I. NAME

The name of this appointed body shall be the UCLA COMMITTEE ON LGBTQ AFFAIRS.

II. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The Committee is comprised of officers; student, staff, faculty, alumni and community voting members; and non-voting ex-officio representatives as described below. It is an open Committee. The Committee reports to the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

III. MEMBERSHIP, METHOD OF SELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE

A. Voting members include:

  1. three (3) senate faculty members
  2. two (2) non-senate faculty members
  3. three (3) staff members
  4. three (3) undergraduate students
  5. three  (3) graduate students
  6. three (3) alumni members
  7. two (2) community members

B. Ex-officio members serve a liaison and advisory role on the Committee and include, but are not limited to, the Director or designated representative of the:

  1. Staff Diversity and Compliance office
  2. Campus Human Resources
  3. Staff/Faculty Counseling Center
  4. Ombuds Office
  5. Counseling and Psychological Services
  6. UCLA LGBTQ Resource Center
  7. Williams Institute
  8. UCLA Medical System/UCLA Health
  9. Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center
  10. LGBTQ Studies Program
  11. Office of Residential Life
  12. UC Police Department
  13. Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  14. Career Center
  15. UCLA Lambda Alumni Association
  16. Admissions and Enrollment Management
  17. LGBTQ Staff/Faculty Network
  18. UCLA Athletics & Campus Recreation

C. Committee membership selection will be conducted as follows:

  1. Senate faculty shall be appointed by the Academic Senate.
  2. Non-senate faculty shall be appointed by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
  3. Staff shall be appointed by the Staff Assembly.
  4. Undergraduate students shall be appointed by by USAC.
  5. Graduate students shall be appointed by GSA.
  6. Alumni representatives shall be appointed by UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives.
  7. Community representative shall be appointed by the LGBTQ Affairs Committee. Community members should have institutional knowledge to make proper decisions for the Committee (for example, they may be existing ex-officio members).

D. Recruitment and Membership: By April 1st of each year.

  1. A Membership Chair and Committee is formed to recruit new members for the upcoming academic year.
  2. The Membership Chair and Committee will maintain a roster, conduct outreach to all the agencies listed in Part III-A and Part III-B.
  3. The recruitment and appointment process shall be completed by November 1st.
  4. A primary criterion for membership selection is demonstrated interest in matters related to the status of LGBTQ issues at UCLA.
  5. The new slate of all LGBTQ Affairs Committee members shall be presented by the Membership Chair and approved by a simple majority of the current committee.

E. Terms of Office:

  1. In order to provide continuity, every effort will be made to appoint voting members to staggered two-year terms. Ex-officio members from relevant departments serve indefinitely.
  2. Service begins October 1st and ends September 30th of the second year.
  3. Members appointed to fill positions vacated during this period serve for the duration of that year and one further complete year.
  4. In the event of a vacancy, the Committee shall notify the appropriate appointing body.  Potential replacements may be submitted by the Committee to the appointing body for consideration.
  5. Nominations to fill vacancies on the Committee are submitted to the Committee Chair within three weeks of when first known.
  6. A letter of recognition from the LGBTQ Affairs Committee Chair is issued to any outgoing Committee members upon request.  These letters are generated by the chair of the membership committee and are recognized as statements of University service for purposes of inclusion in dossiers/personnel files as appropriate.

F. Voting:

  1. Each member identified in Section III-A shall have one vote, with a total voting membership of 19.
  2. Ex-officio representatives may vote on matters before the Committee, but such votes shall be recorded separately and reported.
  3. When there is a clear conflict of interest the member will recuse oneself from voting; this includes situations where the vote pertains specifically to the individual or the department/organization they represent.
  4. A majority vote shall consist of a simple majority of filled voting members. The Secretary will keep a tally of voting members, quorum and register the votes in the minutes.
  5. A simple majority of filled voting members are required for election of officers.
  6. Other business brought to a vote requires a simple majority.
  7. Any motion passed with a majority will be represented as on behalf of the Committee as a whole, not as individuals.
  8. It is understood that actions of the Committee need not be unanimous and will not reflect on individual members.
  9. The Chair (or Co-Chairs) will carry out motions as voted by a majority of the Board.
  10. The minutes shall reflect all vote counts and will record all yes, no, and abstaining votes.

G. Meeting Attendance Requirement/Removal of Voting Members:

Voting members may be terminated for failure to attend three of nine meetings without reasonable justification.  Voting members may resign at any time prior to the end of their term.

IV. OFFICERS

A. The officers shall consist of either a Chair and one or two Vice Chairs; or of two Co-Chairs, who shall be elected by the Committee at the regular June meeting, and shall serve for a term of one year, and may be reappointed.  The committee may, change the number of Officers at any time by majority vote. Secretary will record and maintain minutes for each meeting. Membership Chair will actively recruit members to complete the roster identified in Section III-A and III-B.

B. Duties of the Chair (or Co-Chairs):

  1. Preside at all meetings.
  2. Set the agenda for place and times for meetings.
  3. Call special meetings when necessary.
  4. Appoint subcommittees and task forces as needed.
  5. Submit proposals and recommendations to the Chancellor and/or appropriate University departments.
  6. Provide liaison with the Chancellor’s Office and other University Offices as appropriate.
  7. Representing the Committee before all campus and other organizations on matters of interest to the Committee, subject only to any limits the Committee may wish to impose.
  8. Ensure that the business of the meetings, including all voted action, is carried out or acted upon.
  9. Serve as primary contact with the University.

C. Duties of the Vice Chair:

  1. Assist the Chair in conducting meetings.
  2. Assume the duties of the Chair when the Chair is absent.

V. SUB-COMMITTIES:

A. The Chair, and Vice-Chair(s) or Co-Chair shall create and remove sub-committees as needed and appoint sub-committee Chairs.

B. Sub-committees should reflect the purpose of the Committee as set forth in these bylaws.

C. Sub-committees may be established when the Committee perceives a need for investigation and analysis of an issue or situation.

D. Sub-committees are composed of members of the Committee (including ex-officio members) and other interested members of the UCLA community.

E. Any member may serve as chair of a subcommittee.

F. Resources for sub-committees may include unappointed applicants to the Committee, past members, and other interested individuals from on or off campus.

G. A sub-committee is established by a simple majority vote of the Committee.

H. Sub-committee chairs or sub-committee members shall report to the Committee as needed.

VI. FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

A. The UCLA COMMITTEE ON LGBTQ AFFAIRS has general responsibility to:

  1. Act as a resource for the campus and community regarding LGBTQ topics. Refer campus and community individuals and entities to University offices whose functions are to address any issues raised.
  2. Reach out, foster and advocate a safe and supportive campus environment for LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff through educational programs and electronic communication.
  3. Refer issues and incidences of LGBTQ homophobia, hate or discrimination to proper campus entity (Dean of Students Office, etc).
  4. Provide a forum for individuals, campus and community entities concerning UCLA policies, procedures, attitudes, services, and practices regarding LGBTQ issues.
  5. Inform the responsible campus offices about issues raised at Committee meetings.  Request follow up from, or make recommendations to, campus offices to which matters have been referred.
  6. Advise and make recommendations on the implementation of the various campus diversity plans and programs, working in conjunction with appropriate academic or staff compliance committees.
  7. Serve as a resource for the development of policies and practices, which support the LGBTQ community.  Review campus diversity reports and policies ensuring equality and opportunities for LGBTQ members of the UCLA community.
  8. Submit an Annual Report to the UCLA Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
  9. For voting members identified in Section III-A, miss no more than three meetings per year (October-June). If a meeting is missed, send a responsible proxy to vote in your absence.

VII. Meetings

A. Meetings shall be held at least once a month on a regularly scheduled basis excluding July, August and September.

B. Additional meetings may be called as needed by the Chair or at the request of a majority of the Committee.

C. The first meeting of the academic year shall be held during the month of October.

D. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of filled voting positions.

E. If no quorum is present at a scheduled meeting of the Committee, all matters on the agenda requiring a vote of the Committee may be carried over to the next scheduled meeting or may be submitted to an electronic ballot to the Committee members.

F. Issues may be re-opened for discussion at the discretion of the Chair or Vice-Chairs or by a majority vote of the Committee members.

G. All meetings will be open to the public with the exception that the Committee may enter into an executive session upon a motion duly made, seconded and passed by a majority of the Committee.  Final action taken in executive session will be announced in public session, including results of the votes.

H. A specified portion of each meeting shall be devoted to presentation of questions, comments and suggestions from any non-member of the Committee.

I. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order insofar as they are applicable and are not inconsistent with these By-Laws in case of procedural disagreements.

VIII. AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these By-laws require affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting Committee membership.  All filled voting members must be notified of proposed amendments at least one meeting prior to a call for a vote.