ByLaws

BYLAWS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-VICTORIA CHAPTER OF
THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY

Article:  I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII

ARTICLE I

Name and Affiliation

The name of this organization shall be The University of Houston – Victoria chapter of the Gamma Beta Phi Society.

This chapter is an integral part of the national organization of The Gamma Beta Phi Society and shall adhere to the policies laid down in the National Constitution. Its Coat of Arms, Motto, Watchwords, Colors, and Emblem shall be those of the national organization.

ARTICLE II

Nature and Purpose

The chapter shall be a non-secret, non-profit, scholastic honor, educational-service organization for students at The University of Houston Victoria.

Membership therein shall not be excluded by, nor shall it exclude from, membership in any other social, academic, or fraternal organization. Membership therein shall not be restricted by race, sex, or creed.

The purpose of The Gamma Beta Phi Society is exclusively educational within the meaning of section 501©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. It shall not engage in activities not permitted a 501©(3) organization or an organization contributions to which are deductible under section 170©(2) of that Code (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law). No part of its net earnings shall inure to the benefit of its members, officers, or other private persons; except that it may pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and makes distributions in furtherance of its purpose. No substantial part of the organization/s activities shall involve political propaganda or campaigns, or the attempt to influence legislation.

The objectives of the organization are to recognize and encourage excellence in education; to promote the development of leadership ability and character in its members; and to foster, disseminate, and improve education through appropriate service projects. Each chapter of the Society shall implement these purposes by procedures consonant with the local situation and in cooperation with the faculty and administration of the institution.

ARTICLE III

Qualifications for Membership

Students invited into membership in this chapter shall be presently enrolled at The University of Houston Victoria and must be committed to excellence in education, to good character, and to service. Any student, full or part-time, who has completed twelve (12) hours of college work, excluding any pass-fail work or hours earned due to placement tests such as CLEP or CEEB is eligible for membership provided he or she is enrolled in a program leading to the associate, bachelors, or graduate degree and also meets the other requirements for membership.

Any student whose cumulative grade point average is 3.5 or higher meets the scholastic requirement for membership. To be inducted into Gamma Beta Phi, an inductee must have a minimum of one (1) semester of enrollment remaining at the University of Houston-Victoria after the current semester.

Graduate students are eligible for membership provided they have completed twelve (12) hours of graduate work and rank among the top twenty (20) percent of graduate students and meet any other criteria required of undergraduate members. An undergraduate member who graduates in good standing may continue his or her active membership throughout graduate school.

Students who were members in good standing of Gamma Beta Phi chapters at other institutions and who transfer to this institution are automatically members of this chapter upon their request. Such transfer members will be subject to the retention standards of this chapter, just as any other member.

In the event that members in good standing are not enrolled as students of The University of Houston Victoria, these members, upon continued completion of the retention standards for this chapter, may maintain their status as members in good standing for a period not to exceed one (1) semester.

Each inductee must pay the one-time membership fee set by the National Senate during their first semester of membership. Acceptable forms of payment will be cash, check, or money order. No other forms of payment will be accepted. If an inductee unknowingly or knowingly submits a payment when he or she has insufficient funds, the inductee will not be considered for membership unless he or she resubmits a payment with an additional $10.00 service fee and any necessary bank fees within two weeks of notification. He or she must also pay a local membership fee of $10.00. The $10 fee collected from inductee candidates will be disbursed as follows. $5 will be collected, as dues for the current semester and $5 will be allotted for induction ceremony costs. In addition, every semester all members must pay the local membership dues of $5. No part of the membership fee is refundable.

Other local assessments may not be made upon the membership, but voluntary contributions can be requested.

Each inductee must take the membership pledge.

ARTICLE IV

Retention Standards

Sec. 1: To remain a member of this chapter, local dues must be paid each semester by no later than the second meeting of each semester. Any changes to the deadlines may be made by the Executive Committee. If after the deadline a member still does not meet the dues retention standard, he or she will be dropped from membership. A member should maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If a member should drop below that, he or she will be allowed one (1) semester of probation. If after that term the member still does not meet the scholastic retention standard, he or she will be dropped from membership. In accordance with the nature and purpose of The Gamma Beta Phi Society, members are expected to participate in the projects, meetings, and other activities of the chapter. A member will be dropped from membership for failure to meet the activity standards as follows. Members of the University of Houston-Victoria chapter of the Gamma Beta Phi Society must attend two of the four scheduled meetings for each of the fall and spring semesters of each academic year. Members of the University of Houston Victoria chapter of The Gamma Beta Phi Society must participate in no less than two service projects each semester of which one (1) must be a group project. Members of the University of Houston - Victoria chapter of The Gamma Beta Phi Society must also participate on at least one committee each semester or complete at least two (2) additional projects of which one (1) must be a group project.

If a member cannot meet the minimum meeting attendance requirement and has attended one meeting during the semester, then that member will be charged with completing two additional service projects in exchange for the one meeting. The additional service projects are undesignated service projects. The service forms for these Service for Meeting projects must be turned in to the Secretary by noon on the Monday prior to the next regular meeting. It is the members’ responsibility to fulfill these requirements in order to remain a member in good standing. It will be the members’ responsibility to visit the Gamma Beta Phi website http://www.uhv.edu/student_org/gbp/index.htm in order to review the minutes of the meeting and to familiarize themselves with any changes.

Individual Service Credit is awarded for volunteerism with any non-profit agency or in non-paid service activities. Group Service Credit is awarded for volunteerism within a Gamma Beta Phi committee and/or special project.

Remember to ALWAYS submit service sheets located on the website www.uhv.edu/student_org/gbp/forms.htm. Unless otherwise specified, no member will receive credit without written notification. Electronic notifications, which include fax and e-mail, will only acceptable if a personal handwritten signature is provided. Verbal notifications or any form without a signature will not be accepted.

Sec. 2: A member dropped from membership may appeal the decision to the State President, and then, if desired, to the Executive Secretary. The name of any member dropped from membership shall be sent to the Executive Secretary immediately, along with the reason for the action. A student dropped from membership may later be reinstated by action of the chapter Executive Committee, if the committee is satisfied that the student now meets the standards of membership. A member so reinstated will not again pay the national membership fee, but notification of the reinstatement shall be sent at once to the Executive Secretary.

Sec. 3: Members who will be graduating will need to fill out the Stole Order Form found on the website www.uhv.edu/student_org/gbp/forms.htm. The form must be submitted prior to or at the third meeting of their graduating semester and include a payment set by the executive committee. The payment must be paid before or at the third meeting. It is recommended that the member submit their stole order form and their service project form together to ensure that he or she will receive approval.

ARTICLE V

Induction of Members

Induction of new members shall occur no less than twice annually, one of which will be held at a sister campus. The induction ceremony shall be a dignified occasion. There shall be no hazing of an inductee, either that which would result in physical discomfort, or that which would cause mental embarrassment.

ARTICLE VI

Officers

The elected officers of this chapter of The Gamma Beta Phi Society shall be: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and historian. Any additional officers may be installed pending their necessity to the organization.

The duties of the president shall be: to preside at the meetings, to appoint committees; to guide the activities and administer the policies laid down in the national constitution and in the chapter bylaws; to be the official representative of this chapter when necessary or desirable; to file with Headquarters the Year-end Chapter Report.

The duties of the vice-president shall be: to preside at meetings when the president is absent; to assume the duties of the presidency should the president be unable to serve; to assist in administering the affairs of the chapter.

The duties of the secretary shall be: to keep the records of membership; to prepare and keep an on-going record of minutes of the meetings; to carry on the general correspondence of the chapter; to keep National Headquarters informed about all changes in membership and reasons therefore; to order and properly disburse material from Headquarters; to insure that the membership is aware of the time and place of each meeting.

The duties of the treasurer shall be: to collect, safeguard, and disburse the funds of the chapter; to keep a complete and accurate record of all financial transactions; to complete the year-end Financial Report; to order and disburse items for members such as T-shirts, jewelry, etc.; to pass on the treasurer succeeding him or her all funds remaining in the treasury and to give the Advisor all financial records.

The duties of the historian shall be: to document all events and activities the chapter participates in and to organize an on-going scrapbook of such events.

The officers of this chapter shall be elected at a regular meeting during the spring term of the school year. The Executive Committee will determine the date of the election and announce it to the membership at least one regular meeting in advance of the meeting at which the election will occur. The Executive Committee will determine the method of nomination and ballot casting. The new officers shall assume their positions at the end of the last meeting of the year.

If an officer position is not filled during a regular election or if the position becomes vacant because of a resignation of an officer or forcible resignation, the Secretary will reopen nominations for seven business day with a date and time deadline set. If no nominations are received after the seven-day period, then the Executive Committee will appoint a member to fill the position. If for some reason the membership feels that the appointee should not fill the position, then the membership can request a special meeting in order to hold discussion, nominations, and an election (a quorum must be present) otherwise, the appointee will hold office. The newly appointed officer will hold that position until new regular elections are held.

ARTICLE VII

Committees

The standing committees of this chapter shall be: Executive Committee, Publicity Committee, Program Committee, Social Committee, and Scholarship Committee.

The Executive Committee shall be composed of all officers and the chairman of all other standing committees. The chairman of the Executive Committee shall be the chapter president. The Advisor will be invited to all meetings of the committee and his or her counsel sought. The duties of the committee are: to see that the standards of membership are maintained, to handle all disciplinary matters, to plan general policies, projects and activities for presentation to the membership, to insure that all qualified students are identified and invited into membership.

The Publicity Committee shall be appointed by the president. The chairman of the committee shall be _________________. The duties of the Publicity Committee shall be: to make sure that the name, nature, purposes, and contributions of Gamma Beta Phi are recognized throughout the campus and the community by full and proper use of all available media; to provide for the publicizing of the names and pictures of all new members; to provide Headquarters with pictures and accounts of the chapter’s activities for publication in the Gambet; to prepare a chapter scrapbook every year.

The Program Committee shall be appointed by the president. The chairman of the committee shall be _________________. The duties of the Program Committee shall be: to assist the Executive Committee in planning the nature of the chapter meetings; to secure meeting facilities and outside speakers; to greet, introduce, and send thanks to all outside persons who take part in a meeting of the chapter; to have programs printed for ceremonies.

The Social Committee shall be appointed by the president. The chairman of the committee shall be ___________________. The duties of the Social Committee shall be: to take charge of all social activities of the chapter, especially in regard to food and decorations.

The Scholarship Committee shall be appointed by the president. The chairman of the committee shall be______________. The duties of the Scholarship Committee shall be: manage and promote all activities relating to the scholarship activities of the chapter.

In addition to these standing committees, the president may appoint special committees to attend to and/or report upon any specific matter involving the chapter.

ARTICLE VIII

Meetings

No less than four (4) regular meetings of this chapter of The Gamma Beta Phi Society shall be held at the rate of one (1) per month each semester of the regular school year. The time and place of meeting will be decided upon by the Executive Committee. Every effort shall be taken to keep the time and place of meeting consistent and to give adequate notice to the members. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee. All members are to be sent notification of the special meeting and its purpose for being called. Only the business for which the meeting is called will be transacted.

ARTICLE IX

Quorum and Parliamentary Authority

A quorum of this chapter shall be constituted by one-third of the membership. No action may be taken which is binding upon the membership unless a quorum is present.

ARTICLE X

Attendance at State and National Meetings

This chapter of The Gamma Beta Phi Society will make every effort to send the appropriate student and Advisor delegates to all State and National meetings and will endeavor to send other members as well.

ARTICLE XI

Amending and Transmitting the Bylaws

The Bylaws of this chapter may be amended by a majority vote of the members at any meeting at which a quorum is present, provided such proposed amendment in written form has been placed before the membership at a previous regular meeting. Such amendments may not be in conflict with national standards or policies. Both the Executive Secretary of The Gamma Beta Phi Society and the appropriate institutional administrator or committee shall be sent immediately a copy of these bylaws and of any subsequent amendments or alterations. Each new member shall receive a copy of these bylaws.

ARTICLE XII

Dissolution

In the event of dissolution the residual assists of this chapter will be turned over to another organization which is in itself exempt from Federal Income Tax as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provisions of any prior of future Internal Revenue code, or the Federal, State, or local government for exclusively public purposes.

ARTICLE XIII

Excellence in Character & Service Scholarship

Sec. 1: During the Fall 2008 semester, THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY (GBP) of the University of Houston – Victoria (UHV) established the EXCELLENCE IN CHARACTER & SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP. The scholarship award and funding activities will be managed by the Scholarship Committee. All funds utilized for this award will be earned by the chapter through normal fund raising activities. The accounting of scholarship funds will be managed and reported by the chapter treasurer and kept on deposit in the main GBP chapter external bank account. Prior to the Fall and Spring semesters, scholarship award funds will be transferred from the external account into the GBP internal campus account so that those funds can be transferred by the UHV Office of Financial Aid and ultimately to the appropriate award recipient's UHV student financial account for disbursement. Scholarships will be awarded to members of The Gamma Beta Phi Society each semester at the Fall and Spring Stole ceremony.

Sec. 2: Candidates for the scholarship must: be a current student at UHV; be a member of The Gamma Beta Phi Society in "good standing"; have demonstrated academic achievement (minimum 3.5 GPA); be of good moral character and have demonstrated leadership ability; complete the provided application form by the deadline set by the Scholarship Committee. Applicants will be reviewed by Scholarship Committee, who will make recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Sec. 3: If additional funds are available, additional awards may be designated each semester to additional recipients or additional funds may be awarded to the primary recipients. Only those funds raised specifically for the scholarship should be available for distribution. Additional chapter funds may be utilized if deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee. Scholarship award funds will not be given directly to the recipients; rather, the recipients' UHV account will be credited and disbursed in accordance with current UHV disbursement standards.

Sec. 4: A copy of the chapter bylaws and scholarship application forms, including scholarship details, will be available from the UHV Office of Financial Aid and on the UHV-GBP chapter webpage at http://www.uhv.edu/student_org/gbp/index.htm. If at some future time the guidelines become inappropriate, they should be modified in a manner which will assure the support of GBP members at the University of Houston – Victoria, as close as possible, to the specifications contained in the guidelines.

Revised 4/1/2011