CONSTITUTION
for

IEEE CONCORDIA

1.      Name and Purpose

1.1.                        This organization shall be known as the Concordia Student Branch of the IEEE or IEEE Concordia for short.

1.2.                        The purpose shall be the dissemination of knowledge of the theory and practice of all aspects of electrical engineering, electronics, radio, allied branches of engineering or the related arts and sciences, as well as the furtherance of the professional development of the Students.

1.3.                        The organization and operation of the Branch shall be in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

2.      Membership

2.1.                        Membership shall be limited to undergraduate engineering students of Concordia University.

2.2.                        The membership shall consist of Student members of the IEEE.

3.      Dues

3.1.                        The Executive Committee of the Branch shall have the power to levy special assessments upon endorsement by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the Branch.

3.2.                        Nonpayment of transnational dues will automatically result in suspension of membership in IEEE and in the local Branch. Nonpayment of local dues may result in suspension of membership in the local Branch, but will not result in suspension of membership in IEEE.

3.3.                        The local dues per semester for members are payable at the beginning of the semester.

4.      Officers

4.1.                        The officers of the Branch shall be a President, a Vice-President, a VP Finance, a Branch Secretary, a VP External, VP Social, a VP Project and a VP Marketing.

4.2.                        To be eligible for office, a candidate must be enrolled as a Student member of the IEEE and a member in good standing in the local Branch.

4.3.                        The term of office shall ordinarily be one year.

4.4.                        Election of officers for the following year shall be held no later than June 1^st of each year.

4.5.                        If a position is vacant after the election, the executive committee can recruit an officer to fill the position. The committee has to vote; more than 50% of the committee has to agree on recruiting the new executive.

4.6.                        The executive committee can impeach an executive if more than 50% of the committee agrees.

5.      Executive Committee

5.1.                        The management of the affairs of the Branch shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee, consisting of the duly elected officers of the Branch and the Counselor appointed by the IEEE. The President of the Branch shall be President of the Executive Committee.

5.2.                        The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Branch and shall transact all business it deems advisable, including the filling of vacancies in offices, authorization of expenditures, etc.

6.      Duties of Officers

6.1.                        President
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Branch. He/she shall appoint all committees, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, and shall assume all other executive duties not otherwise delegated.

6.2.                        Vice-President
The Vice-President shall assist in all functions of the President and perform these functions in the latter's absence or at his/her request.

6.3.                        VP Finance
The VP Finance shall receive all money and pay all debts of the Branch authorized by the Executive Committee, and shall keep an exact account of all receipts and expenditures.

6.4.                        Branch Secretary
The Branch Secretary shall keep a record of all activities of the Branch and shall report same to IEEE Headquarters, together with any special reports required by IEEE Headquarters, within a reasonable time after each meeting. The secretary shall carry on all other communications necessary to the activities of the Branch. The secretary shall set bi-weekly meetings, prepare the agenda and keep a record of the minutes and the names of members in attendance at the meetings.

6.5.                        VP External
The VP External shall handle all communication with other organization such as parent association, school department, sponsors, companies and partners, etc.

6.6.                        VP Social
The VP Social shall handle event’s logistics such as date and time of an event, booking venues, invites guests and advertises the student branch and its events.

6.7.                        VP Project - [removed in September 2012]
The VP Project shall manage all projects and teams under the student branch.

6.8.                        VP Marketing
The VP Marketing shall advertise the student branch’s events by producing posters, handling the newsletters and posting on relevant social networks.

6.9.                        A complete annual report shall be submitted by the President and the VP Finance at the last regular meeting of the year, and shall be forwarded by the Branch Secretary to the IEEE Manager of Student Services, upon certification by the Counselor.

7.      Standing Committees

7.1.                        The following Standing Committees or their equivalent shall be appointed by the Chairman:

7.2.                        Program Committee

7.3.                        Publicity Committee

7.4.                        Membership Committee

7.5.                        The Program Committee shall prepare the programs for all meetings and shall be responsible for all arrangements for these meetings.

7.6.                        The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for proper advisement of each meeting.

7.7.                        The Membership Committee shall bring the advantages of membership in the Branch, and in the IEEE, to the attention of all potential Student members.

7.8.                        In addition to the above standing committees, the President may appoint other committees which he may deem necessary.

8.      Meetings

8.1.                      The Branch shall hold regular and special meetings at such places and time as designated by the Executive Committee, with a minimum of three meetings a year.

8.2.                        Amendments

8.2.1.      The Branch is empowered to adopt Bylaws which are consistent with this Constitution.

8.2.2.      The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds of the members of the Branch present and voting, provided the amendment shall have been proposed at least one duly publicized meeting previous to the time of voting. Such amendments become effective only upon the approval of the Executive Committee of the IEEE.

9.      Elections

9.1.   Election has to be held before June 1^st in an academic year.

9.2.   All positions are open for re-election.

9.3.   President and Vice-President position requires a candidate with at least one year of experience as part of IEEE Concordia executive team or representative team.

9.3.1.      If no candidate fulfills the above requirement, the current executive team may to vote to suspend the restriction for this election. Else, a second election to elect a president or vice-president must be hold within the next week with the suspension of the rule.

9.4.   Winning the election means the candidate has more votes than the other candidates running against him for the same position.

9.5.   The voting process has to be a close session. The candidates are required to leave the room.

9.6.   Transition period happens between June 1st and August 29th. The period is used to train the new executives and familiarize them with the associations, the laboratory and the regulations applied to the student branch. The new executive team starts their mandate on August 30th.