Bylaws of the
Smith Undergraduate Students Association (SUSA)
Approved December 1st, 2013
I.
Article One
Purpose:
To provide undergraduate students input to the Dean and university concerning
matters affecting undergraduate programs of the college, to unite the undergraduate
students, and to ensure the rights of business school organizations and the Robert H.
Smith School of Business as a whole.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Smith Undergraduate Students Association is:
1.
To build community among undergraduate BMGT students, alumni, faculty
and staff
2.
To ensure the rights of member organizations and students
3.
To provide undergraduate students input to the Dean and to the University and
provide a forum for Smith-sponsored student organization leaders, SGA and
Senate representatives to provide input and receive feedback on academic and
other Smith and university policy issues
4.
To serve their fellow students by organizing and sponsoring events and
activities for all undergraduate students in the Smith School.
5.
To coordinate career-related events with the Office of Career Services and
other organizations.
6.
To increase membership and support growth of Smith-Sponsored student
organizations.
7.
To assist in the planning and execution of multiple club events.
8.
To add value to the experience for ALL Undergraduates
9.
To provide a forum for communications between the organizations, and
guidance for organizations to keep them healthy
10.
To regulate and oversee the undergraduate student organizations with
reasonable and enforceable requirements for recognition, and to be the voice
for every business student, whether members of student organizations or not.
II.
Article Two
Organization Recognition:
To be recognized as an active organization operating within the Robert H. Smith
School of Business organizations will be required to fulfill the following:

Each organization must have a faculty member within their respective major
(or focus) as an advisor (Business fraternities need only select a faculty
advisor).
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Have on file with the Smith Undergraduate Student Association a copy of the
respective organization’s bylaws, signed and dated by the organization’s
active executive board and their faculty advisor.
Each organization’s bylaws should include:
 The organization’s purpose
 What constitutes membership
 How elections will be held and who is eligible to run
 Officer duties
 Meeting guidelines
 Names and contact information of the current executive board
New clubs must have a minimum of 20 members to be considered for recognition
as a BMGT-sponsored student organization. Prospective organizations will submit their
membership roster and bylaws to the President of the Smith Undergraduate Students
Association. The prospective organization then schedules an informal meeting with the
SUSA Leadership Team to state the purpose of the club, its vision, mission and goals.
If the SUSA Leadership Team gives its general approval, the prospective organization
will then give a formal presentation to the SUSA Presidents at their monthly meeting.
At the SUSA President’s Meeting, the prospective organization must provide
evidence of planning for future events, including partnerships with employers and work
with faculty. The Presidents will then vote on whether or not to recognize the club. In
order to be recognized, a club must receive a positive vote from at least 51% of club
Presidents. Voting will be done by a hand raise, unless a secret ballot is requested by a
voting member. All newly admitted organizations must have a dedicated “SUSA
Representative.”
III.
Article Three
Active Organizations:
To remain an active organization within the Robert H. Smith School of Business,
Each organization must meet the requirements in Article 2, participate in at least 75% of
SUSA activities, and contribute at least one member each semester to each of the
mandatory activities in which the organizations assist the Smith School. The SUSA
Executive Board will select the mandatory activities prior and notify the clubs within 30
days, and each club must contribute to each of the following activities each semester,
with the schedule to be determined by full SUSA membership:
 Maintain an active membership body of at least 25 students and present
guidelines and evidence of active membership with End of Semester Report
 Must provide a SUSA Assembly Representative to attend each SUSA
Assembly meeting and actively participate in these meetings by providing
resolutions and contributing to conversation on all resolutions
 Maintain any other policies and procedure outlined in the SUSA Handbook
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Active status reporting requirements: Each student organization sponsored by the
Robert H. Smith School of Business must submit an “End of Semester Report,” which
includes the Wishlist, End of Semester Program Report, and End of Semester Budget
Report, by the deadline determined by the SUSA Executive Board at the end of each
semester in order to be eligible for continued support. The report template must be filled
out completely and sufficiently. Separately, every organization must submit a “Club
Finance Report” including all financial information of the club.
Failure to meet any requirements in Articles Two or Three will automatically put the club
on the inactive list.
IV.
Article Four
Inactive Organizations:
Organizations that do not meet the requirements for active organization status,
detailed in articles 2 and 3 or any other policy, will be subject to probation per the
guidelines written in the SUSA Handbook. In addition, clubs that violate any of the
SUSA policies will also be put on probation. Clubs on probation will forfeit the use of
SUSA resources; all outstanding and approved applications for resources will be invalid.
They will also be required to work with the SUSA Executive Board to create a
performance improvement plan and to enforce it. To be removed from probation, a club
must rectify all breaches of Articles Two and Three and submit a written request to be
considered for reactivation. After the SUSA executive board certifies that the club meets
the requirements for active club status, a vote will be taken at the next SUSA Presidents’
meeting. A 2/3 majority vote is required for reactivation. After a club comes off
probation they must resubmit applications for SUSA resources that they applied for
before going on probation.
V.
Article Five
SUSA Assembly:
Purpose: To act as the voice of the Smith Undergraduate student population.
The SUSA Assembly is composed of a representative from each of the SUSA
recognized clubs, a representative from each class, a representative for each major, a
member representing the two Smith School University Senators, and a member
representing the two Smith School SGA Legislators. Each member is given one vote.
SUSA Assembly members may only represent one class, club, or committee. The SUSA
VP of Administration will act as the Assembly Chair. Bills are presented by
representatives and voted on by the Assembly. Assembly meetings occur on the 2nd and
4th Monday of each month.
The meeting format may go as follows:
I. Attendance and Call to Order
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II. Executive Reports
III. New Business
IV. Old Business
V. General Forum
VI. Open Gallery
VII. Adjournment
Bills can come about as suggestions based on feedback from either the
representatives or their constituents. They are presented and voted on by the Assembly.
If they receive at least 51% of the vote in favor in a meeting that makes quorum, the bill
becomes a non-binding resolution. In the case of a tie vote, the SUSA President will cast
the deciding vote.
If a bill becomes a resolution, it becomes the responsibility of the Chair of the
Assembly and the SUSA Executive Board to determine the best course of action to
ensure that the voice of the Smith Undergraduates is heard.
In order for the Assembly to be effective, clubs must provide a SUSA Assembly
Representative to attend each SUSA Assembly meeting and actively participate in these
meetings by providing resolutions and contributing to conversation on all resolutions.
VI.
Article Six
President’s Meetings:
SUSA Presidents’ Meetings of the Smith Undergraduate Students Association are to be
conducted on the first Monday of the month. The Presidents’ Meeting format may be
conducted as follows:
 Attendance
 Agenda Items
 Student organization concerns and/or announcements
 SUSA officer reports
 Activity Status (SUSA-sponsored events)
The date, time, and room of these meetings are to be provided at least a week in advance
by the SUSA President. Meetings of the SUSA committees will be held at the discretion
of the committee leaders. In order to maintain a separation of duties and to avoid
conflicts of interest, SUSA Executive officers and club presidents may not be voting
members of SUSA committees. Student organization meetings should not be scheduled
in conflict with SUSA Executive Committee meetings.
Voting members for President’s meetings include:
 Presidents of each club recognized by SUSA
 SUSA Committee Chairs & Executive Board
 The SUSA President will only vote in the case of a tie.
Every SUSA recognized organization the President is required to attend every SUSA
Presidents’ Meeting. If the President cannot attend a SUSA meeting, he/she must send
another Executive Board member in his/her place, preferably the Vice President. During
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any instances where voting is to take place, each club will be allowed one voting
representative. Presidents are able to send a proxy voter, but they must notify the SUSA
VP of Administration and provide the name of the proxy voter within 24 hours of the
meeting.
VII.
Article Seven
Representative Resignation:
In the event an organization representative can no longer fulfill his/her duties, the
organization of the representative will be required to submit a letter of resignation to the
SUSA President on the representatives’ behalf explaining the reason for the resignation
and providing the name of the replacement. This replacement must be either appointed
or voted into their position in accordance with the bylaws of their respective organization.
Representative Recall:
SUSA Committee Chairs who fail to discharge their duties will be subject to recall by
unanimous vote of the SUSA Executive Board and Committee Chairs and a 51% vote of
SUSA recognized club Presidents. SUSA Executive Board Officers who fail to discharge
their duties will be subject to a recall by a 2/3 majority of SUSA recognized Club
Presidents. Officers and Chairs will be considered in breach of their responsibilities if
they fail to attend scheduled meetings or SUSA-sponsored events, fail to complete work
for which their position is responsible, mishandle or misappropriate monies that are
entrusted to them, or engage in any unlawful activity.
Each Smith-sponsored organization should adopt a corresponding recall provision in the
organization bylaws.
VIII. Article Eight
Funding Requirements:
Each organization must meet all of the requirements for active status as detailed in
Article Three in order to be eligible for resources provided by the R. H. Smith School of
Business.
To receive funding from SUSA, a club must follow all Finance policies outlined in the
SUSA Handbook.
When funding is requested and approved, the club will purchase the requested materials
and submit receipts to receive reimbursement.
1.
Proposals must include:
 The purpose of the event/activity for which funding is requested
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A tentative schedule of possible dates for scheduling the event
A detailed budget
A plan for the event, complete with task responsibilities
2.
Upon review by the SUSA VP of Finance, events that are beneficial to the Smith
community will be considered for funding.
3.
Clubs can appeal a funding decision made by the VP of Finance by submitting a
written appeal to the SUSA Executive Board stating why their event and the
amount of money requested would benefit the Smith community. The club
president may meet with the SUSA Executive Board upon request.
Exclusivity Clause: Exclusive clubs like BMGT Honor Council, the Quest Student
Organization, and Phi Chi Theta shall not be financially discriminated against for being
exclusive by the SUSA Finance Committee during the finance consideration process.
IX.
Article Nine
Procedures for requesting other resources and support from the Smith School of
Business.
The Smith School of Business is committed to supporting the undergraduate (UG)
student organizations. To ensure that the School is able to allocate resources and provide
support fairly across all active organizations, the following procedures should be
followed when placing requests.
1.
Each active student organization will be assigned a classroom one night/week as a
meeting room throughout the semester. Requests to change meeting times/day of the
week or requests for a different room should be made to the SUSA Advisor.
2.
Clubs are required to follow all SUSA Signature Event policies and SUSA-OCS
partnership policies that are listed in the SUSA Handbook.
3.
Non-BMGT students are included in organizations’ resume books and all careerrelated activities sponsored by their organization. Individual placement, internships, and
other services provided by the Office of Career Services are restricted to BMGT majors
and members of the QUEST program; non-BMGT majors should utilize the services of
the University’s Campus Career Center in Hornbake Library.
4.
All other requests for additional resources or support should be made to the SUSA
Executive Board, who will forward the endorsed requests to the appropriate Smith School
administrator.
5.
To request space in Van Munching Hall, all policies must be followed as outlined
in the SUSA Handbook.
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X.
Article Ten
Resources for Programs co-sponsored by Departments or Fellows Programs

Funding-If funding is to be requested by the club of the SUSA Finance
Committee, they must disclose exactly how much they are receiving from the cosponsoring Department or Fellows Program. This disclosure must be signed by a
professional staff member who works in that department. It also must be very
clear what you are requesting funding for. All other policies must be followed per
the SUSA Handbook.

Space- Space may be reserved through the SUSA VP of Events using the policies
outlined in the SUSA Handbook. If space is reserved though the SUSA VP of
Events and you would like a different space, you must make the change with the
SUSA VP of Events as well. However, any space reserved by the VP of Events
will count against the number of rooms that clubs are allowed per semester.

Marketing-If an event is co-sponsored and you wish to use the Department or
Fellows Program to display your information in the Kiosks or in the Plasmas, the
fact that your event is co-sponsored MUST be acknowledged. If you wish to
work with the SUSA VP of Marketing to post your marketing materials, all
policies outlined in the SUSA Handbook must be followed.
XI.
Article Eleven
Responsibilities of SUSA Executive Officers:

President - Responsible for Alumni, Office of Career Services, and
Undergraduate Studies relations, as well as the SUSA Executive Board and the
SUSA Committees. Convenes and presides over SUSA meetings and activities.
Audits SUSA financial records at the end of each semester with the VP of
Finance. Represents Undergraduate Students at Commencement in the year
during which he/she graduates.

Vice President of Marketing - Responsible for Smith Undergraduate publication
and promotions for SUSA sponsored student organization events and activities,
and all other duties assigned by the President. Presides over the SUSA Executive
Marketing Committee.

Vice President of Finance - Responsible for SGA budget requests and
disbursements, and all other duties assigned by the President. Approves funding
of Smith-sponsored events and activities. Helps Smith-sponsored organizations
gain SGA recognition. Presides over the SUSA Executive Finance Committee.
Audits SUSA financial records at the end of each semester with the President.
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
Vice President of Events - Responsible for scheduling and staffing all SUSA
events, scheduling for Smith-funded club events, logistics and manpower for all
Smith-sponsored events – which includes calling forth the assistance of the SUSA
representatives for SUSA events -, and all other duties assigned by the President.
Responsible for maintaining the calendar-including collecting and assembling the
wish list at the end of each semester.

Vice President of Administration - Responsible for the administration of the
SUSA office by organizing the computer files and email boxes, logging and
putting applications for Smith resources in the mailboxes of the VP’s, maintaining
and updating contact lists, and verifying the accuracy of information on the
contact list. The VP of Administration is also responsible for insuring updates are
made to SUSA’s website, taking minutes at meetings and posting those minutes to
the Executive Board, Club Presidents, or Assembly Members. Acts as the chair if
of the SUSA Assembly. Responsible for ensuring throughput of resolutions that
pass through the Assembly.
Terms of Office for SUSA Executives:
1. SUSA Executive Officers must serve a mandatory one-year term of office.
Executive officers may be elected to a one-semester term only in the event that it
is necessary to replace a position mid-year.
2. SUSA Executive Officers will be elected in December, to serve their one-year
term from the start of Spring semester
Responsibilities of SUSA Committee Chairs:

Fundraising Committee Chair – Responsible for the coordination and
execution of all SUSA related fundraising activities. Carries out all other
duties assigned by the President. Works closely with the VP of Finance.
Works closely with the SUSA VP of Events. An official job description for
this position will be created by the SUSA Executive Board for every election.
This position serves for 12 months.

Webmaster & Historian – Responsible for maintain and updating the SUSA
website as well as collecting picture and video content from various SUSA
club events. Carries out all other duties assigned by the President. Works
closely with the VP of Marketing. An official job description for this position
will be created by the SUSA Executive Board for every election. This
position serves for 12 months.

Social Programming Chair – Responsible for coordinating social events for the
Smith School Undergraduate student body. Works closely with the SUSA VP of
Events. An official job description for this position will be created by the SUSA
Executive Board for every election. This position serves for 12 months.
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
Community Service Committee Chair – Responsible for the coordination of all
Smith-wide community service events, the collection and management of
community service opportunities kept in a database, and coordination for clubspecific community service events. Works with the VP of Events and the SUSA
organizations to coordinate community service events involving SUSA.
Responsible for planning a community service activity for the SUSA Assembly.
An official job description for this position will be created by the SUSA
Executive Board for every election.

New Student Involvement Committee Chair-Responsible for the planning and
execution aimed to introduce new students to SUSA and Smith Involvement.
Works closely with Orientation Chair, Freshman Fellows Program, and SUSA
Executive Board to design and implement effective programming. New Students
are defined as students newly admitted to the Smith School, Freshmen admitted to
the Smith School or interested in business, and transfer students admitted to the
Smith School. Works with Social Programming chair as well to ensure that
events are unique and all events are welcoming to all students.
SUSA Executive Cabinet:
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Executive Cabinet positions can be created as deemed necessary to help carry out
the mission of SUSA. The SUSA President will ultimately determine the
responsibilities of the Executive Cabinet.
The SUSA Executive Board and Committee Chairs can nominate students to
serve as members of the SUSA Executive Cabinet. The SUSA President must
approve all nominations.
All undergraduate students in good standing are eligible to be appointed to a
position within the Executive Cabinet.
Executive Cabinet members shall be required to attend every SUSA Team
Meeting deemed necessary by the SUSA President.
Executive Cabinet positions will be required to fulfill all other duties assigned by
the SUSA President.
Eligibility to Run for SUSA Positions:
1.
Must be a currently enrolled student at University of Maryland College Park
or Shady Grove R. H. Smith School of Business.
2.
Must have a Grade Point Average above a 2.0 with no F’s from withdrawals
(WF) or F’s from Academic Dishonesty (XF)
3.
Candidates must complete the application process for SUSA offices in the
designated time frame.
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Eligibility to Run for Executive Office:
1. Must have held a position with responsibility in one of the SUSA student
organizations.
2. Must have contributed/volunteered for minimum five SUSA-sponsored
club activities in the past year to be eligible to run for executive office.
3. Must have attended 75% of SUSA meetings in a given year to be eligible
to run for executive office in the following term.
4. SUSA executive officers may not simultaneously be President of any
SUSA student organization.
Eligibility to Run for Committee Chair Positions:
1. All students are eligible to run for SUSA Committee Chair Positions.
2. Must attend at least one SUSA Assembly prior to running for SUSA office
XII.
Article Twelve
Smith-Sponsored Fraternities
1.
Freshman students with less than 12 credits earned at the University of
Maryland are not eligible to pledge Smith-sponsored fraternities
2.
Hazing will not be tolerated in any Smith-sponsored organization. Any
violations of this policy will result in immediate revocation of recognition.
3.
Smith-sponsored fraternity officers who are newly elected will meet with the
Undergraduate Dean or designate.
XIII. Article Thirteen
Elections
Elections for non-club affiliated SUSA Assembly representatives (class
representatives and major representatives) will be held each year in an open election for
the student body. All current undergraduate Smith students will be eligible to vote for
these positions.
Elections for the SUSA Leadership team will be held towards the end of the Fall
Semester. It will be held a special meeting specifically for the purpose of holding
elections. This meeting will include SUSA Executives, SUSA Committee Chairs,
Presidents of the SUSA clubs, and the SUSA Assembly.
Elections will be managed by an Election Chair throughout the entirety of the
election process. The SUSA President shall appoint an Election Chair at least two weeks
prior to the SUSA Elections. The SUSA President may nominate himself or herself.
Eligible candidates for the SUSA Election Chair shall meet the following
criteria at the time of the election:
 Must be an undergraduate student at the Smith School of Business
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Must not serve as a Club President or SUSA Representative
Must be available for the duration of the Election meeting
May be suggested by the current Executive Board members, Club
Presidents, SUSA Representatives, or faculty advisors
The Election Chair will be responsible for the preparation and agenda of the
Election meeting. The Election Chair shall:
 Receive and be responsible for all position nominations
 Establish a date to have those nominations due
 Collect general questions from the electorate for each position and
privately select from among those questions no more than five for
each Presidential candidate, no more than three for each VicePresidential candidate, and no more than two for each Chair
position candidate
 Each position’s set of candidates shall receive the same
questions to prevent bias
 Questions will be limited to keep the length of the meeting
in check
 Work with the VP of Administration to contact the electorate for
the meeting
The Election Chair shall be responsible for the administration of the Election
meeting. The Election Chair shall:
 Be the sole person to present the pre-established questions to each
candidate, but shall also work with the SUSA Advisor to ensure
any last-minute concerns/questions are addressed as well
 Establish and voice an appropriate etiquette to be followed by all
those present at the meeting
 Count votes with the SUSA Advisor and announce the new officer
with each position’s candidates present
 In order to win, a candidate must have 50% of the
electorate’s vote and the SUSA Advisor must co-administer
any additional rounds of voting with the Election Chair
All club Presidents, each club’s representative to the SUSA Assembly, the SUSA
Executives minus the President, and all SUSA Committee chairs may vote. In the event
of a tie vote, the SUSA President will cast the deciding vote. During any instances where
voting is to take place, each club will be allowed two voting representatives. Presidents
are able to send a proxy voter, but they must notify the SUSA VP of Administration and
provide the name of the proxy voter within 24 hours of the meeting. If any voting
member serves in two (2) or more capacities, he or she receives one vote for each of
those positions.
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