Constitution - Immigration Law Society

CONSTITUTION OF CHICAGO-KENT COLLEGE OF LAW IMMIGRATION LAW SOCIETY

General Provisions.
1. Name. The name of this student organization shall be the Chicago-Kent College of Law Immigration Law Society (ILS).
2. Purpose.
3. Objectives. ILS will serve to:
  1. Expose Chicago-Kent law students to the evolving area of immigration law through guest speakers, presentations, conferences and other educational events.
  2. Facilitate career opportunities through an ongoing effort to maintain active relationships with the immigration legal community in the Midwest, in both the public and private sectors.
  3. Create employment and internship opportunities for Chicago-Kent law students who may be interested in pursuing a career in immigration law.
  4. Heighten awareness of the impact of immigration law and policy on various immigrant groups, the United States, and the world community.
  5. Provide opportunities for law students to become actively involved in immigration law issues through service projects and partnerships with local non-profit groups.
4. Membership.
  1. Any law student in good standing attending Chicago-Kent College of Law is eligible for membership in ILS.
  2. ILS members are not required to pay dues.
5. Nondiscrimination.
Organizational Structure.
1. Executive Board.
  1. The Executive Board shall be the managing body of ILS, and shall direct its affairs.
  2. The Executive Board shall be comprised of the seven (7) elected Officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Community Liaison, Member at Large day division, and Member at Large evening division.
  3. The term of the office shall be one (1) year, which shall begin at the close of the last general society meeting of each school year.
  4. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the duties, powers and responsibilities of the President shall be assumed immediately by the next officer in the line of succession as follows: Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Community Liaison, Member at Large day division, and Member at Large evening division. Any other vacancy will be filled by the next in line office in the same order. If this process cannot be followed, the vacancy shall be given to a member who is elected by a majority vote of the general membership. Notice of the vacancy shall be given ten (10) days prior to holding such vote. Any member interested in the position may nominate themselves.
  5. For purposes of this Article, a vacancy will arise upon resignation of an officer, or upon certification by two-thirds vote of the Executive Board that an officer is mentally or physically unable to fulfill the duties of office. However, a veto will be enforced if both Members at Large vote against such action, at which point the final decision will be left to the ILS faculty advisor.
  6. For the purposes of ratifying the document at bar, the two founding members shall fill the positions of President and Vice President for the first year.
  7. Officer Roles
    1. The President shall have completed at least one (1) year of law school. The President shall be the Immigration Law Society’s Chief Executive Officer and shall preside over all Executive Board and General Society meetings.
    2. The Vice President shall perform such duties as are delegated by the President and act as temporary Chief Executive Officer in the temporary absence of the President.
    3. The ILS Secretary shall take minutes for all ILS meetings, general or executive; shall be responsible for any ILS records, including e-mail and postage mail; and shall be responsible for maintaining the ILS website and social media.
    4. The Treasurer shall collect all ILS monies, keeping records thereof; shall receive, disburse, and invest the funds of ILS as directed by the Executive Board and the rules and constitution of the Chicago-Kent Student Bar Association; and shall create a spending budget prior to every semester.
    5. The Community Liaison shall be responsible for establishing contact with community organizations, private firms, and government agencies to inform ILS members of any opportunities available in regards to immigration law; shall create and establish Immigration law related volunteer opportunities for Society members; and shall be responsible for any so other duties that the President shall assign.
    6. The Members at Large will be responsible for maintaining the interests of the general members of their respective divisions at all executive board meeting and all executive votes, and will be responsible for any so other duties that the President shall assign.
2. Faculty Advisor.
  1. ILS shall have a Faculty Advisor who is a faculty member at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
  2. The Faculty Advisor shall provide guidance to the Executive Board and the President as needed relating to ILS activities and programs, and will hold any other powers provided by this constitution.
3. Meetings.
  1. The Executive Committee shall hold no less than two (2) meetings per academic year.
  2. General ILS meetings shall be held at least three (3) times during the
  3. school year, with the final meeting held at the close of the school year for
  4. the purpose of electing officers for the following school year.
  5. Notification of a General Society meeting must be provided to all Members seven (7) days prior to the meeting.
4. Finances.
5. Elections.
  1. Eligibility. Only Members in good standing as provided hereinabove shall be entitled to vote in any election or hold office in ILS.
  2. Election Rules.
    1. Each ILS member will have one (1) vote for each executive position, provided they have attended at least one (1) ILS meeting in the past year. The first election will be waived of this requirement.
    2. Balloting shall be conducted separately for each position to be filled.
    3. A candidate shall secure a position upon receiving a majority of votes of the Members present.
    4. The Executive Board may promulgate election rules, which shall serve as permanent rules unless amended by the Executive Board.
    5. The Vice President shall run all elections and count any ballots cast, with a re-count provided by the Treasurer and at least one (1) Member at Large.
Amendments
1. This Constitution may be amended at a General ILS meeting by three-quarters (¾) of the members present or two-thirds (⅔) of the membership, whichever is less.
2. An amendment must be proposed to the President or Secretary, in writing, not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the General Meeting at which the amendment will be considered. The proposed amendment must also be approved by two-thirds (⅔) of the Executive Committee and circulated in writing to the Members one (1) week prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be considered.
3. The President with the vote of at least one (1) Member at Large can veto any approved amendment if it is done in writing, within 24 hours of its approval, to the faculty advisor. The faculty advisor may overrule this veto.
Bylaws
1. The Executive Committee may adopt a set of Bylaws subject to the approval of the majority of members.
2. Adopted Bylaws shall not be inconsistent with this Constitution.