SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
SILICON VALLEY CHAPTER
BYLAWS

ARTICLE I. NAME

Section 1. Name

The name of this corporation shall be the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers- Silicon Valley (SHPE-SV), Incorporated, also known as the San Jose Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers herein referred to as the SHPE-SV.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

Section 1. Purpose

SHPE-SV strives to promote the development of Latinos in engineering, science and other technical professions to achieve educational excellence, economic opportunity and social equity.

Section 2. Chapter

SHPE-SV shall also be a catalyst within its jurisdiction to promote membership and future chapter growth through its committee development process.

ARTICLE III. OBJECTIVES

Section 1. The objectives of SHPE-SV shall be to:

a. Inform the general public of technical contributions and achievements of Hispanics.

b. Provide a forum for exchange of technical information, professional and personal development.

c. Promote advancement of Hispanic engineers and scientists in employment and education.

d. Encourage improvement of the quality of education and promote programs that prepare students for technical careers.

e. Be the premiere Hispanic technical organization in bringing technology to other Hispanic non-profits and educational institutions.

f. Develop and participate in programs with industry and educational institutions that benefit students seeking technical careers.

g. The premiere conduit for Silicon Valley companies to hire experienced Hispanic engineers.

ARTICLE IV. JURISDICTION

Section 1. Geographic Boundaries

This chapter shall exercise its jurisdiction over the area included within the geographic boundaries of the following counties of the State of California: Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, King and San Luis Obispo.

 

Section 2. Sub-Chapters

Sub-chapters may be formed anywhere within SHPE-SV jurisdiction. Sub-chapter headquarters shall remain within the immediate Santa Clara County area until the sub-chapter turns into a new chapter recognized by SHPE-National.

Section 3. Jurisdiction Changes

SHPE-SV's jurisdiction may be reduced in geographic size if sub-chapters outside the immediate Santa Clara County area evolve into new chapters officially approved and recognized by SHPE. In this case, those counties that can best be served by the new chapter, as determined by members in the respective counties, shall be subject to jurisdiction transfer to the new chapter.

ARTICLE V. SUB-CHAPTERS

Section 1. Sub-Chapter Formation

To enhance active participation of members over the area of SHPE-SV's jurisdiction, sub-chapters may be formed under the following guidelines:

a. Sub-chapters shall be made up of at least twenty (10) active members who elect to form the sub-chapter.

b. No new sub-chapter may be formed within thirty (30) miles of another sub-chapter unless approved by SHPE-SV's Executive Board.

Section 2. Executive Board Representation

Sub-chapters are entitled to elect a chapter Vice President to represent their sub-chapter on SHPE-SV's Executive Board.

Section 3. Chapter Development

Sub-chapters outside the immediate Santa Clara area are encouraged to develop their membership and activities to official chapter status consistent with the process established by Article IV of these bylaws and SHPE-National bylaws.

ARTICLE VI. MEMBERSHIP

This Chapter shall have two types of memberships: individual and group.

Section 1. Individual

Individual members shall be composed of the following types: Regular, Associate, Honorary, Student and Associate Student.

a. Regular members shall be persons holding a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or science. Six (6) years or more of related experience in engineering or science may be substituted for the Bachelor of Science degree. Regular members may hold office and are entitled to cast one vote in the election of officers and all business of the general membership.

b. Associate members shall be persons who believe and support the objectives and goals of SHPE and who do not qualify for regular membership. They shall NOT be entitled to nominate, vote, or hold a position in the board.

    1. Honorary members shall be persons who have been awarded a membership by the Executive Board.

      2.  

      They shall be Hispanic persons who have accomplished an outstanding achievement in their engineering or scientific profession.

      OR

      Persons who have substantially demonstrated support for the advancement of Hispanic persons in the fields of engineering and science within the community.

      d. Student members shall be students enrolled in a curriculum leading to a degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or computer science. Students enrolled in community colleges and technical schools having engineering, science, mathematics, or computer science curriculum are also included.

      e. Associate student members shall be students who believe and support the objectives and goals of SHPE and do not qualify for student membership.

      Section 13. Termination of Membership, Recall and Vacancies

      13.1 Resignation by Members. Any member regular or otherwise, may terminate his/her membership at anytime, upon written notification to the Secretary of this Chapter with the effective date of resignation.

      13.2 Termination of Membership by Board. The Board of Directors may terminate any member for any infraction of the Bylaws, rules and/or regulations of this Chapter.

      13.3 Procedure for Expulsion. Following the determination that a member should be expelled under Section 13.2 above, the following procedure shall be implemented:

      13.3.1 A notice shall be sent by mail by first-class mail, or registered mail to the most recent address of the member as shown on the organization's records, setting forth the expulsion and the reasons therefor. Notice may also be provided by personal delivery or by facsimile transmission or other method provided that actual receipt of such notice by the member can be confirmed. Such notice shall be sent at least 15 days before the proposed effective date of the expulsion.

      13.3.2 The member being expelled shall be given an opportunity to be heard, either orally or in writing, at a hearing to be held not fewer that 5 days before the effective date of the proposed expulsion. The hearing will be held by a special member expulsion committee composed of three persons appointed by the Chapter President. If the Chapter President is the subject of the expulsion then the Chapter Vice-President will appoint one or more persons to the expulsion committee. The notice to the member of his or her proposed expulsion shall state the date, time, and place of the hearing on his or her proposed expulsion.

      13.3.3 Following the hearing, the expulsion committee shall decide whether or not the member should in fact be expelled, suspended, or sanctioned in some other way. The decision of the committee shall be final.

      13.4 Recall of a Board Member. A Board Member can be removed from office by a recall election. A chaper candidate for recall can be nominated by submitting a petition to the Chapter Secretary and a copy separately to as any of the other officers on the Chapter Board. The petition must be signed by fifty-one percent (51%) of the regular membership. The Board must appoint an AD-HOC recall election committee as soon as possible or no later than the next scheduled Board meeting. After the petition is received by the officers. The committee shall validate the petition signatures, and upon validation, a recall election will be organized and conducted within two months of the committee's formation. A simple majority of the votes of eligible voting members is necessary to recall any Board member. A regional member of the board is subject to the same procedure, except that only eligible voting members of the particular region will be considered as petitioners and voters.

    2. 13.5 Vacancies on the Board. Any Board member who does not attend nor submits a written report for three (3) consecutive Board meetings shall be terminated from the Board. Any Director of the Board (including any elected officer) whose society membership is terminated by the Board or has been recalled by the membership is automatically vacated from SHPE office and from the Board. A Chapter President who is terminated from membership in the society or is recalled is vacated from that office and is not considered as an immediate past-president for Board membership in the succeeding term. A vacated office of president is filled by the Chapter Vice-President Edu for the unexpired term. That person is eligible to be a Board member as an immediate past-president for the following term. Any other elected office, with the exception of Immediate Past President, is filled by the Board for the unexpired portion of the term.

Section 2. Group Membership

Group membership shall be composed of the following types: Student Chapters and Industrial/Academic/Institutional.

a. Student chapters may be established at colleges, junior colleges, and technical schools providing a formal curriculum in engineering, science, mathematics, or computer science. Applications for the establishment of chapters will be reviewed for approval by the Executive Board of the Chapter and recommendations made to the Board of Directors of SHPE, Incorporated.

b. Industrial/Academic/Institutional members shall be organizations that support SHPE's goals and objectives.

Section 3. Dues

a. The amount of annual dues for each category shall be determined by SHPE-SV. Dues are to be paid directly to SHPE-SV. SHPE-SV will forward any proportion of dues to SHPE National per the current policy.

b. Dues shall be payable to SHPE-SV in advance on or before the first (1st) day of July of each year. Dues of new members shall NOT be prorated.

c. Termination of membership -- The Executive Board may suspend or expel any member who becomes ineligible for membership by reason of the default in payment of dues for the period fixed in Article VI, Section 3(b) of these bylaws.

d. Reinstatement -- A member will be reinstated into SHPE-SV upon reapplying for membership and payment of dues for the entire current fiscal year.

 

 

 

Section 4. Resignation and Termination

    1. Resignation by Members. Any member regular or otherwise, may terminate his/her membership at anytime, upon written notification to the Secretary of this Chapter with the effective date of resignation.
    2. Termination of Membership by Board. The Board of Directors may terminate any member for any infraction of the Bylaws, rules and/or regulations of this Chapter.
    3. Procedure for Expulsion. Following the determination that a member should be expelled under Section 14.2 above, the following procedure shall be implemented:
      1. A notice shall be sent by mail by first-class mail, or registered mail to the most recent address of the member as shown on the organization's records, setting forth the expulsion and the reasons therefor. Notice may also be provided by personal delivery or by facsimile transmission or other method provided that actual receipt of such notice by the member can be confirmed. Such notice shall be sent at least 15 days before the proposed effective date of the expulsion.
      2. The member being expelled shall be given an opportunity to be heard, either orally or in writing, at a hearing to be held not fewer that 5 days before the effective date of the proposed expulsion. The hearing will be held by a special member expulsion committee composed of three persons appointed by the Chapter President. If the Chapter President is the subject of the expulsion then the Chapter Vice-President will appoint one or more persons to the expulsion committee. The notice to the member of his or her proposed expulsion shall state the date, time, and place of the hearing on his or her proposed expulsion.
      3. Following the hearing, the expulsion committee shall decide whether or not the member should in fact be expelled, suspended, or sanctioned in some other way. The decision of the committee shall be final.

 

ARTICLE VII. OFFICERS

The Chapter officers shall consist of a President, one or more Vice Presidents, (number to be determined by the membership) a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Vice President elected by and to represent each sub-chapter.

Section 1. President

The President shall represent the Chapter and be responsible for all business concerning the Chapter. The President shall have full power in the management and business of the Chapter and/or other functions or activities by or under the direction of this Chapter, subject to the approval of the Chapter Executive Board.

Section 2. Vice President(s)

Vice President(s) shall assist the President in all business concerning the Chapter, and shall consist of:

a. One (1) lst Vice President's Education, to be elected by all regular Chapter members and shall act as President Pro-tem in the absence of the President. One (1) 2nd Vice President of Communications and Vice President of Technology will to also be elected by all regular Chapter numbers and succeed the lst Vice President in the absence of the President in the respective order just stated.

and the lst Vice President.

b. Vice President of Education shall be responsible for the EXCEL Committee and the Community Service Coordinator/Committee.

c. Vice President of Communications shall be responsible for the Socials/Membership Committee, the University Relations Committee and setting up of monthly meetings with company representatives.

d. Vice President of Technology shall be responsible for the Netday Committee, Web Committee and advise on all technical issues.

 

eb. Other Vice Presidents of the Chapter are to be established as agreed to by the Chapter Executive Board.

fc. One (1) Vice President from each sub-chapter to be elected by the sub-chapter membership to represent their respective sub-chapter on the Executive Board and assume the leadership and responsibility of implementing Chapter policy within their respective sub-chapter. These Vice Presidents will essentially serve as Presidents of their respective sub-chapters.

gd. The Immediate Past President shall serve as a voting member of the Executive Board and as an Advisor to the President and the Executive Board as necessary. The Immediate Past President shall chair the Nominations/Elections Committee.

Section 3. Secretary

The Secretary shall keep a record of all proceedings; coordinate the issuance of membership certificates; make proper entries in the books of the Chapter; and serve all notices required by Law or by the Bylaws of the Chapter. In addition, the Secretary shall be responsible for forwarding all legal records to SHPE National at the end of each fiscal year and coordinate organize the end of the year Banquet Committee..

Section 4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of dues, the disbursement of authorized funds, and the banking and accounting of all Chapter funds. The Treasurer shall make monthlyquarterly financial reports listing all liabilities and assets of the Chapter to the Executive Board. It will be the Treasurer's responsibility to present SHPE National with an annual budget and financial report as required. All financial reports required by the State of California or the Federal Government are the responsibility of the Treasurer. Plus update and maintain membership database.

Section 5. Elections and Term of Office

5.1 Term of Office. Offices shall be held for a period of (1) year.

5.2 Role of the Nominations/Elections Committee. The election of the Officers shall be organized and directed by the Nominations committee. The actions of the committee must be impartial and fair to all the candidates. The committee will prepare the ballots to be mailed to all eligible for regular members and eligible student chapters to vote for the President, Vice-President, Secretary and the Treasurer. Nominations committee shall notify the membership in 15 days of the open offices and solicit nominations for candidates as prescribed below.

5.3 Timing of Nominations, Elections & Assumption of Office. Newly elected Officers will assume their official capacities on the first day of July. The notification of open offices and nominations shall be conducted no earlier than April 1 and nominations shall be received by April 25th. The mailing of ballots shall be no later than May 1st, and the completed ballots should be received by May 31st. Ballots shall be counted and winners announced by the June member meeting.

5.4 Record Date for Regular/Professional Members. Any regular member whose dues are received ( or postmarked ) by Feb 15th to the SHPE Office shall be eligible to vote in the National Election.

5.5 Nominations for More Than One Office. A candidate shall not run for more than one concurrent office. If nominated to more than one office, the candidate must decide which positions he/she wants to run for. In addition, an individual shall not hold more than one elected concurrent office within SHPE Inc. If elected to two different offices, a candidate must decide which office he/she will take. If a position in the Board is vacated because of this reason, the position will be filled by the runner-up candidate.

5.6 Election Results. The ballots shall be collected and counted by the Nominations committee. Candidates receiving the highest number of votes per office shall be declared the winners.

5.7 Absentee Ballots. Absentee ballots shall be counted separately. Absentee ballots may be obtained from the Socials and Nominations committee, must be sealed in an envelope which shall be signed and dated and must be submitted to the committee at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the ballot deadline.

5.8 Nomination and Election of Officers. The President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary, and the Treasurer shall be elected by a vote of eligible regular members and chartered student chapters. Each eligible regular member and chartered student chapter shall have one vote per office. The name of the candidates must be before the deadline to the Socials and Nominations committee.

5.9 Immediate Past President. The president shall assume the position of the immediate past president on the Board upon completion of his/her term.

Section 6. Recall of a Board Member

A Board Member can be removed from office by a recall election. A chapter candidate for recall can be nominated by submitting a petition to the Chapter Secretary and a copy separately to as any of the other officers on the Chapter Board. The petition must be signed by fifty-one percent (51%) of the regular membership. The Board must appoint an AD-HOC recall election committee as soon as possible or no later than the next scheduled Board meeting. After the petition is received by the officers. The committee shall validate the petition signatures, and upon validation, a recall election will be organized and conducted within two months of the committee's formation. A simple majority of the votes of eligible voting members is necessary to recall any Board member. A regional member of the board is subject to the same procedure, except that only eligible voting members of the particular region will be considered as petitioners and voters.
    1. A notice that a removal vote will be taken at the next meeting shall be mailed to the general membership (or sub-chapter membership in the case of its Vice President removal) at least fourteen (14) days, but not more than thirty (30) days, prior to such action.
    2. A favorable-vote of two thirds (2/3) of the members voting on the issue is required for implementation of the removal.

Section 7. Vacancies on the Board

      1. A vacancy in any office because of death, resignation disqualification, or otherwise, shall be filled by the Executive Board for the unexpired portion of the term.
      2. Any Board member who does not attend nor submits a written report for three (3) consecutive Board meetings shall be terminated from the Board. Any Director of the Board (including any elected officer) whose society membership is terminated by the Board or has been recalled by the membership is automatically vacated from SHPE office and from the Board. A Chapter President who is terminated from membership in the society or is recalled is vacated from that office and is not considered as an immediate past-president for Board membership in the succeeding term. A vacated office of president is filled by the Chapter Vice-President of Education for the unexpired term. That person is eligible to be a Board member as an immediate past-president for the following term. Any other elected office, with the exception of Immediate Past President, is filled by the Board for the unexpired portion of the term.

 

ARTICLE VIII. EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. Members

The Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers (each of whom is entitled to one (1) vote) and two (2) student representatives appointed by the Student members (each of whom is entitled to one (1) vote). Also, standing committee chairs shall be voting members of the Executive Board.

Section 2. Duties and Powers

  1. The duties of the Executive Board shall be to carry out the purposes and objectives of the Chapter and the expressed policies and desires of the Chapter's general membership.
  2. The Executive Board shall have the power to manage the business of the Chapter, subject to the restrictions imposed by the law and these bylaws.

Specific powers of the Executive Board shall be:

    1. To make and change regulations consistent with these Bylaws.
    2. To appoint and remove all agents and employees of the Chapter.
    3. To pay for any property purchased by the Chapter either wholly or partly in money, bonds bebentures or other securities of the Chapter.
    4. To borrow money, transact all legal business with respect to making and issuing notes, bonds or other negotiable or transferable instruments and to do every act necessary to effectuate the same.
    5. To appoint additional committees in accordance with these Bylaws and to define the powers and duties of said committees.
    6. To select and designate banks or trust companies or official depositories of funds and to prescribe and order the manner in which deposits or withdrawals are made.

Section 3. Compensation of Executive Board Members

Executive Board members shall not receive any stated salary for their services. Nothing herin contained shall be construed to not allow any board member from serving the Chapter in any capacity and receiving compensation thereof.

Section 4. Order of Succession

In the absence of the President, the 1st Vice-President of Education shall act in his/her capacity, with the 2ndVice President of Communication succeeding the lst Vice President of Education. If the 2nd Vice President of Communication is unable to do so, the Executive Board will select one of the Sub-Chapter Vice Presidents or other Chapter officer to act for the President.

 

ARTICLE IX. COMMITTEES

Section 1. Committee Establishment

The Executive Board shall have the power to establish any additional committees to conduct the business of this Chapter. The President may appoint any Regular member to chair such a committee and may also elect to have the members of the specific committee select their own chairperson from amongst themselves. Each committee shall be responsible for submitting a fiscal budget.

Section 2. Standing Committees

At least one elected member shall be an each of the standing committees. The

elected officers will be members of the committees that are responsible for and report on the committees activities at the executive board and general meetings. Treasurer shall be a member of the Finance Committee, The Secretary shall be a member of the Membership Committee. The 2ud Vice President shall be a member of the Programs Committee. The let Vice President shall be a member of the Educational Committee @ tThe President Shall serve as an ex-officio, member of all standing committees.

The Chapter shall have the following standing committees

a. Membership

The Membership Committee shall:
      1. Prepare application forms and coordinate with SHPE National for consistency in this regard.
      2. Issue membership certificates.

b. Excel

The Excel Committee shall:
      1. Establish and coordinate a educational program for middle-school-age minority (and non-minority) youths in the subjects of engineering, science, technology, math, history, and English.

c. Community Service

The Community Service Committee shall:
      1. Establish and administer Programs as appropriate to further the Chapter goals to serve as mentors, role models, and speakers to the greater community we live in.

d. Marketing Finance

The Marketing Committee shall:
      1. Coordinate and execute/ a complete 5 year marketing plan for the Chapter Annual Banquet.
      2. Provide other assistance to the Executive committee for the transaction of day to day marketing, i.e. brochures, banners, business cards etcbusiness.
      3. Prepare Treasury and other financial reports as necessary and by direction of the Executive Board.

e. Netday

Netday Committee shall:
      1. Plan and execute SHPE-SV Netday activities/goals.
      2. Coordinate the school and the SHPE-SV volunteers in designing, wiring, implementing hardware and software aspects of connecting schools or other non-profit organizations to the internet.
      3. Coordinate training workshops for SHPE-SV members on how networks are designed and how they work.
    1. University Relations

University Relations Committee shall:
      1. Maintain effective communication with Cal Poly, SJSU, SCU, & Stanford SHPE student leaders.
    1. Web

Web Committee shall:
      1. Responsible for SHPE-SV website development and maintenance.

 

Section 3. The Chapter shall have the following Event Committees:

    1. Scholarships Committee

The Scholarships Committee shall:
      1. Plan and execute SHPE-SV scholarship applications to university chapters in our jurisdiction.
      2. Coordinate the selection criteria.
      3. Select the awardees.
      4. Conduct fundraising and grant applications to fund this committee

    1. Nomination/Elections Committee

The Nomination/Elections Committee shall:
      1. Plan and execute SHPE-SV nominations and elections per these bylaws.
    1. Banquet Committee

The Banquet Committee shall:
      1. Plan and execute the SHPE-SV annual awards and installation banquet.

Section 4. Terms of Committee Membership

Committee Membership shall continue for one (1) fiscal year or until a successors isare appointed/elected, unless the Executive Board removes members, disqualified or the committee is otherwise terminated.

ARTICLE X. MEETINGS

Section 1. Annual Election Meeting

An annual election meeting of the membership shall be held during the early part of the month of May. At this meeting, Chapter Officers will be elected. Election results shall be made public 7 days after Election Day.

Section 2. General Meeting

In addition to the Annual Election Meeting, at least 8 general membership meetings shall he held each fiscal year.

Section 3. Sub-Chapter Meetings

Sub-chapters shall meet at least every two months during the fiscal year.

Section 4. Committee Meetings

Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the committee chairperson.

Section 5. Executive Board Meetings

The Executive Board shall meet at least every two-months during the fiscal year. To establish a quorum, not less than one half (1/2) of the Executive Board must be present. Members may attend.

Section 6. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the general membership may be called by the president or any three (3) members of the Executive Board.

Section 7. Notice of Meetings

Notice stating the place, day, and time of any meeting of the membership shall be delivered, either verbally in writing, on the web and/or via email to each member entitled to vote at such meeting, not less than seven (7) or more than thirty (30) days prior to the date of such meeting, by or at the direction of the President, or the officers calling the meeting.

Section 8. Rules

All meetings shall follow and abide by "Robert's Rules of Order".

 

ARTICLE XI. ASSETS

Section 1. Assets

In the event that this Chapter is dissolved, any assets shall become the property of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Incorporated, (SHPE National).

ARTICLE XII. DONATIONS

Section 1. Foundation Donations -501(c)3

Donations for Education Grants and other education purposes under the auspices of the SHPE Foundation shall be referred directly to the Foundation. Donor requests regarding the disbursement of their donations to recipients from or for specific regional jurisdictions shall be honored.

Section 2. Chapter Donations -501(c)3

An Educational Grants Foundation shall eventually be formed to serve the needs of the Chapter.

ARTICLE.XIII. FISCAL/MEMBERSHIP YEAR

Section 1. Fiscal/Membership Year

The fiscal year of the chapter shall begin on July one (1) and end on June thirty first (31) of the subsequent year.

ARTICLE XIV. LIABILITY OF MEMBERS

Section 1. Liability

No member of this Chapter shall be personally or otherwise liable for any debts, liabilities, and/or obligations of the Chapter.

ARTICLE XV. AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

Section 1. Amendment Procedures

  1. A copy of the proposed amendment shall be mailed to the general membership at least sixty fourteen (6014) days, but not more than thirty (30) days prior to a vote at the meeting
  2. A favorable vote of two thirds (2/3) of the members voting on the issue is required for amendment passage.
  3. The proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary for presentation to the general membership at an annual or general meeting of the general membership.
  4. Subsequent to the Board of Directors' approval, a presidential appointee shall mail ballots to each paid Regular/Professional member within sixty days from the amendment's approval by the Board of Directors. Ballots received, by the appointee, within three weeks from the date of mailing shall constitute valid votes.
  5. The amendment shall be submitted to SHPE National for verification.