Article I: Requirements For Active Member Status

Active member status will be required in order to receive special member-only benefits as well as participate in any voting matters brought before the membership. In order to be considered an active member, the criteria listed below must be met. The status of each member shall be reviewed at the end of each semester by the VP of Membership. Once a member is granted active member status they shall retain that status for the following semester only. In other words, a member will be considered active if they were granted active status at the end of the previous semester. At the end of each successive semester their status will again be reviewed. If any member does not agree with a decision made by the VP of Membership they may appeal to the entire Executive Board at a scheduled meeting of the Executive Board. If a general member does not achieve active member status after two semesters, they will no longer be allowed to participate in activities intended for USAB members only.

• Actively participate on at least one committee which includes attending at least 75% of all committee meetings and participating in committee events. Committees will meet following each general membership meeting and any other times as designated by the committee chair.
• Attend at least 75% of all general membership meetings. Meetings are held every first and third Sunday of each month at 7pm in 210 Student Union, unless otherwise noted.
• Attend at least one outreach per semester.
• Attend 50% of Request-a-bulls during the semester.
• Be present at Dodge-Bull in the fall and Oozfest in the spring, as well as Real Life 101.

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Article II: Membership Mentor Program

In order to better retain members and create a more cohesive group, a mentor program shall be established. Each Executive Board member will be the leader of a group. Committee chairs and general committee members will be assigned to their supervising Executive Board member. The Executive Board must maintain contact with each of their group members, notifying them of upcoming events and encouraging them to attend. The mentor shall be open to feedback from their group members. The mentor shall make an effort to retain their group members and encourage them to achieve and retain active member status. If a group member chooses not to remain in USAB, the mentor shall seek feedback from that member as to why they chose to leave. Each Executive Board member is encouraged to employ other team building methods with their individual group.

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Article III: Member of the Month Program

Prior to the first general membership meeting of each month, each Executive Board member shall submit to the VP of Membership their nomination for member of the month for the previous month with their reasons for nominating the member. Member of the month candidates must have displayed exceptional dedication to the USAB and/or UBAA/OAR for the month. Candidates do not need to be active at time of nomination. Committee Chairs may be nominated only if they have gone above and beyond the duties and responsibilities of their position as listed in the USAB By-Laws.  Each general member who was awarded member of the month during the year will be entered into a raffle for one $250 Member of the Year award given at the Final Dinner. Only those members of the month who are active as of the date of the final dinner are eligible. Committee Chairs are not eligible for the Member of the Year award.

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Article IV: Socials

The USAB budget shall partially fund up to three official social events per semester as a benefit of membership. In order to provide a higher benefit for continued membership, the cost will be covered on a graduated scale as follows:

• 25% for non-active members
• 50% for members active 1 or 2 semesters
• 75% for members active 3 or 4 semesters
• 100% for members active 5+ semesters

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Article V: Apparel

Apparel shall be awarded based on levels of membership as follows:

• Short-sleeve or long-sleeve t-shirt to anyone seriously interested in joining USAB
• Hooded sweatshirt after 1 semester of active membership
• Windbreaker after 2 semesters of active membership
• Polo shirts for Executive Board or Committee Chairs only
• Other apparel, etc. may be ordered and distributed only to current active members. The membership shall help choose and design said apparel.

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Article VI: Meetings

Section 1:        General Membership Meetings

• Meetings of the general membership shall be held at 7pm on the first and third Sundays of each month during regular University sessions in a location accessible to all members.

• Any member may include an item on the meeting’s agenda by contacting the President by noon on the Friday prior to the meeting.

• Meeting Structure
• Call to order by the President and recorded by the VP of Communications
• Voting on Minutes

a.   The minutes from the previous meeting will be made available to the membership for review before the current meeting commences.
b.   The minutes will then be voted upon by the general membership. A majority vote is required for acceptance of the minutes of the previous meeting. Any necessary changes will be made before the vote, by the suggestion of the membership.

• Attendance shall be taken by the VP of Membership
• Officer Reports

a.   Each officer and committee member must present a formal report to the membership as to their progress on projects and events.
b.   Each officer must also submit a written copy of this report to the VP of Communications, unless otherwise stated by the VP of Communications.

• The President shall adjourn the meeting after all officer reports and opening the floor to general members. The VP of Communications will record the time.

• Voting:
• The President may conduct meetings under parliamentary procedure at his/her discretion.
• A simple majority of the active membership shall constitute a quorum. A quorum is required for the transaction of all business presented for a vote at general membership meetings. Such business includes the election of officers, fiscal issues, and the impeachment and subsequent removal of an officer.
• Voting shall be conducted via voice, a show of hands, or, at a member’s request, secret ballot.

Section 2:        Executive Board Meetings

• Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at 7pm on the second and fourth Sundays of each month during regular University sessions.

• All members are welcome to attend any scheduled meeting of the Executive Board, but do not have voting privileges. The Executive Board reserves the right to close any meeting to the general membership when necessary.

• Any USAB member may include an item on the meeting’s agenda by contacting the President by noon on the Friday prior to the meeting.

• The President shall conduct meetings under the following guidelines:
• The President may conduct meetings under parliamentary procedure at his/her discretion.
• A simple majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum. A quorum is required for the transaction of all business presented for a vote at Executive Board meetings.
• Voting shall be conducted via voice, a show of hands, or, by request, secret ballot.

Section 3:        Committee Meetings

• Meetings of established committees shall be held after general membership meetings whenever possible.

• Committee meetings shall be held at least once per month.

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Article VII: Executive Board

Section 1:        Executive Board Members

The Executive Board shall consist of the USAB Staff Adviser, President, Senior Vice President, Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Communications and Vice President of Blue & White. Additional Executive Board positions may be created with approval from a majority of active members.

Section 2:        Election Procedure

• Timeline
• The President shall announce the election procedure and distribute applications immediately after winter break. The procedure shall be reviewed at each general meeting until the nomination application deadline.
• Executive Board nomination applications shall be due on the Friday before the first Sunday of February.
• Nomination interviews shall be held the week after the first Sunday of February and the ballot shall be announced immediately after all nomination interviews are complete.
• Elections shall be held at the general membership meeting on the third Sunday of February.

• Nomination Procedure
• Any general member who has been active for at least the past two semesters is eligible to apply for nomination for up to three (3) Executive Board positions.
• All candidates, including current Executive Board members must complete the application for nomination and be interviewed by the nomination committee which will consist of current Executive Board members, USAB Staff Adviser, USAB Graduate Assistant, and senior staff of the OAR. The nomination committee shall vote by ballot for each candidate and each position they are running for. The candidate must receive a vote from a majority of the nomination committee present at their interview for each position applied for in order to be placed on the ballot for those positions.

• Absentee Ballots
• The current President shall inform all general members that if they can not be present at the election meeting they must notify the Graduate Assistant. The Graduate Assistant will send an absentee ballot immediately after the ballot is finalized ONLY to those general members who indicated they would not be present at elections and who were active the previous semester.
• All absentee ballots must be submitted to the USAB Graduate Assistant by the Friday before elections either by email or anonymously by mailing it to the USAB office.

• Elections
• Campaigning by candidates or otherwise attempting to persuade members to vote in a particular way is strictly prohibited and may result in removal from the ballot.
• Each candidate may distribute a one page statement to the President along with their application which will be distributed to each general member once the ballot is finalized.
• Elections shall occur in the following order: President, Senior Vice President, Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Communications and Vice President of Blue and White.
• The following procedure shall be repeated for each position in the previous order:
• If a candidate is running unopposed for a position, there shall be a “no confidence” option on the ballot.
• Each candidate for the position will have 5 minutes to make a statement and answer questions.
• The USAB Adviser and Graduate Assistant shall then distribute ballots to only those general members who were active the previous semester. They shall then collect and count the ballots.
• The officers shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast.
• If a candidate does not win the position they may still run for the other positions which they were nominated.
• If a position remains empty following elections, then the entire election procedure shall be repeated for that position only, including application and nominations, and a special election shall be held during a general membership meeting.

Section 3:        Executive Board Duties

A.  President

• Represent USAB on the UBAA Board of Directors and therefore must attend UBAA board meetings and events.
• Serve as chief presiding officer of USAB, and provide leadership and direction for the organization.
• Maintain professional relationships with everyone in USAB, UBAA, OAR and other campus organizations.
• Ensure all officers uphold the USAB Constitution, By-laws and Code of Conduct as well as their individual duties and responsibilities.
• Review the Constitution, By-laws and Code of Conduct at the beginning of his/her term of office and propose changes as necessary.
• Work closely with the Leadership Team and OAR staff to develop annual plans.
• Preside over executive board and general membership meetings and develop agendas for both.
• Oversee office management and procedures.
• Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees and make an effort to attend all committee meetings.
• Administer and delegate authority where s/he shall see fit.
• Review the effectiveness of each officer position and duties at the end of each year.
• Coordinate the USAB semester calendar of events.
• Work with Adviser and GA to coordinate annual Leadership Team selection process.
• Meet with Adviser and GA weekly.

B.   Senior Vice President

• Shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of President at the request of the President, in the event of the President’s temporary absence, or if the President resigns or is removed from office.
• Oversee Real Life 101 & Senior Toast chairs & committees.
• Represent USAB on the UBAA Partnerships committee.
• Work closely with entire Leadership Team to incorporate alumni and/or UBAA into all USAB & True Blue Herd programs.
• Incorporate USAB alumni into at least one USAB event, activity or program per academic year.
• Coordinate an outreach campaign to USAB alumni to get them more involved in the University and UBAA.

C.  Vice President of Membership

• Oversee Recruitment and Social/Outreach chairs & committees.
• Represent USAB on the UBAA Membership committee.
• Get to know members and receive feedback; serve as point of contact for members who wish to provide feedback about USAB/UBAA.
• Work with Recruitment chair to develop an annual recruitment and orientation plan for new USAB members.
• Administer the USAB point system and closely monitor the involvement and participation of each USAB member and place members on inactive list as necessary.
• Work with OAR and Recruitment chair to coordinate the True Blue Herd recruitment process.
• Order, inventory and distribute USAB apparel.
• Maintain the USAB member database and coordinate with the webmaster to make updates available on the website.

D.  Vice President of Finance

• Oversee Sponsorship and J. Scott Fleming chairs & committees.
• Work to have a budget in place by the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1st.
• Work with entire Leadership Team to develop individual budgets.
• Assist Leadership Team members to work within their given budgets.
• Process and track all transactions.
• Present monthly financial reports to the executive board and general membership.
• Track inventory of all USAB items.

E.   Vice President of Communications

• Oversee Marketing chair & committee and Webmaster.
• Attend all general membership and executive board meetings to take notes and appoint a replacement to take notes in the event of an absence.
• Prepare and distribute minutes from all executive board and general membership meetings.
• Prepare a USAB newsletter to be distributed at the first general membership meeting of each month.
• Prepare a True Blue Herd newsletter to be distributed by the first of each month.
• Act as the liaison for the Association of Student Advancement Programs (ASAP) and make all arrangements for attending district and national conferences.
• Regularly update the TimeTracks display case.
• Coordinate all communication with the True Blue Herd.
• Organize and archive USAB photos on the network.
• Coordinate all request-a-bulls.

F.   Vice President of Blue & White

• Oversee Oozfest and True Blue Events chairs & committees.
• Represent USAB on the UBAA Homecoming committee.
• Communicate and coordinate with Athletics regarding USAB’s game involvement.
• Coordinate the annual True Blue Herd theme contest and choose items to be included in the gift package.

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Article VIII: Committee Chairs

Section 1:        Committee Chairs

USAB shall have the following Committee Chairs positions: Real Life 101, Senior Toast, Recruitment, Social & Outreach, J. Scott Fleming, Sponsorship, Marketing, Webmaster, Oozfest, and True Blue Herd. Additional Committee Chair positions may be created with approval from a majority of active members.

Section 2:        Selection of Committee Chairs

Applications for committee chairs shall be distributed when Executive Board applications are distributed and shall be due on the Friday following the Executive Board elections. Only members who have been active for at least one previous semester can apply for a committee chair. Current and newly elected Executive Board members and current Committee Chairs shall then hold a meeting to vote on Committee Chairs. The vote shall occur by secret ballot and in the order listed in Section 1 above. If a candidate is chosen for one position they shall be removed from consideration from any remaining positions they applied for, and if a candidate is not chosen they shall still be considered for any remaining positions for which they applied. In the event of a tie there shall be a re-vote by secret ballot with the USAB Staff Adviser casting a vote.

Section 3:        Duties of Committee Chairs

A.  Real Life 101:

• Report to Senior Vice President.
• Plan and coordinate a student event for preparation for life after college, which involves alumni.

B.   Senior Toast:

• Report to Senior Vice President.
• Plan and execute a senior event involving seniors, their families, alumni and faculty/staff.

C.  Recruitment:

• Report to VP of Membership.
• Organize summer orientation tabling/session involvement for recruitment of True Blue Herd and USAB.
• Organize the recruitment process of USAB members in the beginning of the fall semester.
• Work with Social/Outreach chair to plan a new member/welcome back picnic, to be used as a recruitment tool.
• Plan and execute a USAB member orientation/retreat at the conclusion of the recruitment period.
• Assemble a member folder/binder with important USAB information.
• Coordinate the True Blue Tuesday program for the recruitment of True Blue Herd members.

D.  Social/Outreach:

• Report to VP of Membership.
• Work with Recruitment chair to plan new member/welcome back picnic.
• Plan and execute at least two socials and two outreaches per semester.
• Plan holiday dinner and final dinner.

E.   J. Scott Fleming Awards:

• Report to VP of Finance.
• Plan and coordinate the awards application/selection process.
• Organize a final awards ceremony.

F.   Sponsorship:

• Report to VP of Finance.
• Work with entire Leadership Team to solicit sponsorships for all USAB programs.
• Maintain communication with Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations and UB’s Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations to inform them of USAB’s efforts to solicit sponsorships from outside the University. (http://giving.buffalo.edu/corporate_foundation_relations.php)
• Aid VP of Finance with coordinating fundraising programs and developing new fundraising efforts.

G.  Marketing:

• Report to VP of Communications.
• Work with entire Leadership Team to develop comprehensive and consistent marketing strategies for all True Blue Herd and USAB programs.
• Assist with the development of marketing materials for each program.
• Assist the VP of Communications with developing a newsletter to be sent to parents to market USAB and OAR programs, to be sent in the beginning of July and January.

H.  Webmaster:

• Report to VP of Communications.
• Update USAB website at least once per week.
• Work with UBAA to develop and update True Blue Herd website.

I.    Oozfest:

• Report to the VP of Blue & White.
• Plan & implement oozfest.
• Oversee subcommittees.

J.    True Blue Events:

• Report to VP of Blue & White.
• Work with recruitment chair to plan events to be incorporated into the True Blue Tuesday program.
• Plan athletic-related events for the True Blue Herd.
• Assist the VP of Blue & White in coordinating homecoming involvement.

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Article IX: Conferences

Section 1:        District Conference

• The USAB budget shall cover a maximum of $3,000 towards conference expenses. Any remaining costs shall be covered by attendees, who may engage in separate fundraising as a group in order to reduce their share of the cost.
• Any active member may write a short essay explaining why they wish to attend, what they hope to get out of the conference, and how they can apply what they learn to USAB in the coming year.
• The Executive Board shall meet to choose attendees from among the submitted essays.

Section 2:        Network Convention

• The USAB budget shall cover a maximum of $3,000 towards conference expenses. Any remaining costs shall be covered by attendees, who may engage in separate fundraising as a group in order to reduce their share of the cost.
• The Executive Board and one adviser will constitute the attendees. If the budget allows, Committee Chairs may also be invited to attend.

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Article X: Request-a-Bull Procedure

All request-a-bulls will be coordinated through the VP of Communications.

• A request-a-bull is submitted to the VP of Communications via an online submission form at least one month before the event. 
• VP of Communications must respond to the person who submitted the request-a-bull within 48 hours to notify them that it was received and that the approval process takes one to two weeks as it must be approved by the executive board.
• The request-a-bull will then be reviewed by the executive board at the next scheduled meeting.  In order to be approved, at least two executive board members must commit to being present at the event to help direct and coordinate USAB volunteers.
• Immediately following the executive board decision, the VP of Communications must contact the person who submitted the request-a-bull and inform them of the executive board’s decision with reasoning.
• The VP of Communications must then contact USAB members with specific event information, required tasks and deadline to volunteer.
• After the deadline to volunteer, the VP of Communications must contact the requestor to inform that person of the number of volunteers that will be present and which executive board members will be present.
• Following the event, the VP of Communications must contact the requestor to receive feedback about the request-a-bull process and about USAB’s involvement in the event.

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Article XI: Amendments

Section 1:        General Statements

A.  Any and all USAB policy as well as procedures for the day-to-day operations of USAB must be included into these By-Laws, utilizing the amendment process listed in Section 2 below.

B.   These By-Laws shall be reviewed and updated at least once per year.

Section 2:        Amendment Process

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