UNIVERSITY
OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
INTERFRATERNITY
COUNCIL CONSTITUTION
PREAMBLE
By
virtue of the authority delegated to us by the administration of the
University of Central Arkansas, we, the social fraternities of the UCA
Interfraternity Council, in order to promote
cooperation, positive relationships and closer friendships between our
organizations, do hereby establish and subscribe to this Constitution and
By-Laws.
ARTICLE
I - NAME
The
name of this organization shall be the University of Central Arkansas
Interfraternity Council, also known as the IFC.
ARTICLE
II - OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the IFC shall be to:
1.
Develop and
maintain fraternity life and interfraternity relations at a high level of
accomplishment.
2.
Cooperate with
member fraternities and University administration in concern for high social
and moral standards.
3.
Act in accordance
with the standards and philosophies of our national organizations and the
National Interfraternity Conference.
4.
Serve as the
official voice of the social fraternities of the University of Central
Arkansas.
5.
Provide a medium
for exchange of ideas and needed assistance among the fraternities.
6.
Seek to provide
services on an interfraternal level that could not be handled as
well by the individual
fraternities.
7.
Discuss questions
of mutual interest and present to the fraternities such recommendations as the
IFC sees fit.
8.
Promote good
scholarship.
9.
Organize,
coordinate and oversee all rush activities of IFC member fraternities.
ARTICLE
III - MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
AND ADVISOR SELECTION
Section
I. Each fraternity shall be represented by two members.
One member shall be the chapter president and the other is to be chosen
at the discretion of the fraternity. If
the chapter president is unable to fulfill his responsibility of serving on
the IFC, a vice president may serve in his place.
All members of the IFC must be currently enrolled students at UCA with
a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000.
When a member is elected to hold an IFC executive office, the affected
fraternity shall select another delegate to serve in his place.
A fraternity shall have no more than three representatives serving on
the IFC at any given time. The advisor of each fraternity shall be an
ex-officio member.
Section
II. Each social fraternity recognized as a student
organization by the University of Central Arkansas and recognized as a
member of the National Interfraternity
Conference shall hold membership in the IFC.
Section
III. Upon unanimous affirmative vote of the remaining
fraternities, a member fraternity may be expelled from the IFC for a stated
period. A motion for expulsion is
tabled for two (2) weeks.
Section
IV. The IFC will have one advisor designated by the Division
of Student Services. The IFC also may choose additional advisors by a
majority vote. All IFC advisors
must meet the criteria designated by UCA to serve as a student organization
advisor.
ARTICLE
IV - VOTING
Section
I. Each
fraternity shall have one vote. The
IFC President shall vote only in case of a tie.
Section
II. A simple majority of those
voting shall be required to elect all officers of the IFC.
ARTICLE
V - QUORUM
A
quorum for conducting business consists of two-thirds (2/3) of the membership
of IFC.
ARTICLE
VI - MEETINGS
Section
I. Regular meetings of the Council shall be held at least twice a month
during the regularly scheduled academic year except during examination
periods, school holidays and summer school.
Section
II. The Executive Committee shall meet before regularly scheduled
meetings.
Section
III. A special meeting may be called by the IFC President or the IFC
Advisor. The IFC must call a meeting at the request of any fraternity with IFC
Advisor approval.
Section
IV. Verbal or written notice of a special meeting shall be given to each
fraternity's president and representatives at least twenty-four (24) hours
before the meeting is to take place.
ARTICLE
VII - AMENDMENTS
Section
I. The IFC Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3)
vote of the fraternity representatives.
Section
II. A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the IFC two weeks
prior to a vote being taken.
Section
III. A written copy of a proposed amendment must be provided to each
fraternity when it is submitted in an IFC meeting.
ARTICLE
VIII - OFFICERS AND OFFICER ELIGIBILITY
Section
I. The elected officers of the IFC shall be the President, Vice
President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Section
II. To be eligible for an IFC executive office, a student must:
1.
Be a currently
enrolled student at UCA;
2.
Have served as
member of the IFC during the semester of elections;
3.
Have a minimum
2.200 overall grade point average;
4.
Be in good standing
with the University, i.e., not on disciplinary probation;
5.
Be on the active
membership role and in good standing with his fraternity.
Section
III. Procedures
for officer nominations and elections are:
1.
Nominations will be
taken during the first meeting in November.
2.
Elections will be
held during the following meeting in November.
3.
Newly elected
officers and appointed representatives shall be installed during the last
meeting of the fall semester.
4.
Elections shall
proceed as stated in Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Section
IV. If the Presidency is vacated, for any reason, the Vice
President shall become President. Nomination
and election of a new Vice President shall be held the first meeting after the
office of Vice President is vacated. The
newly elected Vice President shall take office immediately.
If any other office is vacated, nomination and election of a new
officer shall be held at the first meeting after the office is vacated.
The newly elected officer shall take office immediately.
Section
V. Each IFC officer shall hold his term of office for spring,
summer and fall semesters consecutively, unless he graduates, resigns or fails
to maintain an overall grade point average of 2.200. In each case, his office will be vacated.
Section
VI. Any officer of the IFC may be removed from office by a two-thirds
(2/3) vote of the voting fraternity representatives.
ARTICLE
IX - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section
I. The President shall:
1.
Preside at all IFC
meetings;
2.
Appoint all
committees and their respective chairmen;
3.
Serve as an
ex-officio member of all committees;
4.
Have the power to
appoint temporary officers necessitated by a special issue or concern;
5.
Have the power to
break tie votes;
6.
Have the power to
call special meetings;
7.
Represent the
fraternity community to University administration and other student or civic
organizations;
8.
Assure that all
projects and activities of the IFC are efficiently carried out;
9.
Perform other
duties as necessary.
Section
II. The
Vice President shall:
1.
Preside at IFC
meetings in the absence of the president;
2.
Be responsible for
the efficient and effective conduct of all committee work of the IFC;
3.
Represent IFC on
the Greek Week Committee;
4.
Coordinate all rush
activities, programs and promotions for IFC.
Section
III. The Secretary shall:
1.
Assist the
President in preparing agendas for all IFC meetings;
2.
Record the minutes
of each meeting;
3.
Read the minutes of
the previous meeting at each meeting;
4.
Provide the IFC
members and advisors with a copy of all minutes;
5.
Keep up-to-date
attendance records; and
6.
Keep an accurate
and complete roll of all member fraternities and their authorized
representatives and check the roll each meeting.
Section
IV. The Treasurer shall:
1.
Handle financial
matters pertaining to the IFC;
2.
Collect all dues
and assessments as designated by IFC;
3.
Keep an accurate
accounting of expenditures and receipts;
4.
Work with the IFC
advisor to handle payment of all financial debts of the IFC; and
5.
Make a financial
report to the IFC at the beginning of each semester.
ARTICLE
X - FINANCES
Section
I. All
money collected from chapters shall be recorded and deposited into the IFC
account.
Section
II. Each
fraternity will be assessed semester membership dues of $5.00 per
member/pledge, with minimum dues per fraternity set at $100.00 and maximum
dues per fraternity set at $300.00. Dues
must be paid by the specified deadline at the beginning of each semester
before invitations for membership can be extended.
Section
III. A
$25.00 fine will be assessed against any fraternity missing IFC meetings or
neglecting duties that are assigned by the IFC or the Advisor.
The fine will begin with the second absence of each semester.
Section
IV. Any
fraternity failing to pay dues or fines without sufficient reason shall have
its IFC rights and privileges automatically suspended.
Reinstatement to full IFC privileges will require a majority vote of
the IFC.
ARTICLE XI
- DISSOLUTION OF IFC
If
IFC were to be dissolved, any funds remaining would be donated to the UCA
Foundation.
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
INTERFRATERNITY
COUNCIL BYLAWS
ARTICLE
I - ADMINISTRATION OF RECRUITMENT
Section
I. Early
fall and early spring recruitment periods will be coordinated by the IFC.
Section
II. Regulations
governing recruitment shall be reviewed and revised by the IFC representatives
annually.
Section
III. Students
who sign up for rush must have completed 12 college credit hours and shall
have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.300 on a 4.000 scale.
Section
IV. Fraternity
rush is dry. There shall be no
use, possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages at recruitment
activities. Recruitment
activities include planned activities at fraternity houses or local
establishments, parties at members’ apartments or houses and spontaneous
gatherings where potential members are invited for the purpose of recruitment.
Section
VII. The
IFC Executive Council will be responsible for coordinating procedures to
monitor rush events to ensure compliance with IFC and University regulations.
Monitoring procedures shall be determined each semester and a
monitoring committee shall be appointed by the executive council.
Monitors have the authority and responsibility to report violations.
All violations must be reported within 72 hours after the violation is
known. Violation reports must be
submitted in writing to the IFC President, Vice President or Advisor.
Section
VIII. Disciplinary
action shall be taken by IFC against any fraternity found responsible for
violating rush rules. A majority
vote of the fraternities not involved in the infraction is necessary for a
fraternity to be found responsible. A
majority vote of the same fraternities is also necessary for any penalty to be
imposed. Penalties may include,
but are not limited to, warning, probation, monetary fines and loss of social
privileges, intramural participation or IFC recognition.
Section
IV. After
the period designated as formal rush at the beginning of each semester, open
bids may be extended at any time during the year when school is in regular
session. Bids may not be extended
during the summer months or designated holiday periods.
Section
X. It
is the responsibility of each fraternity to verify the academic eligibility of
each potential member with the IFC advisor prior to extending an open bid.
Section
XI. Any
man receiving an open bid from a fraternity must report to the IFC Advisor=s office within 48 hours of the time the bid is issued to sign a
pledge card. The student must be
verified with the office prior to signing.
ARTICLE
II - PLEDGING
Section
I. A
student shall be considered pledged to a fraternity once he has picked up a
bid, even though no pledge pin has been issued and no oath has been taken.
Section
II. Pledging
activities may begin only after bids are officially issued each semester and
must end before the Friday previous to Dead Week.
Section
III. There
shall be no pledging activities or requirements during the summer terms, Dead
Week, Finals or any designated University holiday period.
Section
IV. Any student who
de-pledges one fraternity will not be eligible to pledge another fraternity
until the following semester. The
IFC advisor shall handle any discrepancy regarding this matter. To assure roster accuracy, de-pledges should be reported to
the IFC advisor by the end of the semester during which the person de-pledged.
It is the responsibility of the chapter to be sure that the name is
removed from the chapter's roster.
ARTICLE
III - RISK MANAGEMENT
The
Risk Management Policy of Fraternity Insurance Providers Group (FIPG),
Inc., includes the provisions which follow and is adopted by the UCA
Interfraternity Council. The
Policy shall apply to all fraternity entities and all levels of fraternity
membership.
ALCOHOL
AND DRUGS
1.
The possession,
sale, use or consumption of ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, while on chapter premises,
during a fraternity event, in any situation sponsored or endorsed by the
chapter, or in any event an observer would associate with the fraternity, must
be in compliance with any and all applicable laws of the state, province,
county, city and institution of higher education, and must comply with either
the BYOB or Third Party Vendor Guidelines.
2.
No alcoholic
beverage may be purchased through chapter funds nor may the purchase of same
for members or guests be undertaken or coordinated by any member in the name
of, or on behalf of, the chapter. The
purchase or use of a bulk quantity or common sources of such alcoholic
beverage, i.e. kegs or cases, is prohibited.
3.
OPEN
PARTIES, meaning those with unrestricted
access by non-members of the fraternity, without specific invitation, where alcohol is present, shall be prohibited.
4.
No members, collectively
or individually, shall purchase for, serve to, or sell alcoholic beverages
to any minor (i.e., those under legal Adrinking
age@).
5.
The possession,
sale or use of any ILLEGAL DRUGS or CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES while on chapter
premises or during a fraternity event or at
any event that an observer would associate with the fraternity, is
strictly forbidden.
6.
No chapter may co-sponsor an event with an alcohol distributor, charitable
organization or tavern (tavern defined as an establishment generating more
than half of annual gross sales from alcohol) where alcohol is given away,
sold or otherwise provided to those present.
7.
No chapter may
co-sponsor or co-finance a function where alcohol is purchased by any of the
host chapters, groups or organizations.
8.
All recruitment
activities associated with any chapter will be a DRY rush function.
9.
No member shall
permit, tolerate, encourage, or participate in Adrinking
games.@
10.
No
alcohol shall be present at
any pledge/associate member/novice program, activity or ritual of the chapter.
HAZING
No
chapter, colony, student or alumnus shall conduct nor condone hazing
activities.
Hazing activities are defined as: AAny
action taken or situation created, intentionally, whether on or off fraternity
premises, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment,
or ridicule. Such activities may
include but are not limited to the following: use of alcohol, paddling in any
form; creation of excessive fatigue; physical and psychological shocks;
quests, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, road trips or any other such
activities carried on outside or inside of the confines of the chapter house;
wearing of public apparel which is conspicuous and not normally in good taste;
engaging in public stunts and buffoonery; morally degrading or humiliating
games and activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with
academic achievement, fraternal law, ritual or policy or the regulations and
policies of the educational institution, or applicable state law.@
SEXUAL
ABUSE AND HARASSMENT
The
fraternity will not tolerate or condone any form of sexually abusive behavior
on the part of its member, whether physical, mental or emotional. This is to include any actions that are demeaning to women or
men including but not limited to date rape, gang rape or verbal harassment.
FIRE,
HEALTH AND SAFETY
1.
All chapter houses
should meet all local fire and health codes and standards.
2.
All chapters should
have posted by common phones emergency numbers for fire, police and ambulance
and should have posted evacuation routes on the back of the door of each
sleeping room.
3.
All chapters should
comply with engineering recommendations as reported by the insurance company.