Bylaws of the Psi Chi Chapter of Claremont Graduate University
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Claremont Graduate University Psi Chi Chapter, a local unit of
Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, hereinafter referred to as the Chapter and the
Society.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purpose of Psi Chi shall be to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the
individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERS
Section 1. Active Members. Active members are men and women who have been inducted into this
Chapter and members who have transferred membership to this Chapter. All shall possess high
standards of personal behavior. Active members shall be entitled to participate in all chapter meetings
and shall have the right to vote.
A. Student Members shall be students enrolled in graduate programs at the time of induction.
Only student members shall be entitled to hold chapter office.
1. Graduate Students shall be enrolled in Claremont Graduate University, and shall have a
minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all graduate courses, including
psychology.
B. Faculty Members of Claremont Graduate University and other psychologists who are full-time
faculty at the institution and hold a doctoral degree in psychology or psychology-related field
may become active members of the chapter upon election to membership and induction into Psi
Chi. Faculty Members shall not be eligible to hold chapter office.
Section 2. Membership in Psi Chi is open to qualified candidates of any age, sex, sexual orientation, race,
handicap, or disability, color, religion, and national and ethnic origin.
Section 3. Election to membership shall be by a two-thirds vote at a regular meeting of the Chapter.
Section 4. Prior to induction, each prospective member shall pay an induction fee as determined by the
Society, which shall entitle the inductee to life membership without payment of further dues or
assessments to the Society.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of this chapter shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The
officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws, the constitution and bylaws of the Society,
and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the chapter, and shall fulfill such other duties and
requirements as may be determined by the Society.
Section 2. Elections. The officers shall be elected by ballot at a meeting of the Chapter after Spring
Break to serve for one year. T he term of office shall begin the first of May. In the event there is only
one candidate for an office, the election may be by voice vote. Candidates for office shall be elected by
a majority vote of the present active members. In the event that there are more than two candidates
and no one candidate receives a 51% majority of the votes, a run-off will be held with the two
candidates who received the most votes.
A. Nominations. Nominations for Elected Office shall be solicited by the Executive Committee at a
Regular Meeting preceding Spring Break as determined by the Executive Committee. Any active
member of the society may nominate themselves or be nominated by another active member
leading up to and including the scheduled election date (as determined by the Executive
Committee) for any office.
B. No member shall hold more than one office at a time, and no member shall serve more than
two terms in the same office.
C. Should the office of President become vacant, it shall be filled by the Vice President. A vacancy
in any other office shall be filled by the Executive Committee with the approval of the Chapter
Advisor.
Section 3. Duties of Elected Officers. The elected officers shall be responsible for carrying out all duties
and responsibilities set forth herein to ensure successful governance and functioning of the Chapter.
A. President. The President shall preside over all regular meetings and all Executive Committee
meetings to facilitate the conduct of business relevant to the Chapter. The President shall also
attend all regular psychology department faculty meetings to update the faculty on Chapter
activities. The President shall be responsible for appointing vacant officer positions as well as
committee chair positions as needed with approval from the Chapter advisor and Executive
Committee. The President shall also be responsible for ensuring all necessary reporting
standards to the Society are met in a timely manner.
B. Vice President. The Vice President shall serve as liaison between the Committee Chairs and the
Executive Committee to coordinate Committee activities. The Vice President shall also be in
charge of planning and implementing the annual Induction Ceremony to be held in spring as
decided by the Executive Committee. The Vice President shall also preside over the election of
new officers. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall perform any and all duties
of the President.
C. Secretary. The Secretary shall archive minutes of all Regular meetings and Executive committee
meetings and make these notes available to all members of the society upon request. The
Secretary shall create agendas for all Regular meetings. The Secretary shall also be in charge of
communication with the Chapter and shall therefore be responsible for maintaining the Chapter
listserv and email addresses of members. The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining and
updating the list of active members for the Chapter.
D. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall coordinate with The School of Behavioral and Organizational
Sciences to request and maintain an annual operating budget. The Treasurer shall also receive
payments from new inductees for Society dues. The Treasurer shall manage the Chapter ledger
by recording all deposits and expenditures relating to Chapter business. The Treasurer shall also
be responsible for releasing funds to appropriate committees for events, scholarships, etc. with
approval from the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the chapter
and the Chapter Advisor. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the Chapter
between its business meetings, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the
Chapter, cause all reports required by the Society to be submitted in a timely manner, and shall perform
such other duties as are specified in these bylaws and the constitution, bylaws, and rulings of the
Society. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the President or the Chapter Advisor.
ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings. The Executive Committee and the Chapter Advisor shall determine the
number of regular meetings to be held during the year and shall distribute a schedule of these meetings
to each active member.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special Meetings can be called by the President or the Executive
Committee and shall be called upon the written request of ten active members of the Chapter. The
purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call, and business shall be limited to that which is stated in
the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least three day’s notice shall be given to the Chapter
members.
Section 3. Quorum. Those active members present shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business.
ARTICLE VI. CHAPTER ADVISOR
Section 1. The Chapter shall have a chapter advisor who is a member of Psi Chi and a member of the
faculty of Claremont Graduate University.
Section 2. The Chapter Advisor shall assist the Chapter in fulfilling its purpose and the requirements of
the Society.
ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES
Chapter committees shall consist of the chair and at least two additional active members. Standing
committees shall be established by the Chapter as amendments to these bylaws. Special committees
may be established by the Executive Committee and serve at the pleasure of the President. Committee
chairs shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and no one shall serve as more than one
Committee Chair at any one time. Any active member of the Chapter may serve on one or more
committee(s).
ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS
These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Chapter by a two-thirds vote, provided the
amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting or has been submitted in
writing to all active members of the Chapter at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be
considered. These bylaws shall not be in conflict with the constitution and bylaws or rulings of the
Society. Any amendment of the constitution and bylaws or rulings of the Society affecting these bylaws
shall cause this document to be amended automatically to concur with such amendment.
ARTICLE IX. RATIFICATION OF BYLAWS
These bylaws shall be ratified in the same manner that they are amended as outlined in Article VIII of
this document.
Bylaws ratified on April 26th 2011