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Article 1. Name of Chapter
The name of this chapter of Phi Theta Kapp shall be Beta Gamma Alpha.
Article 2. Purpose
The purpose of Beta Gamma Alpha chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Washtenaw Community College shall be the promotion
of scholarship, the development of leadership and service, and the cultivation of fellowship among qualified students
of this college.
Article 3. Membership
| Section 1. |
Membership in Beta Gamma Alpha chapter shall consist of member, provisional member, alumni member, honorary member,
and probationary member.
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| A. |
Member. Each candidate for membership must have completed twelve (12) credit hours of associated degree coursework at
Washtenaw Community College with a Grade Point Average of 3.5, adhere to the school and chapter conduct code and possess recognized qualities
of citizenship. A student who has been inducted by a separate community college and chapter and wishes to join Beta Gamma Alpha, may do so
by paying local and (if necessary) regional dues. (As described in Article 3, Section 1F) All candidates must be enrolled during the semester
of their induction. A Grade Point Average of 3.25 must be maintained.
If a member's cumulated G.P.A. falls below 3.25, he or she has one semester in which to bring the average to 3.25. If he or she fails to raise
the cumulative G.P.A. to 3.25 after one semester, the member shall have his or her name stricken from the local chapter roll and the
Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters shall be notified to strike the name for the international roll as well. Once a student's name is stricken from the
roll, all privileges of membership are revoked. |
| B. |
Provisional Member. A provisional member of Phi Theta Kappa is a student, who, in the opinion of the local
chapter, has shown an active interest in the affairs of the society and who serves the chapter in some special capacity, but who does not meet the full
requirements for membership in the society. Provisional members will not be affiliated with the International organization of Phi Theta Kappa, cannot
hold office, and cannot vote on chapter, regional, or national matters, and do not pay membership fees. Provisional membership is granted by the
Executive Board.
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| C. |
Alumni Member. Alumni members shall be members of the Society who are no longer enrolled in the two-year college
and who have teminated their active membership in good standing, with a minimum of one year's enrollment at the two-year college. Alumni members shall be
entitled to all the privileges of full members except the right to vote or hold office.
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| D. |
Honorary Member. Honorary membership may be granted in this chapter to men and women who have rendered
distinguished sevice to the Society. Honorary members may not vote or hold office nor may they be officially inducted or pay membership fees. Honorary
membership is granted by the Executive Board.
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| E. |
Probationary Member. Probationary members are members whose cumulative G.P.A. has fallen below 3.25. Probationary
status may only last for one semester. Those probationary members who raise their cumulative G.P.A. to 3.25 by the end of that semester will return
to member status. Those who do not will be dropped from the rolls of Phi Theta Kappa as described in Article 3, Section 1A.
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| F. |
Transfer Member. A member from another Phi Theta Kappa chapter may transfer membership to Washtenaw
Community College if he or she is in good academic standing with a minimum maintenance GPA of 3.25.
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Article 4. Chapter Advisor
| Section 1. |
The Chapter Advisor shall be appointed by the administration of Washtenaw Community College.
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| Section 2. |
The Chapter Advisor shall be responsible for the guidance of chapter activities and shall act on behalf of the international
society and official college administration.
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| Section 3. |
The Chapter Advisor is responsible for the completion and submission of the Annual Report, Membership Report Forms, and Membership
Profile Forms required by the Phi Theta Kappa Society Headquarters.
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| Section 4. |
The Chapter Advisor shall not be a voting member of the chapter.
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| Section 5. |
The Chapter Advisor shall attend chapter meetings, chapter sponsored events, regional and international events when possible.
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| Section 6. |
The chapter may request that the administration remove an advisor for failing to fulfill duties of an advisor. This request requires the
vote of 2/3 of the complete student membership of the Executive Board at a special meeting of the Executive Board with the advisor. This
request would then be directed to the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services.
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| Section 7. |
If a chapter votes in favor of an issue that the advisor feels is not in the best interest of the chapter, the advisor, as an agent of the
college, may veto the vote. If the chapter's voting members want to challenge the veto, they may protest the issue to the college administrator
charged with overseeing the local Phi Theta Kappa chapter. If this administrator rules in favor of the advisor, the local Phi Theta Kappa
chapter may appeal this decision to the college President and vice-versa.
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Article 5. Officers
| Section 1. |
All officers must be members of Phi Theta Kappa and Beta Gamma Alpha, in good standing, and must be currently enrolled at
Washtenaw Community College, with the exception of Spring and Summer.
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| Section 2. |
The Beta Gamma Alpha Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa shall have the following officers: President, Vice President of Leadership, Vice
President of Service, Vice President of Scholarship, Vice President of Fellowship, Vice President of Public & Media Relations, Vice
President of Communications, Secretary/Treasurer and Webmaster. |
| Section 3. |
The duties of the President shall be as follows: |
| A. |
Preside over all official General Membership and Executive Board meetings. |
| B. |
Appoint and remove any necessary committees and chairs. |
| C. |
Vote in case of a tie. |
| D. |
Serve as ex-officio member on all committees. |
| E. |
Present business to the organization. |
| F. |
Represent the organization at all times. |
| G. |
Delegate duties to each Vice President as deemed necessary. |
| H. |
Develop goals for the chapter with help from other officers and advisors. |
| I. |
Submit Five Star Goals and update forms online. |
| Section 4. |
The duties of the Vice Presidents of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Fellowhip shall be as follows: |
| A. |
Perform all duties of the President in the event of his/her abscence. |
| B. |
Coordinate all committees. |
| C. |
Head the committees under each one's area of competency - leadership, service scholarship & fellowship. |
| D. |
Review and make recommendations on chapter by-laws and annual report. |
| E. |
Serve as chapter program manager(s), advocate(s), and resource person(s). |
| Section 5. |
The duties of the Secretary/Treasurer shall be as follows: |
| A. |
Take roll at official Executive Board meetings. |
| B. |
Take and read minutes of official General Membership and Executive Board meetings. |
| C. |
Maintain records of the official meetings. |
| D. |
Maintain a file of chapter correspondence. |
| E. |
Serve on the committee to prepare the Hallmark Award Forms and 5 Star Chapter Update Forms
to be sent to Headquarters and the Region. |
| F. |
Keep a full record of chapter functions. |
| G. |
Compile information for e-newsletter. |
| H. |
Coordinate all chapter fundraisers. |
| I. |
Coordinate chapter budget and expenditure requests. |
| J. |
Make a report of finances each semester to the Executive Board and general membership at semester beginning
and at request of the President. |
| Section 6. |
The duties of the Vice President of Public & Media Relations shall be as follows: |
| A. |
Draft and submit press releases, whenever possible, to all area newspapers regarding inductions and other events. |
| B. |
Prepare and maintain the chapter scrapbook for regional, state, and international meetings and conventions. |
| C. |
Prepare the chapter e-newsletter for mailing. |
| D. |
Inform current chapter members and alumni on chapter related activities and events. |
| E. |
Network with local, regional, and national chapters. |
| Section 7. |
The duties of the Webmaster shall be as follows: |
| A. |
Update and maintain chapter web pages. |
| B. |
Announce new members orientation and induction dates. |
| Section 9. |
The Executive Board shall consist of the chapter officers and the advisor. |
Article 6. Election of officers
| Section 1. |
All candidates for office must be members of Phi Theta Kappa and Beta Gamma Alpha in good standing. |
| Section 2. |
Elections shall be held during the winter of each year or prior to the fall if necessary. |
| Section 3. |
Officers shall hold office from the time of their induction, at the Fall induction, to the time of the
next Winter induction. |
| Section 4. |
Nominations from the floor can be made at the official General Membership meeting prior to the elections
or via nominations in writing prior to that meeting. Written nominations must be delivered to the Chapter Advisor. |
| Section 5. |
A simple majority vote shall elect any new officer. |
| Section 6. |
In any case when an officer must resign his office, an election shall be held to elect a new officer. Nominations
shall be made from the floor or in writing at, or prior to, the first official General Membership meeting following the resignation
of the officer. The election will be held at the first official General Membership meeting following nominations. Plurality of the votes
cast will determine the new officer. The Chapter President shall have the power to make a temporary appointment, from among those
members who would qualify as candidates, at his/her discretion until a meeting can be held. |
| Section 7. |
Elections for officers-to-be will follow the same process as officers. Being elected an an officer-to-be does not
guarantee that an individual will become an officer, but does allow a member the ability to learn about duties in preparation for office. |
Article 7. Impeachment of Officers
| Section 1. |
If any officer fails to fulfill the duties of his/her office, he may be removed as follow: |
| A. |
A special official meeting of the chapter must be held to discuss the problem. |
| B. |
A vote of 3/4 of the membership of the Executive Board at this meeting is sufficient to remove an officer from office. |
Article 8. Meetings
| Section 1. |
All Executive Board and General Membership meetings will follow the following agenda: |
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Order of Business |
| a. |
Call to order |
| b. |
Roll Call |
| c. |
Reading of the minutes |
| d. |
Reports |
| e. |
Old business |
| f. |
New business |
| g. |
Announcements |
| h. |
Adjournment |
| Section 2. |
General Membership meetings shall be considered official if they have been publicized two weeks in advance.
Executive Board meetings shall be considered official if they have been published one week in advance. Publication may
take the form of postings on campus boards, notices in the student newspaper, email messages to the membership, or display
on the chapter's web site. |
| Section 3. |
All official meetings shall be governed by the adaptation of Robert's Rules of Order. |
| Section 4. |
Special committee meetings shall be called by the chairman of said committee. Procedures at such meetings are left
to the discretion of the chairman. Reports of each meeting shall be given to the members at the following Executive Board and
General Membership meeting. |
Article 9. Finances
| Section 1. |
Finances for this chapter will be raised by projects voted on by a majority vote of the members voting. |
| Section 2. |
Payment of the International Membership fee, the Michigan Region fee, and appropriate amount for the chapter fee
must be received by the Chapter Advisor before members can be inducted. The chapter fee shall be set by the Executive Board. |
| Section 3. |
All payments should be approved by the Executive Board and made by the Advisor as arranged through the Purchasing Office. |
| Section 4. |
All disbursements must have prior approval of the Executive Baord and Chapter Advisor. |
| Section 5. |
The Chapter Advisor shall report on chapter finances to the Treasurer each Fall and Winter semester. |
Article 10. By-laws
| Section 1. |
By-laws shall be passed by a 2/3 vote of the active membership and shall cover pertinent topics including
interpretation of the international constitution. |
| Section 2. |
The Recording Secretary and Chapter Advisor shall keep a permanent record of all by-laws on file. |
Article 11. Amendments and revision
| Section 1. |
The by-laws may be amended by a vote of 2/3 of the members present at any official General Membership
meeting, provided that the proposed amendment has been presented at a previous official General Membership meeting.
Any changes to by-laws must be sent Headquarters for final approval. |
| Section 2. |
In any conflicts arising between interpretation of the international constitution and chapter by-laws,
the international constitution takes precendence. |
Revised on November 1, 2008
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