I.            Purpose

The purpose of the Union Programs and Activities Committee Sound, hereafter referred to as UPAC Sound, is to provide the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community with high quality sound reinforcement at a reasonable price. UPAC Sound is an extension of the Executive Board of the Rensselaer Union.

II.            Membership

 .                     Affirmative Action and Hazing

                                                1.            It is the policy of UPAC Sound to provide to the maximum extent feasible, equal opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual preference, or handicap for all aspects of club activities.

                                                2.            Reckless or intentional endangerment to health or forced consumption of alcohol or other drugs for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with UPAC Sound is strictly prohibited.

III.            Member Definition

                                                1.            Regular Members

                                                                         a.            All currently registered "regular" Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students who have paid the Rensselaer Union full time activity fee and their spouses shall be eligible for regular membership. ("Regular" is monitored by RPI's Bursar. It denotes a student whose first priority is school and not a job.)

                                                                        b.            Any student who was registered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the spring semester and is registered for the Fall semester will be considered a student during the summer session and will therefore be eligible to be a regular member during the summer session.

                                                                         c.            Any student eligible for regular membership shall become a regular member upon completion of training and approval of the UPAC Sound Officers.

                                                2.            Voting Members

a.     Voting members shall be those regular members who have been in attendance of at least two (took out ‘consecutive’) regularly scheduled general meetings with in the last semester and who have worked at least two shows as a UPAC Sound Technician with in the last semester;  A technician being someone who has completely the training requirements set forth by the current chairs.

                                                3.            Associate Members

                                                                         a.            Continuing education, part time students and non activity fee paying degree completion students, RPI faculty, staff and alumni and their spouses shall be eligible for associate membership. Students registered at Russell Sage College and Hudson Valley Community College shall be eligible for associate membership.

                                                                        b.            Associate members may participate in club activities. However, they may not vote, hold office, or be regular committee chairpersons (except with special Rensselaer Union Executive Board approval). Their per person subsidy will be less than a "regular" member.

                                                                         c.            Any student eligible for associate membership shall become a regular member upon completion of training and approval of the UPAC Sound Officers.

                                                4.            Volunteer Members

                                                                         a.            Volunteer members shall be those who are not eligible to be regular or associate members because they are not affiliated with the Rensselaer Union or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but whose talents, skills, knowledge, or leadership will assist UPAC Sound in fulfilling its purpose.

                                                                        b.            Volunteer membership status must be approved by the voting membership for each volunteer member on an annual basis, and such membership shall not exceed 5% of club membership without the annual approval of the Rensselaer Union Executive Board.

                                                                         c.            Volunteer members may participate in club activities. However, they may not vote, hold office, or be regular committee chairpersons (except with special Rensselaer Union Executive Board approval.). Their per person subsidy will be less than a "regular" member.

                                                                        d.            Any student eligible for volunteer membership shall become a regular member upon completion of training and approval of the UPAC Sound Officers.

IV.            Rensselaer Union Guidelines and Standards

All UPAC Sound members must adhere to all Rensselaer Union guidelines, and are subject to all Rensselaer Union and Institute standards and disciplinary procedures.

V.            Membership List and Communication

                                                1.            An accurate membership list must be maintained and kept on file as prescribed by the Rensselaer Union Executive Board and the activity fee subcommittee of the Student Senate.

                                                2.            The membership requirements are public knowledge and it is the responsibility of the Administrative Chair to provide that information upon request. [Any restrictions on member participation in certain UPAC Sound activities must also be provided.]

VI.            Officers

There are three UPAC Sound officers, the Administrative Chair, the Equipment Chair, and the Rental Chair. The three officers have equal authority with each other. Together, the officers are responsible for overseeing all aspects of UPAC Sound; separately, each officer has specific responsibilities that are outlined below.

A.      Equipment Chair
The Equipment Chair is responsible for the maintenance, acquisition, repair and construction of UPAC Sound equipment. The Equipment Chair is also responsible for maintaining a list of equipment available for rental, preparing the budget, in cooperation with the other two chairs, and arranging for training of members, in cooperation with the Administrative and Rental Chairs.

Furthermore, the Equipment Chair must meet with the UPAC Sound advisor as needed, with a minimum of one visit a semester.

B.      Administrative Chair
The Administrative Chair is responsible for membership records and lists, payroll, staffing shows, meeting and show attendance records, preparing the budget, in cooperation with the other two chairs, and arranging for training of members, with the cooperation of the Equipment Chair and the Rental Chair. The Administrative Chair is also responsible for running general meetings.

In addition, the Administrative Chair must meet regularly with the UPAC Sound advisor.

C.      Rental Chair
The Rental Chair is responsible, on a weekly basis, for the review of all rental requests submitted, collecting any fees from contracting organizations and submitting these fees to the Rensselaer Union Administration Office. The Rental Chair is also responsible for the removal of equipment for rental purposes from the UPAC Sound closet, allocation of equipment from the UPAC Sound closet, updating the UPAC Sound key list held at the Public Safety building as necessary, and preparing the budget. They will also arranging for training of members with the Administrative and Equipment Chairs.

In addition, the Rental Chair is responsible for keeping meeting minutes and must meet regularly with the UPAC Sound advisor.

D.      Administrative Chair, Equipment Chair, and Rental Chair Elections

a.       Announcement: It will be announced at the third to last general meeting of the fall semester that nominations for each officer position will be held during the second to last general meeting of the fall semester, and that elections for each officer position will be held during the last general meeting of the fall semester, with the specific dates given for that year.

b.      Nominations: Any voting member can nominate one voting member per office. A second to the nomination is not required. It is suggested that all nominations are made at the second to last general meeting of the fall semester but further nominations will be accepted until the beginning of the voting meeting, after which the nominations will be closed. After the nominations are closed, the nominees may address the meeting and answer questions. Then all candidates for a chairship will temporarily leave the room so that any discussions among voting members as to ability and concerns can be addressed. This discussion will be led by the most senior position present; former chairs, most senior crew chiefs (from date of becoming chief), most senior member (by number of shows worked).

c.       Voting: At the last general meeting of the fall semester voting will be held after all candidates, wishing to do so, have addressed the meeting and answered questions. Voting will take place by secret written ballot with each voting member receiving one ballot and one vote. Officers will be elected per officer position in the following order: Administrative Chair, Equipment Chair, Rental Chair. In the event of a tie, any candidate receiving more that 25% (twenty-five percent) of the votes cast, shall automatically become a candidate in a runoff election. This runoff election will take place in the same meeting as the regular election and it will follow all previously stated voting procedures.

d.      Terms of Office: The terms of office will commence immediately after elections and continue until the next elections are held at the end of the following fall semester. The old officers will train and aid the new officers throughout the spring semester.

e.      Officer List: A current officers list including names, addresses, and phone numbers must be maintained and kept on file as prescribed by the Rensselaer Union Administration Office within one week of an election.

E.      Temporary Officer Absence (reformatted section)

a.       Equipment Chair

In the event of the temporary absence of the Equipment Chair the Rental Chair will assume the responsibilities.

b.      Administrative Chair

In the event of the temporary absence of the Administrative Chair the Rental Chair will assume the responsibilities of the Administrative Chair.

c.       Rental Chair

In the event of the temporary absence of the Rental Chair the Administrative Chair will assume the responsibilities of the Rental Chair.

d.      Multiple Chair Absences

In the event of the temporary absences of two chairs the above will be followed as much as possible and the additional work will be given to the most senior crew chief(s) as determined by when they became a chief. If all three chairs take temporary absences then the three most senior crew chiefs (by the date they became chiefs) will temporarily take over the positions.

VII.            Officer Vacancy

In the event of an officer vacancy occurring during the middle of the term a special election will be held to fill the vacant office. The vacancy will be announced at the first general meeting after the vacancy occurs and nominations will be accepted to fill the vacant office at that meeting. The election for the vacant office will be held at the second general meeting after the vacancy occurs following the procedures outlined in section III-D.

VIII.            Crew Chiefs

 .         Responsibilities
A Crew Chief is the person in charge of running a show. The Crew Chief must be in the building during the entire show. They are responsible for the conduct and assignment of appropriate jobs to all UPAC Sound personnel working the show, all equipment used during the show, collecting outstanding fees from contracting organizations, ensuring all contracts are signed and the return of the attendance sheet to the Administrative Chair. The Crew Chief is also responsible for locking the storage closet at the end of a show and the return of the key ring to where he/she borrowed it from. Crew Chiefs are comprised of all current officers, any past officers that continue to maintain the requirements for a ‘regular member,’ and any ‘regular member’ that is given the responsibility by the club officers as set forth by the following procedure

A.      Crew Chief Appointment
Any UPAC Sound regular member is eligible to request consideration to become a Crew Chief. Interested regular members should approach the chairs. The chairs will decide if another chief is necessary at that time and if the requesting person has the skills, experience, and knowledge that is required for the position of Crew Chief. The current chairs also have the option of asking qualified individuals if they are interested in taking on the additional responsibilities of being a crew chief.  If the person who is up for crew chief completes the training as set up for them and has all the necessary skills they will be eligible for the crew chief position. When the chairs unanimously feel that the Crew Chief in training is ready, they may begin to chief shows.

B.       Honorary Crew Chiefs
In the event of all Crew Chiefs not being able to work a specific show an Honorary Crew Chief may be assigned to the show. Any UPAC Sound member is eligible to become an Honorary Crew Chief. A UPAC Sound member will become an Honorary Crew Chief for a specific show if he or she has the experience and knowledge necessary to run that show, as determined by the current chairs. The Honorary Crew Chief will have all the responsibilities and privileges of a Crew Chief, for the designated show/event.

C.       Shortage
In the event of the number of Crew Chiefs becoming less than four or encountering regular difficulties in the scheduling of Crew Chiefs, a Crew Chief shortage has occurred. New Crew Chiefs will be trained in the manner stated above in section IV-B with the training sessions being altered to fit the needs at that time.

IX.            Policies, Standing Rules, and Bylaws
Policies, standing rules and bylaws may be proposed by any regular member in a general meeting. Policies, standing rules and bylaws shall be drafted by the three officers, approved by a plurality of voting members at a regularly scheduled general meeting and attached to this document or in a separate UPAC Sound document.

X.            Disciplinary Action/Suspension

 .         Partial and total membership benefits and rights can be removed by a secret ballot vote of two thirds majority of Chairs and Crew Chiefs at a closed meeting if a person has violated club rules or Rensselaer Union/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute regulations. The member in question must be present at any meeting where disciplinary action/suspension is discussed or voted upon.

A.      At any time during the penalty period, the issue resulting in the withdrawal of membership benefits or rights may be referred to the Rensselaer Union Judicial Board as an appeal case. The penalty remains in effect unless or until overturned by the Rensselaer Union Judicial Board.

B.       If a UPAC Sound member violates any club rules or Rensselaer Union/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute regulations the member will be notified by one of the officers regarding the violation and any decision to pursue disciplinary action/suspension. The violation and possible disciplinary action will only be discussed in a Chair meeting where the member in question is present and able to defend him/herself. The member in question will be given no less than three days notification of this meeting. If the member in question fails to be present at the meeting without notifying one of the officers prior to the beginning of the meeting, the meeting will continue as scheduled and any vote taken will be considered binding. After all relevant testimony is submitted a secret ballot vote will be held. A two-thirds majority of Chairs is needed for the passage of any disciplinary action/suspension of a UPAC Sound member.

C.       Removal of Officers

The removal of an officer can be initiated by one of the officers, a petition signed by one half of the current Crew Chiefs, or by a petition signed by one half of the voting members. The action must be brought before the voting membership within fourteen days of the presentation of the petition to another officer, the UPAC Sound Executive Board representative, or the UPAC Sound advisor. The officer in question must be notified no less than three days prior to the meeting. If the officer in question fails to be present at the meeting without notification of another officer or the UPAC Sound advisor prior to the beginning of the meeting, the meeting will continue as scheduled and any vote taken will be considered binding. After all relevant testimony is submitted a secret ballot vote will be taken. A two-thirds majority of voting members is needed for the removal of an officer.

XI.            Meetings

 .         General Meetings:

General meetings will be held biweekly with a minimum of five a semester with quorum being fifty percent of the voting members present for any formal decisions/votes, such as officer election. General meetings will be run by the Administrative Chair or Rental Chair in the absence of the Administrative Chair. Procedure at these meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee, using Robert's Rules of Order as a reference. Notice of business meetings will be announced in the previous business meeting. The authority to make decisions on behalf of UPAC Sound rests with the membership at a general meeting for which quorum has been met. A voting member can call a special general meeting by presenting the Administrative Chair with a petition signed by a minimum of three voting members.

XII.            Committees

A. Executive Committee

UPAC Sound shall have an Executive Committee comprised of the three officers that may act on the behalf of UPAC Sound between business meetings. Their actions are subject to review by the membership at a business meeting.

B.      Crew Chief Committee

The Crew Chief committee will be comprised of Crew Chiefs and officers. The meeting will be run by the Adminstrative Chair. This committee will meet as necessary, with a minimum of one a semester with quorum being fifty percent of the Crew Chiefs present. Procedure at these meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee, using Robert's Rules of Order as a reference. Notice of Crew Chief meetings will be made via email at least one week in advance of the meeting. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss matters pertaining to Crew Chiefs. Attendance of these meetings is restricted to members of the committee and guests. Voting rights is restricted to Crew Chiefs and officers.

XIII.            Finance

UPAC Sound will follow all Rensselaer Union financial policies. The Rental Chair is responsible for collecting all rentals revenue, the Administrative Chair is responsible for all payroll disbursement and the Equipment Chair is responsible for all purchases and sales of equipment and materials. All three chairs are also responsible for preparing the yearly budget and appeal if required.

XIV.            Ratification and Amendments

A.      UPAC Sound's bylaws shall be effective immediately upon ratification by a two- thirds majority of voting members and subsequent approval by the Rensselaer Union Executive Board.

B.      If it becomes necessary that any part of UPAC Sound's bylaws be changed, or that additions to the bylaws be made, a two-thirds majority of voting members and subsequent approval by the Rensselaer Union Executive Board must be obtained.

XV.            Compliance with Union and Institute Standards In the event that UPAC Sound's bylaws comes in conflict with any Rensselaer Union or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute rule or standard, then the bylaws will be superseded by that rule or standard .

The official language of this document and for all meetings is English.

This document was written by Tess Wertyschyn.
Revised by Kevin Johns on 12/93
Approved by members on 12/2/93

Revised by Sara Brown on 3/08

Approved by members on 4/21/08 with 15-0-1 vote (25 voting members)