Salisbury University Racing and Automotive Technology Club

CONSTITUTION

of the

SALISBURY UNIVERSITY RACING AND AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY CLUB

at

Salisbury University

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Section I: The name of the organization shall be Salisbury University Racing and Automotive Technology Club at Salisbury University and shall be referred to herein as Salisbury University Racing and Auto Tech Club (SURATC), the club, or the organization.

Section II: The purpose of SURATC shall be:

A.  To promote skillful, safe, and responsible driving, knowledge of vehicle systems, social interaction, and cross-cultural acceptance through education, exposure to sanctioned organized racing opportunities, and social events.

B.  To offer students the ability to explore and share a passion for engine technology, the opportunity to learn about and gain a practical technical expertise, and the chance to develop interpersonal communication skills and personal marketability in professional fields such as art and design, marketing, finance, management, physics, chemistry, and engineering, especially in respect to the multi-billion dollar automotive industry.

C.  To bolster the reputation of Salisbury University (SU) as a sophisticated, intelligent, and well-rounded university not only to the local community, but to the higher education community, technical professions, and the public in general.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section I: Membership is open to all currently enrolled full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students at SU.

A.  A student is considered a member if he/she has attended at least 2 meetings.

B.  A student is considered an active (voting) member if he/she has attended 75% of all meetings.

Section II: This organization shall not discriminate based on academic achievement either for membership or leadership positions as it is inappropriate to punish a student for poor academic performance by refusing them an opportunity to learn.

Section III: The organization expects members to contribute material for curriculum as they are able as well as contribute to meaningful and productive discussion during meetings. Members will also vote to elect club officers. In return, members will have a social environment that helps to nurture their passion for automobiles and teach them about the technology they need to know in order to be more productive in the professional world.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section I: The Executive Board of SURATC shall consist of the following hierarchy of elected officers:

A.  The President

B.  The Vice-President

C.  The Secretary

D.  The Treasurer

E.  The Webmaster

Section II: Qualifications of Officers:

A.  The elected officers shall be chosen from the active membership of the organization as is defined in Article II, Section I-B.

B.  Officers must understand and uphold the purpose and mission of the organization.

Section III: Duties of Officers:

A.  The President’s duties shall be:

1.  Run club and club officer meetings.

2.  Organize events.

3.  Delegate responsibility of necessary tasks.

4.  Ensure adherence to the constitution and bylaws.

5.  Determine time and place for meetings.

B.  The Vice-President’s duties shall be:

1.  Assist the President.

2.  Serve as official spokesperson and handle correspondence between the organization and all other parties.

C.  The Secretary’s duties shall be:

1.  Maintain membership records including taking attendance at each club meeting or other event.

2.  Take notes at each meeting and hand them over to the Webmaster.

3.  Tally votes.

D.  The Treasurer’s duties shall be:

1.  Collect, disperse, and manage club funds.

2.  Keep accurate, up-to-date records of all the financial affairs of the organization.

E.  The Webmaster’s duties shall be:

1.  Create and manage club website.

2.  Post each meeting’s notes on the website.

Section IV: Assuming the existence of an Advisor, the Advisor will not be a member of the governing body, but will have voting rights as any other member. The Advisor’s duties shall be:

A.  Attend meetings and events as is convenient.

B.  Cast an additional vote in the event of a tie during voting.

ARTICLE IV: ELECTIONS

Section I: The term for all elected officers will be one (1) semester. There will be no limit on the number of terms a person can hold the same office if re-elected.

Section II: Elections will take place on the last regular club meeting of the semester. Any active members present at the time of the election will be eligible to vote.

Section III: Prospective officers must accept a nomination in order to be included on the ballot. Self-nomination is allowed. Nominations must be called for at least 5 minutes before voting takes place. Nominees will be permitted a short time to campaign after accepting a nomination.

Section IV: Newly elected officers take office directly after elections. Within one week of elections, the exiting officer will advise the incoming officer of any and all issues they need to be aware of as well as relinquishing control of records of other club-specific paraphernalia to the incoming officer. If the exiting officer neglects to transfer the above mentioned information or paraphernalia, the incoming officer as well as the membership body are encouraged to badger the exiting officer either verbally, in writing, or through the use of a third party until said responsibilities are transferred to the incoming officer.

ARTICLE V: PROVISION FOR REMOVAL/REPLACEMENT OF OFFICERS

Section I: The grounds for removal of an officer shall be:

A.  Abuse of power

B.  Insufficient time for/attention to duties

C.  Violation of policy

D.  Dereliction of duties

E.  Conduct unbecoming of an officer

Section II: Any active member may move to have a vote of “no confidence” taken against an officer during any regular or specially scheduled club meeting. Specially scheduled club meetings will be scheduled at least 4 days ahead of time and all active members must be contacted regarding these meetings. Immediately upon a movement of a vote of “no confidence”, the officer will be given an opportunity to respond to the charges and then a vote for removal of the officer will be taken. Active members present at the time of the voting have voting eligibility. For the vote to be valid, the officer must be notified of the proceedings.

Section III: Should the Presidency fall vacant, the Vice-President shall immediately assume the office. Should any of the other offices fall vacant, elections for the vacated office(s) will be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting or at a specially scheduled meeting if absolutely necessary.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

Section I: Regular meetings will be held once a week during the academic year. The day and time of the regular meetings should be convenient so that all executive board members are in attendance and the majority of the membership may attend and will be chosen at the beginning of each semester.

Section II: The officers shall determine the time and frequency of the Executive Board meetings.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS

Section I: Any member is allowed to propose changes to the constitution to the membership body during any regular or specially scheduled club meeting. The membership body will then be permitted to discuss the suggested change. The suggestion will be noted by the Secretary and the Executive Board will decide to accept or reject the suggested change(s) at the next officers’ meeting whether that be regularly or specially scheduled.