W&M FASA
Constitution (4.5.2023)
Filipino American Student Association at
William & Mary
Learn more about our organization's structure on this page, where we've updated our latest and greatest constitution. Every year, FASA hosts a bylaws meeting in which active dues-paying members are responsible for voting through proposed amendments written by an ad hoc constitutional reform committee. The very first iteration of the FASA Constitution was first written on December 3, 1991.
I. Title of Organization
The name of this organization shall be the Filipino American Student Association, hereafter known as FASA.
II. Purpose of Organization
The purposes of FASA include learning about the Philippines and what it means to be a Filipino and Filipino American. FASA will also educate the student body about Filipino culture, providing an opportunity for Filipino American students to blend their Southeast Asian and Western cultures in a productive manner. It is also FASA's duty to improve the academic and social environments through service to the school and the surrounding community and promote relations with the Filipino American Student Associations of other colleges and universities.
III. Membership
Membership in FASA is open to all members of the college community, regardless of sex, gender, religion, race, or sexual orientation. These rights cannot be revoked.
IV. Executive Organization
The executive organization of FASA will consist of the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Public Relations Chairpersons, Internal Programming Director, External Programming Director, three Culture Chairs, and two FIND District 7 Representatives.
V. Officer Duties and Responsibilities
In order to best fulfill its duties, the FASA executive organization will hold weekly meetings. Attendance is required of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Historian. Committee chairpersons’ attendance will be requested when necessary.
The President will be responsible for presiding over all regular meetings. The president will also be charged to oversee programs for the association with the help of other officers. The president will also represent FASA at college functions and events occurring outside of the College.
The Vice President will preside over meetings in the absence of the president. In the event of vacancy of the office of the president, the vice president will assume the duties of the president until a new president can be elected at the next regular meeting. The vice president will also be in charge of managing and overseeing the election process and duties of class representatives. The vice president will also be in charge of reserving rooms for club meetings and activities. In addition, they will assist the president with minor duties.
The Secretary will be responsible for recording the proceedings of each meeting, sending a weekly email report updating members on current activities and events, and sustaining alumni connections. When committee chairpersons must report to the executive board but cannot attend the meeting, the secretary is responsible for reminding the absent chairperson to review the agenda for relevant information.
The Treasurer will be responsible for keeping the financial matters of the club within the manner prescribed by the College. Their duties include the maintenance of an updated monthly financial report available for the president and vice president. They will be responsible for fundraising, managing accounts, approving budgets, and approving all club payments. Additionally, the Treasurer will share a committee member with the External Committee for financial matters.
The Historian will be responsible for documenting FASA events, maintaining a scrapbook to recap the year’s events, and archiving the history of the organization, which includes submitting documentation to William & Mary’s Special Collections and to the FASA website. Historian is responsible for managing FASA’s inventory. Should the Historian be unable to attend an event, they are to contact a PR Chair to take their place. They should have intimate knowledge of the workings, processes, and traditions of the organization from the past to the present. The Historian will hold a bylaw meeting to review this constitution for annual ratification in the Spring. At their discretion, they may create an ad-hoc committee composed of executive and general body members to discuss constitutional changes. Finally, the Historian is also solely in charge of recording member attendance and checking active membership status.
The Public Relations (PR) Chairpersons (2) are responsible for publicizing all FASA events including fundraisers, general meetings, and socials to FASA members, the college community, and the general public. They will also be responsible for maintaining FASA’s internet presence, which includes but is not limited to: maintaining a social media presence, developing and publishing advertisements for FASA events, and collaborating with the President to update events on Tribelink. Should the Historian be unable to attend an event, one of the PR Chairs should document the event in their place. Finally, the PR Chairpersons are responsible for producing a video to introduce the executive board (in collaboration with the Historian), assisting in the production of end-of-year scrapbook recap (in collaboration with the Historian), and working underneath the Culture Night Chairpersons to film and produce Culture Night promotional materials in the Spring semester.
The Internal Programming Director will lead a committee with responsibilities including all internal club affairs, such as the Kuya/Ate program, sports and recreational activities, and encouraging bonding and social interaction within the club. The Internal Programming Director and their committee will be in charge of managing and overseeing the election and duties of family heads.The Internal Programming Director, and their committee, will plan large-scale social events such as social gatherings and formals.
The External Programming Director will lead a committee with responsibilities including all interactions with external institutions and bodies outside of FASA. These duties include organizing service activities, and planning the annual Kamayan Feast during Filipino American History Month and Leadership and Community Action Summit (LAKAS). LAKAS is an optional event that will only be held if it receives a simple majority vote at the first meeting of the executive board. In addition, the External Programming Director will share a committee member with the Treasurer for financial matters.
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Internal committee has the option to be a year-long position or a semester-long position. External committee is semester only.
The three Culture Chairpersons will have the duty of organizing Culture Night. Their duties include generating and carrying out a program which showcases the Filipino Culture to the community. This may include, but is not limited to, dances, skit(s), songs, and other performances. Furthermore, one Culture Chairperson will be designated as the head of logistics for the show responsible for food, the raffle, and other necessary functions. The Culture Chairpersons will be responsible for dividing responsibilities between themselves. Culture Chairpersons will also be responsible for promoting educational events for the organization at least once a month, and for organizing an event or program to promote Filipino American heritage and history during the month of October.
The two FIND (Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue) District 7 Representatives will represent FASA at all District 7 general meetings. It is their duty to represent the organization and the College of William & Mary through their attendance. Should the representatives be unable to attend a District 7 general meeting, an alternate should be designated to go in their place. The representatives will report items discussed during the District 7 meetings at the officer and general meetings.. District 7 Representatives may not hold any other elected positions while in office. District 7 Representatives are required to be or become van certified.
VI. Elections
The election of all officers and committee chairpersons for FASA will be held at the end of March or in April during a specific election meeting. All candidates running for an executive position must be an active member. Officers and chairpersons will officially take office immediately. An executive meeting will be held post-election to ensure proper transitions between the old and new officers.
Nominations for all offices/chairs will be sent to the President prior to the election date which is set at the end of March or April. To hold an election, at least fifty one percent of active dues-paying members (as defined below) must be present. During the election meeting, the floor will be opened for a short period of time for additional nominations after which the floor will be closed. Elections will be conducted with a secret ballot, which will be tallied by the President.
Beginning in the Fall semester of 2020, active membership will be defined as attending at least five FASA events during the academic year.
Fall semester events that fulfill active membership are general body meetings, External Programming Events, Internal Programming Events, and other events included below. Spring semester events that fulfill active membership are general body meetings, External Programming Events, Internal Programing Events, Culture Night Events and other events included below. A member who has attended five Fall semester events will be counted as active during the Spring semester. Attendance of these events will be counted throughout the academic year until the next bylaws or elections meeting.
External Programming Events include service trips, Kamayan, volunteering in fundraising events, and LAKAS. Internal Programming Events include participation in the Kuya/Ate program and participation in FASA intramural sports. Other events include participation in D7 Olympics, in D7 SFAS Workshops, in the D7 Spring or Fall Dialogues, and in Winter Classic. Culture Night Events includes being in the show, active engagement in practices as determined by the designated person-in-charge (PIC) of practices, performing or attending Isang Kwento, and attending Culture Night Script Read-Through
The Historian is in charge of counting attendance during these events and is in charge of tallying the results by the bylaws meeting or elections meetings.
The President is not allowed to vote or contribute during deliberation. Anyone receiving more than half of the votes will be declared elected, with the exception of the FIND District 7 Representatives where the two people, respectively, with the most votes will be declared elected. Culture Chairpersons election procedure is as follows.
For the election of Culture Chairpersons, speeches and questions will proceed as normal. After deliberation, each member shall cast one vote for their preferred candidate and the candidate with the most votes will be elected to a place on the Culture Night Committee. This will be announced to the general body and there will be an opportunity for discussion. This will be repeated until all three positions are filled. Once the three positions are filled, the three-person team must be approved by unanimous consent or a simple majority vote. In the event that the three-person team fails to be approved, alterations to the team may be suggested from the floor and voted on. A Culture Night team will be declared elected when a three-person team is approved by unanimous consent or simple majority vote
Each candidate is required to make a speech and answer questions from the members in an interview session. At the end of the interview, they must leave the room in order to allow discussion, moderated by the President. President Electeds must hold a previous FASA executive position prior to running for president. Candidates for the positions of President or Culture Chairperson are allotted one minute for their speech, three minutes for the interview, and five minutes for discussion. All other candidates receive thirty seconds, two minutes, and three minutes for the respective sessions. Excessive allotted time may be absorbed and an extension may be granted if a quarter of attendees move to extend without strong opposition. If the candidate is absent from the election, they must submit a written speech, a thirty-second video, or appoint a proxy. Those who have paid dues prior to the designated deadline may vote.
Proxy voting will not be allowed.
VII. Removal from office
If any member of FASA feels that an officer or chairperson fails to perform their duties, that member may place a motion at a regular meeting calling for the officer's removal. The motion will be debated at which time the said officer will be given an opportunity to defend themself. The president or next highest officer will preside over these proceedings. In order for that motion to pass, a three-fourths majority must pass it. In the event of an officer's removal, a new election to fill the vacated position must be held at a special election meeting the week after the position has been vacated.
VIII. Resignation from Office
In the event that an office member or committee chair person feels that they are no longer able to fulfill their duties as outlined in the constitution, they must notify the executive board of their intent and have a written resignation submitted to the president. In the event of a resignation, the executive board member must give a two week notice before their resignation. If the president resigns, the vice president assumes the duties of the president, and a special election will be held as soon as possible to elect a vice president to office. For all other positions, a special election will be held as needed. Standard election protocols will be followed.
IX. Committees
Committees consist of general body members to aid the Internal and External Directors with various tasks. Interested persons will go through an application process to join a committee, which the Executive Board will be in charge of voting on, consisting of 3 to 5 people. These committee members may be selected from the general body of dues-paying members and should not already be serving as elected members of the executive board. Appointees must be notified about their nomination and must accept the nomination to be considered. These appointees will then be confirmed by the executive board via secret ballot majority vote. The Committee Director’s vote will count as two votes. The president is not allowed to vote. Committee members will serve on a semesterly basis and may be reappointed at the discretion of the chairperson.
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For the External Committee, the committee will be composed of individuals who will focus on particular duties relating to the fulfillment of the External Director’s duties. When potential committee members apply, they may specify which of these specific areas they would prefer to focus on, although if not selected for this position, they may still be considered to be part of the committee.These positions will be selected members’ primary duties, but they are still responsible for assisting the External Director and other committee members with other tasks as needed. These duties can be created at the External Director’s discretion each term year, and can include but are not limited to:​
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Outreach: this individual will aid the External Director in connecting with the general W&M community, other student organizations, and outside groups as needed.
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Fundraising: this individual will focus on organizing fundraising efforts for FASA.
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Service: this individual will be predominantly focused on finding and organizing service opportunities within the W&M, Williamsburg, and Fil-Am communities members can engage in regularly.
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For the Internal Committee, the committee will be composed of individuals who will work together and aid with the duties of the Internal Director. The committee will include one assigned role of a Sports Chair. The duties of the Sports Chair includes, but is not limited to organizing all sports related events within the organization.
X. Meeting Dates
There will be at least one general meeting a month, with the exception of Culture Night season; officers will meet prior to the general meeting to discuss the meeting's agenda. Executive meetings are open to the general body and all committee chairpersons.
XI. Dues
Dues are to be agreed upon at the beginning of the academic year by the officers. Dues are required for the following benefits/perks: participation in the Kuya/Ate program, running for elections, and voting in elections. Deadlines for paying dues are specified by the executive board. The purpose of dues is to help finance club activities.
In the event of an online semester, the executive board may withhold a dues-payment requirement. Under such circumstances, a member’s right to vote in the annual bylaws meeting and executive board election is determined solely by their active membership status, as outlined in Section VI, ‘Elections.’
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XII. Misconduct​
The Filipino American Student Association at William & Mary stands against sexual misconduct. FASA abides by the rules and regulations of Title IX under William & Mary. Any member accused or convicted of sexual misconduct will have their membership reconsidered by the Executive board (excluding committees).
The member will be allowed due process before the deliberation of the executive board. They will be given the chance to speak either to the President, the Vice President, or the Executive board as a whole. The Executive board should hold a meeting as the earliest availability of its members to deliberate. Their membership in the organization will be subject to suspension/termination upon a discussion and vote by the executive board (by a simple majority), without a refund of their membership dues.
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XIII. Amendments
A bylaws meeting will be held to gather suggested amendments to the constitution. To hold a bylaws meeting, at least fifty one percent of active dues-paying members must be present. The amendments will be presented at the same or the following general body meeting. After discussion of the proposed amendment, the members will vote on its approval. The amendment will be adopted with a simple majority.
This constitution was initially written and approved by the FASA of The College of William & Mary on December 3, 1991 and last revised on April 5, 2023.
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