ADVERTISING SOCIETY CONSTITUTION
2025-2026
ARTICLE I. NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of this organization is Advertising Society. The organization will use the shortened nickname Ad Society in all correspondence. Because our club is a GRSO we as an organization may not include “UF,” “University of Florida,” or “Gators” in the name. We as an organization will comply with this.
ARTICLE II. ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION
As outlined in the RSO Classification Policy, Advertising Society is considered a General Registered Student Organization. As a GRSO, our organization is a separate 3rd party entity, not considered a part of the University of Florida. Through registering with the University, our student group agrees to follow its policies and operate on campus with access and/or eligibility for specific campus benefits.
ARTICLE III. PURPOSE STATEMENT
The purpose of Advertising Society is to provide and promote a better understanding of the functions of advertising and the careers that exist amongst the field. Advertising Society wishes to foster personal and professional advertising relationships between students and professionals.
ARTICLE IV. COMPLIANCE STATEMENT & UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS
Upon approval by the Department of Student Engagement, Advertising Society shall be a registered student organization at the University of Florida. Advertising Society shall comply with all local, state and federal laws, as well as all University of Florida regulations, policies, and procedures. Such compliance includes but is not limited to the University’s regulations related to Non-Discrimination, Sexual Harassment (including sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking), Hazing, Commercial Activity, and Student Leader Eligibility.
Section A. Non-Discrimination
Advertising Society agrees that it will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status as protected under the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act. Discrimination on the basis of the protected classes described in University of Florida Regulation 1.006 (Non-Discrimination/Harassment/Invasion of Privacy Policies) is prohibited.
Section B. Sexual Harassment
Advertising Society agrees that it will not engage in any activity that is unwelcome conduct of sexual nature that creates a hostile environment. Behaviors that could create a hostile environment include sexual harassment (which could include inappropriate sexual comments), sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking and repeated instances of cyber abuse. Sexual harassment as described in University of Florida Regulation 1.006 (Non-Discrimination/Harassment/Invasion of Privacy Policy) is prohibited.
Section C. Hazing
Advertising Society agrees that it will not initiate, support, or encourage any events or situations that recklessly, by design, or intentionally endanger the mental or physical health or safety of a student for any purpose including but not limited to initiation or admission into or affiliation with any student group or organization. Hazing as defined in the University of Florida Regulation 1.0081 (Prohibition of Hazing; Procedures and Penalties) and 4.040 (Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code) is prohibited. If found responsible for hazing, sanctions may be imposed against the organization, its leaders and/or members.
Section D. Responsibility to Report
The University of Florida identifies Responsible Employees and Campus Security Authorities to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of campus. If Advertising Society becomes aware of any such conduct described in this article, they are encouraged to report it immediately to staff in Student Engagement, the Director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, the University’s Title IX Coordinator, or to their Student Organization Advisor, who are identified as mandated reporters.
Section E. Officer Eligibility
Advertising Society understands, acknowledges, and agrees to uphold and abide by the specific minimal requirements regarding officer eligibility as defined in the Registered Student Organization Classification and Officer Eligibility Policy.
ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP
Membership in this organization is open to all enrolled students at the University of Florida. Non-enrolled students, spouses, faculty, and staff are prohibited from holding membership, office or voting powers. All members are free to leave and disassociate without fear of retribution, retaliation, or harassment.
ARTICLE VI. BYLAWS FOR ADVERTISING SOCIETY
Advertising Society may elect to maintain separate bylaws document to outline the day-to-day operations of the organization and to clarify policies and procedures otherwise not included in the previous articles. Bylaws and/or other guiding documents may not take precedence over the requirements sent forth by local, state, and federal laws, the university of Florida’s regulations, policies, and procedures, and the Student Engagement constitution requirements. Amendments and changes may be made to the bylaws and shall be consistent with the Student Engagement approved constitution on file and student engagement’s constitution requirements. Should the organization transition leadership, all bylaws and guiding documents will be transitioned to new student organization leaders and/or advisor(s). Advertising Society agrees to provide all unaltered by laws and guiding documents and/or clarify its procedures in writing to any University of Florida student, faculty, or staff upon request.
ARTICLE VII. STUDENT ORGANIZATION ADVISOR
Each registered student organization must have an eligible student organization advisor. The student organization advisor must be a full-time, salaried faculty or staff member not on extended leave for 4 consecutive weeks or longer during their advisor term. The student organization advisor shall serve as a resource person providing advisory support to officers and members and may not vote or hold office in the organization.
To be eligible, the advisor must be either the head of the Department of Advertising or a respected faculty member within the department. The advisor shall be nominated by the executive board and confirmed by a majority vote of the general membership.
The advisor will serve for a term of one academic year, with the option to be reappointed annually by agreement of the executive board. If the faculty advisor is unable to fulfill their duties or chooses to step down, the executive board may nominate a replacement at any time. The new advisor must also be confirmed by a majority vote of the general membership.
ARTICLE VIII. OFFICERS
Registered student organizations are required to have a minimum of a President, Treasurer, and Vice President as elected officers. These officers must abide by the Registered Student Organization Classification and Officer Eligibility Policy.
The elected officers of Advertising Society shall be President, Vice-President of Internal Committees, Vice-President of External Committees and Vice-President of Finances, which shall be known as the Executive Board of Directors. In compliance with the required structure of GRSO’s these four positions shall take on roles that are usually required and called President, Vice President, and Treasurer. At no time should one person hold more than one of these positions.
The appointed officers of Ad Society shall be Directors and Assistant Directors. The Directors and Assistant Directors shall be appointed by the elected officers no later than three (3) weeks after elections. The Directors shall lead their respective committees to ensure productivity and shall perform other duties as may be delegated. Assistant Directors will lead sectors within respective Directors committees and will be delegated tasks by Directors and shall perform all duties required.
The Executive Board and Directors shall assume their official duties at the close of the last general meeting of the academic year they were elected and shall serve at least one academic year or until their successors are elected/appointed. Assistant Directors shall assume their roles within committees as their respective committee Director sees fit. One academic semester is required of Assistant Directors.
Any officer either elected or appointed of Advertising Society may be removed from office through the following process:
Part 1: A written request by at least three voting members of the organization shall be submitted to either the President, Vice President, or Treasurer. Written notification shall be sent to the officer in question asking that officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to respond to the removal request.
Part 2: A two-thirds majority vote of members present is necessary to remove the officer.
Part 3: In the event of the removal of an officer, a special provision may be granted to the remaining officers to appoint an interim replacement until an election may be held.
The procedures for handling officer vacancies, including but not limited to resignations, officer availability, and other extraneous or similar occurrences, will be as follows.
Part 1: If an elected officer position is left vacant, the other elected officers are responsible for selecting an interim replacement until an election can be held.
Part 2: If an appointed Director position is left vacant, it is the responsibility of the elected officers to fill it with an adequate replacement until an interview process can be held to assign a newly appointed Director to that position.
Part 3: If an appointed Assistant Director position is left vacant, an immediate replacement will occur. This replacement will be either a general body member interested in the position or a Director who will take over that position's responsibilities until it can be filled.
ARTICLE IX. ELECTIONS
Nominations for all elected officer positions — including President, Vice-President of Internal Committees, Vice-President of External Committees, and Vice-President of Finances — will take place annually during the spring semester, regardless of whether the current officer plans to step down. All current officers are welcome to run for re-election but must participate in the election process alongside any new nominees. This ensures leadership accountability, transparency, and continued engagement from the general membership.
To be considered eligible to run for an officer position, a person must create a presentation explaining why they would be a good fit for the position, their goals and aspirations for the club, and what they can do to benefit the club in general. Any person who is a current member of the Advertising Society, meaning that they have paid their membership dues, has the right to run for an officer position.
Elections will be held at the second to last general body meeting of the academic year. Any member may nominate any other voting member, including themselves. Voting will occur by secret ballot, and a simple majority vote is required to elect an officer. Only dues-paying members of the Advertising Society are eligible to vote or be nominated. All eligible members are expected to participate in the election unless they voluntarily choose not to vote.
In the event that no candidate receives a majority vote, a run-off election will be held between the top two candidates. The run-off will follow the same secret ballot process, and all dues-paying voting members must be included in the run-off vote. Selection of officers must include membership participation in both the initial and run-off voting processes. No person shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
The election timeline is as follows:
During the final month of the spring semester, the last two general body meetings will be designated for officer elections if any positions become available. If an elected officer plans to step down for the upcoming academic year, they must notify the executive board no later than one month before the end of the spring semester.
All members will be informed of which positions are open. Nominations will remain open until the week of the second-to-last general body meeting. At that meeting, all nominees are expected to give a brief presentation to the membership. Voting will take place immediately after the presentations and will be conducted by secret ballot. Only dues-paying members who are present at the meeting may vote.
The election results will be announced during the same meeting. The newly elected officers will officially assume their roles and lead the final general body meeting of the academic year. The outgoing executive board will work closely with the new team to plan and support this meeting, ensuring a seamless transition. This allows new officers to introduce themselves, share upcoming plans, and begin building momentum for the summer and upcoming academic year.
In the absence of clear direction on election, amendment, and /or voting procedures, Advertising Society agrees to follow the guidance and instruction of Robert's Rules of Order for the election or amendment process.
ARTICLE X. FINANCE
As a General Registered Student Organization, Advertising Society does not receive any funding or resources from other UF Departments or Colleges, rather, this organization is funded by the collection of membership dues in the amount of $50 per year or $30 per semester. Dues shall be submitted to the Vice President of Finance (e.g. via online application) within thirty days of joining the club. This fee covers the cost of speakers, socials, t-shirt costs, professional services and other operational expenses of the organization.
Advertising society will also participate in fundraising activities, and all organization members are expected to participate in these activities. The current executive leadership decides what fundraisers the club would like to participate in as long as they comply with the guidelines expressed by the Office of Student Engagement and Student Government guidelines.
ARTICLE XI. DISSOLUTION OF ORGANIZATION
Upon dissolution, student organizations are prohibited from leaving their organizational assets to any individual or any other student organization. Rather, student organizations may designate a specific charity that will receive such organizational assets. At the time of dissolution, after all outstanding debts are paid, Advertising Society will leave any assets and outstanding funds to be donated to the College of Journalism and Communications.
ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
Student Engagement has established a process through which constitutions may be amended, reviewed, and approved. Student organizations wishing to amend their constitutions must utilize their constitution on file listed on GatorConnect to make amendments and submit those changes to Student Engagement.
Only due-paying members may propose amendments to this constitution. Amendments may be made at any regular meeting of the Advertising Society by a two-thirds vote of the voting members in attendance. All amended constitutions must be submitted directly to Student Engagement for review and approval.