We opened the meeting with Assistant Dean Aisha Owusu giving us some more information about the DEI training. She shared some information about what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion truly mean.
After Aisha was done, Leia went through our new constitutional amendments and we voted on them.
The first amendment we voted on was the Social Media amendment. The text is as follows:
E. As a student leader and officer within OU SCAN, all OU SCAN officers must comply and uphold creating and providing an inclusive environment for all. OU SCAN does not tolerate bullying, injustice, bigotry, discrimination, etc., which is included on ALL social media platforms, including but not limited to: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, GroupMe, Snapchat, Slack, Discord, etc.
- If an OU SCAN Officer breaks this rule and amendment:
- First time: 1 warning and mandatory training and/or meeting with the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences (A&GS) Assistant Dean.
- After 1 warning, the officer will be dismissed from the organization and the vacancy will be filled by either appointment or special election.
- The incident will be reported to A&GS and will be at their discretion to officially determine if the amendment was violated.
This amendment passed with 11-0 with one board member absent due to class obligations.
The next amendment was the Required Yearly DEI Training for Student Leaders within OU SCAN. The amendment text is as follows:
D. As a student leader and officer within OU SCAN, all OU SCAN officers are required to attend mandatory yearly Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training. At the beginning of the academic year, once the organization knows the amount of DEI trainings that are available during the semester, we as the board will vote on the required meetings for officers. If an officer is unable to attend these scheduled DEI trainings due to an unforeseen circumstance, the officer is required to be in contact with A&GS Assistant Dean to meet and discuss, and/or make up the missed training(s). If an officer refuses to make up the missed training(s), then the officer will be dismissed as a student leader within OU SCAN and cannot run for re-election for any position the following year. The vacancy will be filled by either appointment by the President or special election.
- If an officer cannot attend a meeting, they must contact the OU SCAN President, OU SCAN Vice President(s), and A&GS Assistant Dean via a formal email to explain why they cannot attend the training.
This amendment passed 15-0 with three symbolic votes from the three appointed board members that do not usually have voting privileges. This amendment will be effective starting May 2022 (2022-2023 administration).
The third amendment that was voted on was the Addition of the OU SCAN Vice President Position and Division of Responsibilities. The text is as follows:
B.1. Vice President of Internal Affairs – The duties of the Vice President of Internal Affairs are to advise and assist the President in overseeing the activities of the organization that pertains directly to the internal affairs of OU SCAN and additional duties that correspond to the position will be given from the President.
B.2. Vice President of External Affairs – The duties of the Vice President of External Affairs are to advise and assist the President in overseeing the activities of the organization that pertains directly to the external affairs of OU SCAN and additional duties that correspond to the position will be given from the President.
- Both (2) Vice Presidents will serve as the liaison to the National Weather Association.
- This is not considered to be a co-position and each Vice President will get their own vote.
- If the current OU SCAN President is unable to complete their duties, a vote from the current OU SCAN Officer Board, will take place immediately following the vacancy of the President’s position. If both Vice Presidents would like to be candidates for the President position, then they will get the opportunity to give a speech to the board and a vote will immediately follow both (2) speeches. The two (2) candidates will not be allowed to vote during the special election.
This amendment passed 12-0.
The next amendment is the OU SCAN Officer Active Status Amendment. The text is as follows:
F. All OU SCAN Officers are expected to and must maintain an active status within OU SCAN (See Article III: Membership and Dues, Section A). In addition to an active member status, an officer shall also attend four-fifths (80%) of all OU SCAN Officer Board Meetings. If the officer has had prior communication at least one week prior to the meeting with the OU SCAN President and OU SCAN Vice Presidents regarding being tardy/absent for the OU SCAN Officer Board Meetings, then they may receive an excused absence, which does not count towards the 80% attendance requirement. If an active status is not maintained throughout the duration of the elected term, then the officer in an inactive status (under 66% attendance, no service requirement, no paid dues, and does not attend 80% of all OU SCAN Officer Board Meetings) is stripped of any and all voting rights until active status is once again met. The inactive officer is also required to meet with the OU SCAN President and Vice President(s) to determine the best way to move forward and continue in the organization. If the officer is not an active member by the beginning of election nominations, the officer cannot run for re-election on the OU SCAN Officer Board for any position.
- If studying abroad as an OU SCAN Officer, active status of the previous semester will be maintained; however, officers shall attend officer meetings within reason (time zone differences) to keep up-to-date on OU SCAN information and keep in contact with the OU SCAN President regarding OU SCAN business.
- If the officer misses the first 15 minutes of the Officer Board Meeting, their attendance will be noted as absent.
This amendment also passed 12-0.
The last amendment we voted on during this meeting was the Allocation of Fundraiser Funds amendment. The text is as follows:
E. Any funds allocated for fundraising towards disaster relief and aid that is not used prior to the end of April 30th will be forfeited back to the organization’s general funds and may be used for other organizational purposes.
This amendment passed 12-0.
In summary, all of the amendments we voted on tonight passed and all of these amendments have been added to the Constitution. We also introduced another amendment regarding the VP position which we will vote on during our next officer meeting.
After we voted on the amendments, Leia went over the calendar for the next few months. We decided to move the social event and general meeting in April back one week due to the Easter holidays.
Next, we talked about our February social event with PSU. This event will be a social meet and greet via zoom.
For our February general meeting, we are still working on finding a guest speaker. We will be having Chipotle. The attendance prize will be a Valentine’s Day themed item.
We also discussed our Officer Social Event which will be an Escape Room.
Leia closed the meeting by giving us some little reminders.