Wildlife and Restoration Student Association at the Polytechnic Campus

Wildlife and Restoration Student Association

PREAMBLE

 

We the members of the Wildlife and Restoration Student Association, established to provide opportunities for students to further explore and enjoy the realm of possibilities in Wildlife and Restoration Ecology, do establish this constitution and subscribe to the regulations and policies of Arizona State University.

 

Article I Name

 

Section 1 The name of this organization shall be the Wildlife and Restoration Student Association (WRSA).

 

Section 2 WRSA is affiliated with the national professional organizations of The Wildlife Society, The Society for Range Management and American Fisheries Society. WRSA is considered the ASU Student Chapter of each of these organizations.

 

Article II Purpose

 

Section 1 The purpose of this organization shall be to provide opportunities for students to further explore and enjoy the realm of possibilities in wildlife habitat management and ecological restoration. These opportunities include guest speakers, networking at professional meetings, fundraising, environmental service work, fun excursions and expanding environmental awareness on campus. Individual membership to The Wildlife Society, The Society for Range Managment, and American Fisheries Society is encouraged.

 

Section 2   As a student chapter of The Wildlife Society , WRSA has the following objectives:

--The acquisition of knowledge leading to the development and promotion of sound stewardship of wildlife resources and of the environments upon which wildlife and humans depend;

--to increase awareness and appreciation for the values of wildlife and their habitats;

--to promote continued education in the field of wildlife management;

--to promote the afore mentioned values through continued involvement at both the university and community levels.

--to act as a liaison between students and professionals to assist in the furthering of knowledge and acquisition of work in the field of wildlife management.

 

Section 3 As a student chapter of the Society of Range Management , WRSA has the following objectives:

--to seek a comprehensive understanding of range ecosystems and the management and use of range resources;

--to educate and advise all who work with rangeland of new findings;

--to improve the effectiveness of range management in obtaining from range ecosystems the products and values necessary for the welfare of all humanity;

--to create public understanding of the social and economic benefits to be derived from range resources;

--and to promote the professional and educational development of its members.

 

Section 4 As a student chapter of the American Fisheries Society , WRSA has the following objectives:

--to promote the conservation, development, and wise use of the fisheries;

--to promote and evaluate the development and advancement of all branches of fisheries science and practice;

--to gather and disseminate to Society members and the general public scientific, technical, and other information about fisheries science and practice through publications, meetings, and other forms of communication; and;

--to encourage the teaching of fisheries science and practice in colleges and universities and the continuing education and development of fisheries professionals. ;

 

 

Article III Membership

 

Section 1 Members must be registered students of ASU enrolled for 1 semester hour of University credit, who have an interest in Wildlife and Restoration Ecology. No membership dues are required. Attendance at monthly meetings, although encouraged, is not mandatory. Membership may be terminated if a student is deemed to be behaving inappropriately at any WRSA function by a majority vote of WRSAs four officers and that students behavior does not improve and remain improved following one warning from one of the associations officers. All members have voting rights at the general meetings, but a member must pay a $1.00 membership due during the current year to qualify to vote for next years elected officers, to vote for the election of a resigned officer position, to vote on the removal of an already elected officer, or to vote on an amendment to the constitution.

 

Section 2 Guest members include interested alumni, staff, faculty or community members. Guest members do not have the voting privileges of a member nor can they serve on a WRSA committee.

 

Article IV Officers

 

Section 1 The officers of this organization shall consist of: five ASU, Applied Biological Science (ABS) students so that the interests of ABS students are at the forefront of the club. The officers shall include the President, Vice President- The Wildlife Society Representative, Vice President- Society for Range Management Representative, Vice-President- American Fisheries Society Representative, and Secretary/Treasurer.

--The President is responsible for overseeing all activities of the club but may delegate those duties as he/she sees fit and is the first point of contact for the association.The President is responsible for running monthly meetings and for preparing the monthly newsletter that outlines committee reports from Vice-Presidents, Secretary/Treasurers, volunteer opportunities, and an outline of the upcoming guest speaker. This newsletter must be completed at the meeting prior to the upcoming monthly meeting. The President and Secretary/Treasurer are responsible for planning the end of the Fall semester meeting (December meeting) and the officer election meeting in April.

-- The Vice President- The Wildlife Society Representative works hand in hand with the President to help achieve all goals and steps in for the President when he/she is not available. This Representative acts as the liaison between TWS and the club, to organize volunteer opportunities and fundraising activities. The TWS Representative is responsible to planning one monthly meeting each semester. The exact months will be decided during the summer officer meetings. The TWS Representative is responsible for preparing a committee report and having volunteer opportunities to be published in the monthly newsletter.

-- The Vice President- Society for Range Management Representative works hand in hand with the President to help achieve all goals and steps in for the President when he/she is not available. This Representative acts as the liaison between SRM and the club, to organize volunteer opportunities and fundraising activities. The SRM Representative is responsible to planning one monthly meeting each semester. The exact months will be decided during the summer officer meetings. The SRM Representative is responsible for preparing a committee report and having volunteer opportunities to be published in the monthly newsletter.

-- The Vice President- American Fisheries Society Representative works hand in hand with the President to help achieve all goals and steps in for the President when he/she is not available. This Representative acts as the liaison between AFS and the club, to organize volunteer opportunities and fundraising activities. The AFS Representative is responsible to planning one monthly meeting each semester. The exact months will be decided during the summer officer meetings. The AFS Representative is responsible for preparing a committee report and having volunteer opportunities to be published in the monthly newsletter.

-- The Secretary/Treasurer is to take notes at the monthly general meetings and make those notes available for review at the subsequent meeting and when members may ask for them. The Secretary/Treasurer is to maintain an exact accounting of the finances and provide a written summary of the finances at the monthly general meetings and upon request. The Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for preparing a report stating the finances and also a brief description of the previous months meeting minutes. The President and Secretary/Treasurer are responsible for planning the end of the Fall semester meeting (December meeting) and the officer election meeting in April.

 

Section 2 Qualifications for each office, is that the student must have previously attended one meeting or activity during the current school year and has the time and desire to help provide all the opportunities for members of the club that have been previously described in Article II, Section 1. It is highly recommended that all officers become dues paying members to The Wildlife Society, the Society for Range Management, and American Fisheries Society. Currently only the President and Vice President are required to be paying members.  In regards to the Society for Range Management and American Fisheries Society, all five WRSA officers must be paying members.

 

Section 3 Term of office shall be from the day and time of being elected through the subsequent school year up to when the new officers are elected.

 

Section 4 Provisions for removal of an officer shall be, at the initiation of one of the other 3 officers and a special meeting is announced to the members. At that scheduled meeting, the reasons for the officers removal are explained and the officer being considered for removal is allowed to speak about those reasons if he/she desires. A short period for questions will be allowed, followed by an immediate majority vote of the present members who have the $1.00 voting fee.

Section 5  Provisions for resignation of an officer shall be, upon learning of an officers resignation, a special election meeting or an already scheduled monthly meeting will be held to elect a new officer to the vacated position.  All members who have paid the $1.00 membership due during the current year are eligible to vote for the officer. If it is early in the school year, and a minimum of seven members have not yet qualified as eligible voters, than the eligible member voters from the previous year can vote as long as they are still current members of WRSA.  A majority vote of the present and eligible voting members is a legal election.  Election results shall take effect immediately.  Candidates must meet the qualifications of office listed under Article IV, Section 2. If it is early in the school year and no candidates can meet the qualifications of attending at least 1 WRSA meeting or activity during the current year, then the candidates can include those who satisfied the qualifications during the previous school year.

 

Article V Elections

 

Section 1 Election of officers shall be held once a year at the last monthly general meeting of the current school year.

Section 2 Provisions for filling vacancies shall be announced at the second to last monthly general meeting. Students desiring to be considered for an officer position shall inform one of the current officers no later than the day before the set election date. Names of the students and the positions they are running for will be posted by way of blackboard and/or the associations website. All members who have paid the $1.00 membership due during the current year are eligible to vote for the officers. A majority vote of the present and eligible voting members is a legal election.

Section 3 The procedures for voting shall be done by a secret ballot if more than one student is running for a particular position. If all five of the officer positions are running unopposed, than a show of hands or a verbal vote will proceed.

 

Article VI Meetings

 

Section 1 Regular general meetings of this organization shall be held monthly and all five officers are responsible for notifying members of upcoming meetings by means of posters, flyers, announcements in classes, and the dates being listed on the associations blackboard and/or website.

Section 2 A quorum shall consist of 5 members at a general meeting in order to conduct the business of WRSA. The rules for order of the meetings shall be loosely based on parliamentary procedure. The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice Sturgis will be the specific source to be used in deciding questions of parliamentary procedure.

 

Article VII Advisors

 

Section 1 There shall be 1 or more faculty/staff advisors who shall be members ex-officio with no voting privileges.

 

Section 2 Method of selecting advisor/s is by meeting with the ABS faculty who are interested, shortly after the new officers are elected each year.

 

Section 3 Duties or responsibilities of advisor. Be available either in person, by phone, or email to help officers with questions, decisions, and goals. Attend as many general meetings and events as possible.

 

Article VIII Amendments

 

Section 1 The constitution may be amended by a vote of the majority of members who have paid the $1.00 membership due during the current year. Before a vote is taken, the part of the constitution that is being considered for change must be presented to the members in writing as it is currently written and how it will appear if the change is approved. Time also will be allotted for members to ask questions about the change before the vote is taken.