CMD Bylaws

CMD Bylaws

1. Organizational Structure

   1. President Provide the vision and direction for CMDSA Coordinate, facilitate weekly meetings Write memos directed to all CMDSA students and/or faculty Oversee documentation process Manage election process

   2. Vice President Ensure implementation of CMDSA events Work closely with the President to pr Serve as President, should the President be unable to do so

   3. Secretary Oversee organizational logistics (i.e. catering, room reserves, speaker accommodations, etc.) Take minutes of each meeting Distribute minutes of each meeting to appropriate parties Act as historian and knowledge manager (i.e. carefully keep/record copies of all CMDSA processes, publication, events, etc.) Ensure continuity across all CMDSA material that goes out Compile candidate applications for the election proceedings Serve as Vice President, should the Vice President be unable to do so

   4. Treasurer Manage all CMDSA money Track funding Work with Francine regarding Quick Checks and other financial matters Secure funds for any CMDSA event Make monthly financial reports to the Leadership team Serve as Secretary, should the Secretary be unable to do so

   5. Communication Link Works to help increase CMDSA students’ understanding of the major Design any communication needed for the organization (i.e. fliers, posters, etc.) Change the display case monthly Ensure continuity of all CMDSA materials Recruits and organizes committee members Manages student services (i.e. business cards, T-shirts, fundraising, book exchanges) Manages the CMDSA web site

   6. Connection Link Works to help increase CMD students’ understanding of the major Actively searches for job and internship opportunities for CMD students Format and publicize job/internship information Recruits and organizes committee members Provides Webmaster with job/internship information to post online Designs and manages mentoring network Facilitates alumni relations Facilitates student-faculty relations

   7. Activities Link Works to help increase CMD students’ understanding of the major Ensures all CMDSA events are student-oriented Manages all aspects of all CMDSA social and academic events Plans the CMD yearly showcase

2. Meetings

   1. Meeting Times The CMDSA will meet once a week for an hour or as needed. Any CMD undergraduate or graduate major or minor can attend the general meetings. The leadership team will meet once a week, in addition to the large CMDSA meetings. It will pull in committee heads as it sees fit.

   2. Facilitation and Minutes The President will facilitate each meeting, unless he or she dictates otherwise, and the Secretary will take minutes. The Secretary is also responsible for distributing the minutes of the leadership team meeting to the absent officers and must also give the minutes from the general meeting to the Webmaster to post on the CMDSA site.

   3. Purpose The leadership team meetings will serve to status current projects, discuss new business, and ensure that all current activities are aligned with the year’s objectives and mission statement. Any decisions that affect the leadership team and/or the CMDSA must be brought to the table and voted on. The decision with the most votes supporting it will be implemented.

      The general meetings will serve as a time for discussions of organizational activities, guest speakers, workshops, and various other activities and events. This time may also be used for link meetings.

3. Members

   Any CMD undergraduate or graduate major or minor can attend the CMDSA meetings. However, to be counted as an official member and listed on the official roster, that person must have attended at least four meetings that semester. Membership is counted on a per semester basis. There are no dues.

4. Election Proceedings

   1. Leadership Team Election

      1. Preparation Elections will take place at the weekly meetings in the second week of April. Candidate applications will be made available during the last week of March and the Secretary must have all applications three days before Election Day. Applications must include (but is not limited to) the candidate’s name, year, past experience with CMDSA, and what she or he hopes to accomplish if elected. The Secretary will then compile all the applications into one packet and make copies for the rest of the organization to review. The application packet will be posted on the CMDSA bulletin board.

      2. Who is Eligible to Run Only official members of CMDSA are eligible to run for a leadership team position. She or he must also have completed an application and turned it in by the aforementioned deadline.

      3. Who is Eligible to Vote Anyone eligible to attend CMDSA meetings can vote

      4. Election Process

         1. Trickle-down Process The election process will follow a “trickle-down” method. The President position will be voted upon first; if a candidate is not elected to that post, he or she may then run for Vice-President, then Secretary, then Treasurer. Before the election, all candidates must state which positions he or she will trickle-down to, but candidates need not run for all positions. In announcing which other positions the candidate will also run for he or she must agree to accept the next position to which he or she is elected.

         2. Voting During the election process, all candidates will leave the room. All voters will now have the opportunity to once more review the application packet. The President, who cannot cast a vote, will call for all ballots to be cast for the President and each voter will vote by secret ballot. The President will then count the cast votes. The candidate with the most votes is elected to that post and the President will announce the new President. In this fashion follows the election of the Vice President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.

         3. Tie breaker In the case of a tie, another ballot vote will be cast between the two candidates. If again a tiebreaker is needed, the President or whoever has responsibility of the election proceedings will cast the deciding vote.

      5. Re-election Process Should the President be running for another term or another position, he or she relinquishes the right to oversee the electoral proceedings. The Vice President will then be responsible for the election. Should the Vice President be running for another term or another position, the responsibility will fall in this succession: Secretary, Treasurer, Communication Link, Connection Link, Activities Link. (The responsibility of any organizational activity will always follow this order. It is implicit that this responsibility succession is always in place whenever the President is mentioned.) If all these officers are running for election, the responsibility is transferred to the CMDSA Faculty Advisor or an CMDSA faculty member of the Advisor’s choosing.

   2. Link Election

      1. Preparation Elections for the three Links will take place the third week in September. The election date and Link responsibilities will be announced one week prior to election day. Anyone wanting to run will simply be present on election day.

      2. Who is Eligible to Run Any CMD undergraduate or graduate major or minor is eligible to run.

      3. Who is Eligible to Vote Any CMD undergraduate or graduate major or minor is eligible to vote.

      4. Voting There will be no trickle-down process for the election of the Links. Each candidate will briefly explain to the voters why he or she should be elected for the position. During the election, all candidates will leave the room. The President will then call for a show of hands in favor for each candidate, holding elections in this order: Communication Link, Connection Link, Activities Link. The candidate securing the most votes is elected and the President will announce the new Link after each round of voting. Should there be a tie, the same tiebreaker procedure used in the leadership team election will be implemented.

   3. Midyear Election Should any of the leadership team leave the organization at any time during his or her term, the leadership team will select someone to fill the position for the remainder of the semester. If this should happen during the fall semester, elections will be held for the spring semester a week and a half before finals week. The interim officer will have the opportunity to run for the permanent position. Proceedings for midyear elections are the same as the regular year-end elections.

5. Impeachment Process Should any executive officer fail to fulfill the duties of her or his position, the organization can impeach the officer. An impeachment hearing must be called and every effort to ensure all members are aware of the hearing must be made. At the hearing, those in favor of the impeachment will briefly describe how the officer has failed his or her responsibilities. The accused officer will then have a chance to defend his or her actions. Voting will take place by a show of hands and the President will tally. If the President should be the accused officer, the responsibility follows succession. The officer is impeached if the most members voted him or her out of office. The organization will then elect a new officer the following week. Candidates for the position will give a brief speech at the election and when they have left the room, a secret ballot will be cast. The President will count ballots and announce the new officer.

6. Finance The Treasurer is responsible for all handling of CMDSA money. He or she will work closely with the CMD administrative assistant, who, at the time of this writing, is Francine Mudge. The Treasurer will give monthly financial updates to the leadership team during its weekly meetings. Any expenditures must be mentioned during the leadership team meetings.

7. Bylaw Ratification and Amendments These bylaws will be ratified with an approval from 3/4 of the CMDSA membership. The ratification day must be announced at least one-week prior and the bylaws must be available for the members to review. Should 3/4 of the members present on ratification day vote to ratify the bylaws, they will be considered ratified.

   Should these bylaws need amending, the amendments must be put in writing and voted upon by the CMDSA membership in the same process as the ratification.

   Should the mission statement warrant changes, the changes must be put in writing and voted upon during an CMDSA meeting. The changes are ratified only with a unanimous vote.