SHAA Constitution

I.This organization shall be known as: Sam Houston Atheist Alliance

II.The purpose of this organization is to allow the free exchange of information and
to provide a better understanding of the student community at SHSU who do not hold a
belief in a supreme being. It will strive to allow open and structured discourse.

III.Membership shall be open to any SHSU student and alumni and their family.
i.Members must agree to follow the Sam Houston Atheist Alliance Code of Conduct.

IV.Meetings shall be held weekly.
i.Twenty Percent of active members shall be present to constitute a quorum for purposes
of
conducting the organizations business.
ii.No meeting shall be deemed official without an officer residing as Chairperson
iii.Organization meetings shall follow a general accepted structure of order.

V.Officers:
i.All officers shall hold an overall GPA of 2.0.
ii.All officers must be at least half time students.
iii.All officers must have attended at least one semester at a greater learning institute.
iv.All officers must abide by the code of conduct at all times.

A.President:
a.Must have an overall GPA of 2.5.
b.The president shall represent the organization to the pubic and shall reside over
meetings.
c.The president shall act as chairperson to the officers and members.
d.The president will be held accountable to the code of conduct and all actions of the club
and its
active members.

B.Vice President:
a. Must have an overall GPA 2.5.
b.The vice president shall assist the president in his duties
c.The vice president shall maintain correspondence with national afflictions.
d.The vice president shall act as chair to the officers in the absence of the president during
official
club activities.

C.Secretary:
a.The secretary will maintain minutes of all club meetings.
b.The secretary will maintain club membership records.
c.The secretary will maintain any records necessary for the organization.
d.The secretary will act as chair to the officers in the absence of both president and vice
president.

D.Treasurer:
a.The Treasurer shall keep and accurate account of all receipts and expenditures and
receive and
hold funds of the organization, as well as a record of members in good standing. The
Treasurer shall
complete all non-profit organization forms and all forms affiliated with these, and will
file taxes for
the organization.
b.The treasurer may reside over meetings of general members but may not act as officer
chairperson.
E.Auxiliary Positions may be held in addition to another office, as long as the officer has
sufficient
time available to fulfill all duties and responsibilities that are expected of both positions.
a.Auxiliary officers may not preside over meetings or act as officer chairperson.

VI.Committees will be formed as necessary and a club officer will be appointed
chairperson.

VII.Elections:
i.The term for office for all positions is one year.
ii.Elections will be held the week of the last meeting of the Spring semester each year.
iii.Letters of Intent
1.Letters of Intent shall include name, office applied for, experience, available time, and
reasoning
why the candidate would be best for the office.
2.Letters of Intent to run for office shall be sent to the organization's email account by
attachment,
no later than one week (7 days) before the meeting in which elections will be held.
3.These letters shall be read by an impartial party during elections. The letters are read
alphabetically, with the current officer's letter read last. There will then be a timed 5
minute
discussion of the candidates after the reading of the letters.
iv.Nominations may be made during elections only in the event that no one has submitted
a letter of
intent for an office. Nominees will each be allowed to speak for an equal portion of 10
minutes per an
officer position.
v.Voting for all positions will consist of secret ballot with the results tallied by an
impartial party. A
majority vote will be required for the election of new officers. The new officer team shall
be
announced at the last meeting of the year, or at the last social event if it is scheduled after
the last
meeting.
vi.If an officer graduates, is removed, resigns, or cannot otherwise complete his or her
office before
his or her term is up, the next officer in line shall fill his or her office. Any remaining
offices shall be
voted upon at that time, and their term will end at the regular interval (August 31st). If
an officer
wants to keep her/his position and not move up, she or he may choose to do so.
vii.Elections shall take place in a top down fashion, beginning with the President and
ending with
the Treasurer.
viii.If a person wishes to step down from his or her office, possibly to run for another
office, he or
she must resign before the elections begin. A person cannot hold two major offices at
once.
ix.Voting by proxy will proceed as follows.
1.Their will be no voting by proxy.
x.Special elections, if they need to be held, shall be held no more than one week after the
officer has
moved, resigned, or been removed.
VIII.Removal :
i.An officer may be asked to resign or be removed from office if he or she has violated
University
policies, has failed grievously to fulfill the obligations of his or her position or does not
follow the
purpose of the organization or violates the Code of Conduct. Written notification must be
made to
the officer and all membership of the request. There would need to be 75% of the voting
membership
present, with a 2/3 vote of the voting members to constitute a removal from office. If
asked to resign
from office, he or she may still be a voting member if the requirements are met.
ii. A member (voting or otherwise) may be asked to resign or be removed if he or she has
violated
University policies, the Code of Conduct or does not meet the purpose of the
organization in a
sincere fashion.
IX.University Registration/Recognition:
At the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester, this organization shall submit an
update report
with the names and addresses of its officers and advisor(s). This report shall be
submitted to the
Student Activities Office (suite 316 of the Lowman Student Center) no later than the
twelfth class
day. Changes in officers that occur during the semester shall be reported promptly. If this
organization fails to abide by this policy, this organization must resubmit the "Student
Organization Registration Application" to the Student Activities Office and subsequently
go before
the Student Organization’s Board for consideration to once again become an officially
recognized
student organization.

X.Amendments
i.This constitution shall be amended be a 2/3 vote of the voting membership. A motion
may be
made at any time to amend the constitution.
ii.A copy of all constitutional changes and amendments will be submitted to the Student
Activities
Office as described
iii.There will be a scheduled meeting, at least 2 weeks before elections occur, for
constitutional
amendments; the constitution shall be amended before elections have occurred, so that
the officer
team will know before-hand the duties that will be expected of them.