THE BYLAWS
OF
THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS ALUMNUS CAPTER
OF
THE TAU BETA PI ASSOCIATION
BYLAW I
1.01
NAME. The name of this organization shall be the Great Smoky Mountains Alumnus Chapter of
the Tau Beta Pi Association, hereinafter referred to in these Bylaws as the “Chapter.”
1.02
PURPOSE. The purpose of the Chapter shall be:
(a)
To uphold the principles, esprit de corps, and ideals of The Tau Beta Pi Association;
(b)
To advance the cause of the engineering profession;
(c)
To stimulate better student-alumni relations;
(d)
To assist the nearby collegiate chapters with their programs;
(e)
To aid the nearby collegiate chapters with selection of suitable alumni and eminent
engineers for election to membership in the Association; and
(f)
To provide opportunities for alumnus members to meet and discuss common interests.
BYLAW II
2.01
MEMBERSHIP
(a)
Any member of Tau Beta Pi who is not an undergraduate student is eligible for
membership in this Chapter.
(b)
Persons eligible for membership may become members by expressing their desire to
become affiliated with the Chapter, by agreeing to comply with these Bylaws, and by
paying their annual dues to the Treasurer of the Chapter.
Bylaw III
3.01
OFFICERS. The elected officers of the Chapter, hereinafter referred to as the “Executive
Committee,” shall be a President, Vice-President/President Elect, Past President, Secretary,
Treasurer, National Delegate, and four Directors. The President, Vice-President/President Elect,
Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and National Delegate shall serve for one year beginning
on June 1 and ending on May 31 of the following year. The Vice-President/President Elect shall
automatically succeed to the office of President, and the President shall automatically succeed
to the office of Past President. Each of the four Directors shall serve two-year terms. The terms
shall be served alternately in such a manner that only two Directors are elected each year. The
Executive Committee shall conduct all official business of the Chapter except for the election of
officers and the adoption and amendment of these Bylaws as set forth in Bylaw III, Section 3.03,
Bylaw VIII, Section 8.01, and Bylaw VII, Section 7.02, respectively.
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3.02
NOMINATIONS. In April of each year, a Nominating Committee appointed by the Executive
Committee shall nominate one member for each office who will serve in the succeeding year.
Each nominee shall sign and return to the Nominating Committee a consent agreement no later
than May 1 of that year. Each ballot shall have a space for write-in candidates for each office.
3.03
ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers shall take place by mail ballot. Official
ballots shall be sent to all current members of the Chapter no later than the second week of May
preceding the year of service.
3.04
TIME LIMIT OF VOTE. The right to vote in an election shall be forfeited by any member who
fails to return the ballot for that election within two weeks of the time the ballot was mailed to
such member.
3.05
RESIGNATION OF OFFICERS. In the event of the resignation of an officer, the Executive
Committee shall elect a replacement from the membership to fill the office for the remainder of
the term; except that a vacancy in the office of the President shall automatically be filled by the
Vice-President, and a new Vice-President elected at the next scheduled election.
3.06
COMMITTEES. The President shall appoint members to serve on committees as deemed
necessary by the Executive Committee.
3.07
DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT. It shall be the duty of the President:
(a)
To perform the normal duties of that office, and
(b)
To assure that the other officers perform their duties in accordance with these Bylaws.
3.08
DUTIES OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT ELECT. It shall be the duty of the VicePresident/President Elect:
(a)
To assist the President,
(b)
To preside at Executive Committee meetings in the absence of the President,
(c)
To prepare for the Presidency, and
(d)
To be responsible for Chapter programs.
3.09
DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. It shall be the duty of the Secretary:
(a)
To keep the roll and take the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings and to keep
these up-to-date in written form;
(b)
To preside at Executive Committee meetings in the absence of the President and VicePresident, in which instance the Secretary shall appoint another member to take the
minutes;
(c)
To send notices of the time, date, and place of meetings to members at least four days
prior to a meeting;
(d)
To send to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association such items of news and interest
as honors received election to office, and similar events with regard to members of the
Chapter;
(e)
To send to the Secretary Treasure of the Association a copy of the Chapter’s Bylaws
within two weeks of their adoption or amendment;
(f)
To send to the Secretary –Treasurer of the Association the names and addresses of the
Chapter’s official Convention Delegate and Alternate Delegate, if any, on the official
credentials form;
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(g)
To carry on such other correspondence of the Chapter as the President or officers may
direct.
3.10
DUTIES OF THE TRESAURER. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer:
(a)
To send promptly in January of each year to the Secretary Treasurer of the Association
the annual Chapter dues, as provided in Article VII, Section 1 (c), of the Constitution for
the Association;
(b)
To collect the annual membership dues in January of each year.
3.11
DUTIES OF THE DIRECTORS AND THE PAST PRESIDENT. It shall be the duty of the
Directors and the Past President to serve with the other officers as the Executive Committee to
administer the business of the Chapter.
3.12
DUTIES OF THE NATIONAL DELEGATE. It shall be the duty of the National delegate to
represent the Chapter officially at the annual Convention of the association. In the event that the
National Delegate cannot attend, an Alternate Delegate shall be appointed by the Executive
Committee.
Bylaw IV
4.01
MEMBERSHIP DUES. Annual dues shall be payable in January and shall be set by the
Executive Committee.
4.02
PROJECTS. The Chapter may sponsor various projects, provided any proceeds from said
projects are used to finance scholarships and fellowships, to provide support to collegiate
chapters, or to defray Chapter expenses.
4.03
DONATIONS. The Chapter may accept private donations which have been designated for the
purpose of providing scholarships and fellowships, supporting collegiate chapters, or for
defraying the expenses of Chapter operations.
4.04
SOLICITATIONS. No member, nor individual, nor organization may solicit any support
(including moral or financial) without the prior knowledge and approval of a majority of the
Executive Committee.
4.05
CHAPTER DUES. The annual Chapter dues to the Association shall be paid by the Treasurer in
accordance with the Constitution of the Association, Article VII, Section 1 (c).
Bylaw V
5.01
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS. The President, as necessary, or within ten days of
receipt of a written petition signed by at least three officers, shall call a meeting of the officers to
plan Chapter activities or to act upon urgent business.
5.02
QUORUM. At least five members of the Executive Committee must be present at a Committee
meeting before any business may be transacted.
5.03
RULES OF ORDER. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern the proceedings of all
meetings of the Executive Committee, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.
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5.04
CHAPTER MEETINGS. The Secretary shall be responsible for sending notices of the time,
date, and place of Chapter meetings to the members. It is usual to hold two or three meetings a
year, often in conjunction with a collegiate chapter initiation or banquet, and for routine
programs to further the objectives of the Chapter.
Bylaw VI
6.01
EMINENT ENGINEERS. Eminent Engineer candidates eligible for consideration for election to
membership by the Tennessee Alpha Chapter shall be engineers who have achieved distinction
for eminent achievements in the engineering profession regardless of college attended,
scholastic record, or educational background.
6.02
NOMINATIONS. Nominations for Eminent Engineer candidates may be made by a member of
the Great Smoky Mountains Alumnus Chapter to the President of the Chapter.
6.03
QUALIFICATIONS. Qualifications of Eminent Engineer nominees shall be those stated in Article
VIII, Sections 6 and 7, of the Constitution of the Association. Evidence of having satisfied these
criteria is suggested by the five groups of activities listed below.
1. Demonstrated evidence of creative and/or scholarly work:
__activity in research, design, construction, or multifaceted, large-scale engineering
management;
__publications in recognized refereed journals;
__textbooks and monographs;
__invited lectures at conferences and symposia;
__citations by others of research results;
__patents;
__innovative designs or engineering management schemes.
2. Excellence in the workplace:
__development of methodologies/techniques;
__recognition by peers with appropriate awards;
__major projects/processes/products;
__attainment of accomplishments common to senior status.
3. Active in professional/technical/honorary organizations:
__emphasis on sustained activities;
__officer, director, or key committee member.
4. Consultant:
__serve industry, government, and academia.
5. Community service:
__church, civic organizations;
__citizen boards, committees.
Candidates are expected to excel in at least one of the first two groups of activities. Eligibility
may also be achieved by excelling in some activities form groups 1 and 2 plus some activities
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from groups 3, 4, and 5. Candidates should be selected from those who have achieved high
levels of responsibility and performance well in advance of their peers.
6.04
PROCEDURE. Any member of the Great Smoky Mountains Alumnus Chapter who wishes to
sponsor the nomination of a candidate whom he or she believes has “achieved distinction for
eminent attainments in engineering” shall so advise the President of the Chapter orally. A
preliminary screening will then be conducted by the Headquarters Office of Tau Beta Pi, after
receipt of the candidate’s background information.
Upon advice that the candidate passed the preliminary screening, the sponsor will prepare the
following:
A. A letter of recommendation of not more than two type written pages addressed to the
President of the Tennessee Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi supporting the sponsor’s
contention that the candidate has, pursuant to Section 6.03 above, “achieved
distinction for eminent attainments in engineering” during a period of least 10 years
following graduation from a recognized engineering college or at least 15 years for a
non-graduate.
B. A brief employment resume which includes professional affiliations, honors, etc.
The letter of recommendation and resume shall be transmitted to the President of the Great
Smoky Mountains Alumnus chapter, who, upon approval of the executive committee of the
Chapter, will coordinate the recommendation with the president of the Tennessee Alpha
Chapter and will advise the sponsor and the candidate, if elected by the Tennessee alpha
Chapter, of action pursuant thereto.
Bylaw VII
7.01
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by a majority of
the Executive Committee at anytime.
7.02
ADOPTION. Any amendment proposed in the manner specified in the Bylaw 7.01 will be
adopted if approved by the affirmative vote of at least 75 percent of the Chapter members
voting. Ballots shall be mailed to all members of the Chapter, and the time limit of the vote will
be according to Bylaw III, Section 3.04.
Bylaw VIII
8.01
ENACTMENT. These Bylaws shall be in force when approved by at least 75 percent of the
members voting in accordance with Bylaw VII, Section 7.02.
REVISED: 8 September 1989
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