Proposed Bylaws of the Engineering Honor Society
of the School of Information Technology and Engineering
at
George Mason University

         Section 1. These Bylaws shall govern the proceedings of this Society in all matters.

         Section 2. This Chapter shall conform to the rules and regulations of George Mason University as may apply to all student organizations.

         Section 3. In the event of conflict between these Bylaws and the rules and regulations of George Mason University, the rules of George Mason University shall prevail.

         Section 4. Abbreviated references herein to the Bylaws of this document shall be made in the form of

         Section 1. The Society shall be composed of members chosen from among eligible students and alumni on the basis of distinguished scholarship or professional attainment and exemplary character.

         Section 2. The Society shall have full control over its individual affairs, which control shall be exercised by the active membership of the Society and its Advisory Board. An "active member" of this Society shall be defined as an active undergraduate and as defined therein, shall have the privilege of voting on new members and on the amounts of the initiation fee, dues, fines, and assessments, and on establishment or changes to the chapter governance.

         Section 3. The offices of this chapter shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and a Treasurer who shall be active members of the chapter, and four advisors, representing the four undergraduate degree programs, who will be elected from among the faculty of the School of Information Technology and Engineering.

         Section 4. The advisory board of the chapter shall be composed of all the officers and the four advisors. The chair of the advisory board shall be elected by its members at the first board meeting of the year.

         Section 5. The four advisors on the advisory board shall serve four year terms. All other officers shall serve for one year or until their successors are duly installed.

         Section 6. The duties of the officers shall be those usually performed by people holding such offices and those prescribed in these Bylaws or by chapter action.

         Section 7. The President shall be this Chapter's official representative. The other officers shall be alternates in the order given in SEH - II, 3.

         Section 8. The following extra duties shall be required of the officers.

                 a. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
                 b. The President shall see that each officer and committee chair is provided with a written list of specific duties for which each is responsible. A copy of that list shall be placed in the secretary's notebook.
                 c. The Secretary shall see that each candidate accepting election receives a copy of these Bylaws and such other materials as this Chapter may deem, desirable.
                 d. The Secretary shall notify each active member and advisor of the time, place, and purpose of each chapter meeting at least one week in advance of the meeting.
                 e. The Secretary shall serve as Secretary of the advisory board.
                 f. The President and Vice President shall pay a courtesy call on the Dean of SITE early in the Fall term to discuss ways in which the Chapter may be of service to the School. The substance of the discussion shall be reported to the Chapter at the next Chapter meeting.

         Section 1. The following regular meetings shall be scheduled and held once each year: Organization and Election and Installation of Officers. Other regular meetings, to be scheduled and held once in the Fall and once in the Spring semesters are Discussion of Election Procedures, Election of Candidates, and Initiation of Electees.

         Section 2. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or any Advisor or upon written request to the President signed by 20% of the active members of the Chapter.

         Section 3. Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary guide of the Chapter in all matters not covered in these Bylaws.

         Section 4. The first meeting of each semester shall be held within two weeks of the start of the semester.

         Section 5. The officers shall present a complete calendar of the regular meetings of the Chapter for the semester to the active members for their approval no later than the second meeting of the semester.

         Section 6. Notices sent to active members and advisors announcing meetings shall clearly state the time, place, and purpose of the meeting.

         Section 7. Business meetings, other than the Election Meeting, shall last no longer than two hours, unless extended by an affirmative vote of three fourths of the active members present. The order of business at these meetings shall be as follows:

                 a. Members in attendance
                 b. Minutes of the previous meeting
                 c. Reports of Officers
                 d. Reports of committees
                 e. Unfinished business
                 f. New business
                 g. Adjournment

         Section 8. Attendance of the active members shall be required at all regularly scheduled meetings of the Chapter, unless excused by the President for the reasons which he or she judges to be good and sufficient. A member who must miss a regularly scheduled meeting shall submit his reason to the President, in writing, before the next meeting, unless the excuse is illness.

         Section 9. The President shall call a meeting of the Advisory Board at the beginning of each semester to discuss Chapter activities for the semester. The minutes of each Advisory Board meeting shall be read at the following regular meeting of the Chapter. Additional meetings of the Board may be called by any of its active members or upon written request to the Chair of the board signed by 20% of the active members of the Chapter.

         Section 10. A quorum for the consideration of routine business shall be a majority of the active membership of the Chapter; for the election of new members, for changing the initiation fee or Chapter dues, for passing an assessment on the members of the Chapter, for amending the Chapter Bylaws, and for the election of officers, the quorum shall be two thirds of the active membership. A quorum for an Advisory Board shall be five members of the Board.

         Section 1. The President shall appoint the chair and members of the following committees: Membership, Initiation, Program, and such other committees as the Society shall desire and establish. Appointments shall be made at the next Society meeting following each initiation of new members.

         Section 2. As early as possible after committee appointments are made the President shall provide each committee chair with a list of his specific duties and responsibilities.

         Section 3. Each committee chair shall make a report on the progress of his group's activities at each Society meeting.

         Section 1. Election of new members shall be held in the Fall and Spring semesters as soon as possible after grades for the previous term become available.

         Section 2. Eligibility of students shall be as defined by the Constitution and Bylaws of The Engineering Honor society, Tau Beta Pi.

         Section 3. Scholastically eligible students in the following curricula shall be considered for membership in the society; Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Urban Systems Engineering, Computer Science.

         Section 4. Transfer students shall be eligible for consideration at the third regular election after their registration. Such students may be eligible at the second regular election after their registration, provided the consent of five-sevenths of the Advisory Board is obtained.

         Section 5. The cases of students whose scholastic eligibility is in doubt because of irregularities in standing or curriculum shall be determined by the Advisory Board of the Society.

         Section 6. The Society may elect to specify scholastic requirements higher then those stated in the Tau Beta Pi Constitution and Bylaws.

         Section 7. The membership committee shall consult with the chairs of various engineering departments to determine the names of alumni, faculty members, and others who may be eligible for membership under the provisions of the Tau Beta Pi Constitution and Bylaws.

         Section 8. Exemplary Character Evaluation

                 a. A list of scholastically eligible candidates shall be circulated to selected faculty members of the Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi. The faculty shall be asked to make recommendations on candidates they know and also to suggest persons who may have been overlooked.
                 b. A pre-election meeting shall be held. At this meeting there shall, be an Informal discussion of the eligible candidates along with a discussion of the faculty recommendations obtained.
                 c. A get-acquainted meeting shall be held at which the Society members will meet the candidates. The candidates shall be introduced to the purposes and activities of the SITE Engineering Honor Society.
                 d. An election meeting shall be held at least one week after the pre-election meeting.

         Section 9. Voting Procedures

                 a. At the Election Meeting, the Eligibility Code shall first be read.
                 b. The election of senior candidates shall precede the election of junior candidates. Each name shall be presented in order of decreasing class rank for discussion and shall be voted on before the following name is considered.
                 c. After all names have been considered and voted on, there shall be a second individual ballot, to be taken in the same order, for each student who failed election on the first ballot.
                 d. No student who falls election on the second ballot shall be considered further unless one third of the members present so request.
                 e. No student who fails election on the third ballot shall be considered again at this election. The student may be considered again at the next election if he or she is then eligible.

         Section 10. The President shall direct the Membership committee to have sufficient letters of notification of election prepared in advance of the Election Meeting. These letters should be signed by the President, addressed to the electees, and mailed within six hours of the Election Meeting.

         Section 11. All members shall keep the election results in absolute confidence so that no candidate shall learn of his election except by means of the official letter; likewise, no candidate shall be informed of the details of the vote, especially concerning the personal matters discussed at the time of voting.

         Section 12. At the first meeting of electees, the President shall explain the requirements, objectives, and activities of the Society. Those electees desiring to accept election shall formally state their acceptance, in writing, in a letter addressed to the President.

         Section 13. Each electee who refuses initiation for financial reasons shall be interviewed by the Advisory Board, as required by the Tau Beta Pi Constitution and Bylaws.

         Section 14. Each electee shall be required to take part in an activity recommended or approved by the Society officers to foster a spirit of liberal culture.

         Section 1. The student officers and a faculty member of the Advisory Board shall be elected in the spring semester.

         Section 2. Nominations for officers shall be made by a nominating committee appointed by the President. The committee shall be instructed to nominate two candidates for each office. The Dean, SITE, will nominate two candidates for an expiring Advisory Board faculty member position. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the Election of Officers Meeting. All nominees must express their willingness to serve in the respective offices. Reports of the nominating committee shall be made at a scheduled Society meeting, or by mail to the active members, at least one week prior to the Election of Officers Meeting.

         Section 3. The Election of Officers Meeting shall be held as specified by the Robert’s Rules of Order and special guidelines as required by George Mason University. Officers-elect shall take office at the end of the Election of Officers Meeting. During the period following the election until the end of the school year, each out-going Officer shall work closely with his newly elected officer counterpart to pass on information related to the duties and responsibilities of the office and to ensure appropriate files are conveyed to the newly elected officers. Transfer of financial records between the past and newly elected Treasurer is contingent upon an audit as required by SEH-VII, 8.

         Section 4. The election of officers shall be by a paper ballot. Two-thirds of the active membership shall constitute a quorum for the Election of Officers Meeting, and a majority of the quorum shall be required for election. A vote by the members present will cause the nominee receiving the least number of ballots to be dropped from further consideration until one receives a majority vote.

         Section 5. If any office becomes vacant between regular elections, a special election shall be held at the next Society meeting to fill the vacancy. The officer elected shall serve until the next regular election.

         Section 1. The expenses of the Society shall be borne by the initiation fee and such dues and pro-rata assessments as may be voted by the Society. A majority vote of the active membership shall be required to change any fees or dues or to levy any assessment. (See SEH-II, 2 and SEH-III, 10.)

         Section 2. The initiation fee for all initiates shall be $12.00, payable in advance of initiation, to the Society Treasurer. This amount covers the operating expenses of the Society.

         Section 3. Shortly after the Election of Officers Meeting a committee composed of the newly elected and out-going Presidents and Treasurers shall prepare an operating budget for the next year. The budget shall be submitted to the Society for approval by a majority vote at the first regular meeting in the fall semester. The budget shall include a recommended amount for the initiation fee to be charged during the year. Any additional expenses not provided for by the adopted budget must be approved by the Society.

         Section 4. The Society shall use a bookkeeping system which will allow full tracking and audit of income and expenses.

         Section 5. There shall be at all times a balance of at least $50.00 in the Society treasury. A sum of no more than $20.00 may be kept in petty cash by the Treasurer.

         Section 6. Requests for expenditures or reimbursements will be prepared by the Treasurer and processed through the Tau Beta Epsilon Foundation Account Program Director.

         Section 7. The Society's fiscal year shall be May 1 to April 30.

         Section 8. Before the end of the fiscal year, at least one faculty member of the Advisory Board shall audit the Society's books. If necessary the Treasurer and Treasurer-elect shall file Internal Revenue Service's Form 990.

         Section 9. No part of the net earnings of the Society will inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, members or officers of the Society or to any other individual.

         Section 1. It is the intent of this disciplinary Bylaw to impress the membership with the seriousness of the purpose of this Society and to enable the officers and dedicated members of this Society to accomplish necessary business in a manner not inconvenienced or encumbered by a lack of interest on the part of a few members.

         Section 2. A uniform system of fines for habitual absence or tardiness may be established each year in which it is desired by the Society. A majority vote of the active membership shall be required to establish this system of fines for a period of one year.

         Section 1. All permanent records of the Society shall be kept current and up-to-date.

         Section 2. All records and an inventory of all physical equipment owned by the Society shall be turned over to the new officers at the Election of Officers Meeting.

         Section 3. All records of this Society shall be open for inspection to any official of George Mason University who has receives approval from the Advisory Board.

         Section 1. These Bylaws may be suspended only by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the active membership of the Society and a four-sevenths affirmative vote of the Advisory Board.

         Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any three active members of the Society. A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the President and signed by the members proposing it.

         Section 2. These Bylaws may be amended by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the active membership of the Society, subject to approval of the Advisory Board.

         Section 1. In the event of dissolution of the Society, the residual assets shall be distributed to the Dean, School of Information Technology and Engineering. Any such assets not disposed of shall be distributed to a Federal, State, or Local Government for public purposes.

         Section 1. These Bylaws were adopted by vote of this Society and its Advisory Board and became effective on {Date}. They were last amended on {Date}

Signed {Signature}, President

Signed {Signature}, Advisory Board Chair

Last Modified: November 22, 1996