Bylaws of Rochester Institute of Technology Panhellenic Council
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Rochester Institute of Technology Panhellenic Council (RIT
Panhellenic Council).
Article II. Object
The object of the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be to develop and maintain sorority life and Greek relations
at a high level of accomplishment and in so doing to:
I.
Consider the goals and ideals of member groups as continually applicable to campus and personal
life.
II.
Promote superior scholarship and basic intellectual development.
III.
Cooperate with member women’s fraternities and the university/college administration in concern
for and maintenance of high social and moral standards.
IV.
Act in accordance with National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Unanimous Agreements,
resolutions and policies.
V.
Act in accordance with such rules established by the Panhellenic Council as to not violate the
sovereignty, rights and privileges of member women’s fraternities.
Article III. Membership
Section 1. Membership Classes
There shall be two classes of membership:
I.
Regular membership. The regular membership of the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be composed of
all chapters and all members of NPC fraternities at RIT. Regular members of the Panhellenic
Council shall pay dues as determined by the Panhellenic Council. Each regular member shall have a
voice and one vote on all matters.
II.
Provisional membership. The provisional membership of the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be
composed of all colonies and all members of NPC fraternities at RIT. Provisional members shall
pay no dues and shall have a voice but no vote on all matters. A provisional member shall
automatically become a regular member upon being installed as a chapter of an NPC fraternity.
Section 2. Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership
I.
All members, without regard to membership class, shall comply with all NPC Unanimous
Agreements and be subject to these RIT Panhellenic Council bylaws, code of ethics and any
additional rules this Panhellenic Council may adopt unless otherwise prescribed in these bylaws. Any
rules adopted by this Panhellenic Council in conflict with the NPC Unanimous Agreements shall be
void.
II.
All chapters shall be required to send at least 75% of their active membership to all mandatory
Panhellenic events that were announced 30 days prior to the event. Those members who have class
or work at the time of an event are excused but their names must be provided to the RIT
Panhellenic Council before the event begins. Should a chapter fail to meet this requirement, they
shall be fined at the discretion of the event coordinator with the approval of the Executive Board.
The chapter must pay within two weeks of being notified of their penalty.
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Article IV. Administration of Membership Selection
Section 1. Formal Recruitment
I.
The RIT Panhellenic Council shall sponsor one formal recruitment period to be held at the start
of each academic year
II.
There will be no Continuous Open Bidding/Recruitment prior to the start of Formal
Recruitment during the fall semester.
III.
The dates shall be determined in consultation with the Panhellenic Advisor
IV.
RIT Panhellenic Council shall utilize a three round Partially Structured Recruitment method
following the 5-4-2 format for Potential New Members to select chapters they would like to
visit. V. Beginning at noon on the day after Panhellenic Bid Day, chapters may start
Continuous Open Bidding for 72 hours
VI.
At the conclusion of the 72 hour window, the RIT Panhellenic Council Chapter Total will
automatically adjust to median chapter size (NPC Manual of Information, Page 93)
VII.
The RIT Panhellenic Council Recruitment Guidelines shall cover all those areas not addressed
by the RIT Panhellenic Council Bylaws
Section 2. Informal Recruitment
I.
The RIT Panhellenic Council shall coordinate one informal recruitment period to be held at the
beginning of the spring semester
II.
The Vice President of Recruitment shall coordinate a schedule for those chapters eligible to take
part in informal recruitment to prevent chapter’s events from overlapping
III.
The dates shall be determined in consultation with the Panhellenic Advisor
IV.
This schedule shall be provided to the chapters prior to the conclusion of the fall semester
V.
The RIT Panhellenic Council Recruitment Guidelines shall cover all those areas not addressed
by the RIT Panhellenic Council Bylaws
Article V. Education and Initiation
In accordance with RIT Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life Guidelines, new member education shall not
extend past eight weeks excluding University breaks or the timeframe approved by a chapter’s national
organization. At the conclusion of the new member education period, all new members should be ritually
initiated upon successful completion of all chapter related new member requirements
Article VI. Officers and Duties
Section 1. Officers
The officers of the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be President, Vice President of Recruitment, Vice President
of Judicial Affairs, Vice President of Programming, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice President of
Finance, and Vice President of Communications.
Section 2. Eligibility
Eligibility to serve as an officer shall depend on the class of membership:
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I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Members from women’s fraternities holding regular membership in the RIT Panhellenic
Council shall be eligible to serve as any officer excluding President and Vice President of
Recruitment.
Members who have served at least one academic semester on the RIT Panhellenic Council
Executive Board shall be eligible to serve as President.
Those wishing to run for President and Vice President of Recruitment may not hold the
equivalent position within their chapter.
Those applying shall have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.750 at the time of election. If a
woman is elected to an Executive Board position, she must maintain a cumulative and semester
GPA of at least a 2.750. Should a woman on the Executive Board fall below this requirement,
she will be removed from her position.
An officer’s term shall begin at the start of spring semester and shall finish at the end of fall
semester. Shadowing of officers shall occur from time of election through the end of fall
semester. Officers elected for the next calendar year shall be invited to attend executive board
meetings starting at their election continuing through the end of the calendar year.
Upon becoming a Panhellenic Council Executive Board officer, each woman shall receive a
manual outlining the RIT Panhellenic Council budget, goals and bylaws as well as the National
Panhellenic Council’s Manual of Information.
Women planning to spend time away from RIT’s campus or the Rochester area on co-op at
any point during the scheduled officer term shall be ineligible to hold an executive board
position.
All officers shall remain in office for one year or until resignation, suspension or impeachment.
In the event that an officer terminates her duties in the middle of the term, her replacement is
only responsible for the duties of the office for the remainder of the term.
a. In the event of a resignation, the chapter of the person resigning will be given the first
opportunity to fill the vacancy; Should they determine there is no member eligible or
interested within two weeks of notification of the available spot, the position will be
posted and applications will be distributed to the remaining chapters; at the next
regularly scheduled meeting an election for the position will be held.
No one sorority may hold a particular executive board position for more than two elected
terms. X. Members from women’s fraternities holding provisional membership in the RIT
College Panhellenic Council shall not be eligible to serve as an officer.
Section 3. Selection of Officers
The officers of President, Vice President of Recruitment, Vice President of Judicial Affairs, Vice President of
Programming, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of
Communications of the RIT Panhellenic shall be elected by ballot.
I.
II.
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Any chapter member wishing to be considered for an executive board position shall fill out an
application and questionnaire and submit them to the RIT Panhellenic Council president by a
pre-determined date each calendar year.
a) Applications shall be shared with Panhellenic delegates who will then bring the applications
to their respective chapters.
b) Each regular chapter shall be required to have at least two members apply for an executive
board position other than president.
Elections
Bylaws of Rochester Institute of Technology Panhellenic Council
a) Those applying shall be an initiated member of their organization. New members shall not
be eligible to run for office.
b) Those applying shall have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.750 at the time of their election.
c) Executive Board applicants must not be subject to current disciplinary probation or deferred
suspension.
d) Elections shall be held at a council meeting only. Presidential election shall take place by the
end of October. Remaining executive board elections shall take place at the next regularly
scheduled council meeting.
e) Elections shall be cast by a closed, written ballot with each voting sorority possessing one
vote to be cast by the senior delegate.
f) Senior delegates will be allowed five minutes prior to casting their ballots to discuss choices
with the junior delegates of their chapter who are present at elections.
g) The order of elections for executive board shall be President, Vice President of Recruitment,
Vice President of Judicial Affairs, Vice President of Programming, Vice President of Public
Relations, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Communications.
III.
Ties
a) In the event of a tie, additional ballots will be cast by each chapter until the tie has been
broken.
Section 4. Office-Holding Limitations
No more than two members from the same women’s fraternity shall hold offices on the Panhellenic
Executive Board during the same term.
Section 5. Term
The officers shall serve for a term of one year until their successors are elected. The term of office will begin
at the beginning of spring semester.
Section 6. Removal of Officers
I. Executive Board Officers may be removed for the following reasons:
a) Failure to fulfill responsibilities as an RIT Panhellenic Council Executive Board Officer;
b) Failure to uphold the good name of the RIT Panhellenic Council;
c) Behavior inconsistent with that of an RIT Panhellenic Council Executive Board Officer;
d) Violation of conduct unbecoming a member of a sorority;
e) Violation of NPC Unanimous Agreements;
f)
Failure to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.750 or higher after probation
period;
g) Failure to attend RIT Panhellenic Council general assembly and Executive Board meetings.
II. Procedure:
a) Upon written complaint to the Panhellenic Advisor or the President, by a member of the
RIT Panhellenic Council, a special session of the Executive Board will investigate the
complaint.
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i.
The accused Executive Board officer or member will not be present at this special
session.
ii.
If the President is the accused member, the Vice President of Recruitment will
preside over the special session of the Executive Board.
iii. Executive Board officers must be given at least forty-eight (48) hours’ notice of the
special session of the Executive Board.
b) Special Session of the Executive Board:
i. Quorum will consist of three-fifths (3/5) of the Executive Board members.
ii.
If the special session of the Executive Board concludes that the accusations against
the accused Executive Board member have merit, the accused will be informed, in
writing, of the charges against her.
iii. The charges will be presented at the next Executive Board meeting.
iv. If the President is the accused member, the Vice President of Recruitment will
preside over the Executive Board meeting.
c) Executive Board Meeting:
i.
ii.
Quorum will consist of three-fifths (3/5) of the Executive Board members.
The Vice President of Judicial Affairs will present the case to remove the accused
Executive Board member from the Executive Board.
iii. If the Vice President of Judicial Affairs is the accused member, the Vice President
of Recruitment will present the case. iv. The accused member of the Executive
Board will be permitted to present her case, or will be permitted to resign.
v. The Executive Board will vote on the validity of the charges.
vi.
A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Executive Board is required to send the
charges to the RIT Panhellenic Council general assembly.
vii.
The charges will be presented at the next regularly scheduled RIT Panhellenic
Council general assembly meeting.
viii. If the President is the accused member, the Vice President of Recruitment will
preside over the RIT Panhellenic Council regular meeting.
d) RIT Panhellenic Council Regular Meeting:
i.
Quorum will consist of three-fifths (3/5) of the RIT Panhellenic Council member
sororities.
ii.
The Vice President of Judicial Affairs will present the case to remove the member
of the Executive Board.
iii. If the Vice President of Judicial Affairs is the accused member, the Vice President
of Recruitment will present the case. iv. The accused member of the Executive
Board will be permitted to present her case, or will be permitted to resign.
v. The RIT Panhellenic Council will vote on the validity of the charges.
vi. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the RIT Panhellenic Council is required to remove the
accused Executive Board member.
Section 8. Vacancies
The President has the power to appoint an Executive board officer if a position remains vacant for more than
two weeks under the consultation of the presiding executive board and advisor.
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Section 9. Duties of Officers
I.
The President shall:
a) Have the overall responsibility for the operation of the Panhellenic Council.
b) Preside at all meetings of the Panhellenic Council.
c) Preside at all meetings of the Executive Board.
d) Serve as an ex-officio member of all Panhellenic Council and relevant Greek
committees.
e) Communicate and meet regularly with the Panhellenic advisor.
f) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this association.
g) Ensure that the NPC annual report and academic report are completed.
h) Communicate regularly with the NPC area advisor.
i) Maintain current copies of the following: RIT Panhellenic Council bylaws and standing
rules; the Panhellenic Council budget; contracts executed on behalf of the RIT
Panhellenic Council; correspondence and materials received from the NPC area advisor;
all RIT Panhellenic Council reports to NPC; Council Executive Board email login
information; NPC database login information; and other pertinent materials.
j) Perform all other duties as assigned.
II.
The Vice President of Recruitment shall:
a) Perform the duties of the President in her absence. If the absence or disability of the
president is permanent, the Vice President of Public Relations becomes the acting
president assuming all duties and authority of president, but does not become president.
b) Serve as the primary coordinator of Formal Recruitment and Informal Recruitment
c) Be unable to hold the position of Recruitment Chair for her chapter.
d) Coordinate all aspects of recruitment in cooperation with the Panhellenic Advisor,
President and Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
e) Be responsible for coordinating a recruitment workshop before Formal Recruitment to
inform all chapters of rules, schedules and regulations.
f) Be responsible for maintaining up-to-date files of all recruitment materials, including
policies, sign-up sheets, financial obligation information, schedules and all other
materials related to Formal Recruitment.
g) Collaborate with all members of the Panhellenic Council Executive Board and chapter
representatives to help promote Formal Recruitment.
h) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this council.
i) Attend all meetings of the Panhellenic Council.
j) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board.
k) Perform all other assigned duties.
III.
The Vice President of Judicial Affairs shall:
a) Coordinate all aspects of the Panhellenic Council Judicial Process
b) Serve as the chairperson of the Panhellenic Council Judicial Board;
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c) Serve as parliamentarian at all Panhellenic Council meetings;
d) Update and revise Panhellenic Council Bylaws annually;
e) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this council.
f)
Attend all meetings of the RIT Panhellenic Council.
g) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board.
h) Perform all other duties as assigned.
IV.
The Vice President of Programming shall:
a) Be responsible for coordinating one educational program per semester, which shall be
open to the rest of the Greek community and/or RIT community.
b) Be responsible for coordinating one annual campus or community service project that
shall be open to the entire RIT community.
c) In conjunction with representatives from IFC and MGC, coordinate RIT’s
Greek Week events each academic year in the fall
d) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this council.
e) Attend all meetings of the Panhellenic Council.
f) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board.
g) Perform all other duties as assigned.
V.
The Vice President of Public Relations shall:
a) Be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of this
council.
b) Promote and enhance communications and relations between hear and deaf/hard of
hearing members.
c) Be responsible for regularly updating the Panhellenic Council website.
d) Be responsible for maintaining the Panhellenic Council social media accounts.
e) Be responsible for coming up with a plan of action regarding how to improve the
Panhellenic Council social media accounts before transitioning into the position.
f) Be responsible for all publicity of the RIT Panhellenic events including advertisements
for Formal Recruitment. It is the responsibility of the Vice President of Public Relations
to work closely with the executive board to make certain that news media is kept
informed of all favorable publicity about Panhellenic Council and its member
organizations.
g) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this council.
h) Attend all meetings of the Panhellenic Council.
i) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board.
j) Perform all other duties as assigned.
VI.
The Vice President of Finance shall:
a) Supervise the finances of the Panhellenic Council.
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b) Prepare the annual budget and, after its approval by the Panhellenic Council, provide a
copy to each Panhellenic Council senior delegate. There shall be a category for each
Executive Board position and Executive Board members will break down their budget
based on last year’s spending.
c) Receive all payments due to the Panhellenic Council, collect all dues and give receipts.
d) Pay promptly the annual NPC dues and all bills of the Panhellenic Council.
e) Shall follow all RIT Panhellenic Council Recruitment Bylaws pertaining to finances.
f) Maintain up-to-date financial records; give a financial report at each regular meeting of
the Panhellenic Council.
g) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this council.
h) Coordinate one fundraising activity per semester.
i) Attend all meetings of the Panhellenic Council.
j) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board.
k) Perform all other duties as assigned.
VII.
The Vice President of Communications shall:
a) Record minutes of all meetings of the Panhellenic Council and the Executive Board.
b) Be responsible for dating and distributing all materials of the RIT Panhellenic Council.
c) Maintain a complete and up-to-date file that includes the minutes of all meetings from
the date of organization and current correspondence for a minimum of five years.
d) Send bi-weekly meeting minutes to the NPC area advisor.
e) Shall be familiar with the NPC Manual of Information and all governing documents of
this association.
f) Be responsible for coordinating and updating a contact list each semester with the
names, phone numbers and email addresses of all RIT Panhellenic officers, delegates,
chapter’s officers and advisors.
g) Attend all meetings of the Panhellenic Council.
h) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board.
i) Perform all other duties as assigned.
Article VII. The Panhellenic Council
Section 1. Authority
The governing body of the RIT Panhellenic community shall be the Panhellenic Council. It shall be the duty
of the Panhellenic Council to conduct all business related to the overall welfare of the RIT Panhellenic
community including, but not limited to: annually review and adjust total as needed; determine dues; approve
the annual budget; consider extension; set a calendar of events; determine programming; and establish
recruitment rules and recruitment style. The Panhellenic Council shall also have the authority to adopt rules
governing the Panhellenic community that do not violate the sovereignty, rights and privileges of member
women’s fraternities.
Section 2. Composition and Privileges
The RIT Panhellenic Council shall be composed of the executive board, one senior delegate and one junior
delegate from each regular and provisional member group at RIT as identified in Article III. The delegates
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shall be the voting members of the Panhellenic Council except as otherwise provided in Article III of these
bylaws. The junior delegates shall have voice but no vote. The junior delegate shall act and vote in the place
of the senior delegate when the senior delegate is absent. If both senior delegate and junior delegate are
absent, the vote may be cast by a member of the fraternity, providing her credentials have been presented to
the President.
Section 3. Selection of Delegates and Alternates
Senior delegates and junior delegates to the Panhellenic Council shall be selected by their respective women’s
fraternity chapters to serve for a term of one year commencing upon selection by the chapter.
Section 4. Delegate Vacancies
When a delegate vacancy occurs, it shall be the responsibility of the fraternity affected to select a replacement
within two weeks and to notify the Panhellenic Council secretary of her name, email address, and telephone
number.
Section 5. Council Meetings
Council meetings of the Panhellenic Council shall be held on Monday evenings at a location determined by
the RIT Panhellenic Council during the semester. Meetings shall be held bi-weekly and attendance is required
of all Panhellenic senior and junior delegates from each chapter. If a chapter fails to send two representatives
to the RIT Panhellenic Council meeting for two consecutive weeks, the President and advisor of said chapter,
as well as their national organization, shall be notified.
Section 6. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Panhellenic Council may be called by the president when necessary and shall be called
by her upon the written request of no less than one-fourth of the member women’s fraternities of the RIT
Panhellenic Council. Notice of each special meeting of the Panhellenic Council shall be sent to each member
of the Panhellenic Council at least 24 hours prior to convening the meeting; however, such notice may be
waived, and attendance at such meeting shall constitute waiver of said notice.
Section 7. Quorum
Two-thirds of the senior delegates from the member fraternities of the RIT Panhellenic Association shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. In the event that the senior delegate is absent, the junior
delegate may vote in their place.
Section 8. Vote Requirements
I.
Proposed motions on issues that impact a chapter as a whole must be announced at a previous
meeting to allow opportunity for chapter input before a vote may be taken on the issue.
II.
A two-thirds vote of the Panhellenic Council shall be required to approve a recolonization plan
and for all extension-related votes. All other votes, unless specified in these bylaws, shall require
a majority vote for adoption.
Article VIII. The Executive Board
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Section 1. Composition
The composition of the Executive Board shall be the President, Vice President of Recruitment, Vice
President of Judicial Affairs, Vice President of Programming, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice
President of Finance, and Vice President of Communications.
Section 2. Duties
The Executive Board shall administer routine business between meetings of the Panhellenic Council and such
other business as has been approved for action by Panhellenic Council vote. At the next regular meeting of
the Panhellenic Council through the Vice President of Communication, the Executive Board shall also report
all action it has taken and record the action in the minutes of that meeting.
Section 3. Executive Board Meetings
Executive Board meetings shall be held on Monday evenings at a location and time determined by the
Council. These meetings shall be held bi-weekly on weeks that the council meetings are not held on.
Section 4. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the President when necessary and shall be called by
her upon the written request of three other members of the Executive Board.
Section 5. Quorum
A majority of the Executive Board members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Article VIII. The Panhellenic Advisor
Section 1. Appointment
The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life shall appoint the Panhellenic advisor of the RIT Panhellenic
Council.
Section 2. Authority
The Panhellenic advisor shall serve in an advisory capacity to the RIT Panhellenic Council. The Panhellenic
advisor shall have voice but no vote in all meetings of the Panhellenic Council and the Executive Board.
Article IX. Committees
Section 1. Standing Committees
I.
The standing committee of the Panhellenic Council shall be the Judicial Board.
II.
The standing committee shall serve for a term of one year, which shall coincide with the term of
the officers.
Section 2. Appointment of Committee Membership
The RIT Panhellenic Council Executive Board shall appoint members and chairmen of all standing and
special committees, except as provided otherwise in these bylaws, and, in making these appointments,
recognize fair representation from all member women fraternities as much as possible. The president shall be
an ex-officio member of all committees except the Judicial Board
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Section 3. Judicial Board
The Judicial Board shall consist of the vice president as chairman and one member from each chapter. The
Panhellenic advisor shall serve as a nonvoting ex-officio member. The Judicial Board members shall
participate in training to be educated about the purpose of the board, the rules and regulations the
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Judicial Board will monitor, the procedures to be followed, proper questioning techniques, the rights of the
charged organizations, evaluating evidence, and deliberations and sanctioning. The Judicial Board shall
educate member fraternities about the Panhellenic judicial procedure. It shall be the Judicial Board’s duty to
hold a hearing to adjudicate all alleged violations of the NPC Unanimous Agreements and the bylaws, code of
ethics, standing rules and membership recruitment regulations of the RIT Panhellenic Council that are not
settled informally or through mediation. The hearing shall be conducted by the entire Judicial Board unless
Panhellenic Council adopts rules for the hearing to be conducted by a committee of the Judicial Board. The
members of the Judicial Board shall maintain confidentiality throughout and upon completion of the judicial
process.
Section 4. Other Committees
Other such committees, standing or special, shall be appointed as deemed necessary by the Panhellenic
Council.
Article X. Finances
Section 1. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be from July 1st to June 30th inclusive.
Section 2. Payments
All payments due to the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be received by the Vice President of Finance, who
shall record them. Checks for payments shall be made payable to the RIT Panhellenic Council.
Section 3. Dues
I.
NPC College Panhellenic dues shall be paid yearly as invoiced by the NPC office.
II.
Panhellenic Council membership dues shall be an assessment per member and new member
based upon rosters provided to the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life
a) The RIT Panhellenic Council shall determine the amount of such dues for the next academic
year no later than February of that year.
b) The dues of each Panhellenic Council member fraternity shall be payable on or before a date
set by the Vice President of Finance each semester.
Section 6. Fees and Assessments
The RIT Panhellenic Council shall have the authority to determine fees and assessments as may be
considered necessary.
Article XI. Extension
Section 1. Process
The RIT Panhellenic Council shall follow all NPC Unanimous Agreements and NPC extension guidelines
found on the NPC website and in the Manual of Information. Consideration should be given to National
Panhellenic Conference organizations that have previously had chapters on the campus and those NPC
organizations, which have filed a letter expressing an interest in the campus.
Section 2. Voting rights
Only regular members of the Panhellenic Council shall vote on extension matters.
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Section 3. Criteria
To be considered for applying for recognition by the Panhellenic Council:
I.
The applying organization shall have a GPA at or above the Panhellenic Councils average form
the previous semester.
II.
The applying organization shall have at minimum, the average Panhellenic member’s amount of
community service hours per active member.
III.
They shall have at least three active members excluding graduating seniors.
IV.
The applying organization and each of its members shall be in good standing with the institute.
V.
The applying organization must be nationally affiliated, if not already affiliated they must check
with at least three nationally affiliated organizations before becoming recognized with one of
them.
VI.
The applying organization shall attend at least two Greek sponsored Risk Management
programs within one year’s time.
VII.
The applying organization must demonstrate working knowledge of the RIT Panhellenic
Council.
Article XII. Violation Resolution
Section 1. Violation
Chapters shall be held accountable for the conduct of their individual collegiate and alumnae members.
Conduct contrary to the NPC Unanimous Agreements, these bylaws, the Panhellenic code of ethics, standing
rules and/or membership recruitment regulations of the RIT Panhellenic Council shall be considered a
violation.
Section 2. Informal resolution
Members are encouraged to resolve alleged violations through informal discussion with the involved parties.
Section 3. Judicial process
If informal discussions are unsuccessful, the judicial process will be set in motion by filing a report of the
alleged violation. The RIT Panhellenic Council shall follow all mediation guidelines found in the Manual of
Information.
A. Mediation. Mediation is the first step of the judicial process. The RIT Panhellenic Council shall
follow all NPC Unanimous Agreements concerning the judicial process found in the Manual of
Information.
B. Judicial Board hearing. When a violation is not settled informally or through mediation, the Judicial
Board shall resolve the issue in a Judicial Board hearing. The Panhellenic Council shall adopt
procedures in the standing rules for this purpose that is consistent with the NPC Unanimous
Agreements.
C. Appeal of Judicial Board decision. A decision of the Judicial Board may be appealed by any involved
party to the NPC College Panhellenics Judicial Appeal Committee. The RIT College Panhellenic
Council shall follow all NPC Unanimous Agreements concerning the appeals process found in the
Manual of Information.
Article XIII. Hazing
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Per the Unanimous Agreements, the National Panhellenic Conference supports all efforts to eliminate hazing.
All forms of hazing shall be banned and will not be tolerated by the RIT Panhellenic Council.
Behavior, regardless of intent, which endangers the emotional, or physical health and safety of a Student for
the purpose of membership, affiliation with, or maintaining membership in, a group or Student
Organization. Hazing includes any level of participation, such as being in the presence, having awareness of
hazing, or failing to report hazing. Examples of hazing include, but are not limited to, beating or branding,
sleep deprivation or causing excessive fatigue, threats of harm, forcing or coercing consumption of food,
water, alcohol or other drugs, or other substances, verbal abuse, embarrassing, humiliating, or degrading acts,
or activities that induce, cause or require the Student to perform a duty or task which is not consistent with
fraternal law, ritual or policy or involves a violation of local, state or federal laws, or the RIT Code of
Conduct.
Article XIII. Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the RIT
Panhellenic Council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the
NPC Unanimous Agreements, these bylaws and any special rules of order the RIT Panhellenic Council may
adopt.
Article XIV. Amendment of Bylaws
These bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the RIT Panhellenic Council by a
twothirds vote, provided that the proposed amendment has been announced and submitted in writing at the
previous regular meeting allowing an opportunity for chapter input.
Article XV. Dissolution
This Association shall be dissolved when only one regular member exists at RIT. In the event of the
dissolution of this Association none of the assets of the Association shall be distributed to any members of
the Association, but after payment of the debts of the Association its assets shall be given to the National
Panhellenic Conference.
Article XVI. Standing Rules
The RIT Panhellenic Council reserves the right to adopt additional rules that pertain to the administration of
the community. These types of rules will be considered Standing Rules and will not be incorporated into the
RIT Panhellenic Council Bylaws. These include but are not limited to the following:
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Awards
Code of Ethics
Recruitment Rules
Judicial Procedures
Recruitment Counselor selection/requirements/expectations
Bylaws of Rochester Institute of Technology Panhellenic Council
Article XVII. Suspension of Bylaws
Any section of the bylaws may be suspended for the duration of one business meeting by a 2/3 affirmative
vote of the Panhellenic Council
Record of Revisions
-
April 17, 2001
April 30, 2001
March 31, 2003
November 2004
March 14, 2005
October 2, 2006
January 22, 2007
September 11, 2013
Spring 2014
October 26, 2015
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