Bi-Laws

Bi-Laws of the Auburn University Honors Congress

I.  The Executive Council

The Executive Council of the Honors Congress shall consist of Executive Officers, appointed positions, and class representatives, for a total of 50 positions.

A.  The Executive Officers

  1. These positions shall be elected by a majority vote of the University Honors College student body present at the Convocation immediately preceding Spring Break of each year. This Convocation shall be referred to as the “Election Convocation.”
  1. Executive Officer elections shall be conducted at the beginning of the Election Convocation by the current President of the Honors Congress, except in the event that he/she is running for an Executive Officer position. In that event, Executive Officer elections shall be conducted by a member of the University Honors College Administration.
  2. All candidates shall be introduced by the person conducting the election, and shall be allowed 2-3 minute speeches.  Speeches shall be given in the following order:  Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President, President.
  3. Immediately afterwards, Honors College students present shall vote via ballot.
  4. Members of the University Honors College Administration present shall be responsible for the collection of ballots and the tallying of votes.
  5. The Election Convocation shall conclude with the announcement of the newly elected Executive Officers by a member of the University Honors College Administration.
  1. The President and Vice President must have accrued at least 62 hours at Auburn University by the start of the membership year to be eligible to run for office.
  2. The Secretary and Treasurer must have accrued at least 31 hours at Auburn University by the start of the membership year to be eligible to run for office.
  3. A letter of intent to run for office must be submitted to the University Honors College Administration no later than one week before the date of the Election Convocation.
  4. The Executive Officers’ incumbencies shall conclude at the following year’s Election Convocation.
  1. Appointed positions
  1. These positions shall be selected by the newly elected Executive Officers through an application and interview process:
  1. Applications shall be created by the current Executive Officers, approved by the University Honors College Administration, and released in both paper and electronic format on or before February 15th of every year.
  2. Applications must be submitted to the University Honors College office no later than one week before the date of the Election Convocation.
  3. Interviews shall be conducted by the newly elected Executive Officers and the former President and Vice President during the week following the Election Convocation.
  1. Applicants must currently be enrolled in their 2nd semester at Auburn University to be eligible to apply for an appointed position.
  2. The newly appointed members of the Executive Committee shall be announced by the Executive Officers during Honors Callouts, hosted by the Auburn University Student Government Association.
  3. The current appointed officers’ incumbencies shall conclude at the following year’s Honors Callouts.

C.   The class representatives of the Honors Congress shall consist of four Freshman representatives, four Sophomore representatives, four Junior representatives, and two Senior representatives, for a total of 14 representatives.

1.   Class representatives shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the class they are to represent.

a.   Sophomore, Junior, and Senior class representative elections shall be conducted at the beginning of the next-to-last Spring Convocation of each year by the newly elected President of the Honors Congress.

i.   All candidates shall be introduced by the newly elected President, and shall be allowed one-minute speeches. Speeches shall be given in the following order: Sophomore representatives, Junior representatives, Senior representatives.

ii.  Immediately afterwards, Honors College students present shall vote for their respective representatives via ballot.

iii. The newly elected Executive Officers shall be responsible for the collection of ballots and the tallying of votes.

iv. The next-to-last Spring Convocation shall conclude with the announcement of the newly elected Sophomore, Junior, and Senior class representatives by the newly elected President.

v. All former sophomore, junior, and senior class representatives’ incumbencies shall conclude at the next-to-last Spring Convocation.

b.   Freshman class representative elections shall be conducted at the beginning of the first Fall Convocation by the current Honors Congress President.

i.   All candidates shall be introduced by the current President, and shall be allowed one-minute speeches. Speeches shall be given in alphabetical order according to the candidates’ last names.

ii.  Immediately afterwards, members of the Freshman class of the Honors College present shall vote via ballot.

iii.  The current Executive Officers shall be responsible for the  collection of ballots and the tallying of votes.

iv.  The first Fall Convocation shall conclude with the announcement of the newly elected Freshman class representatives by the current President.

v. All former freshman representatives’ incumbencies shall conclude at the final Spring Convocation of each year.

2.  A letter of intent to run for office must be submitted via email to the current President of the Honors Congress no later than one week before the date of the first Fall Convocation.

3.  A candidate’s class status shall be determined by the student’s classification according to the number of hours he/she has accrued at Auburn University.

VI. Duties of the Executive Council

All members of the Executive Council must attend all general Honors Congress meetings and all Executive Council meetings.

A.  Executive Officers

1.  President

a.  To oversee all activities of the members of the Executive Committee.

b.  To conduct all general Honors Congress meetings, which shall be held weekly during Fall semesters and bi-weekly during Spring semesters.

c.  To conduct all Executive Council meetings, which shall be held biweekly, or at the discretion of the President.

d.  To compile the agendas for all general Honors Congress and Executive Council meetings. Agendas shall be emailed to the Honors Congress Secretary at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting to be held.

e.  To communicate regularly with the University Honors College Administration regarding the activities of the Honors Congress.

2.  Vice President

a.  To conduct any general Honors Congress meeting the President is unable to attend.

b.  To conduct any Executive Committee meeting the President is unable to attend.

c.  To work closely with a designated member of the University Honors College Administration to plan and execute a minimum of two Convocations per semester.

d.  To plan and execute the election of the University Honors College Professor of the Year by the members of the Honors Congress.

i.  Said election shall take place at a general Honors Congress meeting at least three weeks prior to the final Spring convocation of each year.

ii.  Nominations may be made orally by any member of the Honors Congress present.

iii.  Students shall vote via ballot.

iv. The Vice President shall be responsible for the collection of ballots and the tallying of votes.

v. The Vice President shall be responsible for notifying the University Honors College Administration of the outcome of the election.

vi. The Vice President shall also be responsible for ordering a plaque in honor of the elected Professor of the Year, which shall be presented at the final convocation of the Spring semester.

3.  Secretary

a.  To record the minutes of all general Honors Congress and Executive Council meetings.

b.  To email minutes within 24 hours of each general Honors Congress meeting to all members of the Honors Congress.

c.  To email minutes within 24 hours of each Executive Council meeting to all members of the Executive Council.

d.  To print copies of every meeting agenda sent by the President and bring them to every general Honors Congress and Executive Council meeting.

e.  To take attendance at every general Honors Congress meeting, Executive Council Meeting, and Convocation, and to keep a thorough attendance record.

f.  To notify the current President if at any point a member of the Executive Council is in violation of the attendance policy.

4.  Treasurer

a.  To serve as the chief financial officer and to advise the Executive Council on all financial matters pertaining to the Congress.

b.  To work with the President to develop a budget for the entire year, which must be approved by the members of the Honors Congress at the first meeting of the Fall semester.

c.  To give an account at least once a month of all transactions which have occurred during the month to the members of the Executive Committee.

d.  To be readily accessible to all members of the Executive Council for the collection and disbursement of funds.

e.  To oversee the financial component of all fundraising activities of the Honors Congress.

B.  Appointed Positions

1.  Historian

a.  To document the continued development of the Honors Congress.

i.  To maintain a collection of all general Honors Congress and Executive Committee meeting minutes provided by the Secretary.

ii.  To maintain a collection of all budget updates provided by the Treasurer.

iii.  To take photos at every major event sponsored by the Honors Congress. In the event he/she is unable to attend an event, he/she must designate a member of the Executive Committee to temporarily take his/her place.

iv. To collect and organize photos of Honors Congress members participating in campus-wide events. These photos shall be regularly requested by the Historian at general Honors Congress meetings and emailed to the Webmaster for posting on the Honors Congress website.

b.  To organize all documentation chronologically and to have it bound and made available for viewing at the final convocation of the Spring semester.

c.  To organize the professional photographing of all members of the Executive Committee early in the Fall semester.

d.  To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

2.  Webmaster

a.  To update and maintain the Honors Congress website, with special attention to providing a current schedule of events sponsored by the Honors Congress.

b.  To respond within 48 hours to any request made by an Executive Officer for the updating of the website.

c.  To request photos of all members of the Executive Committee and post them to the Honors Congress website.

d.  To post all other photos provided by the Historian to the Honors Congress website in a timely fashion.

e.  To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

3.  Honors Involvement Program Chairman and Assistant Chairman

a.  To work closely with the University Honors College Administration to ensure the Honors Congress’ involvement in the Honors Freshman Exploration.

b.  To plan and execute events that involve Honors faculty in the lives of Honors students, i.e., round table discussions, faculty receptions, etc. At least two of these events shall take place each semester.

c.  To maintain a roster of students participating in each major Honors Congress-sponsored event throughout the year.

d. To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

4.  Intramural Chairman and Assistant Chairman

a.  To organize, register, and supervise intramural teams of University Honors College students

b.  To provide the webmaster and secretary with updates regarding all

intramural activities. These updates must be provided biweekly at

minimum.

c.  To ensure that all intramural sign-up dates are posted accurately to

the Honors Congress website.

d.  To report at general Honors Congress meetings the outcomes of each intramural season.

e.  To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

5.  Spirit Chairman and Assistant Chairmen

a.  To adhere to the rules and regulations of the Spirit Contract which

must be signed at the first SGA Spirit Meeting of the fall semester or

as otherwise designated by the SGA Director of Spirit.

b.  To attend weekly Spirit Meetings which are designated by the SGA

Director of Spirit.

c.  To assemble and supervise the Spirit Committee.

d.  To formulate a list of responsibilities for each of the above

directors, which shall be provided to the directors by the close of the

Spring semester.

e.  To provide the webmaster and secretary with updates regarding

spirit opportunities.

f.  To ensure that all spirit information is posted accurately to the

Honors Congress website.

g.  To ensure that Honors Congress points in the Spirit Competition are

accurately and fairly tallied.

h.  To recruit participants for all spirit events.

i.   To keep a thorough yearly record of students who participate in any facet of the Spirit Competition.

j.   To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

6.  Service Chairman and Assistant Chairmen

a.  To plan service projects for the University Honors College which shall take place within the Auburn University campus community and within the greater Auburn-Opelika area.

b.  To ensure that all information pertaining to service opportunities is posted accurately to the Honors Congress website.

c.  To recruit participants for all service events.

d.   To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

7.  Publicity Chairman and Assistant Chairmen

a.  To publicize all Honors Congress events throughout the year.

b.  To obtain concourse permits, tables from Auburn University

Facilities, and all other elements necessary for the promotion on Haley Concourse of all campus-wide Honors Congress events. This promotion must take place, at minimum, during the week prior to the event.

c.  To organize volunteers to work the Honors Congress table at SGA

Organization Days in the Fall and Spring semesters.

d.  To organize groups of Honors Congress students to publicize all major Honors Congress events by visiting Honors College classes. The Publicity Chairman must gain approval from the professor whose class is to be visited, prior to each visit.

e.  To promote maximum participation of the members of the University

Honors College in all Honors Congress sponsored events.

f.   To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

8.  Social Chairman and Assistant Chairmen

a.  To prepare a tentative calendar of social events prior to the Fall and Spring semesters. All Executive Officers shall be provided with this calendar no later than one week prior to the corresponding semester.

b.  To organize and implement social events that will include but not be limited to periodic tailgates, themed socials, and an annual formal event. The purpose of these events shall be to create a social atmosphere for University Honors College students to unite with other students, as well as alumni and faculty.

c.  To assemble and supervise the Social Committee, which shall be responsible for the completion of all duties necessary for the success of each event.

d.  To provide the Executive Officers, Webmaster, and Publicity Chairman with the finalized location, date, and time of an event no later than four weeks prior to the event.

e.  To provide the Executive Officers, Webmaster, and Publicity Chairman with all other finalized details of an event no later than two weeks prior to the event.

f.  To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

9.  Philanthropy Chairman and Assistant Chairmen

a.  To organize at minimum one event per semester, which shall raise funds for a charitable organization designated by the members of the Philanthropy Committee and approved by the members of the Honors Congress at large.

b.  To encourage participation of all University Honors College students in these events.

c. To keep a record of supplies and purchases and provide the treasurer

with all corresponding documentation.

10.  Representatives

a.  To promote continued interest in the Honors Congress and all its sponsored events.

b.  To organize events which shall raise funds for use by the Honors Congress.

i.  Each class of representatives shall be responsible for organizing one fundraising event per semester.

ii.  Each class of representatives must have its fundraising event approved by the President at least two weeks prior to the proposed event date.

iii.  This approval shall take place at a regular Executive Council meeting.

c.  To coordinate the AU Honors College participation in the Beat Bama Food Drive at the end of the fall semester. This includes ensuring that collection bins are placed in all Honors College dormitories before the start of the food drive.

VII. Attendance Policies

A.  General Policies

1.  Unless otherwise allowed by the Executive Officers, excused absences shall be defined in accordance with the official University policy as stated in the Tiger Cub.

2.  Proper documentation must be submitted to the Secretary within one week of the absence to be excused.

3.  In the event of an absence, whether excused or unexcused, the absentee shall be required to read the minutes from the missed meeting and sign an agreement to be held responsible for any information contained therein. This agreement shall be signed electronically and emailed to the Secretary within one week of the absence.

B.  Representatives

1.  A total of three excused and three unexcused absences from general Congress meetings per semester shall be permitted.

2.  Attendance at all Honors Convocations and events is strongly encouraged.

C.  Appointed Positions

1.  A total of three excused and three unexcused absences from general Congress meetings and Executive Committee meetings per year shall be permitted.

2.  Attendance at the Election Convocation and Final Spring Convocation is mandatory. Attendance at all other Convocations is strongly encouraged.

D.  Executive Officers

1.  A total of three excused and three unexcused absences from general Congress meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and Convocations per year shall be permitted.

2.  Attendance at all Convocations throughout the year is mandatory.

E.  Resignation

1.  Any member of the Honors Congress, including Executive Officers, Appointed Positions, and representatives, may resign from his or her position at any time he/she is no longer capable of fulfilling his/her responsibilities to the Honors Congress.

2.  Such members must notify the Executive Officers of their plans to resign in writing at least one week prior to the date of resignation.

VIII. Dismissal from Positions within the Honors Congress

A.  From General Membership

1.  Any member in violation of the attendance policy shall be immediately dismissed from membership in the Honors Congress.

2.  Any student dismissed from the AU Honors College shall be automatically dismissed from membership in the Honors Congress.

B.  From the Executive Council

1.  Any member of the Executive Council in violation of the attendance policy shall be immediately dismissed from membership in the Executive Council.

2.  Any student dismissed from the AU Honors College shall be automatically dismissed from membership in both the Executive Council and the Honors Congress.

3.  Any student dismissed from the Executive Council shall have the opportunity to make a request to the Executive Officers of the appeal of his/her dismissal at the following Executive Council meeting.

4.  In the event of an appeal, the Executive Officers must unanimously agree to reinstate the dismissed Executive Council member.

C.  From an Executive Officer Position

1.  Any Executive Officer in violation of the attendance policy of the Executive Officers shall be immediately dismissed from his/her Executive Officer position.

2.  Any student dismissed from an Executive Officer position shall have the opportunity to request the appeal of his/her dismissal to a member of the University Honors College Administration at the following Executive Council meeting.

3.  The student requesting the appeal shall be reinstated only at the discretion of the member of the University Honors College Administration present at the meeting.

4.  Any Executive Officer dismissed from the AU Honors College shall be automatically dismissed from his/her Executive Officer position and from membership in the Honors Congress.

D.  Additional Grounds for Dismissal

1.  Any member of the Executive Council determined by the Executive Officers to have not satisfactorily fulfilled his/her duties shall be given a warning in writing of his/her potential dismissal.

2.  In the event that he/she continues failing to satisfactorily fulfill his/her duties, he/she shall be dismissed from the Executive Council by a unanimous vote of the Executive Officers.

3.  In the event that the person to be dismissed is an Executive Officer, a warning shall be issued by the University Honors College Administration and final dismissal shall be at its discretion.

X. Colors

  1. The official colors of the Honors Congress shall be ivory and silver.
  2. Ivory symbolizes the cognition of talented individuals united in intellectual pursuits; silver symbolizes the vision, strength, and singleness of purpose that results from this cognition. Further, ivory symbolizes the faithful transmission of knowledge from generation to generation, while silver symbolizes the essential malleability of minds to which this knowledge is transmitted.