SCIENCE THEATRE BY-LAWS
Article I:  Name and Purposes
 
I-1  The name of this organization shall be Science Theatre called hereafter the Organization.

I-2  The purpose of the Organization shall be to provide education and information about science to students and the general public.

I-3  The mission of the organization called Science Theatre shall be:  Science Theatre is an outreach organization run by Michigan State University students on a voluntary basis.  We bring entertaining science demonstrations to the general public to spark interest in science. Our performances illustrate basic scientific concepts and inspire audience members to appreciate science in their everyday lives.
 

Article II:  Membership
 
II-1  There shall be two classes of members: voting and non-voting members.
 
II-1.1  Anybody can become a non-voting member of the Organization.

II-1.2  Any MSU student may become a voting member.

II-1.3  The Organization shall not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ethnic origin, sex, age, political persuasion, handicapper status, or marital status. The constitution must state that the organization will not discriminate on the basis of age, color, gender, handicapper status, height, marital status, national origin, political status, veteran status, or weight. Also, only MSU students may be officers and/or voting members.

II-2  Becoming a member.
 
II-2.1  A person can become a non-voting member if s/he respects article II-1.1 and her/his application is accepted by the General Assembly or the Steering Council.  S/he will remain a member in good standing as long as s/he obeys the rules of the group written in the constitution.

II-2.2  A person can become a voting member if s/he respects article II-1.2 and his/her application is accepted by the General Assembly or the Steering Council.  S/he will remain in good standing as long as s/he is an MSU student and obeys the rules of the group written in the constitution.

II-2.3  Active members shall be those members who participate in not less then four activities during each annual term within the Organization.  Acceptable activities include, but are not limited to participation in events such as Science Day at the Mall, Michigan Festival, a sanctioned school program, participation on a designated committee and authorship of at least one Ask Science Theatre Article.

II-2.4  The General Assembly has the right to reject any application and to expel any member provided it does not act in contradiction with article II-1.3.
 

Article III:  Composition of the Officers:  Duties and Prerogatives.
 
III-1  The Organization shall elect a Steering Council comprised of the officers:
 
1. Director
2. Assistant Director
3. Social Director
4. Biology Director
5. Chemistry Director
6. Computer Science Director
7.  Physics and Astronomy Director
8.  Engineering Director
9. Safety Director
III-1.2  The Steering Council may be expanded to include directors of new scientific field subgroups (e.g. Geology Director) at any time during the year by an acceptance vote of 2/3 of the voting members at a General Assembly Meeting.


III-2  Elections and terms

 
III-2.1  Only voting members may nominate, be nominated or vote.

III-2.2  Elections shall be by secret ballot and require majority of voting members present.

III-2.3  Elections must be held during a regular meeting.

III-2.4 The terms shall be one year and the elections shall be held in April of each year.

 
III-3  Duties of the officers
 
III-3.1  The Director shall oversee all activities of the Organization, obtaining funds and calling and attending Steering Council meetings.

III-3.2  The Assistant Director shall be responsible for the daily operations of the Organization, act as the Director if needed, oversee the management of the Organization's accounts, and attending Steering Council meetings.

III-3.3 The Social Director shall be responsible for coordinating social events for the Organization, recruiting and preserving Science Theatre members and attending Steering Council meetings.

III-3.4  The Biology Director shall be responsible for scheduling biology-related events, development of biology demonstrations, and recruitment of members among the biological sciences, as well as attending Steering Council meetings.

III-3.5  The Chemistry Director shall be responsible for scheduling chemistry-related events, development of chemistry demonstrations, and recruitment of new chemistry members, as well as attending Steering Council meetings.

III-3.6  The Computer Science Director shall be responsible for scheduling computer science-related events, development of computer science demonstrations, and recruitment of new computer science members, as well as attending Steering Council meetings.

III-3.7  The Physics and Astronomy Director shall be responsible for scheduling physics and astronomy-related events, development of physics and astronomy demonstrations, and recruitment of new physics and astronomy members, as well as attending Steering Council  meetings.

III-3.8  The Engineering Director shall be responsible for scheduling engineering related events, development of engineering demonstrations, and recruitment of new engineering members, as well as attending steering council meetings.

III-3.9  The Safety Director will be responsible for ensuring that the membership of Science Theatre is adequately instructed in the safe handling and maintenance of the demonstration collection.  Safety seminars, held as necessary, will be the responsibility of the safety director in close coordination with the department directors.

 
III-4  Any officer failing to maintain voting membership in good standing may be removed from office at any meeting by a simple majority vote.
 
Article IV:  Operating Procedures
 
IV-1  General Assembly Meetings
 
IV-1.1  There shall be at least two General Assembly Meetings a year. One in the Fall to review and accept the budget and one in April to hold the elections.

IV-1.2  The General Assembly Meetings shall be advertised at least 2 working days in advance.

IV-1.3  The quorum should constitute two thirds of the voting members present at the preceding General Assembly Meeting or 10% of the voting members in good standing, whichever is smaller.

IV-1.4  A Special Meeting can be called by any officer or five voting members and must be held within 3 to 10 working days after the convocation.

 
IV-2  The Organization shall follow Robert's Rules of Parliamentary Procedure during its elections.
 
IV-3  Committees
 
IV-3.1  The Steering Council shall consist of all executive officers and shall perform the following duties:  review and approve the expenditure of all funds, hire personnel and approve the scheduling of activities.

IV-3.2  Any committee can be formed by the Steering Council and can consist of any members and must be chaired by one executive officer.

IV-3.3  The nominations for the head of a committee that has been deemed necessary by the members of the organization must be submitted to the Steering Council and receive approval by the members of the Council. Any active committees must designate one of its members to act as a liaison to the Steering Council.

 
IV-4  Funding shall first be actively sought for the organization as a whole to be dispersed as per decisions voted on by the Steering Council.  These activities shall not, however, preclude individual divisions from also seeking funding for themselves.  Money garnered by an individual department shall be earmarked for said department to be dispersed at the discretion of said department.
 
Article V:  Amendments
 
V-1  Any voting member can propose amendments.

V-2  Intention of amendments must be announced at least 10 working days before a regular meeting to the Steering Council who will see that it will be publicized sufficiently before the meeting.

V-3  An acceptance vote of 2/3 of the voting members present at the meeting is the requirement for the amendment to be valid.

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