Bylaws

Article I

The name of this organization shall be the "University of New Mexico Student Chapter of the Optical Society of America."

Article II

The objective of this chapter shall be:

1. to promote awareness of the optical science and optical engineering among the academic and local communities,
2. to serve as a means of communication and interaction between students, faculty, staff, and administration,
3. to establish interaction between students and local sections and national headquarters of the Optical Society of America, and
4. to broaden the students' insight of post-graduate opportunities.

Article III

Membership in this chapter shall be open to any University of New Mexico student with an interest in optical science and optical engineering. In accord with the objectives stated in Article II, members of the chapter shall be either student or regular members of the Optical Society of America. There are no further dues for the student chapter membership.

Article IV

A quorum of thirty percent of the total membership shall be required for business to be transacted or elections held.

Article V

Chapter Officers

The officers for this chapter shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. All officers shall be full time students of the University of New Mexico, members of good standing of the chapter, and national members of the Optical Society of America.

Term of Office

The term of all officers shall be one year, beginning with the summer semester and ending with the spring semester.

Nominations

Nominations for the officers shall be conducted by all members. Nominations will be open for one week after the call for nominations in a meeting, seminar, or email message.

Elections

Elections shall be held two weeks prior to the end of the spring semester, at a meeting, seminar, or via email. In the case of an email election, voting shall be open for a period of not less than three working days.

Voting must continue until a candidate wins by majority of members voting. If no majority is obtained, the candidate with the fewest number of votes will be eliminated and voting will continue.

In case of a vacant office, a special election shall be held as soon as possible, following the procedures above. The elected officer will serve till the end of the regular term.

Removal From Office

An elected officer can be removed from office for misconduct or failure to perform the duties of his/her office.

Removal must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members voting, after the charges have been openly preferred against the officer by a member of the chapter during a meeting, seminar, or via email, one week prior to the meeting, seminar, or email, at which the removal vote is to be taken.

Duties of Officers

All officers shall cooperate and support each other in running this chapter. The main responsibilities of the officers are

• President - To run meetings in an orderly fashion, to make necessary decisions, and to represent and be responsible to the chapter. To maintain communications with, and submit annual reports to OSA.
• Vice President - To assist the President in his duties and to serve in his/her absence. To preside over chapter activities.
• Treasurer - To be responsible for the financial obligations of and to the chapter, distribute funds accordingly, and to keep records of all financial transactions.
• Secretary - To take minutes of all chapter meetings, to be responsible for public communications of the chapter, and to maintain a membership records.