THE CONSTITUTION OF STUDENTS IN FREE ENTERPRISE
Ratified March 2007

PREAMBLE:
This constitution is to provide a guideline through which the membership of Students in Free Enterprise can conduct club business, organize, implement, and plan projects.
Students in Free Enterprise is a registered Wentworth organization. This organization provides quality activities for the student body in accordance with their expressed wishes, interests, and needs. We do so with the support of the student body, funding from the institution, and the authority granted to us from the Office of Student Leadership Programs. We are charged with upholding the standards of the Institute as well as the national SIFE Organization.

ARTICLE I:
NAME:
The name of this organization shall be Students in Free Enterprise or SIFE.

ARTICLE II:

PURPOSE:
The purpose of SIFE is to create a partnership between businesses and higher education, and to create an economic opportunity for members of the community, as well as connecting students with the process of understanding five areas of focus, including: market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and business ethics.

ARTICLE III:
MEMBERSHIP:
Any full time or part time student enrolled at Wentworth Institute of Technology shall be eligible for membership. In order to gain membership to SIFE, a student must attend three consecutive meetings and/or half the meetings of the current semester. Members must maintain active participation in order to retain their membership.
Section I: Advisors
The advisor of SIFE will be Leon Cort. The purpose of the advisor is to provide a link to the national SIFE Organization, and provide assistance with planning and networking to the members.
Section II: The Executive Officers
The Executive Cabinet will consist of the president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.
Section III: Executive Board Membership
The Executive Board will consist of all elected positions within SIFE.
Section IV: The Executive Board Members
A. Must maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 or above. In certain circumstances exceptions may be made by the Advisor.
B. Must attend all meetings. After three unexcused absences a review of the member's attendance will be conducted by the Executive Cabinet to determine whether the member should be removed from the board. Unexcused absences are those which are not accounted for fairly. Emergency excuses will be left to the discretion of the Executive Officers and advisor.
C. The term of office is one year and begins with the last day of final examinations. However, the newly elected board member will work with the present board member to form the next year's schedule. The new and the present board members will co-ordinate the first meeting of the next year.
D. Should a board member go on co-op during their tenure as an officer, they are expected to fulfill the responsibilities listed above.
E. If an Executive Board member is not fulfilling the responsibilities listed above, the Advisor and Executive Cabinet will conduct a review of their performance.
Section V: General Board Members
A. Must maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or above.
B. Must work within the committee structure of SIFE
C. In order to have a vote in an election, a general member must meet general membership requirements.

ARTICLE IV:
MEETINGS
Section I: General Meetings
Meetings will be held once a week. The day will be voted on by the members of SIFE at the beginning of each semester. A quorum, which is 50% of SIFE members, is required for a vote to be official. Resolutions are made by majority vote of those present and voting, unless stated otherwise in this constitution.
Meetings will be called to order by the president, unless another member has been appointed to do so. The president will then state the purpose of the meeting. At the end of the meeting the president will close the meeting by adjourning it. The secretary must record all meetings. Notice of all meetings must be posted at least one week in advance.
Section II: Committee Meetings
Each Project Leader shall have weekly or bi-weekly meetings to discuss all pertinent information to that committee. The coordinator and/or committee will decide upon the meeting day.
Section III: Special Meetings
In addition to the general and committee meetings, SIFE may also conduct meetings in order to prepare for upcoming competitions.


ARTICLE V:
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Section I: Executive Board
Each Project Leader is responsible for:
• Gathering a committee to assist them.
• Committees should contain any member who wishes to be involved in that committee
• Maintaining a binder, the binder must include any information regarding projects during the year
• Creating a timeline for project completion
• Each project leader must have an update for each meeting. If the project leader is unable to attend the meeting they will submit an update to SIFE at least 24 hours before the meeting

President
• Shall be the Chief Executive Officer of SIFE
• Will be responsible for the successful operation of SIFE
• Will submit an evaluation of SIFE Programs each semester to the entire board
• Will set SIFE’s goals and objectives for the coming year in conjunction with the project leaders during the current semester
• Will preside over general meetings and will develop agendas
• Will manage complaints and concerns and relate these to the board and individual members
• Will prepare and run preparation meetings
Vice President
• Will be responsible for membership development, including, but not limited to, recruitment and retention programs, retreats, motivation programs, in-service training, programs for organizational development and physical promotional media (i.e. teasers)
• Will be responsible outreach to other disciplines within the Institute
• Will facilitate weekly meetings in the absence of the president
• Will be acting president if the president resigns or leaves the position
• Will act as external liaison to student organizations
• Oversees advertising within the organization
• Will submit information to newspapers, including, but not limited to, press releases and advertisements

Secretary
• Will maintain minutes for executive board and general board meetings, taking attendance and posting the general board minutes within two days of the meeting; also in charge of keeping a membership directory
• Will serve as the Office Manager of SIFE maintaining inventory, order, control and stock of office supplies and stationary. Will also check the voice mail and take messages.
• Types, copies and files materials such as minutes
• Will run elections and any constitution amending
• Responsible for SIFE email address, website and screenname

Treasurer
• Monitor monetary funds
• Maintain monetary receipts and keeping a binder of all expenses
• Will manage all paperwork related to expenditure to ensure timely payments for goods and services
• Will keep an accurate accounting of all spending and income
• Will meet regularly with the SIFE advisor to coordinate payments and purchase orders
• Will be responsible for developing a budget proposal, in consultation with the Executive Board
• Will be responsible for ensuring SIFE following appropriate petty cash procedures


Section II: General Board Members
• Will attend general board meetings
• Will have a vote in the General Board
• Will elect future Executive Board Members
• May propose questions, suggestions, and complaints to the Executive Board
• Will be the starting place and sounding board of new ideas
• Will join one of the available committees

ARTICLE VI:
ADVISORS AND DUTIES THEREOF:
• A Staff Advisor serves as the Advisory Personnel for the Club
• The Advisor is the mainstay of the Club, representing continuity from year to year as club members change
• He/She transmits attitudes, values and behavioral norms to the club members through advising and social activities
• Keeps in contact with the club officers and counsels them on plans and operations
• The staff Advisor provides motivation and inspiration and offers information and general guidance
• The Advisor may write an annual "State of the Club" letter for inclusion with the Club's Annual Report

ARTICLE VII:
SIFE ELECTIONS:
SIFE general elections will be held in the spring semester, preferably during March, but no later than the second week of April every year, or at the discretion of the President. A quorum of eligible voting members of SIFE must be in attendance during elections. The candidate receiving the most votes for a position will be elected. The SIFE Secretary and Advisor will organize elections and oversee the entire process.

Section I: Nominations and Announcements

A. In order for a candidate to run for office they must:
1. Have obtained a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 at the time of election
2. Have attended over half of the general board meetings of the current semester
3. Be present during elections
B. Elections will be announced no later than two (2) weeks before they are to be held.
C. Nominations will begin two (2) weeks before the election meeting.
D. Nominations will end one (1) week before the election meeting.
E. Any SIFE Member may nominate him/herself or be nominated by another.
F. Any member who is nominated is required to complete an application for election. This will serve as intent to run for office, a release for GPA score, and candidate information for the delegation to make decisions for election.
G. Nominations will officially be opened and closed by the President during a regularly scheduled meeting.
H. A candidate may run for more than one (1) position, but not more than two (2). If a candidate is nominated for more than two (2) positions, they must choose which two (2) to run for. On their election application, they must note which their top choice is.

Section II: Election Meeting

A. The President will call the election meeting to order.
B. The Power of Mediator will be given to the Secretary until elections have ended.
C. A Ballot will have been designed prior to elections; the Secretary and SIFE Advisor will determine the order.
D. A candidate will be required to give a speech and answer questions from members before the voting begins. The order of speeches and the process of when voting begins will be determined by the Secretary and Advisor.
E. Absentee ballots will be accepted at the discretion of the Executive Board.

Section III: Voting

A. To be eligible to vote a member must:
a. Meet all the requirements of membership, as stated previously in the SIFE constitution
b. Be present during elections
B. A quorum of the eligible voting members of SIFE must be in attendance during elections. If this cannot be obtained, elections will be postponed for one (1) week. If after this attempt, a quorum cannot be obtained, the current executive cabinet and the Advisor will design a plan for a special election or appointments.
C. Members will vote by secret ballot. Once finished, the Advisor will tally the votes.
D. Members can be voted into a position as a write-in on the election ballot. If this should occur and a write-in wins the election, they will be asked to accept or decline the position and fill out an election application.
E. The candidate receiving the most votes for a position will be elected.
F. If a candidate should win more than one position, they will receive their top choice, as previously stated on their election application.

Section IV: Special Elections

In case of an open position in SIFE, a special election will be held. A special election can occur at any point during the year, except when the process of general elections has begun.

A. Only the executive cabinet of SIFE will call a special election.
B. Special elections will be announced one (1) week prior to the intended date for the election to be held.
C. Nominations will begin one (1) week prior to the election and end 24 hours before the election.
D. Candidates must meet general election criteria as stated above. All other rules and regulations of general elections other than the ones stated in this section shall apply.

ARTICLE VIII:
REPLACEMENT AND/OR REMOVAL OF OFFICERS:

• In the event that an officer resigns, there will be a vote for a new officer within one month. In the event the president resigns, the vice president will become the acting president and an election will be held for a new president
• Grounds for removal are when an officer fails to keep good academic standing (G.P.A. of 2.5) or is negligent in fulfilling his or her position requirements. There will be a meeting by the Executive Board and Advisor to remove an officer. The decision will be made by the majority of a vote. The officer, in his or her own defense, will have a right to state their side. The officer's inability to prove just cause will automatically result in removal of an officer and no statement of defense may be made by the officer

ARTICLE IX:
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS:

• Any member of the club may propose Amendments to the Constitution at any regular meeting
• Adoption of an amendment shall be by 2/3-majority vote. In order to vote on an amendment, a quorum must be obtained
• Any major amendments to the constitution shall be proposed two weeks before the amendment is voted upon: five signatures are required before the amendment may be considered. An amendment shall change if there is a 2/3-majority vote
• Any minor amendments to the constitution (i.e.: rewording a sentence, rephrasing clauses to fit the needs of the club) must have a majority vote at a general board meeting
• Constitution re-writing or major amending will be reported to and acted upon by the Secretary

ARTICLE X:
STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLAUSE:
SIFE agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of the Campus Center, the Office of Student Leadership Programs and Wentworth Institute of Technology. This constitution, amendments to it, and the by-laws of this club must be approved by the program coordinator, officers and Student Leadership to insure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned rules and regulations.