By-Laws
By-Laws
Of the
Iota of Texas Alumni Association
Of
The Two-Year College
Preamble
We, the members of Phi Theta Kappa’s Iota of Texas Alumni Association at The University of Texas at Dallas, hereby associate ourselves to continue to uphold the purposes of Phi Theta Kappa; provide a continuing fellowship of Phi Theta Kappa members; help transfer students become accustomed to the senior institution and the life it affords; and recognize and encourage scholarship and leadership among Phi Theta Kappans.
Article I – Name
The name of this organization shall be the Iota of Texas Alumni Association of the Phi Theta kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College, hereinafter referred to as Society.
Article II – Membership
An Alumnus member shall be a former member of the Society who terminated active membership in good standing and who was enrolled for at least one year in a two-year college.
Section 1. Active Members.
A. An active member, hereinafter referred to as Member, of Iota of Texas Alumni Association, hereinafter referred to as Association, shall be a student attending The University of Texas at Dallas, hereinafter referred to as University or a member in the Community: have been an active member in good standing of the Society at a two-year college; and, maintain a current fees status to the Association.
B. Membership is open to all qualified persons without regard to race, creed, religion, sexual orientation or national origin.
C. Members will be required to pay a $25.00 one-time fee starting fall 2011.
Section 2. Honorary Members.
An honorary alumni member shall be a person who has rendered distinguished service to the alumni association and was previously inducted as an honorary member into a Phi Theta Kappa chapter.
A. Honorary members shall not have the right to vote, hold office or represent the Society. Nor shall honorary members be asked to pay membership fees to the Association.
B. Honorary membership shall be placed in nomination to the general membership of the Association. A simple Majority vote of members attending a general meeting may elect an honorary alumni member.
Article III – Officers and Duties
The elected officers of this organization shall be but not limited to: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian, Fundraiser and Membership. The addition of officers will be determined by the advisor(s).
Section 1. President:
The duties of the President shall be to preside over all Association meetings, create and print agendas for all meetings, to serve as chairman of the Executive Board, to appoint all committees, to enforce the By-Laws, maintain an accurate and current chronological list for the chapter during the term of office, to call special meetings, to act as spokesperson for the Association, and to ensure that proper procedures are followed with regard to University and Society policies.
Section 2. Vice-President:
The duties of the Vice-President shall be to serve as Acting President in the absence of the President, to serve on Executive Board, to serve as ex-officio member of all committees and serve as program chairperson.
Section 3. Treasurer:
The duties of the Treasurer shall be to serve on the Executive Board, to collect fees, to maintain accurate accounting records (including a journal ledger in which all deposits and expenditures are recorded, a file of deposit receipts, and a file of requisition receipt(s), to deposit promptly into the Association’s account all money received, to process applicable payments, and to render financial reports to all meetings and upon request. All funds will go through the Advisor(s). The treasurer is responsible for notifying the members of the current dues along with the Secretary.
Section 4. Secretary:
The duties of the Secretary shall be to serve on the Executive Board, to keep the minutes of the Executive Board and General Assembly meetings, post minutes, take roll call, to act as corresponding agent at all levels. Collaborate with President in the maintenance of accurate and updated by-laws.
Section 5. Fundraiser:
The duties of the Fundraiser shall be to serve on the Executive Board, to apply for available grants on and off campus, initiate collaboration with Center for Student Involvement on paperwork regarding fundraising events, and opportunities. Serve as chairperson of fundraising events on and off campus for term in office.
Section 6. Membership:
The duties of the Membership officer shall be to serve on Executive Board, maintain an accurate and current membership roster, attend campus recruitment periods, and notify members of upcoming Association events on and off campus. Update OrgSync and/or current software used by Center for Student Involvement.
Section 7. Historian:
The duties of the Historian shall be to serve on the Executive Board, to maintain and promote publicity for the Association. Keep chronological list by date of all events held annually. Take photos at events. Update OrgSync and/or current software used by Center for Student Involvement and bulletin board located in the Student Union building. Included in OrgSync update will include approving community civic hours for members and other areas that involve promotion and publicity of the Association.
Section 8. Executive Officer duties:
The duties of all Executive officers of the Association shall be to maintain accurate and current records for the next officer team using OrgSync, notebooks, digital files, and/or other software used by Center for Student Involvement. All Executive officers will attend one time OrgSync training per time in office.
Section 9. Materials gathered:
All materials gathered, collected, or purchased throughout the year are property of the Association. This is to include but is not limited to film, cameras, pictures, signs and banners, fliers, brochures, and officer notebooks.
Section 10. Notebooks:
Each officer is to maintain current accurate records with regard to their specific office (see Article III Section 6). These records are to contain materials to aid the officer in their duties, notes of events, how-to information, and any other materials collected throughout the year. The records will be given to the officer at the first Executive Board meeting after their election and will be returned to the chapter upon completion of their term of office.
Article IV – Executive Board
The Executive Board shall consist of all elected officers, committee chair(s), and the advisor(s).
Section 1. The duties of the Executive Board shall be to handle all questions not specifically dealt with in this document, to make recommendations to the membership, and to plan the yearly calendar for the Association.
Section 2. The Executive Board will meet at the call of the Chapter President or chapter Advisor(s).
Section 3. All By-Law and fiduciary decisions shall be advisory. The membership must vote on all recommendations, which to go into effect, must be approved by a simple majority of those voting.
Section 4. Voting members on the Executive Board consist of Association officers except the President. Committee chairs and Advisor(s) will serve as non-voting members on the Executive Board. In the event of a tie, the Association’s President will cast the deciding vote.
Article V – Election of Officers
Section 1. Members interested in running for an office must submit their name, position desired, and brief bio to Advisor(s) not less than 14 days from scheduled election.
Section 2. Nominations speeches will be heard at the General Assembly meeting, the first week of May. Each student interested in running for office will be given a 5 minute speech time to campaign during the meeting. After campaigning, members will vote.
Section 3. Voting shall be by secret ballot during the first meeting in the first week of May.
Section 4. A simple majority of all members voting shall constitute a choice.
Section 5. In the event of a tie, a run-off election shall be held. The nominees involved with the tie, will have 1 minute to recap/campaign and voting will take place immediately after.
Section 6. Any Member in good standing may vote and/or be nominee for office if he or she has a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the University.
Section 7. All votes will be counted by the Advisor(s).
Section 8. Installation of new officers will occur at the end of the General Assembly meeting after elections.
Section 9. The term of office will be for a period beginning with the installation in the Fall and continuing until the installation of officers the following Fall.
Article VI – Qualifications for Officers
Section 1. All Members are eligible to become officers.
Section 2. Officers must be members in good standing and meet all qualifications for active membership.
Section 3. Officers must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Article VII – Removal from Office
Section 1. Any elected officer who fails to maintain active membership who fails to perform his or her duties or who fails to uphold the purpose of Society and his or her office is subject to removal.
Section 2. The procedure for submitting charges against an officer shall be as follows:
A. Each party presenting charges shall prepare a written statement to be presented to the Executive Board. This statement shall include whatever information deemed pertinent to the conflict.
B. The Executive Board shall review these statements and provide the opportunity for each party to discuss the conflict with them.
C. The Executive Board shall present a recommendation to parties presenting charges and to the officer in question.
D. If the recommendation is not acceptable to any of the involved parties, referral shall be made by the Executive Board to the Members during a General Assembly meeting for final appeal.
Section 3. A three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Members in attendance shall be necessary to remove any officer. This vote will be made by secret ballot during the General Assembly meeting in which the referral is made. The votes will be counted by the Advisor(s) during that meeting and the results will be announced at that time. Voting members shall be present to vote, no proxy votes will be counted for the removal of an officer.
Section 4. An officer failing to maintain active membership or GPA requirements will automatically forfeit the office. The Advisor(s) will monitor this at the end of each semester.
Section 5. In the event of vacancy occurs in an elective office prior to or during the Spring semester, a special election will be held to fill the vacancy. If a vacancy occurs, the Executive Board may appoint an interim officer or choose to leave the vacancy until after the election.
Article VIII – Advisor(s)
Section 1. This association shall have an Advisor(s) appointed by the University.
Section 2. The Advisor(s) shall be a member of the faculty or staff of the University of Texas at Dallas..
Section 3. The Advisor(s) shall perform all duties and responsibilities as defined by the Society.
Section 4. The primary Advisor is responsible for the Annual Report. The Advisor must work with the other Advisors and the chapter present to complete the Annual Report required by the Society.
Section 5. All account(s) held in the name of the Association shall be audited annually by the Advisor(s) and an audit report presented to the General Assembly. The newly elected Treasurer will start their term with all accounts freshly audited.
Article X – Travel
A member who is under the age of 18, must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian on all activities away from the campus (i.e. conventions or any overnight event) regardless of the activity.
Section 1. Contingent upon the budget, funds will be made available to the Executive officers of the chapter and the Advisor(s) for travel to conventions/conferences.
Section 2. Members wanting to attend an event must submit an application and letter stating why they would like the chapter to help fund their portion in part or full, contingent upon the budget, in writing to the advisor(s) two weeks prior to the convention/conference deadline.
Section 3. Awarding of funding for a member to a convention will be proportional to the member’s participation in fundraising activities as well as participation in other chapter activities. Funds will be made available contingent upon the budget.
Section 4. For the Texas Honors Institute during the summer, new members that will be attending the University for the first time in the fall, may participate with the Association. This conference is the only exception to Article X, Sections 2 and 3.
Section 5. For students approved to attend any convention: if the student decides for any reason that they are unable to attend, but the University or Association has paid their registration, the student is required to pay in full the registration, the student is required to pay in full the registration and any other costs that have been paid by the University or Association by a date determined by the Advisor(s).
Section 6. The Association Advisor(s) will complete all paperwork required by the University as well as the Society for all students attending a convention/conference. Also, the Advisor(s) will schedule a pre-trip meeting will all members attending a convention/conference a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the trip.
Article XI – Voting
Section 1. A simple majority vote will consist of Members in attendance at a General Meeting or Special Meeting totaling 50.1% on any given issue to pass or accept that issue. The President is not allowed to vote except to determine the outcome of a tie vote. Votes on issues will be recorded in the minutes of the General Meeting or Special Meeting. An advisor(s) must be present for all votes.
Section 2. A simple majority vote of the members of the Executive Board in attendance and an Executive Board Meeting is required to carry a vote on an issue. Votes on issues will be recorded in the minutes of the Executive Board Meeting. An Advisor(s) must be present for all votes.
Section 3. A three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Members in attendance at a General Assembly meeting will constitute the passing or acceptance of the removal of an officer (no proxy votes shall be counted see Article VII Section 3). This is the only time a three-fourths vote is necessary. All other voting will be by a simple majority vote.
Section 4. Votes will be accepted in two forms: secret ballot or email directly to the Advisor(s) only. Exception (see Article VII Section 3).
Article XII – Robert’s Rules of Order
All meetings shall be conducted using Robert’s Rules of Order as a guide publication. Any situation not covered in this document, or under consideration by the Executive Board, shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article XIII – Amendments
Section 1. Amendments of the By-Laws shall be submitted to any officer or advisor in writing for submission to the members for a vote at the next General Assembly meeting.
Section 2. Notice shall be given to all Members a minimum of one (1) week prior to any vote to amend these By-Laws.
Section 3. These By-Laws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members during the specified General Assembly meeting.
Section 4. Amendments shall become effective upon ratification by the Members and approval by the society.
Article XIV - Ratification
Section 1. These By-Laws shall become effective upon:
A. Approval of the Center for Student Involvement and Advisor(s).
B. Approval by the Society.
C. Affirmative vote by a simple majority at the next General Assembly meeting of the Iota of Texas Alumni Association.
Section 2. Upon ratification, these By-Laws shall become the governing document of this Association, superseded only by the Society Constitution, Texas Regional By-Laws, and the policies and procedures of the University.
Section 3. These By-Laws are subject to the laws or rules of the United States of America and the State of Texas.
By-Law Approval
Lori Skillestad 4-16-2011
Advisor Approval Approval Date
