Chinese Faculty & Staff Association
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Chinese Faculty & Staff Association

Organization By-Laws

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this association shall be the Chinese Faculty and Staff Association of Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTU/TTUHSC).

 

ARTICLE II – MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

The Chinese Faculty and Staff Association at Texas Tech University is an organization that advocates the well-being of its members, cultivates a sense of community among its members both on and off campus, as well as promotes intellectual and cultural exchanges between its members and the university at the levels of administration, faculty and staff, and students.

Objectives

    1. Facilitate communication among its members at the university and develop a sense of community for its members and families in Lubbock.
    2. Promote cultural understanding between the organization and other faculty and staff and student organizations at the university.
    3. Encourage exchanges between the organization and the university administration.
    4. Foster exchanges between Texas Tech University and institutions of higher education in China.
    5. Enhance the visibility of Chinese and Chinese Americans and increase understanding of China, Chinese history and culture, and China’s emergence in the twenty-first century. 

 

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

The Association shall be open to all Texas Tech University/Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center faculty and staff members. Members who pay annual dues to the association shall have voting and attending events privileges.

    Membership Privileges

A member shall demonstrate positive qualities that advocate and support the mission and objectives of the association.

Members shall have the right to the following privileges:

1.      Vote on all association matters;

2.      Be nominated and elected to hold office;

3.      Serve on a committee or committees;

Membership Dues

1.      The membership year shall be from September 1 through August 31.

2.      Membership dues shall be $10.00 per year and due by September 30.

 

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS

A. General membership meetings shall be held at least once per month unless otherwise agreed upon by the membership.

B. The meetings shall be at a time and place designated by the Executive Committee with written notice provided to each member at least fourteen days prior to the meeting.

C. Meetings will be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order.

Special Meetings

A. Special membership meetings may be called by the Executive Committee as deemed necessary.

B. Written notice of special membership meetings must be provided to all members at least seven days prior to such a meeting, except in a severe crisis when a quorum of the Executive Committee may order a special meeting on lesser notice.

C. Members in good standing may request a special meeting by providing written notice to the President and/or Executive Committee; written notice shall be received within seven  days of the meeting; and a quorum of the Executive Committee must be present to conduct and pass any resolution or make any decision.

Meeting Minutes

Minutes of all Association, Executive Committee, general, and special meetings shall be made available to members within seven days of the meeting and provided by the Secretary.

 

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

The Officers

A. The elected officers of the Association shall be President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian.

B. The officers shall be elected by members in good standing of the Association.

C. The elected officers, plus the immediate past president, shall be known collectively as the "Executive Committee" of the Association.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall serve in accordance with the mission and purposes of the Association as stated in Article II.

The Executive Committee shall:

  1. Have authority to represent and transact the affairs of the Association between regular and special membership meetings.
  2. Accept such other authority as may be delegated to it by the membership.
  3. Meet at least monthly, not including under special circumstances as described in the Special Meetings section. A quorum of the Executive Committee members must be present to conduct and pass any resolution to be presented to the Association.
  4. Create all committees and solicit volunteers and chairs to serve.
  5. Encourage and participate in program development.

Duties of the Officers

A. The President shall:

  1. Submit a report of the fiscal year activities of the Association to the Executive Committee and the membership at each September meeting during term of office.
  2. Preside at all Association and Executive Committee meetings and ensure that the resolutions of the Executive Committee are fulfilled.
  3. Be the chief spokesperson for the Association, as directed by the Executive Committee and the membership.
  4. Solicit and appoint committee chairs subject to the approval by the Executive Committee and announced at the September membership meeting.
  5. Be an ex-officio member of all standing committees.
  6. Work closely with the President-elect on all Association activities during the second year of term to acquaint him/her with the duties and responsibilities of the Office of the President.
  7. Ensure that any resolutions affecting the term of the incoming President shall be at the discretion of the incoming Executive Committee.
  8. Relinquish all records and equipment to the incoming President thirty days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

If a vacancy occurs in the Office of President, the President-elect will automatically succeed to the Presidency.

B. The President-elect shall:

  1. In the absence of the President, preside over Association functions.
  2. Perform duties as the President and Executive Committee may assign.
  3. Automatically succeed to the Presidency, should the office of the President become vacant or at the end of the President’s term.
  4. Become thoroughly familiar with all matters pertaining to the Association.
  5. Submit a report of the anticipated activities of the Association for the fiscal year to the Executive Committee and the membership thirty days prior to taking office.
  6. Work closely with the incoming President-elect to acquaint him/her with the duties and responsibilities after election of officers.
  7. Relinquish all records and equipment to the incoming President-elect thirty days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of President-elect, the Elections Committee shall follow the election process as stated in the Election of Officers section.

C. The Secretary shall:

  1. Attend meetings of the Executive Committee and membership, shall record all votes and the minutes of all proceedings, and shall perform like duties for the standing committees when required.
  2. Give or cause to be given notice of all meetings of the members and all meetings of the Executive Committee and shall perform duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
  3. In the absence of the Secretary, the Executive Committee shall appoint a temporary Secretary to record the minutes of the meeting(s) of the Association.
  4. Attach a copy of the written financial report prepared by the Treasurer to the official minutes of each meeting as part of the permanent record.
  5. Work closely with the incoming Secretary to acquaint him/her with the duties and responsibilities after election of officers.
  6. Relinquish all records and equipment to the incoming Secretary thirty days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Secretary, the Elections Committee shall follow the election process as stated in the Election of Officers section.

D. The Treasurer shall:

  1. Serve as a member and attend the meetings of the Executive Committee.
  2. Have custody of the funds of the Association and keep full and accurate account of all receipts and disbursements.
  3. Collect all dues and assessments and deposit within seven working days of receipt.
  4. Deposit funds in the name and to the credit of the Association in such depository as assigned by the TTU System.
  5. Disburse funds of the Association for expenditures as authorized by the Executive Committee and present to the Executive Committee any requests for disbursing funds.
  6. Render a written account of all transactions and of the financial condition of the Association at each Association meeting.
  7. Maintain a current membership roster.
  8. Turn over financial records of the Association to the Audit Committee for review upon request.
  9. Perform or share other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee.
  10. Work closely with the incoming Treasurer to acquaint him/her with the duties and responsibilities after election of officers.
  11. Relinquish all records and equipment to the incoming Treasurer thirty days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Treasurer, the Elections Committee shall follow the election process as stated in the Election of Officers section.

E. The Historian shall:

  1. Be responsible for documenting all Association activities including photographing events and members’ participation in other events, clipping/copying newspaper articles, releases, etc., documenting Association activities, and maintaining the Association scrapbook. If unable to attend events then must delegate duties and responsibilities to another member attending the event(s).
  2. Work closely with the incoming Historian to acquaint him/her with the duties and responsibilities after election of officers.
  3. Perform such other duties as may be directed by the Executive Committee.
  4. Relinquish all records and equipment to the incoming Historian thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Historian, the Elections Committee shall follow the election process as stated in the Election of Officers section.

Terms of Office

A. The term of the officers shall be for two years commencing September 1 of the first year and ending on August 31 of the second year.

B. With the exception of the offices of the President and President-elect, an officer may be re-elected; however, no elected officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same capacity.

Election of Officers

The Executive Committee shall appoint an Elections Committee by March 1 of the election year. The Elections Committee shall consist of no less than three members in good standing. No member of the Executive Committee shall serve on the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee members shall not be allowed to run for office. The Elections Committee shall follow the process below to fill vacancies in expired or unexpired terms as a result of written resignations or removal from office:

    1. It shall be the duty of the Elections Committee to seek and receive at least two nominations for each office, secure the consent to run for office, and prepare a ballot containing, in alphabetical order, the names of all candidates for each office.
    2. Prior to elections, the Elections Committee shall arrange for a Special Meeting for the purpose of allowing the members to hear and meet the candidates. Subsequently, the Elections Committee shall conduct an election by regular mail or electronic mail by sending ballots to all members in good standing, at which time the Election Day will be announced.
    3. Officers are elected by a majority vote cast by members in good standing.
    4. Election results shall be announced by the Election Committee by the end of the Election Day.

Vacancies: Resignations and Removals

A. Resignations

  1. An officer may resign from office at any time, by giving written notice to the Executive Committee thirty days prior to leaving office.
  2. The written notice of resignation must be received and acknowledged by the Executive Committee and forwarded to the Elections Committee such that election proceedings may begin.

B. Removals

  1. Shall any member in good standing have knowledge that an officer is not fulfilling his/her duties or that an officer has acted or participated in activities that do not exhibit the positive qualities that support the mission and purposes of the Association, a special meeting may be called by the members in good standing to explore the charges.
  2. Written notice of such recommended action shall be furnished to each officer by the President or President-elect, including the member whose removal is being considered, seven days prior to notice of special meeting to the membership.
  3. An elected officer may be removed by a majority vote of the members in good standing during the special meeting.

C. If a vacancy occurs as a result of written resignation or removal from office in the offices of President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, or Historian, the elections committee at the request of the Executive Committee shall follow the election process as stated in Election of Officers section.

D. Any officer elected to fill a vacancy, except the President-elect, shall serve for the unexpired term and shall be allowed to run for elected office, but shall not be allowed to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same capacity. The President-elect shall automatically succeed to the Presidency should the Office of the President become vacant or at the end of the President’s term.

 

ARTICLE VI - COMMITTEES

A. The Executive Committee shall create standing, ad hoc, or special committees as needed to fulfill the Association's purposes.

B. As each committee is created, the Executive Committee shall define its roles, responsibilities, scope, and timelines.

C. The chair of all committees shall be a member in good standing of the Association.

 

ARTICLE VII - QUORUMS

A. A quorum for membership meetings shall be the majority of the members in good standing present at the time of a meeting. An act of such a quorum shall be considered an act of the Association.

B. A quorum for all committee meetings shall be the majority of the committee membership. An act of such a quorum shall be an act of the committee.

 

ARTICLE VIII – ANNUAL AUDIT

There shall be an annual audit of all records of the Association at the end of each fiscal year conducted by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee may, at its discretion, choose to conduct additional audits, not to exceed five in a fiscal year, without due notice. The Audit Committee shall not alter any Association records, and must provide a written report to the Association of each audit within thirty days of an audit. The Audit Committee shall consist of no less than three members in good standing and a minimum of one external party. Former and present Executive Committee members are excluded from serving on the Audit Committee.

 

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS

A. Proposals to amend these bylaws may be initiated by the Executive Committee with a directive that the proposed amendments be submitted to the membership for voting;

B. Notice of any proposed changes or amendments to the bylaws shall be given to the membership at least seven days prior to the date the vote is to be conducted;

C. These bylaws may be amended by mail or electronic mail ballot or at any meeting of the Association;

D. Bylaw amendments may be adopted by a majority vote of the members in good standing either present at any regular Association meeting or by conducting a vote by mail or electronic mail.

 

ARTICLE X – VOTING

Any act by the association requiring a vote can be conducted at any meeting of the Association, by mail, or electronic mail.