Biology Club Constitution

Article I: Name, Purpose, and Non-Discrimination Policy

Section 1-Name. The Biology Club

Section 2-Purpose.  To provide a platform for students who are interested in Biology and Life sciences, to meet and interact with like-minded people, to learn about potential career opportunities, to promote a sense of belonging to the campus community, and to encourage students to get involved in campus activities and contribute to social and other kinds of events at the campus. 

Section 3- Non-discrimination policy. The Biology Club will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, age, ancestry, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual identity, sexual orientation, or any other basis in its inclusion or activities. 

Article II: Membership qualifications, dues, and criteria of membership

Section 1: Membership is open to all students interested in the field of Biology, regardless of their declared major. A student member must be associated with the OSU Mansfield campus. 

Section 2: There are no dues or fees to join nor to maintain membership status in the Biology Club.

Section 3: Members are encouraged to attend at least three (3) club meetings and participate in one (1) club activity per semester, which may consist of fundraisers, service activities, and club events.

Article III: Organization Leadership: Titles, terms of office, type of selection, and duties of leadership

Section 1: Duties of Officers

  1. Officers shall be elected by simple majority vote of the active members during the second week of April for the following year. Officer positions shall consist of president, vice president(s), fundraising chair, service chair, professionalism chair, social chair, and membership chair. 
  2. All officer positions shall prepare and organize all the information they used or obtained at the end of their term as officer or chair in a written report to pass on to the next elected person for that position. The written report should also be given to the president to include in their report as well.
  3. All officers organizing an event shall record membership attendance at events and report participation to membership chair.

Section 2: President

  1. The president shall be responsible for scheduling and presiding over all general member meetings.
  2. The president shall be responsible for scheduling and presiding over all executive board meetings.
  3. The president shall maintain a close affiliation between its members and the faculty advisor(s).
  4. The president shall be the main representative of the organization and be responsible for all external communications.
  5. The president shall oversee officer selection and transition at the end of the year.

Section 3: Vice President(s)

  1. The vice president shall be responsible for taking attendance and recording minutes of all meetings.
  2. The vice president shall oversee all outgoing correspondence for the organization to the members (i.e., minutes, upcoming events, meetings).
  3. In the case the president cannot execute their function, the vice president will be acting president. 

Section 4: Fundraising Committee

  1. The fundraising committee shall identify opportunities, develop ideas, and create events to raise funds for charitable purposes.
  2. An elected fundraising chair shall preside over a fundraising committee, which will be formed by at least two (2) members of the club.
  3. The fundraising committee will call for and select as many members as needed to fulfill fundraising activities. 

Section 5: Service Committee

  1. The service committee shall seek out community service opportunities.
  2. The service committee shall formulate community outreach and service opportunities.
  3. The service committee shall contact outside volunteer organizations and research projects.
  4. An elected service chair shall preside over a service committee, which will be formed by at least two (2) members of the club.

Section 6: Professionalism Committee

  1. The professionalism committee shall seek out and schedule speakers for in-person and Zoom events.  Such speakers include, but are not limited to, alumni of the Mansfield campus engaged in a biology-related career and professionals in the health sciences.
  2. The professionalism committee shall seek the advice and counsel of the Career Service Coordinator of the OSU Mansfield campus.
  3. An elected professionalism chair shall preside over a professionalism committee, which will be formed by at least two (2) members of the club. 

Section 7:  Membership and Social Committee

  1. The membership and social committee shall update the website and obtain photographs of members participating in events and discussions.
  2. The membership and social committee shall have a collaborative recruitment effort between events and membership.
  3. The membership and social committee shall work closely with the president and the vice president(s) to encourage and promote membership to the club. 
  4. An elected membership and social chair shall preside over a membership and social committee, which will be formed by at least two (2) members of the club. 

Article IV – Election process for leadership positions

Section 1: Any member of the club is eligible to nominate themselves for all positions. 

Section 2: All nominations shall occur during the third week of March of a Spring semester and be presented to the president of the club.

Section 3: All current leadership members of the club are eligible to nominate themselves for their position of interest. 

Section 4: The election of officers shall take place during the second-to-last general member meeting of each spring quarter.

Section 5: During this meeting, each candidate will speak for 2-3 minutes to present their merits toward their position of interest. 

Section 6: After speeches, a vote will be taken, tallied and the officers for the next academic year shall be announced within a week. 

Section 7: If members are unable to attend this meeting, they can cast their ballots via e-mail to the faculty advisor(s) of the club.

Section 8: The last meeting of the club will serve the purpose of officially introducing the new office holders of the club and their acceptance of responsibilities, including deciding on the date of the first meeting, club activities during summer as well as any other pertinent club business. 

Article V – Faculty Advisor(s) or Advisory Board: Qualification Criteria.

Faculty advisor(s) shall provide guidance and counsel and promote general welfare of the Bio Club. Advisor(s) shall attend meetings and events as permitted by their schedule. The advisor(s) shall help oversee officer transition each year.

Article VI – Meetings of the Organization: Required meetings and their frequency.

The Bio Club shall hold a formal meeting once every two weeks during ‘common hour,’ determined to be between 12:35 and 1:25 on the Mansfield campus. Office holders can call for a second meeting if the need arises or call for an informal meeting on the ‘off’ week during common hour or evening hours as needed.   

Article VII– Method of Amending Constitution: Proposals, notice, and voting requirements.

Any proposed changes in the constitution shall be submitted to the president of the club who will meet with the advisor(s) to discuss the change. The proposed change(s) will be put to the ballot within the next two (2) meetings and all members can vote on it. At least 2/3 of club members should be present for the vote to be proposed. The change(s) and amendment(s) will be made effective if there are 75 % or more affirmative votes in favor of the change(s).