Alpha Phi Omega

Section 67

Code of Conduct

Alpha Zeta Edit

(Appendix C)

 

Last Modified: October 19th, 2015

 

Article I: Scope and Purpose of this Document

 

Section I: Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to define the expectations and standards of behavior for the Brothers of Alpha Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, as well as to provide a course of action to be followed when these expectations and standards are not upheld.

 

Section II: Deference to Higher Power

In the event that any provision in this Code of Conduct conflicts with the provisions of the National Articles of Incorporation, National Bylaws, or the Standard Chapter Articles of Association of Alpha Phi Omega, said provision of this Code of Conduct shall be void.

 

In the event that any provision in this Code of Conduct conflicts with the Rules and Regulations of the University of any chapter, petitioning group, or interest group within Section 67, or in the event that any provision in the National Articles of Incorporation, National Bylaws, and Standard Chapter Articles of Association of Alpha Phi Omega conflicts with the Rules and Regulations of the University of any chapter, petitioning group, or interest group within Section 67, the Rules and Regulations of the University shall take precedence.

 

Article II: Code of Conduct

 

Section I: Definitions

Chapters, petitioning groups, and interest groups within Section 67 commit to following the guidelines presented within their individual Chapter Bylaws, Section 67 and Region 5 Policies, the Policies and Bylaws of the National Fraternity of Alpha Phi Omega, the Policies of the University at which the chapter, petitioning group, or interest group is established, and local, state, and federal laws.

 

All members of Alpha Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega are expected to uphold the obligations and personal duties they reserved for themselves upon their initiation into the fraternity at all times.

 

Section II: National Policies

The Standard Policy of Risk Management of the National Fraternity of Alpha Phi Omega provides direction for the general conduct of Brothers within this fraternity. These policies are attached here in the Appendix. The National policy contains each of the following subsections that have been defined for the purposes of the section.

 

Clause I: Hazing

Hazing is defined as any action taken or situation created, intentionally or recklessly, whether on or off University premises, to produce undue mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, or ridicule. This includes, but is not limited to: bullying; harassment; harmful or forced consumption of food, alcohol, or drugs; physical harm in any form; creation of fatigue; personal servitude or favors; physical or psychological shocks; wearing of clothing or other apparel which is not normally in good taste; dangerous public stunts; degrading or humiliating games and activities; sleep or food deprivation; meetings which unreasonably interfere with academic and/or any other activities which are not consistent with the requirements and policies of Alpha Phi Omega and/or any activities that do not comply with university, state, or federal policies.

 

Hazing of any kind is prohibited within Section 67 of Alpha Phi Omega. No member, recruit, or potential member of Section 67 shall permit hazing of any sort at any time. Any witnessed hazing should be reported to the appropriate presiding officer(s) of the chapter and the appropriate chapter advisor(s), and to any university authority and Section 67 or Region 5 staff member if necessary.

 

Clause II: Sexual Harassment, Abuse, Discrimination

Sexual harassment is defined as bullying or coercion of a sexual nature. Behaviors which qualify as sexual harassment include, but are not limited to: the use of sexually explicit language or gestures; stalking, which includes cyber stalking; persistent advances of a sexual nature despite a lack of reciprocation or blatant rejection of these advances; any unwanted physical contact of any kind; sexually explicit hazing; unwanted filming or photography; “catcalling,” hollering, or whistling of a sexual nature; and/or solicitation for favors in exchange for sex or sexual behavior.

 

Sexual abuse is any unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, be it physical or verbal, making sexual threats, or taking sexual advantage of one unable to give consent.

 

Sexual discrimination is any action taken that belittles, hinders, or oppresses another based upon the bias of sex, sexual orientation, or gender. 

 

Sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination of any kind is prohibited at all Alpha Phi Omega events and meetings within Alpha Zeta. All members of Alpha Phi Omega have the right to participate in fraternity proceedings without experiencing sexual harassment, abuse, or discrimination. Any cases of these behaviors should be reported to the proper authorities, be it fraternal, university, and/or local.

 

Clause III: Contractual and Financial Obligations

Before entering upon any contractual or financial agreement in the name of a chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, members will thoroughly evaluate any document to ensure the credit and reasonable commitments of both parties as well as obtain the appropriate permissions. Members of individual chapters will never sign a contractual agreement or other official document in the name of Alpha Phi Omega, based upon the attached policy written in The Standard Policy of Risk Management [2].

 

Clause IV: Alcohol and Drugs

Members of Alpha Zeta are expected to adhere to all federal, local and university laws/rules surrounding alcohol and illicit substances (i.e., the federal law surrounding alcohol states that an individual must be 21 to consume or purchase alcohol). These terms will be defined, respectively, as any liquor or controlled substance used for recreational, and not prescribed, purposes. Members of Alpha Zeta will not associate any fraternal items (letters, the crest, etc.) with the illegal consumption of alcohol or with illicit substances (reference Section III Clause I of this document). Members of Alpha Zeta will abide by rules set by the National Fraternity in regard to alcohol, including that no chapter or section funds will be used to purchase alcohol, and that alcohol will not be a part of any recruitment or pledging event.

 

Clause V: Personal Property

Personal property used by Alpha Zeta shall be loaned under strictly voluntary conditions. Alpha Zeta will not assume liability for these items, or from damages resulting from use. Any reimbursement for damages by individual chapters or the section will be done out of goodwill, rather than requirement.

 

Clause VI: Transportation Issues

Members of Alpha Zeta will follow all traffic laws while driving themselves or others to and from any APO sponsored event, including vehicle safety and operation laws, insurance policies, and restrictions for driving under the influence. Vehicles should not be filled over the capacity of their design. Alpha Zeta will not assume liability for personal vehicles at any time, based upon the attached policy written in The Standard Policy of Risk Management [2].

 

Clause VII: General Health and Safety

Members of Alpha Zeta will not subject any persons to circumstances in which health or safety may be at undue risk. Members should use proper safety equipment that is in good working order, and all activities should operate with necessary items, orientation, and supervision. If at any time a member feels that they or another person is placed under extreme stress or unsafe conditions, they should communicate their concern to a chapter officer or advisor. Members will take care to keep the safety and well-being of each other in mind in all circumstances.

 

Clause VIII: Advisors

The duties of the advisors at chapters within Alpha Zeta include those outlined in chapter bylaws, as well as university policies relating to their position as mentors. Advisors will maintain professional relationships with all active members of Alpha Zeta. Romantic relationships between advisors and active, pledging, or potential members of a chapter are prohibited unless the relationship was established prior to their mutual membership in the fraternity or association within the same chapter.

 

Clause IX: Education

Each chapter under Section 67 is responsible for educating all of its members of the policies detailed in this Code of Conduct. Once adopted, this document will be reviewed annually by these individual chapters along with their Bylaws and Risk Management Policies.

 

Section III: Other Policies

In addition to the sections in this document outlined by the National Fraternity, the Brothers of Alpha Zeta acknowledge the following subsections.

 

Clause I: Social Media and Internet Conduct

The same duties upheld by members of Alpha Zeta extend to their social media and internet presence. Behaviors that violate these duties include, but are not limited to: posted images combining fraternity paraphernalia (such as letter shirts, cups, or other decoration) and illegal activities; posts which blatantly defame the fraternity or its members; posts, message boards, or private messages designed to bully other members of the fraternity; posts involving the fraternity that make use of explicit language or other explicit content; posts under specific chapter accounts, such as a chapter Facebook or Instagram account, that are explicit or make use of cyberbullying; and/or one whose biography contains fraternity letters, or indicates in some way that they are a member, who posts inappropriate content such as those listed previously. Members of Alpha Zeta are expected to adhere to all federal, local and university laws/rules surrounding social media and copyright subjects.

 

Clause II: Disabilities/Discrimination

Members of Alpha Phi Omega do not discriminate based on disability, physical or otherwise, documented or undocumented. No otherwise qualified person will be denied acceptance into a chapter based on, but not limited to, ethnicity, physical, mental or emotional disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation. A member or pledge of Alpha Phi Omega will not be asked to do anything that they are incapable or uncomfortable with performing. Alpha Zeta will take all reasonable steps possible to ensure that people with disabilities are able to participate as full members of the fraternity.

 

Clause III: Alumni

An Alumnus of Alpha Phi Omega will be defined as an individual who has gone through the pledging and initiation processes, or who has been an advisory member of a chapter and become alumni after leaving the chapter they served, and/or who has been granted Alumni status by their chapter. Alumni members will be expected to adhere to the values of the fraternity at large, as well as all national and local laws/regulations, even after their participation in Alpha Phi Omega at the collegiate level.

 

Alumni members of Alpha Zeta will recognize the authority of active members within the chapter and will only have rights, if any, conferred upon them by the active members of each chapter.

 

Clause IV: Active Relationships

Referencing the Standing Policy of Alpha Zeta Bylaws, Section VII, Clause 4, active, associate, active without meeting, study abroad/co-op, and inactive members will maintain professional relationships with all pledging members of Alpha Zeta. Romantic relationships between pledges or potential members and brothers of the aforementioned statuses are prohibited unless the relationship was established prior to their mutual association within the same chapter.

 

A potential member is defined as an individual who has expressed interest in Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Zeta during the Rush period. An individual ceases to be a potential member after induction until possible renewal of potential status at the beginning of a future semester’s Rush period.

 

Clause V: Interaction with Persons Not Associated with Alpha Phi Omega

Members in Alpha Zeta are responsible to represent both their individual chapter and Alpha Phi Omega professionally to outside organizations including campus and community partners, (i.e service partners, the university and its officials, as well as other campus organizations).

 

Article III: Grievance Procedure

 

Section I: Grievance Committee

The Grievance Committee is to be an ad hoc committee, called upon to meet only when a grievance has been reported. The Grievance Committee shall carry out an investigation and provide mediation to a grievance that has been reported to the Chapter President, designated officer, or designated advisor and approved by the Chapter President, Vice President of Membership, and Parliamentarian. After the complete remediation of each grievance, this committee will not meet until called upon again.

 

Section II: Authority/Scope of Committee

Once established, it shall be the sole authority of the committee to investigate any grievance brought before them. At the conclusion of the investigation, it will be the responsibility of the committee to recommend action to the Executive Board in the event that mediation is not successful.

Issues of a blatantly personal and non-fraternal nature are not to be addressed by this Committee. Issues of this kind may include:

• If two brothers are in an argument or dispute that is unrelated to Alpha Phi Omega and does not affect the general health of Alpha Zeta.
• Issues that meet the same conditions above between a Brother and one not affiliated with Alpha Zeta.

 

Section III: Reporting Procedures

At any point in time, a concern of a breach of policy at any level may be brought to the Chapter President, designated officer, or designated advisor. The recipient of this grievance shall then report that information to the Chapter President. The Chapter President, Vice President of Membership, and Parliamentarian will then decide by a unanimous vote if this grievance merits action by the committee as a whole.

 

In the event that any law is broken, there is an emergency, or if people are endangered at a fraternity event, the reporting Brother shall first notify the appropriate authorities (police, fire department, etc.) and then, when able to, shall notify the Chapter President or one of Alpha Zeta’s officers.

 

Section IV: Assembly of a Grievance Committee

In the event that the committee is needed, the members of the Grievance Committee shall consist of the following members of the active chapter:

1.     President, serving as chair of this committee

2.     Vice President of Membership

3.     Parliamentarian

4.     Three (3) Brothers-at-Large

5.     Advisory Chair or advisor designated by Advisory Chair (nonvoting)

 

The chair shall be a nonvoting member of this committee. The Brothers-at-Large are to be nominated and elected by the voting members of the chapter. At the beginning of each semester, no later than the second active chapter meeting, Alpha Zeta is to elect six (6) active brothers into a pool of Brothers-at-Large. Three (3) of the Brothers from this pool are to be randomly selected and approved by the three (3) officers serving on the Grievance Committee. It is ideal that no two identical groups of Brothers-at-Large work on two grievances in a row.

 

Section V: Expectations of the Brother-at-Large

To be nominated and maintain the position of Brother-at-Large, one must:

• Be a current Active, Active without Meeting, or Associate member of the chapter
• Have been an Active for at least one (1) or more semesters.
• Be in good standing with both the Chapter and the National Fraternity.

Brothers-at-Large are to serve as representatives of the entire Chapter, are not to be members of the Executive Board, and cannot be directly related to the issue at hand. They are expected to be unbiased for the entirety of their participation in the Grievance Committee; however, if after the first meeting of this committee an elected Brother-at-Large feels they are unable to remain unbiased, they may recuse themselves from being selected to participate in the grievance procedure. Once a brother has been selected and has approved themselves for participation in the committee, their attendance is expected at all committee meetings until the conclusion of the grievance. This expectation is relaxed in the event of a personal emergency. The Brother-at-Large must be actively participating in the discussion held within the meetings and provide a vote towards any decisions the Committee shall make.

 

Section VI: Recusal of Officers

In the event that the stated grievance is against the Chapter President, Vice President of Membership, and/or Parliamentarian, they must recuse themselves. If the Chapter President cannot serve, the Vice President of Membership will serve as the chair of the committee. In the event that either the Vice President of Membership or Parliamentarian cannot serve, the officer line of succession starting with the Senior Vice President of Service will dictate their replacements. If any of the serving officers feel as if they cannot remain unbiased in the proceedings, they may recuse themselves as well. The same replacement procedures will follow.

 

Section VII: Addressing a Grievance

A grievance may be submitted to the Chapter President, designated officer, or designated advisor. If it is not an issue of a violation of any national, state, or university law or policy, further action may then be taken by the chapter. To be considered, a grievance must be submitted in a written format, including, but not limited to an e-mail, text message, Facebook message, or letter. The Brother submitting the grievance should provide any evidence towards their claim. These grievance submissions shall be received and analyzed in confidence. The brother submitting the grievance will inform the officer or advisor receiving the grievance of any current Brothers-at-Large that are known to be involved with the issue. The grievance will then be brought to the Chapter President, the Vice President of Membership, the Parliamentarian, and the Advisory Chair in a closed meeting. The officer or advisor who received the grievance shall also be present for this closed meeting only. After discussion by the three (3) officers and the Advisory Chair on the committee, the following must be voted upon in this order:

1. Does the grievance warrant any action from the chapter?

• If it is voted that disciplinary action is warranted, proceed to question two.
• If it is voted that disciplinary action is not warranted, a report will be drawn by the Parliamentarian and/or President to be filed with an advisor.

2. Which Brothers-at-Large are to be selected from the nomination pool to participate?

• Brothers-at-Large will be selected at random.
• In the event that all selected Brothers-at-Large have served on the previous, most recent Grievance Committee, the names shall be reselected at random.
• In the event that a Brother-at-Large chosen to serve on the committee is directly involved in the grievance, their name shall be removed from the selection pool, and their replacement selected at random.
• The selected Brothers-at-Large shall be immediately notified of their selection.
• If a selected Brother reports that they are unable or unwilling to perform their duties, another is to be selected from the pool in the same manner as above.
• Proceed to question three once the participants of the committee have been determined and notified.

3. When shall the first meeting take place?

·       The President shall inform all participants of the committee that the meeting will take place as well as when and where this meeting shall be. This first meeting should be within one week of the members of the committee being selected.

·       At this first meeting, the details of the situation will be discussed with all members of the committee and a tentative schedule will be set up to follow through the investigation.

·       100% attendance is required at each meeting of the Grievance Committee. It is each member’s responsibility that they attend each meeting on time and can stay for the entire duration.

·      If a selected Brother-at-Large attends this first meeting and finds themselves unsuitable for the proceedings, they may recuse themselves from meetings and a replacement Brother-at-Large must be selected using the same procedure detailed in question two.

 

Section VIII: Order of Investigation

Each situation that is brought before the Grievance Committee will be different. It follows that no two investigative procedures should be exactly the same. The Committee reserves the right to proceed with investigation in whatever appropriate manner is necessary to the situation at hand. However, a general and ideal order of investigation is below.

1. All parts of any investigation shall be legal and not involved trespassing, private investigations, or infringe upon the legal rights of anyone involved.
2. Members of the committee will meet at least once to come to a uniform and in-depth understanding of the situation at hand.
3. The Committee will contact and meet with the Brother who submitted the grievance and have them provide a testimony if possible.
4. The Grievance Committee will contact and meet with the Brother whom the grievance was submitted against and have them provide a testimony if possible.
5. The Grievance Committee will contact and meet with the Brother(s) who bore witness to/played a role in the grievance at hand and have them provide a testimony if possible.
6. The Grievance Committee will meet alone and determine whether or not it can instigate mediation between the Brothers involved. If mediation is agreed upon by all parties, including the accused and accuser, this Committee, or parts of it, will initiate and oversee said mediation.
7. The Grievance Committee will vote on whether this grievance should be presented to the Executive Board or appropriate officers (those involved in the execution of the committee’s recommendation). The vote will be decided by a majority of the committee. Should a tie occur after the second vote, the Chair will break the tie.    
8. A report of the grievance will be written up and presented to the Executive Board or appropriate officers upon completion and the Committee’s duties would end here. If either the Committee or the Brothers involved reject mediation, further action will be taken.
9. The Grievance Committee will provide recommendations for courses of action to address the problem at hand and deliver them to the Executive Board or appropriate officers.

a)     Courses of action could include, but are not limited to:

                                          i.         written warning;

                                         ii.         assignment of additional service, fellowship, leadership, or attendance requirements;

                                       iii.         recommendation of a membership status change;

                                       iv.         And, in certain cases,  recommendation of suspension to the voting chapter.

8. Once the course of action has been decided and approved by the Executive Board or appropriate officers, the President will inform all of the necessary Brothers involved of the decision. These Brothers will provide confirmation of their acquisition and acceptance of this decision.
9. Officers on the Grievance Committee will observe and ensure that the actions decided upon are carried out by the Brothers to which they were given.
10. The Grievance Committee has fulfilled its duty and is dismissed until further notice.

 

Section IX: Record Keeping

 

The Grievance Committee reserves the right to keep minutes of their meetings, as well as record the actions that composed the grievance and the actions taken by the committee to resolve the issue. When the proceedings are finished, the records will be kept as such:

• The minutes of committee meetings, as well as any other pertinent information to the proceedings, will be kept with the Advisory Chair and accessible to no one else.
• A list of grievances, those taken up by the committee or otherwise, will also be kept with the Advisory Chair.
• Copies of these documents, with names stricken, will be accessible to the Grievance Committee if needed for sake of precedent. These copies will contain only the description of the grievance and the decision reached by the committee.

 

Section X: Confidentiality

            For the duration of these proceedings, every meeting will be closed. No committee member, advisor, officer, or members of any party shall discuss the grievance with anyone outside of the proceedings. Furthermore, committee members shall not discuss the proceedings with any party outside of the meeting until a decision has been officially made. Exceptions may be made for those in positions of higher authority (Section Chair, University of Kentucky administrators, et cetera). Consequences for breach of confidentiality include revocation of position on the grievance committee up to suspension of membership, as recommended by the advisory committee, and confirmed by the Executive Board.

 

Article IV: Amendments

This Code of Conduct may be amended at any regular meeting of the Section by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing two (2) months in advance of the meeting. The ratification vote shall be taken by simple ballot, provided that the members present constitute quorum. The Section Chair or Section Parliamentarian has the ability to correct spelling, grammar, formatting, punctuation errors, etc. without explicit vote of the section so long as the changes do not alter the meaning of this Code of Conduct and are approved by the Section 67 Chair.

Should this document be adopted by a Chapter of Section 67, this Chapter reserves the right to amend this document as is necessary for their chapter. This Code of Conduct, once adopted by a Chapter, goes into immediate effect. Upon adoption, any amendment may be made to this document by a two-thirds (⅔) vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing two (2) weeks prior to the meeting and the members voting constitute Chapter-wide quorum. This amendment does not affect the Section 67 Code of Conduct and is unique to the Chapter who made the amendment. The Chapter Parliamentarian (or equivalent) has the ability to correct spelling, grammar, formatting, punctuation, and referencing errors, etc. without explicit vote of the chapter so long as the changes do not alter the meaning of this Code of Conduct and are approved in the same manner as the approval of meeting minutes.

Anytime this document is changed on a Section level, the Section Parliamentarian shall provide updated copies of either a digital or written form to the chapters, petitioning groups, and interest groups of Section 67.

 

 

 

Appendix

1.      Policies of Universities located within Section 67

a.       University of Kentucky: http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/index.html#

b.      University of Louisville: http://louisville.edu/dos/students/codeofconduct

c.       Eastern Kentucky University: http://studentrights.eku.edu/student-code-conduct

d.      Northern Kentucky University: http://deanofstudents.nku.edu/policies/student-rights.html

e.       Centre College (?): https://www.centre.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/handbook_student.pdf

f.       Kentucky State University: http://kysu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Ethics_Code_for_KSU.pdf

g.      Morehead State University: http://www.moreheadstate.edu/content_template.aspx?id=2147487619

h.      Transylvania:

2.      The Standard Policy of Risk Management, Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity. http://www.apo.org/Support/DownloadFile/210

3.      Section 67 Bylaws and Policies: Email section.67.chair@gmail.com

4.    Region 5 Bylaws and Policies: Email region.5.director@apo.org