BYLAWS Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Gamma Alpha Chapter James Madison University

Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 BYLAWS Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Gamma Alpha Chapter James Madison University (The material contained herein is not complete in itself, and is not to be interpreted as such; rather, it should be thought of as an extension to the National Constitution (NC), the General Regulations for Collegiate Chapters (GRCC) (NC and GRCC 2006 revisions), and the Chapter Officers Manual of Instructions, providing any material peculiar to and pertaining only to the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia For further explanation and clarification of any point in question concerning this document, always refer to the above mentioned documents In the case of a conflict, the Chapter Bylaws shall yield to and be considered subordinate to the above mentioned documents) Spring 2009 Gamma Alpha Executive Committee Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 Article I Name Section One – Name A This organization shall be known as the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc located at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia NC-I-(1-3) Article II Membership Section One – Eligibility for Active Membership A Membership in this organization is open to all male JMU students and will not be restricted on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, national origin, race, color, religion, veteran status, sexual orientation or political affiliation Exemption from gender discrimination is allowed under Title IX B Any man shall be eligible for active membership when he has satisfied all requirements set forth by the National Constitution and the Gamma Alpha Chapter Bylaws C A student may be eligible for membership upon attaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 overall D First semester freshmen are eligible for membership Section Two – The Probationary Period (GRCC-III) A The Gamma Alpha Probationary Period shall be a 6-8 week period and follows the approved Gamma Alpha Guide to Probationary Membership B Materials The Probationary Members (PMs) are encouraged to carry all of their materials, as referred below, with them during the entire probationary period, from 8am – 8pm The probationary member is responsible for the following materials and guidelines throughout the Probationary Period: The PM Pin: to be worn on the upper left side of the shirt closest to the heart It is encouraged to be worn from 8am to 8pm, and at all Fraternity functions, with the following exceptions: a The PM Pin does not need to be worn under a marching band uniform for the pin is likely to be broken or lost b The PM pin shall never be worn when consuming alcoholic beverages c The PM does not need to wear the pin if the risk of losing the pin is great (ie: an athletic event) or if hazardous to health d If a PM is unsure if he should wear his pin, he should contact the Fraternal Education Officer (FEO) PM Book and Themes for Brotherhood shall be presented to the PMs as educational resources during the probationary period Gamma Alpha Bylaws Plaque: during Brotherhood week all PM’s may carry a plaque with them with the same requirements as the materials above All PMs are encouraged to wear professional attire as defined in Article VII, Section Two, Subsection A every Monday Meetings Formal PM Class Meetings a The Probationary Member is required to attend all Probationary Class meetings A common time and place for the meeting with the FEO shall be determined immediately after the Formal Smoker and shall be the same time and place every week unless otherwise noted All absences, whether excused or not, shall be brought to the attention of the Chapter Formal Brotherhood Meetings a The Probationary member may attend all of the Formal Brotherhood meetings He shall have no vote, but is allowed to express his opinion The Chapter shall ask the PM’s to excuse themselves from the meeting when issues of secrecy are about to be discussed Official Ceremonies a The Probationary Member is required to attend all official Fraternity Ceremonies The time of these Ceremonies shall be made known to the PMs at the beginning of the Probationary period Consideration shall be given to Probationary Members with prior conflicts PM Book Contents The PM Book contents shall be determined by the Fraternity Education Officer, pending the approval of the Gamma Alpha Chapter Points The purpose of the point system is to meet and interact with brothers, and to reinforce Fraternity Education Throughout the Probationary period each PM may earn a minimum of four points from each active Brother a A PM may receive no more than two points a day from each Brother, and no more than eight points throughout the entire period b Points will be given to a PM for his display of knowledge of the fraternity as a study resource for the National Exam c Only whole point increments may be awarded The giving of points shall follow the guidelines of article VIII Visits Big Brother Visits a It is required that the Big Brother shall meet with his Little Brother at least once a week during the PM process C D E F 5/26/10 Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 The Big Brother shall record these visits in his little brother’s PM book Brother Visits a Each PM is to have a formal visit with each active brother A log of this is to be kept in the PM book and the brother shall write comments concerning the visit in this space Alumni Sinfonians and/or Faculty Advisor Visit a Each PM is encouraged to have a formal visit with Alumni Sinfonians of their choice A record of this shall be kept in the Alumni Sinfonians signatures page in the back of the PM Book G Probationary Class Recital This shall be a formal event Each Probationary Member must perform two prepared selections a One selection must be by an American composer; this may include an original composition These selections must reflect the professional and musical standards of the Chapter The Probationary Class as a whole must perform a piece composed or arranged by one or more members of the Class H Probationary Class Project The probationary member must participate with his probationary class in a project, the subject of which shall be determined by the probationary members in cooperation with the current active members of the Chapter The Probationary Class Project shall benefit the Fraternity, School of Music, University, and/or Community at large If the project is not completed by the end of the Probationary semester, all members of the PM class shall be on Chapter Suspension until its completion I Little Brother Selection Any active brother who desires to have a Little Brother shall make their intentions known to the FEO in writing during the Rush process but prior to Bid Night of that semester The executive committee will hold a meeting after Bid Night to review the list of Brothers who desire a Little Brother, their letters of intent, a list of Rushees' that were extended Bids, and follow the guidelines for Big Brother Responsibilities found in Article II, Section 2, Subsection J Any executive committee member desiring a Little Brother will be excluded from this meeting to ensure a non-biased committee The FEO will give a full report on Little Brother Selection to the chapter prior to the pinning ceremony that includes a list of Brothers desiring Littles and the pairing of Big and Little Brothers J Big Brother Responsibilities b Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 The Big Brother shall be an active brother of the Chapter in Good Standing who shall serve as a mentor to his Little Brother during the probationary process The Big Brother shall attend all PM meetings Absences from these meetings are covered under Article IV, Section Eight The Big Brother shall pay for his Little Brother’s plaque and a set of family Letters The Big Brother shall assemble his Little Brother’s PM book, following the specifications set forth by the FEO If the Big Brother is not fulfilling his duties, the Executive Committee has the right to revoke Big Brother status Only the FEO and/or the PM can suggest to the Executive Committee to revoke Big Brother status The vote must be passed by a three-fourths majority of the Executive Committee and be made using a secret ballot If Big Brother status is revoked another brother shall serve as the PM’s Big Brother K Examination The probationary member must earn a perfect score on the final examination, including questions from the national examination and those determined by the Fraternity Education Officer and approved by the executive committee GRCC-III-7 At least four quizzes shall be given over the course of the Probationary Period, which shall cover the information learned during the Probationary Member meetings The Probationary Member must earn a perfect score on each quiz L Retention of Probationary Members Retention of Probationary Members shall be carried out as per GRCC-III-6 M Completion of Probationary Requirements If a Probationary Member does not fulfill his Probationary Requirements as outlined in the Gamma Alpha Chapter Guide to the Probationary Membership Process by the date of the National Exam, he will automatically be disqualified from membership at that time and his probationary process will be terminated The Probationary Member in question may be considered for Probationary Membership the following semester under the same guidelines as any other rushee The Probationary Member books shall be collected at the National Exam to verify completion of the requirements Reasonable exceptions will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by three-fourths affirmative vote by the chapter brotherhood for the Probationary Member in question to be initiated Reasonable exceptions include but are not limited to the following: a Illness of self or family member b Death of family member Gamma Alpha Bylaws c 5/26/10 Severe injury or otherwise incapacitation of self Article III Officers Section One – Elections A The election of Chapter officers shall take place during the fourth meeting of the Spring Semester The installation of new officers shall take place during the last meeting in March Section Two – President A The President shall have the authority to sign any and all legal and binding contracts with a majority vote of the active brotherhood Though the faculty advisor shall not have the final authority over decision concerning legal decisions, he shall be consulted before final action is taken B He shall create any committees other than those specified in the National Constitution as needed He shall appoint all committee chairmen as needed C He shall appoint a brother who is the most qualified in Choral Music and Conducting to serve as the Music Director of the Chapter D He shall appoint a Brother to serve as representative to the Interfraternal Four-Way Committee E He shall not be a committee head unless the Chapter is under 10 members F He shall hold no other office G He shall appoint a brother to maintain the Chapter homepage on the internet GRCC-XI-1 Section Three – Vice President A The Vice President shall be responsible for presiding over Chapter meetings in the absence of the President B When the President is in attendance, he shall be responsible for performing the office of those who are not present at any Chapter function C The Vice President shall be responsible for the organization and function of the committees that are active in the Chapter D He shall not be a committed member of a committee besides the executive committee unless membership of the Chapter is below 15 E He shall audit the Chapter ledgers and books prior to new officer elections GRCC-XI-2 Section Four – Secretary A The Secretary shall record and keep the minutes of each Chapter meeting including an attendance list and all voting records These minutes shall be filed electronically and on hard copy with the Historian every two months B He shall be responsible for providing a copy of the minutes to the members of the active Brotherhood of the Gamma Alpha Chapter during the week Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 following the Chapter meeting The minutes shall be submitted electronically C He shall be responsible for maintaining the brother contact list, and the summer address list The semester contact list shall be completed no later than the fourth week of each semester and the summer address list by the week before spring finals GRCC-XI-3 Section Five – Treasurer A The Treasurer shall keep neat, accurate, and complete records of all monetary transactions between the Chapter and any persons and/or organizations A copy of these records shall be filed with the Historian every two months B He shall submit a monthly statement of Chapter finances to the members of the active Brotherhood of the Gamma Alpha Chapter C He shall have the Chapter ledgers and books ready for audit by the Chapter Vice President prior to new officer elections GRCC-XI-4 Section Six – Historian A The Historian is the archivist for the Chapter and is responsible for all historical material of the Chapter This includes the Chapter photo album, notebook, and anything else pertaining to the history of the Chapter B He shall maintain a Chapter family tree C He shall be responsible for securing copies of all available bylaws past and present for future references D He shall file the minutes from the Chapter Secretary and records from the Chapter Treasurer in the Chapter closet every two months GRCC-XI-5 Section Seven – Warden A The Warden shall be responsible for protecting the privacy of Chapter meetings, documents, and ceremonies B He shall be responsible for planning and supervising the rehearsal and performance of all Chapter rituals C He shall be responsible for care and maintenance of all Ritual equipment and materials D He shall be responsible for scheduling rooms for the Gamma Alpha Chapter and be responsible for the keys to the closet and the rooms E He shall be responsible for enforcing the rules of order at each Chapter meeting GRCC-XI-6 Section Eight – Alumni Relations Officer A The Alumni Relations Officer shall notify alumni of all events planned by the Chapter and news thereof at least every two months Gamma Alpha Bylaws B 5/26/10 He shall maintain a Chapter alumni newsletter and send it to all alumni brothers in addition to maintaining an electronic copy These newsletters shall be filed with the Historian GRCC-XI-7 Section Nine – Fraternal Education Officer A Before each probationary period the FEO shall present a copy of that semester’s probationary program to be approved by the Chapter B The FEO has the right to appoint a brother as Brotherhood Education Officer/Assistant FEO if he deems it necessary GRCC-XI-8 C The FEO shall submit weekly reports to the Chapter regarding the Probationary Members and their progress D The FEO shall not be allowed to have a Little Brother while in office, unless the number of potential Little Brothers exceeds the number of active members in good standing of the Chapter Section Ten – Faculty Advisor A The Faculty Advisor shall be a full time faculty or staff member at James Madison University He will assume those responsibilities as outlined in these bylaws and/or found in University Policy No 3101 entitled “Faculty Advisors to Student Organizations.” B The Faculty Advisor shall be informed of all Chapter activities C This office shall be an elected post by the Chapter D This office may be held as a co-advisory position E The confirmation of position/election of Faculty Advisor shall be done at least once a year GRCC-XI-9 Section Eleven – Appointments A All appointments must be confirmed by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Committee Section Twelve - Length of Office A If the probationary period extends beyond April 1st, the FEO and the Warden shall continue their post until the probationary period and ritual have occurred Article IV Administration Section One – Rules of Order A The Chapter shall abide by and conduct business activities in accordance with the latest edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised” Section Two – Financial Obligations Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 Each active member shall be required to pay national and Chapter dues, the amount of which shall be determined by both the National Fraternity and the Chapter (GRCC-VIII) B If a Brother or Probationary Member cannot pay dues, the Treasurer shall work with them to establish a payment plan C In the event of a financial catastrophe, a brother’s Chapter dues may be waived upon majority vote of the brothers D The Treasurer shall set and announce a date each semester for the due dates of National and Chapter dues If a member does not pay his National and Chapter dues by the given date, he shall be placed on Chapter Suspension until he pays the dues or an alternative resolution with the Treasurer has been reached a Appeals may be made on a case-by-case basis to the Executive Committee b Suspension shall be determined according to the National Constitution, Article XV, Section One If a member does not pay his National and Chapter dues by the given date he shall accrue a $10 fee to the Chapter A Section Three – Right to Vote A The right to vote shall be extended to active members in good standing Section Four – Executive Committee A The executive committee, chaired by the President, shall consist of the eight officers sanctioned by the National Constitution and General Regulations for Collegiate Chapters These shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, FEO, Alumni Secretary, Historian, and Warden GRCC-XII-1 Section Five – Committees A The Vice President shall be responsible for the organization and function of the committees that are active in the Chapter, and is an ex officio member of all committees B The standing committees shall be Publicity, Fundraising, Service, and Social/Four-Way The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for the maintenance and appearance of the bulletin board, promotion of rush events, and any other responsibilities as deemed necessary by the Brotherhood The Fundraising Committee shall be responsible for raising any monies needed to assist the Fraternity’s efforts and any other responsibilities as deemed necessary by the Brotherhood The Service Committee shall be responsible for maintaining the School of Music ushering list, planning Mills Music Missions, planning any other events intended to serve the community at large, and any other responsibilities as deemed necessary by the Brotherhood Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 The Social/Four-Way Committee shall be responsible for organizing any events intended to further enhance the brotherhood of the Chapter and to maintain four-way relations and plan, or assist the other music organizations in planning, the Four-Way Ball, as well as any other responsibilities deemed necessary by the Brotherhood C Special committees may be organized and their duties defined when deemed necessary by the Chapter D All committees are required to meet as often as necessary to fulfill their duties Section Six – Music Director A The President shall appoint the Brother in the Chapter most qualified in choral directing to be the Music Director B This is not an officer position on the Chapter’s executive committee C The Music Director shall be responsible for all musical aspects of musical activities of or sponsored by the Chapter Section Seven – Attendance A A brother will be deemed present for a meeting when they have in their possession their songbook, pen or pencil and planner/handheld calendar, and they are wearing either pinwear or letters Brothers who not meet requirements will receive an unexcused absence B All executive and committee heads shall bring their required materials to all meetings C An absence shall be classified as unexcused if notice is not submitted to the Executive Committee prior to absence D An absence may be deemed unexcused by a majority vote of the Executive Committee no later than a week from the date of absence E Appeals may be brought before the active membership, at any formal meeting, for a majority vote to overturn a decision made by the Executive Committee F Excessive tardies to chapter functions may result in disciplinary action at the discretion of the executive committee Section Eight – Suspension A Any active member shall be considered for suspension as defined in NC-XV1: Unexcused absence at three Chapter functions, per semester Unexcused absence at any ritual or two unexcused absences at any ritual rehearsal Unexcused absence at any Mills Music Mission B Any current member not in good academic standing shall be considered for suspension NC-II-2 & GRCC-I and II C Suspension shall be lifted on a case-by-case basis following a three-fourths vote of the Chapter Brotherhood present and voting in a regular or called meeting with quorum present Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 Attendance at three consecutive official Fraternity functions shall be considered grounds for lifting of suspension Article V Amendments Section One – Amendments to the Chapter Bylaws A A Proposed amendment must be made, in writing, to the Chapter at least one week before voting on such an amendment B The Chapter Bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the active membership present and voting Amended Bylaws will be submitted within 10 days to Student Organization Services for approval C Amendments to the bylaws shall be incorporated into the bylaws immediately (see Article VII, Section 1) Article VI Special Observances Section One – Anniversaries A The Chapter shall celebrate two anniversaries of the fraternity: Founder’s Day (October 6) and Chapter Day (May 11) B Chapter Day may be celebrated on a selected day before the end of Spring Semester Article VII Miscellaneous Section One – Bylaws Revisions A The Bylaws of the Gamma Alpha Chapter shall be reviewed at least once triennially in between National Assemblies B The Executive Committee shall review the Bylaws C If the Bylaws are amended, a new edition shall be published and distributed at the beginning of the following semester Section Two – Fraternal Attire A Professional Attire shall be defined as dress pants and collared shirt B Pinwear shall be defined as Professional Attire with a tie and a Phi Mu Alpha official pin C Brothers are required to wear fraternal letters or pinwear at official Gamma Alpha Chapter Meetings D Pinwear is required at all ushering events Article VIII Hazing Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 Section One – Non-Hazing Statement A Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, in keeping with JMU’s expectations for a positive academic and social environment, unconditionally opposes hazing No individual member of our group or the group itself may engage in or plan any activity that may be defined as hazing B Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia opposes any situation created intentionally to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule to its members or potential members In addition, no individual nor recognized organization may by physical or mental stress or by subtle or covert technique, impair, make captive, or destroy an individual’s freedom of thought and choice C Hazing, under Virginia law, is defined as activities for the initiation or induction into an organization which include calisthenics or other strenuous physical activity; exposure to inclement weather; consumption of food, liquid, beverage, drug or other substance; confinement in any room or compartment; spraying, painting or pelting with any substance; burying in any substance; burning, branding or tattooing or another activity which may result in physical injury or endanger the health or life of the individual being hazed D J17-101 Section 18.2-56 of the Code of Virginia, as amended, which declares hazing illegal, establishes conditions for civil and criminal liability and outlines the duties of the university when a student has been found guilty of hazing E It is hereby incorporated into these Bylaws and will serve as a guide for action by the university and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia if there is an instance of hazing by this organization or any of the members of this organization It will be the duty of the officers of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia to educate the membership of this policy  .. .Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 Article I Name Section One – Name A This organization shall be known as the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc located at James. .. at all ushering events Article VIII Hazing Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 Section One – Non-Hazing Statement A Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, in keeping with JMU’s expectations for a positive academic and... the minutes to the members of the active Brotherhood of the Gamma Alpha Chapter during the week Gamma Alpha Bylaws 5/26/10 following the Chapter meeting The minutes shall be submitted electronically