This page contains Indiana University South Bend's Criminal Justice Association bylaws and constitution. This constitution is an active document that is subject to change until voted in by the majority of the Association.
CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS
Criminal Justice Association:
CONSTITUTION
PREAMBLE
We, the members of Indiana University South Bends Criminal Justice Association (CJA), in
order to promote greater effectiveness among practitioners in the various criminal justice
professions; to sponsor research and disseminate the knowledge so acquired to all members
of the profession; to inspire students and practitioners to develop and maintain a just
pride in their work; and to reduce crime through the application of accepted scientific
practices and techniques to criminal justice problems, do hereby submit ourselves to be
governed by the following Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE I: NAME
This organization shall be known as the Indiana University of South Bend’s Criminal
Justice Association.
ARTICLE II: MISSION STATEMENT
To recognize and promote high scholarship among students actively engaged in collegiate
preparation for professional service in the field of criminal justice; to stay
current with
the advances in scientific research in this area; to elevate the ethical standards of
criminal justice students and professionals; and to create public awareness of the
benefits and necessity of criminal justice professionals.
ARTICLE III: ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP
Active membership shall be granted to those students who have been a student at Indiana University of South Bend for at least one
semester; and who have met the requirements set in ARTICLE I, SECTIONS 2, 3, and 4 of the
Bylaws for this CJA.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS
The officers of this CJA shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary,
Sergeant at Arms and Treasurer. These officers shall collectively be known as the
Executive Committee. They shall be elected at the end of the spring semester, and serve for the next calendar year.
IUSB Criminal Justice Association:
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership shall be granted to those students who have declared their major,
minor, or equivalent in the Criminal Justice fields in pursuit of an associate, baccalaureate or
graduate degree, and who have been a student at Indiana University of South Bend for at
least one semester.
Section 2. Active membership shall be further limited to undergraduate students who have
completed at least two courses in the SPEA curriculum.
Section 3. Active membership shall be further limited to graduate students who have
completed six credit hours of SPEA courses.
Section 4. Membership shall not be granted and will be revoked to those persons who have
been officially reprimanded for cheating or aiding and abetting in cheating, or convicted
of a felony. Subjects shall have the right of appeal, as set in ARTICLE V, SECTION 4 of
these Bylaws.
Section 5. Honorary membership shall be conferred upon those persons who are not regular
members of IUSB’s CJA, but who have made outstanding contributions to IUSB’s CJA
and/or the field of criminal justice. Honorary members shall be elected at a meeting
of the CJA by a three-fourths vote of the members present.
ARTICLE II: CJA ADVISOR
Section 1. The CJA Advisor shall be elected by a
majority vote of those members who are present. If no nominee receives a majority of the
vote on the first ballot, the two highest nominees only shall be voted upon in the
succeeding ballots.
Section 2. The CJA Advisor shall be chosen for their interest, ability to work
with students effectively, and desire to promote the ideals set forth in the
Constitution and Bylaws of the CJA. The advisor shall be a member of the
full-time resident instructional staff of Indiana University of South Bend, but
not necessarily a member of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs
staff.
Section 3. The CJA Advisor shall serve
continuously until a resignation is approved or until he/she is recalled in the same
manner as the Executive Committee Officers are of the CJA, as set in ARTICLE IV.
Responsibilities for each include: attending meetings, making suggestions when the
situation warrants, and aiding active members in any way they see fit.
ARTICLE III: ELECTIONS, RESIGNATIONS, AND VACANCIES
Section 1. Elections shall be by secret ballot. If more than one candidate is nominated, a
majority of all votes cast shall be necessary to elect a nominee to office. If no nominee
receives the required number of votes on the first ballot, the two highest nominees only
shall be voted upon in the succeeding ballots.
Section 2. All officers (as established in ARTICLE IV of the CJA Constitution) must,
within a month after election, be a second semester sophomore or higher standing and
expect to return to Indiana University of South Bend the following calendar year. All
officers must be elected by a majority of all active Association members present at the
election.
Section 3. The date for elections must be announced at the regular meeting prior to the
election. Only active CJA members present at the election shall be allowed to vote, as set
in ARTICLE I, SECTION 6, of the Bylaws.
Section 4. Newly elected officers of the CJA shall begin their duties at the end of the
academic semester in which they were elected.
Section 5. Resignations must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee at least
two weeks prior to the date upon which the officer wishes to surrender his/her position.
The President shall announce such resignations at the next regular meeting following
receipt of the written notice.
Section 6. All vacancies shall be filled by an election at the first regular meeting following the announcement of a vacancy.
ARTICLE IV: RECALL OF ELECTED PERSONS
Section 1. Executive Committee Officers, CJA Advisor, and Graduate Student Representative,
may not be recalled prior to the fourth regular meeting following their election.
Section 2. Removal shall be authorized by a three-fourths vote of active members present
at the recall.
Section 3. Removal procedures shall be presided over by a member elected for the position
by a majority vote of active members present at the meeting immediately proceeding the one
at which removal proceedings are to take place.
Section 4. If any officer, advisor, or representative, is to be recalled, the Executive
Committee shall, at the next meeting, submit to the active members present a list of
persons eligible to fill the position. In accordance with ARTICLE II, SECTION 3, or
ARTICLE III, of the Bylaws, a person shall be elected to fill the position for the
unexpired term of office.
ARTICLE V: EXPULSION OF MEMBERS AND RIGHT OF APPEAL
Section 1. Any member officially reprimanded for cheating or aiding and abetting in
cheating shall be subject to expulsion from the CJA. Such expulsion shall be determined by
the Executive Committee and the CJA’s Advisor with the accused member being present
at the meeting.
Section 2. Any member convicted of a felony shall be subject to expulsion from the CJA.
Such expulsion shall be determined by the Executive Committee and the CJA’s Advisor
with the accused member present at the meeting.
Section 3. Any member who is absent from a majority of the regular meetings for the entire
semester, or from the date of which they have been given official notice of their
acceptance; or from three consecutive regular meetings, without prior being excused by the
Recording Secretary, and found to be voluntarily delinquent by the Executive Committee,
shall be considered for expulsion. The Executive Committee shall submit the issue and its
recommendation for expulsion at the next regular meeting of the CJA. Voting shall be by
secret ballot. A three-fourths vote to expel, from the active members present, shall be
required for expulsion.
Section 4. The accused member shall have the right of appeal to a three member faculty
board, one member to be selected by the Executive Committee, one member to be selected by
the accused member, and a third member to be selected by the two faculty members. The
decision of this board shall be final.
ARTICLE VI: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The President shall be the chairman of the Executive Committee; act as the
liaison for the CJA; and oversee all duties of the CJA officers. He/she shall open each
session at the time at which the CJA is to meet, by taking the chair and calling the
members to order. He/she shall enforce all occasions the observance of order and decorum
among those present. He/she shall be entitled to vote when the vote is by secret ballot
and in all other cases where the vote would change the results. He/she shall not vote
twice on the same issue and shall announce the results of all votes taken. He/she shall
appoint all standing and special committees authorized by the CJA, unless otherwise
provided for, and shall be an ex officio member of all committees with the exception of
the Executive Committee.
Section 2. If, for any reason, the President’s office is vacated, the Vice President
shall automatically become President for the unexpired term of office. He/she shall
perform all duties of the President during the President’s temporary absences, and
shall be the chairperson of the Projects and Activities Committee.
Section 3. The Secretary shall be the custodian of all records except those
specifically assigned to others. All records shall be open to inspection by any member of
the CJA at any reasonable time. He/she shall keep a roll of the members and shall call
roll when requested to do so by the President. He/she shall notify the Executive Committee
if any member misses three consecutive regular meetings, or when any member is absent from
the majority of regular meetings during a semester, without prior being excused by the
Recording Secretary. He/she shall keep one book in which the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules
of Order, and Standing Rules shall be written, leaving every other page blank. When an
amendment is made, the Recording Secretary shall immediately enter it on the page opposite
the amended article with reference in ink to the date and page of the
minutes where it is recorded. He/she shall be responsible for giving new members a copy of
the CJA’s Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 4. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall carry out the orders of the presiding
officer in keeping order, disseminating ballot(s), and take care of nay other
business the presiding officer deems necessary. He/she shall be well
versed in parliamentary procedure and have knowledge of both chapter and
National bylaws. The sergeant-at-Arms shall work under the presiding
office and perform such duties as directed by him/her.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall receive all money due to the CJA and keep a just and
accurate account between the CJA and its members. The Treasurer shall draw all warrants
for the expenses of the CJA when so directed by three-fourths vote of the members present
at any meeting, and with the President or advisor shall sign all warrants so authorized.
The Treasurer shall, in the performance of his/her duties, conform to the requirements of
the Cashier's Office and consult with that office in the administration of the CJA’s
finances. The Treasurer shall submit a financial report to the CJA at each regular
meeting, during fall and spring semesters, or when called upon to do so by the President.
ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of all elected officers of the CJA. The
Executive Committee shall act as an advisory body to the President and shall consider and
make recommendations concerning any matters involving policy.
Section 2. The Committees of the CJA will consist of the Activities, Community
Sercie, and Fund Raising Committees.
Section 3. All officers will be involved with at least one of the above stated
committees.
Section 4. Each committee will have a committee head voted on by the participating committee members at the beginning of the Fall Semester. The committee head should be a member that is not an executive officer. The committee head will be in charge of leading committee meetings and will have similar duties over the committee as the President over the CJA.
Section 5. The Community Service Committee will be delegated with planning and organizing Community Service events that will benefit the IUSB community and the greater communities of South Bend, Mishawaka, and surrounding communities. The Fund Raising Community will be charged with the raising of funds so that the CJA may operate capably during the academic year. The Activities Committee will be delegated with any other tasks that would benefit all IU students, faculty, and staff. Such activities entail forums, guest speakers, recreational activities, conferences, etc.
Section 6. The CJA may authorize special committees by a majority vote of the members present at any meeting. The President shall appoint the chairman and members of the committees authorized.
ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS
Section 1. The time and place of the regular meetings of this CJA shall be determined each
semester at the most convenient time for the majority of the members according to their
academic schedules.
Section 2. Emergency and special meetings may be called by the President. Special meetings
must be called by the President within five days of receipt of a written request signed by
three-fourths of the active membership.
Section 3. Two-thirds of the active members present at any meeting shall constitute a
quorum
ARTICLE IX: USE OF PROXIES
Section 1. Proxy votes may not be used at any time for any purpose by this CJA.
ARTICLE X: ACTIVITIES
Section 1. Activities shall be determined by the membership each year.
Section 2. Money making activities of this CJA may include such activities as may be
determined by the CJA to be practical and appropriate.
ARTICLE XI: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern
the CJA in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution, Bylaws, or
special rules of the CJA.
ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS
Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a three-fourths vote of
the total active membership present at the meeting of the CJA, provided, however, that
notice has been given at the regular meeting preceding the meeting at which the amendment
is to be voted upon. Voting style shall be at the discretion of the President of the CJA.
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