Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma (ΣΣΣ) Chapter Bylaws of Alpha Pi (AΠ) Article I. Name The name of this chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma shall be Alpha Pi, and it shall be governed by the Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma and this chapter. Article II. Meetings Section 1. The regular meeting of the Alpha Pi Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma shall be held on Monday at 8:00pm. Ceremonial Business Meetings shall be held at the discretion of the officers but will be held once a month and the first and last meeting of the semester. Section 2. Meetings shall last no longer than 75 minutes unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Section 3. Members are required to wear Ceremonial Business attire (see Article XII) throughout the duration of the day of said meeting. Any member found in violation of this policy will be subject to discipline determined by Honor Council. Section 4. The officers shall meet in executive sessions at the discretion of the President. These meetings shall occur at least once a week. Section 5. Members shall attend all scheduled meetings and functions of the chapter unless excused in advance by the VPO. A member wishing to be excused shall state her reasons in writing. Any unexcused absence may cause said member to be subject to discipline determined by Honor Council. Section 6. A quorum shall be necessary to conduct business. Two-thirds of total chapter membership in good standing shall constitute a quorum. Section 7. A member in good standing is defined by Honor Council. A member on any phase of Honor Council is not in good standing. Section 8. Initiated members are the only ones allowed to use the Ritual book. Section 9. Each member of the chapter will have 1 mental health day per semester where they will be excused from chapter. The individual must send a request to the secretary 5 hours prior to chapter. The VPO will notify the individual on whether or not they are excused. Article III. Dues and Fees Section 1. Local chapter dues shall be determined by the number of active members per semester, payable on or before the dates specified by current treasurer. If not payable by date specified, speak with the Treasurer. Section 2. A $0 housing fee will be paid each semester by every sister. Section 3. Within 48 hours before initiation, the remainder of the initiation fee of $180, plus the cost of the badge (ranging from $95-$210) and local dues, must be paid. Section 4. Payments to the chapter for dues will be made through Billhighway. Article IV. Membership Part A: Collegiate Membership Section 1. Membership in each chapter shall be determined by performance, educational achievement, and criteria related to the goals and purposes of the sorority. Judgments shall not be made based upon other factors such as individual race, color, religions, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability. Section 2. Potential new members shall have a cumulative grade point average of a 2.5 or better in order to be extended an invitation to membership. Section 3. New members shall be added in accordance with the recruitment policies of NPC as adopted by the local college Panhellenic Council. Section 4. A new member shall be initiated within one calendar year of the date of her acceptance of the invitation to membership. If, for any reason a chapter does not initiate a new member within one calendar year from the date of her new member process, her new member status automatically expires. The date of expiration shall be entered in the chapter records. Section 5. Pre-requisites for any second new member period would entail a vote of the chapter and the permission of chapter officers of Sigma Sigma Sigma. Section 6. The privilege to take a little and/or heart little shall be decided in order of initiation, i.e. bond order, for those who do not have a little. In addition to big/little being decided upon bond order, it is up to the VPNM to take into consideration academic standing. Big/Little bondings’ percentage mandatory is up to the discretion of the Vice President of the New Member Educator. Furthermore, much like the big/little process, the heart big/heart little is in bond order, but it is up to the discretion to of the VPNM to take into consideration academic standing and the potential big must be in good standing with the chapter. Section 7. All members must attend one Panhellenic sponsored event or meeting per semester. Failure to attend can result in disciplinary action by Honor Council Section 8. A member in good standing of this Sorority transferring from one college to another in which a Sigma Sigma Sigma chapter exists, may affiliate with the chapter, upon mutual agreement, after receiving written approval from the Assistant Director of Chapter Services of the chapter from which the woman is transferring. The transferring member retains all the rights and privileges of active membership as long as she continues to be in good standing. PART B – Alumna Initiate Section 1. A woman who desires to become an alumna initiate of the Sorority cannot belong to another National Panhellenic Conference member group. Section 2. A woman is not eligible for alumna initiate membership if she is otherwise eligible to be a collegiate new member, and there is no Sigma Sigma Sigma Collegiate Chapter at her college/university. Section 3. An alumna initiate candidate must receive and accept an invitation to membership in Sigma Sigma Sigma. Section 4. The alumna initiate shall receive the Arc degree. Section 5. The alumna initiate shall pay an initiation fee that includes full payment of the Loyalty Fund. Section 6. The alumna initiate shall purchase a badge from the official jeweler of the Sorority. Section 7. If initiated by a collegiate chapter, the alumna initiate’s chapter affiliation shall be that collegiate chapter. If initiated by an alumnae chapter, the alumna initiate’s chapter affiliation shall be designated as Iota Alpha or ΙΑ. Section 8. Alumna initiates are entitled to all rights and privileges of Sigma Sigma Sigma alumna membership. Article V. Elections Section 1. Chapter officers shall be elected at the first meeting of November during a Ceremonial Business Meeting; the exact date will be determined by chapter needs (earlier or later election requires the permission of the Assistant Director of Chapter Services. Section 2. A Nominating Committee to select a slate of officers shall be appointed by the President at the first meeting in October. This committee should include a representative from each academic class. Section 3. Candidates shall be eligible according to the Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma. Section 4. Candidates must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better in order to be eligible to hold an officer position. Section 5. Officers training sessions shall be held prior to installation. Section 6. Installation is conducted during the last meeting of the fall semester. Article VI. Officers and Chairmen Section 1. The elected officers of the chapter shall be President, Vice President of New Member Education, Vice President of Operations, Treasurer, Membership/Recruitment Director, Education Director, Collegiate Panhellenic Delegate, Vice President of Harm Reduction, and Honor Council. Section 2. The duties of the officers shall be explained in the manual for each individual chapter office and the National Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma. Section 3: The President must have held another officer’s position or nationally recognized chair. (See section 4) Section 4. The President shall appoint chairmen such as Junior Panhellenic Delegate, Foundation/RPM, Philanthropy, Triangle Correspondent, Music, Public Relations, Ritual, Parliamentarian, Alumnae Relations, Efficiency, Risk Management, Webmaster, Awards, and other necessary for chapter operations. Section 5. At least once a month all chairs must present a report at the chapter meeting. The chairs must also make sure to report to the officer that they are assigned to as well. Seasonal chairs like Composite, Relay for Life, Greek Sing, mix-off, ALF Float, parents association, senior send on, Triangle, awards and efficiency do not apply. Section 6. The consequence for failing to report as stated in Section 5 is a meeting with the President of the chapter. Section 7. The Alumnae Relations Chairman holds the positions for both the fall and spring semesters. Section 8. Greek Sing Chairman Subsection i. Greek Sing chair will be nominated and voted on by the chapter in the Fall semester. Subsection ii. Applicants should fill out an application to the chapter Subsection iii. President picks top three and chapter chooses chair Subsection iv. Greek sing co-chair is at the discretion of the chair Subsection v. Any attire that the chair requests to be purchased by the participants will be mandatory to those participating in Greek sing Subsection vi. Participants must attend 70% of scheduled practices or be subject to Honor Council. Section 9: All members participating in the Greek Games must have a shirt, as decided upon by the Greek Games Chairman. Article VII. Housing Section 1. The chapter housing is no longer owned by the Clarion University Foundation and leased to the Alpha Pi Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma House Corporation. All Members must abide by the Clarion University housing rules, Chapter Housing Rules, Room and Board Agreement, and the annual lease signed by all members residing in the house. Section 2. All members residing in the chapter house must be a student of Clarion University in good standing as well as members of Sigma Sigma Sigma in good standing. Section 3. All chapter members shall be required to pay a local housing fee of $0 per semester. Section 4. The house Corporation Bank account shall be maintained in Billhighway under a separate housing account. This housing account shall be managed by the House Corporation Board. It shall not be used for chapter operating costs. Section 5. Disbursement from this account may be made for housing items only as well as any state or federal processing charges to keep the House Corporation in good standing as a legal non-profit corporation. In addition, purchase, improvement, decorating, employment salaries, and repairs, which are not the responsibility of the Clarion University Foundation, are considered housing items. If the chapter does not have current housing, these funds will be used to pay for a storage facility. Section 6. Filling the house is the responsibility of each member. Capacity is considered on (depending on which house the chapter picks) beds. Members should not sign leases for other living situations until the house is full or they have gotten a housing waiver from the Housing Corporation. Every member is required to live in the house for one full academic year (Fall and Spring terms), unless the house is full. Section 7. In order to remain a member in good standing members must be currently fulfilling their housing requirements or have already completed their housing requirements. • In order to do this one must be living in the house, be on a waiting list for the house, received an exemption from the house corporation, or has already lived in the house the required amount of time. Section 8. The process of filling housing will begin right after formal recruitment for the following academic year. Section 9. After volunteers sign up for the housing and in the event the house is NOT full, there will be a lottery system in choosing who lives in the house in the following order: Freshmen (if permitted to live off campus/ or if the University considers the house as on campus), Sophomores (if permitted to live off campus/ of if the University considers the house as on campus), Juniors, and Seniors. If members are unable to fulfill their housing obligation, they must either find a replacement member in good standing or are subject to Honor Council. Failure to sign a lease within 10 days of the lottery will result in being sent to Honor Council and may result in membership termination. If the member finds a replacement, the replacement must be approved by the President and the Housing Corporation in writing. Section 10. There are four excuses for those who cannot live in the house: • Living with family • Marriage • Financial (on a case by case basis, will need to have a meeting to determine eligibility) • Underclassmen still having to meet their on campus residency requirement Section 11. Rooms will be selected on a first come, first serve basis. The first members to turn in all their information to the House Corporation will get to pick what room in the house they would like to have. Section 12. If a member terminated their membership or is terminated while in the house the member will still be held financially responsible for their room for the year. Section 13. The chapter will ensure house capacity at 95%. IF the house is unable to be filled to capacity for any reason, the costs of the empty bed(s) are split between the full memberships equally. Section 14. Article VII does not apply until a chapter house has been obtained. Article VIII. Amendments Section 1. The most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure shall govern all matters of parliamentary procedure for the chapter. Section 2: These bylaws should be read at the second meeting of EACH semester. Section 3. These by-laws may be amended by a 2/3rds of total chapter membership in good standing. Every member off campus shall be asked to vote virtually and shall be informed when the vote is counted. Votes not received by a specified date shall be counted in the affirmative. Section 4. A copy of the bylaws, as accepted by the chapter shall be sent to the Assistant Director of Chapter Services and the Regional Consultant, following the second meeting of each semester. Copies shall be placed in the manual of chapter President, VPO and attached to a current copy of the National Constitution and Bylaws filed in the chapter Ritual chest. Section 5. While the chapter’s bylaws are not secret, they are for the use of members only and not subject to non-member inspection. The same is true of the National Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma. In case of a request for either document, consult your Collegiate Coordinator or National Headquarters. Article IX. Grades Section 1. Study hours are as follows according to ones GPA and are to be done weekly.: 3.5 – 4.0 = no study hours 3.0 – 3.49 = two study hours 2.5 – 2.99 = three study hours 2.0 – 2.49 = five study hours below 2.0 = seven study hours Section 2. The consequences for not doing one's study hours are as follows: For the first week study hours are not met: a warning will be issued, and the member will have the opportunity to provide an excuse to the Education Director. The second week that study hours are not completed: the member will have the opportunity to provide an excuse. If that excuse is not accepted, the member will be submitted to Honor Council. Section 3. GPA requirements: 2.0 semester 2.5 cumulative Section 4. Members must attend at least 4 of the 6 educational programs during the calendar year or they will be sent to Honor Council by the Education Director. Article X. Budget Section 1. The following chart demonstrates the annual budget of each chair position of the Alpha Pi chapter: Category Amount ALF (Homecoming) $250 ALF Float $225 Billhighway Annual Fee $300 Composite $1,000 Foundation $250 Founder’s Day $650 Storage Fee $500 Officer Academy Travel $1,000 Officers (Supplies) $25 Panhellenic Dues $15 per member Parent’s Association $100 Public Relations $0 RC Visit $150 Recruitment $550 Ritual $25 Senior Send-on $60 Sisterhood $200 Social Events $0 Fall Formal $600 Total $5,900 Section 2. The chairperson is the only person that is permitted to spend and submit receipts for the budget for that chair. Article XI. Points Section 1. In order to be excused from an event an email or written excuse must be submitted to the chapter VPO at least 2 hours prior to the event. Section 2. Absences are excused or unexcused at the discretion of the VPO. Section 3. You may not be excused from an event just because an excuse was turned in. Section 4. You will be notified if you are or are not excused within 24 hours of the event. Section 5. Permanent excuses will only be accepted in the case of work scheduling, class, or an extracurricular conflict. Section 6. In the case of an emergency, you must contact the VPO and facilitator of the event by phone to let them know. Section 7. If you are going to be absent from an event due to an unforeseen circumstance, you must call either the chair of the event or an officer to let them know! Emergencies will not result in the loss of points. Section 8. The first time points are not met a warning will be issued; however, the second time points are not met the member will be sent to Honor Council. Section 9: For an event to be considered mandatory/worth points, it must be announced and voted on ONE (meeting) week prior to the date of the event. Section 10: If a member is missing an event, an excuse will cover 50% of the points delegated to the event. Section 11: You Must let the VPO know who is replacing you and why at least 2 hours before the event. Section 12: You will pay the fine or the fine will be split between members who do not attend or find someone to attend in their place. Section13: Warning for the first offense and a fine for the SECOND offense Section 14: Chapter excuses will be worth 85% of points if you have class, work, University Sport or activity MEETINGS (20 per party attended) Weekly Meetings 20pts Preference Party 30pts CBM 25pts Bid Day 15pts Bid Parties 15pts ACTIVITIES/EVENTS Senior Send On 20pts Float 15pts (amount of hours required at the discretion of the float chair) Foundation/Philanthropy Events 10pts BIG EVENTS Arc Degree 50pts Heart Big/Heart Little 20pts Big/Little 20pts GLS and Inspiration week events 60 pts Initiation 50pts RECRUITMENT EVENTS Formal Recruitment Parties (2) 40pts Founders Day 50pts Alumnae Picnic 50pts BONUS POINTS -Sisterhoods 5pts Section 2: Attendance is mandatory for Founders’ Day celebrations and the Alumnae Picnic Article XII. Dress Attire Section 1. Any woman whom has accepted a bid has the privilege to wear letters. Letters are to be worn with jeans, khakis, fingertip length skirt, and can be worn with torn jeans. Letters may also be worn with thick material yoga pants that are non-see threw including flare, straight leg, capris, boot cut, or jeggings. Material worn with letters must never be see through and does not include undergarments, tights, or sweatpants. Letters are never to be worn to the gym or recreation center. When wearing letters, hair and make-up must be presentable, and if questioned it is at the officers’ discretion to deem hair and make-up acceptable or unacceptable. If a person is deemed to look unacceptable while wearing letters, the same procedures will apply as if the person were drinking, smoking, or swearing in letters. Section 2. Ceremonial whites should be fingertip length white dresses or skirts. The shoulders do not need to be covered. Thin spaghetti strap and strapless dresses are allowed, so long as they are appropriate. Appropriate ceremonial white shoes should include white heels, flats, or dress sandals—NO SHOWER SHOES! Sorority badge should be worn over the heart with ceremonial whites. Section 3. Arc Degree Attire: Initiated members should be in ceremonial white attire (See section 2). New members should be in business attire (See section 5). Section 4. Triangle Degree Attire: Initiated members AND new members should be in ceremonial white attire (See Section 2). Section 5. Ceremonial Business Meetings will be held on the first and last meetings of the semester, and the first meeting of each month (see Article II, Section 1 for exceptions). The dress attire for these meetings is business attire with sorority badge worn over the heart. On the days of these meetings, business attire should be worn throughout the duration of the day. Business attire includes: slacks, khakis, fingertip dresses/skirts, blouses or appropriate dress tops. Tops of dresses or dress shirts should have straps with a width of three fingers. Business attire does not include: bodycons (skirts/dresses), leggings (unless they’re being worn under an appropriate dress or skirt), low cut shirts, UGG boots or UGG-like boots, shower shoes; furthermore, CBM attire must be worn all day, unless going to the gym, or in a class that requires a specific dress code (i.e. lab, Pilates, etc.) Section 6: At the discretion of the President, business attire may be excused throughout the day of a Ceremonial Business Meeting depending on weather conditions. However, it is still expected that sisters wear appropriate business attire to and during the Ceremonial Business Meeting. Section 7: Black dresses for Preference Night and white dresses for Ritual events cannot be body-con dresses. Section 8. Thick, heavy makeup, dark or bright nail polish, and large, chunky jewelry is not to be worn during Ritual events. Section 9. Consequences for a violation under any section of Dress Attire will include being sent to Honor Council for Violation of Policy. Also, if you are not in proper dress attire, it is at the discretion of the Ritual chairwoman to allow entrance into the ritual ceremony. Article XIII. Community Service Section 1: Community service hours are as follows: 10 hours per semester per member. These hours may be completed on or off campus. Section 2. If a member does not complete the 10 hours per semester, said member will be subject to disciplinary action by Honor Council. Section 3. Relay for Life and Community Service chairs are two separate chairs. Article XIV Recruitment Section 1. Recruitment shirts are mandatory in order for members to attend bid parties and Bid Day celebrations. Section 2: Recruitment shirts are mandatory for members, or they cannot attend formal recruitment events Section 3: Chapter letters are to be fundraised by members and if the money is not raised, members will be responsible for covering the cost of the letters. Article XV Social Media Section 1: If a chapter member is underage there should be no images of alcohol in the picture, whether that be in the background or displayed on oneself (clothing, in hand, etc.) Section 2: If a chapter member is in another country and of legal drinking age there, said chapter member must either use a geotag or state what country they are in on photo caption. Section 3: Chapter members should not post photos with alcohol or drug paraphernalia including, but not limited to Sigma branded items; such as: Sigma wine glasses/drinking cups/shot glasses, bongs, red solo cups, etc. Section 4: Alcohol can be present in photos and on social media IF sisters are 21 or over. Section 5: Negative tweeting (or subtweeting) of other sisters or Panhellenic chapters is not appropriate and should not be posted. Tweets that reflect the Greek community positively are permitted Section 6: When speaking of other chapters, keep a Panhellenic attitude. Be careful not to publicly bash or exhibit bad attitudes towards other chapters. Section 7: Watch one’s language. Be sure not to curse on social media, in public, or while in letters. Section 8: If Sigma is shown on a chapter member’s social media site (ex: in an About Me section) and a chapter member is found posting what does not reflect our values, said member will be asked to remove Sigma from their profile. Section 9: Chapter members are not permitted to block anyone on the Officer Board, VP of Harm Reduction/Social Media Chair, or CAB on any form of social media. Section 10: All posts/pictures/videos are under the discretion of VP of Harm Reduction/Social Media Chair Section 11: Any sister is encouraged to ask someone to remove a photo if she feels it is inappropriate. If it becomes a problem, that sister can take the issue to someone on the Officer board or the VP of Harm Reduction/Social Media Chair or the CAB. If a sister is asked to remove a post or a photo, they will have 3 hours to take said post/photo down on any social media site. If the post/photo/video is not removed within the time limit, that sister will be submitted to Honor Council. Respectfully Reviewed Makayla Guzik Alpha Pi Parliamentarian Fall 2020