AKS Sorority Constitution

Alpha Kappa Sigma Service Sorority Constitution

Preamble
We, the sisters of Alpha Kappa Sigma Service Sorority, seek to fulfill human excellence, fellowship, and service. We will promote Benedictine Values and the amelioration of the College of Saint Benedict. We establish this constitution as a framework in which we function.

Article I: Name
The name of this club shall be known as the Alpha Kappa Sigma Service Sorority. This name is derived from the first letters of the Greek words Arete (human excellence), Koinonia (fellowship), and Synergia (service), hereafter referred to in this document as AKΣ resulting from the first letters of each Greek word.

Article II: Purpose
The purpose of AKΣ is to:

Assemble college women in the spirit of service consisting of service to the student body, to members of the community, and to fellow AKΣ members.

Article III: Mission Statement
The women comprising AKΣ will persevere to affirm and promote service and community at the College of Saint Benedict.

Article IV: Membership
AKΣ shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Service Co-Chairs, Social Co-Chairs, Public Relations Chairs, Fundraising Co-Chairs, Rush Co-Chairs, Women's Empowerment Chair, an Advisor, and active and honorary members.

A. Active membership in AKΣ shall be granted to women enrolled at the College of Saint Benedict.
B. Honorary members may be chosen by the Executive Board, with at least a 51% majority vote. To be eligible for becoming an Honorary Member, the woman shall have been a member in good standing. These members shall have no voting privileges and are not required to attend weekly meetings.
C. AKΣ insignia shall be worn on the first Tuesday of every month by all active members of AKΣ.

Article V: Meetings
All AKΣ meetings and committee meetings are open to CSB students, faculty, administration, monastic community, and honorary members of AKΣ.

Article VI: Executive Board and Committees
The additional committees of AKΣ include, but are not limited to, the Executive Board, the Service Committee, the Social Committee, the Public Relations Committee, the Fundraising Committee, the Love Your Body Week Committee, the Spring Daze Committee, the Clothing Committee and the Alumnae Relations Committee, including ad-hoc whose duties, structure, and guidelines shall be at the discretion of the President and Vice President.

Article VII: Amendments
The AKΣ Constitution may be amended by a three-fourths (3/4) vote by the active members of AKΣ. The by-laws may be amended by a three-fourth (3/4) vote by the active members of AKΣ. The standing rules may be amended by a majority vote by the active members of AKΣ. Executive Board decisions may be overturned by a three-fiths (3/5) vote.

By-laws

Article I: Members of AKΣ
AKΣ members shall attend all regularly scheduled AKΣ sorority meetings and appropriate committee meetings. AKΣ members shall preserve a permanent record of activities, issues, and accomplishments to be kept for future members.

Section I: President

The President shall:

Be available to serve a full term.
Preside over all chapter meetings.
Call and preside at all non-committee meetings.
Preside and chair all Executive Board meetings.
Enforce the constitution and by-laws.
Put to vote all committees not otherwise provided for by the constitution.
Oversee all Executive Board members' duties.
Promote the welfare of AKΣ on campus.
Perform such duties as the club may require of her.
Assist and work with all committees in promoting AKΣ sorority activities.
Have privileges of exercising or delegating all other powers assigned or stated in this constitution.
Work to maintain AKΣ within the Joint Club Board standings.
Put on one school wide event, in conjunction with the Vice President, per semester.
Email sisters who are on probation to set up meetings and inform those who have been on probation two consecutive semesters that they will no longer be active members of AKΣ.
Add additional notes relating to the President position on the Google document account for future sustainable resources.
Plan an Alum Event once per semester.
Distribute a newsletter to graduated AKS members once a semester via an email distribution list.
Be responsible for maintaining the Google Drive account.

Section 2: Vice President

The Vice President shall:

Be available to serve a full term.
Preside over the AKΣ Google Drive to ensure that Executive Board members are up to date on their event write ups and adding notes to their chair specific Sharepoint folder.
Add additional notes relating to the Vice President position on the Google document account for future sustainable resources.
Chair all AKΣ meetings in the absence or at the request of the President.
Preside over such activities as recommended to her by AKΣ.
Put on one event, in conjunction with the President, per semester.
Be responsible for supplying AKS apparel and merchandise

Section 3: Secretary

The Secretary shall:

Record, process and distribute minutes from AKΣ meetings within 24 hours of the meeting.
Distribute correspondence documents including agendas, notices, and sign-up sheets at the AKΣ meetings.
Be the point of contact for those who are unable to attend a meeting.
Keep a detailed record of AKΣ meeting and event attendance.
Maintain a file of all AKΣ minutes, letters, notices, and other correspondence documents.
Keep a written and updated record of current members.
Keep an accurate account of points for all sorority members and e-mail an update to all members the first Tuesday of every month.
Be responsible for the maintenance of the AKΣ email account.
At the end of the semester compile a list of girls who are on probation and then pass this list on to the President.

Section 4: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall:

Be available to serve a full term.
Supervise and record all revenue and expenditures of AKΣ.
Be aware of the current working balance, maintain a perpetual record and announce this balance at the last Exec meeting of each month.
Act on all proposals or amendments to AKΣ budget.
Prepare and update annual budgets in conjunction with the St. Benedict's Senate at the end of each academic year for the preceding academic year.
Be a member of the Fundraising Committee.
Collect active member dues.
Meet with the Club Auditor designated by the College of Saint Benedict Senate to AKΣ when needed to establish a working relationship.

Section 5: Service Co-Chairs

The Service Co-Chairs shall:

Preside over the Service Committee.
Coordinate and oversee all service events for AKΣ members or students to participate in.
Provide the Secretary with a summary of persons in attendance at these service events.

Section 6: Social Co-Chairs

The Social Co-Chairs shall:

Preside over the Social Committee.
Coordinate and oversee fellowship events for all AKΣ sorority members.
Provide the Secretary with a summary of persons in attendance at these fellowship events.
Plan icebreakers or delegate icebreaker planning to other exec member periodically throughout each semester.

Section 7: Public Relations Chairs

The Public Relations Chairs shall:

Preside over the Public Relations Committee.
Distribute press releases to the campus media when deemed necessary by the Executive Board.
Be the end all resource to AKΣ, facilities, posting policies, printing and advertising AKΣ sponsored events through e-mail and other forms of mass media.
Be responsible for the AKΣ Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Update the directory each semester

Section 8: Fundraising Co-Chairs

The Fundraising Co-Chairs shall:

Preside over the Fundraising Committee.
Coordinate and oversee no less than one fundraiser per semester that can either benefit AKΣ as a club, the school wide community, or an outside organization.
Coordinate the Sophomore Formal each spring semester.

Section 9: Rush Co-Chairs

The Rush Co-Chairs shall:

Plan and oversee at least 2 new member meetings in the fall in addition to Rush Week and Initiation.
Be able to serve a full term
Setup and maintain a booth for the Involvement Fair.
Coordinate, oversee and take full responsibility for Initiation of new members in accordance to all Joint Club Board Policies.
Foster big/little relationships throughout the year.
Coordinate and facilitate Founders Day after Spring Initiation every spring semester
Host a Spring Rush Week and Initiation if decided upon by the discretion of the Executive Board.

Section 10: Women’s Empowerment Co-Chair

The Women’s Empowerment Co-Chairs shall:

Preside over the Love Your Body Week Committee and/or Women’s Empowerment Committees.
Plan and oversee Love Your Body Week.
Maintain a good relationship with Anna Marie’s Alliance.
Coordinate and oversee the annual Spring Daze Week.
Educate and Promote a healthy lifestyle in all aspects.
Maintain and grow relationship with the Office of Women’s Leadership.

Article II: Advisor
AKΣ will have one advisor. Both the President and Vice President are to meet with this advisor as often as necessary. The Executive Board shall meet with this advisor semi-annually.

Section 1: Advisor

The Advisor shall:

Be a representative of the College of Saint Benedict Faculty/Staff/Administration.
Attend AKΣ meetings as necessary.
Meet as necessary with the President and Vice President.

Article III: Executive Board and Committees
Executive Board and Committees of AKΣ may be created or dissolved by a majority vote of AKΣ. Standing Executive Board and Committees outlined in the following sections may only be dissolved by a unanimous vote of AKΣ.

Section 1: Executive Board

The Executive Board shall:

Be chaired by the President and consist of the Vice President, etc. using a consensus decision making model.
Meet every other week to discuss the status of the club and the developments of the meetings.
Engage in discussion and preliminary explorations of club issues.
Enforce the Constitution and Standing Rules of AKΣ.
Send the President or Vice President and another Executive Board member to attend meetings and conferences required by Student Activities.

Section 2: Committees

A. Committees may be formed on an as needed basis under a current Executive Member with approval of Executive Board.

B. Committees are voluntary but once a member is a part of a committee she is responsible for engaging in committee meetings and activities.

Article IV: AKΣ Elections for Executive Board

The AKΣ Executive Board shall be elected by a majority vote of AKΣ active members. Elections for President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer positions will be held in March. The elections for the rest of the Executive Board shall be held at the second to last sorority meeting. The new Executive Board shall take office the last AKΣ meeting of the year, and their term will last until the same time the following year.

Section 1: The Elected Executive Board
The elected member of the Executive Board shall include the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Service Co-Chairs, Social Co-Chairs, Public Relations Chairs, Fundraising Co-Chairs, Rush Co-Chairs, and Women's Empowerment Co-Chairs.

Section 2: Elected Executive Board's Requirement
Members of the Executive board shall attend all chapter meetings, attend all board meetings, attend a minimum of 5 social events per semester, attend a minimum of 5 service events per semester, and attend all events deemed mandatory by the Executive Board. If members of the Executive Board do not meet the minimum requirements for attendance at events within the period of a semester, they will be asked to step down from their current position on the Executive Board for the following semester./p>

Section 3: Election Guidelines

Elections of the Executive Board shall take place during a regular meeting and must be brought to the floor by the President.
To be considered for nomination, a member must be active and in good standing with the club, having not been on probation during their membership in the sorority.

Section 4: Election Procedures

The acting President, if in senior standing and not able to be nominated again for re-election, shall conduct the election process.
If the acting President is able to be nominated again than an active member with senior status at the College of Saint Benedict will preside over the election.
Voting shall be held in rank order.
To run for a position on the AKΣ Executive Board, a member may be nominated by another active member or self-nominated.
Nominations shall consist of presenting the name of the nominee.
Following the nomination of a member, the nominee must have a seconded by another active member. If there is no second, the member will not be eligible for the position.
If there is a second on the floor, the nominee shall then state why they are qualified for the position.
If self-nominated, the member shall simply state why they are qualified for the position and does not require a second by another sorority member to run for the desired position.
After all nominations have been given, the nominees shall leave the room and a debate shall take place for a maximum of five minutes by the members of the sorority to determine the best nominee.
Voting will be done by the blind raising of hands.
A 51% majority is required for a nominee to win.
If there is a tie between members then there will be a re-vote also needing a 51% majority vote to win.
The President is eligible to vote during elections; however, she can abstain but must break a voting tie if she chooses to abstain.

Section 4: Transition Procedures

Executive Board members leaving office shall train and transition newly elected Executive Board members individually, prior to the end of the semester. For these newly elected members who are studying abroad, the transition can take place via e-mail and during the summer. Old Executive Board members must put transition notes and event write ups up on their Google Drive folder by the end of their term so that newly elected Executive Board members may have sustainable resources.
Executive Board members leaving office shall keep in contact with their newly elected counterparts for the remainder of the semester following the elections.
Executive Board members leaving office shall return all AKΣ property and files prior to the end of the semester.

Section 5: Meetings

AKΣ meetings will be held every Tuesday of the academic year at 9:30 p.m. However, each semester, members may decide to meet every other Tuesday and/or at 9:00 pm with a majority vote taken at the beginning of the semester.
Meetings are open to the public, except when a closed session is called by the President or when voted or passed by two-thirds majority requested by another member.
Members should allow at least an hour for AKΣ meetings.
All meetings are mandatory.
If members leave early from any meeting or arrive late this will be taken into consideration when compiling absences. The following considerations and/or actions will be discussed by the President and Vice President in conjunction with the Secretary to: 1) decide if absences are legitimate, 2) give a formal warning, and 3) put them on probation.
A quorum, two-thirds, of AKΣ must be present to conduct any election or voting.
Special mandatory meetings of AKΣ shall be called at the discretion of the President, the Executive Board, or at the request of any three active members. Events can also be deemed mandatory two weeks prior to an event by the President, Executive Board, or any three members.
In the event that a sorority member leaves the sorority for a semester, and then asks the permission from the President or Vice President to rejoin the sorority, she will be allowed to rejoin with the consequence of being put on probation for that current semester.

Section 6: Event Attendance

During each semester of AKΣ all members are required to attend both service events and social events of their choosing and shall demonstrate involvement and dedication to AKΣ.
In the event that a member does not attend both service events and social events and/or does not demonstrate involvement and dedication to AKΣ, the President and Vice President will call a meeting with this member to discuss her involvement with the sorority and possible probationary status.
Periodically throughout each semester there may be mandatory events in which attendance of each member is required unless excused by the President or Vice President. Examples of these events are: Rush Week events, Initiation, Love Your Body Week, and Founder’s Day.
Exec board members are required to share dates and times of mandatory events with all members at least two weeks prior to the event so members are able to move around their schedules.

Article V: Removal from Office

A. As elected member of AKΣ, an Executive Board member is called to act in a responsible, honorable, and respectful fashion during the course of her leadership. Failure to comply with the following things may lead to the discussion of removal from office:

i. Incompetence, negligence, and unsatisfactory reporting.
ii. Failure to comply with any of the official duties as listed in the constitution and bylaws of AKΣ.
iii. Use of an Executive Board member's position for personal gain.
iv. Unexcused absences.

B. All grievances will first be brought to the attention of the Executive Board and then to the entire sorority for review. The process of discussing the possibility of removal from the AKΣ Executive Board may be initiated by:
i. Any member of AKΣ.
ii. The advisor to AKΣ.

C. Any AKΣ Executive Board member may be removed from office by a four-fifths vote by AKΣ.

D. Executive Board members who have been removed from office:
i. Must return all sorority property and files immediately upon removal
ii. Have the opportunity to appeal the decision of AKΣ concerning the final decision to the current advisor.
iii. May remain an active member of the sorority as long as the individual follows guidelines proposed by the AKΣ Executive Board and voted upon and passed with a 51% majority by the entire sorority.

Article VI: Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy occurring in the position of the President in the middle of a term, the Vice President shall assume the position of the President with the approval by a three-fourths vote of AKΣ. A special election will be held for the open positions.

Article VII: Discrimination
AKΣ admits students without regard to their race, religion, color, age, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and other activities, generally accorded or made available to members of the organization.

Article VIII: Hazing
AKΣ considers hazing to be a degrading and destructive activity which is inconsistent with the standards of this student organization. AKΣ recognizes the dignity of every person and opposes all forms of hazing.

Article IV: Benedictine Values

AKS agrees that it’s activity, mission statement and goals are consistent with the Benedictine Values.

Article X: Review of the Constitution

This constitution shall be reviewed and revised on a yearly basis by the Executive Board by the end of spring semester.
Any recommended revisions to the constitution must pass a two-thirds vote by the Executive Board in order to bring the proposed revision to the entire sorority to vote upon. The revision must then pass a two-thirds vote by the entire sorority in order to be implemented in the constitution.