CONSTITUTIOn of TECC STANFORD
A VOLUNTARY STUDENT ORGANIZATOIN

ARTICLE 1
NAME OF ORGANIZATION

The name of this organization is TECC Stanford.

ARTICLE II

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

TECC Stanford provides Stanford students with the opportunity to carry out meaningful social projects to advance education and bridge the digital divide in rural China. We seek to not only promote social entrepreneurship and US-China relations on campus, but also to give interested students the chance to get involved through participating in collaborative social ventures. We believe that the best way to promote social entrepreneurship and foster cultural exchange is through action.

Members coordinate and implement TECC’s educational programs, the core of which consists of short-term online projects in China as well as long-distance education conducted online. These programs are carried out in collaboration with university students from China, as well as interested students from other universities in the United States.

Rationale

We believe that Stanford TECC can have tremendous positive impact for a number of reasons:

–  Student interest: There is tremendous student interest in international social entrepreneurship as well as US-China relations. The success of student groups like Project Dosti and student involvement in programs like Amigos de las Americas demonstrates the widespread interest in international social ventures. But while there are numerous opportunities to get involved in non-profit work in India, Africa, Latin America, and other regions, opportunities in China are lacking. Meanwhile, there is significant student interest in East Asia and China, as evidenced by the growth of groups like ASES, FACES, and ATI. However, while these groups focus on cultural exchange and discussion, TECC Stanford provides students the opportunity to actually collaborate with Chinese students on concrete social ventures.

–  Need in Rural China: Inland agricultural regions, which are home to approximately 70 percent of the population, have missed out on China’s recent economic growth, and many regions still suffer from grave poverty. For example, an agricultural village in the Guizhou Province has a per capita GNP of only 2,463 Yuan ($298), while industrial coastal cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing, have per capita GNP’s 12.5 and eight times greater, respectively. This economic disparity and instability represents a dramatic need for change, especially as China grows to become a driving force in the world economy.

–  US-China relations: US-China relations will take on increasing importance over the next twenty years, and Stanford has taken on a leading role in developing relations between these two countries. By giving students from the US and China the opportunity to work together on meaningful projects, TECC hopes to contribute positively to the development of bi-partisan relations.

Objectives

The two overarching goals of TECC Stanford are to 1) promote social entrepreneurship on campus and to 2) facilitate cross-cultural exchange and collaboration with China. TECC Stanford seeks to achieve these goals through:

–  Providing students with practical, project experience in social entrepreneurship

–  Giving students an opportunity to work together with Chinese students

–  Providing interested students the opportunity to work closely with leading faculty and experts in US-China affairs and education

–  Increasing campus awareness of global social problems and the difficulties facing inlang agricultural regions of China

–  Establishing a network of socially minded individuals in the United States and China to encourage social innovation and collaboration

–  Nurturing future leaders in social ventures

ARTICLE III

ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP

Attendance to TECC Stanford meetings and events are open to all Stanford students, faculty, and staff. Because members are expected to be involved closely with TECC projects, membership will be restricted and determined by an application process. Registered Stanford students are eligible to apply. Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

·  Strong interest in social entrepreneurship and US-China relations

·  Quality of application, including personal statement and previous volunteering experience

·  Time commitment of 5 hours a week, and summer if relevant

·  Attendance of bi-weekly meetings

An applicant will be accepted if the majority of officers votes in support of the applicant.

A member may be expelled by unanimous decision by the officers if he or she is unable to devote the necessary time to projects. The member will be placed on a one-month probationary period during which his or her work will be re-evaluated. At the end of this month, the officers may then choose to fully revoke membership. Revoking membership requires a unanimous vote by the officers.

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS

A. Titles and Responsibilities

The officers of this organization shall be a president, vice president, and chief financial officer who shall be designated the treasurer. Decisions will be made by majority vote. In the event that an officer is not present, decisions will be made by the majority of officers present. The treasurer will keep all records and finances.

B. Election and Removal Process

The officers for the subsequent academic year will be decided by the current officers during spring quarter, with input from the members of the organization. An applicant will be accepted if the majority of officers votes in support of the applicant. Candidates for an officer position must already be members. An officer may be removed from his or her position before the end of the term if the officer is not devoting the necessary time to the organization. The officer must first be placed on probation by unanimous vote of the other officers. During the one-month probationary period, the officer retains all rights and responsibilities of his or her position except the ability to vote in elections. The other officers will review the officer’s performance during this period and at the end of the month, make a decision on whether or not to revoke his or her membership.

C. Length of Term

Officers will serve for an academic year.

Article V – Dissolution of Organization

If and when the group becomes defunct, all assets will be bequeathed to the Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University.

Article VI – Procedure to Amend Constitution

The officers of the group may amend this constitution by unanimous decision.