American Chemical Society Student Affiliate Chapter at the University of Illinois at Chicago Bylaws

Purpose

With the inactivation of the former University of Illinois at Chicago (further referred to as "UIC") Student Affiliate Chapter (further referred to as "SAC"), these new bylaws and SAC charter are to establish a completely new entity at UIC.

Further, these bylaws and additions seek to ensure the longevity of the new UIC SAC by addressing some prior problems and weaknesses, most notably, a lack of central organization and decisive planning.

Bylaws

In addition to the rules set forth by the American Chemical Society (further referred to as "ACS") governing the conduct of SACs, the following bylaws are to be followed by the UIC SAC.

1.0) Chapter Officers - Eligibility/Election/Voting/Meetings/Candidate Campaign

    1. Election - Candidates that fit the following eligibility requirements (section1.02) are to be elected at the end of the spring semester (preferably in mid-March to avoid time constraints due to finals and the holidays).

      2. The new elected officers will meet for the rest of the month at the bi-weekly (section 1.03) meetings to learn the management of the UIC SAC.

      Election method is by secret ballot that is opened by the Faculty Advisor and counted. The person with highest number of votes is elected to that position (see section 1.04).

    2. Eligibility - Is contingent upon three items:
      1. Completion of Chemistry 342 (chem 342) Physical Chemistry I.
      2. A Major of study not other than Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Chemical Engineering.
      3. Must continue his or her student enrollment at UIC for the following full academic year
    1. Meetings - Officers shall hold bi-weekly meetings to discuss the UIC SAC goals and activities.
    2. Voting - Only voters who are members of the UIC SAC AND ARE MEMBERS OF ACS may vote in election for officers. Election is by secret ballot, where the voter writes in the name of a candidate for each of the following four officer positions (section 2.0) and seals the vote in a provided envelope. When the voter has placed their ballot in the ballot box, their name is crossed off of the list of members. This is to ensure that only one vote per person is made.
    3. Candidate Campaigning - Potential candidates are to make public their plans for election in a meeting. Further, the potential candidates should submit a short bio to the Information Officer for publication on the UIC SAC web site. The current President and the Faculty Advisor shall review eligibility before the candidate is allowed to campaign for office.

2.0) Chapter Officers - Positions

    1. President - The President of the UIC SAC shall follow all rules given forth in the SAC handbook.

      2. In addition, the President will review current members and will be the driving force in obtaining new membership. This includes addressing classes, posting flyers, and submitting (with help from the Information Officer) news to the general UIC bulletin.

    2. Vice President - The Vice President shall follow all rules given forth in the SAC handbook. In addition, the Vice President shall also aid the President in obtaining membership by doing the same as listed in section 2.01.
    3. Information Officer - The Information Officer is an update of the Secretary position. In addition to performing all functions of the Secretary listed in the SAC handbook, the Information Officer shall update the UIC SAC web site and maintain the UIC SAC list-serv system. The candidate applying for this position must have taken chemistry 302 (chem 302) Applications of Computers to Chemistry.
    4. Treasurer - The Treasurer shall perform all functions of listed in the SAC handbook. UIC has given the go ahead for the distribution of old test materials for SAC profit.

3.0) Making Amends/Addition to the Bylaws and Emergency Provisions

    1. If a bylaw or figure is to be changed or added, then the officers shall hold a meeting and discuss the reasoning behind the change or addition and present the case to the Faculty Advisor. If the bylaw revision or addition is deemed fair by the Faculty Advisor, then the bylaw may be changed or added, if the bylaw or addition is deemed unfair by the Faculty Advisor, then the following will be carried out. The faculty advisor shall appoint three other impartial UIC SAC AND ACS MEMBER from the club (preferably a new members) to review the problem and vote with the current officers on the issue. If there is a ratio of 6 to 2 in favor of the revision or addition, then it shall be changed or added. The Faculty Advisor is to be present at the vote.
    2. If revisions and/or additions are made then they are to be posted on the UIC SAC web site for public SAC view. Also, a detailed listing of revisions is to be kept by the Information Officer. This is to be submitted to the Faculty Advisor at the end of the fall semester (end of the term of office).
    3. In the event of an unpopular bylaw revision or addition, which was deemed unfair by the Faculty Advisor, the general SAC body can hold a meeting to discuss the addition or revisions impact upon the club. A forcible vote can be held to change the law if a 6 to 2 majority deems the addition or revision to be unfair. In the event of such a vote, the revision or addition shall be immediately changed or thrown out from the bylaws. [While this may seem silly, I could see a group of officers who would like to raise revenue by imposing a surcharge upon all members or imposing a charge upon old tests etc. Even if the law slips through the first vote, then this process will really put the clubs student body to a test.]
    4. In the event of a low membership year, in which membership drops to five (5) or below people, a "Fearless Leader" President will be the only officer elected or appointed by the Faculty Advisor. This person will be in charge of meeting on a bi-weekly basis with the Faculty Officer and in charge of raising membership to a level above 15 people, when a vote may be held for determining officers.