Sustainable Energy and Development Club of Westfield State University Constitution

Article I

Name:

Section 1:This organization shall be known as the Sustainable Energy and Development Club of Westfield State University, hereby referred to as The Sustainability Club.

Article II

Purpose:

Section 1:The Sustainability Club was created for the purpose of raising awareness of climate change and overconsumption of natural resources as well as the effects that human activities are having on the planet, and to also help to improve and develop Westfield State University and the community in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner to do our part to help make the World a better place. The club will hold fundraising and awareness events of any manner to help the students of the university as well as the community to become more knowledgeable on all the topics mentioned above and to also develop more sustainable and “green” infrastructure and renewable energy sources for the campus and elsewhere.The club will work for the students and community and will keep their interests in mind with all decisions made.

Article III

Membership:

Section 1:Membership shall be open to all full-time and part-time undergraduate students of Westfield State University who have paid their student activities fee for the current academic semester.

Section 2:Members are considered to be active if they attend and participate in seventy-five percent (75%) of club meetings and activities

Article IV

Officers:

Section 1:The officers of the club shall hence forth be comprised of the Club President; Club Vice President; Club Secretary; Club Treasurer, and Club Historian. Other Officers positions of title not listed, but deemed to be of necessity and importance to the club, by the club, can be created by the President and appointed by popular vote.

Section 2:

A.The duties of the President will hereby be to

  1. Organize and mediate club business and meetings.
  2. Enact legislation regarding the club Ratified by the club members
  3. The President will also be responsible to interact and act as a representative of the club to the Student Government Association, the Board of Trustees, and the President of Westfield State University as well as any other officials in association with the school or not that are not otherwise listed.
  4. The President will also act as one of the lead organizers of any events; fundraising or otherwise, that the club decides to develop.

B.The duties of the Vice President will hereby be to

  1. Assist and advise the president in all duties and to organize and mediate club business and meetings in the absence of the president.
  2. Vice President will also be responsible to interact and act as a representative of the club to the Student Government Association, the Board of Trustees, and the President of Westfield State University as well as any other officials in association with the University or not that are not otherwise listed when the President is unavailable.
  3. Vice President will also act as one of the lead organizers of any events; fundraising or otherwise, that the club decides to develop.
  4. Serve as president in the absence of the president

C.The duties of the Secretary will hereby be to

  1. Maintain records of all club business and attendance; meetings and otherwise.
  2. Advise and assist the President and Vice President in all duties.
  3. It will also be the responsibility of the Secretary to collect nomination forms for members running for office and to form a ballot for elections with all of the candidate’s names listed on said ballot.

D.The duties of the Treasurer will hereby be to

  1. Maintain records of all club financial decisions and expenditures.
  2. The Treasurer will also be responsible for presenting a report on the budget of the club at the end of every financial term.

E.The duties of the Historian will hereby be to

  1. Photograph all club events and members both at events and meetings.
  2. To maintain records of all club member’s activities and membership.

Section 3:Any duties of the Club’s officers that were not previously stated, but deemed of necessity and importance, can be granted by majority vote by the club’s members. Alternatively, any duties of the Club offices that are not deemed of necessity and importance can be revoked by a majority vote of the club’s members.

Section 4: All Officers of the Sustainability Club are expected to attend every meeting or event of the club unless unable to, and are able to provide explanation as to why they cannot attend. All absences must be reported with explanation to the Secretary at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting and or event.

Section 5:Any active member of the club who is nominated by themselves or another active member, is eligible to hold office.

Section 6:Each officer of the Sustainability club will hold office for two (2) academic semesters; one (1) academic year.

Article V

Advisors:

Section 1:Advisors are open to any faculty, staff or librarian.

Section 2:The duties of the Club Advisor, when consulted, will hereby be to oversee and supervise all club meetings and activities and to assist the club with activities as needed.

Section 3:Any duties of the Advisor that were not previously stated, but deemed of necessity and importance, can be granted by majority vote by the club’s members. Alternatively, any duties of the Advisor that are not deemed of necessity and importance can be revoked by a majority vote the club’s members.

Section 4:An Advisor is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the club’s officers.

Article VI

Elections:

Section 1:Any active member of the club can nominate themselves or another member. A club member must submit a nomination form to the club secretary in order to nominate themselves or another member for office.

Section 2:The votes for office will be cast on ballots made and distributed by the Secretary anonymously and in private on a designated election day. The votes will be tallied by the President,or non-voting member, after the election, and the results will then be reported to the club by the Secretary during the next meeting held after the elections. The day for elections will be held on the 3rd Friday of April each year.

Section 3:No election may be held if there is not a quorum of fifty percent (50%) of the club members plus one (1) present at the meeting.

Section 4:A tie for an officer’s position will be broken by a vote cast by an active club member, who was a non-voting member during the election.

Section 5:Elections for officers will be held three (3) weeks prior to the end of every academic year, and the results of the election will be announced during the next meeting following the elections. Each officer will hold a term of two (2) semesters; one (1) academic year and will begin their term at the beginning of the next academic semester following elections.

Article VII

Meetings:

Section 1:The club will meet no less than two (2) times per month. Club meetings will be called and scheduled by the President. The President reserves the right to change the date or cancel any meeting. The President also reserves the right to call emergency meetings. All members are expected to attend these emergency meetings unless unable to and provide explanation to the Secretary at least six (6) hours prior to the emergency meeting.

Section 2:The Club President reserves the right to call executive meetings at which only officers may attend, excluding all other members and advisors. Club officers are expected to attend these meetings unless otherwise able to and must provide explanation to the Secretary at least nine (9) hours prior to the executive meeting.

Article VIII

Vacancies:

Section 1:If there is a vacant office position, then the remaining officers will collectively elect and appoint any active member of the club to fill the position for the remainder of the officer’s term.

Section 2:If there is a vacant advisor’s position, the Club Officers are responsible for selecting a replacement.

Article IX

Amending Procedure:

Section 1:This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the voting members of the club and if approved by the Rules and Regulations Committee of the Student Government Association.

Article X

Removal from office:

Section 1:If it is determined that an officer is not performing their duties then a vote may be requested by any active member and must be seconded by another active member to remove them from office. A vote will be held at the next meeting. The vote will be completely anonymous, using ballots made by the Secretary. The votes will then be tallied by the President or Vice President and the result of the vote will be reported by either the Secretary or President. A majority vote of at least sixty-five (65) percent of voting members of the club is necessary for the removal of an officer from their position.

Section 2:If it is determined that an Advisor is not performing their duties then a vote may be requested by any active member and must be seconded by another active member to remove them from their position. A vote will be held at the next meeting. The vote will be completely anonymous, using ballots made by the Secretary. The votes will then be tallied by the President or Vice President and the result of the vote will be reported by either the Secretary or President. A majority vote of at least sixty-five (65) percent of voting members of the club is necessary for the removal of an Advisor from their position.