Bylawas
Article I. Organization Name
The name of the organization shall be the Undergraduate Biochemistry Student Organization (UBSO) or, for the purposes of this document, The Organization.
Article II. Mission Statement
It shall be the purpose of The Organization to provide academic support, enhance social interaction, and facilitate faculty networking for undergraduates in the biochemical sciences.
Article III. Membership
Section A. Eligibility - Membership is open to any enrolled University student interested in biochemistry or a related biological field. To be considered a member, a student must be listed on The Organization's email list and must pay all relevant membership dues, if applicable. Additionally, participation in social and academic events as designated by The Organization is required. Requirements will be defined by the Council, via simple quorum majority vote, at a meeting held during the August prior to the onset of the academic year, the details of which will be published to all members via the mailing list.
Section B. Membership Dues – The academic year of the organization shall begin on September 1st and end on August 31st of the following calendar year. The Council, defined in Article IV, may, by majority vote, establish membership dues for a given academic year prior to the beginning of that year. Dues must be paid, in full, by the November meeting of that year for a student to be considered a member in The Organization.
Article IV. Officers and Council
Section A. Officers – The Organization shall have a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer as officers.
Section B. Council – The council shall consist of the officers listed in section A of article IV and the Academic, Events, Pre-Professional, and Promotions chairmen. All officers and council members must also be members of the organization.
Section C. Term – The term of office shall be from May 1st through April 30th.
Section D. Meetings – Council meetings shall be held as least once a month during the academic year. All members are eligible to attend and vote at council meetings.
Section E. Elections – The President is responsible for mediating the elections. Elections of Council members shall be held in April. At least four weeks notice shall be given before the election meeting at which time, nominations shall be initiated by the President. Only those holding previous positions of involvement are eligible for nomination to an officer position. If no such person is nominated to an officer position by two weeks prior to the election meeting, nominations are opened to the general membership. Nominations for the remaining Council seats are perpetually open to the general membership. Nominations for a position are closed immediately prior to the election of said position.
Election of positions will follow the established hierarchy: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Academic, Events, Pre-Professional, and Promotions. If more than one individual is nominated for a given position, the individual receiving the majority of votes at the election meeting is elected. If no nominee receives a majority of votes, the two nominees who received the largest amount of votes are voted upon again by the general membership to determine the winner of the election. Elected Council members may decline membership to the Council, at which point the next highest vote recipient is deemed the election winner. The incumbent President may vote in elections only to break ties.
Section F. Impeachment – Any Council member may be removed from his or her seat by a three-quarters vote at a meeting of the full Council.
Section G. Vacancy – Any vacancy on the Council shall be filled by simple Council majority appointment.
Article V. Council Meetings
Section A. Quorum – A quorum shall consist of any general members present at the Council meeting and five of the eight council members, one of whom must the President or the Vice President.
Section B. Voting – Each member may vote at a council meeting unless the matter is closed to the Council. A majority vote of the quorum present is required to pass legislation and resolutions, unless otherwise specified.
Article VI. Officer Duties
Section A. The President – The President shall be the chief executive officer, lead all meetings, and preside over the entire organization. The President will keep and have available current copies of the bylaws. The President will also serve as the student representative in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Department Committee. Finally, the President is responsible to renew The Organization’s RSO status at the beginning of each academic year or as required by the RSO.
Section B. The Vice President – The Vice President shall assume the duties of President if the President is absent and aid the President in executing the mission of the organization. The Vice President shall also be the organization’s parliamentarian and serve as the Biochemistry Department’s representative to the CALS
Student Council.
Section C. The Secretary – The Secretary shall keep the minutes and agendas for all meetings, provide copies of the minutes when necessary, and maintain complete and accurate accounts of attendance and membership status.
Section D. The Treasurer – The Treasurer shall keep financial records, provide this information upon request of the Council, and perform any other duties pertaining to the financial status of the organization.
Section E. General – The Officers shall be responsible to give an Officer’s report at each meeting, the purpose of which is to keep The Organization’s membership informed of news pertinent to their position. An Officer must submit their report to the President within twenty-four hours of the meeting if their attendance is uncertain.
Article VII. Chairperson Duties
Section A: Academic – The Academic Chair shall organize peer-advising sessions for class selection and completion of the major. They shall also facilitate mentoring between upperclassmen and underclassmen. Finally, they shall convey academic concerns of the general body to the President.
Section B: Events – The Events Chair shall organize six events throughout the academic year. These events shall consist of an approximately even distribution of social and volunteer activities.
Section C: Pre-Professional – The Pre-Professional Chair shall be responsible to provide information and resources to the general body regarding professional tracks and opportunities available, including the organization of meetings related to further education and careers. These meetings must be held at least once a semester.
Section D: Promotions – The Promotions Chair must advertise and increase awareness on campus of the activities and purpose of The Organization. Hence, the Promotions Chair must update materials produced by The Organization to maintain current status.
Article VIII. Advisory Staff
The advisory staff shall consist of a faculty member(s) and/or departmental staff who assist the organization in execution of its mission.
Article IX. Parliamentary Procedure & Amendments
These bylaws shall be followed by the organization. Parliamentary procedure shall also be followed when not in conflict with the bylaws. The bylaws shall be made publicly available. The bylaws may be amended first by a three-quarters vote of the entire Council and secondly by a two-thirds vote of the general membership present, excluding the Council. Any accepted amended version of the bylaws will take effect at the general meeting following its acceptance. Finally, at the time of transition of the Council, it is the responsibility of both the new and old Councils to review the bylaws and amend as fit.
9/17/09
The name of the organization shall be the Undergraduate Biochemistry Student Organization (UBSO) or, for the purposes of this document, The Organization.
Article II. Mission Statement
It shall be the purpose of The Organization to provide academic support, enhance social interaction, and facilitate faculty networking for undergraduates in the biochemical sciences.
Article III. Membership
Section A. Eligibility - Membership is open to any enrolled University student interested in biochemistry or a related biological field. To be considered a member, a student must be listed on The Organization's email list and must pay all relevant membership dues, if applicable. Additionally, participation in social and academic events as designated by The Organization is required. Requirements will be defined by the Council, via simple quorum majority vote, at a meeting held during the August prior to the onset of the academic year, the details of which will be published to all members via the mailing list.
Section B. Membership Dues – The academic year of the organization shall begin on September 1st and end on August 31st of the following calendar year. The Council, defined in Article IV, may, by majority vote, establish membership dues for a given academic year prior to the beginning of that year. Dues must be paid, in full, by the November meeting of that year for a student to be considered a member in The Organization.
Article IV. Officers and Council
Section A. Officers – The Organization shall have a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer as officers.
Section B. Council – The council shall consist of the officers listed in section A of article IV and the Academic, Events, Pre-Professional, and Promotions chairmen. All officers and council members must also be members of the organization.
Section C. Term – The term of office shall be from May 1st through April 30th.
Section D. Meetings – Council meetings shall be held as least once a month during the academic year. All members are eligible to attend and vote at council meetings.
Section E. Elections – The President is responsible for mediating the elections. Elections of Council members shall be held in April. At least four weeks notice shall be given before the election meeting at which time, nominations shall be initiated by the President. Only those holding previous positions of involvement are eligible for nomination to an officer position. If no such person is nominated to an officer position by two weeks prior to the election meeting, nominations are opened to the general membership. Nominations for the remaining Council seats are perpetually open to the general membership. Nominations for a position are closed immediately prior to the election of said position.
Election of positions will follow the established hierarchy: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Academic, Events, Pre-Professional, and Promotions. If more than one individual is nominated for a given position, the individual receiving the majority of votes at the election meeting is elected. If no nominee receives a majority of votes, the two nominees who received the largest amount of votes are voted upon again by the general membership to determine the winner of the election. Elected Council members may decline membership to the Council, at which point the next highest vote recipient is deemed the election winner. The incumbent President may vote in elections only to break ties.
Section F. Impeachment – Any Council member may be removed from his or her seat by a three-quarters vote at a meeting of the full Council.
Section G. Vacancy – Any vacancy on the Council shall be filled by simple Council majority appointment.
Article V. Council Meetings
Section A. Quorum – A quorum shall consist of any general members present at the Council meeting and five of the eight council members, one of whom must the President or the Vice President.
Section B. Voting – Each member may vote at a council meeting unless the matter is closed to the Council. A majority vote of the quorum present is required to pass legislation and resolutions, unless otherwise specified.
Article VI. Officer Duties
Section A. The President – The President shall be the chief executive officer, lead all meetings, and preside over the entire organization. The President will keep and have available current copies of the bylaws. The President will also serve as the student representative in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Department Committee. Finally, the President is responsible to renew The Organization’s RSO status at the beginning of each academic year or as required by the RSO.
Section B. The Vice President – The Vice President shall assume the duties of President if the President is absent and aid the President in executing the mission of the organization. The Vice President shall also be the organization’s parliamentarian and serve as the Biochemistry Department’s representative to the CALS
Student Council.
Section C. The Secretary – The Secretary shall keep the minutes and agendas for all meetings, provide copies of the minutes when necessary, and maintain complete and accurate accounts of attendance and membership status.
Section D. The Treasurer – The Treasurer shall keep financial records, provide this information upon request of the Council, and perform any other duties pertaining to the financial status of the organization.
Section E. General – The Officers shall be responsible to give an Officer’s report at each meeting, the purpose of which is to keep The Organization’s membership informed of news pertinent to their position. An Officer must submit their report to the President within twenty-four hours of the meeting if their attendance is uncertain.
Article VII. Chairperson Duties
Section A: Academic – The Academic Chair shall organize peer-advising sessions for class selection and completion of the major. They shall also facilitate mentoring between upperclassmen and underclassmen. Finally, they shall convey academic concerns of the general body to the President.
Section B: Events – The Events Chair shall organize six events throughout the academic year. These events shall consist of an approximately even distribution of social and volunteer activities.
Section C: Pre-Professional – The Pre-Professional Chair shall be responsible to provide information and resources to the general body regarding professional tracks and opportunities available, including the organization of meetings related to further education and careers. These meetings must be held at least once a semester.
Section D: Promotions – The Promotions Chair must advertise and increase awareness on campus of the activities and purpose of The Organization. Hence, the Promotions Chair must update materials produced by The Organization to maintain current status.
Article VIII. Advisory Staff
The advisory staff shall consist of a faculty member(s) and/or departmental staff who assist the organization in execution of its mission.
Article IX. Parliamentary Procedure & Amendments
These bylaws shall be followed by the organization. Parliamentary procedure shall also be followed when not in conflict with the bylaws. The bylaws shall be made publicly available. The bylaws may be amended first by a three-quarters vote of the entire Council and secondly by a two-thirds vote of the general membership present, excluding the Council. Any accepted amended version of the bylaws will take effect at the general meeting following its acceptance. Finally, at the time of transition of the Council, it is the responsibility of both the new and old Councils to review the bylaws and amend as fit.
9/17/09