Organization of Chinese Americans Young Professionals





Home : Bylaws I. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the Organization of Chinese Americans Young Professionals (OCA-YP) are to help members develop both professionally and socially through seminars and recreational events, support its parent chapters (OCA-DC/OCA-NOVA) in fostering American democracy, uphold the Constitution of the United States, eliminate prejudices and ignorance, promote the cultural heritage of Chinese in America, enhancing the image of Chinese in America, promote active participation in civic and national life, and secure justice, equal opportunity, and equal treatment of Chinese Americans, as well as all Americans regardless of their race, creed, color, sex, or national origin. II. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES 1. Eligibility Membership eligibility is dependent upon the acceptance of membership into the parent chapter(s) (either OCA-DC or OCA-NOVA). Sample eligibility requirements of the National Organization and the parent chapters are included in Appendix A as a reference. Definitive versions should be obtained from the chapter's bylaws. 2. Membership All members (also referred to as General Members) must meet the eligibility criteria set forth in Section 1 before they can become a member of OCA-YP. The choice of parent chapter is at the choosing of the member. Members shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of the OCA-YP organization, their parent chapter, and the National OCA organization. All current members of the parent chapters become members of OCA-YP upon payment of OCA-YP dues. 3. Liability of Members No member shall be personally liable for any debts, liabilities and/or obligations of the OCA-YP. 4. Dues Members shall be in good standing upon payment in full of the annual dues set by the Board of Directors. Dues shall include monies to cover assessment by the National and parent chapter organizations. National dues and a roll of members in good standing shall then be forwarded to the national and parent chapters. Membership begins on the date of receipt of payment of membership dues and expires on December 31 of that year. 4.1 Application for membership may be made orally or in writing to the OCA-YP. 4.2 The Board of Directors reserves the right to reject any application for membership for cause. 4.3 Any member may be dropped by the Board of Directors for cause, after an opportunity to be heard. 4.4 Members whose dues are current shall be entitled to vote on any matter properly submitted to the membership for voting. 4.5 Payment received in excess of membership dues will be recorded as donation. III. OFFICERS 1. Board of Directors The Board of Directors will consist of 15 elected board members (five Officers and ten General Board Members). The Board of Directors, with a two-third majority vote, can add or reduce the number of elected board members and/or their respective responsibilities. Each board member shall serve on at least one committee as outlined in Article IV. 2. Election 2.1 Establishment Voting members shall elect 15 General Members to the Board of Directors. 2.2 Election Date The election shall be held prior to November 15 of each year. The new Board of Directors will assume their duties on January 1 of the following year. The fiscal year shall be January 1 through December 31. 2.3 Election Eligibility Any member whose dues are current is eligible for inclusion on the election ballot. A cutoff date for inclusion on the election ballot shall be determined by the Election Committee . 2.4 Election Nomination Any member whose dues are current may nominate himself/herself or any other eligible member for inclusion on the election ballot. 2.5 Election Committee An Election Committee shall be formed to perform the duties and tasks of organizing, executing and monitoring the election of board members. The Election Committee shall be formed of those board members who have decided not to running the upcoming election year. In the event there are no eligible board members for the committee (i.e. all current board members are running for the new year), Election Committee members shall be chosen from the general membership upon approval by the current Board of Directors. Meetings of the election committee shall be closed. Upon the completion of Elections, the Election Committee shall be dissolved. 2.6 Election Ballots The election committee shall receive submissions of names and profiles of potential board members. The elections shall be accomplished by mail via ballots sent to the voting members. The election committee shall receive and count ballots. 2.7 Tie Votes In the event a tie vote is received for two or more board members, the tie shall be resolved by a re-vote among the currently elected board of directors. Should a currently elected board member be involved in the tie, he/she shall refrain from voting. 2.8 Officer Nominations After General Members are elected to the Board of Directors, Officers are nominated by the Board of Directors at or before the first year meeting through a board member nomination and a board member second nomination. 2.9 Officer Elections The election of an officer is accomplished by voting within the Board of Directors. In the event of more than one nomination for a position, an election among the Board of Directors occurs. Nominees may vote for themselves. A tie vote in the President's position is broken by a past non-running President. The President abstains from voting for the remaining officers unless there is a tie vote. A tie in all other officer's positions are broken by the President. 2.10 Impeachment Any member of the Board of Directors of the OCA-YP may be dismissed from his/her office if the said officer violates the bylaws of the organization, fails to attend any board meeting for more than three consecutive months, or for any cause approved by a two-third majority vote of the Board of Directors. 2.11 Term of Office The term of office will cover the fiscal year (January 1 through December 31) and one additional month (to oversee the transition of the new board to office). 3. Meetings 3.1General Membership Meetings At the discretion of the Board of Directors, General Membership Meetings may be conducted to discuss OCA-YP business. Only members in good standing may vote during these meetings. 3.2 Board Meetings OCA-YP policy decisions shall be made at board meetings. Members and visitors may attend these meetings and participate in the discussions. The frequency and place of board meetings shall be left to the discretion of the board. Meetings may only be closed for the following reasons; discussion of litigation pending against the chapter or discussion of staffing issues. 3.3 Proper Notice Proper notice shall be given at least one week prior to all meetings. Proper notice may be made through the OCA-YP newsletter, telephone calls (leaving a message if a person is not present), e-mail or in person. 3.4 Quorum All general business and board meetings shall be conducted by the President or a board member specifically designated by the board with 50% of the Board of Directors present to form a quorum. General Membership Meetings shall also require the attendance of one-fourth of the members in good standing to form a quorum. 3.5 Executive Sessions Executive sessions of the Board of Directors may be called by the President to discuss matters requiring more detailed examination. These sessions shall be closed to the general membership and visitors only if topics discussed as outlined in 3.2 - Board Meetings. If a quorum exists, decisions made during the Execution Session are binding. 3.6 Meeting Conduct Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, Robert's Rules of Order shall guide the conduct of the meeting. 4. Duties of the Officers The duties of each officer shall be as follows: 4.1 President The President serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Washington Metropolitan OCA-YP. He/she acts as the spokesperson, represents the OCA-YP at the OCA-DC and OCA-NOVA board meetings and other official functions, news conferences, etc. He/she presides over OCA-YP board meetings and carries out decisions approved by the OCA-YP's Board of Directors. When necessary, he/she appoints representatives to the OCA-DC and OCA-NOVA Board of Directors and committees or task groups to study specific issues or carry out projects. 4.2 Vice President The Vice President acts as the President's representative in external meetings or negotiations when the President is absent. He/she has the overall responsibility of formulating, reviewing, and maintaining long term plans regarding the development of the financial well-being of the OCA-YP and the bilateral relations with private and public sector. 4.3 Public Relations/Membership Director He/she serves as the President's chief liaison officer for other Chinese American community groups in the Washington Metropolitan area. He/she has the primary responsibility for the continued growth of the OCA-YP membership and maintaining the membership mailing list and telephone tree. 4.4 Treasurer The Treasurer has the day-to-day responsibility of keeping, updating, and reporting the OCA-YP financial status and all relevant financial files. He/she has the primary responsibility of providing timely and accurate financial reports to the Board of Directors on a monthly basis and ensures that the financial records are kept in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. He/she has the overall responsibility for the timely filing of all financial documents required by OCA-DC and OCA-NOVA. 4.5 Secretary The Secretary is responsible for maintaining a current version of the OCA-YP bylaws, organizational charts, and other administrative files. He/she is responsible for preparing and disseminating meeting proceedings, and distributing such relevant documents to all members on a timely basis. In addition, the Secretary shall be responsible for collecting and archiving all administrative documents for the organization. 4.6 Board Members All Board members have the responsibility to implement and supervise the activities of the OCA-YP and enforce its policy. All programs proposed must be approved by a majority vote of the board members before presentation to the membership. IV. Committees In addition to any special committees, the following standing committees shall exist. Members of these committees may consist of board members and General Members. Each committee shall nominate a committee member as chairperson. Upon approval of that nominee by the Board of Directors, the committee member shall become the committee's Chairperson. 1.0 Programs Committee The Programs Committee shall be responsible for organizing, planning and promoting of OCA-YP programs. The committee shall create and maintaining the OCA-YP program calendar. Programs shall be approved as described in Article III Section 4.6. All General Board Members shall be members of the Programs committee. 2.0 Newsletter Committee The Newsletter Committee shall be responsible for the publication and dissemination of the OCA-YP newsletter, The Next Generation. The committee obtaining and reviewing all material published in the newsletter. The Chairperson of the Newsletter Committee shall be referred to as the Newsletter Editor. 3. 0 Professional Development Committee The Professional Development Committee shall be responsible for promoting and conducting professional programs for OCA-YP members. The committee shall carry out it's mission by establishing programs in coordination with the Programs Committee, 4.0 Finance Committee The Finance Committee shall be responsible for the long term financial goals of the organization. The committee shall investigate and pursue methods for the organization to raise funds. In addition, the committee shall investigate worthy causes for OCA-YP to donate and propose them to the Board of Directors for approval. The Treasurer and Vice-President shall be members of the Finance Committee. V. Budget An annual budget shall be established which specifies the policies and procedures for all financial transactions of OCA-YP and their amounts. VI. Amendments The bylaws of the OCA-YP may be amended, altered, repealed by a two third majority vote of all sitting OCA-YP Board of Directors, or by a petition by one-fourth of the OCA-YP membership in good standing.