By-Laws of the Zeta Pi Chapter Of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

By-Laws of the Zeta Pi Chapter Of the Sigma Chi Fraternity Preamble: Believing that where there is law there is liberty, we the members of the Zeta Pi Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity establish these by-laws for the government of our Chapter, and solemnly promise to obey, effective February 28, 1977 Date Approved: February 28, 1977 Date Revised: September 8, 2006 Article I Membership Section A: Pledging No person shall be pledged to membership in the Zeta Pi Chapter if 30% of the active members present at a regular or special meeting or bid session vote to withhold his bid No pledgeship can be broken except by two separate ballots of two consecutive regular or special meetings or ball sessions No absentee vote shall be cast during the second vote at any such meeting of session No pledge may display the Sigma Chi coat of arms, letters, or badge at any time Pledges must attend any fraternity activity or school activity as defined by the Chapter unless given permission to be excused by the Magister The Magister shall have complete control of all pledge activities unless his program is modified by a majority vote of the Active Chapter No pledge shall be subjected to personal servitude, nor be required to anything, which would be degrading to his character Pledgeship shall be broken for any pledge that formally advises the Consul or Magister that he no longer wishes to be a pledge The purpose of any pledge function is to bring to each pledge insights into the fundamental nature of Sigma Chi The activities involving pledges at any pledge function and the demeanor of brothers at any pledge function must be consistent with that purpose Section B: Initiation All formal initiation procedures not included in the Ritual of the Sigma Chi Fraternity shall be subjected to the provisions of Sigma Chi Statute 2 No person shall be initiated into membership unless the Chapter has written evidence from appropriate University officials, including faculty that he has demonstrated satisfactory scholastic performance in all course work taken to date No person shall be initiated into membership as an undergraduate unless he has received weeks of instruction under the guidance of the Magister; has passed the official pledge examination (national) with a grade of 75% or better; has met all financial obligations to the fraternity; and has met all requirements provided in Sigma Chi Statute If, within three weeks after the first regular meeting of the semester following his initiation, the new initiate has not fulfilled the ritual requirements, he shall lose his voting and social privileges until such time as the requirement is met Pledge class seniority shall be as follows: best pledge will be first, then in descending order of test scores on the National Pledge exam In case of a tie, University grade point average will be given preference Within two weeks following their initiation, the Pro-Consul will conduct Post Indoctrination Training for the initiates covering Sigma Chi Ritual, Sigma Chi Statutes and Constitution, Zeta Pi by-laws, fiscal responsibility, and such other information as he or the Executive Committee deems appropriate Section C: Active Affiliate Any member of another chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity who has matriculated at Texas A&M University Kingsville may affiliate with the Zeta Pi Chapter as an active member after written confirmation from his original chapter has been received, stating that the member in question left in good standing, financial and otherwise; and two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting at a regular or special meeting An active affiliate shall enjoy all privileges and obligations of an active member Prior to a vote to affiliate, the member must have been on observation for a period of one semester, or such lesser period as may be set by the Executive Committee Seniority of an active affiliate shall be based on his date of initiation at his original chapter Section D: Alumnus Status and Fees Each alumnus of Zeta Pi or any other chapter attending a Chapter social function shall be required to pay the fee set for the function Any Sigma Rho alumnus who wishes to become a Sigma Chi alumnus must be approved by not less that two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting at a regular or special meeting; must go through appropriate indoctrination; and must pass the official pledge examination Section E: Active Member Status Any brother who was initiated by Zeta Pi Chapter will have active membership status and will be considered as in the Active Chapter, provided that he is officially enrolled as a student at Texas A&M University - Kingsville Active member status is required for any member to hold any Chapter office 3 After graduation, any active member who is officially enrolled as a student at Texas A&M - Kingsville is entitled to maintain his active member status, or he may elect alumni status The Active Chapter shall consist of all active members Article II Meetings Section A: Quorum A quorum must be present to conduct business at any regular or special meeting and at any bid session or ball session A quorum shall be 51 % of the active membership eligible to vote as provided in Section F of this Article II Section B: Chapter Meetings A regular Chapter meeting shall be held once each week during the semester when school is in session on a day set by a majority vote of the active members present and voting A special Chapter meeting may be called by the Consul at any time on his own initiative or shall be called by him upon written request of any five active brothers In both cases, 24 hours shall be given in writing Any committee report presentation at a Chapter meeting shall be limited to five minutes Discussion on any single subject from the Chapter floor shall be limited to three minutes per speaker Revocation of these time limitations may be made by a simple majority of those active members present and voting Section C: Bid Sessions The Rush Chairman shall call and conduct as many bid sessions as he deems desirable before the end of formal rush, commencing no later than the day before bids go out Twenty- four hours notice in writing shall be given for any bid session No more than two ballots shall be held on any candidate for pledging in a single Chapter meeting or bid session Section D: Ball Sessions There shall be approximately three ball sessions per semester A ball session shall be called by the Magister on his own initiative or shall be called by him upon written request of any five active brothers In both cases, 24 hours notice shall be given in writing The Pro Consul shall preside at all ball sessions under the following procedure: a A secret ballot shall be taken on the pledge class as a whole b If any negative ballot is registered on the pledge class as a whole, a secret ballot shall be taken on each pledge If any pledge receives a negative ballot, the reason for the negative ballot shall be openly discussed at the ball session c Any pledge receiving any negative ballot shall be notified by the Magister of the number of negative ballots and the reason therefore d Each pledge shall then have 24 hours to clear his negative ballots with each active brother If after 24 hours, a negative ballot has not been cleared a second ball session will be held e A quorum of the active brothers who are eligible to vote must be present at the second ball session f The second ball session shall be an open ballot If any pledge receives negative ballots of more than 30% of the actives present who are eligible to vote then his pledgeship shall be terminated The final ball session shall be held prior to the start of indoctrination week Section E: Attendance Legitimate excuses for absence at a chapter meeting or function shall be: a Personal illness b Serious illness of a member of the immediate family c A death in the immediate family d Working (compensatory) other than school work e School class at the same time as the meeting f Attending Tutoring (Must sign in at tutoring center) g Any individual excuse approved by the Executive Committee h Any individual excuse approved by three-fourths of the Active Chapter present and voting at a Chapter meeting A record of fines imposed for absence shall be kept in the minutes by the Annotator and shall be indicated by the Quaestor on the first subsequent semester bill Members entering any Chapter meeting late shall make their presence known to the Annotator An excuse for absence must be presented to the Executive Committee or Active Chapter at the meeting next following the absence unless extended by the Executive Committee Section F: Voting Any active member shall be entitled to vote in any meeting or session provided that he: a Has fulfilled his post initiation ritual obligations b Does not owe the Chapter more than $100.00 for a non-married member or $50.00 for a married member c Has been attendance at, or has legitimately been excused from (as provided in Section E of the Article II) at least three of the last four meetings or sessions at which attendance is mandatory Voting shall be a show of hands or the usual sign and a simple majority of those present and voting affirmatively shall decide all questions unless otherwise provided in these by-laws However, any ten active members present and voting may demand a secret vote The Consul shall vote only if necessary to break a tie Except for ball sessions, any member entitled to vote may so by absentee ballot which he must submit in writing to the Pro-Consul along with a legitimate excuse for his absence Any absentee voter will be considered as present and voting The number of persons needed to meet the specified proportion of members for a quorum and for all cases of voting provided for in these by-laws shall be based on a rounding to the closest whole person Section G: Dress Code Dress at Ritual Meetings and Pledging-In Ceremonies shall be shirt and tie, or sport coat with or without a tie, and shoes Dress at all other meetings shall be optional Section H: Suspension of By-Laws Except as provided in paragraph of Section B of this Article II, any part of these by-laws may be temporarily suspended by a vote of not less that two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting Such temporary suspension of by-laws shall be for one meeting only unless a longer period is specifically provided for Section I: Parliamentary Procedure Any conflict over parliamentary procedure shall be resolved by Robert's Rules of Order Article III Officers Section A: Elected Chapter Officers The elected officers of the Zeta Pi Chapter shall be those prescribed in the Sigma Chi Ritual (Consul, Pro-Consul, Quaestor, Magister, Annotator, Tribune, and Kustos) and in addition: Social Chairman, Rush Chairman, two I.F.C representatives, Ritual Chairman, Chapter Editor, Historian, Alumni Relations Chairman, Sports Chairman and Derby Day Chairman The duties and responsibilities of the elected officers prescribed shall be those provided in the Ritual and The Norman Shield 3 The duties and responsibilities of the Social Chairman shall include planning and arranging for parties and other Chapter social events with the advice of the Active Chapter He shall cooperate with the Rush Chairman in coordinating social activities during formal rush The duties and responsibilities of the Rush chairman shall include planning and organizing all Chapter rush activities and bid sessions during his term of office The duties and responsibilities of the I.F.C shall be to attend all I.F.C meetings and to represent the Chapter at such meetings Any fines given by the I.F.C for failure to attend a meeting will be paid by the I.F.C representative involved The duties and responsibilities of the Ritual Chairman shall include planning and arranging for all activities connected with the Ritual as prescribed by the Sigma Chi Ritual The duties and responsibilities of the Alumni Relations chairman shall include maintaining a current up-to-date mailing list of all alumni and the writing and mailing of at least one letter each semester to each alumnus The duties of the Sports Chairman shall include organizing the team, arranging for practice sessions, procuring equipment, determining who plays on the team, and generally leading the team There shall be one coach for each sport activity in which the Chapter participates The duties and responsibilities of the Derby Day Chairman shall include planning and arranging for: publishing the Derby Day program, selling ads for the program, Derby Week events, and the Derby Day Dance/Party Section B: Nominations Nominations for any office shall be made during the meeting in which the officer is installed and during the regular Chapter meeting just preceding such installation There shall be at least two nominees for each office whenever possible No person in the Active Chapter may be nominated for office while owing more than $100.00 to the Chapter Section C: Term of Office The term of office for the Consul, Pro-Consul, Quaestor, Annotator, Rush Chairman, Derby Day Chairman, Tribune, and Kustos shall be for one year commencing with the meeting at which the officer is installed and ending with the meeting at which his successor is installed Such officers shall be installed no later than the last regular meeting in May each year The term of office for the Magister, Ritual Chairman, Social Chairman, two All Greek Council Representatives, Chapter Editor, Historian, Alumni Relations Chairman, and Sports Chairman shall be for one semester commencing with the meeting when the officer is installed and ending with the meeting when his successor is installed For the spring semester these officers shall be installed no later than the last regular meeting in December and for the fall term, no later than the last regular meeting in May In the event that any officer is unable to complete his term of office, his replacement shall be elected, as the case may be, at the earliest possible date and shall serve the remainder of the replaced officer's term of office Section D: Impeachment Any elected or appointed officer may be removed from office as provided in paragraph of this Section D for non-exemplary conduct, conduct not becoming of a Sigma Chi, or malfeasance of office Any office shall be declared vacant and the brother removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Active Chapter present and voting, but only after charges have been openly preferred against the officer by a member of the Active Chapter in the Chapter meeting prior to the meeting at which the vote of impeach is to be taken Section E: Vote of Confidence At the second regular chapter meeting in the fall or spring term any brother may call for a vote of confidence upon any officer or committee chairman, whereupon any officer or committee chairman who does not receive a majority of votes in his favor shall resign from such office and responsibility If such action causes a resignation, the Executive Committee shall present a nominee for such office at the next regularly scheduled chapter meeting The foregoing provisions dealing with the election of officers shall apply for such action necessary for said special election Article IV COMMITTEES Section A: The Executive Committee The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Consul, Pro-Consul, Magister, Quaestor, Annotator, Social Chairman, Rush Chairman, past Consuls while in school, Senior I.F.C Representative, and two members of the Active Chapter elected at large The Pledge-Class Spokesman shall attend Executive Committee meetings and may participate in all non-esoteric deliberations, but shall have no vote One other member of the pledge class may attend Executive Committee meetings on a rotating basis The Pro-Consul shall preside at all Executive Committee meetings and will vote only to break a tie The Executive Committee shall regularly meet once a week while school is in session at a time specified by the Pro-Consul with the advice of the Executive Committee members 5 The Executive Committee will serve as the judicial board for the chapter and shall be responsible for assisting the Consul in planning a well-rounded program for the Active Chapter; enforcing the Sigma Chi Constitution, Sigma Chi Statutes, and the Chapter's bylaws; and ruling on fines and socially inactive status provided in Article V of these bylaws The Executive Committee shall have the power to make any ruling which it considers to be for the best interest of the Chapter Any such ruling shall be overruled by a threefourths vote of the active members present and voting at a Chapter meeting Voting shall be on the same basis as provided in Article II, Section F Section B: Ad Hoc and Standing Committees The Consul shall appoint such ad hoc and standing committees as he deems necessary Article V Financial Section A: Initiation Fee Every pledge, prior to his initiation, shall pay to the Quaestor the sum of one hundred and seventy-five ($175) dollars The new initiate shall receive therefore a certificate of membership and the Fraternity badge upon completion of his initiation and other obligations as prescribed in the Sigma Chi Ritual Section B: Pledging-in Fee Any person Pledged to the Chapter shall pay a pledging-in fee of ninety dollars ($90) at the time of his pledging-in The entire Pledge fee shall be paid to the General Fraternity The Pledge shall receive thereof a pledge pin and a Norman Shield Section C: Semester Dues Members of the Active Chapter who are not married shall pay semester dues in the amount of three hundred dollars ($300) Members of the Active Chapter who are married shall pay semester dues in the amount of two hundred and twenty dollars ($220) Section D: Summer Dues Each member who is not married and who will return to school the next fall semester shall pay summer dues in the amount of seventy-five dollars ($75) Each member who is married and who will return to school the next fall semester shall pay summer dues in the amount of fifty dollars ($50) Section E: Fines Any member absent from a Chapter meeting, bid session, or ball session without a legitimate excuse as provided in Article II, Section E, shall be fined ten dollars ($10) Any member absent from a meeting at which there is an election of officers, a formal pledging-in ceremony, or initiation investiture without a legitimate excuse as provided in Article II, Section E, shall be fined ten dollars ($10) Any member attending a meeting while not dressed as provided in Article II, Section G shall be fined five dollars ($5) Section F: Rendering and Payments of Bills All semester bills for dues and fines shall be presented by the Quaestor at the first meeting of each semester and are payable at that time No charges to members on regularly semester bills may be made for goods or services from outside vendors without the expressed authority of the Active Chapter Outside vendors include shirt distributors, photographers, tuxedo rentals, stationery companies, and similar enterprises Summer dues may be paid at any time during the summer and if not paid during the summer, will be payable at the first regular Chapter meeting of the fall semester Section G: Temporary Inability to Pay - Promissory Note Any member unable to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter may remain financially current by signing a personal promissory note in favor of the Chapter, provided that: a He satisfies the Executive Committee that he temporarily is unable to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter, and b He is willing and able to pay National Fraternity dues payable by the Chapter during the life of the note, and c He pays the pro rated cost of any organized social or other Chapter activity in which he participates during the life of the note, and d The total amount owed the Chapter secured by one or more notes does not exceed $100.00 for a member who is not married, or $50.00 for a member who is married, and e The note becomes due at the end of the semester in which it is signed; provided, however, that a member's note may be extended for a specified period, not to exceed one semester, if the Executive Committee determines such extension to be in the best interest of the Chapter Section H: Socially Inactive Status Any member may be granted socially inactive status, provided that: a He satisfies the Executive Committee that he, in fact, is unable to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter, and b He is financially current at the time he applies for socially inactive status, and c He is willing and able to pay National Fraternity dues payable to the Chapter during the period of his socially inactive status, and d He understands and agrees that during the period of his socially inactive status he will not be privileged to attend Chapter meetings, or participate in any social, athletic, or other Chapter activity unless open to the public, and e The socially inactive status does not extend beyond the end of the semester in which it is granted; provided, however, that a member may again seek socially inactive status in any subsequent semester while in school Section I: Financial Expulsion Any member who fails to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter will be subject to financial expulsion, provided that: a He owes the Chapter money in excess of $ 120.00 for a member who is not married or $90.00 for a member that is married, including any amount secured by a promissory note or, b He has failed to pay the Chapter any money during any sixty day period in which he is not in a socially inactive status, and c The Quaestor sends the member a certified letter, return receipt requested, a letter which: (1) Sets forth the amount of money owed the Chapter, (2) States that he has thirty days within which to arrange to clear up his financial obligations to the Chapter on a basis which is satisfactory to the Executive Committee, (3) Warns that failure to make such arrangement will result in the Chapter's advising the National Fraternity that financial expulsion procedures are to be instituted against him, and (4) Advises that if financially expelled, he no longer would be privileged to attend Chapter meetings or participate in any activities not open to the public, and d Two-thirds of the Active Chapter present and voting at a regular or special Chapter meeting authorizes the financial expulsion of the member Section J: Life Loyal Zeta Pi Any alumnus of Zeta Pi Chapter or any other Chapter of Sigma Chi, upon the payment of three hundred dollars ($300) to the Zeta Pi Housing Corporation, will become a Life Loyal Zeta Pi Section K: Voluntary Alumni Dues At least once every year, each Zeta Pi alumnus will be invited to pay Voluntary Zeta Pi Alumni Dues in the amount of $19.67, or such other amount, as the alumnus deems appropriate Such dues and other money donated by alumni will be accumulated and used in the chapter's best interest Section L: Financial Limitations - Athletic and Social No Zeta Pi active shall be allowed to participate and/or attend athletic or social activities intended for Sigma Chi actives only, who owe the Zeta Phi Chapter more than $100.00 2 No active member shall be admitted, to Homecoming Events or Sweetheart Ball, who owes the chapter more than one months dues, unless excused by a two-thirds vote of the active chapter Article VI General Conduct Section A: General Behavior Each active member shall conduct himself in the manner prescribed by the Sigma Chi Statute 3, Section D, paragraph 3.18 Alumni members, affiliates, and guests are subject to these by-laws when they are on the premises of the Chapter and at Chapter functions Section B: Narcotics The use of marijuana or narcotics is positively prohibited on the premises of the Chapter and at Chapter functions Any violators shall be subject to expulsion proceedings as provided in Sigma Chi Statute Section C: Alcohol Awareness At Chapter social events where alcohol is served, the rights of non-drinkers will be recognized and food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided Each brother has a personal obligation and responsibility to seriously try to prevent an inebriated brother from driving a vehicle and from conducting himself in a manner unbecoming of a Sigma Chi Whenever a brother imbibes to a point where it is believed that if he were to operate a vehicle, he could be a hazard to himself or others, such brother will be expected to gracefully accede to arrangements made by other brothers to eliminate the need for him to operate a vehicle Such arrangements might include driving the brother to his destination, driving his vehicle for him, finding a place for him to spend the night, etc There is no merit in a "macho" attitude sometimes seen in persons who are under the influence of alcohol Article VII Sweethearts Section A: Selection Procedure Must be a student at Texas A&M University – Kingsville Female candidate does not have to be Greek Wives of brothers are automatically considered Section B: Term of Office Each Sweetheart shall hold office for a period of one year Each Sweetheart may only hold office for only one term Article VIII Amendments Section A: Amendment Procedure A proposal to amend these by-laws may be presented to the Executive Committee by any active member who is entitled to vote as provided in paragraph of Section F, Article II The Executive Committee must read any such proposal at the next two regular Chapter meetings before a vote can be taken The by-laws shall be amended by vote of two-thirds of the Active Chapter members present and voting after the second reading and discussion of the proposal  ... expulsion of the member Section J: Life Loyal Zeta Pi Any alumnus of Zeta Pi Chapter or any other Chapter of Sigma Chi, upon the payment of three hundred dollars ($300) to the Zeta Pi Housing... resolved by Robert's Rules of Order Article III Officers Section A: Elected Chapter Officers The elected officers of the Zeta Pi Chapter shall be those prescribed in the Sigma Chi Ritual (Consul, Pro-Consul,... against the officer by a member of the Active Chapter in the Chapter meeting prior to the meeting at which the vote of impeach is to be taken Section E: Vote of Confidence At the second regular chapter