Constitution

Article I         The organization is to be named Céfiro Enlace hispano cultural y literario.

Article II        The purpose of the organization is to    promote the study of Latin American Iberian languages, literatures, and cultures.  Included in this goal is the publication of a journal twice a year.

Article III       Members must be graduate students currently enrolled at Texas Tech whose area or interest of study is:  Latin American and Iberian languages, literatures and cultures.  Any student who meets the above criteria may join the organization, and the student’s membership will terminate when he/she formally resigns or is no longer enrolled at Texas Tech. Formal resignation will be by written notice.  Membership responsibilities vary depending upon the activity or duty for which each individual volunteers.

Article IV       The officers of the organization are as follows:

President:  Luis Crotte-Pardo

Vice President:  Claudia Tovar

Secretary:  Cheri Grissom

Treasurer:  Tim Buckner

Journal Co-Editors:  Iñaki Prádanos and Vanessa Rodríguez-García

Conference Organizer:  José Olascoaga

The responsibilities vary by office.  The President is in charge of general planning and leadership of the organization.  The Vice President shall act as an assistant to the President & shall execute any duties that the President cannot reasonably be asked to fulfill due to time limitations, conflicts, etc.  In addition the Vice President shall be in charge of monitoring and updating the organization’s web page.  The Secretary shall be in charge of the general organization of the group:  he/she shall keep track of the organization’s current and past membership.  He/she shall also record the minutes of each meeting & shall orchestrate all formal written contact between the organization and any other group.  The Treasurer shall manage the organization’s assets and liabilities.  Included in this responsibility is the financial management of the journal and the yearly conference.  The Co-Editors shall be in charge of organizing and managing the committee that will publish the journal.  The Conference Organizer shall be in charge of organizing and managing the committee that will plan and execute the yearly conference.  Any vacancy of office will be dealt with on an individual basis; the President shall have the responsibility of appointing (by consensus) another individual to fill the vacancy.  If an officer does not attend two consecutive meetings without a valid excuse he/she will be removed from his/her position.  Officer elections shall take place in the first week of May of each year.  Elections shall be by nomination/vote of all members in attendance at the yearly election meeting. 

Article V        The members of the organization shall meet monthly; the place and time of the meetings shall be announced beforehand and in a timely manner.  Special meetings shall be announced at the regular meetings and will be decided on an individual basis.  The presence of any of the six organization offices shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI        Céfiro is an independent organization with no formal ties to any other local, state or national organization.

Article VII       The organization’s main proposed activity is the promotion of the study of Latin American and Iberian languages, literatures and cultures.  Included in this proposed activity is the publication of a journal, twice a year, the sponsorship of a yearly conference, the welcoming reception for the CMLL incoming graduate students, and the celebration of the “Día  Hispano” that will be celebrated in October.

Article VIII      The executive committee shall be made up of six executive offices, and shall function in a top-down order as listed in Article IV.  There are currently no standing committees; committee responsibilities shall be decided upon their formation, and said responsibilities shall be included in later amendments to the organization’s constitution.  Committee membership shall be on a voluntary basis.

Article IX         The faculty advisor shall be chosen by a nomination/vote procedure, depending upon the stated willingness of the faculty/staff member to participate in the organization.  The advisor shall be responsible for maintaining communication between the organization and the appropriate institutional entities.

Article X           The organization shall employ Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised at all meetings, scheduled and otherwise.

Article XI         Amendments shall be proposed and adopted by a nomination/vote procedure.  Generally, the chair of any committee shall be responsible for introducing amendments.  Amendments may be proposed/ratified by a simple majority at any meeting, but will only be included in the yearly draft of the organization’s constitution, to be completed before the fall semester each year. 

BY-LAWS FOR CÉFIRO

A.        Membership shall be on a voluntary basis.  All members must be graduate students currently enrolled at Texas Tech.  Membership shall terminate upon resignation or upon non-enrollment status.  Rights and duties vary, according to the activity or duty that the member has volunteered to fulfill.

B.        Yearly membership fees are due at each year’s September meeting.  That is $20 initially and $10 yearly while being enrolled at Texas Tech.  Dues shall be prorated for any individual who joins the organization at another time during the year.  Organizational membership does not constitute the twice a year journal subscription. 

C.        The yearly subscription for the journal will be as follows:

            $30 for institutions

            $20 for individuals

            $5 past issues

Non organizational members can subscribe.

D.        Duties of officers vary by office.  See Article IV of the constitution for a detailed description of duties by office.  Any vacancy of office shall be dealt with on an individual basis; the President shall have the responsibility of appointing another individual to fill the vacancy.  Removal from office shall be by unanimous vote of all other executive officers, and this will occur should any officer no longer meet the requirements of membership.

i.e. is not participating the organization’s activities and no reimbursement would be given to expelled members. 

Removed officers must return all materials held to the organization.

E.         The executive board is made up of all executive officers.  See Article IV for a listing of officer names, titles and duties.

F.         The editorial board appointment will be for two consecutive years.

G.        There are currently no standing committees; committee responsibilities shall be decided upon their formation, and said responsibilities shall be included in later amendments to the organization’s constitution.  Committee member selection shall be by volunteerism.

H.        The standard agenda for each meeting shall be publicized prior to said meeting in a timely manner.

I.         The organization shall employ Robert’s Rules of
            Order Newly Revised for all meetings, scheduled
            and otherwise.

J.          Amendments shall be proposed by a
             nomination/vote procedure.  Generally, the chair of
             any committee shall be responsible for introducing
             amendments.  Amendments may be
             proposed/ratified at any meeting, but will only be
             included in the yearly draft of the organization’s
             constitution, to be completed before the fall
             semester of each year.

K.        There are currently no specific policies and
            procedures unique to the organization.