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Constitution,
By-Laws and
Officer
Position Descriptions
for the Criminal Justice Society
Constitution of the Criminal Justice Society
We, the members of this organization, do ordain this Constitution of the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOCIETY, of Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, as the Constitution for the member of the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOCIETY in accordance with the rules and regulations of Southwest Missouri State University, the laws of the state of Missouri, and the laws of the United States of America.
ARTICLE I
Section 1. The name of this organization will be the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOCIETY.
Section 2. The purpose of this organization is to expose members to the vast opportunities offered by the criminal justice field and to offer an environment in which current issues may be discussed. The objectives of this organization are to educate members about the many criminal justice facilities in the Springfield area through tours and/or guest speakers at organization meetings, to encourage members to analyze their own viewpoints on current issues by discussion with other members, and to challenge members to enhance their own education by partaking in organization activities, thereby becoming active and insightful citizens of their own communities.
The goal of this organization is that, through organization activities, members will acquire a broad understanding of how the criminal justice system works in the Springfield area and career opportunities offered within the field.
Section 3. The CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOCIETY of Southwest Missouri State University offers an optional membership into the Sigma Mu Sigma Chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association. Dues and membership registration are the responsibility of the individual student.
ARTICLE II
Section 1. It is the policy of SMSU and the Criminal Justice Society not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age disability, or vertean status in employment or in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the University. It is also the policy of the Criminal Justice Society not to discriminate based on sexual orientation.
Section 2. Members must be enrolled at SMSU and may be drawn from any academic department recognized by the university.
Section 3. Members will be expected to maintain positive academic status with the university and to pay per semester dues to remain a member of the organization.
Section 4. Non-SMSU or off-campus members will not be permitted.
ARTICLE III
Section 1. The executive officers of the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOCIETY will consist of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and activities coordinator.
Section 2. The duties of the President will be as follows : The President will be expected to preside over all organization meetings and all organization activities, collaborate all executive officer plans, serve as the liaison to the activities committee and coordinate monthly meetings with the faculty advisor and executive board..
Section 3. Vice-President. The Vice-President will be expected to preside over all organization meetings and all organization activities in which the President can not attend and will serve as director of membership development. The Vice-President is to be the liaison to the organization’s guest speakers and is responsible for the arrangements of all speakers.
Section 4. Secretary. The Secretary will be expected to transcribe the minutes of each organization meeting, distribute the minutes of each organization meeting, request approval of minutes from the previous meeting, and send letters of appreciation to faculty or guests who partake in organization activities. The secretary will be responsible for a maintaining an accurate membership contact list and provide the organization’s website developer with the appropriate information regarding the organization.
Section 5. Treasurer. The Treasurer will be expected to collect, monitor, and administer all organization funds under the guidance of the faculty advisor. The Treasurer will report the balance of the organization account at each meeting. Monthly bank reports are to be checked for accuracy and maintained.
Section 6. Activities Coordinator: The activities coordinator is responsible for recruiting members for the activities committee, scheduling (including: parking, room schedules, permits/forms, maps, etc.) various social, educational and professional activities, and for presiding over monthly meetings of the activities committee.
Section 7. Executive officers must have a gpa of 2.0 and have served as a member of the Criminal Justice Society for at least one semester prior to holding office. The President is to have been a member for at least one year prior to holding office.
Section 8. Election of executive officers will take place during the last meeting of each April. Nominations are to be held in March with elections held in the subsequent meetings in April. Membership will be informed of the election process one meeting prior to nominations and will be notified of election results during the final meeting.
Section 9. Executive officers will be elected by a plurality of all votes cast.
Section 10. An executive officer must resign from office in the case of academic or disciplinary probation.
ARTICLE IV
INSTALLATION OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section 1. Executive officers may serve more than one term in office if re-elected.
ARTICLE V
Section 1. An Activities Coordinator will be elected by the membership during the annual election. The activities coordinator will coordinate a committee made from the general membership. The committee will be expected to post informational flyers concerning organization activities and meetings and to otherwise assure that members and faculty are notified of upcoming events scheduled and arranged by the committee.
Section 2. Special/Ad hoc committees may be formed when seen as necessary by the executive council.
Section 3. Committee meetings will be held at the discretion of committee members.
ARTICLE VI
RESIGNATION OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section 1. In the event of resignation, the resigning executive officer must submit a letter stating the reasons of resignation to the organization President and the faculty advisor. Resignation will be considered final upon receipt of the resignation letter.
ARTICLE VII
IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
Section 1. An executive officer may be automatically removed from office in the event of being placed on academic or disciplinary probation by the university.
Section 2. Membership may impeach an executive officer by submitting a formal complaint to the faculty advisor. The complaint will be brought to the attention of the officer by the faculty advisor and the officer will be given an opportunity to appeal or to resign. The executive council and the faculty advisor will be required to call a meeting at which the officer will appeal his/her case if he/she wished to do so. Impeachment will be considered final upon a plurality of votes cast by membership.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Section 1. Amendments may be proposed by membership by submitting a written proposal to the President. The proposal will be brought to the attention of membership during the meeting following submission of the proposal. Brief discussion will be allowed prior to the proposal being brought to a vote.
Section 2. The proposal will be adopted as an amendment to the constitution upon a plurality of all votes cast by membership.
ARTICLE IX
Section 1. This constitution becomes valid after approval of the membership.
Section 2. The constitution must be approved by two thirds the membership’s approval.
ARTICLE X
Section 1. This constitution will take effect after it is accepted by both the Student Organizations Graduate Assistant and Student Government Association, and by a two thirds vote of the Criminal Justice Society membership.
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By-Laws of the Criminal Justice Society
Last Modified: 4/1/04
Article 1: Name and Purpose
Section A: The name of the organization shall be the Criminal Justice Society.
Section B: National Affiliation: Students will have the option of belonging to the Sigma Mu Sigma Chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association. Dues and membership registration are the responsibility of the individual student.
Section C: The purpose of this organization shall be:
1. to provide an environment where students can discuss and present current issues in criminal justice
2. to provide tours, ride-a-longs and speakers which will allow the student to develop a better understanding of the different fields and careers in the criminal justice
3. to provide volunteer service to the community
Article II: Membership and Dues
Section A: Eligibility
Membership shall be open to any student who is in positive academic status in an academic department recognized by the university upon payment of dues.
Section B: Restrictions
Voting members will be students who have paid membership dues. It is the policy of Southwest Missouri State University and the Criminal Justice Society not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status in employment or in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the University. It is also the policy of the Criminal Justice Society not to discriminate based on sexual orientation.
Section C: Dues
Dues shall be $10.00 per semester.
Article III: Officers
Section A: Officers
The officers shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Activities Coordinator.
Section B: Eligibility
All members of the executive board shall be full-time SMSU students and have a minimum 2.0 gpa. The president must have been a member at least one full year before becoming president. All other board members must have been a member for at least one semester.
Section C: Elections
The officers shall be elected by a majority of all votes cast during the April meeting. Nominations will be held during the March meeting.
Section D: Term
The officers will serve for one year and their term of office shall begin at the commencement of the fall semester.
Section E: Vacancy
If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice-President shall assume the office for the remainder of the term and vacancies in any other office shall be filled by special election.
Article IV: Duties of Officers
Section A: President
It shall be the duty of the President to:
1. Preside at meetings
2. Vote only in case of a tie
3. Represent the organization
4. Serve as liaison to the Student Activities Office
5. Coordinate the monthly executive board meeting with the faculty advisor
6. Serve as ex-officio member of all committees
7. Perform other such duties as pertain to this office
Section B: Vice-President
It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to:
1. To preside in the absence of the President
2. Make arrangements for the guest speakers at meetings
3. Organize fund-raisers in conjunction with the activities coordinator
Section C: Secretary
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:
1. Record and distribute minutes of the meetings
2. Keep a file of the organization’s records
3. Maintain a current roster of membership
4. Issue notices of meetings and conduct general correspondence of the organization
5. Serve as contact for the organization’s website developer
6. Update the biography on the website of all officers
7. Maintain attendance records from all executive and general meetings
Section D. Treasurer
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:
1. Receive all funds and pay out by order of the Executive Committee and and approved by the faculty advisor.
2. Keep an itemized account of all receipts and expenditures and make reports, as directed.
3. Make a yearly semester audit to the membership at the end of each semester.
Section E. Activities Coordinator
It shall be the duty of the Activities Coordinator to:
1. Appoint a committee of paid members to serve on the Activities Committee
2. Develop a schedule of activities at the beginning of the semester for the organization and distribute the schedule to members
3. To make room arrangements, transportation arrangements and travel arrangements to all activities related to the organization.
4. To assist the Vice-President with speaker arrangements
Article V: Meetings
Section A. Meetings
Regular meetings shall be held at least monthly during the school year.
Section B. Special Meetings
Special meetings may be called by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section C. Quorum
A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting membership or fifteen members.
Section D. Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern this organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-laws.
Article VI: Executive Committee
Section A. Responsibility
Management of this organization shall be vested in an Executive Committee responsible to the entire membership to uphold these Bylaws.
Section B. Membership
This committee shall consist of the officers, as listed in Article III, and the faculty advisor.
Section C. Meetings
The committee shall meet at least once a month with the faculty advisor and organize and plan future activities.
Section D. Quorum
A quorum of this committee shall consist of three members.
Article VI: FACULTY ADVISOR
Section A. Selection
There shall be a faculty advisor who shall be selected each year by the faculty Criminal Justice Committee.
Section B. Duties
The responsibility of the faculty advisor shall be to:
1. Advise and stimulate interest in the organization.
2. Provide guidance in the development and implementation of programs and activities.
3. Serve as liaison between the University and organization, interpreting, if necessary, university policies and philosophies.
4. Attend monthly meetings with the executive board and other activities of the organization.
5. Monitor all expenditures of the organization.
Article VII: COMITTEES
Section A: Activities Committee
The Activities Coordinator is responsible for the appointment and meetings of the Activities Committee. This committee shall make all arrangements for activities and programs sponsored by this organization.
Article VIII: BYLAWS AMENDMENTS
Section A. Vote
These bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the chapter membership.
Section B. Notice
All members shall receive advance notice of the proposed amendments at least five days before the meeting.
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Nomination Process (for 2004) and Officer Job Descriptions
Nomination Process:
Nominations are due by April 16th at noon. Individuals may be nominated by a PAID member or nominate themselves. Nominations will be accepted at the meeting and through email to Diane Leamy (dml040f@smsu.edu).
Nomination forms which include a short bio and qualifications statement will be available at the meeting on April 15 and also in the Sociology Office on April 15, 16 and 17th. Individuals who are nominated (must be paid members), will be required to fill out a nomination form. Paid members will hold an election at the April 22nd meeting.
If you are unable to attend, ballots will be available in the Sociology Office or from Dr. Rhineberger until Tuesday, April 27th at 4:30pm. If you have any questions concerning this process, please email Diane Leamy at dml040f@smsu.edu
Elected positions—president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, activities coordinator.
Voluntary/appointed positions— 3-4 members of May Day committee and 6-8 members of the activities committee.
President: (For this position, you must have been a paid member for at least one school year)
Preside over and arrange time and place for the meetings of the CJS
Preside over and arrange an executive meeting at least once a month
Serve as liaison to the Student Activities Office
Serve as liaison to the Faculty Sponsor of the CJS
Oversee the recruitment of members
Arrange for the nominations and elections as needed
Chair the May Day Event and appointment May Day Committee Members
Oversee and assist Treasurer with maintaining accurate records
Vice- President:
Promote the organization throughout the university
Serve as the liaison to the Activities Committee
Arrange for speakers at club meetings
Preside over meetings when the president is absent
Assist Secretary with maintaining accurate records
Secretary:
Keep attendance at all functions and meetings of the CJS
Serve as the liaison to the website manager of the club
Produce minutes of the meetings and email them to all members within 48 hrs
Produce weekly updates/reminders for all paid members of CJS through email
Maintain accurate records of the organization
Treasurer:
Accept and record payments of membership
Keep accurate records of paid members
Send reminders to potential members about payment of club dues
Write checks and maintain accurate records of deposits and payments
Make arrangements for the signature card at the bank/credit union
Assist the Activities Committee with fundraisers
Activities Coordinator:
Arrange for all social events, ride-a-longs and other social activities of the CJS
Advertise social events to the membership and provide the secretary with updates
Plan and develop service activities for the organization
Plan and develop approved (through Student Activities) fundraisers for the CJS
Chair and arrange for the membership of the Activities Committee
Activities Committee:
The activities committee will assist in all fundraising, service, and social activities through planning, advertising and contacting appropriate individuals. Membership is to be a minimum of six and a maximum of eight. All members are eligible.