Our Constitution

Article I : Name and Purpose

 

Section 1: Name of the Organization

 

The organization, comprised primarily of students of Latino descent attending Columbia University School of Law shall be known as the Latino/a Law Students Association, hereinafter referred to as LaLSA.

 

Section 2: Purpose and Goals of the Organization

 

LaLSA serves as a support group for its members. The Organization sponsors cultural, social and community service activities to promote understanding of the Latino community and serves as a forum for the discussion of issues affecting and/or of interest to Latinos.  LaLSA also serves as a liaison between its members and the administration, the general student body, the alumni and the legal profession as a whole.  LaLSA shall work to increase the number of Latinos at Columbia Law School and in the legal profession.

Article II: Membership

 

Section 1: Requirements for Membership

 

a.     Membership shall be open to all Columbia Law students of Latin American, Caribbean or Iberian descent.
b.     Membership shall also be open to any Columbia Law School students who ask to join, and express an interest in assisting the Organization in promoting and achieving its articulated purposes.

 

Article III: Dues

 

Section 1: Schedule of Dues

 

a.     Members are required to pay dues either on a yearly basis or in one total sum for all three school years. Dues for any prospective member may be waived by the Executive Board upon petition and a showing of financial need. Such waivers shall only be granted for the concurrent academic year.
b.     Dues are payable by the date set by the Executive Board, in such dollar amount as determined by the membership upon recommendation of the treasurer.

 

Article IV: Nominations and Elections of Officers

 

Section 1: Qualifications for Officers

 

a.     All officers must be members of LaLSA and students in good standing at Columbia Law School.
b.     No LaLSA member can hold more than one office within the organization at one time.

 

Section 2: Management of Elections

 

a.     Elections shall be managed by an ad-hoc committee (the “Elections Ad-Hoc Committee”) which shall be composed of one representative from each class. These representatives shall not be candidates for any office and shall be appointed by consensus of all members present at the beginning of the Election Meeting.

 

Section 3: Nomination Procedure

 

Candidates shall be determined in the following manner:
a.     All members nominated and seconded by another member shall be accepted as candidates. Self-nomination is permitted.
b.     Nominations and seconds shall be accepted during the nominations period. The nominations period for each office shall begin five (5) school days before the date of elections and shall end before candidate statements for that particular office are given at the election meeting.

 

Section 4: Time of Elections

 

a.     Elections for all officers, except First Year representatives, shall be held during the two week period following the last Monday in March. The Executive Board must decide the specific date and notify the membership of this date prior to Spring Break.

b.     Elections for First Year Representatives shall be held no later than four weeks after the beginning of first year classes.

 

Section 5: Balloting Procedures

 

Dignity, fairness and efficiency shall be the governing criteria in the conduct of elections. Voting shall be by secret ballot. Ballots shall be collected and tabulated by the members of the Elections Ad-Hoc Committee. This Committee shall announce the results of the tabulation as soon as the ballots have been counted. However, the specific numerical results shall be kept secret.

 

Section 6: Voting and Run-off Elections

 

a.     Eligibility: All who are members of LaLSA and have paid dues as of five (5) days prior to the day of the election shall be entitled to vote. This includes Third Years.

b.     Election and run-offs: A simple majority of the votes cast is required to elect. If no candidate achieves a majority, a run off election shall be held between the two candidates having the highest number of votes. Run-off elections for any office shall take place immediately after the initial balloting for the office and in the same manner as prescribed in Section 5 of this Article.

c.     Proxy voting shall be allowed. Members wishing to vote by proxy must register his/her ballot with the Chairperson or the Vice Chairperson in writing, in a signed, sealed envelope specifying the office and the person who is to receive the vote for that particular office. Such votes shall only count if the person named is a candidate for that office, i.e., general votes for an individual are not valid.

 

Section 7: Election Disputes and Appeals

 

a.     All disputed elections, nominations, balloting and all matters pertaining to nominations and elections not covered by this Constitution shall be decided by the Elections Ad-Hoc Committee, when constituted, an by the out-going Executive Board. All such disputes must be presented within three (3) days of the election. If these deciding bodies cannot make a ruling, subsection (c) applies.

b.     The complaining party shall have the right to meet with the deciding bodies prior to their making a ruling on the complaint.

c.     Appeal: Appeals from the determination of the deciding bodies shall be heard by the membership. The membership must be notified at least four (4) days prior to the meeting at which the appeal will be heard and the general meeting will be heard within five (5) days.  At this meeting, the complaining party shall be given five minutes to explain the basis of the complaint. A question/answer period shall follow. A successful appeal requires a 2/3 vote of members present.

 

Article V: Committees

 

Section 1: Classification of Committee

 

LaLSA shall have both standing and special committees. Decisions made by such committees shall be subject to review by the Executive Board.

 

Section 2: Standing Committee

 

The Standing Committees of LaLSA shall be the following:
Academic Committee
Social Committee
Alumni Committee
Admissions Committee
Symposium Committee
Political Action Committee

 

Section 3: Special Committees

 

a.     Special Committees may be created by the Chairperson with the advice and consent of the Executive Board. The powers and duties of the Special Committees shall be to investigate and study assigned matter and, where appropriate, implement activities relating to     specific purposes, businesses and objectives of LaLSA. Special Committees shall terminate at the conclusion of the school year or by action of the Executive Board.

b.     Special committee members shall be selected by consensus of the LaLSA members. The Chairperson of LaLSA shall select which member of the special committee shall act as Chair of that committee.

 

Section 4: Appointments

 

Chairpersons and members of the committees must be members of LaLSA. The Chairperson, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, shall appoint all Chairpersons of Standing and Special Committees from among the members of these committees.

 

Article VI: Finances

 

Section 1: Fiscal Year

 

The fiscal year of LaLSA shall coincide with the Law School academic year.

 

Section 2: Preparation of Annual Budgets

 

The proposed budget of LaLSA, including estimates of income and requests for appropriations from the general fund of LaLSA, shall be prepared by the Executive Board in compliance with Student Senate requirements.

 

Section 3: Disposition of Assets

 

All income and appropriations current and accumulated, and all other property of LaLSA shall be held for its benefit by the Treasurer. Disbursements from LaLSA funds shall be made after the presentation of a voucher or receipt to the Treasurer of LaLSA. This voucher or receipt shall be signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the Chairperson certifying that the expenditure has been authorized by the Executive Board. All such vouchers or receipts shall be kept.

Article VII: Procedure for Removal of Officers

 

Section 1: Initial Letter of Inquiry

 

Upon request in writing to the Executive Board by any member outlining the reasons thereof, the Executive Board may address a general letter of inquiry to any LaLSA officer to determine the reason or reasons such officer has failed to properly perform the duties of his/her office. Such letter of inquiry must be sent upon the request of any two or more of the above officers.

 

Section 2: Second Letter of Inquiry

 

Where there is no response to the initial letter of inquiry, a second letter of inquiry shall be addressed to the officer giving notice of the specific charges of nonfeasance or malfeasance and giving an opportunity to answer these charges.

 

Section 3: Manner of Delivery

 

Each letter of inquiry shall be delivered in person or by mail.

 

Section 4: Removal from Office

 

Upon the affirmative vote of a majority of officers then in office, the Chairperson shall address a letter to such officers advising them of their failure of performance of assumed and assigned duties, and notifying them of their removal from office. Any communications regarding a removal of any officer will be the responsibility of the Chairperson, unless Section 5 of this Article is called into effect.

 

Section 5: Removal from Office of Chairperson

 

In the event the Chairperson is the officer who has failed to properly perform the duties of his/her office, the Vice-Chairperson shall be responsible for following the procedures outlined in Sections 1 and 4 of this Article.

 

Section 6: Appeal to membership

 

Anyone removed under the provisions of this Article has the right to appeal to the general membership for reinstatement. Such appeals shall be conducted according to the following procedure:

a.     Notice of desire to appeal must be given in writing to a member of the Executive Board no later than a week after removal.

b.     When: Appeal shall take place at a special meeting within a week after notice of appeal.

c.     Procedure: the appellant shall be granted ten minutes to explain the reasons for his/her removal. The Executive Board shall then appoint someone to explain the reasons for removal. This shall be followed by a period of questions and answers.

d.     Reinstatement: Appellant shall be reinstated by a 2/3 vote. Such vote shall be a secret ballot counted by an ad-hoc committee that shall be composed of one representative from each class selected by consensus of those present. Such representatives cannot be      members of the Executive Board. Only members of LaLSA who have paid their dues as of the date of mailing of the second letter of inquiry shall be eligible to vote for the reinstatement.

Article VIII: Adoption and Amendments of Constitution

and Adoption of Resolutions

 

Section 1: Adoption and Effective Date of this Constitution

The Constitution shall be adopted by a 2/3 vote of members present at the Constitutional Convention and shall become effective immediately subject to exceptions taken by the Senate.

 

Section 2: Amendment of the Constitution

 

a.     Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Executive board in writing at least seven (7) school days prior to consideration by membership. The Executive Board then has the responsibility to distribute copies of the proposed amendments to the members at least four (4) school days before consideration. Notice of the date of consideration shall also be provided.

b.     The sponsor(s) of the proposed amendment shall be given at least five minutes to address the members at the meeting, and opportunity shall be provided for questions and answers.
c.     Voting: Proposed amendments are ratified by a 2/3 majority vote in favor by the dues-paying membership present at the meeting where the amendments are considered.

Section 3: Adoption of Resolutions

Resolutions as to the opinion or position of the Organization as to any issue of concern to its membership shall be adopted by a majority vote of those present at a general meeting.

Article IX: Meetings

Section 1: Notice

The Executive Board shall schedule all meetings and shall strive to provide all members reasonable notice of time and place.

Section 2: Operation

Dignity, fairness and efficiency shall be the governing principles at all LaLSA meetings. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings or appoint someone to preside.