Constitution of Alpha Theta Iota Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa

Preamble

That academic excellence among two-year college students may be nurtured; that opportunity may be provided for leadership training; that an intellectual climate may be promoted for an interchange of ideas and ideals; and that scholars may be imbued with desire for continuing education, we dedicate ourselves as fellows of Phi Theta Kappa. Among us membership is a privilege earned by academic excellence and which offers the opportunity to serve our college and our community. In the conduct of our activities, truth shall be our quest, diligence our staff, and achievement our purpose.

Article I. Name of Society

The name of this Society shall be “Alpha Theta Iota Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.”

Article II. Purpose of Society

The purpose of this Society shall be to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. To achieve this purpose, the Society shall provide opportunity for the development of leadership and service, for an intellectual climate for exchange of ideas and ideals, for living fellowship for scholars, and for stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence.

Article III. Insignia of Society

Section 1.

Emblem. The emblem of this Society shall be a golden slab, keyed at the top and bottom. Across the center of the slab is a black enamel band upon which three Greek letters appear, which are the initials of three mystic Greek words symbolizing phronimon (Phi), thuemos (Theta), katharotes (Kappa) and meaning wisdom, aspiration, and purity. Behind the band is a wreath, on the one side composed of oak leaves, and on the other, of laurel. The wreath of oak leaves denotes stability and strength of character, and the curling leaves of laurel signify achievement and success. Above the band is a representation of the head of Athena, Goddess of Learning; in the base appear the mystic Greek letters meaning light, the light of learning and knowledge.

Section 2.

Colors. The colors of the Society shall be blue, for scholarship, and gold, for purity.

Section 3.

Seals. The official seal of the Society shall be of the same general character as the emblem.

Article IV. Membership

Section 1.

Types of Membership. The Society shall consist of active, alumni, and honorary members:

Active Members. An active member of this Society shall be a student who has met the requirements for membership in Alpha Theta Iota chapter of the Society as set forth in Article IV, Section 2, of this Constitution, who has been duly inducted onto the Society, and who maintains the standards required for good standing for active membership as stated in Article IV, Section 3. Only active members may vote and/or hold office.
Alumni Members. Alumni members shall be former members of the Society who terminated active membership in good standing and who were enrolled for at least one year in a two-year college.
Honorary Members. An honorary member shall be a person who, in the opinion of the Society, has rendered distinguished service. Honorary membership shall be conferred at the discretion of the chapter.
Provisional Membership. Through this program, potential members gain exposure to the chapter and its activities prior to their induction. These members are invited to attend a separate orientation and participate with the chapter by attending meetings, working on projects, until such a time that full membership is earned. Please keep in mind that Provisional Member may not vote, hold office, or wear any Insignia of the society until full membership is earned. Provisional Members are not reported to Headquarters. An optional tutoring service for Provisional Members is provided to help them reach their goal of Phi Theta Kappa Membership.

Section 2.

Eligibility for Membership. To be eligible for membership in this Society, a student must:

Be enrolled in at least one course at Monroe Community College at the time of induction.
Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.60 or higher. Grades in courses taken over five years ago need not be counted in cumulative GPA if the reduced GPA is below 3.60.
Have a minimum of twelve (12) total credit hours earned at Monroe Community College and completed towards graduation.
Must be a matriculated Monroe Community College student. E. Have no F or D grades within the current program during the preceding five years, unless the course is retaken and a higher grade is earned. F. After acceptance, complete and submit the Membership Profile form and pay the one-time International induction fee and local dues.

Section 3.

Active Membership. To maintain good standing active membership, at the end of each academic semester shall:

Have maintained a cumulative grade point average of not less than 3.5. Otherwise, the chapter president and contact advisor shall notify the student that he or she has one semester in which to bring the cumulative average up to 3.5. If the member fails to do so, the president and contact advisor shall notify the International Executive Director and the member’s name shall be removed from both the local and the international rolls.
Be enrolled in at least one course at Monroe Community College for the upcoming semester.

Article V. Officers

Section 1.

Only active members shall be eligible to hold office within the Society.

Section 2.

The term of office for all elected officials shall be two consecutive semesters. The term will begin prior to the end of the semester in which the election takes place and end upon installation of the next set of officers.

Section 3.

The titles of the elected officials shall be: President, Vice-President of Honors in Action, Vice-President of College Project, Vice-President of Public Relations, Vice-President of Membership, Vice President of Membership DCC, Vice-President of Historian/ Yearbook, Recording Secretary, Honors in Action Chair of Leadership, Honors in Action Chair of Scholarship, Honors in Action Chair of Service, College Project Chair of Leadership, College Project Chair of Scholarship, Public Relations Chair of Social Media. Vice President of Five Star Development

Section 4.

The duties of the elected official shall be:

Presidents
1. Shall preside over all meetings.
2. Appoint and establish any necessary Committees
3. Vote only in case of ties
4. Present business to the organization
5. Represent organization at all times
6. Develop goals for chapter, with help of advisors, and other officers
7. Provide the society’s budget for the upcoming year
8. Approve all spending for the organization
Vice-President of Honors in Action
1. Administrate full responsibility over the Honors in Action Project
2. Collaborate and advise all Chairs of subcommittees
3. Assist in implementing initiatives from all subcommittees
4. Organize and ensure completion of the Honors in Action Essay by the assigned deadline
5. Schedule and lead weekly meeting with chairs
  1. Honors in Action Chair of Leadership
    1. Responsible for the implementation of Honors in Action Project
    2. Manage all members involved and participating in the Honors in Action Project
    3. Assist the Vice-President in writing the Honors in Action Essay
  2. Honors in Action Chair of Scholarship
    1. Responsible for leading the members in researching in the Honor in Action topic
    2. Assist the Vice-President in writing the Honors in Action Essay
  3. Honors in Action Chair of Service
    1. Responsible for the organization of fundraisers to meet the goal of the Honors in Action Project
    2. Recruit and manage members involved in fundraising projects
    3. Assist the Vice-President in writing the Honors in Action Essay
Vice-President of College Project
1. Administrate full responsibility over the College Project
2. Collaborate with MCC administration to identify College Project
3. Collaborate and advise all chairs of subcommittees
4. Assist in implementing initiatives from all subcommittees
5. Organize and ensure completion of the College Project Essay by the assigned deadline
6. Schedule and lead weekly meetings with chairs
  1. College Project Chair of Leadership
    1. Responsible for the implementation of the College Project
    2. Manage all membership involved and participating in the College Project
    3. Assist the Vice President writing the College Project Essay
  2. College Project Chair of Scholarship
    1. Responsible for leading the members in researching the College Project topic
    2. Assist the Vice-President in writing the College Project Essay
Vice-President Public Relations
1. Keep a full record of the Chapter Functions.
2. Send press release when necessary to area newspaper.
3. Send news reports to the Regional Coordinator, and Regional Newsletter Editor
4. Develop a Chapter newsletter to be distributed to Faculty, Staff, Administration, and Members
5. Collaborate and advise chair of Social Media
6. Assist in implementing initiatives from committee
7. Schedule and lead weekly meeting with chair
  1. Public Relations Chair of Social Media
    1. Responsible for maintaining and updating website, Facebook, and any other means of Social Networks
    2. Assist Vice-President of Public Relations in development of Newsletter
Vice-President of Membership
1. Assist the chapter advisers in inviting students who are eligible for Phi Theta Kappa Membership
2. Supervising Orientation
3. Supervising of induction of new members
4. Hosting member meetings on a bi-weekly basis
5. Contact members about meetings, and chapter activities
6. Hold night member meetings when needed
Vice-President of Membership of Downtown Campus
1. Assist the chapter advisers in inviting students who are eligible for Phi Theta Kappa Membership
2. Supervising Orientation
3. Supervising of induction of new members
4. Hosting member meetings on a bi-weekly basis
5. Contact members about meetings, and chapter activities
6. Hold night member meetings when needed
Vice-President of Historian/ Yearbook
1. Semiannual summary of chapter activities
2. Keep a scrapbook of all chapter activities
3. Create a yearbook to be submitted at end of the year to Regional Convention
Recording Secretary/Five Star Development
1. Responsible for meeting minutes
2. Reading of meeting minutes
3. Maintain a file of chapter correspondence
4. Serve on committee that prepares the chapter annual report submitted to Headquarters
5. Notify chapter members whose grade point average falls below the minimum standard established by the chapter with advisor’s approval
Five Star Development
1. Place all records in the official record book at the end of the academic year
2. Keep track of and report the progress of the chapter’s progress of the chapter’s progress toward the five-star goals.
3. Submit required paperwork to Regional and International Headquarters.
4. In absence of the president, the recording secretary will lead officer meetings, and make any executive decisions as needed.

Section 5.

Qualifications for Office. Only active members and students accepted for induction may be nominated for office.

Section 6.

Election of Officers.

The process for the election for new officers will begin a few weeks prior to the spring induction and the voting will take place after spring induction.
The current officers will establish an “Election Committee” consisting of a minimum of three current officials who are not running for another term. If there are not three current officers who are not running for another term, the general membership shall be solicited for members to be part of the Election Committee.
The current officers will define the ethical and political guidelines and rules of conduct for the upcoming election. These guidelines and rules of conduct will be emailed to each candidate nominated.
A call for nominations letter and application will be sent to each member and those students accepted for the upcoming induction. A member or student accepted for induction may nominate him or her self or another member or student accepted for induction.
Each nominee will submit a “statement” and application in writing to the Election Committee stating his or her qualifications and reason for candidacy. Submissions of this statement shall serve as the candidate’s understanding and acceptance of the election guidelines and rules of conduct and agreement to follow them. These statements will be e-mailed to all members.
If any candidate violates the election guidelines and/or rules of conduct, the Election Committee will decide what action, if any, to take, which can include withdrawal of that candidate from the election.
Elections Chair(s) will appoint President. Election chair will make recommendations of new applicants running for Vice Presidents, and Chair positions. Newly elected President would then select and appoint Vice-Presidents, and Chairs.
If there are any office vacancies during the academic year, the current officers will evaluate the need to determine how many, if any, additional officer positions are needed. An announcement will be sent out to the general membership requesting nominations for the open positions. All nominations require a candidate’s statement. The statement should be approximately 100 words long and typed. If interest is such that only enough people to fill the vacancies are nominated, automatic appointments to those positions will be made. If more interest is shown, an election will be held in accordance with this section of the Constitution.
Provision I relates to all officer positions with the exception of the President. Should the President’s position become vacant during the year, the current officers will elect a President among themselves.

Article VI. Officer and Chair Requirements

In regards to behavior and attitude, you are willing to represent Phi Theta Kappa and Monroe Community College with integrity, honor, respect, and with the highest character in your term of service.
To serve for a term of office for two full semesters.
Serve two office hours per week.
To attend all officer meetings. A. In the event of three absences per semester, there will be a formal request for resignation/or impeachment.
To attend all officer training workshops.
To serve as a leader to develop leadership skills and function as team leader as part of the greater whole of PTK.
To attend at least one Regional PTK Conference or event.
To support all chapter events.
To support and sustain both International and Local Phi Theta Kappa mission and purpose as described in Article II.
To serve with honor and contribute in positive ways to the overall environment of this Society.

Article VII. Faculty Advisor (s) (Chapter Advisor)

Section 1.

Shall be a member of the faculty or staff and shall be chosen by the Society Officers and appointed by the College Administration and thus, by virtue of appointment, shall be a member of the International Association of Chapter Advisors.

Section 2.

Shall assist the Society in the planning of programs.

Section 3.

Shall be involved in the formation of the Society budget.

Section 4.

Shall have the responsibility of ensuring that requirements set by the International Society are met.

Section 5.

Shall attend regular meetings of the Society.

Article VIII. Meetings, Quorums and Voting

Section 1.

Officer Meetings: Shall be held a minimum of once a week throughout the term. Attendance at Officer Meetings shall be strongly encouraged. It will be Officer’s obligation to attend each meeting. Meeting will be required by all E-board members which will consist of President, and all Vice-Presidents. It will be optional for chairs to attend, but would not be available to members unless there is prior approval from President

Section 2.

General Membership Meeting: Shall be held a minimum of once a month during each semester. Attendance will be strongly encouraged. The President, and Vice President of Membership as determined by the Officers, shall preside over all General Sessions.

Section 3.

Quorums: No official business shall be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum shall consist of at least one Officer and those members present. A simple majority of those present and voting is required to pass a proposal.

Section 4.

Emergency Meetings: In the event of an emergency issue, an Ad Hoc Committee, consisting of a minimum of three Officers and two active members, can be formed to deal with that specific situation. If a minimum of three Officers deem the issue important enough for the general membership to discuss and possibly vote, an emergency meeting may be called. All Officers and active members shall be notified at least forty-eight hours in advance of an emergency meeting.

Section 5.

A simple majority of those present and voting is required to pass a proposal.

Article IX. Financial Structure.

The Society shall seek funds from the Student Activity Fee, various projects, and local dues.

Article X. Impeachment

An Officer may be removed from his or her position due to the negligence of officer requirements, inefficiency in office, or any other action, which is considered detrimental to the name or purposes of the Society. An Officer may be removed from office by three-fourths of the votes received from of an Ad Hoc Committee formed in Article VIII, Section 4.

Article XI. Hazing

Section 1.

The Society shall not engage in reckless or intentional acts which endanger the mental or physical health of its members (i.e. forced consumption of liquor or drugs for the purpose of initiation into affiliation with Society).

Section 2.

Violation of the above regulation shall result in the Society losing its right to operate on campus, and the Society and violators may be subject to any applicable provision of the Penal Law and to any College disciplinary proceedings.

Article XII. Constitutional Amendments

Section 1.

Require two-thirds vote from active officers.

Section 2.

All amendments must be ratified by the Student Association Senate.

Article XIII. By-laws

Requires two-thirds vote from active general membership and are subject to Phi Theta Kappa International Headquarters approval.