Inter-cultural Spouses Association

Section 1. The President- She shall preside at all ISA meetings, serve as an advisory member of all ISA committees, affix her signature to all contracts, obligations and correspondence pertaining to ISA policy, be authorized to sign checks in the absence of the Treasurer, approve all standing committee chairpersons and appoint any vacancies thereof and serve as the official representative of the organization and its members.

Section 2. The First Vice President shall coordinate all such projects throughout the club year; assume the presidential duties in the absence of the President, and serve as the Nominating Committee Chairperson (unless she accepts a nomination to an elected office). She shall also serve as the Constitution and Bylaws Review Committee Chairperson and assume other responsibilities as delegated to her by the President.

Section 3. The Second Vice President shall serve as ISA Program Chairperson, coordinating all such programs throughout the club year, and assume other responsibilities as delegated to her by the President.

Section 4. The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of all ISA and Executive Board Meetings and all other official or special meeting of ISA. She shall also distribute copies of the minutes of Board meetings to all Board members prior to subsequent meetings, distribute any correspondence deemed necessary by the President, and serve as custodian of the minutes.

Section 5. The Appointment Secretary shall keep members informed of upcoming meetings, take note of the calendar of activities, and may be required to handle correspondence, phone calls, faxes, e-mail, and other communication to inform concerned parties of ISA meetings, events, and other activities.

Section 6.The Treasurer shall receive, safeguard, disburse, and account for funds and other assets in accordance with policies and procedures established by the ISA Board of Directors and the Membership. She shall also act as custodian of and be responsible for all financial records and accounts pertaining to ISA, and present her books for audit whenever requested by the ISA Board and/or the majority of the Membership.

Section 7. The Auditor shall regularly audit and keep a copy of records of ISA's outstanding funds including bank accounts, accounting sheets of any fund-raising activities, donations and fund disbursement sheets and she shall closely coordinate with the Treasurer to safeguard the records of outstanding assets and liabilities.

Section 8. The Business Manager shall be responsible for making business plans and shall direct its strict implementation. She shall coordinate with other organizations or associations that regularly conduct or join fund-raising activities in Korea. She shall head the Economic Committee as this is mainly tasked with raising ISA funds.

Section 9. The Regional Representatives composed of various individuals representing their respective countries shall act as the voice of the regions they represent. As such, they are required to attend all ISA meetings and inform their co-members from the same country of various issues tackled during such special or regular meetings.

Section 10. The ISA Ex-Officio shall be defined as the ISA President who has just completed her term of office. The Ex-Officio shall be a member of the Advisory Board. If the immediately previous President is unable to serve as Ex-Officio, the position shall remain vacant. She shall serve as a consultant to the Board and all committees and subcommittees, serve as Chairperson of the Nominating Committee if the First Vice President is unable to do so, and shall be a voting member of the Advisory Board.

Section 11. The Committee Chairs:

1. The Economic Chair will be responsible for any fundraising events of ISA, and other economic activities for the purpose of generating funds for the organization.

2. The PR and Promotion Chair will be responsible for ISA news releases for radio, television and newspapers, club posters and coordination of media coverage of club events. In addition, she will coordinate the taking of pictures of ISA activities, collect news clippings, maintain historical records of ISA, and prepare a yearbook.

3. The Social and Hospitality Chair will coordinate each monthly coffee meeting, be responsible for name tags, hostesses, raffle prizes, the club bulletin board, babysitting, books and members necessary to assist in these areas, arrange for vendors and contract for all refreshments.

4. The Membership Chair will be responsible for taking memberships and dues, issuing Membership cards, maintaining an updated list of members, pass all membership revisions to the Corresponding Secretary and Editor as they occur, and coordinating the preparation and publication of the Membership Directory and any updates.

5. The Orientation Chair will offer on-going activities to assist newcomers in Korea.

6. The Social Interest Chair will serve as a liaison between the various interest groups of ISA and its Board members, be responsible for recruiting chairpersons and members for established interest groups, and establish new groups as needed by the expressed interest of the Membership.

7. The Trips and Tours Chair will coordinate the cultural trips and tours of ISA.

8. The Education Committee or Children's Program Chair is responsible for planning ISA's major children's holiday events each year, as well as any other events or programs which focus on children. These events will usually coordinate with holidays such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter etc., but may be held at the discretion of the Chairperson and the Children's Program Committee.

9. The Education Chairperson is responsible for arranging educational or cultural classes for ISA members. Classes may include but are not limited to cooking classes, Korean classes, Pottery making, Korean Art classes, and Fan Dancing.

10. The Husbands Gathering Chair is responsible for organizing activities for ISA member spouses.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. Eligibility: All non-Korean women with a Korean spouse, who have been married for more than a year, and have a general knowledge of Korean culture, shall be qualified to run for office.

Section 2. To be eligible for office, a person must have been an active member in good standing with the organization for a period of one year prior to the date of the election.

Section 3. The Elections Committee shall conduct all general and special elections of the organization.

Section 4. Forty-five days prior to the date of the election, the Elections Committee shall notify all members of the opening of nominations for office.

Section 5. To be nominated a candidate must submit to the Elections Committee a petition containing the signatures of twenty members of the organization or ten (10) per cent of the membership, whichever is the smaller, for the office sought. Said petitions must be submitted no later than thirty (30) days following the notice of then opening of nominations.

Section 6. The Elections Committee shall prepare and send ballots in such manner as to ensure the secrecy of the ballot no later than fifteen (15) days following the close of nominations.

Section 7. A majority of the ballots cast shall determine the election. In the absence of a majority the Elections Committee shall conduct a run-off election among the two candidates who have received the most votes for the office in question using the procedure specified in Section 6.

Section 8. Successful candidates shall assume office within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the election.

Section 9. With the exception of the President, or in case of a recall, all vacancies shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

Section 10. A petition signed by sixty (60) members or thirty per cent (30%) of the membership, whichever is smaller, and stating specific grounds shall be sufficient to require the Elections Committee to conduct a re-call election of any officer specified in the petition under the procedures in Section 6. If an officer is recalled, the Elections Committee shall hold a special election under the procedures in Sections 5 and 6.

Section 11. General elections shall be held every year and hence the elected officers shall have a term of one year.

Section 1. ISA shall collect a non-refundable annual membership fee in the total amount of W20,000 from its members or as determined by the Executive Board.

Section 2. ISA shall conduct fund-raising activities such as food festivals, food catering, bazaars, flea markets, and other income generating activities as long as it not contrary to any Korean law.

Section 3. All money ISA receives through various activities, fundraisers, donations and the like shall be placed in the General Treasury.

Section 4. After its initial approval, the ISA Executive Board shall present an annual proposed detailed budget to the General Membership for approval before the start of a fiscal year. Expenditure in excess of the approved budget must be approved in advance by the Executive Board.

Section 5. No dividend or profit shall be distributed to the members, individually or collectively.

Section 6. As an organization, ISA is not responsible for any personal liability or property damage that may occur during club functions.

Section 7. Each year the ISA Board shall determine the amount for the annual dues that must be paid by each member. Full dues shall cover an entire fiscal year from June 1st to May 31st. Those who wish to join ISA in February, March, and April, or May shall pay half dues to cover costs associated with the rest of the year.

Section 1. ISA shall hold its bi-monthly meetings on Saturday mornings.

Section 2. The ISA Board of Directors shall hold regular-scheduled meetings once a month at a time and place designated by the President. A quorum for the ISA Board of Directors meetings shall not be less than a majority of the total Board members.

Section 3. The President may call a special meeting when deemed necessary to discuss and vote on certain matters. Standard Members shall be notified within 3 days after the meeting takes place stating the reason for the meeting and the outcomes.

This Constitution may be amended at any regular or special meeting of ISA by a vote of two-thirds of the members present. The ISA Board of Directors shall give written notice of the proposed constitutional amendments to members at least four weeks prior to such a meeting.

Section 1. A resolution to consider the dissolution of ISA may be made at any time by any Standard member of ISA. The resolution to consider the dissolution must be presented to the ISA Executive Board. If the matter has a majority vote, then the ISA Executive Board Members will notify all members in writing of such a resolution and then decide how to distribute all ISA assets upon its dissolution.

Section 1. In the expediency of service and upon the founding of ISA, interim officers may be appointed, through a consensus, among ISA founding members.

Section 2. The positions to be filled are as follows:

• President

• Vice-President

• Appointment Secretaries

• Treasurer

• Auditor

• Business Manager

• Regional Representatives

• Standing Committee Chairs

Section 3. The duties and responsibilities of the appointed officers are the same as those mentioned in Article V of the ISA Constitution.

Section 4. The term of the appointed officers will expire at a time of the scheduled general election to be held one year after the founding of ISA.

Section 5. The outgoing Interim President will serve as an Ex-officio Member of the ISA Board of Advisers and she shall continue in her duty to advise and supervise the functioning of the organization.

Section 1. The Election Year shall extend from May 1st to April 30th.

Section 2. The Fiscal Year shall begin June 1st and end on May 31st.

Section 1. Committees shall be formed for the purpose of carrying out the routine functions of ISA.

Section 2. The ISA Board can add new chairpersons, as it deems necessary. All new chairpersons will be voting members of the ISA Board and have the same rights and responsibilities as any other committee chairperson.

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, but only by a vote of a majority of Standard Members present. The Members shall have been given a five (5) day notice in writing of the proposed amendments.