Constitution

Constitution of the Rowan University Chapter of the

American Society of Civil Engineers

  Adopted: 30 September 2003

Article I. Name

1. The name of this student chapter shall be Rowan University Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, hereinafter abbreviated as RU ASCE.

Article II. Objective

1. The objective of this Chapter shall be to encourage the development of a professional consciousness, to afford an opportunity for Civil Engineering students to become acquainted and to practice working together effectively, to promote a spirit of congeniality among them and to provide friendly contact with engineering professions.

Article III. Relationships

1. The Chapter shall be under jurisdiction of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
2. Specifically, the Chapter lies in Zone 1 and falls under the jurisdiction of the South New Jersey Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
3. The Chapter will subscribe to the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules of Policy and Procedure and Code of Ethics as adopted by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Article IV. Membership

1. Active members of this Chapter shall be undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the University who are interested in Civil Engineering and who are in good standing as evidenced by payment of Chapter dues.
2. All members of the Chapter must subscribe to the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules of Policy and Procedure and Code of Ethics of the Chapter.
3. The following are the grades of membership in the chapter:
   1. Freshman
   2. Sophomore
   3. Junior
   4. Senior
   5. Graduate
4. Membership in the Chapter does not imply automatic admission as a Student Member to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Separate applications, in accordance with the ASCE Constitution, must be made by the individual.
5. A Chapter member shall have the right to serve on committees and participate in the affairs of the Chapter and shall have the right to vote and hold office, except as noted in Article IV, Section 6.
6. Associate Member. An Associate Member shall be a person who, because of the field of study or particular interest, wishes to cooperate with Civil Engineering in the advancement of professional knowledge and practice. An Associate Member, at the time of admission, shall be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in the University. Associate Members shall have the right to serve on committees and participate in the affairs of the Chapter, but shall not have the right to vote or hold office.

Article V. Fees and Dues

1. The schedule of annual dues shall be established, and when established may be modified, by a two-thirds favorable vote by the Board of Officers. The schedule of fees and dues shall be set forth in the Bylaws.

Article VI. Officers

1. The officers of the Chapter shall be on President, one Vice President, one Secretary, one Treasurer, two Program Coordinators and one Publicity Coordinator. All officers are to be in good standing with the Chapter.
2. Officers represent both the Chapter and the University ad, as such, are expected to act with the utmost professionalism.
3. The President and Vice President shall be members of the Senior or Junior class.
4. The officers shall be elected from the nominees chosen by the nominating committee, composed of three active members who shall be appointed by the Chapter President. Nominations may also be made by an active member during a General Chapter meeting. Officers shall be elected by secret written ballot – the ballots to be distributed to and collected from the Active Members. For each office, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. Elections shall take place during the week prior to the last regularly scheduled Chapter meeting of the second consecutive in-school quarter.
5. The terms of the office of the elective officers shall be two semester.
6. In the event that elections are not held in a timely fashion or no nominee is found for a particular office, officers shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified.
7. A vacancy occurring in an elective office of the Chapter during the term of an Officer shall be filled for the unexpired term as follows:
   1. President. By the Vice-President.
   2. All other presiding officers. By the appointment of the President.
   3. Officers-Elect. By nomination and election in the same manner as provided in Section 3 Article VI, except that the Executive Committee shall set the date for the opening and closing of balloting for such an election.

Seniority between persons holding similar offices shall be determined by priority of admission to membership; and when these dates are identical, the selection shall be made by lot. In the case of disability of any Officer of the Chapter, or neglect in the performance of the duties of an office, the Executive Committee shall have the power to declare the office vacant.

Article VII. Meeting

1. The Chapter shall hold as many weekly general Chapter meetings throughout the quarter as is deemed practical by the Executive Committee. The weekly meeting shall be held at such times and places within the University Campus as shall be determined by the Executive Committee, and designated in notice to the membership as provided for in the Bylaws.
2. Weekly meetings are open to all students and faculty of the University, alumni or others who may care to attend.
3. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at such times and places as may be determined by the Executive Committee to be necessary for the discharge of it duties.

Article VII. Parliamentary Authority

1. Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority of the Rowan University Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Article IX. Amendments

1. An Amendment to this Constitution may be proposed by presenting to the Chapter Secretary a petition stating the desired amendment and containing the signature of at least thirty percent (30%) of the Active Members of the Chapter.
2. Petitions for the proposed amendment shall be presented to the Chapter Secretary no less than five days in advance of the next regularly scheduled weekly Chapter meeting. A proposed amendment in accordance with the intent of petitions shall be drafted by the Chapter Secretary and posted as to be conspicuous to Chapter Members. The petition shall be read at the next regularly scheduled weekly Chapter meeting. The proposed amendment shall be in order for discussion at the weekly Chapter meeting and may be amended in any matter pertinent to the petitions by a majority vote of the said meeting, form as amended by said meeting. If no amended, the proposed amendment as submitted shall be voted upon by letter ballot.
3. For the adoption of any amendment to the Constitution, three-fourths of the valid ballots cast shall be in affirmative. An amendment that has been adopted shall become effective with the start of the next academic quarter.

For A Printable Version of the Constitution, click here.