 3: Election Procedure for Each Office

  1. The Election Chair shall list all candidates for the Office. During this time, additional nominations can be made, and two-person tickets can be formed or dissolved. After it appears no more changes will be made, the Election Chair shall declare the Office closed. At this point, no more changes may be made to the tickets.
  2. Each ticket will be given 5 minutes for presentation, during which it should give a speech and answer questions from the audience. During each ticket’s presentation, the other tickets must leave the room where the election is being held. At the discretion of the Election Chair, tickets for a particular office may all be given additional time for their presentations, but this should be decided before the beginning of the first ticket’s presentation.
  3. After all tickets for the office have made their presentations, the Election Chair shall direct general discussion regarding the suitability of the candidates. This discussion should last no more than 10 minutes, but can be extended upon the request of any CSA member present.
  4. When general discussion is complete, the Election Chair shall hold an anonymous vote. If no ticket receives a majority (50%+1) of the votes cast, the Election Chair shall hold a runoff vote between the two tickets that received the most votes. The first ticket that receives a majority of the votes cast shall be declared the winner. The Election Chair shall call the tickets back into the room and shall announce the results.

ARTICLE IV

Amendments

Amendments to the By-Laws may be introduced and approved at any meeting at which there is a quorum. A three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of those present is required to pass.