BUSINESS HONORS STUDENT ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION
I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Business Honors Student Association, also referred to as BHSA.
II. PURPOSE
The purpose of this organization shall be:
1. To create a sense of community within the Fox Honors Program.
2. To enhance the professional development of the organization’s members.
3. To build a strong alumni network that may be called upon to assist members.
BHSA shall serve as the representative student organization of the Fox Honors Program at the Fox School of Business.
III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 3.1: Eligibility Requirements
Membership is open to all students in good academic standing in the Fox Honors Program. Students will not be considered members of BHSA until their dues have been paid and they have met the membership requirements.
Section 3.2: Nondiscrimination Policy
BHSA follows all of Temple University’s policies regarding nondiscrimination. BHSA will allow any student in the Fox Honors Program to participate, become a member, or seek leadership positions in the organization, regardless of their age, color, disability, marital status, national origin or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or veteran status.
BHSA reserves the right to restrict membership on the basis of conduct, provided that such restrictions are not a pretext for exclusion based on status or belief, i.e.., are not used principally to exclude students on the basis of age, color, disability, marital status, national origin or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or veteran status.
Section 3.3: Probation and Forfeiture of Membership
Members may be put on probation and eventually be removed from BHSA if they are involved with some activity or situation that negatively impacts the image or reputation of BHSA or the Fox Honors Program. Before a member is removed, they will be subject to a probationary period. After an incident occurs, the executive team and faculty advisors will decide if any members involved will face probation. Members put on probation will have 30 days to correct their behavior. After the 30 day probationary period, the executive team will decide if members on probation will continue in their role or will face removal. Removal requires a majority ruling of the Executive Board and Faculty Advisor(s). If a member is dismissed from the Fox Honors Program, they can no longer be a member of BHSA. As such, they must forfeit their dues and must pay full price to attend any BHSA events (including banquet) as guests for the remainder of the academic year.
IV. OFFICER STRUCTURE
Section 4.1: Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for office, a candidate must be a member of BHSA, must not have a graduation date that occurs before the specified term, and must not be on scholastic probation from either the University or the Fox Honors Program. Candidates for office must be present and able to serve their entire terms. Additionally, candidates cannot hold an executive position in another organization (as determined by the President and the Faculty Advisors). Prior leadership experience involvement with BHSA is preferred but not required.
Section 4.2: Structure
The members of the Executive Board, also referred to as Executives include:
President
Executive Vice President
Director of Marketing
Director of Community Engagement
Director of Social Engagement
Director of Finance
Director of Fundraising
Director of Professional Development
Director of Alumni Relations
The reporting and decision-making structure of BHSA shall be:
V. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS
For the appointment of officers, the following process must be followed:
Applications for all positions are to be emailed out by Faculty Advisor(s). Applications
must be submitted no later than the deadline specified on the application.
A meeting is held between Faculty Advisor(s), the current President, and outgoing
senior officers to compile a list of presidential nominees. Faculty Advisor(s) will have final decision-making authority on whom to include or omit when inviting presidential nominees to interview.
Faculty Advisor(s) and the outgoing President will select the incoming President.
All remaining applicants are to be interviewed by the Faculty Advisor(s) and the incoming President.
Decisions are to be sent out by the President within one week of the final interview.
Applicants who have been selected for officer positions must submit their acceptances
by the deadline specified on the decision letter.
The officer transition meeting will take place after Thanksgiving. At the transition
meeting, outgoing officers are to provide the incoming officers with descriptive outlines
of their positions.
It is the responsibility of outgoing officers to train the incoming officers on their
positions. During the remaining time of the semester, incoming officers are expected to
shadow their respective outgoing officers.
The official change of leadership is to take place on the last day of the fall semester.
Transition notes must be submitted to the President, prior to Thanksgiving break.
VI. OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES
Section 6.1: Term of Service
Each officer shall serve for the entirety of his or her term, unless appointed mid-year.
Section 6.2: General Expectations
Each officer is expected to meet the following general expectations:
Officers must pay dues prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Perform assigned duties properly and in good faith (refer to Section 6.3: Officer
Duties).
Attend a minimum of 75% of all BHSA events, meetings, and scheduled office hours.
Exceptions will be made at the discretion of the President based on illness, family
emergency, work, travel, interviews, and extreme circumstances.
Meet expectations established and communicated by the President.
Maintain a positive attitude and present a good image of BHSA to members and
external parties.
Communicate with President or Faculty Advisor(s) if unable to meet these
expectations
Section 6.3: Officer Duties
The duties of the officers shall consist of, but are not limited to, the following:
President
Oversees leadership and organization of all areas of BHSA.
Defines yearly strategic goals of BHSA with specific focuses on recruitment,
marketing, and membership retention.
Conducts weekly/bi-weekly Executive and Officer Meetings and mid-year officer reviews.
Works closely with the Director of Finance in regards to approving the budget.
Attends monthly College Council meetings and relays that information to the officers.
Handles allocations for College Council.
Attends Fox School events to represent BHSA when needed.
Organizes officers to participate in Fox recruiting events as needed.
Acts as Chairman of the Executive Board and holds final decision-making
authority.
Contacts the incoming freshmen and transfer students with a welcome email.
Works to build relationships with other SPOs within the Fox School of Business.
Works closely with the Director of Social Engagement and Faculty Advisor(s) to
plan the annual spring banquet.
Identifies potential corporate partners and attempts to facilitate relationships.
Markets corporate sponsor events to members and provides all necessary
information to the Director of Marketing for circulation on website and weekly
email.
Ensures that all diversity and inclusion policies are followed.
Executive Vice President
Serves as a conduit of information among the officers.
Oversees daily operations of BHSA and the responsibilities of all officers.
Ensures all officers are on track with their events and are keeping the commitments of
their positions and sends weekly updates to all officers.
Keeps track of member attendance.
Keeps track of office hours and officer attendance.
Sends a weekly newsletter to all members.
Records and maintains minutes of all Officer Meetings.
Responsible for planning the SPO Fair.
Secures suitable codes for all events and meetings.
Director of Marketing
Disseminates information to the entire organization, including event and meeting promotion.
Maintains all of BHSA’s social media platforms.
Organizes and edits all student videos/podcast episodes.
Regularly updates all sections of the BHSA website.
Collects officer biographies, pictures, and contact information.
Creates a marketing plan for the organization at the beginning of the spring
semester.
Takes pictures, or assigns another officer, to take pictures at all events.
Markets all events through social media and the TV in the Fox Honors
lounge.
Compiles the end of the year scrapbook in the summer.
Maintain BHSA LinkedIn page.
Director of Community Engagement
Holds one community service event per month.
Supports and plans annual Kevin Coffey Blood Drive.
Responsible for maintaining Fox Honors faculty relations, including planning one faculty
event per semester, sending thank you cards, and finding other creative ways to engage
faculty.
Find one charity/non-profit organization to donate to throughout the term.
Helps with planning the Freshman Retreat and Fox Honors Banquet.
Director of Social Engagement
Plans at least one social event per month.
Organizes one cultural dinner per semester.
Oversees mentorship program, including finding and pairing matches and planning one
to two mentorship events per semester.
Helps with planning the Freshman Retreat and Fox Honors Banquet.
Director of Finance
Oversees all financial transactions for the organization.
Handles banking transactions including deposits, withdrawals, and monitors the
balances in checking and savings accounts.
Keeps track of profits from fundraising events, payment for all meetings and events,
payment for the annual banquet, and reimbursement to officers.
Maintains the organization’s relationship with Temple Student Government and
oversees BHSA’s TSG allocations requests.
Ensures that BHSA complies with all STARS requirements.
Works with the President to create budgets for events.
Collects dues from members and updates the Executive Board with membership
levels.
Responsible for ordering food for all speaker meetings.
Director of Fundraising
Creates a semester fundraising strategy plan.
Creates innovative and effective ways to fundraise for BHSA.
Organizes book sales each semester.
Responsible for the snack sale in the lounge.
Plans tie sale/sock sale each semester.
Keeps track of profits from fundraising events and reach a semester goal of a minimum
of $750.
Works with the director of community engagement on finding fundraising for charity.
Director of Professional Development
Locates and recruits bi-weekly guest speakers to speak at general meetings, including follow-ups and all aspects of the campus visit. Secure bi-weekly speakers.
Responsible for planning monthly workshops for students.
Organizes headshots for members twice yearly.
Provides resume printing for members.
Director of Alumni Relations
Organizes one alumni event per semester.
Maintains alumni database and collects contact information of graduating seniors to add
to database including establishing meaningful channels of communication and
relationships between alumni and current members.
Maintains alumni LinkedIn page.
Markets alumni events to members and provides all necessary information to the
Director of Marketing for circulation on the website and weekly email.
Reaches out to alumni for monthly coffee chats and/or podcasts.
Sends out an alumni newsletter once per semester.
Section 6.4: Office Hours
Each officer is required to hold a minimum number of office hours each week. During office hours, officers must be present in the Fox Honors office and must perform BHSA-related tasks. Officers must sign in when holding office hours to receive credit. Officers are encouraged to commit more than the required minimum hours. Officers cannot hold more than two hours in one day.
1. Directors – 2 hours
2. President – 3 hours
3. Executive Vice President – 3 hours
Office hours may be rescheduled temporarily or permanently after approval by the President. Hours may only be rescheduled with at least 24 hours advance notice and for a valid reason. Officers who reschedule hours on a regular basis may be denied approval for future requests despite having a valid reason.
VII. RESIGNATION AND DISMISSAL OF OFFICERS Section 7.1: Officer Resignation
Any officer may resign during the course of his or her term. The resignation must be submitted in writing to the current President. Once submitted, it becomes effective immediately or on the effective date set by the President and Faculty Advisor(s).
Section 7.2: Reasons for Officer Dismissal
Any officer may be dismissed from office for the following reasons:
1. Failure to perform assigned responsibilities properly and in good faith.
2. Failure to attend meetings and events.
3. Failure to complete scheduled office hours on a consistent basis.
4. Failure to meet other expectations established and communicated by the President.
5. Failure to maintain a positive attitude and present a good image of BHSA to members and external parties.
6. Failure to represent the best interests of BHSA or the Fox Honors Program.
7. Withdrawal or dismissal from the Fox School of Business or Fox Honors Program. 8. Repeated pattern of disrespect towards officers and/or faculty advisor(s).
9. Failure to meet deadlines designated by the executive board.
Section 7.3: Officer Dismissal Procedure
Should any Officer need to be dismissed, the following process must be followed:
1. A meeting is held between the President and Officer to discuss the purpose of the meeting, areas for improvement, and definitive timeline for improvement.
2. If the President feels the Officer has not improved by the end of the probationary period, the President meets with the Officer and dismisses them from their position. In the event of a tie, the Faculty Advisor(s) will have the deciding vote.
Should the President or Vice President need to be dismissed, the following process must be followed:
1. A meeting is held between the Faculty Advisor(s) and the President/Vice President to discuss the purpose of the meeting, areas for improvement, and definitive timeline for improvement.
2. If the remaining members of the Executive Board and Faculty Advisor(s) feel the President/Vice President has not improved by the end of the probationary period, they will be dismissed from their position. In the event of a tie, the Faculty Advisor(s) will have the deciding vote.
Section 7.4: Vacant Offices
In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice President shall assume the additional role of President.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of all other officers, the President and Faculty Advisor(s) shall hold a special election within 10 days to fill the position. The Executive Board may disseminate duties amongst remaining officers, if deemed more appropriate.
VIII. FINANCES
Section 8.1: Collection and Disbursement of Funds
The Director of Finance is responsible for collection and disbursement of all BHSA funds. Expenditures must be authorized by the President and Vice President.
Section 8.2: Membership Dues
Each member is required to pay annual or semester dues. Dues are to be brought to the Fox Honors office and received by an officer. Dues may be paid at any time.
Dues are determined at the beginning of each year by the President, Vice President, and Faculty Advisor(s).
IX. MEETINGS
Section 9.1: General Meetings
General meetings are to be held once a month on Fridays from August through May, contingent on speaker availability. Meetings will take place during the Business Free Period (12:00PM – 12:50PM). General meetings are open to all Fox Honors students.
Section 9.2: Officer Meetings
Officer meetings are only open to current BHSA Officers and Faculty Advisor(s). Officer meetings may be held at any time, as agreed upon by the Executive Board and Faculty Advisor(s).
Section 9.3: Business Free Period
General meetings shall primarily be held on Fridays during the Business Free Period. However, they may occasionally be held on a Monday or Wednesday during the Business Free Period. Officers shall be required to attend these meetings as if they were held on Friday, unless they inform the President, in advance of a conflict. It is strongly recommended that officers reserve availability during Business Free Periods for BHSA.
X. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Section 10.1: Proposal
Any member may propose an amendment to the Constitution. For an amendment to be considered, it must be submitted in writing to the President.
Section 10.2: Consideration
Once a member has proposed an amendment, the current Executive team and Faculty Advisor(s) must meet to discuss the proposed amendment.
Section 10.3: Ratification
The Execs and Faculty Advisor(s) must vote on adopting the proposed amendment. At least two-thirds vote in favor of adopting a proposed amendment is necessary to amend the Constitution. The amendment will take effect on the effective date set by the Execs and Faculty Advisor(s).
Section 10.4: Exception
The President and Faculty Advisor(s) may, with a two-thirds vote, approve a one-time exception to a law of the Constitution. Exceptions are one-time only, and a separate vote must be taken for each individual exception.
XI. RATIFICATION
This Constitution will be effective for the 2023 calendar year following a two-thirds vote in favor of ratification by the Execs and Faculty Advisor(s). When ratified, this Constitution will take effect immediately and will be the supreme law of BHSA.
This Constitution shall be read and reviewed annually by the Execs and Faculty Advisor(s) at the beginning and end of each term of office.
Drug and Alcohol Policy
Consuming or buying alcohol for students under 21 is prohibited at all BHSA and/or Fox Honors events. Drug use is also prohibited. Failure to comply with this rule will result in immediate termination of your officer position and subject to dismissal from the Fox Honors Program.
Temple University's Anti-Hazing Policy I. Policy Statement
Temple University does not tolerate hazing. Any student, student group, student organization, team, or other persons associated with such groups found responsible for Hazing, Aggravated Hazing, or Organizational Hazing under this policy, whether occurring on or off campus, may face disciplinary action, in addition to criminal charges.
II. Enforcement of this Policy
Any violation of this policy by a Student shall be investigated and adjudicated under the Student Conduct Code and may be referred for prosecution under applicable laws. Alleged violations of this policy will be investigated by the appropriate university office, typically either or both of the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards or Campus Safety Services. Employee violations will be handled in accordance with applicable work rules and collective bargaining agreements.
REVISED OCTOBER 2022