ABAC Honors Program

Honors Student Association Honors Student Association Constitution & By-Laws Mission Statement: The purpose of The Honors Student Association is to provide exposure to ideas, sponsor group activities, enhance opportunities to form friendships, facilitate a forum for group discussion of ideas and opinions, and present opportunities to serve both campus and community. Constitution Article I. Name This organization shall be named The Honors Student Association (hereafter referred to as “The Club”), a social and philanthropic organization of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (hereafter referred to as "The College"). Article II. Purpose The purpose of The Club shall be to provide exposure to the arts and sciences, group activities, opportunities to form friendships, a forum for group discussion of ideas and opinions, and opportunities to serve both campus and community. The purposes, objectives, and activities of The Club will be consistent with the rules and regulations of The College. Article III. Membership Membership in this organization shall be open to those students associated with The Honors Program of The College. Membership in both the Honors program and the Honors Student Association is open to all persons otherwise qualified, without regard to race, creed, sex, or handicap. Individual membership shall be contingent on payment of dues and continued good standing with the Club and the College. Article IV. Membership Requirements Members of the Honors Student Association have to volunteer a set amount of hours per semester for community service to campus activities—both club activities and activities of other organizations the club sponsors. The members of the club vote and determine the number of hours and the appropriate activities. The secretary is responsible for keeping a record of the number of hours each member has contributed. The club expects students to report their hours truthfully and accurately without need for verification, based on the honor system.   Article V. Officers   The officers of The Honors Student Association shall include the positions of President and SGA representative, Vice-President and SGA representative (alternates with President), Secretary (responsibilities for minutes, newsletter, and also treasurer) and Activities Director (social and academic activities). Article VI. Amendments Amendments may be proposed by any member of The Club and shall become a part of this constitution if three-fourths of the members present are in favor. Voting on amendments shall be announced two weeks prior to the vote and all members will have the opportunity to proxy vote if they so desire. Proxy votes must be given to the President or any other officer prior to the vote. Article VII. Ratification The constitution shall be ratified by two-thirds of the members present and shall take effect upon ratification. Article VIII Faculty Advisor   A voluntary advisor will be chosen from the Honors Program (College) faculty or staff. The current director of the Honors Program will become the first advisor when this constitution takes effect. In the event an advisor no longer wishes to continue in that capacity, a new advisor will be chosen at the next Honors Student Association’s  officers' meeting.   By-Laws Article I. Officers Section 1.  At the charter meeting of The Club which shall be called to order by the President, officers for the following year shall be elected by majority vote of the members present and the terms of election shall last until the next scheduled election. These elections shall be held at the first meeting in April and the newly-elected officers shall begin their terms following the next meeting. Section 2. Candidates for the office shall be of sophomore rank by the fall semester of the term of office to which they are aspiring. Candidates must be full-time students of the college. Section 3.a. The duties of the President shall be to preside at all meetings and to execute the programs of The Club. The President shall be responsible for all required paperwork for the continuation of the organization.. The president will help to appoint all standing and special committees. The President will also represent the club at SGA meetings. Section 3.b. The duties of the Vice-President shall be to preside at meetings when the President is absent, to assist the President in his/her duties, to keep track of all supplies, and to oversee all committees of The Club. The Vice-President will also represent the club at SGA meetings. Section 3.c.  The Secretary of The Club shall keep accurate records of and be responsible for all funds credited to all accounts of The Club. The handling of the accounts must be in accordance with the regulation set forth in Article VII of the By-Laws. The treasurer should also be responsible for requesting funds from the allocation board and for compiling the Club’s budget.  The Secretary shall keep the minutes of each meeting, and handle all incoming and outgoing correspondence of The Club. The Secretary will also keep track of the number of community service house each member of The Club engages in every semester. The secretary shall take attendance of those present at group meetings as necessary. The Secretary should also maintain the membership list and email database. The secretary will be responsible, together with the Activities Director, for updating the club’s web page. The Secretary will have primary responsibility for the webpage, and the Activities Director will assist when the Secretary is unable to fulfill their duties in that particular capacity. Section 3.d. The Activities Director shall maintain and update the scrapbook of The Club--a complete journal of all activities by The Club--and a bulletin board and website used to inform members of activities and meetings of The Club.  The Public Relations Director shall be responsible for promotion of the group and their events. This would include making posters, flyers, and brochures, updating the web page information, entering information on to the College Events web page, and submitting press releases to the appropriate media. Article II. Executive Committee Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of The Club. Section 2. The Executive Committee shall meet upon request of the President. Article III. Order of Succession If the President is unable to fulfill an obligation to The Club and complete the full duration of the term for which the President was elected, the order of succession shall be as follows: (1) Vice-President, (2) Secretary, (3) Activities Director The position vacated by an officer undertaking the duties and position of the President shall be filled by the process of Special Elections outlined in Article VI of the By-Laws. Article IV. Inability for an Elected Officer to Complete Elected Term If for any reason an officer is not able to fulfill an obligation to The Club and complete the full duration of the term of office for which the officer was elected, the vacant office shall be filled by the Special Election process outlined in Article VI of the By-Laws. Article V. Recall of an Elected Officer Section 1. Any officer may be recalled for re-election by the members of The Club no more than once per elected term. In order to recall an officer for re-election, the members of The Club must (a) have just cause for recall, (b) petition members of The Club and collect legal signatures of at least one-half of the total voting membership of The Club, and (c) present the petition and signatures to the officer who ranks the highest in the order of succession outlined in Article III of the By-Laws assuming the President as having the highest position and who is not directly affected by the recall. Section 2. Within one week of acceptance of the petition and signatures, the receiving officer must notify all members of The Club of the recall of the vote. The recall vote must be held within two weeks of acceptance of the petition and signatures and will comply with the following format: (a) the ballot must include the name(s) and position(s) of the officer(s) affected by the recall vote, (b) the vote will decide whether the officer(s) should continue to serve in the capacity of the respective positions) or not; therefore a vote in the affirmative allows the officer(s) to continue to server, while a vote in the negative relieves the officer(s) of the respective position(s), (c) a two-thirds majority is required to relieve an officer of office, d) proxy voting will be permitted and (e) the vacated office(s) will be filled by Article III of the By-Laws in the case of the President and/or Article IV of the By-Laws for other officers. Article VI. Special Elections Section 1. The day of special election must be held within two weeks of the immediate need of such an election. The voting members of The Club must be given at least one week notice of such a special election. Nominations will be allowed for the vacated office(s) during the week prior to the special election. Proxy voting will be allowed. A plurality of votes is needed to gain the vacated office to which the person is aspiring. Article VII. Disbursements of Funds Section 1. Disbursements of funds for activities of The Club not exceeding a maximum of thirty (30) dollars shall require the proper authorization of both the President and Secretary. Those disbursements exceeding thirty (30) dollars shall require (a) a majority vote of all members present during the voting process or (b) if members of The Club cannot be assembled to attain such voting criteria, the proper authorization of the President and a majority of the officers. Section 2. Accounts held by The Club with the requirement of the proper signature of the adviser (or proper substitute in case of the unavailability of the adviser), The Club shall follow the regulations as outlined in Article VII, Section 1 prior to seeking the signature of the adviser for proper substitute. Article VIII. Dues Section 1. There will be no dues for the first semester of The Club's existence. The dues for following semesters can only be adjusted by a majority vote of the members present. Dues for the coming year shall be determined at the last meeting of the current year. One week notice must be given prior to the day of the vote. Proxy voting will be permitted. Article IX. Quorum and Amendments of By-Laws A quorum shall consist of twenty percent of The Club's members. The By-Laws shall be adopted by a majority vote of the charter members at The Club's first meeting. The By-Laws shall be amended by approval of three-fourths of all members present at the time of the voting. Proxy voting will be permitted. Article X. Meetings The officers shall call the first meeting within three weeks of the beginning of the fall semester classes. At this time the meeting times will be set for the year. Meetings will be held at least twice a month, except for May and December (and excluding summer months). Article XI. Order of Business Robert's Rules of Order will govern the order of business where they do not conflict with the Constitution or By-Laws.   Article XII Non-Discrimination Clause   The Honors club agrees to adhere to all policies and procedures of the University and all local, state, and federal laws. Members will become acquainted with policies and procedures provided by the University. This organization is a viable, functioning organization, composed of at least six full time undergraduate students and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, veteran, handicap status, or sexual orientation   Article XIII Georgia Hazing Law (§16-5-1)   (a)    As used in this Code section, the term:   (1)   “Haze” means to subject a student to an activity which endangers or is likely to endanger the physical health of a student, regardless of a student’s willingness to participate in such activity (2)   “School” means any school, college, or university in this state. (3)   “School organization” means any club, society, fraternity, sorority, or a group living together which has students as its principal members (4)   “Student” means any person enrolled in a school in this state (b)   It shall be unlawful for any person to haze any student in connection with or as a condition or precondition of gaining acceptance, membership, office, or other status in a school organization (c)    Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature    Article XIV Leadership Retreat Attendance   The president of the Honors Student Association must attend the college’s leadership retreat for club presidents. The retreat takes place every fall. If the president is unable to attend, then he or she must make arrangements with the vice-president to attend instead. Such arrangements must be approved by the club’s executive committee and the club advisor.

Thursday, July 16, 2009 11:55 AM