The name of this organization shall be the Wharton Politics & Business Association.

Section 1. The vision of WPBA is to become an active participant in shaping public policy.

Section 2. Recognizing the importance of possessing a thorough understanding of economic and political policy to succeed in the business world, WPBA seeks to provide students with:

• A forum for students to learn about, discuss and debate political and business issues;
• Open dialogue with political and business leaders;
• A platform to voice creative solutions for domestic and international political and business problems; and
• Information about careers in public policy.

Section 1. Membership in WPBA shall consist of a three-tiered system: Board Members, Primary Members, and Secondary Members.

Section 2. Board Members shall constitute the Board of Directors, as defined by Article V, Section 1.

Section 3. Primary Members shall be Wharton students with a strong interest in public policy (politics and business) who attend and contribute to WPBA forums and assist in policy development and external projects.  Primary Members shall be chosen by the VP of Policy Development on the basis of a short application that candidates will submit one week after the First General Body Meeting.  Primary Members will receive first priority in all WPBA events and projects.

Section 4. Secondary Members shall be Wharton students with an interest in public policy (politics and business) who have attend at least one WPBA event per year and are registered on the WPBA listserv.

Section 1. WPBA shall charge no membership dues.

Section 2. The fiscal year of the Association shall be July 1 through June 30.

Section 3. Expenditures may be authorized by (a) a unanimous vote of the President and EVP or (b) a majority vote of a quorum at a regular Board meeting.

Section 1. Officers of the Association shall be: President, Executive Vice President, VP of External Affairs, VP of Policy Development, VP of Finance, VP of Marketing, VP of Events, VP of Technology, and VP of Publications.  These officers with the Adviser as ex-officio member shall constitute the Board of Directors.

Section 2. The President and EVP shall be elected as follows:

• Two weeks prior to the final Board meeting, the current President and EVP will distribute an application form to all current Board members.
• Candidates may only apply for one position, i.e. not President and EVP.
• Candidates must submit their completed application to the President and EVP within one week of their receipt of the form.
• The President and EVP will each select their successor and announce the results at the penultimate Board meeting (one week prior to the final Board meeting).
• President and EVP terms are renewable annually if the Board chooses to reelect them.
• A President who is not reelected but remains at Penn (except those who resign before the end of their term or are removed by Article VI, Section 11) may remain on the Board as “President Emeritus.”  They would have no official duties but would act as an advisor and a voting Board member.

Section 3. The VPs shall be elected as follows:

• One week prior to the final Board meeting, the new President and EVP will distribute a form of brief essays to all current Primary Members.
• Candidates must submit the completed form to the new President and EVP within five days of their receipt of the form.
• Immediately prior to the penultimate Board meeting (prescribed in Article VII, Section 2), the new President and EVP will hold the final meeting of the year for Primary Members.  At this meeting, all Primary Members will read the essay forms of all candidates and vote for all VP positions.  New VPs will then attend the Board meeting that follows the Primary Member meeting.

Section 4. Officers shall hold office for a term of one year or until their successors are elected.

Section 5. The Association shall have an Adviser who shall be a Wharton professor.  At the final Board meeting of each year, the Adviser for the following year shall be chosen by a majority vote of the Board, subject to the acceptance of the Adviser.  (The President and EVP are advised to discuss the possibility of becoming Adviser with any possible candidates prior to the final Board meeting.)

Section 6. The Association shall have an Advisory Council, which shall consist of faculty, administration, alumni, and other business and political leaders.  It shall assist and the Board in its annual events and projects.  At the final Board meeting of each year, the Advisory Council for the following year shall be chosen by the President and EVP with the suggestions and advice of the Board, subject to the acceptance of the Advisory Council members.  (The President and EVP are advised as in Section 4 above.)

Section 1. The President shall (a) preside over all meetings of the Association, (b) set the long-term agenda for the club, and (c) oversee the performance of individual officers.

Section 2. The Executive Vice President shall (a) preside in the absence of the President and (b) assist the President in all his/her duties.

Section 3. The VP of External Affairs shall organize events and projects that extend beyond the campus, i.e. community service partnerships, trips outside Philadelphia, and international projects.

Section 4. The VP of Policy Development shall (a) manage economic policy think-tank discussions and proposals to present to guest speakers, (b) organize debates and discussion topics for forums, and (c) guide formulation of policy for related ventures.

Section 5. The VP of Finance shall (a) act as custodian of the funds of the organization, (b) submit relevant budget and funding paperwork by appropriate deadlines, and (c) earn revenues in the form of sponsorship money.

Section 6. The VP of Marketing shall (a) generate awareness of Association activities, (b) inform the Penn community of all events and projects, and (c) leverage all available platforms to advertise its events optimally.

Section 7. The VP of Events shall (a) organize the logistics of all club events and plan their theme and content and (b) serve as the Association’s think tank for event ideas that would be beneficial to the membership.

Section 8. The VP of Technology shall (a) maintain the website and accounts with Wharton and Dolphin Computing Services and (b) help other officers in designing graphics and applications.

Section 9. The VP of Publications shall (a) prepare and distribute monthly newsletters and (b) organize, manage, and publish the annual journal comprised of Primary Members’ research papers and public policy proposals.

Section 10. The officers shall serve on the Board of Directors, and perform such duties as directed by the President, EVP, and Adviser and not inconsistent with this Constitution or other Rules adopted by the Association.

Section 11. In the event of a vacancy in the President position, the EVP shall fill the role and select one of the VPs to fill the EVP position.  In the event of a vacancy in the EVP position, the President shall select one of the VPs to fill the EVP position.  In the event of a vacancy in a VP position (including the above two scenarios), the EVP will fill the VP position until the President and EVP interview and select a student to fill the vacated VP position.

Section 12. An officer may be removed by (a) a unanimous vote of the President and EVP or (b) a two-thirds vote of a quorum at a regular Board meeting.

Section 1. The Association must hold one General Body Meeting per semester.

Section 2. The Board must meet at least once per month during the academic year.  (They are advised to meet once per week if possible.)  The final Board meeting for the year shall be held during Spring Reading Days and shall be used for transitioning to the new Board of Directors (as prescribed in Article V, Section 3), selecting next year’s Adviser and Advisory Council, and amending the Constitution as outlined below; also, the President and EVP will submit their agenda and strategy for the upcoming academic year.

Section 3. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the Board members shall constitute a quorum.

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Constitution or any special rules of order the Association may adopt.

Amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted in writing at the final Board meeting (as prescribed in Article VII, Section 2).  A two-thirds vote of the Board members present shall be required for adoption.