Bi-Laws

Article I - Name and Objective

Section 1 - The name of this organization shall be the Society of Plastics Engineers Texas Tech University Student Chapter.

Section 2 - The objective of this chapter shall be to promote the scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics and polymers.

Section 3 - No part of the net earnings of the Society shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, officers or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth by the Officers Council.

Article II - Membership

Section 1 - Membership shall be restricted to those students who have enrolled as student members of the National Chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Section 2 – It is the duty of the individual to contact the Faculty Advisor and/or the Secretary to gain membership in the Texas Tech University Student Chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers. In addition the individual must show proof of membership to the National Chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Section 3 - Membership shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, gender, religion, handicap, or age.

Section 4 – An Active member of the Student Chapter is defined as someone who attends at least 60% of all Student Chapter meetings, activities and any other events as scheduled by the Officers Council.

Article III - Officers

Section 1 - The elective officers of this Chapter shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2 - All active members of the Chapter with Junior standing or above shall be eligible to hold an office. No member may simultaneously hold more than one of the offices named in Section 1.

Section 3 - The Faculty Advisor must hold at least the rank of Assistant Professor and be a Faculty member in the College of Engineering or College of Arts and Sciences.

Section 4 - No member may be elected to the same office for more than one full, consecutive term. A member succeeding to an unexpired term in any office is eligible for election to a complete term in that office the following Spring Semester. In the absence of nominees for an officer position, the officer from the previous year may retain his/her office.

Section 5 - The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

a. The President shall preside at all meetings, act as an official representative of the Chapter at any function requiring such a representative, and shall see that the other officers of the Chapter perform their duties in accordance with these By-Laws. The office of the President shall only be held by a Graduate Student unless the President resigns. In the event of a resignation, the Vice President shall assume and fulfill the duties of the President until an election or special election is called.

b. The Vice President is the chief liaison officer with the National Society of Plastics Engineers, industry and academia. The Vice President shall assume and fulfill the duties of the President in the absence of or in case of resignation of the President. In case the Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency of the Chapter, a successor shall be elected to fill the unexpired term of the Vice President as soon as it is practicable.

c. The Secretary shall issue all notices and shall be responsible for all records of the Chapter, including an official copy of the Chapter’s By-Laws. The Secretary shall furnish all members with a copy of these By-Laws, shall keep the minutes of the Chapter meetings, and shall keep records of correspondence of the Student Chapter with other Chapters and the National Chapter. Upon leaving office, the Secretary shall collect written reports from committee chairs of Chapter activities and recommendations for improving Chapter operation for the incoming Secretary.

d. The Treasurer shall collect and care for all money, properties, and financial records of the Chapter and shall make payments on the written approval of the President and/or Faculty Advisor for Chapter expenses.

e. The Faculty Advisor is an ex-officio member of the Officers Council. The Advisor shall serve as a liaison between the Chapter and the University and shall guide the Chapter in their actions and activities. He shall have signature authority on the Chapter accounts

Section 6 - The Officers Council shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Faculty Advisor.

a. The President shall be Chair of the Officers Council.

b. The Officers Council shall conduct whatever business it deems necessary to facilitate the Chapters regular business meetings.

c. The President shall have the authority to call meetings of the Officers Council.

d. A majority of the Officers shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of the Officers Council.

e. The Officers Council shall keep a record of its meetings and the business conducted. This record becomes a part of the minutes of the Chapter.

Article IV - Election of Officers

Section 1 - Officers shall be elected at the end of the Spring Semester for the following Fall Semester. Officers elected to the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer serve a term lasting one year.

Section 2 -The new officers shall take office at the beginning of the Fall semester.

Section 3 - Nominations for office shall be made by active members at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Student Chapter. Each nomination must be accompanied by the pledge of the nominee to serve in the office if elected.

Section 4 – If criteria in Section 3 are met, voting for Officers shall take place at the following scheduled Student Chapter meeting

Section 5 -Three-fourths of the active members shall constitute a quorum for election of officers. A majority vote shall be required for election. If no nominee receives a majority on the first ballot, a second ballot shall be held between the two leading candidates.

Section 6 - The Faculty Advisor shall be elected in odd-numbered years for a term of two years and may be re-elected. The newly elected Officers and the outgoing Faculty Advisor will nominate and vote for a new Faculty Advisor in the Spring Semester of odd-numbered years at their convenience.

Section 7 - A special election shall be held to fill any vacant office occurring before the next regular election, except that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice President until the next election or special election. If the President resigns in the Summer, a special election shall be held to elect a new President early Fall. If the President resigns in the Spring Semester, the Vice President will fulfill the term of the Presidency.

Section 8 - A recall election for any office may be initiated by action of the Officers Council or by vote or written request of half of the active membership. Three-fourths of the active members shall constitute a quorum for a recall. A majority vote shall be required for recall.

Article V – General Meeting

Section 1 – General meeting shall be held monthly to discuss the development of plastics and to plan the future activities.

Article VI – Proposed Activities

Section 1 - Student scholarships may be awarded to graduate and undergraduate student members.

Section 2 - Academic conferences such as the International Polyolefin Meeting and the Annual Technical Conference may be sponsored each year.

Section 3 - Lecture series may be held for sharing and discussing the ideas in plastics and polymers among the student members. This also serves as a platform to train members in giving presentations on technical subjects.

Section 4 - Educational/Outreach activities may be hosted to school children highlighting the interesting facts and career prospects in plastics in the near future.

Article VII – Committees

Section 1 – There shall be the following committees:

a. Events Committee

b. Recruiting Committee

c. Scholarship Committee

d. Funding Committee

e. Web Page Committee

Section 2 - The duties of the committees shall be as follows:

a. The Events Committee will work to schedule field trips and other events to promote plastics and polymer knowledge for the Chapter and/or the community.

b. The Recruiting Committee will work to recruit students from Science, Engineering and Technology majors on the Texas Tech campus with an interest in plastics or polymers to join the Student Chapter.

c. The Scholarship Committee shall be composed of the Officers Council and any other representative(s) the Officers Council sees fit to appoint for scholarship/academic reward decisions.

d. The Funding Committee shall work closely with the Vice President in order to contact local and regional industry in addition to the Regional Chapters of The Society of Plastics Engineers to secure funding for the Student Chapter.

e. The Web Page Committee will work to develop and maintain a website for the Student Chapter.

Section 3 – All committees will have a committee chair. Committee Chairs will be voted in using the same process in Article IV, Sections 1-5.

Section 4 – In the event of there is a vacancy for a committee chair, the President will appoint an individual to that vacancy.

Article VIII – Associations

Section 1 – The Texas Tech Chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers is associated with the South Texas Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers and The National Chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

Article IX - Finances

Section 1 - The expenses of the Chapter shall be met by private donations and any funds obtained from the Texas Tech University Student Government Association.

Section 2 - A simple majority vote of the Chapter Members shall be required to add or change any fees or dues or levy any assessments for Student Chapter memberships.

Article X - Amendments

Section 1 - A proposed amendment to these By-Laws must be read by an active member and seconded by an active member at one meeting and voted on at the following meeting.

Section 2 - A favorable vote of two-thirds of the total active membership shall be required to pass an amendment.

Article XI - Conduct

Section 1 – All members agree to abide by the rules and regulations set forth in the Texas Tech Student Affairs Handbook, Code of Student Conduct.

Article XII - Accepting Robert's Rules of Order