CONSTITUTION of the TECH MODEL RAILROAD CLUB of M.I.T.

Article 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Tech Model Railroad Club of M.I.T., hereinafter referred to as "the Club." The Club, in its general business meetings, shall be referred to as the Assembly.

Article 2. Purpose

The purpose of the Club shall be to increase the awareness of model railroading among M.I.T. students and other members of the M.I.T. community. The Club shall organize and administer facilities to promote the hobby and encourage the participation of the M.I.T. community.

Article 3. Membership

Section A. About the Memberships

1) Regular membership

A. Eligibility

All M.I.T. students, personnel, and long-term contractors.

B. Privileges

Use of Club facilities subject to all statutes and rules.
Voting and holding a Club office.
Possession of a key to the Clubroom, subject to qualifications prescribed in the By-Laws and such restrictions as may be imposed by M.I.T.

2) Associate membership

A. Eligibility

All persons not eligible for Regular membership who were at one time Regular or Associate members, and immediate relatives of Regular members, except that no person under sixteen years of age shall be eligible unless such person was at one time a Regular member. Membership is subject to admission as described in Section C below, and subject to subsequent renewal as described in Section D below.

B. Privileges

Use of Club facilities subject to all statutes and rules.
Voting and holding appointed office, except Governor or Treasurer.
Possession of a key to the Clubroom if the person received a key while a regular member and subject to any restrictions as may be imposed by M.I.T.

3) Guest membership

Guest membership is divided into three sub-categories.

A. Regular Guest membership

1. Eligibility

All persons over sixteen years of age subject to admission as described in Section C below, and subject to subsequent renewal as described in Section D below.

2. Privileges

a. Use of Club facilities subject to all statutes and rules.

b. Voting, except on amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws, and holding appointed office, except Governor or Treasurer.

B. Junior Guest membership

1. Eligibility

All persons less than sixteen years of age, subject to admission as described in Section C below and subject to subsequent renewal as described in Section D below.

2. Privileges

Use of Club facilities subject to all statutes and rules, and under the supervision of a Regular, Associate, or Regular Guest member.

4) Honorary membership

A. Eligibility

All persons whom the Club wishes to recognize for outstanding service to the Club or to the hobby as a whole.

B. Privileges

None.

Section B.

Membership terminates during the second regular meeting following loss of eligibility. Upon ceasing to be a Regular or Associate member, a person shall surrender his key to the Clubroom. Upon ceasing to be a dues paying member, a person shall surrender all keys he may possess to Club-administered facilities.

Section C.

Admission of persons who are not M.I.T. students or M.I.T. personnel.

1) Associate membership

A person may be admitted as an Associate member after nomination by a Regular member at a regular meeting of the Assembly, and approval by one-half the Assembly or three-fourths of the voting, whichever is greater. Vote shall be by secret ballot.

3) Regular Guest membership

Regular Guest membership is attained after nomination by a Governor at a regular meeting of the Assembly and approval by one-half the Assembly or three-fourths of those voting, whichever is greater.

4) Junior Guest membership

Junior Guest membership is attained after nomination by a Governor at a regular meeting of the Assembly and approval by one-half the Assembly or three-fourths of those voting, whichever is greater.

Section D.

The membership of all persons whose membership was attained through vote of the Assembly shall be subject to annual renewal at the first or second regular meeting of the Assembly during the spring term. A separate vote shall be taken for each individual. Such vote shall be by secret ballot, and shall require approval of one-half the Assembly or three-fourths of those voting, whichever is greater.

Section E.

All members, including officers, concent to being photographed and/or video-recorded and their release, publication, or reproduction to be used for news, promotional purposes, and inclusion on web sites. The members shall release TMRC and MIT from any liability connected with the publication of interviews, photographs, computer images, and video recordings. The club shall be sensitive to what is considered decent portrayal and shall strive to protect the decency and dignity of those photographed or video-recorded. However all inviduals maintain the right to have their photos or videos removed upon request.

Article 4. Change of Government

Section A.

A Change of Government is called for by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly; by a majority of the officers posting notice thereof; automatically at 12:01 A.M. October 31 and April 1; and when there are no Governors. Election for Governors shall occur at the same meeting during which this Constitution is adopted.

Section B.

At the first meeting called to order following a call for a Change of Government by at least six days, it shall be moved, either from the floor or automatically, that: "Resolve that the present Government be sustained." The Motion to Sustain passes if two-thirds of those voting vote in favor. Otherwise an election for Governors shall immediately be held.

Section C.

Nominations for Governors shall be verbal and from the floor. At least three persons shall be nominated. Each nominee shall be an M.I.T. student, and a member qualified to possess a key to the Clubroom, as defined in the By-Laws. Election shall be by secret ballot. The top two candidates become Governors. If first place is clear, but there is a tie for second, the top runner becomes one Governor, and another ballot is held on the remaining candidates: the top runner there becomes the other Governor. In all other ties the bottom runner is eliminated and another ballot is taken if a choice remains. (Interpretation by the Chair 11-6-65: Vote for two candidates on the ballot.)

Section D.

The Governors assume all their power, including presiding, immediately at the close of their election. When the two Governors have been elected, they must, in a report to the Assembly at the following meeting, propose their Government, describing the title, duties, and name of each of the proposed officeholders. The report must bear the signatures of all the proposed officers. The Government must also meet the specifications of Article 5 below. At that meeting the Assembly must vote on the motion: "Resolve, that the Club accept the Government proposed by governors --- and ---." If this Motion to Accept is carried, the Government takes power at the adjournment of the meeting. If the vote fails, or a thoroughly valid report is not given, the Assembly must at that time elect a new pair of Governors, who must not have been Governors together previously during the same Change of Government. However, the Governors may once appeal for a secret ballot to give them one additional month to prepare a Government.

Section E.

Should a Governor cease to satisfy the conditions for his nomination, he ceases to be a Governor. Should a Governor resign or become ineligible, this fact shall be reported to the Assembly by himself or the other Governor, and at the regular meeting following said notice a replacement shall be elected by secret ballot.

Article 5. Characteristics of a Government

Section A.

A Government shall have at least five officers, and at least four officers shall not be Governors. There shall be no more than thirteen officers. No officer shall have, in whole or in part, as many as one-third of the numbered duties listed below. Officers may delegate well-defined portions of their duties to agreeable single agents, but responsibility to the Club remains in the Officer.

Section B.

The following duties shall be allotted to the officers. A duty shall either be given to one of the officers, or divided with parts to one or more officers and the remainder to another. The same power shall not be shared among two or more officers. The duties of B) below shall not be subdivided, and the person bearing said duties shall have the title "Treasurer". The duties under C) below shall not be subdivided and shall only be carried out by the Governor or Treasurer. Additional duties may be assigned; and officers may be named without duties.

A) Administration

1. Storage Space

a. Allotment of storage space.

b. Establishment of rents.

c. Administration of all locks and keys internal to the clubroom. MIT provided keys, treasury keys, and Coke machine keys shall be administered as per sections B) and C) below.

2. Operations

a. Qualification of operators.

b. Assignment of posts at operating sessions.

c. Regulating use of the layout.

3. Rolling Stock and Track Standards

a. Establishing standards for trackwork, clearances, and rolling stock.

b. Checking equipment against standards.

4. Public Relations

a. Maintaining liaison with the Club's Faculty advisor and other Institute officials.

b. Handling publicity, and representing the Club to the general public.

5. Archives

a. Keeping all publications acquired by the Club in good condition, organized for ready reference.

b. Recommending the acquisition of publications of usefulness to the Club.

c. Promulgating, at statutory intervals, a newsletter.

6. Records

a. Taking full and correct minutes at all meetings of the Assembly.

b. Typing such minutes, posting the most recent, and keeping in order the minutes of all meetings past.

c. Taking and keeping such minutes of officers' meetings as shall be made public.

d. Notifying members of affairs of the Club, as directed by this Constitution or by the Assembly.

e. Updating, once a term, a digest of current motions in force, for use as a reference.

B) Business

1. Account Administation

a. Maintaining the financial records of the Club, keeping track of all the Club's financial transactions, and having personal responsibility for all funds of the Club.

b. Accepting and disbursing all moneys from the Club funds, except as otherwise provided herein.

c. Define, at the beggining of each term, the quantity "1/400 of current tuition, or 1% of Club Savings, whichever is lower" as the "maximum pre-approvedexpense."

2. Presenting to the Assembly, within the first month of the fall and spring terms, a budget listing appropriations desired by each officer, subdivided by his duties.

3. Approving expenditures of up to the "maximum pre-approved expense" from the Treasury as seen fit.

4. Performing all authorized purchases, and accepting in the name of the Club all gifts deemed desirable.

C) Administration of Membership and Clubroom Access

1. Administering key-holding qualifications.

a. Keep records of member qualifications for key possession.

b. Assign a Clubroom key when a member meets key holding qualifications, as defined in the bylaws and if the membership type provides such a priviledge, following all Institute regulations.

2. Maintain Keys and Records

a. Maintain a complete list of all Clubroom key assignments. These records are to include name, membership type, and MIT ID number.

b. Present such records to any member of the MIT administration upon request.

c. Ensure safe-keeping of all un-assigned Clubroom keys. The keys shall never be removed from the clubroom, and shall be kept in a locked space.

d. Collect any keys of members who lose key-holding priviledges, and update the records as appropiate.

e. Ensure that key-holding members meet all MIT requirements to hold Institute owned keys, and report any iregularities to the Administration.

3. MIT Administration Contact

a. Shall be the main contact to the MIT Administration in regards to Clubroom access.

b. Accepts responsibility for the Clubroom keys provided to the Club.

c. Will answer any requests of the Administration, with regards to Clubroom keys, within a reasonable time period, never to exceed two weeks.

D) Construction and Maintenance

1. Track

a. Construction and maintenance of all trackage, turnouts, and switch motor mechanisms.

b. Cutting and insulating block gaps.

c. Providing leads for all track feeders and switch motors at accessible terminals.

d. Maintenance of and recommendation for acquisition of tools used primarily for such work.

2. Signals and Power

a. Construction and maintenance of all electrical apparatus except that fed directly by current supplied by the Institute and that explicitly relegated to other duties.

b. Maintenance of and recommendation for acquisition of tools used primarily for such work.

c. Promulgation of complete and correct circuit diagrams of all equipment under his supervision.

3. Construction and maintenance of all scenic features of the layout except the electrical, trackwork, or benchwork features thereof.

4. Construction and maintenance of the trolley line and associated control equipment.

5. Construction and maintenance of all club rolling stock.

6. Construction and maintenance of all club work and storage space.

7. Construction and maintenance of all benchwork supporting the layout.

8. Repair of and recommendation for acquisition of club tools and hardware not delegated to other duties.

9. Cleanliness and general appearance of the Clubroom.

10. MIT Facilities

a. Liaison with the Institute concerning utilities.

b. Maintenance of all utilities feeding the Club.

11. Maintenance of and recommendation for acquisition of club computer equipment that is not dedicated to specific control functions.

Article 6. Meetings

Section A.

One Governor shall preside at each meeting of the Assembly. If both are present they shall decide between themselves who is to preside. If neither is present the Assembly shall immediately elect a temporary chairman for the meeting.

Section B.

The person presiding may vote in all elections for Governor, officers, membership, and other posts or honors established by the Constitution or By-Laws. He may vote on the motion to sustain the present Government, on Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws, and on motions to frown or smile. Otherwise he may vote only to resolve a tie, and then not if the vote was taken by secret ballot.

Section C.

Quorum at meetings shall be as determined in the By-Laws.

Section D.

General meetings of the Assembly shall be held throughout the Fall and Spring terms. These meetings shall be held monthly, the second Saturday of the month at 8:00pm in the Club room. The meetings shall not require formal announcement other than as described in Section F. If a meeting will have a date/time/location other than as described above, the change must be clearly announced at least a week prior to the meeting, putting especial emphasis on the change.

Section E.

When a meeting is to be held at which there is to be a vote (other than the first vote) on an amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws, or an Election of Governors, or a Vote to Accept, notice of that meeting and the nature thereof shall be posted in a prominent location in the Clubroom for a period of five (5) days before the meeting. When a meeting is to be held at which there is to be a first vote on an amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws, the notice period shall be ten (10) days. All announcements must include the posting date in the format mm/dd/yy.

Section F.

Notice of the meetings and agendas shall be posted in a specially designated space of the Club Room. This space shall be used solely for this purpose and shall not be erased other than to announce the next meeting. The space must be updated at the end of each meeting to announce the next regularly scheduled general meeting and must be updated with any business or emergency meetings.

Article 7. Replacement of Officers

Section A.

By a two-thirds vote the Assembly may call for the replacement of an Officer; the Governors shall decide upon a replacement and report same to the Assembly at the next meeting. Failing such report the Assembly must choose a replacement at that meeting.

Section B.

The Governors may replace any officer by posting notice thereof. At the next meeting they must report same to the Assembly and the Assembly may reject, by two-thirds vote, the replacement. Should the report not be given, or the replacement be rejected, the office then reverts to its prior holder. The Treasurer holds office until the replacement is accepted by the Assembly; all other duties are transferred when notice is posted.

Section C.

The replacement of the holder of any particular office for the second time in less than two weeks, or the third time in less than two months, or when any two other replacements have occurred within two weeks, or any change in the structure of the Government, can only be done upon report of the Governors and approval of the Assembly, except that a Change of Government nullifies the applicability to this section of any replacements thereto.

Article 8. Responsibility for the Affairs of the Club

Section A.

To all officers in meeting is given the power of deliberation on proposed projects, membership offences, and general Club policy. Each Government shall hold such a meeting at least once a month except that a Government formed within the last six days of such a calendar month need not meet that month. Quorum for such meetings shall be three-fifths of the officers.

Section B.

During the period between the election of Governors and the approval of a Government, the affairs of the Club are managed by the Governors, subject to review and direction by majority vote of the Assembly; except that the Treasurer shall hold office until his replacement is approved by the Assembly.

During the Summer, authority is delegated as specified in Article 9 below.

At all other times the most recently chosen officers are in charge. Each officer is responsible for promulgating, in written form, all the rules he chooses to enforce in the matters over which he has jurisdiction. These rules may be overruled only by a three-quarters vote of the Assembly, but all commitments or expenditures of funds over the "maximum pre-approved expense" (as defined in 5.B.B.1.c) must first be approved by a governor and the treasurer. Likewise the Assembly must approve any project that would, in the opinion of either Governor or of one-third of the officers, substantially change the appearance of the layout or Clubroom or the mode of operation of the layout. These rules are in any case subject to the Constitution, By-Laws, and previous overruling votes of the Assembly.

Article 9. The Summer Board

At any of the last three meetings of the Assembly in each spring term, it shall be moved: "Resolve, that the Club elect a Summer Board with a budget of --- plus --- percent of the income earned during the previous administration." Should this motion pass, members who shall be resident in the Cambridge area during the coming summer are nominated from the floor. As each is nominated, the Assembly votes on them. A two-thirds vote in favor of a person elects him to the Summer Board. Also each Governor is automatically on the Summer Board if he will be in the area. If by the end of the spring term a Summer Board has been formed with at least three members, that board takes power upon close of class. The Board may, at a meeting of which all Board members have been notified in time to attend, by a majority vote approve projects and expenditures, not to exceed their budget. Their power ceases at the first regular meeting of the Assembly in the fall term. Should a proper Board not exist at the close of a spring term, then a project of expenditure shall be undertaken in the Summer only as approved by the Assembly during that spring term.

Article 10. Amendments and Interpretation

Section A. Definitions

"The active membership" consists of all regular members plus all associate members voting.

"Posting notice" consists of putting a written notice, signed by both Governors or by a majority of the officers, as appropriate, in the proper place in the Clubroom. A conspicuous location shall be reserved for such notices, and another for the most recent minutes.

"A report" by the Governors to the Assembly must be in writing, signed by both Governors, and presented at the proper time in the meeting.

"The duration of a Change of Government" is from the failure of a Motion to Sustain until the passage of a Motion to Accept.

Section B. Amendments.

This Constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote of the Assembly at each of three successive meetings, except that the duties set forth in Article 5 may be augmented or clarified in the same manner as the By-Laws are amended.

Section C. Interpretation.

Any question of the interpretation of this Constitution shall be determined by the person presiding, subject to a two-thirds overruling vote by the Assembly.

Article 11.Location of the Official Constitution

The official Constitution and Bylaws of the Club shall reside in the Club's Athena locker. The files must be in .html format, or that format universally recognized by the ASA at the time, and must be publicly available over the WWW. The Constitution shall be named const.html and the By-Laws bylaws.html. No other versions of the documents shall be official; any amendments or changes to the constitution or By-Laws shall be effective as of their posting date and time into the official electronic versions. An updated hard copy of the Constitution and By-Laws must always be kept in the club room posted next to the membership list and in a visible and accessible area.

Bylaws

of the Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT

Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT Room N52-118 265 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139	+1 617 253-3269 Email: tmrc-web@mit.edu