CORNELL UNIVERSITY

SIBLEY GRADUATES IN MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Revision 1
Oct 03, 2005

Table of Contents

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE 1 Name

ARTICLE 2 Affiliation

ARTICLE 3 Purpose and Aims
3.1 Purpose
3.2 Aims

ARTICLE 4 Membership
4.1 Definition of members and honorary members
4.2 Requirements and voting status

ARTICLE 5 Officers
5.1 Executive Board
5.2 Eligibility
5.3 Nomination, election, and term of office

ARTICLE 6 Advisors
6.1 Faculty advisor
6.2 Administrative advisor

ARTICLE 7 Meetings
7.1 General meetings
7.2 Executive Board meetings
7.3 Special meetings
7.4 Meeting announcements

ARTICLE 8 Quorum

ARTICLE 9 Amendments


BYLAWS

A. Membership

B. Executive Board
Section 1 Duties and responsibilities of each office
Section 2 Removal from office
Section 3 Office vacancy

C. Meetings
Section 1 General meetings
Section 2 Executive Board meetings

D. Committees

E. Records


Constitution

Article 1: Name

The name of the organization shall be the Sibley Graduates in Mechanical and Aerospace, hereinafter referred to as SIGMA.


Article 2: Affiliation

The SIGMA is a University Organization registered with the Student Activities Office of Cornell University (hereinafter referred to as Cornell) and is associated with the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (hereinafter referred to as MAE) in the College of Engineering.


Article 3: Purpose and Aims

3.1 The purpose of the SIGMA is as follows:
• To represent current graduate students within MAE
• To facilitate interaction among graduate students and between graduate students and faculty within MAE and related departments
• To prepare graduate students for professional life
• To assist new graduate students in their transition to graduate life at Cornell

3.2 This organization aims to act as a voice for graduate students to MAE and to Cornell, to organize professional and social activities that strengthen and enrich the graduate student community within MAE, to publicize other professional and social activities of interest to MAE graduate students, and to disseminate information necessary for successful graduate life at Cornell. In addition, the SIGMA is responsible for selecting both the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering representatives for the Council of Representatives within the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly at Cornell.


Article 4: Membership

4.1 Membership in the SIGMA is defined as follows:
A. Member: Any graduate student registered with the Graduate School at Cornell and enrolled in MAE. Any graduate student who has an office in MAE and whose special committee chairperson has a primary appointment in MAE.

B. Honorary Member: Any faculty, staff, student or alumnus interested in the activities of the SIGMA.

4.2 Membership in the SIGMA is voluntary, and members may disassociate at any time. Only members as defined in 4.1A may vote or hold office.
Article 5: Officers

5.1 The Executive Board of the SIGMA shall consist of five members: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Professional Development Director, and Social Director.

5.2 Members eligible for the Executive Board include those who have been a member of SIGMA for at least one semester and who will be able to fill the complete term of office, as described in section 5.3.

5.3 Nominations and elections for positions on the Executive Board will be conducted in March, and elections will occur in April. Officers shall be elected from the SIGMA membership by a simple majority vote of members in attendance at the election meeting, assuming a quorum is present (see Article 8). In the event that a majority vote is not reached, then a run-off election between the two candidates receiving the most votes will be held. The term of office begins at the end of the spring semester and terminates at the end of the following spring semester.


Article 6: Advisors

6.1 The faculty advisor to the SIGMA shall be chosen by agreement of a majority of the Executive Board. Any MAE faculty member is eligible for nomination, and he or she must accept the nomination before the appointment may proceed. In the event that the Executive Board cannot find a faculty advisor as prescribed above, then the Associate Director for Graduate Affairs in MAE shall become the faculty advisor to the SIGMA. The term of service is two years, and it begins at the beginning of the fall semester.

6.2 The administrative advisor to the SIGMA shall be the MAE Graduate Field Administrator.


Article 7: Meetings

7.1 The general membership of the SIGMA shall meet each semester and as necessary. Meetings may proceed officially only when a quorum is met.

7.2 The Executive Board shall meet at least once a month.

7.3 Special meetings may be held as necessary and may be arranged by any member of the Executive Board.

7.4 All meetings must be announced at least three business days before they are held.


Article 8: Quorum

A quorum for any general meeting of the SIGMA shall be a majority of the Executive Board.


Article 9: Amendments

Amendments to the constitution and bylaws may be proposed by any member of the SIGMA and shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Board. Proposed amendments approved by a majority of the members of the Executive Board shall be submitted to the membership at the next general meeting. Proposed amendments shall be posted to the membership at least seven days before the general meeting, and they shall be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the members in attendance at the meeting, assuming a quorum is present.



Bylaws

A. Membership
All members have the right to participate in any SIGMA activity and to hold office. They have a duty to attend, when possible, the regularly scheduled meetings so that business may be conducted.


B. Executive Board

Section 1: Duties and responsibilities

1. The duties of the President are as follows:
a. To serve as the official spokesperson of SIGMA and to represent the aims and objectives of the organization to MAE and to Cornell;
b. To arrange and preside at all general and Executive Board meetings of the SIGMA and to maintain order therein;
c. To hold primary authority over and responsibility for all non-financial activities and actions of the SIGMA.

2. The duties of the Vice President are as follows:
a. To assist the President in his or her duties and to fulfill presidential duties in his or her absence;
b. To record the official minutes of all meetings;
c. To fulfill any other duties that the Executive Board may deem necessary.

3. The duties of the Treasurer are as follows:
a. To oversee all financial transactions of the SIGMA and maintain current financial records in accordance with MAE accounting requirements;
b. To report all financial transactions to the Executive Board;
c. To prepare an annual budget for the SIGMA in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the Student Activities Office at Cornell and subject to the approval of the Executive Board by a majority vote;
d. To present the annual budget to the Executive Board and general membership;
e. To allocate and dispense all funds and monies of the SIGMA;
f. To hold primary authority over and responsibility for the accounts, deposits, and expenditures of the SIGMA, subject to the approval of the Executive Board, SIGMA Advisors, and MAE Accounting Office;
g. To fulfill any other duties requested by the Executive Board.

4. The duties of the Professional Development Director are as follows:
a. To promote the educational and professional development of graduate students in MAE;
b. To arrange and preside at all meetings of the Professional Development Committee (PDC);
c. To present all proposed activities of the PDC to the Executive Board for approval;
d. To publicize all events organized by the PDC to the membership;
e. To coordinate with the Treasurer on all financial matters pertaining to the PDC.


5. The duties of the Social Director are as follows:
a. To promote interaction among MAE graduate students and between graduate students and faculty within MAE and related departments;
b. To assist new graduate students in their transition to graduate life at Cornell;
c. To arrange and preside at all meetings of the Social Committee (SC);
d. To present all proposed activities of the SC to the Executive Board for approval;
e. To publicize all events organized by the SC to the membership;
f. To coordinate with the Treasurer on all financial matters pertaining to the SC.


Section 2: Removal from office

Officers who do not fulfill their duties and responsibilities may be removed from office in either of the following ways:
1. By unanimous vote of the Executive Board, excepting the vote of the officer in question, and with approval of the SIGMA Advisors.
2. By a petition signed by two-thirds of the total voting membership submitted to the SIGMA Advisors and the MAE Associate Director for Graduate Studies.


Section 3: Office vacancy

If the position of President becomes vacant for any reason (e.g., resignation, mid-term graduation or withdrawal, forced removal, etc.), the Vice President shall become President, and a special election will be held to fill the Vice Presidency.

If any office other than President becomes vacant, the Executive Board may appoint a temporary replacement by majority vote of the Board. Special elections for a permanent replacement may be requested by motion from the membership. If no motion for a special election is made, the temporary appointee will become a permanent replacement and serve the remainder of the term.

In a special election, any vacant position will be filled by a majority vote of members in attendance, assuming a quorum is present.


C. Meetings

Section 1: General meetings

General meetings are open to all members of the general public. General meetings shall be limited to 90 minutes unless extended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members in attendance.


Section 2: Executive Board meetings

Attendance at Executive Board meetings is mandatory for all of its members. Accordingly, the meetings shall be scheduled at a time convenient for all members. Any member of the SIGMA may attend and speak at Executive Board meetings. However, upon a majority vote of the Executive Board members, the Executive Board will meet in closed session.



D. Committees

Participation in any committee of the SIGMA shall be voluntary and open to all members. Committees may be formed or dissolved as deemed necessary by the membership in attendance at the meeting where the motion is presented.

The Professional Development Committee shall organize and publicize to the membership and to MAE all matters relating to educational and professional development. The Social Committee shall organize and publicize all social events.


E. Records

All official minutes, financial records, etc., shall be kept in a designated area in the MAE Graduate Field Office.