CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Disclaimer: this has been edited from the original for the website

Preamble

We, the members of Theta Chi Epsilon of Emory & Henry University, in order to unite those men of common intent, in order to provide means for the execution of their purpose, and in order to express and ensure the continuation of their ideals, standards, and aspirations, do hereby establish their Constitution. 

Article I: Name

The name of the social fraternity herein established shall be “Theta Chi Epsilon of Emory & Henry University”. 

Article II: Purpose and Standards

It shall be the purpose of Theta Chi Epsilon Fraternity to bind together in a bond of brotherhood those who have mutual interests, standards, and ideals. Believing that the objectives and activities of their fraternity should be in full accord with the aims and purposes of Emory & Henry University, Theta Chi Epsilon recognizes the historical importance of the Christian ideals and principles with which the Brotherhood was founded, but understands that those ideals are not a requirement for being a Brother today. With the conviction that their organization must have higher standards than any of its members to be beneficial, it is the purpose of their fraternity to maintain, without compromising its original aspirations. Specifically, their fraternity shall strive to be of service to its fellow humans, to establish the highest ideals of character, to encourage achievement in the field of scholarship, and to work together in a spirit of unselfishness. 

Article III: Symbols

The symbols of their fraternity shall be as outlined at the time of Formal Initiation.

Article IV: Membership

Requisites for Membership

• Active membership shall consist of those members who have passed all requirements as stated in the constitution pursuant to all requisites herein. At minimum, brothers will ________, meet a minimum of 15 hours of community service, and continually uphold the standards and ideals of this fraternity.

Requisites for Receiving a Bid

• Membership shall be extended to those persons who meet requirements as stated by the Greek Council and the University and who have been approved by the active membership of the fraternity according to the procedure outlined by all requisites herein.

Honoraries

• The duties of the honoraries shall be to uplift brothers and provide physical and moral support through their presence, actions, and words. The honoraries must uphold fraternity values through their actions within and outside the fraternity.

• No honorary position shall be held by more than one active honorary at a time.

• All brothers shall have equal privileges regardless of how they were initiated into the group, except in the case of ___, which honoraries are ____, and voting for and holding office, voting in Blackball, Redball, Impeachment and Constitutional Amendment, all of which is reserved for brothers who have undergone NMEW. Honoraries may vote in most general fraternity matters.

• Discussions of a new honorary for any one position cannot be had until the semester after that honorary graduates; honoraries are Brothers, and discussions of “replacing” them makes them seem like they matter less than their positions do, and that is not the case.

• Sweetheart

  • • Shall come from a member of the student body who has been a full-time student at EHU for more than two semesters and is in agreement with Article IV

• Lioness

  • • Shall come from any member of the student body as long as it is in agreement to Article IV

• Phoenix

  • • Shall come from any member of the student body as long as it is in agreement to Article IV

    • If possible, the Phoenix should come from any member of the student body outside of Greek life, i.e. not affiliated with any other Greek group; this is not a requirement, but an unspoken tradition.

• Lil’ Sis

  • • Shall come from the Sisters of Delta Omicron Pi, as long as it is in agreement to Article IV

Processes for Inactivity and Reactivity                      

• Process to Become Inactive

  • • Any member seeking inactive membership shall state their intention both verbally and in a written statement to the fraternity.

    • Upon reading their statement, the individual is to be considered inactive.

• Process for Becoming Reactive

  • • A written request must be submitted to the current President.

    • That individual shall then be given a time during the next meeting to provide a verbal statement to the gathered membership.

    • Upon the hearing of the inactive member's statement, a vote shall be held to determine if that individual shall be permitted to become reactive, pursuant to Article VII.3.a.ii

      • • In the event that a brother voluntarily chooses to go inactive, such as due to difficulty _____, they may attempt to become reactive the next semester by submitting a letter to the active Brothers, passing through a majority vote, and then _________. 

Definition of Inactivity

• In regard to the limitations and privileges of inactive status, the fraternity will follow regulations set up by the Office of the Dean of Students and the Greek Council.

• If a Brother is inactive of their own accord (i.e. voluntary inactivity) and has no conduct or reprimand against them, they are encouraged to still wear the group’s letters in any setting, including outside of a private group event—i..e. events that take place off of the main campus such as group functions, BTIs, etc., on the assumption that inactive Brothers are allowed at the event.  

• Inactive Brothers who were forced to go inactive due to restrictions from the Office of the Dean of Students or the Greek Council, or through reprimand by the Brotherhood, are not permitted to wear the group’s letters. 

• Inactive Brothers shall not be permitted to vote on any official fraternity business. This includes voting in and attending Blackball.

• Inactive Brothers are allowed to attend New Member Education Week activities, but are not permitted to participate in them or “New Member” the new Brothers. 

• Inactive Brothers shall be permitted to attend social events such as function, BTI, etc., but shall be required to ______ required, including but not limited to ________ for date attendance. As well, inactive Brothers’ attendance shall be decided upon by a majority group vote.   

Article V: Officers

Offices

• There shall be 16 offices in Theta Chi Epsilon, and these offices shall be elected pursuant to the procedure outlined in Article VII.1.c . The offices to be included are as follows: President, Vice President, Sergeant-at-Arms, Fraternity Clerk, Treasurer, Greek Council Representative, Chaplain, Historian, New Member Educator & Assistant New Member Educators (when rushing season is active), Social Coordinator, Brotherhood Coordinator, Intramural Coordinator, Alumni Coordinator, Community Service Coordinator, and Public Relations Coordinator. Executive offices will be elected for a term of one school year, and non-executive positions will be elected once per semester, except in the case of a vacancy, pursuant to Article VII.2.d.i

The Duties of the Officers:

• The President shall call and preside at all meetings, appoint necessary committees, be an ex-officio member of all committees, be the secondary representative to the Greek Council, and strive at all times for the improvement of Theta Chi Epsilon. They shall have no vote in general fraternity matters unless the vote is equally divided.

• The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President in their absence or in the event that the office of President is vacated. They shall be in charge of acquiring markers for official meetings, and be responsible for organizing elections pursuant to Article VII.1.c 

• The Sergeant-at-Arms shall maintain order in all meetings and shall assist in counting votes during meetings. In the absence of the President and Vice President, the Sergeant-At-Arms shall preside.

• The Fraternity Clerk shall keep accurate and permanent minutes and attendance records of all meetings, be responsible for all fraternity correspondence, keep permanent copies of all correspondence in a well-organized manner, coordinate the fraternity calendar. and shall be responsible for the fraternity’s permanent files. If the Fraternity Clerk cannot be present for an official meeting, the Greek Council representative shall act as the interim Clerk for that meeting.

• The Treasurer shall be responsible for all ______ and ______ records and shall be the sole accessor, other than the advisor, to fraternal ____. They shall be responsible _____________________________________. They shall create a working _____ for the fraternity each semester. The Treasurer shall also be responsible for coordinating and managing _______.  

• The Greek Council Representative shall be responsible, along with the President, for representing the fraternity in all Greek Council activities. They shall also act as the interim Clerk in the case of the absence of the elected Clerk in their interim position. They shall be responsible for all duties normally carried out by the Fraternity Clerk for the duration of that meeting. 

• The Chaplain shall offer the benediction at the end of meetings before adjournment. They shall see that the brotherhood maintains its core ideals of ‘unity through diversity’ and ‘uneven mantle.’ They shall be responsible for ensuring that all brothers are brothers, not just to each other, but to everyone. 

• The Historian shall be responsible for all fraternity records of historical significance, all fraternity webpages, and shall keep a record of the activities of the fraternity and of its members in an annual scrapbook. 

• The New Member Educator shall carry out all New Member activities in accordance with the regulations established by the Greek Council, administer New Member tests and training, assign duties to both active Brothers and New Members, and plan programs for New Member Education Week. They shall observe and report regularly during the Week to the Brotherhood on each New Member’s attitude and cooperation; before the Week begins, they must also present a finalized week’s schedule and attendance policy for current Brothers at least one week prior to the start of New Member Education Week. They may call upon any other Brother to assist them at any time. Their office will be held for the duration of New Member Education Week, depending upon the semester-to-semester schedule. They are also responsible for the coordination and execution of a Rush Dinner, for which they may also ask the brotherhood for help. 

  • • The Assistant New Member Educators, of which there may only be two per semester, shall follow closely the responsibilities and duties laid out by the New Member Educator they are operating under.

• The Social Coordinator shall be responsible for all social activities, excluding social events for brothers only. They shall assess and collect any additional money deemed necessary by the fraternity to carry on its social programming. They shall be responsible for the fraternity’s entry into Airband. They shall be responsible for coordinating with the incoming New Member Class in the planning and executing of a Function, when funds permit.

• The Brotherhood Coordinator shall… be responsible for all brother bonding events, providing opportunities for brothers to connect outside of meetings, DRPs, and service.

• The Intramural Coordinator shall be responsible for the fraternity’s participation in the intramural program. They shall call, conduct practices, and publicize any event. They will be the official representative of the fraternity to the Intramural Council.

• The Alumni Coordinator shall be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date record of alumni, and the writing and distribution of the OX-Cart, as well as updating alumni via the Facebook group and organizing Homecoming events with the alumni board.

• The Community Service Coordinator shall be responsible for the organization of any and all community service projects. They shall also be responsible for advertising and ensuring support of the proposed events amongst active membership. They shall also be responsible for turning in all active Brothers’ community service hours to the Greek Life Coordinator.

• The Public Relations Coordinator shall be responsible for the management and upkeep of all official social media accounts. They shall also coordinate with all other officer positions to ensure that relevant and up to date information is disseminated to the public.

The Executive Council

• The Executive Council shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Sergeant-At-Arms, Fraternity Clerk, Treasurer, and the Greek Council Representative. This council may act in cases where action by the fraternity is either not required or is for some reason impossible to secure, review, and act upon cases involving Brothers who are unable to meet their financial obligations to the fraternity, and may also serve as an agenda committee. All votes taken by the council must be decided by a majority vote. In the event that there is no clear majority, no action shall be taken. All voted-on actions of the Executive Council must be reported and presented to the fraternity. 

Article VI: Committees

The Constitution Revision Committee

• The Constitution Revision Committee shall be composed of one voted-on member from each New Member Class. The term length for committee members shall be until their graduation, so long as they remain of active status. However, members are able to resign from the position or may be removed by their New Member Class in a Two-Thirds vote. Their committee shall meet at least one time before the end of each semester, but is not obligated to make changes to the Constitution. 

• Any more than two unexcused absences from pre-planned meetings will result in an automatic removal from the Committee, and the New Member Class shall re-elect a New Member. 

• The role of this Committee shall be to formulate revisions and amendments to the constitution, should they be necessary, and present them to the fraternity for voting on ratification. 

The Delta Omicron Pi Committee

• The DOP Committee shall be composed of two brothers of Theta Chi Epsilon. The committee and our sisters on the Theta Chi committee will hold a joint committee meeting once a month. In this meeting, the members from each group will discuss ideas, concerns, opinions, and bonding activities for keeping the two groups strongly bonded and in good standing. The vice presidents of both Delta Omicron Pi and Theta Chi Epsilon will automatically preside over the meetings as ex-officio members. 

• The President and Vice President of Theta Chi Epsilon and any brother who is an honorary member of Delta Omicron Pi are not eligible to be on this committee, unless low membership numbers demand it.

• The Committee shall report at the Theta Chi Epsilon meeting immediately following the joint discussion. The groups are to do at least one bonding activity per semester, and hold a joint discussion about the relationship between the sibling organizations once per academic year, per the Siblinghood Agreement.

Article VII: Procedure

Meeting Procedure

• A quorum of two-thirds of all active members must be present at a meeting for official business to take place, unless otherwise specified within the constitution.

Meeting Format

• Attendance

• ______

• Positives & challenges of the week (highs and lows)

• Old Business

• New Business

• Benediction

• Adjournment

Definitions

• Attendance

  • • At this time, the Fraternity Clerk will take attendance and duly record it.

    • At this time, the Clerk shall also begin taking notes.

    • Attendance shall be monitored as follows: if a Brother misses a meeting, service event during New Member Education Week, DRP, or other typically mandated fraternity event without giving fair notice of being absent to a member of the Executive Council, ____________________; if this occurs again, _________; and if this happens a third time, forced inactivity will be imposed upon the Brother in question. Their inactivity can be appealed through the Executive Council. _______________, no inactivity is imposed; and ______________________, and the Brotherhood approves a return, the Brother is no longer considered inactive.

    • For DRPs specifically, the Social Coordinator will take attendance. Participation in some way (setting up, active participation, takedown/clean-up, etc.) is required for 75% of all DRPs in a particular rushing season in order for a Brother to be able to take a little. For Brothers not looking to take, attendance is required for 50% of all DRPs in a rushing season in order to participate in Blackball procedure.

    • Any active brother must be present for the majority of the meetings to be able to cast a vote in any matter and/or capacity. 

• ________

  • • ________________________________________

• Positives & Challenges

  • • At this time, Brothers will be given the opportunity to name the high and low points of their week.

• Old Business

  • • At this time, the President may call upon Brothers and other Officers to explain the state of active programs or events, or they themselves can speak on their behalf, should they be absent.

• New Business

  • • During this time, the President shall open the floor to active membership for dialogue concerning ideas for new business.

• Benediction

  • • At this time, the Chaplain shall offer a close to the meeting.

• Adjournment

  • • When the President determines that all business has been heard, he may call for adjournment, and upon a simple majority vote, the meeting shall be adjourned.

Election Procedure

• Election Format

  • • All elections shall be orchestrated by the Vice President under the oversight of the Executive Council.

    • All elections will be done as an open discussion and election. In the event that Brothers would prefer to maintain privacy on the vote, a simple majority vote can change the style of voting to a secret ballot or an alternative type. 

    • All votes shall be counted by the Vice President and Sergeant-at-Arms in front of the gathered membership, with the exception of the selection of Fraternity Honoraries, in which case the President shall count the final vote.

    • All votes shall be by majority vote.

• Officer Elections

  • • Requisites

      • • Any Brother with active status is eligible to run for the following offices: President, Vice-President, Sergeant at Arms, Fraternity Clerk, Treasurer, Greek Council Representative, Chaplain, Historian, Social Coordinator, Intramural Coordinator, Alumni Coordinator, Community Service Coordinator, Public Relations Coordinator. 

        • Any Brother with active status who has previously been an Assistant New Member Educator is eligible to run for the position of New Member Educator.

          • • At all times, it is pertinent that there will be at least one brother eligible to be NME in the upcoming semester.

    • Disqualifications

      • • Brothers who have attended Emory & Henry University for 4 academic years shall not be permitted to run for Offices that are on the Executive Council. However, these Brothers shall still be able to be active and fulfill Offices outside of the Council. 

    • Nominations

      • • Nominations shall take place one meeting before the final official meeting of each semester.

        • For a Brother to be placed on a ballot for an Office, a Brother other than themself must nominate them verbally and be seconded by another Brother. At this time, the nominated Brother shall be given the opportunity to accept or decline their nomination. If a Brother chooses to accept their nomination, they shall be given a span of time at the end of the nomination period to speak briefly on their qualifications, experience, etc., for the nominated position. 

    • Elections

      • • All election proceedings will be overseen by the Vice President. They will be in charge of ensuring fair and accurate proceedings that follow all procedures pursuant to Article VII.2.a.

• The Procedure for elections shall be as follows:

  • • A quorum of two-thirds of active Brothers must be met in order to hold elections.

    • If this quorum is met, elections shall take place by the order in the Constitution, beginning with the President and ending with the Public Relations Coordinator.

    • All voting shall be done through an open ballot unless otherwise decided Pursuant to Article VII.2.a.ii; during the voting time of each position, the nominees will be asked to leave the room. Upon completion, they will be asked to re-enter.

    • In cases where no more than two candidates have been nominated for an Office, voters shall select their top choice for candidate on their ballot. The candidate to receive a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner. 

    • All votes shall be decided by a 50% majority. Should no candidate receive at least 50% of the vote, the candidate with the most votes will automatically move to the next round of voting, and the remaining candidates will be nominated in an isolated election. The winner of this election will then move on to the next round of voting. Should the isolated election result in a tie, it will be broken by the sitting President.

• The Procedure for elections of Assistant New Member Educator(s) (ANME/APM) shall be as follows:

  • • Once the New Member Educator has been voted on by the group, Pursuant to Article VII.2.b, the New Member Educator will put forward two names for ANME consideration. The NME will speak on their behalf, and then both candidates will also speak on their own behalf. The NME and ANME candidates will leave the room, and the election procedure will begin pursuant to Article VII.2.b.iv.3.

      • • Should a candidate fail to be confirmed, the NME and ANME candidate will have the opportunity to defend themselves and call for a revote, pursuant to the same language. 

        • Should a candidate fail a second time, the NME will put forward another name, and the process will begin again.

• Honorary Elections

  • • Honorary Requisites

      • • Honoraries must meet all standards and requirements expected of New Members and active Brothers in order to receive a nomination.

    • Procedure

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• Vacancy Elections

  • • Vacancies shall be filled by election at the meeting immediately following its occurrence. Should a vacancy occur in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the office of President and the office of Vice President shall be elected.

Disciplinary Procedure

• Discipline for Membership

  • • If a Brother should exhibit behavior and attitude which is inconsistent with the purpose and standards of this fraternity, they may be asked to become inactive until the end of that current semester if such action is deemed necessary by four-fifths of the active membership.

    • These Levels of Inactivity shall be upheld: voluntary (self-explanatory; the Brother chooses to become inactive), disciplinary (inactivity imposed due to academics, school discipline, etc.), and forced (inactivity imposed by fraternity vote or failure to ______, assuming the brother in question has not received a _____ from the Executive Council)

    • At the beginning of the semester following their decision, the active membership must meet to discuss the membership status of the Brother in question. The membership may, again by a four-fifths majority, extend to the inactive Brother an invitation to regain their active status or may vote to continue the period of inactivity another semester. 

    • If, after regaining an active status, this member should again exhibit an inconsistent attitude or behavior, they shall, by a four-fifths majority, immediately be considered permanently inactive.

    • If an invitation to regain membership is not offered, at that point, the current active membership shall hold a vote on whether to put this individual through Red Ball proceedings pursuant to Article VII.3.a.vi, or to make this individual permanently inactive.

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• Red Ball

  • • Quorum for Red Ball Shall consist of four-fifths of active membership.

    • Discussion of a possible Red Ball procedure shall be held following a simple majority vote.

    • Following the discussion, a new vote shall be held, and upon a two-thirds majority vote, Red Ball proceedings shall begin.

    • At this time, the individual(s) up for Red Ball shall be called in for questioning.

    • Questioning shall be as follows:

      • • An official audio recording shall be kept of all questioning procedures to ensure transparency and fairness, and shall be given to the Advisor. 

        • Brothers shall ask the individual an unlimited number of questions, until said individual chooses to “Ox” out of further questioning, or until all present Brothers vote to end questioning with a simple majority.

        • Upon the closure of questioning, the individual shall be asked to leave the room where the proceedings are taking place. 

    • After the individual leaves the room, the gathered Brotherhood shall hold a round of discussion. 

    • Following this round of discussion, the gathered membership shall hold a vote to determine the individual(s) position. The vote shall pass with a four-fifths majority. 

    • Upon passage, this individual shall no longer be considered a Brother of Theta Chi Epsilon. 

• Impeachment 

  • • Quorum for Impeachment shall consist of four-fifths of active membership.

    • Discussion of a possible Impeachment procedure shall be held following a simple-majority vote.

    • Following the discussion, a new vote shall be held, and upon a two-thirds majority vote, Impeachment proceedings shall begin.

    • At this time, the individual(s) up for Impeachment shall be called in for questioning.

    • Questioning shall be as follows:

      • • An official audio recording shall be kept of all questioning procedures to ensure transparency and fairness.  These recordings shall be given to the Advisor. 

        • Brothers shall ask the individual an unlimited number of questions until said Individual chooses to “Ox” out of further questioning, or until all present Brothers vote to end questioning with a simple majority.

        • Upon the closure of questioning, the individual shall be asked to leave the room where the proceedings are taking place. 

    • After the individual leaves the room, the gathered Brotherhood shall hold a round of discussion.

    • Following this round of discussion, the gathered membership shall vote to determine whether the individual(s) in question are to be removed from Office. A vote shall carry with a three-fourths majority.

    • Upon passage, the individual(s) in question shall lose their position.

Article VIII: Sponsor

• The fraternity shall have at all times at least one official sponsor.

• The official sponsor shall be elected from the faculty and staff at large.

• An election shall take place for the position of Sponsor, and shall be as follows:

  • • Prior to a vote, there shall be a discussion to review and discuss the potential advisors. (Brothers should familiarize themselves with the potential advisors before the discussion)

    • An election shall be opened with a simple majority vote of gathered membership. Upon the opening of the election procedure, nominations shall take place. 

    • After all nominees have been heard, or a move to close nominations has been seconded, the gathered membership shall vote upon the nominees. 

    • The nominee who receives Two-Thirds of the votes shall be declared the sponsor-elect. This individual shall then be approached about accepting their position. 

    • Should they accept, they shall immediately be considered the fraternity sponsor. If this individual declines this position, another election shall take place following the same procedures; this process shall continue until a new sponsor has been elected and accepts the position.

• They shall serve for an indefinite period.

Article IX: _______

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Article X: Bidding

• Membership shall be extended by formal bid from the active Brothers in accordance with the regulations established by the Greek Council.

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• Any given bid is only valid for one semester.

• Potential New Members must:

  • • Meet all requirements for rushing as set forth by the University and by the Greek Council.

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• Field of Dreams

  • • Between the conclusion of each Blackball procedure and the start of each BTI, a Field of Dreams must be held. Field of Dreams is an event in which each brother, in seniority order, shall share their thoughts on the general proceedings of the fraternity and the president, both positives and challenges. After this period, a short break will occur, and then a period for sharing personal challenges will occur, in no particular order. Prior to the FOD section of this event, Big Brothers will be selected. The senior most brother has the first choice, but that may be challenged. All candidates who wish to take the same PNM as their little will state their case, and the brotherhood will have a heads-down vote to decide who will take the PNM. Should the vote result in a tie, a second round of discussion will occur, with the rest of the brothers stating their concerns. Each potential Big Brother will defend their case, and then another vote will occur. If this vote results in a tie, the PNM will automatically be taken by the oldest potential Big Brother. These individuals are responsible for creating both the “bid” and the poker chip for their potential little brother following the FOD. 

Article XI: New Member Education Week

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• All activities shall follow the regulations established by the Greek Council.

• The format and schedule of the Week shall be planned and executed by the New Member Educator upon the approval of the fraternity Advisor as well as the Dean of Students.

• If at any time a New Member feels that they have received unjust treatment in the Week, they may express objection to the New Member Educator who, in turn, may call upon the fraternity to further discuss the New Member’s grievance. In addition, the New Member has the right to discuss their grievance with the fraternity as a whole or the Advisor if they feel that the New Member Educator has not done justice to their grievance.

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• A New Member may at any time, before the conclusion of the week, withdraw from their New Member Class.

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Article XII: Amendments

• The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of all votes cast. Three-fourths of the active membership is required to constitute a quorum for all amendment proceedings.

• Members shall vote on the amendment at two consecutive meetings.

Article XIII: Adoption

The Constitution shall be adopted upon ratification by two-thirds of the active membership of Theta Chi Epsilon Fraternity.