Mission Statement

The Chaldean-American Student Association (C.A.S.A.) of the University of Michigan-Dearborn is a non-profit organization established to unite all students at U of M and to assist them in furthering their education while maintaining a positive representation of the Chaldean community, preventing any type of discrimination, and advocating multiculturalism and diversity so that all Chaldean-American students demonstrate that they are caring, responsible, and knowledgeable citizens. Together, we help in benefiting the needs of others in the Metropolitan Detroit Community. Each and every one of the activities and events that CASA sponsors are done in light of preserving the Chaldean culture, history, and language.

1. All members must be of Chaldean decent and heritage. This organization will admit non-Chaldean members on a special basis pending as follows:
   1. This person attends three meetings on a trial basis.
   2. This person shows a genuine interest in the benefit of this organization.
   3. This person must find and active member of the group to sponsor then and take full responsibility for that person’s actions.
   4. This person must be approved by the Board on a majority vote.
2. An active member is noted as an involved member of C.A.S.A. who diligently attends and participates in C.A.S.A. sponsored activities based on a point system. To achieve active member status, one must have accumulated at least half of the maximum points of that year or the approval of the Board which is determined upon the individual’s membership date.
   1. This person attends three meetings on a trial basis.
   2. This person shows a genuine interest in the benefit of this organization.
   3. This person must find and active member of the group to sponsor then and take full responsibility for that person’s actions.
   4. This person must be approved by the Board on a majority vote.
3. This organization will collect a membership fee of $10.00 per year for all enrolled members:
   1. This fee is non-refundable.
   2. This fee will be used solely for the benefit of this organization.
   3. A set of financial records will be available and discussed by the treasurer at each meeting.
   4. Members who have paid their dues, whether or not they are active, have a privilege over other participants when it comes to activities that require individual funding.

1. This organization will have an Executive Board consisting of a President, Vice-President, Administrative Assistant, and Treasurer. This organization will also have Board Officers, which are separate from the Executive Board, consisting of P.R. Officer, Social Director, and Webmaster.
2. The roles of all held positions are as follows:
   1. President- in charge of all meetings; in charge of keeping the executive board together; holds main contact between the school and the association; has the highest power in decision-making.
   2. Vice-President- 2nd in command; responsible to take over President’s position should he/she be unavailable or unable to fulfill duties or if the President leaves office; 2nd in decision making.
   3. Administrative Assistant- in charge of logging the minutes during each meeting; responsible for keeping track of the points distributed to each member; in charge of informing members of all C.A.S.A. events and meetings through e-mails.
   4. Treasurer- in charge of financial records including the bank account and the C.A.S.A. school account; in charge of collecting membership dues; responsible in providing a detailed report of the monthly activity and yearly totals regarding the funds.
   5. P.R. Officer- in charge of the bulletin board that must be updated at least monthly; in charge of the ongoing creating/updating of a physical and web based scrapbook; in charge of recruiting events; in charge of “getting the word out”; in charge of making posters and signs; in charge of the taking/processing of photographs which will be reimburses by the C.A.S.A. account.
   6. Social Director- in charge of allocating resources and organizing all C.A.S.A. activities and events.
   7. Webmaster(s)- in charge of designing, updating, and maintaining the U of M-D C.A.S.A. chapter website; in charge of getting the domain name and server name in their own personal name; in charge of paying yearly technology fees which will be reimbursed by the C.A.S.A. account.
3. Executive Board officials and Board Officers are not limited to terms in office.
4. The Executive Board will appoint committee heads if needed to cover specific areas.
5. Any funding for these programs must be approved by the Executive Board.

1. Elections will be held at the 2nd to last meeting of the winter semester.
2. Members are eligible to run for office if they have accumulated at least half of the total possible points.
3. The Board-elect is to be promptly trained so that new officials can assume responsibilities immediately.
4. Nominees are expected to assume either of the four executive positions and other board offices.

1. Any C.A.S.A. member who fulfils the financial requirements is eligible to vote for the future Executive Board and Board Officers.
2. The BMS System (A Three Tier System)
   1. After the complete calculation of points for each member (which ends the meeting before the elections) the maximum number of points available are determined
   2. This maximum number of points is then divided by three.
   3. This number is then subtracted from the maximum number of points available. This will give Tier 3’s range.
3. The voters will achieve all elected positions through anonymous ballots. The President, Vice-President, and one active member will tally the results. If they are running for a position then we will follow the line of succession.
4. Any member on the Executive Board has the power to impeach any held position if there is a reasonable cause. In order for the impeachment to go through there must be a majority vote (at least 51%) of the active members for the impeachment.

1. Voices and opinion expressed by any members outside of C.A.S.A. sponsored activities that promote a negative image of this organization are grounds for dismissal.
2. C.A.S.A. is open to all member suggestions, concerns, and comments.