Constitution.md

Constitution of the Massachusetts Eta Chapter of Upsilon Pi Epsilon
An Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines

Article I: Name and Objective

1. The name of this organization shall be the Massachusetts Eta Chapter of Boston University of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association, an honor society in computing and information disciplines.
2. The objective of this chapter of the Association shall be the promotion of high scholarship and original investigation in the various fields of computational disciplines. Furthermore, this chapter will focus on preparing members to apply for and work in technical fields in industry.
3. The Massachusetts Eta Chapter of the Association shall be located at Boston University.

Article II: Government

1. The Massachusetts Eta Chapter shall be governed by this Constitution and by the By-Laws enacted to provide for those governmental functions of a more routine nature.
2. The By-Laws of this Chapter shall be adopted and changes thereto enacted by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the active members of the chapter.
3. The provisions of this constitution shall be subordinate to those of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association.

Article III: Membership

1. This Chapter shall consist of members and an executive board.
2. The membership of this chapter shall be made up of individuals whose academic achievements, reputation, and creative abilities deserve recognition, and whose membership would enhance the stature of the Association. Specifically, the membership shall include graduate and undergraduate students, former students, and faculty in the Computing and Information disciplines at Boston University, elected according to the procedures detailed in Article IV of this Constitution.
3. The executive board members shall be elected according to the procedures detailed in Article IV of this Constitution.
4. In accordance with University policies, eligibility for membership shall be determined solely on merit; there will be no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, political views, sexual orientation, nationality, handicap, sex, etc.
5. The active membership of this chapter of the Association shall consist of those Members who satisfy the fiscal and attendance requirements set forth in the By-Laws. The privilege of voting in membership elections and participation in other official functions of the Chapter shall be restricted to active members and provisional members who meet the fiscal and attendance requirements set forth in the By-Laws for provisional membership.
6. Any member of this Chapter might voluntarily and permanently leave the Chapter at his own choosing, by formally informing the Executive Board two weeks prior to his desired leave date. Any member who so chooses might re-apply to the Chapter a full semester after his departure.
7. Any member of this Chapter might voluntarily choose to place themselves in an Inactive status. Requirements, rules, and limitations of this status are those set forth in the By-Laws.
8. Any inactive member looses the privilege to participate in any events or activities related to the Chapter.

Article IV: Election of Members and The Recruitment Process

1. The eligibility of students and former students for election for membership and the determination of faculty advisors in this chapter of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association shall be determined as follows: A. A graduate student must be a candidate for a graduate degree in the computing and information disciplines, and must have completed at least eighteen semester hours for graduate credit. Further, they must have a grade point average of at least 3.6, exclusive of research and seminar courses. B. A faculty advisor must have been teaching in the computing and information disciplines or in a field closely related to the computing division at Boston University for at least one year in order to be eligible. Such status shall be determined by the members of the chapter and shall be voted in by a simple majority. C. Former students, who were already members of the chapter shall be eligible to maintain their membership in this chapter of the Association. D. Students who do not qualify under the provisions of the previous subsections, but whose achievements in and contributions to the computer science field qualify them, in view of the Recruitment Team, shall be eligible for election to membership in this chapter of the Association.
2. All candidates for election to membership, qualified according to the previous section, shall be reviewed by the Recruitment Committee. Those reported favorably by the Committee shall undergo the provisional candidate phase and be proposed for membership elections.
3. Each candidate must attend one information session and two recruitment events, unless otherwise exempt through extenuating circumstances, determined by the Recruitment Committee.
4. Each candidate must attend an interview session, consisting of both a behavioral and technical interview.
5. Each candidate must be discussed individually by name in regards to social, professional, and technical merits. All candidates shall be voted on after all have been discussed.
6. Election of a full candidate to membership shall be by three-fourths affirmative vote by the members present and voting.
7. The maximum number of members shall not be limited.
8. The election of new members shall be held within six weeks after the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters.
9. The Director of Recruitment shall appoint a recruitment team which will oversee the membership process.
10. The Executive Board, might propose to place any individual in the official Deny List for Recruitment. Requirements, rules, and limitations to this are those set forth in the By-Laws.

Article V: Officers

1. The Executive Board of the chapter shall consist of the Faculty Advisor and the following officers: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Director of Recruitment, Director of Marketing, Director of Operations, Director of Internal Development.
2. The duties of the President shall be to call and preside at all meetings, they shall also determine the strategies and actions of the chapter. They shall have the say over any action taken unless overturned by the simple majority of the chapter.
3. The duties of the Executive Vice-President shall be to perform the duties of President in the absence of the President. They shall also become the President in case of the resignation or disability of the President. In addition, they shall be responsible for the coordination of committees and the proper conduct of meetings.
4. The duties of the Secretary shall be to keep records of all transactions of the chapter, and in particular, to keep the minutes of the meetings. In addition, they will be responsible for the handling of correspondence for the chapter.
5. The duties of the Treasurer shall be to collect all dues and assessments and to issue, with the assistance of the Secretary, notices of special assignments. They shall have charge of all funds of the chapter and shall pay therefrom bills presented against the chapter and approved for payment.
6. The duties of the Director of Marketing are to lead and determine actions related to the brand image and brand awareness of the organization.
7. The duties of the Director of Internal Development are to lead and determine the development of current members in by overseeing Chapter and projects.
8. The duties of the Director of Recruitment are to lead the recruitment team and lead the organization and execution of the new member recruitment.
9. The duties of the Director of Operations are to lead and determine the development of current members outside of the scope of Chapter and projects, mainly through coordinating events.
10. The duties of the team leaders are to oversee and lead the development of internal or external projects that the chapter takes on. These projects will be determined together with the entire chapter.
11. The Faculty Advisor shall be a staff member of an information discipline. The duties of the Faculty Advisor shall be to consult on matters of chapter policy and to act as auditor of chapter finances.
12. Election of officers shall be held during a chapter meeting in the middle of each Spring semester. Newly elected officers shall be brought up to date for the remainder of the Spring semester and will begin to serve on the last meeting of the Spring semester.
13. Vacancies in any office other than the President shall be filled by appointment by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.
14. The Recruitment Committee shall consist of the Director of Recruitment, their team, and the President and Executive Vice-President. The Recruitment Committee shall be responsible for staffing and organizing the recruitment process.

Article VI: Ratification and Amendment

1. This Constitution shall become effective immediately upon ratification by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the invited charter initiates.
2. This constitution shall remain in effect until revised or amended. The revision of the constitution will abide by the same constraints of amendments.
3. Amendments in this Constitution may be proposed by any member of the chapter at a regular or special meeting. The proposed amendment shall be discussed and a vote for further discussion shall be taken; a two-thirds affirmative vote of the active members present shall determine that consideration. On approval, the proposed amendment shall be formally framed by the Executive Board.
4. Amendments framed according to the previous section shall be circulated to the entire active membership of the chapter, together with appropriate commentaries and a ballot. The Secretary and Vice-President shall tally the votes and make the results of the balloting public at the following regular meeting of the chapter.
5. A three-fourths favorable vote of the returned ballots shall be required for ratification of each amendment.
6. The Amendment shall become effective immediately upon announcement of the results of the ratification election.