The Computer Science Club at the University of Pittsburgh, also referred to as:
- Computer Science Club at Pitt
- CS Club at Pitt
- CSC at Pitt
- CSC
CSC and its membership accept and will fully comply with the requirements and limits of certification.
The organization and its members accept and will comply with the following limits of certification: Certified student organizations are student associations and are not official components of the University of Pittsburgh (hereinafter "the University" or "Pitt"). Certification does not permit a student organization to use or act in the name of the University, to represent the University, engage in any contractual obligation in the name of the University nor represent the organization as being an official part of the University. While certified student organizations are permitted to have external affiliations, may be part of an incorporated external organization or may be individually incorporated. Certification expressly permits certified student organizations to only operate on campus. Off-campus activities of certified student organizations are the sole responsibility of the organization, officers, and members, unless expressly approved in advance by the University. Membership in a certified student organization and participation in its activities are voluntary, and all risks of personal injury, property damage, or other losses incidental to membership or participation in such activities are assumed solely by the student organization and/or individual member(s) or participant(s).
The organization will submit its re-registration application once a year during the defined re-registration process.
CSC exists as tool to build a community of students interested in computer science (CS), regardless of declared major. It is intended to be a community of members to develop professionally, engage with each other socially, and explore the field of CS intellectually.
The purpose of CSC is threefold, and outlined as such:
CSC is devoted to enriching the communities which it is and is a member: The community of undergraduates interested in CS, the community that is the University, and the Greater Pittsburgh area. Events, programs, outreach, initiatives, and interactions with stakeholders in said communities to provide benefit to such communities is thus a principal pillar to CSC's purpose.
CSC hopes to provide a means for students to gain skills that they wouldn't learn in class through student, professor, and industry leader presentations on new and exciting advancements in CS. CSC will aspire towards greater initiatives to innovate the education of its members such as implementing mentorship programs and new and exciting projects. CSC, in addition to educating current members, will work to preserve knowledge for future members through recording of presentations, maintaining documents on projects, etc.
CSC aspires to act as a guide and mentor for its members as they develop necessary skills and connections to get the most value from their education. Through initiatives and programs such as resume reviews, programming experience in CSC group projects, interview prep, networking opportunities, and programming competitions, CSC will create skilled members ready to succeed in their endeavors after graduation.
- Membership is open to currently enrolled Pitt students as defined herein.
- All members must accept and comply with all of the requirements and limitations of certification as a condition of membership.
- Membership in CSC is voluntary and all risk of personal injury, property damage or other losses that occur incidental to membership or participation in activities are assumed solely by the student organization and/or individual member(s) or non-member participant(s). Accordingly, the University, its officers, and its agents shall not be responsible or liable for any claims or causes of action for damage or loss of property or for personal injury of any kind or nature that may arise out of or are incidental to the conduct of any organization's activities or that of any individual's participation in any group-related activity. It is further understood and agreed that it is the responsibility of the officers of the organization to assure that all of the organization's members and non-member participants in all activities sponsored by CSC are fully informed and advised of this ASSUMPTION OF RISK, and in the event any individual member or participant should express or indicate non-acceptance, the organization's officer shall forbid participation and/or membership of such individual. In regard to the organization member and non-member participant ASSUMPTION OF RISK, CSC acknowledges that the University recommends that the organization members and non-member participants make every effort to arrange for the acquisition of liability insurance sufficient to protect all participants against those risks being assumed. For sport-related organizations, the University recommends that each individual have insurance sufficient to allow for any risks by participation, accident or by deficiencies in physical health.
- No hazing or illegal discriminatory criteria for membership, including those listed in the University's non-discrimination policy, shall be used as a condition of membership in the organization. These factors include race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability, or status as a veteran.
- Membership is not limited to students majoring in CS.
- There are no financial requirements for membership.
- Membership in CSC is conditional on active participation in CSC community. This may be achieved through attendance at meetings and events, communication on the CSC Discord server and social media platforms, and working on CSC projects.
- Recruitment: Recruitment for CSC will occur throughout the year, though primarily at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters.
- Application and Selection: As an optional co-curricular club, CSC will not engage in a formal application or selection process. To be tendered membership, a student should provide contact information and be committed to participating regularly in CSC activities.
- Inactive members: Members of CSC who fail to attend or contribute to CSC activities within a period of an academic year will be presumed inactive and removed from the CSC roster.
- Reinstatement: To be reinstated as members, individuals should provide updated contact information and attend or contribute to CSC activities within a semester of doing so.
- Removal of members, awards, and honorifics: Members may be suspended, removed and/or banned from the club, its events/activities, projects, digital spaces, and mailing lists, for violations of the CSC code of conduct at the discretion of the officers. CSC officers may suspend, remove and/or ban associate members from the club, its events/activities, projects, digital spaces, and mailing lists at will. CSC may revoke awards, honorifics, and other member associations at will.
Voting privileges are limited to active members who are currently enrolled at Pitt and in good standing with the organization.
- Policies regarding Associate Membership will follow the procedures laid out in Section VIII. Associate members may not vote, hold office, or serve in a formal leadership role. They may participate in organization meetings and activities. Pitt student membership shall compose at least 75% of the total membership at all times.
- Associate membership comprises students from neighboring universities and Pitt graduates who are interested in participating in CSC's activities. They will not be actively recruited, but are welcome to attend and participate in CSC affairs if interested.
CSC leadership will be composed of the Executive Board whose membership will consist of the following roles:
- President
- Vice President
- Business Manager
- Director of Initiatives
- Events Coordinator
- Sponsorship Coordinator
- Public Relations and Communications Manager
Officers will begin their terms at the end of the Spring semester following the confirmation of election results as defined in Section XIV. Their terms will continue until the end of the following Spring semester.
The President is the chief representative and leader of CSC. The President will attend and manage all CSC functions when possible. They are responsible for creating and maintaining an open and welcoming community by working with the other officers to assist in completion of their tasks. They are responsible for keeping all officers on task and ensuring successful management of CSC.
The Vice President handles all communication and interactions with persons and organizations outside the University. This includes reviewing and reading external communication via email and other queries, maintaining contact with local groups and organizations relevant to CSC, and assisting in sponsorship or community partner communications. The Vice President also fulfills the role and/or responsibilities of President when the President is not present or at the President's request.
The Business Manager is responsible for CSC finances and maintenance of CSC records. They will also be the main point of contact for the University of Pittsburgh Student Organization Resource Center (hereinafter "SORC"). They will handle finances, distribute reimbursements, attend mandatory SORC training events, and maintain organized attendance records and other documents or data for CSC.
The Director of Initiatives will brainstorm and create new programs, activities, and methodology (initiatives) for CSC. They will manage any and all Supervisor positions, and is empowered to create new Supervisors with Executive Board approval.
The Events Coordinator is responsible for planning activities run by CSC. They will set dates and manage a semesterly timeline and calendar and for each event will confirm location, food, speakers, promotional material, etc. In accomplishing this task, they must coordinate with other officers.
The sponsorship coordinator should be the main individual to plan, organize and execute our club’s corporate sponsorship plan. They should maintain the sponsor mailing list and send periodic and timely emails to companies to gauge their willingness to sponsor.
The Public Relations and Communications Manager is responsible for all communication and interactions with persons or organizations within the University. This includes student organizations, SCI, and alumni of CSC. The Public Relations and Communications Manager is also responsible for CSC's public presence and brand. They will run all social media platforms, send email newsletters, and create promotional material and external advertisements.
Elections will be held in each Spring semester to determine the officers for the following Fall and Spring semesters.
Eligibility for Officer positions is equivalent to eligibility for voting as laid out in section IX with the additional constraint that you may not run for a term in which you will not be an enrolled student at Pitt. All current officers are required to run for re-election like any other candidate.
Only freshmen and sophomores are permitted to run for Event Coordinator. Should no freshmen or sophomores declare the intent to run for any of these positions by the deadline to declare intent to run, then any member will be permitted to run.
The President will preside over elections, announcing them to the general body at least one month prior to the election date via any and all available means of communication with the general body. Any candidate must inform the President of their intent to run at least one week before the scheduled date of the election. Prior to the election day, the President will confirm that all candidates are eligible according to the requirements set out in this Constitution. Following confirmation, all valid candidates will be announced by the President to the general body before the election date.
Leading up to the first day of the election, or on the first day of the election itself, a general body meeting will be held. There, the President will address the general body and commence elections. For each officer position, all candidates will be given at most five minutes to speak to the general body, followed by another five minutes for the members to ask questions. After all candidates have gone through this process for an office, voting shall proceed. Voting may proceed for a predetermined period. Voting may be administered via online service, with identity verification.
Votes shall be recorded by secret ballot, and votes shall be counted by the President and the Vice President independently. Once the votes have been tallied by the President and Vice President, they will check if they have independently counted the same number of votes for each candidate. If a discrepancy occurs, they will count again and check with each other until they conclude the same totals or decide on a motion to re-vote on account of suspicion of fraud. Once the votes are validated in this fashion, the candidate with the majority of votes is declared the winner. Should no candidate reach a majority of total votes, the candidate with the least votes is removed from consideration, and a re-vote with the remaining candidates shall be held immediately. If fraud in voting is suspected by any member, they can make a motion to re-vote with a brief explanation for their suspicion. If the Vice President and President concur, a public re-vote shall be held for the suspected office(s).
Each officer of CSC also retains membership on the CSC Executive Board. Each member of the board must act as a representative of CSC and ensure its fair governance. Members of the board each have a vote on major issues and initiatives of CSC, and are responsible for assisting other officers in the fulfillment of their individual roles.
A Supervisor is an officer position created by the Executive Board at the request of the Director of Initiatives. Supervisors cannot be members of the Executive Board, and are created and dissolved through a simple majority vote of the Executive Board. They may perform annual, ad hoc functions (e.g., SteelHacks Director, Recruitment Lead, or managers for club projects) or they may be created to assist or lead tasks not explicitly assigned to a constitutionally defined officer and which need consistent management (e.g., Social Media Manager, SCI Ambassador, or Alumni Outreach Director). These Supervisors are to be primarily managed and assisted by the Vice President and Director of Initiatives, though other officers may help or work with them when deemed expedient. Supervisor positions are named "X Initiative Lead" where X refers to the project under supervision.
If the board decides that a particular officer is not fulfilling their duties as set out above and/or decided upon otherwise, the board can move to replace that officer by a two-thirds majority vote.
If 40 active club members submit a petition supporting the removal of an officer, the board must vote on the removal of the officer within five business days of submission by a simple majority vote. Petitions are to be submitted to the Vice President. The Vice President must call the vote, and publish the results of the vote within 24 hours of when all votes are submitted. If the Vice President fails to fulfill these duties, they shall be removed by default.
If an executive board member fails to vote or there is a vacancy, their vote will default in favor of removal. As a penalty for failing to vote, for the rest of the absent officer's term, they may be removed at any time by a simple majority vote.
Votes may be made asynchronously. If an officer votes to remove themselves, it is treated as a resignation and no further voting is required.
If there are more than two vacancies within the officer board, there must be no more than one dissenting vote to remove an additional officer. For example, a six-member board would need a two-thirds majority vote to remove an officer, a five-member board would need a four-member majority, and a four-member board would need a three-member majority.
The board must have at least three officers; therefore, no officers may be removed if the board only consists of three members.
Vacancies will be filled by appointment from the board. The replacement will hold the position until elections for the subsequent term take place. Each position must be filled, though a current officer is not permitted to hold multiple positions.
At the discretion of the board, a special election can be called to fill a vacancy. The procedures of a special election are to be determined by the board to ensure a swift filling of the vacancy while maintaining a fair election.
If the position of Director of Initiatives is vacant, the new Director must be elected from the existing Supervisors. All executive board members and Supervisors may vote in this election. The winner is chosen via simple majority. Re-votes will be held to eliminate candidates until a winner is chosen unless no consensus can be reached. If no consensus can be reached or a new Director cannot be elected from existing Supervisors for whatever reason, the vacancy shall be filled by special election.
Meetings will normally be held twice a week at usual dates and times in order to provide time for CSC activities. Special meetings can be called by the President or Vice President. The President or their designee will take on the responsibilities of the Chairperson, and will be responsible for running group meetings, including but not limited to introducing and interviewing guests, initiating group work and networking time, giving information about upcoming opportunities for CS students, and discussing current events in the technological community.
In order for the officers to understand the state and effectiveness of CSC and it's members, CSC does collect certain pieces of information. All officers should be aware of what data are collected and should strive to keep the collection to a minimum and keep the data private and protected in order to uphold the privacy of CSC members.
Data collection is limited to meeting attendance; activity in the CSC Discord server; activity on CSC's GitHub organization, including GitHub commits and their impacts; surveys; check-in and sign-up sheets; CSC newsletters; digital communications; images and video for CSC's social media platforms; and events, including collaborations with other organizations. Data collection also includes auxiliary information gained via systems used to administer our programs, including but not limited to: survey systems, bots, and website telemetry tools.
The information is used to evaluate how effective a particular event is, how attendance changes over the course of a semester, etc. The activity of CSC members helps the officers determine whether an individual is a member of CSC based on the definition in Section VII, to whom to provide incentives for being a member, and in special cases giving a higher priority to a member who has higher engagement with CSC to attend limited-seated events. In addition, we use it to encourage sponsors to sponsor CSC through giving accurate general statistics about the organization.
No data on a individual member, except for any information that a member has consented for the officers to give out, will be given to any organization outside of CSC unless CSC is in active collaboration with that organization or conduct procedures necessitates. CSC only provides outside organizations with general statistics of CSC (e.g., average attendance and demographics of members).
The Executive Board and CSC will be transparent as to what is collected and the purpose behind collecting data. CSC will gladly reveal all general statistics that it provides to outside organizations. CSC will not reveal an individual member's data except to the individual directly. Non-commercial tools used to analyze and collect data will be made public with all of its source code available on CSC's GitHub organization page.
Any issues with CSC policy on data should be brought up with any officers. Any member is free to appeal to the Executive Board to opt out of certain data collection. Any future additions to what is collected should be discussed by the officers internally and with all the active members.
Group funds will be spent to provide enhancement to CSC activities, including but not limited to helping to offset the costs of attending hackathons, providing refreshments during events, and paying for software subscriptions. All expenses must be approved by the Business Manager and President. The organization will not maintain an outside bank account if it receives funding from the University of Pittsburgh Student Government Board (SGB).
CSC shall fully comply with the University's fundraising policies and procedures for certified student organizations.
In compliance with the Publications Code for Student Organizations, all the publications of the organization will comply with current copywriter laws, be distributed according to policies and procedures, refrain for expressions that are considered obscene or libelous according to current statute, advocate or insight the material interference or physical disruption of the educational process or the peace, order and decorum of the campus, or that advocate or insight imminent, lawless action or the violent overthrow of the government and identify the organization as publisher and specify that the group is a certified student organization at the University.
The group advisor shall be selected by the board by a simple majority vote. In the event that an advisor must be removed, a simple majority must approve the decision. The advisor is not required to provide any particular services to CSC, but is encouraged to take an interest in the education of the group's members and is welcome to participate in any of the group's activities, especially in their area of technical expertise.
Additionally, all former officers of CSC, so long as they remain Pitt students, will serve as an advisory body. This old guard of CSC will be expected to provide advice to the board when solicited. Otherwise, they may take as much interest in the affairs of CSC as any other associate member.
CSC has two forms of external affiliation: Sponsors and Community Partners.
CSC Sponsors support CSC and its activities financially. Sponsors may be invited to events and programs, networking opportunities, limited access to CSC data, and advertisement and exposure within CSC.
CSC Community Partners are reciprocal relationships with organizations based in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. CSC recognizes Community Partners for continued aid in organizing co-hosted programs, encouraging interactions between organization members, and developing a strong community within CSC, the University, and the City of Pittsburgh.
CSC officers must be present at the majority of CSC meetings or otherwise significantly contribute to the majority of CSC meetings.
The President, Vice President, and Business Manager may choose to swap their roles at any time. Such changes must be reported to SORC.
Amendments to this Constitution may be submitted by any active club member. For approval, an amendment must receive a two-thirds majority vote of approval from the board. Amendments must be voted on at the next upcoming meeting from when they are submitted, but their implementation, if successful, may be deferred to the next semester or academic year. Amendments cannot be passed when there is a vacancy unless inability to pass the amendment would cause a disruption in the registration status of the organization
All constitution additions, revisions, and deletions must be reported to SORC. Constitutional changes are not official until approved by SORC.
This code of conduct outlines our expectations for participants within the Computer Science Club at Pitt community as well as steps to reporting unacceptable behavior. We are committed to providing a welcoming and inspiring community for all and expect our code of conduct to be honored. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be banned from the community.
Our open-source community strives to:
- Be friendly and patient.
- Be welcoming: We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, socioeconomic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
- Be considerate: Your work will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we're a worldwide community, so you might not be communicating in someone else's primary language.
- Be respectful: Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one.
- Be careful in the words that we choose: We are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable.
- Try to understand why we disagree: Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. The strength of our community comes from its diversity, people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that it is human to err and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neurotypicality/neurodiversity, physical appearance, body size, race, age, regional discrimination, political affiliation, or religious belief
- Unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment
- Deliberate misgendering. This includes deadnaming (referring to a transgender individual by a name they used prior to transitioning) or persistently using a pronoun that does not correctly reflect a person's gender identity. You must address people by the name they give you when not addressing them by their username or handle.
- Physical contact and simulated physical contact (e.g., textual descriptions like "*hug*" or "*backrub*") without consent or after a request to stop
- Threats of violence, both physical and psychological
- Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or engage in self-harm
- Deliberate intimidation
- Stalking or following
- Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes
- Sustained disruption of discussion
- Unwelcome sexual attention, including gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior
- Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others
- Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease
- Deliberate "outing" of any aspect of a person's identity without their consent except as necessary to protect others from intentional abuse
- Publication of non-harassing private communication
Our community prioritizes marginalized people's safety over privileged people's comfort. We will not act on complaints regarding:
- 'Reverse' -isms, including 'reverse racism', 'reverse sexism', and 'cisphobia'
- Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as "leave me alone", "go away", or "I'm not discussing this with you"
- Refusal to explain or debate social justice concepts
- Criticizing racist, sexist, cisgenderist, or otherwise oppressive behavior or assumptions
Advertisements are not to be posted in the CSC Discord server without prior officer approval. Advertisements may be deleted at the discretion of the CSC officers.
We encourage everyone to participate and are committed to building a community for all. Although we will fail at times, we seek to treat everyone both as fairly and equally as possible. Whenever a participant has made a mistake, we expect them to take responsibility for it. If someone has been harmed or offended, it is our responsibility to listen carefully and respectfully, and do our best to right the wrong.
Although this list cannot be exhaustive, we explicitly honor diversity in age, gender, gender identity or expression, culture, ethnicity, language, national origin, political belief, profession, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and technical ability. We will not tolerate discrimination based on any of the protected characteristics above, including participants with disabilities.
If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior—or have any other concerns—please report it by contacting us via [email protected]. All reports will be handled with discretion. In your report, please include:
- Your contact information
- Names (real, nicknames, or pseudonyms) of any individuals involved. If there are additional witnesses, please include them as well. Your account of what occurred, and if you believe the incident is ongoing. If there is a publicly available record (e.g., a mailing list archive, public IRC logger, email conversation, or private/direct messages on social media), please include a link.
- Any additional information that may be helpful
After filing a report, a representative will contact you personally, review the incident, follow up with any additional questions, and make a decision as to how to respond. If the person who is harassing you is part of the response team, they will recuse themselves from handling your incident. If the complaint originates from a member of the response team, it will be handled by a different member of the response team. We will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse.
We all stand on the shoulders of giants across many open source communities. We'd like to thank the communities and projects that established code of conducts and diversity statements as our inspiration: