Revision to the CHAPTER CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE 1: NAME

Section I. The name of this organization shall be the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, hereafter abbreviated as UIUC ASCE.

ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVE

Section 1. The objective of this Chapter shall be to encourage the development of a professional consciousness, to afford an opportunity for civil engineering students to become acquainted and to practice working together effectively, to promote a spirit of congeniality among them, to provide friendly contact with the engineering profession [1] , and to increase the visibility of civil engineering among the public.

ARTICLE III: RELATIONSHIPS

Section I. The Chapter shall be under the jurisdiction of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Section 2. Specifically, the Chapter lies in ASCE Zone III and the East Branch of the Central Illinois Section of ASCE. Among other ASCE student chapters, the Chapter lies in the Great Lakes Conference.

Section 3. The Chapter will subscribe to the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules of Policy and Procedure and the Code of Ethics as adopted by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Active members of UIUC ASCE shall be undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the university who are interested in civil engineering and who are in good standing as evidenced by the payment of Chapter dues.

Section 2. All members of UIUC ASCE must subscribe to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Chapter, and the Rules of Policy and Procedure and the Code of Ethics of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Section 3. The grades of membership in the Chapter shall be Member, Active Member, Officer, and Faculty. The qualifications for each grade shall be decided by the Executive Board.

Section 4. Membership in the Chapter does not imply automatic admission as a Student Member to the American Society of Civil Engineers. The individual must make separate application, in accordance with the ASCE Constitution.

Section 5. A Chapter Member shall have the right to serve on committees and participate in the affairs of the Chapter and shall have the right to vote and to hold office.

ARTICLE V: FEES AND DUES

Section 1. The schedule of annual dues shall be established and shall be set forth in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS [2]

Section 1. The Officers of UIUC ASCE shall be one President, two Vice Presidents (External and Internal), one Secretary, and one Treasurer. All Officers are to be in good standing with the Chapter.

Section 2. UIUC ASCE Officers shall be in charge of overseeing the affairs of the Chapter and its Committees.

Section 3. The Committee Chairpersons of UIUC ASCE shall be one Membership Director, one Outreach Chairperson, one Concrete Canoe Chairperson, one Steel Bridge Chairperson, one Corporate Relations Chairperson, one Publicity Chairperson, two Engineering Open House Chairpersons, one Internet Chairperson, one New Member Chairperson, one Freshmen Class Representative Chair Person, and one Social Chairperson. All Chairpersons are to be in good standing with the Chapter.

Section 4. UIUC ASCE Committee Chairpersons shall be in charge of the affairs of their respective Committees.

Section 5. The term of office of the elected Officers and Chairpersons shall be two consecutive in-school semesters (excluding summer terms).

Section 6. Officers and Chairpersons represent both UIUC ASCE and the University and, as such, are expected to act with the utmost professionalism.

Section 7. The Officers and Chairpersons of UIUC ASCE shall form the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall have the power to make decisions relevant to the operation of UIUC ASCE. For a decision to be binding, three quarters of the votes cast must be affirmative.

Section 8. To vote on an issue pertinent to UIUC ASCE, a quorum of the Executive Board must be present. A quorum shall be defined as a simple majority of Executive Board members. A vote cannot be held if the President is absent.

ARTICLE VII: ELECTIONS

Section 1. The Election Process: All potential officers (excluding Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe as discussed in Section 3 and excluding the Freshmen Class Representative Chair) must submit an application before the given deadline to be considered for a position. Applications shall be written as deemed appropriate by the Executive Board. Nominees will only be accepted if no applications were submitted for a given position. Applicants should include alternative desired positions (if applicable) and must be considered for the next position if not elected for first choice. The Chapter members present at the general meeting shall vote on the Officer and Chairperson positions. The winner shall be the nominee/applicant with the majority of the votes. Volunteers and/or nominations for the position of Freshmen Class Representative shall be accepted at the first general meeting of the academic year. The Chapter members present at the first general meeting shall vote on the Freshmen Class Representative candidates. The winner shall be the volunteer/nominee with the majority of votes.

Section 2. It shall be required that the President applicants were past Executive Board members.

Section 3. The current chairpersons of the Steel Bridge Chair and Concrete Canoe chair shall appoint the next chairperson, respectively. The executive board shall approve the appointee. Both appointments must be decided at the end of the spring semester.

Section 4. The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint a Chairperson to any Special Committee deemed necessary for advancing the purposes of ASCE. Upon receiving appointment, this Chairperson shall provide the Executive Board with a description of duties for his or her Special Committee. A Special Committee may exist for a period not to exceed one year, during which time its description of duties shall be included in the Constitution and By-Laws. If a Special Committee is to exist for more than one year, it must be added as a Permanent Committee by a vote of the Executive Board.

Section 5. In the event that elections are not held in a timely fashion or no nominee is found for a particular office, current officers shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

Section 6. A vacancy occurring in an elected position of the Chapter during the term of that position shall be filled for the remainder of the term as follows:

(a) President: By the senior Vice-President.

(b) All other presiding officers and chairpersons: By appointment of the President.

(c) Officers/Chairpersons-Elect: By nomination and election in the same manner as provided in Section 1 of this Article, except that the Executive Board shall set the date for the opening and closing of the balloting for such an election.

Section 7. In the case of disability of any Officer or Chairperson of the Chapter, or neglect in the performance of the duties of an office, the Executive Board shall have the power to declare the office vacant.

Section 8. The final general meeting of the fall semester shall hold elections for the president, external vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and internet chair. The final general meeting of the spring semester shall hold the elections for the internal vice-president, engineering council representative, outreach chairperson, corporate relations chairperson, publicity chairperson, engineering open house chairperson and the social chairperson.

ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

Section 1. The Chapter shall hold as many Chapter General Meetings throughout the semester as is deemed practical by the Executive Board. The General Meetings shall be held at such times and places within the university campus as shall be determined by the Executive Board, and designated in a notice to the membership as provided for in the Bylaws.

Section 2. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at such times and places as may be determined by the Executive Board to be necessary for the discharge of its duties.

Section 3. All Meetings are open to all students and faculty of the university, alumni or others who may wish to attend.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS

Section 1. An Amendment to this constitution may be proposed by any Chapter Member. A vote shall be held at the following General Meeting. All Chapter Members at that General Meeting shall be eligible to cast a vote. For the adoption of any amendment to the constitution, three quarters of the valid ballots cast shall be in the affirmative. An amendment that has been adopted shall become effective with the start of the next academic semester.

CHAPTER BYLAWS

ARTICLE 1. NAME

Section 1. The approved abbreviation of the Chapter, where an abbreviation is proper, shall be UIUC ASCE.

Section 2. Emblem. The design, specification, and the guidelines for the use of the emblem of the Chapter shall be as prescribed by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

ARTICLE II. MEETINGS

Section I. There shall be a minimum of three (3) Chapter General Meetings held during each Fall and Spring semester.

Section 2. The order of business for these Chapter General Meetings shall be the Introduction and Welcome, Announcements and general concerns. New Business and Introduction of the Guest Lecturer.

Section 3. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held weekly at such times and places as is necessary, or business may be conducted by mail in lieu of meetings at the discretion of the President. At the discretion of the Executive Board, alternate Executive Board meetings may be replaced by individual Committee meetings.

ARTICLE III. OFFICERS DUTIES

Section 1. Duties of the President.

Have general supervision over the affairs of the Chapter.

Preside over Executive Board meetings [3] .

Work with Chapter Officers to achieve the goals of the Chapter.

Be responsible for the communications between National ASCE and the Department of Civil Engineering.

Represent the Chapter at all appropriate meetings at the Chapter, Region, Section, Zone and National levels.

Assume overall responsibility for the Chapter and its activities.

Be ex officio a member of all committees and projects to ensure goals are met and group rapport is maintained.

Be available to officers and other Chapter members in need of assistance.

Maintain good rapport and frequent contact with the Faculty Advisor(s), the Dean of the College of Engineering , and Engineering Council.

Section 2.a. Duties of the External Vice-President.

Perform the duties of the President in the President's absence.

Assist the President in monitoring Chapter activities and committee accomplishments.

Assist the President in decision-making.

Be available to officers and Chapter members in need of assistance.

Organize Chapter field trips.

Section 2.b. Duties of the Internal Vice-President.

Perform the duties of the President in the President's absence.

Organize the agenda for Chapter meetings and have an activity planned if necessary.

Obtain a speaker for the Chapter meetings and present them with a gift and thank you card.

Coordinate review sessions for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.

Purchase and sell review materials for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.

Assist the President in monitoring Chapter activities and committee accomplishments.

Assist the President in decision-making.

Be available to officers and Chapter members in need of assistance.

Section 3. Duties of the Secretary.

Record proceedings of Chapter General Meetings and Executive Board meetings.

Maintain Chapter correspondence through the Newsletter.

Section 4. Duties of the Treasurer.

Be responsible for preparing the operating budget of the Chapter, take charge of all receipts of the Chapter, keep liaison with the Civil Engineering Department concerning funds, manage the prompt payment of bills, keep accurate records of Chapter expenditures.

Submit a detailed accounting of the Chapter's expenditures and credits to the Executive Committee on a semesterly basis.

Exercise good business sense in general and perform all other duties normally ascribed to the office.

Section 5. Duties of the Publicity Coordinator.

Communicate ASCE related topics to both Chapter members and non-members.

Publicize general meetings and any other major events hosted by the society.

Represent the society whenever necessary (open houses, conferences, etc.).

Have the proper publicity such as mass e-mails, announcements in class, and articles in the North of Green and the Benchmark.

Keep the display board(s) up-to-date and professional.

Display the portable display board at all major society events including general meetings.

Section 6. Duties of the Engineering Open House Chair.

Correspond with Engineering Council concerning Engineering Open House events.

Plan exhibits for display at the Open House.

Complete any other activities that are required for the society's role in the Open House.

Serve as the Chapter’s Engineering Council Representatives

Ensure that all the Chapter’s obligations to Engineering Council are met.

Keep the Executive Board updated on Engineering Council events.

Oversee the Chapter’s participation in Regional competitions.

Section 7. Duties of the Corporate Relations Chair:

Create and maintain relations between the society and the corporate world by informing students about the corporate world while obtaining important networking between students and companies.

Maintain the society's corporate database.

Maintain and strive to improve the Shadow an Engineer Program.

Organize any other activities that will improve the student and corporate relations

Section 8. Duties of the Membership Director:

Attract both student and national members at (but not limited to) general meetings, fairs, and classes.

Accept membership applications and dues.

Process a student membership database.

Act as a liaison between student and national chapters.

Assist other officers with student member lists as needed for email or mass postal mail.

Section 9. Duties of the Outreach Chair:

Serve as a source of information and activities for students interested in becoming involved in both the campus and local communities.

Organize and develop a student mentoring program and a community service program.

Pursue any other opportunities that develop in order to create a position that will best serve the interests of the society.

Work to educate the public about the importance of civil engineers to society.

Section 10. Duties of the Internet Chair:

The Internet Chair Shall develop and maintain the web page of the society as well as update the information available through the UIUC ASCE website.

Section 11. Duties of the Social Chair:

The Social Chair shall provide activities for members to interact and get to know one another outside of the class room.

Section 12. Duties of the New Member Chair:

Create and maintain a new member mentor program.

Provide activities for new members to get involved with Chapter events, meet Chapter members, and learn about the CEE Department.

Work with Engineering Learning Assistants and Engineering 100 to create a cohesive scheme for introducing new students to the CEE Department.

Section 13. Duties of the Concrete Canoe Chair:

The Concrete Canoe chair shall form a committee to design and construct the concrete canoe and all other required items for the concrete canoe competitions.

Section 14. Duties of the Steel Bridge Chair:

The Steel Bridge Chair shall corm a committee to design and construct the steel bridge and fulfill all the requirements to compete in the steel bridge competition.

Section 15. Duties of the Freshmen Class Representative Chair:

Establish a committee of freshmen members to support the freshmen class.

Be the voice of the freshmen members on the executive board.

Address any issues/concerns facing freshmen members to the executive board.

Become familiar with the functioning of the executive board.

ARTICLE IV. FEES AND DUES

Section 1. The dues payable by membership shall be $6 for one semester and $10 for two semesters.

Section 2. Dues shall be payable according to National Guidelines.

ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES

Section 1. The following shall be standing committees of the Chapter: Outreach Committee, Concrete Canoe Committee, Steel Bridge Committee, Corporate Relations Committee, Publicity Committee, Engineering Open House Committee, and Social Committee.

Section 2. All committees, unless otherwise specifically directed or authorized by the Executive Committee, shall be governed by the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules of Policy and Procedure and the Code of Ethics adopted by the Chapter.

ARTICLE VI. POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Section 1. Activities and actions undertaken by the Chapter shall be consistent with the policies of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Section 2. The Chapter and all members shall act in accordance with the UIUC Code of Conduct, as presented in the UIUC Student Handbook. Misconduct will be brought to the attention of the Faculty Advisor, who will take necessary action in accordance with the Handbook.

Section 3. The counting of votes on any item of business shall be carried out by a member of the Executive Board, provided there exists no conflict of interest.

ARTICLE VII. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

Section 1. The ASCE newsletter shall be the Chapter's official publication, for the purpose of informing members, faculty, and alumni/ae of the Chapter's activities and accomplishments.

Section 2. The ASCE newsletter shall be sent out a minimum of three (3) times per academic semester (excluding summer semesters) to all active members.