MTSORU Bylaws
Updated Fall, 2003

ARTICLE I- NAME

The name of the organization will be the Music Therapy Student Organization of Radford University (MTSORU).

ARTICLE II- MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to enthusiastically promote the field of music therapy, to enhance our professional perspective as students through experience and observation, both locally and globally, and to ultimately strive to instill in everyone an awareness of the important role music has in the healing of the mind, body, and spirit.

ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP

A.                 Membership will not be denied on the basis of race, gender, disability, age veteran status, national origin, religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.

B.                 In order to be a member of MTSORU you must:
1.                  Be a full-time Radford University student, or have been granted special dispensation upon meeting with the advisor and/or president.
2.                  Be able to attend regular organization meetings, or have been granted special dispensation upon meeting with the organization advisor and/or president
3.                  Pay dues within two weeks of the meeting at which the semester’s dues are established, or have been granted special dispensation upon meeting with the advisor and /or president.

C.                 Attendance at all regular organization meetings are mandatory for all members.  The President may excuse members who are unable to attend meetings throughout the semester from attendance.  Every member is allowed to have no more than three unexcused absences for meeting each semester.  The President will decide whether a situation will be excused or not.

D.                 In the event that a member’s absence exceeds three unexcused meetings, the following process will begin, to be discontinued immediately after the resolution of the issue at hand:
1.                  A verbal warning will be issued to the member
2.                  A meeting with the organization advisor, President, and member will be held in an attempt to resolve the issue.
3.                  Membership, for the remainder of the current semester, will be revoked

E.                  Expelled members forfeit all dues paid.

F.                  Active membership in the organization is defined as those members who have paid dues for the semester and are not absent in excess of three unexcused meetings, unless excused from attendance according to Article III, Section C.

 ARTICLE IV- MEETINGS

A.       The organization will hold weekly meetings during the Fall and Spring academic semesters.  The organization will vote upon the week-by-week format for meetings at the beginning of each semester.

B.                 Regular organization meetings may be canceled up to three days in advance or in extreme circumstances by the presiding officer, given just cause for doing so.

C.                 All meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

D.                 A quorum, required before voting may take place, will consist of the presence of a simple majority of active members.

ARTICLE V- OFFICERS

A.                 The Executive Board offices of the MTSORU shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Optional offices shall include Historian, Parliamentarian, and Chapter Representatives for MARAMTS.

B.                 Election of all offices will take place at the end of the Spring Semester, as is stipulated in Article VI, Section G, Subsection 3.

C.                 Each candidate for elected office must:
1.                  Be in good academic standing with Radford University
2.         Be a full-time Radford University student, or have been granted special dispensation upon meeting with the advisor and/or president.
3.         Be a music therapy major
4.                  Have been an active member in the organization for at least one semester
5.                  Be nominated for election by an active member of MTSORU

D.                 The process for election shall be:
1.                  Nomination followed by a second of motion, followed by acceptance of the nomination
2.                  A brief speech by each nominee, or, in the event of absence, a letter writing by the nominee which has been submitted to the president.
3.                  Upon the presence of a quorum, voting will take place trough the process of secret ballot
4.                  The election of each officer is determined by a 2/3 majority vote

E.                  Officers shall assume their duties at the meeting following their election unless the office has been vacant; in which case the assumption of duties takes place immediately after the election.

F.                  Removal of officers will proceed in two instances:
1.                  Election of new officers at the end of the Spring semester
2.                  Failure to meet the specific responsibilities for each respective office as outlined in Article VI.

G.        Removal from office shall be as follows:
            1.                   The officer shall meet with the President to resolve the issue
            2.         If the issue is not resolved, the officer shall meet with the President and the Organization’s Advisor.
            3.         If the issue is still not resolved, the President shall remove the officer from their position

H.        In the event that any officer vacates or is removed for office previous to Spring elections, the following process will begin during the next consecutive regular organizational meeting.
1.                  Nomination and election to the vacant office according to Article V, Section D
2.                  Each candidate for election previous to the Spring semester must meet the criteria stipulated in Article V, Section C

 ARTICLE VI- DUTIES OF OFFICERS

A.                 The duties of President shall be:
1.                  To preside over all meetings
2.                  To act as official spokesperson for the organization
3.                  To establish all committees on the basis of necessity
4.                  To meet with the organization advisor on a regular basis or as needed
            a.       To enact the removal of an officer as stated in Article V, Section F, Subsection 2.  5.                  To be responsible for all other executive duties that may arise and are not otherwise specified as the duties of another office

B.                 The duties of Vice President shall be:
1.                  To preside over meetings in the absence of the President
2.                  To assume the office of president, if vacated, until the organization can vote to fill the vacancy
3.                  To support and assist the President with all organization issues
4.                  To supervise all established committees
5.                  To enact the removal of committee chairpersons upon negligence, as stated in Article VII, Section D, Subsection 2

C.                 The duties of  Secretary shall be:
1.                  To accurately record reports, motions, announcements, and other events at all organization meetings
2.                  To produce typed copies of these records for the organization bulletin board, the organization advisor, and to any organization member upon request.
3.                  To present the records at each meeting, for the process of acceptance by the organization
4.                  To publicize all upcoming meetings and events
5.                  To handle all organization correspondence

D.                 The duties of the Treasurer shall be:
1.                  To maintain a record of all cash transactions, recording the source of the funds and receiver of the funds
2.                  To maintain a written record of all check transactions, recording the number of each check written and received, the writers of the check, and the reason the checks were written
3.                  To report the monetary amount of the treasury at each meeting when necessary
4.                  To set dues at the beginning of each academic semester, keeping a written record of all dues paid, and to present this record at meetings when necessary
5.                  To create and maintain an accurate roster of all active organization members for each semester
6.                  To maintain accurate attendance records of all organization meetings
7.                  To report to the President in the event that any member’s absences exceed three unexcused meetings.

E.                  The duties of the Historian shall be:
1.                  To produce a detailed scrapbook,  recording all organization activities and/or achievements, with a minimum of five entries per semester
2.                  To produce or obtain photos of each organization event, to be neatly compiled with appropriate scrapbook entries
3.                  To obtain community music therapy related or organization related newspaper clippings, to be neatly displayed in the scrapbook
4.                  To assist the Secretary in publicizing all the organization’s events

F.                  The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be:
1.                  To have an accurate knowledge of the organization’s constitution and be available at all regular meetings to answer questions concerning its content and interpretation
2.                  To have an accurate knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised
3.                  To have copies of the organization’s constitution and bylaws readily available at all meetings
4.                  To educate new members about the organization’s constitution and general meeting agenda
5.                  To assist the President in deciding matters of procedure according to the constitution, bylaws, and Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

G.                 The duties of the two Chapter Representatives for MARAMTS shall be:
1.                  To attend all necessary MARAMTS functions and meetings
2.                  To give a verbal report of the above mentioned functions or meetings at the next regular MTSORU meeting
3.                  If a chapter representative is unavailable or unable to complete the duties of the office, election shall take place according to Article V, Section G.

 ARTICLE VII- COMMITTEES

A.                 The President shall establish committees as necessary.

B.                 All committees shall have a committee chairperson chosen by the committee members

C.                 The duties of each committee chairperson shall be:
1.                  To preside over all committee meetings
2.                  To delegate duties to members of the committee
3.                  To report to the Vice President and at regular meetings, as necessary, on all actions of the committee

D.                 Removal of a committee chairperson will proceed in two instances:
1.                  Re-assignment of the position by the members of the committee
2.                  Failure to meet the responsibilities outlined in Article VII, Section C

E.                  Removal of committee chairperson shall be as follows:

1.       The chairperson shall meet with the Vice President to resolve the issue

2.      If the issue is not resolved, the chairperson shall meet with the Vice President and President.

3.       If the issue is still not resolved, the Vice President shall remove the chairperson from their position
 

F.                  Committees shall be dissolved by the President when no longer necessary
 

ARTICLE VII- ADMENDMENTS

A.                 This constitution may be amended in whole or in part by a ¾ majority vote of the active member present.

B.                 A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing and list the articles, sections, and subsection it addresses.  It must be presented before the organization as a whole, after which it is automatically tabled until the next regular meeting.  At that time, the amendments may be discussed and voted on.

C.                 Copies of this constitution and all amendments shall be submitted to the organization’s advisor and the Dean of Students’ office for approval

D.                 Any renumbering or re-lettering required as a result of additions or deletions made to this constitution shall be considered done without further specifications.

E.                  This constitution and bylaws shall be revised every two years or as sooner if necessary. 

BYLAW REVISIONS

IV.G.3.            Changed Junior/Senior/Graduate Rep to Chapter Rep.

            RATIONALE: MARAMTS changed the title of the position and we updated our bylaws to reflect this change. (10-3-03)

 III.B.1.             Included the statement about part-time students.

            RATIONALE:  Some music therapy students following the equivalency program may not have enough required courses to be full-time students each semester. (10-10-03)

 V.A      .           Changed Junior/Senior/Graduate Rep to Chapter Rep.

            RATIONALE: MARAMTS changed the title of the position and we updated our bylaws to reflect this change. (12-5-03)

 V.C.2.              Included the statement about part-time students.

            RATIONALE:  Some music therapy students following the equivalency program may not have enough required courses to be full-time students each semester. (12-5-03)

 V.D.2.              Included statement about absentee letter for nominations.

            RATIONALE:  Some situations may arise where the nominee has an excused absence and cannot be present to give their speech. Through the addition of the letter, the nominee has an option to provide their speech to remain a candidate for office. (12-5-03)

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