LASR - About

History

LASR started in the late 1980's when two students from Laos met on the UC Berkeley campus. One day, a Lao student wore a T-shirt with the writing"I am Lao" written on it. A Mien student saw the writing on the T-shirt. After getting to know one another, the idea to form a club for all Laotian students emerged. The exchange of ideas of these two Berkeley studentsled to the creation of LASR, Laotian American Student Representatives.

Over the years, our group experienced growth and decline in membership.Despite these fluctuations, we continue to grow. Today, LASR is enjoyingits most vibrant and active year since its inception. LASR current has over 45 members.

Founding Goal

The primary goal of LASR is to create a community for UC Berkeley students who originated from Laos and to establish awareness for those who are interested in the cultures and experiences of Laotians. This community on the UC Berkeley campus provides social and academic support for all the memberswithin the club.

Constitution

PREAMBLE
We, as Laotian American students at the University of California at Berkeley, in order to establish an organization that will (a) facilitate interaction among Laotian students and those interested in the Laotian community, (b) promote attention to Laotian culture, and (c) enhance Laotian community awareness of higher education, do hereby establish this constitution.

ARTICLE I: NAME OF ORGANIZATION The name of the organization shall be Laotian American Student Representatives at the University of California at Berkeley, henceforth referred to as LASR.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP Membership in LASR is open to all U.C. Berkeley students, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, or handicap. In addition, LASR will not haze according to California State Law.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS/ELECTIONS Section 1: Officers in LASR shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Representative, and Historian. Each officer shall be elected at a general meeting near the end of the Spring semester of every academic year. Furthermore, there shall be a Chairperson presiding over activity committees either by volunteering or nomination. Section 2: To be eligible to hold the office of the Presidency and Vice-Presidency, one must have been a registered U.C. Berkeley student and a member of LASR for at least one year. However, the offices of the Treasury, Secretary, Representative, and Historian are open to any registered and dedicated U.C. Berkeley student; this also applies to the Chairperson of an activity committee. Section 3: Officers shall be elected by majority votes, that is 50%+1. In the event that no candidate receives a majority vote, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be dropped from the ballot. The election shall continue until a candidate receives the majority vote. In case of a tie, a coin toss shall be the deciding factor. Section 4: All officers in LASR shall hold a term of one year; they shall commence at the beginning of the Fall semester of the academic year. Section 5: The President shall take the responsibility of verifying the status of the registered (active-member) students after the first general meeting. Section 6: In the event of a vacancy in an office, an election shall be considered in the next general meeting. However, in the vacancy of the office of the Presidency, the Vice-President shall assume the position. Again, election of a Vice-President to fill the empty office shall be considered in the next general meeting.

ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF OFFICERS Section 1: The duties of the President shall be to preside over special and general meetings, to serve as the chief executive, to call meetings, to maintain relations with other U.C. Berkeley organizations, and shall act as executive coordinator. Section 2: The duties of the Vice-President shall be to execute the duties of the President in his absence, to work with the Representative, to maintain relations with student organizations within U.C. Berkeley and other colleges and universities, and to serve as chief assistant to the President. Section 3: The duties of the Secretary shall be to prepare and make public minutes for/at general meetings, to prepare and maintain membership roster, and to assist other officers as needed. Section 4: The duties of the Treasurer shall be to oversee the expenditures of LASR funds, to coordinate fundraising programs/events with related committees, to prepare the annual budget of LASR, and to assist other officers as needed. The Treasurer must be one of the primary ASUC signatories. Section 5: The duties of the Representative shall be to represent LASR in relation to other U.C. Berkeley student organizations or organizations from other colleges or universities, to report any news at the meeting between student organizations to LASR, and to assist other officers as needed. Section 6: The duties of the Historian shall be to compile a record of all the activities of LASR and to assist other officers as needed. Section 7: The duties of the Chairperson shall be to oversee that particular committee and to assist other officers as needed.

ARTICLE V: DUES/VOTING RIGHTS Section 1: Membership dues shall be established by a majority consent of the members including inactive members (i.e. non-registered U.C. Berkeley students or persons). Section 2: Only paid members have voting rights; unpaid members shall not be allow to vote. Certain exceptions may apply: (a) a student has difficulty obtaining financial assistance, but has notified both the Secretary and the Treasurer, and/or (b) has attended at least three general meetings from previous semesters.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS Section 1: There shall be three mandatory general meetings per semester. The President with two other officers may call special emergency meetings. Section 2: Three officers including the President constitute a quorum. Forty percent of the members present constitutes a quorum at a general meeting.

ARTICLE VII: CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS All constitutional amendments must be approved by a majority vote of the LASR voting members or a two-thirds vote of the voting members present at a general meeting, and the amended constitution must be filed within one week with Student Activities and Service (SAS) and ASUC.

ARTICLE VIII: DISSOLUTION In the event of a dissolution of LASR, all unspent funds obtain from any organization such as the ASUC shall be returned to that organization. All private earnings such as fundraising, after paying for liabilities, shall be donated to non-profit organizations to be use exclusively as a form of scholarship for educational purposes only.