Constitution

Mission:

����� To create a diverse and supportive community to enhance the academic, professional, & social development of MBA students.

Goals:

1. To assist MBA students in attaining career objectives.

2. To assist MBA students in successfully completing curriculum.

3. To promote the MBA Program and the College of Business at Illinois State University.

4. To cultivate a relationship between students, alumni, and faculty that will foster teamwork, mutual benefit through the free exchange of ideas and information, and personal growth.

5. To cultivate a relationship between the MBA Association and the local community, including the business sector.

Elections:

1. Candidates

(a) Candidates for office must be a member of the MBA Association in good standing at the time of nomination.

(b) Candidates for office must be enrolled in the University, registered for classes, and in good academic standing.

(c) Candidates must have at least two semesters (fall & spring) remaining before graduation.

2. Nomination Process

(a) Candidates must be nominated in writing by a member of the MBA Association.

(b) No candidate may be nominated during the two weeks prior to the date of election.

(c) Eligibility of the nominees shall be verified by the Executive Council.

3. Voting Process

(a) All members shall be notified of the date of elections at least two weeks prior to the elections.

(b) Only members of the MBA Association shall be eligible to vote for the election of officers.

(c) Elections shall take place at a general meeting.

(d) All members shall be given absentee ballots at least two weeks prior to elections in the event they are not able to attend the general election meeting.

(e) Absentee ballots shall be given to the fiscal agent who will count them with general election meeting ballots.

(f) Each candidate shall be given 5 minutes to present their ideas/positions.

(g) After presentations, members will be allowed to ask candidates questions concerning the offices.

(h) Ballots shall be cast in secret and must be in writing.

(i) Ballots shall be passed out to members who will then cast their vote and place the ballot in a central collection box supervised by the fiscal agent.

(j) Ballots shall be tallied by the fiscal agent in the presence of the Executive Council.

(k) The candidate receiving the most votes for a position shall be declared the winner.

(1) In the case of a tie, the fiscal agent shall declare the winner by a drawing of names.

4. General

(a) Vacant positions shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Council.

(b) The Office of Student Life shall be notified of changes in the Executive Council.

The Vice-President shall automatically become President for the year following the service as Vice-President.

Elections shall be held each April for the following summer, fall, and spring semesters.

Duties of Officers:

1. All officers are required to attend executive council meetings, general meetings, and MBA Association events.

2. All officers must maintain good standing in the university and the association.

3. Members who coordinate events should work with the director of communications to publicize events.

4. President (previous Vice-President) Vice-President (elected)

• Plan/coordinate calendar of events for each semester.
• Oversee the activities of the MBA Association.
• Establish/maintain relationship with the Dean of the College of Business and the Director of the MBA Program.
• The president has the power to call special meetings.
• Ensure the image/conduct of the MBA Association.
• The President shall lead executive council meetings and general meetings.
• The Vice-President will act as the President in the absence of the president.

5.� Treasurer (elected)

6.� Secretary (elected)

• Record minutes of meetings.
• Maintain a record of members (including employer, education, status in program, status in association, and outside interests).
• Maintain the historical log of the MBA Association.

7.� Director at Large (appointed)

- Graduate Student Advisory Group (GSAG)

8.� Director of Communications (appointed)

9.�� Director of Social Programs (appointed)

10. Director of Career Programs (appointed)

11. Director of Fund Raising

Impeachment Process:

1. Officers who fail to fulfill their duties may be placed on probation.

2. Officers may be placed on probation with 2/3 support of the executive council.

3. If no improvement is shown within one month, the officer may be removed from office.

4. Impeachment must be approved by 2/3 of the executive council, the fiscal agent, and the faculty advisor.

5. Failure to fulfill duties includes, but is not limited to:

Resignation from Office:

1. Officers may resign from office by notifying the executive council, faculty advisor, and fiscal agent in writing.

2. Notification must be at least one week prior to the effective date of resignation.

Committees:

1. Committees shall be established as needed by the Executive Council.

2. Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the Executive Council.

3. Recruitment of staff for each committee shall be the responsibility of the Committee Chair.

Membership:

1. To be eligible for membership, potential members must either

(a) be accepted to a graduate program in the College of Business at Illinois State University and registered for classes, or

(b) be an alumnus of a graduate program of the College of Business at Illinois State University, or

(c) be a member of the faculty or administration of the College of Business at Illinois State University.

2. Membership in the MBA Association will not be denied on the basis of gender, race, nationality, color, religion, or marital status.

3. To be a member in good standing, a member must not be in arrears in the payment of any financial obligation to the association.

Membership Fees

Meetings:

1. The President shall be responsible for preparing and prioritizing an agenda for each meeting.

2. Anyone wishing to discuss a topic at a meeting shall notify the President at least three days prior to the meeting for inclusion on the agenda.

3. The agenda shall be distributed to members no later than 24 hours before the meeting.

4. The executive council shall meet at least once every two weeks during spring and fall semesters, and monthly during the summer.

5.� General meetings shall be held monthly during spring and fall semesters.

6.� Issues requiring a vote must be passed by a simple majority of members present, as long as a quorum exists.

7. A quorum shall consist of five members of the executive council.

8. The secretary sha1l be responsible for recording minutes for each meeting.

(a) The minutes shall include topics discussed, decisions made, decisions tabled, members present, and votes on decisions.

(b) The secretary shall be responsible for summarizing the minutes and distributing them to members at least three days prior to the next meeting.

Rules of Order

Amendment of the By-Laws:

1. The by-laws may be repealed, modified, or amended by a 2/3 vote of Association members.

2. Both the old and revised editions of the by-laws shall be posted on the MBA Association Bulletin Board for a period of one month during the fall and/or spring semesters whenever the by-laws are amended.

3. If no objections are raised after the by-laws have been posted for a month, no vote is necessary.

Historical Log:

The following items shall be compiled in order to maintain accurate records for ourselves as well as our successors:

Approved November, 1997