CONSTITUTION OF THE AFRICAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION AT THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (ASAFSU)

Article IOrganization Name The name of this Association shall be the African Student Association and can be referred to as ASAFSU. Article IIPurpose To promote closer ties, unity and understanding among African students and Non-African students interested in Africa across national boundaries, cultural, political and religious affiliations. To safeguard the interests of African students within the University environment and in the larger Tallahassee community. To contribute to the development of Florida State University and the Tallahassee ommunity. To provide a forum for the healthy e!change of ideas and for social interaction among African students and Non-Africans interested in issues pertinent to Africa. Article IIIMembership Section 1: Membership Statement "embership shall be open to all African students at FSU including all other Non-African undergraduate students, and #raduate students, upon receipt and payment of proper dues. $ach regular member shall have the right to receive notice of and attend all events of the %rgani&ation, attend all regional ongresses, annual general Assembly and special meetings of the Association in accordance with the Articles of the %rgani&ation and bylaws of the Association. No hazing or discrimination will be used as a condition of membership in this organization !his organization agrees to adhere to the "ni#ersit$ non%discrimination statement: No uni#ersit$ student ma$ be denied membership on the basis of race& creed& color& se'& religion& national origin& age& disabilit$& #eterans( or marital status& se'ual orientation& gender identit$& gender e'pression& or an$ other protected group status Section ): *ecruitment 'ecruitment is continuous and membership is open at all times. Section +: *e#ocation of Membership "embers remain as such until they resign, become dis(ualified, or are removed for misconduct reasons or violations of any provisions of the onstitution. Any member may be removed from membership upon recommendation by a duly constituted disciplinary panel for conduct detrimental to the interest of the Association and)or other crimes and misdemeanors. "ember proposed to be removed notified in writing of the possible

revocation at least *+ hours prior to the vote and shall be entitled to a fair hearing, after which may be dismissed by a ,+)-. two-thirds ma/ority vote. 'evocation of membership will be valid for three ,-. semesters Section ,: Appeal Process Any student whose membership is revo0ed will have e!actly 12 hours)four ,3. calendar days to appeal the revocation. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the 4resident and Secretary, and must include any relevant information that has not already been presented. The 4resident will then submit the appeal to the Appeals ommittee. This committee consists of - e!ecutive board members and - general members. This committee will then render a decision at the ne!t general body meeting or in seven ,*. calendar days, whichever occurs first. 5f no appeal is submitted, the 6oard7s decision is automatically binding. Section -: .iscipline $ach officer shall notify one other officer or member of his)her intent to be absent from a meeting. There shall be a 8isciplinary council of 9 persons elected by the general assembly ,if needs arise., to try specific cases and thereafter dissolve. 5n the event of gross misconduct, a member of the Association shall be sub/ect to e!pedient disciplinary action. No officer shall be impeached without a fair hearing. Article I/Officers Section 1: 0ligibilit$ All officers of ASAFSU must be enrolled at least part time at the Florida State University and possess at least a +.9 grade point average. Section ): !itles and .uties ,9. Five members functioning as the $!ecutive ommittee shall direct the Association. %nly the general assembly can approve the creation of the offices. A ma!imum of ,-. three members from the same country of origin shall be allowed to serve in the same $!ecutive, barring availability of members from other countries. No officer will be permitted to hold more than one officer position. All officers shall retain voting rights, however, the 4resident shall only vote in the case of a tie. Any officer may be re-elected however not for more than two consecutive terms. %fficers cannot reappoint themselves for a second term: they must be re-elected as described in Article ;. The $!ecutive body is the main decision ma0ing body of ASAFSU and shall consist of the following officers< 4resident ;ice-president #eneral Secretary Treasurer ultural director Social 8irector !he President shall: -6e the official representative and spo0esperson of ASAFSU.

- hair meetings of the #eneral Assembly and e!ecutive. -Assign pro/ects to the other e!ecutive ommittee officers. - oordinate all conferences !he /ice%president shall< -=or0 alongside the 4resident and give him)her support with all his)her duties. -Assume all the duties and responsibilities of the 4resident in his)her absence. ->eep accurate records of all meetings in the Secretary7s absence. -4lan and be responsible for all retreats and training of the organi&ation. -4erform an audit of all financial transactions of the organi&ation twice a year. -Assist in special pro/ects as assigned by the 4resident.

!he Secretar$%general shall: ->eep and report minutes of all deliberations of the $!ecutive and #eneral Assembly. -5n consultation with the 4resident and other members of the $!ecutives, prepare an agenda for all general and e!ecutive body meetings. -Ta0e)0eep all minutes at all meetings. -Facilitate and co-ordinate all correspondence of the Association. !he Social director shall: -6e responsible for publici&ing all activities and events of the Association. -6e responsible for organi&ing all social functions. !he 1ultural director shall< -6e the first point of contact for any body intending to co-sponsor with the Association -6e responsible for organi&ing all cultural functions -6e well versed in all cultural affairs of the Association and Africa as a whole !he !reasurer shall: -6e responsible for all financial transactions of the Association. -6e responsible for collecting all dues, donations and issue receipts. -"aintain an up-to-date account of the %rgani&ation7s financial transactions -Approve all disbursements of funds at the advice of the 4resident. -4rovide financial records sufficient to allow the ;ice-4resident to perform audit - 6e responsible for creating budget reports at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester and as re(uested by the 4resident, ;ice 4resident, and)or FSU faculty)staff advisor. Article /Selection of Officers Section 1: 0ligibilit$ to /ote and 2old Office Active voting membership will be limited to all students who are active members in good standing. %nly active voting members who meet the re(uirements stated in Article 5;,

Section ? are eligible to hold offices. Also all dues, fees owed to ASAFSU must be fully paid as reported by the Treasure7s records. Section ): Nomination Process $lections for the $!ecutive shall be held once every Academic year, at the end of the Spring @uarter to ensure ontinuity in the Administrative structure of ASAFSU. Any eligible member ,as defined in Article 555 Section ?. present may nominate someone or themselves for office by verbally nominating the individual during this procedure. Aowever, the nominee must be considered an eligible member ,as defined in Article 555 Section ?.. Section +: 0lection Process The election of officers shall occur at the end of the Spring @uarter. The nominated candidates will be given a chance to address the organi&ation to discuss his)her (ualifications and reasons why they should be selected. %nce each candidate has had the opportunity to spea0, all eligible members ,as defined in Article 555 Section ?. present will have the opportunity to vote by secret ballot. The faculty)staff advisor and current highest-ran0ing officer not running for office will tabulate all votes. The highest-ran0ing officer not running for office shall announce the officer with a simple ma/ority of votes cast by eligible members, ma/ority defined as ,+)-. two thirds of all eligible voters as e!plained in onstitution. After announcing the new officer the highest-ran0ing officer not running for office shall as0 if any eligible members contest the count. 5f no eligible member contests the count the new officer shall ta0e office immediately. 5f an eligible member contests the count the faculty)staff advisor and the highest-ran0ing officer not running for office will recount all votes. 5n the event of a tie, the 4resident shall cast the deciding vote for office unless he)she is running for the said office. 5n that case, the ne!t highest-ran0ing officer shall ma0e the deciding vote. A candidate can be elected in absentia, provided they have notified the #eneral Assembly prior to the election. 5n the case of a vacancy of an office, elections must be held within ,-?. thirty days preceding the vacancy Article /IOfficer /acancies Section 1: *emo#al of Officers Any officer may be removed from office upon a +)- ma/ority vote of eligible members. The officer will be notified in writing of the possible termination or removal at least *+ hours prior to the vote and will be allowed to address the organi&ation in order to relate to members any relevant defense prior to the voting for removal. Section ): *esignation %fficers no longer wishing to serve on the board must submit their resignation to the 4resident at least two ,+. wee0s in advance. 4rior to the officers final day he)she shall provide all documents relating to the organi&ation and brief his)her replacement of current pro/ects in his)her care. Section +: 3illing /acant Officer Positions 5n the event an officer is removed or resigns, the nomination process as stated in Article ; Section + will ta0e place at the ne!t scheduled meeting. The election process will ta0e

place as stated in Article ; Section - at the ne!t scheduled meeting following nomination. The newly elected officers term shall end at the annual election scheduled in November. Article /IIMeetings The #eneral Assembly and the $!ecutive committee shall convene bi-wee0ly. The secretary-general shall call meetings at the advice of the 4resident. "embers of the Association shall be notified at least ,+. two days before a general meeting and shall be notified via e-mail and)or telephone. $mergency meetings shall be called by at least two of the $!ecutive body members upon re(uest of any member of the $!ecutive body or the membership. $!ecutive body meetings shall be called by the 4resident, or in his absence, by the vice-president or secretary-general. The (uorum re(uired to conduct a general body meeting is half ,?)+. of the officers and Two thirds ,+)-. of the organi&ation7s active members. Article /IIIAd#isor Section 1: Nomination and *ole The advisor shall be selected by the officers of this organi&ation and must be approved by a simple ma/ority vote of eligible members. The advisor shall serve as a mentor to the organi&ation providing guidance to the officers and members. The advisor would assist in the regulation of the Association, advise the 4resident on academic and administrative matters, serve as a general liaison between the %rgani&ation, faculty and administration and facilitate the annual $!ecutive board elections. The advisor has no voting rights. The advisor position has no term limit other than he)she must be a current FSU faculty or staff member. Section ): *emo#al and *eplacement of Ad#isor The advisor will be notified in writing of the possible removal at least *+ hours prior to the vote and will be allowed to address the organi&ation in order to relate to members any relevant defense prior to the voting for removal. Upon a +)- ma/ority vote of eligible members the advisor will be remove from his)her duties. 5n the event that an advisor is removed or resigns, a new advisor shall be elected within ?3 calendar days. Article I43inances Section 1: Membership .ues "embership dues shall be ten ,?B. dollars per year or five ,9. dollars per semester. "embership dues will be collected at the first meeting of the Fall and Spring Semester. No membership dues will be collected during Summer terms. As stated in Article III Section 1& no uni#ersit$ student ma$ be denied membership due to inabilit$ to pa$ dues If a member is not able to pa$ dues& other arrangements will be made Section ): Spending Organization(s Mone$ %rgani&ational funds may be spent on items such as office supplies, events)activities, publicity, travel e!penses, conference fees, etc., but will not be used for anything illegal under University, local, state, and federal laws. Section +: Officer !ransition The Treasurer will be responsible to pass along all information from previous year7s budget and current budget.

Section +: .issolution of Organization 5n the event of dissolution, all ASAFSU records, assets, and documents shall be handed over to the director of the African studies program. 5n the absence of such program)office all property shall be handed over to the director of the 5nternational Students %rgani&ation. Article 4Publications Section 1: 1ompliance All advertisements of the organi&ation must comply with the University 4osting 4olicy ,http<))www.fsu.edu)Cposting)fsupolicy.html.. Section ): Appro#al The $!ecutive board must approve all publications, shirts, flyers, etc. prior to duplication and distribution. Article 4IAmendments Amendments to the constitution must be proposed in writing to the 4resident. Any amendment proposal must note the article, section and or paragraph of the proposed change. An amendment may be suggested by any regular member of the Association with the support of at least ,+. two other regular members. The amendment must then be presented to the organi&ation during a scheduled meeting and should include a full e!planation and)or rationale for the amendment. The amendment must be voted on at the ne!t scheduled meeting. The amendment shall not ta0e effect until approved by a +)ma/ority vote of eligible members of the organi&ation. Article 4II 5 6$%laws: Section 1: 6enefits of *egistration a.. An opportunity to interact and ac(uaint yourself with other African Students from the continent of Africa. b.. $ligibility to be nominated and receive awards and certificates. c.. 5nvitations to ta0e part in ASAFSU events and all e!tracurricular activities, galas, dinners, and guest spea0ers. Section ): Ad% hoc 1ommittees a.. The Association shall establish ad-hoc ommittees whenever there is need. Section +: Acti#ities a.. To encourage student participation and fulfill the association7s aims and ob/ectives, the organi&ation shall engage in e!tracurricular, cultural, and intellectual development programs at Florida State University, and the Tallahassee ommunity. b.. Such activities will include< - ollo(uiums conducted by students, faculty or guest spea0ers. -Social activities, dinners, parties, and cultural dances. -5nter-varsity African Student activities.

Section ,: Mail Ser#ices a.. ASAFSU shall 0eep a list serve mailing address of all members. Section -: Assets a.. ASAFSU shall own property. b.. ASAFSU shall 0eep an up-to-date inventory of assets