ASSOCIATION FOR NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS
CONSTITUTION

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ARTICLE I

NAME AND PURPOSE

The name of this organization shall be the Association for Non-Traditional Students (ANTS), formerly Returning Students Association, of the University of New Mexico.

The purpose of this organization shall be:

  1. to assist non-traditional students in adaptation to campus life and the academic community.
  2. to identify specific curriculum, teaching, and financial or funding problems relating to non-traditional students.
  3. to promote recognition by the University of New Mexico of the needs of non-traditional students.
  4. to serve as a repository where adult students may bring their requests, grievances, and particular needs.


ARTICLE II

REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

  1. Membership in this organization is open to any full or part time undergraduate or graduate student of the University of New Mexico, regardless of race, creed,age, sex, or sexual orientation.
  2. Voting membership is limited to students of the University. An active voting membership is defined as a member in good standing who has attended one of the last four regular meetings of the association at which a sign in sheet shall be used to determine attendance.
      A) Two voting techniques shall be used by the general membership:
      1. A mail vote when votes are needed from all members.
      2. A majority of those present and voting.
      The Board of Directors shall ascertain how the vote shall be conducted.
  3. Other classes of membership are defined as follows:
      Honorary- Non-voting membership shall be open to any member of the faculty, staff, or administration of the University and to any member of the community at large who is interested in furthering the interests of this organization.

      Life time- Non-voting membership shall be open to any past member as approved by the current sitting Board.

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS

SECTION I: ANTS will have the following officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer and Newsletter Editor. Furthermore, there shall be a Board of Directors appointed by the President and Vice-President.

SECTION II: The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

PRESIDENT:

  1. The president, or in lieu of, the vice-president, shall attend all mandatory meetings called by ASUNM and other University departments, supervisor of ANTS.
  2. The president is the principle executive officer and
  3. The president shall propose a budget, and may propose ideas for projects and policies which have been brought to attention by other members of the organization.
  4. The president shall sign, with the secretary or any other proper officer of the association authorized by the Board of Directors, any contracts authorized by the Board.
  5. The president, or in lieu of the vice-president, shall preside at all general membership meetings.
  6. The president shall perform all duties incidental to the office of president and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board.

VICE-PRESIDENT:
  1. In the absence of the president or in the event the president is unable to perform the duties of the office, the vice-president shall perform the duties of the office ofvpresident, and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the president.
  2. The vice-president shall supervise any work study or student employees assigned to ANTS.
  3. The vice-president shall assist the secretary in record keeping.
  4. The vice-president shall perform such duties as assigned by the Board or president.



SECRETARY:
  1. The secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the general membership and of the executive committee and post those minutes in a notebook provided for such purpose.
  2. The secretary shall keep a register of member addresses, and in general perform all duties incidental to the office of secretary and such other duties as assigned by the president and/or board.

TREASURER:
  1. The treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds of the association, receive and give receipts for monies due and payable to the organization from any source whatsoever, and deposit all such monies in the name of the Association in a designated account with the ASUNM Business Office.
  2. In general, the treasurer shall perform all duties incidental to the office of treasurer and any other duties assigned by the president or Board.
  3. The treasurer shall report to the executive officers and the general membership the financial standing of the organization as requested. This report is to made at least once a month and a full report is to be made at the annual membership meeting.
  4. The association's account shall be audited at least annually or upon a change of the individual holding the office of treasurer by two persons to be appointed by the Board.
  5. The retiring treasurer shall, within two weeks after elections or change in office, deliver to the new treasurer all monies, vouchers, books, and/or papers of the association in his/her custody, along with a supplemental report covering all transactions since the last treasurer's report.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
  1. The Board of Directors shall have all the usual powers of an organization and shall govern and direct the affairs of this organization. It shall make all rules and regulations that it deems necessary or proper for the government of ANTS and for the due and orderly conduct of its affairs and the management of its property, consistent with this constitution.
  2. The number of directors shall be 2% of the membership, not to exceed a maximum of 6 members. The Chair of the Board shall serve for one year and shall be chosen from the members of the Board by a vote of said members.
  3. All Board members shall serve for one year and shall be appointed by the President and Vice-President. The Board of Directors shall be instilled after a vote of confidence of the general membership at the second general meeting of the Fall Semester.
  4. Directors must be members of the Association.
  5. The Board of Directors shall be involved in preparing the budget.
  6. If the Chair of the Board is unable to fulfill the duties of the Chair, another Board member will be appointed as temporary Chair.
  7. A quorum of Board members must be present at all meetings for the transaction of business. A quorum is defined as two-thirds of the Board members.
  8. The Directors are the representatives of the membership and their acts are subject to fair criticism and evaluation by the members.


SECTION III:
Election of Officers: The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer will be elected the second week of April for a period of one year beginning at the termination of the Spring semester, and shall be elected by a majority of those present and voting.
  1. All candidates shall submit a written declaration of intent to seek office prior to the election for public display at the Association's office.
  2. All candidates shall be active members of the Association for no less than one semester prior to the election.
  3. The President and Vice-President shall be elected as a team. The Treasurer and Secretary shall run independently.
  4. Write-ins for President and Vice-President shall be a two person ticket, and individuals must be advised prior to the election that they are being considered for a write-in and be willing to serve in the event they are elected. No individual may run for more than one office in any capacity.
  5. The positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor may be written in independently.
  6. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for setting dates and times of elections and campaigns. They shall also prepare the ballot sheets, choose monitors for ballot boxes, and the method of counting ballots.
  7. In the event an officer is unable to fulfill the term of office, that officer shall be replaced by a special election to be announced by the Board of Directors. In the event of an unexpected vacancy in the office of the treasurer, the Chair of the Board shall serve as temporary Treasurer.

SECTION IV:
Removal of Officers: Elected officers or Board members may be removed by such action being taken at the annual meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. Two-thirds vote of members is required for removal of officers or Board members. At any meeting for removal of officers, the faculty advisor shall be present and preside over that portion of the meeting in order to insure fair proceedings. Furthermore an officer may be deemed to have resigned and a vacancy created if the officer has:
  1. withdrawn from enrollment at the University.
  2. become disabled to the extent that it is improbable that she/he will be able to perform the duties of the office.
  3. been absent without excuse from three consecutive meetings.
  4. committed an offense which is inexcusable.


ARTICLE V

RULES OF ORDER

Section I: Annual Meeting. The annual meeting shall be held at least once a two weeks prior to final exams in the Spring semester of every year.

Regular Membership Meeting. The regular meetings shall be held at least once a month with the date and time to be determined at the first meeting of the semester.

Section III: Executive Meeting. The executive meeting shall be held at least once a month and as needed, with dates and times to be determined at the first meeting of the semester. All executive meetings will be open to the general membership.

Section IV: Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called as needed by any officer or Board member. These meetings may or may not be open to the general membership and must be announced in advance, except in the case of an urgent matter requiring immediate attention.

Section V: All meetings will be conducted in an orderly and business-like manner.

Section VI: Notices. The general membership shall be notified of all meetings five to ten days in advance. Failure to do so will nullify any decisions made at said meeting. An exception will be made in the case of emergency meetings.

Section VII: The Board may meet whenever its members deem it necessary.


ARTICLE VI

BOOKS AND RECORDS

The organization shall keep complete and correct books and records of accounts, as well as minutes of all meetings. A record of all registered members shall be kept at the principal office. All records shall be available for inspection by any active member at any reasonable time.


ARTICLE VII

CHECKS, DEPOSITS, AND FUNDS

Section I: Checks and Drafts. All checks, drafts, or orders for the payment of money shall be signed by two officers.

Section II: Deposits. All funds of the organization shall be deposited into the ASUNM account in the name of ANTS.

Section III: Gifts. The Board of Directors an/or elected officials may accept any contribution or gift on behalf of the organization.


ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

This constitution may be amended, revised, or revoked by a vote of two-thirds of the active, dues-paying membership.


ARTICLE VIII

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

Section I: All incidents regarding possible disciplinary action of a Member must be lodged on an official "Incident Report” provided by the organization. All “Incident Reports” will be submitted to the President, who will contact the other Officers and Board. Disciplinary procedures will be processed on an individual basis. Members who have discipline action brought against them may face a warning to possible expulsion of membership based upon the discretion of the Board.

Section II: Expulsion of members other than the officers during each term shall be by one of two methods:

  1. A two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any general meeting.
  2. A unanimous vote of the Board at which a majority of the seated Board members are present.

Expulsion proceedings may be initiated only by petition of three members of the organization or by an officer. The Board shall notify the member in question, in writing, at least one week prior to the vote such a member shall be invited to appear before the voting body prior to the vote.

Section III: If a member from the immediately preceding Fall (or Spring) term will not be allowed membership during the next Spring (or Fall) term, the Board shall inform him/her of this fact at least one week prior to the first day of classes. If such notification is not given by the Board, the member shall be automatically be allowed membership.

Section IV: The Officers and Board are authorized to set further procedures related to their authority to issue, suspend, or revoke membership.

AMENDMENT I

Approved November 4, 1987

There shall be at all times a minimum of 4 members serving as the Board of Directors.


Click here for a copy of our constitution.