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Constitution of the Scientific Computing Student Club

Preamble:

In order to build a community of undergraduate and graduate students involved in scientific computing, computational discovery, and engineering at the University of Michigan, an organization to this purpose was formed on November 30th, 2015 and is being re-formed on January 16th 2024 with the ratification of this document.

Article 1: Name and Precedence

Section 1.1: Name

The organization is named "Scientific Computing Student Club" and is abbreviated as "SC2"

Section 1.2: Precedence

The governing precedence for the organization is as follows:

The rules applying to student groups at the University of Michigan
The constitution and/or bylaws of this organization

Article 2: Affiliation

Section 2.1: Affiliation

The organization is affiliated with the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering – Advanced Research Computing (MIDCE - ARC) such that it is a "Sponsored Student Organization" (SSO) as defined by the Office of Student Life at the University of Michigan

Article 3: Objectives

The organization will promote and provide support for undergraduate and graduate students and other members in the following ways:

Section 3.1:

Promote best practices and standards relating to scientific computing, drawing from contemporary literature and expertise in the scientific computing community

Section 3.2:

Provide opportunities to collaborate with peers and learn computing environments at U-M as well as major supercomputing clusters

Section 3.3:

Aid in the creation and sharing of open-source projects

Section 3.4:

Create opportunities for networking with students and faculty at the university, other universities, laboratories, and corporations

Section 3.5:

Share the computational aspects of members' research

Article 4: Membership

Section 4.1: Graduate Students:

Graduate students comprise the main membership of the organization. Any graduate student involved in scientific computing at the university is welcome to join.

Section 4.2: Post-doctoral fellows:

While post-doctoral fellows are not the primary target audience for the organization, any post doctoral fellow involved in scientific computing at the university is welcome to join.

Section 4.3: Faculty

Faculty may not be members of the organization; however, they may be advisors to the organization as detailed in Article 7

Section 4.4: Undergraduate Students:

Undergraduate students may join the organization.

Section 4.5: Joining

Eligible students may join the group by contacting the group and/or attending meetings

Section 4.6: Active Membership:

For the purposes of this organization, a semester is considered to be either the Fall or Winter semesters; the spring and summer semesters are not considered semesters. A member is considered to be active if they attend at least one of the general meetings of the organization in a semester. A member must be active to vote in voting meetings.

Section 4.7: Inactive Membership:

A member is considered inactive if they do not meet the requirements for active membership in the previous semester.

Section 4.8: Removal of members:

Members who are inactive for two full semesters will be automatically removed from the organization. Members who leave the university may also be removed from membership.

Article 5: Officers

Section 5.1: Elections

Regular elections shall be held yearly in November as scheduling allows for terms starting in January

Section 5.2: President

Section 5.2.a: Eligibility

The president of the organization must be a graduate student at the university

Section 5.2.b: Term

The president of the organization will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year

Section 5.2.c: Duties

Be a signer on the SOAS
Be the official representative of the organization at university events
Preside at regular meetings of the organization
Preside at meetings of the executive committee
Be primary contact with Advisor and MICDE
Prepares agenda for executive committee meetings
Prepares materials for regular meetings of the organization

Section 5.3: Vice-President

Section 5.3.a: Eligibility

The vice-president of the organization must be a graduate student at the university

Section 5.3.b: Term

The vice-president of the organization will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year

Section 5.3.c: Duties

Be a signer on the SOAS
Act as President in absence
Be secondary contact with MICDE
Act as the chair of the project committee.

Section 5.4: Secretary-Treasurer

Section 5.4.a: Eligibility

The secretary-treasurer of the organization must be a graduate student at the university

Section 5.4.b: Term

The secretary-treasurer of the organization will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year

Section 5.4.c: Duties

Be a signer on the SOAS
Act as President / VP in absence
Ensure that minutes of the executive committee meetings and other important events are available for members
Prepare monthly update for members/advisor
Manage organization facilities, including scheduling and finances
Keep track of financial transactions and take action when spending contradicts the budget
Manage membership logistics, including but not limited to mailing lists and membership status

Section 5.5.a: Eligibility

The Event committee chair of the organization must be a graduate student at the university.

Section 5.5.b:Term

A Event committee chair will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year.

Section 5.5.c:Duties

The Event chair must preside over Event Committee meetings
The Event chair is responsible for the duties of the Event Committee
The Event chair is responsible for nominating members to the Event Committee
The Event chair is able to deliver a report to the executive committee recommending action. The executive committee can approve this action with a majority vote.

Section 5.6: Workshop Committee chair

Section 5.6.a: Eligibility

The Workshop committee chair of the organization must be a graduate student at the university.

Section 5.6.b:Term

A Workshop committee chair will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year.

Section 5.6.c:Duties

The Workshop chair must preside over Workshop Committee meetings
The Workshop chair is responsible for the duties of the Workshop Committee
The Workshop chair is responsible for nominating members to the Workshop Committee
The Workshop chair is able to deliver a report to the executive committee recommending action. The executive committee can approve this action with a majority vote.

Section 5.7: Outreach Committee chair

Section 5.7.a: Eligibility

The Outreach committee chair of the organization must be a graduate student at the university.

Section 5.7.b:Term

A Outreach committee chair will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year.

Section 5.7.c:Duties

The Outreach chair must preside over Outreach Committee meetings
The Outreach chair is responsible for the duties of the Outreach Committee
The Outreach chair is responsible for nominating members to the Outreach Committee
The Outreach chair is able to deliver a report to the executive committee recommending action. The executive committee can approve this action with a majority vote.

Section 5.8: Members-at-Large

Section 5.8.a: Eligibility

A Member-at-Large of the organization must be a graduate student at the university.

Section 5.8.b: Quantity

2 Member-at-Large positions are available with an additional position for every 20 active club members recorded at the time of voting.

Section 5.8.c: Term

A Member-at-Large will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year.

Section 5.8.d:Duties

Members-at-Large must record the interests of the club body.
Members-at-Large must convey the club body's interests to the executive committee regarding decisions subject to vote.

Section 5.9: Website Committee Chair

Section 5.9.a: Eligibility

The Website committee chair of the organization must be a graduate student at the university.

Section 5.9.b:Term

A Website committee chair will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year.

Section 5.9.c:Duties

The Website chair must preside over Website Committee meetings
The Website chair is responsible for the duties of the Website Committee
The Website chair is responsible for nominating members to the Website committee
The Website chair is able to deliver a report to the executive committee recommending action. The executive committee can approve this action with a majority vote.
The Website chair must be a member of the outreach committee.
Support Outreach committee with any web-related tasks

Section 5.10 Additional Positions

Additional officer positions may be added through an amendment to the constitution of the organization

Article 6: Committees

Section 6.1: Executive committee

Section 6.1.a: Composition

The executive committee is composed of all officers, the faculty advisor, and one student from each contributing research group as defined in Article 7.

Section 6.1.b: Term

The members of the executive committee who are officers will hold a term for the duration of their officer term. Other members will hold a one-year term, starting in January of each calendar year.

Section 6.1.c: Meetings

The executive committee must meet at least once/semester

Section 6.1.d: Duties/Powers

Can create and approve budget for each semester
Can appoint interim officers in the event of officer resignation or removal
Can amend the constitution per Article 16
Can request any committee to deliver a report which may recommend action. The executive committee can then choose to follow this action with a majority vote.
Can propose action given the full details of the action are made clear to the committee. The action can be accepted with a majority vote.

Section 6.1.e: Budget

The executive committee must create and approve a budget for each semester. This budget may simply indicate that the group has no standing funds and does not plan to spend anything in the semester. Any expenditures not included in the semester budget must be approved by the executive committee prior to the expenditure.

Section 6.1.f: Naming

May also be called “The Board” for purposes of this document.

Section 6.2.a: Composition

The Event and Social committee will be composed of the chair and its members. Members are appointed per Section 6.8. The Event Committee must have a chair and can be composed of up to 3 additional members.

Section 6.2.b: Term

The Members of the Event committee will hold a term for the duration of their chair’s term.

Section 6.2.c: Meetings

The Event Committee must meet at least once/semester

Section 6.2.d: Duties/Powers

Must plan one social event per semester for the members of the club
Must manage all competition event teams
Must report to the executive committee all financial requests for event teams
must plan a budget for all event related activities

Section 6.3: Workshop committee

Section 6.3.a: Composition

The Workshop committee will be composed of the chair and its members. Members are appointed per Section 6.8. The Workshop Committee must have a chair and can be composed of up to 3 additional members.

Section 6.3.b: Term

The Members of the Workshop committee will hold a term for the duration of their chair’s term.

Section 6.3.c: Meetings

The Workshop Committee must meet at least once/semester

Section 6.3.d: Duties/Powers

Must manage all logistics related to workshops and presentations
has complete authority to determine the appropriateness of a workshop or presentation
is responsible for contacting professors and other speakers to host workshops or give presentations.

Section 6.4: Outreach committee

Section 6.4.a: Composition

The Outreach committee will be composed of the chair and its members. Members are appointed per Section 6.8. The Outreach Committee must have a chair and can be composed of up to 3 additional members.

Section 6.4.b: Term

The Members of the Outreach committee will hold a term for the duration of their chair’s term.

Section 6.4.c: Meetings

The Outreach Committee must meet at least once/semester

Section 6.4.d: Duties/Powers

Must manage all logistics related to outreach
Is responsible for advertising all meetings, elections, and presentations
Must engage in an activity or event to recruit new members to the club once per semester. This can not include advertisements stated in the previous item
Is responsible for creating and managing the support forum
Must plan a budget for all outreach related activities

Section 6.5: Website committee

Section 6.5.a: Composition

The Website committee will be composed of the chair and its members. Members are appointed per Section 6.8. The Website Committee must have a chair and can be composed of up to 3 additional members.

Section 6.5.b: Term

The Members of the Outreach committee will hold a term for the duration of their chair’s term.

Section 6.5.c: Meetings

The Outreach Committee must meet at least once/semester

Section 6.5.d: Responsibilities

Keep the public website up-to-date
Must be involved in all web-related actions proposed by committees
Must plan a budget for all web-related activities

Section 6.6: Project committee

Section 6.6.a: Composition

The Project committee will be composed of the chair and its members. Members are appointed per Section 6.8. The Project Committee must have a chair and can be composed of up to 3 additional members.

Section 6.6.b: Term

The Members of the Project committee will hold a term for the duration of their chair’s term.

Section 6.6.c: Meetings

The Project Committee must meet at least once/semester

Section 6.6.d: Duties/Powers

Must manage all logistics related to projects.
Has complete authority to remove projects from active status if they do not have progress for one month.
Is responsible for creating a budget for project and approving expenses for proposed projects within their budget

Section 6.7: Additional Committees

Section 6.7.a: Permanent Committees

Additional, permanent committees may be added through an amendment to the constitution of the organization. Chairs of these committees become executive committee members. The executive committee may choose to make a temporary committee a permanent committee at any time

Section 6.7.b: Temporary Committees

Temporary committees may be formed to solve topical issues. The chair of these committees will not become a member of the executive committee unless the committee is made into a permanent committee.

Section 6.8: Committee Members

Section 6.8.a: Appointment

Members may be nominated to a committee by the committee’s chair. Once nominated, members may be approved by majority vote of the executive committee.

Article 7: Advisor

Section 7.1: Eligibility

The advisor for the organization must be a faculty member at the university. It is preferred that the advisor be associated/affiliated with MICDE

Section 7.2: Term

The advisor for the organization will hold a three-year term, starting in January

Section 7.3: Duties

The advisor shall: • Provide continuity for the officers of the organization • Sign documents as needed by the organization • Act purely as an advisor, allowing the officers and members to make decisions

Article 8: Projects

Section 8.1: Rules

A club project may be proposed by any active member of the club. Proposals include a short presentation during club meetings and a formal document providing more detail
There may be no more than 3 concurrent active projects.
If a project is accepted it will be added to the club github and the person who proposed the project will be in charge of leading the project to completion
If a project is not accepted it will be put in the project queue if it is deemed relevant to the club by the project committee.
Maximum project length is two months
The project committee can vote to remove stale projects, but project leader can appeal to keep project alive
project leaders may request resources for their project from the project committee. If the project leader is in the project committee, they may not participate in the decision

Section 8.2: Project Proposals

projects proposals must be submitted one week before they are presented in club meetings
In the event multiple projects are proposed, the club body may vote on which to pursue
Proposals must include a project timeline, a background, 3 example tasks, and any special resources the project might need. Resources can also be requested at a later date

Article 9: Workshops

Section 9.1: Rules

Any active member can host a workshop or presentation. Workshops are defined as educational material that has audience follow along while presentations do not require audience participation.
Workshops must be accessible to everyone who meets the prerequisites. The workshop committee may decide the appropriateness of prerequisites for the club body.
Members may submit a workshop or presentation to the workshop committee at any point. The workshop committee will decide if the workshop or presentation is appropriate, queue it, and inform the submitter when they are likely to present. appropriate presentations and workshops relate to scientific computing.
presentations which have less general knowledge or go in-depth into a topic may be suggested for a special presentation session.
presentation material and confirmation of availability must be given to the workshop committee 3 university days prior to the presentation date. If the presenter is unavailable or fails to meet this deadline, the next presenter in the queue will take their place.
professors and other experts related to scientific computing may be invited to speak by the workshop committee.

Article 10: Events

Section 10.1: Competition Teams

any active member can form a team, they become the team captain and are responsible for advertising the competition and securing any required funding
team members (including the team captain) do not have to be a part of the competing members
The club offers funding based on application. applications are approved by the event committee

Article 12: Contributing Research Group

Research groups in the University of Michigan can register to be affiliated with the computing club in order to have voting power on Executive Committee decisions

Section 12.1: Eligibility

Be a research group at the university
Have at least graduate student in the organization
Provide a member for the executive committee
Assist in providing resources for members of the organization including speakers at regular meetings of the organization
60% of research group must be active members of the organization

Article 13: Meetings

Section 13.1: General Meetings

The membership of the organization will meet at least once per month to conduct its business. This includes but is not limited to:

Discussion of new computing methods, hardware, software available at the university and/or other available resources e.g. XSEDE
Presentations of codes, methods, etc. in development at the university, esp. those being developed by members of the organization
Presentations by representatives of contributing research groups, ARC-TS, etc.
Discussion of new business, ideas, etc.
Fellow members hosting workshops to teach basic and advanced scientific computing skills
Members propose projects to be worked on collaboratively
Make club announcements
Advertise the start of a new event team

Section 13.2: Elections

Section 13.2.a: Frequency

The membership of the organization must meet at least once per year to vote on officers. This meeting must take place in November. In the event that other elections are needed e.g. due to vacancy of the position, other elections may be held as necessary.

Section 13.2.b: Notice

The date, time, and location must be announced at least one month prior to the election.

Section 13.2.c: Quorum

Members do not need to be present to vote. Voting can take place up to a week after the election date. If a membership quorum of votes, as defined in Article 14, are collected, the vote is valid.

Section 13.2.d: Ties

Ties will be decided by coin toss

Section 13.3: Board Meetings

Section 13.3.a: Frequency

Voting meetings are scheduled as needed to vote on constitutional amendments or other issues the executive committee deems necessary to vote on.

Section 13.3.b: Notice

The date, time, and location must be announced at least one month prior to the meeting.

Section 13.3.c: Quorum

In order to conduct a voting meeting, a quorum of the membership must be present, as defined in Article 14

Section 13.4: Support Meetings

The organization may provide regular opportunities for members to meet in person to provide technical support for one another

Section 13.4.a: Frequency

Members should be able to meet at least once/week to provide peer support

Section 13.5: Research Presentations:

The organization will provide members the opportunity to practice presentations they will give at conferences, etc. These presentations may also be given at general meetings. These meetings may also give a chance to go in-depth about complex topics.

Section 13.6: Special Meetings

The organization may hold any other meetings as the executive committee, officers, and/or members see fit

Article 14: Quorum

Section 14.1: Membership Quorum

A membership quorum is defined as 50% of the total active membership of the organization + 1 member.

Section 14.2: Board Quorum

A membership quorum is defined as 3/4 of the executive committee.

Article 15: Removal of Membership and Officers

Section 15.1: Officers

An officer may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the executive committee

Section 15.2: Advisor

An advisor may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the executive committee

Section 15.3: Executive Committee Member

An executive committee member may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the executive committee

Section 15.4: Contributing Research Group

A contributing research group may be removed by:

A 2/3 vote of the executive committee
Upon request of the PI of the contributing research group

Section 15.5: Resignation

In the event that an officer or advisor needs to resign, it is expected that the resigning officer/advisor give at least one month’s notice to the executive committee and continues to perform their duties as to the best of their abilities until an election can be held. In the event this is not possible, the executive committee may appoint an interim officer/advisor until such time that an election can be held.

Article 16: Amendments

Section 16.1: Process

An amendment to the constitution should be brought before the executive committee. Given there is a quorum, the amendment shall be approved by a 3/4 vote.

Section 16.2: Notice

The amendment will be announced at a general meeting of the organization at least one month prior to the proposed date of voting. The meeting at which the vote will take place must be properly announced as a voting meeting

Article 17: Ratification

This constitution is ratified by a 3/4 vote of the executive committee.