InterFraternity Council Constitution
Stevens Institute of Technology
Preamble
We, the members of fraternities at Stevens Institute of Technology, realize the need to strengthen the fraternity system, and in order to secure a greater unity in our aims and objectives and to establish an effective regulation of InterFraternity affairs, do hereby establish and subscribe to this Constitution.
Article I. Name
There shall be a society consisting of undergraduate students who, believe in the principles of the Fraternity system and self government, ordain and constitute the InterFraternity Council of Stevens Institute of Technology, which shall hereinafter be referred to in this constitution as the IFC.
Article II. Mission Statement
The IFC at Stevens Institute of Technology, an entity directed to address the needs of the member fraternities, shall operate as a model organization whose sole purpose is to self govern, to educate, and to promote a true sense of community.
Article III. Purpose
The IFC shall function as a legislative, administrative, and judicial body. Its objectives shall be, but not limited to: providing an organization which promotes intellectual and social interactions within and among fraternities, coordinates the operations and represents the Stevens Institute of Technology fraternity system.
Article IV. Membership
Section 1. General Membership
A. The IFC shall consist of the undergraduate representatives of the Stevens Institute of Technology chapters of the following Greek letter, social fraternities:
Alpha Sigma Phi Theta Xi
Beta Theta Pi Phi Sigma Kappa
Chi Phi Delta Tau Delta
Sigma Nu Chi Psi
B. Any men’s fraternity chapter or colony affiliated with a general fraternity is eligible for membership in the IFC. (In no way shall this be construed to include the various business and professional, scholastic, service, or other Greek Letter organizations, not by nature of constitution men’s general fraternities.)
C. There shall be four classes of membership: regular, provisional, academic probationary, and probationary.
1. A regular member of the InterFraternity Council is any chapter recognized by Stevens as a fraternity, which meets the minimum standards set forth in Article VI of the Council’s By-Laws.
2. A provisional member is any group or colony to whom the
InterFraternity Council extends membership.
3. An academic probationary member is a member of the IFC who fails to maintain the grade standards of the InterFraternity Council set forth in Section IV and VII of the By-Laws of this organization.
4. A probationary member is a member of the IFC who fails to maintain the minimum standards set forth in By-Laws Section VI or has been placed on probation by either the InterFraternity Council’s judicial system of by Stevens, due to the violation of the Institute Policies for Student Life or the rules of IFC.
Article V. Organization
The general organization of the IFC shall consist of the Executive Committee, the Judicial Board, and such committees as may be authorized and controlled by the IFC. The legislative council shall be composed of IFC representatives delegated by the fraternities in good standing.
Section 1. Board of IFC Representatives
A. Each fraternity man must be a member of their fraternity for at least two full semesters before being eligible to be elected an IFC Representative. Representatives will be the only voting members of IFC and shall have one vote each.
B. The IFC President will vote only in the case of a tie.
C. A quorum shall consist of representation from two-thirds of the legislative council.
D. If the representative is unable to attend a meeting, he must designate an alternate representative.
E. All Executive appointments made by the President shall come from the men in IFC regular member fraternities.
Section 2. Officers and Committee Chairs
A. The Executive Committee of the IFC shall consist of:
1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Judicial & Risk Management Officer
4. Treasurer
5. Secretary
B. The duties of the officers shall be as described in the By-Laws of the IFC.
C. The procedure for elections shall be as described in the By-Laws of the IFC.
D. The Administrative Committee of the IFC shall consist of:
1. Director of Standards
2. Director of Academics
3. Director of Recruitment
4. Director of Public Relations
5. Philanthropy Chair
6. Social Chair
7. Communications Chair
8. Member Development Chair
9. SGA Representative
E. The duties of the Administrative Committee heads shall be as described in an attachment to the By-Laws of the IFC.
Section 3. The Standing Committees of the IFC shall be:
Scholarship Standards
Public Relations Recruitment
Social Philanthropy
Communications SGA Representative
Member Development
Section 4. Honor Board Clause
A. Any member running for office must make public any prior or pending Honor Board violations.
Article VI. Meetings
Section 1. The procedure and frequency of IFC meeting shall be as described in the By-Laws of this
organization.
Section 2. Quorum
A. No official business may be conducted without quorum. A quorum is defines as two-thirds (2/3) of the voting membership of the IFC.
Section 3. Undefined Points
A. Whenever this Constitution of its By-Laws do not apply, Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised will be adhered to.
Article VII. Powers
The IFC shall hold and execute such powers as delegated to and as accepted by the IFC from the member fraternities and the Stevens Institute of Technology. These powers shall consist of, but not be limited to:
A. The power to provide for the general welfare of the Greek Fraternity System and the members of this council.
B. The power to establish laws governing all InterFraternity relations including recruitment, pledging, conduct, and all matters of general fraternity concern.
C. The power to enforce any laws or regulations through the appropriate procedures as herein provided or as provided by the By-Laws.
D. The power to impose penalties for the violation of any laws by any member fraternity as provided by the Constitution or By-Laws.
E. The power to work actively for the expansion of the Stevens Fraternity system in a manner that will do the greatest good for all concerned.
F. The power to sponsor InterFraternity and Sorority activities which will foster better social relations among fraternities, sororities, their members, the Stevens community, and the Hoboken community.
G. The power to make all such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the above powers.
Article VIII. Expansion
Section 1. An existing social fraternity who wishes to affiliate with the IFC must submit a formal and
written request to the IFC and the Office of Student Life requesting provisionary
membership status.
Section 2. The Greek Council shall issue an invitation to the petitioning fraternity to become a
provisionary member once the petitioning group has met the requirements for provisionary
status in Article VIII of the IFC By-Laws.
Section 3. The process for admitting a new fraternity to the IFC is defined in Article VIII of the IFC By-Laws.
Article IX. By-Laws
Section 1. The By-Laws of the IFC Constitution shall be considered as a part of this Constitution, save that their amendment shall require a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote and shall be tabled for one week.
Section 2. No By-Laws shall supersede this Constitution.
Article X. Amendments
Section 1. Referendum
A. Amendments shall become effective upon a four-fifths (4/5) affirmative vote of the IFC.
B. The Greek President’s Council (GPC) must be notified of all changes to the Constitution at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
Article XI. Attachments
Section 1. The IFC Executive Committee shall maintain all rules, regulations, and procedures relating
to the administration and clarification of the By-Laws as an attachment to this Constitution.
Section 2. The legislative body of the IFC may, by majority vote, require the alteration or elimination of
any attachment.
Article XII. Interpretation
Section 1. Any questions on the interpretation of this Constitution or By-Laws, shall be reviewed by the
Vice-President and his committees.
Section 2. The interpretation rendered by the Vice-President’s Committee on the Constitution can only be
superseded by a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the IFC.
Article XIII. Ratification
Section 1. This Constitution shall supersede all previous Constitutions of the IFC.
Section 2. This Constitution shall take effect upon the ratification of three-fourths (3/4) of all active
fraternity member presidents.
InterFraternity Council By-Laws
Stevens Institute of Technology
Article I. Membership
The classes of membership in the IFC shall be Regular Membership and Provisional Membership, as described as follows:
Section 1. Regular Membership may be attained by meeting the following requirements:
A. An organization must be a provisional member for at least two (2) semesters.
B. A provisional member must meet all minimum standards in Article VI of the By-Laws for the semester prior to its request for full membership status.
C. The IFC Representative Board must approve the request for full chapter status by a three-fourths (3/4) affirmative vote.
Section 2. Provisional Members are entitled to the following privileges and subject to the following
Regulations:
A. Full participation in the Council and all its programs, activities, and services.
B. The provisional member shall have no vote in the IFC or any IFC Standing Committee.
C. The provisional member is subject to all rules and regulations of the IFC and Stevens Institute of Technology.
Section 3. Academic Probationary Members of the IFC may regain full membership
once they meet the IFC academic policy outlined in Article VII of these By-Laws. While an Academic Probationary Member, a fraternity shall maintain all rights and privileges of a Regular Member, however they shall have no vote in IFC.
Section 4. Probationary Members of the IFC may regain full membership through the
following procedures and under the guidance of the Standards Committee (chaired by the
Director of Standards).
A. The Director of Standards shall have the following responsibilities to probationary members:
1. Act as advisor to the group on such problems as financial, academic, and recruitment matters.
2. Receive regular progress reports from the group covering financial, academic, and membership areas.
3. Send a representative to the group’s meetings at least once a month to observe and answer questions.
4. Assist the group in obtaining the stability needed for regular membership.
5. Submit a recommendation to the IFC at such time as the probationary member petitions for regular membership.
B. Petition for Full Membership may be made:
1. When the group has met the membership requirement and expectations of future membership.
2. When the group attains financial stability as determined by the Standards Committee with the advice of the Dean of Student Life.
C. As the probationary group petitions, the Standards Committee shall submit a report of the group’s stability, financial, academic and/or organizational, along with a recommendation to the IFC.
D. A three-fourths (3/4) vote of the IFC is necessary before the group is admitted to full membership.
E. Provisionary members are subject to all provisions of this Constitution and By-Laws, unless otherwise stated. Probationary members must participate on all IFC committees and in all IFC functions.
F. Any probationary member may appeal its probationary membership to the Executive Committee in the Fall semester of each year.
Article II. Organization
Section 1. Duties of the officers of the IFC Executive Committee shall be as follows:
A. President
1. The President shall represent IFC before
Administration, faculty, Board of
Trustees, Panhellenic Council, and
any other organization as necessary.
2. The President of the IFC shall be the administrative head of IFC, and shall
preside over all meetings of the IFC and the executive board.
3. The President shall make appointments necessary for the administration of the
affairs of IFC, upon consultation with the executive board.
4. Appoint all non-elected chairmen with the approval of the IFC executive
board.
5. Manage the interactions between all member chapters and solve any problems or
conflicts that may arise.
6. Represent and act in the best interest of the IFC and the fraternity system
at all times.
B. Vice President
1. The Vice President of the IFC shall be
chairman of the administrative committee.
2. Will act as counsel to the President and assist him in planning, adopting,
and executing the policies and programs of the IFC.
3. Decide on all questions of parliamentary procedure and be well versed on the
IFC Constitution and Bylaws.
4. Act as guardian of the IFC Constitution and Bylaws.
C. Judicial and Risk Management Officer
1. Act as chairman of the IFC Judicial Committee.
2. Maintain the IFC Judicial Files and complete all necessary correspondence to
National Organizations, Stevens, and the Community regarding judicial matters.
3. Take an active role in educating all fraternity men on Risk Management
Policies by direct contact with the chapters and through Member Development
programming.
4. Identify areas of risk in the Greek community and take measures to correct
them.
D. Treasurer
1. The treasurer shall develop an annual budget
for IFC.
2. Supervise the finances of IFC. He shall keep accurate, up-to-date financial
records of all IFC business.
3. Be responsible for the proper assessment and collection of all dues, fees,
and fines.
4. Work closely with any committee concerned with the disbursement of all IFC
funds.
5. Be responsible for monitoring the financial status of all chapters with
regard to IFC matters, shall set prompt schedules of payment, and shall notify
the IFC President when a chapter is financially delinquent.
E. Secretary
1. Record accurately, and send to the members of
IFC, the minutes of IFC, Executive Committee, Administrative Committee, and
Greek Presidents' Council meetings.
2. Duplicate and distribute the minutes of the IFC meetings to the IFC
Representatives no later than the following meeting.
3. Maintain membership lists of all fraternities and to check attendance and
accept written excuses for absences at all IFC meetings.
4. Conduct all IFC correspondence with the fraternities, administration,
faculty, Greek Presidents' Council and other campus or non-campus organizations
as directed by the president.
Section 2. Duties of Administrative Committee Heads shall be listed in Attachment I of these By-Laws.
Section 3. Elections of officers shall be according to the following procedure and guidelines.
A. Nominations for IFC officers will begin on the third to last meeting of the fall semester.
B. Speeches shall be given during the last meeting of the Fall semester.
C. Elections of officers shall be held during the last meeting of the Fall semester.
D. Officers will officially assume their duties during the first week of January.
E. Candidates for office must fulfill the following requirements.
1. They must have a minimum of a 2.25 GPA.
2. They must have at least one semester of active experience with their respective fraternity, except for the office of President which requires a minimum of three semesters of active experience with their respective fraternity.
F. A candidate must receive a majority vote, of over one half (1/2) of the voting members present to win.
G. Voting will be in descending order, beginning with the Office of President.
H. A candidate cannot be nominated for more than one office. However, defeated candidates may be nominated for one other office from the floor at the election meeting.
I. If any office is vacated, an election to fill the vacancy shall be held at the next meeting of the IFC following the notification of all fraternity representatives.
J. No fraternity president shall hold office of President of the IFC.
K. All officers of the IFC must be enrolled at Stevens Institute of Technology throughout their tenure in office.
L. Each fraternity, represented by their IFC Representative, shall have one vote on all questions.
M. In the absence of its representative, a fraternity may be represented by a recognized representative and have voting power, provided the President of the IFC has been notified.
N. The President shall vote only in the event of a tie.
Article III. Meetings
Section 1. The IFC shall meet once every other week during the regular academic year except during final examination week.
Section 2. The executive board of IFC shall meet once a week to conduct business and to prepare for the regular meeting.
Section 3. All regular meetings of the IFC shall be open to any fraternity undergraduate member.
Section 4. Special meetings of the IFC can be called at the discretion of the President.
Section 5. Special meetings may also be called by two-thirds of the IFC representatives, with 24 hour notice to all other members and officers.
Section 6. At the discretion of each committee chairman, the committees of the IFC shall meet to conduct business specific to them.
Section 7. Voting shall be conducted on the basis of one vote for each IFC Representative.
A. Each fraternity in good standing who is a regular member of IFC shall have one voting representative. Good standing shall be defined by the Executive Board.
B. The IFC President shall have voting privileges in the event of a tie, or the next highest officer in his absence (i.e., Vice President)
Section 8. Absences
A. In the event of an absence of any representative of any fraternity, the fraternity shall send an alternate who shall have voting privileges.
B. In the event of an absence of any representative due to a resignation of his post, the respective house must elect a representative to complete the remainder of his term by the following meeting.
C. Failure to attend a meeting or to duly appoint a substitute shall be considered unexcused absence. The penalty is described below:
1. One absence: A written warning sent to IFC representative and house president.
2. Two or more absences: House fined $1.00 per brother and placed on social probation for a minimum of two weeks. Further punishment to be determined by Executive Committee.
3. The penalized chapter’s representatives are required to attend all meetings throughout this period.
D. Excused absences are those that are written or e-mailed and approved by the IFC President or Secretary.
Article IV. Dues
Section 1. Definition
The IFC will determine the number of members in a chapter by the number of students the Dean of Student Life Office uses in determining the Chapter’s Grade Point Average for the previous semester. If the number of members is not available, the last recorded number may be used.
A chapter will pay dues according to the number of members in the chapter during the directly preceding semester.
Section II. Obligations
A. The IFC shall distribute bills for each member fraternity within seven working days of the first day of classes of each semester.
B. Member chapters of the IFC shall pay dues in the amount requested by the Treasurer and approved by the Executive Committee per fall and spring semesters.
C. Member chapters shall pay dues in a timely manner. Unless an individual payment plan is made and consented to by and between the IFC and a member chapter, any outstanding balance carried by a member chapter shall be considered past due if extant 14 days after bills are distributed.
D. Any past due outstanding balance carried by a member chapter will result in the chapter being considered “Financially Delinquent.”
E. A member chapter shall be considered “Financially Delinquent” and remain subject to all conditions pursuant to said designation until such time as the chapter has zero balance due or is current to a mutually consented payment plan between the IFC and the member chapter.
F. A member chapter shall be considered “Financially Delinquent” and remain subject to all conditions pursuant to said designation until such time as the chapter updates its scholarship information in the Office of Student Life.
G. Payment plans can be created for any chapter that requests such a provision. Said plans must be documented and consented to by both an authorized representative of the member chapter requesting a payment plan (chapter president, treasurer, chapter advisor, or national fraternity representative), and an authorized representative of the IFC (IFC President, Treasurer, advisor, or Dean of Student Life).
Section III. Consequences
A. A member chapter designated as “Financially Delinquent” forfeits the right to claim the following benefits:
1. Any type of recruitment resources.
2. IFC programming, save education or New Member programs.
3. Voting rights at IFC and Greek Presidents’ Council meetings.
4. Involvement in IFC intramural sports.
B. A member fraternity, regardless of financial standing, shall retain the following rights:
1. Attendance at IFC and Greek Council meetings, and the opportunity to voice opinions and defenses of chapter positions and situations.
2. Involvement in all IFC sponsored educational programming.
3. Counsel with the IFC Executive Committee.
Section I. The name of the judicial body of the IFC shall be the InterFraternity Council Judicial Board
(IFJB).
Section II. Jurisdiction
A. The IFJB shall be responsible for all judicial functions of the IFC.
B. The Committee will have the power to mediate disputes “involving Fraternities and/or individuals of Fraternities.
C. The Committee is empowered to act in cases involving breaches of the rules and regulations of the IFC.
Section III. The membership of the IFJB shall consist of the Judicial Board Representatives, comprised of
one person selected yearly from each fraternity.
A. The Judicial/Risk Management Officer of IFC shall serve as IFJB chair. If formal complaints have been filed against the Judicial/Risk Management chapter, the IFC President shall chair the IFJB. The chair shall vote in the event of a tie.
B. The IFC Secretary shall record the minutes of the hearing, but shall have neither voice nor vote.
Section IV. Infractions may be as follows.
A. Violation of the IFC Constitution or By-Laws.
B. Violation of the IFC Code of Conduct.
C. Violation of the IFC Risk Management/Drug & Alcohol Policy.
D. Damages resulting to any property by any fraternity member.
E. Any infractions of the IFC or Stevens Constitution or By-laws during a Greek sponsored event.
F. Any infractions of IFC’s or Stevens’ Constitution or By-laws during a Greek sponsored event.
G. Matters referred to the IFJB by any faculty, staff, student, or member of the Stevens community.
H. After reviewing an infraction, the IFJB has the right to refer the case to another judicial body if they deem necessary.
Section V. No member fraternity may be punished by the IFC without having the opportunity to appear
before the IFJB.
Section VI. Formal Complaints:
A. Any individual or group may file complaints against any fraternity or one of its members with IFJB.
B. A written bill of complaint must include a summary of the alleged infraction, the alleged individual or group involved, and the name of the individual and group who originated the complaint.
C. There shall be a separate complaint and specification for each alleged infraction. The time, place, and circumstances of each infraction shall be set forth as clearly as possible.
D. When formal complaints are filed, the accused fraternity shall be served by the IFJB chair with a written notice to appear before the IFJB. The notice must be received and acknowledged 1 week before the date of the hearing.
E. Complainants must be present to state their complaint and sanctions desired.
F. No member fraternity may be tried twice for the same formal complaint, but new complaints with new evidence may always be filed.
Section VII. Judicial Board Selection
A. There will be one representative and one alternate representative per full member fraternity, excluding any accused or accusing fraternity, for each hearing brought before the IFJB
B. Selection Process for Judicial Board Juror
1. Full member fraternities, excluding any accused or accusing fraternity, shall be required to appoint a representative and an alternate representative to serve as a juror at the request of the IFC Judicial Chairman.
2. All jurors must attend any judicial training or meetings as required by the Judicial Chairman.
3. Failure to appoint a representative and an alternate representative or failure to attend any training, meetings, or hearings as required by the Judicial Chairman shall result in the Fraternity forfeiting the right to have representation or vote on the IFJB. In addition, the Executive Committee shall place probationary restrictions and/or monetary fines not to exceed ten dollars per brother on the offending fraternities.
Section VIII. Pre-Hearing Procedures
A. Complaints against other fraternities must be filed in writing no later than a week after the occurrence of, the first awareness of, or the discovery of the responsibility for that incident.
B. The Judicial Chair shall hand deliver and explain to the President or Vice President of each fraternity involved, or the individual(s) involved, documentation which would include the time, date, and place of the hearing along with a copy of the complaint that is being heard; what is expected of each party; and a copy of the hearing procedure that will be followed, at least one week before the hearing.
C. Each involved party may choose up to three representatives, aside from witnesses, for its counsel.
D. At least 48 hours before the hearing, the fraternity, or individual(s), named in the complaint must submit a written statement that includes if they are responsible or not responsible, a statement that summarizes the reasoning of responsibility, and a list of witnesses to be called.
E. Failure to comply with Section VIII. D shall result in the offending party being found delinquent of IFC procedure, with suitable punishment to be decided by the IFJB.
Section IX. Hearings
A. Hearings shall be open to the public, the Chair has the power to limit the crowd if it threatens the integrity of the proceedings.
B. Members of the board may remove themselves from the proceedings if the hearing would be in some way a conflict of interest.
C. Following the hearing, the IFJB shall deliberate in private. It can decide to:
1. Disregard the complaint on the grounds of:
a. No apparent violation.
b. Insufficient evidence.
2. Fine the fraternity or individual(s) responsible for the alleged infraction and impose sanction(s) as appropriate.
D. All decisions will be made by a unanimous vote of the IFJB.
E. A written copy of the decision will be hand delivered to the involved parties within 1 week of the hearing.
F. If any involved party fails to appear at the hearing, it will proceed without them.
Section X. Hearing Procedure
A. Call to order:
1. Introduction of hearing board members.
2. The Chair shall determine if all pre-hearing procedures have been correctly observed and brief participants on hearing procedure to be followed.
B. Read complaint.
C. Read the response submitted by fraternity, or individual(s), named in the complaint.
1. If Responsible:
a. Statement by the complainant.
b. Statement by the fraternity, or individual(s), named in the complaint.
c. Recess for deliberation and determination of sanctions.
d. Adjournment.
e. Parties given copy of decision with 1 week.
f. Fraternity, or individual(s), named in the complaint notified of the right to appeal within 2 weeks.
2. If Not Responsible:
a. Statement by the complainant, witnesses, and evidence.
b. Statement by the fraternity, or individual(s), named in the complaint, witnesses, and evidence.
c. Rebuttal evidence.
d. Closing arguments.
e. Recess for the deliberation.
i. If found responsible, follow 1.e. & f., above.
ii. If found not responsible follow 1.e. above.
D. Members of the IFJB may ask questions at any time.
Section XI. Appeals
A. Appeals may be sought for the following grounds:
1. Biased hearing.
2. Excessive sanction.
3. New evidence not available at the time of the hearing.
4. Improper hearing procedure, damaging to the accused.
B. A written appeal must be filed with the IFJB Chair no later than two weeks after the hearing.
C. The Board of Appeals will be the IFC Executive Committee.
D. Each fraternity represented on the Executive Committee shall have only one voting member for the purposes of appeal.
a. If more than one member of the Executive Committee comes from one fraternity, the highest ranking official shall have the vote.
E. Members of the Executive Committee with a conflict of interest in the case shall remove themselves from hearing the appeal.
F. In order to review the hearing, the Executive Committee will examine all documents related to the hearing and if necessary, or available, review the tapes of the hearing.
G. If an appeal is sought based upon a biased hearing, the Executive Committee can vote to act as follows:
1. Deny the appeal.
2. Rehear the case itself.
3. Send the case back to the IFJB for rehearing and instruct the Chair to remove the biased member.
H. If the appeal is based upon excessive sanction, the Executive Committee can vote to:
1. Leave the sanction imposed.
2. Lower or remove the sanction.
3. Increase the sanction.
I. If new evidence is discovered, the Executive Committee after reviewing the evidence can vote to:
1. Deny the appeal.
2. Send the case to the IFJB to be retried.
J. If the appeal is sought based upon improper hearing procedure, damaging to the accused, the Executive Committee will vote as follows:
1. Deny the appeal.
2. Rehear the hearing itself.
3. Send the hearing back to the IFJB to be reheard.
K. All decisions are to be made unanimously.
L. A written copy of the decision will be provided to all involved parties within 1 week of the appeal.
Section XII. IFC Executive Review
The purpose of the Executive Review is to provide fraternities with an alternative to the formal Review Board procedure of the IFJB. In certain complaints, where the evidence is undisputed by all parties, this process may serve as a fair and expedient means of bringing closure to a conflict between members or a violation of IFC rules or policies.
A successful review settles differences without the formal process of a hearing, and provides a solution acceptable to all without involving multiple witnesses and time consuming discussions.
I. Infractions:
Reports may be submitted to the Judicial Officer for Executive Review. A time and a place for the review shall be scheduled within 1 week of receipt of the report and shall:
1. Be scheduled at the convenience of the participants.
2. Be conducted by a neutral moderator.
3. Be held as soon as possible.
4. In complaints where a member of IFC is accused of violating IFC rules/policies, then the IFC Executive Committee shall act as the complainant represented by the IFC Judicial Committee Chairman.
5. Provide pertinent materials for everyone: a copy of the infraction report, copies of submitted evidence, and relevant rules.
6. Identify the Alleged violation or problem.
7. Provide time for each participant to explain his/her position.
8. Select a fair and reasonable course of action, specific, and doable.
9. Agree to keep the discussions private when appropriate.
10. Take written minutes (not on tape).
11. Before the review closes, be sure everyone knows the results of the discussion.
12. Be sure questions by all parties are answered satisfactorily.
II. Choosing a moderator:
A moderator shall be selected who is available to serve when necessary as a neutral party to the review process. Judicial Chair, IFC President, IFC Advisor, or a person that the Executive Board sees fit shall be offered to serve as the moderator.
III. Role of the moderator:
The moderator shall chair the review and may assist the participants in arriving at a mutually agreed to resolution. The moderator is empowered to suggest solutions or, if the dispute is determined to be irresolvable, move that the dispute go to the IFC Review Board.
IV. Participants:
Participants must include the moderator, the president of the involved chapters, and may include one additional member of the involved chapters, an advisor from each chapter involved, the IFC Advisor, IFC President, IFC Judicial Chair, or any other pertinent IFC position. Executive Committee members who have evaluated and/or endorsed the report may not serve. The Judicial Committee or its members shall not serve because in most instances it will serve as the appeal agency.
V. Records:
A secretary shall be appointed to record the minutes. The minutes are to be submitted to the secretary of the Judicial Board if closure is not reached by Executive Review.
VI. Completion:
The agreement reached in Executive Review is recorded and copies are given to the chapters and their advisors involved in the review. The Judicial Board Chairman is responsible for seeing that any agreements are fulfilled.
VII. Appeal to the Judicial Board
1. If an Executive Review is not successful, the issue may be appealed by the cited member to the IFC Judicial Review Board.
Section XIII. Sanctions
A. If found responsible for infraction, sanction shall be determined within 96 hours.
B. Sanctions are decided upon with majority vote.
C. The IFJB may choose from among the following sanctions, but is not limited to:
1. Admonition: This includes verbal or written reprimand that the fraternity’s actions
were inappropriate and were not a positive reflection of the Greek Community. A copy of the admonition may be sent to the regional and national officers, advisors, House Corporation Boards, Alumni Boards, the Dean of Student Life, and other persons or organizations as determined by the IFJB.
2. Monetary Fines: The maximum fine as a method for punishment is $3,000. All fines
are to be used for educational, scholastic, or member development purposes as approved by the IFJB.
3. Restitution: The fraternity must pay the complete amount of all damages to property.
4. Community Service: Each member of the fraternity will be required to complete a
number of community service hours determined by the IFJB. The projects used for this sanction must be approved by the advisor of the IFC and must be completed by a specific date
5. Educational Programming: At least three-fourths (3/4) of the fraternity’s members
must attend a program relevant to the violation. This program must be approved by the advisor of the IFC
6. Social Probation: The IFJB limits social functions of the fraternity with no alcohol permitted in common areas.
7. Probation: The organization has been found to be in violation and, during no more
than one calendar year, if the group is found again in violation, a more severe penalty will be imposed.
8. Suspension: This action will include the loss of voting membership in IFC for no
more than one calendar year and may include any of the following stipulations:
a. No participation in IFC/GC sports as an organization or by any member of the fraternity on behalf of the organization. However, this stipulation in no way may limit individual or group utilization of recreational facilities for informal recreation.
b. No combined function with any sorority chapter within the Pan Hellenic Council of Stevens Institute of Technology.
c. No members may participate on any interfraternal committees or boards.
d. During the suspension period, the fraternity may not:
i. Sponsor or present a public performance or exhibition.
ii. Reserve the use of university facilities.
iii. Host any social function or activity on campus.
9. Expulsion: Fraternity is immediately removed from membership in IFC.
10. Cancellation: The fraternity’s student organization status with Stevens is cancelled
for no less than one calendar year.
11. Any other sanctions which are applicable to the offense may be devised and implemented by the IFJB.
12. Failure of the fraternity to abide by the sanctions imposed may result in a new hearing and the imposition of further sanctions.
13. Individuals and/or groups that are repeat offenders shall have their past behavior taken into consideration when sanctions are levied. While a fraternity’s disciplinary record is not relevant to whether a fraternity is guilty of a particular complaint, it is relevant to determine the proper penalty.
Section XIV. These procedures may be amended by the IFJB when the majority of the IFJB deems
necessary.
Article VI. Standards for Membership Fraternities
The following criteria are set in order to assist chapter in meeting the standards for excellence.
I. SCHOLARSHIP
· Maintain overall average GPA equal to or above 2.5
· Establish grade requirements
· Establish scholarship programs
II. FRATERNITY EDUCATION
· Submit written associate member program to the Office of Student Life
· Adhere to all state and university hazing policies
· Require associates to attend all IFC seminars
III. MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT
· Participate fully in all IFC sponsored recruitment events
· Follow all IFC rules on recruitment
IV. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
· Establish a budget yearly
· Submit all tax forms properly
· Pay all chapter debts to the IFC
V. CHAPTER MANAGEMENT
· Set standards for participation
· Involve membership with executive board in goal setting yearly
VI. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
· Follow guidelines of the IFC Risk Management/Alcohol Policies
· Abide by university code of conduct at all times
VII. ALUMNI RELATIONS
· Publish alumni newsletter twice a year
· Hold alumni/active events during the year
· Submit an update alumni list to the Alumni Office
VIII. IFC PARTICIPATION
· Chapter president should attend ALL Greek Presidents’ Council meetings
· Chapter should participate fully in all IFC philanthropic events
· Chapter should be fully educated on all policies of the IFC
IX. FACULTY ADVISOR
· Each chapter should have a faculty advisor
· Chapter should encourage advisor to attend chapter meetings
X. GENERAL FRATERNITY
· Maintain a positive relationship with general fraternity office
· Chapter should encourage general fraternity officer visits
XI. CAMPUS/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
· Meet with Greek Advisor at least once a semester
· Chapter should obey all university regulations
XII. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
· Sponsor an annual chapter service project
· Sponsor a chosen local or national philanthropy
XIII.CHAPTER APPREANCE/ATMOSPHERE
· Maintain chapter property and atmosphere year round
· Provide strong organizational system to make chapter efficient
XIV.LEADERSHIP
· Promote successful leaders in the university and the community
· Record all offices held by any active brothers
· Promote or sponsor leadership seminars
Article VII. Scholastic Achievement
The IFC stands for excellence in Academics. It recognizes the need to excel beyond expectations and requirement set forth by Stevens, therefore a Scholarship Committee will be created and shall carefully and diligently discharge the requirements set forth by this article.
Section 1. The Scholarship Committee
A. The scholarship committee will consist of the IFC Director of Academics, who shall chair the committee, and three members of member fraternities.
B. The Director of Academics shall appoint the members of the committee with the approval of the IFC Executive Committee.
C. All Scholarship Committee members shall demonstrate qualifications for the position before being appointed to the committee.
D. No member of the Committee, including the chairman, shall be members of the same fraternity and shall not be a member of a fraternity that is violation of this article or on a scholastic warning.
E. The Committee shall sanction organizations in violation of this article, using the sanctioning guidelines set firth in these By-Laws, in such a manner as to promote greater academic achievement by the sanctioned fraternity.
Section II. Awards
A. The committee will be responsible for recognizing the following scholastic achievements made by chapters.
1. The chapter with the highest overall GPA for the academic year.
2. The chapter showing the most improvement during one academic year.
3. The chapter having the highest overall pledge class GPA for the semester.
Section III. The Academic Policy
A. A GPA of 2.5 must be maintained by each chapter to remain in good standing with the InterFraternity Council of Stevens Institute of Technology.
B. Chapter GPAs will be computed with the chapter rolls that are maintained in the Office of Student Life. It is the chapter’s responsibility to update their roll. All GPAs computed at the end of each semester are the fraternity’s official GPA.
Section IV. Corrective Actions
A. Any chapter falling below a 2.5 once in an academic year will, in writing, be placed on scholastic warning.
B. Any chapter performing below a 2.5 two semesters in a row will be brought to the attention of the committee. The individual chapter will be placed on Academic Probation and lose selected social privileges as decided by the InterFraternity Judicial Board.
C. Any Chapter performing below a 2.4 will also lose selected social privileges as decided by the InterFraternity Judicial Board. These privileges may include:
1. Restricting the number of social events during a semester.
2. Losing the privilege to have any social event from Sunday evening through Thursday evening for a semester.
3. Losing the privilege of having any social functions on weekends during a semester.
D. Any chapter performing below a 2.3 will be subject to the following corrective actions:
1. The chapter will lose all social privileges for one semester.
2. The committee will meet the Executive Board to discuss ways of improving the chapter’s achievement.
Article VIII. Expansion
Section 1. The InterFraternity Council Executive Committee, the Dean of Student Life, or the
Assistant Dean of Student Life in charge of Greek Affairs shall submit a recommendation to the
IFC that an additional fraternity be invited to Stevens
Institute of Technology.
Section 2. Upon approval from the Stevens Administration, the IFC President will appoint a screening
committee of three (3) members.
Section 3. Following the support of the administration, the representative from the general fraternity
shall make a presentation before the Expansion Screening Committee. The presentation should
include the following:
A. A document of proposed support by the general fraternity.
B. A list of alumni brothers in the area and on the campus who are affiliated with the national fraternity which is supporting the petitioning group.
C. Locations of other chapters in the region.
D. Copies of the general fraternity’s policies, objectives, and procedures, which include a timetable for chartering the group.
E. An opportunity for questions and discussion.
Section 4. The Expansion Screening Committee should then give a report to the IFC within one (1)
semester’s time from committee appointment. The report will include the following:
A. Welfare of chapters now established and the effects that new chapters may have on them.
B. The number of the fraternities below capacity and the number below the financial break-even point.
C. The number of men participating in rush and the number of men pledging.
D. The number of fraternities currently involved in the expansion process.
E. A list of the fraternities interested in expanding on the campus along with pertinent information about their respective general fraternities.
F. A recommendation for expansion from the Expansion Screening Committee.
Section 5. The Expansion Committee, in a closed session, will present their report to the IFC.
Section 6. An invitation to colonize will be extended by the President of Stevens Institute of Technology
upon the recommendation of the Expansion Screening Committee and the Dean of Student
Life.
Article IX. Amendments
Section 1. Amendments may be made to the Constitution when passed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the
IFC Representatives at any regularly scheduled meeting.
Section 2. An amendment may be submitted in writing at any regular meeting.
Section 3. The amendment will be tabled until the next regular meeting.
Article X. Adoption
Section 1. These By-Laws shall be considered adopted when passed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the IFC
Representatives. These By-Laws supersede any previous documents and must be reviewed by
the IFC Vice President in conjunction with the Executive Committee of IFC every year.
Section 2. Upon adoption of these By-Laws, in accordance with Article 1, all fraternities of Stevens
Institute of Technology are thereby bound to these provisions.
InterFraternity Council Attachments
Stevens Institute of Technology
Attachment I. Duties of the Administrative Committee
Section 1. IFC Administrative Committee Officers shall be as follows:
A. Director of Standards
1. Act as an assistant to the Judicial Chairman
in matters concerning judicial proceedings.
2. Serve as chairman of the IFC Standards Committee.
3. Distribute and collect Minimum Standards Forms at the beginning of each
semester and convene the Standards Committee within the first 5 weeks of each
semester.
4. Take an active role in helping member fraternities exceed all Minimum
Standards for Membership.
B. Director of Academics
1. Serve as chairman of the IFC Scholarship
Committee.
2. Convene the scholarship committee within the first 5 weeks of each semester.
3. Actively promote high academic achievement by all IFC member organizations.
C. Director of Recruitment
1. Direct, plan, coordinate, and publicize all
functions and activities relating to recruitment.
2. Report all rush violations to the IFJB.
3. Direct, along with the full knowledge and cooperation of the IFC Executive
Committee, the creation and enforcement of all rules regarding recruitment.
4. Maintain and revise all Recruitment Rules located in the attachment section
of these bylaws.
5. Consult regularly with chapter officials regarding rules, procedures,
guidelines, and organization of recruitment activities.
D. Director of Public Relations
1. Produce all necessary press releases and
public relations materials.
2. Produce all necessary publications and advertisements for the IFC.
E. Philanthropy Chair
1. The philanthropy chairman shall coordinate at least one all-fraternity philanthropic event each term.
F. Social Chair
1. The social chairman of IFC shall be
responsible for the coordination and execution of any all-fraternity or
all-Greek social events.
2. To coordinate an annual Greek Weekend in the spring, including an all-Greek
chapter and awards ceremony.
3. Assist the rush committee in the planning of all fraternity rush events.
4. Cooperate with the Greek Council and Panhellenic Council social committees in
all appropriate matters.
G. Communications Chair
1. Maintain the IFC World Wide Web Homepage.
2. Act as a resource to all fraternities regarding the World Wide Web.
3. Act as a liaison between fraternities and the Stevens Computer Center
regarding any matters that relate to IFC networking.
H. Member Development Chair
1. Direct and organize all IFC programming which
is aimed at educating and bettering all fraternity men, associates, and
advisors.
2. Educate all IFC members in areas of health, leadership, hazing, and risk
management.
3. Seek new topics, informative speakers, and activities to improve the Greek
System.
I. SGA Representative
1. Attend all Student Government Association
meetings and report all relevant information at all IFC meetings.
2. Take measures to improve the relations between fraternities and Stevens as a
whole.