Bylaws Abridged

Below is a summarized and simplified version of the chapter Bylaws. These by no means replace the Bylaws; they were created with the intend to help the chapter better understand the Bylaws by having them be shorter and more user friendly. Hope this helps you all!

            Article 1: Purpose and Scope of These Bylaws

            Alpha Zeta is directed by: National Bylaws, University of Kentucky, and chapter specific policy.  The Bylaws are here to define how we operate. If they conflict with a higher powered document in any way, they are overruled by that document.

            Article II: Membership

            Types: Active, Associate, Inactive, Pledge, Alumni, Advisory, Honorary, Newly Initiated Active, Study Abroad/Co-op, and Active without Meeting. Please read the full Bylaws for the descriptions of these statuses if you are considering a change in status. The chart below is a quick guide to privileges for each type of membership.

Important highlights of this section:

Do not haze. Period.

            Pledges need a 2/3 of those present and voting (provided we have quorum, abstentions valid) or a majority of Actives to initiate. Pledge elevation must be held at least 2 days before Initiation. If we don’t have a pledge elevation meeting, anyone who has met the requirements of pledging from standing policy may initiate.

            Late dues, unless otherwise arranged with the Treasurer, have a 5 dollar late fee per week late. Status is also changed to “Inactive” until these dues are payed.

            Actives can petition to maintain their status for attendance related issues. While possible, it is much simpler to become an Active without Meeting.  

            Transfer brothers are approved by a majority vote at a regular Chapter meeting.

            You may only change your status to Associate twice in your first eight semesters with APO. After eight semesters, you can be Associate as often as you like. You will automatically become Active after the completion of your Associate semester, unless otherwise specified.

            If you are unable to complete your requirements for a reason such as illness, death in the family, etc, you can contact officers for a decrease in your requirements. For only one, say, fellowship point you have missed, contact ONLY the VPs of Fellowship. For multiple missing requirements, contact the VP of Membership. The decision to approve your request is up to the officer in charge or the Executive Committee.

            Suspension – Active membership privileges are suspended for a period of time. Majority vote needed. Suspension can be ended early with a ¾ vote from the chapter and a consultation with the Executive Board.

            Expulsion – All membership in Alpha Phi Omega is terminated. ¾ vote needed to pass.

            Article III: Officers and Duties

            Members of the elected executive committee: President, 2 Vice Presidents of Service, Vice President of Membership, 2 Pledge Trainers, Vice President of Leadership, 2 Vice Presidents of Fellowship, Treasurer, Vice President of Inter-Chapter Relations, Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, Vice President of Communications, Parliamentarian, and Historian. This is also the order of succession in case of an absence of the President. These positions serve for one academic year.

            You cannot hold an elected position if you are any other status than Active. President needs two active semesters to run. VP Service, Membership, Leadership, Fellowship, Pledge Trainor, Treasurer, Interchapter, SAA needs one active semester. VP Comm, Secretary, Parli, and Historian do not have an Active requirement.

            Vacancies of office are fulfilled via an appointment by the President until an election can occur. The most tenured VP of Service shall fill any vacancies of the President. The VP of Membership is responsible for alerting the chapter of any vacancy. Elections to replace this position shall be held two regular chapter meetings after the report of vacancy.

            To remove an officer from his/her position, a petition from the majority of the Active membership is needed. Grounds for the removal must be given to the officer two weeks before impeachment proceedings. Once this officer has received this notice, they are henceforth suspended from their duties. The Executive Board appoints an Active to fill this role until impeachment is over. All Active, Associate, and Advisory members must be notified that the impeachment proceedings are going to occur at least two weeks before they do. At the next regular chapter meeting, with a majority of Actives present, an officer can be removed with a 2/3 vote. The Chairperson of the Advisory Committee shall preside over this closed meeting.

If you have any curiosities regarding the specific duties of each office, I will direct you towards the full Bylaws. The same direction applies for any information regarding the appointed positions the chapter has to offer.

Article IV: Advisory and Honorary Membership

            We have an advisory committee consisting of at least two faculty advisors, a scouting/youth services advisor, a community adviser, and any more advisors deemed necessary by the chapter. They may serve as advisors for as long as they wish. They shall notify the President if they wish to discontinue their advisory duties. There is a chairperson of the advisory committee that chairs their meetings and will chair any regular chapter meetings of a more serious matter (ex impeachment or suspension).

Article V: Committees

            Our chapter committees are: Executive Board, the Service Committee, the Membership Committee, the Fellowship Committee, the Leadership Committee, the Fundraising Committee, and the Communication Committee, but there can be more as needed. Membership in these committees is open to everyone, with the exception of the Executive Board. (We need to update this to include the Committee of Rites!) Awards committee and Bylaws committee is a part of the group, but they meet only once or twice a year.

            Again, each committee has specific duties that, if you are interested in joining, I recommend you read the Bylaws to understand.

Article VI: Meetings

We hold meetings every week during the normal semester, except finals week and spring break. These can be cancelled on orders of the President or Executive Board.

The Executive Board is responsible for conducting these meetings and must meet before the start of the semester to plan them out.

Special Meetings are possible at the discretion of the President or Executive Board and require that ¼ of the Active membership be there. At least 3 days’ notice must be given for this date of this meeting.

We can vote to make a meeting closed at any time by majority vote. However, at least one meeting a month must be open.

QUORUM: ONE-THIRD (1/3) OF THE VOTING MEMBERS IS QUORUM. This means that 1/3 of all of the Active, Associate, and Active w/o Members of the chapter MUST be in attendance before we can vote on ANYTHING. This is a big deal. Come to meeting.

Article VII: Elections

We nominate brothers two weeks before elections, but they can be nominated the day of elections as well. Any Active may nominate another Active, but Pledges may only be nominated by Actives and may only be nominated for the positions that Pledges are permitted to occupy. Pledges may not vote in elections. Any nominated Brother who does not meet the requirements of office is immediately disqualified from nomination.

Officer elections are conducted by secret ballot. A majority is required for one candidate to win. If there are three or more candidates and majority is not reached, the one with the lowest number of votes is eliminated from the race and the vote is conducted with one fewer candidate. If there is a tie, votes are retaken; if there are two ties, the President’s vote shall decide the winner.

Elections must happen four meetings prior to Initiation.

Article VIII: Finances

We get all of our money from membership dues and fundraising. We are not a for-profit organization. The due date for dues is the fifth Chapter meeting unless alternative arrangements have been made by the Treasurer.

Pledges who have not paid for membership fees may not participate in the initiation ceremony.

Article XI: Rules

We follow Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, in meeting. Questions of legislative and elected procedures are ruled upon by the Parliamentarian, but may be appealed to the President. Any Special Rules of Order that we need can be attached to the Bylaws. We can have a Standing Policy, Financial Policy, and Code of Conduct. Each of these can be amended by a 2/3 vote at any chapter meeting, provided they have been submitted in writing two weeks prior. These changes go into effect immediately.

Article X: Ratification

If AZ falls from Active status and needs to come back, this Article details how to do so. If you’d like to know how, I recommend you read this Article.

Article XI: Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Chapter by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing two (2) regular meetings in advance. The ratification vote shall be taken by secret ballot, provided that the members present constitute quorum. The effects do not go into effect until the next academic semester.

The Parliamentarian can correct spelling, grammar, etc without a vote so long as the overall meaning is not changes. This type of change must be approved similarly to how meeting minutes are approved.