Constitution

CONSTITUTION of the Iowa Student Branch of the 

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL and BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS

Article I – Name and Objectives

  1. The name of this organization will be the Iowa Student Branch of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, thereafter referred to as ASABE, and will be located at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, and shall hereafter be referred to as the Branch.
  2. It will be the object of the Branch to promote directly and indirectly the interests of the students in agricultural and biosystems engineering, particularly as these interests relate to their professional advancement and to the parent society, ASABE, the Society for engineering in agricultural, food, and biological systems, which shall hereafter be referred to as ASABE.
  3. This constitution, and any by-laws or rules adopted in its connection, will not oppose the rules, regulations, and policies of the ASABE, which pertain to its student branches.  A copy of the constitution will be available on the Branch website for all members to view.
  4. This constitution, and any by-laws or rules adopted in its connection, will not oppose the rules, regulations, and policies of Iowa State University.

 

 Article II – Membership

  1. Members may be any registered students who are enrolled in an Iowa State University curriculum and who have paid dues to the Branch, or have been elected officers of the Branch.
  2. Dues will not be lower than the amount required for national student membership in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.  Dues will not be higher than 50 percent above the national student membership amount.
  3. Members of the Branch, who have violated the Branch’s bylaws, or who are guilty of conduct unbecoming a member, may be expelled by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Branch present and voting at a regular or special business meeting, after they have been given an opportunity to be heard in their own defense, either orally or in writing.

 

Article III – Officers and Advisors

  1. The officers of the Branch will be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Engineering Council Representative, Agricultural Council Representative, Sergeant-at-Arms, Historian, Grillmaster, and Webmaster.
  2. The President will preside at all meetings when present; shall assume active leadership of the Branch and perform other customary duties of the office; and shall have the power to call special meetings.  He/She will be a non-voting member of the Branch.
  3. The Vice President will preside in the absence of the President.  His/Her major duty will be the preparation of programs for the Branch meetings.  He/She will also be responsible for sending letters of invitation and appreciation to guest speakers.
  4. The Treasurer will collect and receive all dues, fees, and other money due to the Branch.  He/She will properly care for such monies and upon proper authorization pay them out to meet the obligations of the Branch.  He/She will keep suitable financial records and accounts of all such money.  The record will be subject to the rules of Iowa State University, which govern student organizations, and will be kept open for inspection by any member or college authority.
  5. The Secretary will keep the attendance, minutes, and other official records of the Branch.  He/She will handle correspondence between the Branch and the ASABE headquarters.  He/She will be responsible for sending out the minutes from the prior meeting and the tentative agenda for the upcoming meeting before every regular meeting or special meeting.
  6. The Representatives to the Agriculture and Engineering Councils will meet the qualifications required by these respective councils.  These individuals will report pertinent information from his/her respective council to Branch members at any regular or special Branch meeting.
  7. The Sergeant-at-Arms will maintain order at Branch meetings and see that rules of parliamentary procedure are followed.  He/She will, to the best of his/her ability, see that business meetings progress in a proper and efficient manner.  He/She will be in charge of making arrangements for refreshments served at the regular meetings.
  8. The Historian will collect, and hold in good faith, member resumes to compile a resume book of Branch members in good standing.  He/She will also be responsible for writing the Branch AEM Report each year.
  9. The Grillmaster will organize all food not assigned by a third party caterer or other Branch committee for all the Branch’s activities.  He/She will keep the grill in good working condition at all times to make it representative of a professional society.
  10. The Webmaster will maintain and update the website for the Branch.
  11. All officers of the Branch will be members of the Branch who are in good standing and have been enrolled at Iowa State University for two full semesters before assuming office.  A candidate for President must be one whose term of office will fall in his/her junior or senior year.  A candidate for Vice President must be of at least a sophomore status.  Any officer that has been expelled from the Branch will immediately be removed from office.
  12. The advisors will be a Head Faculty Advisor and an Assistant Faculty Advisor who will be the official representatives between the Branch and the Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.  They will counsel officers, members, and committees of the Branch.  They will be members of the ASABE in good standing.  The Executive Council will appoint an advisor from a compiled list of candidates during the Branch officer election late in the spring semester.  The chosen volunteer will serve a two-year term.  The Branch will have two faculty advisors.  Each advisor will hold the title of Assistant Faculty Advisor the first year, and Head Faculty Advisor for the second year.  Faculty Advisors are not subject to the same dues as student members.
  13. The Executive Council will consist of the officers as provided in Article III, Paragraph 1, and the advisors as provided in Article III, Paragraph 12.  Two-thirds of the officers will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  The advisors will be non-voting members of the Executive Council.  The Executive Council may postpone regular meetings or call special meetings when in their judgment such action is to the best interests of the Branch.  They may act at once on any business of an urgent nature.
  14. Any officer or advisor, for conduct unbecoming of his/her office, may be removed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Branch present and voting at a regular meeting, but only after specific charges in the form of a petition signed by two-thirds of paid members has been filed with the Secretary and after they have been given an opportunity to be heard in their own defense, either orally or in writing.  If the President is charged, the Vice President will preside.

 

Article IV – Meetings

  1. The Executive Council will decide at the beginning of each semester when to hold meetings.  A minimum of two scheduled meetings or activities will take place each month during the school year.  This schedule will hold true except during vacations, final exam weeks, or when so changed by the Executive Council.  The Executive Council shall meet prior to the regular Branch meeting so that the regular meeting can be handled more efficiently.

 

Article V – Elections and Installations

  1. Officers will be elected at the last meeting in the Spring Semester to serve for one year, or if the office is vacated.  However, the Agricultural Council Representative will be elected at the last meeting in the Fall Semester to serve for one year, or if the office is vacated.  A special election may be held upon a two-thirds vote pending a quorum of the Branch membership being present, but special effort will be made to notify all members of the date of voting.
  2. Faculty Advisors will be voted on during the last meeting of the Spring Semester to serve for a two-year term in accordance with Article III, Paragraph 12.
  3. New officers will be installed following their election, at the last meeting in the Spring Semester.  The retiring President, emphasizing the aims and ideals of the Branch, will conduct a proper installation ceremony.
  4. The new officers and faculty advisors shall read the constitution soon after receiving their position.  The retiring President shall remind new officers at the election to read the constitution.
  5. Candidates running for an office who are not elected may be allowed to run for the next office being voted on.  Candidates will be voted on in the order provided in Article 3, Paragraph 1, starting with the President.
  6. Officer nominations shall take place at the regular business meeting one meeting prior to the elections meeting.  Voting will take place at the next regular meeting after nominations have been closed by a simple majority vote.  A majority is needed to elect a candidate.  If a majority can not be reached a run-off of the two highest vote getters will take place.  If the run-off candidates tie the President will cast the deciding vote.

 

Article VI – Committees

  1. Committees of the Branch will be created/dissolved following proper discussion of and majority vote of the officers of the Branch.  To create a new committee, there must be substantial evidence of a need for their existence and purpose for their actions and activities.  All committees will be dissolved by the Sunday before the start of the next Fall Semester or if there is substantial evidence their function is no longer needed or required by the Branch, and a majority vote by the Executive Council.
  2. It will be the duty of the Branch Secretary to record created/dissolved committees when applicable.  He/She will also have in the minutes stating reasons why any one committee was created/dissolved and the functions and duties of each.
  3. The committee chairperson will be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Council.
  4. The committees will be comprised of volunteers from the Branch.

 

Article VII – Miscellaneous

  1. A regular meeting agenda will be distributed at least one day prior to the meeting and will include the planned business and program for the coming meeting and other items of student interest by the Secretary as provided by Article III, Paragraph 5.  Necessary expenses will be paid out of funds from the Branch treasury.
  2. The Branch will have the authority to buy, maintain, operate, and sell properties subject to the limitations prescribed by Iowa State University and the ASABE.
  3. This Constitution will become effective when it has been adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular or special meeting.  Amendments may be adopted in the same manner.
  4. The Constitution may be revised only if three-fourths of the members present at any regular meeting approve.
  5. Any officer elected prior to the revision of the Constitution shall not be removed from office for violating provisions discussed in Article III, Paragraph 11.
  6. The Constitution shall be revised yearly by the Executive Council and be ratified by three-fourths of the members present at the second regular business meeting of the Fall Semester.
  7. This copy was retyped on November 29, 1962, from a revised copy of an October 21, 1959 printing.
  8. This copy was retyped on September 12, 2008 from a revised copy of a November 29, 1962 printing.

 

Article VIII – Amendment