Women in Science and Math Club Constitution

WISAM Signature: 03/23/2020 4:30pm

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1 Name
The name of this organization established by this Constitution shall be
Women in Science and Mathematics which is referred to and denoted as
WISAM.

Section 2 Core Values

The core foundational values that facilitate and cultivate WISAM are the
following (listed in no particular order):

1. Inclusivity
2. Diversity
3. Empowerment of peoples in STEM
4. Empowerment of Women
5. Advocacy for human rights and equality
6. Career development

Section 3 Purpose
The purpose of this organization shall be to:

A. Provide opportunities and support for educational,
professional, and personal growth for women in STEM.

B. Facilitate community outreach to encourage young women to

pursue careers in STEM.

C. Increase the awareness of women, minorities, and persons in

STEM ields who have made signi icant accomplishments.

D. Provide an intersectional safe space on campus to support all

peoples in STEM ields, especially women.

E. To promote and advocate for the reduction of gender

discrimination, prejudice, and violence speci ically within
STEM ields.

F. Cultivate con idence, awareness, and comfort of women and

their accomplishments in STEM ields.

G. Expand the community of allies of women in STEM within our

communities and globally.

Section 4 Mission
Our mission is to create an intersectional safe space for all people, not just
women, to feel included and supported in their academic, professional, and
social journeys. By creating a supportive, safe environment, our objective is

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 to cultivate a stronger sense of con idence, comfort, bond, and awareness of
Women in STEM and their accomplishments. We hope this will encourage
more young women to follow in the footsteps of heroic, courageous, and notable
STEM women.

Section 3. Af iliations
This organization is not af iliated with any local, state, or national group.

Article II. Non-Discrimination Statement

Section 1. Non-discrimination Statement**
No student is to be excluded from membership or participation on the basis
of their race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran’s status, marital status,
political af iliation or physical, mental or medical disability unrelated to the
purpose of the organization. Discriminatory behavior regarding
organizational activities or the actions of members is a violation of
University policy and may be addressed by the University as inappropriate.

This statement applies to all social media outlets, communication platforms,

events, and gatherings af iliated with WISAM.

Article III. Membership

Section 1 Requirements for Membership
Membership in this organization is open to all Loyola University Chicago
students.

A. Anyone may become a member who:

1. Is a student at Loyola University Chicago.

2. Is an interested Loyola community member.
3. Supports women in STEM ields.
4. Has signed and completed the New Member Registration form.

B. Members must maintain membership by means of attending three

WISAM-af iliated events per year, including but not limited to:

1. General Body Meetings.

3. Tabling.
4. Organization fair participation and event.

C. No academic credit shall be offered for participation and/or

membership in this organization.

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 D. Forms of membership:

1. Member
2. Voting Member
3. Executive Board Member
4. Advisor

Section 2 Voting Members

A. Voting members shall consist of all members who have expressed
interest in the club and have attended 15% (round down) of
WISAM-sponsored or associated events or meetings from the date
they sign the New Member Registration Form, which must be
completed one week prior to the voting date.
I. The WISAM Executive Board may amend the WISAM
Constitution by Executive Board Vote if there is a 75%
or more approval of the amendment for the irst two
complete academic years of the club, of which after any
amendment of the WISAM Constitution must require
majority vote by the Voting Membership.

B. Non-students and non-advisors cannot vote on the following:

1. Election or removal of of icers.

2. Removal of members.
3. Amendments to the constitution or bylaws.
4. Financial matters.

C. Advisors may vote on the following:

1. Election or removal of of icers.

2. Removal of members.


Section 3 Removal of Members

A. Grounds for removal of members may include:

1. Violation of University Policy.

2. Violation of the Code of Conduct/Student Promise.
3. Violation of attendance policy (as stated in the bylaws).
4. Repeated violation of WISAM rules, policies and values at the
discretion of the Standards Chair.

B. A member may be removed by the following private process:

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 1. A petition to remove the member should be submitted to the
President and Vice President by any WISAM member. Such a
petition must contain the signatures of at least 25% of the voting
members. When such a petition is received, the President shall call a
meeting of the Executive Board to decide upon removal.

2. The grounds for removal are to be presented by the President at a

regular or special private Executive Board meeting.

3. The member in question shall be provided an opportunity to

present a defense either in person or in writing.

4. Voting is not to occur until after a presentation of the grounds and

defense has been made. In order for a vote for removal to take place,
at least 75% of the Executive Board must be in attendance.

5. No Executive and/or regular member should disclose the process

and/or individual’s identity to non-Executive members. This process
is a private, personal and sensitive matter and should be addressed
as such.

Section 3 Appeal of Removal of Members

A. Members may appeal their removal, but the appeal must be made
within one week of the vote for removal by requesting the President
to call a special meeting of the Executive Board. The President shall
notify all Executive Board members of this meeting, which is to occur
at least one week and not more than one month after the appeal
request is received by the President.

B. The decision to repeal the vote for removal shall require at least 75%
of the voting membership to attend the meeting, and a majority vote
of the voting members present at the special meeting.

Article IV. Of icers

Section 1 Elected Of icers
The of icers of this organization will be:

President: Daniella Pombo
Vice President: Yamini Adusumilli
Treasurer: Hiral Patel
Standards Chair: Claudia Kern
Publicist and Communications Chair: Lizzie Hill

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 Secretary: A udrey O’Neill and Samia Khatoon
CAN Representative: Samantha Eskandar
VP of Events: Lexie Nesbitt
VP of Recruitment: Eve Palmer
Career and Networking Chair: Crisi Patelis
Marketing Chair: Izzy Pombo
Academic Chair: Claire Calhoun
Wellness Chair: Sara Fuentes-Lara

Section 2 Quali ications for Holding Of ice
In order to be eligible to hold an of ice in this organization, the following
quali ications must be met:

A. The candidate must be a voting member of the organization.

B. The candidate must have held membership in the organization for at

least one semester. This requirement does not apply for the irst year
of the Organization.

C. The candidate must have previously attended 25% (round down) of

WISAM-sponsored or associated events or meetings from the start of
the semester of which elections will take place.

Section 3 Elections

A. The of icers of the organization shall be elected for a term of one

school year (Fall and Spring Semester).

B. There will be no restrictions placed on the number of terms of of ice

a member may hold.

C. Elections will be held by the irst week of March each year.

D. The candidates will nominate themselves at least 2 weeks prior to the

election meeting.

E. Voting shall be by ballot.

F. Election to of ice will be by majority of the voting members present.

G. Advisors hold the right to vote.

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Section 4 Duties of Of icers

A. President

1. Attending monthly meetings with advisor(s)

2. Coordinating collaboration
3. Setting the tone for executive and general body meetings
4. Facilitating departmental outreach
5. Attending almost all meetings or events
6. Establishing and overseeing semester and yearly goals
7. Assisting new member and community outreach

B. Vice President

1. Requesting activities through LUCommunity

2. Attending meetings and illing the role of President when absent
3. Assisting President and Secretary with club organization and
collaboration
4. Overseeing club advocacy within the LUC community, particularly
in regards to tabling throughout the year and the Organization Fair
(staf ing, setting up, cleaning, etc)
5. Assisting President in establishing and supporting WISAM club and
member goals for the semester and yearly
6. Overseeing Executive Board and WISAM member motivation and
club satisfaction

C. Treasurer

1. Managing and documenting budget, inances, and payment

requests
2. Coordinating with CAN Representative to obtain funds
3. Placing all orders
4. Attending almost all meetings or events
5. Collecting money for any conferences or events
6. Overseeing and assisting in WISAM Election oversight,
implementation and organization

D. Secretary

1. Taking meeting minutes

2. Keeping track of time and facilitating agenda discussions
3. Organizing and managing of Executive Board meetings
4. Attending almost all meetings or events
5. Overseeing agenda creation, updates, and communication

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E. Publicist and Communications Chair

1. Organizing, overseeing and spearheading all WISAM internal and

external communication in regards to emails of WISAM information
3. Frequently and consistently managing WISAM Gmail account
4. Scheduling meeting times and reserving rooms
5. Helping with new member and community outreach
6. Attending almost all meetings or events
7. Managing roster and attendance

F. CAN Representative

1. Making sure organization and members follow all SAGA rules and
regulations
2. Attending CAN meetings
3. Relaying information to the Executive Board, especially Standards
Chair and Treasurer

G. Marketing Chair

1. Overseeing, managing, and creating all social media activity

2. Ensuring all social media activity aligns with WISAM core values
3. Collaborating with Publicist and Communications Manager to
ensure all communication is visible

H. Diversity Chair

1. Organizing a diversity workshop at least once a semester

2. Collaborating with all of icers to maintain an inclusive and
welcoming environment
3. Collaborating with Wellness Chair to ensure all events are
accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities
4. Facilitating advocacy for minority students on campus
5. Collaborating with Vice President of Events and Event Chairs to
ensure all events align with core values

I. Wellness Chair

1. Ensuring all events align with core values promoting mental and
physical wellness and intersectionality
2. Organizing health workshop at least once a semester
3. Ensuring all events are accessible to people of all abilities
4. Prioritizing education about and outreach for mental health for all
students

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 5. Functioning as a liaison between the club and all LUC mental health
resources

J. Vice President of Events

1. Organizing, managing, and overseeing all events

2. Collaborating with Marketing Chair, Treasurer, Vice President,
Publicist and Communications Manager, and Diversity Chair to ensure
all events promote WISAM core values
3. Coordinating with Treasurer to obtain funding and enforce
budgeting for all events
4. Creating Event Chair positions and assistant roles as needed for
each event, delegating tasks to Event Chairs fairly
5. Surveying event attendance and satisfaction for each event
6. Coordinating with Standards Chair to ensure all events are
Constitutional

K. Standards Chair

1. Enforcing the Constitution and all Bylaws

2. Documenting and addressing members who break any rules
3. Advising Executive Board on the creation and/or updating of rules
and documentation
4. Educating all members on rules and guidelines at the beginning of
each semester and within 2 weeks of a new member’s registration
5. Addressing and working to resolve all internal con licts, issues, and
complaints
6. Collaborating with CAN Chair to ensure all rules are understood
and enforced
7. Carrying out duties impartially
8. Prioritizing mental health in all duties
9. Overseeing and assisting in WISAM Election oversight,
implementation and organization

L. Career and Networking Chair

1. Functioning as the liaison for all LUC career resources

2. Organizing one career event yearly
3. Directing students to proper career resources, supporting the
career-building needs of the club

M. Academic Chair

1. Managing and overseeing all tutoring and academic events

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 2. Collaborating with and is the liaison for all LUC academic clubs and
programs to meet the academic needs of WISAM members
3. Staying informed on all academic resources available at Loyola
4. Gathering academic information from all members
5. Directing students to appropriate academic support where needed,
connecting members for academic purposes

N. Vice President of Recruitment

1. Overseeing, managing, and advocating for continuous active new

member recruitment
2. Collaborating with Marketing Chair, Publicist and Communications
Manager, Diversity Chair, and President to ensure all new member
recruitment is consistent with WISAM core values
3. Collaborating with Vice President of Events to recruit new and
prospective members to events
4. Reporting to Executive Board on new member recruitment
information and progress
5. Surveying new members for feedback

Section 5 Vacancy of an Of ice

A. In the event of a vacancy in an of ice other than the President before

the expiration of a full term, a special election shall be called by the
President within three weeks to ill the vacancy.

a. In the event of vacancy of the Standards Chair of ice, the Vice

President or Secretary shall ill the Standards Chair of ice upon
election of the new Standards Chair.

B. In the event of a vacancy in the of ice of the President before the

expiration of a full term, the Vice President shall ascend to the of ice
of the President for the remainder of the term.

Section 6 Changes in Of ice

All changes shall be submitted to Student Activities & Greek Affairs via
LUCentral within two weeks of such a change.

Section 7 Multiple Of icers in a Single Role

Of ices may be extended to allow for co-of icers in any given role.
A co-of icer is de ined as an appointed of icer selected by an Executive
Board member from the pool of candidates from the previous election cycle
and approved by the WISAM Executive Board. Such Co-of icer has a term
duration of one academic semester and is not limited to a maximum number

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 of re-appointments nor time of holding such Co-of ice. Changes and addition
of co-of icers need not be updated within the WISAM Constitution.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1 Meetings

General body meetings of the organization shall be called by the Executive

Board once a month during the academic year. The General body meetings
must follow the given Executive Board agenda, depending on what they have
planned for such meeting.

Executive Board meetings must be held on a weekly basis, except for any
school week that is less than 5 days. All Executive Board Meetings must
follow the Executive Board Meeting template, unless otherwise speci ied in
advance by the Executive Board itself.

Section 2 Special Meetings

A. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board upon one

week's notice to the members.

B. The Executive Board shall call a special meeting when requested by

25% of the voting membership.

Section 3 Quorum

The President or Vice President, Secretary or CAN representative, and the

Treasurer must be present for a meeting to proceed.

Article VI. Advisors

Section 1 Agreement and Expectations
A. The WISAM club shall maintain at least one full time faculty or staff
advisor at all times, per the requirements set out for all registered
student organizations by Student Activities and Greek Affairs.

B. The advisor shall attend all events, and or meetings as needed, and
work to support the programming created by the Executive Board.

C. Any changes in advisor shall be submitted to Student Activities &

Greek Affairs via LUCentral within two weeks of such a change.

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Article VII. Anti-Hazing

Section 1 Anti-hazing Statement
Loyola WISAM considers hazing to be a most destructive and degrading
activity which is inconsistent with the standards of this student organization.
Hazing, de ined as any intentional or reckless action or situation, created to
produce emotional or physical discomfort, harassment, humiliation or
ridicule is strictly prohibited. Loyola WISAM recognizes the dignity of every
individual and opposes all forms of hazing.

Article VIII. Amendments

Section 1 Rati ication:
A. A proposed amendment to this constitution shall be presented to the
members at least one week prior to the meeting at which the vote
shall be held.

B. Rati ication of an amendment to this constitution shall require a

majority of all Voting Members which may be taken at a regularly
scheduled business meeting of the organization or online survey.

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Article IX. Bylaws

Section 1 Existing Bylaws

The following are legal Bylaws voted, approved, signed and dated by the
Executive Board:
1. WISAM Communications Bylaws
2. WISAM Elections Bylaws 03/30/2020
3. WISAM Membership Bylaws 09/01/2020
4. WISAM Risk Protocols 10/14/2020

Section 2 Amendment Proposal

All bylaw amendments may be proposed and created by:
1. Any Executive Board member
2. Any club advisor
3. Any member

Section 3 Amendment Approval

All bylaws, upon Executive Board approval, signature, and date signature,
are enforced, supported and legalized by this Constitution.

All bylaws amendments must be approved by:

1. Standards Chair
2. President
3. The Executive Board member who is directly impacted and inherently
enforcing the given documented bylaw

Article XII. Not-For- Statement
Any funds obtained through fundraising or other means must be deposited back into
the organization’s LUCommunity account. Organizations may make donations to
non-pro it organizations or pay for goods and services for their organizational use
by submitting a payment request in LUCommunity.

Article XIII. Statement of Compliance with Campus Regulations

This organization shall comply with all Loyola University Chicago policies and
procedures, including but not limited to, those policies set forth in the Student
Activities & Greek Affairs Registered Student Organization handbook and the Loyola
University Chicago Community Standards, as well as local, state, and federal laws.

Article XIV. Constitutional Review

As a recognized student organization, we, WISAM, will participate in a constitutional
review process every year. It will be updated according to the new sample
constitution (if necessary) and will meet with the Student Activities & Greek Affairs
to review it. Student Activities & Greek Affairs, reserves the right to meet with a
Registered Student Organization at any time, to request an update to their
constitution.

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