BY-LAWS OF THE PHI THETA KAPPA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
Preamble
We, the members of Phi Theta Kappa’s Alumni Association of the University of Houston hereby commit ourselves to continue to uphold the standards of Phi Theta Kappa; provide a continuing fellowship of Phi Theta Kappa members; build a bridge to strengthen communication between the Phi Theta Kappa chapters of area community colleges and the University of Houston; facilitate a smooth transition for transfer students, and promote the opportunities available to them.
Article 1
Name
The name of this organization shall be the Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Association of the University of Houston.
Article II
Membership
An alumnus member shall be a former active 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. Prior membership will be verified before acceptance.
| Section 1. | Active Members | |
| A. | An active member of the Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Association of the University of Houston shall be a student attending the University of Houston, Main campus; have been an active member in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa at a two-year college; and, maintain a current fees status to the alumni association. Membership is open to all qualified persons without regard to race, creed, religion, sexual orientation or national origin. | |
| B. | Active Members shall participate in at least: -- Two Recruiting/Fellowship Events at a Community College of choice -- One fundraising event per semester -- One Committee activity of choice |
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| Section 2. | Honorary Members | |
| An honorary alumnus 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 asked to pay membership fees to the alumni association. | |
| B. | Honorary alumni membership shall be placed in nomination to the general membership of the alumni association. A 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: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Parliamentarian.
| Section 1. | President |
| The duties of the President shall be to preside over all alumni association meetings, to serve as chairman of the Executive Board, to enforce the By-Laws, to call special meetings, to act as spokesperson for the alumni association, and to ensure that proper procedures are followed with regard to university and Phi Theta Kappa policy. | |
| 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 the Executive Board, to serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, to serve as program chairperson, and to form and oversea all committees. | |
| Section 3. | Treasurer |
| The duties of the Treasurer shall be to serve on the Executive Board, to collect fees, to maintain accurate accounting records, to deposit promptly into the Phi Theta Kappa account all money received, to process applicable payments, and to render financial reports upon request. | |
| 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, to maintain a membership roster, to provide members notification of all meetings, to take roll call, to act as corresponding agent at all levels, to report alumni association activities to the student newspaper and Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters to maintain a scrapbook containing alumni association activities, and to promote publicity for the alumni association. | |
| Section 5. | Parliamentarian |
| The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be to serve on the Executive Board, to aid the President in ensuring that proper procedures are followed with regard to university and Phi Theta Kappa policy, to work with the Office of Student Affairs in coordinating all projects, and to ensure that order is established and maintained at all meetings. |
Article IV
Executive Board
The Executive Board shall consist of all elected officers. The advisor/facilitator(s) shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member.
| Section 1. | The duties of the Executive Board shall be to plan a yearly Calendar; to handle all questions not specifically dealt with in this document; to make recommendations to the membership and to submit an Alumni Annual Report to Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters by the stated deadline. |
| Section 2. | The Executive Board shall meet at the call of the chair. |
| 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. | The Executive Board shall constitute a quorum, and must approve the dissolution or the continuation of all committees. |
| Section 5. | Each officer is to maintain an accurate and current notebook with regard to his or her specific office. This notebook is to contain materials to aid the officer in his or her duties, notes of events, how-to information, and any other materials collected throughout the year. Notebooks will be given to each officer at the first Executive Board meeting after his or her election and shall be returned to the Alumni Association upon completion of his or her terms of office. |
Article V
Election of Officers
| Section 1. | Members interested in running for an office must submit their name and desired position to the acting President by the end of the last General Assembly meeting preceding election week. |
| Section 2. | One week during the month of March shall be designated as election week. |
| Section 3. | Voting shall be by secret ballot. |
| Section 4. | Balloting times and locations shall be designated by the election committee at the last General Assembly meeting preceding the election week. |
| Section 5. | A simple majority of all members voting shall constitute a choice. |
| Section 6. | In the event of a tie, a run-off election shall be held. Balloting times and locations for the run-off election shall be designated by the election committee at the General Assembly meeting preceding the run-off election. |
| Section 7. | Any active member in good standing may vote and be a nominee for office if he or she has a minimum 3.0 GPA. |
| Section 8. | Votes shall be counted by the association advisor/facilitator(s) or someone designated by the advisor/facilitator(s). |
| Section 9. | Installation of new officers shall occur at the General Assembly meeting immediately following the election week. |
| Section 10. | The term of office shall be for a period beginning with the installation in spring and continuing until the installation of officers the following spring. |
Article VI
Qualifications for Officers
| Section 1. | All active 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. |
| Section 4. | Two weeks following new officer installation/election, old officers shall meet with new officers to turn over officer notebooks, and to answer questions for further clarification and support. |
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 the 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 and Advisor/Facilitator(s) shall review these statements and provide the opportunity for each party to discuss the conflict with them. | |
| C. | The Executive Board and Advisor/Facilitator(s) 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 and Advisor/Facilitator(s) to the General Assembly for final appeal. | |
| Section 3. | A three-fourths vote of the Members shall be necessary to remove any officer. This vote shall be made by secret ballot during the General Assembly meeting in which the referral is made and shall be counted by the association advisor/facilitator(s) during the same meeting. The results will be given at that same meeting and the officer will be immediately dismissed from his or her duties. | |
| Section 4. | An officer failing to maintain active membership or GPA requirements shall automatically forfeit the office. | |
| Section 5. | In the event a vacancy occurs in an elective office, a special election will be held to fill the vacancy. If a vacancy occurs in January or February, the Executive Committee may appoint an interim officer. | |
Article VIII
Advisor/Facilitator
| Section 1. | This association shall have an advisor/facilitator appointed by the university administration after consultation with the alumni association membership. |
| Section 2. | The advisor/facilitator shall be a member of the faculty or staff of the Admissions Office, appointed by the university administration. |
| Section 3. | The advisor/facilitator shall perform all duties and responsibilities as defined by the Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters. The advisor(s) are responsible for the nomination of the Association for the Alumni Association of Merit award through the Society. The Executive Board will determine if the association will be nominated and the Advisor’s responsibility will be to complete the required essays for nomination. |
Article IX
Meetings and Fees
| Section 1. | Meetings shall be held regularly at a time to be specified by the organization at the first General Assembly meeting of the term. |
| Section 2. | Meeting types will be as follows: -- General Assembly: to be held a minimum of one per month -- Executive Board: to be set by the Executive Board -- Special: to be called by the chair |
| Section 3. | Alumni association fees shall be set by the Executive Board annually. All active members must pay fees to be on the Alumni Association roster. Honorary members shall not pay fees. |
| Section 4. | The Treasurer shall collect all Alumni Association fees. If upon receipt of notice from the Treasurer that fees are due, a member fails to pay within 30 calendar days from the invoice date, the Secretary shall drop that name from the active roster after notification. Alumni failing to maintain current fees-paying status shall forfeit the right to vote and hold office. |
| Section 5. | All accounts held in the name of the Alumni Association shall be audited annually by the Advisor/Facilitator and an audit report presented to the General Assembly. The newly elected Treasurer will start his or her office with all accounts freshly audited. |
Article X
Quorum
A quorum shall consist of those members present at any announced meeting.
Article XI
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 XII
Travel
A member under the age of 18 must be accompanied by his or her parent or legal guardian on all activities away from the campus regardless of the activity.
| Section 1. | Contingent upon the budget, funds will be prioritized to the executive Board members for travel to conventions/conferences. |
| Section 2. | Awarding of funding for a member to a convention shall be proportional to the member's participation in fundraising activities. Funds shall be made available depending on the budget. |
| Section 3. | For students approved to attend any convention: if the student decides for any reason that he or she is unable to attend, but the University or Association has paid their registration, the student is required to pay in full the costs that have been paid by the University or Association by a date determined by the Advisor(s). |
Article XIII
Amendments
| Section 1. | Amendments of the By-Laws shall be submitted to any officer or advisor/facilitator in writing for submission to the members for a vote at the next General Assembly meeting. |
| Section 2. | Notice shall be given to all active members prior to any vote to amend these By-Laws. |
| Section 3. | These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the active membership. |
| Section 4. | Amendments shall become effective upon ratification by the membership and the approval by Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters. |
Article XIV
Ratification
| Section 1. | These By-Laws shall become effective upon: | |
| A. | Approval of Student Affairs Office at the University Of Houston. | |
| B. | Approval by Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters. | |
| C. | Affirmative vote by a majority of the General Assembly of the Phi Theta Kappa Alumni Association of the University of Houston. | |
| Section 2. | Upon ratification, these By-Laws shall become the governing document of this alumni association, superseded only by the Phi Theta Kappa International Constitution and the policies and procedures of the university. | |
Article XV
Dissolution
| Section 1. | The association may be dissolved one (1) year after a majority vote of the membership to dissolve the association. However, any ten (10) persons eligible for membership under these by-laws may, by unanimous vote, rescind any action to dissolve the association within one (1) year of such action and call for a reorganization meeting. |
| Section 2. | Upon a successful vote to dissolve the association, all funds held in its treasury and in all its accounts shall be frozen except for payment to creditors as of that date, and shall be turned over in-full to the Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters within thirty (30) days of the final dissolution of the association. |