The Pennsylvania State University Storm Chase Team (PSUChase)
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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 harm’s way, expand diversity within our
meteorology department, and offer immediate relief if necessary.
B. 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.
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.
B. 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.
C. There shall be at least 10 active student members at all times.
D. 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.3. The super majority needed to expel a member shall be at least
a 2/3 majority, or 67%+1.
E. 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.
F. 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 club’s trip during summer break.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 year’s trip. Students graduating before the
trip may be committee chairs.
B. 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.ii. The Treasurer shall oversee the Fundraising
committee chairs.
5/6. 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 club’s
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.
D. 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.IV. Meeting
A. PSUChase will meet at least two times per semester.
B. Adequate advance notice must be given to all active members before a
meeting is held. This is the responsibility of the Secretary.
C. Members shall be notified of all meetings by email.
D. Meeting frequency may be changed by the President.
E. The President may call special meetings should he/she see fit.
V. Voting
A. Only active members may vote.
B. Quorum for all voting shall be a simple majority of active membership.
C. A simple majority (50%+1) shall be necessary for all voting. This
majority shall be derived from the active members present.
VI. Finances
A. All organizational funds are to be deposited and handled exclusively
through the Associated Students Activities (ASA).
B. PSUChase will not have an off-campus account.
C. PSUChase shall collect dues that will not be excessive.
D. The Executive Board will determine the dues.
E. Dues shall be collected once per semester.
F. The officers of PSUChase may spend up to 20% of the organization’s
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. Nominations and elections shall take place during the month of April.
B. This meeting shall be publicized in the meetings preceding it. This is
the responsibility of the Secretary.
C. 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.
2. 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.
3. In the event of a tie, the ballot shall be recast.
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.
E. 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.
D. Voting for the next year (August – August) will occur at a general
meeting in the spring semester before the application process for that
spring’s 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.
VIII. Amendments to the Constitution
A. An amendment to this constitution may be proposed (in writing) by
an active member to the Executive Board at any time.
B. 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. If the proposed amendment is rejected through the above-stated
process, it may not be proposed again until the following semester.
D. All amendments are subject to the approval of the Office of Student
Activities.
IX. Parliamentary Authority
A. Robert’s 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.
B. The Executive Board will choose an advisor through a simple majority
vote.
XII. Impeachment
A. An elected officer of PSUChase may be impeached for intentional
gross violations of the PSUChase constitution.
B. 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.
C. 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.
D. 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.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.
B. A by-law may be proposed by any member of the organization and be
presented, in writing, to the Executive Council.
C. 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.
D. 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 by-
law, the proposal or by-law is immediately voided.
XIV. Safety Considerations
A. Regarding vehicles:
i. If a member wishes to use his/her parent’s 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.
ii. The driver is responsible for his/her vehicle.
iii. All drivers must have a valid driver’s 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.
iv. All drivers must have previously completed a self-procured
MVR check from the state in which their license is issued.
v. 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.
vi. 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. 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.
iii. If this occurs, there will be an application process to determine
who can go on the trip.
iv. 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.
v. 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. Given any severe weather condition, everybody will stay
within the vehicle until the danger passes.
ii. Drivers will respect road conditions and attempt to navigate
everyone out of harm’s way.
iii. All vehicles will stay together for the duration of any chase and
will continue to stay together in the case of an extreme
situation.
iv. 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 Jacob DeFlitch
President Vice President
______________________________________ ________________________________________
Secretary Treasurer
Brian Adams Matt Brothers
________________________________________
______________________________________ ________________________________________
Web Team Committee Chair Fundraising Committee Chairs
Devin Boyer Rob Englund
Ben Reppert
________________________________________
________________________________________
Officers of Trip Affairs
Lexie Herdt
John Paul NicolaYou can also read
