MISA's Student Group constitution as ratified of Fall, 2010:

CONSTITUTION OF THE
MINNESOTA INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I - GENERAL

Section 1:      The official name of this organization shall be the Minnesota International Student Association, hereby referred to as MISA.

Section 2:       The club shall maintain status as a non-profit organization as defined by federal and state statute.

Section 3:       The club shall abide by the applicable rules and policies of the University of Minnesota pertaining to student organizations.

Section 4:       This organization's mission is:

Section 5:      The term "international" refers to the cooperative ventures of students from different countries, including the United States.

Section 6:       MISA shall be a non-political and non-religious organization.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

Section 2:       No more than 1/3 of the membership shall consist of non-students.

Section 3:       Membership is open to all students without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, creed, marital status, public assistance status, or sexual orientation.

Section 4:       A person will be considered an active MISA member after they have signed up for the MISA mailing list.

Section 5:       Voting members shall consist of Members of the Board and Members of the Affiliate Assembly (AA).

Section 6:      A Board Member must be a student of the University of Minnesota. Please refer to ARTICLE III.

Section 7:      An Affiliate Assembly (AA) member is an officer of an affiliate international/cultural organization. Please refer to ARTICLE V.

Section 8:       Any General Member/Board Member/AA Member may be impeached for misconduct. In such an event, the member shall be given a seven-day notice and an opportunity to defend him/herself. This impeachment shall require at least 2/3-majority vote of the Board. Impeachable offenses shall include but are not limited to:

• Substantial failure to perform the duties of their office as outlined in this constitution and in any relevant job descriptions.
• Deliberate misuse of funds outside of established fiscal policies.
• Violation of local, state or federal laws in the United States.
• Violation of University policies and/or the University Student Conduct Code.

Section 9:      In the event that an individual General Member / Board Member / AA Member group's behavior is considered a threat to the safe and effective operation of MISA they may be suspended by the President pending a hearing at meeting of the board. Such suspension will have to be served in writing with an explicit description of the reasons. An AA meeting must be called within two calendar weeks of such suspension where the President as well as the member in question shall have an opportunity to present. The AA members at this meeting shall be able to appeal to the decision with a two-thirds majority vote.

ARTICLE III - Affiliate Assembly (AA)

Section 1:      The highest legislative body of MISA shall be called the Affiliate Assembly (AA). It is responsible for the general oversight of the organization to ensure the fulfillment of the mission of the organization.

Section 2:      The AA shall consist of at least one officer from International and Multicultural student organizations affiliated with MISA. These shall also be registered as student groups with the University of Minnesota.

Section 3:      Their election occurs yearly via a registration form detailing the benefits and expectations of an Affiliate organization.

Section 4:      A meeting of the AA shall be held at least three times each Semester during the academic year. A special meeting may be called by the President, the Board or by two-thirds vote of AA Members.

Section 5:      All member groups must have representation at every meeting of the AA. After two consecutive or three total absences, the group will lose their Membership status. The group in question shall receive a warning after their first absence. Any group removed for non-attendance will have to reapply to the AA for Membership.

Section 6:      The President shall have veto power over the AA. Any veto of the President can be overridden with a super-majority vote of 80% of the Affiliate Assembly.

ARTICLE IV - BOARD/OFFICERS

Section 2:      The Board is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organization, the fulfillment of MISA's mission, and the implementation of the Constitution.

Section 3:      As mentioned in ARTICLE II, Section 6, all Board Members must be students of the University of Minnesota.

Section 4:      All Members of the Board shall have written job descriptions. Their respective positions shall have general duties as follows:

• All board Members - Promote MISA, its events, room, and Membership. Help with event setup, management (as assigned) and cleanup. Attend MISA meetings. Interact with MISA General Members at events and in the room in a friendly and respectful manner.
• President - Ensures accomplishment of MISA's mission. Presides over all meetings of the organization and serves as Chairperson of the Board and the AA. Acts as official representative of the organization at other meetings and events. Supervises the Board and any paid staff during MISA operations. May delegate some of these duties to other Members of the Board.
• Vice President - Leads the organization in the absence of the President. Works closely with the President to oversee the overall operation of the MISA Board. Responsible for assisting the President in setting MISA policies and task delegation. Ensures assignments are completed on time and aids the President in decision-making. Is in charge of Board meetings, AA meetings, and any other MISA meetings should the President be unavailable. Oversees Community Engagement Committee, Event Volunteer Committee, and any other committees formed that are not defined in this Constitution. Can delegate some of these responsibilities if needed.
• Secretary of Administration - Ensures the proper retention and accuracy of all records of the organization. Maintains the office environment for a comfortable experience for Members. Schedules Office Hours, Board and AA meetings and takes meeting minutes. Is responsible for checking and responding to communications via MISA email account and physical mail. Sends out emails to Membership list with appropriate updates of MISA and AA events and activities. Makes sure attendees of MISA events are registered as MISA Members. Keeps accurate count of attendees for Performance Report required for the Student Services Fees (SSF) Application.
• Secretary of Finance - Keeps an up to date account of the budget and any other pertinent finance-related information. Ensures thorough and accurate records of all MISA transactions. Reimburses MISA Board Members for expenses directly pertaining to MISA, pays bills in a timely manner, and doles out stipends to Board Members as specified by the President. Ensures events are appropriately financed by applying for applicable grants as required. Produces financial reports as necessary for audit purposes, post event grant meetings, etc. Is responsible for submitting the Student Services Fees application. Leads presentation to the Student Services Fees (SSF) Committee along with the President. Handles all MISA Co-sponsorship applications from AA Members.
• Secretary of Programming - Generates ideas for events which align with executing MISA's mission. Organizes MISA events, which involves reserving locations, applying for food permits, and fulfilling any other regulatory requirements needed for holding the event. Events are defined as committee meetings, cultural programs and other miscellaneous MISA sponsored programming. Ensures proper execution of event plan on the day of the event. When appropriate, communicates with any co-sponsoring AA Members as to how MISA can help them hold a successful event.
• Secretary of Public Relations - Oversees outreach and publicity of MISA and its mission. Publicizes MISA events by creating flyers with the Secretary of Technology, Facebook activity, chalking, setting up tables in public places, spreading word of mouth and also via any other innovative advertising techniques. Ensures that a diverse group of students is attracted to MISA and that the Membership is increased throughout the year.
• Secretary of International Relations - Must be an international student holding an F-1 student VISA. Acts as the International Student Body Representative, responsible for encouraging value to international students in MISA activities. Ensures that MISA maintains focus on International Students throughout the year. Helps target incoming International Students through preserving MISA's presence at orientation and other related programs. Also responsible for building a diverse AA by reaching out to other students groups which align with MISA's mission. Acts as a liaison between the executive Members of these organizations and the MISA Board. Conducts AA meetings at least three times a semester.
• Secretary of Technology - Maintains the MISA website, keeping it up to date with events and photos. Also in charge of any other online amenities, working with the Secretary of Public Relations when necessary. Ensures proper operation of all technology in the room and office including but not limited to: T.V., computers, home theatre system and networking hardware. Also creates flyers in collaboration with the Secretary of Public Relations.
• Advisor - Only ex-MISA board Members can hold this position. Helps train newly elected MISA Board Members along with President and Vice President. Shares experience and knowledge pertaining to operation of any part of the organization. Assists with the Student Services Fees (SSF) process. Does not have voting power. Is exempt from requirement to attend all meetings and events and holding office hours.

Section 5:      A Presidential election shall occur each year during the spring semester where each AA organization and Board members shall have one vote. Presidential candidates shall be a member of the Board or the AA. The President is elected when a candidate acquires the highest number and more than 50 (fifty) percent of votes. In the case that more than 2 (two) candidates are running, the candidate with the lowest vote after initial presentations will be taken out, the remaining candidates shall be questioned further by the voters, and another vote shall be taken. This process may be repeated until a candidate acquires the winning criteria. The president can hold the post for a maximum of 2 (two) years.

Section 6:      All other board Members will be interviewed and nominated by the previous year and newly elected Presidents, and a nomination committee composed of at least 4 (four) members of the AA. No more than two of the Members of the nominations committee shall be from the same nationality group. No applicants for the Board may be on this committee. As a guideline to preserve the diversity of the Board, it is recommended that no nationality shall have greater than ¼ (one-quarter) of total Board member representation, unless there is lack of applications from other nationalities. To promote competitive selection, a second round of applications may be arranged for select positions. The resulting nominations shall be presented to the whole AA for an approval/disapproval vote. A one-half majority vote is required for the nominations to be approved as the new MISA Board. If there is majority disapproval, the process is repeated to a level based on feedback received until majority approval is achieved.

Section 7:      In the event of a vacancy, the Board shall assign the duties of the vacant position to an existing member of the Board until a new officer can be approved by the Board and AA. The application and interview process as outlined in Section 6 is optional but recommended.

Section 8:      By-Laws may be proposed by Board members and may be adopted by a majority vote of the Board during a Board meeting.

ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES

Section 1:    Committees that may pertain to certain events shall be the Community Engagement Committee (CEC) and the Event Volunteer Committee (EVC).

Section 2:      The Community Engagement Committee (CEC) consists of Members involved with traditional volunteering activities focused on community development, humanitarian needs, etc.

Section 3:      The Event Volunteer Committee (EVC) consists of Members willing to help out with various tasks pertaining to MISA and Affiliate events.  

ARTICLE VI - FINANCIAL MATTERS

Section 1:      The club shall not provide financial gain, incidentally or otherwise to its directors or Members. This does not restrict the payment of wages, salaries, stipends or awards by the club for services rendered.

Section 2:      Unless otherwise specified by the Membership at the time of dissolution of the organization, residual assets shall be distributed to the following not-for-profit organizations: University of Minnesota International Student & Scholar Services.

ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS

Section 1:      Any member of the organization may propose Amendments to the constitution. Such proposals shall be submitted in writing to the Board for an initial two-thirds majority approval. It shall then be presented at the next AA meeting. The amendment is incorporated to the constitution once it receives two-thirds approval of the AA members at the AA meeting. There shall be the ability to edit the proposal up to three times upon failure to gain approval at the AA meeting.