Student
Education AssociationŐs Local Chapter Constitution and By-laws
Earl A. Johnson Chapter of the
Student Education Association
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
Preamble
We, the students of Ball State University, being members of the Earl A. Johnson
Chapter of the Student Education Association, in order to bring those
interested in education into closer relationship with each other and with the
state and national education association, to extend the spirit of professional
unity and purpose, to influence the conditions under which prospective teachers
are prepared in order to permit maximum professional competence, to stimulate
the highest ideals of professional ethics, standards, attitudes, and training,
to develop leadership, to provide for education students a local, state, and
national voice in matters affecting their education and the profession, and to
secure increased public interest in support of education, do hereby adopt and
approve this constitution of the Earl A. Johnson chapter of the Student
Education Association.
Article
I
Name, Office
.
SECTION
1. Name- The name of this association shall be the Earl A. Johnson chapter of
the Student Education Association, known commonly as the Ball State Student
Education Association or SEA.
.
SECTION
2. Office- The registered office of SEA shall be the office of the
Faculty Advisor. The mailing address shall be Ball State University, TC
1008 Dean's Office, Muncie, Indiana 47304.
Article
II
Affiliation
.
SECTION
1. Affiliation- SEA is unified with Indiana Student Education Association
(ISEA) and the National Education Association Student Programs (NEASP), and is
affiliated with Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) and National
Education Association (NEA).
.
SECTION
2. Affiliation- SEA must affiliate with ISEA by returning a statement of
affiliation each year when membership has reached ten (10) members or
more.
Article
III
Membership and Dues
.
SECTION
1. Membership- Any Ball State student who is interested in or preparing for a
teaching profession shall be eligible for membership in the Earl A. Johnson
chapter of the Student Education Association. Individuals who are eligible for
full membership in ISTA/NEA through a local classroom teachers association are
not eligible for membership in ISTA/NEA as a student education association
member. Membership of SEA shall not be denied on the basis of age, race,
creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or
religion. Students who are not members of the organization may also
participate in programs and activities sponsored by SEA.
.
SECTION
2. Affiliation- In addition to being a member of SEA, each member can be
affiliated with the State and National Student Programs.
.
SECTION
3. Dues- Dues for SEA shall be determined by the Executive Committee (see
Article II of By Laws) each year with respect to any changes which might be
made on the local, state, or national levels. Persons joining SEA shall
pay dues collectively for three levels: NEASP, ISEA, and SEA/BSU.
Membership on all three levels is mandated by the ISEA and the NEASP
constitutions.
.
SECTION
4. Membership Year- The membership year shall be from September 1 to August
31.
Article
IV
Officers
.
SECTION
1. Responsibilities- The officers of SEA shall be responsible to the membership
in all matters concerning the discharge of their duties.
.
SECTION
2. Officers- The officers of SEA shall be a President, a Vice-President, a
Secretary, a Treasurer, Publicity Coordinator, and a Historian.
Article
V
Elections
SECTION
1. Elections-
.
PART
1. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity
Coordinator, and Historian shall be elected by secret ballot at a monthly
meeting, no later than February 28th, by a simple majority of
the voting members present.
.
PART
2. Qualifications- To be eligible for office, an individual must be a member of
the student body of Ball State University and a paid member of SEA in the year
of the election. Nominees for president of SEA shall have at least one
year of prior experience on the Executive Committee of the SEA.
.
PART
3. Nominations- Nominations shall be made from the floor at a regular chapter
meeting in January. In addition, nominations can be made up until the day
of the meeting in which elections are held in the month of February by means of
contact with the faculty advisor or President in order to be on the printed
ballot. Write-in nominations may be made the day of the election at the member
meeting. Persons are able to nominate themselves or be nominated by another
memeber of SEA.
.
PART
4. Any position which remains unfilled after the election process can be
appointed by the President, provided that the person meets the eligibility
requirements to hold a position.
Article
VI
Organization
.
SECTION
1. Executive Committee- There shall be an Executive Committee composed of the
officers, President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity
Coordinator, Historian, and the local advisors.
.
SECTION
2. Responsibilities- The Executive Committee shall discuss and outline those
matters of business to come before the meeting. They shall plan the
efficient organization and management of the chapter and shall present their
recommendations to the chapter.
.
SECTION
3. Chairperson- The President shall be the chairperson of the Executive
Committee.
Article VII
Meetings
.
SECTION
1. SEA Member Meetings- There shall be a minimum of six (6) meetings of
SEA within one membership year, which is open to all of Ball State University
and may include both members and non-members. Notice to all meetings
shall be posted in the Ball State University Teachers College and email
messages sent to members prior to the meeting date.
.
SECTION
2. Special meetings- Special meetings shall be held at the call of the
President, a majority of the Executive Committee, or upon the written request
of two-thirds (2/3) of the members. These meetings will consider only
items specified in the call for such a meeting and shall deal with important
matters, that arise between regular meetings and that urgently require action.
.
SECTION
3. Executive Committee Meetings- There shall be an Executive Committee
meeting held in preparation of each SEA meeting. Additional meetings of
the Executive Committee can be called at the request of two (2) officers of the
Committee at any time.
Article
VIII
Amendment Process
.
SECTION
1. This Constitution may be amended at any Executive Committee meeting by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting. Members not
present for the voting shall be notified via email by the Secretary within one
(1) week after voting.
.
SECTION
2. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Secretary and
read aloud prior to voting.
.
SECTION
3. Effective Date- Any amendment(s) to the Constitution shall become effective
immediately upon approval by two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members present.
.
SECTION
4. Posting- The amended constitution will be posted on the SEA website for both
members and non-members to review. The President will distribute a paper
copy to any member upon written request.
Article
IX
Suspension of Rules
.
SECTION
1. Any section of any article of this Constitution may be suspended by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote at any general meeting, provided that any request for
suspension must be accompanied by a statement of the purpose for the suspension
of the rules.
BY-LAWS
Article
I
Terms of Office and Duties of
Officers
.
SECTION
1. The term of office for the officers shall be one year or until their
successors are duly qualified. Incumbents are eligible to seek
re-election for any additional terms, provided that they meet the eligibility
requirements for nominations. The officers shall assume office on the
final day of the semester of their election.
SECTION
2. Duties-
.
PART
1. President-
.
a.
shall be the chief executive officer of SEA
.
b.
shall represent SEA as spokesperson on matters of policy or assign
responsibility for such representations.
.
c.
shall prepare the agenda and preside at all meetings of SEA
.
d.
shall serve as ex-officio member on all committees; and
.
e.
shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoint the
parliamentarian and the members of all standing committees.
.
f.
shall be responsible for the execution of motions made, but cannot make a
motion.
.
PART
2. Vice-President-
.
a.
shall assist the President and assume the duties of the President in case of
his/her absence.
.
b.
shall be in charge of the list of membership and organizing yearly elections,
including preparing ballots.
.
c.
shall serve as the chairperson of the Membership Committee.
.
d.
shall perform other duties as delegated by the President and/or the Executive
Committee.
.
PART
3. Secretary
.
a.
shall keep accurate records and files of the proceedings of general and
Executive Committee meetings.
.
b.
shall retain records of the organization, including the official copy of the
constitution.
.
c.
shall provide minute reports at each meeting to other members.
.
PART
4. Treasurer
.
a.
shall be responsible for the safekeeping and accounting of all funds.
.
b.
shall provide financial reports at each Executive Committee meeting.
.
c.
shall sign all checks drawn on the bank account of SEA.
.
d.
shall prepare the annual budget.
.
PART
5. Historian
.
a.
shall prepare and keep up-to-date a SEA electronic scrapbook of the year's
activities.
.
b.
shall take pictures of SEA events.
.
c.
shall provide/secure expert help in the above areas to committees
.
PART
6. Publicity Coordinator
.
a. shall assist committees in publicizing activities
and events.
.
b. shall be in charge of public relations for the
organization.
.
SECTION
3. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer/Publicity Coordinator, or Historian, the vacancy shall be filled by
appointment of the Executive Committee for the remainder of the term.
Article
II
Executive Committee
SECTION
1. The Executive Committee shall be the executive branch of SEA.
SECTION
2. The duties of the Executive Committee shall be:
.
a.
to be responsible to the membership in all matters.
.
b.
to carry out the policies of the general membership.
.
c.
to attend to the business of SEA between general meetings.
.
d.
to approve all members of the committee.
.
f.
to adopt the annual budget.
.
g.
to make available all official documents for inspection of SEA.
.
h.
to cooperate with the president in setting up a schedule of meetings for the
year.
.
i.
to act on problems that need immediate attention.
.
j.
to give general direction to the work of all standing and special committees.
.
SECTION
3. A quorum for the Executive Committee shall consist of a majority of the
members.
.
SECTION
4. Any member of the Executive Committee who is absent for three (3)
consecutive regular meetings or a total of five (5) meetings of the Executive
Committee during the association year shall forfeit his/her office. Exceptions
may be arranged in certain cases (example: scheduled classes, extended
illnesses, necessary work schedules, etc.) upon agreements made between the
Executive Committee/Faculty Advisors and the person affected.
.
SECTION
5. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be at a location designated by the
President. The President shall notify the Executive Committee of any
change in the location of their meetings.
.
SECTION
6. The dates and times for Executive Meetings shall be set as needed according
to the demands set forth by the Executive Committee. Additional meetings
beyond the required number may be called by the President or by members of the
Executive Committee.
Article
IV
Committees
.
SECTION
1. There shall be the following standing committees as needed, in addition to
the Executive Committee, appointed by the president and subject to the approval
of the Executive Committee: Homecoming, Read Across America, American Education
Week, Membership, and Community Outreach.
PART
1. The chairperson of these committees (excluding the Executive committee)
shall be appointed by the President. The remainder of the committee shall be
composed of up to five (5) additional SEA members who wish to be on the
committee.
PART
2. The chairperson of each committee shall be required to report on the actions
of the committee at each Executive Committee Meeting for the length of the
committee.
.
SECTION
2. Special committees may be established by the president with the
approval of the Executive Committee. These committees shall be
established for the purpose of accomplishing a specific task within a limited
period of time. The committee chairpersons shall be ex-officio members of
the Executive Committee.
Article
V
Amendment Process
.
SECTION
1. These By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and
voting at any general meeting.
.
SECTION
2. Proposed changed in these By-laws shall be present in writing to the
membership at the meeting at which they will be considered.
Article
VI
Suspension Provision
.
SECTION
1. Any provision of these by-laws may be suspended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of those present and voting at any general meeting.
Article
VII
Parliamentary Authority
.
SECTION
1. Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the deliberations of this
organization on all points not covered by the constitution and/or by-laws.
.
SECTION
2. The President, at his/her discretion, may appoint a parliamentarian whose
job it would be to be familiar with the constitution and the by-laws of the
local, state, and national organizations and Robert's Rules of Order Newly
Revised. This person would settle all disagreements as to the
interpretation of these documents on some particular point.
Article
VIII
Review
SECTION
1. This Constitution and its By-laws shall be reviewed and revised at a minimum
of once every two (2) years. It shall be passed by a two-thirds (2/3)
majority of SEA members present.
Last Revision: April 17, 2008 by Amanda Hinds,
President