Constitution of The College of
New Jersey Student Chemists Association
The purpose of The College of New Jersey Student Chemists Association shall be
to afford an opportunity for students of the chemical sciences to become
acquainted with one another, to secure the intellectual stimulation that arises
from professional association, to foster a professional spirit among the
members, and to promote an awareness of the responsibilities and challenges of
the modern chemist.
It is hereby acknowledged that The College of New Jersey Student Chemists Association insures that the policies and practices pertaining to the membership of our organization do not discriminate based on sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, marital status, handicap, age, sexual orientation, and lifestyle. It is also hereby understood that the only exemptions to this claim may be due to the sex or religious composition of our organization, which is allowable by law.
Membership shall be open to any undergraduate member of the TCNJ community who has an interest in the chemical sciences. Members must attend at least one Association- sponsored event a semester. Membership in the TCNJ Student Chemists Association does not imply individual student membership in the American Chemical Society or the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates.
General meetings will be held at least five times a semester.
Special events will be arranged at any time by the Executive Committee
upon approval of the President.
The officers of the organization shall be the President, Vice President,
Treasurer, and Secretary. These
officers comprise the membership of the Executive Committee.
The officers shall be elected at a general meeting during April of the spring
semester. All elections shall be
announced to the members of the Association with at least one week notice.
In order to participate in the voting, a student must have been a member
of the TCNJ Student Chemists Association for at least one semester prior to the
vote and have attended a minimum of three meetings during the previous fall
semester. After nominations are made
from the floor, elections shall be held by closed ballots.
After the Executive Committee counts the ballots, the students with the
largest number of votes for each elected position will be announced by the
current President. The newly elected
Committee members shall take office immediately after the election meeting and
shall hold offices for one year or until their successors are duly elected.
The residing President will only be able to vote in the event of a tie
for a position other than the presidency.
In the event of a tie for the position of presidency, the residing Vice
President will have the deciding vote.
In the event that an officer must vacate a position for any reason, a new
election will be promptly held for that position.
Any officer that does not adequately fulfill his or her duties may be removed
from office. The motion of
impeachment must come from another officer, but any member of the Association
may approach an officer if he/she feels that there is ground for removal.
One week after said motion, an Executive Committee meeting will be called
at which all officers and the Faculty Advisor [non-voting (Article VI)] must be
present. A resolution to the
conflict will be attempted, including but not limited to 1) the resignation of
the impeached officer or 2) probation (as designed by the majority of the
Executive Committee). If no
agreement is reached, a trial will be held at which the impeached officer may be
removed from office by a unanimous minus one vote.
The officer on trial may not vote.
If voted out of office, the officer may not attend executive board
meetings, but may still participate in Association activities.
The officer may never again hold a position on the Executive Committee if
he/she has been voted out of office, but may run for a position again in the
next yearly elections if he/she resigns.
The vacant Executive Committee position will be filled at the chapter
meeting following the trial by closed ballots.
Members of the Executive Committee are expected to attend all meetings and
assist with Club events.
The Association President shall act as the primary
coordinator of all chapter activities.
His/her responsibilities are as follows:
1.
To preside over all
meetings and Association functions;
2.
To conduct regular
meetings with the Executive Committee;
3.
To organize the
recruitment of new members;
4.
To plan the
Association’s calendar along with the Executive Committee;
5.
To monitor the progress
of activities;
6.
To encourage
cooperation and participation of Association members;
7.
To listen to problems,
suggestions and complaints of Association members;
8.
To file the
Association’s annual report along with the Secretary to TCNJ boards as required;
9.
To represent the
Association at special TCNJ or community events.
The Vice President acts for the President when the
President is unavailable for Association activities.
The Vice President should help oversee committees and generally share the
workload of the President. The Vice
President will serve as a program chair in conjunction with the Executive
Committee.
The Treasurer will manage the finances of the
Association. All financial decisions
must be discussed and approved by the Executive Committee.
The responsibilities of the Treasurer are as follows:
1.
To prepare the
tentative budget at the beginning of the Association year or at the end of the
prior year;
2.
To act as a liaison
with other campus organizations as needed, and attend all meetings;
3.
To maintain a detailed
log of all financial transactions;
4.
To regularly inform the
Executive Committee of the financial status of the; Association
5.
To assist in the
organization fund-raisers as required.
The responsibilities of the Secretary are as follows:
1.
To record the minutes
of all meetings;
2.
To compile the
membership roster;
3.
To compile calendars of
activities;
4.
To handle Association
correspondence and publicity;
5.
To submit an organized
set of Association records to the faculty advisor and coordinate completion the
requisite paperwork (in conjunction with the other members of the Executive
Committee) describing Association activities for submission to the national
office of the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates at the end of the
year (Article VII).
6.
Assist other Executive
Committee members in the preparation of necessary reports for recognition and
funding with the requisite TCNJ student organizations as required.
Ad-hoc
committees can be formed on an as needed basis based on the requirements of the
Executive Committee.
At
its annual election, the Association shall elect a Faculty Advisor who is a
member of the American Chemical Society and a full-time faculty member of the
Chemistry Department. The President
shall be responsible for informing the Faculty Advisor of all chapter
activities. The duties of the
Faculty Advisor shall be to advise the TCNJ Student Chemists Association both in
its local activities and in its relation with the Local and National Chapters of
the American Chemical Society. If
the selected faculty member is unable or unwilling to serve in this capacity,
nominations and elections will continue until the position is filled.
At
the end of the academic year, the s Association shall send the National American
Chemical Society Student Affiliates office a complete report of its activities
(Article V, Section IV, Item 5).
Also, necessary reports for recognition and funding must be filed with the
requisite TCNJ student organizations as required.
These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members, provided that
the amendment was proposed during at least one meeting prior to the time of
voting. Such amendments shall
conform to the regulations modeled from The American Chemical Society as
established for Student Affiliates Chapters.
All amendments must be approved by the appropriate TCNJ organization
before going into effect.
Yearly elections are to be held in April to facilitate the transition of
officers. Non-returning students,
including but not limited to seniors, may not run for office.
This provides one semester during which the new officers may interact and
receive assistance from the veteran officers.
Within one week after the election, the new Treasurer and immediate past
Treasurer must initiate the process to transfer signatory power and funds.
This process must be completed by the conclusion of the academic year.
Amended August 28, 2007