Bylaws

Bylaws – Highlander Abroad Advisory Committee (HAAC)

Introduction

In the Spring of 2019 the student body of the University of California, Riverside (UCR) approved implementation of a Highlander Abroad Referendum (HAR) fee of $2.00 per quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer) for all undergraduate students in support of expenses related to learning abroad, less the “return to aid” portion (25% or $.50 per student/per quarter off the top). The HAR fee is intended to fund student services, programming, projects, leadership, employment, and operational support directly related to learning abroad. The HAR also required that an HAR Committee be established to submit Bylaws for review and endorsement by the UCR Campus Counsel, to make annual recommendations to the UCR Chancellor or her/his designate as to how the HAR funds should be used, and to report on the use of the HAR funds annually.

The intent of the HAR is to allow the Education Abroad office to expand programming and services to better meet UCR undergraduate students’ needs by:

Supporting engagement with the campus community with valuable, high-quality and academically sound education abroad programming;
Providing culturally relevant domestic programs (e.g., study away programs for students unwilling to leave the US);
Supporting staff to assist students with travel resources, e.g. airfare and room & board;
Supporting Worldfest Education Abroad Fair and Passport Fair;
Supporting Peer mentoring and peer education programs;
Providing support for marketing materials and resources that match rebranding of the Education Abroad Office, program offerings, and support services;
Providing operational support for cultural awareness and adaptation programs as the costs of campus services continue to increase.

Article I: Name of Committee

This committee shall be known as the Highlander Abroad Advisory Committee (hereafter, referred to as the “Committee”) of the University of California, Riverside.

Article II: Statement of Purpose & Purview

Section A: Assistance to the Chancellor

Under the authority of the Chancellor or Chancellor’s designate, the Committee shall be charged annually with submitting a recommendation on the allocation of HAR funds for the ensuing fiscal year to the Chancellor.
The Committee shall advise the Chancellor on matters of broad policy and specific programs in an atmosphere of mutual responsibility. Toward this end, the Committee shall submit reviews of programs and uses of HAR funds on a regular schedule (e.g., annually, at the closing of the fiscal year).

Section B: Review of HAR Funds

The Committee shall conduct an annual review of all programs funded through HAR funds to assess the appropriateness of HAR funding. See Appendix A for purpose of funding.
The Committee shall focus attention on uses of HAR funds, which benefit students and are complementary to, but not part of, the instructional program.

Article III: Members

Section A: General Composition

General Composition: Thirteen (13) members to include seven (7) UCR undergraduate students (with voting privileges) nominated by the Education Abroad staff; 3 staff members representing Education Abroad (ex-officio non-voting); two faculty members to include one nominated faculty by the Education Abroad staff and the faculty member serving on the UCEAP Council of Campus Directors (ex-officio non-voting); and one staff member (ex-officio non-voting) nominated by the Chancellor or the Chancellor's designate to provide administrative support.
- a. Seven (7) voting undergraduates; four nominated students who may not have participated on the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) or the June 3, 2020 Faculty Led Education Abroad Program (FLEAP) and three nominated students who may have participated on UCEAP, OAP or FLEAP.
- Three (3) ex officio non-voting staff members.
- Two (2) ex officio non-voting faculty members; one faculty nominated by a College Dean, (to be rotated across the undergraduate colleges, beginning with CHASS) and the faculty member serving on the UCEAP Council of Campus Directors. If the faculty member serving on the UCEAP Council of Campus Directors has dual roles within the Education Abroad office, an alternate faculty member will be nominated in their place.
- One (1) ex-officio non-voting staff member appointed by the Chancellor or the Chancellor & designate to provide administrative support.
If a Committee member is unable to attend scheduled meetings, an alternate member may be appointed by the Education Abroad staff. If the Committee member is absent more than two (2) times, they will forfeit their quarterly $500 stipend and voting rights. Alternate members will have voting rights but will not receive a stipend unless called to serve as a voting member.
A Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson should be selected each new year and voted on by the Committee members prior to the end of the spring quarter of the previous year.
The voting undergraduate members of the Committee shall be eligible to receive remuneration of $500 for every quarter of service on this committee. A student’s remuneration and right as a voting member is forfeited for a quarter if that student misses more than one unexcused Committee meeting in that quarter.

Section B: Alternates

Any selecting body may recommend alternates in addition to regular members for the purpose of training and replacement should a regular member drop out, or should a regular member not be able to attend a meeting.
Alternates shall participate in all phases of Committee and Subcommittee work, but do not hold voting privileges, unless filling in for a voting member who is not able to attend a regularly scheduled meeting.
In the event of a regular Committee member’s termination or incapacity to fulfill the Committee member’s duties, an alternate may be elevated to regular member status upon recommendation of the Education Abroad staff member nominating the regular member, approval by the Committee, and final approval by the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate.
Once elevated, alternates shall receive the same remuneration as regular Committee members during fall, winter, and spring quarters; provided such committee member actively participate in Committee and Subcommittee meetings, as determined by Chair and these Bylaws.

Section C: Terms of Office

All Committee members shall be appointed for an annual term (commencing in the fall quarter in the inaugural year and commencing on 1 July thereafter) and serve until the next appointments are announced.
Reappointment of members shall be permitted and should take place in the spring quarter for the following academic year; when possible, half of the members can be appointed for the following year, to ensure continuity.

Section D: Removal

Committee members may be removed for failure to carry out responsibilities as outlined in the Bylaws. Removal of a Committee member is initiated by the Committee and requires consultation with the appointing department and the approval by the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate. The removal shall not form a basis for remuneration by the person removed.

Section E: Conflict of Interest

An individual: (1) who serves in a direct administrative capacity; (2) receives salary from an HAR funded program; or (3) who otherwise has a significant interest in a particular HAR funded program, upon consultation with the Committee Chair, may participate in discussions prior to any vote with respect to such interest, but shall not cast a vote. Members should inform the Committee Chair, in advance, if they have a potential conflict on a given budget.

Section F: Committee Staff

Professional staff assistance for the Committee shall normally be provided by the Vice Provost of International Affairs and the Strategic Executive Administrative Team for the preparation, distribution, and interpretation of budget materials and other information.
Other staff assistance may be requested and secured by the Committee.
No staff member shall be considered a Committee member for the purposes of voting or establishing a quorum.

Article IV: Officers

Section A: Chair

Qualifications: Only a student member of the Committee with at least two quarters of service on the Committee shall be eligible to become chair. Should no student meet this qualification, the Committee is then permitted to select a Chair with no prior service on the Committee.
Selection: Members shall elect the Chair by majority vote, and a quorum will be required for the selection process. The Committee shall interview qualified applicants and then select the Chair for the following academic year.
Term of Office: Term of office shall commence July 1, except for the inaugural year, which shall commence on October 1, 2019.
Duties:
- Ensure, with the assistance of the Committee, the implementation and integrity of the Bylaws;
- Preside over all meetings of the full Committee; represent the Committee in official correspondence of contact with members of the University community;
- Prepare and submit final reports and recommendations for the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate for approval.
Removal: The Chair may be removed only by a majority vote of the members and not just a majority vote of the quorum. Any removal shall not form a basis for remuneration by the person removed.

Section B: Vice-Chair

Perform duties assigned at the discretion of the Chairperson.
Fulfill duties of the Chairperson when Chairperson is unable to perform such duties and where the Chairperson has resigned or has been removed until a new Chairperson has been elected pursuant to these Bylaws.

Section C: Other Officers

Members of the Committee shall exercise their collective judgment to create any other offices they deem necessary for the fair and efficient operation of the Committee.
Qualifications, method of selection, term of office, duties, and method of removal shall be specified by amendment to the Bylaws for any office created by the Committee.
Any removal of officers shall not form a basis for remuneration by the person removed.

Article V: Meetings

Section A: Regular

The Chair shall call at minimum one meeting per term of the Committee at intervals deemed necessary by the Committee and sufficient to discharge Committee responsibilities detailed in Article VIII of the Bylaws.

Section B: Special

The Chair at the request of any member may call special meetings of the Committee.

Section C: Notice and Time

Prior notice of all Committee meetings shall be made public through the widest possible channels, allowing a reasonable length of time for response by members and affected parties.All meetings, unless pursuant to Article V, Section G below, shall be open to the public.
Time of meetings shall not be set to deliberately thwart public scrutiny of Committee operations.

Section D: Quorum

Quorum for both regular and special meetings shall consist of five (5) voting members.

Section E: Absences

Any unexplained absences as deemed by the Chair and Vice-Chair from regular meetings by a regular voting member or a record of consistent neglect of Subcommittee responsibilities of any member shall be reported to the appropriate selecting Department within two business days. Members with two (2) absences are subject to removal or censure.

Section F: Minutes

Minutes, including the date, time, place, names of members present and absent, and an accurate summary of arguments and decisions made, shall be maintained and provided by the Committee to all members and any member of the University community upon request.

Section G: Executive Session

A meeting may be declared an executive session and closed to the public by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Committee. Cause for the executive session shall be contained in the main motion.
The following shall be considered the only possible grounds for calling an executive session.
- Discussion of personnel matters;
- Discussion of final budget allocations and guidelines as detailed in Article VII.
Any Committee action taken in executive session, which does not reflect the announced cause(s) for the executive session, shall be considered null and void.

Article VI: Voting

Each voting member shall cast only one (1) vote.
There shall be no voting by proxy on the Committee.
Motions pass with simple majority, other than removal of the Chairperson per Article IV A. 5.
Voting and discussion must be held separately. Discussion will occur first, followed by a vote.
All voting will be simultaneous show of hands or secret ballot.

Article VII: Budget Recommendation Process

Section A: Request for Proposals

In Fall Quarter, the Committee shall publish a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for HAR funding annually, which proposals must address one or more of the following:

Support engagement with the campus community with valuable, high quality and academically sound education abroad programming;
Providing culturally relevant domestic programs (e.g., study away programs for students unwilling to leave the US);
Support for staff to assist students with travel resources, e.g. airfare and room & board;
Support for Worldfest Education Abroad Fair and Passport Fair;
Peer mentoring and peer education programs support;
Support for marketing materials and resources that match rebranding of the Education Abroad Office, program offerings, and support services;
Operational support for cultural awareness and adaptation programs as the costs of campus services continue to increase.

Other than the initial 2019-2020 Academic Year, any such proposals must not be duplicative of any proposals contemporaneously made the same academic year to the Student Services Fee Advisory Committee (“SSFAC”) or of programs already currently permanently funded by the Student Services Fee. For the initial 2019-2020 Academic Year, any such proposals may not be duplicative of any proposals contemporaneously made the same academic year to the Student Services Fee Advisory Committee (“SSFAC”) which were indeed funded (or to the extent they were funded) or of programs already currently permanently funded by the Student Services Fee. Programming already permanently funded by the Student Services Fee shall not be reduced by virtue of the HAR to the extent the Student Services Fee budget is solvent. The SSFAC and the RSAC shall coordinate efforts in that regard. The RFP shall clearly identify all relevant instructions and deadlines, including for submissions, presentations and recommendations submissions to the Chancellor or Chancellor’s designate.

Section B: Committee Finalization and Presentation of Recommendations

In Spring Quarter, the Committee may host a general campus meeting to discuss its budget recommendations to the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate for the purposes of:
- Presenting to the University community the broad outlines of Committee priority discussion and final budget recommendations;
- Exchanging views with the University community on any questions regarding the recommendation process, decisions reached, or the nature of any specific program recommendations.
The Committee shall announce and publish recommendations, prior to the transmittal of the total budget recommendations to the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designate

Article VIII: Rules of Order

The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Committee in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws or special rules of order of this Committee.

Article IX: Method of Amendment

These Bylaws shall be amended only by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members following the previous regular meeting at which the proposed amendment shall be proposed in writing. No amendments to the Bylaws shall be made without prior submission for review to UCR Campus Counsel and endorsement of the wording of all such amendments verbatim by UCR Campus Counsel.

Appendix A

Spring 2019 Highlander Abroad Referendum

Introduction:

This referendum acknowledges that we, the undergraduate students of University of California, Riverside (“UCR”) are interested in providing support for Education Abroad Office through establishment of the Highlander Abroad Committee.

The Highlander Abroad Referendum Fee will support the Education Abroad Office in their mission as UCR Students' gateway to high-quality international opportunities by assessing a $2.00 per undergraduate per quarter fee to enhance existing student programs and expand outreach and on- campus programming. Funding will be used to support expansion of programming and services, e.g., Passport Fair which will provide on campus passport services, provide marketing resources for recruitment, and support the expansion of cultural awareness and adaptation programs domestically. By implementing the Highlander Abroad Referendum, we hope to support the Educational Abroad Office in its efforts to facilitate and empower students to enhance their cultural and international experiences while at UC Riverside.

History of Organization:

Study abroad in the UC system began in the fall of 1962, when the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) sent the first students to France to study at the University of Bordeaux. UCR sent their first cohort of 10 students abroad to France and Germany during the academic year of 1963-64. Since then, UCR has provided more than 6,800 students with an international experience. Although UCR has had an incremental increase in the number of students participating abroad between 1963-64 and 2017-18 and added two additional program opportunities, UCR only had 311 participants through UCEAP, Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) and the UCR’s Faculty Led Education Abroad Program (FLEAP) in 2017-18 representing less than 1% of the UCR student population. UC participates in Generation Study Abroad, an initiative through Institute of International Education to double American Study Abroad enrollment. Consequently, UCR pledged to increase the number of UCR students studying abroad by 5% by becoming a Generation Study Abroad Commitment Partner in 2015

Current Funding:

Currently, the Education Abroad Office is supported through State General Funds and has no additional revenue source to support office infrastructure, betterment of student programs and the expansion of outreach. Education Abroad office is currently under the International Affairs office with limited annual budget allocated for education abroad. In addition, the Education Abroad Office receives no funding from fees generated by the fees that students pay to participate in the Education Abroad Program.

Referendum Funding:

If approved, $2.00 will be assessed to all undergraduate students per quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) beginning in the Fall 2019 quarter subject to reaffirmation by the student body every five years thereafter. Of the $2.00 quarterly fee collected from undergraduate students, $.50 will go to student financial aid and $1.50 will support the UC Riverside Education Abroad Office to expand cultural and international experiences that will enhance students’ overall learning opportunities through increased participation in existing student outreach programs on-campus and beyond.

“Return-to-Aid”: In accordance with University of California policy, 25% of the amount collected from this fee ($.50 per quarter) will be returned to UC Riverside students in the form of undergraduate financial aid.

Governance:

The Highlander Abroad Referendum funds directed to Education Abroad Office will be governed by the Highlander Abroad Committee, under the authority of the Vice Provost of International Affairs. The Highlander Abroad Committee will be comprised of five (5) UCR undergraduate students (with voting privileges) in addition to the Education Abroad Office staff, and the Education Abroad Office Faculty Director. The Highlander Abroad Committee will submit the Bylaws to UCR's Campus Counsel Office for review and endorsement. Highlander Abroad Committee will recommend to the Vice Provost of International Affairs, for final approval, about how the Highlander Abroad Referendum funds will be utilized. An annual public Highlander Abroad Committee report will summarize the use of the Highlander Abroad Referendum funds and be presented to the ASUCR Senate.

Referendum Passage:

In compliance with UC and UCR policies, this referendum must meet the following criteria during elections to be approved by the student body.

At least 20% of the undergraduate student body must participate in the ASUCR ballot voting
A majority of the votes cast must vote in favor of the issue.

BALLOT LANGUAGE:

Do you support a quarterly fee of $2.00 per undergraduate student to support the Education Abroad Office in its efforts to connect more students to study abroad and international opportunities through the enhancement of student programming, outreach, and infrastructure?

Fee will be effective Fall 2019
Fee will be assessed in Fall, Winter, Spring, & Summer quarters
25% of the fee ($.50) will be returned to student in the form of undergraduate financial aid
$1.50 will fund programs within the Education Abroad Office.

The approval of this referendum would provide for

Increased engagement with the campus community with valuable, high-quality and academically-sound education abroad programming, e.g., providing culturally relevant domestic programs for DACA and non-DACA students.
Increased support for staff to assist students in finding support and resources, e.g., producing marketing materials and resources that match rebranding of the Education Abroad Office, program offerings, and support services.
Increased support for educational abroad peer education programs, e.g., funding to support the Global Opportunities Abroad Leaders and their outreach programs via stipends and expansion of recruitment and returnee programming.

_____Yes, I hereby support the Highlander Abroad Referendum Fee

_____No, I hereby do not support the Highlander Abroad Referendum Fee

International Affairs