Article I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Sec. 1. This organization shall be known as the IEEE-VESIT Student Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE.).

Sec. 2 The purpose shall be the dissemination of knowledge of the theory and practice of all aspects of electrical engineering, computers, electronics, radio, allied branches of engineering or the related arts and sciences, as well as the furtherance of the professional development of members.

Sec. 3. The organization and operation of the Branch shall be in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the IEEE.

Article II: MEMBERSHIP

Sec. 1. Full Membership shall be limited to undergraduate students of the V.E.S.Institute of Technology , who are taking at least 50% of a full-time academic program. Faculty and staff who are members of the IEEE shall be granted Associate Membership in the Branch.

Sec. 2. Membership and participation in Branch activities shall be free from discrimination based on gender, race, religion, handicap, or sexual orientation.

Article III: DUES

Sec. 1 The Executive Committee of the Branch shall have the power to levy special assessments upon endorsement by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the Branch. Associate members will be exempted from any special assessments levied by the Branch.

Sec. 2. Nonpayment of annual IEEE membership fees will automatically result in suspension of membership in the IEEE and in the local Branch. Nonpayment of local dues will result in the loss of voting rights and the right to hold office, but will not result in suspension of membership in the IEEE.

Sec. 3. The local dues per semester for members are payable at the beginning of the semester.

Article IV: OFFICERS

Sec. 1. The Branch should necessarily have a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Membership Development Officer.

Sec. 2 The executive committee of the branch shall have the power to form new committees or new officer positions if deemed essential for the smooth functionality of the branch.

Sec. 3. Only Full Members in good standing shall be eligible to hold office. Associate members shall not be entitled to vote or to hold office.

Sec. 4. The term of office shall ordinarily be one year and shall begin on May 1 of each year.

Sec. 5. Election of Officers for the following year shall be held no later than the second last meeting of each year. Candidates for the office of Chair must have previously served as an elected Officer of the Branch. In the event that no candidates meet this requirement, each candidate who receives the endorsement of both the Department Head and the Branch Counselor will be allowed to run.

Article V: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Sec. 1. The management of the affairs of the Branch shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee, consisting of the duly elected officers of the Branch and the Counselor appointed by the IEEE. The Branch Chair shall also chair the Executive Committee. Other committee chairs and appointed Officers shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.

Sec. 2. The Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the Branch and shall transact all business it deems advisable, including the filling of vacancies in offices, authorization of expenditures, etc.

Article VI: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Sec. 1. The Branch Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Branch, shall appoint all committees, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, and shall assume all other executive duties not otherwise delegated.

Sec. 2. The Vice-Chair shall perform all functions of the Branch Chair in the latter's absence or upon the request of the Chair.

Sec. 3. The Branch Secretary shall keep a record of activities of the Branch and shall record the number of members at each meeting or activity. The Secretary is responsible for filing the Annual Plan of Activities and the Annual Report of Activities with IEEE Student Services, in a timely manner. The Secretary shall carry on all other communications necessary to the activity of the Branch and ensure that all activities of the Branch are in accordance with this Constitution and the Bylaws of the IEEE.

Sec. 4. The Treasurer shall receive all money and pay all debts of the Branch authorized by the Executive Committee, and shall keep an exact account of all receipts and expenditures. The Treasurer shall also complete the year-end Financial Statements for inclusion in the Annual Report of Activities.

Article VII: STANDING COMMITTEES

Sec. 1. The following Standing Committees or their equivalent shall be appointed by the Chair: Program Committee, Publicity Committee, and Membership Committee.

Sec. 2. The Program Committee shall prepare the programs for all meetings and shall be responsible for all arrangements for these meetings. The Program Committee shall normally be chaired by the Student Branch Vice-Chair.

Sec. 3. The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for proper advertisement of each meeting.

Sec. 4. The Membership Committee shall bring the advantages of membership in the Branch, and in the IEEE, to the attention of all potential Student members.

Sec. 5. In addition to the above standing committees, the Student Branch Chair may appoint other committees deemed necessary.

Article VIII: MEETINGS

Sec. 1. The Branch shall hold regular and special meetings at such places and time as designated by the Executive Committee, with a minimum of three meetings a year. At least one of these meetings shall be held jointly with the local Section.

Sec.1 For the purpose of appointment of officers of the IEEE-VESIT student branch for the following year, a Nominations and Appointments Committee should be set up at least 15 days prior to the date of Elections.

Sec.2 The Nominations and Appointments Committee Would comprise of the Branch Chairperson , Vice -Chairperson, Membership Development Officer .

Sec.3 The Branch Chair would also serve as the Chairman for the Nominations and Appointments Committee .

Sec.4 The Chairman of the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall invite the submission of suitable candidates to be considered by the Nominations and Appointments Committee for the various elective offices and standing committees of The IEEE-VESIT Student Branch. The Call for Nominations shall specify the deadline date for submission and shall indicate the name and address to which the nominations shall be mailed.

Sec.5 The Candidates would be required to submit in support of their candidature a report stating their qualifications and a report of their contribution to the branch.

Sec .6 The Candidates Report would have to be submitted to the Nominations and Appointments Committee within the specified time from the Date of Call For Nominations.

Sec. 7 The Nominations and Appointments Committee would be required to screen the Nominations for the various positions and submit no less than two and No Greater than Three nominations per post to the Branch Counselor . However , if the Nominations and Appointments Committee so feels that only a single Nominee satisfies the requirements for any particular position he may forward the same to the Branch Counselor stating the reason/s for the same .

Sec .8 Candidate Petitions :

Individual voting members, may propose names to be added to the ballot for the offices elected by the Executive Committee by petition. Prior to submission of a nomination petition, the petitioner shall have determined that the nominee named in the petition is willing to serve, if elected; evidence of such willingness to serve shall be submitted with the petition. The petition must be signed by at least 1% of the eligible voting members for the office, as listed in the

official IEEE membership records at the end of the preceding year, provided that a majority of the Divisions shall each be represented on the petition by at least 1% of their voting membership.

The signed petition should be submitted to the Chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee no later than 10 days prior to the date of Elections. It is the responsibility of the Nominations and Appointments Committee to ensure that the Nominations filed by petition meet the necessary requirements.

Sec . 9 Election Procedure:

The selected candidates would be required to read out their" Candidates report " prior to the casting of votes.

The Election procedure would consist of all the Voting Members casting their vote by secret ballot. In case of a Tie the Final Decision would lie with the Chairman of The Nominations and Appointments Committee.

Sec.1 The Primary source of funds for the IEEE-VESIT student branch is the Funds it receives from the IEEE for timely submission of the Annual plan and Report.

Sec.2 The secondary sources of funds are through corporate sponsorship for various events conducted and through local generation of funds from Members.

Sec.3 The IEEE-VESIT Student Branch operates a bank account in the Name of "IEEE-VESIT Student Branch ".The IEEE-VESIT student branch would operate its bank account jointly by the Branch Counselor, Branch Chair and Treasurer .

Sec .4 The IEEE Dues for New Members and Renewals would be paid by the IEEE -VESIT student Branch by means of a Dollar Draft issued by "The IEEE-VESIT Student Branch " as against payment received for the same in Indian Rupees.

Article XI: AMENDMENTS

Sec. 1. The Branch is empowered to adopt Bylaws which are consistent with this Constitution.

Sec. 2. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members of the Branch present and voting, provided the amendment have been proposed at least one duly publicized meeting previous to the time of voting and provided that quorum is met. Such amendments become effective only upon the approval of the Executive Committee, but such approval shall not be unduly withheld.

 Adopted: March 9, 1999

(Vikas Kasturi)                       	       (Prof.J.A.Gokhale)

Branch Chair                   			 Branch Counselor