SLSSA

Constitution

Second Language Studies Student Association Constitution

I. Mission

The Second Language Studies Student’s Association (SLSSA) is an association of the Graduate Students of the Second Language Studies Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. It is dedicated to developing the academic, professional and social identities of its members. It seeks to provide avenues for development of these identities for its members through various events throughout the year. It also seeks to connect them to the career and volunteer opportunities outside the department and University.

II. Structure

Membership: SLSSA is comprised of MA, PhD, and AGC students of the Second Language Studies Department of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. SLSSA membership will also be open to graduate students from other programs who are in some way affiliated with SLS (i.e., taking classes in SLS, participating in SLS research projects, and other forms of affiliation). SLSSA will yearly elect several of its members to be on a Board of Directors. This Board will consist of:

  1. Two Co-Presidents
  2. Vice Presidents of the Secretary
  3. Vice Presidents of the Treasury
  4. Vice Presidents of the Academic Panel
  5. Vice Presidents of the Planning Committee
  6. Vice Presidents of Fundraising
  7. Vice Presidents of Community Relations
  8. Vice President of Media
  9. Three members of the Second Language Studies Departmental Policy and Procedures Committee

III. Duties of Board Members

  1. Duties of all members of the Board of Directors:
    1. Attend board meetings.
    2. Volunteer time for SLSSA events (i.e., coolers, fundraisers, retreats, and other large events).
    3. Jointly establish institutional goals for SLSSA each term.
    4. Assist in advertising and promoting SLSSA events via word of mouth, social media and email.
    5. At the end of the term, write a reflection on your duties and projects over the course of your tenure on the board to be passed on to new board members taking over your position.  These will be collected in the SLSSA dropbox.
  2. Co-Presidents:
    1. Make sure all officers know their duties and perform them.
    2. Oversee SLSSA documentation, including officer reports.
    3. Act as liaisons and lines of communication to SLS departmental chairs and among SLSSA officers and members.
    4. Act as one of SLSSA’s official representatives to outside groups.
    5. Call and preside over monthly and special SLSSA meetings.
    6. Lead the orientation of first-year students during the fall semester, including duties involved with summer planning for the following semester (mostly involving retreat planning, orientation, and maintaining communication with board members over the break).
    7.  Help coordinate the annual SLS Retreat with Planning, Fundraising, and Academic VPs.
    8. Be signatories on the SLSSA bank account and maintain SLSSA checkbooks for official SLSSA business to distribute reimbursements or purchase supplies when other board members (Treasurers and Planning VPs) are not available.
    9. Manage the printer in the SLS reading room (ordering toner, checking usage, etc.)
    10. Fill out paperwork every year to maintain RIO status.
    11. Lead organization of SAPFB funding applications every semester, including application materials, presentations to SAPFB, and reimbursement paperwork (to be co-organized by other board members).
  3. Secretary VPs:
    1. Up to two Secretary VPs to serve on the board at any given time.
    2. Take minutes of all SLSSA meetings.
    3. Type minutes and make them available to the SLSSA Board Members for approval. Send the minutes to all SLSSA members after approval.
    4. Collaborate with Planning and Fundraising VPs about the organization of the auction at annual SLS retreats and decide the division of duties.  Duties of Secretary VPs may include organizing auction spreadsheets, calculating totals, and sending out e-mails to request payment from item winners.
  4. Treasurer VPs.
    1. Up to two Treasurer VPs should serve on the board at a given time.
    2. Act as SLSSA official Financial Representative.
    3. Make deposits to, keeps track of, and reports to the membership concerning SLSSA funds.
    4. Collect dues and donations, issue receipts, and maintain an updated membership list.
    5. Make sure the bank has a current list of authorized cosignatories.
    6.  Work with secretaries to collect money from auction items of the annual retreat.
    7. Keep a record of the payments and expenditures, and report these records at SLSSA board meetings in a monthly budget report.
    8. Be signatories on the SLSSA bank account and maintain a SLSSA checkbook for reimbursement purposes and other official SLSSA business.
  5. Academic VPs:
    1. Up to three Academic VPs should serve on the board at any given time.
    2. Arrange academic panels for the annual SLS retreat.
    3. Plan and organize at least one SLS lecture series session per semester (workshop, panel, colloquium, etc., based on students’ needs).
    4. Run and maintain the PEEPs mentoring program.
    5. Depending on the availability of Academic VPs, they should serve as liaisons for the video recording of SLS brown bags.
  6. Planning VPs:
    1. Up to three Planning VPs should serve on the board at any given time.
    2. Lead planning to organize, cater, and advertise monthly SLSSA coolers.
    3. Assist with the planning the annual retreat by organizing the catering and/or refreshments.
    4. Coordinate set-up / clean-up / RSVP of social activities with other SLSSA board members.
    5. Purchase SLSSA supplies, stores and maintains inventory as necessary.
    6. Be signatories on the SLSSA bank account with access to a SLSSA check book for above specified purchases and for catering for SLSSA events.
  7. Fundraising VPs
    1. Up to three Fundraising VPs should serve on the board at any given time.
    2. Head auction at annual retreat.
    3. Set fundraising goals for each semester according to the needs of the organization.
    4. Organize, manage, and recruit volunteers for fundraising events in order to meet set goals.
    5. Organize the yearly SLS t-Shirt design, ordering, and sales (with help from other board members).
  8. Community Relations VPs
    1. Up to three Community Relations VPs should serve on the board at any given time.
    2. Keep up to date with relevant current events as they relate to SLS interests.
    3. Give reports on current events as they relate to SLS interests to the board.
    4. Act as liaison between other student groups (Linguistics, LLL graduate student conference committee, etc.).
    5. Seek out opportunities for community engagement and report them to the board.  
    6. Lead organization of community engagement efforts.
  9. Media VP:
    1. At least one Media VP should serve on the board at any given time.
    2. Explores new possibilities in improving the technological infrastructure of SLSSA and develops them with member input.
    3. Facilitates access to the SLSSA website through outreach and advertising.
    4. Assists secretaries in publishing the SLSSA Board minutes electronically.
    5. Posts advertisements and conducts other outreach via the SLSSA facebook page, and also serves as administrator of the SLSSA facebook group.
  10. DPPC:
    1. There are three representatives for this position, one of whom must be a PhD candidate in SLS.
    2. Attend DPPC meetings as voting members.
    3. Conduct outreach to SLS students in order to understand student concerns and issues.
    4. Voice SLSSA concerns and provide personal input on issues.
    5. Occasionally take minutes or serve on subcommittees.
    6. PhD member acts as voting member on the Visiting Colleague Committee.
    7. Report back to SLSSA. All three representatives must be officially enrolled in the MA, AGC or PhD program in SLS.

IV. Elections

  1. Election for the SLSSA Board of Directors will be held in April of every calendar year.
  2. Nominations for the Board will be held in the month of March every calendar year. Nominations may come from any SLSSA member.
  3. Any Graduate Student of the SLS Department may be nominated to the Board, but if elected in, must then become a dues paying member.  Affiliated student SLSSA members may also be elected to the board, but may not hold a co-president position and may not constitute a majority (51%) of the board positions held.
  4. Elections will be overseen by members of the SLSSA Board, as a separate sub-committee. This sub-committee will consist of SLSSA Board members not currently seeking office for SLSSA.

V. Vacancies of Board Members

  1. Should a Board Member vacate or resign her/his position, a notice will be sent by one of the Co-Presidents to the SLSSA membership at large, asking for volunteers or nominations.
    1. In the event that more than one person is nominated or volunteers, a special election may be called.
      1. All votes will come from SLSSA membership.
    2. In the event that only one person is nominated or volunteers, that person may be elected to the Board of Directors by a simple majority vote of current Board members without calling a special election by SLSSA members at large.
  2. Should board positions not be filled by the yearly election (i.e., only 2 people stand for and are elected to a VP position that can have up to 3 VPs), those positions may be filled on an ad-hoc basis.  Members of the Board of Directors should actively recruit to fill these positions.
    1. For those who volunteer for positions left open in the Board of Directors shall be elected to the board by a simple majority vote by the current members of the Board of Directors.

VI. By-Laws

  1. Rules not elucidated in this Constitution may be enacted, in order to facilitate the different needs of SLSSA as necessary.
  2. By-Laws can be introduced, amended or deleted by the majority vote of the Board of Directors.
  3. By-Laws may be introduced by any member of SLSSA.
  4. Rules of the By-Laws are considered as binding as this Constitution, until the By-Laws are changed or amended. However, the Constitution is the ultimate authority on rules, and therefore By-Laws cannot contradict the Constitution.

VII. Amendments to the Constitution

  1. Any member of SLSSA may introduce an Amendment to the SLSSA Constitution.
  2. Amendments must first pass a two-thirds majority (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors.
  3. Amendments must second pass a three-fourths majority (3/4) vote by SLSSA members at large.
  4. Amendments passing both stages become part of this constitution.

VIII. Dues

  1. Members of SLSSA will pay regular dues. The fee structure will be determined by the Board of Directors during the first meeting of the fall semester, held in August, each year.
  2. Only dues paying members of SLSSA will be allowed to hold office in SLSSA.

Constitution version: 2014 Constitution (Amended version)