Constitution of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau

Transcription

1 Constitution of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau Article I: Name The name of this organization shall be the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Chapter of Sigma Gamma Tau, It shall henceforth be referred to as the Society. Article II: Purpose The purpose of the Society shall be to recognize and honor those individuals in the aeronautics and astronautics fields who have been a credit to aerospace engineering. This organization seeks to promote a high standard of ethics and achievement among students of the aerospace engineering program at WPI, its members serving as role models for underclassmen in the curriculum. This organization will help advance the mission of Worcester Polytechnic Institute by fostering an atmosphere of academic excellence in students of aerospace engineering, preparing them for careers in the field. Article III: Membership Selecting Candidates for Membership The Society shall not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, marital status, or national origin. The Society shall ensure that its membership will not practice any physically or psychologically abusive hazing behaviors either intentionally or unintentionally. Members of the Society may be one of three types: undergraduate, graduate, or alumni. The general body of the organization will be all elected undergraduate members who are enrolled as candidates for a degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In addition, elected graduate student members who are enrolled as candidates for a degree, and faculty who are members of the Society may be active but will not have voting rights on matters which concern the undergraduate membership of the organization. In order to be considered for membership in the Society, students must have completed at least five terms at WPI, and have been a resident for at least three terms. Students must be in the upper ⅓ of their senior class, upper ¼ of their junior class, or upper ⅕ of their sophomore class in order to be eligible for membership. In addition, candidates must exhibit the qualities of high moral character, an active interest in aeronautics and astronautics, and an interest in joining the Society. A student's academic standing will be supplemented by an interview process to determine if the candidate exhibits these values. The Society shall hold interest meetings during A-Term of each academic year, and vote to elect eligible members to the society at a general body meeting at the end of that B-Term for initiation during C-Term. The procedure for voting on the candidates is outlined in the Induction Voting section.

2 Any member of the Society who graduates from the WPI Aerospace Engineering degree program but does not remain at the school for an additional Aerospace Engineering degree automatically becomes an alumni member of the Society. Alumni members are welcome to all meetings and may participate in general body discussion. However, they may not vote on any matters of the Society. Alumni members do not have active membership or good-standing requirements. If an alumni member returns to the institution for further education, they could then resume active status as a member of the Society. Maintaining Membership After Initiation In order to maintain membership in the Society, undergraduate and graduate members are expected to remain active and in good-standing with the Society. Good-standing shall consist of the following: 1. Timely payment of fees due to the Treasurer of the Society. 2. Maintenance of a minimum 3.0 GPA, and avoidance of Academic Probation. 3. No period of inactivity longer than 1 academic semester in duration, for reasons other than IQP/MQP/internship/co-op. Inactivity shall be defined as failing to meet the standards for active membership as detailed below. Members who fail to meet these criteria will regain good-standing as soon as they once again meet the criteria, as long as no objection from the Officer Council or general body arises. Active membership shall consist of the following: 1. Attendance at all mandatory meetings as defined in Article V, or acceptable excuses sent to the Secretary of the Society at least 24 hours in advance of such a meeting. 2. Attendance at at least 50% of scheduled events per academic term (A-D), not including general body meetings. Any member can make up a missed event with a specified number of hours (determined by the officer board), provided the member has a valid excuse for missing the event. 3. Service to the Society totalling at least 2 hours per academic term (A-D), not including general body meetings or other scheduled events. Possible methods of attaining those hours include, but are not limited to: a. Conducting tutoring sessions b. Attending interviews of prospective members c. Planning and conducting events d. Taking responsibility for tasks assigned by the officer board 4. Undergraduate members will present on their MQPs to the general body of Society at a technical presentation within three weeks of the Project Presentation Day of their senior year. Undergraduate members whose MQPs involve proprietary information will not be required to present, and may present a personal project if desired. Members who are off-campus for IQP/MQP/internship/co-op will be considered inactive but in good standing. They will regain active standing immediately upon their return to campus, and will then be held to the same expectations as other members again.

3 Members who have two or more unexcused absences in a semester will be considered inactive but in good standing. Active or inactive membership will be determined on a term-by-term basis, with all member activities being evaluated at the end of each academic term to determine status. Members who change their major from aerospace engineering will undergo review by the Officer Council in order to determine the future status of the member. A member must be active and in good-standing in the Society for at least four academic terms, or two if initiated as a senior, in order to wear a stole at commencement ceremonies. Penalties Undergraduate and graduate members who are in poor-standing may not attend Society events or vote. Members in poor-standing will be asked to not wear any attire related to the Society. Article IV: Officers, Duties, and Requirements The Society will be governed by an Officer Council; consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the chair positions. Any active member of the club who is in good-standing may be nominated to run for these positions. All members of the Officer Council of the Society must be in good academic standing with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at all times during their tenure. The President shall be the responsible agent of the Society. They will lead all meetings, and will act as the formal representative of the Society to the administration of WPI and any external organization. The President retains the ability to create or destroy chair positions with approval of the officer board. These positions may either be elected by the general body or appointed by the officer board. The President may also create a committee to assist the chair in their duties. The Vice President shall have as special duties the filing of current Society news, the maintenance of a Society history, and the preparation of candidates for initiation into the Society. The Vice President shall serve as the President in the event of the President s absence. The Secretary shall keep the roll and record book of the Society, keep the minutes of Society meetings up-to-date, and see that all necessary correspondence is prepared. The Secretary shall also be responsible for tracking the current status of every member of the organization. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate and understandable account of Society funds. This includes assuring that the Society maintains good financial standing with Worcester Polytechnic Institute as well as all other organizations with which it has correspondence. Additional offices may be established by a majority vote of the active members of the Society.

4 Article V: Meetings General body meetings of the Society shall be held at least twice per term, and shall be called by the President of the Society. General body meetings are considered mandatory for all undergraduate members unless a valid excuse is given within 24 hours of the designated meeting. The organization shall hold at least two meetings of a technical nature during each scholastic year in addition to general body meetings. Membership election meetings shall be followed by an initiation meeting or banquet. Meetings of a social or technical nature may be held with other organizations, but general body business meetings shall be open only to members. Officer meetings will be held on the week before general body meetings. Officer meetings are mandatory for officers and are open for attendance by any member of the general body. Agendas for the following general body meeting will be decided upon during these meetings. Committees may also be required to meet up to once per week at the discretion of the committee chair. The meetings will be deemed mandatory at the discretion of the committee s chair. Article VI: Elections & Officer Replacement or Removal Officers shall hold office for the calendar year following their election. Elections shall be held once a year at the conclusion of B-Term, with the following C-Term intended as a transitional period. During this transitional period, the outgoing Officer Council will assist in mentoring the newly elected Officer Council. Over the course of C-Term, the newly elected Officer Council will gradually assume the roles and responsibilities of their respective positions to ensure a smooth transition from year to year. To be elected to the Officer Council, a member must be first nominated to the position. All nominations must be received at least one week prior to the election meeting. A member may only accept a position if they are currently active and in good-standing within the organization, as outlined in Article III. Interim Officer An officer may be temporarily elected to replace an officer who will be absent for due only to any IQP, MQP, internship, or co-op commitments. This process will follow the same procedures as a regular officer election, however the interim officer will only serve as an officer for the duration of the period that the officer they are filling in for is absent. Removal From Office If a member feels that an officer has neglected or abused their position, they may bring it to the attention of the Society during any general body meeting. Immediately following this statement, discussion of the topic must be held at the next general body meeting with quorum as defined in the Voting section. The officer will be allowed to make a statement on their behalf and then must leave the room for a discussion held by the general body. The officer has the ability to waive their right to a statement by

5 stating their intention at the beginning of the proceedings. If the officer does not attend the meeting and does not have an excused absence the officer automatically forfeits the aforementioned right. Upon conclusion of the discussion, a motion may be made to vote on the removal of the officer. Voting upon this motion will follow the voting procedure outlined in the Voting section with the motion needing three fourths of the votes cast to pass. If the motion passes, the officer will be notified of the results and will no longer serve as an officer on the Executive Council. Within the time the office is vacant, the President shall act as the deputy for that position. If the President is removed by this process, the Vice President will serve as President until an election is held. Officers that are removed from their position are eligible to run for office in future elections, ensuring that the body knows they have been removed from office previously. Resignation An officer may resign their position at any time by submitting written notice to the officer board with 2 weeks notice. Within the time the office is vacant, the President shall act as the deputy for that position. If the President resigns, the Vice President will serve as President until an election is held. Officers that have resigned from a position are eligible to run for office in future elections. Article ADA: Voting Quorum Quorum for a general body meeting shall be defined as at least three-fourths of all active members in good standing present. If quorum is not reached, voting cannot take place at the meeting in question, and any topic to be voted on is tabled until the next general body meeting. Quorum for an officer meeting shall be defined as at least three-fourths of the current Executive Council. If Quorum is not reached, voting cannot take place at the meeting in question, and any topic to be voted on is tabled until the next officer meeting. General Voting In order for any item to be voted on, the general body must be informed of it at least two days in advance of the voting meeting, unless otherwise specified. Each option will have time allotted during the voting meeting before the voting commences for discussion by the general body. Once discussion has concluded, voting will take place by blind vote. Votes will be counted by at least two individuals on or appointed by the Officer Council or by a software-based method pre-determined by the Officer Board. The presider of the meeting will provide the general body with the following three options: Yes No Abstain

6 Where the Yes option states the voter's approval, the No option states the voter's disapproval, and the Abstain option does not count as a vote. The option with at least the simple majority of votes cast, unless otherwise specified, will be chosen. Results of the voting will be announced to the membership and recorded by the Secretary of the Society. Officer Voting Officer Elections will be held in the following order: President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Chair Positions Requiring Vote Before the start of the process for each position, the presider of the meeting shall call for any last nominations for the position in question, which must then be accepted by the nominee to be a valid Applicant. Each Applicant for the office in question will address the group one at a time and be given time to answer questions. The amount of time provided to each Applicant must be equal for all of the Applicants running for a position and have been clearly stated to both the Applicants and the general body at the commencement of the voting meeting. After all Applicants for a position have spoken and left the room, the general body present will discuss the Applicants' ability to hold the office in question. Following the conclusion of discussion, voting shall commence following the procedure outlined in the General Voting section above with the No option being replaced with a No-confidence option. Should the No-confidence option be chosen, nominations for that position will immediately open and an election for that officer position will be held at the next general body meeting. Applicants who previously ran for the position are allowed to run again. Exceptional Cases Case 1: If there are more than two Applicants for a position and no Applicant achieves a simple majority of valid votes cast, all but the top two Applicants will be eliminated and a new round of voting will commence. Case 2: If there are two Applicants and no Applicant receives a simple majority, then the option that receives the most votes shall win. Case 3: If there are no Applicants that accept their nomination for a position, that position is not filled, nominations for an interim officer position are immediately opened. This interim position will not last past the end of the term, and a non-interim officer must be elected at that time. Induction Election

7 For an induction election, the President of the Society must be one of the two members counting votes and must act as the presider of the vote. A three-fourths vote of the members present shall be required for the election of senior students and a four-fifths vote shall be required for election of junior and sophomore students. Individuals who have a scholastic standing slightly below that specified, but who are exceptionally qualified in other respects may be elected by the unanimous vote of all members of the Society. The voting may be conducted in up to three ballots with one ballot being cast for each candidate before a second ballot on any candidate may be taken. A second ballot shall be taken only on those individuals who fail to receive the requisite number of votes. The third ballot shall be taken only after all second ballots are completed, and then only on those candidates who fail to receive the requisite number of votes in the second balloting. The voting on the first two ballots may be yes, no, or undecided, but on the final ballot there shall be no undecided votes or abstentions. Discussions shall precede each ballot. All other voting guidelines are outlined in the General Voting Section above. The procedure for voting on graduate student candidates is the same as outlined above, except that both undergraduate and graduate members will participate in the voting. A three-fourths vote shall be required to elect a graduate member to the Society. Article VII: Judicial Action Members of the Society who are found guilty of one or more of the following offenses, by a minimum vote of three-fourths of the Officer Council, shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action by the Society and potentially by higher authorities, such as the administration of WPI: Continuous and unexcused absence from meetings Failure to carry out assigned duties Behavior which inappropriately represents the Society or WPI Disciplinary action for lower offenses will be preceded by a written warning from the Officer Council. In the event of continued offense after a warning has been issued, or in the event of a more severe offense, appropriate disciplinary action will be decided on by the Officer Council. Disciplinary action may be decided upon such that its severity is deemed directly proportional to the severity of the offense. These disciplinary actions may include, but are not limited to: An apology letter to the offended party(s) Community service to WPI or the Society Demotion from current position within the Society Expulsion from the Society Any disciplinary action must comply with all anti-hazing laws and policies of WPI and the State of Massachusetts. Any disciplinary action is subject to an appeal to a higher authority than the Officer Council. The decision of this higher authority on the appeal must be upheld by the Officer Council.

8 If the member of the Society being disciplined does not comply with the final disciplinary action agreed upon within 30 days of its assignment, then that member automatically forfeits their membership to the Society and is considered to be in poor-standing with the society should they choose to apply for membership in the future. This time limit may be extended by the Officer Council or any higher authority at the time of agreement on the final disciplinary action. In the event that the member of the Society being disciplined is on the Officer Council at the time of their offense, they shall be immediately removed from their position on the Officer Council and an interim officer shall be elected (using the same method described in the officer section) in their place for all duties not including the decision of the disciplinary action for the member whom they are replacing. Should the case be resolved in such a way that it does not require a demotion from the position they previously held, then the offending party is returned to their prior position on the Officer Council, and the interim officer will step down. If disciplinary action is agreed upon by the Officer Council, but the action is then repealed in a successful appeal by the offending party, then the member is returned to their position on the Officer Council, so long as it is allowed based on the conclusions of the appeal. Should any charges be brought against the Society itself, then the Society will abide by the decisions of the Campus Hearing Board or its designee. Article VIII: Finances A one-time initiation fee will be in place in order to account for individual costs incurred per each member of the Society. Article IX: Advisor The advisor of the Society shall be a full-time WPI faculty or professional staff member. The advisor shall attend general body meetings at least once per semester, and meet with Society officers as often as required in order to discuss issues of concern for the organization. The advisor will not have voting privileges within the Society. Article X: Amendments Any member in good-standing with the Society may propose amendments to this constitution. Amendments must be made known at least one week prior to a general body meeting in which they will be voted upon. Amendment approval will follow voting procedures following in Section ADA above. Formatting of the constitution does not need to be approved if the change does not involve altering the meaning or legibility of the document (eg. grammatical, formatting, etc.). Article XI: Student Organization Council (SOC) Enabling Clause The Society agrees to abide by the policies of Worcester Polytechnic Institute as well as all federal, state, and local laws. Any changes to this constitution and/or bylaws will follow, in word and spirit, all WPI policies and all federal, state, and local laws.