Preamble

           We, the student representatives of the Department of Chemical Engineering at The Ohio State University, in order to advance the chemical engineering profession and to promote excellence in the development and practice of chemical engineering, as well as to develop a closer relationship among the chemical engineering students and professionals, adopt the following constitution.

Article I - Name, Purpose, and Non-Discrimination Policy

        Section 1-               Name:  This organization shall be known as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Student Chapter at The Ohio State University.  It is in affiliation with the National Chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, which is a not-for-profit organization.

        Section 2-               Purpose:  To promote excellence in the development and practice of chemical engineering.

         Section 3-               Non-Discrimination Policy:  This organization and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for reasons of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, handicap, or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Article II - Membership

        Section 1-               Classes:  Membership in AIChE shall consist of three classes: 1) regular members, 2) associate members, and 3) honorary members.

a)               Regular members of AIChE shall be limited to currently registered university students (pre-engineering, undergraduate, or graduate) in the Department of Chemical Engineering or in the College of Engineering with an interest in chemical engineering.  Only regular members shall have voting privileges.

b)               Associate members shall be those individuals who are not registered students, but hold a close affiliation to the chapter and/or the interests of the chapter.  Administration, faculty, alumni, and staff are encouraged to be Associate members.

c)               Honorary members may be nominated and elected by the regular members for extraordinary contribution to the student chapter, either through donation, mentorship, or leadership.

Article III - Leadership

       Section 1-               Executive Committee:  The Executive Committee shall be made up of the elected officers and appointed representatives.  This group is the basic decision-making body of AIChE and may hold meetings in addition to regular chapter meetings to conduct general administrative functions and to generate proposed activities.

        Section 2-               Officers:  The officers of the AIChE shall be a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

        Section 3-               Representatives:  The representatives shall be by appointment of the officers for the representation of each class (Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors), for representation on Engineer's Council, and for representation on or to any other group, organization, or committee to represent the interests of AIChE.

        Section 4-               Elections:  The elections shall be by the following procedures:

a)               Nominations for officers shall be taken during the last month in winter quarter.  Elections shall take place at the last meeting in winter quarter. The new officers shall assume office on the last day of spring quarter.

b)               In case of a vacancy in the office of President, the Executive Committee shall nominate a new President for the membership to approve at any meeting.  In the interim period between the office vacancy and the vote of the membership, the Vice President shall chair the Executive Committee.

c)               In the event of the vacancy of any office other than President, the President may appoint an individual to fulfill the duties of the office until the membership can approve the appointment by a majority vote of those members voting at any meeting.

d)               Any officer my be removed from office by a 2/3 vote of those members voting at any meeting for failure to perform duties, provided that notice of the proposed removal from office has been provided to all members at least seven days in advance of the meeting.

e)               No person shall hold more than one office at a time.

f)                All members meeting University requirements shall be eligible for election to officers and appointment to the executive committee.

        Section 5-         Duties of Officers and Representatives:

a)               The President shall serve as head of the Executive Committee, shall preside over meetings of the Executive Committee and of the chapter, shall be in charge of all activities of the chapter, and shall enforce the provisions of the Constitution and any By-Laws.  The President shall have the power to appoint committee chairpersons and committees.

b)               The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President, shall act as Parliamentarian, and shall be responsible for the effective coordination and functioning of the appointed committees, reporting to the president thereon.  The Vice-President shall be responsible for the dissemination of any publicity either personally or by delegation, and shall be responsible for publicizing meetings in addition to the notices provided by the Secretary.  In addition, the Vice-President shall be responsible for reserving the meeting place, scheduling speakers, and coordinating social functions after meetings.

c)                    The Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence of the organization and shall prepare and make available the minutes of the meetings, and shall maintain the membership roll.  The Secretary shall communicate to members the date and time of all meetings of the chapter and shall be responsible for any required notices of meetings.

d)                The Treasurer shall draw all orders for payment of money, keep a record of all appropriations and disbursements, be custodian of all funds, and collect all fees to the organization.  The Treasurer shall perform other duties as pertain to the finances of the organization, and shall not be discharged from duties until the Executive Committee has passed upon his/her accounts.

e)                 The class representatives are to represent their respective classes as members of the Executive Committee, and shall deliver announcements to their classmates.  The representatives shall have a vote at Executive Committee meetings.

f)                  The Engineer's Council representative is to represent the interest of AIChE at the Council meetings and to report back any information conveyed at the Council meetings.  In addition, the representative is the liaison between the College of Engineering office and the chapter.  The representative shall report on deadlines and scheduled events so that the students are informed of necessary activities.

 

g)            The representative to any other to any other group, organization, or committee to represent the interests of AIChE, is responsible to represent the concerns of the student members and to relate to the chapter any pertinent information.

Article IV - Continuing Duties of the Executive Committee

        Section 1-           To host activities that allow students to interact with professional engineers.

        Section 2-           To host activities that expose students to opportunities in engineering.

        Section 3-               To host activities that encourage faculty and student interaction outside the classroom.

        Section 4-               To assist the Department of Chemical Engineering in any function for which AIChE's assistance is requested.

        Section 5-               To maintain a system in which students are informed of activities and actions of AIChE and other organizations within the College of Engineering.

        Section 6-               To initiate committees and functions required to better achieve the goals of AIChE as stated in the Preamble of this Constitution.

        Section 7-               To actively encourage and coordinate activities for all chemical engineering students.

        Section 8-               To establish strong ties with corporate entities, and encourage participation in these entities in student events.

        Section 9-               To facilitate communications between AIChE and the Colleges of Engineering.

        Section 10-               To represent The Ohio State University, the College of Engineering, and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the national and regional student conferences.

        Section 11-               To represent the students' interests in departmental and curriculum changes.

        Section 12-               To host interdepartmental and paper and design contests to strengthen students' skills.

        Section 13-         To maintain a high academic standard among student members.

        Section 14-               To cooperate with other engineering and scientific societies to enhance the image of engineers and the sciences.

        Section 15-               To assist and inspire students enrolled in chemical engineering curricula as well as those deciding upon a major.

Article V - Meetings

       Section 1-               Regular meetings of AIChE shall be held 3 to 4 times during the Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters.  Special meetings may be called by the President or upon the request of the Advisor or Department.  Regular meetings may be omitted at the discretion of the President, unless overruled by a 2/3 vote of the members present at a meeting at which the matter is discussed.

        Section 2-               Quorum at all meetings shall be 25% of the total membership.

        Section 3-               A representative who is absent from a meeting may be represented by an alternate representative selected by the regular representative.  The President shall be notified of the selected alternate representative.  The alternate shall not have the power to vote except during the absence of the regular representative.

        Section 4-               Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the procedure of AIChE meetings.

Article VI - Amending the Constitution

        Section 1-               This Constitution may be amended at any chapter meeting of AIChE in the following manner:

a)        The proposed amendment shall be presented in writing and filed with the Secretary, and read at two consecutive meetings.

b)        The proposed amendment shall be discussed and a vote shall be called.

c)         A 3/4 vote of the members present shall be necessary for passage of the amendment, and at the time of the vote, a quorum shall be present.

Article VII – Dissolution

       Section 1-               The AIChE chapter may be dissolved by a written agreement clearly stating the reasons for dissolution with signatures by the student President, the faculty Advisor, and the Chairman of the Department.

        Section 2-                In the event that AIChE is dissolved, the Department of Chemical Engineering shall assume responsibility for all outstanding monetary assets and liabilities of the AIChE chapter at the time of dissolution.