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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
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.
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 following eligibility requirement must be met
before a member can be considered to be a viable candidate for the
office of Treasurer. The nominee must be a student of the University
of Houston-Victoria School of Business, or have professional career
experience in finance or accounting.
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
TThe standing committees of
this chapter shall be: Executive Committee, Publicity Committee,
Program Committee, and Social 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.
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.
Revised 8/11/2008
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