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Constitution

FLSA Constitution – Last Updated: 02.19.21 – Passed on 03.08.21

 

Article I.  Organization

  • The name of the organization shall be Future Leaders in Student Affairs, referred to as FLSA.

 

Article II.  Mission

  • It is the mission of the Future Leaders in Student Affairs to provide our colleagues with services and programs that promote active learning, build a supportive community, and promote personal and professional development.  We uphold these standards by enacting the Four Pillars of FLSA, which consist of leadership, professional development, community building, and advocacy.
  • The focus of FLSA will be to primarily service students and their needs who are enrolled in the College Student Affairs program at Rutgers University.  

 

Article III.  Membership

  • All students currently enrolled in the College Student Affairs Program are considered to be an active member of FLSA upon the start of the fall semester. Active member privileges include voting privileges in elections and running for executive board positions. If a member fails to attend at least two meetings in a semester,  their active membership status will be revoked and the individual will be considered an inactive member until the two meeting requirement is met.  
  • All graduate students not affiliated with the College Student Affairs program are eligible to participate in FLSA
  • Graduate students external to the College Student Affairs program, but in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education,  will be considered active members if the above criteria is met, ultimately giving them voting privileges and eligibility to run for executive board positions. 
  • Graduate students not in the CSA program shall be able to run for executive board positions excluding the president and vice president roles.
  • These positions will be reserved for CSA students 
  • Alumni will be considered as having an inactive membership.   
  • If there are attendance discrepancies for FLSA members, these discrepancies should be communicated with the FLSA E-board to be accommodated. 

 

 

Article IV.  Meetings

Section 1.  Meetings in the Semester
  • General Body meetings in the semester will be decided upon by the executive board members for a time and day that best serves the majority of the general membership.  
  • Regular general meetings shall be held at least twice a month, or as determined by the Executive Board.
  • The Executive Board shall meet at least twice a month, or as determined by the Executive Board.

 

Section 2.    Special Meetings
  • The President may call special meetings as necessary

 

Section 3.    Communication
  • The FLSA Executive Board will decide amongst themselves  in which manner effective communication will take place for the organization 
  • GroupMe, text messages, Facebook Messenger are examples 

 

Section 4.    Quorum
  • All regular and special meetings shall consist of members and any voting will be done on the basis of majority.
  • All members should be included in a vote; voting shall be conducted via paper ballot, electronic ballot, or absentee vote.  
  • In the event that a member is unable to attend a meeting when a vote is to occur, an absentee ballot system will be put in place.  All members will be given the opportunity to inform the President/Vice President of their vote within 1-2 days of the vote. If this is not done on time, the members vote shall not count.

 

Article V.  Executive Board

Section 1.    Officers
  • The Executive Board is composed of the President, Vice President, Social Media Chair, Treasurer,  Programming Committee Members and a Second Year Advisor position.
  • Additional appointments to officer positions including new or co-appointments are determined by the executive board.

 

Section 2.    Voluntary Positions
  • All officers are to serve without salary or financial remuneration and all positions held are voluntary.

 

Section 3.    Term of Office
  • All officers will have a term of one year, formally beginning at the start of the spring semester in January. 
      1. Unless a second year is holding a position which would be terminated upon graduation, the board would then hold a special election meeting to appoint new officers.
  • The Second Year Advisor(s) position(s) will have a term of one Spring semester, formally beginning of January. 
  • This position can only be held by a second year or above graduate, and must have attended at least 4 meetings since becoming a member of FLSA.

 

Section 4.    Eligibility
  • All officers must be an active member of FLSA and a current student in good standing with the College Student Affairs program in the Graduate School of Education.
  • It is the responsibility of the officer to disclose this information to the Executive Board.
  • Good Standing is defined as maintaining at least a B- in all classes, as per program requirements.
  • Determination of good standing can be appealed and will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Executive Board.
  • Appeals must be presented in a formal, written letter to the members of the Executive Board.  The Executive Board will discuss and vote as to whether the officer shall remain in office.  

 

Article VI.  Duties and Responsibilities of the Executive Board

Section 1.    President
  • Shall be responsible for overseeing all organizational meetings, and seeing that the organization meets its stated goals. The President is responsible for the organization and its actions, and is its representative.
  • Oversees all activities for FLSA and all committees.
  • Official spokesperson for FLSA.
  • Calls and presides at all Executive Board and General Meetings.
  • Determines and creates all Executive Board and General Meeting agendas.
  • Has the ability to approve and create any and all ad hoc committees and appointment of committee members as needed.
  • Serves as the liaison between FLSA and the College Student Affairs faculty, administration, and all other campus organizations.
  • Establishes and maintains communication between all members of the organization.
  • Manages all committees and assists committees in execution of duties as necessary.
  • Other Duties as determined by the board

 

Section 2.    Vice President
  • Attend all General and Executive Board meetings.
  • Maintains the FLSA Constitution
  • Coordinates elections of the FLSA Executive Board
  • Keeps minutes for all General meetings and Executive Board meetings and communicates the minutes to all members within one week of the meeting.
  • Keeps records of Attendance at General meetings and Executive Board meetings.
  • Acts as the historian for FLSA
  • Other Duties as determined by the board
  • If there is no candidate to fill the Treasurer position, the Vice President will assume all duties of the Treasurer role. 

 

 Section 3. Treasurer
  • Prepares budgets for review at the FLSA meetings.
  • Maintains the financial account and records of the organization.
  • Responsible for receiving all revenue of the organization.
  • Pays all authorized bills for the organization.
  • Seeks approval from the Graduate Student Association for all expenses prior to use of the funds.
  • Procures receipts and other records from members and seeks reimbursement from the Graduate Student Association.
  • Other Duties as determined by the board

 

Section 4.    Social Media Chair
  • Attend all General and Executive Board meetings.
  • Facilitate coordination of events and programs: create social media events, flyers, reach out to people, etc.
  • Runs all social media accounts (Instagram/Twitter).
  • Manages the Alumni facebook page and keeps alumni up to date with all events and programs going on in CSA.
  • Manages the email account (current students and alumni), drives, and the website.
  • Oversees distribution of flyers to CSA digest.
  • Act within the limits of the FLSA budget and resources with assistance from the Treasurer.
  • Other Duties as determined by the board

 

Section 5.    Programming Committee Chairs
  • Attend all General and Executive Board meetings.
  • Surveys the current cohorts to generate an idea of what types of events individuals are interested in. 
  • Facilitate coordination of events and programs of regularly scheduled professional development events, social events, and CSA Interview Days.
  • Works with the CSA Program Interns on prospective candidate logistics and social events for interview days.
  • Coordinates the mentor/mentee pairing and respective programming.
  • Collaborates with the Division of Student Affairs on events
  • Dr. Newman, Dr. Mena, Residence Life, etc.
  • Other Duties as determined by the board

 

Section 6.    Second Year Advisor(s) Representative
  • Attend all General and Executive Board meetings.
  • Serves as a liaison between the new and returning FLSA executive board members, including onboarding procedures and training.
  • With the help of the Programming Committee, Second Year Advisor(s) will put on at least one professional development program and at least one social event specific to Second-Year students.
  • Assists in maintaining and upholding the FLSA Constitution and administrative procedures.
  • Other Duties as determined by the board

 

Article VII.  Elections and Vacancies

Section 1.    Election of all Executive Board Positions
  • Shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by secret ballot by the members of the organization at the first general meeting of December, except in the case of a special election needed to fill a vacant position.
  • Elected individuals shall take office in the following January and shall serve for a period of one year, with the exception of the Second-Year Advisor(s) position that will serve from January to May.
  • The active membership shall vote to determine the new officers.
  • Elections shall be coordinated by the Vice President.

 

Section 2.    Vacancies
  • Under exceptional circumstances in which any Executive Board member is unable to complete their term in office, resignations must be submitted to the President, except in the case of the resignation of the President, who shall submit resignation to the Executive Board.
  • In the event that an elected office shall become vacant, the President shall order at the earliest possible date a special meeting of the organization for the purpose of filling such office using an election process.  The member thus elected shall immediately enter upon their duties and shall remain in office until the next regular election.
  • If at the time of election, no candidate can be found to fill the vacancy, one of the continuing executive board members shall serve in the vacancy duty until a valid candidate can be elected.
  • In the event of a sudden vacancy, due to resignation or impeachment, in any executive office, the remaining executive board shall appoint an interim officer until such time as a proper official election may be held for the office.

 

Section 3.    Impeachment
  • Officers can be removed from office, through the process of impeachment.
  • General members are able to petition members of the executive committee to impeach an officer.  Any 3 members of the executive board may bring impeachment proceedings against any executive officer of the organization.
  • Grounds for impeachment include negligence or abandonment of duty to the organization, severe infraction of University policy, or any action that intentionally and maliciously harms the organization and/or any of its members.
  • There shall be a two-stage approach for impeachment proceedings.  First, after the executive board members decide to begin the process, a vote with the general membership at a general meeting shall determine whether or not an impeachment hearing shall take place.  If a majority of the general members vote to hold impeachment proceedings, then the Executive Board will vote to impeach the officer in question.  The individual being considered for expulsion shall not have a vote and shall not be counted amongst the number of voting members present. A two-thirds vote of all members is required to remove a member from office.
  • Such claims must be submitted in writing to the executive board no later than two weeks prior to the general meeting vote in which all charges will be discussed. The executive board shall inform the officer of any such charges as soon as possible and the officer should have at least two weeks notice prior to the general meeting impeachment hearing.
  • If the President is the member being considered for expulsion, the Vice President shall run the proceedings.

 

Article VIII.  Amendments

  • The proposed amendment must be submitted to the Vice President in writing two weeks prior to the general meeting at which it is to be heard.
  • The Vice President will be responsible for disseminating the proposed change at least one week prior to the meeting at which it will be heard.
  • Two-thirds of the legal votes cast by the Executive Board shall be required to pass the amendment
  • Ratified Amendments shall become effective at the following general meeting.

 

Article IX.  University Regulations

  • This organization shall be in full compliance with all pertinent University Regulations and any other rules, regulations, and policies of Rutgers University that may be relevant to its activities.