Article II. Purpose. 
Section A. 
The purpose of this organization is to encourage the academic success of its members.  This organization will also be committed to fostering the development of minorty participation in engineering and sciences.

Article III. Membership. 
Section A. 
Membership is open to any and all students, faculty, and staff of the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).  Exceptions will be approved with the review of the Executive Committee. 
Section B. 
With active membership in the Caltech NSBE chapter shall come full floor and voting priveleges on any and all items of NSBE business, including resolutions, items of legislation, bylaws and elections.  Active membership shall be defined as any member who has paid all dues. 
Section C. 
There shall be no form of discrimination in this chapter.

Article IV. Officers. 
Section A. 
The officers shall consist of the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Programs Chair.  These officers and committe chairpersons shall constitute the Executive Committee.

Section B. 
Offices are defined according to the following descriptions:

Chair. She/He shall act as spokesperson for the chapter, maintain correspondence with other NSBE chapters in the region and keep all information received pertaining to NSBE on the regional and national levels.  In addition, she/he shall maintain the chapter calendar of events and ensure the following of all deadlines relevant to the organization.  The Chair shall also schedule and preside over all chapter Executive Committee meetings.

Vice Chair. She/He shall schedule and preside over all regular meetings following coordination with the other members of the Executive Committee. She/He shall also assist the Chair in all of her/his duties.

Treasurer. She/He shall be responsible for the collection, safe keeping, expenditure and maintenance of accurate records of all funds of the chapter.

Secretary. She/He shall take minutes at every Executive Committee and regular meeting and keep a list of all addresses of NSBE members, corporate sponsors and related patrons. It is also her/his duty to collect all material received from conferences and send out notices for all regular meetings.

Corresponding Secretary. She/He shall send out notices for Executive Committee and regular meetings and conduct other official chapter correspondence.

Programs Chair. She/He shall develop and oversee the exceution of all academic and professional programs for the chapter.

Section C. 
All officers are subject to the Honor Code and must be in good academic standing.   
Article V. Elections. 
Section A. 
Elections shall take place at the first meeting after midterms are given in the third quarter.  Transfer of power will take effect on the last day of the third term.  Committee chairpersons will be volunteers; they will not be elected. 

Section B. 
Nominations for any position will be made one week prior to the scheduled election date by any member of the Caltech NSBE chapter.  Nominees for the officers must have been members for at least one (1) term. The vote will be held after the closing of nominations.  Officers will be elected by a majority vote of the members present.

Article VI. Removal from office. 
Section A. 
Removal from office can occur for failure to carry out the responsibilities of the office, or actions which violate the policies of the National Society of Black Engineers.  Removal from office does not constitute removal from the Caltech NSBE chapter. 
Section B. 
The member who wishes to remove an officer must state her/his charges at an Executive Committee meeting.  The actual voting must take place at the next regular meeting where the charges will be restated. 
Section C. 
Should an office be vacated before completion of the term, an election for that office shall take place immediately.

Article VII. Meetings. 
Section A. 
The Executive Committee shall schedule all meetings.  The Vice Chair will conduct all regular meetings, and Executive Committee meetings will be conducted by the Chair. Special meetings can be called either by the Chair or the Executive Committee.

Section B. 
At every Executive Committee meeting, a progress report containing past accomplishments and new goals for the interim between meetings shall be submitted to the Secretary.   
Section C. 
At every regular meeting, parliamentary procedure, as outlined below, will be used. 

-After the Chair has called the meeting to order, the Secretary will read the minutes. If there ia motion on the floor to dispense with the reading of the minutes, it must be seconded and approved with a majority oral vote of the members present.  The Chair will then ask for any changes that need to be made to the records.  After the Secretary records all changes, the Chair will move on to new business. 
-New Business is where discussions of topics brought up by the Chair or other members will take place.  Issues on how the Caltech NSBE chapter should spend its resources, waht action needs to take place in order to have a party, and which members will attend upcoming conventions will be discussed here. 

-The Reports of the Standing Committees will consist  only of reports made by permanent committees, such as the Treasurer’s report. 

-The Reports of the Special Committees will consist only of reports made by temporary committees, such as the committe to plan a party. 

-Unfinished Business is the time when discussions that were not concluded at the previous meetings can be resumed. Only business from previous meetings may be resumed here. 

-Announcements are statements made first by the Chair, then by any other members of the group.  These announcements consist of birthdays, parties, and conventions. 
 
-Adjournment shall only take place when all discussion is either finished, or cut short by the Chair.  At this time, and only at this time, a member may second the motion.  The Chair takes an oral vote, and if the majority agrees with the motion, then the meeting is adjourned.

Article VIII. Dues. 
Section A. 
Dues shall be charged for membership.  The amount of dues charged each year will be determined at the first meeting of the first term by the Executive Committee. 
Section B. 
Yearly membership shall expire on the first day of the first term, after which dues will be paid.  Dues must be paid by the last meeting in November. 
Article IX. Advisors. 
Section A. 
This chapter shall one advisor being a faculty or staff member of the California Institute of Technology or Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). 
Section B. 
The advisor will be recommended by the Executive Committee and approved by the members of the Caltech NSBE chapter. The length of the term of the advisor shall be the same as that of an officer. 

Article X. Amendments. 
Section A. 
All amendments to the Constitution must be approved by two thirds of the members present. 

Article XI. Jurisdiction. 
Section A. 
The Caltech NSBE chapter is subject to the regulations and policies of Caltech and the laws of the State of California.  The regulations and policies of Caltech shall hold precedence over any and all regulations and policies applying to the Caltech NSBE chapter, including those of the national organizations with which the Caltech NSBE chapter is associated. 

Article XII. Ambiguities. 
Section A. 
Any and all ambiguities will be settled by the Executive Committee. 

Amendment I. (Approved on May 19, 1994.) 
Section A. 
Everyone on the Executive Committee has access to at most $50.00 petty cash from the account.  All cash advances must be reported to the Treasurer within 48 hours of withdrawal. 

For cash advances exceeding $50.00, a request must first go to the Executive Committee, and then second to the General Body for voting.  Once approved, the Treasurer will withdraw the cash from the account. 

In cases of extreme emergency, when the Treasurer cannot be reached, the following officers should be contacted to withdraw cash from the account.  They appear in order of importance: 

1. Chair
2. Vice Chair 
3. Corresponding Secretary 
4. Secretary 

Section B. 
For any funds to be allocated to a non-NSBE, non-Caltech member, a petition must be presented to the Executive Committee.  Once it is approved, the petition must be voted on by the General Body.