ARTICLE 1: VISION AND MISSION

1i.] The vision of the Orchid Society is to protect the floral biodiversity of Belize by existing as an information resource for the community through identification, outreach & science through the University of Belize and also to promote conservation and preservation of these magnificent Orchidaceae plants!

ARTICLE 2: OATH

2i.] I, [Insert Name Here] believe all given information about myself to be true and complete, and I desire membership in this club. I believe I can make a contribution to the club and be worthy of the friendship of its members. As a member I will uphold all objectives and goals set by the Orchid Society to preserve, conserve and protect all Natural Resources.

ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP

3i.] The Orchid Society is open to any who are inclined towards fostering a reverence for nature. The society will also be accessible to any member of the Belizean society with key interests in “Orchidaceae” plants. Perspective members are to hand in their membership form as well as atleast ¼ of their annual dues upon entry.

ARTICLE 4: MEMBERSHIP DUTIES 

4i.] The Local Committee of the Orchid Society shall include an Executive Branch that consists of five (5) Ordinary Members. The positions they may hold are:

                i. President             ii. Vice-President                  iii. Treasurer          iv. Secretary          v. Relations Officer

i.] The President shall guide, encourage, and promote the goals, ideals, and visions of the Local Committee. He/she is responsible to motivate student participation, organize group events, and ensure the committee’s resolve for success. He/she Chairs or ‘presides’ over all general meetings especially executive meetings and attends these meetings in a neutral and uncommitted capacity.  He/she Acts as ambassador for the club, representing the club at external meetings, Assists with recruitment where necessary and may be required to undertake interviews with press/media.

ii.] The Vice-President shall aid the President in all committee affairs; He/she has the capability of acting autonomously within the jurisdiction of the committee; He/she acts as a second voice for the students and encourages students to bring up issues and is the Point of contact for committee members before the President. The vice president assumes the duties of president if the elected president cannot complete the term.

iii.] The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial affairs of the committee, Must be able to prepare and set budgets and control costs, Administers club accounts, Appoints auditors if necessary, Pays registration fees, Organises team treasurers if necessary and collates all fees, He/she shall prepare income and expenditure accounts and cash flow forecasts/reports. The treasurer also disburses club funds when authorized by the Fundraising & Finance Committee.

iv.] The Secretary shall be responsible to maintain club records and meeting minutes and submits these documents to the Executive on a regular basis. The secretary maintains lists of officers, committee appointments, attendance records and membership rosters.

v.] The Student Relations Officer shall work to develop relationships with non-executive students and non-member students with the intentions of fostering stronger ties with the University of Belize student body, as well as with foreign institutions and organizations.

All members of the Executive Branch shall also be responsible for any task assigned to/ volunteered for. It is expected that they will perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

4ii.] The Local Committee of the Orchid Society shall also include several branched committees that consists of six (6) Special Members. The positions they may hold are:

 1i. Head Chair      2i. Assistant Chair   3i. Assistant Treasurer  4i. Auditor  5i. Liaison Officer  6i. Publication Assistant

1i.] The Head Chair shall preside over meetings of the assembled committee and conducts its business in an orderly fashion with key focus on committee tasks. When the group is not in session, the officer's duties often include acting as its head, its representative to the outside world and its spokesperson to the executive committee.

2i.] The Assistant Chair will sometimes be chosen to assist the chairman and to serve as chairman in the absence of the chairman, or when a motion involving the chairman is being discussed. In the absence of the chairman and vice chairman, groups sometimes elect a chairman pro tempore to fill the role for a single meeting.

3i.] The Assistant Treasurer shall in terms of the Finance & Marketing committee, be known as head chair. He/she shall be financial literate, holding backups of the Executive Treasurer and in the absence of the active treasurer act as temporary treasure.

4i.] The Auditor shall express an opinion on whether the company's financial statements are free of material misstatements, whether due to fraud or error. For publicly traded companies, auditors may also be required to express an opinion over the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. Auditors may also be engaged to perform other agreed-upon procedures, related or unrelated to financial statements.

5i.] The Liaison Officer shall liaise between outside organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they will be used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. Liaison officers serve as the primary contact for agencies.

6i.] The Publication Assistant shall be in charge of all articles, flyers, tickets and anything related to publications, with reference to design and distribution to Marketing and Fundraising committees.

All members of the Branched Committees shall also be responsible for any task assigned to/volunteered for. It is expected that they will perform their duties to the best of their abilities and on a timely basis, with specified documentation.

4iii.] The Local Committee of the Orchid Society shall also include but not limited to four (4) branched committees:

1ii. Recruitment & Election Committee 2ii. Marketing & Sponsorship Committee 3ii. Fundraising & Finance Committee    4ii. Projects Committee

1ii.] The Recruitment & Election Committee shall specifically work to recruit new hard working members by invitation only. They will also be responsible to organize semester elections, with detailed election reports.

2ii.] The Marketing & Sponsorship Committee shall be responsible for marketing of the club to outside industries and businesses. They shall also be responsible for sponsorship documentation and requests.

3ii.] The Fundraising & Finance Committee shall be responsible for all events held by the Orchid Society with correlation between the Marketing & Sponsorship Committee. They shall also be a sub-body for financial statements and documentation.

4ii.] The Projects Committee shall be responsible for all non-profit and community projects requested or done by the Orchid Society as well as organizing clean ups and beautification projects.

All members of listed Committees shall also be responsible for any task assigned to/volunteered for. It is expected that they will perform their duties to the best of their abilities and on a timely basis, with specified documentation.

ARTICLE 5: MEETINGS

5i.] Meetings shall be held weekly at a predetermined place and time. It is the responsibility of the President to set dates and time and it is also the responsibility of the Secretary to ensure that everyone knows when and where it will be held. Attendance shall be taken and recorded at each meeting but is not beholden to the members to attend meetings. Recorded attendance shall only be for the benefit of the club records. It is understood that all major decisions shall be voted upon by the members at the weekly meetings with 3/4 majority agreeing. 

5ii.] Impromptu meetings may be held by the Executive Branch in order to make small, short-term decisions. It shall be the responsibility of the President to inform all other Executive Members of place and time.  

ARTICLE 6: VOTING/ELECTIONS

6i.] Eligible voters shall include Registered Members in the Annual Elections. 

6ii.] Elections shall take place every semester; it shall occur 5-6 days after the beginning of an initial semester. Voting shall be determined by simple majority. 

6iii.] Eligible nominees shall be Ordinary Members; self-nominations shall be accepted; nominations may occur at any point up to the point of elections. 

ARTICLE 7: FINANCES

7i.] Upon earning or receiving funds an announcement shall be made at the meeting previous and following the event or transaction. A record shall be distributed to group majority. All records shall be available for viewing upon request by any member.  The society shall never relinquish its control of its bank accounts to any member outside of the Finance Committee including, but not limited to, the University of Belize, any Faculty Member or Organization; nor shall access be shared with any of the aforementioned entities.

7ii.] Access to the funds shall require two of the three signatures by the President, Vice President and Treasurer. Upon special circumstance, as deemed appropriate by the President, another member of the Executive Branch may sign in his place.   

7iii.] The Treasurer shall be tasked the sole responsibility of maintaining bank statements and any financial transactions whatsoever. Receipts shall be submitted to the Treasurer at the first available opportunity. Receipts shall only be reimbursed if they are approved by the Treasurer. Lost receipts by a third party shall not be reimbursed. 

ARTICLE 8: ASSETS

8i.] All physical assets shall be inventoried. Only assigned members of the Executive Branch may sign for any article from the log book. 

ARTICLE 9: PUBLICATIONS

9i.] The official Orchid Society publications will be named the Orchid Bloom Monthly. The Publications Assistant shall oversee the preparation of articles and materials to be published through the society.

9ii.] All publications must be assessed and passed by the society President, Club Advisor and Marketing Committee. All publications will be uploaded and posted on all Orchid Society groups, pages and websites. 

ARTICLE 10: MISCONDUCT

10i.] Only after the most egregious of offences shall a member be expelled from the Orchid Society. This includes, but is not limited to the stealing, embezzlement, laundering or misappropriation of society funds; misusing the name Orchid Society for self-promotion, unapproved advertising, etc.; and anything which the Executive Branch and the Membership Committee deems as blatant misconduct.  

10ii.] The decision to expel a member must be unanimously agreed upon by all Executive Members after the offender has had no more than 20 minutes to defend his/her self. 

ARTICLE 11: RATIFICATION AND AMMENDMENT

11i.] Any provision of this document may be amended by simple majority vote of Ordinary Members. 

11ii.] Any proposed amendment to this document must be given minimum one (1) week’s advance notice. 

ARTICLE 12: DISSOLUTION 

12i.] Upon dissolution of Orchid Society, all funds shall be donated to a charity or organization implemented for Orchid preservation/conservation.