Constitution of the Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter of
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Stevens Institute of Technology
Article I-Name Section 1. Name This organization shall be the Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter of Alpha Eta Mu Beta Biomedical Engineering Honor Society (AEMB-SIT).
Article II- Purpose The purpose of the Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter of Alpha Eta Mu Beta shall be to recognize and confer distinction upon those biomedical engineers at Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) who have sought excellence in both academic and extracurricular biomedical endeavors and wish to help others understand and mature in the biomedical profession while acting honorably, humbly, and morally.
Article III- Membership Section 1. Undergraduate Requirements a.Candidates for membership to Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter of AEMB, in addition to having the required scholastic rank, must be of unimpeachable character, have ability to make use of the knowledge and information acquired, have capacity and willingness for hard work, and have a genial nature and ability to work in harmony with all sorts of people. b.Membership in any other fraternity or society shall not prevent a student from active membership in Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter AEMB. c. Junior candidates must be in the top fifth of their class and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 while senior candidates must be in the top third of their class and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3. All members shall have completed at least six semester credit hours of biomedical engineering courses. d. Transfer students must meet the standards mentioned in Article III Section 1 Part C. Any of the six semester credit hours of biomedical engineering courses obtained from their previous school are transferrable as long as they were taken at an ABET accredited undergraduate program.
Section 2. Graduate Requirements a.Any graduate Biomedical Engineer from the Stevens Institute of Technology Chapter of AEMB, who during his or her scholastic career fulfilled the requirements for membership, may be eligible for alumni membership providing that the degree was received during a period when the school was accredited by the ABET. b.A member having received a degree at one institution and pursuing an advanced degree at a second institution may apply to the Stevens Institute of Technology AEMB chapter at the second institution to have his/her alumni membership reverted to active membership, pursuant to that chapter's by-laws, if so desired. Section 3. Faculty Requirements a.The purpose of the faculty membership is to provide a direct and manifest means for faculty of the program in Biomedical Engineering to be identified with and participate in the activities of AEMB-SIT. While there is no intent that a faculty member should participate as an active member in the chapter, faculty need to be fully aware of the ideals and objectives of the chapter and to render aid and assistance to the chapter as needed. The traits expected of members of AEMB-SIT -- scholarship, character, sociability, diligence, and widespread interest -- are of prime consideration in faculty-student relationships. The affiliation of the faculty contribution to the welfare of AEMB-SIT is encouraged. b.Qualifications for faculty membership are as follows: Faculty memberships may be extended to outstanding faculty in Biomedical Engineering programs which have no active student chapter of AEMB- SIT. The individual receiving the faculty membership is required to attend the initiation on the campus of the sponsoring chapter.
Section 4. Undergraduate Candidacy a. Nomination of new members shall be done at the end of the fall semester and include students that have completed six-credit hours of BME classes. b. A general body meeting shall be held to review the academically eligible candidates. An open ballot will be held as to whether the candidate may continue with the application process. Any honor violations or reservations about an applicant’s activity shall be discussed before the vote of each candidate. Upon nomination the candidate will be notified as to their eligibility for applicancy in Alpha Eta Mu Beta. c. Interested applicants must complete the following: (1) Provide a resume (2) Write a two page double spaced essay on how the applicant will positively impact society with their biomedical knowledge. (3) Complete interviews with at least fifty percent of the active members, after which the active member’s signature will be obtained. d. After all previous requirements are met, another vote will be held to verify each candidate’s legitimacy based on their submitted items and interviews. e. Applicants that were approved will be eligible for induction into Alpha Eta Mu Beta pending the last requirement. Applicants will be required to make a presentation to the Stevens community about a recent advance in biomedical engineering research or manufacturing. f. Applicants performing all prescribed tasks will be eligible for initiation into Alpha Eta Mu Beta. Initiation will take place in Spring, pending the applicant’s completion of at least six-credit hours of Biomedical courses
Article IV. Officers Section 1. Officers The active officers of each chapter shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member at Large. At the time of their election, the officers of the chapters must be duly registered in a Biomedical Engineering or comparable curriculum. Their term of office shall not exceed one year and elections shall take place in Spring after initiation of new members. Each chapter shall have a Faculty Advisor who is a member of the college faculty and of Alpha Eta Mu Beta. All officers shall plan to be enrolled in Stevens for the duration of their term.
Section 2. Duties of Officers a. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Society may adopt. b. Chapter President. The chapter president will have a term of one calendar year and his or her responsibilities will be as follows: (1) Conduct meetings by setting an agenda to follow (2) Be in constant contact with the chapter’s faculty and national advisers (3) Compiling the Annual Report c. Chapter Vice President. The chapter vice president will have a term of one calendar year and his or her responsibilities will be as follows: (1) Contact the Stevens Honor Board at the start of every semester to know of any honor board violations of any current members (2) Inform prospective members of their invitation to the application process (3) Collect membership data from the Registrar’s Office (4) In the event of the removal or resignation of the president, the vice president will become Chapter President d. Chapter Secretary. The chapter secretary will have a term of one calendar year and his or her responsibilities will be as follows: (1) Hold minutes for each meeting conducted (2) Send out emails to the general body regarding pertinent information (3) Create and distribute advertisements for chapter events (4) Procuring areas for chapter meetings e. Chapter Treasurer. The chapter treasurer will have a term of one calendar year and his or her responsibilities will be as follows: (1) Handle any and all monetary issues which include collecting dues, paying bills, and managing the chapter’s bank account. f. Chapter Member at Large. The chapter member at large will have a term of one calendar year and his or her responsibilities will be as follows: (1) Be present for all meetings and present the general concerns and or opinions of the membership (2) Settle all Executive Committee ties that exist
Section 3. Removal and Resignation of Officers a. In order for an officer to be removed the following steps must be taken and henceforth followed: (1) A petition with 50% of the current membership’s signatures must be established. (2) The current advisor must be informed of the reason regarding the desire to remove the aforementioned officer. (3) A vote will then be put forth to the membership where a three fourths majority must be established. (4) Once Article IV section 3 subsection 1, 2, and 3 have been completed, a removal of the officer can occur. b. In the case of removal or resignation of an officer excluding the position of President, the chapter shall hold general elections for the vacant position
Article V . Disciplinary Action Section 1. Expulsion of Members a. An active member may be expelled from AEMB for failure to live up to the Constitution and for actions that bring dishonor upon any member or the Society, or for any just cause as shall be ruled upon by the chapter itself, except as set forth in Article VIII, Section 3.b. of the National Constitution of AEMB. b. The method of expulsion is by vote of three fourths of the active membership of the chapter upon charges presented and signed by four members of the chapter and after a thorough and impartial trial of the member concerned, except in the following situation. Any case involving an active member convicted of an Honor Board violation shall be referred to the National Executive Council. Authority for expulsion, in the case of a convicted honor violation, is vested solely in the National Executive Council; and action taken shall follow the procedure set forth in Article VIII, Section 3.c of the National Constitution of AEMB. c. In the case where an active member is found guilty of an Honor Board violation, the faculty advisor of the Chapter shall submit a complete report to the National Executive Director for action by the National Executive Council. A notation of the violation shall be made on the member's permanent record, subject to removal at the discretion of the National Executive Council. In the case of an extreme honor violations, the National Executive Council shall expel the member. d. A member expelled has the right of appeal within thirty (30) days to the National Executive Council. e. All the above mentioned rules apply to officers.
Article VI Dues a. The Stevens Institute of Technology chapter shall be allowed to charge the initiates the cost of dues set by the national committee plus an additional onetime $30 fee for extraneous chapter costs.
Article VII. Meetings Section 1. Number of Meetings a. At least two official meetings shall be held each semester with an attendance of at least half the active membership. Section 2. Motions a. A simple majority shall be required to decide in favor of a motion.
Article VIII. Precedence a. The Stevens Institute of Technology chapter of AEMB constitution and bylaws are superceeded by the AEMB national constitution and bylaws. All nationally-approved updates or changes to the national constitution and bylaws will take precedence over the chapter documents.
Article VIII. Amendments a. Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by any member at any official meeting.