Constitution

The Society of American Archivists, University of Texas Student Chapter (SAA-UT) is intended to:

- To provide activities for members to discuss archival issues, interact with professionalarchivists, and engage in professional activities.

- To promote communication with other student groups within the University, such as the AmericanLibrary Association, as well as student chapters at other universities, in order to developmutualinterest of the library, information, and archival professions.

- To promote archival interest at the University, and within academic departments throughseminars,convocations, and curriculum planning.

- To acquaint members with the objectives, ethics, and publications of the Society of AmericanArchivists (SAA).

This organization is a recognized student organization at The University of Texas at Austin andshall complywith all campus policies as set forth in the Institutional Rules on Student Services and ActivitiesandInformation on Students' Rights and Responsibilities.

State law and Sec. 14-103(3) of the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities andInformationon Students' Rights and Responsibilities define hazing as any intentional, knowing or reckless act,occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting withothers,directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student forthepurpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in or maintainingmembership inany organization whose members are or include students at an educational institution.

Membership Restriction: In accordance with Sec. 6-202(a)(2) and Sec. 6-302 of the InstitutionalRules onStudent Services and Activities and Information on Students' Rights and Responsibilities, thisorganization restricts membership to students, faculty members, and staff members of theUniversity,

Eligibility of Membership: In accordance with Sec. 6-202(a)(3) of the Institutional Rules onStudentServices and Activities and Information on Students' Rights and Responsibilities, thisorganization maynot deny membership on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age,disability,citizenship, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, exceptthat aregistered student organization created primarily for religious purposes may restrict the rightto voteor hold office to persons who subscribe to the registered student organization’s statement offaith; anda registered student organization may restrict membership based on the provisions of Title IX oftheEducation Amendments of 1972.

Section 1.Membership in the Student Chapter is open to all students currently enrolled at the School ofInformation atthe University of Texas at Austin with an interest in the archival enterprise.Section 2.All members of the Student Chapter must also be individual members of the national SAA.Section 3. There shall be at least five (5) members in good standing with the national SAA to maintain statusas astudent chapter.Section 4. Any member who fails to fulfill the terms of Article III, Sections 1 or 2, or who is out ofcompliance withthe university per Articles I and II of this constitution, may be removed. Such action shall beeffectiveonly upon a majority vote of the Executive Board taken at an official meeting.

Section 1.The Board of Officers shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Chair,andDigital Chair. The Executive Board shall comprise of the Board of Officers and the faculty advisor(s)(Article VII. Sections 1-4) which will be responsible for the administration of the organization.Section 2.The Board of Officers shall be elected in the spring of each year to serve for one calendar year.Section 3.All officers must be members in good standing of the national SAA at the time of their nominationforoffice.Section 4.If a vacancy should occur in the office of Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Chair, orDigitalChair, an interim replacement shall be appointed by the Executive Board to serve until the nextregularlyscheduled election.Section 5.Should the President be unable to fulfill his/her term of office, then the Vice-President shallfulfill theremaining term as President and a new Vice-President shall be appointed by the remaining ExecutiveBoard.Section 6.Any Board member who fails to fulfill the terms of office or to serve in an agreed-upon officialcapacitymay be removed. Such action shall be effective only upon a majority vote of the Executive Boardtaken at anofficial meeting. In the event that a Board member cannot fulfill the obligations of the position, anewofficer may be instated according to Article VI, Sections 3 & 4.

Section 1.Meetings shall be held at the beginning of each new academic year and periodically throughout theyear asdeemed necessary.Section 2.Failure to submit the Annual Report to the SAA could result in dissolution of the Student Chapter.

In accordance with Sec. 6-101 (14) and Sec. 6-101(15) of the Institutional Rules on Student ServicesandActivities and Information on Students' Rights and Responsibilities, this organization may have aUniversityAdvisor who is at least twenty-one years of age, is not enrolled as a student at the University, andservesas either:

a. a part-time or full-time employee of the University

b. a representative of a national organization that is associated with the registered studentorganization.

c. serves as either

Section 1.Faculty Advisor(s) shall be selected from the faculty of the School of Information.Section 2.The Faculty Advisor(s) shall be a professional member of the SAA.Section 3.The Faculty Advisor(s) shall attend the meetings of the Student Chapter and shall aid and advise thegroupon matters under consideration.Section 4.The Faculty Advisor(s) shall be the official contact with the SAA headquarters.

Dues:

Section 1.As students, members of the organization will be given a reduced rate for membership in the nationalSAA.Section 2.Extra dues will be decided by the Executive Board, to help in administration of the Student Chapter.Section 3.Dues are $5.00 per member and will be collected at the beginning of every semester.

See By-law B

Section 1.The Constitution, together with the By-laws, shall constitute the operating basis of the StudentChapter.Section 2.The Constitution and By-laws may be amended or changed at any general meeting or special meeting byamajority vote of 2/3 membership, providing that Sections 3 and 4 have been observed.Section 3.By-law changes and amendment proposals must be submitted to the President in writing with a briefdescription and explanation.Section 4.Notice of a proposed change and its substance of change will be submitted in writing by thePresident on thecommunications board or mailed to all members at least two weeks prior to the meeting.Section 5.A copy of the Constitution and By-laws will be made available to all members.All amendments or changes to this constitution must be reflected in an updated constitution thatmust besubmitted to Student Activities in the Office of the Dean of Students at 2609 University Ave., Suite2.112within 14 days of its approval.

Section 1.An Annual Report on the organization's activities in the past year must be prepared and submitted totheCouncil of the SAA for review at the end of the fall semester.Section 2.Failure to submit the Annual Report to the SAA could result in dissolution of the Student Chapter.

Section 1.In the event of the dissolution of this organization, any funds or assets shall be allocated asdesignatedby the Executive Board in office at the time of dissolution.

By-Laws:

• The President shall preside over meetings of the Student Chapter and the Board of Officers;communicatewith the faculty advisor(s); check the Student Chapter email address; appoint committee groups;monitorbank account; serve as official liaison between the School of Information and the StudentChapter;represent the Student Chapter at official events; oversee the yearly timeline of events; andensureUniversity, departmental, and national SAA deadlines are met.
• The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in his or her absence; otherwisealsocommunicate with the faculty advisor(s), assist as liaison between the School of Information andtheStudent Chapter, and help lead meetings as necessary; represent the chapter at official events;be anex-officio member of all committees.
• The Secretary shall attend and record the minutes of chapter and board meetings; report theminutes tothe Board and ensure they are received by the Webmaster; in conjunction with the standingArchivesCommittee keep records from meetings, events, and other communication to be included in theStudentChapter archives; with the assistance of the Treasurer, maintains a list of student members.
• The Treasurer shall collect dues from student members; oversee finances, spending, and the bankaccount;receive and record membership dues; assist the Secretary in maintaining a list of studentmembers;reimburse officers and members from chapter monies for expenses incurred performing theirduties; fileproper financial paperwork with the University; present a financial report at the beginning andend ofeach term; with the assistance of the Events Chair, oversee fundraising efforts.
• The Events Chair shall manage and coordinate chapter activities; head the standing EventsCommittee;assist the Treasurer in coordinating events that also serve as fundraising opportunities asnecessary;maintain calendar of chapter events.
• The Digital Chair shall monitor the listserv; update the website to reflect current events,members,upcoming meetings, and past meeting minutes; manage server space, update social media accounts;inconjunction with the standing Archives Committee, ensure digital records are included in theStudentChapter archives.

• Elections for the Board of Officers shall be held in December.
• The nomination process shall begin at the end of November. A call for nominees shall be postedto theStudent Chapter listserv. The election shall be conducted during the last week of class inDecember.
• All elected officers shall be chosen by e-mail ballot according to the procedures established bytheExecutive Board
• The candidate receiving a plurality of all votes shall be elected.

• The standing Events Committee shall meet the objectives of the chapter by organizing andfacilitatingspeakers, fieldtrips, workshops, social events, programs and events. The Committee shall consistof theEvents Chair, Vice President, and volunteer student members.
• The standing Archives Committee shall maintain the records of the Student Chapter, both analoganddigital. The Committee shall work with the School of Information faculty to ensure the creationandpreservation of appropriate records documenting the activities of the Student Chapter. TheCommitteeshall consist of the Vice President, the Secretary, the Digital Chair, and volunteer studentmembers.
• Ad Hoc Committees shall be appointed as necessary by the Executive Board.

• All expenditures must be approved by the Board of Officers before funds may be disbursed.
• Bills must be submitted in writing before the funds are drawn upon. Receipts for allexpenditures mustbe submitted.
• A semester budget must be planned and accepted by the Executive Board before each semester.

Amendments

To: Michelle Frazier, President
From: Brenda Gunn, Vice President
Re: Proposal to Amend U.T. SAA Student Chapter Constitution

In order to encourage and facilitate the continuation and maintenance of the student chapter website and inanticipation of future electronic enterprises, I propose that we amend the consitution to add anadditionalelected position charged with the coordination of the student chapter's web and other electronicactivities.I propose that we name the position the "Electronic Publishing Chair."

The Electronic Publishing Chair, Advocacy Chair, Membership Chair, and Social Media positions shallbedissolved and replaced with ad hoc committees as needed or desired by the Executive Board. Theduties of theElectronic Publishing Chair, outlined in Amendment I, will be transferred to the Webmaster.

We, the current SAA-UT board, propose moving the officer elections nominations period to the end ofNovemberand the election date to the last week of class, in December. New officers could then be installedduringthe first week of class in January, with a concurrent transition period of about one month duringwhich timeoutgoing officers will make themselves available to advise the new board.We further propose that, should this date change be approved by our members, it will not take effectuntil2015, i.e. the next board election will take place in January 2015, but that set of officers willhave theadvantage of holding the next election in December 2015 rather than January 2016.

We, the current SAA-UT board, propose changing the title of “Webmaster” to “Digital Chair,”effectiveJanuary 2020 per majority SAA-UT vote.

Addition of a procedure for member removal per the CONSTITUTION GUIDELINES FOR UT AUSTIN STUDENTORGANIZATIONS from the Office of the Dean of Students (Article III, Sec. 4) effective May 2020.