Article I—Name

The name of this organization shall be The Latin American Student

Organization.

Article II—Purpose

The purpose of the club shall be to maintain and encourage a unified

Latino Community at Towson University. We are a strong and growing
organization that celebrates our Latino heritage and culture by sponsoring
educational, political and social activities. Our members include students of many
different Latino ethnicities enrolled at Towson University, as well as other
Towson students who are interested in learning about and participating in Latino
culture, history and empowerment.

Mission Statement:
L.A.S.O. strives to promote Latino culture and improve diversity awareness at
Towson University, as well as in the surrounding community. Our goals are to
encourage unity through common bonds, to be a voice of Latinos on campus,
serve as a source of superior Latino students and educate others. In addition, we
will stay active in the Latino Community by finding job opportunities, internships,
and volunteer work for members that are interested in giving back. These goals
will be achieved by activities providing community service, cultural celebration
events and forums.
Article III—Membership

Section 1 - Active membership of this student organization shall be chosen

without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national
origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation or
gender.

Students must have at least a 2.0 GPA and be a fee paying undergraduate
student to be an active member of this student organization.

Active membership of a student organization includes the right to vote and

hold office.

Sections 2- Active members of this organization are members who: Attend 50%
of meetings, regularly attend events and agree with our mission.

Article IV—Executive Officers

Section 1 - The executive officers of The Latin American Student Organization

shall be as follows: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
Fundraising Chair, Event Planner, Community Service Outreach, Public
Relations, Historian, Co-Advisor, CDSO Chair and Athletic Coordinator . All
Executive Officers must be fee paying, undergraduate Towson University
students with at least a 2.0 GPA
Section 2 - An officer may be impeached by a 2/3 majority vote of the present
active members if he or she is not fulfilling their constitutional duties.

Section 3 – In the event that an officer is impeached or resigns an election

will be held for that position in accordance with Article VI - Elections.

Article V—Duties of the Executive Officers

President is the primary official of the Executive Board. He/She:

- Plans and presides over all general body meetings and executive board
meetings by keeping order and guiding the members to accomplish the specified
goals of the meeting.
- Acts as a spokesperson for the organization when attending SGA
meetings. If the President is unable to attend, he/she may appoint an alternate
spokesperson in his/ her absence.
- Reviews information sent to the organization and distributes to the
appropriate chairperson.
- Maintains healthy relationships with other student organizations on
campus by being aware of the other groups’ officials. For the purpose of
networking, attend other organizations’ meetings and represent L.A.S.O. by
making his/her face known among them.
- Maintain records of financial transactions and execute them in the event
that the Treasurer is unable.
- Work alongside the Treasurer to write and submit the semester budgets
required by the SGA, as well as funding requests to the SGA and other possible
funding sources.
- Supervise and ensure the effective performance of the remaining
executive board members.
- Appoint committee leaders and assign specialized projects or
responsibilities to specified members as it is deemed necessary.
- All publications, e-mails, information posted on the website, speeches and
other related materials meant for the purpose of promotion or representation of
L.A.S.O. must first be proofread and approved by the President of L.A.SO. before
they are made available to the general student body/public.
- Responsible for signing any and all contracts dealing with Towson
University.
- Be aware of current issues affecting the Latino Community.
- Keep a record of volunteer and community service contacts.

Vice President is responsible for overseeing the organization in the absence of

the President. He/she:

- In the event that the President should have to step down, or can no longer
perform all of his/her duties, the Vice President will assume the role of ‘Acting
President’ until the next elections.
- Assist in planning and conducting general body and executive board
meetings, as well as other events and programs.
- Assist the President in making decisions of events and choosing topics for
general body meetings.
- Assist in the gathering of resources and information for the meetings.
- Act as spokesperson for the organization when necessary and in the
absence of the President.
- Coordinate the duties of committees.
- Send out weekly e-mail reminders notifying members of general body
meetings, social events, community functions and any other pertinent information
including time, location and any other matters of business scheduled to be
discussed.

Secretary is responsible for the safe keeping of the organization’s central files,
past and present.

- Take notes during weekly general body and executive board meetings of
topics discussed and other matters of business relating to the organization.
- Take attendance for every general body meeting as well as other L.A.S.O.
activities such as community service, fundraising, etc.
- Keep a record of member’s attendance to determine their voting eligibility.
- Compiles a list of eligible voting members and bring an updated copy to
the last meeting of each month.
- Compile an updated directory/roster of all the L.A.S.O. members which
includes names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and birthdays. Distribute the
directories among the members.
- Maintain comprehensive and current files, which include the constitution,
membership directories, supply inventory and all other pertinent records.
- Perform any clerical duties that are needed for L.A.S.O. as per request of
other executive board members.

Treasurer is the primary financial officer of the organization.

- Mandatory attendance at required and relevant meetings, including budget

approval meetings and SGA hearings. The Treasurer must comply with all SGA
procedures regarding the budget.
- Maintain and enforce the budget in order for the organization to obtain
budget lines at all times.
- Once a month let the other officers know where the L.A.S.O. account
stands.
- Work alongside the President to write and submit the semester budgets
required by the SGA, as well as funding requests to the SGA and other possible
funding sources by the university required deadline.
- Have an understanding of who the SGA Accountant is and make sure to
turn in all required documents/receipts to him/her on time. He or she should also
develop a healthy relationship with that office and ask for guidance and advice,
when necessary, for the organization’s financial affairs.
- For the purposes of making deposits and withdrawals, he or she must be
aware of the location of the Ticket Office for Financial Operations. (1st floor
Union — Ticket Master window)
- Work with the Fundraising officer to develop more efficient ways to
produce funds for the organization
- Execute financial transactions in a timely manner, maintaining copies of all
relevant forms and receipts. Make all necessary calculations.
- Maintain records of financial transactions in a ledger and make them
available to members upon request.
- Make copies of all checks received from sponsors of outside fundraising
events. Hand over any funds that have been raised to the treasurer for deposit
into the L.A.S.O. account.

Fundraising Chair:

- Responsible to set up programs to raise money for the organization to

reach its semester fundraising goal.
- Responsible for contacting businesses/companies that will fundraise with
us.
- Responsible for collecting the items necessary for the event to take place.

Events Coordinator:

- Responsible to plan the layout of events (what the room will look like,
where decorations will go, location of food, volunteers needed etc.)
- Responsible for reservation of rooms (Events and Conference Services).
- Responsible for getting the supplies that are needed for the event or
designating this responsibility to other executive board members.

Community Service Outreach:

- Responsible of finding out about community service events that are held
on/off Towson’s campus.
- Responsible for keeping track of community service hours and submitting
them by the deadline obtained from the SGA.
- Plans at least two community service events per semester (On or off
campus).

Public Relations:

- Creates flyers/advertisement for all events and shares with executive

board before the flyers are released.
- Updates social networks (FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram etc.)
- Responsible for maintaining the L.A.S.O banner up-to-date.

Virtual Historian:

- Responsible for taking photography at all events, special meetings, and

trips.
- Responsible for updating pictures on social networks.
- Responsible for make an album at the end of each year.

Co-Advisor:

-The liaison between the advisor and the student group.

-Responsible to pick up duties and responsibilities the President assigns.
-Responsible for overseeing the executive board and assist them with
whatever they need.
CDSO Chair:
 - The liaison between the student group and the council for diverse student
organizations.
- They are to be the main voice of LASO in the CDSO meetings as well as
any activities or events the council has planned.
Athletic Coordinator:
- They are to create athletic teams that bring together LASO’s members.
- They are in charge of the teams participation in Towson’s intramural
teams.

Article VI—Elections
1. Election of the officers shall take place yearly in May.
2. Elections will be chaired by the advisor of the organization.
3. In the event of a tie a revote will be done.
4. Any active student member is eligible to vote and for nomination as
an officer of the Executive Committee who (a) meets the Towson
University SGA eligibility for student office holding (b) fulfills the
qualifications as set up by this constitution and the Executive Committee.

Article VII—Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed to the voting
membership by majority vote of the Executive Committee or by petition signed by
¼ of the voting membership. Amendments shall be declared or adopted
upon SGA approval.

Article VIII—By-Laws
By-Laws, not inconsistent with this constitution, may be adopted or
amended by a 2/3 majority of the voting members present at any general or
special meetings, provided the By-Laws are submitted in writing at least one
week previously at either regular or special meetings of the general membership
and upon SGA approval.

Voting Rights
- To be a voting member, a student must attend at least three consecutive
general body meetings within the semester prior to the election.
- Active membership of a student organization includes the right to vote and
hold office.
- Must attend 1 community service activity or serve on at least one
committee for any event.
- Once each executive board member assumes his or her role as an officer,
he or she must abide by the rules set forth in this constitution and carry
out all responsibilities assigned to that office.
- It is the responsibility of the incumbent board member to plan a transition
meeting in order to discuss proper execution of L.A.S.O. business.
- Elections shall be held using a secret ballot system.
- Candidates may vote for all offices.
- Candidates must receive a majority (50% plus one) of all votes. The votes
will be counted by two L.A.S.O. members.