OFFICERS – 2026

Contact: fusion.delegation@gmail.com

BYLAWS

OF THE FUSION STUDENT DELEGATION

Adopted: October 2023 Amended: July 2025

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this Organization shall be the Fusion Student Delegation (hereafter: FuSD)

ARTICLE II: OBJECT

The object of FuSD shall be to give students the opportunity to engage with Congress, executive agencies, think tanks, and industry groups; to advocate for fusion energy-relevant policy; to analyze existing public policy and write original policy statements; to network with fusion industry leaders, scientific experts, and policymakers in Washington, DC; and to develop delegates’ science communication skills.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

1. Individuals shall be eligible for membership in FuSD only if they will be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student within 6 months of the week of the annual program in which they participate

   1. Should a member no longer meet the eligibility requirement, said member shall be removed from FuSD

2. Membership in FuSD is split into two classes: associate members and governance members

   1. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

      1. Associate members constitute non-officer members participating in the annual program

      2. Associate members are selected by the Executive Committee in accordance with Article VI, Section B, Subsection b

      3. Upon completion of the annual program, associate members in good standing become governance members, succeeding the existing governance members

      4. Upon completion of the annual program, associate members not in good standing are no longer members of FuSD

   2. GOVERNANCE MEMBERS

      1. Governance members constitute the previous year’s associate members in good standing who elect the following year’s officers, vote on amendments, and — when necessary — conduct oversight action

      2. Upon the succession of the next cohort of governance members, the past governance members are no longer members of FuSD

      3. Governance members in good standing may apply for the following year’s program and be selected as an associate member. Upon acceptance of their application, they become associate members

      4. The Chair Emeritus is ex officio a governance member of the FuSD as the previous year’s Chair

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

1. The officers of FuSD shall be a Chair Emeritus, a Chair, and three Vice Chairs

   1. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by FuSD in Article X

      1. The Chair serves as the organization’s principal executive officer

      2. Responsibility for the organization’s core functions (i.e., finances, operations, and external communications) shall be divided among the three Vice Chairs by mutual agreement of the elected officers

2. Officers shall hold office for a term of one year and until succeeded by their successor

   1. Officers may be removed from office for cause by disciplinary proceedings as provided in the parliamentary authority adopted by FuSD in Article X

3. No member shall be eligible to serve more than one consecutive term in the same office

4. No member shall hold more than one office at a time

5. The Chair Emeritus is succeeded by the Chair at the second regular meeting of the Governance Board in accordance with Article V, Section E

6. The Chair and Vice Chairs shall be elected by the Governance Board in accordance with Article VIII

7. Should the office of the Chair become vacant, the Chair Emeritus shall appoint one of the Vice Chairs to complete the Chair’s term

   1. The office of the Vice Chair that is appointed to complete the Chair’s term shall be filled by the Governance Board

8. Should the office of one of the Vice Chairs become vacant, the Chair shall nominate a replacement, to be confirmed by the Executive Committee by a majority vote

   1. If one or two Vice Chair positions become vacant after an election due to too few candidates standing for election, the positions must be filled by an incoming associate member. They must be selected by the Executive Committee within two weeks of their acceptance to FuSD

   2. In the case of additional vacant offices, the Governance Board shall fill each additional vacant office with the exception of Chair Emeritus, which shall remain vacant

Article V: GOVERNANCE BOARD

1. The governance members shall constitute the Governance Board (hereafter: Board)

2. The purposes of the Board shall be

   1. To elect officers in accordance with Article VIII

   2. To consider amendments in accordance with Article XI

   3. To enforce disciplinary action as designated by these bylaws, any special rules of order adopted or as provided in the parliamentary authority adopted by FuSD in Article X

3. The Chair Emeritus is the chair of the Board

   1. Should the Chair Emeritus be absent, or should the office of the Chair Emeritus become vacant, the Chair shall chair the Board

      1. Should the chair be vacated in accordance with Article V, Section F, Subsection c, the Board shall nominate and elect a chair

4. The first meeting of the Board after the completion of the annual program shall be known as the annual meeting, which shall meet no more than six weeks after the completion of the annual program,

   1. To debrief the program

   2. To provide information about how to stand for election and outline the election procedure in accordance with Article VIII

   3. To provide information for how to propose constitutional amendments

   4. To provide expectations and responsibilities of Board members

   5. To conduct a Q&A section to clarify the processes and timeline

   6. To attend to any other matters deemed necessary by the Board

5. The Board shall meet no more than one week after the end of the voting period,

   1. To announce the result of the election

   2. To install new officers

   3. To distribute a contact list of email addresses of Board members to the Board

   4. To attend to any other matters deemed necessary by the Board

6. Special meetings may be called by the Chair Emeritus or shall be called upon the written request of three Board members

   1. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call, which shall be sent to all members no later than one week after receiving the request

   2. The meeting shall be held no later than four weeks after the call 

   3. A motion to vacate the chair shall be adopted with five votes from the Board

7. Unless held in executive session, meetings of the Board are open to all members of FuSD with only governance members in good standing eligible to vote

8. A majority of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum

ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The Chair and Vice Chairs shall constitute the Executive Committee

2. The purposes of the Executive Committee shall be

   1. To administer the application in accordance with Article IX, Section A

   2. To evaluate and select the associate members in accordance with Article IX, Section B and Article IX, Section C

   3. To securing funding for associate members

   4. To organize the annual program

3. The Executive Committee shall meet as necessary to fulfill their responsibilities in accordance with Article VI, Section B

ARTICLE VII: PROGRAM COMMITTEE

1. The Chair, Vice Chairs, and associate members shall constitute the Program Committee

2. The purposes of the Program Committee shall be

   1. To prepare for the annual program

   2. To participate in the annual program

   3. To craft a policy statement

3. The Program Committee shall meet no later than three weeks after the selection of the associate members

   1. To welcome associate members to FuSD

   2. To go over expectations of the associate members

   3. To establish meeting dates of the program committee

4. The Chair shall appoint members to special committees as deemed necessary

   1. The Chair shall be ex officio a member of all special committees

   2. The Chair shall appoint a member of the Program Committee to serve as lead of any special committee 

5. Members of the Program Committee shall attend all meetings of the Program Committee and all meetings of any and all special committees on which they reside

   1. Absences may be excused by the Chair or the lead of the special committee at whose meeting the member was absent

   2. After three unexcused absences, the member shall no longer be in good standing

      1. This can be appealed to the Governance Board with good standing being restored by a majority vote

ARTICLE VIII: OFFICER ELECTIONS

1. The Chair shall serve as the Election Coordinator

   1. Should the office of the Chair become vacant, the Chair Emeritus shall serve as the Election Coordinator

2. The election procedure shall be as follows

   1. Eligibility

      1. To be eligible for the Chair position, the candidate must have served as a Vice Chair in the most recent delegation; if none of the Vice Chairs chooses to run, the position may be filled by any delegate from the most recent delegation

      2. Vice Chair candidates must be delegates from the most recent delegation; if the three Vice Chair roles are not filled by returning delegates, incoming delegates may be selected by the Officers to fill Vice Chair roles, provided that no more than two Vice Chairs are incoming delegates.

   2. Nominations

      1. A call for nominations will be distributed to all members of the Governance Board no later than 48 hours after the end of the annual meeting

      2. The deadline to submit nominations shall be one week after the call

      3. Any member of the Governance Board may nominate any member of the Governance Board, so long as the nominated member is eligible for the nominated office

      4. Delegates that choose to run must fill out the nomination acceptance form provided by the Election Coordinator

         1.  Vice Chair candidates may state whether they are eligible to serve as the following year’s Chair, to the best of their knowledge.

      5. If fewer than four Vice Chair candidates accept nominations, they will join as Vice Chairs without election

         1. If fewer than three candidates accept nominations, the remaining vacant Vice Chair positions will be filled by the Executive Committee from associate members as described in Article IV, Section H, Subsection a

   3. Candidate discussion

      1. Candidates may submit a written statement, no longer than 750 words, to the Election Coordinator

      2. The deadline to submit a statement shall be one week after nominations close, at which point the statements shall be distributed to all members of the Governance Board

   4. Voting Procedure

      1. The voting period shall open with the distribution of written statements

      2. The voting period shall last two weeks

      3. Every member of the Governance Board in good standing is eligible to vote with the exception of the Chair Emeritus who shall only vote in case of a tie

         1. Members may cast up to three votes for Vice Chair candidates 

         2. Member may cast up to one vote for Chair candidates

      4. Vice chair selection shall proceed as follows:

         1. The first Vice Chair role shall go to the Chair-elegible candidate with highest number of votes

         2. The second and third Vice Chair roles shall go to the remaining candidates (regardless of Chair-eligible status) with the two highest number of votes

3. Newly elected officers shall be installed during the second regular meeting of the Governance Board in accordance with Article V, Section E

ARTICLE IX: APPLICATION AND SELECTION OF ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

1. The application shall consist of two consecutive stages

   1. A written application

      1. The written application must be distributed at least five months before the start of the annual program

      2. The written application must remain open for at least one month

      3. The criteria for evaluating candidates for advancing to the next round are:

         1. Demonstrating an understanding and interest in FuSD’s mission

         2. Clearly explaining how participating would benefit the applicant in their current activities and/or future career goals

         3. Demonstrating a commitment to acting in an inclusive manner and treating other members of FuSD with respect regardless of identity

         4. Writing a persuasive explanation of why the fusion energy program should be funded, directed to a non-expert audience

   2. An interview

      1. Applicants must be invited for interviews or notified of rejection no later than one month of the written application closing

      2. Interviews must be held no later than one month after invitations are sent out except for situations deemed exceptional by the officers

      3. The interview must be held with a minimum of two officers present

         1. Officers may not be from the same school as the applicant

         2. Officers should not have a close personal relationship with the applicant 

2. The criteria for evaluating candidates for acceptance are:

   1. Effective verbal communication skills in discussing the following topics but not limited to

      1. The role of fusion energy in decarbonizing the global energy system

      2. The role of fusion energy in enabling energy independence

      3. Their own research, work, and/or studies (if applicable)

      4. How the US government funds fusion energy research and education

   2. Professional presentation and communication skills directed to non-technical audiences

   3. Interest in legislative policy related to fusion energy

   4. Preference should be given to candidates that have not participated in FuSD

3. The method of selection is as follows

   1. Officers shall hold a meeting to evaluate evaluate each applicant’s candidacy based on the criteria above

   2. An applicant’s candidacy is pre-approved if at least two thirds of the officers are in favor of approval

   3. Officers will reach out to the pre-approved candidate’s university department to request funding or explore funding opportunities

      1. Upon securing funding, the pre-approved candidate is selected to become an Associate Member 

      2. If funding for a pre-approved candidate cannot be secured, the candidate will no longer be considered for selection

   4. No more than two people shall be selected per university per year

   5. Efforts should be made to ensure that schools previously not represented in the program are represented

ARTICLE X: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the FuSD in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the FuSD may adopt

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

1. These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Governance Board by a two-thirds vote of the Governance Board, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing or email at least 72 hours prior to the next meeting of the Governance Board

Provisos Relating to Adoption

1. The inaugural members shall constitute the Governance Board

2. An election coordinator, who is not running for office, shall be selected by the Governance Board. The elections shall otherwise be held in accordance with Article VIII (with the adoption of the bylaws constituting the annual meeting)