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Constitution:

Article I: General

Section 1

The organization shall be a student branch associated with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics national organization.

Section 2

The official name of the student organization shall be The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which will henceforth be abbreviated AIAA.

Section 3

The organization shall comply with all University policies and procedures, as well as local, state, and federal laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the University of Minnesota’s equal opportunity statement and tax laws defined by the United States IRS.

Section 4

The student branch and its individual members and officers shall adhere to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics national organization ideals and goals and shall abide by their specifications for student chapters.

Section 5

The organization shall operate as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization as defined by the United States IRS

Section 6

The organization shall exist to provide a social, academic, and professional community to students in the aerospace program and those interested in learning more about air travel and space exploration, including the K-12 community.

Article II: Objectives

Section 1

In a general area, this organization will strive to:

  1. Provide a comfortable atmosphere for all students who are interested in air and space travel, whether as a vocation, avocation, or hobby.
  2. Provide a network of student support for those majoring in aerospace engineering and mechanics at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

Section 2

Within the academic field, this organization will strive to:

  1. Provide a venue for presentations on topics related to the fields of space travel and exploration.
  2. Help prepare students for post-undergraduate work.
  3. Hold academic events and activities open to all University of Minnesota students.

Section 3

Within the social field, this organization will strive to:

  1. Schedule social activities and events to promote camaraderie amongst the membership.
  2. Connect with other student groups, especially those with related interests, to expand the network of contacts for both the organization as a whole and its individual members.

Section 4

To maintain professional contacts, this organization will strive to:

  1. Provide a forum for professional speakers to come to the university and talk with students about aerospace-related topics.
  2. Prepare students for entry into the industry workforce or graduate-level education.
  3. Schedule site visits and field trips to companies within the aerospace industry.

Article III: Membership

Section 1

Membership is open to all students, faculty, and staff at the University of Minnesota without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, creed, marital status, public assistance status, or sexual orientation.

Section 2

No more than 1/3 of the voting membership shall consist of non-University of Minnesota students.

Section 3

To gain an active member status within the student organization, an individual must be a dues-paying member of the national AIAA organization, AND either a participating member of an AIAA project team (to be defined by each individual project team lead) OR an attendee of at least 3 events per semester. An event in this respect shall be defined as any AIAA sponsored activity (local, regional, or national) or AIAA general meeting. To meet the 3 event requirement, a maximum of 2 events may be a general meeting.

Section 4

Active membership status will expire after one full semester of inactivity within the student group. Inactivity is defined as not meeting the criteria defined in Section 3 of this Article.

Section 5

Non-active members shall comprise of those who do not meet the criteria in Section 3 of this Article. The status from non-active to active can change throughout the course of any given semester.

Section 6

Any voting procedures outlined in the proceeding articles where a vote by active members is necessary shall be open to any member who has participated in at least two events, activities, or projects prior to the voting session, or is active on any project team.

Section 7

Individual exceptions may be made to the active member criteria described in Section 3 of this article. A non-active member may become active by means of a simple majority vote by the current board of the student organization.

Section 8

Any member may be banned from future activities for reasons of misconduct as specified by the student organization. This includes, but is not limited to: representing the group in a disrespectful way, misusing funds, or acting in an inappropriate manner at an event or activity. The member shall be given a seven day notice and an opportunity to defend their actions. This banishment vote shall require a two-thirds majority vote from the current officers. An appeal may be made to the active officers six months after said banishment vote. An appeal may be accepted by the active board with a two-thirds majority vote.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1

All officers shall be students currently enrolled at the University of Minnesota and registered for a minimum of six credits, in good standing, and free of sanctions. Exceptions to this requirement are permitted for graduate students upon receipt of notice from the student's department certifying that they are actively pursuing a graduate degree.

Section 2

All officers shall be elected at the beginning of March. The last month of the previous officer’s role will coincide with the first month of the officer-elect. The officer-elect shall remain secondary until the fifteenth day of April or at the conclusion of the AIAA End of Year Banquet - whichever takes place later. This transitional period will be used to pass on knowledge and skills, and both officers shall fulfill the position requirements cooperatively. After this transitional period, the new officer will be expected to serve a one year commitment to the board. Should an officer be an incumbent, their commitment will begin anew at the closing of elections. Officers will continue to be elected by active members, providing a quorum is present.

Section 3

Officers will be elected through a rank-choice voting system. Votes will be collected from active members of AIAA - defined in Article III, Section 3. A rank-choice voting system shall be defined as a system in which each voter submits an anonymous ballot with a ranked series of choices for an appointee of an elected position. Should no candidate reach a majority, then the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, and the votes apportioned to this candidate are reapportioned to the next choices chosen by the voters, should they exist. This will continue until one candidate reaches a majority. The ballot slips will be closely monitored by a member or officer not participating as a candidate to ensure election integrity.

Section 4

Exceptions to an elected officer’s required one year commitment include students that may transfer from the university at the semester break, or December graduates. If such is the case, the candidate shall be required to make this clear prior to elections. If elected, the said officer must make arrangements with the other officers to have their spot filled second semester.

Section 5

There shall be a minimum of five officers in accordance with the Student Activities Office requirements for a registered student organization.

Section 6

The Executive Committee of the organization shall be defined as the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 7

If an officer is impeached or there is found to be a need for additional officers to help with the workload, the current officers will have a meeting to address this issue and recruit new officers. If there are more members interested than there are positions available, a vote will be held, following guidelines laid out in Section 3 of this article. If not, the current officers will induct the new officer with a simple majority vote.

Section 8

All officers, whether executive or general, shall be required to meet the following criteria once confirmed in their position. If a requirement cannot be met, arrangements will be made with the other officers, specifically the President and Vice President, to compensate for that responsibility to maintain that the officer in question is still contributing to the organization as dictated by their position.

  1. All officers shall be required to attend the monthly General Meeting, barring a class conflict. A minimum attendance for Officer Meetings shall be set at the beginning of each semester, based on the frequency of these meetings for that semester. The minimum attendance shall be set by the Executive Committee two weeks prior to the start of each semester.
  2. All officers shall make an attempt to attend all events held by the organization. They shall be required to attend one event per month, separate from any required meetings.
  3. In the event that any officer is unable to attend a required meeting of any kind, twenty-four hours notice shall be given to a member of the Executive Committee. Should the Officer be unable to provide adequate notice, the Executive Committee shall decide whether or not that Officer should complete some means of compensation for the absence at the required meeting.
  4. In the event that any officer is unable to attend an Officer Meeting, they shall forward an update of any projects, events, or other topics to one of the other officers that will be present at the meeting, and make a note in the minutes.
  5. In the event that any officer is unable to attend a General Meeting and is scheduled to talk about an event, project, or topic, they shall arrange with one of the other officers to present to be their representative at the meeting.
  6. All officers shall be required to commit an appropriate amount of time a week in the AIAA office, defined by the current Executive Committee. While in the office, officers shall have the following responsibilities:
    • Maintain the overall cleanliness and professional appearance of the office;
    • Be the official AIAA representative and answer questions of prospective members;
    • Maintain organization by correctly filing incoming paperwork in the filing cabinet or by placing it in appropriate mail boxes.
  7. All officers shall maintain the active membership requirements defined in Article III Section 3 throughout the present semester and academic year.

Section 9

The organization shall have the following executive officer positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These positions may be filled by any University of Minnesota student, provided that the criteria outlined in Article IV, Sections 1-4 are met. The responsibilities and duties of these positions are detailed below. If such a requirement or duty is unable to be met, the task will be reallocated to another capable officer.

  1. President
    • The President shall preside over all meetings, both General and Officer Meetings, and serve as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee.
    • The President shall act as the official representative of the organization at all meetings and events sponsored by the AIAA student chapter.
    • The President shall oversee the operations of the organization and monitor the responsibilities of the other officers in the entire executive board (including executive and general board members).
    • The President shall be in charge of all official paperwork that the organization may need to file. This includes, but is not limited to, SUA Group Registration and National AIAA Student Branch Registration.
    • The President shall be responsible for the planning and orchestration of any meeting that the organization is to hold. This shall include both General and Officer Meetings.
    • The President shall be responsible for all materials needed for any given meeting. This includes, but is not limited to, agendas, feedback sheets, and other informational handouts.
    • The President shall be responsible for bringing relevant information to the attention of all officers.
    • In the event that another officer is unable to complete a given task or responsibility, the President shall attempt to find an officer who is able. In the case that responsibility is unable to pass on and is a critical task or responsibility, the President shall assist with the completion of the task or responsibility. In the event that the task or responsibility is non-critical, the President shall decide whether to complete the task or delay the completion until the said officer can complete it on his or her own.
    • The President shall determine the priority of events, tasks, and responsibilities of the overall organization. This shall be done with the input of the Executive Committee.
    • The President shall be the official liaison to the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Department and the Regional & National AIAA chapters.
    • The President shall be the officer in charge of communication with the National AIAA Chapter and will take on all responsibilities requested by the National Chapter (including regional paper conferences and other national or regional events)
    • The President shall be the main delegator of the organization, but will still be expected to assist General Officers with their duties and assume responsibility of tasks when needed.
  2. Vice President
    • The Vice President shall assist the President with the planning and preparation of General Meetings and Officer Meetings, such as completing room reservations, writing meeting notes, and obtaining guest speakers, if necessary.
    • The Vice President shall assume the role of President in the event that the President is unable to complete his or her term in office.
    • The Vice President shall be responsible for obtaining any necessary permits for any given event that the organization is to hold.
    • The Vice President shall assist the President with any paperwork that the National AIAA might require of one of its student branches.
    • The Vice President shall find relevant job/internship postings for aerospace students that will be advertised through the website and Facebook page. These positions are not limited to jobs/internships, but may also be co-ops, research positions, UROPs, etc.
    • The Vice President shall assist the President and other officers in their miscellaneous tasks as necessary
    • The Vice President shall assign themselves duties and/or projects as they see fit, dependent on the current needs of the student organization.
    • The Vice President shall preside over any meetings the President is unable to attend, and act as the Chairperson should the President not be present
  3. Secretary
    • The Secretary shall record and produce the minutes of all meetings held by the organization.
    • The Secretary shall collaborate with the Outreach Coordinator to manage necessary correspondence outside of the organization. This shall include, but is not limited to, company contacts, thank you notes to speakers, and contacts within the aerospace department.
    • The Secretary shall be responsible for the organization and distribution of the newsletter. The frequency of the newsletter shall be determined by the Executive Committee at the beginning of each school year.
    • The Secretary shall be responsible for monitoring attendance. This shall include, but is not limited to, ensuring a sign-in sheet is present at each event, recording the attendance at each event, and monitoring the membership.
    • The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the feedback from General Meetings. This shall include the forwarding of the relevant information to the officer or persons that may need it.
    • The Secretary shall assume the role of Vice President in the event that the Vice President is unable to complete his or her term in office.
  4. Treasurer
    • The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial transactions made by the organization. This shall include, but is not limited to, reimbursements, group purchases, deposits, withdrawals, and expenses for events.
    • The Treasurer shall maintain thorough and accurate records of all transactions made by members of the organization.
    • The Treasurer shall be required to produce financial reports as needed by the organization, with an account balance update at every Officer Meeting.
    • The Treasurer shall be in charge of monitoring office sales and restocking both food and office supplies as needed.
    • The Treasurer shall oversee any grant application process, including post-event meetings as necessary, that the organization is attempting.
    • The Treasurer shall oversee all actions of the Purchasing Manager, and is the primary officer responsible for recruiting a student to fill this position.
    • The Treasurer shall assume the role of Secretary in the event that the Secretary is unable to complete his or her term in office.
    • Should the Treasurer be unable to complete his or her term in office, an election must be held in accordance with the procedure outlined in Section 3 of this Article

Section 10

Each project group directly affiliated with AIAA, including, but not limited to, Alphadrone, CanSat, Design Build Fly, and Space Transportation Design Competition, shall nominate a Project Team Lead Officer to be confirmed by the Executive Committee. Their responsibilities are as outlined in Section 11, sub-section a. As these Project Lead Officers will be elected by the Executive Committee, they shall have the voting rights of General and Executive Officers. Project teams are strongly encouraged to establish a board to help fulfill these administrative duties and communicate with the AIAA board. The board, including general and executive officers, shall be resources for technical or administrative-related questions regarding the project team’s goals.

Section 11

Additional titled or focused General Officer positions shall be created by the organization as needed. The requirements, responsibilities, and duties of these positions shall be detailed by agreement between the titled officer and the Executive Committee. If such a requirement or duty is unable to be met, the task will be reallocated to another capable officer.

Section 12

The General Officer Positions will consist of the following:

  1. Project Team Lead
    • Charged with providing leadership and technical guidance to the designated AIAA design team of their choice or election.
    • Leads will be required to provide or ensure that team architecture and groundwork (meeting agenda templates, presentation templates, PR documents, etc.) are in place before the start of each new team cycle, beginning in the Fall Semester of the academic year.
    • Leads will be required to provide updates to the AIAA board on team progression and issues, as well as completion status of relevant deadlines and scheduled competitions, at each officer meeting held by the executive committee.
    • Will be responsible for completing a preliminary schedule of team deadlines and relevant dates by the second AIAA board meeting of the academic year, Fall Semester.
    • Team purchases and budgetary concerns will be the responsibility of the Team Lead, and all fiscal constraints will be brought to the attention of either the Purchasing Manager or Treasurer.
    • If Leads do not plan on staying in the position for the next year, they will be required to begin the search for and training of a new Team Lead by the beginning of the Spring Semester of the project cycle’s academic year.
    • Should a Team Lead role not be filled, the respective team will no longer be active until a new lead has been nominated and elected by the board.
  2. Event Coordinator (overseen by Vice President)
    • As delegated by the Executive Committee, the Event Coordinator may be charged with the management of events, which includes, but is not limited to, reserving rooms, catering, contacting relevant parties and individuals, and allocating the budget as defined by the Treasurer.
    • Coordinating efforts to contact companies, professors, students, departments, etc. may be delegated to other officers as seen fit
    • Management of events should be in conjunction with other officers.
    • This position requires assisting the Executive Committee in coordinating, at a minimum, an annual career fair, an annual banquet, and monthly general meetings.
    • Will assist the Marketing Manager in creating materials to promote events via flyers, emails, social media posts, etc.
    • If this position is not filled, such responsibilities must be undertaken by the President and Vice President.
  3. Outreach Coordinator (overseen by Vice President)
    • In charge of creating and collaborating on outreach events to advertise not only the student group, but aerospace and STEM education in general.
    • Holding one off-campus event is required per academic semester.
    • Responsible for working with the Treasurer to ensure events are funded.
    • Will work with the Marketing Manager to find a suitable number of volunteers for the events as well as promote the events.
    • If this position is not filled, such responsibilities must be undertaken by the President and Vice President.
  4. Membership Chair (overseen by Secretary)
    • The Membership Chair will gather all data regarding member participation in events, including General Meetings and volunteering.
    • The Membership Chair will record all such information electronically and make sure the entire Executive Committee has access to it.
    • He or she will be in charge of managing any elections, working in conjunction with the Executive Committee.
    • They are responsible for managing interest emails and maintaining the official member email list.
    • They are responsible for keeping track of active members, and active membership benefits.
    • If this position is not filled, such responsibilities must be undertaken by the Secretary.
  5. Webmaster (overseen by Vice President)
    • The Webmaster will update the website as needed with all relevant information that may be of interest to the aerospace student body.
    • He or she will keep the online Constitution and Officer List updated with any changes.
    • Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, posting relevant jobs, events, and any other information that is beneficial to the student group.
  6. Marketing Manager (overseen by Secretary)
    • Any social media, including but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. will be handled by this position.
    • Any media that needs to be created such as posters, banners, or any designs necessary for advertisement – particularly on Facebook – will be done by this position.
    • If the Marketing Manager has no skills in Photoshop, he or she is responsible for either learning or delegating this task.
    • If this position is not filled, such responsibilities must be undertaken by the Secretary and Event Coordinator.
  7. Grad Student Liaison (overseen by Secretary)
    • This position shall be filled by a currently registered graduate student in the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Graduate program.
    • The Grad School Liaison shall be the representative of the aerospace graduate students and shall provide communication between the graduate students and the organization.
    • Once per month, the Grad School Liaison will send out a newsletter to all department graduate students. This newsletter will be geared towards events that graduate students would be interested in attending and include a brief highlight of other events.
    • The Grad School Liaison shall be waived of the minimum meeting attendance requirement but shall be required to make an effort to attend all possible meetings, with a minimum of one Officer Meeting and one General Meeting in a given two month period.

Section 13

The Sub-level Officer positions will consist of the following:

  1. Marketing Chair (overseen by Marketing Manager)
    • The Marketing Chair is responsible for accomplishing any tasks that the Marketing Manager delegates to him or her.
    • This may include, but is not limited to, managing the Facebook page, managing Instagram, designing advertisements, and helping raise awareness of events.
    • If this position is not filled, such responsibilities must be undertaken by the Marketing Manager.
  2. Purchasing Manager (overseen by treasurer)
    • Make sure all teams’ purchasing is tracked in ledger.
    • Ensure all sales and means of income are tracked in ledger.
    • Collaborate with team leads to help them with budget questions and forecast teams’ needs.
    • Learn the grant application process from the Treasurer.
    • All of the responsibilities detailed in this section will be absorbed by the Treasurer if this position is not filled.

Section 14

If a person holds the title of Executive or General Officer as well as Project Lead Officer, he or she shall be limited to one vote per affair.

Section 15

Any officer may be impeached for reasons of misconduct as specified by the group. This includes, but is not limited to: failure to perform one’s duties, lack of attendance, or any manner defined in Article III Section 9. The officer shall be given a seven day notice and an opportunity to defend their actions to the executive board and current members. This impeachment vote shall require a two-thirds majority vote from the combination of the current officers and active members.

Article V: Meetings

Section 1

General Meetings shall occur on a regular basis, as determined by the Executive Committee at the start of each semester. There shall be a minimum of one General Meeting in a given month. The dates of these meetings shall be temporarily laid out at the beginning of the semester and set by the second week of the preceding month.

Section 2

Officer meetings shall occur on a bi-weekly basis, starting the first week of classes. Meetings may be held over the summer at the discretion of the Executive Committee. The day of the week and time of all meetings shall be set by the Executive Committee based on the best time for the most officers. This shall be set by the end of the second week of classes. The time and date of these meetings may be temporarily changed based on temporary conflicts. More meetings may be held with the full officer board should it be deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.

Section 3

Cadence meetings shall be held by the Executive Committee alone, as needed, to make decisions which do not require the input of the entire board. Any Executive Officer may call a Cadence meeting with at least a 24-hour notice at a time where a majority of officers can attend. Should a general officer’s attendance be required, the Executive Officer calling the meeting must give them a 48-hour notice.

Section 4

In the event that a last minute conflict arises with either a General or Officer Meeting, the Executive Committee shall decide what course of action to take. All efforts shall be made to hold General Meetings on their posted dates; however, if the meeting needs to be changed, the Executive Committee shall be responsible for notifying relevant parties about the time and date changes.

Article VI: Financial Matters

Section 1

This organization shall not provide monetary gain, incidentally or otherwise, to its officers or membership. This does not restrict the payment of wages, salaries, or incentives by the organization for services rendered.

Section 2

Any amount of organization money below $100 to be spent must first be referred to the President, Vice-President, or Treasurer for approval.

Section 3

Any amount of money $100 or above must be referred to the entire voting majority of the AIAA Board for approval.

Section 4

Project Teams must compile a semesterly or annual budget to be submitted to the AIAA board for approval. This budget must be categorized into sections to clearly show what their budget is being spent on (i.e. travel, building materials, competition fees), with each section having a subtotal. If passed, project teams are allowed to purchase their materials without giving notice, even if not identical to proposed models/items, as long as the replacement material serves the same purpose as the original and falls into the same budget section (without exceeding the budget). If alterations in materials cause the budget section to be over the approved subtotal, the materials will be subject to Section 2 and 3.

Section 5

Reimbursements shall be made upon receiving all documentation of the expenditure. This includes receipts, bills, and other official documentation. All documentation and reimbursement information shall be referred to the Treasurer. All officers should use discretion when purchasing materials using their personal funds, as reimbursement may not be approved post-haste.

Section 6

In the event that the organization is to be dissolved, all procedures set forth by the Student Activities Office shall be followed. At the time of dissolution of the organization, any remaining funds shall be distributed to the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics to be utilized as they see fit.

Article VII: Amendments

Section 1

Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by any member of the organization. Such proposals shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee.

Section 2

All proposed amendments shall be read over by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall then decide if a vote from the membership is needed. In the event that the Executive Committee decides to bring forth an amendment to the membership for a vote, the following process shall be followed:

  1. The proposed amendment shall be presented at the first General Meeting following the Officer Meeting where the proposed amendment was first discussed.
  2. The person who brought the proposed amendment to the Executive Committee shall detail the rationale behind the proposed amendment and shall field any questions put forth by either the Executive Committee or organization membership.
  3. Following the discussion, the proposed amendment shall be voted on by the present active membership. A two-thirds majority vote in favor of the proposed amendment shall be required for adoption of the amendment into the Constitution.

Section 3

Any amendments agreed upon and subsequently added to the Constitution shall overwrite the existing text which it replaces. The replaced text, along with the dates in which it was enforced as part of the Constitution, shall be stored electronically as older versions of the constitution.

Section 4

A constitutional change shall be defined as any alteration of the constitution which does not alter specifics of the overall meaning of the original document. This could include grammar fixes, clearer definitions, or updates to outdated material. Constitutional changes must be ratified by a supermajority vote of 4/5 of current board members. Should a constitutional change include an amendment, follow the process outlined in Article VII Section 2. Only the portion of the change regarded as an amendment shall be required to be voted on by present membership.

Article VIII: Ratification and Amendments

Section 1

  1. The Constitution was ratified on Wednesday, the thirtieth day of September, in the year two thousand and nine.
  2. The Constitution was amended on Wednesday, the thirty-first of January, in the year two thousand and eighteen.
  3. Article VI was amended on Wednesday, the twenty-fourth of October, in the year two thousand and eighteen.
  4. The Constitution was amended on January twenty-fifth, in the year two thousand and nineteen.
  5. Article IV was amended on Wednesday, the twenty-fourth of July, in the year two thousand and nineteen.
  6. The Constitution was changed on Wednesday, the fourth of September, in the year two thousand and nineteen.