Hispanic Latino Staff and Faculty Council

Diversity Statement

The Hispanic Latino Staff and Faculty Council (HLSFC) considers diversity a key issue and a necessary principle of organization for a university community. To be specific, besides acknowledging difference, to us diversity means inclusion, commitment to change, and radical multi-culturalism. Inclusion of all voices, especially marginalized ones, so as to recognize their equal validity. To invoke the word diversity means to commit oneself to changing the university community environment. That is, it means accountability, more than lip service, and living up to a principle of openness. Diversity means delivering. Connecting administrators, faculty, staff, students, and surrounding community members to discuss and listen to each other in order to work to create a university community that really reflects our democratic and social justice ideals and our multicultural heritage as a nation. To this end developing programs to keep track of and implement diversity goals is a must. Having an Office of Diversity, as SIU does, made up of experts familiar with diversity issues, programs, and services (such as diversity training) is a significant way to move forward.

Diversity also means Radical Multiculturalism. Here, we refer to coming to terms with difference in terms of the legacy of oppression in U.S. history by displacing/questioning Anglo-Saxon centrality and demonstrating through training and teaching how oppression has long been a part of the way we treat racial / ethnic others. As Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer have noted in Racial Progress, Racial Domination, Radical “Multiculturalism … is not simply about recognizing other people’s identities and cultural scripts; it is also about recognizing their problems —how they are unfairly treated in a democracy that promises them full and equal inclusion— and responding with intelligent and just remedies. For the multiculturalist, racial justice is the value; racial diversity and equality are the results” (2010:518). This focus on equality, oppression and social justice, needless to say, is also connected to issues of class, gender, sexuality, and disability.

Ultimately, diversity means increasing awareness of social and cultural differences; helping university community members become better versions of themselves as in being more open to difference; preparing students, disadvantage and otherwise, to enter their diverse worlds here at home but also abroad, given the reality of human differences; improving or creating a campus climate for better interpersonal interactions / relationships; increasing the cultural and social competency of members of the university community; making the university environment more inclusive; and playing an active role in societal change by way of example and through teaching.

For further information on the aforementioned issues access the following links:

• Imagine2030 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Imagine2030
• Office of the Vice President for Antiracism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer

References

Desmond, Matthew and Mustafa Emirbayer. 2010. Racial Progress, Racial Domination: The Sociology of Race in America. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Hispanic/Latino Staff And Faculty Council Constitution

(Written as of May 6, 2015); Edited April 29, 2021

ARTICLE I – NAME OF ORGANIZATION

The official name or the organization shall be the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Hispanic/Latino Staff and Faculty Council.

ARTICLE II – MISSION

Our mission is to serve as a representative voice of persons who identify themselves as Hispanic, Latino, Indigenous, their descendants, or allies. We are here to promote a positive community and recognize the role and historical context of the people aforementioned.

As a result, we hereby establish the Southern Illinois University Hispanic/Latino Staff and Faculty Council for the purposes outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws which manifest our commitment to the well-being of the University.

OUR GOALS ARE:

• Advocate for the equitable treatment of Hispanic/Latino Students, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff, and Faculty
• Identify, investigate, and make recommendations about the historical and current impediments to the recruitment, retention, and achievement of excellence by Hispanic/Latino Students, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff, and Faculty
• Articulate concerns and offer suggestions for problems which exist within the ranks of the Hispanic/Latino Students, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff and Faculty
• Enhance the quality of the institution by improving its overall climate for Hispanic/Latino Students, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff, and Faculty
• Support mentoring, networking, and programming initiatives which foster a sense of community among Hispanic/Latino Students, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff, and Faculty
• Actively participate in the recruitment and retention of Hispanic/Latino Students, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff, and Faculty

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP CLARIFICATIONS

Section 1. Membership

Membership is open to Faculty, Civil Service, Administrative Professional Staff, Retirees, Graduate Assistants, Research Assistants, and Teaching Assistants of SIU Carbondale who embrace the mission and goals of the Council.

Section 2. Voting Privileges

To vote, a member must:

• have attended a minimum of one meeting within the current semester, or two meetings in the current academic year. Exceptions can be granted by the Executive Board(including, but not limited to sabbaticals and work related absences.)
• Graduate Assistants, Research Assistants, and Teaching Assistants must be registered for the current academic year.

Section 3. Meetings

• The Council shall meet a minimum of twice per semester or four times a year.
• Meeting notification shall occur using SIUC email.
• A special meeting can be convened by the Executive Committee with at least 24-hour notice, including agenda items.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS, OFFICERS’ DUTIES, AND TERM LIMITS

Section 1. Officers

The Officers of the Council shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and four Representatives (one for AP Staff, one for Civil Service, one for Faculty, and one for Graduate Students).

Section 2. Officers’ Duties

1. President: The Presidentshall act as Chief Executive Officer of the HLSFC. In this capacity, this person shall serve as spokesperson for the HLSFC and as the presiding officer of all its meetings, for which he/she will manage the agenda. The Presidentmust be a current faculty member, civil servant, or academic professional.
2. Vice President: The VicePresident shall ensure the proper performance of all Executive Committeedutiesand serve as the official liaison between the committees and the ExecutiveCommittee. He/she will make sure that discussion flows in a manner that is inclusive and participatory, and shall respond to any procedural or constitutional issues that may arise within the HLSFC. The Vice President shall also serve as the presiding officer of the HLSFC in the absence of thePresident at any official HLSFCfunction. The Vice-President must be a current faculty member, civil servant, or academic professional.
3. Secretary: The Secretary shall be the Chief Records Officer of HLSFC. This person shall maintain and distribute the minutes of Executive Committee and general membership meetings. He/she shall also distribute any correspondence pertaining to special meetings or events by the HLSFC. The Secretary shall produce written reports to the Executive Committee and shall oversee the functions of the Membership Committee. He/she shall also maintain official copies of the minutes and events produced by the HLSFC, like flyers, web links, etc.
4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be the Chief Financial Officer of the HLSFC. This person shall be responsible for the proper handling, collection and disbursement of funds. The treasurer shall maintain the roster of all active members and produce written reports to the Executive Committee.
5. Representatives: The four representatives (one for AP Staff, one for Civil Service, one for Faculty, and one for Graduate Students) shall ensure that the concerns of his/her constituency are voiced and addressed by the HLSFC.

Section 3. Terms of Office and Election Procedures

• To be eligible for office, the candidate must be a voting member.
• The quorum of a valid election meeting is fifty percent of all voting members, including proxies.
• Officers shall hold office for a two-year term.
• Elections shall take place in the last meeting of the academic year, to be held no later than the last day of April, with one-half of the officers elected in even numbered years and one-half elected in odd numbered years as indicated below.
• Terms begin at the beginning of the following fall academic semester.

  Even Numbered Years:
  President
  Secretary
  AP Representative
  Graduate Student Representative
  Odd Numbered Years:
  Vice-President
  Treasurer
  Civil Service Representative
  Faculty Representative

• Each representative shall be elected by his/her own constituency.
• If there is vacancy in the offices of the Executive Committee, the general membership shall hold an election the following meeting to fill the unexpired term. If the general membership fails to fill a vacant office, the Executive Committee shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term.

Section 4. Resignations and Removal from Office

1. Resignations All resignations by officers of the Executive Committee shall be submitted in writing to the Executive
2. Removal from Office
   b-1. A vacant seat on the Executive Committee shall exist when a member has two unexcused absences from two regularly scheduled meetings within an academic semester.
   
   b-2. The Council has the option to remove an officer by majority vote of members in attendance. The removal has to be part of an agenda previously announced to all voting members.

ARTICLE V - AMENDMENTS

The Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of those voting at a regular or special meeting. The proposed amendments shall be distributed to the membership ten calendar days prior to voting.

ARTICLE VI – DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of the Hispanic/Latino Staff and Faculty Council, all assets of this organization shall be donated to on-campus Hispanic/Latino organizations as designated by the majority of the Executive Committee.