San Diego Mesa College SHPE Bylaws
Article I Name of Organization
The name of this organization shall be The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Mesa Engineering Student Chapter.
Article II Mission Statement/Purpose/Objectives
Mission Statement - To use the pooled resources of SHPE Inc. to educate and inspire high school and college students about engineering career options through engineering fairs, demonstrations, community giving and competitions.
Purpose and Objectives -
Every semester the club must author a list of semester specific goals. The status of each goal must be reviewed at every general membership meeting and every board meeting until the goal is achieved. The goals must be published on a separate semester goals page on the club website.
Article IV Decisions and Transaction Transparency
All club members are responsible for ensuring transparency in the club. A spirit of transparency will permeate every club activity and transaction including but not limited to:
SECTION 1. Affiliation: The SHPE Mesa Engineering Student Chapter will be an affiliated chapter of the SHPE Inc. The organization possesses the right to adopt its own rules and procedures within the framework of SHPE's rules and regulations and Mesa College's rules and regulations. This student chapter will be part of the local area as defined by the Regional Vice President and the local professional chapter Presidents.
SECTION 2. Non-Discrimination: No person shall be denied membership in this organization because race, color, sex, handicap, nationality, religious affiliation or belief.
Article VI Membership
SECTION 1 Regular Membership: Regular membership shall be open to all students with emphasis in recruiting those pursuing engineering, science, math, computer science, business and pre-medical. Criteria for Regular Chapter Membership:
Criteria for Associate Membership:
Article VII Officers / Executive Board
SECTION 1. Officers: Officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Director, Project Coordinator, Event Coordinator, and Webmaster. The term of office shall be one academic year. A term of less than one year may be granted to students transferring to a university before completion of the term in question. A replacement must be appointed before the transfer ready officer leaves office.
SECTION 2. President: The President shall represent the chapter and be responsible for all business concerning the chapter. The President shall have full power in the management and business of the chapter and shall set and establish all policy of the chapter and/or other functions or activities under the direction of this chapter. The President shall also be the official spokesperson for the chapter, handle all correspondence with regional bodies, represent the chapter at regional meetings and events, manage the other operation officers, and manage the day-to-day affairs of the chapter.
SECTION 3. Vice President: The Vice President (VP) shall assist the President in all business concerning the chapter and shall act as a President Pro Tempore in the latter's absence. The VP will also be in charge of the external affairs of the chapter (industrial relations, company tours, etc.).
SECTION 4. Secretary: The Secretary will be responsible for scheduling general and board meetings, reserving meeting rooms and equipment, sending task reminders related to upcoming meetings, taking minutes of each club meeting, and posting the meeting minutes appropriately. The Secretary will also be in charge of the bulletin board. He/She will be responsible for registering the organization with Mesa College each year and for tallying the election votes.
SECTION 5. Treasurer: The Treasurer will keep the books and records on money received and disbursed. The Treasurer will make quarterly financial reports listing all liabilities and assets of the organization to the Executive Board and the general membership. It will be the Treasurer's responsibility to present annual budget and complete financial report to the executive Board. The Treasurer will be responsible for managing all student expense reimbursements to completion.
SECTION 6. Membership Director: The Membership Director will be responsible for recruiting new members, managing member information, managing member information, and ensuring submission of member application. The Membership Director will also be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date roster of club members and providing new members with information about SHPE.
SECTION 7. Project Coordinator: The Project Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating all club projects. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: coordinating with individual project managers to schedule project meetings and goals, creating and maintaining email lists of project members, sending and receiving correspondence to and from project members and manager, and reporting progress of projects at the general and elected board meetings as necessary.
SECTION 8. Event Coordinator: The Event Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating all club events. Club events such as community outreach, community service, fund raising, and chapter development fall under this position. Responsibilities are to include, but not limited to, coordinating with Project Coordinator concerning project exhibits as well as contacting and informing partner clubs and organizations, faculty, executive board, and general members about scheduled events. The Event Coordinator will be SHPE – SD Mesa’s liaison for all club events.
SECTION 9. Webmaster: The Webmaster will be responsible for, but not limited to, all maintenance of email groups, user accounts, domain registration, and updating website content for the chapter website.
Article VIII Elections / Voting
SECTION 1. Nominations:
1.1 Nominations are to be held during the fifth to last regularly schedule general membership meeting of the semester.
1.2 All regular members are eligible for nomination. Only members in good academic standing may be elected into office. All nominations must be seconded for the candidates to be considered for office.
1.3 A candidate may run for only one officer position.
SECTION 2. Voting:
2.1 Officer elections are to be held during the third to last regularly schedule general membership meeting of the semester.
2.2 All persons who have become active regular members of the organization at least thirty days prior to the officer election shall be eligible to vote.
2.3 The Secretary is responsible for creating a ballot for each eligible member to complete. Officers shall be elected by the submission of this secret ballot with the voter's full name, signature, Mesa College student identification number, and the list of those being elected into office. A simple majority will be considered sufficient to be considered successfully elected into office.
2.4 Those unable to attend the election meeting will have two full days before the election meeting to submit the sealed ballot to the Secretary. All absentee ballots must be submitted to the secretary 24 hours before the beginning of the election meeting. The absentee ballots will be counted separately.
2.5 The Secretary will be responsible for tallying the votes and preparing the corresponding result announcement.
2.6 Winning candidates will assume office at the second to last regularly scheduled general membership meeting of the semester.
Article IX Meetings
SECTION 1. Definition of Quorum: A quorum shall consist of five active members and two officers.
SECTION 2. General Meetings: General meetings shall take place once a week during the academic year.
SECTION 3. Election Meetings: Election meetings will replace the regularly scheduled general meeting as dictated by Article VII.
SECTION 4. Special Meetings: The Board has the privilege of calling special membership meetings with at least one week advance notice to properly inform the membership.
Article X Resignation and Impeachments
SECTION 1. Resignations:
1.1 Any person willing to resign from office must submit a letter of resignation to the President or VP at least a week prior to the next general meeting.
1.2 During a meeting when a resignation is presented, nominations will be taken to fill the office. The group shall elect a person during the following week by secret ballot.
SECTION 2. Impeachments:
2.1 When any member feels that an officer is not fulfilling his/her duties, he/she may call upon the rest of the officers to meet within the next week to discuss/resolve the matter.
2.2 During the impeachment proceedings, the case will be presented. The officer under investigation will be given the opportunity to present his/her defense before the officer's vote.
2.3 A majority of the officers will decide whether the impeachment is carried out. A new officer will be nominated and elected as described under Article VI Sections 1 and 2.
Article XI Amendment to Bylaws
SECTION 1. Proposed Amendments: Proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the membership at a general meeting.
SECTION 2. Voting: A favorable vote of 2/3 of the members on the issue is required for amendment passage.
SECTION 3. Submission of New Constitution: The amendment shall be submitted to the SHPE Membership Coordinator for approval. Once approved, the amended constitution shall be submitted to Mesa College Student Affairs office.
Article XII Donations
This organization may accept gifts, legacies, donations and/or contributions in any form, upon terms and condition as determined by the Board.
Article XIII Liability of Members
No member of this organization shall be, by mere virtue of their membership, personally liable for the debts, liabilities or obligations of SHPE.
Article XIV History
SHPE was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the City of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community. The concept of networking was the key basis for the organization. SHPE quickly established two student chapters to begin the network that would grow to encompass the nation as well as reach countries outside the united States. Today, SHPE enjoys a strong but independent network of professional and student chapters throughout the nation. SHPE was originally chartered at Mesa College during spring 2008 semester.
Article I Name of Organization
The name of this organization shall be The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Mesa Engineering Student Chapter.
Article II Mission Statement/Purpose/Objectives
Mission Statement - To use the pooled resources of SHPE Inc. to educate and inspire high school and college students about engineering career options through engineering fairs, demonstrations, community giving and competitions.
Purpose and Objectives -
- To educate and inspire high school and college students about the different engineering career options.
- To motivate high school and college students to follow an engineering career through exposure to engineering related experiments and demonstrations.
- To motivate college students to pursue engineering careers while providing an opportunity to practice related skills.
- To assist students to achieve success in math, science, and engineering courses.
- To be active role models within the San Diego community, through community service and pre-college programs.
- To promote the development of leadership skills in students.
- To offer financial assistance through scholarships.
- To provide professional engineering speakers, guided engineering corporation tours and internships.
- To offer assistance with transferring to a four-year university through peer counseling, university tours and networking.
Every semester the club must author a list of semester specific goals. The status of each goal must be reviewed at every general membership meeting and every board meeting until the goal is achieved. The goals must be published on a separate semester goals page on the club website.
Article IV Decisions and Transaction Transparency
All club members are responsible for ensuring transparency in the club. A spirit of transparency will permeate every club activity and transaction including but not limited to:
- All decisions made by the board, a club officer or a project manager that affects club administration, project or events will be published on the club internal website.
- All club financial transactions will be published on the site for all members to inspect as needed. These include dues collected, event expense, and project expenses.
SECTION 1. Affiliation: The SHPE Mesa Engineering Student Chapter will be an affiliated chapter of the SHPE Inc. The organization possesses the right to adopt its own rules and procedures within the framework of SHPE's rules and regulations and Mesa College's rules and regulations. This student chapter will be part of the local area as defined by the Regional Vice President and the local professional chapter Presidents.
SECTION 2. Non-Discrimination: No person shall be denied membership in this organization because race, color, sex, handicap, nationality, religious affiliation or belief.
Article VI Membership
SECTION 1 Regular Membership: Regular membership shall be open to all students with emphasis in recruiting those pursuing engineering, science, math, computer science, business and pre-medical. Criteria for Regular Chapter Membership:
- The student must be enrolled at Mesa College and must be attending at least one course in any subject.
- The student must pay a fee of $10 to the club, $5 will be used towards SHPE, Inc. membership fee.
- The student must attend at least one complete general membership meeting during the semester.
- Regular members shall be eligible for all benefits SHPE Mesa Engineering and SHPE, Inc. have to offer.
- Regular members shall have the right to hold office, vote in elections, and nominate other chapter students for office.
Criteria for Associate Membership:
- Must have a wish to support the purpose and objectives of the chapter.
- Associate members shall be eligible for all benefits SHPE Mesa Engineering has to offer.
- Associate members shall have the right to vote in elections and nominate other chapter students for office provided the pay the club member dues.
Article VII Officers / Executive Board
SECTION 1. Officers: Officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Director, Project Coordinator, Event Coordinator, and Webmaster. The term of office shall be one academic year. A term of less than one year may be granted to students transferring to a university before completion of the term in question. A replacement must be appointed before the transfer ready officer leaves office.
SECTION 2. President: The President shall represent the chapter and be responsible for all business concerning the chapter. The President shall have full power in the management and business of the chapter and shall set and establish all policy of the chapter and/or other functions or activities under the direction of this chapter. The President shall also be the official spokesperson for the chapter, handle all correspondence with regional bodies, represent the chapter at regional meetings and events, manage the other operation officers, and manage the day-to-day affairs of the chapter.
SECTION 3. Vice President: The Vice President (VP) shall assist the President in all business concerning the chapter and shall act as a President Pro Tempore in the latter's absence. The VP will also be in charge of the external affairs of the chapter (industrial relations, company tours, etc.).
SECTION 4. Secretary: The Secretary will be responsible for scheduling general and board meetings, reserving meeting rooms and equipment, sending task reminders related to upcoming meetings, taking minutes of each club meeting, and posting the meeting minutes appropriately. The Secretary will also be in charge of the bulletin board. He/She will be responsible for registering the organization with Mesa College each year and for tallying the election votes.
SECTION 5. Treasurer: The Treasurer will keep the books and records on money received and disbursed. The Treasurer will make quarterly financial reports listing all liabilities and assets of the organization to the Executive Board and the general membership. It will be the Treasurer's responsibility to present annual budget and complete financial report to the executive Board. The Treasurer will be responsible for managing all student expense reimbursements to completion.
SECTION 6. Membership Director: The Membership Director will be responsible for recruiting new members, managing member information, managing member information, and ensuring submission of member application. The Membership Director will also be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date roster of club members and providing new members with information about SHPE.
SECTION 7. Project Coordinator: The Project Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating all club projects. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: coordinating with individual project managers to schedule project meetings and goals, creating and maintaining email lists of project members, sending and receiving correspondence to and from project members and manager, and reporting progress of projects at the general and elected board meetings as necessary.
SECTION 8. Event Coordinator: The Event Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating all club events. Club events such as community outreach, community service, fund raising, and chapter development fall under this position. Responsibilities are to include, but not limited to, coordinating with Project Coordinator concerning project exhibits as well as contacting and informing partner clubs and organizations, faculty, executive board, and general members about scheduled events. The Event Coordinator will be SHPE – SD Mesa’s liaison for all club events.
SECTION 9. Webmaster: The Webmaster will be responsible for, but not limited to, all maintenance of email groups, user accounts, domain registration, and updating website content for the chapter website.
Article VIII Elections / Voting
SECTION 1. Nominations:
1.1 Nominations are to be held during the fifth to last regularly schedule general membership meeting of the semester.
1.2 All regular members are eligible for nomination. Only members in good academic standing may be elected into office. All nominations must be seconded for the candidates to be considered for office.
1.3 A candidate may run for only one officer position.
SECTION 2. Voting:
2.1 Officer elections are to be held during the third to last regularly schedule general membership meeting of the semester.
2.2 All persons who have become active regular members of the organization at least thirty days prior to the officer election shall be eligible to vote.
2.3 The Secretary is responsible for creating a ballot for each eligible member to complete. Officers shall be elected by the submission of this secret ballot with the voter's full name, signature, Mesa College student identification number, and the list of those being elected into office. A simple majority will be considered sufficient to be considered successfully elected into office.
2.4 Those unable to attend the election meeting will have two full days before the election meeting to submit the sealed ballot to the Secretary. All absentee ballots must be submitted to the secretary 24 hours before the beginning of the election meeting. The absentee ballots will be counted separately.
2.5 The Secretary will be responsible for tallying the votes and preparing the corresponding result announcement.
2.6 Winning candidates will assume office at the second to last regularly scheduled general membership meeting of the semester.
Article IX Meetings
SECTION 1. Definition of Quorum: A quorum shall consist of five active members and two officers.
SECTION 2. General Meetings: General meetings shall take place once a week during the academic year.
SECTION 3. Election Meetings: Election meetings will replace the regularly scheduled general meeting as dictated by Article VII.
SECTION 4. Special Meetings: The Board has the privilege of calling special membership meetings with at least one week advance notice to properly inform the membership.
Article X Resignation and Impeachments
SECTION 1. Resignations:
1.1 Any person willing to resign from office must submit a letter of resignation to the President or VP at least a week prior to the next general meeting.
1.2 During a meeting when a resignation is presented, nominations will be taken to fill the office. The group shall elect a person during the following week by secret ballot.
SECTION 2. Impeachments:
2.1 When any member feels that an officer is not fulfilling his/her duties, he/she may call upon the rest of the officers to meet within the next week to discuss/resolve the matter.
2.2 During the impeachment proceedings, the case will be presented. The officer under investigation will be given the opportunity to present his/her defense before the officer's vote.
2.3 A majority of the officers will decide whether the impeachment is carried out. A new officer will be nominated and elected as described under Article VI Sections 1 and 2.
Article XI Amendment to Bylaws
SECTION 1. Proposed Amendments: Proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the membership at a general meeting.
SECTION 2. Voting: A favorable vote of 2/3 of the members on the issue is required for amendment passage.
SECTION 3. Submission of New Constitution: The amendment shall be submitted to the SHPE Membership Coordinator for approval. Once approved, the amended constitution shall be submitted to Mesa College Student Affairs office.
Article XII Donations
This organization may accept gifts, legacies, donations and/or contributions in any form, upon terms and condition as determined by the Board.
Article XIII Liability of Members
No member of this organization shall be, by mere virtue of their membership, personally liable for the debts, liabilities or obligations of SHPE.
Article XIV History
SHPE was founded in Los Angeles, California in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the City of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community. The concept of networking was the key basis for the organization. SHPE quickly established two student chapters to begin the network that would grow to encompass the nation as well as reach countries outside the united States. Today, SHPE enjoys a strong but independent network of professional and student chapters throughout the nation. SHPE was originally chartered at Mesa College during spring 2008 semester.