Management Information Systems Student Organization

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS STUDENT ORGANIZATION

CONSTITUTION

Article I. Name

The name of the organization will be the Management Information Systems Student Organization or MISSO.

Article II. Purposes

Section 1. To provide a sense of community and camaraderie among students enrolled in and/or interested in the MIS program.

Section 2. To provide MIS students with career development advice and contacts through professional and social events.

Section 3. To provide students with presentations by and valuable contacts with professionals in business and industry.

Article III. Membership

Section 1. Membership should be open to all students enrolled in a class at UH or UH Alumni regardless of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, political belief, national origin, or handicap.

Section 2. To qualify as an active member, an individual must attend at least 2 meeting/events per semester and be enrolled in at least 1 credit hour at UH.

Section 3. A voting member is one who maintains active membership qualifications as stated in Article III, Section 2.

Section 4. Corporate membership may be offered to any local or national business or organization in the United States or abroad. Alumni membership may be offered to any member who has graduated and is not presently enrolled in UH.

Section 5. Corporate and Alumni members may not hold office and have no voting privileges. These members may attend functions and meetings.

Section 6. All active members are required to pay a membership fee as specified in Article VIII.

Section 7. Methods of membership revocation and Officer Removal

A. MISSO membership may be terminated by a majority vote of a quorum of the general membership when a member has displayed a flagrant disregard for the bylaws or reputation of the organization.

B. Members have the right to petition for the removal of any MISSO Officer as defined in Article IV: Section 6, for reason of failure to fulfill Officer duties and/or failure to represent MISSO through appropriate actions and/or behavior.

Article IV. Officers

Section 1. MISSO will consist of a Cabinet made up of the President, Vice-President, Vice-President of Operations, Finance Officer, Corporate Relations Officer, Alumni Relations, Public Relations Officer, Community Service Officer, Fundraising Officer, Education Officer, Social Officer, Technology Officer, and Historian.

Section 2. Requirements for Officers

A. Officers must be declared MIS majors and must maintain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA. The minimum GPA requirement may be overridden if the candidate has a 3.0 on their last 30 hours of course work. All exceptions must pass a Cabinet vote equal to quorum.

B. Officers will not miss greater than 5 MISSO meetings in a single semester. Failure to meet minimum attendance requirements will result in that Officer becoming ineligible to pursue office for the following semester.

C. Officers found by the Cabinet to be incompetent may be voted out of office by a Cabinet vote equal to quorum. Vacant Officer positions will be filled as indicated in Article IV, Section 3, A.

Section 3. Duties of Officers

A. President.

i. Serve as the chief spokesperson for MISSO.

ii. Must plan, execute and manage MISSO organizational strategy and membership action in conjunction with the Cabinet, to include administering operational policy measures and defining daily functional procedure.

iii. Call and preside over all Cabinet and general assembly meetings, to include the preparation of a formal meeting agenda for Cabinet meetings.

iv. Preside over MISSO events and discussions in a fair and just manner.

v. Set a specific Cabinet meeting time every week that will not be changed without at least 2 days notice AND approval of a quorum of the Cabinet.

vi. Ensure all the vacancies of the Cabinet are filled in an expeditious manner, subject to approval by a quorum of the existing Cabinet. .

vii. Attend and represent MISSO at university meetings when invited.

viii. Serve as mediator between the Faculty Advisor and MISSO

ix. Serve as main point of contact and arbitrator for issues and/or disputes regarding active members and Officers of the Cabinet.

x. Support individual Officers of the Cabinet with their tasked responsibilities in their absence or incapacity.

xi. Ensure information is distributed to the Cabinet in a timely and accurate fashion.

xii. Ensure all organizational operations are conducted and executed with transparency.

xiii. Ensure Officers of the Cabinet remain accountable and stay on task, taking appropriate action to address problems caused by actions/inaction of Officer(s), any such measures being subject to approval by the remaining Cabinet equal to quorum.

xiv. Responsible for ensuring any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted on the MISSO website, is to be delivered to the Technology Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise this office must self publish using the website admin link.

xv. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter, or distributed on the listserv, is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

B. Vice-President.

i. Fulfill all Presidential duties as defined in Article IV: Section 3: A in the absence or incapacity of the President.

ii. Serve as the chief public relations executor for MISSO.

iii. Must print, post and distribute all physical media and informational documentation relating to MISSO organizational events and operations in a timely fashion, to include Rush, fundraising and Bauer Career Fair events.

iv. Ensure all public facing organizational apparatuses on campus are fully stocked, to include updating the MISSO Bauer bulletin board with informational fliers and the current week’s Employer presenter.

v. Make weekly checks of organizational apparatuses to ensure currency of material posted, addressing tampering, theft and vandalism as appropriate.

vi. Responsible for receiving and distributing member resumes, to include the preparation and subsequent distribution of the MISSO Resume CD to employers at weekly presentations and the Bauer Career Fair.

vii. Ensure each copy of the MISSO Resume CD includes a copy of our faculty advisor’s business card (Dr. Parks) before distribution.

viii. Provide resume, career guidance and general assistance to members seeking such help.

ix. Responsible for ensuring any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted on the MISSO website, is to be delivered to the Technology Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise this office must self publish using the website admin link.

x. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter, or distributed on the listserv, is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

C. Vice President of Operations

i. Fulfill all Presidential duties as defined in Article IV: Section 3: A in the absence or incapacity of both the President and Vice President.

ii. Responsible for creating, updating, and distributing a master events schedule in coordination with all Cabinet members, planning all events in consideration of posted course exams and quizzes whenever possible.

iii. Responsible for coordinating with Cabinet to address need for committees, developing criteria for selection of committee members and outlining committee member obligations.

iv. Responsible for reserving all rooms and/or meeting spaces required for MISSO operations each semester.

v. Initiate discussions as necessary with the Finance Officer to align cash flows with organizational operations requirements, including planning and funding of all MISSO membership offerings.

vi. Responsible for ensuring any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted on the MISSO website, is to be delivered to the Technology Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise this office must self publish using the website admin link.

vii. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter, or distributed on the listserv, is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

D. Finance Officer.

i. Serve as the chief financial administrator for MISSO.

ii. Must keep accurate and up to date records regarding the financial state of the organization, to include all monetary inflows and outflows related to operational and functional transactions.

iii. Must analyze existing organizational financials at the start of each semester and then develop and track a semester budget plan, which is subject to Cabinet approval, modifications allowable only by a quorum vote of the Cabinet.

iv. Maintain accurate membership, financial and attendance records for the organization, utilizing an electronic database that allows for the querying of stored data.

v. Be prepared to present an official financial report, membership report and attendance report at each Cabinet meeting, to include providing these reports within 48 hours notice upon a reasonable request by any Officer, to the Cabinet.

vi. Responsible for the collection and distribution of all MISSO funds, including membership dues and other associated fees.

vii. Provide reimbursement(s) to membership for expense(s) directly attributable to MISSO organizational function and/or operations within one week of receiving of satisfactory documentation, providing receipt(s) in kind to properly account for said remittance.

viii. Administer and oversee all fundraising done by MISSO in conjunction with the Social Officer, to include coordinating the custody and reporting of any acquired funds to ensure proper accounting.

ix. Initiate discussions as necessary with the VP of Operations to align cash flows with organizational operations requirements, including planning and funding of all MISSO membership offerings.

x. Create sign-in sheets using the MISSO template to keep accurate attendance records of general assembly meetings, education workshops and employer presentations, and input attendance figures into the electronic database within 5 days after the meeting date.

xi. Print membership IDs once Rush tallies are tabulated and begin distributing them at the earliest meeting possible, following the suggested membership dues deadline as determined by the Cabinet.

xii. Routinely coordinate with the Technical Officer to ensure all paid members are listed on the website as well as listserv, making updates when and where necessary.

xiii. Print nametags each week in a timely fashion for the individuals slated to represent our corporate partners during the employer presentations.

E. Corporate Relations Officer

i. Serve as the chief corporate liaison for MISSO

ii. Must actively engage corporate partners, potential partners and any other outside organization contacting or seeking audience with MISSO membership.

iii. Responsible for overseeing the scheduling and coordination of all weekly employer presentations.

iv. Responsible for contacting and communicating professionally with existing and new corporate partners, to include crafting exceptional written correspondence, fully explaining MISSO’s presentation and sponsorship options, offering available dates and times as appropriate, maintaining an open, sincere, timely and continuous dialog, confirming all commitments and following through.

v. Ensure that all outgoing e-mail correspondence is courtesy copied to our current Faculty Advisor Dr. Parks (parks@uh.edu), to include double checks for grammatical and factual accuracy, as well as professionalism in tone and content.

vi. Responsible for creating, updating and distributing a master employer presentation schedule in coordination with VP of Operations.

vii. Make timely arrangements for food, refreshments and condiments at all organizational meetings and presentations, to include ensuring such arrangements fall within a reasonable cost.

viii. Must coordinate directly with the Finance Officer and/or VP of Operations for approval of all transactions conducted in the course of corporate relations administration

ix. Must contact corporate partners and reconfirm their attendance two weeks before the scheduled presentation date, to include discussing final food arrangements, their presentation requirements offering rescheduling options as needed.

x. Contact corporate partners again to reconfirm their attendance one week before the scheduled presentation date, to include requesting the names and titles of the individuals scheduled to attend, reconfirming final food arrangements, reconfirming their presentation requirements, offering rescheduling options as needed.

xi. Be prepared to present at each Cabinet meeting the master presentation schedule and complete details of the current week’s corporate presentation, to include date and time, refreshment arrangements, total cost, number of presenters and names and titles of the individual presenter(s)

xii. Send out “thank you” correspondence to employer presenters within one week after the presentation date, ensuring the letter is courtesy copied to all individual employer representatives who attended.

xiii. Actively promote MISSO at the Bauer Career Fair by fostering new corporate relationships, greeting existing partners and generally seeking further opportunities for sponsorship, to include retrieving business cards and securing contact information where possible.

xiv. Contact all corporate leads from the Bauer Career Fair for which contact information was received within one week of the event, to include offering specific suggestions on how they might become involved in MISSO and providing any information they might require from which to base such a decision.

xv. Responsible for ensuring any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted on the MISSO website, is to be delivered to the Technology Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise this office must self publish using the website admin link.

xvi. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter, or distributed on the listserv, is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

F. Alumni Relations Officer

i. Serve as chief liaison between MISSO alumni and active members.

ii. Responsible for generation and maintenance of alumni contact list.

iii. Must organize, plan and execute all alumni events for MISSO, to include scheduling and resource coordination with VP of Operations.

iv. Be prepared to present at each Cabinet meeting all alumni event details to include date and time, location, refreshment arrangements and total cost.

v. Pursue sponsorship and fundraising opportunities via alumni channels.

vi. Must coordinate directly with the Finance Officer and/or VP of Operations for approval of all transactions conducted in the course of alumni relations.

vii. Responsible for ensuring any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted on the MISSO website, is to be delivered to the Technology Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise this office must self publish using the website admin link.

viii. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter, or distributed on the listserv, is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

G. Public Relations Officer.

i. Serve as the chief information liaison for MISSO

ii. Must administer information flows between the MISSO Cabinet, membership and any other outside organization as required by the Cabinet.

iii. Plan, craft and transmit all listserv email distributions to MISSO membership in a timely fashion.

iv. Responsible for designing and preparing the weekly MISSO Newsletter, a two column document formatted in both HTML and non-HTML for dual delivery options, to include the official MISSO header graphic, a left-hand vertical column containing a list which includes as many upcoming organizational events and dates space permits, a center-right vertical column which includes a brief 3-5 line blurb describing in detail all the events/news for that particular week, and several footer lines containing MISSO contact information and current sponsors.

v. Must prepare a draft Newsletter and deliver it to the Cabinet via email by Sunday evening for review, and then distribute it via listserv to general membership no later than the following Monday evening.

vi. Assist the President with slideshow presentation for weekly MISSO meeting, ensuring all pertinent agenda items receive coverage.

vii. Assist the Vice President with MISSO public relations during Rush, fundraising and Career Fair events, including ensuring all physical informational media and documentation needed are up to date and of sufficient quantity and quality.

viii. Responsible for ensuring any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted on the MISSO website, is to be delivered to the Technology Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise this office must self publish using the website admin link.

H. Education Officer

i. Serve as the chief scholar for MISSO.

ii. Must plan, schedule and execute workshops for MISSO membership based on coursework relevant to the Management Information Systems curriculum, to include general career guidance workshops on resume, interview, and attire, etc. in coordination with VP of Operations.

iii. Must have completed the following courses or the present equivalent with at least a 3.0 GPA: DISC 3380, DISC 3370, DISC 3371, and DISC 3376

iv. Responsible for organizing and presiding over an Education Committee at the semester outset, subject to approval by a quorum of the Cabinet.

v. Responsible for coordinating with VP of Operations in creating and maintaining workshop schedule, planning workshop events in consideration of posted course exams and quizzes whenever possible.

vi. Must develop a sign in sheet for each workshop event in order to properly track member attendance, providing an official copy to the Finance Officer within 3 days of event completion.

vii. Be prepared to present at each Cabinet meeting the master workshop schedule and complete details of the next workshop, to include date and time, location, refreshment arrangements and total cost.

viii. Must coordinate directly with the Finance Officer and/or VP of Operations for approval of all transactions conducted in the course of education workshop administration

x. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter, or distributed on the listserv, is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

I. Social Officer

i. Serve as the chief social administrator for MISSO

ii. Must organize, plan and execute all organizational social related activities for MISSO, to include scheduling and resource coordination with VP of Operations.

iii. Be prepared to present at each Cabinet meeting all social event details to include date and time, location, refreshment arrangements and total cost.

iv. Must coordinate directly with the Finance Officer and/or VP of Operations for approval of all transactions conducted in the course of social event administration.

v. Must seek to establish and maintain relationships between MISSO and other on campus student organizations.

J. Community Service Officer

i. Serve as the chief community outreach administrator for MISSO

ii. Must organize, plan and execute all organizational community service events for MISSO, to include scheduling and resource coordination with VP of Operations.

iii. Be prepared to present at each Cabinet meeting community service event details, to include date and time, location, refreshment arrangements and total cost.

iv. Must coordinate directly with the Finance Officer and/or VP of Operations for approval of all transactions conducted in the course of community service event administration.

v. Ensure MISSO is represented in Communities Service Fairs at the University

K. Fundraising Officer

i. Serve as the chief fundraising administrator for MISSO.

ii. Must organize, plan, and execute all organizational fundraising events for MISSO, to include scheduling and resource coordination with VP of Operations.

iii. Be prepared to present at each Cabinet meeting fundraising event details, to include date and time, location, refreshment arrangements and total cost.

iv. Must coordinate directly with the Finance Officer and/or VP of Operations for approval of all transactions conducted in the course of fundraising event administration.

v. File and maintain current food permit.

vi. Seek and establish relationships necessary to building positive financial standing of MISSO.

L. Technology Officer

i. Serve as the chief technologist for MISSO.

ii. Must maintain all content on the MISSO website, to include all coding and applications, client-side and server-side scripting, links, widgets, gadgets, graphics, text and any other content required for MISSO organizational operations and required by the Cabinet.

iii. Must develop and publish valid content proposals as directed by the Cabinet within five days of receipt.

iv. Upload new weekly MISSO Newsletter within one day after the newsletter is sent out to membership via listserv.

v. Responsible for updating weekly front page news blurbs by Tuesday of each week, based on information contained in the MISSO Newsletter as provided by the Public Relations Officer, or as directed by individual members of the Cabinet.

vi. Must publish and accurately maintain the active member and alumni roster on the website in direct conjunction with the Finance Officer.

vii. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter or distributed on the listserv is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

M. Historian

i. Serve as chief historian for MISSO

ii. Record minutes from all official MISSO meetings and prepare a summary to distribute to the Cabinet and membership as necessary.

iii. Maintain online photo gallery, to include photo coverage of all MISSO events.

iv. Must publish and accurately maintain the active member and alumni roster on the website in direct conjunction with the Finance Officer.

v. Responsible for ensuring any, any proposal, blurb or informational news content produced by this office with the intent such content is to be posted in the MISSO Newsletter or distributed on the listserv is to be delivered to the Public Relations Officer a minimum of five days prior to the desired publishing date, otherwise such additions must be made during the stated Sunday-Monday review period.

Section 4. Elections

A. All Officers shall be elected in the last four weeks of each semester and shall take office at the conclusion of the semester.

B. A list of Officer candidates will be posted on the website and distributed to members one week prior to elections.

C. Anyone that meets the requirements as outlined in Article IV Section 2 is eligible to run for an office.

D. There will be no absentee ballots.

E. In order for a candidate to be elected to an office, they must receive a larger amount of votes as compared to any other single candidate running for the same office.

F. A candidate may only run for one office during each election.

G. In the case of an office not being filled during formal elections the majority of the Cabinet may appoint a person to that position.

H. If there is no out-going president then the duties of appointment of a President fall upon the Cabinet.

I. The office of Vice President is filled by the first runner-up to the Presidential position.

Section 5. Term of office

All positions are for full term until the point of elections as stated in Article IV, Section 4, Sub-Section A. Unless they become ineligible, resign, or are removed, at which time the President may make an appointment to fill the vacancy with approval by a quorum of the Cabinet. If the President no longer meets qualifications, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President.

Section 6. Petition and Review

A. The actions of the Cabinet or an Officer may be recalled by presenting a petition containing the reason for the petition and the signature of at least 5 active members to the Cabinet at a Cabinet meeting.

B. The MISSO Cabinet shall take up the matter within a month and resolve it in a timely fashion.

Article V. Organizational Structure

Section 1. The MISSO shall be composed of a Cabinet and a General Assembly of members and committee chairs.

Section 2. The MISSO Cabinet shall be composed of elected Officers, as described in Article IV, Section 1.

Section 3. Other standing committees:

A. A committee, as viewed essential by the Cabinet, will be created and continue to operate until no longer needed Once Cabinet deems a committee unessential, the committee will cease to operate.

Article VI. Faculty Advisor

Section 1. Qualifications and method of selection

The MISSO members shall elect a Faculty Advisor from among the Faculty of the DISC Department. The Department Chair of the DISC Department at the University of Houston may help members identify candidates for this position, based on an individual’s availability and their desire to serve.

Section 2. Duties and responsibilities

A. The Faculty Advisor will be the liaison between MISSO and the DISC department.

B. The Faculty Advisor will confer directly with the President when dealing with MISSO matters.

C. The Faculty Advisor will inform the President of MISSO of all events, matters, and concerns dealing with MISSO.

D. The Faculty Advisor maintains no responsibility for MISSO Funds (Funds are defined in Article VIII, Section 2, Sub-Section A).

Article VII. Meetings and Procedures

Section 1. Frequency

A. Organizational meetings will be held as needed throughout the year. Programs, seminars, and workshops will be announced as information becomes available.

B. Cabinet meetings must be held once each week to discuss the future plans of the organization. These meetings are open to all MISSO members as deemed appropriate by a quorum of the Cabinet. Members should not interrupt the meeting and must hold all questions until meeting has concluded.

Section 2. Policy for Absences

Cabinet members are expected to be at each posted Cabinet meeting. If a Cabinet member misses a Cabinet meeting, he or she shall be issued a written warning on first offense by the remainder of the Cabinet. However, if the Cabinet member has a valid excuse for the absence and continues to fulfill his or her responsibilities to the organization, such warning shall not be issued. If a Cabinet member misses two or more Cabinet meetings without a valid excuse, they may be removed from office by a majority vote of the remainder of the Cabinet.

Section 3. Quorum

A. A quorum of is defined as the minimal number of Officers and members of MISSO who must be present for a valid vote on matters affecting official transactions and/or operations of the organization.

B. A quorum of membership is defined as 25% of active membership for the current semester. A quorum of membership needs to be in attendance at an official organizational meeting in order for any formal vote to be conducted. This rule is not in affect during Cabinet meetings.

C. A quorum of the Cabinet is defined as 5 Officers. A quorum of the Cabinet must be in attendance at a Cabinet meeting in order for any formal vote to be conducted.

D. Should the MISSO Cabinet fail to consist of the requisite number of Officers during any given semester, a quorum will be defined as 50% of Officers.

Section 4. All general organizational meetings and all Cabinet meetings shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order. At the President’s request, and approval by a quorum of the Cabinet these procedures may be deemed unnecessary, such as to accommodate special events.

Article VIII. Finance

Section 1. Dues and membership fees

Dues have been set at $40 for one semester or $70 for a full academic year’s membership in the organization. Membership dues are due at the start of the semester.

Section 2. Procedures for spending and accounting for all funds.

A. Funds are defined as all currency regulated by the treasurer as stated in Article 4, Section IV, Sub-Section C.

B. Funds will be kept in the designated MISSO account.

C. The funds are the sole responsibility of the President, Vice-President, and Finance Officer. All legal issues will be enforced with these individuals.

D. The Finance Officer must provide receipts for all transactions.

Article IX. Amendments

Section 1. Proposal of amendments

A. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Cabinet in writing. Amendments may be proposed by any MISSO member.

B. The proposed amendment will be presented to the members of MISSO within two organizational meetings from the time of submission.

Section 2. Voting procedure for approving amendments

A. Proposed amendments must be approved by a quorum as defined by Article VII, Section 3, during an organizational meeting as defined by Article VII, Section 1, Sub-Section A.

B. Constitutional revisions must be submitted to the Campus Activities office according to the University of Houston Rules and Regulations that govern student organizations.

Article X. MISSO property

Section 1. Property

A. Property includes all items that are purchased with organizational funds.

B. All MISSO property must be accounted for and kept on campus in the MISSO storage facilities provided by the University of Houston.

C. Inventory of all MISSO property is conducted at the beginning of each semester by the incoming Officers.