Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be:

Professional Association for Technological Studies of West Virginia University, a.k.a. PATS.

The mailing address of the organization shall be:

PATS, c/o Technology Education Program, 509 Allen Hall, PO Box 6122, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6122.
 
 

Article II - Purpose

Section 1. The purpose of the organization is to promote the professional development of primarily graduate students and other interested people in technological studies through networking, research, and the dissemination of technology information.

Section 2. The focus of this organization is primarily educational and social. Most of its activities have an academic emphasis and occur within the university setting.

Section 3. The affiliation of this organization is with the Technology Education Program of the College of Human Resources and Education, West Virginia University.
 
 

Article III - Membership

Section 1. Membership in the organization shall be open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and people from the larger community who have an interest in technology. Alumni and any other non-student may join as a non-voting member of the organization.

Section 2. The voting membership of this organization shall be limited to those organizational members who have paid in full their association dues and who are current students of the university.

Section 3. This organization will not deny membership on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color, national origin, socioeconomic class, or formal affiliation with this university. Additional academic requirements exist, however, in order for a member to vote and to hold an elected office in this organization.

Section 4. Membership fees:

Section 4a. Regular members shall be responsible for a twenty dollar ($20.00) annual fee. The annual fee will be due in January for the calendar year January 1 - December 31.

Section 4b. New members joining in the summer or fall semester may pay ten dollars ($10.00) for the remainder of that calendar year.

Section 4c. Members who paid their membership fee during the Fall semester of 1997 will have valid membership through December 31, 1998.

Section 4d. There will be no initiation fee for membership in this organization.
 
 

Article IV - Elections

Section 1. Elections for offices of the organization shall be held once a year at the first regular meeting in November, during the regularly scheduled meeting time from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET, at Tatterson House, 2945 University Avenue. Members in attendance shall vote by secret ballot.

Section 2. Members who are unable to vote in person may submit their absentee votes either by regular postal mail utilizing a ballot form provided by the organization or by electronic mail (e.g., utilizing the form on the organizational Web site). All electronic submissions must include identifying data (e.g., e-mail address) to ensure authenticity. All absentee ballots must be received by the designated tally deputy no later than 10:00 a.m. ET of the November election day.

Section 3. The offices of elected positions shall be for one year terms, from January 1 to December 31 of the calendar year immediately following the election. A member may be reelected to an office.
 
 

Article V - Officers & Duties

Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. According to the university requirements of Student Organization Services, the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be held by university students only, who must be in good academic standing (at least 3.0 GPA for graduates, 2.0 GPA for undergraduates), making satisfactory academic progress within a recognized academic department, and may not be on academic or disciplinary probation.

Section 3. The duties of the officers and members shall be as follows:

Section 3a. The common duties of each of the officers shall be to work in concert with the other officers and members to effectively implement the objectives of the organization for that calendar year; to work to maintain the operational and communicative integrity of the organization; to ensure that the University Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities is being followed at organizational meetings; and, to represent the organization in formal, informal, and other affairs as deemed necessary for the proper operation and conduct of the organization.

Section 3b. The specific duties of the President shall be to provide leadership and vision in devising, articulating, and implementing the general objectives of the organization for that calendar year, in consultation with the other officers; to serve as the chief intermediary and representative of the organization in dealing with Student Organizational Services and other university bodies; to preside over the Executive Steering Committee; to jointly provide, with the Vice President, oversight over all organizational committees (with the exception of the Executive Steering Committee); to preside over regular and special meetings; to call special meetings and elections to fill vacant positions; and, to form select committees as deemed appropriate.

Section 3c. The specific duties of the Vice President shall be to closely consult with the President on strategic issues of the organization; to assist the President in articulating and implementing the general objectives of the organization for that calendar year, in consultation with the other officers; to jointly provide, with the President, oversight over all organizational committees (with the exception of the Executive Steering Committee,); and, to preside over meetings in the absence of the President.

Section 3d. The specific duties of the Secretary shall be to assist the President in articulating and implementing the general objectives of the organization for that calendar year, in consultation with the other officers; to advise the President on parliamentary authority when appropriate; to record each regular and special Tuesday meeting of the whole; to provide and make available at each meeting a written record and summary of meeting activities to members; to supervise the creation, maintenance, storage, and use of organizational brochures, ads, and other forms; and, to oversee the public announcements of information relating to activities of the organization.

Section 3e. The specific duties of the Treasurer shall be to assist the President in articulating and implementing the general objectives of the organization for that calendar year, in consultation with the other officers; to maintain all financial records of the organization; to advise the organization on the proper, ethical, and reasonable use of the funds available to the organization; to provide to members a financial report of all organizational accounts at each meeting; and, to perform a monthly reconciliation of all current transactions.

Section 3f. The specific duties of the Faculty Advisor shall be to provide active advisement on matters dealing with the purpose, affairs, and operations of the organization, especially budgeting and policy matters; to provide written approval for organizational requests to solicit funds on campus, reserve space in campus facilities, or request funds from the Student Administration Bureau of Finance; to attend meetings and provide wise counsel; and, to ensure that the actions of the organization do not infringe upon student rights and responsibilities.

Section 3g. The duties of each member shall be as follows:
Members are strongly encouraged both to attend meetings and to serve on at least one committee, if at all possible; to fulfill the needs of the organization through active involvement on matters dealing with the purpose of the organization; to assist the officers of the organization in attaining the goals of the organization; to ensure that the actions of the organization do not infringe upon student rights and responsibilities; to maintain individual responsibility for financial, educational, and ethical matters related to any organizational activities; and, to represent the organization in formal, informal, and other affairs as deemed necessary and appropriate for the proper operation and conduct of the organization.
 

Section 4. Members who are students at West Virginia University must be in good academic standing (at least 3.0 for graduates, 2.0 GPA for undergraduates), making satisfactory academic progress within a recognized academic department, and may not be on academic or disciplinary probation.
 
 

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1. The structure and process of how organizational meetings are to be conducted shall be communicated by the officers to the members at the beginning of the year.

Section 2. All meetings will occur at Tatterson House, 2945 University Avenue, on the Evansdale campus, unless otherwise noted.

Section 3. Regular business meetings of the whole shall be constituted as follows:

Section 3a. Regular organizational meetings shall be held twice a month on the Seminar Tuesdays immediately subsequent to the Technology Education 496 Graduate Seminar. The meetings will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET and run for at least an hour, depending on the schedule of business.

Section 3b. The meetings will commence with organizational business conducted in a discussion format, with motions and votes occurring according to parliamentary procedures. The general order of business will be as follows:

(1) Opening remarks of the President, articulating the agenda for the meeting;

(2) Announcements;

(3) Reading/approval of Minutes of the previous meeting;

(4) Report of the Treasurer;

(5) Reports of Standing Committees;

(6) Reports of Select Committees;

(7) Unfinished Business;

(8) New Business; and

(9) Reminders and Adjournment.

Section 3c. Occasionally, following the business section, there may be a program section, consisting of a presentation, video, discussion, or some other technology-related event.

Section 3d. When there is little general business on the second scheduled meeting of the month, on the second Seminar Tuesday immediately subsequent to the Technology Education 496 Graduate Seminar, there will be time for committees to work on their individual projects at Tatterson House.  On those occassions when there is no active committee work to be done, there may be an open session for discussion of technology issues, training, etc.

Section 4. Special meetings may be called by any officer of the organization.

Section 5. Precedence for participation at all meetings is always given to paid members.

Section 6. Attendance at organizational meetings is not limited to student members, and may include members with no official connection with the university. However, the power to vote on any action in any regular or special meeting (or to hold office) is limited only to university students.

Section 7. A quorum to conduct business shall be constituted at a regular meeting when at least two officers and at least five percent of non-officer voting members are present. Quorum at special meetings shall be constituted when at least two officers and at least five percent of non-officer voting members are present.

Section 8. Assuming a quorum is constituted, proposals or motions shall be put to a vote and adopted upon a positive majority vote or two-thirds vote, according to the type of motion stipulated by the parliamentary authority of the organization.

Section 9. The officers will make a reasonable effort to ensure that agenda items for each upcoming meeting are solicited from the membership, publicized, and presented at the subsequent meeting.

Section 10. The officers will make a reasonable effort to accommodate the submissions and responses of distant members through electronic, printable communications (e.g., e-mail, the organizational Web site). Submissions must be received no later than 10:00 a.m. ET of the day of the meeting.
 
 

Article VII - Committees and Subcommittees

Section 1. The governing body of the organization shall have both Standing and Select Committees, each of which may have subcommittees. Standing Committees shall have a permanent status within the organization. Select Committees shall be formed when deemed appropriate by the President, and shall serve a specific use for a specific and temporary period of time. The President and Vice President jointly have supervisory power (i.e., oversight, not necessarily chairship) over the general conduct of all committees (with the exception of the Executive Steering Committee) and will be the chief liaisons with the specific chairpersons of all committees. Any member may request consideration of formation of a committee to the President. Responsibilities of committees shall be discussed upon their formation; their term of existence will be approved at their formation and recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Section 2. The following committees are continuing, standing committees:

Section 2a. The Executive Steering Committee consists of the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, and is chaired by the President. The Steering Committee shall guide the overall, strategic direction and activities of the organization, including all committees.

Section 2b. The Presentations Committee is responsible for our campus wide interdisciplinary technology panels or speaking events, provides mini-workshops on topics such as how to construct a Program of Study or a Web page, offers assistance to both students and the department regarding presentations at technology related conferences (such as the annual ITEA or the T3 conferences), and is involved in other presentational activities concerning technology in its many forms in relation to society, the environment, etc.

Section 2c. The Social Committee is responsible for planning and hosting such events as our fall welcome picnic, the December Holiday Party, the Spring Graduation Party, and informal get-togethers. In addition, this committee seeks to welcome students new to the program, helping them to get oriented. And, members try to maintain contact with alumni.

Section 2d. The Communications Committee is responsible for maintaining and developing the Newsletter, Web site, Listserve, and E-News as regular sources of technology-related information for members of PATS and Technology Education. It plans and executes all public announcements of events and provides information about the organization through brochures, fliers, advertisement and other publications.
 
 

Article VIII - Parliamentary Authority

Parliamentary Authority shall be explained by the Presiding Officer at the beginning of each meeting. That authority shall utilize Robert's Rules of Order.
 
 

Article IX - WVU Requirements

The organization shall adhere to the West Virginia University Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
 
 

Article X - Amendments

Recommendations for amendments to the constitution must be submitted in writing to the membership at least one meeting prior to the actual voting on the amendments. This constitution may be amended by a three-fourths majority vote of paid, voting members.