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
of the income from the Founders Fund shall be used to grant annually 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, and twenty-nine such scholarships shall be designated
for undergraduate students, and one or more awards of $1,000 each to 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, and the Herb Songer 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.