NMT SHPE Bylaws

Article I

NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION

The name of this organization shall be known as the New Mexico Tech Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Student Chapter, which will be referred to as NMT SHPE.

Article II

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this chapter is to:

Increase the number of minority STEM major students at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT).

Promote the advancement of minorities in STEM in careers and education.

Improve the retention of minority students enrolled in STEM majors.

Provide a forum for the exchange of information pertinent to minority STEM students at NMT.

Promote professional advancement for minority STEM students by fostering cooperation among industry, government, and academic and professional commentators to improve educational and employment opportunities.

Provide counseling and financial assistance to minority students in STEM majors.

Provide information and assistance to the young Hispanic community about pursuing STEM majors.

Article III

ASSOCIATION

Section 1. Affiliation

The NMT SHPE student chapter will be an affiliated chapter to the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). This organization possesses the right to adopt its own rules and regulations and the NMT rules and regulations. This chapter is under SHPE Region III. If a conflict of policies occurs, the NMT policies will supersede the policies of SHPE.

Section 2. Nondiscrimination

No person shall be denied membership in this organization because of race, color, sex, handicap, nationality, religious affiliation or belief, etc. (even though the name Society of Hispanic Engineers is used).

Article IV

MEMBERSHIP

Members shall be students enrolled full time or part-time at New Mexico Technical Institute of Mining and Technology.

Members of NMT SHPE are any individual having been registered in a sign up sheet as provided by the Student Government Association. Let this registration be on paper or electronic format. Membership is held for two semesters after the last sign in signature is provided.

Members should have as their goal a career in or related to the science, technology, mathematics or engineering fields in order to be considered appropriate by the membership.

An active member is a member that attends the majority of the organization's meetings and/or activities during the semester.

A point system will be used to accurately and fairly keep track of member participation.

I point per meeting and/or #WearItThursdays (wearing SHPE T-shirts at general meetings), 2 points per event, and 3 points for fundraising and/or volunteering

To be considered an official national SHPE member, national dues must be paid ($10), which is set by the National SHPE team. To be an official NMT SHPE member a T-shirt must be purchased.

Article V

OFFICERS/EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1.

Officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The term of office is a full fall semester until the spring semester as determined in Article VII Section 4. All officers must be NMT undergraduate/graduate students and only NMT students may serve as officers. If deemed necessary by the Executive Board, an additional position of Publicity chair may be included

Section 2. President

The President shall represent the chapter and be responsible for all business concerning the chapter. The president shall have full power in management and business of the chapter and shall set and establish all policies of the chapter and/or other functions of activities under the direction of this chapter. The President shall also be the official spokesperson for the chapter, manage the other operating officers and manage the day-to-day affairs of the chapter.

Section 3. Vice-President

The Vice-President shall assist the President in all business concerning the chapter and shall act as the President Pro Tem in the latter's absence. The Vice-President will also be responsible for such affairs as industrial relations, company tours, campus relations, social activities, etc.

Section 4. Secretary

The Secretary will take minutes of the meetings, type up the agenda for the meetings, and manage the member point system. He/she will be responsible for registering the organization with the university each academic year, putting together an end of the year report, and for tallying election votes. The Secretary will also be responsible for all external and internal correspondence.

Section 5. Treasurer

The Treasurer will keep books and records on money received, disbursed, and promised. The Treasurer shall make monthly, quarterly, and yearly, along with any other time one is needed, financial reports listing all liabilities and assets of the organization to the Executive Board and the general membership. It will be the Treasurer's responsibility to present an annual budget and complete financial reports to the Executive Board.

*Section 6. Publicist

The Webmaster will be responsible for all electronic media. This includes, first and foremost, the chapter website, recruitment material, graphics, and any other media that the chapter needs and acquires. It is the webmaster's duty to make sure all required information is on the website. However, he/she will not be held accountable if the responsible person fails to give them the needed information.

*A publicist does not need to be elected, the executive board members may share the responsibilities.

Section 7. Social Media

As the SHPE Social Media Manager, you'll be the architect of our digital familia. You'll craft a strategic social media presence that amplifies our impact and fosters vibrant connections. Think event hype-man, poll-master, and spotlight shine-bringer, all rolled into one! You'll blast school Snaps and Insta stories with all things SHPE, from dodgeball Fridays to study group polls, letting members vote and engage. Every two weeks, an Insta star emerges in #MemberSHPE, and new recruits get their "why SHPE?" moment to shine. We'll send graduating members off with fanfare, and contests like the "Familia Photo Comp" and "Cutest Pet" will ignite engagement. Fun facts and daily jokes will keep the feed buzzing, while polls, challenges, and officer takeovers fuel interaction. You'll track contest points, capture every epic memory, and build a year-end slideshow that brings back the laughs. (Posting frequency: Twice a week minimum!)

Article VI

ADVISOR

Section 1.

The club will have an advisor who must be a full-time faculty member at NMT. The advisor's field of study should be in the engineering or science fields but is not mandatory. The advisor acts as an ex-officio member and cannot vote.

Section 2. Duties

The advisor's duties are:

1. The advisor should assist the officers in club decisions and offer counsel.

2. The advisor should provide whatever necessary and proper support is available.

Article VII

ELECTIONS/VOTING

Section 1. Nominations

Nominations are to be made in a general meeting held at least two weeks prior to the university's club coordination council's deadline for submitting annual reports.

Only active members as defined in Article IV may accept nominations.

Candidates may be nominated for more than one office but can only hold one position.

Section 2. Elections

Only members in good standing, as defined previously in Article IV, and who are present at the time elections are being held, unless it is online voting, are eligible to vote.

Elections should take place no later than mid spring semester. As defined every year by the academic calendar of New Mexico Tech

Voting shall be a secret ballot, either online or paper vote, whose tallying is conducted in the absence of the said candidates.

In the event that there is not a majority vote, the top two vote receivers will hold a runoff election.

Members of the executive board may vote for all elections but on the occasion of a tie, only the executive board will break the tie.

Officers may be re-elected.

In the event that an officer is re-nominated, the said officer may not vote in breaking a tie for the position he/she is vying for.

Tie breaking vote order: President, Vice-President, Secretary, then Treasurer.

Section 3.

The newly elected officers shall undergo a transitional period in which the old officers shall introduce the new officers to the responsibilities and duties of the respective officers. Elections will be held at the end of March and the transitional period is the remainder of the semester.

Section 4.

Newly elected officers shall begin their term on the day of their election as determined in Article VII Section 2.

Article VIII

DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS

Section 1.

All disbursements of funds must be approved by the President, or Vice President, and Treasurer. Only the President, Vice President, and Treasurer will have access to financial accounts.

Section 2.

All money that is fundraised, earned, or donated to NMT SHPE must be deposited by either the Treasurer or President into the club account within 3 business days of when the money is earned. A receipt should also be presented to the respective donors if desired.

Article IX

MEETINGS

Section 1. General Meetings

The executive board shall call general meetings, whereas a minimum of two meetings per month during major academic semesters shall be held.

Section 2. Executive Board Meetings

Executive board members shall hold meetings once a month with three or more of the officers present.

Article X

RESIGNATION AND IMPEACHMENT

Section 1. Resignations

A letter of resignation shall be submitted to the President or Vice-President by any person willing to resign from office at least a week before the next chapter meeting.

During a meeting when a resignation is presented, nominations will be taken to fill the office and voting procedures will be conducted as stated in Article VII.

Section 2. Impeachments

When any member feels that an officer is not fulfilling his/her duties, he/she may call upon the rest of the members to vote on impeachment in the same meeting.

A simple majority is needed to call upon an impeachment trial.

The impeachment trial is to be held in the general meeting following the simple majority vote.

During the impeachment proceedings the case will be presented. The officer under investigation will be given the opportunity to present his/her defense before the final vote.

A two-thirds vote, excluding the investigated officer, is needed for the impeachment to be carried out.

In the event the impeachment is carried out, a new candidate will be nominated and elected within two weeks of the impeachment trial.

The vice president is to act as interim president and vice president until a new president is elected.

Article XI

AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

Proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the membership at a general meeting.

A favorable vote of two thirds of the members on the issue is required for amendment passage.