The Pennsylvania State University Storm Chase Team (PSUChase)

Date of Origin: September, 2012 I. Purpose A. To increase awareness and our knowledge of severe weather, notify officials and those in harms way, expand diversity within our meteorology department, and offer immediate relief if necessary. A primary goal of PSUChase is to give active members the opportunity to participate in a storm chasing trip at the beginning of summer break.

B.

II.

Membership A. At all times, the majority (50%+1) of all active members shall be full-time, officially registered undergraduate students at University Park. The membership shall be divided into active and associate members. 1. Only currently registered undergraduate students in the college of Earth and Mineral Sciences are eligible for active membership. Preference will be given to meteorology students. i. In order to be considered an active member, a student must attend at least two consecutive meetings. 2. All others interested in furthering the purpose of PSUChase, including but not limited to, other currently registered undergraduate students not in the college of Earth and Mineral Sciences, faculty, staff, and community members, shall be associate members. 3. Only active members may hold office, vote, preside, officiate, or solicit funds on behalf of the organization. There shall be at least 10 active student members at all times. The club reserves the right to expel a member who is not following the policies of the organization with a super majority vote of attending members. 1. If a member has reason to expel another member, that member shall voice their concerns to the Executive Board. The board will then decide, by majority vote, whether or not to hold a vote on the matter of expelling the member under concern. 2. Quorum for such a vote shall be 75% of active members.

B.

C. D.

3. E.

The super majority needed to expel a member shall be at least a 2/3 majority, or 67%+1.

In the case of violations of constitutional policies and/or a conflict between members within the organization, the highest-ranking officer that is not involved in the conflict, with the assistance from the advisor (if applicable), will facilitate an informal mediation procedure. 1. The mediator shall: i. Arrange for a mediation meeting outside of the regular organization meeting. ii. Explain their role as the impartial party and the objectives of the mediation. iii. Set ground rules iv. Allow each party to express their views. v. Collect any available resources that might assist in a resolution (financial documents, emails, photos, etc.) vi. As a third party, do not suggest resolutions but rather leave the responsibility for the resolution with the parties involved. vii. Facilitate goal setting to a win-win resolution. New Membership and Recruitment 1. Any and all new members will be given full disclosure during recruitment, including but not limited to the disclosure of: i. New Membership Manual ii. Schedule of New Member Events and Activities iii. A list of responsibilities iv. A copy of the University Hazing Policy 2. All members, including but not limited to new members and recruits, reserve the right to refrain from participating in any activities without consequence, based upon personal or religious beliefs, personal values, or moral reserve as defined by the member. 3. Any and all interaction/activity between members and/or new members shall be limited to guidelines stated by university policy, as well as local, state, and federal laws. 4. There shall be no application process for membership in PSUChase. If necessary, there may be an application process for the clubs trip during summer break.

F.

III.

Offices A. Only full-time, officially registered active student members shall be eligible to serve as appointed or elected officers. Officers will serve from the August after their election to the next August. No student graduating before the trip may be an officer this includes seniors graduating in May of that years trip. Students graduating before the trip may be committee chairs. Offices 1. President Chief Officer i. The President shall be ultimately responsible for the overall operation of PSUChase. ii. The President shall chair all Executive Board meetings and General Assembly meetings. iii. The President may, with the consent of the Executive Board, call a mandatory or emergency meeting of either the Executive Board or the General Assembly. iv. The President, on no less than a monthly basis, shall inform the General Assembly of the state of PSUChase, detailing any problems, accomplishments, and new ideas or policy changes occurring in the organization. v. The President, along with the Vice President, will coordinate guest speakers and arrange activities for the meetings. 2. Vice President Vice Officer i. The Vice President shall assist the President in day-to-day operations. ii. The Vice President is responsible for forming and maintaining good relations with sponsors or other related groups. iii. The Vice President, along with the President, will coordinate guest speakers and arrange activities for the meetings. 3. Secretary Officer of Membership i. The Secretary is responsible for keeping accurate, up-to-date records of PSUChase and its members. ii. The Secretary is responsible for all PSUChase archiving. iii. The Secretary is responsible for recording minutes from Executive Board and General Assembly meetings. iv. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing the WebMaster committee chair, who will be responsible for updating the website as necessary. 4. Treasurer Officer of Funds i. The Treasurer is responsible for all organizational funds.

B.

ii. 5/6.

The Treasurer shall oversee the Fundraising committee chairs. Officer of Trip Affairs (2) i. Both Officers of Trip Affairs are responsible for: 1) planning the trip. This includes daily itineraries, lodging, food, and possible tour options on days when there are no storms. 2) overseeing the safety and efficiency of the clubs transportation. 3) providing information necessary for drivers to safely and efficiently transport club members. 4) all problems that arise regarding transportation. 5) overseeing the travel routes to determine the safest and most efficient method of chasing a storm. 6) ensuring that each vehicle is equipped with maps relevant to the area.

C.

Executive Board 1. All members holding office shall be part of the Executive Board. Committee chairs are not part of the Executive Board. 2. All members of the executive board shall have a reserved spot on the chase trip for the upcoming spring, but are not required to attend. The only officer that must attend the trip is at least one of the Officers of Trip Affairs. Filling unexpired vacancies 1. Nominations are taken at the meeting following the vacancy. Elections also occur at this meeting. 2. When nominations are being taken to fill unexpired terms, any member of the club may nominate another member by simply raising his/her hand and indicating such when recognized. 3. If a majority (50%+1) is not obtained by any of the candidates, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and the active members shall vote again.

D.

IV.

Meeting A. B. C. D. E. PSUChase will meet at least two times per semester. Adequate advance notice must be given to all active members before a meeting is held. This is the responsibility of the Secretary. Members shall be notified of all meetings by email. Meeting frequency may be changed by the President. The President may call special meetings should he/she see fit.

V.

Voting A. B. C. Only active members may vote. Quorum for all voting shall be a simple majority of active membership. A simple majority (50%+1) shall be necessary for all voting. This majority shall be derived from the active members present.

VI.

Finances A. B. C. D. E. F. All organizational funds are to be deposited and handled exclusively through the Associated Students Activities (ASA). PSUChase will not have an off-campus account. PSUChase shall collect dues that will not be excessive. The Executive Board will determine the dues. Dues shall be collected once per semester. The officers of PSUChase may spend up to 20% of the organizations current funds without the approval of the general membership. This does require the approval of the Executive Board by a simple majority vote.

VII.

Elections A. B. C. Nominations and elections shall take place during the month of April. This meeting shall be publicized in the meetings preceding it. This is the responsibility of the Secretary. Election codes: 1. Any member may nominate an active member for any office by raising his/her hand at the appropriate time and being recognized by the presiding official. Next, the active members shall cast secret, written ballots for the candidate of their choice. Each active member shall have one vote per office. If 50%+1 majority cannot be obtained, the candidate with the lowest number of votes shall be dropped from consideration, and the active members shall vote again. In the event of a tie, the ballot shall be recast.

2. 3. D.

All officers serve for a term of one year, beginning at the first general meeting in the fall semester and ending at the first general meeting of next fall semester. The current Secretary will have the responsibility of counting the ballots for all the offices except for the Secretary and determining the next officers for those positions. For the position of Secretary, the current President will have the responsibility of counting the ballots and determining the next Secretary. Voting for the next year (August August) will occur at a general meeting in the spring semester before the application process for that springs trip occurs. The newly-elected President and Vice President are required to attend the trip that year. If potential candidates for these two positions cannot attend the trip that year, they are not eligible for these positions.

E.

D.

VIII.

Amendments to the Constitution A. B. An amendment to this constitution may be proposed (in writing) by an active member to the Executive Board at any time. After the amendment has been submitted in writing, the changes will be displayed, debated, and voted upon (subject to quorum) at the next meeting of the General Assembly. Should the amendment pass, it will be added to the Constitution under the heading List of Amendments.

C. D. IX.

If the proposed amendment is rejected through the above-stated process, it may not be proposed again until the following semester. All amendments are subject to the approval of the Office of Student Activities.

Parliamentary Authority A. Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, by Sarah Corbin Roberts shall be used in all cases not covered by this Constitution.

X.

Accessibility of this Constitution A. Copies of this constitution shall be made available to anyone upon request. The most recent copy shall also appear on the PSUChase website.

XI.

Advisor A. PSUChase must retain an advisor at all times. The advisor will be a full-time Faculty or Staff member of The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus, and will be chosen by the organization. The Executive Board will choose an advisor through a simple majority vote.

B. XII.

Impeachment A. B. An elected officer of PSUChase may be impeached for intentional gross violations of the PSUChase constitution. If a motion for impeachment is brought forward to and approved by two-thirds of the Executive Board, an emergency mandatory meeting of the General Assembly shall be called. The incriminator must make the motion in person at one of the Executive Board meetings. The impeachment charges shall be tried by a quorum of the General Assembly. The tried officer and the incriminator may present their cases in person before the vote is taken. If two-thirds of the General Assembly members present find the tried officer guilty, the officer is stripped of his/her office, removed from active status for the semester, and prohibited from holding elected office in PSUChase thereafter.

C.

D.

XIII.

By-laws A. PSUChase, through due process, may create by-laws, within the bounds of the constitution, to govern itself in an efficient, responsible, and respectable manner. A by-law may be proposed by any member of the organization and be presented, in writing, to the Executive Council. Time shall be set aside for the proposal to be read and debated at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Executive Council. The proposal shall be voted on. If approved by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Council present, the proposal shall become a by-law of the organization. The Executive Council reserves the right to amend the proposal. The constitutionality of a proposal or by-law shall be determined absolutely by the Executive Council. If a majority of Executive Council members find evidence of the unconstitutionality of a proposal or bylaw, the proposal or by-law is immediately voided.

B. C.

D.

XIV.

Safety Considerations A. Regarding vehicles: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. If a member wishes to use his/her parents car for the storm chasing trip, that member and his/her parents must complete a waiver that gives the member clear consent to borrow the car. The driver is responsible for his/her vehicle. All drivers must have a valid drivers license from a U.S. state or a province of Canada. Anyone who has more than one speeding ticket and/or serious violations cannot be a driver. All drivers must have previously completed a self-procured MVR check from the state in which their license is issued. It is highly recommended that all vehicles being used have an insurance policy covering $100,000 per person and $300,000 per vehicle in the case of an accident. All vehicles must consciously maintain a distance of at least 1 mile from any storm while chasing. See Section XV for the actions we will take in the event of an extreme situation.

B.

Regarding trip members: i. Only active members are eligible to go on the trip.

ii. iii. iv.

v.

Depending on the amount of funding, interest in the trip, and how much money members are willing to pay out of their own pocket, not all active members may be able to go. If this occurs, there will be an application process to determine who can go on the trip. All students selected to go on the trip must complete a form recognizing (at a minimum) that the student is responsible for his/her own safety. If any injury occurs, The Pennsylvania State University is not held responsible. Students who graduated during the previous semester may accompany the team on the chase trip but will be responsible for their own safety and will not be funded by the University or PSUChase.

C.

There will be at least one general meeting at the end of the spring semester to discuss the upcoming trip. At this meeting, the Executive Board will stress caution and safety and will discuss hazards to avoid.

XV.

Safety Precautions for Extreme Situations A. It is not in the interest of PSUChase members to intercept any storm at any time. If a vehicle comes within an unsafe distance (closer than one mile) to a storm, then the following precautions will be made. i. ii. iii. iv. Given any severe weather condition, everybody will stay within the vehicle until the danger passes. Drivers will respect road conditions and attempt to navigate everyone out of harms way. All vehicles will stay together for the duration of any chase and will continue to stay together in the case of an extreme situation. Should someone be injured, we will immediately cease chasing and contact emergency personnel in the area.

This constitution has been ratified by the Executive Board and has taken effect as of April 15, 2013.

______________________________________ Matt Flournoy President

________________________________________ Jacob DeFlitch Vice President

______________________________________ Secretary Brian Adams

________________________________________ Treasurer Matt Brothers

________________________________________ ______________________________________ Web Team Committee Chair Devin Boyer ________________________________________ Fundraising Committee Chairs Rob Englund Ben Reppert

________________________________________ ________________________________________ Officers of Trip Affairs Lexie Herdt John Paul Nicola