University of Louisville Honors Student Council

This is the Constitution of the Honors Student Council, last updated March 3, 2010.

University of Louisville

Honors Student Council

Constitution

March 3, 2010

Article I: Name

A) The name of this organization shall be Honors Student Council (HSC).

Article II: Mission Statement/Purpose

A) The Honors Student Council (HSC) of the University of Louisville seeks to:

a. Foster academic growth

b. Provide greater leadership and volunteer opportunities to Honors students within the university

c. Create a cohesive student community through social activities

d. Establish a forum through which students, faculty, administration, and staff of the Honors Program may communicate openly and effectively.

e. Make a positive difference in the surrounding community.

Article III: Membership

A) All active Honors students are considered members of HSC and are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings as often as possible and to participate in HSC activities and events

Article IV: Organization of Officers

The HSC Executive Council shall consist of the five elected positions and the eight position chairs.

Elected Offices

A) The authority of the Executive Council shall be distributed as follows:

a. The President shall:

i. Oversee the entire Executive Council.

ii. Officially present the agenda at all HSC meetings and provide an electronic copy for the Secretary within 24 hours of a meeting.

iii. Have the power to appoint and oversee ad-hoc committees with the support of at least three of the five elected positions.

iv. Directly oversee the executive members and ensure they fulfill their duties as enumerated below.

v. Attend or appoint an executive member to attend the semi-annual Honors Council meeting called by the director of the Honors Program.

vi. Officially present a budget proposal to the Honors Program director at the end of the academic year for approval for the upcoming school year.

vii. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

viii. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

ix. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

x. Manage an annual fundraiser for a community-based organization.

xi. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

xii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

b. The Vice-President shall:

i. Assist the President in any of his/her executive functions.

ii. Take on the President’s responsibilities in his/her absence.

iii. Manage the HSC Food and Pantry Program with the Treasurer, including monthly restocking of the Pantry and formal documentation of the monetary funds generated by the Pantry.

iv. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

v. Assist the President in managing an annual fundraiser for a community-based organization.

vi. Attend RSO meetings once per academic year and check the RSO mailbox monthly.

vii. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

viii. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

ix. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

x. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

c. The Treasurer shall:

i. Keep accurate records of all HSC expenses.

ii. Provide a budget summary at the end of each semester.

iii. Assist the President in the presentation of a budget proposal to the Honors Program director at the end of the academic year for approval for the upcoming school year (Note: Both the former and newly-elected Treasurer shall participate in this in order to create smooth transitions from year to year).

iv. Report on the financial affairs of the HSC at the discretion of the Executive Council.

v. Be responsible for ordering food for Executive and General meetings.

vi. Coordinate yearly HSC fundraising events.

vii. Organize yearly T-shirt sales.

viii. Manage the HSC Food and Pantry Program with the Vice President

ix. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

x. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

xi. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

xii. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

xiii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

d. The Secretary shall:

i. Keep detailed and accurate minutes of all HSC meetings

ii. Send out reminder emails for general meetings.

iii. Maintain a current and accurate copy of the HSC Constitution.

iv. Assist the Webmaster with meeting minutes and events calendar for the HSC website.

v. Organize updated records of events in the documentation binders located in The Secret Room.

vi. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

vii. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

viii. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

ix. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

x. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

e. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall:

i. Be present at every meeting or provide a substitute if unable to attend.

ii. Maintain order and focus at the meetings.

iii. Physically remove unruly or rude persons from meetings.

iv. Stand behind the President at all general meetings to physically reinforce his/her role in maintaining order and focus.

v. Have a hard copy of the constitution at every meeting.

vi. Keep an electronic record of attendance at all HSC events and meetings.

vii. Coordinate the activities sponsored by Honors Student Council at the Modes of Inquiry Honors Freshmen Orientation event.

viii. Manage the documentation of activities binders and raise concerns to Executive Council members if other members are neglecting their duties.

ix. Manage recycling bins at the honors house.

x. Update the constitution yearly in concert with the president.

xi. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

xii. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

xiii. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

xiv. Have an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

xv. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

Appointed Offices

The chair positions shall be appointed by graduating members of the Executive Board in addition to the faculty advisor. An application must be completed, and an interview performed before a candidate can be appointed. No more than three candidates may hold a given chair position at one time. In the case that more than one HSC member is appointed to a chair position, a senior chair shall be assigned. This member is responsible for delegating authority to junior chairs.

A) The Chair Positions shall be comprised of:

a. The Honors Volunteer Program (HVP) Chair shall:

i. Oversee the Honors Volunteer Program.

ii. Organize and coordinate community service and volunteer events.

iii. Maintain contact with community leaders and students in the Honors Program.

iv. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

v. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

vi. Maintain the HVP bulletin board in the Overseer’s Honors House.

vii. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

viii. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

ix. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

b. The Social Chair shall:

i. Organize and coordinate at least five social events a semester.

ii. Organize and coordinate the Welcome Back and End of Year picnic lunches.

iii. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

iv. Document social events in the record-keeping social event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

xvi. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

xvii. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

xviii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

c. The Academic Chair shall:

i. Organize and coordinate all events which target and specifically foster the academic education of students and enhance learning including at least three academic lectures a semester.

ii. Oversee the following programs:

1. The Honors Academic Lecture Series, and

2. The Last Lecture Series.

iii. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

iv. Document academic events and lectures in the record-keeping academic event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event or lecture.

v. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

vi. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

vii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

d. The Publicity Chair shall:

i. Be responsible for publicizing all HSC and HVP events.

ii. Work with the Webmaster to keep the HSC website updated on upcoming events and activities.

iii. Document any event he/she organizes in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

iv. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

v. Post flyers within 3 days of receipt

1. In particular, fliers must always be posted on each floor of Threlkeld Hall

vi. Use Twitter (or recent social networking program) to post updates for each event

vii. Manage a list of locations to post fliers, including number of fliers to post.

viii. Organize the HSC Bulletin Board in the Overseer’s Honors House.

ix. Attend a required mandatory meeting with the president at the start of the academic school year to review responsibilities and expectations.

x. Encourage other members and executive board members to attend events.

xi. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

xii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

e. The Webmaster shall:

i. Maintain the HSC website in an appropriate time frame (monthly).

ii. Update the blackboard shell on a monthly basis, working individually with other executive members to provide accurate information for events.

iii. Work with other HSC members in promoting communication and publicizing of Honors events.

iv. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

v. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

vi. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

vii. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

viii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

f. The Historian shall:

i. Be present at all HSC events (academic, social, and fundraising) to document and take pictures or have a representative in his/her absence.

ii. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

iii. Document any event he/she organizes (academic, social, or fundraising) in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event.

iv. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

v. Keep images on the Secret Room Computer.

vi. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

vii. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

g. The Literary Magazine Chair shall:

i. Have a minimum of 1 paper publication of The White Squirrel per semester.

ii. Develop advertisements for any initiatives he/she leads and supply the Publicity Chair with the advertisements for distribution.

iii. Document any event in the appropriate record-keeping event binder located in The Secret Room within three weeks after the event/meeting.

iv. Attend at least one Social, one Academic, and one Volunteer event per semester.

v. Provide the Sergeant-at-Arms with an attendance record for any event or meeting he/she organizes.

vi. Shall send information to the manager of the Honors online newsletter The Current regarding any events he/she organizes.

Article V: Elections

A) All Honors students are eligible voters in HSC elections

B) All members of HSC are eligible to run for the following posts: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant-at-Arms.

a. In order to run for a position, an application must be filled out and returned to the faculty advisor before the decided deadline.

i. PREVENTION OF MASS CHAOS CLAUSE: Before being eligible to run for President, the candidate must meet and have the approval of the faculty advisor to run.

C) Candidates for any elected office of HSC shall be nominated by at least one member of the voting body or shall self-nominate. Each candidate will be given the opportunity to present their credentials at a general meeting preceding the election. They will also be able to conduct advertising protocols via facebook (or other social networking program) and outside the Honors classroom in the Etscorn Honors Center and the Overseers Honors House.

D) Voting shall occur via U-Link web-balloting for two days (Thursday, Friday) in the first full week of April.

E) Candidates win by a simple majority vote.

a. In the event of a tie, the faculty advisor to HSC shall cast the deciding vote.

b. If only one candidate desires a position, then he/she shall win the election by default.

c. Officers can be re-elected without limitation.

d. No person may occupy more than one position during the same school year.

e. Training for the newly elected council shall occur before the new school year begins in August.

F) All chair positions are appointed and shall be decided by the graduating Executive Council members and advisor.

a. Interested members must fill out an application and complete an interview process to be appointed

b. The application will be made available following the March General Meeting

c. Interviews will take place the week before HSC elections begin.

Article VI: Meetings

A) HSC shall have general meetings at least once a month throughout the academic school year (August-November, January-April).

a. The HSC Executive Council shall set the schedule for the general meetings at the first Executive Meeting of each semester.

B) The HSC Executive Council shall meet no less than once per month throughout the academic year (August-April).

a. The regular date and time of the executive meeting shall be set by the Executive Council at the first meeting of the Fall Semester.

b. Executive Council members are required to attend monthly general and executive meetings.

i. If an Executive Council member cannot attend a meeting, an email must be sent prior to the meeting to the Sergeant-at-Arms describing the reason for the absence.

ii. If two Executive meetings are missed over the course of a semester, then a mandatory meeting with the faculty advisor shall occur to discuss the situation.

C) Any member of the Honors program or any interested student may attend the monthly general meetings.

D) Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the President or upon request by a member of the Executive Council.

E) There will be an exit meeting at the end of the academic school year where the new Executive Council will have a chance to meet with the outgoing Executive Council

Article VII: HSC Account Fund Retrieval

F) In order to make a withdrawal from the HSC account, one must have the approval of 3 of the 5 elected members

G) Any withdrawal of funds must be mentioned at the next HSC Executive Meeting

Article VIII: Amendments

A) One or more voting members of HSC may author an amendment to this constitution.

B) The amendment shall be submitted in writing or electronically to the Executive Council for review.

a. A vote shall be held by the Executive Council. If the amendment receives a majority vote among the Executive members, then the amendment shall be presented at the next HSC general meeting.

b. The amendment is officially approved by a simple majority vote of the members in attendance at the general meeting.

C) At the next meeting following the acceptance of an amendment, updated copies of the constitution shall be given to each voting member in attendance.

a. Copies of the constitution shall be made available at the front desk of the Etscorn Honors Center.

Article IX: Probation/Impeachment

A) If an Executive Board member misses two Executive Meetings in a semester, then he/she must meet with the faculty advisor to discuss the situation.

B) In the event that a member of the Executive Council is not fulfilling his/her duties as outlined in this constitution, one or more members of the Executive Council may present a case with evidence at the next Executive Council meeting after discussion with the faculty advisor.

a. In the event that three-fourths of the entire Executive Council agrees that the member-of-interest has not been fulfilling his/her role, that member-of-interest will be placed on probation.

b. The member-of-interest has the right to defend themselves in front of the council.

c. The faculty advisor will not be present at probationary meeting; this particular meeting is entirely student-driven.

C) Probation

a. A person placed on probation shall be ineligible to run for any position in the HSC Executive Council in the following academic year.

b. If a unanimous decision by the other members on the Executive Council, the person may be impeached and removed from the Executive Council.

c. If duties are performed in a timely manner within two months of the probation being issued, the probation will be lifted and this development will be officially declared at the next executive meeting.

D) Resignation

a. If an Executive Council member decides that he/she is unable to fulfill the necessary roles of the position, he/she may resign.

b. If deciding to resign, then the Executive Council member must notify the faculty advisor and president via email or in person.

c. The Executive Council must then notify the general populace of the open position via Blackboard email.

d. To fill the spot, interested candidates must submit a paragraph-long personal statement, and a panel of Executive Council members will interview and decide on the most qualified candidate.

E) Impeachment/Resignation

a. If dismissal by impeachment/resignation occurs in the fall semester, the Executive Council will supply an appointment until an emergency election is conducted at the end of the semester.

b. If dismissal by impeachment/resignation occurs in the spring semester, the Executive Council will supply an appointment until the regular elections occur in April.

Article X: Honors Student Council Headquarters

A) All members of the HSC Executive Council shall be given keys to the HSC Headquarters located in the Overseers Honors House.

a. The President, Vice-President, and the Senior Publicity Chair shall also receive keys to the Etscorn Honors Center and the Overseers Honors House.

B) HSC Headquarters (Honors 108) shall be officially named “The Secret Room.”

C) It is the duty of the Executive Council to clean The Secret Room at least once before the end of the academic year or whenever deemed necessary by the faculty advisor.

Article XI: The Extinction Clause

A) In the event that this organization shall lose all membership and become non-existent, the funds generated by HSC shall be given to the Honors Program at the University of Louisville.

Article XII: The Supreme Commander Clause

A) It is the duty of all members of the Executive Board to fulfill any realistic additional roles assigned by the faculty advisor within a timely manner. Failure to do so can result in removal from the Executive Council by the faculty advisor after approval by a majority of the Executive Board members.

Article XIII: Effective Date

A) This constitution shall go into effect on March 3, 2010.