iSchool Connext By-Laws

Article I (Name)

The name of this organization shall be iSchool Connext.

Article II (Purpose)

The purpose of iSchool Connext is to foster connections between students and alumni of the San Jose State University (SJSU) School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) program through communications, events, and programs open to all students and alumni in order to promote scholarly and professional development and achievement; and to maintain among alumni and students a spirit of fellowship and service to librarianship.

Article III (Affiliation)

This organization is affiliated with San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science program. This organization is not affiliated with any national or international organizations.

Article IV (Membership)

  1. All currently enrolled students and all alumni of SJSU SLIS are automatically members of iSchool Connext. There are no other requirements to membership.
  2. Students and alumni indicate their membership by: attending iSchool Connext events (both in-person and virtual); participating in iSchool Connext online social communities; and volunteering to help with iSchool Connext activities.
  3. Membership in this organization will not be denied to anyone on the basis of race, religion, national origin, age, sex, disability, veteran’s status, or sexual orientation, except as sanctioned by law (California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 41500).

Article V (Officers)

  1. The Officers of iSchool Connext shall consist of: one Student President, one Alumni President, one Past Student President, one Past Alumni Student President, one Vice President, one Secretary, one Treasurer, one Webmaster/Social Media Manager, and one Blog Correspondent. A Special Projects Manager may be appointed by the Student President on an ad hoc basis. Unless specifically stated, either alumni or student may fill any of the above roles.
  2. Terms of office begin in the Summer semester and end after the Spring semester. Officers are expected to serve out their full terms. An officer completing a one-year term may elect to retain the position for a second consecutive year.
  3. Officers may not retain their position longer than two consecutive terms without being re-elected in the general election. (I propose adding the verbiage “at least” in front of the term information since officers have the option to carryover term.)

Article  VI (Executive Committee)

The Executive Committee shall consist of the: Alumni President, Student President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Article VII (Officer Duties)

Alumni President (two-year term includes one year as Past President)

  • Lead strategic planning process
  • Maintain organizational communication, coordination, operations, etc.
  • Develop meeting agendas
  • Co-facilitate board meetings
  • Delegate tasks to appropriate board members
  • Follow up on all tasks
  • Serve as a member of the SLIS Leadership Coordinating Team
  • Plan, organization and facilitate programs, activities and events

Student President (two-year term includes one year as Past President)

  • Lead strategic planning process
  • Maintain organizational communication, coordination, operations, etc.
  • Develop meeting agendas
  • Co-facilitate board meetings in collaboration with Alumni President
  • Delegate tasks to appropriate board members
  • Follow up on all tasks
  • Serve as a member of the SLIS Leadership Coordinating Team
  • Plan, organization and facilitate programs, activities and events

Vice President (at least one year term)

  • Support strategic planning process
  • Facilitate board meetings when necessary
  • Plan, organization and facilitate programs, activities and events

Secretary (one-year term)

  • Solicits agenda items and sends out the agenda to board members
  • Take minutes at each meeting
  • Share minutes with all board members within one week of meeting
  • Send out a Doodle poll at the beginning of term to set the monthly meeting date/time for the term
  • Send out an e-mail & Facebook reminder for each meeting a couple of days in advance
  • Keep iSchool Connext calendar up to date
  • Submit all virtual events to be added to SJSU main calendar
  • Participate in strategic planning process
  • Assist with the planning and implementation of programs, activities and events

Treasurer (one-year term)

  • Manage iSchool Connext bank account
  • Disburse funds for approved expenditures
  • Participate in strategic planning process
  • Assist with the planning and implementation of programs, activities and events

Social Media Manager/ Webmaster (one-year term)

  • Create and post content to social media outlets
  • Publicize events on social media and listservs
  • Monitor social media platforms to respond to questions and approve membership requests
  • Participate in strategic planning process
  • Develop and maintain iSchool Connext website
  • Work with Blog Correspondent and Social Media Manager to coordinate iSchool Connext’s online activities
  • Participate in strategic planning process

Blog Correspondent (one-year term)

  • Develop and maintain iSchool Connext blog
  • Solicit blog submissions from iSchool Connext members
  • Work with Webmaster and Social Media Managers to coordinate iSchool Connext’s online activities
  • Participate in strategic planning process

Special Projects Manager (Ad Hoc Position)

Special projects include any new program, outreach campaign, or large project that will require the coordination of various participants (students, alumni, volunteers, staff, etc.), a high level of organization, and attention to timelines and details.

  • Manage special projects for iSchool Connext utilizing project management and organization skills
  • Recruit volunteers from the board, students, and alumni to fill needed roles for special projects
  • Work with Presidents and Presidents-Elect to evaluate and assure programs align with iSchool Connext goals
  • Maintain thorough documentation of each project
  • Work with Social Media Managers and Blog Correspondent on project outreach needs
  • Provide monthly progress reports to the board
  • Participate in strategic planning process
  • Assist with the planning and implementation of programs, activities and events

Article VIII (Elections)

iSchool Connext officers are elected by the SLIS student and alumni body for each academic year at the end of the spring semester. All iSchool Connext members, as defined in Article IV, have the right to self-nominate, be nominated as candidates, and vote in elections. If there is low interest, board members may appoint officers.

Nominations

A call for nominations will be extended to student and alumni members in early April for two weeks. Nomination forms will be made available via the iSchool Connext website and distributed through social media and communication channels such as SJSU SLIS listservs. Candidates will submit a brief statement and all candidates will be contacted via email before voting begins to verify interest in becoming a board member and the expectations of term length.

Voting

The Student President will create voting ballot. The ballot will be distributed via designated channels that include but are not limited to: SLIS email distribution lists (QuickSLIS, SLISalum); iSchool Connext social media platforms and iSchool Connext website. Voting will take place the last two weeks of April. Winning candidates will be contacted the first week of May after closing the polls. Candidates are expected to attend the first meeting of the new term in June when a hand over of duties will take place.

Procedure for Unfilled Elected Positions. If no petition is timely filed for an elected position, the deadline for filing shall be extended and appropriately publicized. Beginning four weeks from the
 original election date, if no valid petition is 
received, the Executive Committee may vote to close the
 filing period and appoint a qualified student to the
 vacant position.

Article  IX (Resignation/Removal from Office)

An officer may resign his or her office in a letter addressed to the Executive Committee stating the officer’s wish to resign and the effective date of the resignation.

  1. A member from the Executive Committee may resign his or her office in a letter addressed to the remaining members of the Executive Board stating the member’s wish to resign and the effective date of the resignation.
  2. Any member who is dissatisfied with the work of an officer or member of the Executive Committee may express his or her complaint in a letter to the rest of the Executive Committee. The Committee shall meet with the member to discuss the complaint. If the Committee decides to take no action or the member is still dissatisfied, the member can request to discuss the complaint with the Faculty Advisor. If the complaint cannot be resolved with the Faculty Advisor, a recall vote shall be held during the following week. iSchool Connext members shall cast their vote by official ballot. If members vote to remove the officer from office, a new officer shall be nominated and elected.
  3. An interim election will be held for a vacancy that occurs outside of the standard election period, with the term continuing through the remainder of the election year. Additionally, officers may be appointed by the Executive Board in the event of an officer vacancy resulting from resignation.

Article  X (Meetings)

  1. Membership: iSchool Connext events and programs, which are open to all students and alumni, occur in lieu of membership meetings.
  2. Board Officers Meetings: Meetings will be held on a monthly basis via Blackboard Collaborate (or the University’s current Virtual Collaborative Software if otherwise).
  3. Executive Committee Meetings: Executive Committee meetings will be held as needed.
  4. Meetings will be agreed upon at least one week in advance and be decided by a participation poll and will be called by either the Student President or Alumni President who may alternate facilitator roles.
  5. All monthly board meetings will be recorded and a recording table of links will be made available to the members of the board at any time.
  6. In the event an emergency meeting should be deemed necessary, an Executive Committee member will exercise due diligence in notifying all board members of the need for the meeting, propose a meeting time, and initiate the meeting. Notes of the meeting will be provided to all board members in a timely manner.

Article XI (Advisor)

iSchool Connext must have a University advisor. This person must be employed as a faculty or staff member by San Jose State University. The advisor shall be a non-voting member of the organization. The duties of the Faculty Advisor are as follows:

  1. Assist iSchool Connext in fulfilling its mission and purpose;
  2. Be knowledgeable of iSchool Connext’s constitution and bylaws and assist members in interpreting them;
  3. Be knowledgeable of University policies and procedures regarding student organizations and ensure iSchool Connext’s compliance to the best of his/her ability;
  4. Be aware of iSchool Connext’s activities;
  5. Be aware of iSchool Connext’s financial standing and all financial transactions using iSchool Connext funds;
  6. Attend iSchool Connext meetings.

Article X (Amendments)

Proposed amendments shall be reviewed by iSchool Connext officers. After discussion at a board meeting, proposed amendments shall be discussed by officers of iSchool Connext. The proposed amendment(s) shall be adopted if approved by a majority of officers present. The adopted amendment shall be effective immediately.

This constitution and bylaws were updated and adopted June 2017.