| About Us |
| Programming |
| Rush/Initiate |
| PR |
| Social |
| Fundraising |
| Service |
| Other Events |
| Calendar |
| Bylaws |
| Brothers |
| Alumni |
| Families |
| Chapter Info |
| Scrapbook |
Operating Procedures
Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity
Beta Mu Chapter Operating Policies
The George Washington University
Spring 2005
I) Purpose
a. The purpose of these Chapter Operating Policies is to provide the policies that allow the Beta Mu Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi to operate on a daily basis. The policies presented are to be in effect provided they do not contradict the National Constitution, the National Operating Policies, the National Interpretive Document, the Ritual, or Beta Mu Chapter’s Bylaws. The aforementioned documents shall have precedence over these Chapter Operating Policies.
II) Amendments
a. These Operating Policies may be amended either at an announced special meeting of the Chapter or a general business meeting by a 2/3 majority vote of the Active Brotherhood, provided the amendment shall have been submitted in writing to the Active Brotherhood during the preceding regular meeting.
III) Meetings
a. Quorum for Meetings shall consist of a simple majority of the Active Brothers.
b. The following rules shall be followed for conducting Regular Meetings: The National Constitution, the National Operating Policies, the National Interpretive Document, the Chapter Bylaws, the Chapter Operating Policies, and Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition.
c. There shall be one (1) meeting at least every two (2) weeks after the first meeting of each semester during the academic year.
d. The date, time, and place of all Regular Meetings shall be called by the President with the agreement of the Beta Mu Chapter at the first meeting each semester. The date of the first scheduled meeting of the following semester shall be called by the President at the last meeting of the present semester.
e. Special meetings in the case of special events may be called by the President with Brothers being notified at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance.
f. In the event of an emergency, the President shall call an Executive Board meeting or a special meeting
IV) Inactivity Procedure
a. Active Members wishing to go Locally Inactive must write a letter to the Recording Secretary outlining the reasons for requesting inactivity
b. The Executive Board will review the letter and make a recommendation to the Brotherhood at the next general body meeting
c. The Brotherhood will then vote on the matter of Local Inactivity with a two-thirds majority vote of the Brotherhood required to grant Locally Inactive status
d. It is strongly encouraged that reasons for Local Inactivity be limited to:
i. Medical reasons
ii. Overwhelming job/internship duties
ii. Course overload of more than 17 credit hours
V) Voluntary Expulsion Procedure
a. A Brother wishing to voluntary terminate their membership in Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and Beta Mu Chapter may submit a Letter of Voluntary Expulsion to the Recording Secretary and Parliamentarian
b. The Executive Board shall review the letter and contact the Brother regarding their request
c. At the next general body meeting, the letter shall be read to the Brotherhood and tabled
d. At the next general body meeting after presentation of the letter, the Brotherhood shall vote to accept the Brother’s resignation from the fraternity, with a two-thirds (2/3) required to consider the Brother expelled
e. The Brother shall relinquish their Membership Pin and Shingle to the Executive Board as soon as possible after their resignation and shall be stricken from the Fraternal Roll
VI) Chapter Finances and Fiscal Responsibility
a. Beta Mu Chapter shall adhere to the provisions set forth in the Beta Mu Financial Operating Policies
b. Beta Mu Chapter reserves the right to levy additional fines and fees upon all Active and Locally Inactive members
VII) Disciplinary Provisions
a. Probation
i. Brothers on probation are denied the following privileges:
1. Voting on fraternity business
2. Voting on formal recommendations to the Brotherhood, even if they are the source of the recommendation
3. Running for Executive Board positions
4. Taking a Little Brother
ii. Brothers on probation must be notified of their probationary status no later than the second general body meeting
1. Procedures for getting off of probation must accompany every notification
2. A reminder of consequences of not getting off of probation must also accompany every notification
iii. Brothers on probation must be reminded of their status every two weeks by the Recording Secretary by email and during the general body meetings
b. Expulsion
i. Expulsion may occur pursuant to the provisions of the Beta Mu Bylaws
ii. A two-thirds (2/3) vote is required for Expulsion
iii. A Brother who is up for a mandatory expulsion vote shall be notified by the Parliamentarian no later than the night of the meeting in which a Motion for Expulsion has been presented to the Brotherhood iv. Said Brother shall also be notified of the time of the Trial Board meeting in which they may present their defense
c. Impeachment
i. Impeachment proceedings follow the same order as Expulsion proceedings
ii. A two-thirds (2/3) vote is required for impeachment
iii. Immediate resignation from the office shall be required if an individual is impeached
d. Trial Board
i. The Trial Board shall be formed for the purpose of determining the validity of a Motion for Expulsion or a Motion for Impeachment
ii. The Trial Board is to be directed in accordance with the Trial Board Operating Procedures
iii. The Parliamentarian shall preside over the Trial Board and shall appoint eight (8) Active Brothers at random to serve
1. A Brother who has not been active at least one full semester shall have the opportunity to decline nomination to the Trial Board. This option shall be announced prior to the selection of the Trial Board.
iv. The Brother being charged will be notified of the time and location of the Trial Board as soon as they are set by the Parliamentarian
v. After the Trial Board has presented its decision to the Brotherhood, a vote shall take place by secret ballot. It shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Brotherhood to impeach and/or expel the charged Brother
e. Fines
i. The Beta Mu Chapter may levy additional fees and fines on all Active and Locally Inactive Brothers
ii. Brothers beginning a semester on probation due to failure to meet the requirements of the previous semester will be fined five dollars ($5) for every requirement not completed and a ten dollar ($10) probation fee, with this amount to be in addition to the dues for that semester
iii. Fine notifications for the next semester must be sent by the Recording Secretary prior to the last meeting of the previous semester. Another notification must be sent no later than the second general body meeting
iv. Fines, though in addition to standard dues, will be considered an inseparable part of the dues. Failure to pay the fines will result in the same disciplinary action as nonpayment of dues
f. Conduct Unbecoming the Brother
i. Conduct Unbecoming a Brother is grounds for expulsion from the fraternity
ii. The following are considered Conduct Unbecoming a Brother
1. Disclosure of Ritual or fraternal secrets
2. Violation of Do Not Repeat policy
3. Sexual harassment/assault of another Brother
4. Violations of the rules of the sheltering institution
5. Violations of the laws of the District of Columbia
VIII) Chapter Awards
a. Each semester the budget shall contain an allotment of no less than thirty-five dollars ($35.00) in order to fund the Chapter awards, which are awarded at the close of the spring semester.
i. The amounts of these awards shall be no less than fifteen dollars ($15.00) each for the Scholarship, Leadership and Fellowship Awards, and no less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the Founder's Tripod Award.
ii. The amount of the Founder's Tripod award must always be no less than ten percent (10%) greater than that of any other award offered by the Chapter.
b. All recipients of the Beta Mu Chapter Awards are nominated through the Awards and Scholarship Committee and selected by majority vote through a secret ballot at a regularly scheduled meeting with quorum.
IX) Beta Mu Chapter Secrecy Policies
[Removed for secrecy purposes. Please contact dheckman@gwu.edu for details]
X) The Ritual
[Removed for secrecy purposes. Please contact dheckman@gwu.edu for details]
XI) Beta Mu Chapter Retreat
a. In addition to planning Beta Mu’s social events, the Social Committee shall also plan the Chapter Retreat
b. The Chapter shall vote on whether or not to hold a chapter retreat
c. Final location and date of the Retreat must be approved by the Brotherhood, with a simple majority being considered approval
i. Changes to location and date must also be approved by the Brotherhood
XII) Beta Mu Chapter Formal and Semiformal
a. The Formal Committee shall be charged with the planning and implementation of Beta Mu Chapter’s annual Spring Formal and Fall Semiformal
b. The Formal Committee shall present a date and location for the Formal and Semiformal to the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood shall vote to approve the date and location, with a simple majority being considered approval
c. Any changes to location or date of the Beta Mu Formal or Semiformal must be approved by the Brotherhood
d. Fundraising to subsidize formal must be proposed by the Formal Chair and approved by the brotherhood before the fundraising takes place. Money raised must then be submitted to the Treasurer and recorded by the Formal Chair and Treasurer
e. In the interests of preserving Beta Mu Chapter’s financial integrity, the Formal Committee is compelled to first determine the availability of The George Washington University’s Mouth Vernon Campus facilities and, if they are available, utilize them
i. These facilities shall be first priority as they are cost-free to the Chapter
XIII) Rush
a. At a Brotherhood meeting prior to the first meet-night, the Initiate Advisor shall propose the number of individuals to accept into that semester’s initiation class. This number will then be voted on by the Brotherhood.
b. At least one meeting before the beginning of rush, the Initiate Advisor and Rush Committee Chair will formally propose, with approval of Rush Committee, the criteria that that semester’s rushees must meet in order to be invited to Invite Only
c. Comments
i. Prior to voting on individuals in that semester’s rush class selection, any active Brother may submit by e-mail or writing a positive or negative comment about an individual to any member of the Executive Board, members of the Executive Board will keep such information confidential
ii. If a Brother wants to submit an anonymous comment about an individual, that Brother may place a written comment in a sealed box that will be present at all rush events. These statements will be read to the Brotherhood by the Executive Board before voting on the individuals in that semester’s rush selection
iii. After each comment is read, a certain amount of time, to be determined by the President or Initiate Advisor, will be given to the Brotherhood to either support or disagree with the comment
iv. After all comments have been read, a certain amount of time, to be determined by the President or Initiate Advisor, will be allotted to allow for further vocal comments that are both important and substantial
v. Once this process is completed, the Brothers who are eligible to vote on individuals in that semester’s rush selection will proceed to do so
d. Eligible Brothers will vote on individuals in that semester’s rush selection in an order to be determined by the Recording Secretary. Eligible Brothers will fill out secret ballots, which will be turned into and tallied by the members of the Executive Board
e. Once the voting process is completed and the ballots have been counted, the Brotherhood will meet to vote on the split
i. The Initiate Advisor will report the numerical results of the voting and will not disclose the names of the individuals in that semester’s rush selection
ii. The results should be ordered from the highest to lowest number, with the highest number being the highest amount of votes
iii. The number of individuals to accept in the semester’s rush selection, which was previously voted on by the Brotherhood, will determine where the split falls
f. The brotherhood will then vote on the split
i. Once the brotherhood has reached a decision on the final class size the names of the individuals selected for the semester’s rush class will be announced
ii. The numerical results of individuals selected will be kept confidential
iii. The name of the individuals who were not selected for that semester’s rush class and their numerical results will be kept confidential by the Executive Board
g. After the names of that semester’s rush class have been announced, a group of Brothers will then gather to deliver bids to the individuals selected for that semester’s rush class
XIV) Initiation and Induction
a. Initiation will occur at a time to be determined by the Initiate Advisor, preferably shortly after bids have been delivered
b. During the Initiation program, the initiates must be taught the following:
i. Parliamentary procedure
ii. The chapter governance documents
iii. The National governance documents
c. In order to be inducted, initiates must
i. complete interviews of the Brotherhood, the amount of which will be determined by the Initiate Advisor
ii. complete the initiate service, fundraising, scholarship, and social events
iii. attend all initiate meetings
1. excused absences are permitted but must be beyond the control of the individual
iv. pass all quizzes and the National Exam, with 80% being passing
d. Initiates may take the National Exam only twice. If the test is failed on the second try, the initiate will have the option to be held over to the next semester or being excused from the initiate program.
e. Induction will be held before the last Brotherhood meeting of the year
f. The day of induction will be an Initiate Day. The Initiate Advisor and the rush committee will plan activities for the initiates and the brothers to participate in
i. No initiate will be forced to participate in these activities
ii. The activities must uphold the values and expectations of the fraternity