The By-Laws of ΤβΠ Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society California Alpha-Alpha Chapter California State University, Chico Article I government of the Society Section 1

ΤβΠ

Subject to the Tau Beta Pi Constitution and the By-Laws of the Society, the Society shall have full control of its individual affairs, and may enact By-Laws for its own guidance in all matters not herein fully set forth.

The officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary, a Treasurer and a Cataloger, who shall be active members, and serve as an Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Recording Secretary, the Corresponding Secretary, the Treasurer, the Cataloger and one Advisor that can attend the meeting. The Advisors will be elected to four year terms and will be up for re-election every fourth spring semester.

The Advisory Board shall act as an advisory and judiciary committee to determine the advisability of any action taken or proposed by the Society, which may be referred to it by a majority vote of the Society, or brought before it by the petition of a minority of the same, or on its own initiative. All challenges in the By-Laws of the Society must be submitted to, and approved by, the Advisory Board before going into effect. The Advisory Board must approve any such action or change by a majority vote.

The duties of the different officers of the Society shall be those usually performed by persons holding such offices and as the By-Laws of the Society shall direct with some additional duties to aid the chapter.

1. 
   There shall be but one class of members. (Members who have graduated and those who are no longer in school are herein referred to as alumnus/alumna members.)
   
2. 
   All members shall be elected and initiated by the Society.
   
3. 
   The election of all members shall be by secret ballot and by three-quarter vote of the active undergraduate membership of the Society.
   

1. 
   To be eligible for election as an undergraduate in engineering, the candidate shall be a student pursuing one of the regular, undergraduate, engineering, day curricula of the university. These curricula shall be Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. Students pursuing equivalent curricula in evening (night) school may be eligible to election after a five-sevenths favorable vote of the Advisory Board.
   
2. 
   No Student shall be initiated into membership during a summer session or if he/she is yet required to do more than seventeen months or less than one week of strictly academic work before his/her scheduled time for graduation in engineering.
   
3. 
   A student who has a G.P.A. of at least 3.0 and who is scholastically in the upper eighth of the junior class at the beginning of the junior year of his/her undergraduate engineering curriculum shall be eligible for election at that time. From this group a maximum of three, or twenty five percent of the current total active undergraduate membership, whichever is greater, may be elected to membership. Those elected from this group shall be known as “Honor Students.” The remainder of the students who were eligible for election at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.
   
4. 
   A student who has a G.P.A. of at least 3.0 and who is scholastically in the upper fifth of the senior class at the beginning of the senior year of his/her undergraduate engineering curriculum shall be eligible for election at the beginning of the first and second semesters of the senior year of his/her curriculum.
   
5. 
   Special students and those who are not candidates for an engineering degree shall not be counted in determining the enrollments or the numbers who are eligible for election.
   
6. 
   During any period when the length of the curriculum is being changed by the faculty, the Advisory Board shall have the power to modify temporarily the provisions of the above paragraphs.
   
7. 
   The cases of students whose eligibility is in doubt because of irregular standing or curriculum shall be referred to the Advisory Board for the determination of the terms and times of eligibility.
   
8. 
   For the purpose of this article, G.P.A. and scholastic ranking shall be computed strictly on the basis of courses taken at CSU, Chico.
   
9. 
   To be eligible for election as an undergraduate in engineering, the candidate must have completed at least twelve units in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at CSU, Chico.
   
10. 
    In determining the eligibility of undergraduate students transferring from other institutions, only their records made at CSU, Chico shall be considered and counted.
    
11. 
    Undergraduate students transferring from other institutions shall not be eligible for election until the third regular election after their initial registration. A student may be eligible at the second regular election after his/her initial registration provided the consent of a majority of the Advisory Board is obtained and he/she meets the other requirements for election.
    
12. 
    In considering candidates for election, the membership committee shall first obtain from the registrar alphabetical listings of the names of students in the junior year and students in the senior year of the college of engineering. This list shall be attached to a cover sheet explaining the process for release of private information to the Membership Committee. Those students who are eligible and wish to be considered for membership must sign alongside their names on the listings, thus releasing to the membership committee their G.P.A.’s and class rankings. The membership committee shall then obtain from the registrar the G.P.A.’s and class rankings of those students who have signed releases.
    

CIVL: 211, and taking 311, 321, or 313

CMPE: 211

EE: 211

MECA: CIVL 311 and EE 211

(n) To be considered a senior, a student shall be in the last year of his/her undergraduate engineering curriculum, and shall have completed the following courses or their equivalent in his/her respective curriculum:

CIVL: 411 or 431

CMPE: 344

EE: 315 and 344

MECH: 340 and MECA 380

MECA: 380, ME 340 and EE 344

(o) The upper eight and fifth of a class shall be determined by the relative G.P.A. based upon the net number of regular engineering students enrolled in the junior and senior classes at the time of the election.

(p) One or more failures in a person’s undergraduate record shall not prevent his/her consideration and election.

(q) Eligible students who wish to be considered for membership will be evaluated as initiates for a semester hereafter referred to as the Initiate Semester. During the initiate semester all initiates must devote a minimum one hour per week to tutoring of engineering related courses which they are competent in and must attend at least half of the announced general meeting held during the semester.

(r) Eligible students who have demonstrated unchanging patterns of gross misconduct, which can be proven to be so, will not be admitted as Initiates.

(s) After Eligible students are separated into groups, hereafter referred to as Initiate Groups, the Initiate Group must complete a group project to the satisfaction of 3/4of the interviewing group by vote.

Section 3:

1. 
   The election of initiates as members shall be held after the initiate semester has been completed.
   

2. 
   Normally, there shall be only two elections and initiations of undergraduates held each year, namely, near the end of the first and second semesters of the school year.
   

(a) A graduate of this university may be elected to membership if he/she was:

(1) Graduated before the establishment of the Society and would have been eligible for membership had the Society existed prior to his/her graduation;

(2) Eligible as an undergraduate but was overlooked, rather than considered and rejected, or was eligible under Section 2 but was not considered because of the scholastic rules of the Society at that time;

(3) Elected when he/she was an undergraduate but declined membership at that time for financial or other reasons;

(4) Considered as an undergraduate but was rejected for reasons judged proper by the Society at that time; a candidate may be elected under this subsection only by a seven-eighths favorable vote of the active membership of the Society or a five-sevenths vote of the Advisory Board.

(b) To be eligible for election to membership under this Section, a candidate must be actively engaged in engineering profession; he/she must be a person of character, ability and integrity; he/she must have a continuous record of intellectual activity and of attachment in engineering; he/she must be a person such as an undergraduate member might be expected to become.

(c) The qualifications with regard to active engagement and attainment in engineering as specifies in Section 4(b) need not be required of candidates who otherwise are eligible under Section 4(a)(1).

Members in any other society, fraternity, or association shall not debar a candidate from election.

If an ineligible person is initiated by error or mistake, the evidence in the case shall be referred by the President, or by the officials of the Society, to its Advisory Board, for its judicial decision as to whether or not the person is said to have been ineligible shall be considered and accepted as a member.

The Society may arrange for and hold such meetings as it desires, but at least one business meeting and one general meeting of a social, literary or technical character shall be held each semester, except in the summer, in addition to the meetings held for the consideration, election, and initiation of candidates for membership.

Amendments to the Constitution shall be proposed as by-laws by any active member of the Society.

Any amendment proposed in the manner specified above in Section 1 of this Article may be adopted and ratified by at least a three-fourths favorable vote of the active members present and entitled to vote at that Society meeting. A five-sevenths vote of the Advisory Board may also adopt and ratify any amendments proposed in Section 1.

1. 
   There shall be an election of the Society’s officers each academic year. They shall take office one month before the annual convocation in May. The officer elects will be trained during the spring semester by the retiring officers.
   

2. 
   The retiring officers shall turn over all the records to their successors, and these records shall be up-to-date in all regards. It shall be the first duty of each incoming officer to familiarize himself/herself with these records and to see that they are in good order and up-to-date, and if not, to try to get the cooperation of his/her predecessor before that latter leaves the university.
   

3. 
   The records shall include the loose-leaf roll and record books, the minutes of the meetings, of the Society for the current and previous years, and the Treasure’s accounts and files.
   

The Society shall have standing committees on Membership, Initiation, Program, Social Activities, and such committees as the Society shall desire and establish. Except by special Society action by three-fourths majority vote, the President of the Society shall decide upon the size of each of the committees and shall appoint its membership, preferably after conference with his/her appointee as chairperson of the committee.

The Vice-President of the Society shall be the Chairperson of the Program Committee and shall have as his/her special duty the advancement of the technical and professional education of the active members.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the rolls and record books of the Society and the minutes of the meetings of the Society, completely written and up-to-date.

The cataloger of the Society shall keep an up-to-date catalog of its active and alumnus/alumna members, giving the full name, the home and school address of each member, and the names of the officers and members of the Advisory Board. Also, the cataloger is in charge of keeping a log of all service hours of the active members with the Society.

The expenses of the Society shall be borne by the initiation fees, by fund raising events, and by such assessments as may be voted at any regular meeting of the Society as the Society may decide, by a three-fourths affirmative vote of all the active undergraduate members, and subject, on appeal, to the approval of the Advisory Board.

The budget of the estimated expenses of the Society for that next school year shall be prepared in March or April by the officers of the Society. It shall be the special order of business of one of the regular spring meetings.

In the event that the Society is dissolved, all remaining funds shall be divided equally among the student engineering societies.

A majority for the consideration of routine business shall consist of the active membership; for the election of new members, for changing the initiation fee or dues, and for the passing of an assessment on the members of the Society, the active members of the Society; and for the approval or disapproval of a proposed amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws of the Society, the active members.

The two elections of new members each year shall be held within the first six weeks after the start of the academic year in the fall and within the first six weeks of the second semester. Initiations shall follow within six weeks and shall not be delayed unnecessarily.

(a) In considering candidates for election, the Membership Committee of the Society shall first obtain from the registrar alphabetical listings of the names of students in the junior year and students and students in the senior year of each engineering department. This list shall be attached to a cover sheet explaining the process for release of private information to the Membership Committee. These student who are eligible and wish to be considered for membership must then sign alongside their names on the listings, thus releasing to the Membership Committee their G.P.A.’s and class rankings. The Membership Committee shall then obtain from the registrar the class rankings, by year, and the G.PA.’s of these students who have signed the releases.

(b) A student who has a G.P.A. of at least 3.0 and who is scholastically in the upper eighth of the junior class at the beginning of the junior year of his/her undergraduate engineering curriculum shall be eligible for election at that time and at the beginning of the second semester of his/her junior year.

(c) A student who has a G.P.A. of at least 3.0 and who is scholastically in the upper fifth of the senior class at the beginning of the senior year of his/her undergraduate engineering curriculum shall be eligible for election at that time and at the beginning of the second semester of his/her senior year.

(a) Students shall be considered by class groups collectively within the three engineering colleges (civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering and mechanical engineering).

(b) In computing one-eighth and one-fifth of the enrollment of the regular junior and senior classes, any fraction shall be rounded to the next integral value. If the lower limit of the one-eighth or the one-fifth of the enrollment falls within a group of students who have the same G.P.A., all such names shall be considered.

(c) Members elected as from a certain class who drop back to a later class, shall not be counted with the later class, nor in the quotas there from, when computing the quotas for purposes of election.

The averages shall be computed on the grade point system. The total number of units taken and grade points earned at CSU, Chico shall be determined for each year of the curriculum in accordance with this system. Units and grade points from other institutions shall not be counted. Units obtained by examination, unless graded according to quality, shall not be considered in computing the G.P.A. “Incompletes” shall not be considered or counted.

(a) All eligible candidates for the election shall be placed on alphabetical lists by year. Copies of these lists shall be presented to the interviewing committee for their inspection and general discussion prior to the interviewing meeting.

(b) In addition to this discussion, the candidates shall be invited to attend an interviewing meeting to enable us to evaluate their character and to become mutually acquainted prior to election.

Section 6:

Copies of the lists shall also be submitted to selected faculty members. These faculty members shall be asked to rate the students whom they know on a decimal scale, with respect to the following characteristics: Personal appearance, capacity for leadership, character, and social qualities. The faculty members shall also be asked to make additional statements regarding the fitness of any candidate, and to recommend consideration of students who might possibly have been overlooked.

The lists prepared according to Sections 5 and 6 shall be presented to the interviewing committee at least one day before the election interview meeting. There shall be an informal discussion before the election interview meeting to discuss the candidates.

Anyone eligible under Constitutional Article II must be elected by an affirmative vote of a majority of the interview committee present at the election interview meeting.

The election of members shall be conducted by the President of the Society, or by a member of the Advisory Board, or by an alumnus/alumna member, designated by the President. The electees shall be informed of their status by invitation to the general meeting.

A list indicating which students have been elected and which students have not been elected shall be filed with the Chairperson of the Advisory Board. This list shall also indicate the students who declined election and their reasons.

An undergraduate member shall be an active member as long as he/she attends at least three meetings or activities per semester logged by a roll sheet. Also, they must complete at least fifteen hours of club service per academic year. An active member must also be a current student at CSU, Chico. If these requirements are not met then the member is no longer active. To become an active member he/she must plead their case to the Advisory Board and obtain a five-sevenths vote. So long as he/she is an active member, a student shall be required to pay to the Society all dues, assessments, and fines payable by the active members of the Society.

Initiation requirements shall be determined by a committee comprised of the Society officers.

While electee duties for the initiates are permissible, they shall be limited to tasks and duties which are a test of a candidate’s intellectuality and mentality rather than his/her physical strength and endurance, and shall not consume an inordinate amount of time of a student, to the detriment of his/her required university work. Physical violence, offense to dignity or decency, and public exercise which will make the candidate look ridiculous shall not be permitted.

As part of the initiation ceremonies, each initiate shall sign the roll book of the Society, giving his/her full name and permanent address. Each sheet of the roll-book shall have as a caption the pledge to support the Constitution, By-Laws, and the ideals of the Tau Beta Pi Society. These electees shall be serially numbered from the establishment of Tau Beta Pi.

Every member shall be given a certificate of membership, a key, and a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws.

Joint dinners, luncheons, dances, and similar activities with other organizations may be held where it has been formally decided by the Society and the Advisory Board to be desirable. Joint initiation ceremonies with other associations, fraternities, sororities, or societies shall not be held.

Amendments to the By-Laws shall be proposed by an active member of the Society.