The Constitution of the Cultural Organization

for Latin

Americans at UVA
Article I: NAME
This organization shall be named the “Cultural Organization for Latin Americans” at the University of
Virginia.

Article II: PURPOSE

The Cultural Organization for Latin Americans at UVA serves the following purposes:
1. To organize initiatives that promote community building, intersectional cultural awareness, and
academic success within the university.
2. To promote an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment for all Latin American students on
Ground

The Cultural Organization for Latin Americans at UVA is a student-led group that plans events and
coordinates initiatives that support the cultural, social, academic and/or professional development of the
Latin American community.

We strive to work as a network of support for the Latin American community at both the graduate and
undergraduate level. Above all, COLA actively seeks to provide an array of opportunities for Latin
Americans at UVA to get engaged and connect with one another.

Article III: MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Cultural Organization for Latin Americans at UVA shall be broken up into three
categories: general members, active members, and executive members.
Section I: General Membership
General membership shall be defined as all individuals who are interested in celebrating
and further educating themselves on Latin American cultures. General members are welcomed and
encouraged to come to general meetings, events, or activities hosted by COLA.
Section II: Active Membership
Active membership shall be granted to those who subscribe to COLA’s mailing list and
attend at least five COLA events per academic school year. Active members will be granted the
opportunity to vote during COLA annual elections, as well as run and/or apply for an executive position.
Section III: Executive Board
The executive board members shall have a vested interest in COLA, officially be put into
office through a selection process outlined in Article V, section III. Officers must attend all required
meetings. If an officer fails to attend a required meeting without notice, they will be subjected to these
clauses:
Absence I: Warning
Absence II: One-on-one conversation with president
Absence III: Possible dismissal
Section IV: Non-Discriminatory Clause
COLA does not restrict its membership, programs, or activities on the basis of age, color,
disability, gender identity, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex
(including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family and genetic information.
ARTICLE IV: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Section I: General Body
The general body shall be comprised of all members of COLA at UVA.
Section II: Executive Board
The Executive Board shall comprise the president, vice president, cultura chair(s), first
year and transfer engagement chair(s), professional development chair(s), community outreach chair,
social chair(s), secretary, and financial officer.
Section III: Committees
Section 3.1: Each chair shall have the option to choose whether or not they would like to
have a committee to help them organize events, activities, or series. These committees shall be referred to
as standing committees.
Section 3.2: In case of special events, projects, or circumstances the president may create
an ad-hoc committee with a special purpose and mission. The president may choose to preside over said
ad-hoc committee or may choose an executive/active member to be in charge of the ad-hoc committee.
Once the objective has been reached, the committee may dissolve.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
Officers shall be divided into two categories: elected officers and appointed. The executive board
shall be comprised of both.
Section I: Elected officers
The President and Vice President shall be elected annually and shall serve from the
moment they are transitioned, until they transition their predecessors.
Section II: Appointed officers
The cultura chair(s), first year and transfer engagement chair(s), professional
development chair(s), community outreach chair, social chair(s), secretary, and financial officer shall be
appointed by the incoming president, vice president, and members of the outgoing executive board (who
are not seeking to be part of the incoming executive board.)
Section III: Eligibility
Section 3.1: Eligibility for elected officers
Any active member of COLA is eligible to run for president or vice-
president upon nomination by others or self. The president and vice-president
shall be elected by a simple majority of active members present at the election.
Section 3.2: Eligibility for appointed officers
Any active member of COLA is eligible to apply for an appointed officer
position, no nomination is required.
Section 3.3: Instant Run-Off Voting
All elections shall be done by a method of instant run­off voting, in which those
voting rank the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of
the votes, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is dropped and their votes are
re-allocated until one of the candidates has a simple majority.
Section IV: Removal of Officers
Any officer shall be subject to removal from office for negligence in the performance of
duties, misconduct in office, or for any other cause determined by the Executive Board. A three-fourths
vote by the Executive Board the officer shall be removed from their position. It is at the executive board's
discretion whether or not said officer is allowed active membership in COLA.
Section V: Vacancies
Section 5.1: Vacancy in Elected Position
 In the case of a presidential or vice presidential vacancy it’s up to the discretion
of the outgoing elected officials as well as the incoming elected officials to decide what to do. A special
election may be held to fill any elected position vacancies at the next scheduled General Body Meeting.
Special elections are held to the same rules and procedures as regular elections. The outgoing and
incoming elected positions may also open the position to an application and interview process. In extreme
circumstances, the Executive Board may temporarily appoint someone until the special election occurs.
Section 5.2: Vacancy in an Appointed Position
If the vacancy occurs in an appointed position, the Executive Board, primarily the
president and vice president, may appoint a new permanent occupant of the position.

ARTICLE VI: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section I: President
Above all, the president shall uplift Latin American cultures, identities, and community agendas at the
collegiate level and within the greater Charlottesville community
Section 6.1: Internal Responsibilities
The president shall:
1. Preside over weekly Executive Board meetings and to create an agenda for these
meetings.
2. Oversee the overall running of the organization to ensure that it is meeting the mission
and vision of COLA.
3. Help other officers with respective events.
Section 6.2: Inter-Latin American and Minority/Marginalized Responsibilities
The president shall:
1. Maintain constant communication (to ensure potential collaboration) with other Latin
American organizations on grounds.
2. Automatically be a member of the Minority Rights Coalition, which consists of the
Cultural Organization For Latin Americans at UVA, Asian Student Union, Black Student
Alliance, Feminism is For Everyone, Middle Eastern Leadership Coalition, and the Queer
Student Union.
3. As a member of the MRC, relay important events and projects that COLA shall cooperate
with.
Section 6.3: University Relationships
The president shall:
1. Be the primary contact for all external parties seeking to contact or work with COLA.
2. Seek to be a bridge between COLA and the University Administration.
3. Be prepared to be the representative face of the organization at various University and
Community functions, giving feedback on the state of the Latin American Community and
advocating for its needs.
4. Be required to attend Leadership 2K, a summer training program sponsored by the Office of the
Dean of Students to network with other student leaders around Grounds.

Section II: Vice-President

The Vice-President shall:
1. Facilitate communication within the executive board, Alumni (Bolivar Network), Latin American
organizations, and relations with other minority/marginalized groups.
2. Preside over executive or general body meetings in the absence of the President.
3. Communicate frequently with other officers on the executive board to ensure the success of
initiatives and events.
 4. Attend meetings involving the Minority Rights Coalition or any other body/organization who
seeks to see the advancement and success of Latin American people and other
minority/marginalized communities.
5. Work to promote partnerships between the COLA and other groups.
6. Foster relationships with Alumni through the Bolivar network.

Section III: Secretary

The responsibility of the secretary will be to
gather and disperse information relevant to the Cultural Organization for Latin Americans at UVA.
Section 3.1: Internal Information
The secretary shall:
1. Take attendance and accurate minutes during every meeting of COLA’s Executive Board.
2. Be responsible for reserving rooms and maintaining all list-servs that are associated with
the COLA.
Section 3.2: External Information Distribution
The secretary shall:
1. Relay important information discussed to all relevant parties (e.g: general members, other
Latin American organizations).
2. Compile and the weekly newsletter highlighting all events happening in the Latin
American and UVA community, to all Latin American students, faculty, and staff who
wish to subscribe.
3. Run social media platforms.
4. Work with the President and vice- president to send out a newsletter to all Latin
American alumni.

Section IV: Financial Officer

The responsibility of the Financial Officer shall be to monitor the funds and find funds for the Cultural
Organization for Latin Americans at UVA.
Section 4.1: Expenditures
The financial Officer shall:
1. Checking the account balance on a weekly basis, presenting a bi-monthly spending
statement to the executive board, and maintaining a strong record of all expenditures, as
well as income.
Section 4.2: Generating Income and Revenue
1. Apply for funding and grants for which COLA is eligible. (i.e. Cultural Programming
Board, Student Council Appropriations, Vice President of Student Affairs) when
necessary.
2. Be responsible for coordinating with fundraising opportunities for the COLA.

Section V: Community Outreach Chair

The Community Outreach Chair(s) shall:
1. Be the be to act as a liaison between COLA and the local Latin American community as well as
the organizations that work with it, whether at the city level or in the greater county.
2. Facilitate one-time and long-term service projects within the Latin American community and will
work to include the local Latin American community in COLA’s cultural and academic
programming.
This position may be filled by more than one person if deemed appropriate by the vice president and
current outreach chair creating a Co-Chair position.

Section VII: Cultura Chair

The responsibility of the Cultura Chair is to promote the rich cultural diversity and traditions
of the Latin American Community.
The cultura chair shall:
1. Plan events for Hispanic Heritage Month and Latin American Culture Week and serving as the
primary planning center for COLA’s events.
2. Be prepared to work closely with the Office of the Dean of Students to plan Latin American
Heritage Month before the academic year begins.
This position may be filled by more than one person if deemed appropriate by the vice president and
current cultura chair, creating a Co-Chair position.

Section VIII: Social Chair

Section 7.1: Latin American Socialization
The Social Chair shall:
1. Be responsible for planning all social events for the COLA’s
executive board, general body, meant to promote cohesion within the Latin American community and
COLA exec. This includes, but is not limited to, “Latin American on the Lawn”, the annual Fall “COLA
Ball” and Spring “Primavera” semi-formal, Foxfield, parties, mixers with other organizations, casual
hangouts, etc.

Section 7.2: Inter Exec Bonding

The Social Chair shall:
1. Facilitate COLA exec bonding through programmed executive events that allows them to
grow and bond into one cohesive unit.
Lastly, this position may be filled by more than one person if deemed appropriate by the vice president
and current social chair, creating a Co-Chair position.

Section IX: First Year / Admissions Liaison

The First Year / Admissions Liaison shall:
1. Coordinate and spearheading events that involve both incoming students and new students, which
include first year and transfer students.
2. Work intimately with the University's Office of Undergraduate Admission in order to assist with
signature events such as Fall and Spring Blast, events that target prospective and admitted
students respectively.
3. Engage new students, seeking to assist them through their transition into University life and to
showcase the diverse extent of COLA in order to encourage extracurricular involvement.
4. Preparation and execution of COLA's Welcome Back Reception, which is the students' first
exposure to Latin American organizations and others on Grounds.
5. Serve as a liaison between COLA and any organization seeking to engage with new students.

Section X: Professional Development Chair

The professional development chair shall:
1. Coordinate programming to enhance Latin American academic excellence at UVA and beyond.
2. Work closely with the Bolivar network.
3. Coordinate programming with other organizations. (This can include but is not limited to: major
application workshops, pre-professional panels, alumni panels, resume workshops, and headshots
on the lawn.)

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

Section I: General Body Meetings
General body meetings shall occur every semester. Their frequency and content shall be
dependent on circumstances.
 Section II: Executive MeetingsExecutive officer meetings shall be held every week. These
meetings are open for the public. However, allowance of outside participation in said meetings is to the
discretion of the president.

Article VIII: FINANCE

COLA will not charge dues to its members.
COLA will generate most of its funds by fundraising and by applying for monies. Only the student
members of COLA may have voting powers with regards to expenditures of the Student Activities Fees.
Expenditures of all funds will be made in non-discriminatory fashion.

ARTICLE IX: MEMBER AND NON-MEMBER MISCONDUCT

Any person who is a member of the COLA who is believed to commit actions below can be subject to
effective immediate dismissal from the COLA (and all COLA affiliated events) upon the executive
boards ¾ majority vote. Furthermore, individuals (even non-members who are present at COLA events)
are subject to University Judiciary Committee (UJC), Honor, and Title IX charges if any of the following
norms are allegedly violated.

Section I: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, and Retaliation

Any form of sexual assault, sexual explotation, intimate partner violance, stalking, sexual-gender
based harassment or any form of harassment, Complicity in the commission of any act prohibited by this
policy, and Retaliation will not be tolerated at COLA affiliated events. COLA is committed to full
compliance with any cases involving Title IX.

Section II: Hazing

Hazing is a crime in Virginia and is prohibited by University policy and the University Standards
of Conduct. COLA will not tolerate any act of hazing, and is liable to reporting if any hazing occurs
during an COLA affiliated event.

Section III: Norms

Individuals must know their personal space and respect the personal space of others. Individuals
shall not touch another person without receiving their explicit consent. Any sexist, racist, homophobic,
transphobic or otherwise violent behavior will not be tolerated. Individuals attending this event implicitly,
and explicitly are bound by these norms.

ARTICLE X: LIABILITY

The Cultural Organization for Latin Americans at UVA is not responsible for any damage of property or
personal injury while individuals attend any COLA event. By attending COLA events, individuals
(including non-members) are assuming personal liability for the activities they volunteer to partake in.
Members of the COLA will go through member applications where they explicitly agree to the
assumption risks at events.

ARTICLE XI: RATIFICATION, AMENDMENTS, AND BYLAWS

Amending the Constitution and adding By-Laws shall be done as follows: Amendment or bylaw
shall be proposed, debate shall follow, then a voting of at least a quorum shall follow. And
amendment or bylaw shall pass with a majority vote of the executive board.