Club Constitution

(Last Amended 09/05)

Preamble

We, the regularly enrolled members of the SUNY Institute of Technology Student Government Association, believing we must incorporate the ideals and principles of American democracy in our college life, do ordain and establish this Constitution, dedicated to the principles of democratic citizenship and do expressly state herein that all provisions of this Constitution and all acts of the Telecommunications Club created hereby, shall be consistent with the rules and regulations of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, the local College Council, and the Constitution of the SUNY Institute of Technology.

Article I

The Telecommunications Club

Section 1: Definition

             I.      The name of this organization shall be "Student Government Association Telecommunications Club"; hereby referred to as “the Club”.

Section 2: Activation 

             I.      The Club, to be activated by Student Government Association, must have a minimum membership of eight (8) members, four (4) members serving as Executive officers, and the remainder comprising the general membership.

Section 3: Meeting Conduct

             I.      All regularly scheduled Club meetings shall be governed by Parliamentarian Procedure as outlined in Robert’s Rules  of  Order Newly Revised.

            II.      All Club meetings shall tentatively consist of a schedule of reports from all executive board members, committee reports, any old business, followed by any new business, announcements, open forum, and finally adjourned by a Motion of Adjournment.

            III.      A quorum of Voting Members shall be required to hold any election or vote.  A quorum shall be defined as 51% of all voting members present at the meeting.  In the event that a quorum of members is not present the vote shall be tabled until a quorum is present to conduct the vote.

Section 4: Public Appearance and Professionalism

               I.      The Club shall strive to set new standards for professionalism in all matters, both public and private, and shall maintain a professional standard for publications, broadcasts, and all other endeavors of the Club. 

              II.      Once any professional standard has been set by the Club this standard shall be upheld until a 3/4 majority of Voting Club members determines by public ballot a change is warranted.

Article II

Club Mission

Section 1: Mission Statement

 I.      The Club shall provide a collective voice to aid in the development and improvement of academic telecommunications resources and facilities at the Institute of Technology.  

            II.      The Club shall provide a forum for an exchange of ideas and opportunities related to the field of telecommunications.
 

           III.      The Club shall enhance the social life of the students on and off campus.

Article III

Membership

Section 1: Requirements for Membership

 I.      All regular full-time and part-time, undergraduate and graduate students of SUNY Institute of Technology who have paid the student activity fee prior to the semester of membership shall be eligible for membership.

            II.      In order to be considered a member, a student must attend 2 consecutive meetings upon which time the student shall be considered an active member with voting rights starting at the next scheduled meeting.  In the event a student can not satisfy the Club meeting requirement due to schedule conflicts the Executive Board shall reserve the right to appoint a student by a 3/4 majority Executive Board public ballot with the President reserving veto right.

Section 2: Voting Member Requirements

 I.      In order for a member to remain in good standing (Voting Member) with the Club, the member must attend two (2) meetings    per month and participate in no less than one (1) Club sponsored fundraiser per semester or participate in two (2) or more Club sponsored events per semester.

            II.      In the event that a Club member ceases to meet the voting membership requirements as outlined in Article III section 2, paragraph I that member shall cease to be a voting member of the Club. All Club members are required to meet voting membership requirements as outlined in Article III, section 2, paragraph I in order to maintain voting membership status in the Club.   

Article IV

Executive Board

 Section 1: Number and Schedule for Elections

 I.      The Club shall elect from its voting membership a succeeding President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer on the second to last scheduled meeting of the Spring Semester.  The vote will be taken by secret ballot of all attending voting Club members, the ballots will be collected and a public vote count will be held immediately after the voting to ensure an accurate count.   Members elected for the above positions must be nominated by a voting member of the Club and their nomination must be seconded by any other voting Club member.

 II.      If in the event an election can not be held on this date the current executive board shall remain active until the second meeting of the new semester at which time an election will be held. 

            III.      The President and Executive Board members shall reserve the right to initiate an emergency election during any scheduled or 

                       non-scheduled meeting with a ¾ majority public Executive Board ballot.

 Section 2: Executive Board Office Requirements

 I.      In order to be considered eligible for nomination to the Executive Board, a member must meet all requirements set forth in article III sections 1&2 and must be in good academic standings (Minimum  2.0 Cumulative GPA) with the College.

II.      Executive Board members must attend no less than ¾ of all scheduled meetings and all emergency meetings held per month.

III.      Impeachment proceedings may be initiated against any Executive Board member at any time for failing to meet office requirements.

IV.      If little or no interest is shown in the position by eligible voting members, other members who satisfy academic requirements will be permitted to run.

Section 3: Officers of the Club

I.      The President shall: 

a.       Preside as Chairman of the Executive Board.

b.       Call and preside over all meetings of the Club.

c.        Call special and/or emergency meetings of the Club.

d.       Have a vote in the case of a tie in all matters other than election of officers.

e.       Assist in coordinating any committees and activities that the Club may set up.

f.       Preside as Chairman of the Impeachment Tribunal of the Vice-President.

g.        Appoint members to Impeachment Tribunals.

h.       Attend the Advisory Board Meeting held at the end of the semester.

i.         Prepare and present an Executive Summary of current Club activities and events to the Advisory Board. 

           II.      The Vice-President shall: 

a.       Serve as a member of the Executive Board.

b.       Perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability of the President.

c.        Assist in coordinating any committees and activities that the Club may set up.

d.       Perform the duties of the Treasurer in the absence or inability of the Treasurer.

e.        Preside as Chairman of all Impeachment Tribunal except in the event of the Vice-President’s Impeachment.

f.        Appoint members to Presidential Impeachment Tribunal.

g.        Assume the responsibilities of the Secretary as defined in Article IV Section 3 Paragraph IV in the event of absence. 

         III.      The Treasurer shall: 

a.       Serve as a member of the Executive Board.

b.       Be custodian of all books pertaining to the financial affairs of the Club.

c.        Ensure that the Club maintains good financial standing with the Student Government Association.

d.       Preside as Chairman of the Budget Committee if one exists and present the budget for the Club to the Club Funding Board (CFB).

e.        Present a financial report at all regularly scheduled Club meetings.

f.        Act as Club Funding Board representative and represent the club at Club Funding Board meetings. If the treasurer cannot perform these duties, then the Vice-President or an appointee of the Vice-President will perform them.

        IV.      The Secretary shall: 

a.       Serve as a member of the Executive Board.

b.       Take roll call at ALL Club meetings and maintain an accurate list of all current Club members and officers and notify a member if he or she is in violation of attendance requirements as determined by the Club.

c.        Accurately record proceedings at all Club meetings.

d.       Preserve the meeting minutes and correspondence in Club files.

e.        Present a preliminary copy of the previous weeks meeting minutes for modification and approval by the Club at the beginning of each new meeting.

f.        Prepare and submit a formal copy of the approved meeting minutes for submission to the Club Funding Board (CFB) within one week of the meeting.

g.        Keep a record of ALL Club events and activities.

h.       Act as Student Association representative and represent the club at Student Association meetings when required to do so.  If the secretary is unable to perform these duties, then the President or an appointee of the President will assume the duties of the same.

 Section 4: Executive Board Appointed Positions

 I.      The Webmaster Shall:  

a.       Be appointed by the Elected Officers of the Club.

b.       Maintain the SUNYIT Telecom Club Web Site, including developments, improvements, maintenance and troubleshooting or repairs.

c.        Give a regular report regarding SUNYIT Telecom Club Web Site developments, improvements, and problems.

            II.      The Telecom Buzz Newsletter Editor:  

a.       Be appointed by the Elected Officers of the Club.

b.       Maintain the SUNYIT Telecom Buzz Newsletter, including developments, improvements, and troubleshooting, and coordinate and manage all appointed Telecom Buzz Staff Writer positions.

c.        Give a regular report regarding SUNYIT Telecom Buzz Newsletter developments, improvements, and problems.

d.       The Editor must submit or solicit at least one article for each issue of the Telecom Buzz Newsletter.

           III.      The Telecom Buzz Staff Writer:  

a.       Be appointed by the Elected Officers of the Club and approved by the Telecom Buzz Newsletter Editor.

b.       Compose articles and edit article submissions for publication in the Telecom Buzz Newsletter.

c.        All Staff Writers must submit at least one article for each issue of the Telecom Buzz Newsletter.

d.        In the event that the Telecom Buzz Staff Writer cannot be appointed, the Telecom Buzz Newsletter Editor shall assume the duties of the same.

Section 5: Term of Office

              I.      Each Executive Officer elected to the Club for the Fall Semester shall serve a term of one academic year. Officers elected for the Spring Semester shall only serve for that semester’s term. Any officer may be reelected to the same office.

             II.      Members elected for Executive Officer positions shall assume power on the first day preceding the last scheduled meeting for the Spring Semester except in the event of Resignation of Office by the Acting Executive Board Officer in which case the newly elected Executive Board Officer shall assume responsibility at the time of the election.

            III.      All Executive Board appointed positions shall remain in office until resignation or Impeachment or removal from office has occurred. 

Article V

Impeachment

Section 1: Definition

             I.      If in the event that any elected or appointed Club Executive Board member fails to meet the requirements of office, an Impeachment Tribunal may be convened to weigh the evidence and determine if removal from office is warranted.

Section 2: Impeachment

             I.      Any voting Club member has the authority to initiate impeachment proceedings by presenting a formal list of charges as Grounds for Impeachment to the Club.  All motions for Impeachment must be seconded by any other Voting Club Member.

II.      The formal Grounds for Impeachment must consist of a written formal document detailing all offenses specifying the constitution Article(s), Section(s), and Paragraph(s) in violation.

III.      An Impeachment Trial date shall be determined by the Tribunal Chairman and shall not convene later than one week following the initiation of the impeachment proceedings and shall not interfere with any regular scheduled Club meeting.

IV.      Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend beyond removal from office.

V.      Any Club member that is impeached and removed from office shall not be able to hold office in the future.

Section 3: Impeachment Tribunal Guidelines

 I.      The President of the Club shall form an Impeachment Tribunal to preside over the Impeachment Trial with the Vice-President of the Club acting as Chairman of the Impeachment Tribunal. In the event that the Vice-President is being impeached then the President of the Club shall act as Chairman of the Impeachment Tribunal.

II.      The Impeachment Tribunal will consist of 3 non-officer Club members and the Tribunal Chairman.  The Club member initiating or seconding the Impeachment can not serve on the Impeachment tribunal. No previously impeached Club member may serve on the Impeachment Tribunal.

 III.      The Tribunal will hear arguments and review evidence submissions from all parties involved.  In order for evidence to be considered relevant the evidence must be presented during the Tribunal.

IV.      Upon completion the Tribunal shall convene to review all evidence and determine if there is sufficient evidence to support the charges. The Tribunal’s decision must be unanimous to solicit a vote of removal.  Findings from the Tribunal must be presented at the next scheduled Club meeting.

V.      After the presentation of the findings, if the Tribunal has determined there is sufficient evidence to support the Impeachment charges, a vote will be conducted, removal from office shall require a 3/4 majority vote by the Tribunal.

ARTICLE VI

Amendments

Section 1: Amendment Guidelines

 I.      An amendment to this constitution may be proposed by any voting member of the Club, and that proposal must be seconded by a voting member of the Club to call a vote.  

II.      The amendment must be accepted by a 3/4 majority of voting club members. A quorum of the club must be present at this meeting.

III.      If accepted, amendments shall be enumerated in order of presentation to the club.

IV.      Any change in the main body of this constitution or change in this constitution shall require a 3/4 majority. 

ARTICLE VII

Ratification

I.       This constitution shall become effective upon majority vote of active members.

II.      Club officers in office or elected at the time of ratification of this constitution shall fulfill the duties of the office named as enumerated herein.    Any office vacant after the ratification of this   constitution shall be filled by special election.

top