By-Laws

By-Laws of the Delaware Alpha Chapter of the
UPSILON PI EPSILON ASSOCIATION
(Last Revised 1996)


ARTICLE I: Scope of the By-Laws
ARTICLE II: Election of Officers
ARTICLE III: Meetings
ARTICLE IV: Attendance
ARTICLE V: Special Duties
ARTICLE VI: Finances
ARTICLE VII: Initiation
ARTICLE VIII: Election of Members
ARTICLE IX: Adoption and Amendment


ARTICLE I: Scope of the By-Laws

  1. These By-Laws shall govern the conduct of the Chapter in those matters not specifically treated in the Constitution.


  2. Provisions of these By-Laws shall be subordinate to those of the Constitution.

ARTICLE II: Election of Officers

  1. The officers of the Chapter shall be elected at the last business meeting of each spring semester of the school year, immediately after the initiation of new members.


  2. Installation of officers shall take place immediately following their election. The new officers will assume their duties upon installation.


  3. In order to be eligible to hold office, the President must have been active in the Chapter for at least one semester.


  4. The officers of this Chapter shall be elected by secret ballot and there shall be no voting by proxies allowed.


  5. The officers of this Chapter shall not be eligible to hold the same office after their one year term is over.


  6. The Faculty Advisor shall be selected from the University of Delaware Computing Sciences teaching staff.

ARTICLE III: Meetings

  1. The Chapter may arrange for and hold meetings as it desires, but at least one business meeting and one general meeting of a social, literary, or technical character shall be held each semester, except in the summer, in addition to the meeting held for the consideration, election and initiation of candidates for membership.


  2. Monthly meetings will be held as scheduled during the spring and fall semesters.


  3. Special meetings may be called by the President, the Executive Council, or by petition of one-half of the active membership of the Chapter.


  4. A quorum shall consist of one-half of the active members of the Chapter in the conduct of the business of the Chapter, except for the election of officers and new members, at which three-quarters of the active members of the Chapter must be present.


  5. In the case that a quorum was not present at a general meeting, an emergency quorum consisting of the Executive Council and two additional active members may conduct financial business for the Chapter only.


  6. Except as specifically stated in the Constitution and By-Laws, the parliamentary guide for the conduct of all meetings shall be Robert's Rules of Order.


  7. The order of conduct of a regular meeting shall be as follows:


    1. call to order
    2. roll call
    3. reading of minutes
    4. committee reports
    5. unfinished business
    6. new business
    7. program or technical session (optional)
    8. adjournment

  8. Initiation of new members may be conducted at a regular meeting or a special meeting called for the purpose.


  9. Notification of all active members shall be given by the Secretary one week prior to a special meeting. The notification shall state the purpose of the meeting.


  10. No business other than that for which the meeting was called shall be conducted at a special meeting.

ARTICLE IV: Attendance

  1. Active members shall be required to attend all meetings of the Chapter.


  2. Any member who fails to attend fifty (50) percent of all meetings in a semester, or who misses three (3) consecutive meetings, shall automatically revert to inactive status.


  3. Restoration of a member to active status shall be by affirmative vote of a majority of the active members present, and the payment of dues for one (1) semester to the Chapter.


  4. A member may request permission to be absent from a regularly scheduled meeting from the Executive Council no less than two (2) days before the meeting is scheduled. If permission is granted by the Executive Council, the member shall not be considered absent from the meeting.

ARTICLE V: Special Duties

  1. In addition to his regular duties, the Secretary shall make all arrangements for the regular and special meetings.


  2. In addition to his regular duties, the Vice-President shall perform the normal duties of the Parliamentarian and Program Chairman.


  3. The President of the Chapter shall be the official representative of the Chapter to the Upsilon Pi Epsilon national Association, and of functions of the University of Delaware.

ARTICLE VI: Finances

  1. The minimum cash balance at the end of each school year shall be fifty (50) dollars. Any deficiency from this amount shall be made up by an assessment of the active members.


  2. An initiation fee will be charged each new member by the Chapter in addition to that of the Association. Semester dues for new members will be waived for the semester in which they are initiated only.


  3. Semester dues payable to the Chapter shall be assessed in addition to the dues of the Association. Semester dues are to be paid by or at the first business meeting of each semester. Any activity over the summer semester for an individual member will be covered by dues collected in the spring semester for that member or prepaid for the fall semester by that member.


  4. Each initiate shall be required to pay all dues and initiation fees prior to his or her initiation.


  5. Disbursements from the Chapter checking account requires the signature of the Faculty Advisor and either the Treasurer or the President. The Faculty Advisor must countersign all checks.


  6. One (1) week prior the election of officers, the Treasurer shall submit to the President and Faculty Advisor a written statement of the financial condition of the Chapter. At the election meeting, this will be submitted to the Chapter and entered into the minutes upon acceptance by the Chapter.


  7. Special assessments may be made at any time, upon approval by three-fourths of the active members of the Chapter.


  8. All members of the Chapter shall be required to pay any dues, fees or assessments levied upon them within three (3) weeks of the due date. Any member failing to do so shall be considered as being in arrears.


  9. Any member of the Chapter who is in arrears for a period longer than one (1) semester shall revert to inactive status until the member is restored to active member status by payment of all monies the member is in arrears to the Chapter.

ARTICLE VII: Initiation

  1. The initiation of new members shall be held within four (4) weeks of the time of their election.


  2. The initiation shall specifically avoid any practice which conflicts with University of Delaware regulations or which constitutes an attack on the personal dignity of the initiates. The activities shall be devised to stimulate the candidate's interest in the Computing Sciences and to acquaint them better with the members of the Chapter.

ARTICLE VIII: Election of Members

  1. There shall be at least one (1) election of new members each year.


  2. The Committee on Eligibility and Membership shall prepare a list of all eligible candidates, ordered with faculty members first, followed by students ranked according to decreasing grade point average.


  3. The list prepared according to the previous section shall be submitted to faculty members who are members of the Association, who shall be asked to make written remarks with respect to the fitness of the candidates with whom they are acquainted.


  4. The list of eligible candidates, together with the faculty members' remarks shall be submitted to the Chapter Committee on Eligibility and Membership for final screening.


  5. Election of the candidates shall be held according to section 3 of Article IV of the Constitution of this Chapter.


  6. The names of those elected to membership shall be given to the Secretary, who shall then issue them written invitations to become members of the Association and of this Chapter.


  7. Failure of a member-elect to notify the Chapter of his or her acceptance of the invitation to membership within two (2) weeks of its issuance shall constitute notice of refusal.

ARTICLE IX: Adoption and Amendment

  1. These By-Laws shall become effective immediately upon adoption.


  2. These By-Laws shall remain in effect until revised or amended.


  3. A provision of these By-Laws may be temporarily suspended by a three-fourths vote of the active membership of the Chapter.


  4. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the active membership of the Chapter shall be required for the adoption of an amendment to these By-Laws.


  5. These By-Laws shall be kept current by pen and ink correction and insertion of supplementary sheets, when such is necessary.
Last modified: September 22, 1998