TITLE

Constitution of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at the University of Iowa

PREAMBLE

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) is committed to the advancement of Hispanics and other minorities in achieving a degree in the STEM fields at the University of Iowa (UI).  

 

DATE

Date ratified: October 11, 2010

Date amended: May 3, 2018

Date amended: October 7, 2019

Date ratified: October 30, 2019

Date amended: May 5, 2021

Date amended: May 30 2022

Date amended: April 21, 2023

Date ratified: April 28, 2023

 

ARTICLE I

The name of the organization is the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, University of Iowa Student Chapter. Henceforth, the organization shall be referred to as "SHPE at UI" or simply “SHPE”.

 

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES

It will be the primary goal of SHPE at UI to help fellow Hispanic and minority students at the University of Iowa. Realizing the difficulty Hispanics and other minorities face in these fields, and the lack of role models, it is in the best interest of SHPE to establish goals to be achieved by every member of the organization. 

The following objectives were established by the founding members:

1. Promote the advancement of Hispanic engineers and scientists in education and in future employment.
2. Improve the retention and enrollment of Hispanic students in engineering and science programs at SHPE. 
3. Develop and participate in programs with the university and industry which benefit students seeking technical and science degrees.
4. Provide a forum for the exchange of information pertinent to the development of future Hispanic professionals.
5. Develop opportunities in the local Hispanic community.
6. Develop interest in science and engineering to future engineers in local middle schools and high schools.

 

ARTICLE III

HUMAN RIGHTS CLAUSE

In no aspect of its programs shall there be any difference in the treatment of persons on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, gender identity, associational preferences, or any other classification which would deprive the person of consideration as an individual. The organization will guarantee that equal opportunity and equal access to membership, programming, facilities, and benefits shall be open to all persons. Eighty percent (80%) of this organization’s membership must be composed of UI students.

 

MEMBERSHIP

1. College students pursuing a degree in any course of study are eligible for membership.
2. Active Members are those members that:
   • A. Attend no less than 60% of the General Body Meetings, from the time they attend their first meeting.
   • B. Create a SHPE Connect account and pay the dues established by SHPE National.*
   • C. Take active part in SHPE at UI sponsored activities and committees, as specified in a policy developed by the Executive Board at the beginning of each academic year.

*SHPE at UI has an open membership. In order to be recognized as an official member of SHPE National, membership dues must be paid. Membership dues must be paid annually at www.shpe.org. Membership rates based on status of applicant undergrad, graduate, and alumni all have separate rates.   Benefits and cost for each membership can be found at SHPE Membership. Undergraduate($10) and graduate($15) membership may be reimbursed.

 

ARTICLE IV

EXECUTIVE BOARD AND DUTIES 

SECTION I: ORGANIZATION OF THE BOARD

Officers shall consist of the following roles: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The Cabinet shall consist of the following roles: Professional Development Chair, Public Relations Chair, Fundraising Chair, and Community Relations Chair.

SECTION II: PRESIDENT

The President shall represent SHPE at UI as the chapter's official spokesperson and shall oversee all SHPE functions and activities. The President shall oversee the officers and SHPE’s day-to-day affairs. The President shall be responsible for compiling the SHPE agenda for Executive Board meetings. The President shall maintain contact with SHPE National and Regional Chapters as well as coordinate SHPE National and Regional Conference logistics. The President is also in charge of creating and maintaining contacts with the administration and faculty of the UI’s College of Engineering. The President shall be responsible for the preparation of the Mid-Year Report and the End-of-Year Report that are submitted to SHPE National. 

SECTION III: VICE PRESIDENT

The Vice President shall assist the President in all SHPE at UI business and shall act as President Pro Tempore in the latter's absence. The Vice President shall serve as the Head Committee Chairperson and shall be responsible for ensuring that each of the committees established (i.e. Fundraising, Community Relations, and Professional Development Committees )are fulfilling their responsibilities. The Vice President shall re-register the organization with the University of Iowa as necessary.

SECTION IV: TREASURER

The Treasurer shall maintain the Finances Log and store records of all monies received or disbursed by SHPE at UI. The Treasurer must approve all SHPE expenditures and shall provide reimbursements in a timely manner. The Treasurer shall coordinate the preparation of a budget per semester for approval by the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep records of members who have paid their dues. The Treasurer shall make monthly reports listing all SHPE transactions, liabilities, and assets to the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall prepare thank you letters to organizations that provide unsolicited, general funds or assistance to SHPE. The Treasurer shall prepare a funding request to the University of Iowa via UISG, Engineering Student Council, and other inside sources. 

SECTION V: SECRETARY

The Secretary shall be the meeting parliamentarian and make sure that all meetings follow Robert’s Rules of Order. The Secretary shall scribe the minutes of each Executive Board meeting and publicly post them within 2 weeks of said meeting. The Secretary shall compile and distribute the student chapter directory. The Secretary shall maintain the Attendance Log and be responsible for tallying the votes during elections and any other time the Executive Board or the chapter votes. The Secretary shall be responsible for organizing and storing SHPE records and resources on the SHPE Google Drive and uiowa email. The Secretary shall be responsible for registering events/meetings on Engage and reserving rooms. The Secretary shall check the SHPE gmail, uiowa email, and interest forms AT LEAST every Tuesday and Thursday and send out emails.

SECTION VI: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

The Professional Development Chair shall be responsible for arranging events in support and assistance to the members of SHPE. They will oversee industrial relations and conference statistics. The Professional Development Chair shall seek information from companies, organizations, and potential partners from outside or inside the school campus. The Professional Development Chair shall communicate with alumni and coordinate any activity with alumni for relationships and future sponsorship. The Professional Development Chair shall also help maintain and update the alumni list and the chapter schedule in the Chapter Management Tool (CMT). 

SECTION VII: PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR

The Public Relations Chair shall advertise all SHPE at UI events and meetings through social media. The Public Relations Chair shall maintain media sources such as but not limited to Facebook and Instagram. They shall also be responsible for creating flyers and posting them as needed around campus or on media sources. The Public Relations Chair is responsible for taking pictures at all SHPE events. The Public Relations Chair shall maintain the SHPE at UI website by updating and posting information pertaining to SHPE at UI, SHPE National and SHPE Regional on a monthly basis. (https://shpe.org.uiowa.edu/). They shall also collaborate with the Secretary and other Cabinet Chairs to update the SHPE members about information on the website.

SECTION VIII: FUNDRAISING CHAIR

The Fundraising Chair shall collaborate with the Treasurer to oversee the financial health of the organization and decide on what matters should be discussed during Executive Board meetings. The Fundraising Chair shall be responsible for soliciting sponsors over the phone or in-person to be partners with SHPE UIOWA. The Fundraising Chair shall be responsible for creating and maintaining the Corporate Sponsorship Packet. The Fundraising Chair shall be responsible for spearheading donor care efforts, like thank you notes, lunches and appreciation events. The Fundraising Chair shall also be responsible for submitting any grant applications through SHPE National or outside sources.

SECTION IX: COMMUNITY RELATIONS CHAIR

The Community Relations Chair shall be responsible for delivering SHPE’s vision within the local community. The Community Relations Chair shall implement community outreach programs, organize events such as Noche de Ciencias, coordinate volunteers, write and release publicity material such as press releases, and develop public relations strategies that will promote the SHPE UIOWA’s mission. 

 

ARTICLE V

ADVISOR

Advisors of registered student organizations must be members of the University of Iowa faculty or administrative professional staff or they must be affiliated with a local, regional, national, or international affiliate of SHPE.

The Executive Board shall be responsible for selecting the Advisor(s). It is anticipated the Advisor(s) will be a member of the faculty or staff at the University of Iowa. The Advisor shall be responsible for advising the Executive Board on SHPE matters. The Advisor shall also arbitrate any unresolved issues between the Executive Board. The Advisor shall serve as a liaison between SHPE at UI and the UI’s College of Engineering faculty leadership.  They shall provide support to the President in ensuring the organization is functioning according to its objectives and is making progress towards reaching the goals set in the CMT. The Advisor(s) may attend the SHPE National Convention and be a SHPE National member. The Advisor(s) shall attend Executive Board meetings.

 

ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS

Executive Board meetings shall be held at minimum once at the beginning of each month. General Body Meetings (GBM) shall be held at least monthly and other meetings, events, or activities can be called at any time by the Executive Board. GBM information will be announced via email, SHPE’s website, or media sources. Half the active members must show up in order to constitute a quorum. Meetings are called by the President or Vice President and it is the Secretary’s job to notify members. No meeting shall be conducted without the minimum attendance of at least 2 members of the Executive Board. Please see the MEMBERSHIP section for the number of meetings required to attend to be considered a member in good standing. 

 

ARTICLE VII

ELECTIONS

SECTION I: NOMINATIONS

1. Only Active Members in good standing are eligible to be nominated for office.
2. Nominations shall take place 8 weeks before the end of the Spring semester.
3. In order to be considered, nominations must be seconded.
4. Nominations shall be submitted through Nomination Google Form and will be open for 7 days before closing.
5. The Secretary shall tally the votes and send out notifications to Nominees. 
6. Interim Board member(s) shall be appointed by the elected President in case no nominations are received and approved.

SECTION II: VOTING

1. Annual elections shall take place during the last scheduled meeting of the academic year.
2. Only members in good standing are eligible to vote excluding the chapter Advisor.
3. Elections may be held only in the presence of a quorum of members. If a quorum is not present at the elections meeting, elections shall be held before the end of the semester at an emergency meeting.
4. An absentee vote shall be accepted if submitted in a sealed and signed envelope to the Secretary prior to the elections.
5. Voting shall be by secret ballot and a plurality of votes shall constitute a win. The Secretary shall tally the votes and disclose the winner within 24 hrs of the election meeting.

SECTION III: INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS

1. Newly elected officers shall assume office as soon as they have been successfully installed.
2. Officers shall be installed no later than the end of the semester.
3. Installation shall take place upon completion of the Officer in Training Retreat. Both the outgoing and newly elected officers shall attend this workshop. In the course of this workshop, newly elected officers shall be briefed on their duties and responsibilities, and shall be given materials and documents relevant to their office.
4. The outgoing President shall install the newly elected President. The newly installed President shall then install the other officers, in the order listed in Article IV.

 

ARTICLE VIII

FINANCES

There are no dues for the SHPE at UI Chapter. However, annual dues are required to SHPE National to become or maintain active member status. The Treasurer is in charge of all financial affairs. Upon dissolution, state money and mandatory student fees revert back to the granting organization. Group fees should be divided as stated in the Constitution and carried out by the dissolving group’s members and officers. If the group has dissolved and group fees have not been divided as stated in the Constitution by five years from the last account activity, monies in the group’s 00 (revenue) accounts will revert to an account specified for this purpose within UISG. These funds will then be available for distribution through SABAC guidelines in compliance with University of Iowa policy

 

FINANCIAL CLAUSE

SHPE at UI is required to deposit all receipts in and make disbursements through the Student Organization Business Office, Fraternity Business Services, or Recreational Services. Upon dissolution, state money and mandatory student fees revert back to the granting organization. Inactive organizations will be considered dissolved after five years of no account activity. Revenue generated dollars or “00 funds” must be divided as stated in this Constitution and carried out by our leadership. Our organization’s remaining revenue generated dollars or “00 funds” will be divided or disbursed to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). If this organization has dissolved and revenue generated dollars or “00 funds” have not been divided as stated in this Constitution by five years from last account activity, funds in our “00 account” will revert to an account specified for this purpose within student government(s). These funds will then be available for distribution through student government(s) guidelines in accordance with University of Iowa policy.

 

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

1. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board. In order to be considered by the general membership, the amendment must either be passed by the Board, or must be endorsed by twenty percent (20%) of the active membership. The Executive Board will review the amendment at the next Executive Board meeting. The proposed amendment will be subsequently presented to the membership at the next general meeting. A three-fourths majority of the active membership or a two-thirds majority of the Executive Board is required to amend the constitution.
2. SHPE agrees to abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the University of Iowa. This constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the SHPE at UI Executive Board to ensure that they are in accordance with the rules and regulations.

 

ARTICLE X

RATIFICATION

This Constitution will be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the active membership present at the designated Constitutional general meeting.