Mission:The mission of Math Club is to promote enthusiasm and interest in mathematics on the Purdue University campus. This is accomplished by exposing students to hitherto unexplored and exciting branches of math in a casual, friendly, and fun atmosphere. About the Club:If you are interested in mathematics, we are certain you will find any amount of time you spend with Math Club extremely rewarding. Membership is by no means based upon mathematical ability - our only wish is to propagate an interest in the diverse field of mathematics. Meetings and membership are casual, but we are a fairly dynamic organization that coordinates numerous mathematical and social events. Typically these include speakers, training to participate in math conventions and competitions at other universities, watching educational videos, and simply hanging out and watching movies like Pi or Austin Powers. We are always open to suggestions for more activities! Officers: Kifer Troxell (President), Luke Hoffman (Vice-president), Jamie Weigandt (Treasurer), Dan Stratman (Secretary), Nate Orlow (Webmaster), Ola (Publicist) David Drasin (Faculty advisor). Check out our constitution. Regularly Scheduled Meetings:Meetings for the Fall 2008 semester will be held on Tuesdays from 6-7 PM in MA 215.
Become a Member:The membership application form can be found here.
Current Officers (Fall 2008):President:Advisor: David Drasin Vice President: Treasurer: Webmaster: Secretary: Social Director: Publicity Director:
Read our Constitution:The Purdue University Mathematics Society Constitution
REVISION HISTORY:
MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES: Membership and participation are free from discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, disability, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran. In line with the mission of Math Club, no one will be barred from participating in any general club event because of non-member status. However, since Math Club is a small organization and it costs money to operate normally, it is anticipated that individuals who regularly attend Math Club functions do join officially. The larger membership base raises the general quality of all events, especially from the refreshment standpoint. Any individual who pays the $8 yearly ($5 per semester) dues immediately becomes a Math Club member for the current period. No other individuals are considered Math Club members or will be acknowledged as such under any conditions (not even on resumes or applications). If necessary, events with limited space (e.g. special workshops) or expensive events subsidized from the club coffers (e.g. club shirts and theatre and ice cream outings) will be only open to members. However, if Math Club obtains extensive outside funding for such events, they will be open to the general campus. Elections and officer positions are only open to current members or future members. MATH CLUB OFFICERS: Elections: Elections are held at the end of every semester. All positions are based on the majority decision of the current members and members who have joined for the upcoming semester. Any individual who has already paid dues for the semester of leadership is free to run for any office. Prior experience in Math Club is highly recommended for candidates, but necessary only in the case of the President. An unlimited number of assistants (after approval by President and/or the rest of the officers) can be declared by any officer if there are additional candidates for his or her position. General Expectations of Officers: Math Club must be a high priority and serious time investment for all officers. They must reasonably avoid other obligations to be able to attend all events and meetings for their entire duration. If an officer cannot attend, an excuse must be presented beforehand to the secretary. Although the President is to have executive power at all times, officers should not see themselves as arms and legs of the president. Rather, Math Club leadership should be a consortium of independent minds. All officers are free to run their office as they deem best for Math Club (this is not necessarily what is easiest for them). They are free to reshape their offices during their reigns, granted they discuss major changes with the rest of the officers and document it well in their office descriptions. If the workload of a particular position warrants it, the leading officer should recruit assistants to develop a team to carry out that office. Assistant positions are extremely desirable, but before they become official, they must be approved by a quorum at an officer meeting, or by the President. Officers should not only focus on fulfilling their office duties but also should concern themselves with and take an active roll in the general dialogue of Math Club event planning. It is expected that individual officers work closely together and correspond amongst themselves intensely between meetings to resolve matters. Be Organized! The success of Math Club hinges on the organization of the individual officers. Officers should take notes at planning meetings to help direct their activities efficiently. They must fulfill their assigned or chosen duties between consecutive meetings, without any hints or reminders. Each office has a notebook/folder and/or electronic directory associated with it. In these, the current officer should maintain orderly records that are relevant to the office. These can include fliers, printed out emails, membership lists, completed forms, ideas for future activities, photos, etc. For smooth transitions between semesters, each officer must keep updated an office description document, which should track his or her current duties and guidelines about how to fulfill these duties. For example, if the publicity director finds a new and effective way of advertising, this should be written down with a telephone number and email address. Since these guidelines are fairly detailed, they should be summarized concisely in an office description essay. Specific Offices and Duties: The President directs meetings, recruits speakers (or appoints a delegate to do so), and ensures that everything is running smoothly. Miscellanies that are not delegated to or volunteered for by other officers are the responsibility of the President. The Vice President can be thought of as the President in training who shares all presidential duties. The Treasurer is in charge of collecting and keeping track of dues of members and all paperwork, receipts, refunds, for the club. The treasurer keeps accounts, deposits the organizations funds, and makes expenditures in a manner approved by the Business Office for Student Organizations. The Secretary is responsible for correspondence, such as courteously reminding speakers of dates and locations, asking them if they need special equipment, and sending thank you notes to speakers after the presentation. The Secretary processes the physical incoming mail and should arrange to have Math Club mail forwarded from the math building to his or her current address. The Secretary takes minutes at all planning meetings of ideas debated and makes this record accessible to other officers. The Secretary also ensures that all officers have mutual contact information and come to meetings. The Historian is an adjutant to both the Secretary and the Webmaster. The Historian maintains a history of Math Club events, which in its crudest form would be a spreadsheet summarizing the topic, presenter, date, turnout, cost, and response of the audience to the quality of the event. The Historian maintains a scrapbook (can be online) of events and photographs of the club. The Publicity Director is responsible for ensuring desired turnout at all events. The Publicity Director accomplishes this goal by advertising all meetings to the general public in all manners necessary. These usually include abundant fliers, chalkboard and sidewalk chalk announcements, Boiler TV (free) and Exponent (expensive) advertisements, etc. The Webmaster maintains the internet homepage and announces events on the calendar there. The Webmaster also maintains the email list, announces events via it, and processes incoming electronic mail. The Social Director arranges for speakers to talk to Math Club. The Social Director also reserves rooms for meetings, fills out event and trip planning forms, and plans social events like movies and recreational outings. The Teams and Conference Coordinator coordinates recruiting, copying, problem-solving practices and testing, and all other arrangements necessary to train an excellent problem-solving team for math competitions like the annual Indiana Collegiate Math Competition (ICMC) at the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) convention. The Coordinator is also in charge of arranging for travel to and from all competitions and conferences. Math Club Emergencies: Negligent officers will be replaced during their semester of duties if a unanimous decision is made at one of the officer meetings. It is assumed that a typical semester will not have all the officer positions filled, and this should not be considered an emergency. The club should run smoothly after the loss of any officer, including the President or Treasurer. However, in a crisis situation, Math Club should still be organized and visible based solely on the efforts of the President and Treasurer. CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION: The constitution should be updated yearly by the officers, but a copy of previous constitutions in their original format must be salvageable at all times. The Constitution lays the framework for a smoothly running and successful club. All amendments to the constitution and bylaws are subject to the approval of the Office of the Dean of Students. The signatures of the president and advisor, the date of adoption, and spaces for the date of University recognition and signature of the Dean of Students Office should appear at the end of the constitution and are required before final recognition.
Downloads:You can download a PDF version of the constitution here. |
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