Sample Constitution
Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar Chapter at X Institution
Constitution
Article 1: Name
The official name of the organization is the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Scholar Chapter or as registered with the student activities office.
Article 2:
Purpose
This section aims to explain why the Scholar Chapter exists on campus. It
also outlines the chapter goals and purpose. If the chapter’s primary goal
is to do outreach, the following is a possible way the purpose section can
be phrased:
“The HSF Scholar Chapter Network exists to promote academic success
and professional preparation among college students, while encouraging
them to serve as role models and leaders in their communities. The
Scholar Chapter makes outreach to K-12 students a central part of its
agenda and central to the goal of helping the Hispanic community.
The Scholar Chapter at X University is a part of a network of over 30
Hispanic Scholarship Fund-Scholar Chapters on campuses across the
nation. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation's leading
Hispanic scholarship organization, providing the Hispanic community more
college scholarships and outreach support than any other organization in
the country.
Article 3:
Membership
It needs to be clear that anyone related to the university may join as a
Chapter member, but you also need to describe who may be considered a
member. Outlining the benefits that members are entitled is a good way
to ensure that they are given to members. Look at the phrasing below and
modify it to your needs:
Only currently registered students, faculty and staff may be active
members in a registered student organization. Only active members may
vote or hold office.
Membership in this organization is open to all undergraduate and
graduate students, faculty, staff and alumnae. The Scholar Chapter will
not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, creed, color,
handicap, disability, veteran status, national origin, ancestry or sexual
orientation. Members have the freedom to discontinue membership at any
time.
Section 1: Who is considered a member?
A Scholar Chapter member is defined as student who attends one or more
meetings throughout the academic year. Although the Executive Board
must be present in every meeting, there is no minimum quorum of
students required for each meeting. Meetings will always be open to all
students, faculty and staff. Meetings are not compulsory for members, but
attendance at meetings is necessary for club benefits.
Section 2: Benefits
Club members who have attended the requisite meetings as determined
by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund are eligible for the HSF Career Center
and other HSF programs.
Article 4:
Officers
Section 1: Chapter President
This section will explain how the Chapter President is selected. This may
be done through election of Chapter members or by selection of HSF
headquarters.
Section 2: Eligibility for Executive Board
It is important to determine how many board members will exist
beforehand; whether it is from 3-6 board members, this should be listed
and made explicit so that any future Chapter President can select to use
the full board or not.
Section 3: Officers
There are different positions that are important to have within an
executive board. They are: Outreach Liaison, Publicity Coordinator,
Secretary and Events Chair. Others that may be of interest are: Academic
and Professional Development Chairs. Please see the Executive Board
descriptions for a more complete explanation. Finalized officer descriptions
should also be listed here.
Section 4: Officer Responsibility
It is important to explicitly state the general principles of reciprocity and
mutual support that you want the officers to demonstrate. Also, include
that attendance at Board meetings is mandatory and any other principle
that you want all officers to adhere to.
Section 5: Officer Election/Selection
Depending on the capabilities of your chapter, it may be beneficial to
select board members through an application and interview process. This
will help to ensure that you obtain committed members who will fulfill
their responsibilities. However, if your membership is large and strong,
you may want to hold elections for the different positions. Pick the
process that you believe will strengthen the Scholar Chapter.
Section 6: Officer Replacement/Removal
An Executive Board position may have to be filled or replaced if an officer
resigns due to personal issues. In this instance, it is recommended that an
application be sent out to members to fill the vacancy.
Removing an Officer is a serious matter. This should occur if a board
member is having a negative effect on other board members or is not
performing his/her duties. Here is one way of phrasing this:
“If an Executive Board officer is not performing his/her responsibilities as
detailed in the Board Position Descriptions or is having a deleterious effect
on the board or Scholar Chapter, he/she will be subject to removal by the
Scholar Chapter members, the Executive Committee, or the Chapter
Coordinator.”
Officers of the Executive Board may be replaced in three different
fashions:
I. As requested by a minimum of two Scholar Chapter members.
Petitions for replacement must be submitted in writing to the
Executive Board. The Executive Board is responsible for assessing
the situation and call for a majority vote on the matter.
II. As requested by the Executive Board. If the Executive Board
believes that it will be in the best interest of the Scholar Chapter for
the removal of the offending board member, a majority vote
amongst the officers will be called for removal.
III. As requested by the Chapter President, if the Chapter President
believes it will be in the best interest of the Scholar Chapter for the
removal of the offending board member, the Chapter President will
consult the Executive Board. If the board infamously agrees that
the offending officer should be removed, the Chapter Coordinator
will ask for the offending board member’s resignation or proceed
with other action he/she determines is best.”
Article 5:
Meetings
Plainly stating what type of meetings the Scholar Chapter is supposed to
have is an important reminder to keep the organization on track. This part
lists out the type of meetings that need to occur within the Scholar
Chapter.
“The Hispanic Scholarship Fund requires that the Scholar Chapter
President and the Executive Board plan a minimum of 4 meetings over the
course of the academic year. These meetings must meet the following
expectations:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Article 6:
HSF scholarship informational session
Academic/Career-related Events
Outreach programs focused on Latino youth in preparation
for college
General meetings
Budget
Outline who will be responsible for applying for, managing and tracking
chapter funds in this section.
Article 7:
Non-discrimination and Non-hazing policy
Most universities require that all student organizations have a section of
their constitution that makes explicit any non-discrimination and nonhazing protocol that they must follow. They may tell you how to phrase
this exactly.
Article 8:
Amendments to By-laws
This part is left up to the drafters of the Constitution. Essentially, you are
explicitly stating the process through which someone can alter the
Constitution. You may choose to give Chapter participants, Executive
Board members or the Chapter President more weight in this section. The
following is a potential way to write this section:
“Any active member may propose an amendment to the constitution.
Members must provide written notice of the proposed amendments to the
Executive Committee to analyze and review. Furthermore, members will
be informed of the proposed amendments.
In order to pass an amendment, a quorum of active members must be
present to vote and the amendment must pass by a two-thirds majority.
Final approval must come from HSF.”
Article 9:
Dissolution
Here, you will explain how property and materials will be redistributed or
returned if the Scholar Chapter dissolves. It is an important piece of the
Constitution because some money may need to be returned to HSF
headquarters and/or grant administrators. Also materials may be needed
by other chapters in the country.
Article 10: Agreement to abide by university policies
This just aims to state that the organization will follow and adhere to
university policies.