CONSTITUTION OF THE UNIVERSITY HONORS
COLLEGE STUDENT ASSOCIATION (UHCSA)
Revised October 2013
Preamble
The students of Oregon State University’s University Honors College, recognizing a
similarity of interests and need for effective representation, do hereby establish this
committee/association, to foster a strong sense of community between members, to give
back to the local community, to provide for the social development of students, to
represent the students of the University Honors College to the entire campus, and to
promote their general welfare within the framework of Oregon State University.
Article I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the University Honors College Student
Association, hereby referred to as UHCSA.
Article II
Purpose
Section 1.
The purpose of the UHCSA shall be to provide an intentional space for
students of the University Honors College to give input to faculty and staff on the student
experience and larger mission and vision of the college.
Section 2.
The purpose of the UHCSA shall be to plan and implement social,
academic, and service activities for students in the University Honors College to enhance
their experience throughout the year.
Section 3.
The purpose of the UHCSA shall be to encourage engagement between
diverse student populations within the University Honors College. Specifically, this
organization will join together individuals from the Honors Living Learning
Communities, upperclassmen students, and students living off-campus.
Article III
Members
Section 1.
There shall be no dues required to be a member of the UHCSA.
Section 2.
All voting members and officers of the UHCSA must be members of the
University Honors College and enrolled during the time of membership at Oregon State
University.
Section 3.
All voting members and officers of the UHCSA must actively participate
in at least one committee per term. In addition, in order to participate in a vote, these
individuals must attend two are more meetings during the term in which the vote occurs.
If this vote is in regards to a specific event, the individual must have participated in the
planning of the event in some capacity in order to be a voting member.
Section 4.
Membership shall not be denied to any student on the basis of race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, disabled
veteran, veteran status, or Vietnam-era veteran students.
Section 5.
Meetings shall be held on a weekly basis or as needed. Meetings are
established based upon the consensus of the current members and availability of the
advisor. These meetings are to last 30 minutes unless circumstances require more or less
time. In the event that the next meeting is to be held at a non-standard time or location it
is to be announced at the prior meeting.
Article IV
Officers
Section 1.
There shall be five students listed as contact members for the Office of
Student Leadership and Involvement. These contact students shall be decided on a
volunteer basis at the first meeting of each school year. These contact students shall have
earned at least 6 credit hours in their most recently completed term, excluding summer
term. This requirement does not apply to first term freshmen or first term transfer
students. These contact students shall be currently enrolled and shall not be on
University disciplinary probation.
Section 2.
The advisor to the UHCSA here shall be a professional staff member of
the University Honors College. It is the duty of the advisor to ensure that the
organization abides by this constitution and all regulations put forth by the Office of
Student Leadership and Involvement and Oregon State University. The advisor also
serves as the main connection between members of UHCSA and the staff and faculty of
the University Honors College. The advisor is also expected to manage the listserve, help
to create advertisements, assist in running meetings, and create meeting agendas. This
advisor is expected to be in attendance at all meetings and events unless prior plans have
been made.
Section 3.
The officers of the UHCSA are to be based on a committee model with
shared leadership. Each position has equal weight in the organization and officers
depend upon one another for the functioning of the organization. The officers are as
follows:
A. Social Activities Chair
The Social Activities Chair serves as the main contact to plan and implement
events focused on social outcomes. This may include events such as Dads and
Family Weekend festivities, Moms and Family Weekend Talent Show, MU
Bowling Night, the Spring Picnic, and outdoor trips hosted by the University
Honors College. Often this representative is also a Trip Coordinator employed by
the University Honors College. In the event that this individual is unable to fulfill
their duties for a short or extended period of time, other Trip Coordinators are
expected to fill this role.
B. Service Activities Chair
The Service Activities Chair serves as the main contact to plan and implement
events focused on service to the local and global community. This may include
events such as Relay for Life, Beavs Helping Kids, and the Annual OSU Food
Drive. This individual is responsible for presenting volunteer opportunities to the
UHCSA and leading recruitment efforts for fundraising and volunteers. As a
service to the members of UHCSA this individual, along with the advisor, is
responsible for ensuring that the Dean of the University Honors College speaks
about the state of the University Honors College at one UHCSA meeting per term.
C. Academic Activities Chair
The Academic Activities Chair serves as the main contact to plan and implement
events focused on academic outcomes. This may include events such as the study
breaks hosted each term, or an equivalent, reoccurring event. This would also
include any intentional events as related to career searches, leadership
development, stress management, life balance, academic discussions, or thesis
instruction. This individual also gathers nominations for the Outstanding
University Honors College professor of the year and presents them to members.
D. Administrative Chair
The Administrative Chair is responsible for the organization and documentation
of UHCSA. This includes recording meeting minutes and distributing them to all
members no later than two days after the meeting. The Administrative Chair
manages all social media sites. This individual is also responsible for counting
votes, should a vote occur during a meeting, and noting the decision made. If the
advisor is unable to do so, the Administrative Chair is also responsible for
informing members on budgetary matters.
E. Living-Learning Communities Chair(s).
This committee chair may include one or many members. It does include the
University Honors College Representative (Residential Hall Council), who is
responsible for communicating between UHCSA and the Living-Learning
Community Hall Council. This individual is responsible for attending all Hall
Council and UHCSA meetings and serving as the main contact between the two
organizations.
This committee may also include one or more representatives from other Honors
Living-Learning Communities on campus. These individuals will serve as the
main communication link between specific residence halls and the University
Honors College. Specifically in the first-year Living-Learning Community,
several floor representatives or resident assistants may assist with this position.
The member(s) of this officer position are expected to partner with a University
Honors College Living-Learning Community once per term on a project or event.
F. Other potential positions. Depending on the nature of the year’s events and
student’s demands, a public relations chair may be needed. This individual would
be responsible for the advertising for all events planned by the UHCSA. This
would include print, electronic, and social media advertisements. If this position
is not filled or deemed necessary, each committee chair, along with the advisor,
will be responsible for the advertising for each specific event.
Section 4.
Officers are selected through a discussion of current members and the
advisor. This discussion involves a reading of the constitution, a description of each
position, and members are allowed to nominate others or themselves for specific
positions. If an agreement of officer positions cannot be obviously reached by
discussion, a formal vote shall take place. Votes shall be confidential and counted by the
advisor once it is discovered that an obvious choice cannot be made.
A. The filling of positions.
In the event that an officer position cannot be filled, these duties should be
redistributed to other committee chairs and the advisor. This position should be
actively sought until a chair is determined.
B. Timing
Officers are expected to serve a full year (three academic terms) in their position.
The duties and expectations should be revisited during the first meeting of every
term. If an officer is unable to fulfill their duties for that term, a replacement
should be sought by discussion. Officers for the upcoming academic year should
be determined during the last two meetings of the preceding spring term.
Article V
Amendments
Amendments to this constitution may be made by a two-thirds majority decision of the
UHCSA.