By-Laws of the Zeta Pi Chapter Of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

No person shall be pledged to membership in the Zeta Pi Chapter if 30% of the active members present at a regular or special meeting or bid session vote to withhold his bid.. Any member

By-Laws of the Zeta Pi Chapter

Of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

Preamble:

Believing that where there is law there is liberty, we the members of the Zeta Pi Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity do establish these by-laws for the government of our Chapter, and do solemnly

promise to obey, effective February 28, 1977

Date Approved: February 28, 1977 Date Revised: September 8, 2006

Article I

Membership

Section A: Pledging

1 No person shall be pledged to membership in the Zeta Pi Chapter if 30% of the active members present at a regular or special meeting or bid session vote to withhold his bid

2 No pledgeship can be broken except by two separate ballots of two consecutive regular

or special meetings or ball sessions No absentee vote shall be cast during the second vote at any such meeting of session

3 No pledge may display the Sigma Chi coat of arms, letters, or badge at any time

4 Pledges must attend any fraternity activity or school activity as defined by the Chapter unless given permission to be excused by the Magister

5 The Magister shall have complete control of all pledge activities unless his program

is modified by a majority vote of the Active Chapter

6 No pledge shall be subjected to personal servitude, nor be required to do anything, which would be degrading to his character

7 Pledgeship shall be broken for any pledge that formally advises the Consul or Magister that

he no longer wishes to be a pledge

8 The purpose of any pledge function is to bring to each pledge insights into the fundamental nature of Sigma Chi The activities involving pledges at any pledge function and the demeanor of brothers at any pledge function must be consistent with that purpose

Section B: Initiation

1 All formal initiation procedures not included in the Ritual of the Sigma Chi Fraternity shall

be subjected to the provisions of Sigma Chi Statute 2

2 No person shall be initiated into membership unless the Chapter has written evidence from appropriate University officials, including faculty that he has demonstrated satisfactory scholastic performance in all course work taken to date

3 No person shall be initiated into membership as an undergraduate unless he has received 8

weeks of instruction under the guidance of the Magister; has passedthe official pledge examination (national) with a grade of 75% or better; has met all financial obligations to the fraternity; and has met all requirements provided in Sigma Chi Statute 3

4 If, within three weeks after the first regular meeting of the semester following his initiation, the new initiate has not fulfilled the ritual requirements, he shall lose his voting and social privileges until such time as the requirement is met

5 Pledge class seniority shall be as follows: best pledge will be first, then in descending order

of test scores on the National Pledge exam In case of a tie, University grade point average will be given preference

6 Within two weeks following their initiation, the Pro-Consul will conduct Post

Indoctrination Training for the initiates covering Sigma Chi Ritual, Sigma Chi Statutes and Constitution, Zeta Pi by-laws, fiscal responsibility, and such other information as he or the Executive Committee deems appropriate

Section C: Active Affiliate

1 Any member of another chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity who has matriculated at Texas A&M University Kingsville may affiliate with the Zeta Pi Chapter as an active member after written confirmation from his original chapter has been received, stating that the member in question left in good standing, financial and otherwise; and two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting at a regular or special meeting

2 An active affiliate shall enjoy all privileges and obligations of an active member

3 Prior to a vote to affiliate, the member must have been on observation for a period of one semester, or such lesser period as may be set by the Executive Committee

4 Seniority of an active affiliate shall be based on his date of initiation at his original chapter

Section D: Alumnus Status and Fees

1 Each alumnus of Zeta Pi or any other chapter attending a Chapter social function shall be required to pay the fee set for the function

2 Any Sigma Rho alumnus who wishes to become a Sigma Chi alumnus must be approved by not less that two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting at a regular or special meeting; must go through appropriate indoctrination; and must pass the official pledge examination

Section E: Active Member Status

1 Any brother who was initiated by Zeta Pi Chapter will have active membership status and will be considered as in the Active Chapter, provided that he is officially enrolled as a student at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

2 Active member status is required for any member to hold any Chapter office

3 After graduation, any active member who is officially enrolled as a student at Texas A&M

- Kingsville is entitled to maintain his active member status, or he may elect alumni status

4 The Active Chapter shall consist of all active members

Article II

Meetings

Section A: Quorum

1 A quorum must be present to conduct business at any regular or special meeting and at any bid session or ball session

2 A quorum shall be 51 % of the active membership eligible to vote as provided in Section F

of this Article II

Section B: Chapter Meetings

1 A regular Chapter meeting shall be held once each week during the semester when school is

in session on a day set by a majority vote of the active members present and voting

2 A special Chapter meeting may be called by the Consul at any time on his own initiative or shall be called by him upon written request of any five active brothers In both cases, 24 hours shall be given in writing

3 Any committee report presentation at a Chapter meeting shall be limited to five minutes Discussion on any single subject from the Chapter floor shall be limited to three minutes per speaker Revocation of these time limitations may be made by a simple majority of those active members present and voting

Section C: Bid Sessions

1 The Rush Chairman shall call and conduct as many bid sessions as he deems desirable before the end of formal rush, commencing no later than the day before bids go out Twenty- four hours notice in writing shall be given for any bid session

2 No more than two ballots shall be held on any candidate for pledging in a single Chapter meeting or bid session

Section D: Ball Sessions

1 There shall be approximately three ball sessions per semester

2 A ball session shall be called by the Magister on his own initiative or shall be called by him upon written request of any five active brothers In both cases, 24 hours notice shall be given in writing

3 The Pro Consul shall preside at all ball sessions under the following procedure:

a A secret ballot shall be taken on the pledge class as a whole

b If any negative ballot is registered on the pledge class as a whole, a secret ballot shallbe taken on each pledge If any pledge receives a negative ballot, the reason for the

negative ballot shall be openly discussed at the ball session

c Any pledge receiving any negative ballot shall be notified by the Magister of the number

of negative ballots and the reason therefore

d Each pledge shall then have 24 hours to clear his negative ballots with each active brother If after 24 hours, a negative ballot has not been cleared a second ball session will be held

e A quorum of the active brothers who are eligible to vote must be present at the second

ball session

f The second ball session shall be an open ballot If any pledge receives negative

ballots of more than 30% of the actives present who are eligible to vote then his

pledgeship shall be terminated

3 The final ball session shall be held prior to the start of indoctrination week

Section E: Attendance

1 Legitimate excuses for absence at a chapter meeting or function shall be:

a Personal illness

b Serious illness of a member of the immediate family

c A death in the immediate family

d Working (compensatory) other than school work

e School class at the same time as the meeting

f Attending Tutoring (Must sign in at tutoring center)

g Any individual excuse approved by the Executive Committee

h Any individual excuse approved by three-fourths of the Active Chapter present and voting at a Chapter meeting

2 A record of fines imposed for absence shall be kept in the minutes by the Annotator and shall

be indicated by the Quaestor on the first subsequent semester bill Members entering any Chapter meeting late shall make their presence known to the Annotator

3 An excuse for absence must be presented to the Executive Committee or Active Chapter at the meeting next following the absence unless extended by the Executive Committee

Section F: Voting

1 Any active member shall be entitled to vote in any meeting or session provided that he:

a Has fulfilled his post initiation ritual obligations

b Does not owe the Chapter more than $100.00 for a non-married member or $50.00 for

amarried member

c Has been attendance at, or has legitimately been excused from (as provided in Section E

of the Article II) at least three of the last four meetings or sessions at which attendance

ismandatory

2 Voting shall be a show of hands or the usual sign and a simple majority of those present and voting affirmatively shall decide all questions unless otherwise provided in these by-laws However, any ten active members present and voting may demand a secret vote

3 The Consul shall vote only if necessary to break a tie

4 Except for ball sessions, any member entitled to vote may do so by absentee ballot which

he must submit in writing to the Pro-Consul along with a legitimate excuse for his absence Any absentee voter will be considered as present and voting

5 The number of persons needed to meet the specified proportion of members for a quorum and for all cases of voting provided for in these by-laws shall be based on a rounding to the closest whole person

Section G: Dress Code

1 Dress at Ritual Meetings and Pledging-In Ceremonies shall be shirt and tie, or sport coat with or without a tie, and shoes

2 Dress at all other meetings shall be optional

Section H: Suspension of By-Laws

1 Except as provided in paragraph 3 of Section B of this Article II, any part of these by-laws may be temporarily suspended by a vote of not less that two-thirds vote of the active members present and voting Such temporary suspension of by-laws shall be for one meeting only unless a longer period is specifically provided for

Section I: Parliamentary Procedure

1 Any conflict over parliamentary procedure shall be resolved by Robert's Rules of Order

Article III

Officers

Section A: Elected Chapter Officers

1 The elected officers of the Zeta Pi Chapter shall be those prescribed in the Sigma Chi Ritual (Consul, Pro-Consul, Quaestor, Magister, Annotator, Tribune, and Kustos) and in addition: Social Chairman, Rush Chairman, two I.F.C representatives, Ritual Chairman, Chapter Editor, Historian, Alumni Relations Chairman, Sports Chairman and Derby Day Chairman

2 The duties and responsibilities of the elected officers prescribed shall be those provided

in the Ritual and The Norman Shield

3 The duties and responsibilities of the Social Chairman shall include planning and arranging for parties and other Chapter social events with the advice of the Active Chapter He shall cooperate with the Rush Chairman in coordinating social activities during formal rush

4 The duties and responsibilities of the Rush chairman shall include planning and organizing all Chapter rush activities and bid sessions during his term of office

5 The duties and responsibilities of the I.F.C shall be to attend all I.F.C meetings and to represent the Chapter at such meetings Any fines given by the I.F.C for failure to attend a meeting will be paid by the I.F.C representative involved

6 The duties and responsibilities of the Ritual Chairman shall include planning and arranging for all activities connected with the Ritual as prescribed by the Sigma Chi Ritual

7 The duties and responsibilities of the Alumni Relations chairman shall include maintaining

a current up-to-date mailing list of all alumni and the writing and mailing of at least one letter each semester to each alumnus

8 The duties of the Sports Chairman shall include organizing the team, arranging for practice sessions, procuring equipment, determining who plays on the team, and generally leading the team There shall be one coach for each sport activity in which the Chapter

participates

9 The duties and responsibilities of the Derby Day Chairman shall include planning and arranging for: publishing the Derby Day program, selling ads for the program, Derby Week events, and the Derby Day Dance/Party

Section B: Nominations

1 Nominations for any office shall be made during the meeting in which the officer is installed and during the regular Chapter meeting just preceding such installation

2 There shall be at least two nominees for each office whenever possible

2 No person in the Active Chapter may be nominated for office while owing more than

$100.00 to the Chapter

Section C: Term of Office

1 The term of office for the Consul, Pro-Consul, Quaestor, Annotator, Rush Chairman, Derby Day Chairman, Tribune, and Kustos shall be for one year commencing with the meeting at which the officer is installed and ending with the meeting at which his successor is installed Such officers shall be installed no later than the last regular meeting in May each year

2 The term of office for the Magister, Ritual Chairman, Social Chairman, two All Greek Council Representatives, Chapter Editor, Historian, Alumni Relations Chairman, and Sports Chairman shall be for one semester commencing with the meeting when the officer

is installed and ending with the meeting when his successor is installed For the spring semester these officers shall be installed no later than the last regular meeting in December and for the fall term, no later than the last regular meeting in May

3 In the event that any officer is unable to complete his term of office, his replacement shall be elected, as the case may be, at the earliest possible date and shall serve the remainder of the replaced officer's term of office

Section D: Impeachment

1 Any elected or appointed officer may be removed from office as provided in paragraph 2 of this Section D for non-exemplary conduct, conduct not becoming of a Sigma Chi, or malfeasance of office

2 Any office shall be declared vacant and the brother removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Active Chapter present and voting, but only after charges have been openly preferred against the officer by a member of the Active Chapter in the Chapter meeting prior to the meeting at which the vote of impeach is to be taken

Section E: Vote of Confidence

1 At the second regular chapter meeting in the fall or spring term any brother may call for a vote of confidence upon any officer or committee chairman, whereupon any officer or committee chairman who does not receive a majority of votes in his favor shall resign from such office and responsibility If such action causes a resignation, the Executive Committee shall present a nominee for such office at the next regularly scheduled chapter meeting The foregoing provisions dealing with the election of officers shall apply for such action necessary for said special election

Article IV

COMMITTEES

Section A: The Executive Committee

1 The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Consul, Pro-Consul, Magister,

Quaestor, Annotator, Social Chairman, Rush Chairman, past Consuls while in school, Senior I.F.C Representative, and two members of the Active Chapter elected at large

2 The Pledge-Class Spokesman shall attend Executive Committee meetings and may

participate in all non-esoteric deliberations, but shall have no vote One other member of the pledge class may attend Executive Committee meetings on a rotating basis

3 The Pro-Consul shall preside at all Executive Committee meetings and will vote only to break a tie

4 The Executive Committee shall regularly meet once a week while school is in session at a time specified by the Pro-Consul with the advice of the Executive Committee members

5 The Executive Committee will serve as the judicial board for the chapter and shall be responsible for assisting the Consul in planning a well-rounded program for the Active Chapter; enforcing the Sigma Chi Constitution, Sigma Chi Statutes, and the Chapter's laws; and ruling on fines and socially inactive status provided in Article V of these by-laws

6 The Executive Committee shall have the power to make any ruling which it considers to

be for the best interest of the Chapter Any such ruling shall be overruled by a three-fourths vote of the active members present and voting at a Chapter meeting

7 Voting shall be on the same basis as provided in Article II, Section F

Section B: Ad Hoc and Standing Committees

1 The Consul shall appoint such ad hoc and standing committees as he deems necessary

Article V Financial

Section A: Initiation Fee

1 Every pledge, prior to his initiation, shall pay to the Quaestor the sum of one hundred and seventy-five ($175) dollars The new initiate shall receive therefore a certificate of membership and the Fraternity badge upon completion of his initiation and other

obligations as prescribed in the Sigma Chi Ritual

Section B: Pledging-in Fee

1 Any person Pledged to the Chapter shall pay a pledging-in fee of ninety dollars ($90) at the time of his pledging-in The entire Pledge fee shall be paid to the General Fraternity The Pledge shall receive thereof a pledge pin and a Norman Shield

Section C: Semester Dues

1 Members of the Active Chapter who are not married shall pay semester dues in the amount

of three hundred dollars ($300)

2 Members of the Active Chapter who are married shall pay semester dues in the amount of two hundred and twenty dollars ($220)

Section D: Summer Dues

1 Each member who is not married and who will return to school the next fall semester shall pay summer dues in the amount of seventy-five dollars ($75)

2 Each member who is married and who will return to school the next fall semester shall pay summer dues in the amount of fifty dollars ($50)

Section E: Fines

1 Any member absent from a Chapter meeting, bid session, or ball session without a

legitimate excuse as provided in Article II, Section E, shall be fined ten dollars ($10)

2 Any member absent from a meeting at which there is an election of officers, a formal

pledging-in ceremony, or initiation investiture without a legitimate excuse as provided in Article II, Section E, shall be fined ten dollars ($10)

3 Any member attending a meeting while not dressed as provided in Article II, Section G shall be fined five dollars ($5)

Section F: Rendering and Payments of Bills

1 All semester bills for dues and fines shall be presented by the Quaestor at the first meeting

of each semester and are payable at that time

2 No charges to members on regularly semester bills may be made for goods or services from outside vendors without the expressed authority of the Active Chapter Outside vendors include shirt distributors, photographers, tuxedo rentals, stationery companies, and similar enterprises

3 Summer dues may be paid at any time during the summer and if not paid during the

summer, will be payable at the first regular Chapter meeting of the fall semester

Section G: Temporary Inability to Pay - Promissory Note

1 Any member unable to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter may remain financially current by signing a personal promissory note in favor of the Chapter, provided that:

a He satisfies the Executive Committee that he temporarily is unable to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter, and

b He is willing and able to pay National Fraternity dues payable by the Chapter during thelife of the note, and

c He pays the pro rated cost of any organized social or other Chapter activity in which he participates during the life of the note, and

d The total amount owed the Chapter secured by one or more notes does not

exceed$100.00 for a member who is not married, or $50.00 for a member who is married, and

e The note becomes due at the end of the semester in which it is signed; provided,

however,that a member's note may be extended for a specified period, not to

exceed one semester,if the Executive Committee determines such extension to be

in the best interest of theChapter

Section H: Socially Inactive Status

1 Any member may be granted socially inactive status, provided that:

a He satisfies the Executive Committee that he, in fact, is unable to meet his financial obligations to the Chapter, and

b He is financially current at the time he applies for socially inactive status, and