THE CONSTITUTION OF
THE INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL
The Pennsylvania State University
February 19, 2008
PREAMBLE
We, the members of the fraternity community of The Pennsylvania State University, in order to promote the
intellectual, philanthropic, fraternal and social values of recognized fraternities, do hereby establish this
Constitution and By-Laws to maintain cooperation among all social fraternities, their respective
inter/national headquarters, alumni, the Borough of State College, and the University.
ARTICLE I: LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY
Section 1:
All legislative authority granted herein shall be vested in the Interfraternity Council by this
Constitution and the By-Laws.
Section 2:
The Interfraternity Council shall consist of the IFC Executive Board and all Chapter
Presidents of recognized North-American Interfraternity Conference chapters and of
University recognized inter/national and local social fraternities.
Section 3:
To become a recognized member of the Interfraternity Council an organization must follow
the expansion policy established by the IFC By-Laws and the Center for Fraternity and
Sorority Life.
Section 4:
Each member fraternity, in good standing, shall be entitled to one vote at all proceedings.
Section 5:
During all proceedings, a roll call vote of all chapters may be called. An “Aye” shall signify
yes and a “Nay” shall signify no.
Section 6:
A simple majority vote of the entire membership shall be sufficient for election of officers.
Only the president may vote.
Section 7:
Two-thirds of the membership of the President’s Council shall constitute a quorum.
Section 8:
Attendance at all regularly scheduled meetings is mandatory. Any chapter not represented
will be referred to the Vice President for Standards under Article XI, Section 1, 2, a, of the
IFC By-Laws.
ARTICLE II: OFFICERS
Section 1:
The elected officers of the Executive Board shall consist of a President, Executive Vice
President, and Vice President for Finance. The appointed officers shall consist of the Vice
President for Standards, Vice President for Membership, Vice President for Programming,
Vice President for Communications, Associate Vice President for THON and Greek Sing,
and an Associate Vice President for Greek Week and Homecoming.
Section 2 – Eligibility:
A All candidates for the office of President must:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be a current or past fraternity president, or have served as an IFC Executive Board member.
Be a member in good standing with the University and with his respective fraternity;
Hold a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75;
Live in the chapter house unless there is no chapter house available or occupancy available;
Continue to reside in the chapter house throughout the term of office, unless no chapter house is
available or occupancy available.
B All candidates for the office of Executive Vice President and Vice President for Finance must:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Be a member in good standing with the University and with his respective fraternity;
Have held an elected executive office within his respective Chapter, or IFC committee chairman;
Hold a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75;
Have lived in the chapter house, if a chapter house is available.
C. All candidates for the positions of Vice President for Standards, Vice President for Membership, Vice
President for Programming, Vice President for Communications, Associate Vice President for THON
and Greek Sing, Associate Vice President for Greek Week and Homecoming must:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Be a member in good standing with the University and with his respective fraternity;
Hold a cumulative average of at least 2.75;
Have held an elected office in his chapter;
Must have lived in the chapter house, if a chapter house is available.
D. No fraternity member shall be permitted to hold both a position on the Executive Board and any Special
Events Overall Committee simultaneously, except for the Associate Vice Presidents.
E. Any elected or appointed official of the Interfraternity Executive Board who is a chapter president must
relinquish his position to avoid any conflicts of interest.
F. Any elected or appointed official of the Interfraternity Executive Board may not hold an Executive Board
position within his fraternity, unless approved by the IFC Executive Board.
G. No more than two (2) members of any IFC fraternity may hold positions of any kind on the Executive
Council.
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Section 3 - Elected Positions:
A. The Vice President for Standards or his designee shall serve as parliamentarian.
1. Nominations for the offices of President, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Finance
shall be opened the third to last President’s Council meeting of the fall semester, and shall be
closed immediately before the elections of each office.
2. Once nominations are open, nominees for each office have the right to declare and express freely
the policies and principals which he/she represents.
a. The Vice President for Standards will determine appropriate use of time.
b. Nominees may distribute literature.
c. Order of presentations will be determined by the Vice President for Standards
B. The Vice President for Standards will determine the length of candidate speeches during the election,
and act as timekeeper.
C. The Vice President for Standards will determine the amount and length of speeches during the election
on behalf of the candidates.
D. Failure to follow election procedure may result in being deemed ineligible for running for any office, and
will be determined by the Standards Board.
E. The offices of President, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Finance shall be filled by an
election by majority vote of the chapter presidents by secret ballot.
F. All elected positions shall serve an entire calendar year, starting at the beginning of the spring
semester.
G. The president serving during the majority of the fall semester must attend the elections and vote for the
new IFC Executive Board.
H. Resignation and Disqualification: In the event of the resignation or permanent disqualification of the
President, the Executive Vice President shall succeed in office until a President is elected during the
Presidents Council according to the method set forth in this Article. In the event of the resignation or
disqualification of the Vice President for Finance or the Executive Vice President, the President shall
appoint a temporary replacement until an election is held by the methods outlined in this Article.
I.
Offices Left Vacant by Resignation or Disqualification: Nominations for any elected office left
vacant due to resignation or disqualification shall be made at the first regular or special President’s
Council after the action has been taken by the officer. Voting will not take place earlier than the next
regular or special President’s Council.
J. Stipend: Any officer who leaves his position due to resignation or disqualification will be required to
return any and all stipends received for the portion of the term not filled.
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Section 4 - Appointed Positions: The President must present his executive appointments to the
Executive Board by the first President’s Council of the spring semester.
A. Appointments for the office of Vice President for Standards, Vice President for Membership, Vice
President for Communications, Vice President for Programming, Associate Vice President for THON
and Greek Sing, Associate Vice President for Greek Week and Homecoming, and Webmaster shall be
made by the President, Executive Vice President, and Vice President for Finance.
B. Each executive appointment must be ratified by a simple majority vote by the Presidents at the first
President’s Council of the spring semester.
C. In the event an appointed position is vacated due to resignation or permanent disqualification, the
President will have the authority to appoint a temporary replacement until a permanent appointment is
made and ratified as in B above.
Section 5 - Impeachment and Trial: Impeachment and trial of officers or the Executive Board shall be
conducted in accordance with the procedure prescribed in Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
A. Any member of the Executive Board may be impeached by a 7/8s vote of the entire President’s Council
or a 7/8 vote of the remaining Executive Board.
ARTICLE III: INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL ADVISOR
Section 1 - Appointment and Tenure: The Interfraternity Council Advisor shall be the designated staff
member of the Center for Fraternity and Sorority Life and shall serve until the University has appointed a
successor.
Section 2 - Duties: The Interfraternity Council Advisor shall advise IFC officers, committees, and the
Council on matters of legitimate interest and concern to the Council; may, with the advice of the Executive
Council, initiate and undertake any investigation deemed in the interest of the Council; shall cooperate with
the Vice President for Finance and the Associated Student Activities in the receipt and disbursement of
funds, and in preparation of the annual budget, may be present at all Standards Board hearings or
designate a replacement, may assist in the supervision of the operation of the Interfraternity Council, and
may be, along with the IFC President, the University representative at all IFC Hearings. He/she will work
with alumni, advisors, and inter/national headquarters staff as warranted.
ARTICLE IV: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TRANSITION
Section 1 – As the first order of business for the newly elected and appointed IFC Executive Council, the
Constitution, By-Laws, and all other policies affecting the member fraternities of the Interfraternity Council
must be confirmed by the newly elected President’s Council, within a time period approved by the outgoing
Executive Council and IFC Advisor.
Section 2 – Any changes, additions or amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws must be passed by a
3/4s majority vote of the President’s Council.
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Section 3 – Once all IFC documents have been confirmed by the new President’s Council, all new
documents must be distributed to all member fraternities of the Interfraternity Council.
Section 4 – If the newly elected IFC Executive Council violates this article the entire Interfraternity Council
will not be permitted to conduct business until all polices have been confirmed as described in section 2
and 3 above.
ARTICLE V: AMENDMENTS
Section 1 – An Amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Interfraternity Council may be proposed
by only a Chapter President or member of the IFC Executive Board, at any regular or special meeting of the
Interfraternity Council.
Section 2 - Any Amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws must be approved by a 3/4s affirmative vote
of the President’s Council, which constitutes the Interfraternity Council.
THIS CONSTITUTION WAS RATIFIED BY A 42-0 VOTE ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 19TH 2008 AT THE IFC
PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL IN 104 THOMAS
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