The By-Laws of the ASBMB @ UNM

 September 12, 2023

ARTICLE I: MEMBERSHIP
As a departmental, academic organization, the ASBMB at UNM allows membership to undergraduate biochemistry students attending the University of New Mexico. Any declared biochemistry major or pre-major is eligible to join. Requests are reviewed by the governing council and should be sent to the organization’s email from the student’s UNM account. To maintain membership, one must adhere to the organization’s constitution and by-laws as well as to UNM and national ASBMB codes of conduct.
Neither membership in this student organization, nor services provided by this student organization will be denied to anyone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, spousal affiliation, gender identity, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status, ancestry, or medical condition.
ARTICLE II: ORGANIZATION
All officers are to act as advocates and general ambassadors for the organization, and to utilize information and authority granted by their roles in the service of the organization’s intent-- the collective service of its members.
Section 1: Governing Council:
The governing council includes the roles of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There shall be a minimum of two governing officers elected to fulfill basic organizational operations for agenda control and recordkeeping.

As ASUNM CSO charters expire at the end of each academic year in July, to ensure organizational continuation, at least two governing offices shall be secured by continuing students before the end of each spring semester.
President is responsible for setting agendas for meetings, serving as the chairperson during meetings, acting as liaison between the council and faculty advisors, and ensuring the timely and organized fulfillment of other governing council roles, including temporarily filling vacant offices.
Vice President collaborates with the president in setting meeting agendas and serves as member advocate to recognize and effect necessary agenda changes. In the absence of the president, acts as meeting chairperson and fulfills other presidential duties.
Secretary records all vital aspects of meetings and other organizational activities. Reports details as requested, or independently deemed necessary, to other officers, members, advisors, and others in legitimate beneficial roles of service to this organization’s interests.
Treasurer receives and deposits organizational funds, facilitates submission, and defense of annual budget and regularly planned appropriation proposals, maintains an updated budget, maintains clear and frequent communication with members and advisors regarding expenses, budgets, and funds.
Section 2: Additional Officers and Committees:
Roles may be created as needed to serve specific organizational and member goals. Examples of these are Community Outreach, Academic Support, Presentation Preparation, Interdepartmental Relations, Social media content creator and Party Planning.
Any member may propose a committee or position for any purpose in accordance with the organization’s objectives. Long-term positions, or those anticipated to require organizational funds, shall be subject to approval by a quorum-validated consensus or vote. After such approval, a description of the office or committee’s purpose and duties shall be codified here. Similarly, the removal of an office or committee may be likewise proposed and carried out.
Section 3: Eligibility to Serve:
a. Enrollment: Members who wish to serve as officers must be enrolled for six or more credit hours in the current Fall or Spring semester. Summer office service eligibility is extended to members enrolled for the prior Spring and/or the upcoming Fall semester.
b. Attendance: To serve as an officer, one must be a regular member, defined as having regular meeting attendance. To facilitate this, an attendance record should be maintained for each regular meeting as a secretarial duty. Regular meeting attendance, determined on a rolling bi-monthly basis, is established by presence at no less than half of regular meetings and other role-essential activities.
c. Presiding Roles: To serve as President or Vice President, a member must have served in an official role or otherwise demonstrated consistent contribution to the organization during the prior two semesters.
d. Vacating an office: Elected officers also may acquiesce their role by giving notice to the presiding officer.
e. Appointees: A presidentially appointed member may serve any vacant role’s duties during officer absences from regular meetings or other role-essential activities until the officer either returns or is replaced by election.
ARTICLE III: VOTING AND ELECTIONS
Consensus is here defined as any selection made during a regular meeting without objection, or call for voting, by any member. In the absence of a consensus, a vote in the presence of a quorum shall determine organizationally significant outcomes.
Section 1: Quorum definition:
A quorum exists if there is either a majority of regular members, or the entirety of the governing council along with a majority of committee members present at any meeting open to all members. To verify a quorum, a role of regular members and officers may be called, and a tally reported.
Section 2: Actions requiring a quorum:
Elections for governing and other officers, approval of annual budget and appropriations, creation of additional offices and committees persisting for more than two regular meetings beyond that of its creation, and changes to the organizational constitution or by-laws, shall require approval by regular members through a consensus process or formal vote, in either case this shall require presence of a quorum. officers are to be chosen by a formal vote of regular members.
Section 3: Actions in absence of a quorum:
In the interest of efficient time-utilization, to accommodate scheduling conflicts, and to expedite stated goals or adjacently supportive objectives, most organizational/member-serving activities can be conducted in absence of a quorum. These include, for example, the formation of short-term committees to facilitate near-term event success, staffing of an existing committee by its elected officers, and opinion polling, (such as to determine future meeting and activity interests).
Section 4: Timing of Officer Elections:
a. Annually: To support continuity of the chapter, elections for governing officers shall be held before the end of the spring semester.
b. To fill vacated positions: If a governing officer role is filled by an appointed rather than an elected officer for longer than one month wherein at least two regular meetings in the presence of a quorum have occurred, the position may be considered vacated.* Offices so deemed vacated shall be filled by election within one month.
*Under extenuating circumstances where an appointee is serving in lieu of an elected officer expected to return before the next annual election, an immediate vote may be conducted among those present to allow continuance of the current appointee, or the president to rotate the position to a new appointee.