Alpha Omega Epsilon
Rho Chapter
Virginia Tech
Bylaws
Article I – Name and Affiliation
This organization shall be known as the Virginia Tech Rho Chapter of Alpha Omega
Epsilon, hereafter referred to as the Chapter. The Chapter is an affiliate of Alpha Omega
Epsilon Sorority.
Article II – Purpose
The purpose of this Chapter shall be:
a) To encourage leadership, friendship, and professionalism.
b) To uphold the Alpha Omega Epsilon ideals and objectives while promoting
character, integrity, and knowledge.
c) To cultivate strong bonds amongst the sisters, between fellow students, and also
with teaching staff.
Article III – Membership
Section 1 – Membership Eligibility
There are three separate titles of membership: Candidate, Active, and Alumna. In order
to acquire a member title, or status, one must adhere to the following requirements.
a) A prospective member must be a female in the College of Engineering. This
requirement includes prospective members pursuing degrees in any department
within the College of Engineering.
b) She must be enrolled in the university.
c) She must also maintain a 2.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
d) She is not a member of another national or local sorority or fraternity with the
exception of fraternities that are honorary and exclusively service-oriented.
Section 2 – Membership Titles (Member Statuses)
A. Candidate: Prospective Active member who has met all the eligibility guidelines
previously described in Article III, Section 1 and is expected to meet the
following conditions:
1. Has been initiated as a Candidate through a formal Ceremony whereupon she
will be recognized by the Chapter as a Candidate
2. Have at least two semesters remaining following the completion of her nine
week development period, excluding summer semesters.
3. Attends sorority functions and upholds responsibilities set forth by the
Chapter Actives, Membership Development book, and campus policies.
4. Has signed the Risk Management Policy.
B. Active: A member who has completed the nine-week Candidate period and has
been initiated through a formal Ceremony. Active members are categorized into
four categories: Active-Active, Active-Passive, and Active Co-op. The
requirements and privileges of members in each of these three categories are
described below:
1. Active-Active
a. Requirements:
i. Be enrolled as a full-time student at Virginia Tech.
ii. Paid Active dues to the Chapter for the semester.
iii. Attendance at Day Away, meetings, rush events, and all ceremonies,
including but not limited to Candidate Initiation and Active Initiation.
b. Privileges:
i. Has full voting rights.
ii. Has free attendance to Chapter sponsored events.
iii. Is allowed to represent the Chapter at International Convention.
2. Active-Passive
a. Requirements:
i. Has not paid dues for the semester and has expressed no intention of
doing so.
ii. Has expressed the desire not to be involved in the active organization
after fulfilling Active requirements.
iii. Has completed at least one candidate period and one semester of
Active-Active status.
iv. A sister must declare active-passive status by the first meeting of the
semester.
v. A sister must submit a written statement to the Executive Board prior
to the first meeting for each semester she wishes to go or remain
Active-Passive.
vi. Any time throughout the semester, a sister must email the Executive
Board if she wishes to become Active-Passive. She must have a valid
reason for the request and it must be approved by a 3/5ths vote.
b. Privileges:
i. Has no voting rights.
ii. Can attend Chapter meetings.
iii. May attend events at the discretion of the Executive Board.
iv. Can regain Active-Active status by fulfilling Active-Active
requirements.
v. Can attend International Convention, but cannot be recognized as the
official representative of the chapter.
3. Active Co-op
a. Requirements: Active Co-ops must meet one of the following two
categories.
i. Co-op
(1) She is enrolled in the university cooperative education program.
(2) She is currently on a work term assignment.
(3) She has paid co-op dues to the Chapter for the semester.
ii. Study Abroad
(1) She is participating in a study abroad program.
(2) She has paid co-op dues to the Chapter for the semester.
b. Privileges:
i. Has the right to choose to fulfill Active-Active status, regaining all
responsibilities and privileges.
ii. Has voting rights for all quorum votes, and will be notified of all votes
requiring a quorum vote no later than one week before the vote.
iii. Is exempt from all attendance requirements.
iv. May attend all Chapter sponsored events.
v. Can choose to attend Chapter meetings.
vi. Is allowed to represent the Chapter at the International Convention.
C. Alumna:
1. An alumna is a member that has graduated, transferred, or for other reasons
left Virginia Tech. Upon graduation from Virginia Tech, all Actives presume
alumna status. Actives transferring from or leaving Virginia Tech must
request for alumna status from the Chapter, which can be approved or denied
by a secret vote. Appeals of a denial can be sent to the International
Executive Board within ninety (90) days of the Chapter vote for a review and
final decision.
2. A sister can request alumna status after being involved in the sorority for 4
full semesters as an active-active or active-co-op. The request will be put
forth to the sorority and approved or denied by a secret vote.
3. Requirements:
a. Provide the Chapter with all address changes.
b. Be financially and emotionally supportive of the Chapter.
4. Privileges:
a. Will be kept up to date of all Chapter happenings through the newsletter
sent out by the Chapter.
b. If transferring to a school with an active chapter of AΩE or returning to
Virginia Tech, she may choose to become an active member of that
chapter with a quorum majority vote and fulfilling that chapter’s active
requirements.
D. Honorary Status should be given to women in the professionally acceptable
disciplines that exemplify the ideals and objectives of the sorority. The
requirements for Honorary Status are outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the
International Bylaws.
Section 3 - Absences
A. Absences: Absences are categorized into three categories: excused, unexcused,
and personal business.
1. Excused: Absences that are approved by three-fifths of the Executive Board
through written correspondence. Examples of acceptable excuses include but
are not limited to:
a. review sessions
b. exams
c. family reasons
d. religious conflicts
e. serious illness
f. death in the family
g. marriage in immediate family
h. interviews
i. planned trips
2. Unexcused: All absences that are not excused are considered unexcused.
Consequences for unexcused absences are as follows: the first unexcused
absence results in a verbal warning, the second unexcused absence results in a
written warning, and the third unexcused absence results in member Level 1
Probation.
3. Personal business: Each semester, a sister is given two personal business
absences. No further explanation of the absence is necessary.
B. Tardiness: Members are considered absent if more than 10 minutes tardy, and
these absences are considered unexcused unless it has been approved as an
excused absence.
C. At the discretion of the executive board, a member can be excused early from or
come late to a meeting.
D. In the event of an absence, active members must provide written correspondence
to the Executive Board. Failure to do so will result in the use of a personal day or
an unexcused absence if personal days are used up.
Section 4 – Candidate Reviews and Candidate Class Reviews
A. At least one time during the Membership Development period, a Candidate will
go through Candidate Review.
1. Active Members will review each candidate.
2. Sisters shall mention positive and negative points on each candidate in order
to provide candidates with feedback on how their candidate period is
progressing.
3. In one-on-one meetings, the Membership Educator will notify each individual
candidate of any concerns that may have been addressed by the Active
Members.
B. A week after each Candidate Review, the entire candidate class will go through
Candidate Class Review. Candidates will be asked to give constructive criticism
to the candidate class as a whole. All comments will be anonymous to the other
candidates.
Section 5 – Membership Invitation Withdrawal
A. Any Active Member, at a regular meeting, may move for the withdrawal of an
invitation to membership for reasons involving dishonorable conduct, consistent
scholastic failure, lack of interest in the Chapter, or damage to the Chapter.
1. The vote on the motion shall take place at the next regular meeting of the
Chapter, with all Active Members having been notified by phone or writing
prior to the meeting as defined in the Chapter Bylaws.
2. If the Chapter decides to notify the candidate of the vote for withdrawal, the
candidate may defend herself for five minutes before the vote if she wishes.
3. The motion to withdraw a candidate’s invitation to membership is passed if
10% of the members present vote yes using a secret vote. If the motion
passes, proceedings are initiated to withdraw an invitation to membership as
outlined in this Article and Section, Item B.
B. If a membership candidate cannot fulfill the requirements for initiation, the
candidate can either be dropped from the roll or her invitation for membership
withdrawn. The procedure for withdrawal of an invitation for membership shall
be conducted as follows:
1. The candidate is informed in writing of the Chapter’s decision to withdraw the
invitation to membership and is given one week to submit a written appeal of the
decision.
2. The vote on the appeal shall take place at the next meeting, or a meeting
specially convened by the President, with all Active Members having been
notified by phone or in writing prior to the meeting.
3. A 90% majority vote yes, using a secret vote, will reinstate the candidate’s
status.
Section 6 – Member Probation
A. Academic Probation
1. An active sister may be placed on Academic Probation for falling below the
academic standing of a grade point average of 2.2.
2. While on probation, a member will not be allowed to attend social events, and
she will not receive any Little Sisters. Any Little Sisters that she already has
will not be taken away.
3. The sister must either go active-passive until her grades improve, or complete
mandatory study hours.
a. Mandatory study hours are documented hours to be given to the Executive
Board on a weekly basis
b. These must be completed in the presence of another sister at the Math
Emporium or the library.
c. The number of hours needed each week corresponds with the number of
classes the member is taking. One hour is equal to one credit of class.
4. Academic probation will last for as long as the member’s grades are below
good standing.
5. A post probation period of one semester after the grades rise above the
appropriate level will be administered. The sister must still complete
mandatory study hours in the presence of another sister at the Math Emporium
or the library.
B. Level One Probation
a. An Active Member may be placed in Level One Probation for not
fulfilling attendance requirements (outlined in Policies and Procedures).
1. A letter will be sent to the member by the Executive Board describing why
she is being put on Level One Probation.
2. While on probation, a member will not be allowed to attend social events, and
she will not receive any Little Sisters. Any Little Sisters that she already has
will not be taken away.
3. Level One Probation lasts for one month. If there is less than one month left
of the semester, the probation period will continue at the beginning of next
semester.
4. At the end of the probation period, the member on probation will go through a
probation hearing. The purpose of the probation hearing is to evaluate the
member under probation and decide if she has made enough progress on her
situation to have her probation status lifted or to continue with another month
under probation. A sister has the choice in having the hearing in the presence
of the Executive Board or the chapter. If the sister decides to have the hearing
in front of the chapter, the chapter will be notified a week prior to the hearing.
5. After three consecutive months under Level One Probation, the member under
probation shall have their membership status changed to Active-Passive upon
a 2/3rd majority vote of the Chapter. (Refer to Article II, Section 11 of the
International Bylaws for further information)
C. Level Two Probation - Any Active Member may be placed under Level Two
Probation at the direction of the Executive Board with approval of the Alumnae
Advisor and the IEB Interchapter Relations Officer.
1. A member may be placed on Level Two Probation for:
a. Violating the oath of membership
b. Violating the Risk Management Policy
c. Dishonorable or improper conduct
d. Disloyalty to the Chapter
e. Actions that are harmful to the Chapter
2. An Active Member under probation shall work to cancel their Level Two
Probation status by serving the Chapter or community for a set project or
amount of time as determined by the Executive Board and with approval by
the Expansion Representative.
3. Failure of the Active Member to attempt to revoke the Level Two Probation
status within a six-month time frame will result in the commencement of
expulsion proceedings.
D. Probation Hearing Procedures
1. One week before a probation hearing, an announcement will be made to the
Active Members about the upcoming hearing.
2. At the hearing, the President will describe the reasons that the member was
put on probation.
3. The member under probation will have five minutes to state her case and
prove that she should no longer be under probation.
4. She is then excused from the room, while the Active Members discuss her
situation and vote by quorum secret majority to decide whether or not she
comes off probation.
5. In the event that she is still under probation, she will continue her probation
period for another month followed by another hearing. See this Article and,
Section, Item B, 6 for procedures after three consecutive probation periods
occur.
Section 7 – Member Expulsion
Procedures for member expulsion are outlined in Article II, Section 3 of the International
Bylaws.
Article IV – Officers and Committees
Section 1 – Executive Board
A. The officers of the Executive Board consists of the following:
1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Treasurer
4. Secretary
5. Membership Educator
B. Requirements to become an officer on the Executive Board are as follows:
1. Has been an Active for at least one semester.
2. Be an Active-Active or Active Co-op during the semester of the nominations
for the Executive Board.
3. Maintain Active-Active status throughout the entire term of the office.
C. Responsibilities of the Executive Board include all of the following:
1. The Executive Board is the governing body of the Chapter.
2. The Executive Board is responsible for the review and approval of projects
and budgets set forth by officers and committees.
3. All officers must document their work, all specified dates, and delegated
responsibilities.
4. All officers shall submit documentation for her office at the end of her term
for the new officer.
5. The Executive Board is responsible for holding elections to elect the other
offices.
6. All officers must fulfill their designated duties while acting in the best
interests of the Chapter.
7. The Executive Board can create a task force committee with a three-fifths
agreement.
D. The specific duties of each Executive Board Officer are described below.
1. President
a. The President must know and uphold the International Constitution and
Bylaws, the Chapter Bylaws, Greek Life regulations, as well as any other
constitution and bylaws that govern the Chapter.
b. She will use the Active Chapter Executive Board President’s list of duties
as listed in Article VIII, Section 4 of the International Constitution as a
guide to perform her duties.
c. She will be responsible for turning in and updating paperwork required by
the Virginia Tech Greek Life Office. The paperwork includes non-hazing
forms, a current roster, and Standards for Greek Excellence.
d. She will preside over all voting procedures.
e. She will be responsible for correspondence with the faculty advisor at
Virginia Tech.
f. She is required to inform candidates who are not selected to become
actives that they have not been selected for Membership Status.
g. She is required to inform a member when she is under review.
h. She is ex officio the leader of the Risk Reduction committee.
2. Vice-President
a. The Vice-President will use the Active Chapter Executive Board VicePresident’s list of duties listed in Article VIII, Section 4 of the
International Constitution as a guide to perform her duties.
b. She is responsible for room and space reservations.
c. She shall be responsible for planning and running all recruitment activities
with help from the Membership Educator if she sees fit.
d. She is ex officio the leader of the Ritual committee and the Recruitment
committee.
3. Treasurer
a. The Treasurer will use the Active Chapter Executive Board Treasurer’s
list of duties listed in Article VIII, Section 4 of the International
Constitution as a guide to perform her duties.
4. Secretary
a. The Secretary will use the Active Chapter Executive Board Recording
Secretary’s list of duties listed in Article VIII, Section 4 of the
International Constitution as a guide to perform her duties.
b. She is responsible for collecting and maintaining the attendance sheet for
all meetings
c. She is responsible for sending correspondence to alumnae and co-ops.
d. She will request and collect the nominations for positions.
e. She will fill in for any of the non-Presidential Executive Board members
in case of absence.
f. She will be in charge of maintaining the attendance requirements records
for each active member.
5. Membership Educator
a. The Membership Educator (MED) will use the Active Chapter Executive
Board Membership Educator’s list of duties listed in Article VIII, Section
4 of the International Constitution as a guide to perform her duties.
b. She must coordinate and guide Candidates and Membership Candidate
activities.
c. She may appoint an assistant to help with her duties.
d. She will assist the Vice-President with recruitment activities if the VicePresident requests help in this matter.
e. She is required to inform candidates who are not selected that they have
not been selected to become actives.
f. She is responsible for distributing current Risk Management Policy,
logging in signed policies, and sending a copy of the record to the IEB
secretary.
Section 2 – Non-Executive Officers
A. The non-Executive Officers consists of the following:
1. Community Outreach Officer
2. Fundraising Officer
3. Professional Life Officer
4. Social Officer
5. Philanthropy Officer
6. Webmaster
7. Historian
8. Student Engineers’ Council Representative
9. Intramurals Officer
B. Requirements to become a non-executive officer are as follows:
1. Be an Active-Active or Active-Co-op during the semester of the nominations
for the non-executive officers.
2. Maintain Active-Active or Active-Co-op status throughout the entire term.
3. Maintain attendance records for each of their events to give to the Secretary.
C. Responsibilities for each of the non-executive officers are described below:
1. Community Outreach Officer
a. The Community Outreach Officer reports to the Vice-President and is
responsible for planning and organizing at least 2 campus events per
academic year, which is defined as consecutive Fall and Spring semesters.
Campus events promote the general welfare of the Virginia Tech campus
or these events occur on the Virginia Tech Campus.
b. She will maintain records of all campus outreach events.
2. Fundraising Officer
a. The Fundraising Officer reports to the Treasurer and is responsible for
planning and organizing events to procure funds to be used for general
Chapter needs.
b. She will maintain records of all Chapter fundraising events.
3. Professional Life Officer
a. The Professional Life Officer reports to the Vice-President and is
responsible for planning and organizing at least 2 professional events per
semester. Professional events are designed to foster skills necessary for
the professional and business world.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
b. She is responsible for planning and organizing at least 2 scholastic events
per semester. Scholastic events are designed to improve study habits and
help students in school.
c. She will maintain records on all professional and scholastic events that are
held.
Social Officer
a. The Social Officer reports to the Vice President and is responsible for
planning and organizing at least 2 sisterhood events per academic year,
which is defined as consecutive Fall and Spring semesters. Sisterhood
events are designed to enhance our bonds of sisterhood.
b. She is responsible for planning and organizing social events. This
includes dances.
c. She will maintain records of all the social events held by the Chapter.
Philanthropy Officer
a. The Philanthropy Officer reports to the Treasurer and is responsible for
organizing Chapter participation in other Greek Organization’s
philanthropic events.
b. She is responsible for planning and organizing at least 2 philanthropic
events per semester. Philanthropic events benefit those outside of the
Chapter through charitable donations or volunteer time.
c. She will maintain records on all of the philanthropic events the Chapter
participates in.
Webmaster
a. The Webmaster reports to the Secretary and is responsible for creating,
maintaining, and updating the Chapter website including information
about the organization, news, profile pages for the sisters, recruitment
information, a photo album, and a calendar of events.
b. Her membership status may be Active Co-op. She is the only officer
exempt from the requirement of being Active-Active throughout her entire
term.
c. The Webmaster is responsible for working with the International
Executive Board to ensure that the materials displayed on the Chapter
website are in conformance with any web standards set forth by the IEB.
Historian
a. The Historian reports to the Secretary and is responsible for recording all
historically significant events, including but not limited to Candidate and
Active Initiations.
b. She is responsible for submitting updated family trees to the International
History Committee.
c. She is to ensure that photos are taken at all Chapter events.
Student Engineers’ Council Representative
a. The Student Engineers’ Council Representative is responsible for
representing the Chapter in the Student Engineer’ Council.
b. She reports back to the President.
Intramurals Officer
a. The Intramurals Officer reports back to the Secretary.
b. She is responsible for coordinating the participation of the Chapter in
Intramural sports.
c. She is in charge of setting up a seating group for season tickets.
Section 3 – Committees
A. Committees and their responsibilities will be outlined in the Chapter’s Policies and
Procedures.
B. Committees will include those committees listed in Article 2, Section 6 of the
International Bylaws.
Section 4 – Election of Officers
A. Guidelines for officer elections:
1. Elections occur once a year, approximately one month before the end of
Spring Semester.
2. Each term begins at the Officer Transition Ceremony, which is near the end of
Spring Semester, and ends at the following Officer Transition Ceremony,
which will occur approximately a year later. All activities and planning for
activities occurring after the ceremony are the sole responsibility of the new
officer. It is the responsibility of both the old and the new officers to ensure
that there is a smooth transition.
3. Active Members may run for multiple positions.
4. An Active planning on fulfilling Active-Co-op status one semester and
Active-Active status the other semester can run as a candidate for the nonExecutive Board positions. If the Active-Co-op member is elected, she would
serve her term during her Active-Active semester and the second highest
voted candidate for the position would replace her during her Active-Co-op
semester.
5. For each Executive Board office, there must be at least two candidates before
the election occurs.
6. If a member has been removed from an officer position, she may not run for
another office for one full year.
B. Procedures for officer elections are as follows:
1. Nominations are open at the meeting prior to the election. Members must
nominate themselves, and have another Active Member second the
nomination.
2. Candidates for office will send a paragraph of approximately 250 words to the
Secretary about who they are, why they want the position, why they would be
good for the position, and what other activities they are involved by midnight
of following day. The Secretary will be given 24 hours to send those out to all
Active Members. If running for multiple positions, candidates must order
paragraphs in order of their preferences.
3. At the meeting of the Election, the President will facilitate a question and
answer session for the candidates.
4. The order of voting is as follows: President, Vice-President, Membership
Educator, Secretary, Treasurer, Community Outreach Officer, Fundraising
Officer, Professional Life Officer, Social Officer, Philanthropy Officer,
Webmaster, Historian, and Student Engineers’ Council Representative. The
order of voting can be changed if the President deems appropriate.
5. The candidates for one office will leave the room, while voting will be done
by majority ballot of the Chapter quorum.
6. In the event that there is only one candidate for an office, 75% of the votes
must be yes in order for her to win.
7. The winner is announced when the candidates reenter the room.
Section 5 – Removal of Officers
A. Procedures for a Potential Officer Review
1. If an issue arises with an officer, any Active Member may write a formal letter
to the President expressing the specific grievance. If the officer in question is
the President, the letter shall be addressed to the Vice-President.
2. The officer in question and the officer who received the letter will meet to
discuss the possible officer review and removal.
3. The officer, who received the letter, will inform all Active Members of the
potential officer review.
4. At the next meeting, the officer in question will have 5 minutes to plead their
case.
5. A secret majority vote will take place to determine if the officer in question
will be placed under officer review, which is described below.
B. Officer Review and Removal
1. After an officer has been placed under review, at the following two meetings,
the officer will give a status report on how she is correcting the problem.
2. After the second week, a secret vote will determine if the officer will be
removed. To remove an officer, 75% of the Active quorum must vote yes.
Section 6 – Replacement of Officers
A. Officer Removal or Vacancy
1. Nominations open immediately, as announced by the Secretary
2. The candidates for office will have 24 hours after the nominations open to
send their paragraphs, as described in Section 4 (B)(2).
3. The elections will occur at the next meeting, following the guidelines outlined
in Article V, Section 4.
B. Executive Board Vacancy
1. In case of any Executive Board opening, the President will take over the
position during the period the office is vacant.
2. If the position of President is open, the Vice President will fill the vacancy
based on the International Constitution, Article VIII, Section 6
Article V – Voting Procedures
Section 1 – Quorum Vote
A. A quorum for the Chapter is two-thirds of the eligible Active membership. The
Active Chapter membership comprises all Active-Active and Active Co-ops. All
Active-Actives and Active Co-ops shall be notified no later than one week prior
to any vote requiring a quorum.
B. Quorum votes are used for bylaw amendments, the election of officers, officer
review, removal of officers, membership election vote, probation hearing votes,
and final vote.
Section 2 – Meeting Vote
A meeting vote may be brought up by any member and seconded according to Robert's
Rules of Order during any organization meeting. After the vote is brought to the floor,
there will be a time of discussion that is monitored by the President. When the President
feels the topic has been sufficiently discussed, she will call for the vote by hand count.
Section 3 – Secret Vote
Props used for a secret vote include an opaque jar with a narrow opening and lid, and one
clear and one blue stone for each voting member. Upon her turn to vote, each voting
member will hold both stones in one hand over the mouth of the jar. Dropping the clear
stone indicates yes, while dropping the blue stone into the jar designates no. After all
members have voted, the President will count up the stones in the jar of each color. The
remaining stones will be dropped into the jar to conceal each individual’s vote. Under no
circumstances will members reveal their vote or number outcome of the vote to anyone.
Section 4 - Ballot Vote
Ballot votes require voting members to write their vote on a piece of paper. In the event
that a ballot vote cannot wait until a meeting, the vote may be conducted online via
http://www.survey.vt.edu. The creator of the online ballot must make sure that each
person can only vote once, the voter’s name does not appear on the ballot, and the results
of the ballot cannot be seen until the ballot is closed.
Section 5 – Membership Election and Final Vote
A. The props used for Membership Election and Final vote include two opaque jars
and one blue stone and one clear stone for each voting member.
B. The procedures for Membership Election and Final vote are as follows:
1. The first round of voting is the same as a secret vote.
2. For each candidate that receives 10% or more blue stones, hereon referred to
as blackballing, there will be a discussion. The President will ask for any
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
positive comments about the candidates. After all the positive comments have
been made, the President will ask for negative comments.
After all negative comments have been made, the President will then open up
the floor for discussion. If the President deems that there is still too much
debate, she will ask for neutral comments.
At the conclusion of the comments, the President will call a second round of
voting.
If the candidate is blackballed for a second time, any member may motion to
open the floor for discussion. The motion must be seconded, and a majority
informal vote will decide whether there will be discussion.
In the event that a candidate is blackballed a third time, the vote is final.
Members will have a secret vote on whether to allow the candidate continue
her candidate period into the next candidate class.
At any point a candidate is approved, she will not be discussed any further
during the meeting.
A candidate, whose final decision was no, will not be initiated as an Active
member.
All the votes must occur during one meeting.
Article VI – Meeting Procedures
The order of events during a meeting is as follows:
1. Opening announcements by the President
2. Reading of previous meeting minutes by the Secretary
3. Reports of Officers and reading of correspondence concerning the Chapter
4. Reports of regular committees
5. Reports of special committees
6. Unfinished business
7. New business
8. Closing announcements and reminders
Attendance is taken 10 minutes after the start of the meeting. The meeting can be
interrupted for the Secretary to take attendance.
Article VII – Amendments to the Bylaws
Amendments to the Chapter Bylaws will be enacted through the following procedures:
a)
b)
c)
Written presentation to the Officer Board.
Oral presentation and discussion with the Officer Board, which is defined as all
members of the Executive Board and all the Non-Executive Officers as listed in
Article IV, Section 2 (A).
Discussion and voting by the Officer Board. If it passes by a 2/3 vote, the
amendment is passed on to the Chapter
d)
e)
f)
Discussion of the amendment at the Chapter meeting
Voting at the next Chapter meeting
Written presentation and approval by the International Judiciary Committee
Amendments must be approved by three-fourths majority vote by written ballot. The
votes will be counted by the President. The President’s vote will only count in the event
of a tie.
Article VIII – Non-Discrimination Clause
The Chapter shall not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, ancestry,
age, handicap, veteran status, or sexual orientation in the selection of its members or in its
programs.
Article IX – Miscellaneous
The Executive Board shall be empowered to change the wording of motions, resolutions,
etc., as passed, without changing the meaning thereof, if necessary to bring them into
conformity with the accepted standards of good English and good consistent terminology.