Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity

Zeta Eta Chapter Bylaws

(Drafted August 23, 2011)

The Zeta Eta Chapter Bylaws of the Zeta Eta Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity shall
contain governing policies specific to the Zeta Eta Chapter and shall be adhered to in conjunction with
other required policies, as stated by the National Constitution.

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Zeta Eta Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity,
hereafter referred to as the Zeta Eta Chapter. The Zeta Eta Chapter shall be located at The University of
California at Riverside (hereafter referred to as UCR) in Riverside, California. The Zeta Eta Chapter is a
non-profit student organization.

Article II: National Affiliation

The Zeta Eta Chapter is a chartered member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity.

Article III: Purpose

In carrying out the purpose of Phi Sigma Pi, the Zeta Eta Chapter shall strive to personify and encourage
three ideals:
1. The acquisition and dissemination of knowledge through scholarship,
2. The application of professional skills and the fostering of leadership qualities by promoting and
advancing the welfare of humanity, and
3. The fostering of non-discriminatory, fraternal fellowship within Phi Sigma Pis ranks.
Zeta Eta Chapter shall constantly endeavor to make these ideals dynamic in the lives of its members.


Article IV: Membership

Section 1: Persons of good academic standing and excellent character shall be eligible for membership in
the Zeta Eta Chapter.

Section 2: Membership in the Zeta Eta Chapter will be open to undergraduate students of UCR who have
completed a minimum of one semester or one quarter of college work at the sheltering institution and
have achieved at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. All new Collegiate Members of the Zeta Eta
Chapter must meet the initiation requirements of the Zeta Eta Chapter.

Section 3: Membership into Phi Sigma Pi through the Zeta Eta Chapter is open to the qualified members
of the UCR community. Active membership of this student organization shall be chosen without
discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, color, disability, national origin, age,
or marital status.

Section 4: To remain a Collegiate Member in good standing, the member shall:

1. Pay National dues and fees and Chapter dues by the third regularly scheduled Chapter meeting of each
semester.
2. Adhere to the chapters Attendance Policy (See Section 8).
3. Serve on at least one permanent committee per quarter and attend all regularly scheduled committee
meetings per quarter.
4. Maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00.
5. Fulfill and log 6 Library Hours per month.

Section 5 : Any member not in good standing shall immediately be placed on disciplinary probation until
the consequence of 4 additional hours of tabling, library hours, or initiate events are served; or for the
duration of the quarter. After consequences have been served or that quarter ends, the member will be
reinstated on good standing status.
- If a member is placed on disciplinary or academic probation for the second quarter in a row, they will
immediately be placed on suspension. After that quarter ends, the member will be reinstated on good
standing status.
- If member is placed on disciplinary or academic probation for the third quarter in a row, they will be
immediately placed on suspension and will be subject to expulsion.

Section 6: A Member may request National Inactivity for the quarter. The member must enter the request
in writing and must be approved by the Executive Board. Collegiate Members who are currently
participating in an accredited or academically recognized cooperative education program, internship, or
study abroad program which does not meet or hold classes at the sheltering institution shall be eligible for
National Inactivity. Nationally Inactive Collegiate Members shall be exempt from paying national dues
and shall not be subject to attendance requirements of the Collegiate Chapter.

Section 7: A Member may request Local Inactivity for the quarter. The member must enter the request in
writing for reasons such as, excessive academic schedule, family emergency, or other situations beyond
the Members control. The granting of Local Inactivity by the Executive Board shall waive the members
requirements as outlined in Article IV, Section 4. The Member must still pay National Dues. If Locally
Inactive, the Member also relinquishes the right to vote on all Chapter issues. Two consecutive quarters of
Local Inactivity may be grounds for expulsion by a formal vote of the Active Collegiate Members of the
Chapter.

Section 8: The Zeta Eta Chapters Attendance Policy will be as follows:
- Attendance is mandatory at all events, meetings, and ceremonies, unless otherwise specified
- Absences will be split into 2 different types: excused and unexcused. All absences must be excused by
emailing the chapter email at least 24 hours prior to missing the event. If a Brother does not give 24 hours
notice prior the absence will be considered unexcused. (extenuating circumstances will be acknowledged)
- An unexcused absence will result in immediate placement on disciplinary probation.
- Attendance will be taken promptly 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time for all events and
ceremonies. Any member arriving after attendance has been taken without prior notice will be considered
late.
- Any member arriving more than 5 minutes late to any meeting without prior notice will be considered
late.
- An attendance score shall be kept for every member, and be calculated as follows:

Phi Sigma Pi events attended - Unexcused absences - (Excused absences*.5) + (Number of Lates*.5)

- Attendance records will be kept by the Secretaries and President in the form of a GoogleDoc or other
online system. This will be shared with all members such that any member can view it at any time.
- Upon obtaining 3 excused absences, members shall be notified by the Recording Secretary via email of
their attendance score standing.
- In the circumstance of work conflicting with an event, any member may be excused by emailing the
chapter email at least 24 hours prior to missing the event at the cost of one excused absence.
- In the circumstance of class conflicting with an event, any member may be excused by emailing the
chapter email at least 24 hours prior to missing the event while including a snapshot of their current class
schedule from GROWL.ucr.edu under the Classes category for verification.
If the stated class conflicts the entire duration of the event, the member will be excused at no cost to their
attendance score. However, if the class does not conflict the full duration of the event, the member will
only be excused for the overlapping time at the cost of half an excused absence, and will still be held
accountable for attending the event. If the member fails to attend the event, they will be held accountable
at the cost of one full excused absence.

Article V: Chapter Advisors

The Chapter Advisor of the Zeta Eta Chapter shall be elected by the members of the Zeta Eta Chapter
following a nomination by a Chapter member in a manner approved by the UCR. To advise and counsel
the Chapter and the Members, the advisor must be a full-time faculty or staff of the Zeta Eta Chapter, and
its Members and make a reasonable attempt to ensure that all business conducted by the Zeta Eta Chapter
meets the UCR policies. At least one of the sheltering institutions staff shall be designated the official
Chapter Advisor.

Article VI: Officers

Section 1: All officers shall possess at least the minimum requirements of a Collegiate Member and have
at least a 3.0 grade point average, and must remain in good academic standing with the University.
Candidates for Officers should have at least one full quarter of Collegiate Membership (not including the
quarter of initiation), with the exception of President, whom should have at least two full quarters of
Collegiate Membership.

Section 2: Election of Officers
1. A simple majority of the Collegiate Members (quorum) present at a regular meeting shall be required to
elect the officers.
2. Election of officers shall be held at a regularly scheduled meeting with nomination having been taken
from the floor at the previous Chapter meeting. If an office fails to garner nomination of an Collegiate
Member, then nominations for that office may be taken at the regularly scheduled meeting in which
elections are being held.
3. Officers shall be elected no later than the fourth to the last meeting before the end of the spring semester
to insure officer transition.
4. The term of office shall be one year; from July 1
st
to June 30
th
. The old officer must facilitate an officer
transition program. This responsibility falls under the President to ensure a successful transition.
5. Elections will be in the Winter quarter, the transition program will begin in the Spring quarter, and the
new officer will be officially instated at the last meeting or end of the year banquet in Spring quarter.

Section 3: Additional officers may be elected at the discretion of the Chapter.

Section 4: To ensure financial security, the signatures of both the President and the Treasurer will be
required on any fraternity financial disbursements.

Section 5: The officers of the Zeta Eta Chapter are the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary,
Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Recruitment Advisor, Initiate Advisor, Historian and
Parliamentarian. These members comprise the Executive Board.

Section 6: All officers shall submit an end-of-semester report (Form 110) to the Corresponding Secretary
by a date predetermined by the Corresponding Secretary.

Section 7: Additional duties of each officer are as follows:

A. President- the President shall:
a. Adhere to the duties as outlined in the National Constitution.
b. Assist and oversee the officer transition at the end of each officers term.
c. Assume or delegate the responsibilities and roles of vacant officer and committee positions until the
vacant position can be filled.
A. Vice President- the Vice President shall adhere to the duties as outlined in the National Constitution.
B. Secretary (Recording)- the Secretary shall:
a. Keep a record of all proceedings of the Chapter and Executive Board meetings of the Chapter and enter
such minutes in a permanent record;
b. Be responsible for the distribution of the minutes to the Executive Board before the next regularly
scheduled meeting and have the minutes available for review by the membership of the Chapter;
c. Be responsible for the attendance records of the Chapter;
d. Maintain for the Chapter the approved fraternity roll book requiring the signatures of all members at the
time of the members Induction. All member shall be number sequentially in the Chapter Roll;
e. Preside over the meetings of the Chapter in the absence of the President and Vice President;
f. Be a voting member of the Executive Board.
C. Secretary (Corresponding)- the Secretary shall;
a. Be responsible for all correspondence pertaining to the Chapter and correspondence distribution to those
designated;
b. Be responsible for compiling and submitting all required membership lists and other required affiliation
documentation to the appropriate divisions of the sheltering institution to ensure continued affiliation;
c. Be a voting member of the Executive Board.
D. Treasurer- the Treasurer shall adhere to the duties as outlined in the National Constitution.
E. Recruitment Advisor- the Recruitment Advisor shall:
a. Be responsible for reviewing and updating the Recruitment Program of the Chapter.
b. Be responsible for maintaining and upholding the integrity of the Recruitment Program of the Chapter in
relation to the National Constitution, the rules of the sheltering institution, and any rules established by
the Chapter;
c. Be responsible for the planning and implementation of the recruitment program as approved by the
members of the Chapter;
d. Report recruitment activities and send a complete and detailed description of the recruitment program to
the national head quarts by the specified due dates;
e. Be a voting member of the Executive Board.
F. Initiate Advisor- the Initiate Advisor shall adhere to the duties as outlined in the National Constitution,
and is responsible for the Ritual.
G. Historian-The Historian shall adhere to the duties as outlined in the National Constitution, to include
teaching, making and preserving history and recognize Founders Days at the National and Local level.
H. Parliamentarian - the Parliamentarian shall:
a. Maintain order at all official Chapter meetings and events
b. Preserve, supply and submit all national and Chapter Forms, documents, records, the National
Constitution, Chapter bylaws, the ritual, other documents, and supplies;
c. Be responsible for maintaining and upholding Roberts Rules of Orders;
d. Serve as Sergeant at Arms, ensuring all members adhere to chapter policy;
e. Be a voting member of the Executive Board at the Chapters discretion.

Section 8: Vacancies
A. Vacancies in the Executive Board shall be filled by nomination and election (as prescribed by these
bylaws) by the Chapter no later than the second regular Chapter meeting after the vacancy occurs.
B. The officer-elect shall be installed after election and shall serve out the remainder of the predecessors
term of office.
C. In the occurrence that an Executive Board position remain open after primary nominations and
elections, the requirements of one full quarter of Collegiate Membership for Officers and two full quarters
of Collegiate Membership for President (not including the quarter of initiation) shall be excused.

Article VII: Committees

Section 1: Standing committees exist from year to year. The Vice President shall have the authority to
form committees at his/her discretion. Committees shall be responsible for electing a chairperson no later
than the second committee meeting.

Section 2: Chairperson Responsibilities
A. The chairperson of each committee will serve as a non-voting member on the Executive Council, which
will help to advise the Executive Board on each committees activities.
B. The chairperson of each committee shall submit an end-of-semester report (Form 110) to the
Corresponding Secretary by a date predetermined by the Corresponding Secretary.
C. The chairperson of the Alumni/IC Relations Chapter will also serve as the Regional Delegate for Zeta
Eta Chapter.

Section 3: Standing Committees
- Committees must plan events in a way such that all events are within 2 weeks of each other.
A. Fund Raising Committee: Plans all revenue making projects for the Chapter.
B. Service Committee: Plans projects for the Chapter members to become involved with service to the
university and surrounding communities.
C. Social Committee: Plans social, recreational and intramural events.
D. Public Relations Committee: Preserves the history of the Chapter, promotes the public image of the
Chapter to the university and surrounding communities and creates a Chapter newsletter. Also responsible
for creating and purchasing apparel for the Chapter.
E. Scholarship Committee: Creates Chapter awards for deserving members, plans educations and cultural
events for the Chapter, provides speakers for the Chapter on topics concerning students and maintains a
program to ensure each member is upholding the high academic standards of Phi Sigma Pi.
F. Alumni/IC Relations Committee: Creates an alumni newsletter, maintains a database with up-to-date
addresses of the Chapters alumni and plans alumni functions which allow the alumni to interact with
Chapter Members. Also plans and coordinates all functions and events with other collegiate chapters of
Phi Sigma Pi.
G. Initiation Committee: Plans and implements the initiation program as approved by the Chapter,
promotes and instills in the initiates the ideals of Phi Sigma Pi, ensures that all initiation activities are in
accordance with the National Constitution.

Section 4: The Vice President shall have the authority to form special committees and specify their length
of service with the approval of the Executive Board when the need arises.

Article VIII: Meetings

Section 1: The Chapter shall regularly meet once a week at a time and place to be determined by the
Chapter. The date of the first scheduled meeting of the following semester shall be called by the President
at the last meeting of the present semester.

Section 2: Quorum shall consist of at least a simple majority of the Collegiate Members in good standing.

Section 2: The following rules shall be followed for conducting regular meetings: the National
Constitution, the National Operating Policies, the Zeta Eta Chapter Bylaws and Roberts Rules of Order.
Each meeting shall be ended with Spotlight, where Members can share their accomplishments of the
week.

Section 3: The Zeta Eta Chapters voting procedures shall follow Roberts Rules of Order.

Article IX: Finances

Section 1: In addition to the National Dues of Phi Sigma Pi, the Zeta Eta Chapter shall levy additional
Chapter Semester Dues in accordance with Chapter needs. Each member shall pay these specified dues,
as determined by the Zeta Eta Chapter, to the Treasurer. Any Collegiate Member in the semester
immediately preceding the present one shall be considered an Collegiate Member until the start of the
third regularly scheduled meeting. At this time, the Member shall be considered on disciplinary probation
until dues are paid in full or special arrangements have been made with the Chapter Treasurer.

Section 2: A minimum balance of two hundred dollars or what is required by the financial institution at
which the Zeta Eta Chapters accounts are held shall be established for the treasury. This is to ensure that
a viable fund shall be on hand at all times to provide for any emergency allocations which may occur.

Section 3: The Zeta Eta Chapters fiscal year begins July 1 and ends the following June 30. The financial
policies of the Zeta Eta Chapter shall be governed by a budget adopted at the beginning of each fiscal
year.

Section 4: UCR officials shall have the right to audit the financial records of the Zeta Eta Chapter.

Article X: Disciplinary Actions of the Chapter

Section 1: The Zeta Eta Chapter shall abide by all federal, state, county, and municipal laws and shall
adhere to all the UCR policies regarding student organization consequences.

Section 2: A Collegiate Member may be placed on Disciplinary Probation by a majority vote of the
Executive Board for any violations under Article IV; Section 4, of the Zeta Eta Chapter. While on
disciplinary probation, a member is still required to adhere to all chapter policies, but is not allowed to
vote during meetings. Also, they are not permitted to run for office, attend social events, or be a Big
Brother and must serve the consequence of four additional hours of tabling or library hours within 30
days of the missed event or incident that placed the stated member on disciplinary probation.
Alternatively, members on disciplinary probation may satisfy consequences by attending additional
initiate events, each supplementing two hours worth of tabling or library hours.

Section 3: A Collegiate Member may be placed on Academic Probation as a result of not maintaining the
national minimum GPA requirement of 3.0. While on academic probation, a member is still required to
adhere to all chapter policies, but is not allowed to vote during meetings or attend social events. Also,
they are not permitted to run for office or be a Big Brother and must serve the consequence of six
additional hours of library hours per month for the duration of the quarter.

Section 4: Any Collegiate Member (including Inactive Members) may be disciplined, including but not
limited to being suspended or expelled for non-payment of dues and fees or for conduct unbecoming a
member of Phi Sigma Pi by a two-thirds vote of the Active Collegiate Members of the Zeta Eta Chapter.
While on suspension or expulsion, a member is not allowed to represent Phi Sigma Pi in any way nor are
they allowed to attend Phi Sigma Pi meetings or events.

Section 5: The Executive Board shall notify the accused member and the official Chapter Advisor if there
is to be a hearing to impeach, suspend, or expel a Member of Phi Sigma Pi. The notice shall be sent by
certified and return receipt mail. The notice shall advise the accused Member of the time and place that
the Zeta Eta Chapter will hear the case.

Section 6: Discipline Hearing Procedures

1. Chapter officers may be removed from office by impeachment for failure to perform the duties of their
respective offices. All members shall be suspended or expelled based upon the severity of the offense as
determined by the trial.
2. A motion calling for impeachment, suspension or expulsion shall be accepted from an Active Collegiate
Member. This motion must be accepted by a two-thirds Vote of the Collegiate Members present with
quorum before any action can be taken.
3. A trial board shall be convened to investigate the validity of the motion for impeachment, suspension or
expulsion. The trial board shall consist of eight Collegiate Members and one officer all of whom shall be
chosen at random (not including the accused or the accuser). For further information regarding trial
boards, see Roberts Rules of Order.
4. The trial board shall meet within two weeks of convening. The trial board shall investigate the charges
and make a recommendation to the Chapter within two regular meetings. In order for the trial board to
reach an objective decision, both the accused and the accuser shall be granted equal time to present
positions in relation to the case.
5. After the trial board makes its recommendation, it shall take a two-thirds vote of the entire Active
Collegiate Membership to impeach, suspend or expel the accused. If the accused is impeached, immediate
resignation from the office shall be required.
6. To be reinstated from expulsion, the expelled member must present their case to the general body, and
will be reinstated with a two-thirds (2/3) vote.

Section 7: Any Collegiate Member (including Executive Board) may be subject to discipline, as a result
of unprofessional/inappropriate behavior, based upon a system of offenses. The first offense consists of
being placed on disciplinary probation. An additional offense or failure to lift the status of disciplinary
probation within 30 days will result in the automatic placement on suspension.

Article XI: Authority

The Zeta Eta Chapter shall abide by all federal, state, county, and municipal laws, and shall adhere to all
of the UCRs policies regarding student organizations.

Article XII: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended at any regular or special Chapter meeting by a two-thirds vote of the
Collegiate Members, provided the amendment was submitted in writing to an officer at least 24 hours
before the meeting at which it will be voted upon. All amendments shall be in agreement with University
regulations and policies and are not approved until reviewed by a Student Life official. Organizations
must notify their Organization Advisor in Student Life once the new document has been uploaded into the
system for review.

Article XIII: Ratification

These bylaws shall become effective upon approval by the membership of the Zeta Eta Chapter of Phi
Sigma Pi Honor Fraternity.

Article XIV: Dissolution

In the event of dissolution of the Zeta Eta Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity the
Chapters funds in the treasury will be sent to the National Office as a donation to Phi Sigma Pi National
Honor Fraternity, as per the National Constitution.