The Society of Animal Science -- Cook Campus -- Rutgers University

Society of Animal Science

Cook Campus, Rutgers University

Constitution

(Revised February 2008)

Preamble

The goal of the Society of Animal Science shall be to promote a feeling of goodwill among those interested in the Animal Sciences, to develop and aid in advancing the general welfare of the subject and its members as a whole, and to provide career assistance and direction to its members, as well as educational and social opportunities within the field of Animal Science.

Article I

The formal name of the organization shall be the Society of Animal Science, Cook Campus, Rutgers University.

Article II

Membership shall be open to all Rutgers University students and must comply with federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, age, marital status, familial status, affect ional or sexual orientation, or political and religious affiliation or veteran status. Although no fee shall be collected to qualify for membership, members must attend a minimum of three meetings. In special cases, membership can be requested via a written letter to the president.

Article III

Section A

1. 1. The Executive Board shall consist of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian/Webmaster, Publicist, Trip Coordinator/Fundraiser. All executive board members will act as liaison, as determined by the board each semester.

2. 2. In addition to the Executive Board shall be permanent Committee Heads that will aid and assist the Executive Boards in the running of the Society. The Committee Heads shall consist of two NESA ( Northeast Student Affiliate) committee heads who are appointed by the Executive Board.

Section B

1. 1. The general duties and responsibilities of the Executive Board are as follows:

· To attend all meetings, whether they are executive meetings or general meetings. Any absenteeism must be reported to the President or Vice-President prior to the meeting.

· To attend the University Defensive Driving Course in order to gain permission to rent/drive University vans for trips.

2. 2. The President's duties are as follows:

· To preside over all Society of Animal Science meetings, whether they are general member meetings or Executive Board meetings, and to preside over any special / service events.

· To represent the Society whenever necessary.

· To call special meetings of the Society whenever deemed necessary.

· To appoint / remove all standing committees and subordinate offices.

· To decide on all general member meeting dates and make all the appropriate reservations with the Campus Center and/or the Animal Science Dept.

· To find and make all the appropriate arrangements with at least one half the guest speakers for the year.

· To attend meetings of the Deans Steering Committee and the President's Club and to involve the Society in any other community activities.

3. 3. The Vice-President's duties are as follows:

· In the absence or disability of the President, he/she shall preside and perform all required duties usually done by the President.

· To assist the President in the normal running operations, organizing events, guest speakers, etc.

· To find and make all the appropriate arrangements with at least one half of the guest speakers for the year.

· To attend meetings of the Dean Steering Committee and the President's Club.

4. 4. The Secretary's duties are as follows:

· To record minutes of all Society meetings and events.

· To report these minutes, via email, to the rest of the Society.

· To take attendance at each general meeting and keep a record of this attendance for future reference.

· To keep a record of all points (see: Article XI) earned by general members.

· To perform all other such duties as may be required by the Society or by request of the President.

5. 5. The Treasurer's duties are as follows:

· To keep a record of any and all financial transactions and business of the Society.

· To make a full status report of all matters and businesses performed, pertaining to this office, to the members of the Executive Board at every Executive Board meeting.

· To sign all check on behalf of the Society.

· To pay all bills, only after approval to do so has been granted to him/her by the Society and it Executive Board.

· To keep all accounts in the Student Activities Business Office.

· To provide cash and/or checks, as need be, from the Society's funds for any and all Society functions, at the President's request and upon approval from the Executive Board.

· To accompany the President and Vice-President when lobbying for funds from the RUSA Allocations Board.

· To communicate actively with the head of the Fundraising committee.

6. 6. The Historian/Webmaster duties are as follows:

· To record all past and present Society events in a neat, ordered, and chronological manner.

· To maintain and update the club's web page which is located at http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~sas/home.htm.

· To train his/her successor in maintaining the web page.

7. 7. The Publicist's duties are as follows:

· To post and send out notices, in all forms, of all Society meetings and events. This includes flyers, posters, and listserve advertisements.

· To send out a brief meeting/event reminder email to all general members as the meeting/event date approaches.

· To advertise meeting dates and times at the beginning of the general Animal Science classes.

8. 8. Trip Coordinator/ Fundraiser

· To plan and coordinate at least two (2) trips per semester. This includes renting the vans, finding drivers, filling out all required paperwork, collecting trip fees, finding directions, setting up lodging (if necessary), etc.

· To plan and coordinate fund raising activities for the Society of Animal Science with a minimum of one (1) major fundraiser per semester.

· To actively communicate with the treasurer and seek approval of the Executive Board for all prospective fundraisers.

· To sell SAS shirts at each meeting and during special collegiate events such as Ag Field Day and Cook Open House.

8. 8. The Liaison's duties are as follows:

· To act as a Liaison between the Society of Animal Science, the Veterinary Science Club, the Equine Science Club, the Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club, and the Dept. of Animal Science.

· To attend the monthly Animal Science faculty meeting and to maintain contact with the Veterinary Science Club, the Equine Science Club, and Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club.

· To help keep informed and coordinate the activities of all four groups.

9. 9. The general duties and responsibilities of the Committee Heads are as follows:

· To attend all general and Executive Board meetings.

· To actively communicate with the Board about their committee's activities.

10. 10. The NESA Committee Heads' duties are as follows:

· To coordinate our involvement in NESA (Northeast Student Affiliate) for as long as we participate. This includes transportation, lodging, registration, e-mailing the participants, and the gathering and completion of timely information.

· To find and train eligible club members in the many aspects of the annual NESA conference which includes regularly scheduled meetings and practice judging sessions.

· To create teams, preferably consisting of one freshman, one sophomore, one junior, and one senior, one member designated as the team's speaker.

· It is required that the NESA Committee Head has attended and participated in at least one (1) NESA conference.

Section C

By April 1 st of each academic year, the President will oversee the election process by accepting nominations either from the floor, or via submitted written letters of intent requesting to be on the ballot for the forthcoming elections of that academic year. Only official members , will then be allowed to speak freely about the candidates and then cast their votes and the written ballots provided by the Secretary. The President, or next immediate officer, will collect the ballots, tabulate the votes, and decide the winner. The candidates will then be excorted back into the room and the winner will be announced.

The candidates will be elected by a majority vote. If a majority is unable to be reached in the first ballot, the two highest voted candidates will be voted upon again and the one who wins the majority vote the second time around shall be declared elected.

Elections will occur in the following order: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Trip Coordinator/Fundraiser, Historian/webmaster and Publicist. Only members of the current Executive Board will be able to run for the positions of President and Vice-President.

Any candidate who loses in a previous office may choose to run for a lower office and will be allowed the option to deliver another speech to the voting body as well as to answer questions that pertain to the new position.

The officially elected Executive Board will remain in office for one year, running from the current academic year's Ag Field Day at three (3) o'clock to the following academic year's Ag Field Day at three (3) o'clock.

Section D

In the case of the removal, as described in Article XII, or absence of any Executive Board Officer, the position(s) shall be filled as follows:

1. 1. In the event of a vacancy in any office except that of President and Vice-President, an emergency election will be held during a general Society meeting to fill the vacant office for the remainder of the term with the stipulation that the candidates fulfill the requirements set forth by Section C of this article.

2. 2. In the event of the vacancy of the Vice-Presidency, the President shall appoint a member of the Executive Board to serve the remainder of the term as Vice-President. The office vacated by the appointed Vice-President will be filled according to the terms set forth in Section D 1 of this article.

3. 3. In the event of the vacancy of the Presidency, the Vice-President shall become President and shall appoint a member of the Executive Board to serve the remainder of the term as Vice-President. The office vacated by the appointed Vice-President will be filled according to the terms set forth in Section D 1 of this article.

Article IV

Regular general meetings of the Society of Animal Science will be held at nine (9) o'clock on alternate Thursday evenings of the month during academic collegiate calendar, unless the President deems it necessary to order otherwise.

Article V

A quorum for all regular meetings is the majority of the active membership. For a quorum, membership will be determined by the unofficial membership list, rather than those outlined in Article II, until the commencement of that particular academic collegiate year's winter semester.

Article VI

Questions of parliamentary procedure shall be decided upon in accordance with the forms laid down in the most recent edition of Robert's Rule of Order.

Article VII

All monies of the Society of Animal Science shall be kept in a special designated account with Rutgers University Student Activities Business Office. Money may be withdrawn only by the approval of the President, in conjunction with the Executive Board.

Article VIII

The advisor(s) shall be (a) full-time member(s) of the Rutgers University faculty or administrative staff, and his/her duties shall be to act:

· In an advisory capacity to help guide the Society of Animal Science.

· As an intermediate between the Society of Animal Science and other groups.

Article IX

This organization shall abide by all applicable rules and regulations of the University and under the privileges as granted by the Division of Student Affairs and by the rules and regulations of the Board of Governors.

Article X

Section A

The Society of Animal Science Constitution may be amended with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership, as detailed in Article II, provided the amendment was announced one meeting, or fourteen (14) days, prior to its ratification date, and under the stipulation that all members were notified in advance.

Section B

The Society of Animal Science Constitution must undergo an annual critical review, each and every collegiate academic year, by a person(s) appointed by the President. If it is decided to ratify this Constitution, it must be done so in accordance with Section A of this article.

Article XI

The activity of a particular member of the Society of Animal Science shall be measured with a point system that awards different values to different activities and events. This system allows the board to recognize outstanding members and aids in identifying eligible candidates for yearly elections. The values for each category are as follows:

· 1 point for wearing a Society shirt to the meeting.

· 5 points per meeting attended.

· 10 points for participating in a service (Highway Cleanups, working tables, etc.).

· A set point value can be designated for an event or meeting as determined the executive board.

Article XII

In order to maintain an efficient and functional Executive Board, any officer that is not fulfilling their obligations to the Board may be removed by a Presidential order. The Board must first confront the alleged “inactive” officer and try to resolve any and all problems. If the problems cannot be solved, the officer under scrutiny will be dismissed and a new officer will be voted to the board in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article III, Section D .

Article XIII

This organization shall abide by all applicable laws of the state of New Jersey and the United States.

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