UP GEOP: The Society of Geodetic Engineering Majors

Constitution and By-laws

University of the Philippines GEOP
(The Society of Geodetic Engineering Majors)

Preamble:

We, the members of the University of the Philippines GEOP (Society of Geodetic Engineering Majors) in
order to establish an organization that shall embody our ideals, foster harmonious relationships among its
members, the geodetic engineering community and other engineering students, promote excellence in the
field of geodetic engineering, highlight the relevance of geodetic engineering and develop among its members
a sense of commitment and service to the Filipino community, do hereby promulgate this constitution.

Article I. Declaration of Principles

Section 1. Name and Nature

The organization shall be known as the UP GEOP (Society of Geodetic Engineering Majors), which is an
academic and socio-civic organization.

Section 2. Objectives

The four level set objectives of the organization shall be:

a. To foster camaraderie and inculcate a sense of unity and responsibility among the members and to
establish harmonious relationships with the geodetic engineering community and other
engineering students.

b. To promote excellence in the field of geodetic engineering by sponsoring trainings and academic
activities.

c. To highlight the relevance of geodetic engineering by holding seminars and symposia inside and
outside the university.

d. To develop a sense of commitment and service to the Filipino community by conducting outreach
programs and civic activities. 1
Article II. Membership

Section 1. Conditions for Application and Qualification for Membership

a. An applicant must be an established student of the University of the Philippines, Diliman taking up
BS Geodetic Engineering.

b. Applicants are accepted to the UP GEOP in a manner prescribed and designated by the Training and
Membership Committee indicated in Article VIII Section 1 of this constitution.

Section 2. Classification

a. Members are those who have been inducted and are currently enrolled in BSGE.

i. Good Standing Members are those members who have submitted their semestral
membership form, paid their membership dues and have attended at least 50% of all UP
GEOP activities in the preceding semester.
ii. Probationary Members are those who have not submitted their semestral membership
forms, paid their membership fee or have not attended at least 50% of all UP GEOP
activities during the past semester.

b. Inductible Applicants are applicants who are qualified for membership but have not been inducted.
They should have submitted their membership forms, paid their membership fees and attended at
least 50% of all UP GEOP activities during the past semester.

i. Inductible applicants have a maximum of one year to attain full membership. Failure to
do so means they will have to reapply.

ii. Inductible applicants who do not comply with the above stated requirements will
automatically be dropped from the membership roster.

c. Alumni are members who have graduated in BS Geodetic Engineering in UP Diliman.

d. Honorary members are inducted members who, for one reason or another, shifted out of the
course and/or College of Engineering.

Section 3. Renewal, Suspension and Termination

a. Renewal of membership shall be open every semester of each academic year within the period
designated by the Internal Affairs Committee.

b. Suspension Conditions and Procedure

i. Conditions for Suspension

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 Any member of the General Assembly may be suspended from membership upon
proper investigation and with sound evidence based on the following conditions.

aa. Actions and behavior that are detrimental to the society and contrary to the UP
GEOP
Constitution
bb. Abuse of power.
cc. Malversion of funds and/or misinterpretation of UP GEOP resulting in irrevocable
damage to the honor and dignity of the society.

ii. Procedure for Suspension

aa. Any member of the General Assembly filing a case against another member must
present a letter to the Executive Vice President stating the reason for
suspension.

bb. An investigation shall be conducted by the Executive Board to be headed by the

President.

cc. The investigation shall culminate in a meeting between the Executive Board and
the individual concerned.

dd. Other procedures of the investigation shall be final and be decided upon by the
Executive Board.

ee. All findings of the investigation shall be presented to the General Assembly. The
individual concerned may be asked to face the General Assembly if the Executive
Board may deem it necessary.

ff. The Executive Board reserves the right to decide whether to issue a warning or
to
suspend the member. However, only one warning shall be given. A second
offense, whether repeated or not, shall call for suspension.

gg. The decision of the Executive Board shall be final and shall not be subject to
appeal.

hh. Any individual under investigation shall be considered innocent until proven
guilty of the offense. He shall continue to exercise his power and his functions
during the period of the investigation.

i. Resignation which may be filed by any member subject to the acceptance

by the Executive Board upon settlement of all his obligations to UP GEOP
and/or issuance of membership clearance.

ii. Expulsion from UP GEOP by two-thirds of the Voting Body because of

misinterpretation of the society, misconduct, or failure to comply with
the duties and obligations set by this constitution.
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Section 4. Impeachment

a. Conditions for Impeachment

Any member of the Executive Board may be impeached from office upon proper investigation with
sound evidence based on the following:

i. Actions and behavior that are detrimental to the society and contrary to the UP GEOP
constitution.

ii. Conduct and behavior unbecoming of an officer.

iii. Negligence, absenteeism, and/or failure to fulfill the duties and obligations of an officer.

iv. Abuse of power.

v. Malversion of funds and/or misinterpretation of UP GEOP resulting in irrevocable

damage to the honor and dignity of the society.

b. Procedure for Impeachment

i. Any good standing member filing a case against any officer must present a letter to the
Executive Vice President with proof and support n signatures of at least one third of the
total Voting Body
ii. An investigation shall be conducted by a team of five members to be created and
headed by the President
iii. The investigation shall culminate in a meeting between the investigating team and the
individual concerned. No excuse shall be granted for failure to attend the meeting.
iv. Other procedures of the investigation shall be finals and be decided upon by the
investigating committee and shall be final.
v. All findings of the investigation shall be presented to the General Assembly. The
individual concerned may be asked to face the General Assembly if the investigating
committee deems it necessary.
vi. A referendum shall be called by the investigating committee upon the approval of the
Executive Board. The referendum shall be done by secret ballot.
vii. Other procedures of the referendum shall be decided upon by the investigating
committee.
viii. Three-fourths of the total votes cast shall validate the impeachment and 50%+1 of the
good standing members shall constitute the quorum.
ix. The decision of the Voting Body shall be final and shall not be subject to appeal, unless a
new evidence warrants the appeal to be made.
x. A special election shall be called immediately after the impeachment proceeding of for
the vacated office.
xi. In a case where the President is the individual to be impeached, his functions stated in
this article shall be taken over by the Executive Vice President.
xii. An individual under investigation shall be considered innocent until proven guilty. He
shall continue to do his functions during the period of investigation. 4
Article III. Rights and Duties of Members

Section 1. Rights and Duties of Standing Members

a. The right to suffrage

b. The right to join any of the committees
c. The right to participate official activities sponsored by UP GEOP
d. The right to use all the services and facilities of UP GEOP (tambayan, surveying equipment, training,
and others)
e. The right to inquire and look into financial records of UP GEOP
f. The right to clarify decisions and policies made by the Executive Board
g. The right to call for a general assembly upon the approval of any member of the Executive Board.
h. The right to file an impeachment case against any officer and suspension / expulsion case against
any member.
i. The right to use UP GEOP name in any fund-raising activity provided that proper permission from
the Executive Board is sought.
j. The right to run for office.

Section2. Rights of Probationary, Alumni and Honorary Members

a. The rights of the probationary and honorary members shall be:

i. The right to join any committee

ii. The right to participate to official activities sponsored by the UP GEOP
iii. The right to use facilities and services of UP GEOP. They can borrow the equipment only
for on official UP GEOP activities.

b. The rights of alumni members shall be:

i. The right to participate official activities hosted by UP GEOP.

ii. The right to use facilities and services of UP GEOP. They can borrow the equipment only
on official UP GEOP activities.
iii. The right to attend and make suggestions on meetings and general assemblies

Section 3. Duties and Obligations of Members:

The duties and obligations of all members shall be:

a. To uphold the constitution of UP GEOP

b. To meet all financial obligations
c. To be a member of at least one standing committee and to actively participate in all its projects and
/ or undertakings.
d. To attend meetings, official activities and / or social functions of the society.
e. To be responsible of all facilities of UP GEOP
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Article IV. Organizational Set-up

Section I. Basic Unit

Each individual member of UP GEOP shall be the basic unit of the society.

Section 2. Status of the General Assembly

All the members shall constitute the General Assembly which shall be divided into five standing
committees, namely the Internal Affairs Committee, the External Affairs Committee, the Finance
Committee, the Academic Committee and the Training and Membership Committee. The General
Assembly shall be in the session twice every semester.

Section 3. Status of the Executive Board

The President, the Executive Vice-President, the Secretary General, and the Vice Presidents
heading the standing committees, shall comprise the Executive Board of UP GEOP. The President and
Executive Vice President shall not be members of any of the standing committees.

Section 4. The Standing Committees

Each of the five standing committees namely the Internal Affairs Committee, the External Affairs
Committee, the Finance Committee and the Training and Membership Committee shall be headed by a
Vice President.

Article V. The Voting Body

Section 1. Composition

The good standing members shall compose the Voting Body of UP GEOP

Section 2. Powers

a. The Voting Body shall approve or disapprove all the policies governing UP GEOP.
b. It shall review and / or evaluate all contracts, agreements, or treaties to be entered into by UP
GEOP through the President, the Executive Board or any other authorized member of the society.

Article VI. The Executive Board

Section 1. Composition

a. The Executive Board shall be composed of the Secretary General, the Vice Presidents of the
standing committees headed by the Executive Vice President and the President of the UP GEOP.
b. The Executive Board shall be elected by majority of the Voting Body in a general election.
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Section 2. Powers and Duties

The Executive Board shall:

a. Represent the society in case a general assembly is not possible

b. Plan and coordinate all activities of the society
c. Present a plan of action the General Assembly at the start of every semester and report all
proceedings, meetings, contracts, etc. undertaken at the end of every semester.
d. Initiate the power to create and dissolve an adhoc committee, which may be in existence for a
maximum of one year.

Section 3. Qualification and Tenure of Office

a. Qualification

A candidate must be continuously in good standing for a minimum of one year prior to the election.
In the event that no one meets the above stated qualifications, any good standing resident can run
for upon the deliberation of the Executive Board.

b. Tenure and election

i. All officers shall hold office for a period of at least one academic year
ii. Any officer can be reelected one to any position
iii. An Electoral Board shall be created one week before nominations by the Executive
Board.

aa. It shall consist of at least three good standing members designated by the
Executive Board
bb. Member of the Electoral Board shall not be allowed to run for office.
iv. The election shall be a four-step process
aa. An Electoral Board shall be created by the outgoing Executive Board to be
approved by the Voting Body
bb. Nomination which will be done by a secret ballot and should be done two weeks
before the end of the semester.
cc. Training period which involves briefing the candidates about their duties by the
Executive Board
dd. Election Proper
iv. The election shall be held by a secret ballot.

c. Resignation from Office

i. Any officer may file his resignation in writing to the President stating his / her reasons to
be presented to the Executive Board for approval.
ii. The outgoing officer shall hold office until a new one has been elected and assumed the
post to be vacated.

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Section 4. Powers and Duties of the President

The President shall:

a. Head UP GEOP and represent the society in all its official undertakings
b. Head the Executive Board and preside over all its meetings and general assemblies.
c. Be an ex-officio member of all standing committees and shall coordinate all their activities.
d. Call emergency meetings and / or create an ad hoc committee when the need arises and
appoint its members.
e. Sign all contracts, agreements, or treaties and accept all donations in behalf of UP GEOP.
f. Sign checks and accounts together with the Vice President for Finance
g. Prepare a semestral report regarding the status of UP GEOP, to be presented to the General
Assembly.
h. Vote only in case of a tie.
i. Accept the resignation letter of the Executive Vice President.

Section 5. Powers and Duties of the Executive Vice President

The Executive Vice President shall:

a. Act as a president in the absence of the latter due to resignation, impeachment or

suspension until the return of the incumbent President.
b. Coordinate the reports of the Vice Presidents of standing committees
c. Oversee all disciplinary cases (i.e. misconduct, mismanagement of funds, etc.)
d. Accept all resignation letters of the officers
e. Inform the faculty adviser of the UP GEOP activities
f. Be an ex-officio member of all standing committees.

Section 6. Duties of the Secretary General

The Secretary General shall:

a. Act as a recorder of all Executive Board meetings and general assemblies

b. Keep all records of UP GEOP
c. Prepare written assessment of UP GEOP
d. Prepare all necessary documents for all activities of the organization.

Section 7. Powers and Duties of the Vice President for Internal Affairs

The Vice President for Internal Affairs shall:

a. Preside over all meetings of the Internal Affairs Committee and coordinate all its activities
b. Be responsible for the tasks of the committee and the activities of the committee to the
Executive Board and the General Assembly.
c. Be the tie-breaker in committee decisions.
d. Create sub-committees as the need arises.
e. Create and head all induction rites of new members.
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 f. Be the property custodian of the UP GEOP and be accountable for all the equipment lent by
the society.
g. Be responsible for organizing consolidating activities for the General Assembly.
h. Create a Sports and Recreational Committee when the need arises.

Section 8. Powers and Duties of the Vice President for External Affairs

a. Preside over all meetings of the External Affairs Committee and coordinate all its activities.
b. Be responsible for the tasks of the committee and report all the activities of the committee
to the Executive Board and the General Assembly.
c. Be the tie-breaker in committee decisions.
d. Create and oversee a Publicity Committee.
e. Represent the UP GEOP in meetings related to all external functions of the society.

Section 9. Powers and Duties of the Vice President for Training and Membership Committees

The Vice President for Training and Membership shall:

a. Preside overall meetings of the Training and Membership Committee and coordinate all its
activities.
b. Be responsible for the tasks of the committee and report all the activities of the committee
to the Executive Board and General Assembly.
c. Be the tie-breaker in committee decisions.
d. Present a list of inductibles to the Executive Board and the General Assembly at the end of
every application period.
e. Plan and coordinate training in the field of Geodetic Engineering for the members.

Section 10. Powers and Duties of the Vice President for Academic Committee

The Vice President for Academic Committee shall:

a. Preside over all meetings of the Training and Membership Committee and coordinate all its
activities.
b. Be responsible for the tasks of the committee and shall report all the activities of the
committee to the Executive Board and the General Assembly.
c. Be the tie0breaker in committee decisions.
d. Be responsible for the upkeep and upgrading of the UP GEOP library.
e. Be responsible for the academic growth of all members.

Section 11. Powers and Duties of the Vice President for Finance

The Vice President for Finance shall:

a. Preside over all meetings of the Finance Committee and coordinate all its activities.
b. Be responsible for the tasks of the committee and report all the activities of the committee
to the Executive Board and the General Assembly.
c. Be the tie-breaker in committee decisions.
d. Plan income-generating projects for the UP GEOP activities.
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Article VII. The Standing Committee

Section 1. Internal Affairs shall:

The internal Affairs committee shall:

a. Be headed by a Vice President to be elected during the general election.

b. Take charge of all the activities of the society geared towards consolidating the
membership.
c. Take charge of the UP GEOP tambayan and create and implement rules and regulations
regarding the use and maintenance of the tambayan.
d. Declare the properties of UP GEOP and present an inventory of these properties at the start
of the semester.
e. Draft rules and regulations regarding the use and care of these properties and be
responsible for their implementation.
f. Inform the members of all General Assemblies, Executive Board meetings and other
activities.

Section 2. External Affairs Committee

The External Affairs Committee shall:

a. Be headed by a Vice-President to be elected during the General Election.

b. Serve as the channel for all external contacts of the society.
c. Be in charge of the publicity work of the UP GEOP.
d. Represent the society, together with other related committees, in meetings related to the
external functions of the society.

Section 3. The Training and Membership Committee

The Training and Membership Committee shall:

a. Be headed by a Vice-President to be elected during the General Election.

b. Designate a definite period of application for membership every semester.
c. Prescribe and designate rules and activities of the applicants.
d. Act as the main advisory body or all activities of the applicants.
e. Evaluate applicants performance.
f. Collect application fees to be used for the application process.

Section 4. The Academic Committee

The Academic Committee shall:

a. Be headed by a Vice-President to be elected during the General Election.

b. Compile all exams and references under the GE course for the use of the members of the
UP GEOP.
c. Monitor the academic performance of all the members. 10
 d. Provide tutoring class to any member.

Section 5. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall:

a. Be headed by a Vice-President to be elected during the General Election.

b. Collect the membership fee, the amount of which shall be decided upon by the committee.
c. Conduct feasibility studies and fund-raising activities to augment the financial resources of
the UP GEOP.
d. Be held responsible for the financial resources and accountable for the financial
expenditures of UP GEOP.
e. Report the financial status of UP GEOP the General Assembly at the start of every semester.

Article VIII. Advisers

Section 1. Qualification of Advisers

The UP GEOP advisers should be from the faculty of UP Geodetic Engineering Department. The
Executive Board shall nominate potential advisers to be approved by the Voting Body.

Section 2. Functions of the Advisers

The Advisers shall act as:

a. Consultants on society activities.

b. Guarantors on behalf of UP GEOP in all official undertakings.
c. Mediator in case there shall be unresolved problems between the president, the rest of the
Executive Board among the members.

Article IX. Meetings

Section 1. Frequency of Meetings

a. General Assembly shall meet at the beginning and end of every semester, the dates of which shall
be decided upon by the Executive Board.
b. The respective standing committees shall meet when the need arises, the date of which shall be
decided upon by the head of the respective committees.
c. Regular meetings shall be held once a week to be presided by the president.
d. The Executive Board shall meet every week, the date of which shall be decided upon by its
members.

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 Section 2. Quorum

A simple majority of fifty percent plus one of the total number of members shall constitute a quorum.
This applies to both the Voting Body and the respective committees unless otherwise stated in a
special provision of the constitution.

Section 3. Conduct of Meeting

Regular parliamentary procedures shall be followed in all meetings, in which case, the presiding officer
shall vote only to break a tie.

Section 4. Minutes of Meeting

Minutes of the meeting of the Secretary General within a period of the week.

Section 5. Open Door Policy of Executive Board Meetings

The good standing members are welcome to attend Executive Board meetings. However, only the
Executive Board will have voting powers during these meetings.

Article X. Amendments

Section 1. Procedure of Amendments

a. Any provision of this constitution may be amended as proposed by any good standing member.
b. Proposal for amendments must be presented in writing to the President, together with
justifications and must be supported by the signatures of the simple majority of the total good
standing members.
c. The president shall present the proposal to the Executive Board, and upon the recommendation of
the latter shall be presented to the General Assembly.
d. A constitutional convention shall be created by the Executive Board which shall facilitate
consultation and votation of the proposed amendments.
e. There should be at least one week between the time of presentation and the time of ratification of
the amendment to enable the General Assembly to study the proposal(s) thoroughly.

Section 2. Ratification and Effectivity

a. Ratification of the amendment shall be by secret ballot, held in referendum. The Constitutional
Convention shall be in charge of the referendum.
b. Two-thirds of the total votes cast shall ratify the amendment. Two-thirds of the Voting Body shall
constitute the quorum.
c. The amendment shall take effect upon ratification.

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