CONSTITUTION OF THE LINUX/UNIX USERS GROUP
October 2003

Article I: Name

  • The official name of the organization will be the Linux/UNIX Users Group (LUG).

Article II: Objectives

  • To further students knowledge of Linux and UNIX based operating systems.
  • To inform and discuss advancements in computing technology.

Article III: Membership

  • Qualifications
    • Currently enrolled student at MTU.
    • Attend two meetings.
    • Payment of dues.
    • Voting membership is to be granted only to current members who attend at least one meeting a month.
    • In compliance with Michigan Technological University's Board of Control Equal Opportunity Policy effective 7/20/90, the Linux/UNIX Users Group will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, height, weight, or marital status. The Linux/UNIX Users Group upholds the policy of not discriminating against handicapper individual's or veterans.

Article IV: Officers

  • Offices
    • President
    • Vice President
    • Secretary
    • Treasurer
    • Server Administrator
    • Public Relations Officer
  • Officer Qualifications
    • All officers must be currently enrolled MTU students.
    • All officers must be holding a 2.00 GPA or higher at the time they are elected.
  • Elections Superceded by Amendment II, see below.
    • Voting is to be done by secret ballot with the ballots being counted by the secretary. If the secretary is a candidate a non-candidate will be chosen to count.
    • A plurality vote of the regular members will determine the outcome.
    • Officer elections will be held within 3 weeks of the end of regular class session.
    • The President will appoint an interim officer in the event of vacancy.
  • Officer Duties
    • President: The president will preside over meetings. S/he shall organize meeting topics and discussions.
    • Vice President: The vice president shall assume the duties of the president in his/her absence.
    • Secretary: The secretary will ensure important topics and discussion are noted as s/he deems fit, ensure the arrangements for a meeting place are secure, take a roster as needed, and keep accurate minutes.
    • Treasurer: The treasurer shall keep records of all income, expenditures, and other financial matters. S/he will prepare a budget before the end of the spring semester with the assistance of the outgoing treasurer.
    • Server Administrator: S/he maintains services, security, user authorization, and hardware.
    • Public Relations Officer: S/he is the liaison between the LUG, the student body, faculty, and administration.
  • Impeachment
    • An officer may be impeached and removed if s/he does not satisfy their responsibilities and the regular members agree by at least a two thirds vote.

Article V: Advisor

  • The advisor shall be a member of the faculty of MTU. S/he shall assist the officers, and offer knowledge and wisdom to all participating members.
  • The advisor is elected in the same manner as the officers. The election results are the forwarded to the Office of Student Activities, which then appoints an advisor, which may or may not be the elected advisor.
  • The term for an advisor is one year.

Article VI: Meetings

  • Meetings shall be held at least twice monthly.
  • Greater than fifty percent of the regularly attending members makes a quorum.

Article VII: Dues

  • Payment of dues is a requirement of membership.
  • Dues will be set at the time of the annual officer elections.
  • Dues will be approved by a majority vote of the regular members.
  • Dues must be paid by the fourth week of each semester.
  • Dues are paid to the treasurer.

Article VIII: Constitution

  • Adoption
    • This constitution must be ratified by two-thirds majority of voting members.
    • It will take effect when approved by The Office of Student Affairs or its designated representative.
  • Amendments Superceded by Amendment III, see below.
    • Amendments can be made by any member and must be submitted in writing to the secretary.
    • A greater than fifty percent majority of the voting members is required for the amendment to pass.
    • It will take effect when approved by The Office of Student Affairs or its designated representative.

Amendment I: Presidential Succession

  • In the event that the President is physically unable to perform his/her duties, the following order of succession will be used:
    • Vice President
    • Secretary
    • Treasurer
    • Server Admin (interim position)
  • The new President will then appoint a member to fill their old role until the next election. In the case of the Server Admin assuming the Presidency, it is an interim appointment. Elections will be held for new officers and then the Server Admin will resume his/her previous role.

Amendment II: Elections

  • Special elections will be held as needed during regularly scheduled meetings to fill vacant officer positions.
  • Regular elections will be held during the regular meeting 5 weeks before the end of the term. At this time, officer-elects will begin training with the current officers so they are capable in their new positions.
  • Officers are elected for one-year terms that begin after the final day of exams during the Spring term.

Amendment III Amending the Constitution

Henceforth, the amendment process shall be as follows:
  • Any voting member may submit an amendment to the Secretary.
  • The Secretary is then to submit the amendment to all the officers for discussion. The amendment may be edited at this point. A simple majority vote of the officers will then be taken. If a majority is in favor, a general vote will occur.
  • The vote for the amendment will take place at the next regularly scheduled General meeting once the following occurs:
    • After a majority vote of officers succeeds, the President must send out a message informing the mailing list of the impending vote within 2 days.
    • This message must be sent at least 3 days before the vote. If there are not three days before the meeting, the vote must take place at the following regular meeting. The message should explain who is eligible for voting privileges and the language of the amendment.
  • A 2/3 majority of voting members present at the regular meeting after the constituency has been informed is required to pass the amendment. If it does not pass, it is to be sent back to the officers for consideration or abandonment.
  • It will take effect when approved by the Office of Student Activities.

Amendment IV Server Administration Team

  • The server administrator eBoard position shall now be named the Server Administration Team.
  • The Server Administration Team shall be made up of three regular LUG members.
  • If possible, the Server Administration Team shall contain at least one previous team member of a previous semester.
  • All open Server Administration Team positions shall be elected through the standard election process.
  • Every Server Administration Team member must be able to regularly attend meetings.
  • The Server Administration Team duties are to maintain services, security, user authorization, hardware and up to date server documentation.

Amendment V - Discrimination Policy

    The Linux Users Group.s discrimination policy will be as follows:
  • In compliance with Michigan Technological University's Board of Control Equal Opportunity Policy effective February 24, 2011, Linux Users Group will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, height, weight, genetic information, or marital status. In addition, the organization is committed to the policy of not discriminating against disabled individuals and veterans.
Items in italics are included verbatim to comply with MTU Student Organization Policy in conjunction with the MTU Office of Student Affairs.