About Us

Bylaws

As approved by the General Assembly on January 14 2009

Article I: Purpose of By-Laws

The purpose of these By-Laws is to provide the technical detail needed to implement the provisions of the Constitution and to assure the orderly and effective functioning of the Honors Student Association at Western Michigan University.

Article II: Active Membership

Membership in the Association is open to all students in the Lee Honors College. Eligibility is not extended to other students, faculty, or staff of Western Michigan University. No student in the Lee Honors College is denied membership because of race, gender, religion, height, weight, age, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

There are no membership dues.

Membership in the Association will be terminated when the student fails to fulfill the requirements of the Lee Honors College and is removed from their roster.

Article III: Officers

Section 1: Elected Officers

Elected officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2: Eligibility

  1. All officers must be in good standing with the Lee Honors College. Officers who fail to maintain such status shall be subject to removal from office.
  2. Eligibility for the positions of President and Vice President shall be limited to individuals who have served at least one (1) full term as an officer, elected board member, appointed board member, or liaison.
  3. Due to the demands of office, individuals intending to be Resident Assistants may not run for or hold the positions of President, Vice President, or Treasurer. If a current President, Vice President, or Treasurer becomes a Resident Assistant during the course of their term, that individual will be expected to step down before becoming a Resident Assistant.

Section 3: Term of Office

All officers serve a one-year term beginning on May 1 and ending on April 30 of the following year. With the exception of the President, officers may seek re-election to their current position once. The President may not run for re-election as President, but may run for another position on the board. Officers may also seek other positions on the board.

Section 4: Duties of Officers

President

  1. The President shall oversee the executive board, keeping them informed and on task.
  2. The President is the presiding officer of the executive board and shall maintain structure and order during meetings.
  3. The President shall create the agenda for Executive Board and General Assembly meetings.
  4. The President shall be a motivating force within the group, promoting an atmosphere where all members feel comfortable and where shared goals can be accomplished.
  5. The President shall represent the Association to the university at large.
  6. The President shall seek input from the advisor before sending communication on behalf of the Association.

Vice President

  1. The Vice President shall act as President in his/her absence.
  2. The Vice President is responsible for scheduling meetings in the Lee Honors College building.
  3. The Vice President shares organizational responsibilities with the President.
  4. The Vice President shall be responsible for ensuring the Association remains a Registered Student Organization, and shall re-register the Association with Student Activities & Leadership Programs as necessary.
  5. The Vice President is responsible to ensure parliamentary procedure is being followed pursuant to the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

Recording Secretary

  1. The Recording Secretary is responsible for the recording and distribution of minutes at executive board and general assembly meetings.
  2. The Recording Secretary is responsible for taking roll at each meeting and keeping record of attendance.
  3. The Recording Secretary must maintain all official documents of the Honors Student Association including the bylaws, constitution, and any other governing documents.
  4. The Recording Secretary shall distribute the agenda for each executive board meeting and general assembly meeting.
  5. The Recording Secretary must maintain a current list of all active members.

Corresponding Secretary

  1. The Corresponding Secretary must carry out general secretarial duties such as sending thank you cards, creating phone lists, etc.
  2. The Corresponding Secretary is responsible for picking up the AssociationŐs mail from Faunce Student Services.
  3. The Corresponding Secretary is responsible for taking minutes in the absence of the Recording Secretary.
  4. The Corresponding Secretary shall be in regular contact with the Hall Director of the Honors Residence Hall.
  5. The Corresponding Secretary shall work with committees and conduct any correspondence necessary to their work.

Treasurer

  1. The Treasurer is responsible for tracking the expenses of the Association.
  2. The Treasurer shall create an annual budget, to be adopted by the Executive Board at the first meeting of the year, and shall provide regular financial reports detailing the Association's financial position.
  3. The Treasurer shall serve as the liaison to the Lee Honors College with respect to the Association's finances.
  4. The Treasurer shall serve as the Chair of the Fundraising subcommittee.

Section Five: Vacancies

  1. Should a vacancy of an elected officer occur, the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to majority approval of the Executive Board.
  2. In the event that the President resigns or is removed from office, the Vice President shall succeed the President, and a replacement Vice President shall be appointed, subject to majority approval of the Executive Board.
  3. Replacements shall not be eligible to run for the positions of President or Vice President during their term, and must serve a full term on the Board before seeking such positions.

Section Six: Grounds for Removal of Officers

  1. Any officer that misses three Executive Board meetings without prior written explanation shall be removed from office.
  2. Officers that are regularly absent from meetings or Association events will be asked to justify their absence and may be removed from office.
  3. Officers that fail to fulfill the duties of their office may be removed from office.
  4. The process for the removal of officers from the Board is established in Article XI - Removal of Officers and Executive Board Members.

Article IV: Elected Board Members

Section 1: Elected Board Members

Elected board members of the Association shall be the Programming Coordinator, Publicity Coordinator, and Historian.

Section 2: Eligibility

All elected board members must be in good standing with the Lee Honors College. Elected board members who fail to maintain such status shall be subject to removal from office.

Section 3: Term of Office

All elected board members serve a one-year term beginning on May 1 and ending on April 30 of the following year. Elected board members may seek re-election to their current position once. Elected board members may also seek other positions on the board.

Section 4: Duties of Elected Board Members

Programming Coordinator

  1. The Programming Coordinator is responsible for overseeing the planning of all volunteer, social, academic and fundraising events sponsored by the Association.
  2. The Programming Coordinator shall maintain the Association's calendar of events, including events the Association sponsors but is not directly involved with.
  3. The Programming Coordinator shall maintain a log of all event planning and event evaluation records.
  4. The Programming Coordinator shall conduct evaluations of each program hosted or sponsored by the Association.
  5. The Programming Coordinator will serve as Chair of the Programming Committee.

Publicity Coordinator

  1. The Publicity Coordinator is responsible for creating and posting publicity for all Association events.
  2. The Publicity Coordinator is responsible for taking any advertisements down after events have occurred.
  3. The Publicity Coordinator will work with Lee Honors College staff when printing or reproducing promotional materials.
  4. The Publicity Coordinator is encouraged to use university resources.
  5. The Publicity Coordinator will serve as Chair of the Publicity Committee.

Historian

  1. The Historian is responsible for photographing the Association's events and activities and assisting the Webmaster in posting the photos on the Association's website.
  2. The Historian is responsible for film/picture development
  3. The Historian is responsible for keeping the Association's photo albums and scrapbook up to date.
  4. The Historian will regularly update the Association's bulletin board in the Lee Honors College.
  5. The Historian will be the Chair of the Alumni committee.

Section 5: Vacancies

  1. Should a vacancy of an elected board member occur, the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to majority approval of the Executive Board.
  2. Replacements shall not be eligible to run for the positions of President or Vice President during their term, and must serve a full term on the Board before seeking such positions.

Section 6: Grounds for Removal of Elected Board Members

  1. Any elected board member that misses three Executive Board meetings without prior written explanation shall be removed from office.
  2. Elected board members that are regularly absent from meetings or Association events will be asked to justify their absence and may be removed from office.
  3. Elected board members that fail to fulfill the duties of their office may be removed from office.
  4. The process for the removal of elected board members from the Board is established in Article XI - Removal of Officers and Executive Board Members.

Article V: Appointed Board Members

Section 1: Appointed Board Members

Appointed board members of the Association shall be the Webmaster, Past President, and Lee Honors College Representative.

Section 2: Eligibility

  1. All appointed board members must be in good standing with the Lee Honors College. Appointed board members who fail to maintain such status shall be subject to removal from office.
  2. The Webmaster shall demonstrate an understanding of web design and development methodologies, as deemed appropriate by the President and Executive Board, including but not limited to demonstrations or samples of current or prior work.
  3. Only the immediate past president may serve as the past president on the board. In cases where the immediate past president was removed from office during their term or the immediate past president is no longer attending Western Michigan University, the position shall remain vacant.
  4. Only the Academic Advisor, Graduate Assistant, Associate Dean, Dean of the Honors College, or a Dean's appointee may serve as the Lee Honors College Representative.

Section 3: Term of Office

All appointed board members serve a one-year term beginning on May 1 and ending on April 30 of the following year. Appointed board members may seek re-appointment to their current position once. Appointed board members may also seek other positions on the board.

Section 4: Duties of Appointed Board Members

Webmaster

  1. The Webmaster shall ensure that website content remains current and accurate and is updated in a timely manner.

Past President

  1. The Past President shall serve as the chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee.
  2. The Past President shall not have voting rights, and serves as an advisor to the executive board.
  3. The Past President serves at the pleasure of the Executive Board, and may be asked to step down at any time.
  4. In the event that the immediate Past President is serving in another position on the board, that role shall supersede all obligations as Past President.

Lee Honors College Representative

  1. The Lee Honors College Representative shall represent the interests of the Lee Honors College faculty, staff, and administration.
  2. The Lee Honors College Representative shall not have voting rights, and serves as an advisor to the executive board.
  3. The Lee Honors College Representative may be recalled by the Dean of the Honors College at any time, but may not be removed from office by the Executive Board.

Section 5: Vacancies

  1. Should a vacancy of an appointed board member occur, the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to majority approval of the Executive Board.
  2. Replacements shall not be eligible to run for the positions of President or Vice President during their term, and must serve a full term on the Board before seeking such positions.

Section 6: Grounds for Removal of Appointed Board Members

  1. Any appointed board member that misses three Executive Board meetings without prior written explanation shall be removed from office.
  2. Appointed board members that are regularly absent from meetings or Association events will be asked to justify their absence and may be removed from office.
  3. Appointed board members that fail to fulfill the duties of their office may be removed from office.
  4. The process for the removal of appointed board members from the Board is established in Article XI - Removal of Officers and Executive Board Members.

Article VI: Liaisons

Section 1: Liaisons

Liaisons shall be the Campus Activities Board representative and the Western Student Association representative.

Section 2: Eligibility

  1. All liaisons must be in good standing with the Lee Honors College. Liaisons who fail to maintain such status shall be subject to removal from office.
  2. The Campus Activities Board representative and Western Student Association representative shall satisfy all eligibility requirements as stated by those associationŐs bylaws.

Section 3: Term of Office

All liaisons serve a one-year term beginning on May 1 and ending on April 30 of the following year. Liaisons may seek re-appointment to their current position once. Liaisons may also seek other positions on the board.

Section 4: Duties of Liaisons

Campus Activities Board Representative

  1. The Campus Activities Board Representative is responsible for representing the Association to the Campus Activities Board.
  2. The Campus Activities Board Representative is responsible for attending both the Association executive board meetings and the Campus Activities Board meeting and act as liaison between the organizations.

Western Student Association Representative

  1. The Western Student Association Representative is responsible for representing the Association to the Western Student Association.
  2. The Western Student Association Representative must attend both the Association executive board meetings and the Western Student Association meetings and act as liaison between the organizations.
  3. The Western Student Association Representative shall serve as the Association's representative before the Allocations Committee and will coordinate funding efforts from the Western Student Association.

Section 5: Vacancies

  1. Should a vacancy of a liaison occur, the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to majority approval of the Executive Board.
  2. Replacements shall not be eligible to run for the positions of President or Vice President during their term, and must serve a full term on the Board before seeking such positions.

Section 6: Grounds for Removal of Appointed Board Members

  1. Any liaison that misses three Executive Board meetings without prior written explanation shall be removed from office.
  2. Liaisons that are regularly absent from meetings or Association events will be asked to justify their absence and may be removed from office.
  3. Liaisons that fail to fulfill the duties of their office may be removed from office.
  4. In the event that a liaison loses voting rights as a representative of the Association, the liaison shall be removed from office.
  5. The process for the removal of appointed board members from the Board is established in Article XI - Removal of Officers and Executive Board Members.

Article VII: Committees

Section 1: Standing Committees

The Standing Committees of the Association are the Fundraising Committee, the Publicity Committee, Alumni Committee, and the Programming Committee.

Section 2: Eligibility

Membership of Standing Committees is open to any member of the Association. Members may participate in more than one committee.

Section 3: Term of Service

Members of standing committees shall serve for one year. There is no limit to how many times a member may serve on a committee.

Members of ad-hoc committees shall serve for the duration of the committee. There is no limit to how many times a member may serve on a committee.

Section 4: Duties of Standing Committees

The Fundraising Committee

  1. The Fundraising Committee will be chaired by the Treasurer.
  2. The Fundraising Committee shall brainstorm ideas to raise money for the Association.
  3. The Fundraising Committee shall be responsible for the implementation of fundraisers.

The Publicity Committee

  1. The Publicity Committee will be chaired by the Publicity Coordinator.
  2. The Publicity Committee shall assist the Publicity Coordinator with advertising events sponsored by the Association.
  3. The Publicity Committee is responsible for the Association's participation in campus wide events such as Bronco Bash and Major Excitement.

The Alumni Committee

  1. The Alumni Committee will be chaired by the Historian.
  2. The Alumni Committee assists the Historian in maintaining a database of Lee Honors College Alumni in coordination with the Lee Honors College administration.
  3. The Alumni Committee is responsible for maintaining regular contact with Lee Honors College Alumni.

The Programming Committee

  1. The Programming Committee will be chaired by the Programming Coordinator.
  2. The Programming Committee shall be responsible for planning and hosting academic, volunteer, and social events sponsored by the Association.
  3. The Programming Committee shall have three subcommittees: Academic Events, Volunteer Events, and Social Events.
  4. The Committee must plan at least one social, one academic, and two social events. One event must be held at Honors Residence Hall and one at the Lee Honors College.

Section 5: Ad-Hoc Committees

The following ad-hoc committees shall be established for a period of time as specified below: Constitutional Review Committee, Nominations and Elections Committee, Scholarship Committee.

Constitutional Review Committee

  1. The Constitutional Review Committee shall be chaired by one or more Executive Board members, as appointed by the Executive Board.
  2. The Constitutional Review Committee shall be formed from November 1 until the date that proposed amendments are voted on by the General Assembly in January.
  3. The Constitutional Review Committee shall be charged with reviewing the Constitution and Bylaws and proposing amendments for adoption by the General Assembly.

Nominations and Elections Committee

  1. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be chaired by the immediate Past President. If the immediate past president is serving in another position on the board, or the position is vacant, the Executive Board shall choose a chair. The committee may not be chaired by sitting board members.
  2. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be formed from January 1 to the date of the Executive Board elections in February.
  3. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall encourage students to run for positions on the Executive Board and shall oversee election policy and ensure that a fair election is conducted.

Scholarship Committee

  1. The Scholarship Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President, and shall consist of the Vice President, Fundraising Committee Chair, Programming Committee Chair, Alumni Chair, Publicity Committee Chair, and a nonvoting representative from the Lee Honors College.
  2. The Scholarship Committee shall be formed from November 1 until April 30.
  3. The Scholarship Committee shall be charged with developing the AssociationŐs scholarship funds, establishing award selection criteria, and selecting annual award recipients in the spring.

Section 6: Special Committees

Special Committees may be set up by the Executive Board as the Board sees fit. Chairs of these special committees shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Board.

Article VIII: Financial Practices

Section 1: Fiscal Year

  1. The AssociationŐs fiscal year shall be from May 1 to April 30 of the following year.

Section 2: Cash Handling Procedures

  1. All cash collected at Association events or fundraisers shall be stored in a locked cash box until deposited.
  2. Cash shall be deposited as soon as possible following events or fundraisers.

Section 3: Audits

  1. There shall be an annual audit of the AssociationŐs finances to ensure that proper financial practices and cash handling procedures are being followed.
  2. The findings of the annual audit shall be made available to the Executive Board, the Dean of the Lee Honors College, and shall be furnished upon request to any interested parties.

Section 4: Financial Reports

  1. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget for the Executive Board, to be adopted by the Board at the first board meeting of the year.
  2. The Treasurer shall issue regular reports detailing the AssociationŐs financial position to the Executive Board, and shall furnish these reports to administrators of the Lee Honors College or any interested parties upon request.
  3. The Treasurer shall prepare and issue an annual financial report consisting of a balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows for the fiscal year.

Section 5: Reimbursements

  1. Reimbursement requests can only be made for purchases authorized by the Executive Board, or as part of a budget for an event authorized by the Executive Board.
  2. Reimbursement requests must be submitted within two weeks of the conclusion of the program or event.
  3. Reimbursement requests greater than $100 must be approved by both the Treasurer and the President.

Section 6: Capital Expenses

Purchases greater than $100 must be approved by simple majority vote of the Executive Board.

Article IX: Removal of Officers and Board Members

Section 1: Grounds for Removal

Grounds for the removal of officers or board members shall be established in the positional definitions (Articles III, IV, V, and VI).

Section 2: Removal Process

Officers, board members, or (a number of) general assembly members may petition for the removal of an officer or board member. Removal of officers or board members shall be decided by two-thirds majority through secret ballot.

Article X: Elections

Section 1: Announcement of Candidacy

Candidates shall announce their intent to run for office to the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee. There is no limit to how many candidates may run for a position, but an individual may not run for more than one position.

Section 2: Elections

Elections will be held during the second week of February. Voting will take place on the Association website. A simple majority of all valid ballots will decide each race. Ballots will be validated by the Honors College office workers.

Section 3: Results

Results will be announced the week following the elections.

Article X: Parliamentary Authority

Robert's Rules of Order, latest edition, shall be the authority governing proceedings in meetings of this Association.

Article XI: Amendments and Additions

Amendments to the Bylaws or Constitution must be proposed by the Leadership Committee, the Advisor, a member of the Board, or a member of the General Assembly. The proposed amendments must be made available to the entire membership at least one week before the vote to ratify any changes.

Article XII: Ratification of the By-Laws

Any amendments to the Constitution or the Bylaws shall be ratified by a simple majority vote of the general assembly.

Amendments affecting executive board positions or duties of office shall not take effect until the following year.

Article XIII: Dissolution of Association

Should the Association disband, any money in the treasury shall be assumed by the Lee Honors College, and all contracts and service agreements with third parties shall be rendered null and void.