The National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Georgia Institute of Technology

Constitution

Article I

The name of this organization shall be The National Society of Collegiate Scholars at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Article II

Section 1

The purpose of this organization shall be as follows:

1. To recognize and celebrate high achievement among first and second year students in all academic disciplines
2. To encourage and promote high standards throughout the collegiate experience
3. To provide opportunities for personal growth and leadership development for members
4. To provide scholarships, such as the Merit Award, Scholar Abroad, Scholar at Sea, and Graduate to member(s) who successfully apply and compete for these awards
5. To organize and encourage learning opportunities through community service
6. To foster an overall appreciation for the value of the higher education experience
7. To continue to uphold the standards determined by the Association of College Honor Societies as part of the organization’s membership

Section 2

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars agrees to abide by all rules and regulations which have been set forth for all students and organizations at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Article III

Section 1

Membership into The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is by invitation only and is open to students in all academic disciplines who meet the following criteria:

1. Successfully completed at least twelve credit hours but no more than sixty
2. First or second year student at the time of affirmation
3. Attain at least a 3.4 grade point average on the 4.0 scale and rank in the top 20% of their class
4. Complete and return the membership profile and confirmation of society membership
5. Pay the Society induction and lifetime membership fee

Section 2

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars at the Georgia Institute of Technology is a chapter of the national organization The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. A Board of Directors who are responsible for determining the Society induction and lifetime membership fee governs the national organization.

Section 3

Membership into the Society will not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, age, financial status, social status or sexual orientation.

Article IV

Section 1

This chapter should have a leadership group comprised of a president, executive vice president, vice president for community service, secretary, treasurer and any other officer that the Society chapter believes necessary to meet its goals.

Section 2

The Society officers shall be elected by a fair and democratic process.

1. Elections shall be held and reported to the national office by April 15
2. The outgoing officer board will hold a officer transition meeting with the incoming officer board
3. The outgoing officer board will end their term at the end of the spring quarter/semester
4. Newly elected officers will begin their term at the end of the spring quarter/semester

Section 3

The duties and responsibilities will be defined as follows:

1. For all officers:

1. Attend all officer and member meetings
2. Update your contact information at www.nscs.org
3. Maintain good communication with faculty advisor, officers, members, and the NSCS national office
4. Reply to all emails and phone messages in a timely manner
5. Maintain positive relationships with members
6. Collaborate with fellow officers to ensure the growth and development of the chapter
7. Motivate and inspire members to get involved
8. Familiarize yourself with the Officer Connection and Scholar Connection
9. Familiarize yourself with resources for officers available through the NSCS homepage: www.nscs.org
10. Transition all aspects of position to next elected officer
11. Familiarize yourself with the requirements of the STAR program

2. President:

1. Attend the Leadership Summit
2. Register chapter on campus as a recognized student organization
3. Plan and facilitate the growth and success of the chapter
4. Plan and coordinate chapter officer meetings
5. Plan and coordinate chapter general membership meetings
6. Meet regularly with chapter advisor
7. Determine Distinguished Member nominations with chapter and officer input
8. Maintain positive relationship with school by abiding by university/college guidelines
9. Act as a liaison between the national office and local chapter
10. Meet all deadlines set by the national office
11. Delegate chapter activity reports submission to the national office to appropriate officers
12. Organize officer elections and submit results to the national office by April 15
13. Facilitate transition process for new officer board

3. Executive Vice President:

1. Work with chapter president to assure the growth and success of the chapter
2. Oversee the planning of the induction convocation
3. Fulfill the duties of the chapter president in his/her absence

4. Vice President for Community Service:

1. Work diligently to involve members in community service initiatives
2. Work with the national office staff Coordinator of Programs to involve the chapter in national service initiative
3. Facilitate the generation of service ideas and goals for the year
4. Initiate contact and establish good rapport with necessary parties
5. Develop strong and varied communication practices
6. Be prepared, visible and accessible at all projects
7. Ensure appropriate follow up after activity

5. Vice President for Planning to Achieve Collegiate Excellence (PACE):

1. Work with the national office staff Coordinator of Programs on all components of PACE
2. Coordinate the NSCS PACE Junior High Outreach Program on campus
3. Establish and maintain relationship with junior high school staff
4. Recruit and train PACE volunteers on campus
5. Provide NSCS national office with regular updates in the form of activity reports via the NSCS website: www.nscs.org

6. Secretary-Treasurer:

1. Facilitate all correspondence and distribution of materials to chapter members
2. Record minutes of the leadership and general meetings
3. Submit minutes to chapter members and the NSCS national office via NSCS activity reports program: www.nscs.org
4. Prepare annual chapter budget in conjunction with the chapter advisor
5. Manage and oversee all financial transactions for the chapter, in conjunction with chapter advisor
6. Submit annual financial report to NSCS national office

Section 4

Faculty Advisor Term

A faculty or staff member of the institution shall be elected to serve as the advisor for the chapter. The amount of time the advisor serves in this capacity shall be individually determined but must be no less than one year. If an advisor chooses to resign for any reason, the advisor shall immediately notify the Society national office and meet with the chapter leadership to discuss and designate a replacement.

Section 5

Removal of Executive Board Member

An executive board member and advisor of a NSCS chapter may initiate removal of an elected officer if this officer meets one or more of the offenses designated in Article IV, Section 6. Final decision of removal from an office shall be subject to the approval of the executive board and advisor.

1. To initiate the removal of an elected officer, the situation will be brought to the attention of the executive board and the advisor.
2. The executive board and the advisor shall convene an officer meeting where at the officer in question will be given an opportunity to share his/her perspective on the matter.
3. After the meeting takes place, the executive board will then vote on whether the officers’ actions are grounds for removal. The advisor will not vote, but will ensure a fair decision is reached.
4. If there is a majority vote to remove the officer, they will be notified of the decision within two days. An officer can be removed from the execute board due to a failure to fulfill the duties of the position which are stated in the chapter constitution. Please refer to Article IV, Section 6 for a list of offenses. Once the officer has been removed, it is the duty of the chapter president to inform the national office of the decision and to hold a special election to fill the vacant position.

Section 6

Removable Offenses

A faculty or staff member of the institution shall be elected to serve as the advisor for the chapter. The amount of time the advisor serves in this capacity shall be individually determined but must be no less than one year. If an advisor chooses to resign for any reason, the advisor shall immediately notify the Society national office and meet with the chapter leadership to discuss and designate a replacement.

1. Failure to uphold duties of the positions as set forth by the chapter constitution
2. Failure to uphold appropriate conduct standards when representing NSCS
3. Misuse or misappropriation of chapter funds
4. Failure to comply with attendance requirements of all meetings as set fourth by the executive board unless granted an excused absence by the executive board

Article V

This chapter constitution may not be amended without written approval of the Society Board of Directors. Proposed amendments must be in writing to the executive director at the national office. This chapter constitution serves as the complement to the Constitution and Bylaws of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.