Governing Documents

UMES has three governing document: a constitution, bylaws and a policy manual. It is these three governing documents that indicates UMES’ purpose, its scope and the responsibilities of its members. All council members are expected to be well-versed in all three of UMES’ governing documents and it is the Senior Stick who is responsible to ensure their compliance. UMES reviews its governing documents once a year to keep them updated.

Constitution

UMES’ Constitution covers the broad structure of UMES which includes the purpose and membership of the society. The power of council is also defined in this document along with the responsibility of the faculty Advisor. The constitution also indicates how elections and referendums are to be operated. The constitution indicates how non-elected positions are to be filled. Finally, the recognition, allocation of funding and responsibilities of technical societies is covered.

Bylaws

UMES’ Bylaws provides a breakdown of the responsibility of all executive members and each directorship. The Bylaws also indicates the scope and responsibilities for UMES’ various committees.

Policy Manual

UMES’ Policy Manual covers a wide range of topics such as how UMES runs its meetings as well as how UMES operates The Window. The Policy Manual also provides detailed instructions on which posters are allowed on UMES bulletin boards and which ones are not. The finance section indicates the requirements for UMES to reimburse council members for purchases and also requires UMES’ budget to contain a budget cushion. The use of council space is also indicated along with punishments if council member abuse their privileges. Finally, each conference that UMES attends is provided along with the requirements to attend these conferences.

Technical Society Governance Manual

Election and Referendum Manual