Chapter Bylaws
ARTICLE I. NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of this organization is the University of Washington Chapter of the SHPE (the “Chapter”).
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this Chapter is to realize the mission of SHPE at the University of Washington by organizing events and programs that directly lead members towards their post-graduation success, all in accordance with SHPE’s Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
Chapter objectives include:
Providing an inclusive community (via the Chapter) for Hispanic STEM students enrolled at University that realizes the SHPE mission;
Recruiting Hispanic STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) students into the Chapter;
Retaining and advancing Hispanic STEM students via leadership, professional, familial, and academic development, and community service programs; and
Contributing to the post-graduation success of chapter members into STEM careers (e.g., industry, graduate school, entrepreneurship, etc.)
ARTICLE III. AFFILIATION
The Chapter is chartered as an affiliated chapter of SHPE. As such, the Chapter is subject to and must comply with the governing documents and policies, rules and procedures adopted by SHPE. The Chapter may adopt its own rules and procedures, but only within the framework of and to the extent not inconsistent with SHPE's governing documents and policies and University’s policies for students and student organizations. As part of its affiliation, the Chapter shall have a faculty or staff member from the University serve as Chapter Advisor to provide guidance, support and access to University resources. This Chapter shall also be part of the “local chapters” as defined by the SHPE’s established governance structure. SHPE has the authority to, at any time, revoke the charter of Chapter to be an affiliated chapter of SHPE. The Chapter must comply with the SHPE Chapter Affiliation Agreement.
ARTICLE IV. SHPE NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Section 1. Non-Discrimination
No person shall be denied membership in the Chapter on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, disability, religion, height, weight, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state or federal law. Moreover, the Chapter will adhere to the University non-discrimination policy. Link to UW Policies and Procedures
Section 2. Regular Membership
Regular members shall be:
Members in good standing with SHPE; and
Students enrolled at the University of Washington
Members must attend 20% of meetings per quarter to maintain good standing
Section 3. Associate Membership
Associate members are industry representatives and college staff who do not meet requirements for regular membership and are nonvoting members of the Chapter, but who support the purpose(s) and objective(s) of this chapter. Define any other rights or responsibilities for the member type.
ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Section 1. Executive Board
The Chapter shall have an Executive Board, composed of Chapter officers elected by members of the Chapter. Subject to the direction of the Chapter Advisor and SHPE, the Executive Board shall manage the affairs of the Chapter. The Executive Board shall create and manage committees that organize activities for the Chapter to recruit, retain and work towards the post-graduation success of its members. Executive Board Members shall include the following: President(s), Vice President(s) Internal and External, These positions will serve as the core of the leadership team for the chapter.
Section 2. Specific Powers of the Executive Board
The Executive Board shall have the following duties:
To enforce the chapter bylaws, rules and regulations, and policies and procedures, and to propose changes to these documents, in writing, as necessary;
To establish committees and appoint committee members in accordance with these Bylaws and to define the committee plans, goals and strategic objective, roles, responsibilities, powers, and duties; and
To select and designate a bank as the chapter depository for funds and to determine the order and way deposits and/or withdrawals are made through the guidance of SHPE National and University Guidelines. Section 3. Executive Board Tenure
The term of office of each Executive Board Member is one year corresponding to the June fiscal year, mirroring the SHPE fiscal year, starting on July 1st of the current year and ending June 30th of the following year, and until their successors take office, subject to their earlier resignation or removal from office.
Section 4. Board Position Roles & Responsibilities
Co-President (2)
Represent the Chapter as the official Chapter spokesperson and be responsible for Chapter business
Preside over Executive Board and Chapter membership meetings
Manage the Chapter Executive Board and activities (using the Chapter Management Tool [CMT])
Set Chapter policy/focus for the year
Oversee the development and submission of the National Reporting Program requirements
Vice President of External Affairs
Work on the off campus affairs for the chapter. The work includes but is not limited to maintaining communication with SHPE professional chapters, being the main point of contact for companies, organizing academic/professional events for general members, planning of important events
Oversee external affairs of the Chapter (industry relations, company tours, etc.)
Assist the Co-Presidents managing the Chapter in their disability and or absence.
Vice President of Internal Affairs
Work on the on campus affairs for the chapter. This includes but is not limited to maintaining good relationships with other on campus organizations (engineering and non-engineering), ensuring our chapter affiliations are registered and up-to-date, and planning of important events.
Oversee internal affairs of the Chapter (campus relations, social activities, etc.)
Assist the Co-Presidents managing the Chapter in their disability and or absence.
The Chapter may create additional officer positions, who may, but need not serve on the Executive Board, as determined by the Chapter, within the framework of SHPE’s policies, should the Chapter grow and the expansion of leadership is required to increase in proportion to the growth.
Section 5. Committees
The Executive Board may create committees that facilitate the organizing and implementation of chapter activities, events and/or programming. Committees will have the responsibilities and membership composition as determined by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
Section 1: General Meetings
General membership meetings shall take place on a biweekly schedule each quarter during the academic year.
Section 2: Election Meetings
The election results will be determined in accordance with Article VI section 3.
Section 3: Additional Meetings
The Executive Board has the privilege of calling additional membership meetings as deemed appropriate such as weekly officer meetings where planning for the quarter takes place.
Section 2: Definition of Meeting Quorum (in-person, virtual, or hybrid)
Board Quorum and Voting
A quorum shall consist of at least 50.1% of the Executive Board members in office. A majority vote of the Executive Board members present when there is a quorum shall constitute approval of the Executive Board.
Unless these Bylaws contemplate a membership vote to approve a matter, the Executive Board has the authority to determine whether to submit a matter for approval by the Board alone, or by the Board and membership.
Membership Quorum
A quorum for Chapter membership meetings shall consist of at least 33% of the Chapter’s members. A majority vote of the Chapter members present when there is a quorum shall constitute approval of the Chapter’s members.
ARTICLE VII. ELECTIONS
Section 1. Elections Timeline
Elections timeline shall be as follows:
March 26: Membership dues must be paid, and nominations for positions must be submitted by end of day 11:59PM (local time)
April 10: Elections must be held prior to this date and results are announced to the chapter by this date
April 15: Report election results to SHPE Staff [chapters@shpe.org]
Section 2. Nominations Procedure
Persons can self-nominate via nomination form
Executive board positions are only available to those who have served on the current board for at least 1 year. All other positions are open for nominations.
Multiple nominations are allowed but only one position can be held per member
Section 3. Elections Procedure
Elections shall be held amongst Chapter members when a quorum of Chapter members is present
If in-person, an absentee vote shall be accepted if submitted to the Co-President at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the annual election. Absentee ballots shall count toward establishing quorum. If virtual, an email must be sent twenty-four (24) hours prior to the election
Voting shall be by secret ballot, and the nominee with the majority of votes shall be considered the winner. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, runoff election(s) shall be conducted until a candidate receives a majority of votes and is elected. In each round, the candidate with the fewest votes shall be eliminated until only two candidates remain.
If a person is considered the winner for multiple positions, they will fill their first choice position. The person with the second most number of votes will fill the remaining position.
The Co-President(s) shall tally the votes and promptly disclose results to the Chapter Advisor, the Executive Board, and the Chapter. If no runoff election is needed, election results will be announced 48 hours after or sooner with the entire membership.
Only Executive Board positions must be elected by the Chapter’s members who have maintained good standing. All other positions are open for voting to those present during elections.
Any and all persons in elected positions must meet or exceed a 2.8 cumulative GPA and be SHPE members in good standing
The Executive Board may adopt additional rules consistent with these Bylaws to implement the nominations and election process
Section 4: Transition Process
There shall be at least a one-month transition period between incoming and outgoing Executive Boards to ensure continuity and transfer of best practices
Newly elected officers shall assume office as soon as they have been successfully on boarded, but no later than the beginning of the fiscal year (July 1st)
Transition shall take place upon fulfillment of requirements established by SHPE. Both the outgoing and incoming officers shall complete the New Chapter Leader Orientation and participate in the onboarding workshop/series as determined by SHPE. Transition requirements are estimated to take 3 months to complete
New chapter officers must be reported to SHPE by April 15 of each year
New chapter officers must comply with the SHPE Chapter Affiliation Agreement
ARTICLE VIII. RESIGNATIONS AND REMOVALS
Section 1. Resignations
Any Executive Board member may resign from office at any time by submitting a letter of resignation to the Co-President(s) or one of the Vice Presidents and the Chapter Advisor. The resignation shall be effective at the time the resignation is tendered, unless the resignation specifies a later effective time.
Section 2. Removals
When any Executive Board member feels that an officer is not fulfilling their duties, they may call upon the rest of the Executive Board to discuss/ resolve the matter. An officer may be removed by an Executive Board member should that officer not comply with SHPE’s code of conduct and/or University guidelines.
Section 3. Vacancies
The Executive Board shall fill vacancies in any office and may fill them at any time. An individual elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term for which their predecessor was elected.
ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS
These Bylaws may be amended at any time with the written approval of the Executive Board, the Chapter’s members, and the advisor. Following, the written documentation will be reviewed and approved by SHPE. Amendments shall become effective after approval by SHPE.