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SORF Bylaws

Article I. Purpose

1. The Student Organization Resource Fee (“SORF”) Board (the “Board”) shall:
   1. Develop and institute policies and procedures to be used in the distribution of money obtained through the Student Organization Resource Fee.
   2. Recommend to the Chancellor or his/her designee the allocation of the SORF funds.
   3. Inform the student body of the allocation of the SORF Fee by a financial report published at least semi-annually.
   4. Operate as transparently and efficiently as possible.

Article II. Membership

Section 1. Composition

1. The membership of the SORF Board shall consist of:
   1. Eight students, at least two being graduate or professional students.
   2. Three faculty/staff members appointed by the Chancellor or his/her designee.
   3. A fiscal advisor, appointed by the Chancellor or his/her designee (ex officio) serving on the Board without a vote.
   4. The SORF Program Advisor (ex officio) serving on the Board without a vote.
2. The Board shall be supported by the following non-Board members:
   1. The SORF Secretary, appointed as outlined in Article III.2.A.
   2. The SORF Project Assistants, appointed as outlined in Article III.4.A.

Section 2. Elections

1. All voting student members shall be elected on an annual basis during the spring student elections, and certified by the Campus Student Election Commission.
   1. The term of office for all voting members of the Board shall begin the day after the conclusion of the spring term and shall end at the conclusion of the spring term the following year.
2. A student on academic probation shall be ineligible to run for voting membership on the SORF Board.
3. Prior to the spring student election, candidates must sign a statement certifying their understanding of, and agreement to abide by the SORF Bylaws, the Viewpoint Neutrality Policy (Exhibit A) and conflict of interest requirements.
   1. Write-in candidates must file the required statements within 3 business days of being notified of their election in order to be certified.
4. The Campus Student Election Commission shall not certify students as elected who do not meet the criteria listed in Section 2.C.

Section 3. Removal

1. All members of the Board shall be expected to miss no more than two meetings during each academic year.
   1. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, he/she is expected to notify the Chairperson at least 48 hours in advance.
   2. A member who is unable to attend a meeting is still expected to perform all work required of him/her for that meeting.
   3. If a member of the Board should come to a meeting unprepared for that meeting, he/she shall be considered absent.
2. If a member should be absent for two meetings, the Chairperson shall notify the member of his/her absences.
   1. At any future meetings from which the member is absent, the Chairperson may recommend that the Board remove the offending member. The member shall be considered removed upon a 2/3 vote of the Board.
3. The Board, upon a 2/3 vote, may remove a member who demonstrates an inability to perform the duties of membership for reasons other than repeated absences.
4. The Board, upon a 2/3 vote, may remove a member due to violations of the SORF Viewpoint Neutrality Policy. The member in question must be given two days’ notice of the vote and a reasonable opportunity to refute the allegations brought against him/her before the removal vote is taken.
5. A student member who is no longer registered at UIUC forfeits his/her membership on the Board.

Section 4. Vacancies

1. The Board shall fill vacant student positions with the registered candidate who received the next highest number of votes.
2. If there are no additional students among the registered candidates of the previous election who are willing to serve, the Board shall conduct a search to fill the position.
3. If a graduate/professional student position is vacant and there are no additional graduate or professional students among the registered candidates of the previous election who are willing to serve, the Board shall conduct a search amongst graduate/professional students to fill the position. After an extensive search, if a position is still vacant, then it may be filled by an undergraduate student for the remainder of the term of office.
4. A search shall consist of announcements of vacancies and a call for applications, nomination by the Chairperson, and confirmation by a majority vote of the Board

Section 5. Board Member Training

1. The SORF Board will hold at least one mandatory training session for all Board members at the beginning of its term of office.
   1. The definition and importance of viewpoint neutrality, values clarification, conflict of interest and other topics will be covered at the training session.
2. Additional training may occur throughout the year as issues arise. Members who join the Board after the training session must attend a session that covers the same material, and shall be required to sign a statement certifying their understanding of, and agreement to abide by the SORF Bylaws, the Viewpoint Neutrality Policy (Exhibit A) and conflict of interest requirements.

Article III. Board Administration

Section 1. The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson

1. The Board shall annually select its own Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the voting members at or before the first meeting of the new Board.
2. The Chairperson, in consultation with the Vice Chairperson and the SORF Program Advisor, shall be responsible for:
   1. The general administration of the Board and its functions.
   2. Authorizing the use of funds for administrative and internal operating expenses such as the Secretary’s wages, the Spring Student Elections, photocopying, fliers, campaigns to advertise SORF, etc.
   3. Authorizing non-financial adjustments to approved allocations.
   4. Representing the Board at all public functions, to student organizations, the student government, other funding boards/organizations, and to the administration.

Section 2. The Secretary

1. The office of Secretary shall be filled by the Office of Registered Organizations with the input of the Board Chairman and Vice Chairman, and shall be confirmed by a vote of the Board.
2. The Secretary shall work with the Chairperson and SORF Program Advisor in order to facilitate, accurately record, and publish the proceedings of the Board.

Section 3. The SORF Program Advisor

1. The Board shall have an advisor, appointed by the Illini Union.
2. The hiring process, primary duties, and wages of the Program Advisor will be in line with the Agreement of Terms between the Illini Union and the Board, which shall be reviewed every three fiscal years.
3. The SORF Board Program Advisor shall work with the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson to facilitate the daily operation of the Board, as well as provide advice to Board members and to the Board as a whole.

Section 4. The SORF Project Assistants

1. Annually, the Chairperson may nominate interested students to serve as SORF Project Assistants, subject to confirmation by a vote of the Board.
2. The SORF Project Assistants shall work with the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and the SORF Program Advisor on projects which advance the SORF.

Article IV. Meetings

Section 1. Regular and Special Meetings

1. The Board shall establish a regular meeting time as necessary for the Board's affairs.
   1. Agendas for all regularly scheduled meetings shall include time for student organizations to address the Board.
2. Special meetings may be called as needed by the Chairperson or upon the written request of three voting members of the Board. No meeting shall be called without 72 hours notice unless so agreed upon by all voting members of the Board.
3. Every effort shall be made to schedule meetings of the Board at the convenience of all voting members of the Board.
4. Absence from special meetings shall not count towards a member’s two absences as outlined in Section 3.A.
5. All meetings shall be held at times and locations which are announced and open to the public.
   1. Detailed minutes shall be taken by the Board Secretary of all meetings in open session, which shall be approved by the Board and made public.

Section 2. Rules of Order

1. A quorum shall consist of 2/3 of all voting Board members.
2. In order for the Board to act, a majority vote by the Board members present is required, unless otherwise specified in this document.
3. Any member of the Board who is a member or advisor of an organization requesting SORF funds or is affiliated with the activity for which money is being requested shall abstain from pre-reviewing, voting, motioning, or seconding as it relates to that request.
4. A Board member may yield the floor to a non-Board member for the sole purpose of answering specific factual questions about the business at hand.
5. The Chairperson shall serve as the initial Presiding Officer of all Board meetings. If the Chairperson is absent or otherwise unable to act as Presiding Officer at any Board meeting, the Vice Chairperson shall serve as the presiding officer. If both the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson are absent or otherwise unable to act as Presiding Officer at any Board meeting, the Chairperson shall appoint a member of the Board to serve as Presiding Officer in their stead.
   1. The Presiding Officer shall only vote to break ties.
6. The most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the official parliamentary authority of the SORF Board in all cases to which it is applicable and in which it does not conflict with the bylaws.

Article V. Authorities

Section 1. Policies and Procedures

1. Any registered student organization in good standing shall be eligible to apply for SORF funds.
2. The application for SORF funds must be filed on the authorized form, including all required information, by the appropriate deadlines.
3. Allocations shall be made during the fall and spring semesters by the SORF Board.
4. The unspent SORF funds allocated to organizations shall revert to the SORF Board for reallocation 60 days from the funded event/activity/stated purchase date, unless specifically stated otherwise by the Board at the time the allocation is made and approved.
5. The Board shall have the right to set priorities for and percentages of funds allocated to categories of activities, programs and services.

Section 2. Restrictions

1. No organization shall receive more than 5% of the SORF funds available in a year except when overridden by the unanimous vote of all Board members present.

Section 3. Recipients of SORF Allocations

1. All recipients of SORF allocations are responsible for:
   1. Only using SORF funds for the purpose which they were allocated, unless an adjustment is approved.
   2. Expending and accounting for all SORF funds in a manner required by University and SORF Board regulations.
   3. Promptly informing the SORF Board of the cancellation of any activities for which funds have been allocated.

Section 4. Policy Compliance

1. It is the responsibility of all Registered Student Organizations to read and understand all policies and procedures of the University of Illinois, the Office of Registered Organizations, and the SORF Board before applying for SORF funding.
2. Organizations that receive SORF funding must be in compliance with all policies, procedures, and processes at all times. Those found to be in violation of any policy of the University of Illinois, the Office of Registered Organizations, or the SORF Board will be held responsible for return of any and all funds they received during the time they were in violation of these policies.
3. Any organization that attempts to defraud or mislead the Office of Registered Organizations or the SORF Board will be turned over to the Office of the Dean of Students for review, and could be held criminally liable for any funds received under false pretenses.

Section 5. SORF Viewpoint Neutrality Policy

1. All SORF Board members’ decisions shall be made on a viewpoint-neutral basis.
2. A decision made on a viewpoint-neutral basis is defined as one not considering the viewpoints being expressed by the recipient of the funds, and based entirely upon:
   1. Facts presented via e-mail correspondence with, conversations with, and presentations from representatives of the organization in question.
   2. Facts present in applications on file.
   3. Established SORF guidelines and procedures.
   4. Verifiable, factual information.

Section 6. Administrative Approval

1. Any changes to the bylaws, the SORF Application, the Allocation Guidelines, the Allocation Restrictions, appointments to the Board, and allocation recommendations shall require the approval of the Chancellor or his/her designee before going into effect.

Article VI. Governing Documents

Section 1. Amendments

1. Changes to the SORF Application, Allocation Guidelines, Allocation Restrictions, or the SORF Bylaws may be made by a 3/4 vote of all voting members at a regular or special meeting.
   1. Proposed changes shall be distributed to all members of the Board at least one calendar week before that meeting.

As approved by Vice Chancellor Revised 03/15/80

Stanley R. Levy on 11/16/79 Revised 01/29/81

Revised 10/21/82

Revised 04/09/84

Revised 07/02/90

Revised 07/19/91

Revised 07/07/93

Revised 05/05/94

Revised 10/28/96

Revised 04/24/99

Revised 11/14/03

Revised 11/20/03 (revised sect. 7.3; added 14.1, 14.2)

Revised 4/19/04 (added Sections 2.8 and 14.3)

Revised 2/23/12