Constitution

Constitution
The Smeal Student Society (S3)
Date of origin: August 30, 2005

Purpose

The purpose of the Smeal Student Society is to represent the Smeal College of Business and its integrated community by pioneering new initiatives, improvements, and services in regards to the college.

Membership

The membership shall be divided into active and associate members.

Only currently registered students are eligible for active membership.
All others interested in furthering the purpose of the Smeal Student Society shall be associate members.

At all times, the majority (50% +1) of all active members shall be full-time, officially registered, undergraduate students at University Park.
Only active members may vote, preside, officiate, or solicit funds on the organization’s behalf.
If a current member is inactive for an entire semester, then his/her membership will expire.
At all times there shall be at least 12 active student members and no more than 60, unless granted permission by the advisor.
Anyone who is interested in membership may submit his/her resume, to be reviewed by the board, and participate in a brief interview.
Current Members who want to continue will be automatically re-accepted assuming they have been actively involved.
Involvement will be based on an incentive program as follows:

2 points for attending a meeting or social event
2 points for attending the tour training session
3 points for giving a tour of the building
4 points for attending an alumni or Smeal event
*Points may be awarded as the board sees fit.

The top members will be rewarded by an incentive deemed appropriate by the board.
To be deemed an active member of the Smeal Student Society, one must receive a minimum of 15 points.

New Membership Recruitment

Any and all new members will be given full disclosure during recruitment, including but not limited to the disclosure of:

Schedule of member events and activities
A list of responsibilities
A definition of personal rights, and a copy of the University Hazing policy, prescribed by Policies and Rules for Student Organizations.
(All of these documents will be available upon request by the Center for Student Engagement.)

All members, including but not limited to new members and recruits, reserve the right to refrain from participating in any activities without consequence, based upon personal/religious beliefs, personal values, or moral reserve as defined by the members.
Any and all interaction/activity between members and/or new members will be limited to guidelines stated by university policy, as well as local, state and federal laws.
The club reserves the right to expel a member who is not following the policies of the organization with a super majority vote of attending members- quorum is 75% of active members.
This organization may restrict membership, but will uphold the Penn State non-discriminatory clause, and will not discriminate or harass on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University.

Officers

Only full-time, officially registered active student members shall be eligible to serve as appointed or elected board members. Student organizations may establish and apply additional eligibility criteria for appointed or elected officers. Such criteria, such as semester standing, must be approved by the Center for Student Engagement.
Offices and their duties.

President
Spokesperson for the organization.
Maintains communication with the organization’s members, advisor, and executive board.
Assists the board in all aspects and provides the final say in decision making.
Director of Faculty and Alumni Relations
Keeps a strong flow of communication between the organization’s members and Corporate Relations, Faculty and Alumni.
Involves members in Smeal events which promote faculty, alumni and student interactions.
Organizes all tours of the Smeal College of Business.
Director of Membership Affairs
Oversees recruitment efforts and the creation of marketing materials.
Maintains the membership database which contains key membership data such as attendance and contact information.
Maintains organization’s ANGEL account which includes managing emails and updating the calendar.
Director of Finances and Events
Acts as treasurer, managing the organization's ASA account.
Organizes and plans events between the members of the organization and the surrounding community.
Manages the Smeal Student Society website.

Filling unexpired vacancies.

Nominations are taken at the meeting following the vacancy. Elections also occur at this meeting.
If a majority (50% +1) is not obtained by any of the candidates, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and the active members shall vote again.
When nominations are being taken to fill unexpired terms, any member of the organization may nominate another member of the organization by simply raising his/her hand and indicating such when recognized.

Meetings

The Smeal Student Society will meet at least once every month.
The President may call special meetings should he/she see fit.
Members shall be notified of all meetings through e-mail by any board member.
Adequate advanced notice must be given to all active members.

Voting

Only active members may vote.
Quorum for all voting shall be thirty-three percent (33%) of the active membership.
A simple majority (50% +1) shall be necessary for all voting. This majority shall be derived from the active members present.

Finances

All organizational funds are to be deposited and handled through the Associated Student Activities (ASA) office in 240 HUB.
Additional funds may be available through the Alumni Office to be used at the discretion of the advisor.
Each semester there will be dues for every member of the Smeal Student Society.

Elections

In November, positions will be announced and applications and nominations will be taken. Interviews will be conducted between November and the end of the fall semester. New board members will be announced during the last meeting of the fall semester.
No one involved in conducting the interviews may be an official candidate.
Election codes:

Any member may apply for an executive board position by requesting an interview with members of the current executive board.
Interviews will be proctored by the executive board and the advisor.
In the event of a tie, the ballot will be recast.

All board members serve for a fiscal term of one year. The new board will take over in January.

Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to this constitution may be introduced at the conclusion of any meeting. Voting shall occur at the meeting following its introduction, with the amendment taking effect following the approval of the Center for Student Engagement.
Any member may introduce a constitutional amendment at the conclusion of any meeting. At the following meeting, the active members shall vote on the amendment, as outlined in the article on voting. If the amendment passes (50% +1), it shall be sent to the Center for Student Engagement for approval.
All amendments are subject to the approval of the Center for Student Engagement.

Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised by Sarah Corbin Roberts shall be used in all cases not specifically covered by this constitution.

Accessibility of this Constitution

Copies of this constitution shall be made available to anyone upon request.

Advisor

This organization must retain an advisor at all times. The advisor will be a faculty or staff member of The Pennsylvania State University; will be chosen by the organization. The current board has the final say in determining who that advisor will be. The advisor will sign a statement acknowledging his or her responsibilities and knowledge of the safety guidelines in place.