Student Organizations

American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico

By-Laws

Approved 4/22/2002

Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be the UNM School of Law Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico (ACLU-NM). The ACLU-NM is an affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of the Chapter shall be to advance the cause of civil liberties on the campus of the University of New Mexico School of Law and in the surrounding community, with particular emphasis on the rights of free speech, free press, free assemblage, due process of the law, equal protection of the law, and any other related issues of interest to members. These objectives shall be sought without political partisanship.

Article III - Membership

The membership of the Chapter shall consist of all UNM law students who are currently members of the ACLU (includes both national ACLU and ACLU-NM).

Article IV - Meetings

  1. Chapter meetings shall be held at least once every 8 weeks during the school year.
  2. Meetings may be called by either of the Co-Presidents, by any 2 of the other Chapter Officers, or by the consensus of a majority of Chapter members.
  3. Chapter meetings shall be open to all UNM law students.
  4. Orders of business may be raised by anyone in attendance at a Chapter meeting. All orders of business shall be seconded by a Chapter member and decided by an affirmative vote of a simple majority of members present at the meeting.
  5. Important decisions of the organization shall be made by a quorum vote of members present at a Chapter meeting. A majority of current Chapter members must be present in order to constitute a quorum. Important decisions shall include but are not limited to:
    1. election of Officers;
    2. amendments to by-laws; and
    3. any expenditure of Chapter funds of $50 or more.

Article V - Officers

  1. Composition
    1. Officers shall be elected from among the members of the Chapter who are currently 1st -year and 2nd-year students.
    2. The Officers of the Chapter shall consist of two Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, and Chapter Representative.
      1. In the interest of continuity, it is suggested, but not required, that the Co-Presidents be a 1st -year and a 2nd-year student.
      2. In the interest of diversity, it is suggested, but not required, that the Co-Presidents be a male and a female.
    3. While the two Co-Presidents, Secretary and Treasurer shall be separate individuals, any of these Officers may also serve as Chapter Representative if elected.
  2. Duties
    1. The Co-Presidents shall each have the authority to approve the expenditure of Chapter funds, subject to the membership consensus requirement of Article IV(5)(c).
    2. The Treasurer shall keep a record of Chapter funds and shall serve as liaison to the UNM School of Law Accounting Office.
    3. The Secretary shall record the minutes of Chapter meetings and publish them to the Chapter email list within one week of each meeting. The Secretary shall keep a record of the current members of the Chapter and be responsible for keeping the Chapter email list current.
    4. The Chapter Representative is a voting member of the ACLU-NM board of directors and is designated to attend all ACLU-NM board meetings and to vote on behalf of the Chapter. The Chapter Representative will also serve as a liason to the UNM student chapter on main campus.
  3. Nominations and Elections
    1. All Officers shall be elected at the first Chapter meeting following Spring Break and shall serve for one year.
    2. Members may self-nominate or may be nominated by another member (unless the nominee declines the nomination). The Secretary shall keep a record of all nominations and publish them prior to the election meeting.
    3. Each Officer shall be elected by a simple majority vote of members present at the election meeting, subject to the quorum requirement of Article IV(5).
    4. In the case of more than two candidates for an Officer position, the two candidates with the most votes in the first election shall compete in a second run-off election.
    5. If any Officer steps down or is removed before the end of her or his term, another member shall be elected at the next Chapter meeting to fill that vacancy for the remainder of the term.
  4. Removal of Officers
    1. The removal of any officer shall be accomplished by an affirmative vote of 3/4 of members present at a Chapter meeting, subject to the quorum requirement of Article IV(5).

Article VI - Amendments to By-Laws

  1. Amendments to Chapter by-laws may be proposed by any Chapter member. Any proposed amendments must be disseminated to all members - either in writing or through the email list - at least two weeks before a scheduled meeting at which the vote will be taken.
  2. Amendments to Chapter by-laws shall be passed by an affirmative vote of 3/4 of members present at a Chapter meeting, subject to the quorum requirement of Article IV(5).
  3. A current copy of the Chapter by-laws shall be filed with the Executive Director of the ACLU-NM.