Constitution

 

EERI-UBC Student Chapter

BYLAWS OF THE EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSTITUTE (EERI) STUDENT CHAPTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, VANCOUVER

 

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI),  University of British Columbia student chapter’s mission is to promote earthquake engineering research activities within the student community and provide an opportunity for the development of leadership and interpersonal skills. The student chapter envisages creating a platform for students to collaborate, share, and exchange knowledge in an effort to reduce earthquake risk. 

 

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Student Chapter of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver hereafter referred to as the EERI UBC Student Chapter. This student chapter is formally affiliated with the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute headquartered in Oakland, California.

 

Section 1: The purpose of the EERI UBC Student Chapter shall be that as defined by the mission statement. The chapter will promote earthquake engineering research activities within the student community and provide an opportunity for the development of leadership and interpersonal skills. The student chapter shall work towards creating a platform for students to collaborate, share, and exchange knowledge in an effort to reducing earthquake risk. 

 

Section 2: The EERI UBC Student Chapter shall organize events that benefit students in earthquake engineering and allied fields as agreed upon by a majority of board members of the chapter and the faculty advisor.

 

Section 3: The EERI UBC Student Chapter shall collaborate with other organizations in an effort to promote earthquake safety and related subjects.

 

Section 1: Any student affiliated to the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and maintaining good standing is eligible to be a member of the EERI UBC Student Chapter. 

 

Section 2: Student Membership with Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) is not mandatory to be a member of the EERI UBC Student Chapter but is highly recommended.

 

Section 3: Membership and participation are free from any form of discrimination on race, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, disability, or status as a disabled or non-disabled veteran.

 

Section 4: The membership roster of the EERI UBC Student Chapter would be updated every year and continuing members need to update their membership. 

 

Section 5: The EERI UBC Student Chapter will be lead by a board elected and/or appointed as per Article IV of this document.

 

Section 6: General members are welcome to attend all general meetings and volunteer at the events organized by the EERI UBC Student Chapter but will not have the right to vote.

 

Section 7: The EERI UBC Student Chapter would be supervised by a faculty member at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver as per requirements of EERI.

 

Section 8: The EERI UBC Student Chapter, at the discretion of the board, may decide to have advisors from local industry to foster collaboration.

 

Section 9: Insubordination, unprofessionalism, and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated by the EERI UBC Student Chapter. Upon written request of four or more members, any member may be expelled by a 2/3 majority vote at a meeting of the board of the student chapter. In order to have such a vote, a quorum of 3/4 of all board members must be met. The member to be expelled must be notified two weeks in advance of this vote.

 

Section 1: Board members of the EERI UBC Student Chapter shall consist of four elected positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer and appointed positions of coordinators as need be.

 

Section 2: The co-captains of the UBC Undergraduate Seismic Design Team (UBC Seismic) will be part of the board of the EERI UBC Student Chapter ex-officio.

 

Section 2: In order to be eligible for election, a candidate must be a member of the board of the EERI UBC Student Chapter for at least one year. Except for the position of President, in which case, the duration of service in the board has to be a minimum of two years. 

 

Section 3: Nominations for the elected positions will be accepted 2 weeks prior to elections held every year. Members are allowed to nominate themselves, and are also allowed to cast multiple nominations.

 

Section 4: At least two retiring members of the board (members who will no longer be on the board for the following academic year) will be in charge of running the elections, and the elections will be closed,

such that only retiring members will have access to the members’ electoral choices. In cases where there are not enough retiring members, affiliates of UBC will assist in the process.

 

Section 5: For election to office, the candidate with the most votes will be granted the position. For the position of President, the candidate must capture an absolute majority of the votes which may be determined by conducting multiple rounds of voting until an absolute majority is reached.

 

Section 6: The term of office shall be one calendar year starting and ending on the day of elections.

 

Section 7: No member can be elected to more than one board member position, however, members can be nominated for election to multiple board member positions. An active member can vote for only one candidate for each board member position, or may alternatively choose not to vote for any of the candidates for a board member position.

 

Section 8: Only returning board members in good standing are authorized to vote. The same member cannot be elected to more than two terms of office for the President position.

 

Section 9: Following the board member elections, non-elected board member positions such as Professional Event Coordinator(s), Outreach Event Coordinator(s), Social Event Coordinator(s), and Webmaster(s), will be appointed by the newly elected officers along with the outgoing board members.

 

Section 10: The board member positions may vary depending on the need of the EERI UBC Student Chapter. The addition or removal of officer positions may be discussed amongst the board members and decided with a consultation with other members and the faculty supervisor. The secretary shall amend the by-laws depending on changes made to the board member positions.

 

 

Section 1: The President (or other person designated by the President) shall preside at all meetings of the EERI UBC Student Chapter. The President shall designate the time and place for all meetings of the EERI UBC Student Chapter. He/She shall represent the student chapter at the EERI meetings and elsewhere. 

 

Section 2: The Vice- President shall assume the charges of the president whenever it is required. The Vice-President shall coordinate between the different appointed positions to make sure that the tasks are implemented in a timely manner.

 

Section 3: The Secretary shall manage the logistics for board meetings and general meetings. The board is expected to meet monthly. The secretary shall take meeting minutes and circulate it as necessary. The secretary shall also take the lead in writing the annual report to be submitted to EERI.

 

Section 4: The Treasurer shall keep accounts, deposit the student chapter’s funds, and maintain the reimbursement process. The treasurer shall also look after the expenditure and revenue for the regular events of the chapter. The treasurer shall also take the initiative to fundraise for the chapter

 

Section 5: The Webmaster shall maintain the website for the student chapter and also run the social media handles. This Webmaster shall also keep a dialog with the department communication manager for website highlights.

 

Section 6: The Professional Events Coordinator(s) shall take the lead on planning and organizing professional events for the chapter. 

 

Section 7: Outreach Events Coordinator(s) shall take the lead in liaison with our partners (for e.g. Dunbar Salmonberry Festival, Cedar Science Camp, EGBC, etc.) to plan for the outreach events for the chapter. The coordinators shall also look for opportunities for the chapter to conduct outreach events at schools.

 

Section 8: Social Events Coordinator (s) shall take responsibility for planning and hosting social events for all the members of the chapter. 

 

 

Section 1: No dues will be collected for the EERI UBC Student Chapter.

 

Section 1: Meetings shall be conducted at regular intervals on the campus of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. The board members shall meet more frequently and general meetings shall be held at least once each semester.

 

Section 2: The President may call special meetings, as he/she deems necessary.

 

Section 3: Meeting announcements will be circulated through an appropriate channel.

 

Section 4: Meetings may be held with visitors present, except in the case of expulsion.

 

 

Section 1: The disbursement of funds must be authorized by the President, the Treasurer and the faculty advisor of the EERI UBC Student Chapter.

 

 

Section 1: These bylaws were accepted by the members of the EERI UBC Student Chapter on 28th October of 2019, and have been approved by the faculty advisor of the EERI UBC Student Chapter..

 

Section 2: These bylaws may be accepted and amended by a 2/3 vote of the board members. For a vote to take place a quorum of 3/4 of all active board members must be present.

 

Section 3: A copy of this constitution and all subsequent amendments shall be kept on file by the secretary.

 

Section 4: Voting for bylaw amendments shall occur over a two-week period. The proposed amendments and the period for voting shall be sent out to all board members. The first week will allow a review of the proposed amendments; board members can suggest changes to the motion. 

Suggested changes may be implemented or disregarded by the member(s) proposing the amendment. During the second week board members will cast their votes for the proposed amendments. If a member does not cast a vote, his/her vote will be considered “Abstention”.