UP OROQUIETA CONSTITUTION.pdf

Article 1 NAME AND SEAL Sec 1. The organization shall be officially known as UP OROQUIETA. The name stands for its members whose main focus is to promote their hometown. The name OROQUIETA was...

Article 1 NAME AND SEAL Sec 1. The organization shall be officially known as UP OROQUIETA. The name stands for its members whose main focus is to promote their hometown. The name OROQUIETA was from one of Lucena City’s former names. Sec 2. The official seal of the organization will be a map of Lucena City with coconuts at its center. Below the map are laurel leaves and the year the organization was formed. The name of the organization shall be seen at the top of the map. The map symbolizes Lucena City denoting the town of the members. Imposed at its center are coconuts, one is cut into halves. The halved coconut shows the water symbolizing the purity of the intentions of the organization. The husk represents the bonding and unity among the members. The shell symbolizes the preservation of the goals, objectives and intentions of the organization. The laurel leaves represent the wisdom and honor among the members. The leaves also signify the charter members of the organization. The official colors are green, brown, silver and white. The green means life; brown means humanity; silver means strength and white – purity. Article 2 OBJECTIVES Sec 1. The organization shall have the following general objectives: ∙ To promote camaraderie and unity among its members and other sectors of the community. ∙ To foster academic excellence among its members. Sec 2. The organization shall have the following specific objectives: a. To promote Metro Lucena in UPLB and UPLB in Metro Lucena; ∙ To provide assistance to its members during their stay in the University and even in their professional years; ∙ To provide activities that will enhance its members’ as well as non-members’ knowledge and experience. Article 3 MEMBERSHIP Sec 1. The organization is open to all bona fide students of UPLB who has been residing in Metro Lucena, which includes the cities of Lucena and Tayabas, Sariaya, Candelaria, Lucban, and Pagbilao, for at least three (3) years. Sec 2. All prospective members must undergo a probationary period determined by the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. a. Resident Members– those who are inducted as members and are currently registered in the University. a.1 Active Resident Members – those who are regularly participating in the activities set by the organization.  a.2 Inactive Resident Members - those who officially file for inactivity within two (2) weeks after the first General Assembly of the current semester, subject to the approval of the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. Furthermore, those who file their letters of inactivity beyond two weeks after the first General Assembly will be subjected to the approval of the General Assembly which will hear the case. b. Non-Resident Members – those who are inducted as members but are on leave of absence, or those who were given honorary dismissal by the University Registrar. c. Alumni Members – those members who graduated from the University. d. Ex-Officio Members – those who transferred to other Universities or Colleges. e. Honorary Members – those who have rendered valuable contributions to the Organization as determined by three-fourths (¾) of the active resident members. Article 4 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF A MEMBER Sec 1. A member has the right to be properly informed of all transactions and matters which may directly or indirectly affect the interest of the Organization. Sec 2. An active resident member has the right and privilege to utilize any valuable contributions of the Organization provided that no conflict of interest exists or may be consequential to such. Sec 3. A member is individually or collectively entitled to present their views, comments, inquiries and suggestions to appropriate authorities before any policies, decisions, rules or regulations affecting their welfare. Sec 4. An active resident member has the right to vote and be elected; otherwise, disqualified by the Constitution and By-laws. Sec 5. A member has the right to hold office provided that he/she satisfies the policies set forth by the Constitution and By-laws. Sec 6. A member has the right to present and defend himself/herself against charges hurdled on him/her to the Executive Committee then to the body, observing the due process. Sec 7. A member has the right to put forward his/her complaints and grievances against another member to be filed to the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. Sec 8. It shall be the duty of a member to defend the Organization, contribute to its development, uphold its Constitution, obey all rules and regulations, and cooperate with constituted authorities. Sec 9. It shall be the duty of a member to satisfy any dues and monetary obligations set by the Organization at a given period of time, provided it undergoes proper and legal documentation. Sec 10. It shall be the duty of a member to attain and maintain academic and professional excellence, and to participate actively in all organizational activities. Sec 11. It shall be the duty of every member to impose upon him/her the correlative duty to be exercised professionally and responsibly.  Article 5 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Sec 1. The active resident members will constitute the judicial body of the Organization. Sec 2. There shall be an Executive Committee composed of the elected officers of the Organization. It shall be headed by the President. Sec 3. The Organization will be divided into the following Committees: Educational Committee, Finance Committee, Membership and Disciplinary Committee, External Relations and Logistics Committee, Social and Alumni Relations Committee, and Publicity Committee. Sec 4. A special committee termed as the Ad Hoc Committee shall be formed when the need arises. Sec 5. Every active resident member shall be assigned to any of the committees mentioned in Section 3. Article 6 ELECTIONS Sec 1. The general election of officers shall be held annually, before the end of the second semester through secret balloting. Sec 2. A special meeting shall be held one month before the general election for the purpose of nomination. All active resident members may be nominated to a maximum of two positions and elected to any position provided he/she has been actively participating for a year. Sec 3. An election can only be conducted if there is a quorum of 50% plus one of the active resident members of the Organization. This should be maintained during the duration of the deliberation of the nominees. Sec 4. The deliberation of the nominees will be conducted one week after the nomination and only those members who attended the deliberation shall have the right to vote. Sec 5. The incumbent officers automatically end their term after the end of the academic year. Sec 6. All elected officers shall hold office for one academic year and may be re-elected to any position in the succeeding academic year. Sec 7. Special election shall be conducted when the need arises. Sec 8. A Special Committee shall be responsible for all election rights as exercised in the Organization. Article 7 OFFICERS Sec 1. The set of officers shall be composed of the following:  ∙ President ∙ Vice President for Internal Affairs ∙ Vice President for External Affairs ∙ Secretary ∙ Treasurer ∙ Auditor ∙ Educational Committee Head ∙ Social and Alumni Relations Committee Head ∙ Publicity Committee Head Sec 2. The powers and functions of the President shall be the following: ∙ He/She shall be the head of the Executive Committee. ∙ He/She shall prepare the agenda and preside over regular body, special, and emergency meetings of the General Assembly. ∙ His/Her signature and approval must be visibly affixed on all papers needing such actions. ∙ He/She shall prepare term-end report to be published on the last issue of the official publication of the academic year. ∙ He/She shall perform other functions that may be necessary or incidental to the discharge and performance of his/her functions. Sec 3. The powers and functions of the Vice President for Internal Affairs shall be as follows: ∙ He/She shall function as the Vice President for Administration of all internal affairs of the Organization. ∙ He/She shall assist the President in all matters where assistance is required inside the Organization.  ∙ He/She shall act as the head of the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. Sec 4. The powers and functions of the Vice President for External Affairs shall be as follows: ∙ He/She shall function as the Vice President for Administration of all external affairs of the Organization.. ∙ He/She shall act as the official representative of the Organization for all its external relations. ∙ He/She shall act as the head of the External Relations and Logistics Committee. Sec 5. The powers and functions of the Secretary shall be as follows: ∙ He/She shall take the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings as well as the body meetings. ∙ He/She shall make all minutes of the meetings available to the Body. ∙ He/She shall keep the records and all pertinent papers of the Organization. Sec 6. The powers and functions of the Treasurer shall be as follows: ∙ He/She shall take charge of the collection of all fees of the members. ∙ He/She shall keep all records of all financial transactions made by the Organization. ∙ He/She shall prepare financial reports and make them available to the Body. ∙ He/She shall prepare and submit an overall financial report at the end of every semester. ∙ He/She shall disburse funds upon the approval of the Auditor. ∙ He/She shall head the Finance Committee. Sec 7. The powers and functions of the Auditor shall be as follows: ∙ He/She shall keep the inventory and financial report of the Organization. ∙ He/She shall audit the financial transactions of the Organization. ∙ He/She shall act as the property custodian of the Organization. ∙ He/She shall perform separately from the functions of the Finance Committee.  Sec 8. The functions of the committee heads will be to lead the committee assigned to them and to make sure that the duties and responsibilities of their committee are carried out according to what the Constitution directs. Sec 9. He/She shall have the power to appoint his/her Junior Head. Sec 10. He/She shall perform other duties as this Constitution may direct. Article 8 FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMITTEES Sec 1. The Executive Committee, composed of the elected officers of the Organization, shall have the following functions: ∙ To assign the members to other committees. ∙ To make the agenda of all body meetings. ∙ To plan and coordinate all activities of the Organization. ∙ To see to it that all activities are properly carried out. ∙ To decide on immediate problems not covered by this Constitution even without the approval of the Body. ∙ To create special committees when the need arises. ∙ To approve/disapprove of the policies formulated by the head of the different committees. Sec 2. The functions of the Educational Committee shall be as follows: ∙ To monitor the academic standing of all members of the Organization. ∙ To initiate activities that will develop the members’ love for learning. ∙ To undertake research and extension works to carry out the projects of the Organization. Sec 3. The functions of the Finance Committee shall be as follows: ∙ To keep the monetary resources of the Organization. ∙ To plan fund raising activities of the Organization. ∙ To take charge of the proper disbursement of the funds of the Organization. ∙ To plan and implement the budget of the Organization. Sec 4. The functions of the Membership and Disciplinary Committee shall be as follows: ∙ To maintain and keep open channels of communications within the Organization. ∙ To keep pertinent records of the members.  ∙ To supervise the orientation, application, training and induction of the incoming members. ∙ To promote camaraderie and rapport among the members of the Organization. Sec 5. The functions of the Social and Alumni Relations Committee shall be as follows: ∙ To be responsible for the provision of the gatherings of the Organization. ∙ To develop each member socially. ∙ To maintain and keep open channels of communication towards the Alumni members of the Organization. ∙ To coordinate with the alumni, ex-officio and non-resident members of the Organization. Sec 6. The functions of the External Relations and Logistics Committee shall be as follows: ∙ To take charge of the Organization’s representation to activities outside the UPLB community. ∙ To plan and implement activities of the Organization that will be held outside the UPLB community. ∙ To handle the details of the operations of the activities of the Organization Sec 7. The functions of the Publicity Committee shall be as follows: ∙ To disseminate all information regarding the activities of the Organization. ∙ To take charge of the publicity of all the activities and official publication of the Organization. Article 9 ADVISERS Sec 1. The Organization shall have at least two (2) advisers chosen by the active resident members of the Organization, one from UPLB, and/or from Lucena City. Sec 2. The advisers, preferably residents of Lucena City, should be: ∙ A faculty member of any institute/department of any college under the University. ∙ An alumni of UPLB who’s currently working in Lucena City. Sec 3. The advisers shall have the following duties: ∙ To provide means of communication among the members of the Organization. ∙ To act as consultant regarding the activities of the Organization. Sec 4. The advisers shall have the privilege to the following rights: ∙ He/She can use the properties of the Organization. ∙ He/She can have access to the official records of the Organization.  ∙ He/She can express his/her opinions regarding the Organization’s activities. ∙ He/She can participate in all the activities of the Organization. Article 10 FEES Sec 1. Every member must pay a membership fee which shall be decided by the Finance Committee. Sec 2. Every member must pay a semestral fee which shall be decided upon by the Finance Committee. Sec 3. Every member must pay revolving fees which shall be decided upon by the Finance Committee. Article 11 MEETINGS Sec 1. There shall be a General Assembly held on Mondays at 7:15 in the evening. Sec 2. The body shall meet thrice (3x) a month. The schedule will depend on the consensus of the availability of the body. Sec 3. Special/Emergency meeting shall be called for by any officer whenever the need arises. Sec 4. The quorum of every meeting will be 50% plus one of the active resident members. Sec 5. There shall be committee meetings after the General Assembly. The Committee Head can also hold a committee meeting on any specified day and time to discuss urgent matters. Sec 6. There shall be Executive Committee meetings done before the General Assembly to discuss matters regarding the agenda of the General Assembly. Article 12 ABSENCES Sec 1. Absence from any meeting can be considered excused if the absentee submits an excuse letter to the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. ∙ The absentee must inform and submit an excuse letter addressed to the President and validated by the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. ∙ An excuse letter must be given before the meeting or activity.  ∙ Absences without excuse letters will only be accepted if given prior notice to the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. However, he/she must also submit an excuse letter afterwards immediately. Sec 2. Absence from committee meetings can also be a basis for disciplinary action upon the discretion of the head of the committee. Article 13 IMPEACHMENT OF OFFICERS Sec 1. Any member may file an impeachment complaint against an officer to any member of the Executive Committee to be addressed to the appropriate authorities. Sec 2. Decision on impeachment will be during regular body meeting or during a special meeting called for that purpose. Sec 3. Any officers may be impeached by at least two-thirds (2/3) vote of all active resident members. Sec 4. The grounds for impeachment are the following: ∙ Violation of the Constitution. ∙ Neglect of duties. ∙ Abuse of position. ∙ Lack of interest and inefficiency in the undertakings of the Organization. Sec 5. A Special election shall be conducted once the position is vacated. Sec 6. If any officer hands in his/her resignation letter, he/she is subjected for impeachment. Article 14 DISCIPLINARY ACTION Sec 1. Any member shall be given a WARNING STATUS upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee if he/she incurred any of the following: ∙ He/She incurred three (3) unexcused and accumulated absences in the General Assembly. ∙  He/She incurred one (1) unexcused absence in the major activities of the Organization. Sec 2. Any member shall be given a SUSPENSION STATUS upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee if he/she incurred any of the following: ∙ He/She incurred six (6) unexcused and accumulated absences in the General Assembly. ∙ He/She incurred two (2) unexcused absences in the major activities of the Organization. ∙ He/She is required to pay a penalty fee to be decided upon by the Membership and Disciplinary Committee. ∙ He/She shall not have the privilege to borrow any of the properties of the Organization. ∙ He/She shall render service to the Organization to be decided upon by the Membership and Disciplinary Committee in order to remove the status of suspension. ∙ He/She is still required to pay the fees as stated in Article 10. Sec 3. Any member shall be automatically EXPELLED from the Organization if he/she incurred any of the following: ∙ Any member who acquired three (3) suspensions within a year will be automatically expelled. ∙ Any member who uses the name of the Organization for personal interest that will dishonour the Organization will be expelled upon the decisions of the body recommended by the Executive Committee. ∙ Any member who has been expelled shall not have the right to uphold the Organization’s name, privileges and obligations. Article 15 AMENDMENTS Sec 1. Proposal for amendments may be made by any member by submitting a letter to the President. Sec 2. A special meeting for the purpose of evaluating/amending this constitution shall be called by the special committee appointed by the Executive Committee who shall determine the proceedings of the meeting. Sec 3. This Constitution can be amended by at least three-fourths (3/4) vote of all active resident members of the meetings. Sec 4. Amendments to the Constitution must be consulted with the Alumni members. Sec 5. When approved, the amendments shall be effective immediately after the meeting. Sec 6. Amendments to the constitution shall be made depending upon the need of amending it.