Constitution and By-laws

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Multicultural Law Students Association.

Article II: Purpose

Section 1

The Purpose of this organization shall be:

to engage in projects and programs which the membership considers to be in the interest of the minority community.
to aid in the academic development of the minority student and the minority community.
to aid the law administration in recruitment and selection of minority law students and faculty

Section 2

This organization shall not be affiliated with any national organization which requires its chapters to support a specific position in controversial political, economic, or social issues.

Article III: Qualifications for Membership

Section 1

Any person who is registered as a law student at the Willamette University College of Law may be a member of the Multicultural Law Student Association.

Section 2

Membership will be continuous from one year to the next

Section 3

The Multicultural Law Student Association shall not restrict membership on the basis of race, sex, creed, or religion.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1

The Multicultural Law Student Association shall have a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Oregon State Bar Representative.This group shall compose the executive body.

Section 2

All of the above officers shall be elected by the general membership of the Multicultural Law Student Association.

Article V: Duties of Officers

Section 1

The President shall have all of the duties and powers assigned to him/her under Robert's Rules of Order.

the President and the Treasurer shall be responsible for signing all disbursements of funds.
the President shall be responsible for agenda preparation; all agenda items must be submitted to the President at least 48 hours before a regularly scheduled meeting, except in emergency.

Section 2

The Vice President shall have all the duties and powers assigned to him/her under Robert's Rules of Order.

in the absence of the President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of the President.
in the event the office of President is vacated before the term of duty is completed, the Vice President shall assume the position of President until the next election.
the Vice President shall be in charge of the planning and development of social activities for the Multicultural Law Student Association.

Section 3

The Secretary shall:

be responsible for the minutes of the meeting of the general membership and those of the executive body.
keep all permanent records of the Multicultural Law Student Association.
inform the membership of the scheduled meetings.
post and file in the office, minutes of all meetings before the next meeting.
be responsible for collecting and distributing mail.

Section 4

The Treasurer shall:

be responsible for the financial records of the Multicultural Law Student Association.
be responsible for purchasing supplies necessary for maintaining the organization.
be responsible for preparation and presentation of the budget proposal to the Student Bar Association (SBA)
be responsible for balancing the budget.

Section 5

The Oregon State Bar Representative shall:

be the liaison between the Multicultural Law Student Association and the Oregon State Bar.
report to the general membership information received from the Oregon State Bar, including projects and programs which facilitate the purpose of the Multicultural Law Student Association.

Article VI: Election of Officers

Section 1

Elections of President, Vice President and Treasurer shall take place at the first meeting of Spring Semester.This meeting shall take place no later than February 1 of the Spring Semester. Officers elected at that time will assume office immediately.

Section 2

The term of the election of the Oregon State Bar Representative shall be in accordance with the term of office set by the Oregon State Bar Affirmative Action Program.

Section 3

Each member of the Multicultural Law Student Association shall have one vote.There will be no voting by proxy except in cases of emergency (as defined by the executive body).

Section 4

In the election for officers, the winning candidate must have a majority of the votes to be declared elected.The Vice President will chair the elections, with full voting rights.

Article VII: Meetings

Section 1

The general membership of the Multicultural Law Student Association shall meet no less than once per month.

Section 2

Meeting days shall be decided by the President.

Section 3

A quorum shall be constituted by a majority of the members present at the beginning of each meeting.

Section 4

In all meetings of the executive body and the general membership, business shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order.

Article VIII: Amendment and Ratification

Amendments to this constitution shall be ratified upon proper motion and approval by two-thirds of the general membership.

Adopted: March 14, 1991