Bylaws of Omicron Pi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa

(Passed March 30, 2003)

ARTICLE I: NAME OF CHAPTER

The name of this chapter of Phi Theta Kappa shall be Omicron Pi.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The purpose of the Omicron Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Allegany College of Maryland shall be the promotion of scholarship, the development of leadership and service and the cultivation of fellowship among qualified students of the college.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in Omicron Pi chapter shall consist of member, provisional member, extended member, alumni member, and honorary member. A. Members. Active members shall be a student who has met the requirements of membership:

1. Enrolled at the college

2. Accumulated 12 credit hours or more with at least 3.5 (Allegany College of Maryland credits) on a 4.0 scale.

3. Be in Good Academic Standing

4. If a US citizen, must have full rights of citizenship. To maintain active membership, a student must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Active membership will be terminated when a member is no longer enrolled in the college.

B. Provisional Members.

1. Enrolled at Allegany College of Maryland.

2. Must have had a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale on all completed high school work.

C. Honorary Members.

Honorary membership shall be given to a person who, in the opinion of the chapter, has rendered distinguished service. Honorary membership shall be conferred at the discretion of the chapter.

D. Transfer Members.

A member from another Phi Theta Kappa chapter may transfer membership to Omicron Pi Chapter upon proof of such membership.

ARTICLE IV: CHAPTER ADVISOR

In addition to carrying out the duties as stated in the Phi Theta Kappa Constitution and By-Laws, Chapter IV, Section 5, the chapter advisor shall be responsible for overseeing the completion of Membership Report Forms, Student Profile Form and fees to Headquarters. The advisor(s) shall be a non-voting member(s) of the chapter.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

Section 1. All officers must be members of Phi Theta Kappa in good standing have a Grade Point Average of 3.25 and must be currently enrolled at Allegany College of Maryland.

Section 2. The Omicron Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa shall have the following officers: A. President B. Two Vice-Presidents (One from the Cumberland Campus and One from the PA Campuses (Somerset and Bedford Campuses)) C. Treasurer D. Secretary E. Director of Membership Activities F. Historian

Section 3. With regards to the Vice-President, there may be up to three at any time. There must be at least two active serving Vice-Presidents (one from Cumberland campus and one from one of the Pennsylvania campuses) at any given time.

Section 4. The duties of the President shall be as follows:

A. Preside of all business meetings.

B. Appoint and establish any necessary committees.

C. Vote only in the case of ties.

D. Serve as ex-officio member on all committees.

E. Present business to the organization.

F. Represent the organization at all times, including the attendance of no less that one regional meeting.

G. Appoint a committee to review and /or revise the chapter constitution annually.

H. In case of a vacancy of office the president will appoint an interim replacement.

I. Must be available to serve for one full academic year.

J. Appoint a member to create a scrapbook for regional convention.

K. Attend as many Student Government meetings as possible.

Section 5. Duties of the Vice-President (Cumberland Campus)

A. Perform the duties of the President if s/he is absent.

B. Coordinate all committees.

C. Compile community service hours for the Cumberland Campus.

D. Record and report total community service hours.

E. Head committee reviewing chapter constitution and annual report.

F. Coordinate and communicate between the campuses.

Section 6. Duties of Vice-President (Pennsylvania Campuses)

A. Coordinate all committees.

B. Compile community service hours per individual campus.

C. Coordinate and communicate between the campuses

Section 7. The Treasurer shall:

A. Receive all money and request all checks, as permitted by the college.

B. Keep a set of books, which shall be available for review upon request.

C. Make a report of finances at each business meeting.

D. Submit proposal to Student Government and attend Student Government meetings.

Section 8. The Secretary shall:

A. Take minutes of the meetings and post for the chapter members within one week.

B. Take roll at the meetings.

C. Maintain a file of chapter correspondence.

Section 9. The Director of Membership Activities shall:

A. Plan a meeting for developing chapter programming.

B. Submit and present proposed event calendar for membership approval.

C. Coordinate writing of Hallmarks Award entries.

Section 10. Duties of the Historian

A. Maintain a chronological list of all chapter activities (e.g. in Yearbook)

B. Maintain copies of chapter newsletter (e.g. in Yearbook) C.

Coordinate with hapter Secretary and Director of Membership Activities

D. Create submission for Regional Convention (e.g. Yearbook)

Section 11. Attendance All officers are required to attend at least one monthly meeting.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. In addition to meeting requirements stated in Chapter IV, Section 3 of the Phi Theta Kappa Constitution and By-Laws, all candidates for office must be members of Phi Theta Kappa in good standing.

Section 2. Elections must be held within the first two weeks of April.

Section 3. Officers shall hold office from the time of their inauguration, which shall be at the first meeting following the election, to the time of the next inauguration.

Section 4. Nominations from the floor can be made at the same meeting as the election.

Section 5. Plurality of the votes cast will determine the new officer of membership present.

Section 6. In any case when an officer must resign his/her office, an election shall be held to elect a new officer at the next meeting.

Section 7. If any officer fails to fulfill the duties of his/her office, any member may call for discussion and a vote of impeachment. An average of regular attendance at meetings (past 6-12 months) must be present to call for a vote to impeach. Three quarters of the above stated attendance must be present before a vote for a removal of an officer can be called. Three quarters majority shall be necessary for removal from office.

ARTICLE VII:

Section 1. All business meetings will follow the general agenda. Order of Business:

a. Call to order

b. Take attendance

c. Acceptance of the minutes

d. Treasurer's Report

e. Committee reports

f. Old Business

g. New Business

h. Announcements

i. Adjournment

Section 2. All meetings shall be governed by an adaptation of Robert's Rules of Order.

Section 3. Special committee meetings shall be called be the chairman of said committee. Procedures at such meetings are left to the discretion of the chairman. Reports of each meeting shall be given to the members at the following chapter meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: FINANCES

Section 1. Finances for this chapter will be raised by projects voted on by the membership.

Section 2. All members will pay a one-time membership fee, which will include membership to Phi Theta Kappa International Headquarters, Middle States Region, and Omicron Pi Chapter.

Section 3. All fees must be paid prior to induction.

Section 4. Disbursement vouchers must be submitted with supporting invoices and/or statements attached to the original invoice.

Section 5. The advisor shall annually audit financial records of the chapter.

ARTICLE IX: GRADUATION ATTIRE

Section 1. Members wishing to receive a stole and tassel provided by Omicron Pi Chapter at no cost must meet the following requirements: A. Participate in one (1) fundraiser each semester B. Attend 50% of the scheduled meetings per semester C. Attend five (5) chapter activities, other than meetings (local, regional, and international activities all count) D. Participate in 5 hours of pre-approved service activities. Service activities of the chapter count for this as well. E. Each Vice President will be responsible for the maintenance of the records.

Section 2. For those not meeting the stated requirements, wishing to wear a stole and tassel, may borrow them for a deposit of $20.00. $5.00 of this deposit shall be a rental and cleaning fee. The remainder will be refunded if the stole and tassel are returned in good condition, as determined by the chapter, within 5 working days of graduation, after which said deposit is forfeited to the chapter. ARTICLE X:

AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS

Section 1. The chapter by-laws shall be amended by a simple majority vote of the members present at any regular meeting, provided that the proposed amendment has been presented at a previous meeting, any changes to the by-laws must be sent to headquarters for final approval.

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