National Constitution:
To download the
latest version of the National Constitution, click
here.
University of
Maryland at College Park By-Laws:
Below is the
latest version of the By-Laws for the Sigma Gamma
Tau chapter located at the University of Maryland
at College Park. To download the latest version of
the Chapter By-Laws, click
here.
ΣΓT University of Maryland
Chapter
By-Laws
Article
I: Aims and Activities
As
stated in the national constitution, The Sigma Gamma
Tau Honor Society (herein referred to as SGT) is
established to recognize and honor those individuals
in the field of aeronautics and astronautics who have
through scholarship, integrity, and outstanding
achievement been a credit to their profession. SGT
seeks to foster a high standard of ethics and
professional practices and to create a spirit of
loyalty and fellowship, particularly among students of
Aerospace Engineering.
This
chapter aims to carry out these goals within the
University of Maryland, College Park. The chapter
shall hold weekly tutoring office hours for aerospace
and related math, science, and engineering topics not
covered by the Keystone Center. During these office
hours, at least one officer of SGT must be present. In
addition, the chapter shall host a service activity at
least once a semester.
Article
II: Chapter Government
A.
Election of Officers
Declaration
of Candidacy:
If
a member wishes to run for an officer position, they
shall notify the Chapter President (hereafter referred
to as President) via email more than one week prior to
the election of their desire to run.
Each
officer can only hold a single office at any given
time. All
offices, except that of advisor, shall be held by
currently enrolled students. If
a current officer is elected to a different office,
they must immediately resign from their current office
to assume the new position.
Procedure
of Elections:
Regular
elections shall occur at the beginning of May of each
academic year, at the final general body meeting.
Election shall be by popular vote, conducted
using a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, a second
vote shall be taken between the top two candidates.
If a tie persists, the executive officers shall
vote by secret ballot. If the position in
question is an executive position, the current officer
in question shall not participate in this executive
tiebreak vote. Elections shall be conducted in the
order that follows, from highest office to lowest
office:
- President
- Vice
President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Service
Officer
- Initiation
Officer
- Public
Affairs Officer
Vacancies:
In
the event of a vacant office, the president shall
appoint that officer with the advice and consent of
the current officers (as demonstrated by a one-half
vote of all current officers) to serve until the next
chapter election.
B.
Faculty Advisor
The
faculty advisor shall provide guidance to the
organization, and provide suggestions that are deemed
helpful to running the organization. The advisor shall
also serve as a liaison between the chapter and the
national officers and other people when the advisor’s
position within the department would extend the
capabilities of the chapter.
C.
Duty of Officers
In
addition to those covered in the executive council
instructions, chapter officers have the following
duties:
President:
- Conduct
and oversee the general operation of the entire
Chapter.
- Periodically
request updates on the activities of the other
officers.
- Present
ideas for Chapter projects, as well as programs for
special events sponsored by the Chapters or by other
external organizations.
- Periodically
submit reports to the officers and members on
initiatives and activities.
- Ensure
the compliance of the Chapter with the national
constitution.
- Familiarize
themselves with the duties of the other officers and
the means for carrying these out, as well as the
duties of appointed committees and individuals.
Vice
President:
- Write,
and keep up to date, the journal of the Chapter
including all important happenings.
- Forward
the journal to the National Secretary-Treasurer
periodically throughout the year.
- Write
and distribute an annual newsletter to keep alumni
and other stakeholders informed to the national
headquarters and other interested chapters.
- Direct
Chapter marketing and supervise the work of the
Public Affairs Officer.
- Perform
the duties of the President in the President’s
absence.
Secretary:
- Prepare
all filings and records, as well as general
correspondence for the chapter.
- Update
the roll, take attendance at the meetings, and
maintain a record of positions held, including
committee positions.
- Keep
a record of difficulties and complaints regarding
chapter operations.
Treasurer:
- Keep
accounts of the chapter’s finances including the
collection of initiation dues and coordinating with
the aerospace department’s director of
administration.
- Coordinate
the transfer of initiation dues and of SGT
merchandise with the national secretary-treasurer.
Service
Officer:
- Oversee
the service activities of the organization including
the general management of activities such as
tutoring hours, chapter-sponsored academic review
sessions, and other related activities.
- Generate
new service opportunities.
Initiation
Officer:
- Create
a plan for the initiation of new members for each
semester.
- Submit
the plan to the chapter president by the end of the
third week of that semester.
- Oversee
the initiation process.
- Maintain
a database of the progress of the electees.
Public
Affairs Officer:
- Handle
the day-to-day public affairs of the organization,
including managing correspondences.
- Facilitate
the distribution of announcements about chapter
events, both public and private, including
maintaining the chapter website.
- Oversee
any additional public affairs matters, as indicated
by the vice president.
D.
Amendment Policy
Amendments
can be proposed by any member. For an amendment to pass,
it must have a two-thirds majority vote of the current
members. The amendment must be proposed at least three
days before the general body meeting, when it will be
voted on.
Article
III: Meetings and Order of Business
A.
Scheduling of Meetings
General
Body Meetings will be held at least once a month at a
time decided by a majority vote of the officers upon
conferring with the members. The Chapter Advisor, an
officer, or a group of five members may arrange
additional meetings with the approval of
majority
of the officers. Officer meetings will be held once a
week at a time most convenient for the majority of the
officers.
B.
Order of Business
The
order of business shall be determined by Roberts Rules
of Order Newly Revised.
C.
Announcement of Meetings
All
meetings shall be announce by e-mail and posted on the
SGT bulletin board in the aerospace lounge.
Article
IV: Chapter Finances
A.
Store of Funds
Primary
funds for the chapter shall be kept with the Sigma Gamma
Tau University of Maryland Chapter bank account held
with Capital One Bank. Funds raised through the
university Pepsi machine program are collected and
stored with the aerospace department, and may be drawn
with written notice to the aerospace department’s
director of administration. A small amount of funds may
be kept in cash in the chapter cash box to make change
for large bills from funds such as initiation dues and
fundraisers.
B.
Method of Accounts
An
account of all chapter transactions must be kept by the
treasurer and a record of accounts must be kept in the
chapter filing cabinet. Accounts may be managed
electronically in a spreadsheet or document, under the
condition that a printed copy is kept in the filing
cabinet. Each transaction should be documented with a
timestamp, amount of money, and person/organization
associated with the transaction. Additional notes about
the transaction that are helpful, but brief, may also be
included in the documentation. Accounts shall follow the
standard sign convention that money received by the
chapter has a positive (+) value and money dispensed by
the chapter has a negative (-) value.
C.
Acceptable Use of Funds
Chapter
funds are available to pay the national chapter for the
initiation of new members and for local chapter events.
As per University policy, chapter funds may not be
used for the purchase of alcohol. Funds cannot be used
in open market operations and it is forbidden to use
chapter funds for the personal benefit of any person or
company.
Article V: Committees
The duties of committees are fulfilled by officers as
the membership is not yet large enough to sustain
subdivisions.
Article
VI: Eligibility Standard for Election to Membership
Students must be in the upper one-third of their senior,
upper one-fourth of their junior, or upper one-fifth of
their sophomore aerospace engineering class, to be
eligible for initiation.
Article
VII: Procedure for Nomination and Election of Members
Officers
send an email to all aerospace engineering students who
meet the eligibility requirements listed in Article VI,
inviting them to a first look meeting. Here the
electees are notified about the initiation requirements,
which are outlined in the initiation requirements
document maintained by the initiation officer.
Article
VIII: Requirements for Maintaining Membership
The following requirements must be upheld for current
student members to remain active in the organization.
Members
must remain in good academic standing. Being found
responsible for violations of the Code of Academic
Integrity are considered grounds for dismissal from SGT.
Members
must participate in one service event and one chapter
event per semester. Failing to complete this
requirement will result in a member being placed on
inactive status.
If
a member fails to meet the requirements, a vote of
officers will be conducted. Three-fourths support
vote in the affirmative will be required to consider a
member dismissal. Consideration for dismissal will
consist of a secret ballot of at least three fourths of
the student body. A vote of three fourths majority
will be required for dismissal.
Article
IX: University of Maryland Inclusion Provisions
Sigma Gamma Tau, University of Maryland Chapter does not
restrict membership or discriminate on the basis of
race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, gender expression, marital status, personal
appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation,
physical or mental disability, or on the basis of rights
secured by the First Amendment of the United States
Constitution. (For definitions of “personal appearance”
and “sexual orientation,” see the University’s Code of
Human Relations (“Code”))
Article
X: Amendments
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