Anteater Tenants United Bylaws
Current as of February 13, 2023
Clause 1. Throughout these bylaws, majority refers to strictly greater than 50% of the relevant population.
Clause 2. Throughout these bylaws, should a percentage calculation dictate a non-whole number, then the actual required total shall be rounded to the nearest whole number. Numbers ending in .5 should be rounded up.
Clause 3. Throughout these bylaws, all days refer to calendar days, rather than business days.
Clause 4. When calculating quorum for meetings and votes, totals should be taken both from those attending in-person and online.
Clause 1. This organization shall be known as Anteater Tenants United, herein also denoted as ATU for short.
Clause 1. The fiscal year of ATU shall begin on January 1 and end on December 31.
Clause 1. Constituency in ATU shall be extended to all tenants and unhoused people who are either students and/or employees of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), their families, and/or co-residents. This includes, but is not limited to, undergraduate, graduate, and professional students residing in housing controlled by either the University of California, Irvine, or any of the University’s affiliate housing partners (such as American Campus Communities); students or employees renting from nearby units owned and/or operated by the Irvine Company or other rental company in the Southern California area.
Clause 1. Given the present organization of housing at the University of California, Irvine, we hereby recognize the Housing Communities of Middle Earth, Mesa Court, Arroyo Vista, Plaza Verde, Vista del Campo, Vista del Campo Norte, Camino del Sol, Puerta del Sol, Verano Place, Palo Verde, and Campus Village. Further, we identify two additional housing communities: “Off-Campus tenants,” consisting of tenants who do not belong to any of the previously listed communities; and “Unhoused Community,” consisting of constituents without secure, long-term housing. These thirteen (13) communities shall be herein referred as the Recognized Housing Communities.
Clause 2. The above list of Recognized Housing Communities may be altered upon approval by the Executive Board.
Clause 1. All constituents who affirm the principles, vision, and goals of ATU, and are not affiliated with any organization with contrary principles, vision, or goals, shall be eligible to apply for membership in ATU. See Article 3 for the definition of constituent.
Clause 2. Upon completing the documents required for membership, members obtain the status “good standing.” “Good standing” entitles those who hold it to timely document access, full voting privileges, and access to ATU meetings.
Clause 3. Per the ATU Community Agreement, members will honor other members’ terms of self identification. Members will acknowledge the difference between intention and impact, and commit to communicating and acting in ways that are consensual and work to reduce harm.
Repeated violations of the Community Agreement (reported by other members) may result in remediation of harm, which may include possible loss of good standing from ATU.
Clause 4. There shall be no mandatory dues or fees collected in order to either obtain or maintain membership or good standing.
Clause 5. A Membership Meeting shall be held each academic quarter at the University of California, Irvine, with an exception for the summer quarter. Notice of the quarterly meeting time and location shall be sent to membership by email and by posting on the ATU website at least fourteen (14) calendar days in advance. Additional meetings may be held as deemed necessary.
Clause 6. A quorum for Membership Meetings shall consist of twenty (20) members or at least ten percent (10%) of the membership (whichever is lower), including members from at least three (3) of the Recognized Housing Communities, including at least two (2) undergraduate and two (2) graduate members.
Clause 7. Relevant union documents, including anonymized minutes from Membership Meetings, can be viewed by members of ATU in good standing in a timely manner, upon request to the Executive Board. Exceptions are made for documents with sensitive information, including (but not limited to) personal information, membership lists, and legal matters.
Clause 8. Recognized Housing Communities, with the exception of Off-Campus Tenant and Unhoused Community, are expected to hold at least one community meeting per academic year. The time, place, and manner of the meeting shall be the decision of each respective Recognized Housing Community. Notice shall be given to the Executive Board at least sixteen (16) days in advance of the meeting in order to give ample notice of fourteen (14) days to the members of the Housing Community.
Clause 1. A referendum vote of the membership may be held on any action, inaction, or decision of the Executive Board. Such a referendum vote shall be scheduled within thirty (30) days from the presentation of a valid referendum petition to the Executive Board, excepting that no referenda votes shall be held during June, July, August, or September. Petitions may still be gathered and submitted during these months, though the referendum vote itself will be scheduled for October. The membership shall be properly notified of the manner, date, time, and place for any referendum vote at least fifteen (15) days prior to the vote.
Clause 2. A valid referendum petition must clearly and specifically describe the action or inaction of the Executive Board that is in question, and must be signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the members in good standing, including members from at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the Recognized Housing Communities.
Clause 3. The referendum vote shall be by secret ballot. In order for the proposed referendum to pass, at least thirty percent (30%) of members in good standing must participate in the election, including members from at least fifty percent (50%) of the Recognized Housing Communities. A simple majority (>50%) of ballots cast shall then suffice for the referendum to pass.
Clause 1. All elections will be overseen by a democratically elected Elections Committee.
Clause 2. Only members of each Recognized Housing Community are eligible to vote in elections pertaining to that community.
Clause 3. Elections for all officers shall take place in April. Special elections will be held for vacancies as needed. Assumption of duties shall begin the second Monday after elections are held at the latest.
Clause 4. All members in good standing can stand as a candidate for any ATU office for which they are eligible. To become a candidate, the member must submit in writing a statement declaring candidacy according to the policies approved by the Elections Committee, including how their name should appear on the ballot. Each candidate may also submit a candidate statement of up to five hundred (500) words. The deadline for declaring candidacy and submitting candidate statements shall be no sooner than seven (7) days after the call for candidates has been given. After the deadline on declaring candidacy has expired, no election of additional candidates shall be accepted.
Clause 5. The members of ATU shall be notified at least thirty (30) days prior to the April elections to give sufficient time for members to prepare candidate statements and declare their candidacy. The notice shall be announced at the Winter quarterly meeting, distributed via email, and posted on the ATU website.
Clause 6. No fewer than seven (7) days prior to the beginning of the election, the Elections Committee shall create and send a voter guide via email to all members in good standing. This voter guide will contain the time, place, and manner of the election, a list of all candidates for their respective races, and their candidate statements. Candidate statements will also be easily accessible and available during the voting process.
Clause 7. Apart from the resources described in this Article that are to be provided equally to all candidates, no other ATU resources may be used by any candidate to campaign for any ATU office.
Clause 8. The election shall be held no sooner than fourteen (14) days after the candidate declaration deadline. It shall be conducted by secret ballot, and balloting shall be conducted so as to afford all members a reasonable opportunity to vote. Every member must personally cast their vote.
Clause 9. Upon the close of the polls, all ballots shall be conveyed promptly to one location for the ballot count. The Elections Committee shall count the ballots.
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In any race with fewer than three (3) ballot options, a simple majority shall determine the winner.
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Any race with three (3) or more ballot options shall be conducted using a ranked choice ballot. To determine the winner from these ballots, the Elections Committee shall use Copeland’s system with a simple Borda count serving as a tie-breaker. For more information, see the ATU Voting System Document.
Clause 10. Following each election, the Elections Committee shall report in writing the results of the election. Results shall be released by email and posted on the ATU website, no later than two (2) days after polls close. No protests to an election shall be considered unless raised within seven (7) days of the announcement of election results. A protest must be in writing and must be received by the Elections Committee before the deadline.
Clause 11. No member may hold more than one (1) Executive Board position or more than three (3) total positions.
Clause 12. All elected officials shall serve for a term of one (1) year. Consecutive terms shall be permitted.
Clause 1. An elected official, such as an officer or Community Steward, may be recalled by the members they represent for failure to perform the duties of the office as prescribed by these bylaws. In order to recall an elected official, at least ten percent (10%) of the members they represent must sign a valid recall petition, setting forth specific complaints of the officer’s or Community Steward’s failure to perform their designated duties.
Clause 2. A special meeting for recall shall be held within thirty (30) days of the filing of such a petition, except if a valid recall petition is presented after June 1 but before September 2, then the special meeting for recall shall be scheduled for the month of October. The members shall be properly notified of the place, date, and time of any special meeting for recall at least fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting.
Clause 3. Quorum for such a meeting shall be twenty-five percent (25%) of members eligible to vote for the office in question. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those members present at such a special meeting for recall shall be required to recall.
Clause 1. The following Boards and Officers shall be established, and their composition, powers, duties, and further details are outlined in the following articles.
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Bylaws Committee
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Chair
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Two (2) Additional Members
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Elections Committee
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Chair
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Four (4) Additional Members
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Three (3) Alternates
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Executive Board
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Chair of the Elections Committee
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Chair of the Bylaws Committee
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Recording Secretary
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Financial Officer
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Three (3) Elected Community Stewards
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Clause 2. Community Stewards shall informally represent ATU to their neighbors, such as informing neighbors of ATU meetings, raising housing complaints to organizing bodies, and maintaining friendly relations with other tenants.
Clause 3. To become a Community Steward, a member in good standing shall submit a statement of intent to fulfill the duties of Community Steward, as defined in Clause 2, to the Executive Board for approval. The Executive Board shall present a training to the Community Steward outlining suggested best practices and duties of the Steward.
Clause 4. Community Stewards shall be subject to Recall under Article 8, despite not being formally elected.
Clause 1. The Executive Board shall be composed of the Chair of the Elections Committee, the Chair of the Bylaws Committee, Financial Officer, the Recording Secretary, and three (3) Elected Community Stewards. All Board members have equal say in all matters pertaining to the Union, including equal voting power on all actions and decisions internal to the Executive Board. Of these positions at least one must be held by an undergraduate student and one held by a graduate student.
Clause 2. The Executive Board shall hold regular monthly meetings, with the exception of the Summer Quarter, providing at least seven (7) calendar days notice to membership via email. Additional meetings shall be held upon request of three (3) or more officers of the Executive Board.
Clause 3. A simple majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.
Clause 4. Minutes will be taken at all Executive Board Meetings by the Recording Secretary. In the event the Recording Secretary is not present at an Executive Board meeting, the duties of the Recording Secretary shall be delegated to one of the other present members of the Executive Board.
Clause 5. Every member in good standing may attend and observe Executive Board meetings, with the exception of confidential information, which may include but is not limited to membership lists, housing complaints, and legal matters. They shall not be entitled to vote on decisions internal to the Executive Board functioning, including but not limited to altering the Recognized Housing Communities, deciding budgets, and approving financial transactions.
Clause 1. The Bylaws Committee shall consist of three (3) members elected by ATU members in good-standing for a term of one (1) year. The Chair of the Bylaws Committee is selected by the members of the Committee.
Clause 2. The process for ratifying an amendment is as follows:
Step 1: A member wishing to propose an amendment must meet with the Bylaws Committee. This group collaboratively writes a proposed amendment text. The text is finalized upon agreement of the proposer and at least one (1) member of the Bylaws Committee.
Step 2: The Bylaws Committee reviews the proposal and writes a report detailing potential merits of or objections to the proposal. The report need not be unanimous and can reflect divergent views.
Step 3: The report and the finalized amendment text shall be distributed to the membership at least seven (7) days prior to the subsequent membership meeting where a vote is taken to approve or reject the amendment.
Clause 3. The amendment is adopted if two-thirds (2/3) of the eligible members present vote to approve.
Clause 1. All ATU elections and referenda shall be held under the supervision of the Elections Committee. The Elections Committee shall be responsible for the publication of notice for nominations and elections, the verification of eligibility for candidates, the organization and supervision of election proceedings, and the counting of ballots.
Clause 2. The Elections Committee shall consist of five (5) members in good standing and three (3) alternates. The term of office for the Elections Committee shall be one (1) year. The Chair of the Elections Committee is selected by the members of the Committee. Alternates serve in the case that a member of the Elections Committee is unable to.
Clause 3. Alternates shall assist in the conduct of the election as needed. The Elections Committee may also recruit and supervise volunteers as needed to assist in the conduct and security of the election whether the election is online or in person.
Clause 4. Election candidates cannot serve as members or alternates of the Election Committee or volunteers for that election.
Clause 1. There shall be one (1) Financial Officer elected by the membership for a term of one (1) year. The Financial Officer will review all transactions made through the ATU financial account(s), including but not limited to invoices and bank statements. A review of ATU finances shall be presented at each quarterly Membership Meeting and made available by request.
Clause 2. All members of the Executive Board, except the Financial Officer, shall be signatories of the ATU financial account(s).
Clause 3. All financial transactions must be approved by a simple majority of Executive Board members. The Executive Board shall establish budgets for ATU.
Clause 4. Within fourteen (14) days after the April elections, all changes to signatory status must be made with the financial institution(s) wherein ATU funds are held.
Clause 1. Questions of a procedural nature shall be decided by Rusty’s Rules of Order as needed.
Clause 2. The following Order of Business is suggested, but it may be altered:
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Introductions of attending members
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Reading and approving of the minutes of the previous meeting
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Report of Financial Officer and Committees
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General announcements and communications
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Potential complaints
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Closing
Clause 3. Deliberation should involve healthy debate and a willingness to work towards a solution that meets the needs of all members, especially the most marginalized. However, should members be unable to reach a unanimous solution, decisions may be brought to a vote.
Clause 1. At the completion of their respective duties, all ATU Officers, Community Stewards and other members handling funds, documents or other property of ATU shall turn these over to the duly elected ATU Officers.