Winona State University Club Constitution Existing Club: September 16, 2007 October 11, 2010 Article I – Name The name of this organization shall be the Winona State University Student Council for Exceptional Children, hereinafter referred to as SCEC. Article II – Purpose The purposes of this club shall be: A. To provide networking opportunities for Education majors, especially Special Education majors. B. To promote awareness and understanding of disability issues in all areas of life especially public education through service activities on campus and in the Winona community C. To provide scholarly and professional development opportunities for Education majors, especially Special Education majors. Article III – Membership A. Membership requirements will be non-discriminatory. All persons will be treated in a fair and equitable manner in accordance with Minnesota Statute 363. B. Membership Requirements: All members of SCEC must a. pay a membership fee (amount to be determined annually) b. be a student in good standing at Winona State University C. Requirements for Club Participation: All members of SCEC must a. attend at least three meetings per semester, and b. complete at least 7 point worth of service per academic semester (up to one hour of service equals one point) c. if a student joins late in the academic year these requirements may be changed for that student as determined by the Executive Board and the new member on an individual basis D. Rules for expulsion: A member shall be expelled from the club if they do not fulfill any part of the requirements of membership Article IV – Officers of the Executive Board of SCEC A. Leadership nomination requirements will be non-discriminatory and all persons will be treated in a fair and equitable manner in accordance with Minnesota Statute 363. 1 B. Leadership of SCEC will be known as the Executive Board and shall include the following offices: a. Co-President ( ____position) b. Co-President Elect c. Secretary d. Treasurer e. Public Relations Chair f. Webmaster C. Election procedures for Officers of the Executive Board shall be as follows: a. Each spring semester open nominations will be accepted at the second to last meeting. The current Co-President Elect will become one of the Co-Presidents for the new academic year. Positions will include one Co-President, Co-President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations Chair, and webmaster. Nominations may be submitted in writing to the current Co-Presidents or Faculty Advisor. Nominations will not be accepted after the completion of the nominations meeting or advertised deadline. b. Ballots will be distributed and collected at the last meeting of the academic year. Absentee ballots will be available through the Faculty Advisor. The SCEC Co-Presidents and Faculty advisor will count the votes and announce the winners by the end of the meeting 10:00 AM the following day. c. Elections will be decided by a simple majority of the members voting. d. The newly elected officers will be installed at the first meeting of the next academic year. D. Duties of Officers a. Co-Presidents will provide leadership to general policymaking and carry out the directives of the membership, call and preside at meetings, and represent the WSU SCEC at meetings of the MNSCEC. b. President Elect (or Co- Presidents Elect) will become Co-President for the academic year following her/his term as President Elect, and perform other duties at the direction of the President and/or Executive Board. c. Secretary will keep an accurate record of the proceedings of each meeting of the Executive Board and membership; carry on correspondence as necessary; have available a copy of the constitution and minutes of all meetings; and transfer all records to the new Secretary at the time of installation. d. Treasurer shall deposit all monies collected in the WSU Business Office account of SCEC; pay out money for expenses approved by the membership using approved procedures of the WSU Business Office; prepare and present a monthly report of the financial status of SCEC; submit records of all monies collected and expended to the Faculty Advisor for auditing; transfer all records to the Faculty Advisor at the 2 end his/her term. The Treasurer shall meet with WSU Student Senate as required/recommended by the Senate. e. Public Relations (PR) Chair will maintain the SCEC bulletin board in Gildemeister Hall, and coordinate activities and fundraising events as decided by the Executive Board and the membership. The PR chair in conjunction with her/his committee will oversee the work of Ad Hoc committees as described in Article IX. f. Webmaster will update website as requested by the executive board and advisor. Article V – Meetings A. Meeting Schedule: The Executive Board will meet prior to the monthly general SCEC club meeting. General membership meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of the month. B. Special Meetings: a. Nominations Meeting: Nominations of officers to the Executive Board will be held at the second to last meeting of the academic year. b. Elections Meeting: Elections of officers to the Executive Board will be held at the last meeting of the academic year. c. Installation Meeting: Officers will be installed at the first meeting of the academic year. The first meeting will be held on the second Wednesday of the academic year. Article VI – Funding A. In order to be recognized as an active Chapter by the National Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the WSU SCEC must have at least 15 paid members. Dues for CEC determined annually by the National Board of CEC. B. The treasurer of SCEC will serve as custodian of the budget under the supervision of the Faculty Advisor. C. All funds will be held in an account in the WSU Business Office. D. In the event of the dissolution of SCEC, all remaining funds will be turned over to the Student Activities Fund Committee of Student Senate for re-appropriation. Article VII – Amendment A. Submission of Proposed Amendments: Any proposed amendment to the Constitution must be brought to the Co-Presidents by the first Wednesday of the month. B. Referral to the Membership: The amendment will be presented on the agenda at the next general membership meeting. The president will call for a motion and second to approve the amendment. Discussion will be held and a vote will be taken. The motion will pass by approval of a simple majority of the quorum. C. The amended constitution will then go before the WSU Student Senate for ratification. 3 D. The WSU SCEC Constitution will be resubmitted for ratification to the WSU Student Senate at least every two years. Article VIII – Advisor A. The current Advisor is Dr. Jeanne E. Danneker, Department of Special Education B. Advisor duties shall include: a. Meeting monthly with the Executive Board. b. Attending general membership meetings. c. Monitoring the SCEC budget with the Treasurer of the club. d. Maintaining current contact information with WSU Student Senate. Article IX – Committees A. Ad Hoc Committees: The Co-Presidents, subject to the approval of the membership, may form Ad Hoc committees when it is deemed to be in the best interests of SCEC. The PR chair will write a description of the scope of the Ad Hoc committee including the purpose, goals, and timeline. The number of members needed for the committee will be determined by the chair of the committee. Members of an Ad Hoc may volunteer or be appointed by the CoPresidents. An Ad Hoc committee will be dissolved upon completion of the assigned task(s). *** Each club must submit two copies of their Constitution*** 4