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Bylaws Of The Michigan Beta Chapter Of The Tau Beta Pi Association At Michigan Technological University Bylaw I - General Section 1 - These bylaws shall govern the proceedings of the Michigan Beta Chapter in all matters not expressly provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Tau Beta Pi Association, Inc. Section 2 - Michigan Beta shall conform to such rules and regulations of Michigan Technological University and of its College of Engineering as may apply to Honor Societies. Section 3 - In event of conflict between the Constitution and Bylaws of the Tau Beta Pi Association, Inc., and the rules and regulations of Michigan Technological University and/or the rules of the College of Engineering, the rules of Michigan Technological University and/or the College of Engineering shall prevail. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be notified of the circumstances of the conflict. Section 4 - Abbreviated references herein to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and to the various Bylaws of this document shall be made in the form illustrated by the following examples: A. C-VI, 1 - National Constitution, Article VI, Section 1. B. B-V, 5.02 - National Bylaw V, Section 5.02.
C. MBB-I, 4 -
Michigan
Beta Chapter Bylaw I, Section 4.
Bylaw II - Government and Officers Section 1 - The chapter shall be composed of members chosen among eligible students and alumni on the basis of distinguished scholarship or professional attainment and exemplary character, as enunciated in C-VIII and the eligibility code of the Association. Section 2 - The chapter shall have full control over its individual affairs, subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association, which control shall be exercised by the active membership of the Chapter and its Advisory Board. An "active member" of this Chapter shall be defined as in C-VI, 1, and only undergraduate student members, as defined therein, shall have the privilege of voting on new members and on the amounts of the initiation fee, dues, fines, and assessments. A student may become inactive only under the provision of B-VI, 6.05. Section 3 - The officers of this Chapter shall be President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Cataloguer, who shall be active members of the Chapter; a Treasurer, who may be an active member or a member of the faculty; and four alumnus advisors, preferably elected from among the faculty of the College of Engineering, if possible. Section 4 - The Advisory Board of the Chapter shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary and four alumnus members of the Association. The Chair of the Advisory Board shall be elected by its members at the first board meeting of the year. Section 5 - Alumnus members of the Advisory Board shall serve four years, as specified in C-VI, 7. All other officers shall serve one year or until their successors are duly elected and installed. Section 6 - The duties of the officers shall be those usually performed by persons holding such offices, those prescribed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association, and those prescribed by these Bylaws or by Chapter action. Section 7 - The President shall be this Chapter’s delegate to the convention of the Association. The other officers shall be alternate delegates, in the order given in MBB-II, 3. Section 8 - The following extra duties shall be required of the officers: A. The president shall be an ex officio member of all committees. B. The President shall see that each officer and committee chair is provided with a written list of specific duties for which each is responsible. A copy of each list shall be placed in the Recording Secretary’s notebook and in the President’s book. C. The Recording Secretary shall see that each candidate accepting election receives copies of the Constitution, Bylaws, and eligibility code of the Tau Beta Pi Association, information about Tau Beta Pi, and these Bylaws, and such other information as the Chapter may deem desirable. D. The Corresponding Secretary shall notify each active member and advisor of the time, place, and purpose of each Chapter meeting at least one week in advance of the meeting. E. The Corresponding Secretary shall serve as the secretary of the Advisory Board. F. The President and Vice President shall pay a courtesy call on the Dean of Engineering early in the fall term to discuss ways in which the Chapter may be of service to the College. The substance of such discussions shall be reported to the Chapter at the next meeting.
G. The President
shall cooperate with the Director of Tau Beta Pi District 11 and shall
encourage the Chapter members to participate in the District’s
activities.
Bylaw III - Meetings Section 1 - The following regular meetings shall be scheduled and held once each year: organization, election of officers, and installation of officers. Section 2 - The following regular meetings shall be scheduled and held once in the fall and once in the spring semesters: discussion of election procedures, election of candidates, initiation of electees, and at least one general meeting of a social, literary, or technical nature. Section 3 - Special meetings may be called by the President, any member of the Advisory Board, or upon written request to the President signed by twenty percent (20%) of the active members of the Chapter. Section 4 - "Robert’s Rules of Order" shall be parliamentary guides of the Chapter in all matters not covered in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association or in these Bylaws. Section 5 - The first meeting of each semester shall be held within two weeks of the beginning of each semester. Section 6 - The officers shall present a tentative calendar of the regular meetings for the semester to the active members for their approval no later than the second meeting of the semester. Section 7 - Notices sent to the active members and alumnus advisors announcing meetings shall clearly state the time, place and purpose of the meeting. Section 8 - Business meetings, other than the election meeting, shall last no longer than two hours, unless extended by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the active members present. The order of business at these meetings shall be as follows: A. Roll call. B. Minutes of the previous meeting. C. Reports of Officers. D. Reports of Committees. E. Unfinished business. F. New business. G. Adjournment.
Section 9 - Attendance of all active members shall be required at all regular, scheduled meetings of the Chapter. An active member will become inactive if he or she misses two consecutive meetings without written notice, unless the excuse is illness. An inactive member will be re-admitted to active status upon receipt of a written petition and its approval by the Advisory Board. (See National Bylaw VI 6.05(B).) Section 10 - The President shall call a meeting of the Advisory Board at the beginning of each semester. The minutes of each Advisory Board meeting shall be read at the following regular meeting of the Chapter. Additional meetings of the Board may be called by any of its members or upon receipt of a written request to the Chair of the Board signed by twenty percent (20%) of the active membership of the Chapter.
Section 11 - A quorum
for the consideration of routine business shall be a majority of the
active membership of the Chapter. For the election of new members, for
changing the initiation fee or Chapter dues, for passing an assessment
on the members of the Chapter, for amending the Chapter’s Bylaws, and
for approval or disapproval of a proposed amendment to the Constitution
of the Association and for the election of officers, the quorum shall be
three-fourths of the active membership. A quorum of the Advisory Board
meeting shall be five members of the Advisory Board.
Bylaw IV - Committees Section 1 - Subject to the provisions of B-V, 5.02, the President appoints the chair and members of the following committees: Membership, Public Relations, Service, Dean’s List Dinner, Social, and NEW (National Engineering Week), and such other committees as the Chapter shall desire and establish. Appointments shall be made at the next Chapter meeting following initiation of new members. Section 2 - As early as possible after committee appointments are made, the President shall provide each committee chair with a list of his or her specific duties and responsibilities. Section 3 - Each committee chair shall make a report of the progress of his or her group’s activities at each Chapter meeting.
Section 4 - All
active members will be members of at least one of the previously listed
committees. If a member does not choose a committee, then the President
shall appoint him or her to one. The President will set membership
limits for the various committees in order to prevent any membership
imbalances.
Bylaw V - Election of New Members Section 1 - Election of new members shall be held in the fall and spring semesters as soon as possible after grades of the previous term become available. Section 2 - All provisions of C-VIII and B-VI shall be strictly followed. Section 3 - Scholastically eligible day students in the following curricula shall be considered for membership in the Chapter: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geological Engineering, Material Science Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Mining Engineering. Section 4 - Transfer students shall be eligible for consideration at the third regular election after registration. Such students may be eligible at the second regular election after their registration, provided the consent of five-sevenths of the Advisory Board is obtained. Section 5 - The cases of students whose scholastic eligibility is in doubt because of irregularities in standing on curriculum shall be determined by the Advisory Board of the Chapter. Section 6 - The membership committee shall periodically consult with the chairs of the various Engineering Departments to determine the names of the graduate students, alumni, faculty members, and others who may be eligible for membership under provisions of C-VIII, 3-6.
Section 7 - A. Letters shall be sent to scholastically eligible candidates, inviting them to a get-acquainted meeting. B. Eligible candidates are all juniors in engineering in the top one-eighth of their class and seniors in the College of Engineering in the top one-fifth of their class. The junior or senior standing is determined by the Registrar according to credits earned. C. A get-acquainted meeting shall be held at which the Chapter members will meet the candidates. The candidates shall be introduced to the purposes and activities of Tau Beta Pi. D. During the get-acquainted meeting, the candidate must sign a list to join a committee from which the candidate will get an initiation project. If the candidate does not sign up for a committee position, the President will assign him or her to one. E. Projects that involve physical violence, are offensive to dignity or decency, and/or public exercises that make the candidate ridiculous in any way are strictly prohibited. F. Each of the members will be assigned to write a 500 word essay on how they demonstrate exemplary character in their everyday life. This essay must be brought to their scheduled interview. Section 8 - Election procedures. A. At the election meeting, the eligibility code shall be first read. B. The names of the eligible candidates will be submitted to the Chapter membership. C. If any active member has a question about any of the candidates, that candidate’s name shall be removed from the list. D. A Chapter vote shall be taken on all candidates remaining on the list of eligible people (block vote). E. Each candidate removed from the list for block voting shall be considered separately, as well as candidates with a negative faculty reference. Each name shall be presented for discussion and voted on before the following name shall be considered. F. After all the names have been considered and voted on, there shall be a second individual ballot for each candidate who failed election on the first ballot. G. No candidate who fails election on the second ballot shall be considered further unless twenty-five percent (25%) of the members present so request. H. No candidate who fails election on the third ballot shall be considered at this election. He or she may be considered again at the next election if he or she is eligible at that time. Section 9 - The President shall direct the Membership Committee to have sufficient letters of notification prepared in advance of the election meeting. These letters should be signed by the President, addressed to the electees, and mailed within twenty-four hours of the election meeting. Section 10 - All members shall keep the election results in absolute confidence so that no candidate shall learn of his or her election except by means of the official email. Likewise, no candidate shall be informed of details of the vote, especially concerning the personal matters discussed at the time of the voting. Section 11 - Each electee who refuses initiation for financial reasons shall be interviewed by the Advisory Board, as required by C-VIII, 10(a). Section 12 - Each electee shall be required to take part in an activity recommended by the Chapter officers to foster a spirit of liberal culture. This activity should take the form of a project and/or writing of an essay, as specified in B-VII, 7.01. They shall also be required to read the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and these Bylaws.
Section 13 - The
Chapter may assign additional duties to the electee subject to the
provisions of B-VII, 7.02. Bylaw VI - Election and Installation of Officers Section 1 - The President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Cataloguer, and an alumnus member of the Advisory Board shall be elected in the spring semester. Section 2 - Nominations for officers shall be made by two nominating committees appointed by the President. Each committee shall nominate one candidate for each office. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the Election of Officers meeting. Reports of the nominating committees shall be made at a scheduled Chapter meeting or posted at least one week prior to the Election of Officers meeting. Section 3 - The Election of Officers meeting shall be held during spring semester. Officer-elects shall be formally installed at the second to last meeting of the spring semester. The Chapter officer installation procedure given in the President’s Book shall be employed to install the new officers. During the period following election and before installation, each officer-elect shall work closely with his or her counterpart to learn the duties and responsibilities of the office. Transfer of financial records between the past and newly elected Treasurer is contingent upon an audit as required by MBB-VII, 8. Section 4 - The election of officers shall be by secret ballot. Two-thirds of the active membership shall constitute a quorum for the Election of Officers meeting, and a majority of the quorum is required for election. A vote by the members present shall cause the nominee receiving the least number of ballots to be dropped from further consideration until one receives a majority vote.
Section 5 - If an
office becomes vacant between elections, a special election shall be
held at the next Chapter meeting to fill the vacancy. The officer
elected shall serve until the next regular election. Bylaw VII - Finances Section 1 - The expenses of the Chapter shall be borne by the initiation fee and by such dues and pro-rate assessments as may be voted by the Chapter. A majority vote of active membership shall be required to change any fees or dues or to levy any assessments. (See MBB-III, 11.) Within one week the Corresponding Secretary shall inform the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of any changes in the amounts of the Chapter’s initiation fee, dues, or assessments. Section 2 - The initiation fee for all initiates shall be payable in advance of initiation to the Chapter Treasurer. This amount shall cover the National initiation fee, the National Convention assessment, the cost of one initiation banquet, the cost of a rough bent casting, and such other operating expenses of the Chapter as necessary. Section 3 - Shortly after the Election of Officers meeting, a committee composed of the President, President-elect, Treasurer, and Treasurer-elect shall prepare an operating budget for the next year. The budget shall be submitted to the Chapter for approval by a majority vote at the first regular meeting in the fall semester. The budget shall include a recommended amount for the initiation fee to be charged during the year. Any additional expenses not approved by the Chapter, except that the Treasurer shall be authorized to advance to the Convention delegate(s) a sum sufficient to cover expenses he or she expects to incur in attending the annual convention of the Association. Section 4 - The Chapter shall use the official bookkeeping system of the Association. Section 5 - There shall be at all times a balance of at least fifty dollars ($50.00) in the Chapter Treasury. A sum of no more than twenty dollars ($20.00) may be kept in petty cash by the Treasurer. Section 6 - Expenditures in excess of five dollars ($5.00) shall be made by check, signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the President. Expenditures of less than five dollars ($5.00) may be made from petty cash by the Treasurer. Section 7 - The Chapter’s fiscal year shall by April 30 to April 29. Section 8 - Immediately following the end of the fiscal year, at least one alumnus member of the Advisory Board (but not the Treasurer if he or she is an alumnus member of the Advisory Board) shall audit the Chapter’s books. If necessary, the Treasurer and Treasurer-elect shall file the Internal Revenue Service’s Form 990.
Section 9 - No part
of the net earnings of the Chapter will incur to the benefit of, or be
distributed to, members or officers of the Chapter or to any other
individual.
Bylaw VIII - Discipline Section 1 - It is the intent of this disciplinary bylaw to impress the membership with the seriousness of the purpose of this Chapter and of the Tau Beta Pi Association, and to enable the officers and dedicated members of this Chapter to accomplish necessary business in a manner not inconvenienced or encumbered by a lack of interest on the part of a few members. Section 2 - Discipline shall be in accordance with C-IX, 4 and 5.
Section 3 - A uniform
system of fines for habitual absence or tardiness may be established
each year in which it is desired by the Chapter. A majority vote of the
active members shall be required to establish this system of fines for a
period of one year.
Bylaw IX - Records and Equipment Section 1 - All permanent records of the Chapter shall be kept current and up-to-date. Section 2 - The initiation equipment shall be maintained in good order and in a secure manner by the Vice President, and the ritual and its related materials shall be kept up-to-date and under lock and key when not in use. Section 3 - All records and an inventory of all physical equipment owned by the Chapter shall be turned over to the new officers at the Installation of Officers meeting. Section 4 - The Charter of this Chapter shall be prominently displayed at a location determined by the Dean of Engineering.
Section 5 - All
records of this Chapter shall be open to inspection to any member of the
Association and to any official of the University who has received
approval from the Advisory Board, except that the ritual may not be
inspected by non-members of the Association. Bylaw X - Suspension of the Bylaws
Section 1 - These Bylaws may be suspended only by a
three-fourths affirmative vote of the active membership of the Chapter
and by a four-sevenths affirmative vote of the Advisory Board, as
provided in C-VI, 5.
Bylaw XI - Amendments Section 1 - Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any three active members of the Chapter. A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the President and shall be signed by the members proposing it. Section 2 - These Bylaws may be amended by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the active membership of the Chapter, subject to the approval of the Advisory Board, as provided in C-VI, 7(b).
Section 3 - The
Corresponding Secretary shall send a copy of the Bylaws as amended to
the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association within two weeks after an
amendment is adopted.
Bylaw XII - Dissolution
Section 1 - In the event of dissolution of the Chapter, the
residual assets shall be distributed to the Tau Beta Pi Association,
Inc., a corporation organized and operated exclusively for educational
and scientific purposes and exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section
501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Any such assets not
so disposed of shall be distributed to a Federal, State, or Local
government for public purposes.
Bylaw XIII - Enactment
Section 1 - These Bylaws were adopted by vote of this
Chapter and its Advisory Board and became effective on
Thursday, September 22, 1994.
They were last amended on April 9, 1985.
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