UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Berkeley) CHAPTER
BYLAWS
(As ratified by the General Membership on March 12, 2006)
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of the organization shall be the UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Berkeley) CHAPTER, abbreviated as UPAA-NCC, also known as (a.k.a) UPAA-Berkeley Chapter.
ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES
The Chapter shall have the following objectives:
A. To promote and strengthen the spirit of loyalty to the Alma Mater among the UP Alumni in Northern California;
B. To bring together graduates of the University of the Philippines residing in Northern California by promoting intellectual and cultural activities among them and their communities;
C. To build a bridge of contact and communication between the UP Office of Alumni Relations and members of UPAA-NCC;
D. To build a bridge of contact and communication between the various UPAA chapters and members of UPAA-NCC;
E. To raise and maintain fund for academic programs and other programs that the organization may deem necessary to accomplish its other goals and objectives.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section A – Types of Members
1. Regular Members
Any person who is a (1) holder of any degree or academic certificate granted by the University of the Philippines, as recorded in the U.P. Alumni Directory, (2) believes, accepts and supports the objectives of the Chapter, and (3) is accepted by the Board of Directors upon review of his/her application, may become a regular member.
2. Associate Members
Any person who (1) graduated from the University of the Philippines Integrated High School, (2) believes, accepts and supports the objectives of UPAA-NCC, and (3) is accepted by the Board of Directors upon review of his/her application, may become an associate member. An associated member shall neither have voting powers nor hold elective office but may hold appointive posts.
3. Honorary Members
Other persons who (1) have shown special interest in the alumni association and (2) continuously contributes their talents to the projects of the Association may be nominated to and accepted by the Board of Directors as honorary member. An honorary member shall neither have voting powers nor hold elective office but may hold appointive posts.
Section B – Membership Requirements
1. Upon admission, members are required (1) to attend at least two general membership meetings every year, (2) support the activities of the Chapter and (3) pay their yearly membership dues, in order to maintain their active and good standing status.
2. Members who are unable to comply with number of required of general membership meetings due to illness or disability must file a leave of absence to the Board and pay their dues in order to be considered as active members.
3. Inactive members may re-activate their membership by (1) contacting the Membership Chair, (2) updating their personal information and (3) payment of current year dues. Re-activated members may not vote or hold office until after one year of re-activation.
Section C – Admission of New Members
1. Any U.P. alumna/alumnus desiring to become a member must fill out an application form to be submitted to the Membership Chair for processing.
2. The Membership Chair shall present the application forms of prospective members to the Board of Directors for their review. The new members shall be presented to the membership at the next general meeting where they shall be inducted by the current president.
Section D – Suspension, Expulsion and Rejection of Members
1. Any member who (1) intentionally violates any of the provisions of these bylaws, or (2) aids anyone in committing any act detrimental to the policies, projects and best interest of this Chapter, or (3) expressed defamatory remarks against a member, may be suspended, expelled or rejected by a vote of three-fourths of the general membership during a general membership meeting.
2. Any complaint against any member shall be made in writing and submitted to the Board of Directors, who shall thereafter inform the subject of the complaint. He shall then be given 30 days to respond to the charges. The Board may schedule the vote to suspend, expel or reject the subject of the complaint at the next general meeting by a three-fourths majority vote.
3. Expelled members may not re-apply for membership.
ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section A – The Board of Directors shall be the governing body of the Chapter. It shall consist of (1) the elected officers, (2) the parliamentarian and (3) the chair of the Advisory Committee.
Section B – The Chapter shall have the following officers who shall be elected by the general membership, serve for a one-year term and may be re-elected for the next year for the same spot:
1. President
2. First Vice President
3. Second Vice President
4. Secretary
5. Assistant Secretary
6. Treasurer
7. Auditor
ARTICLE V – DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section A – The President shall preside at all meetings. He/She shall sign with the Treasurer or the Secretary all checks, contracts and other instruments in writing which have been first approved by the Board of Directors. He/She shall have the right to vote, as ex-officio members, in all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President shall present a plan of all activities for the year at the general meeting following his/her installation. He/She shall represent the Chapter at all official functions. The President shall insure that the outgoing Board regarding outstanding business activates briefs the incoming Board.
Section B – The First Vice President shall be the Program and Development Chair. He/She shall coordinate with the President all activities of the Chapter for the year. He/She shall preside in the absence of the President. He/She shall plan with the President and the Chair of the Advisory committee, a workshop in June to acquaint the elected officers and appointed Chairs of their duties.
Section C – The Second Vice President shall be the Chair for Ways and Means. He/She shall plan revenue earnings projects to finance the Chapter’s yearly budget. He/she shall preside in the absence of the President and the First Vice President. He/she shall be a member of the budget committee.
Section D – The Secretary shall keep a permanent record of all meetings, bylaws, standing rules and committee appointments. He/She shall conduct the correspondence of the Chapter, keep a file of all correspondence of the Chapter, keep a file of all correspondence received and sent; keep an accurate list of names and contact information of the entire membership. He/She shall co-sign with the President in the absence of the Treasurer.
Section E – The Assistant Secretary shall
assist the Secretary in the performance of the above functions.
He/She shall convey important and factual information including upcoming
meetings to the members by phone, mail or newsletter. He/She shall
assume the duties of the Secretary in her absence.
Section F – The Treasurer shall be the
Chair of the Budget Committee. This committee, under his/her
leadership shall prepare an annual budget, which shall be approved by the
Board of Directors. He/She shall keep safely all monies and other
properties of the Chapter, collect annual membership dues, pay bills by
checks and submit a quarterly income statement to the general meeting
after approval by the Board of Directors. He/She shall file all
required tax returns for the Chapter.
Section G – The Auditor shall audit the
books submitted by the Treasurer and attest to the Auditor’s Report.
He/She shall be a member of the Budget Committee.
Section H – The immediate Past President shall serve as
the Parliamentarian. He/She shall ensure that the
Board’s actions are in concordance with the by-laws and parliamentary
procedures. He/She shall serve as a bridge between the old and new
administration.
Section I – The Chair of the Advisory Committee
shall act as Advisor to the Board. He/She shall be elected from
members of the Advisory Committee.
ARTICLE VI – STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Section A – The standing committees shall be: Advisory,
Awards, Communications, Grants, Membership, Music, Philanthropy and
Scholarship, Protocol, and Projects Review Committee. Special
Committees include the Bylaws Revision Committee, Nominating Committee and
other committees that may be deemed necessary by the Board of Directors.
Section B – No member shall serve as Chair of any
standing and special Committees for more than two consecutive terms.
The President with the approval of the Board of Directors shall appoint
the chairs of the committees, except those specifically reserved to
certain persons by provisions of these Bylaws.
Section C – The Committee Chairs, except the Advisory
Committee Chair, shall recruit the committee members from the general
membership.
ARTICLE VII – DUTIES OF STANDING COMMITTEES CHAIRPERSONS
Section A – The Advisory Committee Chair
shall be voted by charter members, the current president and all past
president who shall compose the Advisory Committee. He/She shall
hold office for one year and may be re-elected for the next year.
The Committee chair shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors.
In the event that the Chair cannot attend the Board of Directors meeting,
he/she shall appoint a member of the Advisory Committee to represent
him/her.
Section B – The Awards Chair shall preside
over the deliberations of the committee which shall include the President
and the Chair of the Advisory Committee. This committee shall be
responsible in the selection of the UPAA-Berkeley Chapter’s annual most
outstanding member award. This award shall be announced and given
during the anniversary celebration of the Chapter.
Section C – The Assistant Secretary shall
be the Communications Chair. This committee shall be responsible for
disseminating information to the general membership including meeting date
announcements and updates.
Section D – The Membership Chair shall be
responsible for processing the application forms of prospective members
and maintain the membership roster.
This committee shall present the processed applications to the Board for
their acceptance as members. The committee shall schedule an event
to welcome and induct the new members upon payment of their membership
fees.
Section E – The Music Chair shall assist
the Vice Presidents in planning the Chapter programs and special events.
Section F – The Philanthropy/Scholarship Chair
shall preside over the committee’s deliberations in granting scholarships
and communicating with the University in all matters relating to the
Chapter scholars.
Section G – The Protocol Chair together
with the President shall represent the Chapter in all community events
and coordinate with the Board in planning the year’s meetings.
Section H – The Projects Review Chair shall form a
committee of five members who will evaluate the feasibility, quality and
profitability of any project being considered for sponsorship by the
Board. Regular members who are trained in the following areas —
theater, visual arts, engineering and finance — are preferred to serve in
this committee. The committee chair may not serve for more than two
consecutive years.
ARTICLE VIII – FISCAL YEAR AND MEMBERSHIP DUES
Section A – The fiscal year shall be June 1 of the
current year through May 31 of the following year.
Section B – Annual membership dues are due from members
every June 1. The current Board shall determine the annual dues by
type of membership. Dues shall be collected from membership
applicants before they are inducted.
ARTICLE IX – MEETINGS
Section A – There shall be at least four general
meetings during the fiscal year, which shall preferably be in the months
of September, November, March and May. The Secretary and Treasurer
shall render their reports during the general meetings. Other
officers and committee chairs may be asked to render their reports during
any of the meetings. The presence of ten members shall constitute a
quorum for general meetings. Business discussed during the general
meetings shall not be discussed with non-members of the Chapter.
Section B – There shall be at least four Board of
Directors meetings. The President shall designate the time and venue
of the meetings. Special meetings may be called by the President or at the
written request of at least one-third of the members of the Board.
The presence of five members constitutes a quorum. The Board meeting
shall be closed to the Board Members and the invited members only.
Section C – Business discussed during the general
meetings shall not be discussed with non-members of this Chapter.
Business discussed during the board meetings hall not be discussed with
non-Board members.
Section D – The order of business in all meetings shall
be (1) Call to order by the President; (2) Reading of the previous meeting
by the Secretary and approval by the membership; (3) Reading and
discussion of communications and correspondence addressed to the Chapter;
(4) Treasurer’s Report; (5) Discussion of specific agenda; (6) New
business; and (7) Adjournment.
Section E – No person shall be allowed to address the
Chapter for political, commercial or religious reasons. No person
shall be allowed to distribute circulars, advertisements or endorsements
of any product or services before, during and immediately after the
meeting.
Section F – The revised Robert’s Rules of Order shall be
the authority upon which all questions not covered by these Bylaws will be
guided.
ARTICLE X – ELECTIONS
Section A – Eligibility Requirements
1. To be eligible for election to an office of the
Board of Directors, a member must have been a member in good standing with
the Chapter for at least one year.
2. To be eligible for the office of the President,
a member must have served on the Board of Directors for at least one
year.
3. To be eligible to vote, a regular member must
be a member in good standing as defined in these bylaws.
Section B – Nomination Process
1. The Board shall convene a special meeting in
November to constitute a five member a
Nominating Committee. The five members shall consist of two members of the
Board and three members elected by the general membership during the
general membership meeting. A member may serve in the Nominating
Committee only once in two years. The selected members
shall elect a Chair among them.
2. The Nominating Committee shall select eligible
members who agree to serve for the office. A member serving in the
Nominating Committee is eligible for nomination to any office.
3. In the event the Nominating Committee fails to
select an eligible member willing to serve as President, the incumbent
President continues in office until a new President is elected. In
the event the President is no longer available to serve, the First Vice
President shall be the successor until the new President is elected.
4. The elected Chair shall arrange with the
Secretary to announce in March through phone, mail, and/or e-mail the
members of the Nominating Committee to enable members to voice out their
nominations.
5. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be
submitted to the Board in April. Thereafter, the tentative slate of
officers will be communicated to the general membership.
Section C – Election Process
1. The Nominating Committee Chair shall submit the
slate of officers to the general membership for election during the May
meeting.
2. Voting shall be viva voce unless a ballot is
called by the majority of the quorum present.
3. The Nominating Committee Chair shall accept
nominations from the floor during the election. If no other
nomination is received for an office from the floor, the Committee nominee
shall be declared the election winner. If two or more candidates are
nominated for a office, a secret ballot shall take place for the said
office. The candidate with the majority vote will be declared the
winning candidate immediately after the count which shall be conducted by
the Nominating Committee.
Section D – Board Vacancy
1. The Board at its first meeting following the
vacancy shall fill any vacancy in the Board of Directors for the remaining
unexpired term of the office.
ARTICLE XII – POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Section A – Specific standing rules, regulations and
procedures relating to meetings, special programs and representations to
and by the Board and members shall govern the chapter in the conduct of
its business and affairs.
Section B – If for any reason, the organization is
terminated, ownership of all assets of the organization shall be
transferred to the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in
Diliman, Philippines, subject to the governing federal and state laws.
ARTICLE XIII – AMENDMENTS
Section A – No amendment to the Bylaws shall be made within three years
after the approval of a revised Bylaws.
Section B – The Bylaws Revision Committee shall have the responsibility
to consider revisions to amendments to the Bylaws of the Chapter.
This Committee shall be composed of three appointed members, the President
and the Parliamentarian. The Chairman of the Bylaws Revision
Committee will be appointed by the President.
Section C – The Bylaws Revision Committee shall submit the revised
Bylaws to the Board of Directors for approval. Upon approval by the
Board, the committee shall present the revised Bylaws to the general
membership for their approval and ratification. The revised Bylaws
shall be in effect as soon as ratified.
Section D – The Bylaws may be amended and/or adopted by two-thirds vote
of the Board of Directors and the general membership present at the
general meeting at which it is presented.
