Bylaws

Lamar University

Honors Student Association

Section 1-Dues

  1. Dues for the Lamar University HSA shall be set at $20 for the year.
  2. Dues will be assessed for the fall and spring semesters. Fall semester dues will pay for the Christmas break membership. Spring semester dues will pay for membership during the summer.
  3. Dues must be paid by or at the second meeting of the HSA for the given semester for a member to remain in good standing.
  4. The HSA does not wish to exclude anyone due to financial circumstances. Therefore, the dues may be waived at the discretion of the Honors College Dean and the HSA President.

Section 2-Voting

Declaration of Candidacy

  1. Any person seeking election to an office must declare his or her candidacy either through an email to the HSA email account or in person at the HSA office.
  2. The candidacy declaration deadline will be set by the executive council with the approval of the dean.
  3. A candidate must meet all eligibility requirements as outlined in the HSA constitution.

Voting Procedures

  1. Elections shall be held at the last meeting of the spring semester and shall be presided over by the outgoing President.
  2. Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot, with a separate ballot for each office starting with president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and reporter. Secret ballot is not necessary if only one candidate is running for an office.
  3. To be elected to an office, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, then an immediate runoff will be held between the two candidates receiving the most votes.
  4. Any candidate losing an election for an office may then declare his or her candidacy for a lower office.

Ties

  1. In the event of a tie, all candidates who received the same number of votes shall proceed to a run-off. In the event of subsequent ties, revotes shall be continued until a winner is determined.


Section 3-Officers

Duties of Officers

In addition to the duties specified in the constitution, the president shall:

  1. Preside over the voting in concurrence with the dean.
  2. Delegate other duties not specifically addressed in the constitution.

 

In addition to the duties specified in the constitution, the vice president shall:

    1. Provide advice and encouragement where appropriate to any/all committees and committee chairs.
    2. Perform other duties as assigned by the president and dean.


In addition to the duties specified in the constitution, the secretary shall:

    1. Keep full and complete records of all HSA functions.
    2. Perform other duties as assigned by the president and dean.


In addition to the duties specified in the constitution, the treasurer shall:

    1. Perform other duties as assigned by the president and dean.


In addition to the duties specified in the constitution, the Student Government Association representative shall:

    1. Delegate someone to attend SGA meetings when the tepresentative is unable to attend.
    2. Perform other duties as assigned by the president and dean.


In addition to the duties specified in the constitution, the reporter shall:

    1. Perform other duties as assigned by the president and dean.


Officer Vacancies

  1. In the event that the President cannot complete an elected term, the vice president shall succeed to the office for the remainder of the term.
  2. In the event that an officer other than the President cannot complete an elected term, the executive committee will appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term.


Section 4-Committees

  1. The standing committees for the HSA shall be Community Service, Campus Involvement and Events.
  2. Special committees may be appointed by the president with approval of the Reaud Honors College dean and the executive council.
  3. Where appropriate, co-chairs may be appointed for any standing or special committee.


Section 5-Meetings

  1. The Honors Student Association meetings will be held during the Cardinal Engagement Hours, on the first Thursday of each month during the semesters, unless otherwise specified by the executive council and director.
  2. The Honors Student Association meetings will be held at the honors college unless otherwise specified by the executive council and the director.
  3. The order of business for HSA meetings shall be:
  1. Call to order
  2. Approval of minutes
  3. Treasurer's report
  4. Reports of all standing committees
  5. Reports of all special committees
  6. Report of the honors college dean/faculty advisor
  7. Old business
  8. New business
  9. Announcements
  10. Adjournment

The parliamentary system used in conducting meetings of the HSA shall be fair and grounded in the current edition of the Robert’s Rules of Order to the extent that they ensure members rights and add to the effective administration of the meetings and the HSA in general order to the extent that they ensure members rights and add to the effective administration of the meetings and the HSA in general.

Reaud Honors College  •  P.O. Box 10968  •  Beaumont, TX 77710  •  ph (409) 880-2294
Office at 985 Jim Gilligan Way [map]   •