Chapter Bylaws

HonorSociety.org, like many organizations, has had to adapt to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the organization has made the decision to temporarily suspend building new on-campus chapters to prioritize the health and safety of its members. While this may come as a disappointment to some, there are many reasons to view this decision as a positive step forward.

First and foremost, HonorSociety.org is committed to building a more inclusive society for its members. By suspending the building of new on-campus chapters, the organization can focus on providing a platform that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds and academic disciplines. This move ensures that HonorSociety.org remains accessible to all high achievers, regardless of their location or the state of the world around them. This creates a more level playing field for everyone, providing equal access to the benefits and resources the organization provides.

Additionally, the decision to pause the building of new on-campus chapters allows HonorSociety.org to focus its efforts on enhancing its existing community and providing even more value to its members. This includes increasing access to scholarships and exclusive job and internship opportunities, as well as providing more robust resources for academic and professional development.

In short, while the decision to pause the building of new on-campus chapters may be a temporary one, it is ultimately a positive one for HonorSociety.org and its members. By prioritizing the health and safety of its members and focusing on building a more inclusive society for high achievers, the organization is ensuring that it remains a valuable resource for individuals looking to take their academic and professional pursuits to the next level.

---------------------------

This is the national standard bylaws for our chapters, and serves as the template for new chapters. Individual chapters may have amended bylaws that differ. Please see your chapter's specific bylaws, if applicable, for more information. In order to download a copy of this document, please visit our SlideShare document titled "HonorSociety.org Standard Chapter Bylaws (click here to view)" and click download.

HONORSOCIETY.ORG CHAPTER BYLAWS

ARTICLE I
NAME

The name of this organization shall be the [Greek Name of Chapter (i.e. Alpha)] Chapter of the HonorSociety.org Honor Society, hereinafter referred to as the Chapter and the National Society.

ARTICLE II
MISSION AND PURPOSES

HonorSociety.org is a national organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging excellence in scholarship, leadership and philanthropy. The mission is to build a community of engaged leaders, and help members realize their highest potential through the advancement of academics, leadership and networking. To accomplish this mission, Chapter shall

promote scholarship and encourage intellectual development,
confer distinction for high achievement,
promote leadership development,
stimulate student and faculty dialogue,
enrich the intellectual environment of higher education institutions,
encourage high standards of practice and ethical behavior,
promote attitudes of professional responsibility for the public good,
advocate for inclusiveness within the society and philanthropy towards the community,
build a framework for success for its members, and
showcase member talents.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERS

Section 1. Active Members. Student and professional members whose financial obligations to the Chapter and to the National Society are paid and current are active members, with all privileges of active membership, including the right to vote, hold office, serve on committees, and be elected a delegate to Conclave.

A. Collegiate members shall be students enrolled in (associate degree, undergraduate degree or graduate level degree) programs at the time of initiation.

1. Undergraduate students shall be enrolled at the university. National Society has three levels of distinction for members based on student GPA; Honors, High Honors, and Highest Honors. GPA standards for each distinction level are set by the National Society, and may be subject to periodic update. Based on the society core value of inclusiveness, applicants may join the society who have not been conferred a recognition status, but make a good-faith effort towards reaching the aforementioned distinction levels.

2. Professional Members. Alumni of collegiate chapters shall be professional members. Others meeting the following criteria may be elected to professional membership: (a) have made a distinctive contribution to a profession, (b) seek to contribute to the goals and ideals of the society, or (c) have been nominated for membership by a member or chapter.

Section 2. Nominations for Membership.

A. Nominations of collegiate members shall be made by the Chapter Advisory Council, National Society, or members. Nominations of professional members serving a collegiate chapter shall be made by the Chapter with the approval of the Chapter Advisory Council.

B. Chapters are eligible to nominate National Honorary Membership persons outside the institution, excluding those who are employed in the institution, who have made distinctive scholarly contributions.

Section 3. Election shall be by majority ballot vote.

Section 4. The membership process shall include an informational meeting, orientation session, and initiation activities.

Section 5. Membership in Chapter is open to qualified candidates including persons with disability, without regard to age, color, gender, national origin, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation.

Section 6. Upon initiation, a member shall pay an initiation fee and national dues as established by the National Society in order to maintain active membership, and local dues as established by the Chapter.

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of this chapter shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor.

A chapter must have at least three elected officers representing the functions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor. The elected officers shall be the members of the chapter Executive Committee.

Any elected officer of the Chapter may be removed for just cause. Sufficient cause for such removal may be violation of the Chapter Bylaws or Society Constitution or any lawful rule, practice, or procedure adopted by the Chapter or other conduct deemed to be prejudicial to the best interest of the Chapter. For removal of an elected officer for cause, it shall be necessary for the Chapter Executive Committee to hold a formal hearing. A statement of the charges shall be sent by registered mail to the last recorded address of the officer, 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 officer 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 Chapter Executive Committee shall adopt such rules as may be necessary to assure due process to the officer. Upon a two-thirds affirmative vote, the Chapter Executive Committee shall recommend removal to the Society Board of Directors. The Society Board of Directors shall, by majority vote, approve or reject the recommendation of the Chapter Executive Committee either at the next meeting or through an electronic meeting.

Section 2. At the regular chapter meeting preceding the meeting at which the election of officers is to be held, a nominating committee of three active members shall be elected. The chair shall be a member of the Executive Committee (Article VII, Section 1), and at least one member shall be a faculty member of the university. It shall be the duty of the committee to nominate candidates for the offices to be filled at the regular meeting in February. Before the election, additional nominations from the floor shall be permitted.

Section 3. The officers shall be elected by ballot to serve for one year or until their successors are elected, and the term of office shall begin one month prior to the end of the previous academic year (For example, if an officer is elected for the 2016-2017 academic term, and the previous school year ends May 15, 2016, then the elected officers term would begin April 15, 2016.) This is to ensure congruity and ample time to coordinate and plan for the next academic year.

Section 4. No member shall hold more than one office at a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more than two terms in the same office.

Section 5. Should the office of President become vacant, it shall be filled by the Vice President. A vacancy in any other office shall be filled by the Executive Committee with the approval of the Chapter Advisory Council.

ARTICLE V

DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, the Constitution of the National Society, and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter, and shall fulfill such other duties and requirements as may be determined by the National Society.

Section 2. A full chapter officer committee consists of 11 officer positions total, which are articulated fully in Article IV in the National Society constitution. The 11 positions are: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Event Programming Chair, Member Success Chair, Philanthropy Chair, Public Relations Chair, Registrar, Faculty Relations Chair, and the Career and Benefits Chair.

Section 3. The President shall have general supervision and direction of the officers of the Chapter, shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and the Executive Committee, shall appoint (with the approval of the Executive Committee and the Chapter Advisory Council) all chairs and members of standing and special committees unless otherwise stated elsewhere in these Bylaws, and shall be ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee. More duties and details are articulated in Article IV, Section 1 in the National Society constitution.

Section 4. The Vice President shall have the powers of and perform the duties of the President during any absence or disability of the President, shall be involved with the program committee, and shall have such other duties as may be determined by the Executive Committee or the President. More duties and details are articulated in Article IV, Section 2 in the National Society constitution.

Section 5. The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all meetings, maintain all membership records, attend promptly to all chapter correspondence, maintain adequate inventory of supplies from the National Society, and have such other duties as may be determined by the Executive Committee or the President. More duties and details are articulated in Article IV, Section 3 in the National Society constitution.

Section 76. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all monies of the Chapter and shall serve as chair of the finance committee. Accurate records of all transactions shall be kept. The National Chapter Financial Report shall be filed by June 1. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for causing the Treasurer's accounts to be audited annually. More duties and details are articulated in Article IV, Section 4 in the National Society constitution.

Section 6. The Editor shall be responsible for assembling and submitting articles for publication as requested by the National Society, and shall serve as chair of the publicity committee. More duties and details are articulated in Article IV, Section 8 in the National Society constitution.

ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular Meetings. The Executive Committee and Chapter Advisory Council shall determine the number of regular meetings to be held during the year, and shall distribute a schedule of these meetings to each active member.

Section 2. Special meetings can be called by the President or the Executive Committee and shall be called upon the written request of five active members of the chapter. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call, and business shall be limited to that which is stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least three days' notice shall be given.

Section 3. Quorum. Those active members present shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VII

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the chapter.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the chapter between its business meetings, fix the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the chapter, cause all reports required by the National Society to be submitted in a timely manner, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these Bylaws and the Constitution and rulings of the National Society.

Section 3. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the President or by any three members of the committee.

ARTICLE VIII

CHAPTER ADVISORY COUNCIL

Section 1. The Chapter Advisory Council shall consist of two or more professional members, at least one of whom shall be a member of the faculty.

Section 2. The Chapter Advisory Council shall assist the Chapter in fulfilling its Mission and Purposes and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these Bylaws and the Constitution and rulings of the National Society.

ARTICLE IX

COMMITTEES

Chapter committees shall consist of the chair and at least two additional active members. Standing committees shall be established by the Chapter. Special committees may be established by the President, the Executive Committee, or the Chapter. The Standing Committees of the Chapter shall be:

Section 1. The Publicity (Public Relations) Committee shall promote the National Society within the university community. The Editor shall serve as chair.

Section 2. The Honors Event Committee shall cooperate with the university to arrange events to recognize honor students. The Vice President shall serve as chair.

Section 3. The Initiation Committee shall make arrangements for initiation ceremonies. A member of the Executive Committee shall serve as chair.

Section 4. The Program Committee shall select programs and make arrangements for meetings. The Event Programming Chair shall serve as chair.

Section 5. The Finance Committee shall prepare the budget and make an annual analysis of chapter fiscal management. The Treasurer shall serve as chair.

Section 6. The Bylaws Committee shall submit amendments to the Bylaws to provide for changing chapter needs and to provide consistency with the National Society Constitution and university policies for student organizations. The President shall serve as chair.

ARTICLE X

PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, the Constitution of the National Society, and any special rules of order the Chapter may adopt.

ARTICLE XI

AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Chapter by a two-thirds vote, provided the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting or has been submitted in writing to all active members of the Chapter at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered. No amendment shall become effective until approved by the National Society.

These Bylaws shall not be in conflict with the Constitution of the National Society. Any amendment of the National Society Constitution affecting these Bylaws shall cause this document to be amended automatically to concur with such amendment.

*****