Alpha Chapter Service Policy

Spring 2018

1. Definitions

   1. A service event is defined as any event designated by the Service Coordinator or Service Committee so as to award a specific amount of Service Points for participation, including the following subtypes:

      1. Music Department Service is to be defined as service requested by the Music Department by the third (3rd) generally scheduled meeting.
      2. Service for Mu Beta Psi is defined as service requested by a Brother of Mu Beta Psi and designated by the Service Coordinator.

         1. The events can be publicity events, fundraisers, or other events that will benefit the fraternity.
         2. The events will not directly relate to pledging.
      3. Unforeseen Service is defined as service in which the Service Coordinator has been informed after the third (3rd) generally scheduled meeting of the semester by the entity requesting the service.

         1. Examples include but are not limited to the following:

            1. Folding Programs.
            2. Concerts scheduled later than the beginning of the semester.
      4. Outside service is defined as any service performed by a Brother that benefits the community outside the music department, as approved by the Service Coordinator.

         1. The Service Coordinator may require minimum attendance for any Outside Service if it is deemed necessary.
         2. Verification of participation in any Outside Service must be given to the Service Coordinator within one (1) week of participation in that event.
   2. Service points are defined as quantitative measurements of service events in which Brothers have participated, a certain amount of which must be earned by all Active, Special Active, and Alumni Active Brothers.

      1. Service points shall be awarded to any Brother participating in a service event.
      2. Points shall only be awarded for participation in an entire event.

         1. The Service Coordinator or the Event Manager of a service event may refuse to award service points to anyone who:

            1. Arrives late to the service event without special permission.
            2. Leaves early from the service event without special permission.
            3. Attends a service event but fails to adequately contribute to the event’s completion.
         2. Any decision to refuse to award service points may be overturned on appeal by majority vote of the Executive Committee.
      3. Service points shall be awarded per service event.

         1. The Service Coordinator may change the number of service points to be awarded for any event no less than forty‐eight (48) hours prior to the service event.

            1. This must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the Service Committee.
         2. Any change in the amount of service points to be awarded for any event may be retroactively overturned by two‐thirds (2/3) vote of the Service Committee.
         3. An event sheet is defined as a document posted by the Service Coordinator for each Service Event containing important information about the event, on which Brothers may indicate their intent to participate in the event.
         4. An Event Manager is defined as a member of the Service Committee assigned by the Service Coordinator to oversee a specific service event.
2. Service Point Values

   1. Event participation shall merit service points based on the degree of difficulty of the event in relation to the semester’s amount of required service.

      1. The total amount of available service points is equal to the sum of the point total of each event.
      2. Point values must be voted on by the Service Committee prior to taking effect.
      3. The Service Coordinator shall acquire a list of required and requested service events by the second regularly scheduled general meeting.
      4. The Service Coordinator, in conjunction with Music Department Staff and any other parties deemed necessary, shall determine what percentage of the total semester’s service each event will account for.
      5. The Service Coordinator will determine points awarded for Unforeseen Service as well as Outside Service, and service for Mu Beta Psi.
      6. Factors such as location, amount of manual labor, length of time needed, and type of service will be taken into account during the process of assigning point values.
      7. The point values for selected service event types can be found in (Table II-1.).
      8. Active Brothers may not count more than twelve (12) service points from service outside of the Music Department toward their semester total, unless otherwise specified by the Service Coordinator and Service Committee.

         1. Special Active Brothers may not count more than six (6) service points from service outside of the Music Department toward their semester total, unless otherwise specified by the Service Coordinator and Service Committee.
         2. Alumni Active Brothers may not count more than six (6) service points from service outside of the Music Department toward their semester total, unless otherwise specified by the Service Coordinator and Service Committee.
         3. Service Committee, with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, may allow any Active, Special Active, and Alumni Active Brother to count more than twelve (12) service points from service outside the Music Department toward their semester total.
   2. The following service point bonuses may apply to event participation:

      1. Completing Unforeseen Service, as determined by the Service Coordinator - one (1) service point per hour, rounding up.

         1. The Service Coordinator, under a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote by the Service Committee, may elect not to award bonus points for Unforeseen Service.
         2. Participation in service events that occur during official NC State holidays and breaks as defined on the official university calendar - one (1) service point per hour rounding up.
      2. Participation in an off-campus service event for the NCSU Music Department not listed in Article 2 Section 1, excluding football games - one (1) additional service point shall be awarded.
      3. The Service Coordinator may, at their discretion, award service points for Brothers who are participating in a music department ensemble performance and take on tasks relating to the service event, up to the total point value of that event.
   3. The following service point penalties may apply to event participation:

      1. Late arrival to, or early departure from, a service event, without special permission, for which the brother had committed their attendance - one (1) service point.
      2. Failure to attend, without approved excuse or cancellation, a service event for which the minimum attendance requirement has not been met will result in a deduction equal to the amount of service points that the event was worth.

         1. If there are Active, Special Active, or Alumni Active Brothers available to act as a proxy, every Active, Special Active, and Alumni Active Brother will lose three (3) service point.

            1. If a Brother cannot act as a proxy, they will not be deducted any service points.
            2. Absences and unavailability will be approved/denied by majority vote of the Service Committee.
            3. Brothers that have been penalized through point deduction, may appeal the decision to Executive Committee within seven (7) days.
         2. If no Active, Special Active, or Alumni Active Brother is available to act as a proxy, no points will be lost outside of those required of the absent Brother.
         3. Excuses must be submitted in writing to the Service Coordinator within forty-eight (48) hours of being notified.
      3. Failure to adhere to the dress code (Article 4) - one (1) service point.
3. Service Requirements

   1. Active Brothers

      1. All Active Brothers are required to earn fifty percent (50%) of the total available Music Department service points each semester.
   2. Special Active Brothers

      1. All Special Active Brothers are required to earn twenty-five percent (25%) of the total available Music Department service points each semester.
   3. Alumni Active Brothers

      1. All Alumni Active Brothers are required to earn twenty-five percent (25%) of the total available Music Department service points each semester.
   4. Service requirements for individual Brothers may be lowered by the Service Coordinator up to three-tenths (3/10) of the requirement under normal circumstances for reduction, subject to majority approval by the Executive Committee.

      1. Any Brother who wishes to submit a reduction request must fill out a reduction request form, along with proof of the validity of said request.
      2. Request forms shall be reviewed at the following Executive Committee meeting for approval.
      3. Requests for reduction must be submitted before the second-half of the semester under normal circumstances.
      4. Under normal circumstances point requirements may be reduced, pending approval by Executive Committee, up to a maximum of three-tenths of the total Active Brother requirement.
   5. Extra service points earned by an individual Brother may be kept and put towards their required point total for the next semester for up to three-tenths (3/10) of the current service requirement.
   6. For the Fall Semester total., points can be earned from July 1st to the end of the Fall Semester.
   7. For the Spring Semester, points can be earned from December 31st to the end of the Spring Semester.
   8. If any Brother does not complete their service requirement by the end of these dates, then he/she shall be subject to consequences (See Section 8.1).
4. Dress Code

   1. No one shall wear open toed shoes or have bare feet at any service event that involves the moving of equipment.
   2. The following requirements shall govern dress at every concert strike or set-up, unless otherwise announced:

      1. A letter shirt or a shirt that is suitable to represent the Music Department.
      2. Long pants, jeans, or shorts of an appropriate length, to be predetermined by the Concert Coordinator.
   3. The following requirements shall govern dress at every Football service event:

      1. Any dress requirements determined by the director of the North Carolina State Marching Band.

         1. These may include, but are not limited to, a letter shirt, preferably red, khaki shorts or pants, and other weather-appropriate clothing.
   4. Anyone that does not adhere to the provided Dress Code must be made aware of the violation before any service points are deducted.
   5. The Service Coordinator may require certain attire to be worn at any event with at least seventy-two (72) hours notice to the Brotherhood.

      1. Failure to adhere to this attire is considered a Dress Code violation and will be penalized accordingly.
5. Service Event Procedures

   1. The Service Coordinator may designate any appropriate event a service event.
   2. The Service Coordinator, or other members of the Service Committee, shall announce a service event no less than one (1) week prior to the event, except when the Service Coordinator has not been notified of the event at that time.

      1. The Service Coordinator shall assign an Event Manager from the membership of the Service Committee to coordinate the execution of the service event.
      2. The Event Manager for an upcoming service event may publish to the Active, Special Active, Alumni Active, and Inactive Brotherhood, at their discretion, reminders about an event.
   3. The Service Coordinator, upon consultation with the Service Committee, shall set a minimum attendance requirement for each service event.

      1. This minimum shall not be less than two (2) Brothers for any service event, unless otherwise specified by the Service Coordinator.

         1. Should the minimum requested by the Music Department be higher than the chapter requirement, the higher minimum will be used.
      2. If, for any reason, the minimum attendance requirement is not met for any specific event, all Active, Special Active, and Alumni Active Brothers not in attendance must submit an Alpha Chapter excuse form to the Service Coordinator within one (1) week of the event.

         1. The Service Committee shall review each excuse received at their next meeting.
         2. Failure to turn in an Alpha Chapter excuse form will be treated as an unexcused absence.
         3. Penalties for unexcused absences from such a service event will be as defined in 2.3.2 of this policy.
         4. Any Brother who is present at the specified event will not lose service points related to that event.
   4. Service Event Sign‐Up

      1. The Service Coordinator shall post an invite on the SignUp Genius website for each event designated as a service event no later than one (1) week before the start time of the service event, except for Unforeseen Service, for which event sheets shall be posted as quickly as the Service Coordinator is able to do so.
      2. Event Sign-Ups shall include:

         1. The date, time, and report location of the service event.
         2. The name of the Event Manager for the service event.
         3. The designation of the service event as a publicity event, if applicable.
         4. The standard number of service points to be awarded for the event.
         5. Information necessary for the Event Manager to coordinate the execution of the service event.
      3. Individual attendance at service events shall be the responsibility of the individual Brothers and Pledges.

         1. The individual must report to the Event Manager when he/she arrives to an event.

            1. This will count as the arrival time for the individual.
            2. If the arrival time is later than the listed start time - one (1) point shall be deducted.
      4. Any changes in date, time, or report location for a service event after the event sheet for that service event is initially posted by the Service Coordinator shall be announced to all Active, Special Active, and Alumni Active Brothers and all Pledges by the Event Manager for that service event.

         1. The Event Manager shall make corrections on the event sheet, if possible.
         2. The revised date, time, and/or report location for a service event as announced to all Active, Special Active, and Alumni Active Brothers and all Pledges shall be effective even if the event sheet for that service event is not corrected.
         3. Changes to date, time, or report location for service events announced no less than forty‐eight (48) hours in advance of the service event shall not affect the requirements associated with that event’s attendance.

            1. Failure to attend a service event for which notice of date, time, or report location was submitted less than forty‐eight (48) hours in advance shall not result in the assessment of a service point penalty for absence from the event.
            2. Any Brother initially signed up for a service event for which notice of change of date, time or report location was submitted less than forty-eight (48) in advance who is present at the unrevised report location at the unrevised date and time shall receive service points as if they had adequately contributed to the completion of that service event.
      5. For service events at which a limited number of individuals can attend, selection of attendees shall be in chronological order, subject to the decision of the Service Coordinator.
   5. Event Sheet Signature Removal

      1. A signature may not be removed from the signup sheet for any service event within forty‐eight (48) hours of the start time of the event.
      2. If a Brother notifies the Service Coordinator concerning an inability to attend a service event after the deadline for name removal but before the start time of the service event, the Service Coordinator may or may not excuse the absence.
      3. The Service Committee may, at their discretion, accept a proxy for a Brother’s participation in a service event.

         1. If a proxy is allowed, the proxy shall receive, if applicable, the full amount of service points for completing the service event that the absent Brother otherwise would have received.
         2. If a proxy is allowed, the absent Brother shall not receive a penalty for their absence.
6. Other Procedures

   1. The Service Coordinator shall determine the service point requirements for any Brother declared Inactive during a semester based upon the number of service points having been available throughout the Brother’s period of Active or Special Active status during the semester.

      1. The Service Coordinator shall not set a service point requirement for a Brother declared Inactive during a semester to a value higher than the corresponding service point requirement for Active, Special Active, or Alumni Active Brothers.
      2. Brothers declared Inactive during a semester may, with permission of the Service Coordinator, continue to earn service points toward their adjusted service point requirement until the deadline set by the Service Coordinator for the fulfillment of Active, Special Active, or Alumni Active service point requirements for the semester.
      3. Brothers declared Inactive during a semester by virtue of placement into bad standing shall not be permitted to participate in any service events for the duration of bad standing status and shall additionally be responsible for any fines accrued on account of unfulfilled service point requirements.
7. Service Committee

   1. Every member of the Service Committee must be assigned to at least one event as Event Manager per semester.
   2. Should the Event Manager be unable to attend the event they have been assigned to, they must either find another member of the Service Committee to replace them or communicate with the Service Coordinator and Music Department staff to find an alternative method of verifying attendance and dress code.
   3. The Event Manager for a service event shall submit an event report to the Service Coordinator within twenty‐four (24) hours of the service event.

      1. The event result report for a service event shall include attendance for that event.
      2. The event report shall also include any information needed to determine point bonuses or penalties, as listed in 2.2. and 2.3.
      3. Failure of the Event Manager to attend assigned events, without notifying the Service Coordinator, may result in a $5.00 fine per offense, after a second offense has been committed.
8. Consequences of Failure to Meet Service Requirements

   1. Failure of a Brother to meet the service requirement shall result in a probationary period in the following semester.

      1. This probationary status is lifted if a Brother fulfills either of the following criteria:

         1. Pays a fine and fulfills the service requirement in the next semester.
         2. Makes up any unfulfilled service requirement in addition to the service requirement of the following semester.
      2. If a Brother on probation fails to fulfill the probationary requirements, the offense shall be reviewed by Executive Committee.
   2. Fines shall be assessed by the Service Coordinator for failure to meet service point requirements.

      1. For each unfulfilled service point, a Brother shall be assessed a fine of $2.00.
   3. The Service Coordinator shall notify Brothers of any impending fines related to unfulfilled service point requirements no less than one (1) week before the deadline for fulfilling service point requirements.
   4. All fines related to unfulfilled service points for a semester shall be due the first regularly scheduled general meeting of the next semester.

      1. Overdue fines may be subject to late fees, in accordance with Alpha Chapter Finance Policy.
      2. Fines may be reduced or overturned on appeal by two‐thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Committee.
9. Amendments

   1. This policy, excluding those portions concerning service point requirements, may be amended by two‐thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Brotherhood.
   2. Changed portions of this policy can only affect service events and procedures that have not yet taken place.

  Table II-1.

Event type ~ Points awarded ~ Points considered for point total

Music Department Service: Football Game ~ 6 points ~ 3 points

Service for Mu Beta Psi ~ At the discretion of the Service Coordinator and Brother who requested the event ~ 0 points

Outside Service ~ At discretion of Service Coordinator and Service Committee ~ 0 points

Unforeseen Service ~ At discretion of Service Coordinator and Service Committee ~ 0 points

Music Department Service: Set-up ~ 3 points ~ 3 points

Music Department Service: Strike ~ 3 points ~ 3 points

Music Department Service: Ushering ~ 1 point ~ 1 point