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BYLAWS OF THE PI SIGMA ALPHA, BETA THETA CHAPTER ARTICLE I Statement of
Program Purpose and Goals Section
1. This
organization shall be known as the Beta Theta
Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science
Honor Society, an existing society
re-established at the Section
2. This
chapter shall be situated at the Section
3. This
document supersedes any previously approved
by-laws. Section
4. Mission
Statement: It
is a professed goal of this chapter to
recognize superior scholastic ability in the
field of political science at the a.
to stimulate productive scholarship and
intelligent interest in the subject of
government;
b. to seek to
promote a better understanding of government
among its members;
c. to promote
worthwhile curricular and extracurricular
activities related to political science;
d. to advance
and diffuse knowledge and interest in political
science;
e. to organize
and conduct seminars, conferences, research,
discussion groups, and publications in the
subject of political science. ARTICLE II Membership Section
1. Membership must be open to all fee-paying students: Exec
R. 88.1 Membership:
No individual can be excluded from a program on
the basis of political ideology, but every
individual in a program must be sincere to the
goals of the program. Exec
R 83.1 Elections:
Membership in a program may be defined
by the program as long as the membership rules
allow an equal opportunity for all students to
participate in the program and there is no
other violation of the rules of the ASUO, the
University of Oregon, or the State of Oregon. Section
2.Equal Exec
R 82.1 Equal Opportunity:
The ASUO affirms the right of all
individuals to equal opportunity in education,
employment and access to incidental fee-funded
programs and their funded activities, without
regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, age, different ability, national
origin, marital status, veteran’s status, or
any other considerations not directly and
substantially related to effective
participation. Section
3. Membership
in this chapter shall be active, faculty or
honorary, as detailed below. Section
2. Primary
qualifications of student candidates for active
membership include high scholarship, manifested
interest in political science, and promise of
achievement in their chosen field. Election to
active membership shall be from among such
juniors, seniors, and graduate students who are
majoring in political science at the
a. completion
of at least three political science courses, at
least one of which must be at the 300 level or
above.
b. a minimum
of a 3.0 GPA overall
c. not less
than a 3.5 GPA in political science courses
d. rank in the
top third of one's graduating class, if
rankings are verifiable by the Section 3. Any
member of the faculty of the department of
political science at the Section 4. Any person of recognized ability and achievement in the field of political science, and who is deemed worthy of special recognition by the chapter for her/his contribution to the objectives for which this chapter strives, may be elected as an honorary member. No more than two such members may be elected in any one year. Honorary members shall possess all the privileges of active members except that of holding office. The election of an honorary member must take place at any general membership meeting throughout the year. In order to be elected, 2/3rds of the membership present at that meeting must concur with the nomination of the honorary member. Officers, excluding the president, are allowed to vote. The president will preside over the voting. Section 5. Any
persons duly elected to membership (other than
honorary) at another institution, who
subsequently enroll as students or are serving
as faculty members at the Section 6. The Beta Theta chapter shall initiate new members at such time as is deemed advisable by the organization's officers and faculty advisor. Initiations must occur annually, but may also occur multiple times during the year. Section 7. The privileges of membership of an active member once initiated may be suspended or revoked by the unanimous vote of the entire chapter. Section 8. For initiation into the chapter, a one-time membership fee, including national dues and dues to the local chapter, shall be due and payable to the Secretary-Treasurer or the political science department administrative assistant by the day of initiation, or by a time pre-arranged as deemed necessary by the officers. Section 9. Annual dues, if assessed, shall be approved by the active and faculty members present at the first business meeting held during the fall semester. Payment of such dues will be required for participation in chapter activities. Section 10. In the case of the initiation of honorary members, the chapter treasury shall be assessed for the initiation fee payable to the national office. Section 11. All initiation fees of active, faculty, and honorary members shall be paid by the Secretary-Treasurer or political science department administrative assistant to the national office within ten days of the initiation date. Effective Fall 2005, all checks submitted to the chapter shall be deposited within ten days of their receipt. Section 12. No other dues or fees will be assessed or collected by the officers of this chapter except by majority resolution of those present and voting at any business meeting; such fees shall be payable to the Secretary-Treasurer, appropriate ASUO account, or political science department administrative assistant. ARTICLE III Officers and their Job Descriptions and
Responsibilities Section 1. Officers of this chapter shall be those provided by the national constitution, to wit: a President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Faculty Advisor. Section 2. Officers shall serve a term of 1 year from the date they assume office. Officers may be re-elected for multiple years following their initial appointment. Section 3. The duties of the President shall be as follows: a. to call special meetings of this chapter; b. to appoint committees and committee chairmen as s/he deems necessary; c. to be responsible (with the Faculty Advisor) for arranging speakers, programs, and entertainment for meetings of the chapter; d. to see to it that the chapter follows the general policy direction as set forth in Article II; e. to name the time and location of the meetings; f. to inform chapter members of dates and times of elections. Section 4. The Vice-President shall assist the President and Faculty Advisor in any way possible and fulfill the duties of the President in the President's absence. The Vice-President shall also have primary responsibility for interpreting chapter by-laws. Section 5. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording minutes and keeping written copies of official Beta Theta correspondences. The Secretary shall also be responsible for informing the ASUO Programs Coordinator and Elections Coordinator before elections, and turning in Program by-laws to the ASUO Elections coordinator before such elections. Section 6. The Treasurer shall be the designated “Secretary-Treasurer” and be reported to the national office accordingly. The Treasurer shall handle finances of the chapter, including collecting and handling all dues, fees, etc., which pertain to this organization. Section 7. The Public Relations director shall be responsible for drafting press releases and serving as an ambassador to new members, as needed. Section 8. The Faculty Advisor shall assist the President in arranging speakers, programs, and entertainment for the meetings of this chapter. S/he shall also seek to provide greater communication between the student and faculty members of the organization. The Faculty Advisor has primary responsibility for dispute resolution between active members and oversight of elections. Section 9. Chairmen of such committees as the President may appoint shall designate the meeting times and places for the members of their respective committees as they shall deem appropriate. Section 10. Vacancies occurring on committees or in any elected office shall be filled by appointment of the President of the chapter. Vacancies in the office of the President shall be filled by appointment of the Faculty Advisor of the chapter. Section 11. Any officer of the chapter may be removed by the concurrence of three-fourths (3/4ths) majority of the entire active membership of the chapter. ARTICLE IV Elections Section 1. All officers shall be elected by majority of those present and voting at the Spring elections meeting, to be held on or before May 30th of each year. Section 2. Nominations: Potential officers may nominate themselves, or may be nominated by other members of the Beta Theta chapter. Nominees may make brief speeches before the votes are cast. Section 3. The date of elections shall be announced to all active members of the chapter. It is the responsibility of the president to announce the date and time of elections, and the President shall announce elections one month prior to their commencement, as stated in Article III, section 3. Section 4. The faculty advisor is responsible for oversight of elections. Section 5. Any active chapter member may vote in elections, regardless of meeting attendance. Section 6. Officer recall shall occur by petition including the signatures of at least ¾ of active membership. Section 7. Officer resignations shall be turned into the chapter President. The resignation of the chapter President shall be turned into the chapter Faculty Advisor. Section 8. The Secretary shall be responsible for turning Program By-Laws into the ASUO Elections Coordinator before elections, and for notifying the Programs Coordinator and Elections Coordinator before the elections, as stated in Article III, Section 6. ARTICLE V
Officer
Transitioning Section 1. Newly elected officers shall take office on the first day of summer vacation succeeding their appointment. Section 2. Updating new officer contact information shall be the responsibility of the outgoing Secretary. ARTICLE VI Meetings Section 1. Business meetings of this organization shall be held as necessary during the period September through June at a time and place approved by the President as convenient and expedient. Section 2. Attendance at business meetings and initiations shall be open to all active members. Notice of time and place of meetings shall be made by the officers of the chapter at least three days prior to the date of the meeting. Section 3. Special meetings may be called at any time when deemed necessary by the President of the chapter. Section 4. The procedure at all meetings, chapter and committee, shall be governed by accepted Parliamentary rules of order, and members shall observe proper decorum during the sessions of the chapter and its various committees. ARTICLE VII
Grievances Section 1. The chapter Faculty Advisor shall have primary responsibility for mediating disputes within the organization. Section 2. The Vice-President shall have primary responsibility for interpreting chapter by-laws, as stated in Article III, Section 4. Section 3. If mediation is unsuccessful, members shall refer to the ASUO Green Tape Notebook for dispute resolution procedures. ARTICLE
VII Dissolution
of the Program Section 1. Chapter (program) dissolution shall occur by petition including the signatures of at least ¾ of active members, including the signatures of the President, Vice-President and Secretary. Section 2. Upon chapter dissolution, fundraised money or equipment not purchased with incidental fees of state dollars shall be dispensed to the University of Oregon Department of Political Science. ARTICLE IX Amending the By-Laws Section 1. The chapter shall have the power to make and amend these by-laws not inconsistent with the word and spirit of the national constitution, as may be deemed necessary. Section 2. Amendments shall be adopted by the favorable concurrence of not less than two-thirds (2/3rds) of those members present and voting at a publicly announced amendment meeting, provided that such amendment or amendments shall have been read in full to the chapter. Section 3. This constitution, borrowing from the Duke University Gamma Theta framework for bylaws, shall be ratified by no fewer than two-thirds (2/3rds) of the members present and voting at a business meeting to be held during the month of May, 2005. Section 4. Amendments shall be announced active members by Secretary within one week of taking effect. Section 5. Amendments shall be effective immediately upon their adoption. These
by-laws are observed by the following chapter
officers, this date of September 12, 2005: Chelsea Byers, President, Beta Theta chapter Pi Sigma Alpha Jacob Daniels, Vice President, Beta Theta chapter Pi Sigma Alpha Andre Nakazawa, Secretary-Treasurer, Beta Theta chapter Pi Sigma Alpha
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