JSA BYLAWS

1. This organization shall be formally known as The Japanese Student Association (JSA) at the University of Chicago.

It is the purpose of the Japanese Student Association:

1. To create an opportunity to gather for international Japanese students, Japanese-American students, and students with an otherwise strong connection to Japan, who attend the University of Chicago.
2. To work with the administration to further the welfare of the JSA and the University.
3. To promote better relationships between the JSA and:
   • The administration and faculty.
   • Other cultural and academic organizations in the University.
   • The Japanese community in Chicago outside of the University.
4. To promote student compliance with the rules of the club
5. To provide a forum for Japanese student expression.
6. To reach out to the school community through:
   • programming of cultural events on campus
   • notification to the student body about Japanese cultural events outside the university

1. To charter extra-curricular activities with the concurrence of the Student's activities committee.
2. To serve as primary liaison between the Japanese student community and the Administration for the purpose of forwarding requests and suggestions.
3. To control JSA funds.
4. To completely plan and supervise all JSA elections.
5. To keep the Japanese student body informed about JSA events and other events of interest.
6. To strive to fulfill all stated purposes of JSA.
7. To sponsor projects requested by members, when appropriate.

1. Membership is open to all interested undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Chicago.
2. Only active membership status will grant members the ability to vote on JSA matters including board membership.
3. In order to be an active member one:
   • Must be present for the first meeting of the quarter
     • The start of each quarter gives a new opportunity to become active
     • Those who cannot make it will be expected to inform the President or Vice-president prior to the meeting.
   • Must attend at least 50% of all meetings on a quarterly basis.
4. Active membership is not required to participate in JSA events.
5. If a former active member becomes inactive for any reason, they can be voted back to active member status with the majority approval of the board members.

1. Meetings will be held bi-weekly without question unless members are notified by the President and the President alone.
2. In order to proceed with voting at any JSA meeting, 50% of all active members must be present.
3. Board meetings will also be held on a bi-weekly basis unless otherwise stated by the President and the President alone.

1. Officers of the Japanese Student Association will be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Community Outreach Chairperson, and Fund-raising Chairperson elected by the members of the JSA as outlined in Article VI.



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President

He or she shall oversee all events that the Japanese Student Association is involved in and be the chief speaker at all meetings and events. He or she shall supervise all affairs being overseen by other elected members of the board and monitor their involvement in JSA. He or she shall mediate the meetings and prepare agendas for JSA Board and JSA General meetings. He or she shall be the official representative of JSA and be responsible for reviewing all complaints sent by the members and other persons of interest as outlined in Article VIII.

Vice-President

He or she shall help fulfill Presidential duties that the President asks of him or her. The Vice-president will temporarily act as President if the president is for some reason unable to fulfill his or her duties. He or she will also be responsible for making the final decision if a tie occurs during any voting process.

Secretary

He or she will be responsible for recording minutes and keeping notes during JSA board and general meetings and for the distribution of them to the appropriate people. The term "appropriate" shall be determined by the President and the Secretary of JSA. He or she will be responsible for tallying votes during any voting procedure, recording attendance at all board meetings, general meetings and events and will be temporarily recognized as president in the case that both the president and vice-president are unable to fulfill their duties.

Treasurer

He or she shall manage all financial accounts of JSA. He or she will be responsible for the recordings of budget made during the year and report quarterly and yearly allocations. In the need of money, the treasurer shall take it upon him or herself to get the money that JSA requires. The treasurer shall understand that all financial matters of the club are to be kept strictly confidential within JSA.

Fund-raising Chairperson

He or she will be responsible for collecting and relaying fund-raising ideas from and to JSA members. He or she will be expected to work closely with the Treasurer in terms of collecting the amount of money determined to be needed by JSA.

Community Outreach Chairperson

He or she will be the official liaison between other organizations and JSA. He or she will also be the chief recruiter of new members and responsible for the publicity of all JSA functions at the University of Chicago through e-mail and word of mouth.

Other Parliamentarian Positions

His or her duties will be determined by the current JSA board when needed and will be expected to carry out these duties for the life of their position.

1. The elections of the officers for the following academic year shall be held in early spring quarter of the preceding year.
2. The President will be responsible for setting the date for the election and announcing voting eligibility status of all members.
3. The Board shall decide the official election process and post it as soon as it had been determined for that year. New board members will be elected by the election process as determined by the board.
4. Directly following election announcements, the new board members will spend the remainder of Spring quarter becoming familiar with their new responsibilities.
5. The newly elected board members will officially fill their position in the following academic year.

1. All board members are expected to attend two general meetings and at least one of one board meeting per month.
2. In the event that one is unable to attend, he or she will be expected to inform the President with their reason(s) prior to the event.
3. Board members are expected to fulfill their duties as outlined in Article V.

1. Complaints and suggestions may be made in two ways.
   • A written letter/e-mail to the President of the club, or
   • A verbal one at the meeting.
2. Complaints and suggestions that were made will be presented at the next general meeting.

1. The Constitution may be amended if the amendment in question receives both:
   • approval votes from half of the active members present during the voting process.
   • the approval vote of more than half of the current board of JSA.
2. In the case of a tie among the active members, the Vice President of JSA shall get the final vote.
3. Amendments must be announced to the all members and board members of JSA within 24 hours of the amendment's official approval. The amendment will be effective within one week of its approval.