Asian Coalition of Professionals

Membership of University at Albany Asian Coalition of Professionals (UA-ACP) shall be open to all UAlbany faculty and staff of Asian heritage, regardless of their country of origin or citizenship; and to other UAlbany faculty and staff who are interested in supporting the mission and goals of the Coalition.

The mission of the Coalition includes the following objectives:

1. to foster intellectual and professional interactions among its members and to promote the career and leadership advancement of its members at UAlbany
2. to serve as a support network and to promote and protect the rights and interests of its members
3. to advocate for its members as a representative body for goodness of UAlbany and community at large
4. to promote academic and cultural exchange between UAlbany and other institutions domestically and internationally and to advance UAlbany!s academic excellence and internationalization
5. to promote diversity and inclusion, and to advocate against discrimination and social injustice at UAlbany

The Coalition is governed by an Executive Committee, which consists a President, one or two Secretary/Treasurer, one or two Communication Officers, one or two uptown campus Representatives, and one Representative for each of the Downtown and East Campus.

The President or her/his appointed substitute shall represent the Coalition in association affairs, communicate with the University administration and other organizations. The President, in consultation with the other members of the Executive Committee, shall have the authority to set up committees, appoint committee chairs and members, and assign tasks to members.

The term of presidency and executive committee is two years. The President Elect shall become the President when the term of the current President expires. In the event that the President can-not finish his/her term, the President-Elect shall take over the duties of the president for the remaining term, before serving as the President in the following years. In the case that a campus representative cannot complete his/her term, the President can appoint a replacement. The Executive Committee members can be reelected, and there should be no more than three terms.

The Secretary/Treasurer will maintain the Coalition!s financial account according to rules established by the Executive Committee, and will submit a financial report annually. The Secretary/Treasurer will maintain the membership list, and propose Coalition activities.

The Communication Officer shall be responsible for Coalition’s communication related tasks, including developing and maintaining a website for the Coalition, posting relevant news and announcements on the website, maintaining email listserv and other social media sites, as well as editing newsletters.

The Campus Representatives shall be responsible for collecting suggestions, reporting grievance from represented campus, and recruiting new members. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to set the Coalition!s agenda.

The Executive Committee can overrule the President by a simple majority. The Coalition can overrule the Executive Committee by a simple majority vote at a General Meeting.

The terms of the President, the Secretary/Treasurer, the Communications Officer, and each of the Representatives is two academic years, from September 1 to August 31. Nominations for the new President Elect, and other executive committee members shall be made to the Election Committee.

The election will be monitored by a three-person Election Committee, which is appointed by the Executive Committee. The Election Committee members shall not be on the ballot and shall not have conflicts of interest. The Election Committee shall verify the eligibility and availability of the nominees and make detailed rules for the election according to the bylaws.

Each Coalition member shall cast one vote, and one vote for every open position on the ballot.

The person who receives the greatest number of votes shall be elected. In case of a tie between two leading candidates, the President shall cast the tie-breaking vote.

The election shall take place in the first two weeks of November in each year either at a General Meeting or by e-mail. E-mail or absentee votes must be received before the deadline in order to be valid.

The membership dues shall be established by the Executive Committee annually.

The Coalition shall hold at least one General Meeting of its members each year. Other General Meetings may be scheduled by the Executive Committee. Furthermore, written petition may be made to the Executive Committee by at least five Coalition members to request a call for a General Meeting. General Meeting quorum for vote is 50% of members.

Amendments to the Bylaws must be proposed jointly by at least five Coalition members. Pro-posed amendments must be submitted to the Executive Committee in writing. The proposed amendments shall be discussed by Coalition members and then decided by a simple majority vote at a General Meeting. The President shall break any tie vote. Amendments to the Bylaws shall take effect with the next administration.