Sound Engineers Constitution

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the Milwaukee School of Engineering Sound Engineers.

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to provide an opportunity of the students, faculty, and staff of MSOE to play and perform music of the enjoyment of themselves and others.

Article III - Membership

1. Specific Types and Privileges of Membership
   1. Conditional Membership
      Any person who expresses interest in joining the Sound Engineers by attending a meeting an paying a $10.00 deposit can be considered a Conditional Member; all new members will begin their membership as Conditional Members.
      1. Privileges and Restrictions
         A conditional Member is entitled to a band shirt, access to an instrument, and may attend any or all of the performances, rehearsals, and social gatherings sponsored by the Sound Engineers, but may not vote or hold office. The $10.00 deposit is refundable at the end of the school year provided that the requirements of full membership have been met.
      2. Promotion to Full Member
         If a conditional Member satisfies the requirements of full membership, he or she will be promoted to fill membership status until the requirements of full membership can no longer be met. If the requirements of full membership cannot be met, the person will remain a conditional member.
   2. Full Membership
      Any person who pays the $10.00 deposit, attends 50% of the scheduled rehearsals, 75% of the scheduled performances, and 100% of the scheduled meetings (measured yearly) can be considered a Full Member. Under extenuating circumstances, meetings may be missed provided that an officer is informed in advance.
      1. Privileges and Restrictions
         A Full Member is entitled to a band shirt, access to an instrument, and may attend any or all of the performances, rehearsals, and social gatherings sponsored by the Sound Engineers, and may vote and hold office. The $10.00 deposit is refundable at the end of the school year provided that the requirements of full membership have been met.
      2. Termination of Full Membership
         If a Full Member becomes unable to fulfill the requirements of Full Membership by the end of the current school year, he or she will be reduced to a Conditional Member of the next school year. Such a member may be reinstated as a Full Member just as a new Conditional Member is.
   3. Alumni Membership
      Any person who was formerly a Full Member of the Sound Engineers and does not currently meet the requirements of Full or Conditional Membership shall be an Alumni Member. An Alumni Member may attend any or all of the rehearsals, performances, or social gatherings sponsored by the Sound Engineers, but may not vote or hold office.
2. Termination of Membership
   An Alumni Member may not be terminated. A Full or Conditional Member may be terminated under the following conditions:
   1. Any member who wishes to terminate his or her membership in the Sound Engineers may do so at any time; however, if the yearly requirements of Full Membership have not been met at that time, the $10.00 deposit will not be refunded..
   2. A member may be expelled as a consequence of acts contrary to the policies of the Sound Engineers and by a vote of two-thirds of the Full Membership. The vote shall be called by secret ballot only after each side has had an equal opportunity to be heard.

Article IV - Organization and Executive Board

1. Organization
   The Sound Engineers consists of the Executive Board and all other members. The Executive Boards shall consist of seven officers and the faculty advisor(s) of the Sound Engineers. The offices of the Sound Engineers are President, Vice-President, two Librarians, Secretary, Treasurer, and Social Chair. There must be at least one faculty advisor, which brings the minimum number of the Executive Board to eight persons.
2. Purpose of the Executive Board
   The purpose of the executive board is to maintain effective communication between the officers and advisors of the Sound Engineers, and by doing so to clarify the goals, strategies, and events of the organization.
3. Duties of the Executive Board
   1. Rules and Regulations
      The Executive Board shall from time to time review and supplement the provisions of theses bylaws.
   2. Hearing Board
      The Executive Board may act as a Hearing Board on all matters properly brought before it including, but not limiting to, member grievances, impeachment hearings, and suggestions of improvement.
   3. Reports
      The Secretary shall prepare the minutes from the previous Executive Board meeting. The President shall prepare a report detailing the overall status of the organization including upcoming events, member morals, a summarization of any previous general meetings, and voice any other concerns of the organization in general. The Vice-President's report shall relate current status of the quality of performance of the band, and suggest measurers to improve if necessary. The Librarians shall report all acquisitions of new music, progress in filing current titles, and progress in replacing lost titles to individuals. The Treasurer shall report the current balance in each account. The Social Chair will report any activities undertaken by the Sound Engineers as well as summarize the past SGA meetings attended.
   4. Regular Meetings
      In each regular quarter of the school year, there shall be three meetings of the Executive Board. The first of these meetings should take place during the second week of the quarter, the second during the fifth week, and the third during the ninth week. Arrangements of the exact time and place of these meetings shall be made at the previous meeting; if this is not possible, then no less than two weeks prior to the upcoming meeting.

Article V - Officers

1. Duties of the Officers
   1. The President of the Sound Engineers shall:
      1. Preside over all regular and special meetings.
      2. Serve as an official representative to the administration of the Milwaukee School of Engineering
      3. Serve as Chair of the Executive Board; reports the general morale of the band, administrative problems, and any other pertinent information.
      4. Meet with the advisor at least once per month in addition to the Executive Board meeting to maintain communication.
      5. Call special meetings.
      6. Assume all other executive duties not otherwise delegated.
   2. The Vice-President of the Sound Engineers shall:
      1. Conduct all rehearsals and performances; be responsible for the order in which music is rehearsed and performed These may be delegated to a consenting and capable member when the voting membership agrees by consensus.
      2. Perform all duties of the President in the event of his or her absence.
      3. Attend Executive Board Meetings; report the musical status/performance readiness of the band. All measures which need to be taken to increase the musical ability of the band shall also be reported.
      4. Call special meetings.
   3. The Librarians of the Sound Engineers shall:
      1. Have complete control over organizing and filing music.
      2. Be responsible for obtaining, preparing, distributing, and collecting said music.
      3. Establish and maintain weekly office hours of not less than two hours per week to accomplish (a) and (b) above.
      4. Have power to request additional assistance from members in times of heavy workload; i.e. initial music distribution, mass new music filing, etc.
      5. Server as a member of the Executive Board; report sheet music resources, goals, and needs.
   4. The Treasurer of the Sound Engineers shall:
      1. Maintain an accurate record of all funds and manage those funds as prescribed by the voting membership.
      2. Make a financial report outlining the balances of all accounts at all regular meetings.
      3. Be responsible for receiving and dispensing funds from all accounts.
      4. Serve as a member of the Executive Board; report the financial status of the band in the same manner as (b).
   5. The Secretary of the Sound Engineers shall:
      1. Take accurate minutes of all regular meetings of the organization and place copies of the meetings in the band mailbox.
      2. Handle all internal correspondence as requested by the PResident or Vice-President. This includes maintaining the band mailbox with current information.
      3. Keep records of rehearsal and performance attendance to determine membership status, or appoint someone to do this in their absence.
      4. Prepares, maintains, and updates the list of members and their status. The band database currently exists in both IBM and Apple format, and access to a computer will greatly simplify this job. The first official membership roster shall be published by the first day of the Winter quarter for that school year, and shall be officially updated by the second week of the Spring quarter.
      5. Serve as a member of the Executive Board, report the minutes of the last meeting, and record minutes of the current one.
   6. The Social Chair/SGA Representative of the Sound Engineers shall:
      1. Coordinate the organization's social functions and other special activities, which should be not less than one per quarter and at least one special event during the summer break.
      2. Represent the Sound Engineers at no less than fifty percent (50%) of the Student Government Association meetings, and make reports of SGA activities at all regular meetings.
      3. Serve as a member of the Executive Board and report all SGA activities that affect the band or all students in general.
2. Qualification of Officers
   1. To be an officer, a person must have been a full member of the Sound Engineers for at least one quarter.
   2. No person on academic probation or with a cumulative grade point average below 2.0/4.0 shall serve as an officer.
   3. No person who knows in advance that they cannot complete a full term of office (i.e. mid-year graduation, etc.) shall serve as an officer.
3. Tenure of Officers and the Transition Period
   1. An Officer begins serving as a Transitional Officer at the time of election. A Transitional Officer shall witness firsthand the performance of all duties of the current officer, including the Executive Board Meetings and Office Hours in order to fully understand the nature and scope of these duties. It is the duty of all retiring officers to see that new officers become well acquainted with the people and procedures involved with their offices during the transition period. Likewise, all new officers have the responsibility of learning their jobs and taking advantage of the expertise of the retiring officers.
   2. The official term of office for all officers begins on the last day of the Spring quarter and lasts one academic year. If a matter requiring officer attention arises during the summer, the new officers shall have jurisdiction.
4. Nominations of new officers
   Nominations of new officers shall open at the first regular meeting of the Spring quarter, and shall remain open until the following regular meeting. A person may accept nominations for no more than two offices
5. Election of new Officers
   1. Each Full Member shall have one (1) vote except for the President, who will vote only in case of a tie. Voting by proxy is allowed under extenuating circumstances if a Full Member is forced to miss the election meeting.
   2. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote.
   3. In no nominee for a particular office obtains a majority, a run-off vote shall be taken between the top two candidates.
   4. No person can be elected to more than one office
6. Vacancies in Offices
   1. In the event of the President's permanent removal, the Vice-President can be elected. Nominations shall remain open for two weeks, and a special meeting may be called to a vote in the same manner as regularly scheduled elections. All regular requirements of officers apply to the new President, who will serve for the remaining tenure of office.
   2. A vacancy occurring in the office of Vice-President, Librarian, Secretary, Treasurer, or Social Chairman/SGA Representative prior to the end of their term of office shall be temporarily filled by a Presidential appointee until new elections are able to be held. It is not necessary to hold elections for vacancies in these offices; however, if any Full Member of the Sound Engineer objects or questions the appointment, elections for that office must be held by special meeting or ballot, at the President's discretion.
7. Removal of Officers
   The Full Membership, by two-thirds vote, may remove any officer of the Sound Engineers for refusal, neglect, or failure to perform the duties of his or her office. The vote shall be conducted by secret ballot after the officer has had a chance to be heard on his or her behalf.

Article VI - Regularly Scheduled Meetings and Rehearsals

1. The Sound Engineers will hold two regular business meetings in the Fall and Spring quarters, and one regular business meeting during the Winter quarter. The Fall and Spring meetings shall be held during the first and fifth weeks of each quarter, and the Winter meetings shall be held during the first week of that quarter.
2. The Sound Engineers shall rehearse twice each week with suggested days being Monday and Thursday evenings to allow for night class attendence. The exact time and day of rehearsal shall be determined during the first meeting of each quarter. It is noted here that rehearsals are not meetings, and attendence is required in order to maintain Full Membership.

Article VII - Quorum

A quorum of the Sound Engineers organization shall consist of at least sixty (60%) of the Full Membership.

Article VIII - Fund Raising

Methods of fund raising shall be determined by the membership for that academic year

Article IX - Performance Attire

Band shirts shall be worn at all performances unless another attire is specified by the President and Vice-President

Article X - Amendments

1. The constitution may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds majority vote for the Full Membership, providing notice of the proposed amendment is given at an earlier meeting or by written notice to all Full Members within one week.
2. The date of the most recent amendment shall be recorded at the end of the constitution.
3. A copy of all precious versions of the constitution shall be kept on file for posterity.
4. All deposits shall be paid in full by the third regular meeting.
5. A $25.00 deposit shall be made for those members requiring an instrument rental. This deposit shall be paid by the third regular meeting and is refundable at the end of the school year provided that the requirements of Full Membership have been met. This deposit applies to any member and is separate fro the membership deposit.
6. The $10 deposit for membership shall not be refunded, but used instead for organizational purposes such as the purchase of new music or equipment, for band functions, or other organizational expenses.