Constitution for the Alliance for Workforce Development and Empowerment of the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
We, the students of the UNIVERISTY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK and members of the Alliance for Workforce Development and Empowerment, do hereby establish this Constitution in order to promote knowledge of workforce issues in the
Baltimore, Maryland, national, and global communities.
Article I. Name of the organization
The name of this organization shall be the Alliance for Workforce Development and
Empowerment hereafter referred to as the AWDE, of the UNIVERSITY OF
MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.
Article II. Purpose of the Organization
The purpose of the AWDE shall be to:
1. Provide educational opportunities to students and faculty that will foster an understanding of workplace issues.
2. Hold community activities designed to further integrate students into the broader world of work.
3. Address the needs created by the full continuum of work including non-work, unemployment, underemployment, temporary employment and part-time and fulltime work.
4. Provide an opportunity for students to engage in the legislative process, connecting them to issues and leaders, so that they are able to advocate for policies and programs that address workforce needs locally and globally.
5. Develop a strong relationship between the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL
OF SOCIAL WORK, local and global employers, labor groups, and working families.
Article III. Membership
Section 1. All students, in good academic standing, and faculty members enrolled or employed at the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, part or full-time, or pursuing dual degrees in conjunction with another school within the
University of Maryland are eligible for membership.
Section 2. AWDE does not restrict membership or discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, personal appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or
1

mental disability, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment of the
United States Constitution, State or Local laws.
Section 3. All members of the AWDE must agree to abide by University policies and procedures and applicable federal, state, and local laws. This includes but is not limited to the following: a.
The University Code of Student Conduct. b.
The Organization will not conduct commercial activities that contribute, either directly or indirectly, to the private financial benefit of any individual or organization other than the organization itself or the University of
Maryland. c.
All members (including officers and faculty/staff) are prohibited from using the organization or their position to benefit a private commercial enterprise, organization, or individual other than the organization or the University of
Maryland.
Section 4. All members agree to work towards the designated mission of AWDE.
Section 5: All UNIVERISTY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Students completing at least six (6) credit hours or any student pursuing dual degrees simultaneously in conjunction with another school within the University of
Maryland who is an active member of the AWDE is eligible to vote in any elections or amendment changes. a. The President of the AWDE shall refrain from voting in elections or for
Constitution amendments. b. Should the membership voting result in a tie. The President shall have the right to vote in order to break the tie.
Article IV. Officers
Section 1. The officers of the AWDE shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.
(a) The duties of the elected President of the AWDE shall include: i.
Be present at all scheduled meetings and preside over them. ii.
To present all motions and nominations for officers and committee chairs to the member body present. iii.
To appoint committee chairpersons, as needed. iv.
To serve as representative to the UMSSW Student
Government Association (SGA) and the Faculty Liaison. v.
To handle finance matters in conjunction with or in lieu of the Treasurer.
2

(b) The duties of the Vice-President of the AWDE shall include: i.
To preside at all events when the President is unable to attend. ii.
To assume all duties of the President in the event that those duties go unfulfilled. iii.
To assume the duties of the Secretary, in the event that those duties go unfulfilled.
(c) The duties of the Secretary of the ADWDE shall include: i.
To follow meeting protocols and required rules. ii.
To record minutes at all meetings of the organization. iii.
To maintain all correspondence for the organization, including but not limited to announcements for meetings and events and membership rosters. iv.
To preside over AWDE meetings and events if the
President and Vice-President are unable to attend.
(d) The duties of the Treasurer of the AWDE shall include: i.
To record the income and expenditure of all financial matters for the organization. ii.
To prepare in collaboration with the Executive Board, a budget for the organization. iii.
To submit the budget to the SGA per their designated deadline, the first meeting of the fall semester.
Section 2. The AWDE shall elect a President for the following academic year at the monthly AWDE meeting one month prior to the SGA general body monthly meeting at which all newly elected group officers for the following academic year must be present. All other officers shall be elected and/or appointed by a majority vote
(quorum) within thirty (30) days of the start of each fall semester or by September
30.
(a) Elections for the President shall be announced at least 3 weeks prior to the presidential election. Nominated parties may campaign for a period of 14 days preceding the posted election date.
(b) Elections for all other officers shall be announced during the first two weeks of the fall semester and nominations will be taken for office during the weeks leading up to the AWDE first meeting, which shall be scheduled prior to September 30.
(c) The elections committee as described in Article 1: Committees of the By-
Laws shall oversee all nominations and elections. Election guidelines shall be available a minimum of three weeks prior to the beginning of the campaign period.
3

(d) Candidates running for office cannot participate in or speak to the elections committee about election guidelines of the election other than to obtain those guidelines from the election committee.
(e) Officers must be a currently enrolled student at the UNIVERSITY OF
MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK or pursuing a dual degree in conjunction with another school within the University of Maryland system.
Each officer must be registered for a minimum of six (6) credit hours per fall and spring semester.
(f) Each term of office shall be for one academic year commencing on the first meeting following elections.
(g) The President of AWDE will take nominations from the floor and the movement seconded. The nominated parties will be allowed to vote.
(h) All voting shall be done by secret ballot to be collected and tabulated by the Secretary and one voting member of AWDE appointed by the outgoing
President.
Section 3. AWDE officers must attend regularly scheduled meetings, which will occur at least once per month. Officers shall act as official representatives and spokespersons for AWDE, maintain communication with the Student Government
Association (SGA) and attend monthly SGA general body meetings.
Section 4. Officers of AWDE shall be responsible for upholding the Constitution of
AWDE and interpreting and translating the contents of the Constitution to AWDE members and the University of Maryland community as necessary.
Section 5. AWDE officers shall adhere to the following duties:
1. Plan and facilitate monthly meetings.
2. Plan and coordinate special events for the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL
OF SOCIAL WORK and campus community.
3. Publicize all events and meetings to students and faculty using multiple forms of communication.
4. Designate and document appropriate usage of organizational funds as approved by SGA, with input from AWDE members. Budgets will be proposed and submitted in writing to the SGA at the beginning of each semester.
5. Revise the AWDE Constitution as need, with the approval of the Faculty Advisor and AWDE members, and to submit the revised Constitution to the SGA at the beginning of each academic year.
4

Section 6: Any officer of AWDE in violation of the Organization’s purpose or constitution may be removed from office by the following process:
(a) A written request by at least three members of the AWDE.
(b) Written notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak.
(c) A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote (quorum is not required) is necessary to remove the officer.
Article V. Meetings
The AWDE shall hold monthly meetings and plan at least one event per semester.
Meetings may include but are not limited to: speakers, panel discussions, tabletop exercises, professional networking, and planning for future events. The meetings should be scheduled one or two months in advance.
Article VI. Faculty Advisor
Whenever necessary, the officers may nominate a faculty member to serve as the
Faculty Advisor to AWDE. A full membership simple majority vote (quorum) shall be required to approve the nomination.
Upon acceptance of the nomination, the Advisor shall act as an intermediary between the University administration and AWDE. The Advisor is invited to attend all AWDE meetings, events and functions. At times, the faculty advisor may be permitted to lead group meetings.
Article VII. Finances
AWDE shall receive a designated amount of money per semester from student activity fees paid by each student enrolled at the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK. AWDE may access money if a current Constitution and proposed budget have been submitted to the SGA. The SGA Treasurer will hold all
AWDE funds until the organization has submitted reimbursement requests. All members of AWDE shall be informed when funds are used. The Treasurer will maintain a record of expenses.
Article VIII: Amendments to the Constitution
Should it be necessary to amend the Constitution any AWDE member may propose such amendments. Proposed amendments shall be announced to the AWDE prior to being voted upon. Proposed changes shall be voted in with a majority vote
5

(quorum) and will go into effect immediately. A revised Constitution and By-laws will be provided to the SGA within 1 month of any changes.
By-Laws
Article I. Committees
Section 1. There shall be potential committees: Activities, Public Relations,
Elections and Legislative Affairs. In the event when there are not enough members to sit on four committees, the Activities and Public Relations committees and the
Elections and Legislative Affairs committees may be combined into two committees.
The Officers are to assume the duties of the committees if there are not enough members to sit on the committees.
Section 2. The chairpersons of the standing committees shall be chosen by a majority (quorum) approval of members of the organization, with a minimum of five
(5) voting members present. Until that time, the responsibilities of the standing committees shall be those of the membership at-large.
Section 3. In the event the need arises to create an additional standing committee to meet the needs of the organization, it shall require a 2/3 majority vote. If the vote approves formation of an additional committee, a chairperson of the committee shall be elected at the next scheduled organizational meeting.
Section 4. The duties of the standing committees shall be as follows:
(a) Activities Committee: The purpose of this committee is to organize and facilitate activities that are pertinent to the mission of the ADWE.
(b) Public Relations Committee: This committee will promote awareness of the
AWDE events in the local communities (i.e. UMSSW Baltimore and Shady
Grove campuses, and their surrounding communities). The committee will advertise all planned events. The committee will promote the development of relationships between the AWDE and agencies that support the organization’s mission.
(c) Elections Committee: This committee will convene in the spring semester to ensure there are qualified candidates to hold organization officer positions for the following academic year. The committee will prepare ballots, nomination forms, and election processes for the elections that will take place for the President before the end of the academic year and for all other officers at the beginning of the following academic year.
(d) Legislative Affairs: This committee will inform the AWDE of current legislation (city, county, state or federal) with the potential to impact all aspects of the workforce, as defined in the AWDE mission statement.
6

Article II. Public Relations
Section 1. Publicity. All events should be publicized at least two (2) weeks in advance, utilizing at least two or more of the following outlets:
(a) The SSW Daily Bulletin and or Social Connection
(b) Designated organization bulletin boards within the UMSSW
(c) Fliers
(d) Email
(e) Monitors within UMSSW
(f) The Student Connection
(g) The Voice
(h) Social networks (e.g., Facebook or Twitter)
(i) USGA News
Section 2. Bulletin Boards. The Public Relations Committee will maintain the bulletin board provided to the AWDE throughout the academic year. It will be updated at least once per semester, provided that SGA and the Office of Student
Affairs allocates bulletin board space to the AWDE.
Section 3. Fliers. Fliers will be posted in designated spaces and removed promptly after an event has occurred. Copies of all fliers will be filed with the SGA and Office of Student Affairs for future use and/or reference.
Article III. Use of Funds
(a) A copy of the budget will be submitted to the SGA by their first meeting at the start of the academic year.
(b) AWDE events that include any type of food or refreshment can be attended by faculty, staff, and administration; they should be prepared to pay a fee for attending the event, with the exception of the identified faculty advisor.
AWDE will decide and post the fee for each event as part of the public outreach required by Article II, Section 1 of these by-laws.
(c) Unused funds must be returned to the SGA at the end of the academic year.
The Treasurer will notify the SGA by March 30 th in the spring semester if the
AWDE does not foresee utilizing more than 75% of its allocated budget.
Unused funds from the fall semester will roll over to the spring semester.
Any funds left at the end of the spring semester will not roll over into the organization’s account for the next academic year.
UPDATED Fall 2011 Updated Spring 2012
7