SBWG Constitution
The Constitution of the MIT Synthetic Biology Society
Article I: Purpose
The purpose of the MIT Synthetic Biology Society is to foster the advancement of the field of synthetic biology and to connect students, faculty, staff, and other parties interested in this cross-disciplinary field.
Article II: Membership
- 1. Any member of the MIT community is eligible to become a member of this organization. One is considered a member of this organization in any given academic term if he or she has attended at least one club activity and one meeting in the preceding or current term.
- 2. The organization’s membership will at all times consist of at least 5 MIT students and be more than half MIT students.
- 3. This organization will not discriminate based on any characteristic listed in MIT's Nondiscrimination Statement.
- 4. If this organization charges any monetary dues, there will be exceptions made for students that cannot afford these dues.
Article III: Officers
- 1. This organization will have two officers:
- a. President
- i. The president shall be the official representative of the group to any other organization and to MIT.
- ii. The president will preside over all meetings.
- iii. The president is responsible for determining when meetings are and communicating this to the group.
- a. Treasurer
- i. The treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the group.
- ii. The treasurer is required to sign all checks/vouchers of the group.
- 2. All officers of this organization must be distinct persons and MIT students.
- 3. Elections:
- a. Elections of officers shall occur at the end of summer term.
- b. Any member of this organization is eligible to run for office.
- c. Quorum for elections is five group members.
- d. Any member is elected if he or she wins a majority of the voting members.
- e. If more than two people are running and no one wins a majority, then the person with the fewest votes is dropped from the ballot and votes are recast.
- f. The term of office runs from September 1 until September 1 of the following year.
- 4. Removal: Officers may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any meeting.
Article IV: Meetings
- 1. Meetings shall be held approximately every every two weeks during the academic year.
- 2. Meetings shall be presided over by the president, unless absent, and in that case the treasurer shall preside.
- 3. All decisions shall be made by a majority vote of all members present.
- 4. Quorum for a meeting shall be three members.
Article V: Amendments
- 1. Amendments may be presented by any member of the organization.
- 2. Amendments shall be passed by the vote of a two-thirds majority of the members present.
- 3. Quorum for amending this constitution shall be one third of all members of the organization.
Article VI: ASA Governance Clause
The MIT Synthetic Biology Society agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Association of Student Activities, and its executive board. This constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Board to insure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.
