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Mu Beta Psi, National Honorary Musical Fraternity

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policies:chapters:kappa:bylaws

By-laws of Kappa Chapter

ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1.

  1. The name of this Chapter will be Kappa Chapter of Mu Beta Psi, National Honorary Musical Fraternity.

Section 2.

  1. These by-laws will govern the structure of Kappa Chapter of Mu Beta Psi, National Honorary Musical Fraternity at Wofford College, in conjunction with the Mu Beta Psi Articles of Incorporation, National Constitution, National Policies, and University Policies.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Qualifications

  1. Students who have completed two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters of service with distinction in some recognized musical organization of Wofford College and achieved an academic standing of no less than second semester freshman, OR who have shown special interest in the musical life of Wofford College, are eligible for Brotherhood. Semester and quarter credits for membership in two (2) or more musical organizations will be additive.
  2. Brotherhood will not be denied to anyone for reasons of race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic background, creed, handicaps, age, and/or sex.

Section 2.

  1. Membership in Mu Beta Psi is of lifetime duration.

Section 3.

  1. Mu Beta Psi, National Honorary Fraternity has only one class of membership, that of Brotherhood; however, in order to distinguish between the activity statuses of Brothers in this Chapter, these terms are used for explanatory purposes:
  2. Active Brother
    1. Active Brothers must be currently enrolled at Wofford College.
    2. Active Brothers must be currently enrolled at Wofford College.
    3. Active Brothers are required to pay membership fees and other financial obligations to the Fraternity.
    4. Active Brothers are required to attend all general meetings and other required Fraternity events during each semester they are Active.
      1. Absences must be approved in advance by the presiding officer or event chair.
      2. Any Brother with 3 or more unexcused absences shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee.
      3. A fee of up to $20 will be charged to the Brother for each unexcused absence.
    5. Active Brothers must serve on at least 1 standing or ad-hoc committee.
    6. Active Brothers must have completed the education process.
    7. Active Brothers shall be afforded all the rights due to a Brother, which include, but are not limited to, wearing Fraternity letters, attending meetings and Fraternity functions, taking Little Brothers, and voting.
  3. Associate Brother
    1. Associate Brothers are former students of Wofford College who would have been eligible for membership while in college, had a Chapter of the Fraternity existed at Wofford College at the time, or any persons who attend Wofford College, but would be unable to complete the standard education process due to extenuating circumstances.
    2. Any Active Brother may nominate someone for Associate Brotherhood.
    3. Associate Brotherhood is granted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Brothers.
    4. An Associate Brother has the rights to attend meetings and Fraternity functions, but shall not be required to pay dues, shall not have the right to vote, and shall not have the right to hold any Chapter office. Each Associate member will pay their own initiation fee.
  4. Honorary Brother
    1. Honorary Brothers have considerably furthered the purposes of Kappa Chapter of Mu Beta Psi Honorary Musical Fraternity and/or the Fraternity as a whole.
    2. Honorary Brotherhood is granted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Brothers.
    3. An Honorary Brother has the rights to attend meetings and Fraternity functions, but shall not be required to pay dues, shall not have the right to vote and shall not have the right to hold any Chapter office. The Chapter will cover the initiation fees.
  5. Inactive Brothers
    1. Brothers can go inactive by submitting a letter of intent explaining the circumstances surrounding the inactivity to the Executive Committee or for approval by majority decision, or if they no longer meet the requirements of an Active Brother.
    2. Inactive Brothers will not have a vote, will not pay dues, and will forfeit all privileges normally afforded to Active Brothers.
    3. In order to return to Active Brotherhood, reinstatement will involve appearing before the Executive Committee for approval by a simple majority. A letter of intent may also be involved.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

Section 1.

  1. The officers of Kappa Chapter of Mu Beta Psi, National Honorary Musical Fraternity are:
    1. President
    2. Vice-President
    3. Treasurer
    4. Secretary
    5. Member-at-Large
    6. Historian
    7. Member Educator
    8. Parliamentarian.

Section 2.

  1. The duties of the officers of Kappa Chapter are as follows:
    1. President
      1. Preside over meetings of the Brotherhood.
      2. Chair the Executive Committee.
      3. Have the power to appoint ad-hoc committees as deemed necessary for the proper operation of the Chapter.
      4. Serve as an Ex-Officio member of all committees with the exception of the Executive Committee.
      5. Serve as the Chapter representative on the Board of Trustees.
      6. Appoint representatives to National Committees that are not explicitly given to elected officers.
    2. Vice President
      1. Assist in the execution of the President’s duties.
      2. Preside over the Chapter in the President’s absence.
      3. Notify a Brother of failure to comply with obligations to the Fraternity.
      4. Serve as the representative to the National Committee of Chapter Maintenance.
    3. Treasurer
      1. Collect and receive all funds due to the Chapter.
      2. Issue receipts for all funds received and keep duplicate copies with the financial records.
      3. Disburse funds as the Chapter designates.
      4. Maintain accurate records of all financial activities and render a report from them whenever called upon by the President, National Treasurer, or Chief Financial Officer.
      5. Present all financial records to the Chapter upon request made by majority vote of the Active Brothers.
      6. Serve as the representative to the National Finance Committee.
    4. Secretary
      1. Keep accurate minutes of all scheduled meetings to be reported to the Brotherhood within one (1) week.
      2. Handle all internal correspondence of the Chapter, with the public and the Brothers of Kappa Chapter.
      3. Maintain an official roll.
      4. Take roll at all scheduled and special meetings and notify the Vice-President concerning attendance infractions as stated in the requirements for Active Brother.
    5. Member-at-Large
      1. Represent Kappa Chapter on the Legislative Council as a voting delegate and on the National Executive Committee as a non-voting member.
      2. Maintain correspondence with other Chapters and the National Executive Committee.
      3. Provide reports to “The Clef” at the request of the National Editor of the Clef.
    6. Historian
      1. Develop, implement, and maintain a system of filing and preserving historic records of the Chapter.
      2. Collect posters, advertisements, articles, and other material discussing Chapter activities and the Fraternal activities of the Brothers of Kappa Chapter.
      3. Solicit from the Brotherhood photographs of Fraternal activities.
      4. Coordinate the creation of the annual Kappa Chapter scrapbook.
      5. Develop all required submissions to the National Historian.
      6. Serve as the Chapter representative to the National History and Archives Committee.
    7. Member Educator
      1. Guide the member-in-training class through a course of training the prepares the members-in-training to be accepted as Brothers into the Fraternity.
      2. Serve as a liaison between the Brotherhood and the member-in-training class during this period of training.
      3. Maintain and store all materials required for the education process.
      4. Organize and oversee recruitment week.
      5. Present to the chapter for approval a schedule of recruitment week events at least two (2) weeks in advance, including one mandatory informational event for all potential new members.
      6. Promote recruitment week.
      7. Provide to the chapter a debriefing report at the conclusion of recruitment week.
    8. Parliamentarian
      1. Consult with the presiding officer before each meeting and during any recesses to anticipate and avoid any problems with parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order.
      2. Serve as primary consultant to the Chapter on all issues relating to parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order.
      3. Bring to the attention of the presiding officer any errors in the proceedings that might affect the substantive rights of any Brother or otherwise do harm.

Section 3.

  1. The President and Vice President are prohibited from serving in more than one office.

Section 4. Order of Succession

  1. The order of succession is:
    1. President
    2. Vice-President
    3. Treasurer
    4. Secretary
    5. Member-at-Large
  2. In the event that an office is vacant, the duties of that office will fall to the next office in the order of succession.

Section 5. Elections

  1. Elections of officers will be held in the last week of March.
  2. Nominees to all offices must be Active.
  3. Nominations must be open for at least two (2) meetings prior to elections.
  4. Votes in elections will be tallied by the presiding officer and verified by the vice chair unless either officer is a candidate at which time their role will be fulfilled by the next officer in succession.
  5. Two-thirds (2/3) of the Active Brothers must be present at the time of elections. A simple majority vote of those present is required to win office.
  6. Prior to voting for a particular office, nominees will have the opportunity to declare their qualifications for office in any appropriate manner and Brothers in attendance will have the opportunity to discuss the nominees’ relevant qualifications in private.
  7. After each vote has been tallied, the elected nominee will be announced by the presiding officer.
  8. In the event that no nominee receives the required number of votes after the first round of balloting, balloting will be repeated as many times as is necessary to obtain a majority vote for a single candidate. If multiple rounds of voting are required, all candidates will remain on the ballot unless a nominee voluntarily withdraws their nomination.
  9. Officers-elect will be instructed in the duties of their offices by the incumbents prior to the installation of new officers.
  10. New officers will be installed in the second week of April.

Section 6.

  1. Any officer may be removed from office by 2/3rds vote of all of the Active Brothers.
    1. This vote may be proposed by a properly seconded motion during the New Business portion of a regularly scheduled meeting. Any such motion will automatically be postponed until the next meeting.
    2. Votes will be tallied by the presiding and verified by the vice chair then announced by the presiding officer. In the event that either are the officers in question, the duties will fall to the next in the line of succession.
    3. No vote will be taken until the officer in question has had the opportunity to respond to all arguments raised in support of removal.

Section 7.

  1. Vacant offices will be filled by a special election following normal officer elections procedure, with nominations open for two meetings prior to voting.

ARTICLE IV – COMMITTEES

Section 1. Committees and Membership

  1. All Active Brothers must be elected or appointed to the number of committees specified by the requirements for Active Brotherhood. The Committees will be as follows:
    1. Executive, Service
    2. By-laws
    3. Finance
    4. Alumni Relations
    5. Social

Section 2. The Executive Committee

  1. Will consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Member-At-Large.
  2. Will set the agenda for each business meeting.
  3. Will act as the Brotherhood’s Liaison to the College/University Fraternity/Sorority Affairs office.

Section 3. The Service Committee

  1. Will consist of the Service Chair and committee members, to be appointed by the President.
  2. Will be in charge of identifying and organizing service projects for the Chapter.

Section 4. The By-laws Committee

  1. Will consist of the By-laws Chair and committee members, to be appointed by the President.
  2. Will be in charge of updating and maintaining by-laws, as well as editing and revising policies.
  3. Will be in charge of updating the policy website when policy changes are made.

Section 5. The Finance Committee

  1. Will consist of the Finance Chair and committee members, to be appointed by the President. The Treasurer shall serve as ex officio.
  2. Will be in charge of setting the budget and fundraising efforts.

Section 6. The Alumni Relations Committee

  1. Will consist of the Alumni Relations Chair and committee members, to be appointed by the President. The Member-at-Large shall serve as ex officio.
  2. Will be in charge of maintaining regular communication with alumni of the chapter.

Section 7. The Social Committee

  1. Will consist of the Social Chair and committee members, to be appointed by the President. The Vice-President shall serve as Ex Officio.
  2. Will be in charge of planning and organizing social events.

ARTICLE V – MEETINGS

Section 1.

  1. Quorum for Chapter meetings is defined as a simple majority of the Active Brotherhood.

Section 2.

  1. Scheduled meetings will be held once per week during the fall and spring semesters, meetings during interim will be as needed.
    1. The time and place of the meeting is left to policy.
    2. Meetings may be cancelled if necessary, by either the President or a majority vote of the Active Brothers.

Section 3.

  1. Special meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote of the Active Brothers at any time.
    1. For attendance to be required, these meetings must be announced no less than 3 days in advance.
  2. If not announced in a scheduled meeting, the Secretary shall contact all Active Brothers.
  3. A quorum is required at a special meeting to transact any business.

Section 4.

  1. Meetings of the Chapter are governed by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VI – BROTHERS COURT

Section 1. Members of Brothers Court

  1. The Brother’s Court shall be Chaired by a designee of President. This position may be yielded to an alternate due to conflict of interest. This alternate must be voted on by the Chapter.
  2. Upon being convened, four (4) additional Brothers shall be elected to serve on the court. Membership is not restricted to Active Brothers at the calling Chapter, and in some instances, a court may consist entirely of National Brothers, at the discretion of the Chair.
  3. Members of the Executive Committee of Kappa Chapter shall not serve on the court.
  4. If the question of conflict of interest arises, the Chapter must vote to allow or remove the Chair/ member from court proceedings. A Simple majority of votes is required to approve/remove a member to court.
  5. The tenure of the elected members shall be the duration of the case.
  6. Vacancies may be filled up until trial proceedings begin. A change in court membership after the beginning of proceedings will result in a mistrial, and a new court shall be elected to hear proceedings in its entirety.

Section 2. Pre-Trial Procedure

  1. The trial date and location shall be set by the court and announced to the Brotherhood and the defendant with minimum four (4) days notice before the beginning of the trial.
    1. If the presented date causes a hardship, or the defendant is unable to attend, they must submit a request, in writing (electronic or hard copy) to the chair no later than forty-eight (48) hours before the scheduled start of proceedings.
  2. All Brother’s Court proceedings shall be open to all Brothers to attend. The defendant may request for proceedings to be closed, either in writing prior to trial, or on the record at any time during proceedings. If such a request is made, only Brothers serving an active function in the proceedings may be present during the hearing.
  3. The accused may select defense counsel or defend themselves.
  4. Counsel is limited to Brothers of Mu Beta Psi, however, active status and Chapter affiliation is not restricted.
  5. If court is activated from within a committee, said committee shall elect a representative from within its membership.
  6. If court is activated at a Brother’s request, the requesting Brother may choose to advocate the case directly, or nominate a Brother in their place who must be approved by a simple majority vote.
  7. The chair of the Court shall appoint someone to act as secretary for the proceedings.
  8. Accurate minutes from the case shall be recorded and submitted to the Chair for submission to the NVPCM and a local record of all case proceedings shall be maintained.
  9. A list of all items other than testimony to be used in the trial must be presented to the Chairperson of the court. It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure all parties have adequate notice of all submitted evidence.
  10. This list shall be submitted to the chair forty-eight (48) hours before the beginning of the trial.
  11. Copies of the evidence shall be submitted to the Chairperson twenty-four (24) hours before the start of the trial. Any evidence not submitted with proper notice shall be deemed inadmissible without contest.
  12. All evidence submitted to the court shall be subject to review by the Chair. Any evidence that is found to be irrelevant, or the origins of the evidence cannot be substantiated, shall be deemed inadmissible and shall not presented to the court.
  13. A list of all persons being called to testify in the trial must be submitted to the Chairperson. The Chairperson will then inform the party being called to testify. The list shall be submitted to the Chairperson forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the trial and the persons called to give testimony must be notified twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the trial.

Section 3. Trial Procedure

  1. The Chairperson of the court shall call the trial to order and announce the members of the court, the representatives of both parties and the audience members to the court secretary to record in the official minutes.
  2. Throughout the case, the defense shall present last.
  3. Opening Statements shall last no longer than (XX) minutes each.
  4. Presenting the case.
  5. Both parties shall have the ability to call witnesses and present evidence to the court related to the charges.
  6. Both parties shall have the ability to cross examine all witnesses called and conduct their line of questioning.
  7. Once either party has completely presented their case they shall rest, and the next commences.
  8. Closing Statements shall follow the same order as opening statements.
  9. The proceedings shall now recess to allow deliberation by the court.

Section 4. Deliberation and Verdict

  1. Deliberations are closed and minutes shall not be taken.
  2. Any notes taken by members of the Court during deliberation must be collected by the Chair and destroyed.
  3. Court decision shall be made by majority vote.
    1. The chair shall only vote in the event of a tie.
  4. Court decision should include a verdict and a recommendation of judgement. Judgements are at the discretion of the Court, and are intended to match the offense, up to and including revocation of membership within Mu Beta Psi.
  5. Court shall be reconvened, and the decision of the Court is to be read by the Brother’s Court Chair on the record. At the next scheduled meeting of the Chapter, the Brother’s Court Chair, or their designee, shall report the charges and the verdict.
  6. The verdict shall be kept in the permanent records of the Fraternity as well as in the Brotherhood Court Binder.

Section 5. Appeals

  1. Any appeals to the decision of Brotherhood's Court shall be submitted by writing to the Board of Trustees through the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
  2. The decision of the Permanent Board of Trustees shall be binding.

ARTICLE VII – NEW MEMBER TRAINING

Section 1. New Member policy

  1. General new member procedures will be subject to an approved New Member Policy.
  2. Changes to the approved New Member Policy will be subject to the discretion of the PM unless overridden by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Brothers.
  3. New member training will be discussed in a training committee report at all meetings during training.

Section 2. Initiation

  1. Informal Initiation
    1. The Informal Initiation Ritual is subject to review by the Board of Trustees. In accordance with National policy, the Board of Trustees has final authority over the content of the Informal Initiation Ritual.
    2. Changes to the events of Informal Initiation must be approved by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Active Brotherhood.
  2. Formal Initiation
    1. The formal initiation will be as set forth by the National Organization.
    2. The formal initiation will be conducted by President and the storage and safekeeping of any items associated with formal initiation is the responsibility of the Member Educator.

Section 3. Recruitment

  1. Awarding Bids
    1. The New Member Educator shall recommend potential new members to the chapter that bids to be awarded a bid.
    2. The chapter shall deliberate the merits of awarding each potential new member a bid.
    3. The potential new member shall be awarded a bid if they receive the confidence of a simple majority of Active Brothers through a secret vote.
  2. Recruitment week requirements.
    1. Each Active Brother shall be required to attend three events during recruitment week, unexcused absences are punishable by fine of $2.
    2. There shall be a mandatory informational event held as the first event of recruitment week.
      1. This shall be a mandatory event for all Active Brothers and will be included in the event attendance requirement.
      2. Officers present at this event will provide information and discussion about the nature of Mu Beta Psi.

ARTICLE VIII – Chapter Finances

Section 1.

The fiscal year of Kappa Chapter begins July 1 and concludes June 30.

Section 2.

All monetary disbursements made by the Treasurer not associated with a budget item must be approved by a majority vote of the Active Brothers.

Section 3.

The Treasurer and President will be cosigners on all Chapter bank accounts.

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Vote

  1. The By-Laws of Kappa Chapter of Mu Beta Psi may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Brothers. All proposed amendments must be announced by the meeting prior to the meeting at which they will be addressed.
  2. Proposed amendments and revisions to the by-laws that are defeated will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting in which they were defeated.

Section 2. Amendment Log

  1. All amendments made to these Chapter Bylaws, their current, and future appendices will be recorded in a log and must include the following:
  2. The date on which the amendment was made.
  3. The changes made by the amendment.
  4. The purpose of the amendment.
  5. The Amendment Log will be attached as an appendix to these Chapter By-laws.

Section 3. National Constitution

  1. The By-Laws of Kappa Chapter of Mu Beta Psi may not supersede the National Constitution of Mu Beta Psi, National Policies, University Policies, or any local, state, or federal laws.
  2. No amendment may contradict these governing documents.
  3. Any Brother may raise a concern that a proposed or ratified amendment represent a contradiction to these governing documents.

Appendix A: Amendments to By-laws

Amendments ratified 15 November 2020 in order to greater define the role of the New Member Educator as well as the roles of Active Brothers during recruitment and rush.

Changes to Article III, Section 2, subsection 1.7. This section used to read:

1.7 Member Educator
  1.7.1 Guide the member-in-training class through a course of training that prepares the members-in training to be accepted as Brothers into the Fraternity.
  1.7.2 Serve as a liaison between the Brotherhood and the member-in-training class during this period of training. 
  1.7.3 Maintain and store all materials required for the education process.
  

Changes to Article VII. Addition of Section 3.


policies/chapters/kappa/bylaws.txt · Last modified: 2021/04/15 15:40 by robfaggart