Constitution of the Mentor Tech Student Organization (MTSO) Article I. Name The name of this organization shall be the Mentor Tech Student Organization. Article II. Purpose Section I. Primary To support the initiatives of the Lauro Cavazos & Ophelia Powell-Malone Mentoring Program (Mentor Tech). Section II. Secondary To unite and support the student participants of the Lauro Cavazos & Ophelia Powell-Malone Mentoring Program (Mentor Tech) and provide service to the Texas Tech and Lubbock communities. Article III. Membership Section I. Eligibility Student participants within the Lauro Cavazos & Ophelia Powell-Malone Mentoring Program (Mentor Tech) shall be considered members of MTSO. Members of the Texas Tech System community may also participate as voting members. Section II. Selection Process Membership will be open each semester. All active members are expected to pay semester dues as determined by the Executive Board of the organization. Section III. Member Removal Process (A) Any member or officer may submit a member in violation of the organization s purpose, constitution, and or the Texas Tech Student Code of Conduct to the president and/or campus advisor. (B) Once the alleged violation has been submitted, it will be reviewed by non-implicated members of the executive board and the campus advisor. (C) If the executive board and campus advisor find the alleged violation to be credible, a meeting will be scheduled with the member to further discuss the matter. (D) Following the meeting with the implicated member, the executive board will vote to determine whether or not the member should be removed. A two-thirds vote is required to move the process forward. (E) The removal process will be carried out in accordance with the most recent version of the Conduct Procedures for Student Organizations within the Texas Tech University Student Code of Conduct. Revised 06/20/17 Page 1
Section IV. Anti-Discrimination Statement The Mentor Tech Student Organization is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all qualified members without regard to races, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. Article IV. Officers Section I. Officers Requirements The selected officers must meet the following: (A) Be a full or part time student with at least 12 credits hours prior to being elected (B) The President and Vice President must be members of the Protégé Advisory Committee of the Mentor Tech Program during their terms. (C) As members of the Executive Board, all officers are required to pay the required dues, attend all regularly scheduled meetings and organization sponsored events, unless otherwise excused by the President and/or Advisor(s). (D) Must be in good academic standing with the University (E) Must review the constitution (F) Must be an active member of the organization at least one semester prior to being elected (G) Must be a protégé within the Mentor Tech Mentoring Program Section II. Officer Duties PRESIDENT: He/She shall be the chief executive officer of the organization, shall preside over all executive and regular meetings, shall be the liaison between the organization and the advisor(s), shall be responsible for the coordination of all activities and represent the organization at all official functions. Shall be responsible for submitting a monthly report to the Advisor(s). Shall also work with the advisor(s) to promote consistency and quality of the organization s reputation, public image and participation from all members. VICE PRESIDENT: He/She shall assist the President in all aspects and will preside over all executive and regular meetings in the absence of the President. He/She will oversee any committees of the organization and perform any other duties necessary. In the event that the President is unable to complete his/her term, shall become the President of the organization. SECRETARY: He/She shall record minutes at all meetings, keep an accurate record of attendance and shall be responsible for all correspondences of the organization, including TechAnnounce, emails to members, etc. Shall assist in data collection for the organization s monthly report to the advisor(s). Shall ensure that all meetings, votes, and elections are handled according to Robert s Rules of Order-Newly Revised. Shall perform other duties as assigned. TREASURER: He/She shall pay bills, and oversee any other monetary transactions including fundraising and present a monthly budget report of all major expenditures (over $100). All deposits must be made within 24 hours or on the next business day after collection. Shall also be responsible for drafting all budget requests for the Student Government Association with the assistance of the organization s President and Advisor(s). Shall ensure adherence to all sections of Article VII of this document. This office may be combined with that of the Secretary. HISTORIAN: He/She is responsible for all historical data keeping and collecting all histories, keeping reference of all MTSO events (e.g. pictures, articles, plaques, proclamations, etc.) and Revised 06/20/17 Page 2
shall be responsible for the maintenance of all articles of MTSO. Shall be the liaison of the Public Relations Committee regarding the MTSO website, Facebook page, Twitter account and other social media outlets. Shall coordinate the maintenance of the MTSO website. Shall also serve as the Student Organization Representative Council (S.O.R.C.) representative for MTSO. Section III. Terms (A) All officer terms shall be one academic year. (B) Officers may run for reelection. (C) Upon the resignation(s) or removal of any officer, the president, advisor(s) and Center for Campus Life must be contacted within 24 hours of formal resignation. Section IV. Elections (A) Elections shall be held at the March meeting of the spring semester of each year. (B) Newly elected officers officially take office at the end of the May meeting of each semester. Section V. Officer Removal Process (A) Any member or officer may submit an officer in violation of the organization s purpose, constitution, and or the Texas Tech Student Code of Conduct to the president and/or campus advisor. (B) Once the alleged violation has been submitted, it will be reviewed by non-implicated members of the executive board and the campus advisor. (C) If the remaining members of the executive board and campus advisor find the alleged violation to be credible, a meeting will be scheduled with the implicated officer to further discuss the matter. (D) Following the meeting with the implicated officer, the remaining executive board will vote to determine whether or not the officer should be removed. A two-thirds vote is required to move the process forward. (E) The removal process will be carried out in accordance with the most recent version of the Conduct Procedures for Student Organizations within the Texas Tech University Student Code of Conduct. Article V. Meetings Section I. Regular Meetings Regular meetings shall be held on a day, at a time and in place deemed acceptable by the Executive Board and members. Section II. Special Meetings Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board and/or advisor(s). Section III. Quorum (A) Quorum will consist of a majority of the active eligible members of the organization. (B) No official vote can be taken without the presence of a quorum. Section IV. Voting (A) All votes will be determined by a majority vote of all eligible voters in the organization, unless otherwise specified. Revised 06/20/17 Page 3
(B) All votes will be taken by show of hands, unless otherwise specified. (C) In the event of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote. Article VI. Relationship The Mentor Tech Student Organization is affiliated with the Lauro Cavazos & Ophelia Powell- Malone Mentoring Program, but is not affiliated with any local, state, or national organization. Article VII. Financial Procedures (A) (B) (C) Section I. Collection of Funds All active members are expected to pay semester dues at the beginning of each semester, as determined by the Executive Board of the organization. Funds may also generated from sponsorships, donations, and fundraising activities. The Treasurer is responsible for the collection, record keeping of all funds related to the organization. Section II. Management of Funds (A) The Treasurer is responsible for ensuring the payment and documentation of all income and expenditures. (B) He/she is responsible for overseeing any other monetary transactions including fundraising, receipting, and presenting a monthly budget report of all major expenditures (over $100). (C) All deposits must be made into the organizations bank account within 24 hours or on the next business day after collection. Section III. Documentation Accurate documentation of all income and expenditures for the organization must be added to the Organization s Financial Binder and shall be made available to all members upon reasonable notice. Article VIII. Activities The organization s activities include, but are not limited to; social, academic and cultural events, in addition to community service projects during each semester. Article IX. Committees Section I. Executive Board The officers of MTSO shall comprise the Executive Board of MTSO. Section II. Standing Committees (A) Committee(s) may be convened and appointed by the Executive Board at its discretion. (B) Committees shall be formed as needed to oversee and facilitate any of the organization s tasks or objectives. (C) Any member of the organization may serve on committees. Revised 06/20/17 Page 4
(D) A chairperson for each committee shall be appointed by the President. Chairpersons may also be selected by the Executive Board. (E) The President and Advisor(s) may remove any person from a committee due to lack of attendance, involvement participation or any other issue as deemed appropriate. (F) All standing and subcommittees are responsible for reports as specified by the Vice President. Article X. Advisor(s) Section I. Requirements (A) Must be a full time staff member(s) or faculty of Texas Tech University. (B) Shall be staff member(s) of the Mentor Tech Mentoring Program or his/her designee(s). Section II. Responsibilities (A) Shall be responsible for implementing and ensuring the compliance of rules and regulations of the university regarding student organizations. (B) Shall be responsible for reviewing and approving expenditures of the organization prior to payment. (C) (C) Shall advise the officers & members of this organization on any issues relevant to the success of the organization. Article XI. Rules of Order All parliamentary procedures of MTSO shall be governed according to Robert s Rules of Order- Newly Revised. Article XII. Amendments and Revision Section I. Amendments This constitution may be amended at any time by two-thirds vote of the Executive Board subject to the approval of the Director of Student Activities. Section II. Revisions This document must be reviewed every two years. Article XIII. Disciplinary The advisor(s) may recommend any appropriate action including suspension of any officer or member of this organization who fails to meet the requirements or represent themselves in a manner reflective of the purpose and standards of this organization. Revised 06/20/17 Page 5