DELTA PHI EPSILON BY-LAWS Epsilon Omicron, Clarion University Amended: TBDth, 2019 ARTICLE I. OBJECTIVE The name of this organization shall be DELTA PHI EPSILON, Epsilon Omicron chapter, located at Clarion University, whose purpose is to foster and promote the ideals and principles of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority, whose Constitution, by-laws, policies and procedures, as amended and supplemented from time to time, are hereby adopted and are fully set forth herein. ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP A. A member in good standing: Any woman who is a duly initiated member in accordance with Article I of this chapter’s Constitution, who is of good moral character and fitness, participates regularly in chapter activities, and who is in good financial and scholastic standing with the chapter and the ΔΦΕ International Sorority and is in compliance with all standards of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Constitution, by-laws, rules, policies and procedures as are amended and supplemented from time to time. B. A member not in good standing: Any woman who does not fulfill the requirements set forth in Article II Section A of this constitution. A member not in good standing has no voice/no vote at regular chapter meetings, elections, and new member selection. No voice/no vote means that a member not in good standing may not speak at meetings from the Opening Prayer through New Business, and may not vote on any proposal, election, or new member selection. Those not in good standings can be in a variable number of committees at the discretion of the Leadership Team. C. An active member: Any initiated member of Delta Phi Epsilon who is fully matriculated at Clarion University. D. An inactive member: A member may be declared inactive for documented reasons including full-time internships, study abroad, co-op programs over three credits, student teaching, university enrollment requirements, severe illness, or clinicals. The decision to grant inactive status rests with the individual chapter’s Leadership Team. No member may be inactive for more than one semester without approval from the International Governing Board. E. An honorary member: Any woman or man who is not a member of another NPC sorority and has been singled out for her contributions to Delta Phi Epsilon or has distinguished herself to this Sorority for either her academic, social or philanthropic accomplishments or for benefactions to mankind, who has been initiated as an honorary member after approval by the Delta Phi Epsilon International Executive Council. F. An alumnae member: Any former active member who has graduated with a bachelor’s degree is a member in good standing with the chapter and the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority; provided however that an alumni member’s participation in chapter activities shall be on a voluntary basis as time permits. ARTICLE III. INVITATION TO MEMBERSHIP A. A prospective initiate shall be tendered a bid by closed ballot, the 0-5-10 voting system, in accordance with the bidding requirements of the chapter, and the ΔΦE International Constitution, by-laws, policies and procedures, as amended and supplemented from time to time. B. In order to sign a bid with DELTA PHI EPSILON sorority, the prospective initiate must meet a minimum of a 2.7 on a 4.0 scale average and may not be a current or previous member of any other National Panhellenic Organization. C. After a bid is accepted, and after the completion of the ritual ceremony, the prospective initiate shall be known as a New Member of the DELTA PHI EPSILON International Sorority and shall wear the purple recognition pin of the Sorority. D. The orientation period for new members shall not exceed six weeks. E. New member membership status shall not be revoked, nor shall the new member process be renewed except after the International Executive Council has received full advice of such intentions and has signified its assent. F. At the expiration of the stipulated period, and provided the new member has successfully completed all requirements to be performed, in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority as adopted by this chapter, the new member shall be formally initiated as a member of this chapter of the DELTA PHI EPSILON Sorority, in accordance with the Ritual of this Sorority, thereby becoming a member for life provided she remains a member in good standing. G. An initiate shall pay all fees associated with becoming an active sister in their first set of dues. H. The Sorority pin may only be confiscated by or returned to the local chapter of its President and VPMD in accordance with the general provisions of this Sorority regarding deactivation and/or disaffiliation. ARTICLE IV. NEW MEMBER PROCESS REGULATIONS A. Sisters wishing to be a Big must be in good standing. The priority with which the VPMD ranks the Bigs will be based on family foremost, then expected graduating semester, pledge class, GPA, and financial status, respectively. B. The VPMD must attend all New Member meetings unless a valid excuse is submitted. C. In the event the VPMD cannot attend the New Member meetings, the VPMD must find a substitute on LT, who is not getting a Little that semester, to attend the meeting in her place. D. The New Member Educators are not permitted to have the phone numbers of the New Members until after their Initiation. a. All communication shall be held over GroupMe in a chat with both New Member Educators and the VPMD. No outside chats or online communication may occur until after Initiation. b. No direct messaging between an active sister and a new member may occur i.e. snapchatting, Instagram or Twitter direct messaging, and tagging in posts. c. New Member Educators must allow the VPMD to follow them on all social media platforms. d. New members are not to be quizzed or singled out on knowing the information being taught by the New Member Educators. Other means of teaching the information will be decided on at the discretion of the VPMD. E. New Members must hold a meeting once a week to go over the information taught by the New Member Educators. F. New Members are permitted to spend time with any sisters prior to Initiation given that they follow the three to one rule. Those on the Bigs list must be accompanied by two plus other sisters, and of those other sisters at least one must not be from the same family as that of the Big. G. New Members are to be informed by the VPMD and New Member Educators on the time and date of the Big/Little Event as soon as a date is decided upon. ARTICLE V. INVITATION TO HONORARY MEMBERSHIP A. The prospective honorary member shall be tendered a bid in the same manner as provided in Article III, Section A, of these by-laws and shall be initiated according to the Ritual of this Sorority. B. An honorary member shall not pay any fees nor will they be required to attend sorority activities. C. An honorary member shall have full membership privileges except the privilege to vote, attend rituals, or attend ceremonies, and shall be subject to all membership requirements except those listed above in Article V. Section B. D. All honorary member applications must be approved by the International Executive Council prior to offering membership to that person. ARTICLE VI. DUTIES OF OFFICERS A. The President shall have the power to: 1. Call and preside at all meetings of this chapter. 2. Cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie vote. 3. Appoint such teams as she may deem necessary for the proper conduct and administration of the chapter affairs. 4. Solemnize and preside at all ritual ceremonies. 5. Affix her signature to all official correspondence, documents and vouchers for the disbursement of chapter funds. 6. Oversee all Vice President Teams to ensure they are working toward their goals. B. The Vice President of Operations shall supervise her coordinators to manage the financial and administrative operations of the chapter. In the event of the removal of the President from office or her resignation or inability to discharge the powers of duties of the office of President “her resignation, or her inability to fulfill the duties of President”, VPO becomes President of the chapter for the remainder of the pending term of office. C. Other Vice Presidents shall be elected to fill the positions set forth in Article II, Section I of this chapter’s Constitution. The exact duties of each Vice President are listed in the Team Excellence Manual issued by the Delta Phi Epsilon International Headquarters. ARTICLE VII. TEAM EXCELLENCE HIERARCHY The hierarchy for LT elections goes as follows: President, VP Operations, VP Programming, VP Recruitment, VP Membership Development, VP Academic Affairs, Member at Large. The hierarchy for Coordinator Elections is as follows: Operations Team, Programming Team, Recruitment Team, Membership Development Team, Academic Affairs Team, Sisterhood Team. ARTICLE VIII. NOMINATIONS PROCEDURE A. Nominations for LT and Coordinator positions must be opened two weeks prior to elections. At chapter meetings each week, the President will take time to open the floor for nominations for each position, opening positions for nominations in order of Team Excellence hierarchy, listed in Article XX. B. Nominations are taken from the floor, and do not require a second. A sister may only nominate one woman per open position, however there is no limit to how many nominations the chapter can take. Sisters may nominate themselves for a position. Sisters may decline the nomination at any time in the elections process. ARTICLE IX. ELECTIONS A. The election of all officers shall be by closed ballot. B. All officers shall be elected by a majority rule vote of the members present. C. Nominees must be undergraduate members in good standing, holding a minimum 2.8 on a 4.0 scale average for Coordinator Positions and Leadership Team positions and shall have been active undergraduate members for at least one semester by the effective commencement date of the office for which they have been nominated. D. If a nominee for a Leadership Team position does not meet the minimum standards, a “Waiver to Run for Leadership Team” form may be filled out and sent to the International office for approval three weeks prior to the election. E. Nominations are taken from the floor at a regular Chapter meeting at least two weeks prior to the election meeting. Any member in good standing may nominate any other member in good standing for leadership or coordinator positions. The nomination can be either accepted or rejected by the nominee. F. Leadership Positions and coordinator positions will be maintained for one year after the election. G. Elections are to be held at least two months prior to the expiration of the former officer’s terms, to allow for an effective officers’ training period. H. Members holding Leadership team positions may not hold any other coordinator position. Members holding coordinator positions may hold one coordinator position per year. I. Names of new officers should be reported to the Regional Coordinator, Regional Advisors and International Headquarters within twenty-four hours after elections. ARTICLE X. ELECTION PROCEDURE 1. All elections must be administered the same way for each candidate a. Voting order is done alphabetically, either by last name or alphabetically by pledge class at the discretion of the current LT. b. Position descriptions are read again before each office is elected. c. If a candidate chooses, she may give a speech as to why she is running for the position. If a speech is delivered; all other candidate must wait in a separate room. The speeches should be kept brief: 1-2 minutes for Coordinators, and 3-4 minutes for Leadership Team positions. d. The President may ask for questions from the floor for the candidate. All questions must allow the candidate a response and may not be ill intentioned. For examples of proper questions refer to the “Elections step-by-step” portion of the Team Excellence Manual. e. Pro/con statements or discussion of any kind between members about candidates are prohibited. f. Members are allowed to take notes on candidates during speeches but may not discuss candidates with other members. Any notes taken are to be collected and thrown away at the conclusion of elections. g. Voting is done by closed ballot. h. A candidate must receive majority vote of those present and eligible to vote to be elected. i. The President and the Chapter Advisor will count votes. If the Chapter Advisor is not available, then an area alumna approved by the International Headquarters may assist. j. The President does not vote, unless there is a tie. All other VPs may vote. k. Votes should never be counted only by the President. l. Announce the results immediately following the vote for each office. Sisters should only hold one office at a time and may not hold two positions if elected on to the Leadership Team. ARTICLE XI. LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS Allow for four weeks of transitions to cover the following subjects in your previously scheduled LT meetings with CAB members. Below is a general guideline for the transition. For more detail and examples pertaining to each week, refer to the Team Excellence Manual. Week One: Introduction of Transition Process Week Two: Team Excellence and General Resources Week Three: One on Ones with CAB, Outgoing, and Incoming LT Week Four: Review Meeting Roles and Expectations (Host Installation Ritual) First Chapter Meeting with Incoming LT: Yearly Planning Meeting with SWOT, SMART, Calendar, and Budget Planning ARTICLE XII. MEETINGS A. The order of business at all meetings of this chapter shall be as follows: provided exceptions including a majority vote, or a meeting called for a specific purpose 1. Opening prayer 2. Roll call 3. Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting 4. Reading of the minutes of the International Executive Council and any other communications from the International Executive Council 5. Report of the Leadership Team Members 6. Report of all Teams 7. Unfinished business 8. New business 9. Good and welfare 10. Adjournment B. Any initiated active member in good standing of this chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority shall have the right, duty, and privilege to attend all meetings, ceremonies, and all other affairs of this chapter. C. All chapter meetings shall be secret. If any member of this Sorority divulges anything transpiring at a chapter meeting or ceremony of this chapter to a person not a member of this Sorority, such act shall be deemed grounds for disciplinary action set by the Standards Board. ARTICLE XIII. QUALIFICATIONS FOR VOTING AT MEETINGS A. B. conditions: Every active member in good standing shall have the right to vote at all meetings. An active member in good standing shall be permitted to vote under the following a. Sisters, both active or inactive, may only vote on those motions proposed and opened for discussion at the previous meeting, and further provided they attended the previous meeting. ARTICLE XIV. ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the authority on all questions of Parliamentary Law excepting such rules that may conflict with the provisions of the Constitution and the by-laws. ARTICLE XVII. EXCUSES A. The terms for valid and invalid excuses are listed below. All excuses must be specific and descriptive as to determine their validity. Any reasons outside this list will be left up to the Leadership Team’s discretion. Besides Inactive Status, which is detailed in Article XXI, there is no other status, i.e. Professional that enables a sister to have different stipulations for hours and attendance. B. Valid Excuse Reasons a. Family Emergency b. Severe Illness c. Internships/Co-Op d. Student Teaching (only applicable on week days) e. Externships C. Invalid Excuse Reasons a. Homework b. Work, when two weeks’ notice was given prior to the Fundraiser Event, Ritual, Recruitment night, etc. c. Study Group meetings d. Family when it is not an emergency e. Family friend functions ARTICLE XVIII. FINES The following are fine reasons and amounts that are determined to be best for this Epsilon Omicron Chapter. All decisions to fine a sister will be up to the discretion of the Leadership Team and ultimately carried out through the VPO. A sister will be notified of the fines she has accumulated and will be permitted to pay those fines over the course of the semester that they occurred in. Any fines not paid during the semester will be added onto the set of dues that are next to be billed. Missed a Chapter Meeting with no valid excuse - $25 Missed a night of Recruitment, Formal or Informal - $25/night Missed a Ritual, i.e. Initiation, Reaffirmation, etc. with no valid excuse - $25 Missed an Informational Workshop/Retreat with no valid excuse - $25 Missed a 100% mandatory event with two weeks’ notice given, i.e. fundraising events for ANAD/CFF, events held for CAP, the one mandatory semesterly Candle Pass, Recruitment Workshops, etc. - $25 Pearls not completed at the date specified one a semesterly basis - $15 Semester grades not submitted on time - $15 Community Service hours not completed - $5/hr. Study hours not completed by deadline, i.e. 6pm prior to each Chapter Meeting - $5/week ARTICLE XIX. MEMBERS STANDARDS BOARD A. The provisions for a member standards board and for the imposition of sanctions upon chapter members as set forth in the Delta Phi Epsilon International by-laws and the policy manual of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority is hereby adopted and incorporated herein as the provisions for a member standards board and for the imposition of sanctions upon chapter members of this chapter. B. Members Standards Board is empowered to; first encourage and oversee remediation, then initiate and complete disciplinary proceeding and impose punishment and/or sanction(s) with respect to all charged violations of the previously stated offenses. In addition, the Members Standards Board may be, and is encouraged to be used for positive recognition. C. For a formal application process, refer to the Standard Board Manual. ARTICLE XX. ALCOHOL POLICY The Delta Phi Epsilon International Collegiate Member Alcohol Policy as set forth in the Delta Phi Epsilon International by-laws and the policy manual of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority is hereby adopted and incorporated herein as the alcohol policy of this chapter. ARTICLE XXII. HAZING POLICY The Delta Phi Epsilon International Collegiate Member Hazing Policy as set forth in the Delta Phi Epsilon International by-laws and the policy manual of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority is hereby adopted and incorporated herein as the hazing policy of this chapter. ARTICLE XXIII. PROCEDURE FOR AMENDMENT OF THE BY-LAWS The Delta Phi Epsilon International Collegiate Member procedure for amendment of the by-laws as set forth in the Delta Phi Epsilon International by-laws and the policy manual of the Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority is hereby adopted and incorporated herein as the procedure for amendment of the by-laws of this chapter.