The Constitution of the Social Justice Coalition at Whittier College

ARTICLE I. INTRODUCTION

Section I. Name The name of this organization shall be Whittier College’s Social Justice Coalition. We are a coalition coordinating the voluntary groups on campus that have combined in alliance to raise awareness of important social issues and to take that awareness into action. Section II: Mission Statement The Whittier College’s Social Justice Coalition is an alliance of voluntary student groups dedicated to deepening the practice of service (based on the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, information and resources) and to the pursuit of projects and activities that advocate and promote:

1. Fairness and equity in the protection of civil and human rights, and underserved communities;
2. The empowerment of individuals (especially children and youth) in accessing educational, personal and economic opportunity in order for them to realize their full potential;
3. Actions that develop an understanding that care for the environment is everyone’s responsibility and that environmental challenges lead to humanitarian crises that threaten the safety and well-being of communities.

ARTICLE II. DUES

This organization does not charge regular dues; however, each member may be asked to contribute towards special events and to participate in fundraising activities.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Section I: For a school organization/club to become part of the Social Justice Coalition, they must:

1. Contact a chair for sitting and observing in a full meeting to present their desire to join the Social Justice Coalition. The person attending this meeting must be a member of the organization/club.
2. Prospective club will submit their mission, values, and goals to the Coalition for the Chair’s to review and make sure they align with the vision of the Coalition.

Section II: Membership Responsibilities

1. The membership of this organization shall be open to all specified Social Justice Coalition Representatives of organizations. A member may not represent more than one campus organization/club.
2. If a Representative will be absent from a meeting, it is her/his responsibility to send a proxy representative for the organization as well as notifying the co-chairs of their absence.
3. Membership and organization/club standing will be revoked if a club misses more than two meetings without an excused absence or by violating the constitution.
4. Each club is required to set a measurable goal for the semester that aligns with their mission statement in order to promote service within the clubs. Goals will be reviewed at each meeting to keep clubs active. At the end of the semester, each club will submit a brief statement reviewing their goal and the outcome of their year, documenting the club’s progress in the coalition archives.

Voting

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

Section 1: The officers of the organization shall be:

• Co-Chair of External Affairs (governing body rep)
• Co-Chair of Internal Affairs
• Co-Chair of Finance

ARTICLE V: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

The officers shall perform the duties prescribed below: Section 1: Co-Chair of External Affairs

1. Represents Social Justice Coalition at all ASWC Senate meetings.
2. Effectively communicate pertinent information such as agendas, goals, programs, initiatives, etc. for Social Justice Coalition to Senate at their weekly meetings.
3. Presents events and leads discussion about ideas for events at Coalition meetings
4. Work with Director of the Center for Engagement with Communities (CEC) to evaluate programs sponsored by Social Justice Coalition and makes recommendations for improvement.
5. Co-writes annual report with Co-Chairs.
6. Serve as a representative of the CEC and Social Justice Coalition in interactions with other departments on campus and members of the campus community.
7. Responsible for logistics of events and meetings such as room request, renting equipment, etc.
8. Meet on a regular basis with the Director of the CEC and Chairs.

Section 2: Co-Chair of Internal Affairs

1. The Social Justice Coalition Chair must maintain communication with Social Justice Coalition members.
2. Effectively communicate pertinent information such as agendas, goals, programs, initiatives, etc. for Social Justice Coalition to Social Justice Coalition members.
3. Co-writes annual report with Chair
4. Respond to students and others who inquire about information related to Social Justice Coalition and the clubs and organizations affiliated the Coalition.
5. Take minutes of all Social Justice Coalition meetings, and send them out to all Social Justice Coalition members
6. Ensure needs and concerns of clubs under the Coalition are receiving proper attention
7. OrgSync- Upload all minutes

Section 5: Co-Chair for Finance

1. Manage the Social Justice Coalition budget with the collaboration of the Chair
2. Holds all members of the Coalition accountable for the policies outlined in the Constitution
3. Create funding requests to be presented to the ASWC Senate
4. Oversee all fundraisers
5. Provide an updated report to all clubs during meetings regarding the budget

Section 6: All executive board members will be required to set a goal for themselves that is relevant to their position each meeting and a team goal for the coalition each semester.

ARTICLE VI. ADVISOR

Section 1: The advisor of this organization shall be the Associate Director of Whittier College’s Center for Engagement with Communities (CEC). Section 2: The advisor shall serve on a permanent basis.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS

Section 1: Regular meetings are held on a monthly basis depending on need. This organization will not be active over the summer months; however, the Social Justice Coalition Chairs are still expected to remain in constant communication with the Center for Engagement with Communities over the summer months. Section 2: A Co-Chair of Social Justice Coalition or the Social Justice Coalition advisor may call special meetings.

ARTICLE VIII. FUNDING

Section 1: Funds from Senate are open to use for clubs that hold active membership with the coalition Section 2: Any funds raised by a club without the help of the coalition are the property of that club and are not included with the coalition’s budget, but funds may be donated to the coalition’s budget for coalition-wide use. Section 3: Clubs must request funding from ASWC Senate before requesting for funds from the coalition Section 4: If the club’s request is denied by ASWC, the club may request funding by filling out the Funding Request Form and presenting it to the coalition for a 2/3 vote of present representatives and executive board at the next meeting

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Amendments to this constitution shall be submitted to the Social Justice Coalition Co-Chair of Internal Affairs in writing. The amendment may then be put on the agenda for a vote of the members. Section 2: A 2/3rd majority vote of all Social Justice Coalition members shall suffice for adoption.

Revised: October 2nd, 2016 Approved by: Eryn Wells, Meagan Wallace, and Duman Al-Turki