BYLAWS

OF

THE DELTA OF TEXAS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

OF

THE PHI THETA KAPPA INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY OF THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE

 

PREAMBLE

We, the members of the Delta of Texas Alumni Association of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College, hereby dedicate ourselves to (1) continue to uphold the purposes of Phi Theta Kappa; (2) provide a continuing fellowship for former Phi Theta Kappa members; (3) assist transfer students in becoming accustomed to Texas Tech University; (4) and recognize and encourage academic excellence and leadership among university and community college alumni.

 

ARTICLE I.

NAME OF ASSOCIATION

The official name of this Association shall be “Delta of Texas Alumni Association of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College.”  Unofficial names for the association may include: Delta of Texas Alumni Association, Delta of Texas, and/or Delta, and it may be referred to here-in as the Association.

 

ARTICLE II.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE ASSOCIATION

Types of membership: The Delta of Texas Alumni Association shall consist of active members only.

Section 1.        Active Members:

                An active member of the Delta of Texas Alumni Association shall be a student of Texas Tech University who has been inducted into Phi Theta Kappa at a two-year college and who pays his or her dues in full each semester to the Association.

Section 2.        Honorary Members:

                A person can only become an honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa International through a two-year Phi Theta Kappa Chapter, and cannot achieve this designation through an alumni association.

 

ARTICLE III.

OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section 1.      

                The elected officers of Delta of Texas shall be the President, Executive Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President of Service, Vice President of Fellowship, Vice President of Leadership and Scholarship, Vice President of Membership and Public Relations, and Vice President of Multimedia. The Executive Council shall be comprised of these officers.

Section 2.

               The terms of office for the President and Executive Vice President shall be for a period beginning with their election and installation in the spring and continuing until the installation of the next President and Executive Vice President the following spring. The term for all other officers shall be for a period beginning in the fall and continuing until the spring semester ends.

Section 3.

               The President shall preside over all meetings of the Delta of Texas Alumni Association.  In addition, he or she shall provide leadership, approve committees, delegate authority, enforce the bylaws, call special meetings, act as a spokesperson with regard to the University and Phi Theta Kappa, serve as a liaison between all of the executive council members, and serve as a role model for other officers and members.  This officer must have been an active member of the Delta of Texas Alumni Association for at least one full semester.

Section 4.

               The Executive Vice President shall fulfill the duties of the President in his or her absence; coordinate committee activities; supervise and oversee all other association vice presidents; aid other vice presidents in selecting committee chairs; delegate appropriate responsibilities to other vice presidents and committee chairs; keep up-to-date on the work of other vice presidents, committee chairs, and committees; and chair occasional special committees and projects.

               The Executive Vice President, or a volunteer from within the Association who will act on behalf of the Executive Vice President, shall also serve as a representative for the Delta of Texas Alumni Association with other campus organizations, such as the La Ventana and the Texas Tech Student Government Association, and serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 5.

               The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Executive Council and General Assembly meetings, take roll, act as a corresponding agent at the district, regional, and international levels, and distribute all pertinent information to members, including meeting minutes and information regarding upcoming events and opportunities.  He or she shall also screen and direct all organizational correspondence to the appropriate Delta of Texas Alumni Association officer or member, maintain organizational files and records, and serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 6.

             The Treasurer shall collect dues, maintain accurate accounting records on file, promptly deposit all monies received into the appropriate Delta of Texas Alumni Association bank accounts, process applicable payments, render financial reports upon request, and make a budget for submittal to the Texas Tech Student Government Association to request funding.  The Treasurer is responsible for all of the Association’s fundraising activities, which he or she may organize personally or delegate to an appropriate volunteer within the Association.  The Treasurer must be financially responsible and serve as a role model for other officers and members. 

Section 7.

            The Vice President of Service shall be responsible for organizing and overseeing the development and implementation of the Association’s community service and philanthropic endeavors, including the establishment of committees to aid in completing these tasks, and he or she must serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 8.

            The Vice President of Fellowship shall be responsible for organizing and implementing social activities for the Delta of Texas Alumni Association.  Such activities may include, but shall not be limited to, social outings, back to school parties, holiday parties, and end of the year parties.  This officer must also serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 9.

            The Vice President of Leadership and Scholarship shall be responsible for keeping all members on task with the goals and ideals of the Association as stated in the Preamble of this document.  This officer shall accomplish his or her task by keeping points for each member based on the number and type of functions that each member attends during a semester or year.  The Delta Points System shall be organized and revised by the Executive Council as often as necessary, but implemented by the Vice President of Leadership and Scholarship and the Advisor (s) who will tally the points at the conclusion of each semester.  Delta points shall be used by the Executive Council to determine various participation awards and scholarship eligibility for members, which may vary from semester to semester.  This officer should be a very active member of the Delta of Texas Alumni Association and should serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 10.

            The Vice President of Membership and Public Relations shall be responsible for handling any recruitment aspects of the Association and any communications between the Association and organizations not directly affiliated with Texas Tech University.  Recruitment aspects will include helping to coordinate Honor Transfer Days, University Days, and other Delta of Texas Alumni Association activities where potential members are typically recruited.  This officer shall also be responsible for maintaining up to date records on each active member.  This information will be shared with the other members of the Executive Council as needed so that communication can take place effortlessly.  This officer should represent Phi Theta Kappa and Delta of Texas in a positive manner in all of his or her activities and relations with the public, and he or she should serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 11.

            The Vice President of Multimedia shall be responsible for overseeing aspects of the Association dealing with various forms of multimedia.  This officer shall be directly responsible for publishing official newsletter.  Other responsibilities for the Vice President of Multimedia include working closely with the Association’s Webmaster and E-mail Composer to ensure that all active members of the Association are aware of the events and issues currently affecting the Association.  He or she should also act as the Association’s Historian, or at least work closely with a volunteering member in performing this duty, to make sure that careful records of the Association’s events are recorded.  If for any reason this officer cannot perform all of these duties simultaneously, then these responsibilities shall be delegated to volunteering members of the Association who shall report directly to the Vice President of Multimedia.  This officer should also serve as a role model for other officers and members.

Section 12.

              The Executive Council shall make available a copy of the Bylaws to the membership each year.

 

ARTICLE IV.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The Executive Council shall consist of Delta of Texas’ elected officers. The Advisor(s) shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member.

Section 1.

              The duties of the Executive Council shall be to handle all questions not specifically dealt with in this document, to make recommendations to the membership, and to submit an Annual Alumni Report to the Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters by the stated deadline.

Section 2.

               The Executive Council shall meet at the call of the acting President.

Section 3.

              All bylaw and fiduciary decisions shall be advisory. The membership must vote on all recommendations, which, to go into effect, must be approved by a simple majority of those voting.

Section 4.

              Two-thirds of the members of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum.

 

ARTICLE V.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

To qualify for officer candidacy in the Delta of Texas Alumni Association, one shall be a member in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College and must have a minimum 3.00 GPA in the semester prior to nomination, either at Texas Tech or at their two-year college.  This minimum GPA is expected to be maintained throughout one’s term in office (to be monitored by the Advisor(s)).

Section 1.

              The election of the President and Executive Vice-President shall take place toward the end of each spring semester.  The election of all other officers shall be at the beginning of each fall semester.

Section 2.

              Nominations for President and Executive Vice-President shall be taken from the floor at regular meetings of the Association held at least one week before the anticipated election date.  Any member of the Association who has been active in Delta for at least one full semester may be nominated for the position of President in the spring.  Nominations for the Executive Vice President shall also occur in the spring while nominations for all other officers shall be taken from the floor during regular meetings, at least one week prior to the anticipated election date, early in the fall semester.  Any active member of Delta may be nominated for offices that are typically decided in the fall.

Section 3.

            Every member running for an office shall be required to give a short speech, of four minutes or less, regarding their qualifications, goals, and intentions for the office for which they have been nominated.  These speeches shall occur at the meeting during which elections take place.  Another member of Delta may speak on behalf of a nominee if for some reason the nominee cannot be present at the time of the elections.  Elections shall take place immediately after the last nominee has spoken.

Section 4.

              Voting shall be by secret ballot during a regular meeting following a meeting at which nominations are taken. 

Section 5.

              A simple majority vote of the members present shall be sufficient to elect an officer.  Any active member of Delta may vote.

Section 6.

              Votes shall be counted by the Advisor(s) or by someone designated by the Advisor(s).

Section 7.

            If any officer of the Association, save only the President, cannot fulfill their duties for any reason, then a special election shall be held as early as possible to elect a replacement officer for the open position.  If the position of the President becomes available, the Executive Vice-President moves into that position unless he or she declines the responsibilities of the Presidency.  If the Executive Vice President declines, or as soon as the new President is installed, a special election shall be held to fill any open position(s).

 

ARTICLE VI.

REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

Section 1.

               Any elected officer who fails to maintain active membership, to perform his or her duties, to obtain the minimum 3.00 GPA during any semester, or to uphold the purposes of the Association and/or the purposes of his or her office is subject to removal.

Section 2.

               The procedure for submitting charges against an officer shall be as follows:

A.  Each party presenting charges shall prepare a written statement and present it to the Executive Council.  This shall include any information deemed pertinent to the conflict.

B.  The Executive Council and Advisor(s) shall review these statements and provide the opportunity for each party to discuss the conflict with them.

C.  The Executive Council and Advisor(s) shall present a recommendation to the person(s) presenting charges and to the officer in question.

D.  If the recommendation is not acceptable to any of the involved parties, the Executive Council and Advisor(s) shall make referral to the General Assembly for final appeal.

Section 3.

               A 3/4 vote of those active members present at the meeting in which the election is held shall be necessary to remove any officer. This vote shall be made by secret ballot and counted by the Advisor(s) or by someone designated by the Advisor(s).

 

ARTICLE VII.

MEETINGS AND DUES

Section 1.

               Meetings shall be held regularly at a time to be specified by the Association at the first General Assembly meeting of the semester. The revised Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to guide meeting conduct.

Section 2.

              The Executive Council may convene any special meetings for the Association or any subgroup thereof as may be deemed necessary for the resolution of the business of the Association.

Section 3.

A.      Dues to the Association shall be determined by the Association’s Advisor(s) and the Association’s Executive Council each fall for the upcoming academic year.   

B.      Association dues, if determined applicable, shall be collected from each active member per semester or per academic year.

 

ARTICLE VIII.

AMENDMENTS

Section 1.

            Amendments of the Bylaws shall be submitted to any officer in writing for submission to the Executive Council.

Section 2.

            Upon approval of the Executive Council, the proposed amendment(s) will be presented to the General Assembly for consideration. Notice must be given to the membership at least one week prior to the actual vote.

Section 3.

            These Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the membership present at the meeting in which the vote is held.

 

ARTICLE IX.

RATIFICATION

Section 1.

            These Bylaws shall become effective upon:

A.     Affirmative vote by a majority of the General Assembly of the Delta of Texas Alumni  

                        Association.

 B.    Approval of the Dean of Students at Texas Tech University.

 C.    Approval of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College.

Section 2.

            Upon ratification these Bylaws shall become the governing document of the Delta of Texas Alumni Association, superseded only by the Bylaws of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College. 

 

Revised 13 March 2003