FSU | Political Science Student Association

The Political Science Student Association

Associated in part with The Florida State University

Constitution

Article I-Organization Name

The name of this organization shall be the Political Science Student Association at The Florida State University. The organization may also refer to itself as PSSA.

Article II-Purpose

The goal and mission of the Political Science Student Association (PSSA) is to promote awareness of domestic and international politics affecting our daily lives through providing an professional, academic and intellectually stimulating environment for students to flourish in. PSSA will address a variety of issues from globalization to communication between cultures. Political Science and International Relations will be two of the key topics addressed by this organization. PSSA will promote careers in the Social Sciences and involvement in other social sciences organizations.

All activities and functions of PSSA shall be legal under University, local, state and federal laws.

Article III-Membership

Section I: Membership Statement

Membership is limited to registered students at the Florida State University.

· Membership is open to students of all majors, emphasis on students within the College of Social Sciences.

· 2.75 Minimum GPA required by all members, subject to verification

· 12 hours of FSU credit OR a political science course at a previous academic institution.

· Must be in good academic and judicial standing with the Florida State University. Should academic or judicial standing become compromised at anytime, PSSA executive board reserves the right to place members on probation or terminate membership.

No hazing or discrimination will be used as a condition of membership in this organization.

No university student may be denied membership on the basis of race, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, parental status, disability, or the inability to pay dues.

Section 2: Recruitment

Recruitment shall be take place throughout the year with emphasis on first four weeks of academic calendar. Membership is open at all times.

Section 3: Revocation of Membership

Membership may be revoked without mutual agreement for non-participation, misconduct, or violations of any provisions of the Constitution. The member will be notified in writing of the possible revocation at least 72 hours prior to the vote and will be allowed to address the organization in order to relate to members any relevant defense prior to the voting for removal. Membership can only be revoked upon a 2/3 majority within the Executive Board. Revocation of membership will be valid for two (2) semesters.

Section 4; Appeal Process

Any student whose membership is revoked will have seven (7) calendar day to appeal the revocation. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Director and Secretary and should include any relevant information that has not already been presented. The Director will then submit the appeal to the Appeals Committee. This committee consists of three executive board members and five general body members. The committee has seven (7) calendar days to render a decision and should notify the member in writing.

Article IV-Officers

Section 1: Eligibility

All officers of the Political Science Student Association shall be enrolled at least part-time at the university and posses and overall 2.75 grade point average.

Section 2: Titles and Duties

The offices of this organization shall include a Director, Assistant Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian and Public Relations Officers. All officers will maintain voting rights and is not permitted to hold more than one office at any time. A non-voting member of the executive board shall be a website designer, who will fall under the direction of the Public Relations officer. No officer may serve for more than four (4) consecutive term. A term is defined as one regular academic semester.

Officers must be re-elected each semester as described in Article V.

The Director shall:

· Supervise all activities of the organization.

· Preside over all meetings and call all meetings to order.

· Be one of three signers of financial documents.

· Coordinate all conferences.

· Ensure all officers are performing duties as assigned and defined in the Constitution.

· Be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct meetings.

· Assign special projects to officers.

The Assistant Director shall:

· Assist the Director in his/her duties.

· Assumes the Directors responsibilities in his/her absence.

· Keep accurate records of all meetings in the Secretary’s absence.

· Plan and be responsible for all retreats and training of the organization.

· Perform an audit of all financial transactions of the organization twice yearly.

· Assist in special projects as assigned by the Director.

The Secretary Shall:

· Notify members of meetings via e-mail and/or telephone at least 48 hours in advance.

· Keep accurate records of all meetings.

· Maintain accurate list of members and their contact information.

· Perform a role call of all members and maintain attendance records.

· Prepare ballots for elections.

· Keep copy of constitution viewable to all members.

· Assist in special projects as assigned by the Director.

· Assist the Public Relations Officer in website management

The Treasurer Shall:

· Keep an accurate account of all funds received and expended.

· Be one of three signers on financial documents.

· Be responsible for collecting dues and notifying members who are delinquent in their payments.

· Be responsible for creating budget reports at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester and as requested by the Director, Assistant Director, and or FSU faculty/staff advisor.

· Assist in the creation of the yearly/semester budget with other executive board members.

The Public Relations Officer shall:

· Head the recruitment of PSSA membership drives

· Attend meetings with FSU faculty/staff or select committee’s when Director or Assistant Director is unavailable.

· Maintain and guide the design of the PSSA website (fsupssa.org) with the assistance of a website designer.

· Assist or head up any special projects as assigned by the director.

· Serve along with the Director as the primary face of PSSA to the university and local community

Article V-Selection of Officers

Section 1: Eligibility to Vote and Hold Office

Active voting membership will be limited to all students who are active members in good standing. Only active voting members who meet the requirements stated in Article IV, Section are eligible to hold offices.

Section 2: Nomination Process

The nomination of officers shall occur at the first meeting held in November. Any eligible member (as defined in Article III Section 1) present may nominate someone or themselves for office by verbally nominating the individual during this procedure. However, the nominee must be considered an eligible member (as previously defined). Absentee & proxy ballots are not permitted in the nomination or election process.

Section 3: Election Process

The election of officers shall occur at the second meeting held in November. The nominated candidates will be given a chance to address the organization to discuss his/her qualifications and reasons why they should be selected. Once each candidate has the opportunity to speak, all eligible members (as defined in Article III Section 1) present will have the opportunity to vote by secret ballot. The faculty/staff advisor and current highest-ranking officer not running for office will tabulate all votes. The highest0ranking officer not running for office shall announce the officer with a simple majority of votes cast by eligible members. After announcing the new office the highest-ranking office not running for office shall ask if any eligible members contest the count. If no member contests the count the new office shall take office at the next meeting. If a member contests the vote, the officer-in-charge and advisor will re-tabulate the votes. In the event of a tie, the Director shall cast the deciding vote for office unless he/she is running for the said office. In that case, the next highest-ranking officer shall make the deciding vote.

Section 4: Term of Office

The length of office shall be no longer than one calendar year limited to two. Newly elected officers shall take office at the next meeting of the organization. Their term shall end one year from the commencement.

Article VI-Officer Vacancies

Section I: Removal of Officers

Any officer may be removed from office upon a 2/3 majority vote of eligible members. The officer will be notified in writing of the possible termination or removal at least 72 hours prior to the vote and will be allowed to address the organization in order to relate to member any relevant defense prior to the voting for removal. In order to be removed an officer or two general members must file a list of grievances to the Director, Advisor and Secretary.

Section 2: Resignation

Officers no longer wishing to serve on the board must submit their resignation to the Direct at least two (2) weeks in advance. Prior to the officers final day he/she shall provide all documents relating to the organization and brief their replacement of current projects in his/her care.

Section 3: Filling Vacant Officer Positions

In the event an officer is removed or resigns, the nomination process as stated in Article V, Section 2 will take place at the next scheduled meeting. The election process will take pace as stated in Article V, Section 3 at the next scheduled meeting following nomination. The newly elected officers term shall end at the annual election scheduled in November.

Article VII-Meetings

The quorum required to conduct business if fifty (50%) percent of the officers and fifty (50%) of the organization’s active members. The Director will be in charge of calling meetings and the secretary will be responsible to notify all members. Members must be notified of meetings at least 48 hours in advance and shall be notified via e-mail and/or telephone. The director shall preside over all meetings and shall follow Roberts Rules of Order in conducting organizational meetings.

Article VIII-Advisor

Section 1: Nomination and Role

The advisor shall be selected by the officers of this organization and must be approved by a simple majority vote of eligible members. The advisor shall serve as a mentor to the organization providing guidance to the officers and members. The advisor has no voting rights. The advisor position has no term limit other than he/she must be a current FSU faculty/staff member.

Section 2: Removal and Replacement of Advisor

The advisor will be notified in writing of the possible removal at least 72 hours prior to the vote and will be allowed to address the organization in order to relate to members any relevant defense prior to the voting for removal. Upon a 2/3 majority vote of eligible members the advisor will be remove from his/her duties. In the event that an advisor is removed or resigns, a new advisor shall be elected within 14 calendar days.

Article IX-Finances

Section 1: Membership Dues

Membership dues shall be ten ($10) dollars per semester or fifteen ($15) per academic year. Membership dues will be collected at the first and second meetings of the fall and spring Semester. As stated in Article III Section 1, no university student may be denied membership due to the inability to pay dues. If a member is not able to pay dues, other arrangements will be made.

Section 2: Spending Organization’s Money

For the protection of the organization and its officers it is required that two authorized signatures sign all monetary transactions. Only the Director, Treasurer, and FSU Faculty/Staff Advisor can be signers on the organization’s account. Organizational funds may be spent on items such as office supplies, events/activities, publicity, travel expenses, conference fees, etc., but will not be used for anything illegal under University, local, state, and federal laws.

Section 3: Officer Transition

It shall be the responsibility of all account signers to chance contact information as well as assist in the update of new account signatures after each election with the organizations financial institution. In addition, the Treasurer will be responsible to pass along all information from previous year’s budget and current budget.

Section 4: Dissolution or Organization

In the event that the organization ceases to exist, any funds remaining in the organization’s account shall be remitted back to the Student Government Association, or donated to a reputable charity.

Article X-Publications

Section 1: Compliance

All advertisements of the organization must comply with the University Posting Policy (http://www.fsu.edu/~posting/fsupolicy.html).

Section 2: Approval

The Secretary and Director must approve all publications, shirts, flyers, etc. prior to duplication and distribution.

Article XI-Amendments

Amendments to the constitution must be proposed in writing to the Director. The amendment must then be presented to the organization during a scheduled meeting and should include a full explanation and/or rationale for the amendment. The amendment must be voted on at the next scheduled meeting. The amendment shall not take effect until approved by a 2/3 majority vote of eligible members of the organization.

History of Constitution

Created: 29^th day of August in the year 2005.

Revised:

20^th day of September in the year 2006

Last Update: September 2, 2007