Constitution

Delta Nu Psi
Intra - Fraternity - Sorority
of
Keene State College
Karen D. Schoch
Jay R. LaPanne

CONTENTS:

Page 3 ................ The Mission Statement and Definition of Delta Nu Psi

Page 4-7 ................ Constitution of Delta Nu Psi

Page 8-15 ................ By - Laws of Delta Nu Psi


Through Accepting Challenges, We Can Make Positive Changes in Ours and Other's Lives


Definition of the Mission Statement:

We, the Brothers and Sisters of Delta Nu Psi believe that through positively accepting challenges we can make better changes in others and our lives. We accept a mingling of the sexes in our organization that mirror the world outside of our academic institution, and through this we learn to treat all individuals as equals on all grounds. We believe in three principles that better ones self; education, self-reliance, and respect. We realize that education is the key to enlightenment by which ignorance and misunderstanding is washed away. We believe that self-reliance lends to greater self-esteem, leadership and responsibility which we wish to model for the community at large by putting our principals above our personalities. We acknowledge the individual and respect them and because of this we cannot and will not intentionally degrade or dehumanize any person through our actions or statements. We are mindful of our past but our eyes are trained for the future. Never static, we are constantly a new change for the existing system.

Delta Nu Psi
Of
Keene State College

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  1. Name:
    The name of this organization shall be Delta Nu Psi of Keene State College.


    2.
  2. Purpose:
    The purposes of this organization are as follows:
    1. To promote social equality between Men and Women.
    2. To promote social awareness on and off the campus of Keene State College.
    3. To help fellow students, through group activities, gain a better awareness of social problems.
    4. To promote better communication between students, faculty and staff to better the quality of life on campus.
    5. E. To work with existing organizations to enhance pride in the community, as well as on campus.

  3. Membership:
    The criterion for membership in Delta Nu Psi are as follows:

    1. Prospective members shall be chosen from all eligible students as defined by Keene State guidelines.
    2. Prospective members will complete a positive pledging process.
    3. Members shall become such by a two-thirds favorable vote from active membership.
    4. Members must pay in full each semester
      1. If member have not paid the current semester dues, then he/she shall be forced inactive by an end of the 3rd fiscal trimester of the current semester.
        1. If by week 5 (1st fiscal trimester) the individual has not paid 1/3 of total dues, then the consequence is for the member to pay for entrance into socials in which 50% goes to dues and 50% goes into the general fund.
        2. If by week 10 (2nd fiscal trimester) the individual has not paid 2/3 of total dues, then the consequence are for the member to pay for entrance into socials in which 50% goes to dues and 50% goes into the general fund, and the member has to pay a $1 surcharge per vote that are cast by that member prior to voting at all meetings and events that require the action of voting, in which 50% goes to dues and 50% goes into the general fund.
        3. If by week 13 (If by 3rd fiscal trimester) the individual has not paid 100% of total dues, then the consequence for the member is a change in their status to that of inactive member.
      2. B. Upon payment in full of past dues, members shall be granted active status.
    5. Members shall participate in 75% of Delta Nu Psi meetings per semester
      1. Members are allowed to mss up to 3 Delta Nu Psi functions per semester.
      2. The following excuses are approved for absence for meetings or functions
        1. Work Related
        2. Meetings or functions are 48 hours before an exam or major project.
    6. All members must meet Keene State College's GPA requirements
    7. Members shall abide by the Constitution and the By-Laws of Delta Nu Psi.
    8. All Delta Nu Psi members are required to attend an educational program each semester, given to the Intra-Fraternity Sorority specifically.
    9. All new Delta Nu Psi members are required to attend Keene State College's drug and alcohol class & date rape seminar if they have not already done so.
    10. There is no time restriction set for active members as long as they attend class(es) at Keene State College and meet all other requirements for active members.
    11. The membership of Delta Nu Psi shall also see to it that the no pledging activity is physically abusive, mentally or emotionally degrading.

  4. Officers:
    1. The term of office for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be one year in length, to take effect the last week of April of the academic year.
    2. The president shall be an active member and shall be the head of the organization, and shall fulfill the following responsibilities:
      1. Oversee all business meetings.
      2. The calling of all votes.
      3. The delegation of all committees.
      4. To be the deciding vote if an election is tied.
    3. The Vice President shall be an active member who is judicially trained and will actively assist and support the President in the above stated duties, as well as carrying them out if the President is unable. The Vice President shall also be director of the judicial board.
    4. The secretary shall be an active member who will fulfill the following duties:
      1. To record all minutes of all business meetings.
      2. To keep written record of all tallied votes.
      3. To assist the afore mentioned officers in all official correspondence of Delta Nu Psi.
      4. The writing of all business agendas.
    5. The treasurer shall be an active member who will fulfill the following duties:
      1. Keeping accounts of all money spent and earned by Delta Nu Psi.
      2. To submit financial reports with the officers and advisors of Delta Nu Psi on a monthly basis.
      3. To collect and record the payment of membership dues.
      4. To pay any bills as needed.
    6. Nominations for elected officers shall occur the meeting before elections will occur. All nominees shall be in good standing with Delta Nu Psi, in accordance with its Constitution and By-Laws.
    7. Committee Chairpersons:
      1. Each chairperson shall be elected by the active members of Delta Nu Psi as needed :
        1. To conduct each committee meeting.
        2. To write the committee agenda.
        3. To write all committee proposals to be presented to membership.
        4. To submit written reports as needed to the executive board to keep them informed of all committee business.
        5. To summarize conducted business in committee meetings to the membership of Delta Nu Psi in a business meeting as needed.

    The Executive Board:
    1. The executive board shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sargent At Arms. They shall be responsible for the following:
      1. To meet as determined necessary by Delta Nu Psi to formalize any business proposals.
      2. To approve all official documents for Delta Nu Psi.
      3. Any member placed on probationary status may be called before the executive board to discuss the charges brought upon them.
  5. Elections:
    1. All elections shall be held on a majority vote of active members. Members present must be in all good standing with Delta Nu Psi to have voting privileges.
    2. Nominations for officers shall take place the meeting before elections are to be held.
    3. Officers elected must be in good standing with Delta Nu Psi.
    4. Officers shall take their positions the last week of April of the academic year, and shall serve their term for one year.
    5. If an officer is not able to complete their term, a special election will be held to fill the vacancy.
  6. Meetings:
    1. Meetings shall be held at least on a weekly basis to conduct business.
    2. Additional meetings may be called as deemed appropriate by the members of Delta Nu Psi.
    3. Meetings shall consist of any active members present and business shall be held on a majority vote of active members present.
    4. The time and location of all meetings shall be determined by the membership of Delta Nu Psi.
    5. Adjournment of all meetings shall be determined by a majority vote of active members present.

  7. Finances:
    1. All active members shall be required to pay membership dues BI-annually.
    2. The amount of these dues shall be equal for all members.
    3. Delta Nu Psi members shall decide the amount of these membership dues.
    4. Prior to the spending of any funds, Members shall be notified of all treasury activities in the weekly meeting.
    5. All money spent by a member for organizational business shall be approved through the treasury, prior to the purchase, and a receipt must be returned for any reinbursment.
    6. The records of all money spent and earned by Delta Nu Psi shall be kept by the Treasurer and Advisor.
  8. Recall :
    1. Any member not acting in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of Delta Nu Psi shall be placed on probation by a majority vote of active membership for one month.
    2. During this probationary period, the member shall be able to attend business meetings, however, shall not be allowed to vote on business matters.
    3. If elections occur while a member is on probation, they shall not be allowed to vote.
    4. If after this one month period, the membership of Delta Nu Psi finds the member not in good standing then the member shall be expelled by a two-thirds majority vote of active members.
  9. Amendments :
    1. Proposals for any amendments must be brought before the membership of Delta Nu Psi to be reviewed.
    2. Upon review and discussion of proposed amendments, the membership of Delta Nu Psi, with two-thirds majority vote of active members, may accept or reject amendments.
    3. All accepted amendments by the membership of Delta Nu Psi are subject to the approval of the student assembly.
  10. Ratification :
    1. Ratification shall occur upon two-thirds majority of active members of Delta Nu Psi, and upon approval of the Student Assembly.
  1. The Judicial Process of Delta Nu Psi shall be educational. The method of appointment of the member to the Judicial Board is as follows :
    1. Nominations for positions on the Judicial Board shall come from the membership.
      1. Upon nomination, the member may choose to accept or decline the nomination.
    2. The organization shall nominate and elect 4 judicial board representatives as well as two alternates. This does not include the Vice President (Chairperson)
    3. The term of office for members shall be one year.

    Procedure for filing an official complaint:
    A member who finds another member not in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of Delta Nu Psi may file a formal complaint with the Vice President.
    1. The Vice President and the Judicial board shall then decide if the complaint warrants a formal judicial hearing.
    2. If the Vice President and the Judicial board deems it unnecessary to have a formal hearing, then an official letter of reprimand will follow the formal complaint filed.
    3. If the Vice President and the Judicial board deems a judicial hearing necessary, then it shall occur within ten days of the filing of the complaint.

    Chair of the Judicial Board and Responsibilities:
    1. The chairperson of the Judicial Board shall be the Vice President of Delta Nu Psi, and shall be responsible for the following:
      1. To read the complaint letter to the accused member(s).
      2. To arrange the time before the hearing to allow Judicial Board members to discuss the complaint.
      3. To outline the areas of the complaint that are in question.
      4. To introduce the Judicial Board to the member.
      5. Inform the accused members (s) of their rights:
        1. To remain silent.
        2. Presumed innocent until proven responsible.
        3. To hear all testimony presented against them.
        4. To present witness.
        5. The right to an advisor.
        6. The right to appeal.
      6. The chairperson will then ask the accused to comment on the charges brought against them in their own words.
      7. The board members may then begin questioning of the accused and accuser if needed.
      8. The chairperson will then ask the accused, and the Judicial Board if there are any further questions.
      9. The chairperson will then ask the accused and witnesses to leave the room and shall call for deliberation of responsible or not responsible.
      10. If the accused is found responsible, then the chairperson shall ask for a sanction.
      11. The chairperson will then call the member back into the room and deliver the decision of the board and the specific vote.
      12. If the member is found responsible, then the chairperson will explain the sanction and the reasons for it.
      13. The chairperson will then explain the appeals procedure and the member's right to do so.
      14. The chairperson will then explain that the facts and decision of the Judicial Board is to be kept confidential by members of the board.
      15. The member will receive a letter stating the outcome forty-eight hours following the Judicial Hearing. The records of the hearing and decision shall be sealed by the J- Board and kept by the secretary of Delta Nu Psi. The advisor will have access to these records.

        ( Basic Format for Judicial processes of Delta Nu Psi are taken from Residential Life Hearing Board, compiled by Carole Sue Henry, Director of Residential life, and Rules and Regulations of Keene State College, pages 11-16. Year 1987-1988.)

  2. Appeals Process For Delta Nu Psi
    The appeals process of Delta Nu Psi shall be used if an accused member feels that their rights were violated during the judicial process.
    1. Grounds For Appeal :
      1. If there were prejudicial, arbitrary, or unreasonable aspects that constitute violations of the member's rights.
      2. Or, if new and substantial information arises that could not have been presented in the original hearing.
    2. The method of appointment to the appeals board is as follows:
      1. Nominations for positions of Appeals Board shall come from the membership.
        1. Upon nomination, the member may choose to accept or decline the nomination.
        2. A member of the previous Judicial Board may be appointed chairperson of the Appeals Board.
    3. The appeals process of Delta Nu Psi is as follows:
      1. The member, upon receiving the letter of outcome from the Judicial Board, will have forty-eight hours to file an appeal
        1. The letter shall contain in detail, the reasons why their rights have been violated.
        2. Upon receiving this written letter of appeal, the chairperson and the Appeals Board shall deem whether the member has presented substantial evidence to warrant an Appeals Board hearing.
        3. If there were no violations of a member's rights, the board shall not consider the matter any further.
        4. If violations have indeed occurred, the board shall call more witnesses, the accused, the accuser, and compile more information relating to the incident.
      2. Upon receiving all information regarding the incident, the board may do one of the following:
        1. To uphold the original decision of the Judicial Board.
        2. To modify the original decision of the Judicial Board.
        3. To establish a new decision.
      3. Upon any of the above stated decisions, the secretary of the appeals board shall send a letter to the member stating the outcome of the Appeals Board hearing.
        1. Included in this letter will be the decision reached, the vote, and the sanctions involved and any further explanation of them as needed.
      4. The implementation of the decision shall be the responsibility of the chair person of the Appeals Board, and the President of Delta Nu Psi.
        1. All sanctions against a member shall be educational, and may include the following:
          1. Damage costs if caused by the irresponsible, or negligent behavior.
          2. Completion of additional hours of community service.
          3. Possible expulsion from Delta Nu Psi.
          4. An Official letter of Reprimand.
          5. Other sanctions of an educational nature.


    (Basic format for Appeals process taken from Residential Life Hearing Board, compiled by Carole Sue Henry, Director of Residential Life, and Rules and Regulations of Keene State College, pages 41-42, 1987-1988 edition.)
  3. Committees:
    The following is a description of the responsibilities that the standing committees of Delta Nu Psi shall carry out.
    1. The Social Committee:
      1. Set up of, on and off campus activities.
      2. To oversee and run all above mentioned projects.
      3. To create ideas for all social functions.
    2. The Community Service Committee:
      1. Set up of, on and off campus service projects.
      2. To oversee and run all above mentioned projects.
      3. To create ideas for all community service functions.
    3. The Pledge Master and Assistant Pledge Master:
      1. To create a positive pledging program for the membership of Delta Nu Psi.
      2. To implement the pledging program for the associates of Delta Nu Psi.
      3. The members of the pledging committee shall also see to it that no pledging activity is physically abusive; mentally or emotionally degrading.
    4. The By-Laws Committee:
      1. To create all by-laws for Delta Nu Psi.
      2. To review and accept proposals for amendments.
      3. To update the By-Laws as needed, and as determined by the membership of Delta Nu Psi.
    5. The Finance Committee:
      1. To keep record of all money spent and earned by all committees.
      2. To set up semester budgets for each of the committees.
      3. To appropriate additional funds for special projects.
    6. Delta Nu Psi may create additional committees for special needs, upon proper discussion and approval from the membership.
      1. An active member shall be required to participate in one of the standing committees of Delta Nu Psi.
  4. Meetings and Functions Policy
    The policies governing meetings and functions of Delta Nu Psi are as follows:
    1. All members will attend 80% meetings, whether business, committee, events, special events, or committee meetings to which they are assigned on a regular basis.
    2. If any member is not able to attend due to emergency situation, academic commitments, or other commitments, they will notify the Sergeant-At-Arms.
    3. If any member fails to notify the sergeant at arms, prior to the meeting or function, it will be considered a missed meeting, and a fee will be charged.
    4. The fee for a missed meetings or function will be $10.00 per meeting or function.
    5. If the member has notified the Sergeant-At-Arms prior to the meeting, the circumstances warrant the missed meeting, no fee will be assessed.
    6. If a member is found to be continually negligent for meetings events, etc., they may be brought before the Judicial Board to discuss the behavior, and disciplinary action may follow.

    The following are the guidelines for appropriate meeting conduct for members and officers of Delta Nu Psi:
    1. All meetings shall follow Robert's Rule of Order when Official business is being conducted.
    2. Each meeting will begin at the time designated at previous meeting, on time, and at an appropriate location.
    3. Business shall be conducted in the following order :
      1. Pre-Amble
      2. Attendance
      3. Minutes From Previous Meetings.
      4. Treasurer's Report.
      5. Old Business.
      6. Committee Reports.
      7. New Business.
      8. Open Floor for Discussion of New Business.
      9. Pre-Amble.
      10. Adjournment.

  5. General Conduct :
    The following are guidelines for the members and the officers of Delta Nu Psi as general rules of conduct.

    NONE of the following shall occur between members :

    1. There will be no physical threats of Violence from one member to another.
    2. Verbal comments that would degrade and / or embarrass another member.
    3. Derogatory references / remarks to members regarding the well being of family members or friends.
    4. Derogatory references / remarks about a member's race, religion, color, creed, national origin, ethnic background, handicap, or sexual orientation.
    5. Any of the afore mentioned behavior may be grounds for a Judicial Hearing.
    6. If any of these behaviors occur in the context of a meeting, the President may choose to dismiss the member from the meeting.

  6. Job Description Delta Nu Psi Greek Advisor:
    The role of the advisor to Delta Nu Psi encompasses a variety of supervisory and managerial tasks. The advisor's position is a full year in length. The primary responsibilities of the Delta Nu Psi advisor include the following:
    1. To assist in the structuring and implementation of process of Delta Nu Psi's Constitutional goals and objectives for the academic year.
    2. To provide, and or assist in developing educational programs and opportunities that adhere to the Constitutional goals and objectives of Delta Nu Psi.
    3. To provide guidance and support for the leadership and members of Delta Nu Psi in the development of an organization based upon its constitutional goals, and when necessary, to redirect the behavior of the organization.
    4. To assist in the structuring and implementation of a long term leadership development program for the future leadership of Delta Nu Psi.
    5. To carry out administrative responsibilities that require advisors assistance including, but not limited to, scheduling forms, purchase orders, and any official college documents that require the advisor's signature.
    6. To assist in the successful implementation of a positive pledging program for Delta Nu Psi.
  7. Rushing
    No individual may final sign the organization for the fourth time when three previous attempts have been unsuccessful. This is to be explained to the individual upon the receipt of the third no-bid. It is to be said that it is under the by-laws of the organization which must, and will, be upheld by all members of the organization.

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