Approved by the General Members of TSO
March 20th , 2003
Created April 12th , 1979
Revised Fall 1998
Revised March 15th , 2003
By Utku Diril and Sermet Akbay
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Section I. This organization will be known as the Turkish Student Organization at Georgia Tech. Hereafter referred to as TSO.
The purpose of TSO is:
1. To provide a nucleus for meeting and exchange of ideas, provide cultural and social contacts among the members.
2. To undertake projects of value to the culture of Turkey for the benefit of the members and the student body of Georgia Tech. and to promote better understanding between students from Turkey and student body at large.
3. To help new students arriving from Turkey to better incorporate them to the system of Georgia Tech.
Section 1. Any Georgia Tech. student, alumni, faculty, or staff and their spouses who subscribes to the above objectives are eligible to be a member and a beneficiary of this organization.
Section 2. Georgia Tech. student members must be eligible for participation in extra-curricular activities as defined by the Georgia Tech. Handbook and SGA policies.
Section 3. There shall be no upper limit on the maximum number of members.
Section 4. To become a TSO member, the eligible participant should declare his/her will to one of the executive committee members by email or mail.
Section 5. To become a voting member, the participant needs to be a Georgia Tech. student.
Section 6. A member is required to attend at least one meeting per semester.
Section 7. A voting member is responsible for checking his/her email/GT PO Box for announcements about meetings/events.
Section 1. Only GT students eligible according to the GT Catalog can hold or run for office and they must already be a member of the organization.
Section 2. The duties of the Executive Committee will be as follows:
A. President:
· Will be the executive officer of the Executive Committee and will have general supervision of the affairs of TSO and will preside at all meetings.
· Will represent TSO at all conferences, conventions and faculty or alumni meetings.
· Can take any emergency decisions provided that he/she consults with two other members of the executive committee.
· Must attend a meeting with the advisor at least once a semester and discuss possible events and ideas.
B. Vice-President:
· Will be the junior executive officer and will act on the behalf of the President in the event of his/her absence.
· Will be responsible for maintaining relations with other student organizations at Georgia Tech.
C. Secretary:
· Will maintain all the records of TSO and will not disclose any information without consultation with the executive committee.
· Decide and call upon meeting dates after consulting with the executive committee and will be responsible for informing all members about TSO meetings and activities.
· Will record the proceedings of each meeting and distribute the minutes to the members.
D. Treasurer:
· Will maintain records of all financial transactions and ensure that generally accepted accounting practices and monetary controls are in place.
· Will prepare an annual budget of the organization and present it to the general members before submitting it to SGA.
E. Publicity Chair:
· Will be responsible for promoting and advertising upcoming activities held by TSO.
F. Information Technology (IT) Chair:
· Will keep records of all the TSO accounts for web sites, mailing lists, and emails.
· Will maintain the mailing list and the event calendar.
· Will maintain the web site.
Section 3. Officers will be elected in the following manner:
A. The elections for officers for the forthcoming year will take place no later than May 1 of each year. The executive committee will decide if the elections will be done via email or via meeting.
B. Any student member of TSO may campaign or be nominated for any position on the Executive Committee. The candidate names will be emailed out to the list to be voted on at the following meeting. Self nomination is allowed by SGA policies.
C. The candidate for each office receiving a majority vote of members at the elections meeting will be considered the victor. If no candidate receives a majority vote, then there will be a run-off between the two candidates with the most votes. The candidate who receives the most votes will be the victor.
D. If the elections are done via emails, then the election period shall not be longer than 2 weeks. The votes shall not be posted to the list but sent to a pre-appointed person who is not running for an office. The candidate for each office receiving the most votes of those emailed will be considered the victor.
E. New officers take office 2 weeks after the election.
Section 4. Officers shall be removed in this manner:
A. If an officer fails to maintain Institute requirements for holding office (good standing, for example), he or she shall resign immediately.
B. If it is believed that an officer is not fulfilling his or her constitutional duties, then a petition requesting his or her removal must be signed by at least half of the voting membership and presented at a general meeting. Then, upon verification of the validity of the petition, by the advisor, and, at least two weeks but no more than four weeks from the date of submission, another meeting shall be held at which the grievance will be presented, with both sides having the opportunity to present a case.
C. The Faculty Advisor, if appropriate, shall preside over the removal hearing. After all arguments have been heard, a secret-ballot vote shall be held. If at least two-thirds of the voting members present vote for removal, the officer shall be removed immediately.
D. If the President is removed or resigns, the Vice-President will take his/her place in the interim. All other officers will be nominated by the membership and voted on in accordance with regular election procedures.
E. If an officer resigns or is removed, the remaining executive committee decides whether it is necessary to make new elections for that position or not.
Section 1. A full time GT faculty or staff member will serve as advisor to the organization.
Section 2. Nominations for advisor will take place within the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will chose the advisor and invite him/her to serve as advisor for the next academic year.
Section 3. During Officer Elections, the organization will vote on whether to continue the Advisor appointment or not. The vote must be 2/3 rd majority of those voting in order to retain the Advisor for the next academic year.
Section 4. The duties of Advisor include:
A. Meeting with organization officers.
B. Reviewing the yearly budget.
C. Signing all required paperwork.
D. Advising on issues of risk management, organization leadership, and Georgia Tech policy.
Section 5. The Advisor can be removed for not carrying out the duties and expectations as defined in this document. Any member can bring concerns to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will meet with the Advisor to discuss the concerns. After this meeting, the Executive Committee will vote on whether to remove the Advisor. If there is a majority vote, then the Advisor will be removed.
Section 6. If an Advisor steps down or is removed, the Executive Committee will follow the process stated in Article V Section 2.
The Executive Committee will set the amount of Dues in the beginning of Fall semester. Dues shall be no less than $15 a year for each member. To be paid by the third week of the semester or by the second week of membership.
Robert's Rules of Order will govern all meetings.
Section 1. Amendments to the constitution shall be submitted to the Executive Committee in writing for consideration. A reading or email of the proposed amendment(s) will be required prior to submitting the amendment to a vote.
Section 2. Written notification of the proposed amendment to all voting members must be made by mail or email, at least two weeks in advance of any proposed change in the constitution.
Section 3. The amendment(s) will be adopted upon receiving a two-thirds vote from the general members present in the special meeting.
Section 4. Amendments are subject to the approval by the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Committee.
Section 1. The organization shall establish a set of rules, which shall be known as the by-law of the organization. The by-law shall establish additional guidelines and additional officer positions for the organization.
Section 2. The amendment(s) to the by-law are subject to the same regulations as the amendment(s) to the constitution mentioned in Article VIII.