SHPE Constitution

We, the members of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers do hereby establish this Constitution in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent. 

Article I – Name

The name of this organization will be the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, henceforth referred to as SHPE-UMD. 

Article II – Mission

SHPE-UMD changes lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize their fullest potential and impacts the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development.

SHPE-UMD understands and is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities of abiding by University of Maryland, College Park policies.

Article III – Membership

Membership shall be limited to persons officially connected with the University of Maryland, College Park as faculty, staff or currently enrolled students. There are no fees to become a member of the SHPE-UMD chapter. 

An active member of the SHPE-UMD Chapter will be defined by the Active Member Point System (refer to Article III Subsection I)

The organization does not discriminate in violation of the University’s Code of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion or in violation of University policies. The organization, its officers and members must agree to abide by University policies and procedures and applicable federal, state and local laws.

Subsection I – Active SHPE-UMD Member

    1. Definition
      1. Comes to events that are not listed as General Body Meetings
        1. Volunteer Events
          1. A community service opportunity sponsored/approved/co-sponsored by SHPE-UMD
        2. Social Events
          1. An event aimed to promote community building within the members of the SHPE chapter sponsored/approved/co-sponsored by SHPE-UMD
        3. Professional/Academic Events
          1. An event aimed to promote the professional and academic development of SHPE-UMD members sponsored/approved/co-sponsored by SHPE-UMD
      2. Attend General Body Meetings
        1. Active Participation in General Body Meetings
          1. Must attend the meeting for the majority of the duration: 50% of meeting
    2. Weights
      1. Comes to events that are not listed as General Body Meetings
        1. Volunteer Events
          1. 1 point per hour of volunteering
            1. For active membership status: 25% of total points allotted.
        2. Social Events
          1. 2 points per event attended
            1. For active membership status: 50% of events
        3. Professional/Academic Events
          1. 2 points per event attended
            1. For active membership status: 66% of events
      2. Attend General Body Meetings
        1. 1 point per event attended
          1. For active membership status: 50% of events
      3. Statement: Points are determined per semester. At the termination of each scholastic semester, a member’s points will reset. On the occasion that a student is unable to maintain an active status both semesters, a majority vote executed by the executive board as defined by the constitution will determine if an exception can be made. 
    3. Appeal

Subsection II – Rewards/Recognition

  1. Rewards and recognition will be based on the status of a member
    1. Priority for seat limited events will be awarded to members with the most accumulated points as defined by Article III Subsection I.
    2. Paraphernalia relating to the SHPE-UMD chapter will be awarded to students with an active membership status as defined by Article III Subsection I.

Article IV – Executive Board Positions

SHPE-UMD will be governed by the following means:

    1. President – The roles of the president shall be:
      1. Spearhead all Executive Board meetings of SHPE-UMD
      2. Attend 90% of the meetings and events 
      3. Coordinate with the advisor to SHPE-UMD
      4. Delegate roles for conference planning
      5. Holding Executive Board accountable for the roles as described in Article IV
      6. Appoint Banquet Chair
    2.  Vice President of External Affairs – The roles of the Vice President of External Affairs shall be:
      1. Spearhead all community outreach events
        1. Must coordinate a minimum number of 2 events (not including Noche De Ciencias) per semester
      2. Delegate roles of Noche de Ciencias and maintain/complete tasks before SHPE National deadline
      3. Help with SHPE Junior Chapter
      4. Aid the President in fulfilling duties as defined by Article IV
    3. Vice President of Internal Affairs – The roles of Vice President of Internal Event shall be:
      1. Preside at all meetings and functions that the President cannot attend
      2. Maintain contact with other organizations on campus
      3. Spearhead all events on campus
        1. Must coordinate a minimum number of 3 events per semester
    4. Corporate Chair – The roles of the Corporate Chair shall be:
      1. Maintain contact with corporate sponsors 
      2. Create/Maintain database for alumni contact
      3. Complete/Send sponsorship packet to potential and current corporate sponsors as well as find new funding opportunities for SHPE-UMD
      4. Coordinate campus-networking events with corporate representatives
        1. Must coordinate a minimum number of 3 events per semester
    5. Treasurer – The roles of the Treasurer shall be:
      1. Who will handle all accounts and will act as the SGA liaison
      2. Create/Delegate budgets for all events
        1. Be the lead on conference budgeting
      3. Order all items for events
      4. Communicate with advisor regarding all finances
      5. Plan and hold at least 1 fundraiser per semester
    6. Secretary – The roles of the Secretary shall be:
      1. Reserve rooms and be responsible for the key to rooms for events
      2. Record meeting minutes
      3. Send-out Newsletter every week
      4. Collect/Send attendance sheets to advisor and drive
      5. Must attend all meetings
        1. In the event that attendance cannot be met, appoint a substitute to take the meeting minutes
    7. Marketing Chair – The roles of the Marketing Chair shall be:
      1. Maintain photographic records of meetings and events
      2. Make flyers for events and maintain all social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
      3. Promote and advertise SHPE-UMD events
    8. Graduate Chair – The roles of graduate chair shall be:
      1. Integrate a graduate element into SHPE-UMD proceedings
      2. Coordinate with the necessary board members to be able to plan events
      3. Plan and hold at least 1 event catered towards graduate students
      4. Maintain with SHPE-DC
    9. Banquet Chair – The roles of the Banquet Chair shall be:
      1.  Assist the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering in organizing the Annual Student Recognition and Alumni Banquet
        1. Report all updates to the executive board
    10. Historian – The roles of the Historian shall be:
      1. Track Active Membership Points (see Subsection I)
      2. Attend all e-board meetings and events
      3. Keep track of attendance
      4. Take pictures of all events
    11. Technology Chair – The roles of the Banquet Chair shall be: 
      1. Update/ Maintain Website
      2. Create Projects for the semester
    12. SHPE-UMD Jr. Chair – The roles of the SHPE-UMD Jr. Chair shall be:
      1.  Establish and run all SHPE-UMD Jr. chapters and events in local high schools

The role and duties of the staff advisor shall include providing counsel to the organization’s officers, aiding the Treasurer in managing the FRS account, etc. All officers of this organization must be currently enrolled students at the University of Maryland College Park. 

Article V – Operations

    1. Voting Eligibility
      1. Those members meeting all requirements of active membership as set forth in Article III Subsection I will be granted voting privileges.
    2. Election Process
      1. All officers must be an active member as set forth in Article III Subsection I.
      2. All officers shall be elected by a majority vote of eligible voting members of SHPE-UMD. All elections will be held on an annual basis during the month of April with at least one week’s notice given prior to the meeting where elections are to be held.  Terms of office shall begin immediately upon adjournment of the election meeting.
      3. All voting shall be done by secret ballot to be collected and tabulated by the Secretary.
    3. Removal
      1. Any officer of “Name of Organization” in violation of the Organization’s purpose or constitution may be removed from office by the following process:
      2. A written request by at least three members of the Organization presented to any Executive Board member.
      3. Written notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak.
    4. Resignation
      1. Any officer who feels they can not serve on the Eboard any longer shall inform the Eboard weeks in advance before the upcoming academic semester.
      2. A letter of resignation shall be written and submitted to the SHPE-UMD advisor.
      3. The resigning officer shall meet with the Eboard at least once to pass on their duties or find someone to replace their position. 
      4. The Eboard will vote to replace the resigning officer.

Article VI – Amendments

    1. The constitution is binding to all members of SHPE-UMD.  But the constitution is not binding unto itself.
    2. Amendments to the constitution may be proposed in writing by any voting member of SHPE-UMD at any meeting at which 2/3 of the voting members is present.
    3. These amendments will be placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the executive council or other officer grouping.
    4. Proposed amendments will become effective following approval of two-thirds (2/3)-majority vote of active members.

Bylaws

    1. Meetings
      1. General Body Meetings (GBMs) should be held at least once a month to update active members on upcoming events. They will follow the procedure set below:
        1. Attendance
        2. Report by the President
        3. Committee reports
        4. Vote on all committee motions and decisions
        5.  Any other business put forward by the members of the club
        6. Presentation by corporate sponsor if present at the meeting
        7. Dismissal by the President
      2. Each semester, there must be at least one event for each of the five pillars of SHPE-UMD: Academics, Community Outreach, Chapter Development, Leadership Development, and Professional Development. 

Article IX – Finances

SHPE-UMD will finance the activities it engages in by the following means:

    1. Corporate Sponsor Donations – The sponsorship packet compiled by the Financial Chair at the beginning of the year will be sent out to all current and potential corporate sponsors. Any donations resulting from said packet will be placed in SHPE-UMD’s FRS account for future use.
    2. Fundraising Activities – SHPE-UMD members will actively seek out opportunities for fundraising, including food sales in the front lobby of Martin Hall, charging non-members for entrance into social events, etc. 
    3. SHPE-UMD will submit a budget to the Student Government Association Finance Committee or Graduate Student Government Finance Committee on an annual basis and request funding appropriate to the effective operation of the organization for each year.