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1.1. Name of Body. The name of the body is Trustees of the Architectural Engineering Student Fees (TAESF), and shall be referred to throughout these Bylaws as the "Trustees."
1.2. Type of Body. The Trustees are a "student body organization" as defined in the California Education Code.
1.3. Purpose and Objectives. The Trustees were formed to determine the use of the Architectural Engineering portion of the College Based Fee Initiative Funds ("Funds"). The Funds should be expended in a manner that is of direct academic benefit to the Architectural Engineering ("ARCE") students and administered in a manner which requires accountability at all levels.
1.4. Oversight by the ARCE Department Head. The University requires that the Trustees be consultative to the Department Head, but it is necessary that the Trustees be empowered to demand accountability on the part of the Department Head.
2.1. One Class of Student. The Architectural Engineering Student Body ("Students or Student Body") shall be limited to regularly enrolled, fee-paying students in the ARCE Department.
2.2. Term of Student. Membership in the Student Body shall commence on the first day of the quarter for which the Student was admitted and paid fees into the Department, and shall end immediately prior to the first day of the next academic quarter, unless renewed by additional payment into the Funds.
2.3. Rights and Privileges of the Student Body. Members of the Student Body are entitled to vote, be appointed or elected as Trustees, call for a student veto, inspect books and records, and otherwise exercise their rights as the fee payers.
3.1. Voting Rights. On each matter submitted to a vote of the Students, each Student shall be entitled to cast one vote.
3.2. Annual Town Hall Meeting. There shall be a meeting of the Student Body every year.
3.3. Annual Election. The election of Trustees is handled by an annual general election held each year ("Annual Election"). It should be open, independent of student organizations and encourage participation of all members of the Student Body.
3.4. Veto Election. A student veto is handled by general election. It should be open independent of student organizations and encourage participation of all members of the Student Body.
3.4.1 Calling for Veto. Any member of the Student Body may call for a Student Veto by generating a petition against a specific decision made by the Trustees. The petition must be signed by 10% of the Student Body.
3.4.2 Limits on Veto. There shall be a maximum of one veto per year.
3.5. Notice of Elections. The Trustees shall give Students timely notice of the Election. The notice shall be given to Students in a manner determined by the Trustees.
3.6. Requirements for Election by Written Ballot.
3.6.1. Content of Written Ballots. Any written ballot distributed to the Students to vote on an issue shall set forth the proposed action and provide an opportunity to specify approval or disapproval of the proposal.
3.6.2. Election Procedures. The Trustees, under the following guidelines, shall make ballots available to the Students pursuant to election procedures adopted:
3.6.2.1 The Trustees shall determine election time and locations.
3.6.2.2 Every student shall have the opportunity to vote.
3.6.2.3 Once cast, a written ballot may not be revoked.
3.6.3. Quorum Requirements.
3.6.3.1. Calculation of Student Body. For purposes of this Section, the Student Body shall be the number of regularly enrolled, fee-paying students in the ARCE Department at the time of election.
3.6.3.2. Quorum Requirements in General. In order for an election by Student to be valid the number of votes cast in the election must exceed one third (33%) of the Students.
3.6.4. Notification of Balloting Results. Immediately following the close of the balloting process and tabulation of the ballots, the Trustees shall notify the Members of the outcome of the vote.
4.1. Authority of the Trustees.
4.1.1. General Powers. The Trustees are consultative to the Department Head. Subject to the provisions of applicable law and these Bylaws, the Trustees are charged with recommending the use(s) of the Funds.
4.1.2. Specific Powers. Without limiting the authority of the Trustees as set forth above, the Trustees shall be responsible for the following:
4.1.2.1. Establishing policies and parameters for the affairs, properties and operations pertaining to the Funds;
4.1.2.2. Conducting an annual review of the policies and parameters for the affairs, properties and operations pertaining to the Funds;
4.1.2.3. Approving the annual prioritization list and budget of the Funds;
4.1.2.4. Advising and managing Annual Elections.
4.1.3. Accountability.
4.1.3.1. Department Head to the Trustees. The Department Head should develop an accounting protocol that is understandable and verifiable. Quarterly reports should be provided to the Trustees, which cover the cash basis status of the Funds and the encumbered fund commitments.
4.1.3.2. Trustees to Student Body: The Trustees as a whole need to be accountable to the Student Body as a whole.
4.1.3.3. Department Head to the Student Body: The Department Head is accountable to and should be accessible by the Student Body. The Trustees are responsible for defining and promoting the forum for accountability and access.
4.1.3.4. Timeliness. The Department Head should notify the Trustees of any required deadlines for action. If the Trustees fail to act in a timely manner, the Department Head should act in a manner consistent with the priorities established within the process.
4.2. Composition of the TAESF. The Trustees shall be comprised of nine (9) members:
4.2.1. Chair of the Trustees. The chair shall be a member of the previous year's Trustees, serve as the meeting facilitator and vote only in the case of a tie.
4.2.2. Year Representative. There shall be a student representative from each of the five (5) defined constituencies (Constituencies of Nominations).
4.2.3. Student at Large. There shall be two (2) students at large. The at large students may not be of the same constituency.
4.2.4. Faculty Member. There shall be one (1) full time ARCE faculty member. The faculty member shall not be the Department Head.
4.3. Qualifications for Office.
4.3.1. General Qualifications. All persons, except the faculty member, seeking to become or remain a Trustee must be a member of the Student Body.
4.3.2. Academic Qualifications. Each person, except the faculty member, seeking to become or remain a Trustee must comply with academic requirements established by the University.
4.3.3. Loss of Privileges. Trustees may be subject to the loss of some or all of their privileges as Trustees if they are placed on disciplinary or academic probation by the University. The final decision will be made by the Department.
4.4. Selection of Trustees.
4.4.1. Selection in General. The Trustees, except the faculty member, shall be elected by the Student Body as a whole.
4.4.2. Nomination of Trustees. Individuals may become candidates for election as Trustees by self-nomination or nomination with consent.
4.4.2.1. Maker of Nomination. Nominations may be made by any ARCE student or any full time ARCE faculty member.
4.4.2.2. Submission of Nominations. Nominations shall be submitted to the current Trustees.
4.4.2.3. Constituencies of Nomination. There shall be five (5) constituencies of representation. The constituencies are defined by year, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.
4.4.2.3.1. Determining Constituency. A nominee's constituency shall be determined by the level of ARCE courses they have reached.
4.4.3. Election of Trustees.
4.4.3.1. Election of the Chair. The Chair of the Trustees shall be a member of and elected by majority vote of the previous year's Trustees.
4.4.3.2. Election of Year Representative Trustees. For each of the five (5) constituencies, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes in the Annual Election shall be elected as the Trustee from that constituency.
4.4.3.3. Election of the At Large Members. Each of the Nominees, regardless of constituency, may be eligible for election in to the At Large position.
4.4.3.4. Election of the Faculty Member. The Department faculty shall elect the Faculty member.
4.5. Duties of Trustee.
4.5.1. Duty of Good Faith. A Trustee shall perform his/her duties in the best interest of the Student Body.
4.5.2. General Duties of a Trustee.
4.5.2.1. Each Trustee shall make every effort to attend Trustee meetings.
4.5.2.2. Each Trustee shall make every effort to be in contact with their constituency.
4.6. Term of Office.
4.6.1. Ordinary Term of Office. The term of office for all Trustees shall be one year, commencing on the first day after the Annual Election and ending on the day of the following Annual Election.
4.6.2. Successive Terms. Trustees shall be entitled to seek election and hold office for more than one successive term.
4.6.3. Early Termination. The term of office for any Trustee shall expire immediately upon a determination by the Trustees or the University that the Trustee has failed to meet the qualification set forth in Section 4.3. above.
4.6.4. Replacement Directors. A Trustee selected to fill a vacancy under Section 4.7. shall serve until the last day of the term of the Trustee whose vacancy he/she is filling.
4.7. Removal of Trustees and Filling Vacancies.
4.7.1. General Vacancies. A vacancy on the Trustees shall be deemed to exist on the occurrence of any of the following:
4.7.1.1. The death, resignation or removal of a Trustee;
4.7.1.2. The expiration of the term of office of a Trustee because the Trustee fails to meet the qualifications specified in Section 4.3.
4.7.2. Resignation of Trustee. Any Trustee may resign, by giving written notice to the Chair of the Trustee, or the Department Head.
4.7.3. Removal of Trustee. The Trustees shall have the power to remove a Trustee and declare his or her office vacant with five (5) votes.
4.7.4. Filling of Vacancies. A vacancy on the Trustees shall be filled by a Student nominated by a member of the Trustees then in office. The nominee shall be approved by a unanimous vote of the Trustees then in office.
5.1. Regular Meetings of the Trustees. The Trustees shall annually establish, in the Standing Rules for each year, the date, time and location for holding regular meetings. Regular meetings of the Trustees shall be held on a quarterly basis, at minimum, excluding summer quarter.
5.2. Special Meetings of the Trustees. Any two members of the Trustees may call a Special Meeting at any time.
5.2.1. Notice of Special Meeting. The person or persons calling the Special Meeting shall give notice of the meeting to each Trustee and to any other person or medium that has requested notice. In addition, written notice of Special Meeting shall be publicly posted at least 24 hours before the meeting.
5.3. Open Meeting Requirements.
5.3.1. Open Meetings. The Trustee meetings shall be open and public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend.
5.3.2. Public Posting. At least two (2) weeks before a regular meeting the Trustees shall post an agenda.
5.4. Quorum and Voting Requirements.
5.4.1. Acts of the Trustees in General. Unless noted otherwise, every act or decision of the Trustees requires a majority vote in the affirmative.
5.4.2. Major Acts of the Trustees. Major acts require a unanimous vote of the Trustees.
5.5.2.1. Major Acts. A "major act" is defined as any monetary purchase, lump sum or multi-quarter savings, which totals more that 50% of the "available" quarter funds.
5.5.2.2 Available Quarter Funds. Available quarter funds are defined as non-earmarked funds (money not intended for long-term savings, etc.), including any rollover from the previous budget.
5.4.3. Perpetual Spending. The Trustees may commit the expenditures of Funds beyond one year with a unanimous vote.
5.4.4. Change of Commitment. Trustees cannot change the monetary commitment of previous Trustees without an affirmative vote of a majority of the Student Body.
5.4.5. Change of the Bylaws. The Trustees may make changes to the bylaws that do not affect their meaning. Substantive changes must be approved by the Student Body.
5.5. Standing Rules of the Trustees. The Trustees shall establish standing rules of conduct for the Trustees.
5.6. College Committee. A representative to a College of Architecture and Environmental Design Fee Initiative Committee, if formed, should come from the Trustees.
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