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The Constitution

Article 1 – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Filipino Student Association of the Florida State University (FSA).

Article 2 – Purpose

The purposes of the Filipino Student Association are:
A. To promote the culture and heritage of the Philippines;
B. To serve as an educational resource and channel for the community;
C. To unite all students of Philippine ancestry and encourage camaraderie among them;
D. To conduct educational and cultural activities that promote and showcase the arts and culture of the Philippines.

Article 3 – Membership

Section 1 Membership in FSA shall be open to all students of Philippine ancestry.

Section 2 Membership in FSA shall be extended to students and individuals possessing a genuine interest in the culture and heritage of the Philippines.

Section 3 Membership in FSA shall be extended to students of Tallahassee Community College and Florida A & M University in accordance with Article 3, sections 1 and 2.

Section 4 Membership shall be granted without regard to race, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, parental status, disability, social class, the inability to pay dues, or any combination of the aforementioned items.

Section 5 Applicants for membership shall complete a membership form to be submitted to the Secretary for registration purposes.

Article 4 – The Executive Council

Section 1 The Executive Council shall be the policy and implementing body of FSA.  It shall be composed of the elected officers as provided  in Article 5.

Section 2 The additional functions of the Executive Council, which are legislative in nature, may be described and provided in the by-laws.

Section 3 - The Executive Council shall consist of nine officers (see Article 5) and the advisory committee (see Article 7).

Article 5 – Officers


Section 1 The officers of FSA shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, two Public Relations Officers, two Activities Coordinators and a Historian.

Section 2 The duties and responsibilities of the officers shall be outlined in the by-laws.

Article 6 – Terms of Office, Succession and Vacancy

Section 1 All officers of FSA shall serve a term of one academic year.

Section 2 The rules governing succession and vacancy of office shall be provided in the by-laws.

Article 7 – Advisory Committee


Section 1 The Executive Council, upon recommendation of the President, shall choose a Faculty/Staff Advisor, Community Advisor and Student Advisor (if applicable).  In the event when more than two recommendations are made for one advisory position, the Council shall choose the advisor by plurality vote.

Section 2 The Faculty/Staff Advisor must be a member of the faculty or staff of the Florida State University.

Section 3 The Community Advisor must be a current or past officer of the Big Bend Filipino-American Association.

Section 4 The Student Advisor must be a past President or Vice-President of the Filipino Student Association of the Florida State University. The Student Advisor will be chosen by the Executive Council, upon recommendation by the President.

Article 8 – Compliance with University Regulations

The Filipino Student Association shall adhere to the policies and regulations outlined in the Student Organizations Handbook as well as to all rules and regulations of the Florida State University, the Board of Regents, the state and federal governments.

Article 9 – Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the members present at a meeting called for that purpose.

The By-Laws

Article 1 – Meetings

Section 1 The membership shall meet no less than once a month at such time and place to be designated by the Executive Council.

Section 2 The Executive Council shall meet no less than twice a month at such time and place to be designated by the President.

Section 3 The Executive Council may call as many special meetings as are deemed necessary by the President or by at least three officers of the Council.

Section 4 Notices of meetings shall be sent to the membership and/or Executive Council no less than two days in advance of the designated meeting time.

Section 5 Order of Business for Meetings
A. Meeting called to order
B. Reading of minutes
C. Determination of quorum (see Article 4)
D. Old business
E. New business
F. Announcements
G. Adjournment

Article 2 – Duties and Responsibilities of the Officers

Section 1 The President shall:
A. Serve as the executive head of the Filipino Student Association and shall preside at all meetings of the membership, Executive Council, at any special meetings and at all FSA functions and activities.
B. Represent the interests of FSA at Florida State University in accordance with the Statement of Purpose.
C. Create ad hoc and standing committees as are deemed necessary by the Executive Council.
D. Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.
E. Execute decisions on policy, procedure and activities, as prescribed by the Executive Council.
F. Act as the official liaison between FSA and the Big Bend Filipino-
American Association.
G. Co-sign all financial documents with the Treasurer.
H. Have the right to call a special meeting.

Section 2 The Vice-President shall:
A. Perform the presidential duties and exercise the presidential powers in the absence of the President.
B. Oversee all ad hoc and standing committees.
C. Be responsible for assuming any duties that cannot be fulfilled by the
other members of the Executive Council.

Section 3 The Secretary shall:
A. Record the minutes of all Executive Council and membership meetings.
B. Maintain a collective set of minutes to be given to the new Secretary
following officer elections.
C. Maintain an accurate membership roster and accurate contact information.
D. Be responsible for all FSA correspondence.

Section 4 The Treasurer shall:
A. Be responsible for all funds of FSA
B. Be responsible for the swift deposit of said funds into FSA’s checking and/or savings accounts.
C. Ensure that all FSA financial transactions are properly conducted.
D. Maintain accurate financial records of FSA account(s).
E. Report monthly on the financial status of FSA to the Executive Council.
F. Disburse FSA funds as directed by the Executive Council.
G. Co-sign all financial documents with the President.

Section 5 The Public Relations Officers shall:
A. Be responsible for the advertisement and promotion of all FSA meetings, activities and functions.
B. Be responsible for all external FSA communication.
C. Gather information on issues concerning the Filipino community.

Section 6 The Activities Coordinators shall be responsible for the organization of all FSA functions and activities.

Section 7 The Historian shall:
A. Be responsible for keeping a visual record of all FSA meetings, functions and activities.
B. Be responsible for the FSA webpage.

Article 3 – Elections

Section 1 Elections of officers shall be held at the end of the academic year at a meeting designated specifically for that purpose.

Section 2 Nominations shall be taken at the regularly scheduled meeting preceding the elections.  Members may nominate themselves or may nominate another person for any office.  All nominations shall be duly seconded.

Section 3 Rules of Order for the Election Meeting
A. Meeting called to order.
B. Reading of minutes
C. Determination of quorum (see Article 4)
D. Old business
E. New business
F. Election
G. Presentation of new Executive Council
H. Announcements
I. Adjournment

Section 4 Procedure of the Election
A. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
B. Officers must be elected by plurality vote of the quorum.
C. There shall be created a committee on election to manage and conduct the election.  It shall be composed of three members appointed by the President.  However, no member or officer running for office shall be appointed to the committee.
D. A candidate for office may choose to run for any lower office (i.e. “slide”).

Article 4 – Quorum


Section 1 A quorum for conducting business and conducting elections shall be 40% of the membership.

Section 2 Quorum shall be determined by roll call or by an attendance sheet.

Article 5 – Succession and Vacancies

Section 1 In case of vacancy or incapacitation of the President, the Vice-President shall assume all duties and responsibilities of the President.

Section 2 In the event of vacancy or incapacitation of any other office, there shall be held a special election.  The elected officer shall serve only for the unexpired term.

Article 6 – Removal from Office

Section 1 Any officer may be removed from office upon the following grounds:
A. Gross misconduct
B. Immoral behavior
C. Abuse of power
D. Expulsion from school

Section 2 There shall be a hearing to be conducted by the Executive Council upon which the charges shall be addressed and evaluated.  The Executive Council shall vote to pass judgment on the charges against the officer.  If the charges are supported by a preponderance of evidence, the officer shall be removed from office.

Article 7 – Transition of Administration


The summer semester following the elections shall be a period of transition.  The outgoing and incoming Executive Council shall meet during this time to coordinate the transition of administration.  All Executive Council materials shall be turned over to the new Executive
Council.  However, all old business must be taken care of prior to the installation of the new Executive Council.

Article 8 – Amendments to By-laws

Section 1 These by-laws may be amended, revised, or repealed by a 2/3 vote of the members present at a meeting designated for that purpose.

Section 2 Procedure for amending, revising, or repealing the by-laws
A. A written request must be submitted to the Executive Council for review prior to being presented to the membership.
B. Presentation of the request shall take place at the next scheduled meeting of the membership where copies shall be distributed to the membership.
C. There shall be a period of debate and discussion followed by the vote.

Article 9 – Parliamentary Authority

The Filipino Student Association shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order in all cases where they are consistent with these by-laws and any special rules of order the organization may adopt.


Authored by Rizcion Dagani and Maves Ranola, co-founders of the Filipino Student Association of the Florida State University, 1999.
Revised by Rizcion Dagani and Krystle Tabangcura, 2000.