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STANFORD UNIVERSITY
SOCIETY OF BLACK SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
PREAMBLE

The National Society of Black Engineers, as a national student and professional based organization, does hereby dedicate itself to the development of intensive programs for increasing Black and other ethnic minority participation in the fields of engineering and engineering technology. These programs will be initiated both within and outside the university community and will serve to strengthen relations between professional industry and the black community. Members of this organization are encouraged to join and participate in their individual professional societies. This organization will endeavor to provide general counseling to all members.

ARTICLE I-NAME
The name of the organization is the Society of Black Scientists & Engineers, which is the Stanford University chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. This chapter is hereafter called SBSE.

ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVE
SBSE shall promote the pubic awareness of engineering and the opportunities it affords in the professional industry and academia; to stimulate and develop student interest in sciences and engineering; to strive in promoting participation at all levels of responsibility in the field of engineering by the Black and ethnic minority communities; and to endeavor in the advancement of the black professional engineer within the individual engineering disciplines.

ARTICLE III - CHAPTER
Section 1.
In accordance with article IV, section 1 of the National Society of Black Engineers, the Stanford chapter shall be known as follows: "Stanford University Society of Black Scientists & Engineers Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers."
Section 2. Charter Status
SBSE may obtain and retain Charter status by an affirmative vote of no less than nine (9) members of the Executive board of NSBE, and is governed in accordance with the following provisions:
A. Shall total no less than ten (10) persons eligible to vote on the ballots of the National Society.
B. Shall elect a President, Vice-President, Secretary and a Treasurer, on an annual basis (at least).
C. Shall, on or before 1 February of each calendar year, submit a written report containing:
1. A synopsis of the activities of the Chapters for the terminating year; and,
2. A statement of receipts and expenditures, and balance sheets of assets and liabilities of the chapter.
Section 3. Chapter Designation
Stanford University Society of Black Scientists & Engineers Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers shall be defined as:
A. Having all elected officers entitled to cast votes in the meetings of the National Society of Black Engineers.
B. Having received such status and is subject to the rights granted and restrictions imposed and these By-laws.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Members
Membership in the Society of Black Scientists and Engineers shall be defined as:
A. An undergraduate enrolled in an accredited educational institution or program that offers a degree in the field of engineering and is a candidate for a degree in engineering, engineering technology, or applied/physical science, or
B. A graduate student who has received an undergraduate degree in engineering, engineering technology, or applied/physical science, and
C. Has received a registered membership card through the payment of annual membership fees.
Section 2. Applications
A. Each application for membership in SBSE as a member shall be in writing, in such form and in such detail as required by the Stanford University SBSE executive board, and shall be signed by the applicant. Such an application shall be presented either to the Executive Board.
B. The Executive Board shall consider such application for membership. When accepted, the applicant shall so be notified.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS
Section 1. Members All elected offices will be held by members in good standing.
Section 2. Offices The offices which members in good standing may obtain upon election by the members of the chapter are as follows:
A. President
B. Vice-President
C. Secretary
D. Treasurer
E. Conference Coordinator
F. Academic Excellence Chair
G. Finance Chair
H. Cultural Responsibility Chair
I. Banquet Coordinator
J. Programs Chair
K. Publicity Chair
L. Telecommunications Chair
M. PCI/NSBE Jr. Coordinator

Section 3. Duties
In addition to his/her individually stated duties, each officer shall also attend Chapter Executive Board meetings, Chapter meetings and assist other officers with their duties on an as-needed basis. At the end of the year, each officer will also produce an End-of-the-year report, a supplementary disk and a Transition report.

A. President
1. Shall coordinate the activities of the Executive Board to ensure implementation of all internal and external tasks and steady communications while avoiding duplication of effort.
2. Shall present ideas and propose directions for the organization.
3. Shall attend regional and National conferences as the Executive Board representative whenever financially and logistically feasible.
4. Shall make verbal and written statements to the public concerning SBSE policy, goals and objectives.
5. Shall appoint members of special committees on an as-needed basis. 6. Shall appoint new Executive Board members to vacant board positions with the consent of the remaining board members.
7. Shall communicate with the Faculty Advisor on an as-needed basis.
8. Shall in conjunction with the Secretary produce an Annual Report to the SBSE membership and corporate supporters.
9. Shall compile a brief synopsis of his/her yearly activities for the SBSE Annual Report.
10. Shall produce an official transition report at the close of the term of office.

B. Vice-President
1. Shall preside over SBSE meetings and other appropriate functions in the absence of the President.
2. Shall develop and evaluate projects and programs along with the President.
3. Shall preside over matters of membership and lead all membership recruitment efforts.
4. Shall be responsible for correspondence with companies and coordinating weekly corporate visits.

C. Secretary
1. Shall record the minutes of all executive board meetings as well as general membership meetings and must make them available upon request to the members of the executive board.
2. Shall be in charge of all correspondence.
3. Shall be responsible for documenting the history of the society.

D. Treasurer
1. Shall keep accounts and deposit organization funds as well as preside over all financial matters of the society by developing a budgetary plan for the academic year.
2. Shall collect the annual dues of the society in a manner developed along with the executive board.
3. Must be responsible for the budget and ensure that the society stays within the designated financial limits.

E. Conference Coordinator
1. Shall coordinate registration for all conferences.
2. Shall be responsible for all travel and hotel accommodations and all other matters for a conference.
3. Shall produce a report at the end of each conference.
4. Shall oversee PCI chaperones at the conference.

F. Academic Excellence Chair
1. Shall be responsible for all scholarship, internship and job information distributed from companies, universities and other institutions.
2. Shall hold events which strive to enhance members' academic standing, job skills, etc.
3. Shall be responsible for implementing academic programming set forth by REB and NEB.
4. Shall be responsible for the mentor/mentee program.

G. Finance Chair
1. Shall be responsible for raising and solicitation of funds for the organization including the solicitation packet.
2. Shall work together with the treasurer to ensure that the society stays within the designated financial limits.

H. Cultural Responsibility Chair
1. Shall coordinate the activities of the Cultural Responsibility Committee.
2. Shall present ideas and propose direction for the committee.
3. Shall establish communication between the Cultural Responsibility Committee and the executive board of the SBSE, by serving as a liaison to the board.
4. Shall help encourage the membership to become more involved in the community and be more socially responsible engineers.
5. Shall organize and run all Cultural Responsibility Committee meetings.
6. Shall help coordinate culturally responsible events such as speaker panels, weekly outreach, and large-scale outreach events.

I. Banquet Coordinator
1. Shall be responsible for ordering food for meetings or coordinating food sponsored
by a corporation.
2. Shall be responsible for coordinating the annual SBSE banquet.
3. Shall be responsible for coordinating the annual awards banquet.

J. Programs Chair
1. Shall be responsible for disseminating all Regional and National Program and/or Competition information to the membership.
2. Shall be responsible for submitting all chapter related Programmatic and/or Competition forms/documents to the appropriate Regional or National source.
3. Shall help stimulate interest and encourage the membership to participate in Regional and National Programs and/or Competitions.
4. Shall coordinate all Chapter sponsored Programs and/or Competitions.
5. Shall coordinate all social activities not specifically assigned to other positions.

K. Publicity Chair
1. Shall be responsible for publicizing all events and meetings.
2. Shall evaluate, approve, and finalize the general content of the SBSE newsletter.
3. Is responsible for all publications not specifically assigned to other committees.

L. Telecommunications Chair
1. Shall coordinate Web communications.
2. Shall coordinate chapter mail outs.
3. Shall develop Communications Policies/Programs.

M. PCI/NSBE Jr. Coordinator
1. Shall approve all NSBE Jr. host chapter applications and forward them to the Charter/Membership Chairperson.
2. Shall coordinate NSBE Jr. efforts of the chapter.
3. Shall perform other task assigned by the regional PCI chairperson.
4. Shall produce an official transition report at the close of the term of office.
5. Shall coordinate all Pre-College Initiative activities (i.e. PCE day).

ARTICLE VI - MEETINGS
The Stanford University Society of Black Scientists and Engineers shall have weekly meetings during each quarter of each academic year. The time and place for these weekly meetings shall be announced by members of the Chapter Executive Board.

ARTICLE VII - TERMINATION OF EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Any board member or faculty advisor may be impeached and removed from said office by the affirmative vote of:
A. No less than two-thirds of the members in good standing; or
B. All remaining officers of the Executive Board of SBSE.

ARTICLE VIII - COMMITTEES
Section 1. Ad-hoc Committees
Ad-hoc committees may be formed as needed for the purpose of organizing members to help with an event or project.
Section 2. Members
All positions on standing and ad-hoc committees shall be held by members in good standing.

ARTICLE IX - Elections
Section 1. General
A. General elections are those in which all members of SBSE are eligible to case a vote.
B. All General Elections shall be held in spring quarter.
Section 2. Declaration of Intent
A. A SBSE member shall seek election to an executive position by filing a declaration of intent by a date specific in the Elections timetable.
B. The Secretary shall approve a declaration of intent upon verification that all requirements for placement in the ballot have been met. These requirements include, but need not be limited to, all requirements as specified in the Constitution and By-laws.
C. No candidate shall be elected to office unless an approved declaration of intent is on file with the Secretary.
D. No candidate shall run for more than one position on the Executive in a given election.
Section 3. Campaigns
A. Campaign Conduct
1. Campaigning shall be defined as the dissemination of printed material, commercial ads, and public speeches and displays regarding any candidate or ballot measure. The actions of any office holder of the Society, done in the course of discharging his/her duties, shall not be considered campaigning.
2. No candidate shall use any society resources for campaigning purposes unless all candidates have equal access to these resources and such access is announced in the Code or by a ruling of the Chapter Executive Board. Failure to obey this provision shall be grounds for disqualification.
3. All campaign materials shall bear the name of the candidate who has published it. Failure to obey this provision shall be grounds for disqualification.
4. Any action of a candidate that is found unbecoming of a member by the Chapter Executive Board shall result immediate disqualification, and if necessary, other disciplinary measures will be taken.
Section 4. Voting
A. Voter Qualifications
1. Only registered members may vote in the election.
2. A list of all registered members shall be maintained by the Secretary at the time of voting.
B. Absentee ballots shall not allowed.
C. Counting of Votes
1. All ballots shall be counted before they are handed to each voting member and after they are returned to assure consistent reporting of election results.
2. An ad-hoc committee shall be established to count the effective number of ballots returned after voting.
3. The result of the vote should be reported to the secretary. This report should be reflected in the minutes and announced to the members.
Section 5. Election Results
A. Voting Results
1. If more than one candidate runs for an elected office, the winner will be the candidate who received the plurality of the votes cast.
2. In the event that a candidate is unopposed, the candidate must have received a majority of the votes cast.
3. In the event of a tie, the Chapter Executive Board shall select the winner.
B. The result shall only be announced at the Annual Banquet or at another time approved by Chapter Executive Board. At this Time, the newly elected Chapter Executive board will be given the oath of office by a National or Regional Officer, Alumni member, or Faculty or administration member.

ARTICLE X - FINANCES
Section 1. General
No funds shall be expended, encumbered or otherwise disbursed by SBSE other than in accordance with the procedure for the authorization of expenditures or investments in these By-Laws.
Section 2. Budget Process and Timetable
A. The operating Budget shall be presented by the treasurer to the Chapter Executive Board (CEB) for its modification and approval no later than the first CEB meeting of the new fiscal year.
B. The operating Budget shall be approved by the CEB by a two-thirds vote. The approved budget must be balanced.
Section 3. Budgetary Authority
Once the Operating Budget has been approved, the Treasurer shall be authorized to approve specific expenditures of funds in accordance with it, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and the By-Laws of NSBE and the following requirements:
A. The treasurer shall report to the CEB on actual expenditures from each Operating Budget line-item according to the following schedule:
1. No later than the fifteenth day after the end of each quarter, on the actual expenditures as of the end of the previous quarter.
2. Whenever the actual expenditures for a given detailed line-item have exceeded the budgeted amount, or appear likely to exceed the budgeted amount before the next regularly scheduled report.
B. The treasurer shall report to the CEB on any changes in circumstances which would cause total income to be less than budgeted, as soon as such changes come to his/her attention and shall suggest corrective action as may be required for the fiscal soundness of SBSE.
C. Signature Power - Within the limitations of these By-Laws, the Treasurer shall have the authority to establish and close deposit accounts, to withdraw funds from such accounts and to purchase and sell financial instruments, in the of SBSE. The Treasurer may delegate this authority, upon ratification by the CEB, but shall continue to be responsible to the CEB for its exercise. A designated member of the CEB, selected by a majority vote of all CEB members, may have the temporary authority. The Treasurer shall report any changes in such delegations on a timely basis.
D. Reporting - The Treasurer shall report to the CEB on the status of SBSE on a bi-Quarterly basis.
E. Any contributions to the Society that are restricted to a specific purpose may only be expended in a manner consistent with the original grant. Any changes to the restrictions must be agreed on by the contributor, the intended recipient and the Chapter Executive Board prior to the changes becoming effective.

ARTICLE XI - AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed by:
A. A two-thirds vote of the Chapter Executive Board.
B. One-third of the voting members.
C. Two-thirds of the members present and voting at any regular meeting.
Section 2.
Proposed Amendments must be submitted in written form to the Chapter Executive Board to be reviewed. The proposal must be clearly stated and justified.
Section 3.
Ratification of any amendments to this constitution shall be subject to a two-thirds vote of all registered members.
Section 4. Amendments
A. The Chapter Executive Board may establish Subcommittees. There shall be one subcommittee for each with an indefinite number of members. The purpose of the subcommittees is threefold: to establish greater involvement of chapter members, to increase awareness of CEB positions thereby creating future interest and training in such positions and to help the CEB with their appointed duties. Subcommittees shall be governed by the provisions stated in Article VIII.
B. To ensure the effective transitioning of the duties of the Finance Chair, this position is hereby a co-chair position consisting of two officers: the newly elected officer and the previous term's finance chair.
C. The position of Social Chair shall be changed to the position of Programs Chair. The duties of the Programs Chair shall be as follows:
a. Shall be responsible for disseminating all Regional and National Program and/or Competition information to the membership.
b. Shall be responsible for submitting all chapter related Programmatic and/or Competition forms/documents to the appropriate Regional or National source.
c. Shall help stimulate interest and encourage the membership to participate in Regional and National Programs and/or Competitions.
d. Shall coordinate all Chapter sponsored Programs and/or Competitions.
e. Shall coordinate all social activities not specifically assigned to other positions.

1. The Banquet Coordinator shall have the following additional duty:
a. Shall be responsible for ordering food for meetings or coordinating food sponsored by a corporation.