AIChE CONSTITUTION
Article I – Name
The name of this organization shall be the Tufts University Student Chapter of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers. Its official acronym is AIChE.
Article II – Objectives
The objectives of the Chapter shall be (1) to promote the professional development of its members by its
programs and by its relations with other Student Chapters and with the parent body, the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers, and (2) to contribute to the development of Chemical Engineering at Tufts University
through activities involving the faculty and student members.
Article III – Membership
1. Any student enrolled at Tufts University shall be eligible for membership.
2. A voting member shall be any member who has paid the required dues for the current year.
3. AIChE does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, etc.
Article IV – Officers
To direct the activities of the Chapter the following officers shall serve for the entire school year: President,
Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Events Coordinator, Projects Coordinator, SBE Coordinator, Publicity
Coordinator, Outreach Coordinator, Fundraising Coordinator, Webmaster, and Class Representatives.
The duties of the officers are as follows:
President – Delegates duties, organizes and runs all meetings, functions as liaison to the Chemical and
Biological Engineering Department, is one of the signatories.
Vice President – Helps out president, runs meetings when president is absent.
Treasurer – Keeps track of finances, writes the budget, is one of the signatories.
Secretary – Communicates between officers and members of the organization, takes minutes at
meetings.
Events Coordinator – Shall be responsible for planning and arranging for the various activities of the
AIChE chapter.
Projects Coordinator – Shall supervise all chapter entries in AIChE regional and national competitions
and challenges.
SBE Coordinator - Shall be responsible for planning and arranging for the various activities of the
Society for Biological Engineers (SBE) subgroup of the chapter.
Publicity Coordinator - The publicity coordinator is in charge of getting the word out about AIChE! They
will create Facebook events, manage the Facebook group and do any flyer-ing around campus.
Outreach Coordinator - The outreach coordinator is in charge of developing relationships with the
community outside of Tufts. This can mean organizing community service events with Habitat for
Humanity, local high school and middle school science education outreach, or on-campus outreach
events (ex. kid's day).
Fundraising Coordinator - The fundraising coordinator is in charge of seeking additional funds for large
group activities not funded by TCU, such as regional or national conference attendance. This can
include outreach to the ChBE department, school of engineering, or even corporate sponsors. It
can also be as simple and fun as selling t-shirts or having a bake sale.
Webmaster – Maintains and updates the chapter website and any relevant online networking pages.
Class Representatives – Communicate with their specific class about events.
Article V – Election of Officers
1. Election for the following school year of the officers listed in Article IV shall be held during the spring
semester of each school year provided that at least two weeks prior notice is given.
2.
Nominations for the office of president shall be made from the floor. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
Selection between the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall then be made by a
second ballot.
3.
The remaining officers shall be elected by the same procedure, in order, in which they are listed in
Article IV.
4.
All committees shall be appointed by the President.
5.
Any vacancies in offices which should occur before the end of the school year shall be filled by means of
a special election conducted in the manner specified previously.
6.
Only active members may vote in an election except in the case of special elections listed in Article V
section 5.
7.
In order that elections be held, at least one half of the non-graduating active members must be
present.
Article VI – Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed at any regular meeting by any active member of the
Chapter.
Adoption of an amendment shall be by three-fourths vote of all active members attending a later regular
meeting provided that such three-quarters majority shall include at least half of the active members of the
chapter. Upon successful voting the amendment must also be approved by the TCU judiciary.
Article VII – Impeachment Procedures
Impeachments may be proposed at any regular meeting by any active member of the Chapter.
Acceptance of an impeachment shall be by three-fourths vote of all active members attending a later regular
meeting provided that such three-quarters majority shall include at least half of the active members of the
chapter.
Article VII – Custody of the Constitution
One copy of the Constitution shall be in the possession of the President of the Chapter.
One copy of the Constitution shall be in the possession of the Secretary of the Chapter.
One copy of the Constitution shall be in the possession of the Counselor of the Chapter.
One copy of the Constitution shall be in the possession of the Secretary of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers for the permanent files of the Institute.
Each of the aforementioned officers shall promptly deliver his/her copy to his/her successor.
Article VIII – Subgroups
The chapter may maintain subgroups that represent student chapters of professional organizations whose
objectives are seen as in keeping with those listed in Article II. Subgroups shall have a separate constitution
that satisfies the requirements of their parent professional organization.
These subgroups shall be represented by at least one officer who is both an elected officer of AIChE as
described in Article V and an elected officer of the subgroup in accordance with their constitution.
Presidency of the subgroup shall by default rest with the President of the parent AIChE chapter. If proposed
by any active member of the subgroup during an election a separate president for the subgroup may be
elected in accordance with that subgroup’s Constitution.
Subgroups of AIChE are as follows:
Society for Biological Engineers (SBE) – Charged with promoting the integration of biology with
engineering and realizing its benefits through bioprocessing, biomedical and biomolecular applications at
Tufts University through activities involving the faculty and student members, including SBE
participation with AIChE student chapters in its regional and annual conferences.
SBE CONSTITUTION
Article I - Name
The name of this organization shall be the Tufts University Student Chapter of the Society for Biological
Engineering. Its official acronym is SBE.
Article II - Objectives
The objectives of this chapter shall be (1) to promote the professional development of its members by its
programs and by its relations with other Student Chapters, AIChE student chapters, the student chapters of
other related engineering and scientific organizations, and with the parent body, the Society of Biological
Engineering of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and (2) to promote the integration of biology
with engineering and realize its benefits through bioprocessing, biomedical and biomolecular applications at
Tufts University through activities involving the faculty and student members, including SBE participation
with AIChE student chapters in its regional and annual conferences.
Article III - Membership
Any student enrolled at Tufts University and interested in being part of a new technological community for
engineers and applied scientists integrating engineering with biology shall be eligible for membership. SBE
does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, etc.
Article IV - Officers
To direct the activities of the chapter, the following officers and committee members shall serve for the
entire school year: SBE President and Vice-President/SBE Coordinator
Article V - Election of Officers
1.
Election for the following school year of the officers listed in Article IV shall take place no later than the
next to the last meeting of each school year.
2.
Presidency of SBE shall by default rest with the President of the parent AIChE chapter. If proposed by
any member of the chapter during an election a separate SBE president may be elected. Nomination for
President shall be by written ballot. Choice between the two candidates receiving the first and second
largest number of nominating ballots shall then be made by written ballot.
3.
The remaining officers shall be elected by the same procedure in the order in which they are listed in
Article IV.
4.
Other committee positions may be appointed by the President.
5.
Any vacancies in officers which should occur before the end of the school year shall be filled by means
of a special election conducted in the manner specified previously.
Article VI - Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed at any regular meeting by any member of the chapter.
Adoption of an amendment shall be by three-fourths vote of all members attending a later regular meeting,
provided that such three-fourths majority shall include at least half the members of the chapter.
Article VII - Custody of the Constitution and Bylaws
One copy of the Constitution and Bylaws shall be in the possession of the President of the Chapter.
One copy of the Constitution and Bylaws shall be in the possession of the Vice President/SBE Coordinator of
the chapter.
One copy of the Constitution and Bylaws shall be in the possession of the Advisor of the Chapter.
One copy of the Constitution and Bylaws shall be in possession of the Staff Associate, Student Activities, of
the Society of Biological Engineers of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for the permanent files of
the Institute.
Each of the aforementioned officers shall promptly deliver his/her copy to his/her successor.
SBE BYLAWS
Article I - Procedure
The conduct of each meeting shall conform to a generally recognized Rules of Order procedure, the following
being hereby adopted:
Article II - Duties of Officers
The President shall be the chief executive officer of the chapter, shall preside at all meetings, and shall serve
as an ex-offico member of all other committees.
The Vice-President/SBE Coordinator shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties and shall
preside at the meetings of all other committees. He/She shall be responsible for planning and arranging for
the various activities of the chapter.
Article III - Dues
The annual dues of the chapter shall be payable at the first meeting of each school year. The dues may
consist of a sum for National SBE dues and a sum for local student chapter activities as determined by the
President prior to the first meeting of each school year. Current National SBE members shall pay local
chapter dues only. Benefits of being a National SBE member include: being part of an international
professional network, discounts on the biological engineering conferences, subscription to our e-newsletter,
and a voice in education, employment and technology advancement topics. National SBE members are
eligible to compete for National SBE scholarships and awards. In order to compete for AIChE student awards
and competitions the student must also be a National member of AIChE.
Article IV - Assessments
Assessments for any specific purpose may be levied by a two-thirds vote of the members, attending any
regular meeting of the chapter, provided such two-thirds majority shall include at least one-third of the
members of the chapter.
Article V - Amendments to the Bylaws
Amendments to the Bylaws shall be proposed and adopted by the procedure specified in Article VI of the
Constitution.