Club Constitution

Robotics Club Constitution

First date on which we met: September 8, 2004

Article I: Purpose

 * The Penn State Robot Club will exist in order to give students a forum in which to learn about and build robots.
 * There will be room(s) on campus dedicated to this purpose.
 * There will be an outreach program that will go to local schools to teach about and demonstrate with robots.

Article II: Membership

 * The majority (50% +1 of active membership) must be undergraduate students.
 * Only currently employed faculty, staff and currently registered students are eligible for active membership
 * There must be at least 20 active student members at all times.
 * Only active members may vote, preside, officiate, or solicit funding on the organization’s behalf.
 * There will be no discrimination based on race, religion, sex, physical handicap or creed.


 * 1) Any and all members will be given full disclosure during recruitment, including but not limited to the disclosure of:
 * 2) New Membership Manual
 * 3) Schedule of New Member Events and Activities
 * 4) A list of responsibilities
 * 5) A definition of personal rights, and a copy of the University Hazing			 policy,	 prescribed by Policies and Rules for Student Organizations.

All these documents will be available upon request by the USG Supreme Court.


 * 1) 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 member.
 * 2) 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 member—quorum is 40% of active members.
 * Membership Removal

Article III: Officers
Any unexpected vacancies occurring during the year, after elections have taken place, will be filled at a special meeting to be called by the current president of the club, or the next highest ranking officer should the president be unavailable. Special elections will follow the same procedure as annual elections. An officer may be removed during their elected period by following the following procedure:
 * Only full-time, officially registered Penn State active student members shall be eligible to serve as appointed or elected officers in the Penn State Robot Club
 * The USG Supreme Court/GSA Judiciary Committee must approve further limitations, such as semester standing.
 * Officers
 * 1) President – preside over meetings and meet with the faculty advisor weekly
 * 2) Vice-President – perform the President’s duties when he/she is not around
 * 3) Treasurer – manage the dues, and other funds of the club
 * 4) Secretary – bookkeeping for meetings, write emails to let the club know about			 important information and meetings
 * There will be appointed positions made by the board
 * 1) Inventory Manager – order and keep records of parts bought by the club
 * 2) Webmaster – set up and update the club’s website
 * 3) Project Manager – monitor every groups’ computer programming
 * 4) Any other positions may be created as needed by the board
 * Each person can only be nominated for one position during each election.
 * Vacancies occurring during the school year.
 * Officer Removal/Impeachment
 * 1) The motion to remove/impeach an officer must be brought about by a 50%+1 majority approval of at least 2/3 of all active members.
 * 2) If this motion is approved the official vote will occur at a special meeting called no less than one week, seven days, after the motion was approved.
 * 3) The officer in question will be removed pending a 75% approval of at least 2/3 of active members.
 * 4) The current faculty advisor will have final say, after the special election has taken place, over the removal/impeachment of an officer.

Article IV: Meetings

 * Meetings will occur at least every three weeks.
 * If any member makes a motion to change the frequency of meetings, there will be a vote at the next meeting to decide what should be done. A majority with at least 20 members present will be enough to win the vote.
 * Any officer can call a special meeting with the consent of the other officers.
 * The secretary will notify members of regular and special meetings through an email.
 * Adequate and advance notice of all meetings will be given to all members.

Article V: Voting

 * 20 members will constitute a quorum. At least this many must be present for any voting, electing or amending to occur.
 * A majority will be 50% + 1 of the members present.

Article VI: Finances

 * All organizational funds are to be handled exclusively through the Associated Student Activities (ASA) office.
 * The payment of dues will not be necessary for membership, but will be voluntary. The club will accept “donations” from members with a maximum value set at the same meeting as elections.
 * The Parts Buyer may spend $50 per semester without the approval of the membership.
 * Money to be spent by the club must be approved prior to purchase by the board.

Article VII: Elections

 * The nominations for officers will take place at the first meeting of every school year. The election will take place at the next meeting.  These meetings will be publicized at least one week in advance, through emails and posting on the college of engineering website.
 * No one involved in conducting the elections may be an official candidate.
 * Members may nominate themselves by writing their name on a piece of paper and announcing their candidacy to the club in a speech explaining why they are qualified for the position. The election will occur by paper ballot.  In the event of a tie, there will be another vote taken, between only the two candidates that have tied.
 * New officers will begin their terms of office 3 meetings after their election (officers will assume duties immediately after election in the first year of the club’s existence).
 * A member can nominate themselves to be on the ballot for the election of officers at one meeting, and the election will occur at the next meeting.
 * Ties occurring during the elections of officers or while appointing positions will be broken by the current and listed advisor.
 * Elections will take place annually at the beginning of the new fall semester. Officers must be re-elected yearly.  Elections cannot take place without a quorum.

Article VIII: Amendments to the Constitution

 * An amendment may be introduced by anyone in the club. If a single member seconds the motion to amend, the amendment will be put to vote at the next meeting.  A majority is required for passage of an amendment.
 * All amendments are subject to approval by the USG Supreme Court/GSA Judiciary Committee.
 * Approved amendments will take effect at the beginning of the next semester after it is passed.

Article IX: Parliamentary Authority

 * The officers will meet to discuss any cases that are not specifically covered by the constitution. Any decisions to be made by this board will be made by majority decision.  If a decision cannot be made by the board then the subject will be put to vote to the active student members and a 50%+1 decision must be made.

Article X: Accessibility of this Constitution

 * Copies of this constitution will be available to anyone upon request.

Article XI: Advisor

 * The advisor must be a member of the University community, and he/she should be chosen by the organization.

Article XII: Safety Considerations

 * All members will wear safety equipment as outlined in the Participation Waiver during all activities