Preamble

We, the members of this organization, do ordain this constitution of Graduate Student Association of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, of Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, as the constitution for the members of the Graduate Student Association of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department.

Article I: Name

The name of this Organization shall be Graduate Student Association of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department hereafter referred to as GSA ChBE.

Article II: Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be: to create a community of fellow graduate students, promote interaction of graduate students with each other and with faculty members, improve the overall experience of ChBE graduate students and help graduate students develop professional skills through interactions with alumni at various periods of their careers.

Article III: Membership

Section 1. Membership shall not be discriminated against based on race, gender, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, veteran status, and/or socioeconomic status.

Section 2. The membership of this organization shall consist of both full and part-time graduate students from the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department of IIT.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.

Section 2. All officers must be full-time graduate students pursuing a degree with the Chemical and Biological Engineer Department. Also, according to the Office of Campus Life requirements, all officers/exec must be full-time IIT students in good academic and behavioral standing.

Section 3. All office positions should last a full academic year. However, if one of the positions gets vacated during the academic year, a replacement must be sought and take over the position for the remaining of the academic year.

Section 4. President oversees all interactions within the Executive Board. They should facilitate internal communications between all members of the Executive Board. They should handle all interactions between the university administration and the general body of this organization.

Vice-president Invited Alumni and Industrial Personnel for weekly Talks and Events and organizes a Semester Schedule and Works with President on organizing Plant Tours.

Secretary is responsible for recording meeting minutes during GSA Executive Board Weekly Meetings. Must establish meeting agenda in advance of the monthly events. Responsible for making surveys for collecting Students Feedback. Sending out Event Invitation Emails out to Students and Reminders.

The Treasurer acts as a bridge between the Office of Campus Life, the Finance Board, and the Organization. Duties include: requesting money for the Organizational needs, communicating the results of the Finance Board Advising and Finance Board Hearing, and fulfilling the requests of the Organization’s monetary needs.

Section 5. Any member of the Executive Board may be removed from their position if it is determined that they are not fulfilling their defined duties as defined by the Constitution, or if another reason is suitable. Removal from office requires a unanimous vote of the Executive Board minus the officer in question.

Section 6. Replacement of officers may occur either through nomination by an Executive Board member or, if no nominations are present, via open elections. The new officer needs to be approved by the current organization president before starting.

Article V: Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings of this organization shall be held weekly throughout the academic year.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President and informed to the other board members at least a week in advance.

Section 3. A quorum shall consist of at least 5% at any regular or special meeting, etc.

Article VI: Elections

Section 1. Election of officers shall be held once a year, at the beginning of the calendar year, so that new students can also join.

Section 2. All members are allowed to vote once. Executive Board members are mandated to vote. Election of a new president will be done internally with only the Executive Board members and advisors. The new president needs to be someone with at least 6 months experience with the organization in an Executive Board position.

Section 3. After a member is elected through member voting, the new officer needs to be approved by the current president. After approval, the other members shall be notified of the change via their campus email.

Article VII: Executive Authority

Section 1. The executive authority of this organization shall be invested in an Executive Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall consist of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.

Section 3. President oversees all interactions within the Executive Board. They should facilitate internal communications between all members of the Executive Board. They should handle all interactions between university administration and the general body of this organization.

Vice president Invited Alumni and Industrial Personnel for weekly Talks and Events, organizes a Semester Schedule and Works with President on organizing Plant Tours.

Secretary is responsible for recording meeting minutes during GSA Executive Board Weekly Meetings. Must establish meeting agenda in advance of the monthly events. Responsible for making surveys for collecting Students Feedback. Sending out Event Invitation Emails out to Students and Reminders.

Treasurer acts as a bridge between Office of Campus Life, the Finance Board, and the Organization. Duties include: requesting money for the Organizational needs, communicating the results of the Finance Board Advising and Finance Board Hearing, and fulfilling the requests of the Organization’s monetary needs.

Section 4. The decisions made in the General Body Meeting each week will be notify by email to all the members of the association.

Article VIII: Advisor(s)

Section 1. The GSA ChBE shall have two advisors at all times: a faculty advisor, which shall be one of the ChBE professors, and a staff advisor, which shall be a member of the ChBE department staff.

Section 2. The advisors shall be selected through Executive Board discussions and nominations. Once an advisor is selected and accepts the role, they can stay with the organization for as long as they so intend. The advisor has the permission to leave the role at any time, but need to give at least one academic semester notice. The Executive Board also has the power of demoting a advisor and selecting a new advisor, however, all decisions need to be approved by the president.

Section 3. Both advisors shall help in the organization of events from the GSA ChBE. The faculty advisor shall be the connection between the organization and the ChBE department professors and shall help getting other faculty members to attend events and meet with students. The staff advisor shall help the organization with event logistics such as, but not limited to, booking rooms, finding and organizing tables and chairs and sending out information emails and flyers. Both advisors are not allowed to vote in any organizational election.

Article IX: Committee(s)

Section 1. GSA ChBE does not have any committees at the present time.

Article X: Dues

The dues of this Organization shall be free as determined by this Constitution.

Article XI: Amendments

Section 1. The constitution may only be amended by the current President of GSA ChBE.

Section 2. If any amendment is done to this Constitution, all members of GSA ChBE shall be notified via their campus email.

Article XII: Dissolution

Section 1. Upon the dissolution of this organization, all funds and responsibilities shall be handed over to the Student Activities Fund (SAF).

Section 2. All items purchased with university funds shall be returned to the possession of the University.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall be responsible for carrying out these directives.

Article XIII: Statement of Non-Hazing

This organization will not conspire to engage in hazing or commit any act that causes or is likely to cause bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm to any fellow student or person attending this institution.

Article XIV: Statement of Compliance with Campus Regulations

This organization shall comply with all university and campus policies and regulations. This organization shall also comply with all local, state and federal laws.