Pitt Robotics Club Constitution

Preamble

This constitution defines the Robotics Club, hereinafter referred to as RC, as an organization that promotes the experimentation with robotics, provides a forum for discussion and sharing information, and gives its members a community to participate in and learn about the field of robotics.

Article I - Club Membership

The RC welcomes anyone with an interest in robotics. Membership to the RC is open to anyone involved with the University of Pittsburgh including, but not limited to, current students and alumni, faculty and staff of the University of Pittsburgh, and other non-university persons.

A. Regular Membership

Current students of the University of Pittsburgh can apply for regular membership with the RC. Anyone who wishes to be a member must contact the Executive Board. Only regular members of the RC may vote. No hazing or illegal discrimination will be used as a condition of regular membership in the RC.

B. Associate Membership

Alumni of the University of Pittsburgh, non-university persons, faculty and staff may participate in the meetings and activities of the RC at the approval of the Executive Board.  However, voting privileges are limited to only active regular members in good standing with the RC.  No hazing or illegal discrimination will be used as a condition of membership in the RC.

C. Membership Procedure and Expiration

The procedure for becoming a regular or associate member of the RC is the same.  The applicant must contact the Executive Board with his/her intention to join; if necessary, the applicant must fill out all paperwork.  It is the Executive Board’s decision whether or not to accept membership proposals.

Regular membership expires after graduation from the University for students and one year for faculty and staff, unless circumstances cause early termination. Associate membership expires after one year, unless circumstances cause early termination.  Ex-members may re-apply for membership in the RC.

D. Grounds for Removal

Grounds for removal of a RC member shall include any action deemed inappropriate and inimical to the objectives of the RC by the Executive Board. Initiation of removal proceedings shall begin with a charge made by an Executive Board member. Once the charge is made, the Executive Board shall set a date when the proceedings shall take place. The date of the proceedings shall be no sooner than 30 days after the initial charge is made. During the removal proceedings, the accused member shall have an opportunity to defend him/herself.  Once the accused member has had a chance to speak, a vote on his or her removal shall take place. The quorum for voting shall be the rest of the Executive Board and 10 regular RC members, or as close to 10 as possible given the membership roster. For the accused member to be removed the Executive Board must vote unanimously and there must be a majority of votes made by the attending regular members.  If expelled from the RC, the former member may be denied membership if the Executive Board deems his or her continued participation and inimical to the objectives of the RC.

Article II - The Executive Board

The Executive Board, hereafter referred to as the Board, shall be made up of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.  The Board shall be involved in setting up activities and organizational committees, organizing meetings, handling public relations, forming external affiliations, establishing the budget, allocating and securing funding, and making other decisions relevant to the RC.  The board shall make general decisions based on consensus.  In the event that a consensus among the Board members cannot be reached, the faculty advisor shall cast a vote to end the deadlock, per restrictions stated below.

A. Board Members

The President shall be the head of the Board, and shall set the schedule for general and Board meetings, conduct those meetings, and be the main representative of the RC to other people and groups.  The President shall also organize the elections of Board members.  In the event that the President is unavailable to handle meetings or deal with conflicts that require immediate attention, the Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary can substitute for him, in that order.

The Vice President shall facilitate the communication between the Board and general members, as well as to prepare and conduct activities set up by the Board that may deal with, but are not limited to, setting up committees, securing open lab space for members to work on their own creations, tours, lectures and other events.

The Treasurer shall be in charge of the RC budget.   The Treasurer shall also set up and conduct fundraising activities that may include, but are not limited to, establishing corporate sponsors, selling materials, and other such events.

The Secretary shall record important information during a meeting and any By Laws or Rules of Order passed by the Board.  The Secretary shall also make these records available to all RC members.  In the event that the Secretary is unavailable to handle meetings, the President, Vice President, or Treasurer can substitute for him, in that order.

B. Voting for Board Members

At the first general RC meeting of the academic year, regular members in good standing with the RC can be nominated for one or more of the Board positions by other RC members.  Good standing shall be defined as those who are active in activities set up by the RC, and attempt to attend regular meetings.  If a member is nominated for more than one position, then the nominee shall decide on which position or positions for which to run if at all.  Only the regular members will then vote on the nominees at the second general meeting.  Voting privileges are limited to student members in good standing with the RC.  The previous year’s Board President shall determine the voting procedure for the next Board.  Whoever gets the most votes in each campaign shall assume the position.

C. Board Member Term of Office

Each Board position shall have a term of office of one academic year, unless circumstances cause early termination.

D. Removal of Board Members

Any Board member may voluntarily resign from their position.  He or she must inform the rest of the Board of his or her decision in writing.  The Board member’s resignation goes into effect after the next general body meeting or as deemed necessary by the Board.  Resignation of a Board member does not remove him or her from general RC membership.

Grounds for a forced removal of a Board member shall include, conviction of a felony during the term of office, dereliction of duties, or any action deemed inappropriate and inimical to the objectives of the RC by the Board.  Initiation of removal proceedings shall begin with a charge made by a Board member. Once the charge is made, the Board shall set a date when the proceedings shall take place. The date of the proceedings shall be no sooner than 30 days after the initial charge is made. During the removal proceedings, the accused member shall have an opportunity to defend him/herself.  Once the accused member has had a chance to speak, a vote on his or her removal shall take place. The quorum for voting shall be the rest of the Board and 10 regular RC members, or as close to 10 as possible given the membership roster. For the accused Board member to be removed the remaining Executive Board must vote unanimously and there must be a majority of votes made by the attending regular members.  Dismissal of a Board member does not remove him or her from general RC membership.

Nomination of replacement Board members for vacant positions shall take place at the general body meeting that immediately follows the removal or resignation.  If a member is nominated for more than one position, then the nominee shall decide on which position or positions for which to run if at all.  Voting of replacement Board members shall occur at the second meeting after the resignation or dismissal. Whoever gets the most votes in the campaign shall assume the position.

A replacement Board member’s term of office shall only be the remainder of the academic year, unless circumstances cause early termination.

Article III - Committees

A. Definition

Committees are teams of RC members that are set up to handle certain tasks collectively and allow the RC to run multiple projects in parallel.  Any member can create a committee, provided that that member informs the Board of its creation. The Board can all set up committees to conduct activities, programs and services that the RC will sponsor.  Any number of people can form or join a committee. Committees may deal with the construction of a robot or team of robots, the teaching or presentation of information related to the field of robotics, the experimentation with robotics, or any other activity permitted by the Board.

B. Creation

All committees, which request funding or sponsorship from the RC, must be sanctioned by the Board.  The Board may require that committee leaders fill out a form for approval.  Only sponsored committees may carry the Pittsburgh Robotics Club name.

C. Allocation of Funding

All committees requesting funding from the RC must have Board approval.  The Board may require that a form be filled out for the allocation of funds.  The Board shall vote on how much funding to distribute to a particular committee. Funds cannot be spent without board approval, and all earning and expenditures must be properly recorded.

Article IV - Meetings

A. General Meetings

The Board shall decide general body meeting times and dates with input from the club members. The President shall bring the meeting to order.  Club members may form committees, discuss developments about robotics, give lectures or presentations, or carry out any other activity deemed suitable by the board. Elections and voting shall also only be held during general meetings.

B. Executive Board Meetings

The Board shall decide on private Executive Board meeting times and dates for planning and discussion purposes. The President shall bring the meeting to order.    The Secretary shall record important information during a private meeting and make these records available to all RC members.

C. Special Meetings

At the first general RC meeting of the academic year members in good standing with the RC can be nominated for one or more of the Board positions by other RC members.  The first general RC meeting shall take place during the 3^rd week of September unless atypical circumstances cause for a later date.  The current Board shall determine the precise time and date.

At the Second general RC meeting the members will then vote on the nominees.

The third general meeting shall be dedicated to setting the goals of the RC for the rest of the year.

The last general meeting of the academic year shall be reserved for a pizza party in celebration of all the hard work done during the year if the RC budget permits it.

Article V – Faculty Advisor

The role of the faculty advisor shall be one that evolves over time and is defined by situation.  The faculty advisor may advise the Board on decisions, give presentations at general meetings on topics related to robotics, or anything deemed appropriate by the Board and faculty advisor.  The faculty advisor is considered a member of the RC.

Although the board makes general decisions based on a consensus, deadlocks and ties can happen.  In the event that a consensus among the Board members cannot be reached, the faculty advisor can cast a vote as a Board member to end the tie.

There may be more than one faculty advisor, but only one my vote at any one meeting.  The advisors shall draw lots to determine who shall vote during the meeting.  In the event that the chosen faculty advisor cannot fulfill his or her duties, then the remaining advisors shall draw lots to determine who shall accept the predecessor’s responsibilities for that particular meeting only.

Article VI – By Laws and Rules of Order

The Board can create By Laws or Rules of Order for meetings as the need arises. Any member may propose a bill for additional By Laws or Rules of Order.  The Board shall vote upon and ratify the proposed bill.  The Secretary shall keep a record of the By Laws and Rules of Order.

Article VII - Elasticity of this Constitution

The ideas set forth in this constitution can be altered as the need arises. Once a proposal to amend the constitution is made, the Executive Board must receive input from its members as well as the faculty advisor. For the amendment to be made, a majority vote of the Board, the advisor, and the general members must be achieved.

Article VIII - Disclaimer

The ideas set forth in this constitution are not necessarily the ideas of its authors.  The user is advised that the paper this constitution is printed on is mostly empty space.  Please note, that this constitution may cease to exist as long as the user is not collapsing the wavefunction for the paper’s eigenstate.  In other words – out of site; out of existence (mind?). I think, therefore I am.  But I don’t know if you think, therefore I don’t know if you are (what?).  If you are reading this then you don’t need glasses.  Warning:  If the user reads this disclaimer, then the user has too much time on the user’s hands. In the case that the user has too much time on the user’s hands, the user is advised to join a club, such as the RC.  Remember, no matter where you are, you are there if you precisely measure your momentum eigenstate.  Or do you?  You have the right to dispute this interpretation of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle.  To find out more about submitting your right to dispute, please see http://helix.nature.com/presubmission/.  Please note: the mentioned URL (Universal Resource Location) is not affiliated with this disclaimer.