Active Membership

The Michigan Beta chapter has a requirement for our members to be active by participating in our events and volunteering throughout the community. We feel that being active in our chapter and community is a hallmark of exemplary character.

Submit Your Volunteering Hours Here:

Requirements for Active Membership

The Michigan Beta requires the following to be achieved each semester for a member to remain an active member:

Activity Point Tier System

We have a tier system for special awards for our active members that go above and beyond the required 4 points! The tiers are as follows:

You must fulfill all the other active membership requirements to be eligible for the tiered gifts.

Activity Points

Each member is required to earn at least 4 activity points per semester. There are several ways to earn activity points in the Michigan Beta chapter. Any of our social activities (game nights, bonfires, hangouts in town, etc.) will earn you a point and is also a great way to relax, socialize with your fellow Tau Bates, and take a break from your studies.

Volunteering opportunities are another way to earn your activity points. Members can participate in volunteering opportunities that our chapter organizes (Make a Difference Day, wood splitting for the elderly, and more) and in other opportunities in the local area. It is not uncommon for Tau Bates to donate blood every semester through the American Red Cross, walk dogs at the Copper Country Humane Society, and participate in volunteering activities with other groups they are in. For volunteering opportunities, points are typically awarded by the hour. So if you spent two hours splitting wood for the elderly community, you will earn 2 activity points.

One final way members can earn activity points is to become an officer in the Michigan Beta chapter. Due to their work commitment in the chapter, officers automatically earn all four activity points for active membership.

Semester Fee

Tau Beta Pi at Michigan Tech is an invite-only student organization. As a result, we are ineligible to receive any RSO funding directly from the university. To help with chapter operations, we require a $5 fee to be paid each semester to the Treasurer. This ensures we can still hold activities as a chapter! After a few weeks, the semester fee will increase to $10 if it isn't paid.

General Meetings

Our general meetings are the best way to get information on upcoming social events and volunteering activities on and off-campus. More importantly, we conduct official business in these meetings from time to time - most notably, the Election of new members into the chapter. Thus, the Michigan Beta chapter requires that all members attend the general meetings throughout each semester. They can be attended in-person or virtually, but members attending virtually must keep their camera on and complete the attendance sheet each time.

That said, we do understand that other circumstances can prevent you from attending some meetings. Therefore, we allow:

An absence is excused only if the Executive Board is made aware of a members' potential absence. If a member exceeds one of these allowances, they are required to earn a fifth activity point to make up their excessive absence(s). Members whose schedules prevent them from attending the meetings should let the Executive Board know.

Initiation Ceremony

Traditionally, Tau Beta Pi members attend the Initiation Ceremony as witnesses of the new members being initiated, and the Michigan Beta chapter is no different! The Executive Board will keep track of current members' attendance at this event. Members that are unable to attend the ceremony due to extenuating circumstances should let the Executive Board know right away!