Alpha Phi Omega Pi Rho Be a Leader. Be a Friend. Be of Service. Policies and Precedents (2018)1 1 This document provides an elaboration upon the constitution of Pi Rho given us by our chapter’s Bylaws and should be thought of as a manual for chapter-oriented standard operating procedure. ​This ​Policies and Precedents ​document is intended to provide future Brothers of Pi Rho with a set of best practices and “rules of thumb” to reference when in the course of common and uncommon chapter activity. In contrast to the ​Bylaws​, this document is intended to be a ​living ​document, which is to say that while its contents have been carefully thought out, it welcomes necessary amendment and revision. This intention is employed in the pursuit of two objectives: first, to work toward a permanent version of the ​Bylaws​ and codify procedural stability and second, to give Pi Rho the freedom to reflect and grow at its own pace. So long as Pi Rho enjoys this freedom, it will be able to contribute to the international mission it subscribes to, as outlined by Frank Reed Horton, the founder of Alpha Phi Omega. He reminds us that: “Alpha Phi Omega can help bring about, through the future statesmen of the world, that standard ​ of manhood and international understanding and friendship that will lead to a better, more peaceful world in which to live and in which to make a living and a life. ​” Last updated: 2018 1 ____________________________________ Agenda: ***=clarification required _________________________________ Alpha Phi Omega Pi Rho Chapter Policies 2 [Note: Any policy in italics has passed the Bylaws committee and will be offered to the ​ ​ Membership at the nearest convenient of the Sergeant-at-Arms or the President of the chapter] Responsibilities of status (last updated Spring ‘18) 1. The following requirements correspond with the three types of Membership Status: Active, Associate, and Inactive; 2. Active brothers must make a $50 dues payment and complete a minimum of: a. 25 service hours, 10 of which must be brother hours; b. two fellowship events; c. one interchapter event; 3. [Note that Associate requirements are, in general, exactly half of Active requirements.] Associate brothers must make a $25 dues payment and complete a minimum of: a. 12.5 service hours, five of which must be brother hours; b. one fellowship event; 4. Inactive brothers have no explicit requirements, but are invited and encouraged to take every chapter opportunity they can. Election procedure (See Robert’s Rules) ​ 1. The procedure for any Chapter elections is as follows: 2. First, either the President or the Sergeant-at-Arms will announce to the chapter that nominations will be considered for position x; a. the announcement will include an explanation of the position and the responsibilities associated with it; b. any Active or Associate brother may nominate any Active brother for an elected position for five (5) business days following the announcement by voice or by email; i. nominated Brothers need not hold Active status at the time of the election, but must be Active once their term begins; c. brothers may acknowledge their nominations in three ways: i. “I Accept”; the nominated brother accepts his/her nomination and intends to participate in the election; ii. “I Respectfully Decline”; the nominated brother respectfully declines his/her nomination and does not intend to participate in the election; iii. “I’ll Consider It”; the nominated brother requests more time to consider his/her nomination but must confirm whether s/he Accepts or Respectfully Declines in five (5) business days; 3. Note that during the week between a nomination and an election, Members may send “Pros” and “Cons” by email or in writing to the Sergeant-at-Arms regarding a candidate’s eligibility for a given office; a. the Sergeant-at-Arms has discretion over all submissions; b. the Sergeant-at-Arms will present Pros and Cons during individual discussion period. Note that anonymity is ensured; 3 4. Next, the election is held at least one week following the announcement of the nomination during a regularly scheduled chapter meeting at which there is quorum. The procedure of election meetings is as follows: a. each candidate gives a short speech to the Membership; b. following each speech, candidates may be asked questions by any attending members: i. questions must pertain to the office the candidate is running for and the candidate’s ability to perform its duties; ii. following each candidate’s Q&A section the Chapter will have an opportunity to discuss the candidate. Once every candidate has gotten a chance to speak and do Q&A, the Chapter can discuss the full list of candidates; c. candidates are to wait outside of the meeting room for their turn to speak but will be ushered in by the Sergeant-at-Arms at the appropriate time and will be led back outside once they’ve answered any/all questions; d. members who are eligible to vote (i.e., active Brothers in good standing with the chapter) may only vote for those candidates whose speeches they have heard; i. additionally, this means that a candidate may only vote for themselves; e. no one is to enter or exit the room from the onset of the discussion to the close of voting: i. the Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for maintaining this; f. all votes are to be counted by the Sergeant-at-Arms, and one of the Chapter advisors will provide oversight vis-a-vis quality control; i. in the event that no advisor is present, the President will appoint an Active, Associate, or Inactive Brother to aid the Sergeant. The appointment requires a vote by acclamation; g. in the event that no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates who received the highest number will enter into a run-off election; i. in the case of a tie for second place, all tying candidates will advance to the run-off election; ii. in the unlikely event that no narrowing of the candidate field is possible, a runoff election will not be held; iii. should no winner emerge from any given election, an election for the office in consideration will be postponed at the discretion of the Sergeant-at-Arms and the President; 1. postponed elections follow the same procedure as typical elections; 5. No two offices may be considered concurrently, i.e., only one office may be considered at a time; 6. Election results will be announced immediately after all votes are counted and must be included in the meeting minutes; 4 a. in the event that the advisor determines an election inauthentic before or after the results are announced, the election will be postponed to the next regularly scheduled Chapter meeting at which there is quorum. Dues 1. Every Active and Associate Brother and every New Member pays annual dues. Balances may be settled in a lump sum or in two installments. 2. If a Brother or New Member can not pay the full amount or installments of dues on the date selected by the Treasurer, they may work out a payment plan. The terms of the plan are to be set on a case by case basis and are a confidential agreement between the Brother/New Member and the Executive Board. 3. The current dues total $50 (Active), $25 (Associate), $75 (Pledging semester). Hours Fellowship 1. Attend two (2) fellowship meetings per semester. 2. Fellowships must be made aware to the General Body at least 48 hours in advance. 3. There must be five (5) Brothers/New Members present for it to count as a Fellowship. This is at the discretion of the Fellowship VP. Appointed Positions 1. There are several semester-long “Appointed Positions” which Active Brothers may apply for. 2. Applications will be created and distributed by the Executive Board following a description by the President and a “suggestion period” (akin to the “nominations period” for elected positions). 3. Applicants will be deliberated on and selected by the Executive Board. 4. The Appointed Positions are as follows: Assistant New Member Educator(s) (2), Sunshine Chair (1), Public Relations Chair (1), and Corresponding Secretary (1). New Member Alcohol and Substance Abuse 1. Alpha Phi Omega Pi Rho directs the new membership’s attention to: a. Rider University’s Student Code of Social Conduct, Section 5.4, which outlines the University’s drug and alcohol policy, as well as the, b. Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity Bylaws, Alcohol and Drugs (Substance Abuse) Policy; 2. Additionally, New Members may not under any circumstances associate with Brothers in a situation where alcohol, drugs, or related substances are present; a. If evidence of a new member(s) in the aforementioned scenario is discovered, it should be brought to the attention of the Review Board. In this case, the Board 5 may consider the evidence during its determination of the New Member’s acceptance; b. If evidence of a Brother(s) in the aforementioned scenario is discovered, it should be brought to the attention of the Standards Board. c. In the absence of an active Standards Board, the aforementioned evidence should be referred to the Executive Board. Transfer Brother Assimilation process 1. Brothers transferring into Rider University looking to join our Chapter must fulfill the requirements of the transfer brother assimilation process; 2. Brothers may not start the Transfer Brother Assimilation process after the 3rd Sunday after the current semester’s New Member Induction ceremony; 3. The transfer brother assimilation process includes: a. Maintenance of the attendance record required of Active Brothers, b. Maintenance of the service record required of Brothers who qualify to be a “Big”, c.