BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY, STORM LAKE, IOWA
September 1994
Updated October 2002
The name of this organization shall be the Association of Students for the Advancement of Psychology.
The purposes and goals of this organization shall be:
1) To organize on-campus events including speakers, workshops, and debates for the purpose of promoting psychology as a social science.
2) To prepare psychology majors and minors for graduate school by encouraging them to meet with professionals in psychology, and to research different graduate programs. Also, to give advice on career planning and internships.
3) To promote opportunities for members to do research projects in the area of psychology.
4) To create good college relations with the community by promoting awareness and interest in our organization within the community of Storm Lake, Iowa.
5) Sponsor debates on current issues that are pertinent to the field of social science, specifically psychology.
Membership shall be open to students in the BVU community who are Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.
All active, attending members must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above. Active, attending members are granted full voting rights and a position on any or all committees. An active, attending member must be in good academic standing as determined by the faculty, in accordance with the standards applied to all students. (See Article 5, Section 5). A proxy is required to attend if an active member is unable to fulfill his or her obligation. Said proxy shall report all informational data collected at the meeting to absent member. If a proxy is sent, the active member will be given credit for attending the meeting or speaker. A proxy must be another member of said organization.
No active, attending member may be removed from the organization without first having an open hearing and then by no less than a 2/3 majority vote by active, attending members at a regular meeting. Grounds for removal will consist of an active, attending member who is placed on academic probation or shows improper conduct when representing Buena Vista University.
A previous active, attending member may be reinstated into the said organization after one academic year. A previous active, attending member released for academic reasons may be reinstated when academic standards are achieved.
This organization adheres to its policy of nondiscrimination against student applicants on the basis of gender, race, religion, physical handicap, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.
The officers of this association shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
All officers will be elected one month prior to the time at which the Student Senate allocates monies for the organizations on campus. This will allow active, attending members an opportunity to become familiar with possible candidates. This will also allow the new officers time to formulate the budget for the next academic year. The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of active, attending members. Verbal nominations will be taken from the floor for officers. Nominations will cease after two active, attending members have asked for nominations to cease. The active, attending members will vote by secret ballot on the nominations. Nominees may have the opportunity to decline nominations. After the officers have been elected they automatically assume control of the organization at that meeting. In the event of a tie, there will be a revote on the tying nominees. If another tie occurs, each candidate will have one minute to campaign for themselves, and members will revote. In the unlikely event that another tie occurs, the current President will have the deciding vote.
Impeachment procedures to remove an officer from office will begin when a petition is brought against said officer containing signatures of over forty percent of the active, attending members. A special meeting will be called and all active, attending members shall be notified one week in advance as to the time and date of the meeting. The grievances against the officer will be publicly stated and the officer will have an opportunity to respond. After ample time for discussion a motion from the floor will be called for the officer's dismissal. No officer may be removed from office without first having an open hearing and then by no less than a 2/3 majority vote of active, attending members.
Office vacancies, during the year, shall be filled by the next successive officer for no more than one month after notice of resignation or impeachment. A special election will be held at the next meeting after the vacancy of the office.
Meetings will be held from September to May inclusive when classes are in session. There shall be an executive board meeting before each regular meeting which will consist of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and advisor.
Regular meetings will follow the rules of parliamentary procedure to transact all official business. Each active, attending member will be given a copy of the constitution at the first meeting of the academic school year. Each active, attending member will be asked to review the constitution in order to propose additions or deletions. At the next meeting the constitution will be voted upon, within the organization, if all active, attending members agree with the contents of the constitution. At this time if there is any disagreement with the document the amendment procedure will begin. (See Article 7, Section 1).
Special meetings may be called by the advisor or any of the four officers.
All active, attending members must be notified of a special meeting at least 2 days before the time of the special meeting.
All active, attending members in order to remain active must attend 70% of all meetings and special events. All active, attending members must notify one of the four officers or the advisor in case of absence. All active, attending members may have no more than six proxies per person, per academic year. (See Article 3, Section 2).
The quorum for this association shall consist of at least thirty percent of the active membership.
Proposed amendments to this constitution or the by-laws of this constitution shall be presented, in writing, at a regular meeting at least one meeting prior to being discussed and voted upon. A petition to amend must specify the reasons for amending the constitution and be signed by a 2/3 majority of active, attending members of the organization. The petition to amend must be given to all active, attending members at least 48 hours prior to the signing of the amendments to the constitution.
Having been properly presented, amendments may be adopted by a 2/3 majority signing of the active, attending members who are at a regular meeting.
The duties of the president shall be to:
1) call all meetings to order and to lead the meetings;
2) assign and supervise duties; and
3) introduce special guests.
The duties of the vice-president shall be to:
1) assume all responsibilities of the president in his or her absence;
2) oversee activities and special events; and
3) make special arrangements for speakers.
The duties of the secretary shall be to:
1) keep a record of attendance at all meetings and special events;
2) to take minutes at regular, and executive committee meetings; and
3) promotion of organization through media resources.
The duties of the treasurer shall be to:
1) keep an accurate record of the organization's account; and
2) to assist the other executive officers with their duties.
The Treasurer and Vice-President will have access to the organization's funds. The rationale for this process is to enable the organization more convenient access to funds in the absence of one of the officers.
Funds will be allocated by a consensus vote of the executive committee for the purpose of achieving the goals specified in Article 2: Purpose.
The committees of the organization shall be:
1) Public Relations,
2) Special Events,
3) Graduate School Research,
4) Career Planning,
5) Internship Committee for Interim under the direction of the Dean of Social Sciences. Each committee shall have a committee chair-person appointed by the executive committee.
A psychology professor shall be the advisor of this organization. It is expected that the advisor will:
1) attend all meetings of the executive committee;
2) attend a minimum of at least one regular meeting each month;
3) represent and to act on behalf of the organization in its dealings with administrators, faculty, and off-campus organizations;
4) mediate disputes among members of the organization that are irresolvable by the executive committee; and
5) ensure, when necessary, that the association sponsored activities conform to moral and legal codes of conduct. The advisor shall be appointed at the beginning of each academic year by the executive committee.