McNeese State University

International Student Association

Constitution

Preamble

We, the international students of the McNeese State University, in pursuance of the interests and
welfare of the international students, to build a cordial relationship among the various student groups within
the university, to voice the concerns of the international student community, to showcase the cultural
diversity of the McNeese State University campus, to promote the spirit of McNeese State University, hereby
establish the constitution of the International Student Association(ISA).

The International Student Association (ISA) was established and a constitution was written by
Marvin Williams ’09 in the spring of 2008. The first executive board is composed of President Marvin
Williams ’09 (Jamaica), Vice President Nevil Meghani ‘09(India), Secretary Inthira Pandey ‘10(Thailand),
Senator Gregory Meju (Jamaica), Public Relation Officer Sabrina Seamon ’09, and IT Coordinator Pranay
Wardhan (India). Pranay Wardhan (India) further expanded International Student Association (ISA) during
fall 2009 and spring 2010. The executive board was comprised President Pranay Wardhan (India), Vice
President Kevin Goode (USA), Secretary Chu Chu Wang (China), Treasurer Inthira Pandey ’10 (Thailand) and
Senator Naveen Reddy Ramadi ’09 (India).

This updated constitution is being rewritten by the executive board composed of President Bandar
Jan (Saudi Arabia), Vice President Gunay Aliyeva (Azerbaijan), Secretary Melissa Pangestu (Indonesia),
Treasurer Kevin Sutanto (Indonesia), Senator Mellitanya Hiromi Bun (Indonesia), Public Relations Officer
Arein Hossain (Bangladesh), IT Coordinator Sam Battat(Palestine) and Student Advisor Pranay Wardhan
(India).

Article 1: Name and Mission

Section 1: The official name of the organization shall be the International Student Association. The
International Student Association may be referred to as “ISA,” “Association,” and “Organization” in
the constitution.

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 Section 2: The organization’s mission is:

1. To promote and enhance cultural diversity among international students, and between
international students and domestic students at McNeese State University.
2. To provide programs to help international students experience a cohesive college experience
in the United States of America (USA).
3. To provide the international student community with formal representation at McNeese
State University and the wider community.
4. To promote, advocate, and advance international student’s rights, interests, and privileges at
McNeese State University.

Section 3: The organization shall abide by the rules and policies of McNeese State University as
relating to student organizations.

Section 4: McNeese International Student Association shall not as an organization engage in activities
condemning or advocating any particular country, race, ethnic group, political system, religion, or
political party.

Section 5: Article 1 of this constitution is binding.

Article 2: Membership

Section 1: Membership shall be open to all students, faculty, and staff of McNeese State University.

Section 2: A person will be considered an active member after he or she has completed a membership
application form.

Section3: Any member or officer may be impeached for misconduct. Impeachable offenses shall
include but not be limited to:

 Failure to perform the duties of his or her office as outlined in the constitution.
 Violation of local, state, or federal laws of the US.
 Violation of McNeese State University policies and/or Student Code of Conduct.

Article 3: Officers

Section 1: The executive offices of the organization shall be the office of the President, Vice President,
Secretary, Senator, Treasurer, Public Relations and Membership, and Information Technology
Coordinator.

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Section 2: The description and responsibilities of the officers shall be as follows:

1. President: Must be a returning ISA member and shall preside over all official business of the
organization. He/She shall ensure that the Constitution is maintained and upheld. The
president shall preside over the executive board meetings. The president must represent ISA
at all official invitations the organization accepts or must delegate the role to someone to
cover her/his place.

2. Vice President: Shall be the presiding officer of all official business of the organization in the
absence of the president and shall assist the president in fulfilling the leadership of the
organization. The Vice President will work with the President to prepare agendas for every
executive meeting and distribute a copy of the agenda to each Board Member at the
beginning of each meeting.

3. Treasurer: Shall be placed in trust of all monies received by the organization. The person
holding this office will be responsible for disbursing the organization’s funds upon
requirements according to the rules stated in the by-laws. He/she must keep an accurate
account of all money received or disbursed. He/She shall be responsible for submitting
reimbursements for all approved financial transactions conducted on behalf of ISA.

4. Secretary: Shall be responsible for recording the minutes at the organization’s meetings. The
secretary will also be responsible for assisting the president with keeping the organizations
calendar and also maintain an accurate account of the organization’s membership. The
secretary should maintain a copy of the constitution and by-laws of this organization and
keep in readiness to use when called for at any meeting where he/she is recording
proceedings. The Secretary shall work with the Public Relation officer to fill out all the
paperwork and formalities for all of ISA’s meetings and events.

5. Senator: Shall be responsible for attending Student Government Association meetings and to
report the events of such meetings to the executive board. The senator shall also be
responsible for assisting the president and treasurer with grant request proposals for SGA
funding.

6. Information Technology Coordinator: Shall be responsible for maintaining the organization’s

website. He/she shall work with the secretary in posting information on upcoming events.
This person will also be responsible for assisting the executive body with information
needed to make decisions on procurements for the organization.

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 7. Public Relations and Membership Officer: Shall be responsible for increasing the awareness
of ISA for the general McNeese community by publicizing ISA organized activities, speaking
on behalf of the Association when necessary, and coordinating the design, compilation, and
distribution of all publications, fliers, and invitations.

Section 3: All executive board members are obliged to report the progress of organization’s work to
the executive board on a weekly basis.

Section 4: If necessary, a member can be recruited by the executive board as an officer to assist the
executive board in organization activities. The recruited officer shall abide by all the rules,
regulations, responsibilities, and rights as described in the constitution.

Article 4: Faculty/Staff Advisor

Section 1: The Faculty/Staff Advisor is to be elected annually. The individual’s prior consent is
necessary. The advisor may attend the organization’s meetings, and may make recommendations in
regard to the ISA policies and procedures. The advisor will not vote on issues presented to the
executive board.

Article 5: Meetings

Section 1: The general student meetings of the ISA shall be held at least once each month at a pre-
determined date or as determined by the executive board.

Section 2: Executive board meetings shall be held at least twice each month or as determined by the
executive board.

Section 3: Emergency Meetings (executive or general) can be called by the president or the vice-
president whenever deemed necessary.

Article 6: Financial Support

Section 1: The finances of this organization will come from fund raising projects, individual
contributions, dues, affiliated organizations funding, and the McNeese SGA.

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Article 7: Elections and Appointments

Section 1: All officers shall be elected by the general student membership by the means of voting.

Section 2: Nominations- The ISA executive committee will begin taking nominations of candidates
two weeks before the election date. Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by other
ISA members. Candidates must confirm their nomination by submitting a note of intent to the ISA
office. Aspiring members can submit a letter of intent for only one position.

Section 3: All officers must be enrolled as a fulltime student at McNeese and must have attended the
university for at least two semesters (semester requirement does not apply to graduate students)
and be in good academic standing. All officers should have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or
higher at the time of election and during their time of office. Elected executive members should have
prior involvement in ISA.

Section 4: Voting for elected executive committee positions will take place during the last general
meeting in April of each academic year. The aspiring candidates will be allowed to give a 2-minute
presentation to the general ISA body on their intent during the general meeting.

Section 5: In the event that an executive member resigns or is removed from office in accordance
with Section 3, Article 2 on Membership, the executive board will elect a member of the organization
(with its approval) to fill that office in accordance with Section 3, Article 3.

Section 6: Changes to faculty advisors can only be made at the beginning of an academic year, except
in the event that an advisor voluntarily resigns the position.

Section 7: A 2/3 majority executive board vote is required to remove or replace an executive board
member or faculty advisor.

Section 8: In an event that there are no executive board members willing to apply for the office of
President and Vice President, these positions will be made open to any member with an active
involvement in the organization. In such cases, nominations to these office positions shall be
interviewed and elected by the outgoing executive board and the faculty advisor.

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Article 8: Amendment of Constitution

Constitutional Amendments can be proposed in writing by any member of the organization. The
executive board will vote to amend the constitution. Amendment(s) require a 2/3 majority vote by the
executive board in order to be passed. The students in attendance will then vote upon the amendment(s) at
the meeting where the amendment(s) are presented. A 2/3 membership majority vote will qualify the
amendment proposal to be brought before the Student Government Association for approval. Amendment(s)
passed by the organization will then be submitted to the Student Government Association for approval. Upon
approval by the SGA, the change(s) will be made in the constitution.

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