Engineers Without Borders – Iowa State University
Constitution
Article I
Name
Section I: Organization Name.
The name of this organization shall be Engineers Without Borders-Iowa State University
Article II
Purpose
Section I: Mission Statement:
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students. The activities of EWB-USA range from the construction of sustainable systems that developing communities can own and operate without external assistance, to empowering such communities by enhancing local, technical, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills. These projects are initiated by, and completed with, contributions from the host community working with our project teams.
Section II: EWB Goals
A) Train next generation of internationally responsible engineers
B) Become the leader of EWB Midwest Region
C) Promote long term poverty alleviation
D) Integrate classroom, field, and laboratory experiences
Article III
Membership
Section I: Non-Discrimination Statement
A. EWB does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, color, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or status as a U.S. Veteran.
Section II: Eligibility
A. To be a representative, he/she must be a full-time undergraduate student, graduate student, or faculty at Iowa State University and maintain satisfactoryacademic progress as defined by the ISU Information Handbook.
Section III: Composition
A. Engineers Without Borders is open to all registered students at Iowa State University.
Section IV: Membership Requirements
A. Members are required to actively participate in the events of EWB.
This includes attending project meetings, programming events, as well as national and regional events of EWB.
Article IV
Officers
Section One: Executive Positions
A. The following are executive officer positions of EWB-ISU.
i. President
ii. Vice President
iii. Treasurer
iv. Secretary
v. Program Director (one for each EWB-USA program)
vi. Campus and Public Relations (CPR) Co-Chairs (2)
vii. Fundraising Co-Chairs (2)
viii. Engineering Student Council Representative
x. Webmaster
xi. Project Leads (one for each project)
ix. Freshman Leadership Board (FLB) Director
B. All of the above are elected according to Article IV-3, excepting Project Leads and Freshman Leadership Board Director. The selection of these officers is addressed in Article IV-4.
Section Two: Officer Requirements
A. The officers of EWB-ISU must meet the following university requirements:
i. Be a registered student at Iowa State University.
ii. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) as stated below and meet that minimum GPA in the semester immediately prior to the election/appointment, the semester of election/appointment and the semesters during the term of office. For undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, the minimum GPA is 2.00. In order for this provision to be met, at least six hours (half-time credits) must have been taken for the semester under consideration.
iii. Be in good standing with the university and enrolled as at least a half time student as stated in (iii) and (iv).
iv. Undergraduate student: enrolled in six or more credit hours during the term of office, unless fewer credits are required to graduate in the spring and fall semesters.
v. Graduate student: enrolled in four or more credits during the term of office unless fewer credits are required in the final stages of their degrees as defined by the Continuous Registration Requirement.
vi. Be ineligible to hold an office should the student fail to maintain the requirements prescribed in (ii)-(v).
vii. Officers are expected to attend organization events and should notify the President or other responsible party when they have a conflict.
B. Officer Term
i. All officers, excepting Project Leads and Advisers, will serve a twelve-month term coinciding with the calendar year.
ii. Elections will be held in mid-November to ensure effective transition at a date to be determined by the Executive Committee.
Section Three: Executive Appointment Process
A. Members of EWB-ISU may be self-nominated or nominated by one of their peers for one or more of the positions outlined in Article IV-1.
B. The President shall call for nominations a month prior to elections; these shall be due two weeks prior to elections.
C. Interested candidates must accept outside nominations and submit a short statement to the President a week prior to elections. The President will compile these statements and provide a list of candidates to the organization five days prior to elections.
D. Positions will be contested in an order determined by the Executive Committee.
E. Appointment for President and Vice President
i. Candidates for President and Vice President positions will present their statements and take questions at the election meeting.
ii. Candidates shall leave the room for discussion and voting after they have presented their statements and answered any questions.
iii. Votes will be taken by printed ballot
iv. Two Executive Committee members not running for the position being contested will count the votes. They shall be selected beforehand by the Executive Committee.
v. The counting officers shall have the option to vote.
F. Appointment for Executive Committee
i. Elected President and Vice President will provide more information regarding the Executive Committee positions to the prospective candidates.
ii. An Executive Committee member not running for the positions being contested and a Faculty Member will serve on the Appointment Committee with the Elected President and Vice President. They shall be selected beforehand by the Executive Committee.
iii. The Appointment Committee should meet to determine an effective and objective interview and deliberation process.
iv. Interviews and selection of the new Executive Committee will take place no later than December 1st.
G. Election results shall be released to the Members listserv by the Outgoing President within twenty-four hours.
Section Four: Officer, Adviser, and Mentor Duties
A. President
i. Lead and represent EWB-ISU on campus
ii. Ensure that EWB-ISU is operating in conformity with standards set forth by EWB-USA, Iowa State University, and the Student Activities Center
iii. Preside over all meetings
iv. Communicate with EWB-ISU advisers
B. Vice President
i. Preside over meetings in the absence of the President
ii. Ensure that EWB-ISU officers are performing required duties and providing effective leadership
ii. Make changes to the Constitution and Bylaws
iii. Assist the President in external management of the organization
iv. Ideally, intend and be able to run for President after his or her term
C. Treasurer
i. Maintain an accurate record of organization transactions
ii. Communicate the status of the organization’s ISU and EWB-USA accounts to the Executive Committee on a regular basis
iii. Manage access to and usage of university purchasing cards
iv. Manage reimbursements from EWB-USA accounts for relevant expenses
v. Collect membership dues
vi. Solicit funding from Engineering Student Council
D. Secretary
i. Organize meetings
ii. Take notes at all meetings and distribute them as determined by exec
iii. Keep a list of active members
iv. Maintain lists of former members and other supporters
E. Program Director and Risk Management Officer (one per EWB-USA program)
i. Ensure that their program’s projects are complying with EWB-USA and university standards
ii. Maintain regular communication with partner communities
iii. Organize trips according to EWB-USA standards and as necessitated by project schedules and community needs
iv. Regularly update the Executive Committee on project progress
v. Recommend Risk Management policies or procedures to EWB
vi. Submit documentation to ISU’s Risk Management Office
vii. Ensure that Risk Management Procedures are implemented at all of the organizations events
F. Fundraising Co-Chairs (2)
i. Oversee and set agendas for the Fundraising Committee and communicate progress to the Executive Committee
ii. Assist the Program Director and project leads in applying for EWB-USA grants
iii. Submit applications for other organizations’ grants
iv. Organize on- and off-campus fundraising opportunities such as pizza sales
viii. Develop sustainable corporate relationships
G. Campus and Public Relations (CPR) Co-Chairs (2)
i. Oversee and set agendas for the Campus and Public Relations Committee and communicate progress to the Executive Committee
ii. Organize community service events and projects for members
iii. Organize K-12 outreach opportunities as funds allow
iv. Recruit new EWB-ISU members
ix. Organize social events for members
x. Provide relevant educational opportunities in the organization
xi. Manage EWB-ISU social media
xii. Provide or procure publicity and promotional materials in support of the organization
xiii. Delegate the above functions to subcommittees as necessary
H. Webmaster
i. Develop and maintain an EWB-ISU website including general club information and project updates
ii. Develop and maintain an online, partially private database to store organization documents
iii. Serve on the CPR Committee and assist in committee functions as necessary
v. Seek continual improvement of EWB-ISU technology infrastructure
I. Engineering Student Council Representative
i. Provide representation at ESC meetings for EWB-ISU
ii. Report relevant information to the Executive Committee and general membership
iii. Find a substitute if unable to attend an ESC meeting
J. Project Leads (one for each project)
i. Shall be selected by their predecessor and approved by the Executive Committee and every subsequently elected Executive Committee
ii. Develop project schedule and delegate tasks
iii. Coordinate with project’s technical mentor(s) to ensure engineering standards are met
iv. Report to the Program Director and Executive Committee on a regular basis
K. Freshman Leadership Board (FLB) Director
i. Shall be determined through an interview and/or application process by the current President, Vice President, and FLB Director prior to elections
ii. An FLB Director may only serve one, one-year term
iii. Coordinate FLB mentors and activities
iv. Assist FLB members in organizing Poverty Awareness Week (PAW)
v. Regularly communicate FLB updates to the Executive Committee
L. Adviser(s) (up to two)
i. Shall be selected and approved by a 2/3 vote from the executive committee and then a majority vote by general membership
ii. Serve a term as long as he or she chooses in agreement with the executive committee, or is removed by the process described in Article IV - 5
iii. Maintain communication with the EWB-ISU President and Executive Committee
iv. Approve and monitor financial expenditures
v. Ensure that EWB-ISU is operating in conformity with the standards set forth by Iowa State University and the Student Activities Center
vi. Serve as a resource and liaison in communications with EWB-USA, Iowa State University, and outside groups
M. Project Technical Mentors
i. Shall be selected by a committee composed of the Adviser, President and Vice President, Program Directors, and Project Leads
ii. Meet EWB-USA requirements for given project level
iii. Maintain communication with the project team
iv. Ensure technical quality of projects
v. Travel on assessment, implementation, and monitoring trips as necessary
Section Five: Officer/Adviser Removal
i. Officers and advisers may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and a ¾ vote of general membership.
ii. The individual brought up for removal is allowed to speak to the charges made regarding his/her performance.
iii. Deliberation will be held after the defense and before voting, with the individual under consideration leaving the room for discussion and voting.
Section Six: Vacant Offices
A. Vacant offices will be filled at the discretion of the Executive Board.
B. Vacant offices will be filled in accordance with the election process in Article IV-
Article V
Finances
Section I: Finance Distribution
A. All monies belonging to this organization shall be deposited and dispersed through a bank account established for this organization at the Campus Organizations Accounting Office and/or approved institution/office (must receive authorization via Campus Organizations Accounting Office). All funds must be deposited within 48 hours after collection. The Adviser must approve and sign each expenditure before payment.
Section II: Membership Dues
A. EWB establishes that dues must be paid by each member
B. Dues are determined and voted on by the Executive Committee
i. Must pass a ¾ vote by the Executive Committee
C. Dues must be paid by the first week of October in the fall semester and the first week of February in the Spring semester.
D. The Treasurer is responsible for collecting dues.
Article VI
Amendments & Ratification
Section I: Amendment Process
A. The constitution may be amended at any time with a majority vote of the Executive committee and with a majority of EWB membership, not counting abstainers.
B. EWB members will be given one week to consider the amendment.
C. Amendments will be made by the Vice President
D. Amendments must be submitted to the Student Activities Center within (10) days for approval.
Article VII
Local, State, and Federal Laws
Section I: Statement of Willingness
A. The organization will abide by all rules and regulations of Iowa State University.
B. The organization will abided by all Local, State, and Federal Laws.
C. The organization agrees to annually complete President’s Training, Treasurer’s Training and Adviser Training (if required)