Constitution of Katipunan (Pilipino Student Organization)
University of California, Riverside
2009-2010

PREAMBLE

We, the members of Katipunan (Pilipino Student Organization) at the University of California, Riverside, in order to advance the awareness and development of the Pilipino culture through cultural, educational, political, and social means, with the cooperation of administration, faculty, and students, do approve and establish this Constitution.

ARTICLE I

NAME

The official name of this organization shall be Katipunan (Pilipino Student Organization) at the University of California, Riverside and may be referred to as Katipunan for the remainder of this Constitution.

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE

Section 1: Purpose of the Constitution
    A. To list and define the responsibilities of the Cabinet and its members.

Section 2: Purpose of the Organization
    A. To further and attain the goals outlined in the Preamble.
    B. To encourage and support the students in their pursuit of goals culturally, academically, politically, and socially.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

Katipunan is all-inclusive. Membership is open to students and non-students regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ability, age, school, and political affiliation. All who pay the designated yearly dues are official Katipunan members and shall be responsible for the promotion of organization spirit.

ARTICLE IV

KATIPUNAN CABINET

Section 1: Katipunan Cabinet
    A. The Cabinet shall be members and registered UCR students (Undergraduate or Graduate) for the academic year with discretion of Executive Cabinet if issues may arise. The Cabinet consists of the President, External Vice-President, Internal Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Cultural Chairperson, Cultural Coordinator, Historian, Public Relations Chairperson, Social Activities Chairperson, Community Advocacy Chairperson, Academics Chairperson, Sports Coordinator, Alumni Liaison, Outreach Director, and Public Relation Representatives.
    B. Each member of the Cabinet shall maintain a minimum quarterly grade point average of 2.0. Any officer who fails to meet the grade point average requirement shall face the consequences under the discretion of the current Cabinet.
    C. The term of office shall be from the point of induction to the end of the following academic year. Officers are responsible for advising current and newly inducted officers in their respective positions.
    D. Officers shall also carry out the duties for each quarter depending on the sufficient funds allotted.
    E. All spending shall be pre-approved by the President and/or the Treasurer.
    F. Shall be responsible for the promotion of organization spirit.

Section 2: Duties of Cabinet

A. PRESIDENT

1. Shall be the official representative of Katipunan.
2. Shall preside over all meetings of the organization unless otherwise stated.
3. May delegate responsibility to a chosen representative regarding Katipunan concerns.
4. Shall be an authorized signature on all official organization documents with the exception of organization financial documents where the Treasurer’s signature is needed.
5. Shall be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of academic records handled by the organization in conjunction with the Academics Chairperson.
6. Shall be responsible for preparing an agenda for each cabinet meeting

B. EXTERNAL VICE-PRESIDENT

1. In conjunction with the Internal Vice-President, shall carry on the duties of the President in his/her absence.
2. Shall be the official representative for Katipunan in all intercollegiate functions and any other collegiate Pilipino associations. In any event that he/she is unable to attend an intercollegiate meeting or function, he/she must appoint a Cabinet member to attend in his/her place.
3. Shall be responsible for the development and encouragement of external philanthropic affairs.
4. Shall be responsible for keeping a list or a directory of intercollegiate organizations or affiliates available to the organization so that networking will be more efficient in creating and maintaining.

C. INTERNAL VICE-PRESIDENT

1. In conjunction with the External Vice-President, shall carry on the duties of the President in his/her absence.
2. Shall be an official representative in any intra-campus coalitions, alliances, and/or councils that Katipunan is a member of and officially affiliated with. In any event that he/she is unable to attend an intra-collegiate meeting or function, he/she must appoint a Cabinet member to attend in his/her place.
3. Shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of relations with intra-campus organizations.
4. Shall be responsible for the development and encouragement of intra-campus philanthropic affairs.
5. Shall be responsible for keeping a list or a directory of intra-campus organizations or affiliates available to the organizations so that networking will be more efficient.
6. Shall be responsible for scheduling and maintaining on-campus facilities for organization events and activities.

D. TREASURER

1. Shall keep a permanent record for all financial transactions of the organization and shall submit a report upon request.
2. Shall make relevant financial records accessible to members.
3. In conjunction with the President, shall be the only authorized signatory on all official organization financial documents.
4. Must obtain money requisitions and reports of all money transactions for organization events and activities.
5. Shall be responsible for the collection of all monetary transactions.
6. Shall be responsible for overseeing and advising all fundraising events within the organization.

E. SECRETARY

1. Shall keep a permanent record of the proceedings of all Cabinet communications.
2. Shall review minutes of the previous meeting at the start of the following Cabinet meeting and request approval from all those present.
3. Shall keep a permanent record of all important legislation passed by the Cabinet, documents, and any important papers.
4. Shall handle all necessary incoming and outgoing mail.
5. Shall maintain a record of all forms and documents used for all organization events and activities.
6. Shall maintain a current directory of all current members in conjunction with the Treasurer.
7. Shall maintain a master record for all organization events and activities in conjunction with the Historian.

F. CULTRUAL CHAIRPERSON

1. Shall, in conjunction with the Cultural Coordinator, educate and provide Pilipino cultural awareness to the college campus and community.
2. Shall oversee the whole Philippine Culture Night (PCN) production in conjunction with the Cultural Coordinator.
3. Shall create and maintain all files of all cultural events throughout the year.
4. Shall be responsible in the relations with all cultural affiliates in conjunction with the Cultural Coordinator.

G. CULTURAL COORDINATOR

1. Shall, in conjunction with the Cultural Chairperson, educate and provide Pilipino cultural awareness to the college campus and community.
2. Shall be responsible for the instruction and history of cultural dances.
3. Shall be responsible in the relations with all cultural affiliates in conjunction with the Cultural Chairperson.
4. Shall provide an outline of responsibilities or tasks for the persons responsible in helping teach or instruct the dances.
5. Shall oversee the whole Philippine Culture Night (PCN) production in conjunction with the Cultural Chairperson.
6. Shall create and maintain all files of all cultural events throughout the year.

H. HISTORIAN

1. Shall be responsible for promoting higher learning and documenting the history of the organization and all related histories of the Pilipino culture.
2. Shall be responsible for all history-related paraphernalia at all scheduled organization events and activities.
3. Shall be responsible for taking photographs and/or videotaping organization events and activities.
4. Shall be responsible for providing a record of the year’s organization events and activities.
5. Shall be responsible for maintaining the organization’s website.

I. PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIRPERSON

1. Shall be responsible for the promotion and advertisements of all organization events and activities.
2. Shall be responsible for the production and distribution of a quarterly newsletter.
3. Shall be responsible for overseeing and advising the duties and responsibilities of Public Relation Representatives.

J. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES CHAIRPERSON

1. Shall be responsible for overseeing all social events, both internally and externally.
2. Shall be the chairperson of the Annual Induction Banquet.
3. Shall, in conjunction with the Public Relations Chairperson, work in the promotion and advertisements of organization events and activities.

K. COMMUNITY ADVOCACY CHAIRPERSON

1. Shall maintain relations and coordinate activities with community-based organizations.
2. Shall educate and provide resources to the members of Katipunan on issues regarding the Pilipino community on a local, national, and global level.
3. Shall, in conjunction with the External Vice-President and Internal Vice-President, be responsible for the development and encouragement of all philanthropic and/or political affairs.

L. ACADAMEIC CHAIRPERSON

1. Shall be responsible for the development, encouragement, and recognition of academic affairs and scholastic achievements.
2. Shall be responsible for maintaining academic accountability within the organization.
3. Shall be responsible for encouraging the organization’s academic integrity.
4. Shall, in conjunction with the President, be responsible, with complete confidentiality, of any academic records provided with permission by the members of the organization.
5. Shall promote and further advance the development of Pilipino Studies on campus.
6. Shall be responsible for enforcing the minimum quarterly grade point average of 2.0 within the Cabinet.

M. SPORTS COORDINATOR

1. Shall be responsible for the formation of the official team rosters in both intramural and external sports.
2. Shall represent all team sports as the team captain unless otherwise designated by him/her.
3. Shall serve as the ambassador in overseeing all sporting events that Katipunan is officially affiliated with.
4. Shall be responsible for the athletic equipment and uniforms.

N. ALUMNI LIASON

1. Shall be responsible for serving as the liaison between members of Katipunan and its alumni.
2. Shall be responsible for coordinating events, programs, and activities with its members and alumni network.
3. Shall be chairperson of the Annual Philippine Graduation Ceremony and Annual Alumni Banquet.
4. Shall be responsible for maintenance of an Alumni Database.

O. OUTREACH DIRECTOR

1. Shall be the official director of all student initiated outreach efforts promoting higher education administered by Katipunan.
2. Shall attend ASUCR finance committee hearings when outreach funding is requested and prepare budget reports including, but not limited to, how funds are spent and who benefited from outreach efforts.
3. Shall maintain a relationship among other student initiated outreach efforts promoting higher education administered by internal and external campus organizations.

P. PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVES

1. Shall be responsible for the publication and communication of all organization events and activities in the Residence Halls and around campus.
2. Shall be responsible for assisting the Public Relations Chairperson for the promotion, creation, and distribution of advertisements of all organization events and activities.
3. Shall assist the Public Relations Chairperson with the publication and distribution of the quarterly newsletter.

ARTICLE V

APPOINTMENTS

Section 1: Cabinet Positions

    A. Public Relation Representatives shall be appointed by the Cabinet by week five of the Fall Quarter.
    B. Vacant Cabinet positions shall be filled by appointment of the Cabinet at an official Cabinet meeting after two week notice has been given.
    C. The term shall be from the point of induction to the end of the current academic year.

Section 2: Special Positions

    A. Special Positions may be created at the discretion of the Cabinet.
    B. The duties of Special Positions shall be under the discretion of the current Cabinet. Special Positions shall abide by the aforementioned rules.
    C. The term shall be from the point of induction to the end of the current academic year.
    D. This person sustains no voting rights.

ARTICLE VI

ELECTIONS

Section 1: Elections Committee Selection Process
    A. The Elections Committee shall consist of three non-members or non-voting members of Katipunan; current and recently elected Cabinet members are ineligible.
    B. Volunteers may submit their names into a pool for selection into the Elections Committee beginning two general meetings prior to the respective elections.
    C. The Elections Committee shall be selected by lottery from a pool of volunteers in the presence of the general membership one general meeting prior to the respective elections.
    D. Once selected, each member of the Elections Committee becomes ineligible for the respective elections.
    E. Each member of the Elections Committee may accept or decline their selection. If he/she declines, he/she will retain his/her eligibility for the respective elections; another person must be selected to fill the vacancy in accordance with this section.

Section 2: Duties of the Elections Committee
    A. Shall attend all days of the stated elections process.
    B. Shall count all ballots for each position individually. In order for results to be valid, obtained counts must be identical.
    C. Shall assign a pre-approved time limit for speeches, questions, and answers.
    D. Shall pre-approve the number of questions that each candidate must answer as suggested by the membership throughout the elections process.
    E. Shall pre-approve any audio and/or visual aids that will be used by the candidate on his/her respective day of election.
    F. Shall enforce all of the rules that are outlined in the Article VII.

Section 3: Applications
    A. Nominations shall be conducted two general meetings prior to the respective elections.
    B. Members nominated must submit an application whose content is under the discretion of the current Cabinet for the Cabinet position that he/she wishes to run for.
    C. Applications must be received by the Cabinet one general meeting prior to the respective elections. Once received, the applicant becomes an official candidate for the Cabinet position declared in his/her application.
    D. Applications are considered active once received by the current Cabinet and remain active until the respective election day unless conceded by the applicant at any time prior to that day.
    E. Members may only have active applications for one Executive and/or two non-Executive Cabinet positions at any given period.
    F. Only official candidates are allowed to run for the Cabinet position for which they have applied.

Section 4: Elections Guidelines

A. Elections Schedule


1. In one general meeting, elections for the Executive Cabinet (President, External Vice-President, Internal Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) shall proceed in the following order during the academic Winter term: Secretary, Treasurer, Internal Vice-President, External Vice-President, and President.
2. In two consecutive general meetings, elections shall proceed in the following order during the academic Spring term:
    a. Group 1: Outreach Director, Alumni Liaison, Sports Coordinator, Academics Chairperson, and Community Advocacy Chairperson.
    b. Group 2: Social Activities Chairperson, Public Relations Chairperson, Historian, Cultural Coordinator, and Cultural Chairperson.
3. Order can change under the discretion of the current Cabinet.

B. Elections Regulations


1. Official candidates for any office must be present at the designated elections meeting with the discretion of current Cabinet if issues may arise.
2. Each candidate is only allowed to present material that has been previously approved by the Elections Committee.
3. No materials shall be distributed by any candidate to individuals on the day of his/her respective election.
4. The organization will not tolerate any negative propaganda.
5. There will be strict enforcement of a time limit for speeches, questions, and answers as directed by the Elections Committee.
6. Each candidate shall abide by the guidelines set forth by the Elections Committee and shall respect these guidelines and the Constitution.
7. A violation of any parts of this Constitution and elections guidelines shall call for an immediate disqualification of the candidate.

C. Elections Procedure


1. All elections shall be held by secret ballots unless otherwise stated.
2. The candidate with the most votes shall be declared elected. In the case when there is only one candidate for a Cabinet position, a majority of the votes is needed to be declared elected.
3. In the case of a tie, a runoff election among the tied parties shall be conducted under the discretion of the current Cabinet.
4. Any newly elected Cabinet member may only hold one Cabinet position at one time.
5. Any newly elected Cabinet member may concede his/her election at any time prior to his/her induction thereby conceding his/her official candidacy for any other cabinet positions thereafter; after which, the vacant position shall be filled in accordance with Article V.
6. All elections shall be conducted in accordance with Article VII.
7. All relinquishing and newly elected Cabinet members must be present at the Annual Induction Banquet under the discretion of the current Cabinet.

ARTICLE VII

BY-LAWS

Section 1: Enactment of the By-Laws
By-Laws must be enacted by a majority vote of the Cabinet.

Section 2: Recall of an Officer
A. Any officer who neglects any of his/her major responsibilities or fails to fulfill them shall be recalled from his/her position by Cabinet.
B. Process of recalling an officer:
    1. Executive Cabinet should advise the officer that he/she is failing in his/her duties. This constitutes the first warning.
    2. If a second verbal warning is warranted, the officer shall be placed on probation in his/her office for two weeks. Executive Cabinet will withhold the voting rights of the officer and review his/her case.
3. After two weeks probation period, the Cabinet shall notify the officer whether he/she shall continue in his/her office or whether he/she shall resign at the next Cabinet meeting.
4. All resignations must be formally typed, announced in the presence of organization leaders, signed in accordance with final examinations by the Cabinet, and soon after placed on file.

Section 3: Cabinet Meetings
A. The Cabinet shall hold weekly meetings unless otherwise specified.
B. All Cabinet meetings shall be closed to the general public except during open forum within the first hour of each Cabinet meeting.
C. All members of the Cabinet must attend all meetings unless a reasonable excuse is presented to the President twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled meeting concerning absence or tardiness.
D. All the proceedings shall be carried out under respectable procedures.
E. All the proceedings shall be kept under strict confidentiality during closed session.
F. Cabinet meetings shall only be held if the quorum is met.

Section 4: Organization Governmental Authority A. The governmental authority of the organization shall be vested in the Cabinet.
B. The Cabinet and organization members shall have the authority to contribute input regarding organization concerns.
C. The Cabinet shall have the power to enforce all laws passed by the majority vote. The quorum shall be majority of the Cabinet.
D. The Cabinet officers must vote regarding Katipunan concerns.

ARTICLE VIII

CABINET INVOLVEMENT

Organization involvement and/or participation are required from all Cabinet members for all affiliated organization events and activities unless a reasonable excuse is presented to the President twenty-four hours prior to the scheduled meeting concerning absence or tardiness.

ARTICLE IX

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Amendment Proposals
    A. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by the Cabinet and/or organization members and approved according to Article VII, Section 4.
    B. A proposed amendment must be formally submitted to the organization and Cabinet.

Section 2: Amendment Ratification
    A. All proposed amendments must be approved by three-fourths majority vote of the Cabinet.
    B. If this proposed amendment is approved by three-fourths majority vote by the Cabinet, it must be ratified by three-fourths majority vote of the organization members with each member having one vote.

ARTICLE X

RATIFICATION

Section 1:
Upon a three-fourths majority vote of the Cabinet and organization members, this constitution and its By-Laws shall be made effective on the given date.
Section 2:
A three-fourths majority vote must be obtained to ratify this Constitution prior to the last day of the academic Fall term.
Section 3:
The Constitution shall be accessible to all members and non-members. In addition, the master Constitution will be available to sign by members who approve of ratification.

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