By-laws of the Student Departmental Senate

1. The Student Departmental Senate (SDS) of the César E. Chávez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana/o Studies (CCC) shall represent declared Chicana/o Studies majors and minors to the CCC, in accordance with the Bylaws of faculties of the CCC (Part VIII Students (17) and (18)), and with all applicable rules of the Academic Senate of the University of California, Los Angeles on all issues concerning students of the CCC.

2. The SDS will look to El Plan de Santa Barbara for historical guidance.

Part II. SDS Membership

3. General Membership in the SDS will be defined as all declared Chicana/o Studies majors and minors of the CCC and with all applicable rules of the Academic Senate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Part III. SDS Representatives

4. The SDS will have one elected representative in each of the standing committees of the CCC.

5. The representatives of the SDS will be elected by a majority vote of the SDS present at a regularly scheduled meeting of the SDS, unless under circumstance of position vacancy.

6. The representative of the SDS term will be from July 1^st to June 31^st of the following academic year.

7. The SDS Representatives must attend CCC Faculty meetings in addition to their respective CCC committee meetings. SDS representatives are the official voice of Chicana/o Studies majors/minors to the CCC.

Part IV. SDS General Meetings

8. Regular SDS general meetings will be held at least three (3) times an Academic quarter. SDS meetings will be chaired by an elected SDS representatives of the CCC standing committees. The agenda of the regular meetings shall include the following:

A) Approval of Previous Meeting’s Minutes

B) Representatives Reports

C) New Business

D) Old Business

9. General meetings are open to all students interested in Chicana/o Studies, but voting and representation will be reserved to majors and minors.

10. Special meetings of the SDS may be held at other times when:

(A) Called by two (2) SDS representative; or

(B) A written request is submitted to an SDS representative with at least 20 signatures of declared Chicana/o Studies majors or minors; the SDS representative will call the special meeting within three (3) days;

The special meeting will be scheduled between four (4) and eight (8) days after it is called. All declared Chicana/o Studies majors and minors will be notified of time, place, date, and subject of special meeting.

11. Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern SDS meetings in all instances not covered by the Bylaws.

Part V. Quorum

12. Quorum is required at an SDS meeting in order to conduct business. A quorum is defined as; 1) when five (5) declared Chicana/o Studies majors/minors, including two (2) SDS representatives, are present; or 2) when 5% of the total declared Chicana/o Studies majors/minors, including 1 SDS representative, is present.

Part VI. Voting Privileges

13. Voting privileges are extended to all declared Chicana/o Studies majors and minors.

14. Voting by secret ballot is only when requested by a voting member.

Part VII. Committees

15. When necessary, the voting members of the SDS shall assemble committees and charge them with their specific duties.

16. Committees will be approved by a simple majority (50% +1) of voting membership present at a SDS meeting.

17. Committees are open to all Chicana/o Students SDS members and all interested in Chicana/o Studies.

18. Committee(s) shall convene on a regular basis.

19. A report on each committee(s) will be given at all SDS meetings.

Part VIII. Nominations and Election Procedures for SDS Representatives

20. Requirements for candidates are as follow:

A) Candidates must be a declared Chicana/o Studies major or minor and have been active in the SDS for at- least two (2) consecutive quarters.

B) Any voting member of the SDS shall be eligible to make nominations. Each individual running for any office will accept only one nomination.

21. CCC SDS representative elections will occur at the second regularly scheduled SDS meeting of the spring quarter.

22. Vacancies of offices before the completion of a term will be filled by calling a special election.

(A) Nominations and elections shall take place at the next regularly scheduled SDS meeting after the vacancy has been declared and announcement of the special election has been made to all members.

(B) Special election will follow same procedures as Part VIII. Sec. 20 A and B.

Part IX. Amendment of Bylaws

23. The Bylaws may be amended at any regularly scheduled SDS meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of all voting members of the SDS present at the meeting, provided that written notice of amendment shall have been sent to the SDS representatives and all voting membership at least one (1) week prior to the meeting at which the amendment(s) is considered.

Article X: Interpretation of CCC SDS Bylaws

24. Ultimate authority as to any interpretation of the CCC SDS Bylaws or anything mentioned within these Bylaws shall be decided by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting CCC SDS members at a SDS meeting.

25. No part or item in the CCC SDS Bylaws may be suspended or waived for any reason,

unless by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the CCC SDS voting membership at a SDS

meeting .

XI. Implementation

26. The Bylaws of the César E. Chávez Center Student Departmental Senate were adopted after two readings on April 27^th, 2000, as attested by the signatures below of the duly elected SDS Representatives for AY 1999-2000:

SDS Representatives for AY 2000-2001:

Executive Committee Representative-Andrea Arias

Curriculum and Admissions Committee Representative-Vanessa Sifuentes

Community Relations and Development Representative-Cindy Mosqueda

SDS Representatives for AY 1999-2000:

Executive Committee Representative-Ralph de Unamuno

Curriculum and Admissions Committee Representative-Erika Ramirez

Community Relations and Development Representative-Elizabeth "Ome" Serna

SDS Representatives for AY 1998-1999:

Executive Committee Representative-Lina Velasco

Curriculum and Admissions Committee Representative-Cynthia Acosta

Community Relations and Development Representative-Li'i Furumoto

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