State History Interest Project (S.H.I.P.) Constitution
Drafted October 2000
We, the State History Interest Project (S.H.I.P.), hereby declare our Constitution, written on October 20th, 2000; our underlying purpose being to advance our knowledge of the new learning standards in Social Studies, Language Arts, the Arts, and Technology for New York State. Another purpose is the encouragement of student interest in the history and culture
of New York State and local communities. We shall remain in contact with fellow students throughout the state with similar interests.
Article I - Official Title
The official title shall be known as the State History Interest Project (S.H.I.P.). However, individual chapters under this organization have the delegated power to create individual chapter titles.
Article II - Membership
Section 1
Membership is obtained through involvement in the local chapter. Voting privileges are attained through paying dues. Members should pay dues by November
1st of each year.
Section 2
No refunds
Section 3
Membership is open to all middle and high school students.
Section 4
The board of governors shall distribute honorary membership by a majority vote, at their discretion
Article III - Officer Qualifications, Requirements, and Terms
Officers to be elected are President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Comptroller, and Historian. All officers must be delegates of their local chapter; President must have been a member for at least two years and Vice President for at least one year. No one person may serve in excess of two years in any one office. Terms will run for one year. with elections being held at the state convention.
Article IV - Duties of Officers
President
(1) Preside over meetings of the board of governors.
(2) Attend all emergency meetings.
(3) Schedule and attend meetings.
(4) Preside over annual convention.
Vice President
(1) Carry out the President's duties in the event of his or her absence.
(2) Determine validity of excuses for absence.
(3) Take over for any absent officer.
(4) In the event of the removal of the Vice President, the President shall appoint a delegate to serve the remainder of the term.
Recording Secretary
(1) To record minutes of all meetings.
(2) To read minutes of last meeting.
(3) To record attendance at each meeting.
Corresponding Secretary
(1) Sends and receives information about the upcoming meetings, conventions, etc.
(2) To consult with the board the information received by sponsors, clubs, etc.
Comptroller
(1) Record dues collected by the clubs.
(2) Consult the treasurer on budgetary expenditures.
Historian
(1) To keep a permanent record of the history and important events of the
S.H.I.P. organization.
(2) To keep correspondence with historical organizations in relation to state and club history.
Article V - Delegates
The board of governors shall be comprised of two delegates from each registered chapter and elected officers. The respective chapters shall choose delegates before September
30.
Article VI Elections
Section 1 - Nominations
(1) Any delegate wishing to run for a state office shall announce his/her candidacy by January.
Applications for candidacy will be sent to each chapter and must be completed and returned to S.H.I.P. headquarters.
(2) Candidate biographies shall be posted in the official newsletter and official web site.
(3) Withdrawal from the candidacy of an office shall be announced as soon as possible. In the event of a withdrawal, that candidate may endorse another candidate. Withdrawals may be made at any time prior to voting.
Section 2 - Campaigning
Sandwich Boards and other forms of advertising that can be worn may be worn or displayed at any time and anywhere except in restricted areas (such as program, competition. or election areas).
(2) Campaigning may only take place in designated areas.
(3) Campaign insignia (buttons, pin-on badges. hat bands, t-shirts, etc.) identifying a candidate may be worn at any time.
(4) Banner size shall be no more than 6 ft. by 3 ft. and quantity shall not exceed two banners; poster size shall be no more than 2 ft. by 3 ft. and quantity shall not exceed four posters. This includes combinations of candidates on a single poster. Posters must be evenly spaced and may not obstruct the posters of other candidates.
(5) Inappropriate campaign insignia shall be removed at the discretion of any advisor.
(6) No campaign shall include defaming of character of other candidates.
(7) No campaign funding shall exceed one hundred dollars per candidate.
(8) No campaign should include material that may cause damage or result in extra cleanup costs. Each candidate is responsible for cleaning any areas that may become littered during the campaign.
(9) Other campaign restrictions shall be based on hotel regulations and will be announced prior to the convention.
Section 3 - Speeches and Debates
(1) At the state convention, candidates will be expected to give a concise speech of no more than five minutes. discussing their qualifications and future plans for S.H.I.P. The order of speeches will be determined alphabetically by office.
(2) Speeches will be followed by a debate session, during which candidates will discuss issues and questions submitted to them by the
S.H.I.P. members.
(3) There shall be no more than 5 minutes allowed for questions and answers following each speech. Speeches and
question/answer periods, will be timed by a SHIP advisor.
(4) Speeches must be approved prior to convention by local chapter advisors.
(5) Speeches on behalf of candidates will not be allowed during band or DJ functions; however candidates may be introduced at these times.
Section 4 Voting
(1) Voting will take place Friday night between seven and nine p.m.
(2) Members voting at the convention must be registered by April 1st.
(3) Absentee ballots must be postmarked by April 1st or brought to the convention by the chapter advisor.
(4) During the voting process, each candidate must provide one election supervisor to assist with registration and voting.
(5) Each chapter shall appoint one non-candidate member to assist in the vote count.
(6) Votes shall be totaled by advisors.
(7) Results shall be announced at the awards ceremony by the outgoing president.
Article VII - Impeachment
If an officer is deemed unfit, he/she may be removed from office by a petition signed by a 2/3 majority of the Board of Governors.
Article VIII - Finances
Dues will be collected annually; amount will be decided yearly by the board of governors.
Article IX - Committees
Convention Committee
The convention committee, comprised of the Board of Governors. shall be responsible for
deciding all details pertaining to the convention. The Vice President shall head all convention committee meetings.
Finance Committee
The finance committee shall be comprised of the President. Treasurer, and Comptroller. They shall prepare a state budget and devise ways and means of raising funds to meet this budget. The budget must be ratified by a 2/3 majority of the Board of Governors; The delegates will then present the budget to their respective chapters.
Election Committee
The election committee shall be comprised of the Corresponding Secretary and the Recording Secretary. They shall be responsible for registering voters at the state convention and conducting elections.
Publicity Committee
The publicity committee shall be comprised of the state Historian and local chapter Historians. They shall be responsible for publishing newsletters throughout the year.
Article X - Amendment Procedure
This constitution shall be amended by a 2/3 vote of all members of the Board of
Governors. All proposed amendments must be submitted to the President of the Board of
Governors at least three months prior to the convention.
Dissolvement Clause
In the event that S.H.I.P. ceases to function as an organization, all remaining funds will be donated to the New York State Council for the Social Studies Brian Swayze fund.
If an officer is deemed unfit, he/she may be removed from office by a petition signed by a 2/3 majority of the Board of Governors.
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