GAMMA SIGMA ALPHA Beta Tau Chapter Northwestern University CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE ONE: Name

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be Gamma Sigma Alpha.

Section 2: Gamma Sigma Alpha is a Scholarship Society for fraternity and sorority members.

ARTICLE TWO: Purpose

The purpose of Gamma Sigma Alpha shall be threefold: 1. to promote the advancement of education among Greeks; 2. to instill a greater spirit of cooperation among Greek students and organizations; and 3. to recognize and encourage excellence in scholarship

ARTICLE THREE: Membership

Members will: 1. pay a one-time membership fee that entitles them to a lifetime membership in the organization. 2. receive a membership certificate and pin.

ARTICLE FOUR: Eligibility

To be eligible for membership in Gamma Sigma Alpha, a student shall meet the following minimum requirements: a. have completed one full academic year of Northwestern. b. be of junior or senior (undergraduate) standing. c. be in good standing with their fraternal organization. d. have an overall GPA of 3.65 or higher.

ARTICLE FIVE: Selection of Members

Section 1: Membership will be extended to all Greek students who meet the eligibility requirements stated in Article Four.

Section 2: All potential members must meet the deadlines listed in the membership invitation in order to be considered for membership.

Section 3: The executive board will be responsible for distributing and collecting membership invitations and fees. Section 4: Eligible member lists will be provided to the executive board by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

ARTICLE SIX: Officers

Section 1: Gamma Sigma Alpha will be lead by an executive board consisting of four officers: e. President f. Vice President g. Secretary h. Treasurer

Section 2: Officer duties: a. President will coordinate and preside over all meetings, initiations, and activities of Gamma Sigma Alpha; b. Vice President will assist the president as necessary and coordinate the process of membership selection; c. Secretary will keep accurate rosters of members and correspond with the members as necessary. d. Treasurer will complete Student Organizations Finance Office training, keep accurate records of the chapter’s finances, and collect and pay dues to the national organization following each initiation.

ARTICLE SEVEN: Election Procedure

Section 1: The officers will be elected immediately following the fall initiation ceremony.

Section 2: The term of each office will be one year, fall quarter to fall quarter.

Section 3: To be eligible for election a member must: a. be in good standing with Gamma Sigma Alpha b. be on campus (not going abroad or on TM, etc.) for the entirety of his/her term. c. be present at the election ceremony

Section 4: New members and active members may run for the positions of Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. To run for the position of President, the Gamma Sigma Alpha member must have been initiated in a previous quarter.

Section 5: Elections will proceed in order of ranking, beginning with the President and ending with the Treasurer. Section 6: Each candidate is permitted to run for 2 positions total. If he/she is elected into the higher ranking office, he/she may choose to accept that position. If he/she accepts, he/she will not run for the second position. If he/she is not elected to the higher ranking position, he/she may run for a second position, which may be—but is not required to be—the position directly below the first. (I.e. if someone were to run for Vice President and not win, it is permissible for him/her to run for the position of Treasurer without running for the position of Secretary.)

Section 7: After stating his/her intent to run for a position, the candidate will speak for up to 1 minute on his/her interest and purpose for running for the particular position on Gamma Sigma Alpha’s executive board. After each candidate for a particular office has spoken, he/she will exit the room. Members of Gamma Sigma Alpha will vote on a ballot. The candidate receiving the most votes will be offered the position. If he/she accepts, he will take office.

Section 8: Candidates are only permitted to run off the floor for a position for which no one else has stated intention to run prior to the beginning of the election procedure, or if he/she was not elected to the position for which he previously stated intent to run.

ARTICLE EIGHT: Advisor

The advisor to Gamma Sigma Alpha will be a Greek advisor from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

ARTICLE NINE: Meetings

Section 1: The executive board will meet at least once per quarter.

Section 2: Gamma Sigma Alpha will host at least one event per quarter.

Section 3: Members must attend at least one event or initiation ceremony (other than their own) per year.

ARTICLE TEN: Scholarship

As funds allow, during the course of the academic year Gamma Sigma Alpha will award one scholarship to a graduating senior who has been active in Gamma Sigma Alpha.

ARTICLE ELEVEN: Amendments

Any amendments to this constitution can be made with 2/3 approval of the membership in attendance of any regular meeting of Gamma Sigma Alpha. Revised: November 4, 2008