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The Constitution of the Political Science Club of Virginia Tech
(Amended March 21, 2005 & updated March 26, 2005)
Article I – Name and Purpose
Section A- Name
This organization shall be known as the Political Science Club of Virginia Tech, the PSC.
Section B- Purpose
The Political Science Club seeks to provide its members with a number of outlets to explore and advance their civic, academic, and social interests. The club also hopes to spread these benefits to other members of the department, campus and community. These purposes fall under four general categories.
1 – Civic – To sponsor and participate in activities of a political nature both within the club and around the wider community. To promote political activism, involvement and awareness.
2 – Educational – To foster an atmosphere of discussion and learning in which people are made aware of current issues and events.
3 – Career – To help club members discover their interests and network with political science alumni as well as other individuals in related fields.
4 – Fellowship – To promote a welcoming atmosphere where members have the opportunity to interact and develop relationships with their peers and faculty.
Article II – Membership
Section A – Qualifications
In order to join the Political Science Club you must be enrolled as a student at Virginia Tech. Students of all ages, majors and years are accepted.
Section B – Requirements
Upon joining the club, students are expected to pay dues and fill out a registration form. The cost of membership dues and the content of the registration form are to be decided by the presiding officers. These requirements are the bare minimum, acting officers may have additional requirements in place during their tenure.
Section C – Privileges
Students will be offered the following membership privileges depending upon their status in the club.
1 – Active members may act as Political Science Club volunteers or representatives when needed, vote and run for officer positions, post and respond to comments on the PSC online forum, and propose constitutional amendments.
2 – Inactive members will have the same privileges as active members except they will not be eligible to vote or run for office in the annual officer elections.
3 – Non-members may attend and participate at Political Science Club events and meetings.
Section D – Definitions
Below are the basic definitions of the various membership and event categories mentioned above. Presiding officers have the right to enact additional standards as needed.
1 – Active member – One who meets the membership qualifications, has fulfilled the requirements and attends a minimum of two club events per semester.
2 – Inactive member – One who meets the membership qualifications, has fulfilled the requirements and attends fewer than two club events per semester.
3 – Non-member – Anyone who does not meet the membership qualifications, or has not completed the membership requirements.
4 – The following activities will count towards event attendance – attending a meeting, playing in an intramural game, volunteering at or participating in a PSC-sponsored event, leading a meeting or discussion, writing an article for the annual alumni newsletter, taking a shift at a fundraiser or informational fair.
5 – The following activities, while encouraged, do not count as event attendance – watching an intramural game, attending a PSC-sponsored event as an audience member, attending a PSC social event, etc.
Section E – Non-Discrimination Statement
Membership in the Political Science Club of Virginia Tech is not restrictive or discriminatory with regards to race, sex, handicap, religion, or sexual preference. All qualified individuals shall be admitted.
Article III – Governance
Section A - Officers
There will be four permanent and necessary offices of the Political Science Club of Virginia Tech.
1 – President
2 – Vice President
3 – Secretary
4 – Treasurer
Other positions may be created and terminated as necessary, these might include the following.
5 – Sergeant at Arms
6 – Membership Chair
7 – Webmaster
8 – SGA representative
9 – Intramural coordinator
Section B – Duties
The duties and responsibilities of these officers are as follows.
1 – President – The president will preside over all meetings, enforce the rules of the constitution and guide the club in the best interest of its members and purposes. It is also the duty of the president to direct the other officers, introduce new initiatives and maintain the order, integrity and focus of the club.
2 – Vice President – The vice president will carry out the responsibilities of the president when the president is absent. The vice president will additionally be charged with the planning and execution of club activities. In the absence of a membership chair, the vice president will also be in charge of member recruitment and retention.
3 – Secretary – The secretary will assume the duties of president when both the president and vice president are absent. The main duties of the secretary are to record meeting minutes and notes, maintain a photographic record of club activities, administer voting in cases of constitutional amendment or impeachment, and keep track of club paperwork and media coverage. In the absence of a membership chair the secretary will also keep a record of member attendance.
4 – Treasurer – The treasurer will manage the club's funds including the account balance, membership dues and merchandise orders and will also be in charge of planning all fundraising events. Once a year the treasurer must attend an SGA funding workshop and submit an annual funding request.
5 – Sergeant at Arms – The sergeant at arms is in charge of logistics for all meetings and events. This includes setting up, and cleaning up rooms as well as submitting advance room reserve requests once a semester.
6 – Membership Chair – The membership chair is charged with the recruitment and retention of club members. Duties include keeping track of member information, registration, and attendance as well as the advertising and running of club interest meetings. The membership chair will add and remove students from the listserv as necessary. Additionally, the membership chair should work to encourage members to remain active and to make new or prospective members feel welcome and comfortable.
7 – Webmaster – It is the duty of the webmaster to maintain the website and work to develop and expand its content so that I may provide members and other interested parties with information regarding the club’s history and current activities. Additional webmaster activities include management of the discussion forum, the calendar, the listserv and if they have skills with graphic design then the creation of club advertisements and pamphlets as well.
8 – SGA Representative – The SGA representative will speak for the interests of the Political Science Club at weekly SGA meetings. The SGA representative will act as an officer-at-large in answering member questions and comments concerning the club.
9 – Intramural Coordinator – The intramural coordinator will assess which (if any) intramural activities the club would like to participate in and inform the club about the intramurals as they occur. Duties include attending captains meetings, ensuring that members pay intramural fees, and either serving as team captain or finding another member to appoint as team captain for all intramural activities.
Section C – Officer Qualifications
In order to serve as a Political Science Club officer students must meet the following requirements and maintain these requirements throughout their term. Officers must, to the best of their abilities, fulfill their obligations and duties to the Political Science Club.
1 – Officers must be full-time Virginia Tech students, this means that they must be enrolled for at least twelve credit hours per semester.
2 – The office of vice president must be held by an underclassman unless there is no such student available to take the position.
3 – To avoid a conflict of interests, a member may not serve as president of the Political Science Club if they hold a leadership position in another student organization which is political or who’s central activities are politically-oriented. Disqualified organizations include (but are not limited to): The College Republicans, the Young Democrats, the Libertarians, the Student Government Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the Campus Greens, the Current Events Organization, the Diplomacy Club, the Environmental Coalition, the International Relations Organization, Students for Bush, and the Syndicate. If questions arise concerning this clause it is the duty of the current officers to decide the acceptability of another organization.
Section D – Replacements
Under normal circumstances, officer terms are to last for one school year which consists of a fall and spring semester. In the case of an unexpected departure of an officer, the following protocol are to be used.
1 – Voluntary Departure – If any officer, except for the president, leaves in the middle of a term the remaining officers may vote to appoint a replacement. If the president leaves in the middle of a term, the vice-president will serve as president either permanently or until new presidential elections can be arranged. If the vice-president chooses to remain in the office of president, new elections will be held for vice-president. If the vice-president does not want to serve as president they will hold the office only until reelections for president can be scheduled, the office of vice-president will remain empty until this time.
2 – Impeachment – Any officer found incapable of or unwilling to perform their duties during the semester can be impeached by the other officers through a vote taken at an officer meeting using secret ballots. The acting secretary will administer and count the votes. Any officer can call for such a vote to take place.
Section E – Elections
Political Science Club officer elections will be held once a year at the end of the spring semester during a membership meeting. Though the general election procedures are detailed below, decisions regarding the details of election protocol will be made by any officers who are graduating seniors, if there are no graduating seniors on board elections will be run by any officers who are not running for a position. These details include, but are not limited to, the date of the elections, the amount of speaking time for each candidate, whether or not handouts will be allowed and when/how nominations will occur.
Nominations – Prior to the date of the elections, the sitting club president will call for nominations. Individuals may nominate any active club member including themselves, ineligible members will be disqualified automatically. Individuals who are nominated must accept or reject the nomination by a predetermined date before elections.
Election Day Protocol – If multiple members are nominated for a position they are given the chance to speak to the general membership for a predetermined length of time. Once all of the speeches for a given position have been heard, candidates will leave the room and the members will have the chance to write down the name of their choices on an anonymous ballot and deposit the ballot into a ballot box. The ballots will be tallied by the officers in charge of elections and once the candidates have reentered the room, winners for that position will be announced. If only one member accepts a nomination and decides to run for a specific position they win by default and need not give an election speech.
Terms – New officers will enter office at the final meeting of the spring semester. There is no limit on the number of times an officer can be reelected.
Article IV – Faculty Sponsor
In order to remain an official student organization, the club must have a faculty sponsor. The duties of the sponsor are to advise the officers and make suggestions to improve the club. Additionally, the sponsor acts as a liaison between the club and the university. The incumbent sponsor will remain until either he/she or the president of the club terminates the relationship. New advisers will be chosen by the officers and approached by the president. All members can recommend faculty for this position.
Article V – Meetings
Section A – Meetings
Meetings will take place on a schedule to be determined by the needs of the current body of members and officers, most likely on a weekly basis. Additional meetings will be held as needed.
Section B – Quorum
A quorum of 40% of the active members are required at meetings for any official club business to be conducted. Official club business consists of any elections, nominations or constitutional amendments.
Article VI – Finances
All funds for the Political Science Club of Virginia Tech will come from fundraising events, donations and SGA grants. Only the treasurer, faculty sponsor and the president will have access to the club account.
Donations – The club will accept donations from parents of members, alumni, unaffiliated individuals and the political science department. Donations from current members, other organizations, or individuals associated with political organizations are not accepted.
Article VII – Amendments
At the beginning of each fall term the officers will meet and review the constitution. Any proposed amendments will then be proposed the members at the following meeting. In order to amend the constitution, the approval of 2/3 of the members present at the meeting where amendments are proposed is required. The president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer must be present in order to amend the constitution.