Mission Statement

Collective Constitution

Statement of Purpose 

This is a space for students of color to seek refuge from white-dominated environmental and social justice spaces, to learn more about the intersections between environmental and social justice, and to foster conversation about environmental racism and justice.

Statement of Uniqueness 

A group that centers marginalized voices surrounding topics of environmental and social justice does not exist yet in UC Berkeley. This group will create a healing space for those voices and hold events, mentorship programs, and an environmental justice group to allow growth within and outside this community.

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Student Organization Name: Students of Color Environmental Collective

Date Prepared: March 7th 2016

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Article I - Name

Students of Color Environmental Collective, SoCEC or SCEC

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Article II - Purpose

This group is intended to be a healing space for students of color to seek refuge from white-dominated environmental and social justice spaces, to learn more about the intersections between environmental and social justice, and to raise conversation about environmental racism and justice on and off-campus. If you self identify as a person of color, this is a space for you to share thoughts, experiences, ideas, and educational resources. It is also a space for venting, dialogue, and healing, as well as planning future events, organizing, and outreach. Please be respectful of this space as existing for students of color, and of the privacy of people in our community.

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Article III - Membership

We ask people to respect this space as a space existing for students of color.

Only currently registered students, faculty, and staff may be active members in a registered student organization. Only active members may vote or hold office.

We will not haze according to California State Law.

We will not restrict membership based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer related or genetic characteristics), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services (including membership, application for membership, performance of service, application for service, or obligation for service in the uniformed services).

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Article IV - Officers & Elections

This organization aims to maintain a horizontal structure that allows for even new members to be as involved in the leadership as they desire. Therefore, there are no specific titles or positions. There is a core team of members who take on a majority of the responsibility, and this core is operated with equal power distributed among members. Our group consists of four project committees: Event Planning, Internal Operations, Mentorship Programming, and the Environmental Justice Working Group. The Internal Operations committee takes on the operational responsibility of the group to ensure that the functional needs are being met. However, members involved in other committees can participate as core members by actively working to maintain the functionality of their committees. Members can also be a part of more than one committee. Every meeting has a voluntary facilitator, which switches every week, and every role and responsibility also rotates based on voluntary effort and proposed need.

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There are no specific titles or positions in our organization. Our executive committee is a team of core members who are actively involved in maintaining the functionality of our group and its project committees. Each committee consists of project leaders who fulfill leadership roles in the project. Our Internal Operations committee’s purpose is to fulfill the functional and operational needs of our organization and its members.

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The process we agreed on recognizes that we vote for the space and community, and not as individuals. Someone proposes a motion, and someone else seconds it. Afterwards we ask questions, clarifying questions, pose concerns, comments and proceed to soft objections and hard objections. Three soft objections blocks a motion and returns or tables the motion. One hard objection has the power to block a motion (like with three soft objections) and is understood to be used when parties have such strong feelings on the motion as to leave the organization if their concern is not addressed. A vote is then made and passes with a 2/3 majority. We will uphold a quorum of 5, or minimum number of parties required to be present in order to make an official decision with this process.

There will be no elections. However, every semester we will renew the process of signing up for committees to give members the opportunity to reevaluate their interests and to work on what they are most interested in.

There are no officers. Core members serve as long as they so desire.

Core members can serve as primary contact and signatories

There is no officers to be removed, but if core members choose to leave the group we respect their decision to do so.

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Article V - Meetings

The organization will meet once a week for at least an hour

The weekly meetings are facilitated with any member that takes it upon themselves the week before. The meetings are posted to a listserv and a facebook group for anyone who wants to join in on meetings.

Our quorum is five members.

In case of emergency, we will notify our core messaging platform and assemble within 48 hours to vote on a consensus with 5 people as quorum.

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Article VI - Constitutional Amendments

Any member of the organization can propose an amendment.

Someone proposes a motion, and someone else seconds it. Afterwards we ask questions, clarifying questions, pose concerns, comments and proceed to soft objections and hard objections. Three soft objections blocks a motion and returns or tables the motion. One hard objection has the power to block a motion (like with three soft objections) and is understood to be used when parties have such strong feelings on the motion as to leave the organization if their concern is not addressed. A vote is then made and passes with a 2/3 majority. We will uphold a quorum of 5, or minimum number of parties required to be present in order to make an official decision with this process. All amendments, additions or deletions to this document must be filed with the LEAD Center in 432 Eshleman Hall.

The required period of time is 48 hours [between the proposed amendment and a final vote]. 

We would post on the facebook group and send it out on the listserv [to notify members that an amendment is going to be voted upon].

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Article VII - Dissolution

The usual method of consensus will occur where someone can propose the motion of dissolution and someone else seconds it. Afterwards we ask questions, clarifying questions, pose concerns, comments and proceed to soft objections and hard objections. Three soft objections blocks a motion and returns or tables the motion. One hard objection has the power to block a motion (like with three soft objections) and is understood to be used when parties have such strong feelings on the motion as to leave the organization if their concern is not addressed.

2/3 of the group has to agree to dissolve the group

If the organization is ASUC or GA Sponsored, all unspent ASUC funds shall return to the ASUC; all Graduate Assembly funds shall return to the Graduate Assembly. If the organization is defunct for five (5) or more years, any privately obtained funds (including any funds left in miscellaneous accounts) shall be donated to the following nonprofit organization: Planting Justice.

In the event that the designated nonprofit organization no longer exists or has ceased to be a nonprofit, then the unspent funds shall be donated to the ASUC.

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