WOMEN IN STEM CONSTITUTION
Last Revision: 10/27/16
Article I. Name and Purpose
Section I.A. Name.
The name of this organization shall be Women in STEM, abbreviated WIS.
Section I.B. Purpose.
As President Obama stated in 2013, “we need to have more girls interested in math, science, and engineering. We’ve got half the population that is way underrepresented in those fields and that means that we’ve got a whole bunch of talent… not being encouraged the way they need to.” Women in STEM aims to provide support and encouragement for women in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
Article II. Membership
Section II.A. Definitions of Membership.
II.A.i. Student Membership. Any current Rice University students are eligible for student membership. At no time shall fewer than half of the organization’s members be student members.
II.A.ii. Community Membership. Any other Rice University community member, including faculty, staff, and alumni, are eligible for community membership.
Section II.B. Eligibility.
Only student members who are not on Disciplinary Probation or otherwise prohibited from holding office in a registered student organization shall be eligible to seek and hold office.
Article III. Officers
Section III.A. Definition of Officers. (*more officer positions may be created this year as needed)
III.A.i. President. The president is responsible for focusing on external affairs including the organization and implementation of new events and goals, maintaining club registration with the Rice Student Association, and supervising all club activities.
III.A.ii. Vice President. The vice president is responsible for focusing on internal affairs including communication within Rice University and the club, helping the president with club registration, and assisting with the planning and execution of club activities.
III.A.iii. Secretary. The secretary is responsible for maintaining a roster of club members, taking attendance at meetings, organizing officer elections, and maintaining records of required paperwork and registration materials.
III.A.iv. Treasurer. The treasurer is responsible for keeping record of club funds, managing the budget for club events, overseeing purchasing and handling receipts, securing funds from sponsors, and reserving rooms for club meetings.
III.A.v. Communications Chair. The communications chair is responsible for overseeing requests for speakers at the end-of-semester speaker panel, organizing photography for events, updating the club’s social media accounts and website, helping in club recruitment, and spreading knowledge about club events to the Rice student body.
Section III.B. Selection Process.
Club officers will be chosen by election during the end of the spring semester in March or April.
Section III.C. Removal Process.
If any officer acts in an unacceptable manner or fails to perform their duties to the best of their abilities, he or she may be removed either by majority vote of the club members, or by the sponsor’s approval.
Article IV. Sponsor
Section IV.A. Replacement.
If the sponsor resigns, is replaced, or is otherwise unable to continue serving as the sponsor for the remainder of the academic year, the organization shall select a new sponsor and notify the Office of Student Activities of the change within 15 class days.
Article V. Meetings
Section V.A. Frequency.
The club will meet weekly for an hour to volunteer at a local high school. There will be club meetings twice a month in addition.
Section V.B. Attendance.
Club officers must be present at as many meetings as possible. If they fail to attend a sufficient amount of meetings, they may be removed from their position by majority vote.
Section V.C. Quorum.
20% of the student members will constitute a quorum. A quorum will be considered the minimum amount of members needed for voting to occur.
Article VI. Voting
Section VI.A. Eligibility.
In order to be eligible to vote in club elections, one must have been a member for at least one semester and have been present for at least 50% of club meetings.
Section VI.B. Election Procedures.
V.B.i. Application for officer positions will be emailed to club members prior to election. Following the nominations, the club officers will send out an electronic secret ballot to all club members eligible to vote.
VI.B.ii. To be eligible for election as a club officer, one must have been a club member for at least one semester and have attended at least 75% of the club meetings.
VI.B.iii. A nominee must win a majority vote in a quorum. If no nominee wins a majority vote, a second election will be held. If a tie occurs again, the position will be decided by a coin toss.
Article VII. Finances
Section VII.A. Dues.
No dues will be collected from members.
Section VII.B. Club Funds.
All funds gathered by the organization must be deposited into a club account through the Office of Student Activities within one business day of their receipt.
Section VII.C. Misuse of Funds.
The sponsor shall refer to the relevant University office(s) any member reasonably suspected of spending club funds without authority, failing to deposit club funds appropriately, or otherwise misusing or abusing club funds.
Article VIII. General Policies and Regulations
Section VIII.A. Nondiscrimination Policy.
This organization shall not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status.
Section VIII.B. Anti-Hazing Policy.
This organization shall not engage in any form of hazing, as defined by the Code of Student Conduct and any other applicable Rice University rules and regulations.
Section VIII.C. Conflict of Interest Policy.
The business of this organization shall not be conducted in any manner that creates a conflict of interest or the reasonable appearance thereof.
Section VIII.D. Approval of Contracts.
No commitments or contracts shall be made by any member of this organization on behalf of this organization without the approval of both the sponsor and a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Section VIII.E. Interpretation of this Constitution.
This document shall be interpreted based on the letter, the spirit, and the intent of any provision(s) in question, with reference to appropriate archival documents to provide insight into the intent or spirit of a provision where relevant. Article and section titles are intended to aid in reading and interpreting the document but shall not be construed as binding upon or limiting the content of their respective articles and sections. Where a general statement and a specific statement appear to be contradictory, the specific statement shall be taken as a binding exception to the general statement.
Article IX. Amendments
Section IX.A. Approval by Student Association Parliamentarian.
Amendments approved by the membership shall be submitted to the Student Association Parliamentarian. Amendments may not take effect until they are approved by the Parliamentarian or the Student Senate in accordance with the Constitution of the Student Association. The Date of Last Revision on the title page of this constitution shall be updated to reflect the date of approval by the Parliamentarian or Senate.
Article X. Primacy of the Student Association
Section X.A.
This organization shall recognize the primacy of the Student Association Executive Branch, the Student Senate, and ultimately, the Student Association.
Section X.B.
This organization shall be bound by the requirements of the Constitution of the Student Association and any associated rules and regulations.
Section X.C.
This constitution and any bylaws or policies adopted by this organization are subordinate to the Constitution of the Student Association.