Bylaws

of

Wisconsin Alpha Chapter

of

Pi Tau Sigma International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society

Adopted March 1, 2006

The name of this Organization shall be the Wisconsin Alpha Chapter of the Pi Tau Sigma International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.

The object of this Organization shall be in accordance with Article II of the Constitution of Pi Tau Sigma International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.

To become an active member with full voting rights, an individual must be accepted into the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and be in the top 25% of the junior class or top 33% of the senior class. The initiates must be voted into organization by a majority vote of the members in attendance at a general meeting prior to the initiation ceremony. The initiates must also pay lifetime dues of $40 and attend an initiation ceremony.

To become an honorary affiliate an individual must be accepted into the Department of Mechanical Engineering and be in the top 20% of the sophomore class. The honorary affiliates do not have voting rights nor can they become an officer until they become an active member. Individuals can only remain honorary affiliates until they have junior standing. At that time, they may either become an active member if they are eligible, or discontinue their membership in Pi Tau Sigma.

Only active members who are currently students may be elected to an officer position. The following is the current list of officers, their respective duties, and the order in which officers should be elected:

• President (1-semester term from May to May)
  • Preparing and maintaining yearly budget
  • Running general meetings
  • Acting as liaison to PTS Board of Directors
  • Acting as liaison to ME Department
  • Organizing travel arrangements to the Annual Convention
  • Organizing the annual PTS Spring Banquet
  • Organizing EPD 101 Visits
  • Checking email, postal mail, and phone messages
  • Maintaining the office computers and CAE account
• Vice-President (1-semester term from December to December)
  • Sending out letters to prospective initiates
  • Organizing initiation ceremony
  • Organizing the general meetings (ordering food, getting speakers)
  • Organizing the other officers
  • Running officer meetings
  • Organizing the Graduation Reception every semester
  • Reserving rooms for meetings
• Treasurer
  • Tracking the University account, checking account and cash box
  • Keeping the ledger current
  • Assisting the President in creating and maintaining the yearly budget
  • Coordinating reimbursements with the SLC
• Secretary
  • Recording minutes at general and officer meetings, and keeping them on the CAE account
  • Publicizing all general meetings by posting signs and sending emails.
  • Maintaining the roster of active members and alumni
  • Updating the email list of members
  • Maintaining a record of attendance at general meetings and other events
  • Maintaining the bulletin boards
  • Putting together a calendar of PTS events
  • Making and sending the PTS Newsletter
  • Getting office supplies when needed
  • Organizing a committee to maintain the website and run online voting every spring.
• Social & Volunteer
  • Organizing the student/professor ice cream socials
  • Organizing the student/professor cookout in the spring
  • Organizing a trip to the Chicago Auto Show
  • Organizing 2 socials per month
  • Organizing student organization volleyball tournament
  • Organizing lab and plant tours
  • Organizing volunteer and charity events
• Academic/Outreach
  • Taking care of tutoring services
  • Organizing Boy Scouts Workshop
  • Organizing a High School Outreach event
• Fundraising
  • Raising money for the organization (generally through pizza sales)
• Industrial Relations
  • Maintaining the records of the chapters industrial contacts
  • Assisting the Vice-President in obtaining industrial speakers for general meetings
  • Contacting companies in order to obtain financial assistance and participation
  • Making and handing out resume books at Career Connections
  • Updating internship/coop database
• Historian
  • Organizing the yearly "Time Capsule"
  • Taking pictures at all events
  • Maintaining the exam file
• EXPO Chair & Polygon Representative
  • Going to Polygon meetings
  • Hosting an E-Week activity in the spring
  • Organize standing EXPO committee and continuously work on EXPO project

The President serves a one-year term from May to May of the following year. The Vice President serves a one-year term from December to December of the following year. All other officers hold their positions on a semester basis.

The officer will either be warned or an immediate vote will be taken at the next general meeting for their removal depending on the severity of their offense. The punishment is up to the discretion of the executive board.

The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the society between its business (general) meetings, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Society, and perform such duties as are specified in these Bylaws. The Board shall be subject to the orders of the Society, and none of its acts shall conflict with the action taken by the Society.

Board meetings are referred to as officer meetings in these Bylaws. See Article V, Section 1.

The officers must meet at the beginning of each semester to schedule that semester's meetings. There must be at least 4 general meetings and 5 officer meetings (i.e. one before each general meeting and one after the last general meeting). Active members may attend both kinds of meetings, but they only have a vote at general meetings. Active members will be notified of the general meetings and their respective agendas at least 3 days before the meeting. The President runs the general meetings and the Vice-President runs the officer meetings.

Fifteen (15) active members at a general meeting shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, ordinary business may be conducted by six (6) active members.

Elections are held at the last general meeting of each semester. Prior to that the general members are made aware of the vacancies. At the last meeting, each position is elected in the order listed in these Bylaws. Nominations are taken, candidates receive 30 seconds to speak and then they are asked to leave the room. Active members, except for the President and Vice-President are allowed to speak on the candidate's behalf before the vote is taken of the active members. By count of the President and Vice-President, the candidate who receives the plurality of the active members present wins the position. If for some reason the President or Vice-President can't verify the count, the next eligible officer on the list will assist. Only one member may be elected to each office. If co-officers are required for a given position, then they should be viewed as two separate positions. In the case of a tie, the active members are made aware of the tie and the vote is retaken with the individuals who tied.

If a premature vacancy of an officer position occurs, the members are told and an emergency election is held as soon as possible. The emergency election is held in the same manner as a regular election.

Each old officer is required to go through turnover procedures with the new officers. The old officer must also update their binder and give it to the new officer. Both old and new officers are required to attend the last officer meeting of the semester in order to complete any additional transition procedures the President and/or Vice-President deem necessary.

The duties of the faculty advisor include attending initiation, attending meetings whenever possible, and advising the officers when necessary.

The faculty advisor is to be the Department Chair whenever possible. If the Department Chair is not a member, he/she should be initiated as an honorary member as soon as possible after their appointment as Department Chair. If the Department Chair declines the position, nominations for a new faculty advisor shall be taken at the following general meeting. Those nominees will be informed, and those who accept the nomination shall be voted upon at the next general meeting.

The term of service is the same as the term of service for Department Chair. This term is 4 years.

The faculty advisor can be removed by a majority vote at a general meeting.

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Society in all cases which they are applicable and do not come in conflict with these Bylaws or any other special rules of order the Society may adopt.

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a three-quarters vote of the active members, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting. If three-quarters of the attendance is less than nine (9) active members, a unanimous vote of at least nine (9) is required. Officers may also propose amendments to the Bylaws at officer meetings. In this case, the officers must agree on the amendment, it must be presented and explained to the active members at the following general meeting, and a vote must be taken.

Copyright © 2001-2006 Pi Tau Sigma Wisconsin-Alpha
Maintained by pitau@cae.wisc.edu
Last Modified: Thursday, 07-Sep-2006 16:39:44 CDT