AOSCH Constitution
Page 1
CONSTITUTION
OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF OHIO STATE CLASS HONORARIES
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
COLUMBUS, OHIO
REVISED: May 2014
ADOPTED: May 2014
Table of Contents
Article I: Name 2
Article II: Mission Statement2
Article III: Powers2-3
Section A: InterhonoraryJoint Council2-3
Section B: AOSCH Executive Board3
Article IV: Officers and Responsibilities3-4
Article V: Membership4-5
Section A: Eligibility4
Section B: Privileges of a Member4-5
Section C: Duties of a Member5
Article VI: Standing5
Section A: Good Standing5
Section B: Loss of Good Standing5
Section C: Consequences of Loss of Good Standing5
Section D: Quorum5
Article VII: Amendments6
Section A: Right to Introduce Amendments6
Article VIII: Enactment6
Bylaws6-8
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of the organization shall be the Association of Ohio State Class Honoraries and hereafter known as AOSCH.
ARTICLE II
Mission Statement
AOSCH is the self-governing body of the class honorary community at The Ohio State University. Its purpose is to represent the mutual interests of Alpha Lambda Delta/Phi Eta Sigma (ALD/PES), Mirrors, Romophos, Bucket & Dipper, Chimes, Mortar Board, and Sphinx; to actively pursue the betterment of the class honorary system at Ohio State; to act as an ambassador between the class honoraries, the community, and the Ohio State administration; and to ensure the perpetuity and character of the member-honoraries.
As the governing body of the class honorary community at The Ohio State University, we are committed to the following goals:
- To make our organization the model student organization at The Ohio State University
- To be leaders in addressing the problems facing the university community and in serving the needs of the Columbus community
- To strive for the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and service on which our member organizations were founded
- To foster friendship in an atmosphere that values the ideas and worth of every person while not excluding any member-student
- To bolster the presence and prestige of the honorary system within the university community
- To honor and strengthen our alma mater
This vision will direct us in our role as a leader among student organizations at our campus.
ARTICLE III
Powers
AOSCH shall be composed of two branches: the legislative branch known as the Interhonorary Joint Council (IJC) and the executive branch known as the AOSCH Executive Board (AEB). Rulings of AOSCH, as the representative body of the interhonorary community, shall be binding on all member chapters unless specifically waived by formal action of this body.
Section A. Composition of the Interhonorary Joint Council (IJC)
1.The Presidents and two chapter-designated delegates known as AOSCH Representatives from each member honorary are voting members of the IJC. In the event of a tie, the AOSCH President shall be the deciding voter.
2.Members of the AOSCH Executive Board shall be treated as non-voting members of the IJC with the AOSCH President serving as IJC Chairperson.
3.In the event that a member-honorary’s AOSCH Representative is elected to the AOSCH Executive Board, the member-honorary may elect another member to become its voting delegate.
Section B. Composition of the Executive Board (AEB)
1.President
2.Vice President of Administration (VPA)
3.Vice President of Finance (VPF)
4.Vice President of Communications (VPC)
ARTICLE IV
Officers and Responsibilities
A.President
a.Shall be a duly initiated member of a class honorary at The Ohio State University
b.Shall conduct all meetings of the IJC and AEB
c.Shall to the best of his/her ability ensure the perpetuity of the honorary community
d.Shall represent the honorary community with university and community officials unless officially delegated (the presidents of member-honoraries shall represent themselves on honorary specific matters)
B.Vice Presidentof Administration
a.Shall be a duly initiated member of a class honorary at The Ohio State University
b.Shall conduct all meetings of the IJC and AEB in the absence of the President
c.Shall record minutes of all meetings as deemed necessary and be responsible for correspondence as appropriate
d.Shall aid the President and AOSCH in the completion of duties deemed appropriate
C.Vice Presidentof Finance
a.Shall be a duly initiated member of a class honorary at The Ohio State University
b.Shall conduct all meetings of the IJC and AEB in the absence of the President and Vice President of Administration
c.Shall be responsible for assessing all dues, maintaining all financial records and monetary transactions; and presenting a yearly budget to the IJC
D.Vice Presidentof Communications
a.Shall be a duly initiated member of a class honorary at The Ohio State University
b.Shall develop and maintain the AOSCH website and any affiliated media outlets
c.Shall serve as a historian for AOSCH
d.Shall spearhead all AOSCH marketing efforts
e.Shall, in the absence or with the direction of the President, serve as the primary contact for University Relations
E.Advisor(s)
a.Shall be a faculty or staff member of The Ohio State University
b.Shall meet all requirements for organization advisors as determined by The Ohio State University Office of Student Life
c.Shall serve as an ex-officio member of the AOSCH Executive Board
d.May attend all sessions of the IJC and Executive Board
e.Shall remain informed of all AOSCH business
ARTICLE V
Membership
Section A. Eligibility
A.The following are criteria for prospective member organizations:
a.Must recognize a limited number of no fewer than 20 undergraduates for their outstanding achievements in scholarship, leadership, and service
b.Must require a minimum GPA of their members; no organization may require a minimum GPA of less than 3.00
c.Must have been a registered student organization for five or more continuous years before their nomination to AOSCH membership
d.Must have an active presence on an Ohio State campus during that five-year period, as evidenced by at least one campus or community project during at least two semesters during the academic year
B.The prospective organization must be sponsored by a current AOSCH voting member-honorary.
C.The motion for new membership shall be introduced during autumn or spring semester and shall require two readings separated by at least one week but no more than ten weeks prior to its passage or defeat.
D.The prospective honorary must have the support of two-thirds of quorum of the current voting AOSCH members.
E.Subsequent votes of the current member organizations must be completed within five weeks. Failure to respond within five weeks shall be considered tacit approval. Two-thirds of member organizations must support the motion on an occasion when quorum is satisfied.
F.All honoraries recognized as AOSCH members for the current academic year shall remain members in good standing upon the passage of this constitution, but shall be bound by its Articles and Bylaws henceforth.
Section B. Privileges of a member
A member of AOSCH shall:
1.Have all privileges and rights under this Constitution and Bylaws, except as limited by the actions of the IJC or The Ohio State University
2.Receive coverage equal to other members in all AOSCH publications that list or describe member honoraries
3.Participate in all AOSCH sponsored programs
4.Vote at meetings of the IJC
5.Participate in interhonorary events and traditions
6.Have its members, as they are eligible, hold executive and appointed offices of AOSCH
7.Receive AOSCH sponsored awards and recognitions
Section C. Duties of a member
A member honorary must:
1.Pay all dues and fees owed to AOSCH (see Article V of the Bylaws)
2.Abide by this Constitution and Bylaws as well as all regulations adopted by the IJC
3.Maintain an updated list of its current members, officers, and advisors in The Ohio State University Office of Student Life
4.Maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average each semester (summer semester excluded)
5.Abide by all university (i.e., Code of Student Conduct) and AOSCH regulations and policies
6.Encourage Scholarship, Leadership, and Service among its members.
ARTICLE VI
Standing
Section A. Good Standing
A member honorary that satisfies Article V, Section C of this Constitution is in good standing with AOSCH.
Section B. Loss of Good Standing
A member honorary may lose its good standing with AOSCH if it is found to be in violation of any part of Article V, Section C. The IJC may enact a loss of good standing with a ¾positive vote of voting members not affiliated with the honorary in question.
Section C. Consequences of Loss of Good Standing (Discipline/Expulsion)
In accordance with the decision of the IJC, a member honorary that loses its good standing could lose some or all of its privileges as granted by this Constitution and Bylaws. In addition, if a member honorary remains without good standing for three consecutive years they may be, at the discretion of the IJC, expelled from AOSCH. This has no impact on the organization’s status at The Ohio State University and the organization may rejoin AOSCH as outlined in Article V.
Section D. Quorum
A.Quorum shall consist of one half (50%) of the IJC, excluding advisor(s).
B.All voting matters, excluding constitutional amendments, the establishment of dues, and the acceptance of new member-honoraries, shall be decided with a simple majority vote when quorum is satisfied.
ARTICLE VII
Amendments
Section A. Right to Introduce Amendments
Any member honorary in good standing may introduce an amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws.
A.Any amendments to this constitution shall require two readings, separated by at least one week, prior to its passage.
B.Constitutional amendments shall be approved with a 2/3 positive vote when quorum is satisfied.
ARTICLE VIII:
Enactment
This constitution shall be effective following unanimous approval of the IJC subsequent to individual member-honorary voting in the affirmative.
Bylaws of the Association of Ohio State Class Honoraries
ARTICLE I: Election Procedures
Section A. Officers elected
The IJC shall elect all the members of the AOSCH Executive Board at its annual Election Meeting.
Section B. Date for the election meeting
The AOSCH Executive Board (of the year immediately previous) shall set the date for the Election Meeting of the upcoming class and shall announce the date to the IJC in spring semester of the preceding academic year. The Election Meeting shall be conducted no later than the final Friday of the springsemester.
Section C. Procedure for the Election Meeting
1.At the Election Meeting, in person, each nominee for office shall present his/her qualifications and goals for the office he/she seeks in no more than five minutes.
2.The IJC may then question a candidate for no more than five minutes.
Section D. Voter Eligibility
1.Each honorary shall be allowed a total of five voting delegates for the election of an AOSCH officer.
Section E. Method of Voting
1.Any current IJC voting member of an AOSCH affiliated honorary may run for an Executive Board position. Beginning with President, candidates must be nominated to run for a position. Each position’s nomination, presentation, and election process will be held independently so candidates not elected for a given office have the choice of running for any subsequent offices.
2.Voting shall be conducted by written ballot only.
3.If on the first vote no candidate has received a majority, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes shall be dropped from consideration and a re-vote among the remaining candidates shall be taken. This process may be repeated until one candidate achieves a majority.
4.The AOSCH advisor and one teller, not seeking office, appointed by the advisor shall count the ballots.
5.The teller shall announce the outcome of each vote.
ARTICLE II: Term of Office
Each AOSCH Executive Board Member shall hold office for one calendar year from the date on which he/she was elected or appointed unless:
1.He/she was elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in office, in which case he/she shall finish the term of office he replaced.
2.He/she is removed from office.
3.The election date is changed.
During the summer term, AOSCH activity shall be coordinated through the new members of the AEB and the advisor. No IJC activity takes place during the summer months. See Article X for more information on this topic.
ARTICLE III: Removal From or Forfeiture of Office
A member of the Executive Board shall forfeit his/her office:
1.If he/she becomes president of his/her own honorary
2.If his/her cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.00 (enforced by AOSCH Advisor)
3.The IJC may, by a three-fourths vote, remove an officer from office if he/she fails to fulfill the duties of his/her office as specified in the Constitution or these Bylaws and only after the officer has had a chance to hear the charges against him/her and rebut them.
4.If his/her attendance reflects having more than three unexcused absences from any team meeting, council meeting, or other meetings that may be scheduled, the officer in question forfeits his/her position.
ARTICLE V: Filling a Vacancy
The Executive Board shall receive nominations of candidates interested in filling the unexpired term. The IJC shall receive and vote on the candidates at its next regular session. It is the responsibility of the Vice President of Administration to inform the membership of AOSCH of the open position(s) as well as the date/time of the election meeting.
ARTICLE V: Dues
The AOSCH IJC of a given year shall have the ability to set dues at their own digression. Changes to the established dues shall require unanimous approval by the voting members of the IJC.
AOSCH membership dues from each class honorary will be collected at the end of each academic year following the induction of new honorary members. The dues will be $5 per member in each of the seven class honoraries (i.e., ALD/PES, Mirrors, Romophos, Chimes, Bucket & Dipper, Mortar Board, and Sphinx). Any conflicts pertaining to the AOSCH membership dues must be immediately brought to the attention of current AOSCH President and AOSCH Advisor in order to ensure efficient planning of events for the class honorary members by AOSCH.
ARTICLE VII: Recruitment Rules
Section A. Eligibility for Recruitment
All matters of recruitment shall be left to the member-honoraries with the exception of the following stipulations:
1.To achieve membership in an honorary a candidate must have no lower than a 3.00cumulative GPA
2.All honoraries will begin and end their application periods for applicants on uniform dates set by the AOSCH Executive Board and approved by the IJC. Here the application period simply refers to the process of applying with no reference to selections or inductions (tapping).
ARTICLE VIII: Induction Rules
All matters of induction shall be left to the member-honoraries with the stipulation that they must follow The Ohio State University student code of conduct (3335-23-04, Section M). No hazing of any kind will be permitted. If an honorary is found to be in violation of this bylaw,it will immediately lose its“good-standing”within AOSCH as outlined in the constitution. This loss will follow the procedure outlined in Article VI, Section B of the AOSCH constitution.
ARTICLE IX: Nondiscrimination Policy
This organization and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for reasons of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
ARTICLE X: Transitions
The AOSCH Executive Board of a given year is responsible for planning the framework of the subsequent year of AOSCH activity. As such, by the end of spring semester the AEB must present and pass a timetable of events for the following academic year. Through such a transition process a newly elected AEB will have a foundation upon which to plan their year based on the experience of the past AEB. This will provide greater continuity and tradition for AOSCH as a whole. As part of this goal, each Executive Board member is responsible for keeping a log of his/her activity to pass along to his/her newly elected counterparts. After the transition material is approved, it will be delivered to the AOSCH Advisor prior to the end of spring semester. The advisor will then pass the information to newly elected officers.