Constitution

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Constitution
of the
Czech Alpha Chapter
of the
UPSILON PI EPSILON ASSOCIATION
An Honor Society in Computer Science

Article I: Name and Objective

The name of this organization shall be the Czech Technicians Chapter of The Czech Technical University in Prague of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association, an honor society in computing and information disciplines.
The object of this chapter of the Association shall be the promotion of high scholarship and original investigation in the various fields of the computing and information disciplines.
The Czech Technicians Chapter of the Association shall be located at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Article II: Government

The Czech Technicians Chapter shall be governed by this Constitution, together with amendments to the same, and by the By-Laws enacted to provide for those governmental functions of a more routine nature.
The By-Laws of this Chapter shall be adopted and changes thereto enacted by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the active members of the chapter.
The provisions of this constitution shall be subordinate to those of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association.

Article III: Membership

This Chapter shall consist of members and honorary members.
The membership of this chapter shall be made up of individuals whose academic achievements, reputation, and creative abilities deserve recognition, and whose membership would enhance the stature of the Association. Specifically, the membership shall include graduate and undergraduate students, former students, and faculty in the Computing and information disciplines at the Czech Technical University in Prague, elected according to the procedures detailed in Article IV of this Constitution.
Honorary members shall be individuals of distinguished achievement in the field of computing.
Eligibility for membership shall not be restricted according to race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or gender..
The active membership of this chapter of the Association shall consist of those Members who satisfy the fiscal and attendance requirements set forth in the By-Laws. The privilege of voting in membership elections and participation in other official functions of the Chapter shall be restricted to active members.

Article IV: Election of Members

The eligibility of students, former students, and faculty for election for membership in this chapter of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Association shall be determined as follows:
1. A graduate student must be a candidate for a graduate degree in the computing and information disciplines, and must have completed at least eighteen semester hours for graduate credit. Further, he or she must have a grade point average of less than 1.5 (Weighted mean ECTS), exclusive of research and seminar courses, or a finalist participant in competition in computing and information disciplines.
2. An undergraduate student must be a candidate for an undergraduate degree in the computing and information disciplines, and must have completed at least Forty-five semester hours for undergraduate credit, including 15 semester hours or 23 quarter hours in the basic courses in the computing and information disciplines. Further, he or she must have a grade point average of less than 1.5 (Weighted mean ECTS), and must rank in the top thirty-five percent of computing students satisfying the credit requirement. Other possibility is to be a finalist of a competition in computing and information disciplines or a student with proven research contribution (ACM, IEEE conference, etc.)
3. A faculty member must have been teaching in the computing and information disciplines or in a field closely related to the computing division at Czech Technical University in Prague for at least One year in order to be eligible for membership. He or she must have been in responsible charge of development, preparation, or presentation of courses, or in charge of research in the computing field. Achievements in research and teaching shall determine eligibility for a faculty member.
4. Former students, who at the time of their completion of degree requirements in the computing science program satisfied the grade point average and class rank requirements of subsections a or b of this article, shall be eligible for election to membership in this chapter of the Association.
5. Students, former students, and faculty members who do not qualify under the provisions of the previous subsections, but whose achievements in and contributions to the computer science field qualify them, in view of the Membership Committee, shall be eligible for election to membership in this chapter of the Association.
The Membership Committee shall review all candidates for election to membership, qualified according to the previous section. Those reported favorably by the Committee shall be proposed for elections.
Each candidate must be discussed individually by name, and the balloting for his or her election shall be carried out before the next candidate is considered. In case a candidate fails a first ballot, he or she may be discussed further, and a second and final vote shall be taken.
Election of a candidate to membership shall be by three-fourths affirmative vote by the members present and voting.
The maximum number of members shall not be limited.
The election of new members shall be held within six weeks after the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.
The President of the Chapter shall appoint a standing committee on eligibility and membership upon his or her installation, which shall serve until his, or her successor is elected.
Membership should not be offered to a particular individual a second time if that individual for any reason with the exception of hardship cases has previously declined such membership.

Article V: Officers

The Executive Council of the chapter shall consist of the Faculty Advisor and the following elected officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian.
The duties of the President shall be to call and preside at all meetings, to appoint committees and to authorize payment of bills presented against the chapter, upon approval of the Executive Council.
The duties of the Vice-President shall be to perform the duties of President in the absence of the President. He or She shall also become President in case of the resignation or disability of the President. In addition, he or she shall be responsible for the coordination of committees and the proper conduct of meetings.
The duties of the Secretary shall be to keep records of all transactions of the chapter, and in particular, to keep the minutes of the meetings. In addition, he or she will be responsible for the handling of correspondence for the chapter.
The duties of the Treasurer shall be to collect all dues and assessments and to issue, with the assistance of the Secretary, notices of special assignments. He or she shall have charge of all funds of the chapter, and shall pay therefrom bills presented against the chapter and approved for payment.
The duties of the Historian are to keep a systematic account in chronological order of events of the chapter.
The Faculty Advisor shall be a member of the computer science teaching staff. The duties of the Faculty Advisor shall be to consult on matters of chapter policy and to act as auditor of chapter finances. He or she shall also be the presiding member of the Membership Committee.
Election of officers shall be held immediately after the election of new members each Fall semester. Newly elected officers shall be installed and shall begin to serve the meeting following their election.
Vacancies in any office other than the President shall be filled by appointment by the President with the approval of the Executive Council.
The Membership Committee shall consist of the Executive Council, the faculty advisor, and at least two additional faculty members appointed by the Executive Council. The termination of service of members of the Membership Committee shall be by resignation, submitted to and accepted by the Executive Council of the chapter. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for the screening of students who meet the scholastic eligibility requirements of the Association and shall recommend for election those they deem otherwise qualified.

Article VI: Ratification and Amendment

This Constitution shall become effective immediately upon ratification by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the invited charter initiates and the Membership Committee of the whole.
This constitution shall remain in effect until revised or amended.
Any member of the chapter at a regular or special meeting may propose amendments in this Constitution. The proposed amendment shall be discussed and a vote for further discussion shall be taken; a simply majority of the active members present shall determine shall determine that consideration. On approval, the proposed amendment shall be formally framed by the Executive Council.
Amendments framed according to the previous section shall be circulated to the entire active membership of the chapter, together with appropriate commentaries and a written ballot. The ballots will be returned to the Secretary within two weeks of distribution. The Secretary and Vice-President shall tally the votes and make the results of the balloting public at the following regular meeting of the chapter.
A three-fourths favorable vote of the returned ballots shall be required for ratification of each amendment.
The Amendment shall become effective immediately upon announcement of the results of the ratification election.