ARTICLE
I: NAME
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
Section
1: The objectives of this organization shall be: (1) to engage in
severe storm interception activities for the enrichment and enjoyment
of its members; (2) participate in severe storm spotting as a service
to the University and community; and (3) to participate in related
social activities.
Section
2: VUSIT shall be organized and operated exclusively for nonprofit
purposes, and no part of its earnings shall inureto the benefit of any
member.
ARTICLE
III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1:
Membership in VUSIT shall be open to any member of the University
community, on the basis of individual merit, free from discrimination
because of race, national origin, or disability, with an interest in
and commitment to the objectives of the organization. Annual dues may
be required for active membership.
Section
2: All members of the organization must be registered with the
Secretary & Treasurer and have paid any annual membership dues
before being considered active members.
Section
3: Members of the organization who are delinquent in paying any
required membership dues shall have all membership privileges revoked.
Written appeals may be filed by members to the Executive Board, which
shall rule on the appeal at their next meeting.
Section
4: Priority for storm intercept operations shall be determined by
the policies set forth by the Operations Committee.
ARTICLE
IV: OFFICERS
Section
1: The elected officers shall consist of the Director, the Deputy
Director, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. A faculty member shall
serve in an advisory status. The four elected officers shall comprise
the Executive Board. Elected officers must have completed one full
year of studies at Valparaiso University and have maintained
satisfactory academic standing as determined by the faculty
advisor.
Section
2: The officers shall be elected at the inaugural meeting of the
organization, and at the final regular meeting of each academic year
thereafter. All officers shall be elected to serve a term of one
academic year. No member shall serve more than two (2) years in the
same office.
Section
3: Officers may be impeached and removed from office for
misconduct, academic deficiency (as determined by the faculty advisor)
or neglect of duty.
Section
4: If an office, other than Director, becomes vacant, it shall be
filled for the remainder of the term by Director's appointment after
Executive Board confirmation.
Section
5: If the office of Director becomes vacant, the Deputy Director
shall act as interim Director until a special electionis held. The
Deputy Director shall be eligible to stand as a candidate for Director
(unless the Deputy Director has already served two terms as Director)
and should that member be elected as Director, the office of Deputy
Director shall become vacant.
ARTICLE
V: COMMITTEES
Section
1: There will be two (2) standing committees: Activities and
Operations. The Secretary & Treasurer shall chair the Activities
Committee, and the Deputy Director shall chair the Operations
Committee.
Section
2: Additional standing and ad-hoc committees may be created by the
membership as needed. The chairs of such committees shall be selected
by the Director and confirmed by the Executive Board.
Section
3: All additional committee members shall be appointed by the
chairs of the aforementioned committees.
Section
4: All committees shall be responsible for preparing regular
reports for the Executive Board and the membership. These reports
shall be presented at meetings by the chair of each committee or by a
substitute if the chair is absent.
Section
5: The Activities Committee shall be responsible for the
recruitment, planning and publicizing of fund raising and other
activities; maintaining an up-to-date membership list; and creating
annual reports for the Director consisting of, but not limited to,
number of members, number of new members, agendas at each meeting,
financial statement and outlook for the future.
Section
6: The Operations Committee shall be responsible for the planning,
coordination, and execution of storm intercept activities, and shall
establish and revise the policies for such activities.
ARTICLE
VI: MEETINGS
Section
1: Regular meetings shall take place approximate monthly at a
designated site and time assigned by the Director. At least one
officer must be presented at each meeting.
Section
2: Special meetings of the membership may be called by the
Director, the Executive Board, or at the written request of at least
five (5) members to the Executive Board. At least one officer must be
present at each special meeting. Such meetings shall be held within
two weeks after being called. The locations, dates, and times of
special meetings shall be set by the Director.
Section
3: At least one-half (.5) of the membership shall compose a quorum
for all meetings, except for Impeachment Proceedings where at least
two-thirds of the membership shall compose a quorum.
Section
4: The Director shall normally serve as Chair for all regular and
special meetings. In cases where the Director is absent, the
designation of Acting Chair shall go to the highest ranking officer
who is present, starting with the Deputy Director, then the Secretary,
then the Treasurer. The Chair shall be responsible for submitting an
agenda at the beginning of a meeting for approval.
Section
5: Announcements, including the locations, dates, times, and
tentative agendas of upcoming meetings, and the minutes of previous
meetings, shall be sent to all members by the Secretary.
Section
6: All organization meetings, with the exception of Impeachment
Proceedings, shall be open to the public.
Section
7: For all regular, special, and Executive Board meetings, the
rules contained in "Roberts' Rules of Order, Revised Edition" shall
govern in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they
are not inconsistent with the Constitution.
ARTICLE
VII: FINANCES
Section
1: Annual membership dues (if any) shall be set by the Executive
Board and collected by the Treasurer. Payment of dues shall entitle a
member to be listed on the Active Membership List until the next
annual deadline for payment of dues.
Section
2: Any membership dues must be paid by the end of the third
regular meeting of the academic year. Members who do not pay their
dues by the deadline shall have all membership privileges
revoked.
Section
3: All expenditure requests shall be presented by the parties
involved directly to the Executive Board.
Section
4: Expenditure requests up to thirty dollars ($30.00) shall be
approved or denied, subject to an annual cap of one hundred dollars
($100.00). The membership shall be informed of all expenditure
decisions by the Executive Board at the next regular
meeting.
Section
5: Expenditure requests exceeding thirty dollars ($30.00) shall be
forwarded to the membership by the Executive Board for consideration.
A simple majority of a quorum shall be required to authorize such
expenditure.
ARTICLE
VIII: ELECTIONS
Section
1: Regular officer elections shall occur annually at the last
regular meeting of the academic year.
Section
2: All nominations for officer positions shall be open at the last
regular meeting prior to an election and closed five (5) days prior to
the election. Any member is eligible to serve as an elected officer
subject to Article IV, Section I.
Section
4: All voting shall be closed ballot, and no member may vote by
proxy.
Section
5: A candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to win
office. In cases where there are ties or no candidate receives a
majority, runoff elections shall be held.
Section
6: A majority vote of the membership shall be sufficient to
overrule any decision made by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE
IX: IMPEACHMENT OF OFFICERS
Section
1: All impeachment charges against an officer must be presented in
writing to the Executive Board by at least one-third of the
membership. Upon receipt of the charges, the Executive Board shallset
an Impeachment Proceeding within the following two weeks. The officer
being charged shall be temporarily relieved of duties pending the
Impeachment Proceeding. If the impeached officer is the Director, the
Deputy Director shall act as interim Director until the Impeachment
Proceeding; otherwise, the Executive Board shall collectively perform
the duties of the impeached officer.
Section
2: At the Impeachment Proceeding, a non-Executive Board member
shall be elected as ombudsman by a majority of a quorum for the
duration of the Impeachment Proceeding. The ombudsman shall chair the
Impeachment Proceeding in an impartial manner and shall only vote when
debate is concluded and the charges are brought up for a final
vote.
Section
3: A scribe shall be elected by a majority of a quorum for the
duration of the Impeachment Proceeding. The scribe shall be
responsible for recording any votes during the Impeachment Proceeding.
The Secretary shall be eligible to serve as scribe if not being
impeached.
Section
4: If the charges are sustained by at least two-thirds of the
membership, the officer shall be removed from office.
Section
5: Upon the completion of the final vote on the charges, the
Impeachment Proceeding shall be adjourned, and if the charges are not
sustained, the impeached officer shall immediately be reinstated to
office.
ARTICLE
X: DUTIES OF OFFICE
Section
1: The Director shall be responsible for the efficient operation
of the organization; shall chair all regular and Executive Board
meetings, except for Impeachment Proceedings; call for and set the
locations, dates and times of Executive Board meetings; have the
authority to call for special meetings of the membership; submit an
agenda for regular and Executive Board meetings for approval; nominate
chairs to committees; nominate replacements in vacant offices; express
the official views of the organization.
Section
2:The Deputy Director shall serve as vice-chair of the Executive
Board and serve as acting chair in the absence of the Director; chair
the Operations Committee; become interim Director if the Director is
impeached, pending an Impeachment Proceeding or if that office becomes
vacant; assist the Director and perform tasks as assigned by the
Director.
Section
3: The Secretary shall take attendance at and record the
proceedings of all regular and Executive Board meetings; co-chair the
Activities/Fundraising Committee with the Treasurer; publish records
of meetings for the membership; inform the membership of all upcoming
activities; keep membership status; record all votes at regular and
Executive Board meetings, except for Impeachment Proceedings; file an
annual report of organization activities; and serve on the Executive
Board.
Section
4: The Treasurer shall keep account of all organization funds;
collect and record dues; balance financial records with those of all
financial institutions that are invloved with organization finances;
co-chair the Activities/Fundraising Committee with the Secretary;
monitor equipment purchases; assist in writing funding proposals;
advise the Executive Board on setting annual dues; file an annual
report of fundraising and purchasing activities; and serve on
Executive Board.
ARTICLE
XI: EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section
1: The Executive Board shall approve, deny, or refer to the
membership all expenditure requests for up to thirty dollars ($30),
subject to an annual cap of one hundred dollars ($100); forward all
expenditure requests for over thirty dollars ($30) to the membership;
set any annual membership dues; have the authority to call special
meetings; and decide on appeals from members removed from active
membership.
Section
2: Any decision made by the Executive Board may be overruled by a
majority vote of the membership.
ARTICLE
XII: AMENDMENTS
All
proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted in writing
to the membership for debate. After debate on the amendment, the
membership shall vote on each proposal separately. A vote of approval
by at least two-thirds of the membership shall be necessary for
passage of an amendment. The Director shall be responsible for adding
all approved amendments to the current copy of the
Constitution.
