LSM Pacific Southwest

PREAMBLE

We, Christian students following in the Lutheran tradition, recognizing our identity in the Christian faith as confessed by the Lutheran churches and living in creative and dynamic relationship with those churches, frame this Constitution to create, empower and encourage a faithful witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in the ever-changing academic community. It is our purpose to enable and facilitate that faithful witness and service to which God calls local communities to faith in the world of higher education.

ARTICLE 1-NAME

The name of this organization shall be Lutheran Student Movement USA, hereinafter referred to as LSM-USA, Pacific Southwest Region, hereinafter referred to as Pac-SW. Pac-SW will be made up of the states of Nevada, California, and Hawaii.

ARTICLE II-PURPOSE

As a region within LSM-USA, Pac-SW will be in conjunction and cooperation with the objective of LSM-USA. Other objectives of this organization shall be:

A. To facilitate and enhance the understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its implications for the professional and occupational life of the believers in the world, and especially in the sphere of higher education;

B. To enable and enlighten participation of believers in the serving ministry of Christ in the world;

C. To encourage active participation in the life and mission of the Lutheran church;

D. To provide programs that meet the educational, fellowship, and recreational needs of members of the organization;

E. To communication and cooperate with fellow Christians in ecumenical concerns, and to provide opportunities for encounter with and witness to non-Christian persons and groups;

F. To provide and encourage involvement with LSM-USA.

ARTICLE III-MEMBERSHIP

Membership in this organization shall consist of:

A. Any part-time or full-time college or university student as defined in ARTICLE I of the Bylaws, graduate or undergraduate, according to official records, shall be eligible as a voting member of this organization and may hold office;

B. Associate members may be persons other than students as defined in ARTICLE II of the Bylaws, as this organization reaches out to all. However, associate members may not vote nor may they hold office;

C. Members, both official and associate, may be entitled to any benefits resulting from the purposes of the organization;

D. School membership in Pac-SW shall be obtained by affiliation with LSM-USA or by participation in a Pac-SW retreat within the past year.

ARTICLE IV-REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

A. The officers of the regional executive committee, hereinafter referred to as the executive committee, of this organization shall consist of: regional representative, regional representative-elect, secretary, treasurer, secretary or international and multicultural concers, hereinafter referred to as SIM-C, and webmaster, as defined in ARTICLE III of the Bylaws, or others as determined by the needs of the organization;

B. The presiding officer of the executive committee shall be the regional representative. In the absence of the regional representative, the other officers of the executive committee shall assume precedence in the order of regional representative-elect, secretary, treasurer, SIM-C, and then webmaster;

C. Officers, having first been nominated, will be elected by the voting members of teh community as defined by ARTICLE IV of the Bylaws.

D. The election of the officers for this organization shall take place at the annual national gathering, with the newly elected officers taking office from January 1st to December 31st of the given year, with the exception of regional representative.

1. If a person is running for a national office, he or she may not run in the same year, at the same annual National Gathering, for a regional office;

E. The regional representative-elect will be elected every year at the annual national gathering, and after completing a full term in that position, they will assume the position of the regional representative.

ARTICLE V-REGIONAL BOARD MEMBERS

A. The make-up of the regional board shall consist of the executive committee and at least one representative or contact member from each campus or affiliated group, who will be referred to as campus representatives;

B. All members of the regional board will attend the regional meetings, retreats, and other events as they are able;

C. The campus representative will be chosen by each individual campus or affiliated group as they are able;

ARTICLE VI-MEETINGS

A. Meetings of members of Pac-SW shall be handled as follows:

1. The members of this organization shall meet at the annual National Gathering to elect the officers of the executive committee and to vote on matters of finance, legislation and other topics;

2. Additional meetings may be called by the staff/advisor or by the executive committee to vote on matters of finance, legislation and other matters as needed.

B. Meetings of the regional board shall be handled as follows:

1. Members of the regional board shall meet once in the spring and once in the fall to meet the needs of the organization; time and location to be determined by the executive committee;

2. Meetings will include the staff of the local organization

3. Additional meetings of the regioanl board may be called as necessary by ethe executive committee or staff.

C. Meetings of the executive committee shall be handled as follows:

1. Members of the executive committee shall meet at the National Gathering after elections, once in the spring, and once in the fall in conjunction with the regional board meetings to discuss matters of finance, legislation and other topics as needed;

2. Members of the executive committee shall remain in contact via email, phone, etc. throughout their term to fulfill their duties, as defined in ARTICLE III of the Bylaws;

3. Additional meetings may be called by any member of the executive committee to discuss any pertinent matters; these meetings may be held in any form of communication convenient to the executive committee.

D. In addition to formal meetings of the members, this organization may offer meetings of:

1. Fellowship (social) events;

2. Bible Studies;

3. Service Projects;

4. Retreats.

ARTICLE VII-REGIONAL RETREATS

A. The planning of the regional retreats shall be coordinated by the regional representative-elect, the hosting school, and other members of the executive committee as necessary. The regional representative-elect shall be responsible for establishing the location of each retreat;

B. There shall be two regional retreats per year, with one in the spring and one in the fall. The dates of each retreat will be decided by the regional board no later than six months in advance;

C. The spring retreat shall be designated as a service retreat. The SIM-C shall help coordinate the service project of this retreat.

ARTICLE VIII-ADVISORS

The staff/advisor of the organization will help to facilitate programs, plan events, and advise the executive committee. This will be achieved as follows;

A. The executive committee shall select two advisors from among campus ministry personnel within the region who serve alternating two-year terms. Multiple terms may be held, but not served consecutively. One advisor shall be selected each year to assume office at the annual National Gathering;

B. The regional advisors will attend the regional meetings, retreats, and other events, as they are able.

ARTICLE IX-DUES

Dues of $30 per campus or affiliated group of the Pac-SW will be collected annually on March 1st to be used as defined in ARTICLE V of the Bylaws.

ARTICLE X-HANDLING OF FUNDS

A. All funds are to be handled through Region 2 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;

B. Persons authorized to sign checks for and withdraw funds from this account shall be: treasurer, regional representative, regional representative-elect, and regional advisors.

ARTICLE XI-AUTHORITY

A. The Constitution and Bylaws of LSM-USA shall supersede the authority of this Constitution;

B. In all matters not covered by its Constitution and Bylaws, Robert's Rules of Order as most recently revised shall govern Pac-SW.

ARTICLE XII-AMENDMENTS

All amendments to this constitution must have a two-third's (2/3) vote of the quorum as defined in ARTICLE VI of the Bylaws, provided that notice of each proposed amendment shall have been given in writing to all member schools.

Pac-SW Regional Bylaws
Lutheran Student Movement-USA

ARTICLE I -DEFINITION OF "STUDENT"

A student is any person who is attending an institution of higher learning or fulfills one of the following requirements:
1. Cooperative education;
2. Graduation in the year prior to a retreat or assembly;
3. Leave of absence/deferral;
4. Student teaching/internship;
5. Matriculation (university paid student status).

ARTICLE II-DEFINITION OF "ASSOCIATE MEMBERS"

An associate member is any person who does not meet the requirements of the definition of a student, as defined in ARTICLE I of the Bylaws, but is still an active participant in campus ministry.

ARTICLE III-REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

A. The regional representative shall perform the following duties as they are able:

be responsible for representing the region at National council meetings in Chicago twice a year;
attend two (2) national gatherings per year - one at the beginning of th e representative's term and one at the end of the term;
keep in contact with LSM intern and the National President adn inform him/her of what is happening within the region;
maintain contact with the executive committee, and the campuses/affiliated ministries in the region;
establish a strong relationship with the campus ministry staff person who serves as the Regional Advisor;
help insure the growth of LSM after the term in office is over - identify future leaders that may need some encouragement;
follow the guidelines set by the National Council in the Regional Representative Handbook

B. The regional representative-elect shall perform the following duties as they are able:

assist the regional representative;
know the finances of the region;
take the place of the regional representative when the regional representative is unable to fulfill his or her duties;
take over as regional representative after one (1) year of shadowing the regional representative;
be responsible for finding a location to host the retreats held twice a year, assist that location in organizing the retreat, and know logistical information for the retreat;
attend LYO (Lutheran Youth Organization) meetings;
help the regional representative to promote LSM and the region in all places

C. The secretary shall perform the following duties as they are able:

maintain the contact information for each school or affiliated ministry in the region;
maintain contact information for the regional board;
produce a newsletter three times a year (one folowing the annual National Gathering, and one in both the spring and fall);
take notes at regional meetings;
send the minutes of the meetings to the executive committee and/or the regional board as applicable

D. The treasurer shall perform the following duties as they are able:

maintain accurate records of money in the region's account;
reimburse money to people with proper receipts (this includes money used for supplies for mailing, regional retreats, etc.)
deposit checks received for dues or donations into the region's account;
send out letters in February to remind the region of dues in March;
keep track of schools/affiliated ministry's dues;
keep track of donations;
write letters of support to alumni;
write letters of support and letters of thanks to donors;

E. The SIM-C shall perform the following duties as they are able:

work closely with the National SIM-C to help LSM become a more inclusive group and facilitate ecumenical and international relations;
help coordinate the spring service retreat;
provide resources to campus ministries about the spring service retreat;
work with Lutherans Concerned and individual campus ministries to live out our involvement in the Reconciling in Christ Program;
encourage racial and ethnic minorities to attend LSM events;
help the region become more welcoming of people from different faith traditions;
refer to guidelines set forth by the national council for other suggestions of duties.

F. The webmaster shall perform the following duties as they are able:

make updates to the region's website as needed;
keep contact information current on the website;
make a list of affiliated schools;
post the newsletter on the website;
announce retreats and provide information on the website;
list service projects on the website;
put national LSM information on region's website, including a link to the national website;
post pictures from various campus ministries and regional retreats;
create and maintain a list serve of the regional board.

ARTICLE IV-VOTING

A. At the annual National Gathering, each voting member shall have one vote in the election of officers, and a majority determine who is elected;

B. Each voting member shall have one vote in all matters presented to him or her by the executive committee, including but not limited to, matters of finance and legislation.

ARTICLE V-DUES

Dues shall be used to pay for the operation of the Pac-SW regiona of LSM-USA. These operation costs include:

regional retreats;
representative's travel to National Council Meetings;
supplies for newsletters and other mailings;
phone calls for regional officers;
promotion of LSM;
additional expenses approved by the executive committee and staff/advisors.

ARTICLE VI-QUORUM

The members at a deliberative session shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VII-AUTHORITY

A. The Constitution and Bylaws of LSM-USA shall supersede the authority of these Bylaws;

B. In all matters not covered by the Constitution and Bylaws, Robert's Rules of Order as most recently revised shall govern the Pac-SW.

ARTICLE VII-AMENDMENTS

All amendments to these bylaws must have a two-third's (2/3) vote of the quorum as defined in ARTICLE VI of the Bylaws, provided that notice of each proposed amendment shall have been given in writing to all members schools.