Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.

University of Kentucky Colony Bylaws

Amended December 2016

Revised December 2018

Article I Membership

Criteria for Membership Section 1:​ ​

A. The membership for this colony shall be chosen in accordance with the provisions provided by the National Constitution. A female student may be elected for membership in this Sorority provided that:

undergraduate 1. She is a registered full time ​ ​ student at the ​University of Kentucky​. 2. She is ​neither​ an associate member, nor a member of any similar university except sorority ​ ​ honorary, service, or professional. 3. She has not broken her pledge to any other social sorority in any council on this campus within the past academic year. 4. She agrees to ​always​ look out for her future sisters; remembering that we are seen person soul spirit as one: one ​ ​, one ​ ​, one ​ ​. If one lady makes a mistake, then we all have made that mistake; if one lady succeeds, then we have all succeeded. Woman of Distinction 5. She will present herself as a ​ ​, remembering that she will be all sisters representing herself, her future sisters, ​ ​ and the organization itself. five 6. She is willing to pledge herself to uphold the bylaws, ​ ​ principles and obligations of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. 7. She holds at least a cumulative 2.6/4.0 G.P.A. to be initiated and maintains a current minimum of a 2.6 cumulative G.P.A. to remain in active status. 8. She, as every member, will contribute to the group as much as possible without being asked, showing sisterhood, unity, responsibility, honesty, loyalty, and commitment to the colony.

B. The membership shall also be respondent to any special regulations placed on them by the local council, given it does not violate our national sorority regulations.

Associate Membership Section 2:​ ​

Definition A. ​ ● An associate member shall be a woman who has accepted an invitation to join Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority, Inc. provided she is eligible for initiation*

B. Eligibility 1. Full time undergraduate student at University of Kentucky. 2. Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.6/4.0 scale. 3. Along with Sigma Lambda Gamma’s requirements, she must meet the United Greek Coalition’s requirements as well.

Associate Membership Process Section 3:​ ​

Election to Associate Membership shall require: A. ​ 1. A bid that has a minimum of 3/4 of votes from the sisters of the colony/chapter. 2. The presence of ​all sisters​ at a meeting to discuss and vote on each woman. If an absence is unavoidable, the absentee member ​must​ submit in writing an opinion on perspective new members.

Duration of Associate Membership: B. ​ 1. The duration of associate membership shall be until she is initiated, or her membership has been suspended or terminated. 2. An associate membership shall expire if the associate member leaves or transfers from the university.

Initiation of Membership Section 4: ​

A. An associate member, upon fulfilling the requirements for initiation, shall be initiated by her colony/chapter and become a member of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. Requirements for initiation include: 2.6/4.0 1.An associate member shall be initiated if she has a minimum ​ cumulative G.P.A. at the University of Kentucky. 2. An associate member who has met all financial obligations to the Sorority, standards of conduct and all requirements listed in the New Member Manual.

Definition of Membership Section 5: ​

A. Members are undergraduates or graduates who have been initiated at University of Kentucky.

Member in Good Standing Section 6: ​

A. Requirements for Member in Good Standing include, but do not limit to: 1. Be enrolled full time at the University of Kentucky and maintain a ​minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.6/4.0 or higher. 2. Attends all of our functions including, but not limited to, meetings, community service, fundraisers, educational events, social events, and cultural events. 3. Absences are considered excused for the following, but are not limited to health, academic, religious, professional, and/or family reasons. ​Any other reasons will be taken into consideration by the sisters. 4. Abides by all regulations of Sigma Lambda Gamma set by the constitution, these bylaws and all other policies. 5. Meets all financial obligations to Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. and the University of Kentucky Colony.

Member not in Good Standing Section 7: ​

A. Definition 1. Any sister that is not enrolled full time at the University of Kentucky. 2. Any sister not maintaining a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.6/4.0 3. Any sister not attending the majority of functions including, but not limited to meetings, community services, ritual events, fundraisers, educational events, social events and cultural events without a legitimate excuse. 4. Any sister not meeting her financial obligations to Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. and/or the University of Kentucky. 5. Any sister not abiding by all regulations of Sigma Lambda Gamma set by the constitution, these Bylaws and all other policies.

B. Consequences for a Member Not in Good Standing include, but do not limit to: 6. Cannot wear any garments with insignias, Greek letters, or “Sigma Lambda Gamma”/“Gamma” written out. 7. Must attend all colony/chapter meetings/functions. i. Absences are considered excused for the following, but not limited to, health, academic, religious, professional, and/or family reasons. Any other reasons will be taken into consideration by the sisters 8. If GPA requirement is not being met, the sister would have to set up an Academic Plan with the colony’s Vice President of Scholarship & Academics. 9. If financial obligations are not being met, the sister will have to set up a payment plan with the colony’s Vice President of Finance.

Sisterhood Enhancement Committee Section 8: ​ Any sister found violating the Member-In-Good-Standing policy, she will appear before the President, Vice President, and Vice President of Scholarship & Academics. ​All sisters are entitled to due process.

Alumnae Status Section 9: ​ ● Any sister that has graduated from an undergraduate program at the University of Kentucky

A.​ ​Alumnae are allowed the following: 1. Wear logos, insignias, etc. of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. 2. No voting privilege in undergraduate colony unless deemed by the active members of the colony. 3. Maintain good financial standing within Sigma Lambda Gamma. 4. Maintain contact with the colony. 5. Attend undergraduate meetings deemed by the undergraduate members.

B. Colony/Chapter responsibilities to Alumnae 1. Keep informed of all chapter events through alumni newsletter, e-mail, etc.

Responsibilities of all members Section 10: ​ A. Expectations of all sisters 1. Conducts herself in a manner that contributes to the welfare and the good reputation of the sorority and the colony, by supporting and properly maintaining the standards of conduct befitting a Colony of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. 2. Abide by the Constitution, By Laws, Rituals, Rules, Policies, Procedures, and Five Principles of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc. 3. Meet all financial and academic obligations of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.

B. The following is a list of violations, not meant to be inclusive, that will result in disciplinary action when representing Sigma Lambda Gamma: 1. Use of illegal drugs. 2. Inappropriately representing Sigma Lambda Gamma to the public; especially media. a. Vice President of Social Media shall monitor and upon detection of violation, shall inform the President and Vice President and the three shall respond accordingly. 3. Intentionally causing physical or mental harm to another member and or associate member as stated in the hazing policy. 4. Representing the sorority by any means of affiliation while consuming or in the presence of persons consuming alcohol. a. This furthermore means, no letters or paraphernalia associated with the organization can be worn in presence of alcohol. b. This ensures sisters do not disrespect themselves, or their letters, keeping in mind sisters before them and sisters to come.

ARTICLE II Officers

Officers Section 1: ​

A. The elected officers shall include, but are not limited to President, Vice President, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Recruitment, Vice President of Community Service, Vice President of Scholarship & Academics, Directors of Social Media, Vice President(s) of Programming and Social Chair.

B. Eligibility

1. Any sister that will not be graduating during the time at which her responsibilities need to be fulfilled or unless special circumstances arise. 2. Must have a minimum 2.6 cumulative GPA 3. Must be a member in Good Standing* 4. All positions will be elected once a calendar year and is open to any Sister in Good Standing, unless qualifications required are not met; positions will be revoked. a. In order to be elected as ​President​, the sister must have held an officer position for at ​least​ a semester.

C. Process of Election 1. Elections will take place during the first week of the month of November. 2. Any member will nominate who she feels is best for each position, including herself. a. Member shall submit a resume & cover letter detailing interest in position to Vice President of Internal Affairs 3. Any member will second the nomination. 4. Voting will be done by closed ballot and announced by the Vice President of Internal Affairs/Secretary.

D. Terms of Office. 1. All positions will be for one calendar year.

E. Officer Training 1. All officers will be shadowed during the month of November. a. Actual term of Office will be December to December. President must over-see all training sessions. i. 2. All incoming officers will be trained by the previous officer. 3. Any officer not attending regular training sessions will be removed from office.

F. Vacancies of Positions. Any positions that become vacant will be handled in the following procedures: 1. Review of Situation. 2. Decision to reelect or develop other solution. 3. Announcement of Emergency Meeting to discuss solution.

G. Policy on officers not in Good Standing Any officer that becomes Not in Good Standing will appear before the President, Vice President, and Vice President of Scholarship & Academics. All officers are entitled to due process. 1. If, after one semester the officer is still not in good standing, the colony will review the situation.

H. Responsibilities of the President

The responsibilities of the President will follow as stated in the constitution and will include, but not be limited to the following: 1. Assist all e-board members with maintaining their responsibilities. th 2. Picks up Colony mail from Greek Affairs office on 5​ ​ floor of POT. 3. Act as official spokesperson for the colony. 4. Make sure meetings run smoothly and are time managed. 5. Assign designated responsibilities as necessary. 6. Determine how things will be done and agree to events in accordance with the Vice President and Vice President(s) of Programming. 7. Over-see all training sessions.

I. Responsibilities of the Vice President: The responsibilities of the Vice President will include, but are not limited to the following: 1. Take over in the absence of the President. 2. Assist President with meeting management. 3. Over-see Vice President of Financial Operations with budget, goals and fundraising events. 4. Over-see the Programming Team’s creation of bonding events.

J. Responsibilities of the Vice President of Internal Affairs/Secretary: The responsibilities of the Secretary will follow as stated in the constitution and will include, but not be limited to the following: 1. Take meeting minutes on google docs and update within one week of chapter 2. Keep contact information available for members and be up to date. 3. Send reminders 24 hours in advanced of meetings or events through text, phone call, groupme, and/or e-mail. 4. Keeping track and history of events/fundraisers for the colony records: attendance, member’s information, copies of letters and signatures, etc. 5. Work with Vice President of Finance to keep track of fees due to tardiness/attendance. 6.Make sure meetings run smoothly and are time managed.

K. Responsibilities for the Vice President of Financial Operations The responsibilities of the Vice President of Financial Operations will follow as stated in the constitution and will include but not be limited to the following: 1. Keep track of money and Account 2. Make budget per semester and for each event. 3. Turn in budgets to National Headquarters and University facilities 4. Make a budget tracker to send out to the members; example: how much is available, how much has been spent, how much each person owes, etc. 5. Search and apply for grants. 6. Over-see and create fundraiser ideas. 7. Collect dues and fees from the members.

L. Responsibilities of Vice President(s) of Recruitment The responsibilities of Recruitment Chair will follow, as stated in the constitution, and will include, but not be limited to, the following: 1. Follows all Sigma Lambda Gamma Informational regulations as stated in these bylaws. 2. Create presentations, set up, attend, and cover information sessions. 3. Held responsible for display items (i.e. informational, tabling, etc.) 4. Keep track of interest people and people who attend events frequently (i.e. people that have been spoken to, touching base with them, updating on upcoming events and community service, etc.) 5. Create events exclusively for interests to bond. 6. Work closely with the President to promote Sigma Lambda Gamma. M. Responsibilities of Programming Team The responsibilities will follow as stated in the constitution and will include, but not be limited to the following: Vice President of Marketing 1. Design and distribute flyers/online advertisements 2. Advertise and promote events in a timely fashion 3. Over-see correct distribution/removals of flyers on campus and online advertisements Vice President of Programming 4. Booking rooms for events/meetings 5. Contacting sponsors and promoters for events 6. Keep track of other campus events to avoid double-booking of rooms/dates. 7. Working closely with Vice President of Marketing to execute events

N. Responsibilities of Vice President of Community Service The responsibilities of Community Service Chair will follow as stated in the constitution and will include, but not be limited to the following: 1. Create or participate monthly community service event for the academic year with sisters’ consent and suggestions. 2. Maintain contact and good relations with community service providers. 3. Keep a detailed account of past community service events and hours of participation of each sister.

O. Responsibilities of Vice President of Scholarship & Academics The responsibilities of Academic/Sisterhood Chair will follow, as stated in the constitution, and will include, but not be limited to the following: 1. Keep track of academic standings of all sisters by a. Collecting all dates for paper/reports/exam/final for each semester at the BEGINNING of each semester. b. Collecting the class rubric (how your grades will be determined.) c. Determining bi-weekly study tables d. Midterm Check in

i. If sister receives below a C-average on the first exam of the semester, she must visit office hours of the professor or TA or library tutors and be signed off on a paper. ii. Bi weekly meetings to report grades and keep track of what can be improved to set future goal

Meetings & Events Section 2: ​

A. Chapter Attendance All meetings are mandatory. If a member cannot attend, she must get in contact with the Vice President of Internal Affairs at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, unless it is emergency.

24 hours, 1. If the member does not contact the Vice President of Internal Affairs in ​ ​ each member is subject to 1. Verbal warning, given only for reasonably excused absence (i.e. medical/family emergency is presented.) Any other reasons will be taken into consideration by the Vice President of Internal Affairs 2. For all other unexcused absences, there will be a charge of $5. After every meeting that is missed and unexcused, an additional $5 will be added to the balance. 3. The sister will receive a letter stating the rules, that she has been given an unexcused absence, the date it occurred, and how many unexcused absences she has for the semester, and the amount of money she owes. A copy will be provided to the Vice President of Finance. 4. In addition, further action will be taken and will be determined by the President and Vice President.

B. Chapter Tardiness If a member will be late to a meeting, she must get in contact with the Vice President of Internal one hour Affairs at least ​ ​ prior 1. If the member does not contact the Vice President of Internal Affairs st a. Verbal warning will be given the 1​ ​ incident with the exception of reasonably excused tardiness, in which an excused tardy will be given (i.e. medical/family emergency is presented.) Any other reasons will be taken into consideration

D. When Held All Chapter meetings will be held once a week according to the undergraduate members and bi-weekly study tables. If a change occurs on the meeting dates or time, the Vice two hours President of Internal Affairs will call at least ​ ​ before the scheduled meeting.

E. Emergency Meetings All members will be given 24 hours notice before an emergency meeting, if possible. Lateness and absentee penalties will not be given in an event that an emergency meeting

is called.

F. Events 1. All sisters must attend all event, we hold. 2. Attendance will be taken at every event. 3. If a sister is found not participating, a hearing will be set up with the President. 4. All sisters will help clean up.

Article III Dues

Dues/Fees/Money, How collected, Etc. Section 1: ​

A. All local dues in the amount of $15 are to be turned in to the Vice President of Finance, starting at the second meeting of each semester and continue biweekly payments of $15 until the end of the semester. The money will be collected during her floor. 1. In the case you cannot make a scheduled payment, you must let the Vice President of Finance know by the Friday before the dues are collected. st a. Failure to do so will result in a verbal warning only for the 1​ ​ missed payment and for legitimate reasons. For all other occasions, $5 fee will be added to your balance. b. The sister being charged the late fee will be given a letter stating the rules and the money she owes. A copy will be provided to the Vice President of Finance. B. In the event a sister needs to be put on a payment plan for local dues, a meeting will be held with the Vice President of Finance. C.​ National dues must be paid on the date given in the beginning of the semester.

Article IV Miscellaneous

Section 1: ​Chapter GPA

2.75 A. ​If at​ a​ nytime the colony falls under the ​ ​cum GPA as required by Sigma Lambda Gamma National Board, study hours can be assigned and monitored by the Colony/Chapter President.

By Laws Section 2: ​

A. If an amendment is needed, a presentation must be given at a general colony/chapter meeting; and a vote will be held. B. The vote must be unanimous. C. These bylaws will be revised at the end of each academic year; all members must be present.

Performances Section 3: ​

A. Practices will be held once a week. 1. Sisters will be held responsible for strolling etiquette. B. If practice is for a competition/performance, members not in good academic standing cannot attend. C. If sisters want to exhibit talents at socials (ie. strolling, stepping), they must attend at least 75% of practices in order to participate. D. Person in charge must be a member in good standing (excluding financial obligations), who volunteers for the position, and has at least a 75% vote of the participants. E. Person in charge will set practices, book rooms, and send reminders in accordance with the Vice President of Internal Affairs.

These Bylaws are effective upon completion.

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLONY OF SIGMA LAMBDA GAMMA NATIONAL SORORITY INCORPORATED

HISTORY In the fall of two thousand and fifteen, the few, underrepresented, but courageous women of the University of Kentucky began a journey to bring something to their campus that was greater than they, and greater than they could ever imagine. These seven distinct women of blue and white, would set sail to be women of Pink and Purple. That SHOCKING determination would bring them MAJESTIC prestige.

On October sixth, two thousand sixteen at the break of dawn, the women began their journey at 5:18am with fifty-five pounding seconds. These women crossed the seas, and on ______conquered themselves and this University. Today they are known as ______. They and the sisters that have joined them on this journey, continue to strive for the five founding principles always upholding the legacy of our five founding mothers.

We are the University of Kentucky Colony of Sigma Lambda Gamma NATIONAL Sorority Incorporated and the only Colony in the Bluegrass state. We are precious jewels like an amethyst, exotic predators like a panther, and delicate flowers like a PINK ROSE.

Since the Fall of 2016, we have been WOMEN OF DISTINCTION.

FOUNDERS:

ELIZA "La Flor Ardiente" DIAZ

ERIKA "Afectuosa" YAMILET VENTURA-CASTELLON

LILIANA "Conquistadora Audaz" BUENROSTRO

RUTH "A.L.T.E.Ñ.A" NOEMI GONZÁLEZ JIMÉNEZ

MARJERY "J.A.Z.M.I.N" NICOLE CAPALAR

ZASKIA "Catracha" JAEL HASSAN

AMANDA "Corazon Salvaje" MICHELLE RAMIREZ

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