THE CONSTITUTION OF THE Professional Fraternity Council

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(Established Winter 2010)

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be Professional Fraternity Council, referenced to as the PFC. This organization was founded at the University of Michigan as a part of it; though it is not an organization that is owned directly by the university.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

The object of this Professional Fraternity Council shall be to develop and maintain professional fraternity life and interchapter relations through collaboration, shared events, and professional development. It will also function to consider the goals and ideals of member groups as applicable to the individual organization and benefit of the entire group.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

A. Every initiated chapter member in good standing of a “Professional Fraternity” part of the University of Michigan as a registered club shall be eligible to be a member of the Professional Fraternity Council.

B. The founding fraternities of the PFC are as follows: , Alpha Epsilon Delta, Alpha , Omega, Delta , Kappa Alpha Pi, Theta, and . The founding fraternities are considered Professional Fraternities and are recognized by the Professional Fraternity Council at its inception.

C. Professional Fraternity Council is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in its membership or activities unless permitted by university policy for gender specific organizations.

D. What ultimately defines Professional Fraternity for admission purposes to the Professional Fraternity Council shall be at the discretion of the current presiding officers and representatives at the time of the request for admission. Generally, a Professional Fraternity must embody the ideas outlined in Article II of this Constitution in their mission statement or purpose statement. A “Professional Fraternity” must also have a specific field of interest.

E. A Professional Fraternity must be co-educational and must show evidence of a somewhat reasonable balance between male and female members.

F. Recognition as a “Professional Fraternity” requires a ¾ agreeance by the entire council.

G. If an organization is denied recognition and thus admission, they must wait a period of one calendar year before reapplying for admission into the Professional Fraternity Council.

H. Individual Professional Fraternities recognized by the Professional Fraternity Council shall have the authority to appoint exactly two (2) representatives to serve on the Professional Fraternity Council, recognized by the council as "delegates."

I. Representatives will hold their position for exactly one academic year (Fall-Winter semester). Individual Professional Fraternities reserve the right to reappoint representatives to serve successive terms; no term limit is imposed upon delegates. Representatives that serve during the “foundational stage” of the Professional Fraternity Council (as defined in Article IV, Section D) are only entitled to serve on the council for that period. They must be reappointed by their respective fraternities in Fall 2010 to serve on the Professional Fraternity Council for the Fall 2010-Winter 2011 academic year.

J. Upon joining the organization, all members agree not to undermine the purpose or mission of the Professional Fraternity Council.

K. General Members, or Delegates, can be removed in one of two ways. One, their term (Fall-Winter semester) has terminated, and the professional fraternity that they belong to nominates a new member. Or, if a delegate does not uphold their responsibilities or decides they cannot uphold their responsibilities, a new delegate must be nominated by their Professional Fraternity. Only then, can a member be removed.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

A. The officers shall be President, Senior VP-Internal, Senior VP- External, VP-Recruitment, VP- Operations, VP-Finance, VP-Programming, and VP-Public Relations.

B. The officers shall be initiated members in good standing from a qualified Professional Fraternity holding full membership as a representative in the Professional Fraternity Council. 1. If an individual is elected into any of the aforementioned officer positions, he or she is obligated to serve a term of two (2) semesters, or one full academic year. Officers are elected by the entire council in a ¾ vote, and the council holds the right to re-elect individuals for Executive Board positions for any number of consecutive terms.

C. If a representative is elected to serve as an officer, the fraternity that representative is from will be required to appoint an additional representative to replace the one elected into office.

D. During the “foundational stage” of the Professional Fraternity Council, as defined by the time from its inception through the end of the Winter 2010 semester, the Professional Fraternity Council shall be led by “foundational officers.” During this phase, the VP-Recruitment will not be a recognized position.

E. During the “inaugural stage” of the Professional Fraternity Council, as defined by the Fall 2010 semester, the PFC will be led by a new set of “inaugural officers” to be voted on in April 2010. During this phase, all officer positions outlined in Section “A” of this article will be recognized.

F. Starting in January of 2011, Professional Fraternity Council officers shall serve a term of one calendar year beginning at the first PFC meeting in January. The time between elections and this meeting will be a transition period where new officers work closely with present officers and attend the Executive Board’s meetings.

ARTICLE V: THE PROFESSIONAL FRATERNITY COUNCIL

The governing body of the Professional Fraternity Council shall have the duty to conduct all business related to the overall welfare of University of Michigan students who are members of the various chapters of affiliated Professional Fraternities. This will include recruiting, new member education, interchapter collaboration, and all other functions which do not violate the sovereignty, rights, and privileges of member fraternities.

A. The Professional Fraternity Council shall be composed of two representatives from each PFC-affiliated Professional Fraternity.

B. Representatives to the Professional Fraternity Council shall be selected by their respective fraternity chapters to serve for a term of one academic year.

C. If a representative relinquishes or is removed from his/her position, it shall be the responsibility of the respective fraternity to select a replacement within one week of the vacancy. It is the responsibility of the fraternity to inform the PFC Vice President-Operations of the new replacement.

D. If a representative or officer is found to be incapable of fulfilling his/her duties to the Professional Fraternity Council, or a conflict has arisen which renders the individual unfit for his/her position, removal of that individual will be officially recognized following an executive board discussion and vote. In order for the individual to be removed from his or her position, a ¾ vote of the board (six of eight officer individuals) is necessary to confirm the removal. If the removal concerns a member of the executive board, that member must be replaced in vote by a representative of one of the affiliated organizations who is unanimously agreed upon by the rest of the board.

E. If a representative cannot attend a meeting of the Professional Fraternity Council, an alternate delegate should be present from the respective fraternity.

F. The officers of the Professional Fraternity Council shall serve separate from the representatives in that if one representative is elected as an officer, that representative must be replaced in his or her role as a delegate by an initiated member in good standing from the respective fraternity.

G. Meetings

1. The Executive Board shall meet weekly prior to meetings of the PFC at a time agreed upon by all Executive Board members at the beginning of each semester, as needed.

2. Regular meetings of the Professional Fraternity Council shall be held bi-weekly at a time and place established at the beginning of each college semester in the Fall and Winter. These meetings shall be open or closed as determined by the Professional Fraternity Council and shall be led by the PFC President. Attendees at closed meetings will be determined by the council.

3. If the President is absent, unable to serve, or being considered for removal of office, the Vice President-Operations will preside.

4. A quorum of two-thirds of the member fraternities must be present at a Professional Fraternity Council meeting before any business may be transacted.

5. Special meetings of the Professional Fraternity Council may be called by the President. She/he must provide any member representative or Executive Board officer with three days notice. The special meeting may be closed at the discretion of the presiding officer. The Executive Board reserves the right to decide attendance for closed special meetings.

G. Voting

1. The voting body of the Professional Fraternity Council shall be its member representatives and Executive Board.

2. One vote shall be granted to each Professional Fraternity Council voting member.

3. A majority vote shall be required to carry all questions.

4. In the case of a tie, the President shall have the deciding vote. i. In all other election scenarios, the President relinquishes his/her vote in favor of collecting all other votes.

H. Voice

1. All fraternity members, including the Executive Board and the Advisor to the Professional Fraternity Council have a voice at PFC meetings.

2. In the case of special meetings, the Executive Board shall decide who will have a voice.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

Certain committees and special officers may be necessary to carry out the work of the Professional Fraternity Council. These shall be formed and confirmed with a 2/3 agreeance by the entire council.

ARTICLE VIII: RADIFICATION AND AMENDMENTS

A. This constitution may be amended by a three-fourths majority vote of the voting members of the Professional Fraternity Council. The constitution must be reviewed and ratified every two academic years.

B. This constitution may be amended by a three-fourths majority vote of the voting members of PFC provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been given in writing at the preceding regular meeting. Upon passage, a constitutional amendment will be effective immediately.