Constitution
THE AFRICAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE
(as written in 1987, update underway)
ARTICLE I
The name of this organization shall be the AFRICAN STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE: briefly called the ASA. This association is a non-profit organization.
ARTICLE II
Aims and Objectives
1. To foster and maintain the spirit of solidarity among African students at the University of Tennessee and surrounding institutions.
2. To establish and maintain friendly relations with other bodies and students' organizations.
3. To promote African culture^ and better understanding among Africans, Americans and other nationals.
ARTICLE III
SECTION A: Each person who shall become a member:
1. Shall be a national of an African country.
2. Shall be of an African descent.
3. Shall be any other national and interested in African culture.
4. Shall have read at least eight (8) assigned books on African literature or culture.
5. Shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of members who are eligible to vote.
6. Shall pay membership fee of $3.00 per quarter.
SECTION B: The faculty advisor:
1. Shall be a member of the faculty of the University of Tennessee.
2. Shall act in an advisory capacity to this organization.
3. Shall be elected at the direction of a majority of those present during a regular meeting of this organization.
ARTICLE IV
SECTION A: The officers of this association shall be:
1. President; Vice-president
2. Secretary; Assistant Secretary
3. Treasurer
4. Social and cultural of director
5. Auditor
SECTION B: Officers shall be African nationals.
ARTICLE V
Duties
a. The President shall:
1. Be the chief spokesman for ASA.
2. Preside over all meetings of ASA.
3. Countersign all vouchers and disbursements in conjunction with the treasurer and Secretary.
b. The Secretary shall:
1. Record all minutes of the ASA.
2. Be responsible for all official correspondence.
3. Convene, after consultations with the President, all meetings of the Executive Committee.
c. The Treasurer shall:
1. Be responsible for all funds of ASA.
2. Prepare and submit a quarterly budget and report on the financial state of ASA to the Executive Committee; such reports shall be circulated to members.
3. Submit all financial books in his custody for auditing, to the auditor, as the auditor may demand.
4. Prepare an audited financial report to be presented quarterly to the members of ASA.
5. Issue official receipts for all moneys received.
d. The Social and Cultural Officer shall be responsible for publicity and organization of all social and cultural activities of the association.
e. The auditor shall audit all financial books belonging to the organization at least quarterly before financial report is given.
f. The Representative Assistant Officers shall:
1. Act on behalf of the officers in their absence.
2. Assist the officers in their duties.
3. Take other responsibilities and duties as may be stipulated by the Executive Committee.
4. All officers shall form the Executive Committee (with the exception of the auditor).
5. Two-thirds of the officers shall form a quorum of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX
Finance
a. Safe Custody:
1. All funds of ASA shall be deposited in a bank approved by the Executive Committee.
2. The Treasurer shall deposit all funds within three days of receipt.
b. Disbursements:
All withdrawals shall be countersigned by the President, Treasurer and Secretary.
ARTICLE X
Amendments
1. The general members shall be the only competent body to revise the constitution.
2. Any changes proposed shall be affected by two-thirds majority.
3. Proponents of constitutional amendments shall send such proposal to the Secretary at least one week before the general meeting.
ARTICLE VI
Elections
1. Elections shall be held in the middle of the Fall Quarter of each academic year.
2. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
3. Offices shall be contested for.
4. All candidates seeking offices shall submit their names, at least one week before the elections, to the Secretary, who shall in turn, circulate such names to the members. All perspective candidates must have paid membership dues.
5. All members who have paid their membership dues shall be eligible for voting.
ARTICLE VII
Tenure
1. Officers shall hold offices until the next general elections and shall be eligible for re-election.
2. When an office becomes vacant, the members will elect someone to fill it.
ARTICLE VIII
Meetings
1. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a month.
2. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for convening all meetings.
ARTICLE XI
Disposition of funds in case of dissolution of ASA
In the event that ASA is dissolved, all funds shall be sent to the Sahel countries (the drought stricken Central-West African countries) by the University of Tennessee. Funds may also be directed to any African country (with the exception of South Africa and Rhodesia) where there is an emergency human need similar to those of the Sahel countries. Funds shall be sent through the Director, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 00100 Rome, Italy. The Director shall be instructed by the University to allocate funds proportionally according to the severity of situations in each country.