Constitution
of the Undergraduate Geological Society at the University of Texas at Austin
Article I
PURPOSE
We the Undergraduate Geological Society of the Jackson School of Geosciences, seek to proliferate earth sciences education throughout the University of Texas at Austin community and the world.
The Undergraduate Geological Society seeks to provide a forum for community service as well as facilitate student, faculty, and industry interaction. Our organization looks for active roles and volunteering opportunities across the community.
The Undergraduate Geological Society also seeks to be a resource for the Jackson School of Geosciences undergraduates, graduates, and faculty for service and education. This goal will be achieved by inviting faculty members and industry leaders to bi-monthly meetings who will share resourceful topics in geological sciences.
Article
II
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: All current Jackson School Geological Science undergraduate students are automatically a member of the organization, to which there are no restrictions for membership.
Section 2: Membership is open to all current undergraduate students of The Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin regardless of race, national origin, creed or political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or veteran’s status.
ARTICLE III
VOTING
Section 1: Each member has one vote. If current documents do not determine the issue at hand, the decision is put into a vote by one of the following means: a majority vote by members present, or a majority vote by the President, Vice President and Secretary. If one or more of these members are not present, the voting decision will be made by present members. If a decision cannot be made, the members abstain.
Article VI
MEETINGS
Section 1: Undergraduate Geological Society (UGS) meetings are generally held bimonthly Wednesday at 5:15pm, but the time may vary depending on the guests or speakers that will be present. The President runs the meeting. Our meetings follow the general structure beginning first with officer announcements, usually the president, and then other officers follow.
Section 2: We have speakers or guests who will then usually present on a topic for thirty to forty-five minutes.
Section 3: Refreshments may be provided.
Section 4: Our meetings conclude generally after.
Section 5: The President has the authority to call special meetings, including officer meetings.
Article
V:
FINANCE
Section 1: All financial decisions regarding UGS’ council budgets are made by the Officers.
Section 2: All financial decisions regarding the budget provided to UGS by the University of Texas Senate Of College Councils are made by the Officers in conjunction with Senate Financial Director.
Section 3: Each semester, the UGS financial budget must be drafted and agreed upon by the majority of the Officers. The budget must consist of expenditures deemed reasonable for the proper operation of UGS as deemed by the Officers. It must then be submitted for approval to the UGS President, UGS sponsor/advisor, the Chairman of the Geology Department, and finally the Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences.
Section 4: All UGS semester spending should thereafter be governed by the UGS financial budget and the Officers
Article VI:
OFFICER ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Section 1: The election of President, Vice President, Secretary, Historian, Social Chairs, Student Government Representative, Senate Representative, and Webmaster takes place annually at the last meeting in April.
Section 2: All candidates for elected officer positions must be members of UGS for the year in which the election is held. Each candidate is authorized to communicate with the membership before the election.
Section 3: Nominations for elected officer positions are open two weeks prior to a general election and shall close at the time upon which each position is voted.
Section 4: Each candidate for elected officer positions has five minutes to present followed by three minutes of questions from the membership of UGS.
Section 5: Balloting conducted by members writing candidates’ names on pieces of paper and anonymously putting them in the magical wooden box.
Section 6: A runoff is held between the two candidates receiving the most votes if no candidate receives a majority in an election with three or more candidates.
Section 7: A tie is broken by the outgoing President.
Section 8: The officers make all election related decisions not explicitly addressed in the Bylaws.
Section 9: The newly elected President, Vice President , Secretary, Historian, Social Chairs, Student Government Representative, Senate Representative, and Webmaster shall be called President-elect, Vice President-elect, Secretary-elect, Historian-elect, Social Chair-elect, Student Government Representative-elect, and Webmaster-elect. These newly elected officers will not officially take office until the first meeting of the new fall semester. All powers vested in these offices shall remain with the outgoing administration until the first meeting of the new fall semester.
Section 10: The new President and Vice President as well as one other new officer shall undergo diversity training.
Article
VII
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1 Officers are expected to attend General Meetings and Officer Meetings. If they will be unable to attend a meeting due to extenuating circumstances or scheduling conflict they are responsible for notifying the President or Vice President as soon as possible.
Section 2 Vacant Offices may be filled by members nominated from the floor at General Meetings. Elections may proceed at the General Meeting. The nominee with the most votes will be elected to office for the duration of the term.
Section 3 The President shall be responsible for presiding at General Meetings and Officer Meetings. The President shall be responsible for overseeing the planning of meetings and events every semester. In order to fulfill this responsibility the President may delegate the organizational tasks to other Officers as necessary. The President shall also be expected to attend Senate meetings as a voting power.
Section 4 The Vice President shall be responsible for managing the funds and the budget each semester. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall also fulfill the duties of the President. The Vice President shall also be expected to attend Senate meetings as the Financial Director.
Section 5 The Student Government Representative shall attend Student Government meetings. The Student Government Representative shall also be responsible for fulfilling the duties assigned by the Student Government. The Student Government Representative shall serve as the liaison between the organization and the University of as a whole.
Section 6 The Senate Representative shall attend Senate meetings and serve to relay information between the Senate and the members of the organization.
Section 7 The Historian shall be responsible for taking pictures at events and meetings. The Historian shall maintain and update the pictures of events in the glass showcase in the Jackson School building designated for use by the organization. The Historian may also create a scrapbook for the office and send pictures to the Webmaster for addition to the website.
Section 8 The Secretary shall be responsible for recording minutes at Officer Meetings and announcements at General Meetings. The Secretary shall also be responsible for promoting General Meetings via email and the electronic screens throughout the Jackson School building.
Section 9 The Social Chair shall be responsible for planning, organizing, and promoting social events hosted by the organization.
Section 10 The Webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the website for the organization.
Written January 2009
UGS OFFICERS: Eric Anderson, Tim Shin, Jessica Schubert, Kristin Volman,
Leigh Owens, Kevin Pelton, Dava Provine, David Tovar, and Nick Murphy