The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (“APALSA”) strives to be an academic, social, and political arena for all students who are interested in learning about and supporting Asian and Asian American issues in the law at the Washington and Lee University School of Law. By nurturing the professional development of its members, educating the legal community about Asian American needs in legal practice, participating in community service projects, and articulating the needs of its students to the faculty and administration, we seek to cultivate a supportive minority community at the law school.

Article II:
Membership

Section 1. Qualification.
There shall be one class of Members, which shall consist of Washington and Lee University School of Law students who consent to the purpose of APALSA, and who register with the Secretary.

Section 2. Voting.
All members shall have voting rights in accordance with these bylaws.

Section 3. Resignation.
Any member may resign at any time by filing a letter of resignation with the Secretary.

Section 4. Removal.
Any member may be removed from the Membership for reasonable cause, as determined by an affirmative vote of the majority of the Executive Officers and with the permission of the Dean of Student Services.

Article III:
Executive Board

Section 1. Powers.
The activities and affairs of the organization shall be managed by or under the direction of the Executive Board, which shall be made up of the elected Executive Officers. The Executive Board shall approve all APALSA activities and sponsorships prior to such advertisement and is responsible for the internal administration and external relations of APALSA. The Executive Board shall consist of the named offices in the by-laws as well as any other position that may be created by act of the Executive Board for fulfilling the purposes of the organization. The number of terms of office for Executive Board members shall be unlimited.

Section 2. Offices.

(1) President: The duties of the President shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a) chairing all Executive Board and general body membership meetings;
b) coordinating the work of the other officers and overseeing their activities;
c) serving as a spokesperson for APALSA;
d) serving as a representative on the Multicultural Advisory Board (“MCAB”) and responsible for appointing other representatives;
e) formulating the budget with the Treasurer; and
f) providing the overall vision and sense of direction for the organization.

(2) Vice President: The duties of the Vice President shall include, but not be limited to:
a) fulfilling the responsibilities of the President in those instances where the President is unable to serve;
b) assuming the office of the President in the event that the President either resigns or is impeached;
c) organizing the End-of-Year Dinner; and
d) generally managing the internal affairs of APALSA and any other duty as the President so designates.

(3) Activities Chair: The duties of the Activities Chair shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a) coordinating all social functions with the President or Vice President;
b) providing assistance for all general event planning;
c) handling all logistics involving food and beverages;
d) organizing the Lunar New Year celebration; and
e) performing other duties assigned by the President or Vice President.

(4) Publicity Chair: The duties of the Publicity Chair shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a) publicize all general meetings and events;
b) creating and maintaining the organization’s bulletin board;
c) designing and posting all publicity material, including, but not limited to, posters, flyers, and law notices;
d) helping to update the organization’s website;
e) organizing the Spring Bake Sale; and
f) performing other duties assigned by the President or the Vice President.

(5) Secretary: The duties of the Secretary shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a) keeping minutes at all meetings of the Executive Board and general body meetings
b) distributing minutes to members of the Executive Board;
c) giving notice of all meetings;
d) maintaining thorough organizational files and records;
e) handling organizational correspondence;
f) maintaining the APALSA listserve and Membership list; and
g) performing other duties assigned by the President or the Vice President.

(6) Treasurer: The duties of the Treasurer shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a) maintaining an accurate and updated record of the organization’s funds
b) establishing and submitting an annual budget request to the law school Student Bar Association with the President;
c) reporting regularly to the Executive Board and to the Membership the organization’s financial status;
d) handling the reimbursement process and paperwork in a timely fashion; and
e) performing other duties assigned by the President or the Vice President.

(7) 1L Representative: The duties of the 1L Representative shall include, but shall not be limited to:
a) seving as a liason between the Executive Board and the 1L student body;
b) fostering a communicative relationship between the Executive Board and the 1L student body;
c) informing the Executive Board of the concerns and needs of the 1L student body;
d) organizing the Admitted Students Weekend Party during one of the law school’s official Open Houses; and
e) performing other duties assigned by the President or the Vice President.

Section 3. Elections.
(1) Date and Time:
Executive Officers shall be elected at a general meeting in the month of March. The current Executive Board will determine the specific election date. In addition, one 1L Representative will be elected to serve on the Executive Board in the first month of the fall semester.

(2) Election Procedures:
a) The highest-ranking Executive Officer not running for re-election, designated the “Elections Officer,” shall preside over the election. If there is no such officer, then the Executive Board shall designate two members of the general body to serve as Elections Commissioners to preside over the election.

b) Members seeking to run for election will submit their candidacy and desired office to the Elections Officer or Elections Commissioners by 6:00pm of the night before the election. The Elections Officer or the Elections Commissioners shall send out a candidate list to the Membership by 7:00pm. Members who do not submit their candidacy by the 6:00pm deadline will be barred from running for office. On the election day, candidates running for office will make speeches, and voting will proceed as outlined in the bylaws. After tabulation, the losing candidate may elect to run for another office.

(5) Voting Procedures:
The election shall be by a secret ballot. All Members can vote, and quorum may not be suspended for elections. A candidate shall be elected to office if that candidate receives a greater number of eligible votes than any other candidate for that office. In the event that a candidate runs unopposed, a minimum of five of the ballots cast shall be required to elect that candidate to office. In the event of a tie, there shall be a run-off election between the candidates for that office. The Elections Officer or the Elections Commissioners shall preserve the election results for 30 days following an election in case the election results are contested. The results shall be generally published to the membership. Absentee voting shall not be allowed.

(6) Special Elections: If there is a vacancy in any office other than the President or the Treasurer, the Executive Board shall either authorize a special election to fill the vacancy, according to the election and voting procedures outlined in this section, or the Executive Officers shall divide up the duties of the vacant office until the next general election. A vacancy of the President shall automatically be filled by the Vice-President. A vacancy of the Treasurer requires the Executive Board to have a special election.

Section 4. Official Designation.
Each newly-elected Executive Officer will be designated as an “officer-elect” (i.e. “President-elect”) until officially entering their post on the first Monday in April. During the time between the election date and the official designation date, each current Executive Officer may advise and instruct their respective officer-elect in the fulfillment of the duties of that office.

Section 5. Resignation.
An Executive Officer may resign at any time by delivering written notice of his or her resignation to rest of the members of the Executive Board. The resignation shall take effect at the time of notice.

Section 6. Impeachment and Removal.
(1) The general membership may at any general meeting submit a written petition to remove an Executive Officer, signed by five members or 25% of the general membership (whichever is greater). Such a petition must then receive a majority vote of a quorum of the general membership to impeach the named Executive Officer. If the petition is accepted by a majority vote, then removal proceedings will ensue. Quorum may not be suspended for impeachment or removal proceedings.

(2) Removal proceedings will not be complete without (i) reasonable notice to the Executive Officer in question and (ii) an opportunity for the Officer to be heard before a quorum of the Executive Officers and the general membership.

(3) Removal proceedings. An Executive Officer may be removed from office for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board. This vote of removal must also be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the general membership.

Article IV:
Meetings

Section 1. General Meetings.
Regular general meetings of the general membership shall be held at such date, time, and place as may be determined by the Executive Board.

Section 2. Executive Meetings.
Executive Board meetings shall be held at such date, time, and place as may be determined by the President.

Section 3. Special Meetings.
Special Meetings of either the general membership or the Executive Board may be called by the President or by two or more Executive Officers.

Section 4. Notice of General Meetings.
Notice is required for all general meetings and shall be given in a reasonable time prior to the general meeting. The notice shall specify the place, date, time, and purpose for which the general meeting is called.

Section 5. Voting.
Whenever any action is to be taken by vote of the members, it shall, except as otherwise required in these bylaws, be authorized by a majority of the votes cast at the general meeting. A quorum shall be required to take any action by majority vote.

Whenever any action is to be taken by vote of the Executive Officers, it shall, except as otherwise required in these bylaws, be authorized by a majority of the votes cast at the executive meeting. A quorum shall be required to take any action by majority vote.

Section 6. Quorum.
At all meetings a majority of those Executive Officers currently in office or participation of general members numbering two greater than the total number of Executive Officers on the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the actions of the organization. However, if a quorum is not present, three Executive Officers or a majority of the general members may adjourn the meeting to another time and place.

Article V:
Amendments

Section 1. Amendment Proposal.
Any general member or Executive Officer may submit a written proposal to amend these bylaws, signed by five members or two-thirds of the Executive Board.

Section 2. Amendment Adoption.
Amendments to these bylaws may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Officers and the approval vote of a majority of the general membership that qualifies as a quorum.