Article I: Name and Purpose

1.    The name of the Organization shall be Wharton Latino Undergraduate Association, hereafter abbreviated to “Wharton Latino.” 

2.    The mission of Wharton Latino is:

a.    To promote and bring together the Latino community at Penn.

b.    To serve as a gateway for students to learn more about Latin America and its culture, by holding various professional, social, community service, and educational events.

3.    Wharton Latino is a member of the Wharton Council, absent any determinations about Wharton Latino’s membership by the body in question.

4.    Wharton Latino is a member of the Latino Coalition, absent any determinations about the group’s membership of this body.

Article II: Officers

5.    Between meetings of the General Body, the affairs of Wharton Latino shall be conducted by the Executive Board, hereafter referred to as “the Board,” comprised of such Officers as are provided in Article II, Section 6. 

6.    The Board positions and their respective responsibilities are the following:

a.    President

i.     Call and preside over General and Executive Board meetings,

ii.     Assist in all the duties of other officers,

iii.     Exercise general supervision over all of Wharton Latino’s activities that are in line with Wharton Latino’s mission and vision;

                 iv.     Attend Wharton Council’s Leadership Session each semester.

                  v.     Send out a feedback survey every quarter, after which one-on-ones with the rest of the officers will be scheduled.

b.    Vice-President

                  i.     Serve as acting President in the President’s absence or incapacity,

                  ii.     Coordinate Wharton Latino’s relations with other student groups, particularly other associations of Latin American and Latino students;

                  iii.     Serve as the main liaison between Wharton Latino and WHALASA, making sure that any event that WHALASA hosts that is also relevant to undergraduates is advertised to Wharton Latino members.

                  iv.     Manage relation with alumni and maintain alumni database

c.     Treasurer

i.     Prepare Wharton Latino’s annual budget and all financial submissions;

ii.     Ensure the proper collection and appropriation of all revenue and the payment of all debts;

iii.     Maintain full and complete financial records, and presenting these for inspection by the Wharton Council, University’s Student Life, and the Executive Board;

iv.     Attend Wharton Council’s Leadership Session each semester.

d.    Marketing Chair

i.     Spearhead the club’s marketing initiatives (including, but not limited to, merchandise, social media, event creation/difusion, logo and image design etc.)

ii.     Manage Wharton Latino’s website

iii.     Seek opportunities for exposure outside the WL group (e.g. publications)

iv.     Act as supporting role to other chairs in their marketing endeavors

e.    Administrative Chair

i.     Maintain full and complete records of General Body Meetings, Executive Board Meetings, and club events;

ii.     Create and upkeep the club’s databases and list-serve;

iii.     Coordinate communication between the Executive Board and the General Body.

f.      Corporate Chair (2)

i.     Foster and maintain Wharton Latino’s relationship with corporate recruiters and sponsors;

ii.     Organize and coordinate any corporate related events, including, but not limited to the Annual Career Conference.

iii.     Seek to increase WL’s sponsorship base by reaching out to potential new sponsors

g.    Philanthropy Chair

i.     Identify charities and organizations that Wharton Latino may work with to improve the living conditions and education opportunities for underprivileged people in Latin America;

ii.     Look for opportunities to contribute to the greater Philadelphia community;

iii.     Organize and coordinate philanthropic events, including, but not limited to the Annual Valentine’s Day Rose Sale.

h.    Social Chairs

i.     Plan and coordinate any social gatherings to be held by Wharton Latino;

ii.     Work with other University clubs to host events in partnership with them;

iii.     Organize and coordinate annual events, including, but not limited to the Freshmen Dinner, Senior Farewell, and End-of-the Year BBQ.

i.      Latin American Affairs Chair

i.     Draft a weekly newsletter with 9-10 news articles relevant to Latin America.

ii.     Give a 5 minute brief during GBMs on the current state of

iii.     Draft a potential list of speakers at the beginning of each semester with the help of the board, and lead the planning of ideally one speaker event per semester.

7.    All positions have tenure of one calendar year. In the event that the candidates for Social Chair and Community Service Chair will be abroad during one of the semesters of their tenure, they will be allowed to be voted into the position in conjunction with another candidate. The candidates should work in full coordination while both are at Penn. In the extreme cases, the Board will evaluate applications for a double candidacy in other positions and inform the General Body of its decision.

8.    A simple majority of the Board shall constitute quorum for all Executive Board meetings. The President has veto power.

9.    The term of the President shall end at the Elections Meeting, and the terms of the successor shall then begin.

 10. The other officers will be selected through an application process.

a.    Immediately following elections, applications will be sent out to prospective members of Wharton Latino, all of which are eligible to apply to a board position.

b.    The incoming president, leaving president, and all other board members not running for a position will then review the applications and decide on which applicants to interview.

c.     Interviews will then be scheduled, each of 15 minutes in duration, and in person unless candidate is unavailable, for which a videoconference interview will suffice.

d.    Based on the interview, the application, and their own judgment, the incoming president, leaving president, and board members not running for a position will then selected the rest of the officers of the new Wharton Latino Board.

Article III: Membership

11. All undergraduate students of the University of Pennsylvania who are interested in Latin America or Latin American culture and/or business opportunities in the region are eligible to be members of Wharton Latino. 

12. All prospective members become active members after participating in a number of events determined by the board at the end of the spring semester. If absent one semester (freshmen, abroad, or new member) then one semester of meeting the requirements will suffice. 

13. All committee members are automatically active members.

Article IV: Elections 

14. The General Body shall elect the President at the Elections Meeting.

15. Only active members (requirements for active member consideration can be found above) of Wharton Latino are eligible to vote for the President.

16. Non-active members may be given voting rights on a case by case basis after a board evaluation. 

17. Candidates for Presidency must have served as a Board member for a previous term.

a.    In the event that the candidates for President will be abroad during one of the semesters of their tenure, they will be allowed to be voted into the position in conjunction with another candidate that will be on campus for the entirety of the term.

18.  The Board sets the date for the Elections Meeting, which should be the last General Body Meeting of the fall semester. 

19. The election process begins with a self-nomination process through the submission of an application via email. The President will then review the applications and approve competent candidates to run for office.

20. The Elections Meeting procedure shall be conducted as follows:

a.    Ballots will be given to eligible voting members at the beginning of the meeting.

b.    Each candidate will have 3 minutes to give their speech, followed by a 5 minute Q&A session.

c.     Once all candidates have presented, voting members will submit their ballots, which will then be counted by either a third-party organization or by the president and another board member.

d.    If the candidate runs uncontested, a speech will have to be delivered to active members and a Q&A session will follow.

21. Candidates unable to attend the Elections Meeting are allowed to run by sending an oral statement, visual presentation, speaking through a videoconference service (i.e. Skype), or having someone speak on their behalf.

22. If an active member is not able to make the Elections Meeting, sending a proxy vote to the current president or third party 12 hours before the elections are held will suffice. 

23. Resignation and replacement should be dealt on a case by case basis under the President’s discretion.

Article V: Structure

24. The Club is comprised of the Board, General Body, and three committees: Marketing, Community Service, and Social. Membership of these committees is determined through an application process. These committees will be presided over by the respective Board member.

25. Applications are sent out to the club at the beginning of the spring semester, and any prospective member is eligible to apply to be part of the committee. 

26. The committee head reviews the applications for their respective committee, and then selects the new members with the help of the board. 

27. Each committee member will have a term of one calendar year.

28. Each committee is limited to a maximum of three members, unless a greater number is discussed by the board and considered appropriate.

Article VI: Meetings

29. General Body Meetings will be held at least once a month.

30. Board Meetings will be held every week at a time set at the beginning of each semester, independent of whether there is a general body meeting coming up.

31. Additional General Body Meetings or Board Meetings can be called at the discretion of the President. 

32. Minutes of Board Meetings will be taken by the Secretary and will be made available to the Executive Board.

Article VII: Funds

33. The expenses that Wharton Latino incurs in normal operations are financed by the Wharton Council and by corporate funding.

34. The Treasurer is responsible for reporting budget figures and other necessary information to the Wharton Council and the Wharton Undergraduate Division.

35. With the approval of the President, the Director of Student Life will provide authorization for appropriate expenses.

36. Internal financial records will be updated on a monthly basis and results will be available to the Executive Board.

Article VIII: Amendments 

37. The Constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the members of the Executive Board. All amendments of the Constitution shall be presented by the Board or on a petition of at least ten (10) active members. No amendment to the Constitution may be considered without being presented to the Executive Board at least one week prior to the meeting at which it will be considered.