Kappa Eta - Constitution

Constitution of the Kappa Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi
National Honorary Band Fraternity
Last Revision:
4/03/2009

Preamble
Be it known that Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Fraternity for College Band Members is an organization operating exclusively in the field of the college or university bands, and for the following several purposes:

1. To promote the existence and welfare of the college and university bands and to culti-vate at large a wholesome respect for their activities and achievements.
2. To honor outstanding band members through privilege of membership extended as a reward for technical achievement and appreciation for the best in music.
3. To stimulate campus leadership and promulgate an uncompromising respect through the medium of the college band, for gracious conduct, good taste and unswerving loy-alty.
4. To foster a closer relationship between college bands and promote a high average of at-tainment through the performance of good music and selection of worthwhile projects.
5. To provide a pleasant and helpful social experience for all engaged in college band work and to cooperate with other musical organizations in any manner consistent with the purposes of the institution at which chapters are located.

I. General

1. General
1. 101 The name of this organization shall be the Kappa Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Hon-orary Band Fraternity for College and University Band members.
1.102 The Kappa Eta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity, shall be referred to as “the Chapter,” where the Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity shall be referred to as “the Fraternity.”
1.103 The Constitution of this Chapter shall be subordinate only to the National Constitution, the Northeast District Constitution, and any regulations stated by the University at Buffalo. This Constitu-tion shall adhere to any regulations of the governing bodies listed above.
1.104 The Chapter Constitution shall have jurisdiction over all members of the Chapter.
1.105 This Constitution may be amended by writing to the Chapter one (1) week before a vote on said petition.
1.106 If a favorable vote of seventy-five (75) percent is not obtained, the Amendment shall be de-clared defeated and shall not be proposed again for consideration, until one (1) month has lapsed (since date of defeat).
1.107 If a proposed Amendment should receive the required vote, it shall be declared adopted. Upon adoption, it shall become operative and effective immediately, unless otherwise stated in the Amend-ment.

2. Service
1.201 All Active Brothers must complete a minimum of ten (10) hours of service per semester.
1.202 All active Brothers must complete the scanning of at least five (5) full pieces of music per semes-ter. Each set of five (5) full pieces completed in addition to the mandatory requirement will count as two (2) hours of service.

II. Attendance

1. Chapter Meetings
2.101 Upon due cause a Brother may be excused early from a general meeting by a majority vote of the eligible voting membership.
2.102 For a general meeting all active Brothers must notify the chapter of an absence at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting to be missed.
2.103 An excused absence will be defined as any event that falls under the following categories: fam-ily, medical, class conflict, exam, work, or personal emergency. No vote is required for an absence under the preceding circumstances.
2.104 An absence that does not fall under the above amendment (2.103) may also be considered ex-cused with a majority vote by the eligible voting membership at the general meeting immediately prior to the conflict; this will be considered the grace period.
2.105 Should a conflict arise within the grace period, a vote will be held at the next general meeting at which the Brother is present.
2.106 The penalty for an unexcused absence from a general meeting is seven (7) dollars.
2. Committee Meetings
2.201 For a committee meeting all active Brothers must notify the chapter of an absence at least twenty four (24) hours in advance of the meeting to be missed.
2.202 An excused absence will be defined as any event that falls under the following categories: fam-ily, medical, class conflict, exam, work, or personal emergency. No vote is required for an absence under the preceding circumstances.
2.203 An absence that does not fall under the above amendment (2.202) may also be considered ex-cused with a majority vote by the eligible voting membership at the committee meeting immediately prior to the conflict; this will be considered the grace period.
2.204 Should a conflict arise within the grace period, a vote will be held at the next committee meet-ing at which the Brother is present.
2.205 The penalty for an unexcused absence from a committee meeting is five (5) dollars.
3. General
2.301 Attendance at all Rituals, retreat, interviews, and two (2) of the three Membership Class pro-jects is mandatory for all active Brothers. If any Brother misses more than one (1) Membership Class Project, said Brother shall be required to write a letter of explanation to the Membership Class. Failure to write this letter within seven (7) days will result in said Brother being placed under review for proba-tion.
2.302 Any other event may be deemed mandatory by a seventy-five (75) percent vote by the eligible voting membership.
2.303 An unexcused absence from a mandatory function will result in review for probation.
2.304 Submitting proof of an emergency immediately following an absence from a mandatory function to the Chapter President will dismiss possible review for probation.
2.303 The record for all absences shall be reset at the beginning of each semester.
2.304 The number of required receptions will be determined at the discretion of the Treasurer and President at the beginning of the semester.
2.305 All votes on attendance require a majority vote by the eligible voting membership to pass.
2.306 A Brother shall have a period of two (2) weeks to pay the accrued fine(s) before said Brother will come under review for probation. Upon approval by the President, an extension may be granted.
2.307 Once a Brother accrues three (3) unexcused absences said Brother will be placed under review for probation.
2.308 If a Brother accumulates 20 minutes of tardiness during a general or committee meeting, it shall be considered one (1) unexcused absence.
2.309 Any absence not defined in this section as an excused absence shall be deemed unexcused.

III. Officers

3.101 The elected Officers of the Chapter shall be in the following order: President, Vice-President of Membership (hereafter referred to as the VPM), Vice-President of Service (hereafter referred to as the VPS), Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Alumni Relations Officer, and Parliamentarian.
3.102 If any office is left vacant at time of election, nominations will be held immediately following elections with elections for the vacant office(s) within one (1) week of general elections.
3.103 All Officers must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 and remain active members in good standing. If an Officer does not maintain the Officer GPA requirements, said person shall be re-quired to vacate the Office immediately.
3.104 In the event of a vacated Officer position, election for a new Officer shall be conducted as soon as possible. At no time shall a Brother be permitted to hold more than one office in the Chapter. The newly elected Brother shall take office immediately after election and shall be helped in transition by the vacating Officer (if possible), and by any other members of the Chapter with knowledge of said posi-tion.
3.105 The duties of the Officers shall be as stated in the National Constitution, and as follows:
3.106 The President shall set an agenda for each meeting that shall be made available prior to the start of said meeting. The President shall also keep an up-to-date and accurate notebook, including re-cords of all activities that have occurred, to be handed down to the next President. The President is also responsible for completing and submitting all paperwork, or delegating such power to a competent Brother. The President shall collect the Chapter Officer’s Monthly Reports by the first of every month via the online report forms.
3.107 The VPM shall preside over the Membership Committee, collect all DARS reports and Letters of Intent of potential Membership Candidates, and count all votes pertaining to the Membership Education Program. The VPM shall also be primarily responsible for the education of the Membership Candidates.
3.108 The VPS shall preside over the Service Committee and be responsible for creating, planning, and executing at least three (3) service projects providing a minimum of fifteen hours of service per semes-ter.
3.109 The Recording Secretary shall co-preside over the Social Committee along with the Correspond-ing Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall record minutes at all meetings and privately distribute said minutes through the formal listserv within forty-eight (48) hours after the close of the meeting. In said minutes, a record must be made as to the tardiness and absences of Brothers from the meeting. Addi-tionally, the Recording Secretary shall maintain a roster of currently active/conditional members. The Recording Secretary shall collect a copy of each Officer’s meeting reports via the online form.
3.110 The Corresponding Secretary shall co-preside over the Social Committee along with the Record-ing Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for communication with other chapters, as well as District and National Officers. The Corresponding Secretary may submit articles to the Podium or Northeast *strike the word District because it is not called that* Notes, and shall make such opportu-nity available to all active Brothers of the Chapter. If deemed appropriate, said Officer shall be responsi-ble for sending greeting cards to other chapters. The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for preparing and submitting a new list of Officers immediately after new Officers immediately after Officer Installation (first official act of office). Officer will also be responsible for planning Brotherhood Week-end and at least (1) social activity per semester. In the absence of a Recording Secretary, the Corre-sponding Secretary shall record and distribute minutes to the Chapter.
3.111 The Treasurer shall preside over the Fundraising Committee. The Treasurer must present a budget by the second meeting of each semester to be voted upon by the Chapter. Additionally, the Treasurer shall draft an adjusted budget based on the budget approved by the Chapter and present the adjusted budget by the last meeting of each semester. The Treasurer shall collect chapter and national dues as prescribed in the budget that was approved by the Chapter.
3.112 The Historian shall be responsible for maintaining scrapbooks, University at Buffalo band history information, Kappa Eta Chapter history information and Family Tree Information. 3.113 The Alumni Relations Officer shall be responsible for sending out an Alumni Newsletter at least once per semester, to include the Honorary Brothers as well. The Alumni Relations Officer will distribute meeting minutes to Alumni through the informal listserv. These minutes shall be edited for content without a loss of meaning before being distributed to Alumni. 3.114 The Parliamentarian shall preside over the Disciplinary Committee. The Parliamentarian shall have copies and be knowledgeable of the Chapter, District and National Constitutions. The Parliamentar-ian shall also be responsible for understanding Robert’s Rules of Order, and making sure all meetings are conducted in accordance with such Rules. The Parliamentarian is also charged with keeping the Chapter Constitution up-to-date.
3.115 Any member seeking the offices of President, VPM, or VPS shall be currently enrolled in at least their second full academic semester as an Active Brother. Said person may not hold an elected office in any band that the Chapter services.
3.116 If at any time, any Officer can no longer fulfill the duties of said office to the standard of the Chapter, said Officer shall be required to vacate said position immediately, with the vacated office being filled as soon as possible by a special election. This decision shall be determined with a positive vote of seventy-five (75) percent of the Chapter’s eligible voting membership.

IV. Appointments

1. Committees
4.101 The Committees of the Chapter shall be Fundraising, Membership, Service, Disciplinary, and any other Committees deemed necessary by the Chapter President or by a simple majority vote of the Chap-ter.
4.102 Committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the Chapter President. In the case of established Committees, the Committee Chair shall be as stated in the description of the Committee. 4.103 Committees shall consist of at least three (3) members, including the President as an ad hoc member of all Committees.
4.104 Each Committee shall submit a report at each meeting on the progress of the Committee, in-cluding, but not limited to the ideas, goals, dates, comments, and conflicts. Also, a final report shall be submitted to the Chapter via the Committee Report Form on the Chapter web site within forty-eight (48) hours of the Committee meeting.
4.105 The Fundraising Committee shall be charged with organizing fundraising events, soliciting dona-tions and any other means of deciding how to generate revenue for the Chapter. The Treasurer shall be the Committee chair.
4.106 The Membership Committee shall be charged with consisting of a reasonable number of Broth-ers to ensure an equal representation of ideas and experiences. The Committee shall meet at least once a month, outside of business meetings, to discuss the continuing education of the Chapter, as well as meeting at least twice a month, outside of business when there is a Membership Class, to discuss the continuing education of the Chapter. The Committee shall also discuss the Membership Class on a regu-lar basis. The VPM shall be the Committee chair.
4.107 Discussion about the Membership Class shall include, but is not limited to, progress/speed of the class, discrepancies within the class, and any other concerns regarding the class and the Brothers.
4.108 Each member of the Committee must attend at least one (1) Membership Education Class meet-ing provided there is a Membership Class.
4.109 The Service Committee shall be charged with consisting of a reasonable number of Brothers to ensure an equal representation of ideas and experiences, as well as meeting at least once a month, out-side of business meetings, to plan and organize service projects for the Chapter. The VPS shall be the Committee chair.
4.110 The Disciplinary Committee shall be charged with determining the necessary disciplinary actions taken in the case that any laws of the Chapter Constitution are broken, ensuring that each Brother is following the laws of the Chapter Constitution and determining if any have been broken. The Parliamen-tarian shall be the Committee chair.
2. Chairs
4.201 Based on the needs of the Chapter, appointed positions that serve a specific purpose may be filled or left vacant. Chairs may be used for varied amounts of time. One person generally fulfills the po-sition. The Chapter President shall appoint all Chairs.
4.202 The duties of the Ritual Chair are to organize rehearsals and rituals for the Chapter, as well as maintenance of all Chapter ritual regalia. 4.203 The duty of the Webmaster is to maintain and update the website.
4.204 The duties of the Music Chair are to assist the VPS with the duplication of any music for the bands and ensembles served by the Chapter, to distribute any needed music, and to plan the sorting of returned music at the end of each semester.

V. Meetings

5.101 All Chapter meetings shall be opened as close to scheduled start time as possible, or as soon after as a quorum is reached, in accordance with National Constitution: “6.403 Fifty (50) percent of all active members in a chapter together with at least two (2) chapter Officers shall consti-tute a quorum at all meetings.”
5.102 Meetings shall be held at least once a month during the academic term in accordance with Na-tional Constitution: “6.401 A regularly called meeting of the chapter shall be held at least once each month during the regular academic school year of the college or university where the chapter is located. Meetings may be held more frequently when deemed advisable by the chapter. The exact time of the meeting shall be determined by the chapter.”
5.103 The time and place for all meetings shall be determined at the first meeting after the drop/add date of the fall in spring semesters. Attendance shall be taken and a quorum is necessary.
5.104 Special Meetings may be called by the ranking Officer at any time, provided there is at least for-ty-eight (48) hours notice given to all active members. Attendance shall be taken and a quorum is neces-sary.
5.105 A Brother may be excused from a Special Meeting if they can supply proof of a prior academic, work related, or family related engagement. Emergency situations also qualify as a sufficient excuse.
5.106 Emergency meetings may be called by the ranking Officer without forty-eight (48) hours notice. Attendance will not be counted and a quorum is not necessary.
5.107 All Officers must submit a biweekly Officer report no later than midnight of the day before the next meeting. Officers are recommended to print out a copy of their report for their own personal re-cords.
5.108 Failure to do so will result in the Officer not being allowed to give their report.
5.109 The time, date, and location of all committee meetings must be announced at least forty eight (48) hours in advance in order for attendance to be required.

VI. Voting Procedures

1. Election of Officers
6.101 Elections for Officers shall be held following the ritual of Third Degree of the Spring Semester, but no later than April 25.
6.102 Nominations shall be at least one (1) week prior to elections.
6.103 A member must have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.25 to run for office.
6.104 Vote for Officers shall be closed ballot.
2. Membership Voting
6.201 First Degree voting procedure is outlined in the National Constitution: “6.504 Eligible individuals shall be permitted entry into the Membership Education Program at the request of an active member of the Fraternity. A negative vote of twenty-five (25) percent or five (5) members, which ever is greater, of the eligible active membership shall be required to prevent a person from enter-ing the Membership Education Program of the Fraternity. If a person is rejected on a second ballot in the same meeting, the name shall not be proposed again during the current academic year.”
6.202 Second Degree voting procedure shall be the same as outline for First Degree.
6.203 Votes for First and Second Degree shall be closed ballot
6.204 Third Degree voting procedure is outlined in the National Constitution: “6.505 Prior to initiation, the Membership Candidate must receive a favorable vote of seventy-five (75) percent of the eligible voting membership and pay an initiation fee and the year’s national dues as deter-mined by the National Chapter (refundable if not initiated) to the Chapter Treasurer who shall forward it immediately to the National Headquarters. The candidate shall not be considered initiated until said name has been recorded in the Master Chapter Roster at the National Headquarters. Any chapter that submits information for initiates later than thirty (30) days after the initiated date shall be assessed a late report-ing fee of an additional twenty-five (25) percent of the total number of initiates submitted.”
3. Miscellaneous
6.301 Proxy votes shall be accepted if the online form stating the vote is submitted at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to any vote (including Third Degree vote).
6.302 Any special elections shall run under the same voting procedures as regular elections.

VII. Finances

7.101 A trip is defined as a Chapter approved event, which is not being held at the Chapter site, and Brothers are attending. The attending Brothers must leave from the Chapter site, and return to the Chapter site.
7.102 If a Brother travels to another site without returning to the Chapter site, i.e. a visit to another Chapter, then to a District Convention, it is considered one trip. The Brother is limited to the allotted reimbursement of up to $150 per trip.
7.103 If the reimbursement expenses become too high, the reimbursement of Chapter trips will be terminated for the semester. The termination of reimbursement of trips is to be decided by the Treas-urer and President.

VIII. Membership

1. Membership Statuses
8.101 The types of members shall be as outlined in the National Constitution: “6.501 Chapter membership shall consist of seven (7) types Active, Associate, Conditional, Inactive, Alum-ni, Life, and Honorary Membership. All Active, Associate, and Conditional memberships expire on Septem-ber 30.”
8.102 During Active membership period in the Chapter, any Brother may have up to one (1) semester grace period per academic year from participation in the band program.
8.103 From National Constitution: “6.515 Alumni members have privileges that are at the discretion of the local Chapter. These privileges in-clude but are not limited to: attending Chapter meetings, participating in Ritual, participating in Chapter fundraisers, and attending Chapter social functions. Alumni members shall not, at the Chapter or District level, hold office, propose candidates for membership, introduce business, vote on any matters, or act in the capacity of a big brother.”
8.104 Alumni Members of the Fraternity may attend all General Meetings. However, Alumni Members of the Fraternity cannot be present during Disciplinary proceedings.
8.105 Alumni Members of the Fraternity may not attend Officer Elections.
8.106 Life Members of the Fraternity are subject to the same rights and privileges as Alumni Members of the Fraternity.
2. Membership Candidacy
8.201 Membership Candidacy shall be restricted to those persons who currently are, and have been for at least one semester, members of at least one (1) University at Buffalo Band in accordance with Na-tional Constitution: “6.503 A band member may be offered entry into the Membership Education Program of Fraternity after satisfactory completion of one (1) term as a member of the college or university band unless exception is made by the Chapter Sponsor. The prospective member shall be a band member who possesses unusually good character and demonstrates leadership potential.”
8.202 A University at Buffalo Band shall be considered the UB Concert Band, UB Pep Band, UB March-ing Band, UB Jazz Ensemble, UB Percussion Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, or any other band recognized by the University at Buffalo.
8.203 Membership Candidates must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 or be shown to have exhibited a marked improvement in the immediately preceding two (2) semesters, with a GPA of not less than 2.0.
8.204 All Membership Candidates must submit a Letter of Intent attached to their unofficial transcript to the VPM.
8.205 The Membership Candidate Education Class of a semester shall be of at least three (3) people and may not start the Membership Candidate Education Process unless it is of at least this size. The process shall be allowed to continue, once started, if its size drops to fewer than three (3) people.
8.206 The Membership Education Class shall be responsible for satisfactory completion of the follow-ing prior to the ritual of Third Degree: one (1) Service Project, one (1) Fundraiser, and one (1) Social Event.
8.207 All Membership Education Class events are subject to approval by a simple majority of the Membership Education Committee no less than forty-eight (48) hours in advance.
8.208 When a Brother is a Big Brother and is placed on probation during the Membership Candidate Education process, the President, VPM, and Parliamentarian will determine whether he or she is eligible to remain a big brother.
8.209 All Membership Candidates may have at most one (1) excused absence from any Membership Education meeting.
3. Grades
8.301 Active Members must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to remain in good standing. If GPA requirements are not met, said person shall come under review for probation.
8.302 Active Members’ printed unofficial transcript must be submitted to the President by September 15 of the Fall Semester and February 15 of the Spring Semester, for review by both the President and VPM.
8.303 All Printed grade reports shall be kept within the Chapter and will only be brought under scru-tiny if there is uncertainty in a member’s eligibility
8.304 If a satisfactory printed unofficial transcript is not submitted by September 15 or February 15 (of the respective semester), said Brother shall come under review for probation.
8.305 All active brothers must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours throughout both the Fall and Spring semesters. All officers must be enrolled in a minimum of eight credit hours throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.
8.306 The above does not apply to a brother’s final semester upon approval by the President and Chapter Sponsor.

IX. Discipline

9.101 From National Constitution: “6.507 It shall be the duty of each active member to attend all meetings of the chapter, to pay promptly all financial obligations to both the chapter and to the Fraternity, to become acquainted with the National Constitution, District Constitution, the local constitution and the history of Kappa Kappa Psi, and to sup-port the efforts and purposes of the chapter and Fraternity.
6.519 Upon due cause, a member of the Fraternity may be placed on probation following a favorable vote on the motion of seventy-five (75) percent of the chapter’s eligible voting membership and approval by the chapter sponsor.
6.520 A member placed on probation shall be informed, in writing, of the following: the reasons for proba-tion; a specified time period in which to make restitution; and the obligations needed to be fulfilled within that time period. Fulfillment of all obligations within the specified time period shall return said member to previous membership status. Fulfillment of all obligations shall be approved by the chapter and sponsor. Failure to complete all obligations is just cause for either an extension of the probationary term or for the initiation of suspension proceedings.
6.521 Upon due cause, a member of the Fraternity may be suspended following a favorable vote of sev-enty-five (75) percent of the chapter’s eligible voting membership and approval from the chapter sponsor. Suspended members may not participate in any Fraternity business, projects, or activities.
6.522 A member placed on suspension shall be informed, in writing, of the following: the reasons for sus-pension; a specified time period in which to make restitution; and the obligations needed to be fulfilled within that time period. Fulfillment of all obligations within the specified time period shall return said member to previous membership status. Fulfillment of all obligations shall be approved by the chapter and sponsor. Failure to complete all obligations is just cause for either an extension of the suspension term or for the initiation of expulsion proceedings.
6.523 Upon due cause, a member of the Fraternity may be expelled following a favorable vote of seventy-five (75) percent of the chapter’s eligible voting membership and approval of the chapter sponsor. Such expulsion must conform to the rules and regulations of the local institution involved. The member will be given a hearing before the said motion is voted on. The vote will be a secret ballot, and the member will be informed of the vote totals. Having been expelled, the member shall return to the chapter all regalia and property of the Fraternity being held, and the name shall be stricken from the Master Chapter Roster at the National Headquarters.
6.524 Membership status in Kappa Kappa Psi may not be terminated by the member through resignation. However, as stated in 6.520, 6.521, and 6.522, a member may be suspended or expelled for due cause by the chapter of his/her affiliation.”
9.102 Any action not fulfilling the duties conducive of a good Brother, as stated in the National, Dis-trict, or Chapter Constitutions, will put said Brother under review for probation. A vote shall be held to determine if said Brother should be put onto probation. If so, said Brother shall be placed immediately on probation. If placed on probation, said Brother’s attendance of meetings without the ability to par-ticipate in the conversation is mandatory. The time period shall be one (1) month in which said Brother has to design a service project and assist the VPS in executing it.
9.103 If said Brother has failed to fulfill the necessary requirements in order to be taken off of proba-tion, they will come under review for suspension. A vote shall be held to determine if said Brother should be put onto suspension. If suspended, said Brother must follow the guidelines written in the Na-tional Constitution regarding suspension. The time period of suspension shall be one (1) month of which at the end, a letter of apology must be turned in to the Chapter President.
9.104 If said Brother has failed to fulfill the necessary requirements in order to be taken off of suspen-sion, they will come under review for expulsion. A vote shall be held to determine if said Brother should be put onto expulsion. Disciplinary procedure for expulsion shall be as stated in the National Constitu-tion, section 6.523 (as previously quoted in section 8.101).