The Greenhouse Group Constitution

The GreenHouse Group Constitution

Approved by the General Membership March 30, 2010

Preamble

We, the members of The GreenHouse Group do establish and adopt this constitution in order to form an efficient organization, ensure equal representation of each member and residential area, and secure an environment that stimulates environmental and sustainable education and participation. In order to make ours a more efficient organization, this constitution will guide our actions and activities toward our best mutual interests.

Article I: Name and Affiliation

The name of the organization shall be The GreenHouse Group, hereafter referred to as GHG. GHG shall be affiliated with the Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA), Frederiksen Court Community Council (FCCC), Schilletter & University Village Apartments Council (SUV), the Department of Residence (DoR), and Iowa State University (ISU). At no time shall this constitution or GHG create procedures that are contrary to an affiliated organization’s Constitution or bylaws, or that are unsupportive of the Department of Residence Policy Handbooks or Terms and Conditions.

Article II: Purpose

Section A:

The purpose of the GreenHouse Group is to:

·  Educate students living in campus housing about recycling and sustainability;

·  Involve residents in sustainability activities and events;

·  Manage and support the recycling program in the residence halls and campus apartments; and

·  Serve as the student voice for sustainability issues in the Department of Residence.

In the fulfillment of this purpose, the GHG will work cooperatively with the Department of Residence and its student governing bodies as well as actively support campus-wide sustainability initiatives and activities.

Section B:

1.  GHG abides by and supports established Iowa State University policies, State and Federal Laws and follows local ordinances and regulations.

2.  The GHG Cabinet agrees to annually complete President’s Training, Treasurer’s Training, and Advisor Training.

Article III: Membership

Section A: General

GHG shall be composed of Active and Associate Members. Anyone who is a member of GHG for any semester, session, or part thereof shall be bound by all sections of this constitution. Both GHG and Iowa State University do not discriminate on the basis ofrace, 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 B: Active Members

1.  To be considered an Active Member, one must regularly attend meetings, as defined by having attended at least two of the last four meetings.

2.  If a member cannot sustain this attendance and desires or believes that they should be considered an Active Member, the Cabinet will make such arrangements as they see fit.

3.  Such arrangements should mandate that the member remain well informed of business; and active in ways other than attendance, such as email feedback, special events, or otherwise.

4.  All Active members of the GHG must currently live in an Iowa State University residence hall or campus apartment.

Section C: Associate Members

1.  Students who do not live in the residence halls or campus apartments.

2.  Department of Residence Recycling Chairs not maintaining the attendance requirements of Active Membership.

3.  Associate Members will be non-voting with the exception of the Associate Member representative on the Cabinet.

Article IV: Advisor

The Advisor is appointed by the GreenHouse Group members at the beginning of each academic year. They serve as a liaison between campus administration and the organization. The Advisor of GHG is a Department of Residence (DoR) employee. The Advisor carries out many roles including advising the Cabinet, General Membership, assisting with elections, acting as a liaison between GHG and other DoR and Division of Student Affairs. The Advisor is responsible for authorizing all purchases of GHG through systems and procedures established by the Campus Organizations Accounting Office. The Advisor will attend all GHG meetings as well as Cabinet meetings. This is an ex-officio, nonvoting position.

Article V: General Membership

Section A: Members

The General Membership will be composed of all GHG members. All members attending an official GHG meeting have the right to provide input; only Active members may vote.

Section B: GHG Meetings

Regularly scheduled meetings will be held at a time and place determined by a majority vote of GHG members. During these meetings any member may bring forth new business. During GHG meetings, if a member(s) are disrupting to others, they may be asked to leave by the President, Vice President, or Advisor.

Section C: Voting

The quorum necessary to conduct business at a GHG meeting shall be 40 % of the current Active GHG members. During GHG meetings, voting will be based on a majority poll. When the issue is brought to question, the voting members will raise their hands for, against, or abstaining from the vote.

Article VI: Risk Management

The Vice President shall be the designated risk management officer for the GHG. The role of the risk management officer is to:

a.  Help minimize potential risks for club activities,

b.  Recommend risk management policies or procedures to the GHG,

c.  To submit documentation to ISU’s Risk Management Office and

d.  To ensure that Iowa State University policies are followed at all of the organization’s events and

e.  To ensure that proper waivers and background checks are on file with Risk Management for events.

Article VII: Cabinet

Section A: Positions

The GHG Cabinet will be comprised of, at minimum, a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Other positions determined necessary may be created by a majority vote of the General Membership. All Cabinet positions are elected positions and are subject to removal procedures as detailed below. All members of the Cabinet shall be voting members of GHG Cabinet Meetings.

Section B: Duties

1.  The Cabinet will consist of all elected Officers and one voting Associate Member representative elected by the General Membership.

2.  The Cabinet will serve as the official representatives of GHG in any situation that pertains to the GHG.

3.  The Cabinet will meet as needed prior to regular GHG meetings.

4.  The Cabinet will design and supervise any programs desired by the GHG, or move to create a committee to do so. Programs should effectively serve the purpose of the GHG.

5.  All Cabinet members are expected to regularly attend GHG meetings. If The Cabinet feels it is necessary, an officer may be removed by a majority vote of the General Membership.

6.  Upon resignation, removal from office, or completion of elected term of office, each member of the Cabinet shall prepare a transition form for their successor to assure continuity, communication, and effectiveness.

Section C: Eligibility

See Article VIII, Sec A.

Section D: Terms of Office

All Cabinet positions are elected so that the new officers will conduct two meetings with the old officers at the end of spring semester. The terms of office begin the first day of Summer Session 1, and run until the last day of the spring semester.

Section E: Offices and Responsibilities

President

1. Schedules and leads the Cabinet and Cabinet Meetings.

2. Schedules and leads the GHG and GHG Meetings.

3. If it is deemed necessary to have a representative at an IRHA, SUV, or FCCC meeting, the President shall be this representative or designate a representative in advance.

4. Shall inform GHG of all IRHA, SUV or FCCC proceedings relevant to the group.

5. May plan and execute a GHG and/or cabinet retreat (along with the Advisor).

6. Picks up GHG mail and reports on their contents at GHG meetings.

7. Votes regularly in Cabinet proceedings and only to serve as tie-breaking vote in normal GHG proceedings.

8. Shall call GHG meetings and notify members of GHG meetings twenty-four hours in advance of meetings as determined by the Cabinet.

9. Shall be responsible for knowing all university and Department of Residence policies and procedures relevant to GHG functions.

10.  Is responsible for knowing and presiding over GHG election processes including counting ballots.

11.  The President shall be responsible for the review and enforcement of all contracts and agreements ratified by the General Membership.

12.  Shall be responsible for all duties of any vacant Cabinet positions in the absence of a Vice President.

13.  Shall be accountable to the members of GHG.

Vice President

1.  Presides over the Cabinet Meetings and GHG Meetings in the absence of the President.

2.  If President vacates his/her position; Vice-President assumes their responsibilities until the President’s position is filled by election.

3.  Oversees GHG committee structure.

4.  Meets with GHG committee chairs as needed and appropriate.

5.  Announces campus activities at GHG meetings.

6.  Shall represent GHG in place of the President whenever the President is unable to fulfill his obligation as representative of GHG.

7.  Shall be accountable to the members of GHG and to the President.

8.  Maintains GHG constitution and bylaws.

9.  Shall be responsible for all duties of any vacant Cabinet positions until they are filled.

Treasurer

1.  Prepares and submits a proposed budget to the Cabinet and GHG by the third week of the semester for approval.

2.  Maintains financial records for GHG.

3.  Collects and deposits all revenue such as donations, fundraising monies or other income.

4.  Pays all GHG bills (upon approval of GHG President and Advisor).

5.  Collects project statements from the Campus Organizations Accounting Office.

6.  Completes mandatory treasurer training session each year (provided by the Campus Organizations Accounting Office).

7.  Maintains records of GHG Purchasing Cards.

8.  Shall report expenditures not on the budget to GHG.

9.  Deposits all funds acquired from GHG activities into GHG’s account.

10.  Shall be accountable to the members of GHG and to the President.

Secretary

1.  Keeps minutes of Cabinet and GHG meetings.

2.  Posts and distributes meeting minutes to GHG members (usually within 48 hours of the meetings).

3.  Keeps track of attendance at GHG meetings and events.

4.  Is responsible for presenting results of GHG voting.

5.  Maintains a GHG e-mail list and provides website content to appropriate IT staff.

6.  Shall keep records of Cabinet members and committee chairpersons.

7.  Shall keep records of updates to GHG Constitution.

8.  Shall be accountable to the members of GHG and to the President.

9.  Submits, maintains, and updates GHG Student Organization database information through the Student Activities Center website.

Section F: Creating Cabinet Positions

Other Cabinet positions may be created at any time during the academic year if deemed necessary by GHG. Procedure for this is to be in keeping with all Cabinet positions and will abide by the election procedures detailed in Article VIII.

Section G: Resignation of Cabinet Members

The officer shall give GHG a two-week notice before resignation. A special election will be held within two weeks of this notice. This election will follow normal election procedures. Should the President resign, the Vice President shall take his/her place until a new President has been elected. If the Vice President is elected as President, a new Vice President shall then be elected.

Section H: Removal of Officers

1.  Any elected GHG Cabinet member may be impeached.

2.  Impeachment proceedings may be initiated by a majority vote of GHG.

3.  A GHG meeting shall be called one week after the initiation of impeachment proceedings. At this time the Cabinet member in question may present his/her defense to GHG members. A secret ballot shall then be made. A quorum of 50% is required to remove a Cabinet member from office. A vote of 75% of the voting GHG members present is required for removal from the office.

4.  The Advisor and Vice President shall conduct impeachment proceedings unless the Vice President is being impeached, then the President will assist the Advisor in the proceedings.

5.  A special election will be held within two weeks of removal. This election will follow normal election procedures.

6.  Should the President be removed from office, the Vice President shall take his/her place until a new President has been elected. If the Vice President is elected as President, a new Vice President shall then be elected.

Article VIII: Committees

Section A: Names

The GHG can create, activate, deactivate, and dissolve committees with a majority vote.

Section B: Membership
All GHG members are eligible for Committee membership. The Vice President will determine the size of the committee based on the number of interested individuals. In the case of more interest than determined positions, the Vice President will conduct a secret ballot vote among the Cabinet members during the next Cabinet meeting.

Section C: Committees and Responsibilities

GHG Committees may be formed on a temporary basis. Membership and duties shall be

decided when the committee is established and the committee shall be dissolved when its duties are completed.

Section D: Offices and Responsibilities

Each committee will either self-elect a Committee Chair or defer to the Vice President who will appoint one from the current members. The Chair will facilitate meetings of the committee on a schedule determined by the committee and the Vice President. Each Chair will communicate the committee’s progress with the Vice President and GHG on a regular basis.

Article IX: Elections

Section A: Candidates

To be eligible for an elected GHG office, candidates must be an Active members who:

a.  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 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.

b.  Be in good standing with the university and enrolled: at least half time (six or more credit hours),

if an undergraduate student (unless fewer credits are required to graduate in the spring and fall semesters) during the term of office, and at least half time (four or more credits), if a graduate level student (unless fewer credits are required in the final stages of their degree as defined by the Continuous Registration Requirement) during their term of office.