CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE SIKH CULTURAL ASSOCIATION AT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
 
 
ARTICLE I. DISCLAMER
DISCLAIMER: The organization Sikh Cultural Association at University of California,
Davis is an independent organization. It is only subject to the laws and regulations placed
on it as a campus organization at the University of California, Davis. It is not a child
organization of any institution in the world. We are established to educate those who
wish to learn. If you have any concerns, please voice them to ucdsca@gmail.com. 
 
ARTICLE I. NAME
The  name  of  the  organization  is  declared  through  the  Center  for  Student  Involvement
(CSI) and on all publications shall be Sikh Cultural Association (SCA).
 
ARTICLE Ia. HISTORY
Sikh Student Association (abbreviated SSA) and Sher-e-Punjab were the organizations
that  was  the  major  representatives  of  Punjabi  and/  or  Sikh  students  at  University  of
California,  Davis  (UC  Davis).  Both  clubs  had  different  ideologies  and  audiences,  and
began  to  act  hostile  towards  one  another.  To  overcome  hatred  and  segregation  of  the
Punjabi and/ or Sikh population at UC Davis, SCA was created.  SCA was to create unity
between the two distinct identities that generally fall upon into one demographic at UC
Davis. The founders of SCA realized that cultural events were bound to happen, and SCA
was a better title to fit those events. Therefore there was one club, SCA, adding in the
element of culture to the name that would embrace cultural events along with social and
spiritual. 
 
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purpose of SCA is to establish a safe space for all students of UC Davis wanting to
participate in events catering to spiritual, social, and cultural aspects of the identity of
Sikhs and/ or Punjabi Americans. The object of SCA shall be to host events that enable
UC Davis students to engage in and explore the identities of Sikh and Punjabi Americans.
In addition, SCA will also develop and maintain relations between members and other
organizations and increase campus presence through the following means:
a.  Increase the campus and community presence of the organization.
b.  Cooperate with other organizations and the university administration in concern
for and maintenance of high social and moral standards.
 
ARTICLE III. MISSION STATEMENT
SCA is an organization at University of California, Davis that brings together identities of
Sikh and/or Punjabi Americans with the aim of providing students with a safe space that
allows further exploration of Sikhism and/or the Punjabi culture. 
 
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
There shall be only one class of membership. 
1.  The  membership  of  SCA  at  UC  Davis  shall  be  composed  of  UC  Davis  registered
students. 2.  When  an  individual  attends  a  SCA  event,  and/  or  provides  their  email  for  weekly
updates, they are automatically considered a member.
3.  There shall be no membership fee; all events shall be free of cost unless:
a.  The event is voted by the SCA Executive Board to be a ticketed event.
b.  The cost of hosting the event exceeds $100.
 
Non-UC Davis registered students are welcomed to attend as long as they abide by the
following rules:
a.  Must be accompanied by at least one UC Davis registered student.
b.  Must  not  ridicule  or  make  any  sort  of  negative  commentary  on  any  event
hosted by SCA. 
c.  They are welcome to provide feedback or opinions to the board members or to
the email address. Their suggestions will be discussed and implemented if
agreed to by the board. 
 
 
ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE BOARD
 
SECTION 1- Executive Board Positions
 
The Executive Board of SCA at UC Davis shall be as follows: 
•  Event Chair
•  Finance Chair
•  Publicity Chair
•  Secretary
•  External Affairs & Outreach Chair
 
There should be two additional positions: 
•  Committee Officer of Kirtan Night 
•  Committee Officer of Mentorship
These  two  positions  are  not  part  of  the  SCA  Executive  Board  directly  because  of
board  requests  to  have  only  five  or  six  members  as  executive  chairs.  Nonetheless,
these positions are important and their duties can be completed independently of the
weekly board meetings. Henceforth, these positions will be called Committee Officer
of  Kirtan  Night  and  Committee  Officer  of  Mentorship.  Committee  Officers  must
abide by the SCA constitution, bylaws, University codes and regulations. 
 
Executive Board Positions are described in more detail:
a.  Event Chair will: 
a.i  Reserve rooms for meetings and events 
b.i  Coordinate overall logistics of club events
c.i  Work closely with the secretary, and take over as secretary if secretary
not present at meeting
b.  Finance Chair will: 
a.i  Record and regularly update board regarding financial accounts
b.i  Focus on getting a minimum of one event per quarter for fundraising
(i.e. bake sale, working the snack bar with Sodexo at sports games) c.i  Coordinate fundraising for Picnic Day
c.  Publicity Chair will:
a.i  Update the SCA website
b.i  Send out weekly updates through MailChimp
c.i  Send out Daily Cal emails to publish events in The California Aggie
d.  Secretary will:
a.i  Take accurate minutes during board meetings that will be sent out to
all members within 24 hours after meeting
b.i  Regularly check UCD SCA Gmail; minimum of once a week
c.i  Work closely with the event coordinator
e.  External Affairs & Outreach Chair will:
a.i  Update board members if other organizations wish to collaborate with
SCA
b.i  Communicate with BPSHI to know the dates of their meetings so there
is no overlap of events
c.i  Attend API & MESA Council meetings
d.i  Seek feedback from members about the events, concerns of members,
and share it at the meetings
Committee Officer Positions are described in more detail:
f.  Committee of Kirtan Night
a.i  Reserve appropriate space for Kirtan Nights
g.  Committee of Mentorship
a.i  Send out quarterly mentorship forms
b.i  Keep track of mentorship program
 
SCA Executive Board Expectations: 
1.  Each executive board member needs to organize at least one event each quarter or
at least dedicate themselves to one event with one or two other members on the
board.
2.  Executive board members must attend the majority of SCA events unless there is
a school related time conflict or another valid reason that is communicated 24
hours in advance to the secretary.
SCA Executive Board and Committee Officer Expectations:
1.  Every board member must be dedicated to the club. A committed board member
should be able to spend a minimum of 2-3 hours a week on SCA related business. 
2.  Must attempt to ensure that any information presented is accurate.
3.  All business discussed at board meetings and internal matters relating to the SCA
board MUST remain private and should not be discussed outside under any
circumstances.
4.  Being on the board of SCA is a privilege that allows you to serve the Davis
community, so don’t take it lightly. At the same time, enjoy this opportunity.
 
SECTION 2- Qualifications for Board
 
In order to be elected and serve as a member of the SCA Executive Board or as a
Committee Officer, individuals must meet the following requirements:
a.  Be a member of the organization for a minimum of two consecutive quarters.
b.  Maintain good academic standing with UC Davis. c.  Be devoted to the general ideals and principles of SCA and conduct themself in a
professional manner consistent with the mission and purpose of SCA.
d.  Have a working knowledge of SCA bylaws, UC Davis policies, and prior
leadership experience.
e.  The chairs and officers shall serve for a term of one year, beginning no later than
the first week of Fall Quarter and ending at the end of Spring Quarter that same
school year. 
 
SECTION 3- Application Process for New Executive Board and Committee Officers
 
The following policies and procedures shall be utilized for the election of SCA Executive
Board and Committee Officer positions:
a.  Applications for the SCA Executive Board and Committee Officer positions shall
open during the seventh or eighth week of Winter Quarter. 
b.  Applicant review should take place before the start of Spring Quarter.
i.  All applications must be read by every SCA Executive Board member.
ii.  In the case of a tie, the majority vote of all Executive Board members
will decide the Executive Board and Committee Officer for the
following academic year.
c.  Newly selected Executive Board members and Committee Officers will be
referred to as “Next Year’s Chairs”. All Next Year’s Chairs must complete
SCA Executive Board training as listed in Article IV. Section 5 of the SCA
bylaws.
 
SECTION 4- Removal from Executive Board
 
The following policies and procedures shall be utilized for the removal from SCA
Executive Board and Committee Officer positions:
a.  All absences must be communicated 24 hours in advance to the secretary. All
absences must have a valid reason that must also be communicated to the
secretary. 
i.  If secretary is to be absent, absence must be communicated to
event chair 24 hours in advance. All absences must have a valid
reason that must also be communicated to the finance chair.
b.  Two or more unexplained absences will result in removal from the SCA
Executive Board and Committee Officer position.
i.  All members of the SCA Executive Board except the delinquent
member will vote on removal of that delinquent member from the
SCA Executive Board or Committee Officer position. A majority
vote is needed.
d.  In the event of a vacancy in any SCA Executive Board position, the SCA
Executive Board shall share the responsibilities of the vacant position. There
should not be any appointing of a new member to fulfill the position. Unless
too much work
e.  In the event of a vacancy in any SCA Committee Officer position, the SCA
Executive Board shall select a member of the SCA Executive Board to fulfill
the duties. There should not be any appointing of a new member to fulfill the
position. 
SECTION 5- Next Year’s Chair Policies
 
All Next Year’s Chairs must abide by the following:
a.  Must abide by the SCA Constitution and bylaws, as well as the UC Davis
policies and regulations.
b.  Must be present at all SCA Executive Board meetings during the Spring
Quarter of their elected year.
i.  Must provide a valid reason for missing a meeting. More than two
unexcused absences will result in removal from the Next Year’s Chair
position as well as removal from SCA Executive Board or Committee
Officer position for the following year.
c.  Must shadow their respective Executive Board or Committee Officer position.
d.  Will not vote in any matter but are encouraged to provide their input during
executive meetings. 
SECTION 6- Executive Board Meetings
 
The SCA Executive Board shall conduct its meetings according to the following
requirements:
a.  The most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to run all
meetings.
i.  The secretary must create an agenda must be created prior to every
meeting.
b.  A majority of the SCA Executive Board members present shall constitute a
quorum in order to conduct SCA Executive Board business.
c.  All business discussed in the SCA Executive Board meetings shall not be
discussed with others outside of the meetings.
d.  The SCA Executive Board shall conduct regularly scheduled meetings on a
weekly basis.
i.  Schedule is to be decided based on a doodle poll. Delete
ii.  Regular meeting time should be set for the quarter by the second week of
the quarter.
iii.  Each quarter must follow the same procedure.
e.  Any SCA Executive Board member may call special meetings if necessary, with
notice of the time, location, and purpose of the special meeting provided to each
SCA Executive Board member at least 72 hours in advance.
f.  Each SCA Executive Board member is required to attend all meetings of the SCA
Executive Board and all meetings of the SCA General Body. 
g.  The SCA Executive Board shall operate utilizing the following voting policies
during SCA Executive Board meetings:
i.  Each SCA Executive Board member shall have one vote. A majority vote
is required for anything to pass but consensus is preferred. 
ii.  In the event of a tie, there should be a discussion if necessary and a revote
where all SCA Executive Board members get one vote. A majority vote is
required for anything to pass.
iii.  There shall be no secret ballot votes.
 ARTICLE V. EVENTS
SCA at UC Davis shall hold at least one general meeting during the academic year, and is
mandated to hold one during the first week of Fall Quarter. The date, time, and location
of the general body meeting of the Association will be determined at the beginning of
Fall Quarter and should be communicated at least 72 hours in advance to members.
 
SECTION 1- Spiritual Events
 
Spiritual events are any event that may be associated with Sikhism or engagement in
multi-faith activities. Typical spiritual events include: Kirtan Nights, Gatka, Asa di Vaar,
Gurdwara trips, and religious based discussions. These events address the Sikh part in the
name of the organization.
 
SECTION 2- Cultural Events
 
Cultural Events are any events that may be associated with Punjabi Culture or any other
form of Punjabi American Culture. Typical cultural events include Lohri celebrations
(educate members on the importance of changing the reasons for celebration), bhangra
events, and discussions. All cultural events must be emphasized that they have nothing to
do with Sikhism or Sikhism’s teachings. When these events are hosted, precautions must
be taken to ensure that there is no alcohol consumption prior to or at the event. There
should be no meat served at any of these cultural events. Punjabi cultural events highlight
the cultural aspect of the name of the organization.
 
SECTION 3- Social Events
 
Social events are meant to be engaging and interactive for members. Typical social
events are bowling, picnic, ice-cream dates, and dinner. These events are neither spiritual
nor cultural but allow members to network and meet other people. 
ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS
1. Amendments - These bylaws may be amended by three-fourths (¾) affirmative vote of
the SCA General Body provided notice of the proposed amendment has been provided to
members. Proposals should come from a current board member and must be sent out
through email to all SCA members (Google Doc). Members should be allotted one week
to respond. 
 
ARTICLE VII. CODE OF CONDUCT
1.  SCA Code of Conduct: As members of the SCA, we, the members, hereby agree to
and adopt the following code of conduct:
a.  We will know and understand the ideals expressed in our mission statement and
will strive to incorporate them at every event. 
b.  We will strive for academic achievement and practice academic integrity. 
c.  We will respect the dignity of all persons; therefore, we will not physically,
mentally, psychologically, or sexually abuse or harm any human being. 
d.  We will protect the health and safety of all human beings. 
e.  We will respect our property and the property of others. Therefore, we will
neither abuse nor tolerate the abuse of property.  f.  We will meet our financial obligations in a timely manner. 
g.  We will neither use nor support the use of illegal drugs; we will neither misuse
nor support the misuse of alcohol. 
h.  We will challenge all members to abide by these expectations and will confront
those who violate them. 
 
 
ARTICLE VIII. AGREEMENT (Executive Board only)
Being a SCA Executive Board member is a serious commitment that requires your
dedication and sincerity. In order to formalize that, we require that every board member
read the by-laws rules and adhere to them. Violating these rules could result in penalties
and may even result in dismissal if rules are repeatedly broken (Article 4. Section 4).
 
This constitution applies to all executive board members and committee officers, as well
as all members in the organization. As leaders, the board will be held responsible for
adhering to all stated bylaws. At the beginning of every quarter, each board member must
self-evaluate themselves as well as their commitment by reviewing this constitution as a
board.
 
SCA works as a collective unit. When acting on behalf of SCA, board members must put
aside their personal beliefs and opinions and act in a professional manner at all times. If a
board member is contacted privately, on email/ Facebook or other means of
communication, the board must confer before responding as an organization. 
 
By signing below I, ______________________ accept the above rules and regulations
governing the board members of the SCA. I also understand that adherence to these rules
above is mandatory in order serve as a SCA Executive Board member or Committee
Officer and that repeated breaching will have consequences, as mandated by Article 4,
Section 4. Furthermore, I commit to be a board member until my term is over. 
 
Signature:________________________________________Date:_________________