Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE HONORARY QUARTERDECK SOCIETY

Section 1. Requirements for Membership

A.             The class of probationary member shall be opened to all students in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering who are either taking or have taken at least one course in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Probationary members shall attend all meetings of Quarterdeck. They may enter into business discussions at the meetings, and shall be entitled to vote, except on Constitutional amendments as specified by Article IV, Section 1, part A of the Constitution. Applicants must have a grade point average of 2.0 or above. Transfer Students will automatically be recognized as meeting grade requirements. No one may join Quarterdeck in his/her last term in school, graduate or undergraduate. Applicants must have one full term as a member after they are elected to full membership. An applicant is eligible for probationary membership upon recommendation from the Membership Chairman. Departures from the above requirements may be made when recommended by the Membership Chairman and approved by a majority of the full members in good standing.

B.             To be eligible for the class of full member, a probationary member shall:

a.                  Write and present a paper approved by the Membership Chairman, or if the probationary member has not completed nine hours in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, may;

b.                  Complete a project approved by the Membership Committee. Upon completion of the above requirements the probationary member becomes a full member, upon the approval of three-quarters of the active members in good standing, present at the meeting in which his candidacy is considered. As a guideline, projects should be at least 8 hours in duration. Reductions can be made at the discretion of the Quarterdeck Executive Committee. Projects must be completed.

c.                  The probationary member is required to submit his/her project, in reproducible form, no later than one week before the last meeting of the semester. If the project is not presented at such time, the probationary member will not be eligible for full membership until the project is submitted and accepted by the Membership Chairman. The probationary member’s project may be submitted and accepted no later than the second meeting of the term following the probationary member’s application for membership. If a probationary member is not accepted for membership, the probationary term must be served again. Seniority will start accumulating the term following the probationary member’s election to full membership.

d.                  To be eligible for the class of full member, a probationary member must also be a member of SNAME, or must have applied for membership prior to his or her election to the class of full member. All active members of Quarterdeck who are not now members of SNAME must also join SNAME.

C.             The class of graduate affiliate student membership shall be opened to all graduate students, registered in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, without condition of grade point average, participation in Quarterdeck project, or attendance at meetings. All graduate affiliate student members must be members of SNAME, or must apply for membership to SNAME prior to acceptance as graduate affiliate student members. Graduate affiliate student members may vote at meetings of Quarterdeck, and hold office under conditions described in Section 7, Part B of the By-Laws.

D.             Honorary Members. Persons demonstrating exceptional service to the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering or to Quarterdeck shall be eligible for Honorary Membership. A candidate meeting these qualifications must be sponsored by a member in good standing and accepted by a three quarters majority of the members in good standing.

E.             An Honorary Commodore selected from the outstanding people in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering may be elected annually. Special consideration should be given to Quarterdeck alumni. A list of eligible candidates should be compiled by the Executive Committee. Members shall be notified of the nominees and their qualifications at the meeting preceding the election for this office. A vote of three quarters of the active members in good standing present shall be necessary to elect the Honorary Commodore.

F.              The honor of Outstanding Member shall be awarded each year to one or more Quarterdeck members in recognition of outstanding work in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. Nominations for the award shall be made by the membership and the recipient(s) shall be chosen by a committee of three faculty members appointed by the Executive Committee.

G.             The Quarterdeck Service Award shall be awarded each year to one or more members in Quarterdeck. Nominations for the award shall be made by the membership and the recipient(s) shall be chosen by a committee of five members in good standing, appointed by the Executive Committee.

H.             The honor of Outstanding Faculty Member shall be awarded each year to one or more members of the faculty in recognition of outstanding work in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. Nominations for the award shall be made by the membership and the recipient(s) shall be elected by a committee of four active members, in good standing, and chaired by the Commodore. The committee shall be appointed shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Expulsion, Suspension, and Withdrawal

A.             Any member of Quarterdeck may be expelled upon sufficient grounds by a three quarter vote of the active members in good standing. Intention to expel shall be made in writing by five or more members in good standing and will be presented at a regular meeting. Said members shall be duly notified of such intention at least two weeks before final action.

B.             Any member may be suspended and become ineligible to take part in any Quarterdeck activity by action of the Executive Committee. Said member shall be notified by mail of such suspension.

C.             Any member may voluntarily withdraw from active membership for any temporary period by presenting sufficient reason to the Executive Committee. If approval is given by the Executive Committee, the required to pay dues but will be excused from attendance at meetings and participation at Quarterdeck activities.

D.             Any suspended member may be reinstated by action of the Executive Committee if the suspended member proves worthy of reinstatement.

E.             All members who are suspended or who are required to become inactive must return their key to the Quarterdeck room within two weeks after receipt of written notification of such change in status. All members who voluntarily become inactive must also return their Quarterdeck key for as long as they maintain that status. Failure to comply with this regulation may be considered grounds for expulsion.

F.              All members who are suspended, expelled, or required to become inactive shall be notified of such by mail. It is the responsibility of the Commodore to do so.

Section 3. Fees and Assessments

A.             Dues will not be collected. In the past, however, dues were to be $20.00 for all members.

Section 4. Conduct at meetings

A.             A majority of active members in good standing shall constitute a quorum for all business and for all elections.

B.             Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used by the presiding officer.

Section 5. Conduct of Elections

A.             Nominations shall be submitted to the Commodore no later than one week prior to voting and the Commodore shall post the nominations prior to the meeting at which officers will be elected. He or she shall post these nominations prior to the meeting at which officers will be elected. There should be no fewer than two, no more than four candidates for each office. If, at the time of the election, there are less than four nominations for a position then nominations will be accepted prior to voting. Each member shall be allotted two minutes to address the membership before the vote is taken. A nomination committee will be formed at the discretion of the Commodore, and will be done only as needed.

B.             No proxy votes will be accepted.

C.             The order of elections will be Commodore, Vice-Commodore, Rear-Commodore, Program Chair, Treasurer, Steward, Social Chair, and Service Chair.

Section 6. The Executive Committee

A.             The Executive Committee, consisting of the eight elected officers of Quarterdeck, shall be responsible for directing the activities and affairs of Quarterdeck. They shall have the power to suspend members and to reinstate members to the active roll. The Commodore shall be ex-officio Chairman of the executive committee.

B.             The Commodore shall preside at all meetings of the Student Section. He or she will ensure that the Student Section is represented at the Great Lakes/Great Rivers regional meetings. He or she shall be responsible, along with the Vice-Commodore and faculty advisor, for the review and selection of the applications of those students wishing to attend the SNAME annual conference. He or she shall have the authority to appoint such committees as are necessary to conduct the affairs of the Student Section. In the event that an office is vacated for any reason, he or she shall assume the duties of that office until such time as a special election may be held to fill the office. He or she shall ensure that there are events for students of the department to participate in, by fundraising and approving/creating ideas of things to do.

C.             The Vice-Commodore shall preside in the event that the Commodore is absent. The Vice-Commodore shall be responsible, along with the Commodore and faculty advisor, for the review and selection of the applications of those students wishing to attend the SNAME annual conference. The Vice-Commodore is also in charge of arranging the Annual Spring Banquet and the Mentorship Program.

D.             The Rear-Commodore shall preside at meetings in the absence of the Commodore and Vice-Commodore. The Rear-Commodore shall keep a record of attendance of all members at all events. The Rear-Commodore shall also keep minutes of the regular meetings and make these minutes publicly available on the web page in a timely fashion. The Rear-Commodore shall assume additional duties related to merchandise and fundraising, such as Giving BlueDay, corporate sponsorship and alumni mailings, when appropriate.

E.             The Program Chairman shall be responsible for organizing and planning meeting agendas and corporate visitors. The Program Chair must also oversee the posting and publicizing of information regarding the meetings of the Student Section. The Program Chair must meet with industry representatives and corporate visitors and assist them upon arrival to the department.

F.              The Treasurer shall approve any disbursements made from the Student Section treasury for any purpose. He or she shall maintain the financial books of the Student Section, and shall be responsible for the safe disposition of the Student Section's funds. The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining contact with the Engineering Council in order to acquire funding for the Student Section. The Treasurer shall coordinate the design and ordering of Quarterdeck merchandise.

G.             The Steward shall be responsible for procuring a meeting place for the Student Section. The steward shall be responsible for refreshments for meetings and in the office. He or she shall be responsible for the Student Section library of prints, catalogs, and periodicals that are made available for lending to members of the Student Section. The steward is responsible for keeping the meeting minutes in the event of the Rear Commodore’s absence.

H.             The Social Chair is responsible for the logistical planning of the Student Section’s social events. The Social Chair shall oversee all Quarterdeck publications, printed materials, and archives, as well as deal with matters concerning these materials. The Social Chair is also responsible to attend the Student Advisory Board meetings and report student concerns and interests to Quarterdeck during officer meetings. He or she shall also be responsible for maintaining the Student Section web page and social media sites. The Social Chair shall coordinate the nomination and distribution of Paper Plate Awards at the annual banquet.

I.               The Service chair shall be responsible for the total success of the DAPCEP program. The Service Chair is responsible to organize the bus rides, lesson plans, and instructors for the each student visit. The Service Chair shall also be responsible for the organization of any other volunteer and service endeavors in which the Student Section chooses to be involved. The Rear-Commodore shall be responsible for the society's involvement in Tech Day.

J.              The Faculty Advisor shall be appointed be the Executive Committee of GL/GR to serve as liaison between the student section and GL/GR.

Section 7. Privileges and Responsibilities of Members

A.             All members who are enrolled as students in the University of Michigan who at the time are not suspended or expelled from Quarterdeck shall be considered active members. Only active members who have paid their dues on or before the fourth meeting of the current term shall be considered to be in good standing. Members are also required to participate in two socials per semester and fulfill two hours of service.

B.             Active members may participate in discussions at meetings. Only active members in good standing may vote in the election of officers. Any member in good standing may run for office, except for the office of Commodore. Only full members of Quarterdeck may run for the office of Commodore. The offices of Commodore and Vice-Commodore are restricted to undergraduate members only. Any graduate affiliate student member elected to an office must, upon election to an office, file an application for consideration as a probationary member, and must be elected to full membership at or before the third business meeting of the term for which he or she holds office.. Failure to achieve election to Quarterdeck as a full member is grounds for removal from office. Only active members in good standing shall receive a discount on the purchase of technical prints from Quarterdeck. All members of Quarterdeck shall have access to Quarterdeck’s file of papers, blueprints, transactions and general information without charge. Inactive members shall be those who have officially requested such status in accordance with section 2C of the By-Laws.

C.             Members are subject to suspension or expulsion for one or more of the following reasons:

a.     Failure to pay dues or assessments by the fourth meeting of the academic term.

b.    Misuse or destruction of prints, books, or other material owned by Quarterdeck.

c.     Failure to attend regular meetings. All probationary and full members are required to attend regular meetings. The members should notify the Membership Chairman or the Commodore, in writing, no later following the meeting, with an excuse for absence in the event a meeting, with an excuse for absence in the event a meeting is missed. Fifty percent or more unexcused absences by an active member in any single term may be grounds for expulsion. The procedure for expulsion shall follow Section 2, Part A. of the By-Laws. If active member misses without excuse both the first meeting of the term and the election meeting for that term, then he or she shall automatically be classified as an inactive member at the time of the election meeting. If an active member misses without excuse the first meeting of the term or the election meeting held during that term, plus two other unexcused absences, he shall be automatically suspended for the following term, with loss of seniority for that term. The member may be reinstated by action of the Executive Committee at any time, but at least one term of seniority will be lost.

d.    If any member is required to become an inactive member or is suspended because of a violation in section 7., paragraph C., of the By-Laws, then said member must correct the violation the following academic term or be subjected to possible expulsion.

e.     All members who are inactive because of Section 7, Part C, of the By-Laws are also required to pay dues.

Section 8. Auditing of Quarterdeck Fund

A.             The General Fund: All dues, fees, assessments, gifts, and grants collected by Quarterdeck shall be placed in the General Fund except as provided for in B & C below.

B.             The Technical Data and Library Fund: All money collected by the Vice-Commodore in the sale of prints shall be kept in a special fund called the Technical Data and Library Fund. This fund shall be audited separately from Quarterdeck’s funds.

C.             Refreshment Fund: All money collected by the steward for refreshments shall be kept in a special fund called the Refreshment Fund. This fund shall be audited separately from the Quarterdeck’s funds.

Section 9. Rules Governing the Annual Trip to the Society of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Annual Meeting

A.             Officer’s Responsibilities

a.     Commodore

                                          i.    In conjunction with the Rear-Commodore, shall update the address file. Any person or company that has not responded for three years should be removed from the file.

                                         ii.    Write and send letters of request. Refer to those going on the trip as "Quarterdeck Members" not students. Some department at large, instead of Quarterdeck.

                                        iii.    Registration with SNAME. Send a list of those people going to the convention to the Secretary of SNAME in October. This does not have to be the final list.

                                        iv.    Send letters to all of those who have donated SNAME banquet tickets giving the names of the members sitting with them.

                                         v.    Conduct all correspondence for tour and luncheon at the American Bureau of Shipping. Including letter of gratitude.

                                        vi.    Write the letter for the alumni reunion reservations.

                                       vii.    Write and publicize the trip itinerary. This should include all events from arrival to departure.

                                      viii.    Make sure that all letters of gratitude from individual members is sent.

b.    Vice-Commodore

                                          i.    Investigate hotel prices and make the necessary reservations.

                                         ii.    When the exact number of members going is known, notify the hotel for the number of rooms needed.

                                        iii.    Call at least one week in advance of the trip to reconfirm the reservations.

                                        iv.    Take the letter of confirmation of the reservation to New York City to prevent any misunderstanding.

c.     Rear-Commodore

                                          i.    Keep a record of who donated money or banquet seats on the corresponding computer disk.

                                         ii.    Send letters of gratitude for all donations.

                                        iii.    Keep a record of what replies were sent on the backs of the address cards.

                                        iv.    Prepare a list of contributors to be distributed at the alumni banquet, alumni reunion and in DEADWEIGHT.

                                         v.    Send letters of gratitude for the tours, luncheons and other special events.

d.    Treasurer

                                          i.    Keep records of all money and banquet seats received.

                                         ii.    Deposit the money orders and checks received in the General Fund at the office of student services.

                                        iii.    Disburse all funds to members, airlines, hotels, etc. as is required.

                                        iv.    Send payment to New York for alumni reunion, include the list of members that will be attending.

                                         v.    Keep a complete record of all money received and disbursed. Balance the books prior to leaving New York and take then to New York to answer questions from contributors.

e.     Membership Chairman

                                          i.    Write up a list of ranking the eligible members according to the priorities listed in Section 9, Part B of the By-Laws.

                                         ii.    Determine if any of the eligible members do not wish to go and make a list of the members who will be going to New York City.

B.             Priorities

a.     Guidelines

                                          i.    No member shall be allowed to go to the meeting more than twice at Quarterdeck expense. The only exception to this rule would be the Commodore, who if he has gone twice may go a third time.

                                         ii.   Priorities should also be evaluated according to attendance. Should there be a significant difference (50% or more) in attendance between members in different orders of priority, then the person with the lower priority with higher attendance should be substituted in the ranking. A member may not be dropped more than one priority.

                                        iii.   The total cost of the trip, including hotels, transportation, tuxedos, printing and mailing expenses, etc. should be calculated. The number of members who can be sent from the contributions should be calculated. As a rule of thumb, because of hidden expenses, two fewer members than calculated should be sent.

                                        iv.    In order to be eligible the member must have been voted to full membership on or before the last meeting of the winter term before the trip. Only full members are eligible to go to New York. This requirement may be waived in unusual circumstances if so voted by three-quarters majority of the members in good standing, waiver of the requirement in one case is not to be construed as a precedent in any other case.

                                         v.    Disagreements with rankings of priority may be taken to the Executive Committee, no later than one week after the rankings are posted.

                                        vi.    In the event there are more eligible members, with equal priorities, than can be supported by available funds, money shall be taken from the Quarterdeck account within the General Fund, or none of the members in question will be allowed to go.

C.             Rankings for the trip can be calculated using the following point system. Calculate the total number of points for each member, and then rank each member in descending order from the member with the highest total points.

D.             Officers – 5 pts. Officers from the previous winter term will also be awarded these points. If however a member has held office for both terms, only five points will be awarded. Office requirements must be fulfilled as judged by the Executive Committee. Blatant violations of proper behavior and commitment will not be tolerated.

E.             Upper Class Standing – 5 pts. Primary intention is for graduating students to gain priority. "Graduating Student" is defined as a student graduating within the year, i.e. New York to New York.

F.              Dead Weight Editor – 5pts.

G.             Attendance Calculated (10 pts.) * (% of attendance per year)

H.             Participation – variable

a.     (10Participation will be awarded a maximum of 10 points and is defined as: Quarterdeck involvement above and beyond that of normal probationary hours and standard officer duties. Outstanding service to the organization and the department will be weighed by the Executive Committee who will award an appropriate number of points for each member.

b.    These points will be allotted no later than three weeks before the slated departure date for New York when the Executive Committee convenes to determine priority. Members, as well as officers, are to be informed as to their right to appear before accomplishments.

c.     Points shall be determined by a combined percentage of member’s participation in each of the following Quarterdeck events, being specifically:

                                          i.    Tech Day.

                                         ii.    Envelope stuffing and letter typing (i.e. preparation for New York trip).

                                        iii.    Other events the Executive Committee deems important as to participation in Quarterdeck.

d.    All events must be well-documented for attendance and a reasonable attempt should be made to notify all members prior to an event. Points (for a) through c) above) shall be awarded only for a member’s participation in an event. Weighting of each event is left up to the discretion of the Executive Committee.

e.     Seniority – 1pt per semester. One point will be given for each semester a student has been involved in Quarterdeck.