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SPO Bylaws

Article 1- Name
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Student Planning Organization of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
 
Article II - Objects
Section 1. The objects of this organization shall be:
1. To promote interest in and understanding of the professional field of Urban and Regional Planning.
2. To provide a forum for intellectual and social interchange among students studying Urban Planning.
3. To act as the official spokesperson for students in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in all matters pertaining to interuniversity, intrauniversity, student-staff, and student-professional relationships; and
4. To promote fellowship between Urban Planning students and the staff of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
 
Article III - Membership
Section 1. All students currently enrolled in a program of study leading to a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning, Master of Urban Planning, or Ph.D. in Regional Planning shall be considered members of this organization. Interested students pursuing an undergraduate minor in Urban Planning or a joint degree in Urban Planning shall also be considered members of this organization.
Section 2. All members shall be eligible to vote in the election of the officers and representatives and on any matter submitted by motion at a regular or special meeting open to all members of the organization.
 
Article IV - Officers
Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be as follows:
1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Secretary
4. Treasurer
5. American Planning Association Representative
6. Undergraduate Representative
7. Graduate Student Representative
8. Social Chair 

9. Social Justice Education and Community Education Representative


Section 2. The terms of these officers shall run for one calendar year.
Section 3. These officers shall serve as members of the executive committee of the Student Planning Organization.
Section 4. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
President - It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings, to call regular and special meetings, and to otherwise conduct the affairs of the organization undertaken in accord with the provisions of these bylaws. It shall also be the responsibility of the President to meet with the Executive Officers at least twice a month to set an agenda and discuss relevant issues. The President shall also have authority to access the organization's checking account, although primary authority remains with the Treasurer. The President shall serve as the official representative of the student body in all dealings with individuals or organizations outside of the student body. The president shall designate members of all committees when not otherwise designated as provided herein. The president shall have access to all books, paper, documents, and letters as they pertain to this organization.
 
Vice-president - It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to act as a support for the President and the board. In the event the president is unable to perform their duties, by reason of absence, incapacity, or other circumstances, the Vice- President shall perform the duties of the President. In the event that the Treasurer is unable to perform their duties, the Vice President shall step in. In the event that any other board member is temporarily unable to perform their duties, the Vice-President shall perform the duties of the specified member. In tandem with the President, it shall be the duty of the Vice-President to act as a liaison between the Planning Department and the student body represented by the organization.  The Vice-President may also partner with the President to coordinate and organize major events throughout the course of their term.  
 
Secretary - It shall be the duty of the secretary to record the minutes of each meeting and provide a copy of the minutes to the executive officers before the next regular scheduled meeting.
 
Treasurer - The treasurer shall have the primary authority to access this Organization's checking account, with the President as a secondary authorized person. The responsibilities of the treasurer include providing financial reports to the board on a regular basis that detail how much money was spent, when it was spent, and what the expense was for by transaction. The Treasurer also records deposits from APA Illinois, proceeds from fundraising events, and donors. The treasurer also communicates with board members to collect receipts to ensure that transactions are properly accounted for. The treasurer shall communicate with the APA representative and any APA-IL staff as needed regarding funding provided from APA-IL.  The treasurer is responsible for all relations with the bank that SPO keeps its funds at. The treasurer shall use their discretion to ensure that the security of the bank account is the best it can be to avoid any fraudulent spending by any board members or outside parties. At a minimum, the treasurer should avoid using digital services that allow for the intermixing of SPO funds with personal funds belonging to anyone. This is to avoid the risk of SPO bank account information being compromised due to personal accounts on digital payment services including but not limited to Venmo and Cashapp. Digital payment services that are provided to a bank customer via a bank account such as Zelle may be used.


 
Undergraduate Representative(s) - It shall be the duty of the Undergraduate Representative to serve as the official spokesperson for their undergraduate class in all matters pertaining to the Organization, to faithfully report proceedings and plans of the Organization to their class, and to relay concerns of these students to the Executive Committee of this Organization.
 
American Planning Association Representative - It shall be the duty of the American Planning Association Representative to inform the members and officers of this Organization of APA activities and to maintain contact with and serve as the official in between the Student Representative Council of the American Planning Association and this Organization. This duty shall also include being a member of the APA-IL Executive Board. As a board member the APA Representative shall attend APA-IL Executive Board meetings, coordinate with the APA Board, and work with the SPO Treasurer to apply for APA-IL funding. The APA Representative may share APA events, scholarship opportunities, and contests. The representative can also hold a concurrent appointment within the board, according to the needs of each individual board. Furthermore, the APA Representative shall also be a member of the Professional Development Committee in the Student Representative Council. 
 
Graduate Student Representative(s) - It shall be the duty of the Graduate Representative to serve as the official spokesperson for their graduate students in all matters pertaining to the Organization, to faithfully report proceedings and plans of the Organization to their class, and to relay concerns of these students to the Executive Committee of this Organization. The Graduate Representative will serve on the Professional Development Committee and be responsible for organizing a minimum of two professional development events each semester along with the Junior/Senior representative, APA representative and Academic Advisor. Also, they will offer recommendations to ensure SPO events are inclusive and engaging for Graduate Students.
 
Social Chair - It shall be the duty of the Social Chair to help plan, organize, and execute social events for the organization, including spearheading event logistics and managing event promotion. They shall maintain an active and engaging social media presence by creating and posting graphics, updates, and announcements across all platforms at least three times a month. They shall ensure the organization’s social media features relevant updates and respond to direct messages in a timely manner. Additionally, the Social Chair shall be responsible for keeping the organization’s website accurate and current by updating event information, meeting announcements, and other relevant content. He/she shall publicly announce all meetings and events of the organization through social media, providing advance notice to general members.  



Social Justice Education and Community Engagement Rep- t shall be the duty of the Social Justice Education and Community Engagement Representative to incorporate social justice education and community engagement into SPO activities. In accordance with DURP anti-racism action items, this includes, but is not limited to, identifying social justice professional development trips to places with planning related inequalities, identifying opportunities for community involvement, and making connections with other social justice organizations on campus and in the community. The SJCE Rep also aids with communication between students and the Department and encourages students to voice their concerns on issues of equity in the class, Department, and University levels.  

Section 5. Any Board member can be removed with a 2/3 vote of the SPO general body at an SPO general meeting.
Section 6. Any officer at any time may voluntarily relinquish his/her office to which elected by submission of his/her written resignation to the Executive Committee. Following acceptance of his/her resignation, or in the case of an officer leaving school before the academic year has ended due to graduation or some other circumstance, a special election shall be announced and held to fill such a vacancy.
ADD Section 7
 
Article V - Meetings
Section 1. A general meeting of the student body shall be held regularly at which time the activities during the past semester shall be reviewed and plans for activities during the present semester shall be presented. The incumbent President shall publicly announce the time and place of this meeting to all students.
Section 2. Regular and special meetings may be called by the President or by written request of any five members, at any time except as restricted herein, provided that members are notified of the time, date, and place of the meeting at least 48 hours in advance.
Section 3. Meetings shall not be scheduled in conflict with University regulations.
Section 4. Ten members of the Organization shall constitute a quorum at a meeting.
Section 5. Five members of the Board shall constitute a quorum at a Board meeting.
 
Article VI - Executive Committee
Section 1. The officers of this Organization shall comprise the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall have the power to supervise all the affairs of the organization.
Section 3. Each new administration will hold a transition meeting within the first two weeks of any new Board taking over to discuss or review operational procedures and continuing affairs with the previous Board.
 
Article VII - Committees
Section 1. When considered desirable upon motion of the Executive Committee, the President shall establish and appoint members to committees to plan and conduct specific activities of this Organization with approval of the Board.
Section 2. Examples of committees that may be provided for:

  • Web

  • Professional Development

  • Social

  • Saturday Seminar

  • Public Relations

  • And others as needed


Article VIII - Faculty Adviser
Section 1. This Organization shall have a Faculty Adviser selected by the members at a duly called meeting. It shall be the duty of the Faculty Adviser to advise the Organization in it's activities, provide guidance deemed as necessary and appropriate, and perform such liaison as may be necessary between the Organization, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and other agencies of the University.
 
Article IX - Voting
Section 1. Any member is eligible to one vote in any matter concerning the Organization and to one vote for the various officers of the Organization.
Section 2. Any member retains the right to abstain from voting on any issue or for any candidate for office, but such action he/she shall thereby forfeit his/her vote.
Section 3. In case of a tie in voting, the President shall call for another ballot. If a tie remains following the second ballot the matter of election shall be referred back to the floor for further discussion, and may, upon appropriate motion, be tabled until the next scheduled meeting.
 
Article X - Election of Officers
Section 1. During the first week of December in the Fall semester nominations for officers for the following academic year shall be held.
Section 2. During the second week of December elections for officers for the coming academic year will be held.
Section 3. Two Undergraduate Representatives will be elected, one to represent Freshmen and Sophomores and one to represent Juniors and Seniors
Section 4. The president shall tally all the votes cast and the totals shall be reviewed by the vice-president before the winners are announced. The voting results will be available to the student body if any question or conflict arises.
 
Article XI - Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's rules of order Newly Revised shall govern the Organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Organization may adopt.
 
Article XII - Amendments of Bylaws
Section 1. These bylaws can be amended at a regular or special meeting of the Organization by a two-thirds vote provided that the amendment has been submitted to the Executive committee in writing at a previous regular meeting.
Section 2. All amendments, which are passed, shall be added to these bylaws and posted to the SPO website within 10 days of the vote.
 
Article XIII – Funding for SPO (Co-)Sponsored Activities
Section 1. The executive committee is required to approve and vote on a proposed budget for every activity where SPO funds are required.
 
Article XIII - Funding Support
Section 1.
SPO will seek funding for members who approach the board seeking planning-related educational enrichment.
Section 2.
Process- All funding requests must be formally made through the SPO Board-approved application process.  The application must include a proposed itemized budget sheet.
Section 3.
Timeline- Funding requests must be made prior to the event, conference, competition, etc.  Proof of registration in the conference, event, etc. must be submitted at the time of the request.  Funding shall be disbursed at the end of each semester, retroactively reimbursing portions of the cost.  Funding cannot be disbursed prior to the event.
Section 4.
Report- Upon completion of the event, participant must provide copies of all receipts for costs and provide information as to any other sources of funding utilized for the event.
Section 5.
Funding Periods- Funding requests will be divided into three periods for the year.  Applications for funding must be submitted within or before the funding period of the event.
Period 1: January 1st - April 30th.
Period 2: May 1st - August 31st.
Period 3: September 1st - December 31st.
Section 6.
Amount- The number of awards and the value of the awards shall be determined upon a review of multiple factors including but not limited to: the Student Planning Board’s available budget, the quality of the applicant’s responses in the Funding Application, and the total number of applicants at the end of each funding period.  The total amount allotted to the Student Support fund shall be determined when the new Board sets the budget at the beginning of each calendar year.  In the case that no funds are disbursed during the funding period, allocated funds may be dispersed in following funding periods at the discretion of the funding committee.  Any remaining funds at the end of the fiscal year will be returned to the general account.
Section 7.
Funding Committee- The funding committee shall review and decide all disbursements.  The funding committee shall be composed of the president, vice president, and treasurer.  All final decisions by the Funding Committee must be approved by the Board and supervised by the advisor.
Section 8.
Internal Process- All applications will be reviewed by the Funding Committee.  The Board will first seek SORF Funding to sponsor the applications if their request qualifies.  SORF funding may require additional documentation and must undergo a separate application process.  Only Treasurers are authorized to submit SORF allocation requests.  It is the responsibility of the entire board to seek sources of funding in order to fund the Student Support Fund.
 
 
Article XIV - Bylaws Update
Section 1. SPO Bylaws must be reviewed within the first month by each new administration

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