Constitution of the Ohio State University Undergraduate Economics Society

Constitution of The Ohio State University Undergraduate Economics Society

2017 Revision by Elizabeth McNeeley

Preamble

We have long believed that university students interested in the field of economics should organize for mutual benefit. With the assistance of the Economics Department, that belief has led to the establishment and growth of Undergraduate Economics Society (UES) at The Ohio State University. This constitution comprises the annual operating terms of our organization and has been revised at the discretion of the current President.

ARTICLE I--Purpose

Section 1. The purpose of the Ohio State University Undergraduate Economics Society shall be: a. To discuss current economic issues in an open forum; b.To educate members about economics topics through faculty presentations; c.To make members aware of job opportunities in the field of economics; d.To promote friendly relations between faculty, businesspersons, and students in economics; e.To discuss and evaluate the undergraduate economic curriculum; f.To honor outstanding students and faculty in economic fields.

ARTICLE II--Membership and Meetings

Section 1. Membership shall be open to all students interested in economics without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin.

Section 2. Membership is defined as those who have paid their dues for the current semester. Dues are non-refundable. During any new academic year, persons who have paid dues for the previous year are no longer considered members; membership must be renewed by paying dues for the new semester.

Section 3. Dues are determined by a majority vote of the Executive Council.

Section 4. Meetings shall be held roughly every week every semester except summer. A quorum of 3/4 of active members shall be required when a meeting includes a vote on an amendment to the Constitution. An active member is any member who has attended at least one of the last four general meetings. Members who have graduated or relocated are not considered active.

Section 5. The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall govern this organization at the discretion of the president in all cases to which they are applicable unless they are inconsistent with the constitution, bylaws, and/or special rules of this organization.

ARTICLE III--Rights and Responsibilities of Members

Section 1. All active members shall have the right to vote and hold elective position.

Section 2. At all regular and special meetings, any member(s) may express their right to address grievance to the Undergraduate Economic Society during the "open forum" section of the agenda. They may also propose amendments to the constitution. The Council must consider all propositions and respond at the following meeting.

Section 3. This organization and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for reasons of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

ARTICLE IV- Executive Council and Advisory Committee

Section 1. The Executive Council shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Director of Outreach, and Director of Social Media. The tenure of each Executive shall be the first day of summer semester to the last day of spring semester the following year.

Section 3. The Advisory Committee shall consist of all those who ran for an Executive Position and lost said position. The tenure of each AC member shall be the first day of summer semester to the last day of spring semester the following year. If every person that ran is on the Executive Council then there will be no Advisory Committee for that year.

Section 2. Executives shall be elected toward the end of Spring Semester as described in Article VI. The Faculty Advisor shall be chosen as provided for in ARTICLE VII.

Section 3. If an executive or advisory committee member fails to perform his/her duties, the executive may be removed from office by a 3/5 majority of the executive board. An attempt should be made by the organization to have the executive resign before facing impeachment.

Section 4. If a council position is vacated, a replacement may be secured through special election held at the next regularly scheduled meeting or via unanimous selection by the remaining council members. Tenure of specially elected Executives will be for the completion of that term as defined in ARTICLE III--Section 1.

ARTICLE V--Duties of Executive Council

Section 1. The President's duties shall be to preside at all meetings possibly as set forth by Robert's Rules of Order, to appoint and remove all special committees and coordinators as necessary and approved by 3/4 majority of the Executive Council, to insure that all organizational records are kept accurately, and to be an official member of all committees.

Section 2. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the latter's absence, arrange for favorable publicity for the Undergraduate Economics Society, enlist all eligible persons desiring to join and perform other such related duties as delegated by the President.

Section 3. The Treasurer (Vice President of Finance) shall collect all Society funds and deposit them in an account on behalf of The Ohio State University Undergraduate Economics Society, make all necessary expenditures as authorized the Executive Council, keep financial records, and perform related duties, as the President shall delegate.

Section 4. The Vice President of Outreach shall coordinate events with other student organizations, assist in planning social engagements, and help market UES.

Section 5. The Vice President of Social Media shall be responsible for designing UES weekly flyers and updating the organization’s web presence (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).

ARTICLE VI--Method of Selecting and/or Removing Members

Section 1. If and only if a member conducts themself in such a manner deemed detrimental to advancing the purpose of this organization or is in violation of the OSU Student Code of Conduct, they may be removed through a majority vote of the other voting membership or unanimous vote of the officers, under the counsel of the advisor.

Section 2. Elections for officer positions on the Executive Board (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, etc.) will be held during the last month of Spring Semester.

Section 3. To be eligible to run for office on the Executive Board, a member of the Undergraduate Economics Society must have paid dues by the end of February 15th.

Section 4. Elections will be conducted as follows. The first election will be for the position of President, then Vice-President, then Treasurer, then remaining positions. Each position shall be chosen by secret ballot. The candidates receiving a majority of all votes cast shall be elected to their respective office. In the event of a tie the previous Executive Council minus the tied position will decide the election.

Section 5. The Executive Council reserves the right to screen candidates prior to elections for the purpose of recommending them to the most suitable and effective position. The Council may also bar a member from running for office via a unanimous vote.

ARTICLE VII--Faculty Advisor

Section 1. It will be the responsibility of the Executive Council to determine possible members of the faculty who are willing and able to serve as the Society's Faculty Advisor. Faculty Advisors will ultimately be determined by a majority vote of members present at a regular or special election. The Faculty Advisor will be personnel representative of the Undergraduate Economic Society.

Section 2. The Advisor or his/her representative will be expected to attend the meetings of the Undergraduate Economic Society and aid or advise the group on matters under consideration.

Section 3. The Faculty Advisor shall act as an advising member of the Executive Council and shall be responsible for the continuity of records and other property of the Undergraduate Economic Society.

ARTICLE VII-Records

The records of the Undergraduate Economic Society shall consist of membership records, financial records, visual archive and a web site, as well as any other such records as the Undergraduate Economic Society deems necessary.

ARTICLE VIII--Amending Procedures

The constitution may be amended by a 3/5 majority of the members present with proper notification having first been given to the active membership. The Executive Council with a 3/4 majority may have the power to veto an amendment. A passed amendment will be added to the constitution within 30 days of passage. The revised constitution must be submitted to the Office of Student Organizations within this same time period.

ARTICLE IX--By-Laws

The Executive Council, by majority vote, by regular or special meeting, shall have the power to adopt and amend, as may be deemed necessary, by-laws for the proper government of the organization.