skip to content

Constitution of the Asian American Students Association

Approved March 2008

Name of Organization

The formal name of this organization shall be the Asian American Students Association.

Purpose of Organization

The Asian American Students Association shall serve as the recognized political voice of the Asian American Students at the University of Connecticut, achieving this by representing the issues and interests of the Asian American Student Body to the student government, University administration, and other University-wide student leadership committees, and by providing and promoting a forum to build unity and discuss the issues within and pertinent to the Asian American Student Body. Therefore, the Executive Board of the Association, collectively under the direction of the President, shall be responsible for articulating the interests of the Asian American Student Body at the University of Connecticut.

The Association shall carry out its purpose and mission in partnership with other Asian-American student organizations and ad hoc committees as may be identified to the Executive Board of the Association.

Organization Membership

Automatic membership shall be extended to members of good standing in all Asian American affiliated student organizations recognized by the Association at the University of Connecticut.

All members shall be entitled to the following:

  • Voting on any issue presented to the membership by the Executive Board
  • Voting for officers of the organization
  • Consideration for activities sponsored by the organization

Any University of Connecticut student who is not eligible for automatic membership as stipulated above shall be entitled to the same rights if they apply for membership by the procedure stipulated by the current executive board, including dues and other requirements as stipulated by the executive board.

Organization Officers

President (Also President of the University’s Asian American Student Body)

  • Shall serve as the President of the Asian American Student Body on the University’s Vice Presidents’ Student Leadership Cabinet and other committees as requested
  • Shall represent AASA at functions within the university's community and at activities in which this organization participates
  • Shall preside at all meetings, general or executive of the Association
  • Oversees activities and assures the effectiveness of officers' responsibilities
  • Shall act as spokesperson for this organization, presenting the views and principles upon which this organization is based


President-Elect (Also President-Elect of the University’s Asian American Student Body)

  • Shall serve as President-Elect and represent the President of the Asian American Student Body in his/her absence or as asked to by the current President on all committees that the President is asked to represent the community on
  • Shall assist the President in his/her duties
  • Shall assist all the officers with their duties
  • Shall assume the outgoing President’s duties upon the completion of the transition period

Treasurer

  • Keeps all records of financial transactions
  • Works on budgets
  • Coordinates fund-raisers
  • Collects money
  • Organizes cash for activities and events
  • Shall keep accurate records of all receipts and disbursements and shall submit a financial report to the executive committee at every meeting
  • Shall comply with recordkeeping requirements of the Student Activities Business Office (SABO)

Political Chair

  • Shall serve on the ECAASU Representatives Council to represent the Asian American community at the University of Connecticut
  • Informs executives and members about current political issues (both on-campus and off-campus)
  • Leads/organizes movements along with the executive board

Secretary

  • Minutes for general and executive meetings
  • Take attendance for general meetings
  • Reserve rooms for all events
  • Update phone list and listserv
  • Copies of all correspondence, leaflets, pamphlets, flyers, and newsletters
  • Flyers for all events should be ready five days in advance

Historian

  • Maintains and updates the web site
  • Ensures the historical content on the web site is up to date
  • Maintains the history of the organization
  • Maintains the pictures and records of the organization's events
  • Keeps in contact with other officers for any events and updates

Decisions of the Organization & Election Procedures

Decision Making

Any matter requiring a vote or consent of the organization shall be effective with a majority vote of the executive board, however, should the executive board choose, it shall be placed in referendum to the membership, which each member shall be permitted one closed ballot with a quorum established when a majority of all members are present at the meeting the referendum is taking place.

Election of Officers

  • Elections for all positions shall be held once an academic year.
  • Officers shall be elected by closed ballot during a designated meeting. A quorum is established when at least a majority of all members are present at a meeting.
  • All closed ballots shall have the following:
    • Ballots shall require the name and identifying number of the member to be valid.
    • Ballots shall be sequentially numbered.
    • The ballot can be divided into two where the name portion is handed in separately from the closed ballot portion.
  • No person shall be allowed to hold more than one office during an academic year.
  • Should there be a tie; the current President shall be the tiebreaker for any position.

General Duties & Removal of Officers

General Duties

All officers shall be required to fulfill the following duties, or face the penalties outlined in the Removal of Officers section:

  • All officers shall attend general and executive board meetings without exception.
  • A previously excused absence acceptable to the entire Executive Board shall be required prior to allowing an officer an excused absence from a meeting.
  • Three or more unexcused absences will subject the officer to the clause related to the removal of officers.
  • Officers are responsible for obtaining the appropriate supplies for their duties. Flyers should be up at least 72 hours prior to an event, e-mail reminders should be sent at least 24 hours prior to an event, and Facebook events and online event postings shall be treated like flyers.

Removal of Officers

Officers shall be eligible for removal if they meet the following criteria:

  • The officer in question has three or more unexcused absences
  • The officer in question has repeatedly failed to perform his/her duties
  • The officer in question has failed to abide by the principles of the Constitution

If the officer meets the criteria above for removal, they shall be eligible for removal by a majority vote of the Executive Board. An election shall be held within a week to replace that officer.

Resignation of Officers

Officers shall be permitted and afforded the opportunity to resign from their position. If this shall happen, the resignation must be approved by the majority vote of the Executive Board, and shall be effective when a replacement is voted into office by the general membership and the outgoing officer and incoming officer has had sufficient time to transition the position’s knowledge and information to each other.

Succession of Officers

Succession of the President

Succession of the President shall take place during the end of the calendar year. During the time the President-Elect is elected and the time the President leaves office, the President is fully responsible for imparting the mission of the organization and the necessary knowledge to be an effective President of the organization to the President-Elect.

Succession of All Other Officers

Succession of all other officers shall take place during the end of the academic year. There shall be at least an Executive Board meeting with sufficient time for the outgoing officers to transfer the information related to their officer position to the new officers.

Meetings

Meetings shall be held regularly for the membership as determined by the Executive Board. Executive Board meetings shall be held no less than once every other week.

Advisor

The advisor of the Asian American Students Association shall be a full time faculty member or professional staff member of the University of Connecticut, Storrs Campus, who is interested in the goals and mission of the Asian American Students Association.
The faculty advisor’s term shall last indefinitely and the advisor shall not have any voting rights in the organization.

Funding

Funding for AASA events shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer of the organization, and the Treasurer shall be permitted to fund items through dues, event admission fees, Undergraduate Student Government funding, collaboration with other organizations, or any other means that the Treasurer and Executive Board deems necessary.

Constitution Amendments

Constitution amendments may be proposed only by members of AASA at any meeting. The proposed amendments must be in writing and must be ratified at a subsequent meeting. The amendment shall be ratified by a majority vote by members present at the subsequent meeting after the initial proposal.

Beneficiary

If the organization’s account remains inactive for more than 12 consecutive months, the beneficiary shall be designated as the following:

University of Connecticut
Asian American Cultural Center
2110 Hillside Road, Unit 3186
Storrs, CT 06269-3186
(860) 486-0830