Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society for

First-Year Students Constitution

ARTICLE I: Name & Insignia

Section I: The name of this honor society shall be Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society for First-Year Students as a chapter of National Alpha Lambda Delta.

Section II: The colors shall be red, gold, and white.

Section III: The pledge badge shall be composed of three ribbons: red on gold on white.

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The purpose of the Society shall be to encourage superior academic attainment among students in their first year and throughout their career in institutions of higher education, to promote intelligent living and a continued high standard of learning, and to assist students in recognizing and developing meaningful goals for their unique roles of in society.

ARTICLE III: Organization

The members of Alpha Lambda Delta shall be those persons who have been duly initiated.

BY- LAWS

ARTICLE I. Eligibility for Membership

Section 1: Membership shall be open to students of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley regardless of race, color, national origin, creed or political affiliation, sex, religion, age, handicap or disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or veteran’s status.

Section 2: Membership is limited to students and/or faculty and staff of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with a majority of active membership comprised of students enrolled at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Only student members have voting privileges and can hold office in a student organization.

Section 3: Membership in the Society shall be based upon superior academic attainment during the first semester of the student’s first year in college. (Credits received prior to the first semester of the first year in college that are not weighed in a student’s Grade Point Average will not be used to determine eligibility to Alpha Lambda Delta.) Section 4: The student must be registered for a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree for an amount of work equal to a full load for one or more terms of the first year of study.

Section 5: The minimum cumulative scholastic grade point average required for membership is 3.50. The student shall have no Incompletes or Failures.

Section 6: The Vice President will keep a record of attendance for all activities. A copy of individual records will be made available to members upon request.

Section 7: Upper class members of Alpha Lambda Delta may hold office. The ALD President must be an upperclassman, and must have served one year in an officer role with ALD. In the event that this requirement is not met any member may run for office.

ARTICLE II. Honorary Members

Members of the faculty, administration, or college community may be elected to honorary membership by a local chapter with the approval of the Advisor(s).

ARTICLE III. Initiation

Members will be initiated after the first term of their freshman year, at an official ceremony before the beginning of their sophomore year.

ARTICLE IV. Revenues

The revenues of the Society shall be derived from dues and approved fundraising throughout the academic year. The amount of dues to be collected per year shall be determined by a majority vote of the Society.

ARTICLE V. Officers

Section 1: The regular chapter officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Web Master, Junior Advisor, and Senior Advisor, and Committee Chairs. Once elected, the President may choose to appoint Committee Chairs for specific roles. (i.e. Social and Outreach, Fundraising, Community Service, etc.) Committee Chairs will be considered special officers with special duties as outlined in Section 10.

Section 2: Election of regular chapter officers shall be held at the first meeting of newly inducted members. Officers shall be nominated and elected by a simple majority, which is one more than half of membership present. Regular members may only be from the newly inducted class of the current year. Section 3: The duties of the President shall be to call meetings to order, to ensure that the constitution and the by-laws are enforced, and to serve as the official liaison between the Society and its advisors. The President has the power to create ad hoc committees and appoint all committee members and chairs.

Section 4: The duties of the Vice President shall be to assume all the duties of the President should he/she not be able to fulfill his/her duties, to ensure that the constitution and by-laws are enforced, to oversee ad hoc committees, and to deliver a report on the status of the organization as decided by the officer team. The Vice President must keep record of attendance of members at all official chapter events.

Section 5: The duties of the Secretary shall be to maintain the minutes at all general meetings and to provide copies to all advisors and officers, to provide an agenda for each general meeting and to provide copies to all advisors and officers, to ensure that all necessary forms are filled out properly and filed as needed, to provide notification of all meetings, and to submit the Society’s membership list and financial report as required by university policy. The Secretary must upload all documents to the organization’s official website—VLink.

Section 6: The duties of the Treasurer shall be to maintain the Society’s monies, to collect dues and any other revenues, to maintain a log of all monetary transactions, and to provide a financial report as decided by the officer team.

Section 7: The duties of the Historian shall be to maintain a historical record of all events held by the Society by producing a yearly scrapbook and files.

Section 8: The duties of the Web Master shall be to handle all communication that is web-based and manage social media pages for Alpha Lambda Delta. The primary communication method for Alpha Lambda Delta shall be VLink and will be updated by the Web Master each semester and as needed.

Section 9: The duties of Junior and Senior Advisor shall be to make themselves available to provide guidance and advice as requested by members.

Section 10: The duties of the Committee Chairs shall be subjective to their specific position and shall be determined by the regular chapter officers and announced to all members before appointment by president.

ARTICLE VI. Expulsion Section 1: Members will be considered for expulsion for violation of any provision in The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student conduct code as expressed in the Handbook of Operating Procedures.

Section 2: Officers, who are considered for expulsion based on Section I, will forfeit their Officer Position in the event he/she is removed by the process outlined in Section 3.

Section 3: Every member who is up for expulsion must be given due process: an opportunity to present his/her case, rebut accusations, conduct an investigation, and appeal any decisions made against him/her. Appeals will be heard by officers and voted on by members for reinstatement of membership.

ARTICLE VII. Advisor

Section 1: The duties of the Advisor shall be to oversee all meetings conducted by Alpha Lambda Delta, provide guidance and advice upon request for all members, serve as a resource for the organization, share knowledge, expertise, and experiences with the group, and assist the group in their execution of roles and responsibilities.

Section 2: Advisor for Alpha Lambda Delta and must be a full time faculty/staff member of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Section 3: Removal of Advisor requires a ¾ vote of members or voluntary resignation is accepted.

ARTICLE VIII. Meetings

Section 1: General Meetings shall be held twice a month and dates shall be determined by regular officers and approved by the Advisor.

Section 2: Officers shall meet once a week and dates shall be determined at the beginning at the academic year.

Section 3: The Vice President shall record attendance for all meetings.

ARTICLE IX: Amendments

Section 1: Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed by active members of the Society and adopted by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the active membership of the Society and approved by the Advisor. Any amendment proposed by the organization must be approved by the Committee on Student Organizations.