Bylaws of the Brookings Chinese Community (BCC)

 

07/17/2009

BYLAW I – Name

This organization shall be known as the Brookings Chinese Community (BCC, also called the Community thereafter).

 

BYLAW II – Mission

The mission of the Community is to provide a friendly, enjoyable, and politically and religiously neutral place for all Chinese and their friends living in Brookings, SD area. The Community will organize activities aimed to increase interaction, promote friendship, and assist career development among members. The Community will also be involved in promoting Chinese culture and stimulating interaction between Chinese and American Cultures.

 

BYLAW III – Members

All Chinese and people of Chinese origin and their significant others living in Brookings, SD area are eligible for the membership.

 

BYLAW IV – Organization

1.    The officers of the Community shall be president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer.

2.    The president shall be in charge of forming the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, immediate past-president, faculty representatives of each college of SDSU, president and vice president of the SDSU Chinese Student & Scholars Association (CSSA) or their designees, faculty advisor of the CSSA, and others deem appropriate. The president of the Community shall serve as chair of the Executive Committee.

 

BYLAW V –Terms of Office

The president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer shall serve for terms of two years each. In the event of a vacancy in the office of president, the vice president shall assume the added duties of the president for the unexpired term. If both offices of president and vice president are vacant, an election should be called.

 

BYLAW VI –Manner of Election

1.    The Executive Committee will appoint five members as the Nomination and Election Committee from the community members who are not running for election or re-election.

2.    Three members can nominate a candidate for any office. Self-nomination is allowed if it is seconded by two other members.

3.    Voting members must be 18 or over.

 

BYLAW VII - Qualification of the Candidates for President and Vice President

The followings are the essential qualifications for the candidates seeking president and vice president positions. The candidate will not be qualified if any of the essential qualifications is not met.

1.    The candidate must be neutral in politics and religion when dealing with any of the community related activities.

2.    The candidate must have a demonstrated leadership capability.

3.    The candidate is willing to serve the Community

Please note that the first criterion does not exclude anyone who has political preference or religious belief from seeking candidacy; as long as the candidate is not in favor of or promote one over the other in dealing with any of the community related activities.

 

 

 

BYLAW VIII – Duties of Officers, Executive Committee and Web Master

1.    The duties of the officers and executive committee shall be related with the missions of the Community.

2.    The president shall appoint all committees and committee chairs authorized by the Executive Committee. The president shall also appoint members to special short-term task forces established by the Executive Committee.  All such appointments shall be approved by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee before becoming official.

3.    The vice president shall play the role of assisting the president and assume the role of the president in the absence of the president.

4.    The secretary/treasurer shall keep records of meeting minutes, be in charge of the funds of the Community, keep an accurate record of all receipts and disbursements, and pay all reasonable and customary expenses.

6.    The web master is responsible for and in charge of website maintenance and the community’s e-mail mailing list.

 

BYLAW VIIII – Recall of Elected Officials

1.    The elected officials of the Community (officers or the elected Executive Committee members) are subject to recall for neglect of duties or conduct injurious to the Community.

2.    The recall of an official shall be initiated when a signed petition indicating in writing (electronic and/or hardcopy) the specific charges and reasonable substantiating evidence, is submitted to the president from at least ten percent (10%) of the voting members of the Community. In the event the president is the official in question, the vice president shall receive the petition and shall assume the duties of the presidency with respect to this issue until the issue is resolved.

3.    The president shall without delay determine that the petitioners are aware of the gravity of their actions and the procedures to be followed. The president shall seek an alternate resolution to the problem and a withdrawal of the petition at this time. In the absence of a resolution to the problem, the president shall present the issue to the Executive Committee as a new business item within 1 month of receiving such a formal complaint.  

       i).      The Executive Committee shall promptly continue the recall process or dismiss the petition as ill-founded or find an alternative solution to the problem. The president shall promptly inform the petitioners and the official in question of the decision by the Executive Committee.

       ii).     If the proceedings continue, the president shall assign the duties of the official in question to another qualified member of the Community until the issue is resolved.

       iii).    If the proceedings continue, the official in questions shall be offered an opportunity to answer the allegations in the petition before the Executive committee. Every reasonable effort shall be made to contact the official in question throughout this procedure. Upon notification, the official in question shall have thirty (30) days to make a written response to the allegations. The Executive Committee shall decide whether to proceed after studying the official’s response. The president shall inform the official in question and the petitioners of the decision of the Executive Committee. If no contact with the official in question can be made after a reasonable effort, the Executive Committee may remove the official in question with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the remaining members of the Executive Committee.

       iv).    If proceedings continue, the official in question shall choose one of the following options.

                        a). The official in question may resign.

                 b). The official in question may request a recall vote in the same manner as the original election. The voting membership shall be informed, through brief written statements prepared by the Executive Committee and the official in question, of the issues involved with the recall vote. Both statements shall be given to the voting membership before the vote is taken.

                        c). The official in question may request a hearing and a recall vote by the remaining members of the Executive Committee. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the remaining members of the Executive Committee shall be required to recall the official.

                        d). The official in question may choose not to respond and thus forfeit the position.