Constitution

CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF PHI ETA SIGMA
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY, INC.

PREAMBLE

We, the members of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Inc., in order to promote a higher standard of learning and to encourage high scholastic attainment among the freshmen in our institutions of higher learning, do ordain and establish this constitution for the government of our society.

Article 1 - Names and Insignia

Section 1. This society shall be known as Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Inc.

Section 2. The colors shall be black and gold.

Section 3. The seal shall be circular in form; around the outer edge shall be the name “Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Inc.” The center portion shall contain a lamp of knowledge, beneath which shall be the arabic number 1923.

Section 4. The coat-of-arms shall be a shield of black, bearing a gold band extending from the upper left corner diagonally across the shield, upon which shall be superimposed the Greek letters for Phi Eta Sigma. In the upper section thus created shall be a lamp of knowledge in gold and in the lower section a pyramid of gold, the shield being surmounted by three gold links and a star, radiating its brilliance; the motto being placed below the shield on a scroll.

Section 5. The emblem of the organization shall be a gold key in the form of a scroll, with the letters superimposed thereon.

Section 6. Regulations changing the standard of dimensions, quality of material, and display use of the insignia may be prescribed by statute.

Article II - Organization

Section 1. The members of Phi Eta Sigma shall be those persons who have been initiated according to the ritual as hereinafter provided.

Section 2. Active chapters shall be those established in regularly incorporated colleges and universities, as hereinafter provided.

Section 3. Chapters of Phi Eta Sigma shall be limited to four-year, degree-granting colleges or universities which are accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency.

Article III - Grand Chapter

Section 1. The supreme legislative power of the society shall be vested in a Grand Chapter, holding regular sessions each year, which shall be known as a national convention on the even years and a convention planning session on the odd years, at such times and places as shall be designated by the Executive Committee as hereinafter provided; and shall be composed of delegates from the chapters as hereinafter provided, the members of the Executive Committee and the past Grand Officers. Special sessions of the Grand Chapter, the purposes of which shall be stated, may be called upon thirty days’ notice by a three-fourths vote of the active chapters voting upon such call.
Section 2. Each active chapter shall elect a delegate and an alternate to act in the absence of the delegate, who, with the chapter adviser of the society, appointed as hereinafter provided, shall be the chapter’s representative to the Grand Chapter. Delegates of active chapters shall be representatives of the chapter which they represent, and no delegate to the Grand Chapter shall represent therein more than one chapter unless authorized by vote of the Grand Chapter. Each chapter, if present, shall be entitled to one vote. A quorum shall be constituted by a majority of the delegates in attendance at the Grand Chapter, provided all chapters have been duly notified of the convention.

Section 3. No active chapter which is reported by the Executive Committee as delinquent under the rules of this constitution or the statutes shall be entitled to representation in the Grand Chapter except by a majority vote in the Grand Chapter.

Section 4. The officers of the Grand Chapter shall be: A Grand President, a Grand Vice-President, a Grand Secretary-Treasurer, a Grand Historian, and such other officers as it may elect.

Section 5. The Grand Chapter shall have power (a) to effect its own organization, to elect its own officers, and to adopt rules for its government and procedure; (b) to grant charters to active chapters as hereinafter provided; (c) to revoke the charter of any active chapter and to recover all the archives, paraphernalia, and other property of the society, to suspend the chapter from the exercise of any or all of its powers and privileges, and to punish any chapter, officer, or member in any manner it may deem necessary; (d) to elect the officers of the society hereinafter specified and to appoint such special committees as may be necessary; (e) to provide by statute or resolution for the creation and disbursement of the revenues of the society; (f) to provide by statute or resolution for the regulation of the officers and chapters and members of the society, and to define their respective duties and privileges as hereinafter provided; (g) to alter or amend this constitution, statutes, and ritual as hereinafter provided; (h) to enact, subject to this constitution, all laws, rules and regulations necessary to protect the welfare of the society, its officers, chapters and members.

Section 6. Enactments of the Grand Chapter, other than amendments to the constitution and to the ritual, shall be classified as either statutes or resolutions. Matters of a permanent character shall be in the form of statutes, while those of a temporary character shall be in the form of resolutions.

Article IV - Executive Committee

Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee, to wit: The Grand President, the Grand Vice-President, the Grand Secretary-Treasurer, the Grand Historian, the Executive Committee Member(s) Emeritus for advisory purposes, and six members, three of whom shall be students, to be elected as hereinafter provided.

Section 2. The general officers of the Society shall be elected by vote of the Grand Chapter and shall hold office until their successors have been duly elected and have qualified. The term of General Officers shall be four years with half of the officers being elected at each regular session of the Grand Chapter. The student members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at each Biennial Convention for a two-year term. A majority vote of the Grand Chapter shall be necessary to elect the said officers. The Executive Committee shall fill by election all vacancies in its own membership occurring between regular sessions of the Grand Chapter. At the expiration of their respective terms of office, the members of the Executive Committee shall severally deliver to their successors all books, records, papers and other property of the society in their possession or under their control.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the Grand President upon ten days’ notice or upon the written request with ten days’ notice of four members of the Executive Committee. A majority of members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 4. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision over the society during the recess of the Grand Chapter and shall have all the power of the Grand Chapter, provided: that the Executive Committee shall not have power to alter or amend this constitution or ritual. The Executive Committee shall have the power between sessions of the Grand Chapter to (1) approve petitions for new chapters; (2) suspend an active chapter from the exercise of its powers or privileges, (3) reestablish chapters in institutions whose charters have been revoked. The Executive Committee shall not have power to alter or amend this constitution or ritual or to revoke the charter of an active chapter. Any enactment in conflict with an act of the Grand Chapter or vetoed by the Grand President shall require an affirmative vote of five members of the Executive Committee to be passed.

Section 5. Whenever the members of the Executive Committee shall by majority vote decide that the interests of the society demand the surrender, suspension, or revocation of the charter of an active chapter, it shall forthwith submit to all the chapters the facts connected therewith; and after a majority of the chapters vote to
accept, suspend, or revoke such charter, the charter shall be surrendered, suspended, or revoked.

Section 6. The Executive Committee shall have the power to determine the detailed specifications of the key, coat-of-arms, and other insignia of the society and may contract for the manufacture of the same. The Committee shall also have power to make and enforce regulations concerning the manufacture, sale, and distribution of the insignia of the society.

Section 7. Each Grand Officer who has completed the term of office shall be known as a Past Grand Officer and shall become an Executive Committee Member Emeritus.

Section 8. Any member of the Executive Committee may be removed for just cause. Sufficient cause for such removal may be violation of this Constitution and Laws or any lawful rule, practice, or procedure adopted by the society or other conduct deemed by the Executive Committee to be prejudicial to the best interests of the society. For removal of a member of the Executive Committee for cause, it shall be necessary for the Executive Committee to hold a formal hearing. A statement of the charges shall be sent by registered mail to the most recent address of the member, accompanied by notice of the time and place of the meeting at which the charges are to be considered. At least thirty days’ notice shall be given, and the Executive Committee member shall have the opportunity to appear in person or to be represented by counsel and to present any defense to such charges before action is taken. The Executive Committee shall adopt such rules as may be necessary to assure due process for the Executive Committee member. The decision for removal shall be by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee members.

Article V - The Grand President

Section 1. The Grand President shall be the official head of the society. The Grand President shall act as chairman of the Executive Committee; call all regular and special sessions of the Grand Chapter, as hereinbefore provided; sign all charters and official documents issued by the society; submit to the Executive Committee such recommendations from time to time as seem to the benefit of the society; report on the condition of the society at the next regular session of the Grand Chapter succeeding election; shall have the power to veto any act of the Executive Committee concerning the collection and expenditure of the funds, provided that the right must be exercised within ten days after such act is passed.

Article VI - The Grand Vice-President

Section 1. If the Grand President is absent, the Grand Vice-President shall fulfill the duties of the office and shall assist the president in such ways as may be deemed proper.

Article VII - The Grand Secretary-Treasurer

Section 1. The Grand Secretary-Treasurer shall keep and safely preserve all records and archives of the society; shall record all laws, orders, resolutions, and proceedings of the Grand Chapter; shall act as the Secretary of the Executive Committee and report the minutes at the regular sessions of the Grand Chapter succeeding the election; issue charters and copies of the ritual as hereinafter provided; and shall keep an accurate enrollment of all members of the society and issue certificates of membership as prescribed by statute.

Section 2. The Grand Secretary-Treasurer shall collect and preserve all moneys due or donated to the society, paying out the same upon order of the Executive Committee; shall keep accurate books of account and, upon request, furnish the Executive Committee with a statement of the finances of the society, of the individual accounts of the several chapters, or of the accounts of the members thereof; shall render an annual statement of receipts and disbursements to the Executive Committee. The books and accounts shall be audited under the direction of the Executive Committee. The Grand Secretary-Treasurer shall give, at the expense of the society, a good and sufficient bond, approved by the Executive Committee.

Section 3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be Editor of the Forum.
Article VIII - Grand Historian

Section 1. The Grand Historian shall collect and compile historical and biographical material for the use of the society and shall direct the publication of the same as may be prescribed by statute.

Article IX - Membership

Section 1. The members of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Inc. shall be those persons who have been initiated according to the ritual as hereinafter provided, or, in such cases where it was not possible to assemble other students, have been duly initiated by proxy by the local chapter adviser without the requirement of going through the initiation ceremony.

Section 2. CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP. Any person, irrespective of membership in other organizations and associations, shall be eligible for membership in Phi Eta Sigma if all the following criteria are met:
(a) The person is a student in the college or university in which the chapter proposing initiation is chartered, or resident in a temporary branch of the institution if the student is matriculated in the mother institution. (b) The student achieves a cumulative grade-point average of at least one-half the highest grade and one-half the next highest grade at the close of any curricular period of the first year of registration in the college or university. (c) The student is enrolled in a baccalaureate (Bachelor’s) degree program during the curricular period in which the requisite grade-point average is achieved. (d) The academic work upon which the grade-point average is based is acceptable toward a bachelor’s degree. (e) The academic work upon which the grade-point average is based is completed during the first year of registration in the college or university. (f) The student is classified by the proposing institution as a full-time student during the curricular period in which the requisite grade-point average is achieved. (g) The student has not completed more than twenty semester hours or thirty quarter hours at another college or university after high school graduation and before matriculation in the institution of the chapter proposing initiation. Furthermore, (h) A student who enters an institution with advanced standing, and/or with college credit obtained prior to graduation from secondary school, but no credits obtained in residence at a college or university, may be initiated into Phi Eta Sigma on the same basis as any other candidate for the society. (i) Where these requirements for determining the grade-point average are deemed to work a hardship on the individual chapter, the Executive Committee shall have authority to consider and adjust the eligibility requirements for initiation. (j) In every instance a candidate must rank in the upper 20% (twenty percent) of his or her respective class.

Section 3. Such honorary members may be initiated by any chapter upon the express recommendation of the chapter adviser, senior adviser, the President of the chapter, and by a three-fourths majority vote.

Section 4. No member of Phi Eta Sigma can be suspended or expelled from membership except by the unanimous vote of the Executive Committee, such action to be reported by the Committee at the next meeting of the Grand Chapter.

Section 5. Persons suspended or expelled from membership may be reinstated by a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee.

Section 6. A member shall remain an active member of the society for the first year subsequent to initiation, and for as much longer as the local chapter shall determine.

Section 7. Any student meeting the requirements of Phi Eta Sigma at an institution which has an established chapter of Phi Eta Sigma and transferring to another institution before initiation, will, upon request, be auto-

matically initiated at the next regular initiation of the chapter of the institution to which the student has transferred.

Article X - Active Chapters

Section 1. Active chapters may be chartered and established in regularly incorporated colleges and universities as hereinafter provided.

Section 2. Active chapters shall have the power to adopt by-laws for the local government and for the regulation and control of their revenues and expenses, provided that no by-law shall be, in legal effect, in conflict with the constitution or any enactment of the society.

Section 3. The chapter officers shall be President, Vice- President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chapter Historian, and/or Correspondent, and their duties shall be described by Robert’s Rules of Order. Active chapters shall have the authority to elect additional officers as deemed appropriate.

Section 4. Initiation shall be held in the form and manner prescribed by the ritual.

Section 5. Active chapters shall pay dues, maintain records, and make reports as shall be prescribed by statute or resolution; and any such statute or resolution may provide as a penalty for non-compliance with its provisions the forfeiture of the charter of the delinquent chapter in the next succeeding session of the Grand Chapter.

Section 6. Each active chapter shall elect a delegate and an alternate to each session of the Grand Chapter, who with the chapter adviser shall represent such chapter at the Grand Chapter.

Section 7. There shall be a chapter adviser for each chapter, to be elected by the chapter subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 8. There shall be a senior adviser for each chapter, to be elected by a majority vote. Nominations for this office shall be solicited from the chapter adviser and the outgoing senior adviser.

Section 9. Every chapter is encouraged to sponsor and promote activities of an academic nature as well as social and service oriented projects. These activities may encompass both the campus and surrounding communities.

Article XI - Charters

Section 1. An active chapter in Phi Eta Sigma may be established upon petition of not fewer than twenty undergraduate students, other than from the senior class, enrolled in a four-year, degree-granting college or university which is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency and which is on the expansion list approved by the Executive Committee. All petitioners must fulfill the requirements for initiation hereinbefore provided. The procedure is as follows: (a) the petition shall be transmitted to the Grand Secretary-Treasurer with all information necessary as to the school’s academic standing; (b) upon receipt of the petition and information as prescribed above, the Executive Committee shall make full and speedy examination of the authenticity and general merits thereof; (c) no charter shall be granted except by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The petition for a charter to an active chapter may also be granted by a vote of three-fourths of the members of any regular session of the Grand Chapter, provided said petition is presented in the same manner as required for presentation to the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Active chapters shall be installed under the direction of the Executive Committee.

Section 4. Any chapter failing to initiate members for two consecutive years shall be declared inactive and shall be notified by the Grand Secretary-Treasurer that failure to initiate members for a third consecutive year will result in the loss of its charter.

Section 5. An inactive chapter may be re-chartered by meeting the requirements of this article or by a special new-member installation ceremony under the direction of the Executive Committee.

Article XII - Revenues

Section 1. The revenues of the society shall be gained from such sources, apportioned to such funds and such manner as shall be prescribed by the statutes.

Article XIII - The Ritual

Section 1. The enactments shall be those contained in the ritual. These enactments shall have equal force and validity in all respects with this constitution.

Section 2. The ritual shall be turned over to the Grand Secretary-Treasurer for safe keeping. No member of the society, save the Grand Secretary-Treasurer, shall be permitted to make copies thereof either in whole or in part. Copies of the ritual shall only be supplied by the Grand Secretary-Treasurer under the seal of the society on the order of the Executive Committee.

Article XIV - Amendments

Section 1. This constitution, the ritual and the statutes shall remain unaltered and unamended except by a three-fourths vote of the members of any regular or special session of the Grand Chapter. It is further provided that between sessions of the Grand Chapter, amendments may be made as follows: (a) By a two-thirds vote of the active chapters upon submission of the proposed amendment to them following a two-thirds favorable vote by the Executive Committee; or (b) By a two-thirds favorable vote of the active chapters and individual members of the Executive Committee, upon a petition of at least one-fifth of the active chapters. In such case, notice of the character of the proposed amendment shall be submitted to each chapter and to each individual member of the Executive Committee at least thirty days before a vote can be taken.

STATUTES

Statute I - Revenues

Section 1. The funds of the society shall be kept in a bank or other depository to be designated by the Executive Committee and shall be paid out by the Grand Secretary-Treasurer only on order of the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Every member shall upon initiation pay the national membership fee of $20 to the Grand Secretary-Treasurer. Each new member is entitled to receive an official key and membership certificate.

Section 3. Each new chapter shall be required to pay $50 as a charter fee to help defray chartering expenses.

Statute II - Initiation

Section 1. Active chapters shall, before the initiation of members, send to the Grand Secretary-Treasurer the names of the proposed initiates, upon forms to be provided by the Executive Committee, duly certified by the chapter adviser of the chapter.

Statute III - Regulations Regarding Officers

Section 1. Each officer of the society, prior to the meeting of the regular session of the Grand Chapter, shall, if requested, make a report to the Grand President.

Statute IV - Insignia and Membership Certificates

Section 1. No person who is not a member of the society shall be permitted to wear the key.

Section 2. Each initiate after complying with the constitution and statutes pertaining to membership shall receive a certificate of membership. The said certificate shall state the full name of the initiate, the name of the chapter into which, and the date on which, the person was initiated; and it shall bear the seal of the society. Membership certificates shall be signed by the Grand President and the Grand Secretary-Treasurer.

Statute V - Names of Chapters

Section 1. The several chapters of the society shall be known by the name of the college or university in which they are located.

Statute VI - The Forum of Phi Eta Sigma

Section 1. The official publication of the society shall be the Forum of Phi Eta Sigma.

Statute VII - The Founders Fund

Section 1. The Trust Fund of Phi Eta Sigma shall be known as the Founders Fund, in honor of the founders of the society.

Section 2. This fund shall be established by the transfer of $5,000 of the assets of the national society and shall be increased by the allocation of $2.50, if earned, on an annual basis, from every initiation fee received from a member. Excess non-budgeted funds from the General Fund shall be deposited in the Founders Fund on an annual basis. All society excess of returns over expenditures generated from auxiliary enterprises shall be deposited in the Founders Fund.

Section 3. The members of the Executive Committee of Phi Eta Sigma shall act as Trustees of the Fund.

Section 4. The Trustees shall apply the whole or any part of any income from the principal of the fund solely to the educational purposes as designated by the society.

Section 5. All income from the Founders Fund may be used to grant one Member-Scholar-Leader of the Year Scholarship of $10,000 and one or more Distinguished Member Scholarships of up to $5,000 each to members of Phi Eta Sigma. Five such scholarships shall be designated for students pursuing graduate degrees, thirty-three such scholarships shall be designated for undergraduate students, and one or more awards of $1,000 each shall be designated for members of Phi Eta Sigma for use during one year of undergraduate study. The following criteria shall be used in granting scholarships and awards:

1. High scholastic record with minimum of 3.5 (on 4.0 scale) cumulative.
2. Participation in local chapter activities.
3. Evidence of creative ability.
4. Potential for success in chosen field.
5. Letters of recommendation, not to exceed three.

Section 6. Nominations for the scholarships and awards are to be made by the local chapters, with the selection committee to include the chapter adviser. Each chapter may nominate one undergraduate; in addition, chapters inducting 150 to 299 members the previous year may nominate a second person and chapters inducting 300 or more members the previous year may nominate a total of three persons.

Section 7. Distinguished Member scholarships shall be known as the Thomas Arkle Clark Award, the Kendrick C. Babcock Award, the Charles Manfred Thompson Award, the Scott H. Goodnight Award, the Fred H. Turner Award, the G. Herbert Smith Award, the William Tate Award, the Arno “Shorty” Nowotny Award, the Raymond E. Glos Award, the Karlem Riess Award, the James E. Foy Award, the John W. Sagabiel Award, the Gaylord Hatch Award, the James G. Allen Award, the Charles Burchett Award, the Archie L. Lejeune Award, the Larry L. Mangus Award, the M. L. Wardell Award, the G. Robert Standing Award, the Robert D. Place Award, the Oscar Beck Award, the Gary Grikscheit Award, the W. Lee Johnston Award, the Curtis F. Lard Award, the Stanley L. Stephens Award, the Roy E. Thoman Award, the Richard Tuerk Award, the Gerald T. Cowley Award, the John R. Harrell Award, the Bill W. Shafer Award, the Emma O’Rear Foy Award, the Kyle C. Sessions Award, the Donald Gregory Award, the Herb Songer Award, the Franklin B. Krauss Award, the William L. Robinson Award, the B. J. Alexander Award, and the Marjorie T. Sagabiel Award. At such time as funds are available, additional awards may be granted.

Section 8. Chapter advisers of Phi Eta Sigma who have given loyal and devoted service to the society for a period of twenty-five years will be recognized with a Distinguished Member Scholarship in their name.

Section 9. The Grand Secretary-Treasurer of Phi Eta Sigma shall act as the Treasurer of the Fund and shall make annual reports on the financial condition of the Fund.

Statute VIII - Distinguished Service Awards

Section 1. Members of Phi Eta Sigma who have given loyal and devoted service to the Society for a period of not less than five years may be recognized with the Distinguished Service Award, to be presented at the National Convention.

Section 2. Nominations may be made to the Grand Secretary-Treasurer at least three months prior to the date of the National Convention, by the officers of a local chapter, present and past members of the Executive Committee, former recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, or university officials in institutions where Phi Eta Sigma chapters are located.

Section 3. From candidates duly nominated, the recipient or recipients will be selected by the Distinguished Service Award Committee of three members, appointed by the Grand President, to include one member of the Executive Committee, one previous recipient of the award, and one member at large.

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