Constitution

Article I:                  The name of this organization shall be The Barnard Chemical Society. The objective of the Barnard Chemical Society shall be to promote fellowship among its members, to encourage the social and academic advancement of students of chemistry and the student body at large and to foster an atmosphere of achievement and professionalism

Article II:               Executive Board 

Section 1:                  The executive board of the society shall consist of the following members: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. The Board must meet on a regular basis. The minimum number of meetings shall be once per month.

Section 2:                  The President of the Barnard Chemical Society shall be responsible for overseeing committee activities, overseeing event planning and execution and conducting and moderating meetings. In the case of a tie during an Executive Board vote, the President shall hold two (2) votes. The President will be the chair of the Events Committee. The President must be available to address club-related concerns at all reasonable times.

Section 3:                  The Vice President of the Barnard Chemical Society shall be responsible for maintaining student-faculty relations, American Chemical Society (ACS) relations, and general public relations. In addition the Vice President shall assist in overseeing event planning and execution. In the event that the President cannot execute her duties the Vice president shall be responsible for those obligations until a suitable replacement can be selected.

Section 4:                  The primary responsibility of the Treasurer of the Barnard Chemical Society shall be the management of the Society’s budget. The treasurer shall be the chair of the Grant Committee and will oversee the fundraising activities of the organization.

Section 5:                  The Secretary of the Barnard Chemical Society shall be in charge of maintaining club records and member communications.

Section 6:                  It is the joint responsibility of the Executive Board to make this constitution readily available to its members and to ascertain that the Barnard Chemical Society adheres to this constitution.

Article III:            Eligibility 

Section 1:                  Only Active Members who are Barnard Students are eligible to become members of the Executive Board.

Section 2:                  The President and Vice President of the Society must be majoring in any physical or natural science. Other officers of the Society can study any major.

Article IV:             Other Positions 

Section 1:                  The following non-Executive Board positions will be available to Active Members of the Barnard Chemical Society. The corresponding Executive Board members will compensate for any vacancies in these positions. These Board Members will present regular updates to the Executive Board and the membership.

A)                The Liaison to the SGA shall be in charge of overseeing the compliance of the society with SGA regulations and shall be responsible for all communications with the SGA. She shall further be responsible for attendance of SGA events relevant to the development and activities of The Barnard Chemical Society.

B)                 The Volunteer Coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating volunteer activities and outreach programs and encouraging member participation in said events. The Volunteer Coordinator shall also be The Society’s liaison to “Community Impact.”

C)                The Webmaster shall be in responsible for maintaining the Society’s website and web-based resources.

Section 2:                  Committees

A)                The Grant Committee shall be in charge of securing outside funding in the form of grants provided by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), American Chemical Society (ACS) and other relevant organizations based on the eligibility of the Society. This Committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer of the Barnard Chemical Society.

B)                 The Events Committee shall be responsible for event planning and organization. This Committee shall be chaired by the President of the Barnard Chemical Society.

C)                Additional committees may be created at any time with the approval of the Executive Board if a minimum of three (3) members are interested. All committees must have a chair responsible for committee activities and productivity. The chair of each committee shall attend all Executive Board meetings to present updates. If the chair is unable to attend a meeting another committee member must attend in his or her place. In addition, all committees must hold meetings that are open to all members of the Barnard Chemical Society on a regular basis.

Article V:                Membership 

Section 1:                  The Barnard Chemical Society is open to all students of Columbia University

Section 2:                  In order to be considered an Active Member one must attend 50% of the general body meetings held in an academic year.

Article VI:             Elections

Section 1:                  Elections for the following academic year shall be held at the first general body meeting in April.

Section 2:                  The candidate who collects most votes shall hold the position for which they ran.

Section 3:                  Elections shall be held with a quorum of over 50% majority membership attendance. Only Active Members in attendance are eligible to vote.

Article VII:          Disciplinary Action and Impeachment 

Section 1:                  Anonymous complaints may be brought to the board at any time. Such complaints may result in disciplinary action including temporary cessation of duties until a resolution is reached. Anonymous complaints may not result in impeachment.

Section 2:                  Grievances leading to Impeachment must be brought up publicly. Officers are impeached by a majority vote of at least 2/3 of the Active Members of The Barnard Chemical Society.

Section 3:                  The President shall preside over all impeachment hearings, unless she is the one being disciplined, in which case the Vice President shall assume this duty.

Article VIII:       Amendments 

Section 1:                  This constitution is amendable by the members of The Barnard Chemical Society.

Section 2:                  Amendments are passed by consensus with at least 2/3 of the Active Members of The Barnard Chemical Society present.

Section 3:                  At no time will any article or amendment to this Constitution supercede or violate any regulation or policy set forth by Barnard College or Columbia University