CSUA Constitution

Constitution of the Computer Science Undergraduate Association

Article I. Name

This organization shall be hereinafter referred to as the Computer Science Undergraduate Association, also known as the CSUA.

Article II. Purpose

The purposes of this organization are: to represent the undergraduate computer science student body in dealings with the University of California at Berkeley, its representatives, and any other appropriate organization; to provide a forum for the personal interaction of persons involved in the computer sciences; to promote knowledge of and interest in the computer sciences; and to raise funds to accomplish these goals.

Article III. Membership

A. Active Membership

Any currently registered undergraduate student of the University of California at Berkeley is eligible for active membership in the CSUA.

B. Associate Membership

Any student, staff, faculty member of the University of California at Berkeley or former active member may hold associate membership in the CSUA.

C. Criteria

Only currently registered students, faculty and staff may be active members in a registered student organization. Only active members may vote or hold office. We will not haze according to California State Law; we will not restrict membership based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or status as a covered veteran (special disabled veteran, Vietnam-era veteran or any other veteran who served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized).

D. Effective time of membership

An applicant's membership is not effective until after the meeting at which the applicant joins.

Article IV. Officers

A. Types

The organization shall have seven elected offices, named President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Librarian, Events Officer, and Alumni Relations Officer.

B. Qualifications

Only active members of the Computer Science Undergraduate Association as defined in Article III, Section A shall be allowed to run for and hold any of the aforementioned offices in the Computer Science Undergraduate Association.

C. Term of Office

1. Assumption of Office

After their election, the entering officers shall assume office after the last day of the semester, at which point the exiting officers shall vacate their respective offices.

2. Winter and Summer Breaks

If any officer is unable to perform the duties of his or her respective office during the semester break immediately following elections, then that officer shall appoint an interim replacement.

3. Resignation or Removal from Office

Officers who resign from office, no longer meet the qualifications set above, or are deemed unfit to serve in their respective offices shall vacate office immediately upon notice of resignation, loss of qualification, or removal from office.

D. Duties

President

The President shall:

chair, or appoint the chair for, the meetings of the CSUA
be responsible for the execution of mandates reflecting organization policy as determined by the organization's active members and its officers in General and Politburo Executive Meetings
be primarily responsible for representing the CSUA in its duties as the undergraduate computer science students' representative body
maintain contact and communication with the University, its faculty members responsible for teaching computer science, and any other relevant organization
appoint chairs for the various committees, subject to confirmation by the Politburo;
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Vice President

The Vice President shall:

assist the President in execution of duties
be chief assistant to the President in matters regarding the allocation of resources of the CSUA
assume the office of the President in case of resignation or removal from office of the president or, with approval of a quorum of the politburo, appoint an eligible member to assume the office of president
be responsible for assuming the duties of the President in case of prolonged explained absence of the President
be the chief administrator of any computer equipment maintained by the CSUA
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall:

maintain a publicly available record of all financial transactions, liabilities, and credits relating to the CSUA
report on the financial status of the CSUA to its members and officers
obtain primary signatory power with the ASUC as soon as possible after election
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Secretary

The Secretary shall:

maintain all necessary non-financial records of the organization
take minutes at Politburo and General meetings
maintain the organization's website
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Librarian

The Librarian shall:

maintain the CSUA Library
administer the CSUA's physical resources
maintain the CSUA's facility resources
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Events Officer

The Events Officer shall:

manage all publicity, marketing, and other preparations for events
coordinate speakers from alumni or industry
manage infosessions for CSUA
co-ordinate events between student groups
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Alumni Relations Officer

The Alumni Relations Officer shall:

serve as the liason to the alumni
promote interaction between current students and alumni
be responsible for maintaining the CSUA resume book and other job-related resources
have any other duties and/or responsibilities set forth in this Constitution.

Article V. Committees

The Politburo

The Politburo shall consist of all elected officers of the CSUA. It shall hold at least three open meetings a semester while school is in regular session. The Politburo shall determine temporary policies of the CSUA. Politburo decisions may be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the general membership at a general meeting.

Other Committees

Other committees may be created or dissolved at the direction of either the Politburo, or by a majority vote of the general membership at a General Meeting. Directorships or other non-politburo positions shall be appointed by the president and confirmed by the majority of the politburo.

Article VI. Election of Officers

A. Time and Place of Elections

Officers shall be selected each semester by a majority vote of the attending General Membership at a General Meeting held no less than two weeks before the last day of instruction, announced no less than one week in advance, and held at a time and place that is considered generally accessible as well in compliance with ASUC regulations concerning accessibility of ASUC sponsored activities.

B. Procedure

The chair shall appoint an election officer, who shall not vote or run for office. The election officer must be a member. Members shall be nominated until no more are willing and eligible. No person shall be nominated who is not willing to serve upon their election, and no person not present can be nominated for an office without his or her written consent being presented at the meeting. If only one candidate is in nomination voting may be done by acclamation. Otherwise voting shall be done by secret ballot of active members. A ballot that is blank or otherwise does not uniquely identify a nominated candidate shall not be counted.

If there is at any time a majority for a candidate, that candidate wins. If there is no majority and there are two candidates the election officer shall cast the deciding vote. If there is no majority and there are three candidates, the one with the fewest votes shall be eliminated. If there is a tie among those with the fewest votes the election officer shall select one to be eliminated.

If there are more than three candidates, three shall be selected to proceed to a runoff round as follows. Select as many candidates as possible for the runoff, starting from those with the highest vote totals, until it is impossible to proceed without selecting more than three or discriminating between candidates who received the same number of votes. If it is not possible to select any candidates in this way because there is a tie for first, the election officer shall cast a vote for one of the tied first-place candidates. If there are then fewer than three candidates selected for the runoff round, a new vote shall be held among those candidates not already chosen to select the remaining candidates.

Article VII. Removal and Replacement of Officers

A. Removal

An officer may be removed from office in one of the following ways:

In the event of extended unexplained absence of an officer, the office may be declared vacant by a majority of the remaining officers.
Any officer no longer qualified to hold office shall be removed.
A unanimous vote of the other officers in office may remove an officer from office.
In the event of a vacancy of an office the President will be responsible for ensuring that the obligations of that office are fulfilled until a replacement has been made.

B. Replacement

In case of removal or resignation from office of one of the elected officers except the President, the President shall appoint a successor. All such appointments to office must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Politburo at the next announced Politburo meeting. As stated in Article IV, in the event the office of President is vacated for whatever reason, the Vice-President shall either assume the office of president without need for confirmation and appoint a successor to be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Politburo, or, with the approval of a majority vote of the Politburo at the next announced Politburo meeting, appoint an eligible member to assume the office of president.

If both the offices of President and Vice-President are vacated in such a way to obstruct the aforementioned order of succession, then the remaining officers, in the order of Treasurer, Secretary, Librarian, Events Officer, and Alumni relations officer may either assume the office of President or, with the approval of the general membership, appoint a new President who will then fill any remaining open offices.

If all offices are made vacant, then the Faculty Advisor shall call and chair a general meeting to elect new officers.

Article VIII. Meetings

A. Procedure

All meetings will run under Parliamentary procedure or some subset of the same. All questions, unless otherwise noted by this Constitution, shall require a majority vote. Only active members of the organization are eligible to vote. All meetings shall be held at reasonable places and times.

Members may vote and run by proxy.

B. General Meetings

General Meetings shall be held three times a semester while school is in regular session, and shall be publicly announced no less than a week in advance.

C. Politburo Meetings

Politburo Meetings may be called by the President or by one-third of the Politburo. At least three meetings a semester while school is in regular session must be held open to the membership of the CSUA. Other meetings may be closed at the request of one-third of those members attending or in the event of disciplinary actions. In such a case, a listing of general topics discussed will be made available within one week after the meeting.

D. Committee Meetings

Committee meetings will be run under the same rules as the General Meetings. Meetings will be open to attendance by all members.

Article IX. Bylaws and Policies

A. Bylaws

Further guidelines pertaining to the operation of the CSUA not specifically set forth in the Constitution shall be contained in a set of publicly-available bylaws. Bylaws may be proposed by any active member of the CSUA, and must be approved by a majority vote of the Politburo.

B. Policies

Regulations pertaining to conduct of CSUA members in CSUA activities and in use of CSUA resources shall be contained in a set of publicly-available policies. Politburo members may formulate and implement interim policies in the execution of their duties, subject to later approval of a majority of the Politburo at the next Politburo meeting.

C. Amendments to Bylaws and Policies

Amendments to bylaws and policies may be proposed by any active member, and must be approved by a majority vote of the Politburo. Such amendments may be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the general membership at a general meeting.

Article X. Amendment

Any amendment to this constitution must be approved by a two-thirds majority of a general meeting convened with at least one week prior prominent public notice of the intent to amend the constitution. All amendments, unless otherwise noted therein, become effective immediately upon adoption.

As a special exception, the officers of the CSUA may, for the sole purpose of bringing the constitution into compliance with ASUC and OSL requirements, amend the constitution by changing emphasized text. All such changes must be publicly announced within one week.

All amendments, additions or deletions must be filed with the Office of Student Life, 102 Sproul Hall. All amendments, additions or deletions must be filed with the ASUC Office of Student Affairs, 400 Eshleman Hall within one week of adoption.

Article XI. Dissolution

Dissolution of the Computer Science Undergraduate Association may be approved by a two-thirds majority of general meeting convened during instruction with at least two weeks notice of the intent to dissolve the CSUA. In the event of dissolution, to the extent permitted by campus and ASUC regulations, all remaining assets shall be donated to a campus computing organization which allows free access to all University of California at Berkeley students.

All unspent ASUC funds shall remain the property of ASUC, all Graduate Assembly funds shall remain the property of the Graduate Assembly. Remaining privately-obtained funds may be donated to another nonprofit organization with prior approval of the ASUC Senate Finance Committee.