Constitution of Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Development (IPID)

ARTICLE I- GENERAL

Section 1: The official name of this organization shall be Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Development (IPID).

Section 2: The club shall operate as a non-profit organization.

Section 3: The club shall abide by the applicable laws, rules and policies of the University of Minnesota pertaining to University Campus Life Programs (CLPs).

Section 4: This organization shall exist for the following purposes:

a.     link graduate students, scholars, and practitioners with interests in development;

b.     offer a forum for interdisciplinary and cross-sector exploration, networking, and scholarship inside and outside the University;

c.     sustain an online student-edited journal collecting and generating work around interdisciplinary perspective on international development.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP/IMPEACHMENT

Section 1: Voting membership is open to all students, faculty and staff at the University of Minnesota.

Section 2: No more than 1/3 of the voting membership shall consist of non-students.

Section 3: Membership is open to all students without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, creed, marital status, public assistance status, or sexual orientation.

Section 4: To become a member, one must fill out a membership interest and work commitment form and return it to the secretary of the club. To be considered a full voting member of IPID you must be a member of one or more standing structural committees in order to contribute to the group's formation and sustainability.  Members are also encouraged to form, participate in, and/or lead activities and sub-groups around the IPID mission.

Section 5: Any member/officer may be impeached for misconduct (to be defined by the group (for example - failure to perform duties, attendance, misuse of funds, etc.) The member/officer shall be given a seven day notice and an opportunity to defend him/herself. This impeachment vote shall require a 2/3 majority vote of active members.

ARTICLE III - OFFICERS

Section 1: The officers of this club shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and an At-large Member.

Section 2: All officers must be currently enrolled students at the University of

Minnesota and registered for at least six credits. Exceptions to the requirement are permitted for graduate students upon receipt of a letter from the Director of Graduate Studies of the student's department certifying that the student is actively pursuing a degree.

Section 3: Officers shall be selected during the April meetings and shall serve for a period of one year. Officers shall be elected by plurality of the voting members present providing a quorum is present.

Section 4: The duties of the officers are as follows:

a. President - Preside over all meetings of the club and serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee. Act as official representative of the club at other meetings and events. Co-coordinator of committees and working groups.

b. Vice President - Preside at meetings of the club and the Executive Committee in the absence of the president. Succeed the president if the president were unable to complete his/her term of office. Co-coordinator of committees and working groups.

c. Secretary - Record and produce minutes of all meetings. Handle the club's correspondence.

d. Treasurer - Handle all financial transactions of the club. Maintain thorough and accurate records of all transactions. Produce financial reports as required by the club.

e. At-large Members – Fill the role of any absent officers.  Number decided by the rest of executive committee.

f.  Chair persons of all standing committees will also share a seat on the executive committee.

ARTICLE IV – COMMITTEES

Section 1: Distinction between group activities, their associated working groups, and IPID standing structural committees.  The purpose of the standing structural committees listed below is to form and manage the group’s structure, function and sustainability to support all group activities.  Activities refer to any group scholarship, professional outreach, discussions, etc. around development.

Section 2: The standing structural committees of this club shall be:

a. Executive Committee - Consists of the elected officers and chair persons of all committees. Sets meeting dates for the club. Sets membership dues with approval of the membership. Determines committee assignments. Acts on behalf of the club during all breaks and over the summer.

b. Programming Committee - Coordinate and calendarize activities (events, projects, groups) that are generated by IPID members.  Provide advise, support, and linkages to resources to activities.

c. Fundraising and Finance Committee – Identifies funding sources and informs IPID of opportunities and deadlines.  Initiates and facilitates IPID fundraising efforts in coordination with all other committees.  Works with the Treasurer to develop group and project budgets.

d. Grant Management Committees— Each grant secured by IPID shall be administered by a separate, yet, affiliated Grant Group who oversees the specific provisions of each active grant.

e. Strategic Relations Committee – Initiates and sustains IPID outreach efforts among University students, faculty and staff and all outside parties.

f. Framing and Documentation – Gathers and generates content, citations, and direct links to information of interest to IPID members that preserves and strengthens IPID’s purpose as a forum for interdisciplinary and cross-sector work and scholarship in development.  This group will gather and frame available resources for all IPID members and broader community interested in development.

g.  Information Technology and Communication (ITC) Committee –Builds and sustains the IPID website and content.  Monitors internal and public IPID sites.

Section 3: Special committees may be established to carry out special assignments.

ARTICLE V – MEETING

Section 1: A regular meeting shall be held once each month during the academic year. A special meeting may be called by the Executive Committee or by a petition of ten percent of the voting membership.

Section 2: A quorum shall be present in order to conduct official business of the club.

A quorum shall consist of 2/3 of the Executive Committee and/or 50% of the voting membership plus one.

Section 3: Decisions of the club shall be enacted by a majority vote of the voting membership plus one, unless otherwise stated in this constitution.

ARTICLE VI - FINANCIAL MATTERS

Section 1: The club shall not provide monetary gain, incidentally or otherwise to its directors or membership. This does not restrict the payment of wages, salaries or incentives by the club for services rendered.

Section 2: Unless otherwise specified by the membership at the time of dissolution of the organization, residual assets shall be distributed to the donating organization(s).

ARTICLE VII - BY-LAWS

Section 1: By-Laws may be proposed by the membership and may be adopted by a majority vote of those present at the meeting when a quorum is present.

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by any member of the club. Such proposals shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee for a first reading to the membership at the regular meeting prior to the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be voted on.

Section 2: Duty proposed amendments shall be submitted to a vote of the voting members providing a quorum is present. A 2/3 majority vote in favor shall be required for adoption of such amendments.

Constitution ratified: (month, day, year)_____________________________________

Officer ______________________________________________Date_______________

Officer ______________________________________________Date_______________

Officer ______________________________________________Date_______________

Officer ______________________________________________Date_______________

Officer ______________________________________________Date_______________

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