USACS CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I – Name

1. This organization shall be called the Undergraduate Student Alliance of Computer Scientists. In these Bylaws it is referred to as the Chapter

ARTICLE II – Purpose

1. The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational and scientific purposes to promote the following:
   1. An increased knowledge of and greater interest in the science, design, development, construction, languages, management and applications of modern computing.
   2. Greater interest in computing and its applications.
   3. A means of communication between persons having an interest in computing.
   4. Improving the state of computing and Computer Science teaching and research for Rutgers undergraduates.
   5. A cooperative relationship between the Rutgers undergraduates and the Computer Science department.
2. The Chapter will serve students at the Rutgers New Brunswick community.

ARTICLE III – Membership

1. Membership shall be open to all Rutgers University students and must comply with federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, military service, and veteran status, and any other category protected by law."
2. Voting membership in the Student Chapter shall be open to all current undergraduate students at Rutgers University.

ARTICLE IV – Officers

1. The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers constitute the Council.
2. The officers shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at the annual election meeting. They shall take office on March 1 and serve for one year.
3. In the case that any office is vacant, the group may elect an Interim officer to fill that role until the next annual election.
4. No member may serve in the offices of Chair or Vice Chair for more than two consecutive years.

ARTICLE V – Duties Of Officers

1. The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading the Chapter and managing its activities in accordance with these bylaws. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the chapter and of its Executive Council. The Executive Council shall consist of the Chapter officers, the Student Chapter Sponsor, and chairs of the Chapter's standing committees.
2. The Vice Chair shall preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair, assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter, and perform other duties that may be assigned by the Chair.
3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Chapter and Executive Council meetings. Other duties of the Secretary include:
   1. Maintaining the records of the Chapter.
   2. Submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws to the Chairs of the Membership Activities Board. Proposed amendments must be approved before they can be submitted to the Chapter's membership for a vote.
   3. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.
4. The Treasurer shall collect dues, pay all bills, and maintain the Chapter's financial records. Duties of the Treasurer also shall include:
   1. Preparation of the Chapter's Annual Financial Report for presentation to the Chapter at the Annual Election meeting.
   2. Performance of other duties as assigned by the Chair.
   3. Respond to budgetary requests within the University.

ARTICLE VI – Chapter Sponsor

1. The Student Chapter Sponsor shall be a member of the faculty or fulltime staff of Rutgers University.
2. The Student Chapter Sponsor shall be selected by the Executive Council immediately following the Election Meeting. The selection shall be confirmed by the sponsor.
3. The Student Chapter Sponsor shall be generally responsible for the activities of the Chapter. Specifically, the Sponsor:
   1. Helps provide continuity from year to year as student leadership and personnel change.
   2. Promotes good studentfaculty relationships.
   3. Helps maintain university standards in all activities of the Chapter.
   4. Exercises financial supervision, if necessary, by: (1) promoting prompt payment of bills and collection of dues, and (2) overseeing the settlement of all accounts in the event of dissolution of the Chapter.
   5. Represents the Chapter interests to the faculty and administration.

ARTICLE VII – Executive Council

1. The Executive Council shall consist of the Chapter officers, the Student Chapter Sponsor, and chairs of the Chapter's standing committees.
2. The Term of the members of the Executive Council shall be coincident with the terms of the officers. They shall take office on March 1 and serve for one year.

ARTICLE VIII – Standing Committees And Special Interest Groups

1. The standing committees of the Chapter may have a single person as Chair or two people may be CoChairs. The group will form the following committees: Web Site & Publicity, Curriculum, Computing Resources, Industry Alliances, Community Outreach, and Events & Programs.
   1. The Web Site & Publicity Committee will oversee the development and maintenance of the USACS website, USACS mail system, and shall maintain a mailing list and publish and distribute all notices and publicity for and to the members of the Chapter.
   2. The Curriculum Committee will assist the various academic units of the University in reviewing the course and major requirements and offerings, and providing student input on how they may be improved.
   3. The Computing Resources Committee will assist the various academic and administrative units of the University in reviewing and improving the resources available to students for computing, including financing, computing equipment, network connectivity, and curricular integration.
   4. The Industry Alliances Committee will develop and maintain ongoing relationships with area businesses which will benefit their recruiting and R&D efforts, and which benefit students through exposure to commercial technology opportunities.
   5. The Events & Programs Committee shall plan and make arrangements all the Chapter's meetings and programs in accordance with the membership's interests and the aims of the Chapter as set forth in Article II.
2. Adhoc committees of the Chapter may be established by a vote of the group. Ad hoc committees have a single person as Chair or two people may be CoChairs. Ad hoc committees includes Special Interest Groups, which will be formed and maintained in response to member interest in specific topic areas of Computing such as Artificial Intelligence, Computational Theory, or the like. Each Special Interest Group may have its own email list for indepth discussion and will have its own Chair or CoChairs (up to 3) who will administer its email list, promote the group, and lead the development of its activities.

ARTICLE IX – Temporary Committees

1. A Nominating Committee, consisting of at least three voting members of the Chapter, at least two of whom shall not be members of the Executive Council, shall be appointed by the Chapter Chair at least two months prior to the Election Meeting.
2. An Audit Committee shall be appointed by the Chapter Chair at the close of the fiscal year to assure the accuracy of the accounting of the Chapters funds for the year.

ARTICLE X – Meetings

1. Meetings shall be held as planned by the Events & Programs Committee, or at the discretion of the Executive Board.
2. The Annual Election meeting will be held two to four weeks prior to the expiration of the Officers' term of office. At this meeting, the Secretary and Treasurer each shall present the required reports. Also, the election of officers shall be held. Written or electronic notices of all meetings shall be distributed to all members at least one week prior to any meeting.

ARTICLE XI – Disbursements And Dues

1. Disbursements from the Treasury for Chapter expenditures shall be made by the Treasurer with authorization of the Executive Council and shall be included in the minutes of its meetings.
2. Dues shall be fixed annually by the Executive Council.

ARTICLE XII – Amendment, Election, And Voting Procedures

1. All proposed changes to these Chapter Bylaws shall be approved by the Chairs of the Membership Activities Board and Bylaws Committee before being presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.
2. All votes of the group will be announced fourteen days prior to the vote. No official business of the Chapter shall be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as 10 percent of the voting membership of the Chapter or at least 5 members.
3. A simple majority of the voting members present shall be required to carry a motion.
4. Election campaigning by candidates will be subject these rules:
   1. No candidate may use any printed medium for promoting their candidacy, or may spend any funds for promoting their candidacy.
   2. Candidates may send only one unsolicited email (spam) to the group or any group member declaring their candidacy and a statement about themselves and their reasons for running. All other emails must be in response to specific questions or issues raised by group members.
5. Officers will be elected by a plurality of votes cast. In the case of extenuating circumstances, the Exec Board may allow a Voting member to cast their vote via an absentee ballot at least three days prior to the vote. All absentee votes are final, and may not be changed.
6. Any accusation of an act of fraud or abuse of voting privilege or campaign rules will result in review of the issue by the Chapter Advisor and the outgoing Executive Committee, who shall establish a procedure and review the case as required. If an individual is found to have committed fraud or abuse, it shall result in their reporting to appropriate University disciplinary authorities.

ARTICLE XIII – Rules Of Conduct

1. This organization shall abide by all applicable laws of the State of New Jersey and the United States.
2. This organization shall abide by all applicable rules and regulations of the University and under the privileges as granted by the Division of Student Affairs and by the rules and regulations of the Board of Governors.