Gulf Southwest Section Bylaws

Gulf Southwest Section Bylaws

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As Approved at the 1993 Annual Section Conference

ARTICLE I

NAME AND OBJECTIVES

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be: The Gulf-Southwest Section of the American Society for Engineering Education.

Section 2: The objectives of the section shall be:

a. To foster cooperation among the engineering/ technology colleges of the section;

b. To foster cooperation among the engineering/ engineering technology colleges of the section and other educational programs/institutions, industry, practitioners of the profession and government;

c. To serve the members as a common agency for the exchange of ideas regarding engineering/ engineering technology curricula, instructional materials, physical facilities, teaching methods and program administration;

d. To enhance professional ideals, ethics and standards in engineering/engineering technology education and practice;

e. To develop fraternal spirit among individual and institutional members of the section.

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Individual Members of the section shall be from among members of the American Society for Engineering Education whose normal work residence is in either of the states of Louisiana, New Mexico or Texas.

Section 2: Institutional Members of the section shall be from among institutional members of the American Society for Engineering Education located in either of the states of Louisiana, New Mexico or Texas. Only Gulf-Southwest Section Institutional Members qualify for the Congressional (ASEE Member-Miles) Award at the Annual Section Conferences.

Section 3: Non-members may participate in activities of the section, but only section Individual Members may vote or hold office in the section.

Section 4: Any group of section members may form a Chapter under the provisions of the bylaws of the Council of Zone III.

Section 5: The section shall not charge dues for Individual or Institutional Memberships.

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS: ELIGIBILITY, NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS, TERMS, AND DUTIES

Section 1: Officers

Officers of the Section shall be : The Past Chair, The Chair, The Vice-Chair, The Secretary-Treasurer, The Section Institutional Representative, The Section Newsletter Editor, and Campus Representatives.

Section 2: Eligibility

Officers of the section shall be Individual Members of the Gulf-Southwest Section of the American Society for Engineering Education.

Section 3: Nominations and Elections

a. The Nominating Committee shall nominate officers.

b. Additional nominations, if any, shall be accepted from any Individual Member at the Annual Section business meeting.

c. Elections shall be by a majority vote of Individual Members at the Annual Section business meeting.

Section 4: Terms

a. The Past Chair shall begin a one year term of office immediately after serving as the Chair.

b. The Chair shall serve a one year term of office commencing June 1, following the Annual Section Conference at which he/she serves as the Vice-Chair.

c. The Vice-Chair shall serve a one year term of office commencing June 1, following the Annual Section Conference of his/her election.

d. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve a three year term of office commencing June 1, following the Annual Section Conference of his/her election. Elections shall be in years divisible by three. The Secretary-Treasurer may serve consecutive, multiple terms.

e. The Section Institutional Representative shall serve a three year term of office commencing June 1, following the Annual Section Conference of his/her election. Commencing with the year 1988, election shall occur every three years. The Section Institutional Representative may serve consecutive, multiple terms.

f. The Section Newsletter Editor shall serve a three year term of office commencing June 1, immediately following the Annual Section Conference of his/her election. The Section Editor election shall occur every three years commencing with the year 1988. The Section Newsletter Editor may serve multiple, consecutive terms.

g. Campus Representatives shall be appointed among Individual members by the Deans of Institutional Members to represent their Institutional Member for renewable one (1) year terms. The terms shall begin with the academic year or September 1. The Deans may appoint as many Campus Representatives as the Deans deem appropriate. Multiple Campus Representatives from a single share one vote on the Executive Committee. In the absence of either a Campus Representative or an alternate at an Annual Section Conference Executive Committee meeting, the Section Chair may appoint any Individual Member from the unrepresented institution as a voting representative. Either the Dean or the Campus Representative may designate an alternate whenever the Campus Representative is unable to perform the Campus Representative's duties.

Section 5: Duties

a. All officers shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee. All officers except the Newsletter Editor shall have a vote on the Executive Committee.

b. The Past Chair shall: serve a five year term on the Policy Committee, or nominate a replacement for approval by the Executive Committee; serve the second year of a two year term on the Executive Board of the Zone III Council.

c. The Chair shall: provide leadership to accomplish the objectives of the section, represent the section at Zone III and national ASEE meetings, preside over Executive Committee and section business meetings, submit reports as required by ASEE headquarters, serve as ex-officio member of all section committees, begin a two year term on the Executive Board of the Zone III Council, and represent the section in its relations with other organizations and groups.

d. The Vice-Chair shall: perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair, serve as General Conference Chair for the Annual Section Conference, apprise the Chair of progress regarding the Annual Section Conference program, notify section members of the date, time, place and program for the Annual Section Conference at least thirty days in advance of the meeting, appoint and supervise chairpersons and members of the Annual Section Conference planning committees, provide direct to ASEE Headquarters a financial summary of the Annual Section Conference detailing all expenditures of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) or more.

e. The Secretary-Treasurer, as Secretary, shall: record and maintain minutes of Executive Committee meetings, record and maintain minutes of the Annual Section Conference business meetings, provide Executive Committee members with copies of minutes, and keep records of dates, locations and programs of section meetings.

The Secretary-Treasurer, as Treasurer, shall: prepare annual financial statements of the section from quarterly ASEE Headquarters summaries, forward to Headquarters disbursement requests initiated by these bylaws or by either (1) majority votes of the Annual Section Conference business meetings, (2) majority votes of the Executive Committee, or (3) unanimous votes of the Finance Committee.

f. The Section Institutional Representative shall: act as liaison between Campus Representatives and the section leadership, chair meetings of the Section Campus Representatives, initiate requests to the Deans of Engineering/Engineering Technology member institutions to appoint Campus Representatives, perform the duties of The Section Campus Representative as described in the ASEE Section Officers's Orientation Manual.

g. The Campus Representative shall: serve as a representative of the Campus Representative's institution on the Executive Committee, coordinate ASEE activities on the Campus Representative's campus, promote participation of engineering/engineering technology faculty and administrators in ASEE activities at all levels, perform such duties of The Campus Representative as described in the ASEE Section Officers' Orientation Manual.

h. The Section Newsletter Editor shall: compose, edit, reproduce, and distribute the Section Newsletter to members of the section, and prior to publication, provide the Chair with a "proof" of the Section Newsletter.

Section 6: Elections.

a. The Nominating Committee shall: nominate one candidate to succeed each elective officer currently serving in a final year, determine that each potential nominee will serve in the office for which nominated, and present the nominations of the Nominating Committee to the Executive Committee.

d. A premature vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the Chair. In the case of a premature vacancy in the office of Chair, the Vice-Chair shall succeed and appoint a new Vice-Chair from the Vice-Chair's institution (the host institution).

ARTICLE IV

MEETINGS

Section 1: There shall be an Annual Section Conference in either March or April. The date and duration shall be determined by the host institution but should not exceed two days except for pre-registration, socials, special committee meetings and/or tours.

Section 2: The Annual Section Conference shall have an Executive Committee meeting, a Campus Representatives meeting, a plenary opening meeting, a plenary business meeting, and other meetings as designated by the Executive Committee.

Section 3: All meetings at the Annual Section Conference shall be open to all interested persons.

Section 4: The Executive Committee shall request section funds to defray costs of the Annual Section Conferences. Other funding shall be provided through any of the following: contributions, charges for vendor exhibits, host institution donations, and registration fees. Any excess over expenses shall go into the section treasury.

Section 5: Offers to serve as host for the Annual Section Conference may be made to the Executive Committee through the Section Chair. In the absence of offers, the Executive Committee shall solicit invitations. The Executive Committee should designate hosts at least three years in advance.

Section 6: Location of the Annual Section Conference shall be alternated within the section as follows: East, Central, West, Central, etc.

ARTICLE V

STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1: Standing Committees shall be The Executive Committee, The Policy Committee, The Nominating Committee, The Relations With Industry (RWI) Committee, and the Finance Committee.

Section 2: Additional Standing Committees shall be established only by Section bylaws. The functions, method(s) for selecting officers, members, and length of terms shall be determined by The Executive Committee.

Section 3: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

a. Membership of the Section Executive Committee shall be the Past Chair, Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Section Institutional Representative, Campus Representatives, and Newsletter Editor.

b. The Executive Committee shall serve as the governing body of the section and shall control the business, financial and other activities of the section.

c. The Executive Committee shall meet at the Annual Section Conference at a time prior to the Annual Section business meeting. Other meetings of the committee may be called by the Chair.

d. The Chair shall transmit to all committee members at least two weeks in advance of the meeting (1) notice of the date, time and location of the meeting (except in cases of emergency or special meetings), and (2) a copy of the agenda.

e. Twelve Individual Members shall constitute a quorum. In order to constitute a quorum and in the absence of a Campus Representative from a section officer's Member Institution, such section officer may also serve as a Campus Representative, in which case the officer shall exercise two votes on the committee. Otherwise, each Institutional Member shall have one vote on the committee. The Section Newsletter Editor shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee unless he/she also serves as a Campus Representative, in which case he/she has one vote. A majority of votes cast shall decide any matter presented at an Executive Committee meeting, provided a quorum is present.

f. Functions of the Executive Committee include, but are not limited to: receiving and acting on invitations to host the Annual Section Conferences, reviewing the Treasurer's report, assisting the Chair in preparing the agenda for the Annual Section business meeting, approving expenditures on the current Sectional Conference, and determining the amount to defray costs of the subsequent Annual Section Conferences.

Section 4: NOMINATING COMMITTEE

A. Members of the Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Chair. Membership shall consist of three past officers of the section at least one of which is a Past Chair, and two of which are current members of the Executive Committee.

b. The Nominating Committee shall submit the names of their nominees to the Executive Committee prior to the Annual Section Business Meeting.

Section 5: POLICY COMMITTEE

a. The Policy Committee shall be an advisory committee. The Policy Committee shall consist of five (5) members, each serving staggered five year terms. The Immediate Past Chair shall replace the retiring member, or shall designate a replacement approved by the Executive Committee.

b. The member serving his/her last year on the committee shall be the Policy Committee Chair.

c. The Policy Committee shall evaluate and make recommendations regarding the operation of the section and study such matters as referred by the Executive Committee.

d. The Policy Committee Chair shall submit a report on the committee's activities and recommendations to the Chair at least sixty (60) days prior to the Annual Section Conference, and shall present the report at the annual Executive Committee meeting. The Policy Committee may, by unanimous vote, submit recommendations directly to the Annual Section Conference business meeting.

Section 6: RELATIONS WITH INDUSTRY COMMITTEE

a. The Relations With Industry (RWI) Committee shall consist of one ASEE member from each Section Institutional Member and one member from each Industry/Government Member within the section. Engineering/Engineering Technology Deans at member institutions may appoint a member for a renewable three (3) year term. The ranking official (at the local level) in an Industry/Government Member organization may appoint a committee representative for a renewable three (3) year term. The Executive Committee shall appoint the RWI Committee Chair and Vice-Chair from the membership of the RWI Committee for a renewable one (1) year term.

b. Functions of the RWI Committee shall include, but not be limited to: establishing and maintaining a cooperative spirit and exchange of information among institutional, industrial, government, and Individual Members, promoting and coordinating section activities involving these groups, and actively soliciting membership from the various industries and government agencies within the section.

c. The RWI Committee Chair shall submit a written report of the committee's activities and recommendations to the Chair at least sixty (60) days prior to the Annual Section Conference, and shall present the report at the annual Executive Committee meeting.

Section 7: FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Finance Committee may, in the absence of a vote by either the Annual Section business meeting or the Executive Committee, authorize ASEE Headquarters to make expenditures from, and deposits to, the section treasury. The members of the Finance Committee shall be the Section Chair, Section Vice-Chair, and the Section Secretary-Treasurer. A unanimous vote shall be required to authorize such expenditures.

ARTICLE VI

AD-HOC COMMITTEES

Section 1: Ad-Hoc Committees may be established by the Chair or the Executive Committee. The establishing authority shall determine the membership, officers, terms of office, and specify the functions of the committee. Ad-Hoc committees may be abolished by the authorities which establish them. Ad-Hoc committees are regarded as abolished when their functions are regarded as accomplished by the authorities which establish them.

ARTICLE VII

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Section 1: The rules in the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail if consistent with the Constitution and bylaws of the ASEE, the bylaws of the Council of Zone III, and these bylaws. Otherwise, the Constitution and Bylaws of ASEE shall govern.

ARTICLE VIII

AMENDMENTS

Section 1: These bylaws may be substituted and/or amended by a majority vote of the members attending the business meeting at the Annual Section Conference.

Section 2: Proposed substitutions and/or amendments may be submitted in the following ways only:

a. By a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

b. By a unanimous vote of the Policy Committee.

c. By a petition to the Section Chair signed by at least fifty (50) Individual Members of the section.

d. By recommendation to the Section Chair, through the ASEE Executive Secretary, of the Constitution And Bylaws Committee of the Society.