Cepheid

Here is our updated 2007-2008 Constitution

Cepheid Variable Constitution

Article I - Name

This committee, formerly MSC Cepheid Variable shall be known henceforth as Cepheid Variable.

Article II – Mission Statement

Cepheid Variable stands as an organization devoted to the support and promotion of all things science fiction, fantasy, horror, science, and technology. Consisting of an atmosphere of acceptance and kinship, Cepheid seeks to promote creativity, enrich imagination, and build active learning opportunities through a variety of educational programs, demonstrations, and presentations. This organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Article III - Members

The membership of Cepheid Variable is open to anyone with an interest in science fiction, fantasy and/or horror & science and technology. All members shall pay dues and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Discrimination of any sort, including race, color, age, national origin, sexual orientation or handicap is forbidden.

Article IV – Officers

Section 1: Officers of Cepheid Variable

(A) Chair
(B) Vice-Chair
(C) AggieCon Director
(D) Financial Director
(E) Programming Director
(F) Public Relations Director
(G) Student Development Director

Section 2: Qualifications of Officers

The officers, as defined by Article IV, Section 1 of this Constitution, and any added by the By-Laws shall:
(A) Have a minimum grade point ratio (GPR) as stated below and meet that minimum GPR in the semester immediately prior to the election/appointment, the semester of election/appointment and semesters during the term of office.
(B) For the position of chair, the minimum GPR is 2.50 and is limited to undergraduate students only.
(C) For undergraduate students, the minimum GPR is 2.00. In order for this provision to be met, at least six hours (half-time credits) must have been taken for the semester under consideration. In one limited circumstance, summer semester hours may be applied to this provision. In order for summer coursework to qualify toward a grade point ratio prior to election/appointment, at least six credit hours must have been taken during the course of either the full or two summer session(s).
(D) For graduate level students, the minimum GPR is a 3.00. In order for this provision to be met, at least four hours (half-time credits) must have been taken for the semester under consideration. In one limited circumstance, summer semester hours may be applied to this provision. In order for summer course work to qualify toward a grade point ratio prior to election/appointment, at least four credit hours must have been taken during the course of either the full or two summer session(s) unless fewer credits are required as they complete the final stages of their degree.
(E) Be in good standing with the university and enrolled: at least half time (six or more credit hours), if an undergraduate student (unless fewer credits are required to graduate in the spring and fall semesters) during the term of office, and at least half time (four or more credits), if a graduate level student (unless fewer credits are required in the final stages of their degree as defined by the Continuous Registration Requirement) during their term of office.
(F) Be ineligible to hold an office should the student fail to maintain the requirements as prescribed in (A) through (E).

Section 3: Duties of Officers

(A) Chair:
As the chief student leader, the chair’s primary responsibilities are to ensure the normal functioning of the committee by confirming that each officer performs his/her duties during their term, and act as the chief representative of the committee to student activities and other entities. The chair ultimately remains responsible for all aspects of the committee, but should function as a facilitator and source of information or support for its officers.
(B) Vice-Chair:
Should the chair be absent from a general committee meeting, the vice-chair stands in as the meeting’s facilitator. The vice-chair also acts as the secretary and historian of the committee, taking minutes during meetings and keeping the files in working order.
(C) AggieCon Director:
The AggieCon Director is ultimately responsible for the proper functioning and smooth operation of the convention. They should see their role as that of a facilitator and manager, verifying the completion of the duties of multiple specialized assistants.
(D) Financial Director:
Responsibilities include collecting and depositing moneys earned, requesting donations and funds from grants and other organizations, arranging fundraisers, creating (in conjunction with the chair and AggieCon director) a fiscal budget, confirming the monthly SOFC statements, and remaining informed about the expenditures and revenue of the committee.
(E) Programming Director:
Planning, development, and successful completion of programs and events are the responsibilities of the programming director. It is recommended that the programming director have multiple assistants to aid in scheduling; reserving rooms, equipment, goods, or speakers; and completing both paperwork and planning/evaluating stages before and after the programs.
(F) Public Relations Director:
Advertising and promotion of Cepheid programs both on and off campus is the main goal of the public relations director. This individual is responsible for creating and/or securing the many avenues of advertising, such as banners, flyers, screen savers, table tents, sandwich boards, and others, for each and every program or event.
(G) Student Development Director:
Student Development’s purpose is the recruitment, retention, and growth of members. Responsibilities include but are not limited to the monthly newsletter, coordinating the table at each semester’s open house, maintaining the informational listserv, coordinating a fall recruitment program in conjunction with the programming director, arranging the end of semester parties, and scheduling a group function each semester.

Section 4: Selection of Officers

The process of choosing a Chair shall be:
1) Applicants will submit an application to the current chair.
2) The applicants will be voted on by the committee. A simple majority (50% + 1) is required. Any number of applicants may be accepted. If no applicants are accepted, a revote will be held in one week; if no applicants are accepted the second time, all applicants will be presented to the board.
3) A board of three will choose the chair:
(a) The Advisor
(b) The current chair, or the vice-chair if the current chair is applying for chair, or a randomly selected officer not applying for chair if both the chair and the vice-chair are applying for chair.
(c) An impartial outsider, who is the chief officer of another recognized Texas A&M student organization, chosen by the interviewing officer as defined immediately above.

The process for choosing officers shall be:
1) The new Chair shall select officers as stated in the by-laws.
2) Any eligible general committee member may apply for any combination of officer positions.
3) Each officer shall hold only one position.

Section 5: Term of Office

All officers shall hold their office for one-year terms, unless removed under the articles of this constitution. Furthermore, no general committee member may hold the same officer position for more than two terms in total.

Section 6: Removal from Office

The process for removing a chair:
1) An officer must call a removal vote during a regular officer meeting. The chair is then suspended of duties until the removal process is completed. During the suspension, the vice-chair assumes all responsibilities and privileges of chair.
2) A two-thirds vote of the officers will bring the issue before the general committee.
3) The general committee shall be informed as listed in article VI, Section 2. A simple majority of the general committee is required to remove the chair.
4) If the chair is removed, the process for choosing a new chair is begun at the next general meeting.
5) During both the officer and general committee meetings in which the vote is taking place, one officer and the chair will be allowed a short presentation of their perspective of the situation.

The process for removing an officer:
1) An officer may be suspended by the chair for one week.
2) During the officer’s one-week suspension, an emergency meeting of the officers is to be called. The offending officer must be present, and given a chance to defend himself or herself; however, he or she will not participate in the vote.
3) Two-Thirds of the officers must vote out the offending officer.
4) No more than one officer may be suspended at a time.

The process for removing a member:
1) A member may be suspended by a majority vote of the officers for one week.
2) During the member’s one-week suspension, an emergency meeting of the officers is to be called. The offending member must be present, and given a chance to defend himself or herself.
3) Two-Thirds of the officers must vote out the offending member.

Article V – Finance

All monies belonging to this organization shall be deposited and disbursed through a bank account established for this organization at the Student Organization Finance Center and/or the Fiscal Office. All funds must be deposited within 24 hours after collection. The advisor to this organization must approve and sign each expenditure before payment.

Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, or for a public purpose. All remaining monies in the cash account shall go to Scotty’s House and all goods shall be donated to the science fiction collection of Cushing Memorial Library.

All other relative financial information shall be listed in the By-Laws.

Article VI – Voting

Section 1 – Voting

No proxy voting will be allowed.
All members may vote.

Section 2 – Informing the general committee

When a vote of the general committee is required:
1) The topic of the vote must be announced one meeting prior to the vote.
2) In addition to the above, at least two mediums, as listed in the by-laws, shall be used to inform the general committee.

Article VII - Advisor Expectations

(A) When serving as an advisor to a registered student organization, the advisor must be a Texas A&M University employee as defined by the Human Resources Department and must advise at level consistent with the categorization of the organization you advise. To advise a registered organization, the advisor must be a faculty member, professional or associate staff member, or graduate assistant. It is critical that the advisor be familiar with the activities of the organization and have (or be willing to obtain) an appropriate level of experience, resources, and knowledge related to those activities and the mission of the organization.
(B) The advisor should meet with the officers of the organization you advise to discuss expectations for roles and responsibilities. In order to stay connected with the organization, the advisor should regularly attend executive as well as general meetings and be available outside those meetings for advice and consultation related to the operations of the organization. Additionally, the advisor should assist the organization in developing realistic goals for the academic year. This will contribute to the educational and personal development of the students involved.
(C) The advisor will perform your greatest service by facilitating opportunities for students to exercise initiative and judgment within a proper measure of autonomy when coordinating events and activities. In keeping with this approach, the advisor should participate in event planning and attend events when possible or when identified as necessary through the planning process.
(D) Recognized student organizations at Texas A&M University are required to coordinate financial transactions with the Student Organization Finance Center (SOFC). The advisor will regularly receive statements from the SOFC and should be aware of the organization’s financial status via review of these statements and approval of expenditures. Valuable information regarding fiscal management procedures and guidelines can be accessed online at http://sofc.tamu.edu.
(E) The advisor should be aware of the University Student Rules and other institutional guidelines that establish expectations for student behavior and activities. The advisor should ensure that the group and its officers know where rules and guidelines are published, what the rules are, why they exist, and the consequences for choosing to operate outside their parameters. As an employee of Texas A&M University, the advisor is expected to report all rule violations or potential violations to the appropriate university official. The advisor should be familiar with the organization’s constitution and all other governing documents, so that the advisor may advise effectively.

Article VIII – Amendment

This constitution shall be adopted by a majority vote of the general committee membership. Amendments to the constitution shall be: proposed by an officer, passed by a two-thirds vote of the officers, then the committee shall be informed as required by Article VI, Section 2 of this constitution, then ratified by a two-thirds of the general committee present at the vote. Amendments to the by-laws will be: proposed by an officer and ratified by a two-thirds vote of the officers. The general committee membership will be informed of all changes to the Constitution and by-laws. This document must be reviewed annually and subject to the approval of the Department of Student Activities.

By-Laws

(A) Dues:
Dues will be $15 per year or $10 per semester

(B) Informational mediums:
(a) Newsletter
(b) Official listserv / email
(c) Website
(d) Word of mouth
Please remember, two mediums are required, more are suggested.

(C) Power Transition:
1) An officer accepts his/her position in late March and holds this position until the following March, with the announcement of the coming year’s officers.
2) Mid-January applications for the chair position should be made available to the general committee by the current chair.
3) Two weeks later the applications should be due and the acceptance of applicants by the committee vote should take place in early February.
4) Late February should mark the announcement of the coming year’s chair and the distribution of applications for Cepheid officer positions.
5) The first general committee meeting following AggieCon and Spring Break should be the first officiated by the coming year’s chair and he/she shall announce the coming year’s officers.

(D) Officer Selection
1) Late February should mark the announcement of the coming year’s chair and the distribution of applications for Cepheid officer positions.
2) Upon receiving and reviewing each application, the chair should interview each candidate, preferably accompanied by the committee’s advisor and/or the current chair.
3) The first general committee meeting following AggieCon and Spring Break should be the first officiated by the coming year’s chair and he/she shall announce the coming year’s officers.

(E) Officer Expectations:
1) All officers must write a report within 2 weeks of any non-regular event and turn it in to the Vice-Chair.
2) All officers must attend every officer meeting and general committee meeting. If an officer will miss any meeting, he or she must inform the Chair by the beginning of that meeting.

(F) Fiscal Requirements:
1) Proceeds from any charitable event must be distributed within one week of that event’s closure. Submission of a check request is sufficient.
2) At the end of each fiscal year, the committee must donate an amount of money equal to the amount sold by AggieCon’s Charity Auction, up to $3000, to a local charity. The officers will decide what charity to donate to. This bylaw is ignored for the 2006-2007 fiscal year.
3) At the end of each fiscal year, after Bylaw (F)2) is carried out, any amount in the Cepheid Variable SOFC accounts in excess of 110% of that year’s budgeted expenses must be deposited in the Cepheid Variable Endowed Fund. This bylaw is ignored for the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

(G) Subcommittee Formation
Any group of members in good standing may submit a request to create a subcommittee with the consent of the Programming Director. The Programming Director will appoint a representative for the subcommittee, who will submit an initial request, including a mission statement and a budget, to the Programming Director. These are the rights and responsibilities of subcommittees:
1) The subcommittee must request renewal for the following year to the Programming Director by the end of April. The renewal request should include any revisions/additions to the mission statement, a budget for the following year, and any additional information requested by the Programming Director.
2) The subcommittee may request funding at the discretion of the Programming Director.
3) The representative of the subcommittee may officially speak during the Programming Director’s segment of the general meeting.
4) The subcommittee may maintain a web page on the Cepheid Variable website.
5) Any programs or events put on by subcommittees are considered official Cepheid events.

END OF CONSTITUTION

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