Student Honors Association of Clarion University Constitution Article 1: Name This organization shall be known as the Student Honors Association of Clarion University, or “SHA.” Article 2: Purpose of the Organization The purpose of the organization is to establish and maintain a sense of community among members of the Honors Program at Clarion University. The organization will serve as the student government body of the Honors Program. The organization will promote interaction between students, faculty, administration, and the university community. Article 3: Membership Membership shall be open to any member of the Clarion University Honors Program, along with others from the general student body of the university. Members who are in the Honors Program should be in good academic standing (2.0 QPA). To be considered part of Student Honors Association, a student must submit a membership form by the end of the third General Business Meeting of each semester. To be considered an active member of the organization, members must attend at least 50% of General Business Meetings and attend one organization sponsored event per semester. Article 4: Executive Board Section 1: The Board shall be composed of: A. Five students in good academic standing will be elected in April each year to serve as the Executive Board. (See procedure in Article 7) a. One student to serve as President b. One student to serve as Vice-President c. One student to serve as Secretary d. One student to serve as Treasurer e. One student to serve as Parliamentarian B. Eight students in good academic standing will be elected to serve as Committee Co-Chairpersons. (See procedure in Article 7) a. Two students to serve as Co-Chairpersons for the Community Service Committee. i. One upperclassman to be elected in April each year ii. One other member to be elected in September each year b. Two students to serve as Co-Chairpersons for the Student Relations Committee. i. One upperclassman to be elected in April each year ii. One other member to be elected in September each year c. Two students to serve as Co-Chairpersons for the Fundraising Committee. i. One upperclassman to be elected in April each year ii. One other member to be elected in September each year d. Two students to serve as Co-Chairpersons for the Program and Community Development Committee. i. One upperclassman to be elected in April each year ii. One other member to be elected in September each year 1 C. Eight students in good academic standing will be elected at the Honors Program Student Meeting in August each year to serve as Class Representatives. (See procedure in Article 7) a. Two students to serve as Class Representatives for Freshman Members. b. Two students to serve as Class Representatives for Sophomore Members. c. Two students to serve as Class Representatives for Junior Members. d. Two students to serve as Class Representatives for Senior Members. D. One representative from the faculty, administration, or staff of the Clarion University Honors Program will be selected by the Executive Board to serve as Advisor of Student Honors Association. a. The Advisor will be selected at the final executive board meeting of the year. Section 2: Executive Board Duties A. The President of Student Honors Association shall have the following duties: a. Call the meetings of the Executive Board. b. Preside at the meetings of the Executive Board and General Business Meetings. c. Coordinate all activities of the organization. d. Represent the organization at all occasions where his/her presence may be required or deemed necessary. e. To vote only in the case of a tie. f. Prepare and set the agenda for Executive and General Business Meetings. g. Meet regularly with the Student Honors Association Advisor. h. Serve as a member of the President’s Student Advisory Board. i. Serve as ex-officio member of a committee. B. The Vice-President of Student Honors Association shall have the following duties: a. Assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President. b. Aid the president in coordination of all activities of the organization. c. Serve as an ex-officio member of a committee. d. Meet regularly with the Student Honors Association Advisor. C. The Secretary of Student Honors Association shall have the following duties: a. Keep a complete and accurate record of business translated at the Executive Board and General Business Meetings of the organization. b. Prepare said record for distribution to the Executive Board, the general membership of the organization, and other individual and entities upon request or direction. c. Work with committee co-chairs to maintain a file of committee minutes. d. Carry on such correspondence as shall be needed by the organization to conduct its business. e. Maintain a list of the current members of the organization, including committee membership. f. Notify members of places and times of meetings and events. g. Maintain a record of attendance at General Business Meetings. h. Maintain a relationship with Honors Alumni Advisory Board. i. Serve as ex-officio member of a committee. D. The Treasurer of Student Honors Association shall have the following duties: a. Keep complete, up-to-date records of all financial records of the Board, working with the organization advisor in all matters pertaining to the organization budget. b. Deposit all revenue and submit payment for all expenditures. c. Serve as an ex-officio member of a committee. d. Submit a budget to Clarion University Student Senate each year to acquire C.S.A. funding. E. The Parliamentarian of Student Honors Association shall have the following duties: a. Serve as an expert in Parliamentary Procedure. b. Speak to the general assembly only when requested to do so, to give advice or explanations, but not rulings. c. Give advice to President and the general assembly during meetings. 2 d. Inform the President of errors in Parliamentary Procedure that affect the basic rights of members. e. Give advice to members when a meeting is not in process. Section 3: Co-Chairperson Duties: A. Create a list of committee members including contact information each semester for submission to the Executive board member serving as ex-officio member of committee. B. Call the meeting of the committee. C. Preside at the meetings of the committee. D. Prepare and setting the agenda of the committee. E. Coordinate all activities of the committee F. Represent the committee at all occasions where their presence may be required or deemed necessary. G. Represent the committee on the Executive Board. H. Act as liaisons between the Executive Board and the committee. I. Fill out Committee Reports for each executive board meeting. Section 4: Advisor of the Organization Duties: A. Serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Board of the organization. B. Attend Executive Board meetings on a regular basis. C. To act as a resource for the organization and provide insight and perspective towards the function of the organization. D. Meet with organization President and Vice President on a regular basis and other exec members as necessary. Article 5: Permanent Committees Section 1: Committee Names: A. Student Honors Association shall organize the following permanent committees at the first business meeting in September each year: a. Community Service b. Student Relations c. Fundraising d. Program and Community Development Section 2: Committee Purposes: A. The Community Service Committee shall be responsible for developing Community Service opportunities for the organization’s membership. B. Each of the three members shall serve as an ex offico member for one the three committees. C. The Fundraising Committee shall be responsible for coordinating all fundraising operations. D. The Program and Community Development shall be responsible for creating an agenda of social activities and excursions. Section 3: Committee Structure A. Each committee shall consist of: a. Two Co-Chairpersons elected by the general organization shall head each of the following committees: Community Service, Fundraising, Program and Community Development. b. The Student Relations committee shall consist of three co-chairs. c. Other members of the general body 3 Section 4: Committee Duties: A. The Chairperson shall have the duties as designated in the constitution: Article 4, Section 3. Section 5: Selection and Terms of Committee Members A. The Co-Chairpersons shall be elected in the manner designated by Article 7, Section 2. B. All members of Student Honors Association are eligible for membership in any organization committee. Article 6: Meetings and Procedures Section 1: Parliamentary Authority A. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the Parliamentary Authority for the organization, its Executive Board, and Committees. Section 2: Organization Meetings and Procedures: A. The organization shall meet bi-weekly at a regularly scheduled time during the regular academic year. B. Special Meetings of the Board may be called by the majority vote of the Executive Board or the President. C. All meetings of the organization shall be open to the university community and invited guests. D. A quorum of the organization shall be present at every General Business meeting. A quorum will be determined by the Executive Board and must include at least two officers. E. All general meetings of the organization shall include an unspecific allotted amount of time in which each committee will break off for discussion. F. In each of the first two weeks of every semester, a General Business Meeting shall be held. Section 3: Committee Meetings and Procedures A. Committees shall meet when deemed necessary by the Committee Co-Chairpersons or the Executive Board of the organization. Article 7: Electing and Removing Executive Board Members, Committee Chairpersons, and Class Representatives. Section 1: Officer Elections A. Executive Board members shall be nominated at the second to last General Business Meeting of the Fall Semester, and elected by a majority vote of the general population of the organization during the last business meeting of the Fall Semester. This amendment is to take effect in Fall 2012. B. Nominations for each office will be taken from the floor and must be seconded by members of the organization. C. The election for each office will be held separately. D. Voting will be conducted by secret ballot. E. An individual may run for more than one office providing that they have not already obtained an office. F. No member may hold two elected positions simultaneously. Section 2: Committee Chairperson Elections: A. One Committee Co-Chairperson shall be nominated at the second to last General Business Meeting of the Fall Semester, and elected by a majority vote of the general population of the organization during the last business meeting of the Fall Semester. This amendment is to take effect in Fall 2012. 4 B. Nominations for each committee chair position will be taken from the floor and must be seconded by members of the organization. C. The election for each committee will be held separately. D. Voting will be conducted by secret ballot. E. An individual may run for more than one chair position providing that they have not already obtained an office. F. No member may hold two elected positions simultaneously. Section 3: Class Representative Elections: A. Class representatives shall be elected by a majority vote of their class (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior) during the Honors Program Student Meeting each August. B. Nominations for each Class Representative will be taken from the floor and must be seconded by members of the class. Members of the class may only nominate and second nominations of individuals in their respective class. C. Elections will be held on the same night as nominations. D. The election for each class will be held separately. E. Voting will be conducted by secret ballot. Section 4: Term of Service A. Officers of the organization shall serve from their election in April until the following April, when elections are held again. a. New executive board members will preside over the final executive board meeting of the year. Former executive board should be present. B. Committee Chairpersons and Class Representatives shall serve from their election in September until the following September, when elections are held again. Section 5: Filling Vacancies A. In an office, chair person, or class representative position is vacated during the term of service, a new election will be held immediately thereafter. B. Procedures will follow the same as those above. Individuals currently holding office must resign that office prior to running for the vacated position. Section 6: Removing Executive Board Members, Committee Chairpersons, and Class Representatives A. Grounds for dismissal are excessive absences, and/or neglect of duties, as determined by members of the Executive Board. A ¾ vote by the Executive Board, with the exception of the member in question, is required for final dismissal. Section 7: Majority A. A majority vote shall be defined as one-half plus one of the present, unless otherwise stated. Article 8: Finances and Funding Section 1: Dues A. The amount of dues owed by members will be determined by the Executive Board at the beginning of each academic year, upon the recommendation of the Treasurer. B. The Executive Board has the option to collect dues. 5 Section 2: Clarion Student Association Funding A. Funding will be requested from Clarion University Student Senate annually for a yearly allocation. B. Funding will also be requested as supplemental needs arise. C. The Treasurer is responsible for developing each budget proposal for submission. Section 3: Fundraising A. The organization will engage in independent fundraising programs to aid the activities of the organization. B. Fundraising will be coordinated by the Fundraising Committee Chairperson in conjunction with the organization Treasurer. Article 9: Amendments to the Constitution Section 1: Amendments brought forth by the general membership must be presented to the Executive Board in writing at a General Business Meeting to be voted on at the next scheduled General Business Meeting. Section 2: All amendments must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the members present. Section 3: All amendments shall take effect upon the approval of the organization’s membership, Clarion University Student Senate, and the President of Clarion University. Section 4: The Constitution must be revised and submitted in accordance with Clarion University’s Recognized Student Organization policy. Article 10: Ratification Section 1: This constitution shall become effective upon the approval of the organization’s membership, Clarion University Student Senate, and the President of Clarion University. Revised: October 13, 2011 6