KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY PHI KAPPA PHI
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
HISTORY | |||
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The Honor Society
of Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897. Originating with a group of
students who felt the need for an honor society on broader lines than
any then in existence, it was soon transformed into a national society
by action of a committee composed of the Presidents of the University
of Maine, the University of Tennessee, and what was then Pennsylvania
State College. The chapters in these institutions were the original
chapters.
The Kansas State University chapter, the twentieth to be organized, was established and formally installed on November 15, 1915. College faculty who had been elected to Phi Kappa Phi at other institutions and who served as a nucleus to organize a chapter here were President Henry J. Waters; Edward N. Wentworth, Professor of Animal Breeding; N.E. Olson, Instructor of Dairy Husbandry; and R.I. Throckmorton, Assistant Professor of Agronomy. The chapter was installed by Dr. E.E. Sparks, then president of the national society and also president of Pennsylvania State College. Forty-seven charter members were initiated at the organizational meeting, of whom J.E. Ackert, L.E. Call, L.E. Conrad, R.A. Seaton, and R.I. Throckmorton were living at the fiftieth anniversary in 1965. To stimulate interest in scholarships, the Kansas State chapter has, over the years, initiated a number of programs. Among these have been a freshman scholarship recognition program, an annual scholarship day with an honors assembly, adoption of the grade-point system, and the purchase of books for a “browsing collection” in the library. The local chapter also sponsored a chapter at Fort Hays Kansas State College. Dr. A.M. Guhl, Professor of Zoology, served the national society as president from 1962-1965. | |||
PURPOSE | |||
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This organization
was established to provide an honor society dedicated to the Unity and
Democracy of Education. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi typifies the
honor society idea which is characteristic of American Higher
education, in that it exists for the dual purpose of recognizing and
honoring those students who achieve high scholastic results, and
encouraging those students who are capable of doing so.
Phi Kappa Phi is unique in that it recognizes scholarship in all areas of academic endeavor, rather than restricting its elections to a specific and limited field. This policy becomes one of the unifying forces which bring members of the campus group together. Its prime object is to emphasize scholarship and character in the thought of college students, to foster the significant purposes for which institutions of higher learning have been founded, and to stimulate mental achievement by recognition through election to membership. | |||
MOTTO | |||
| The motto of the Society is:
Philosophia Krateito Photon from which the initial letters give us the name of the Society, Phi Kappa Phi. Rendered into English, the motto is: Let the Love of Learning Rule Humanity which we accept as a goal worth striving toward, if not yet an accomplished fact. | |||
ARTICLE I | |||
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SECTION 1.
The elective officers of this chapter shall be a president, a
vice-president, a student vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, and
a public relations officer. These officers shall be active
members-affiliated. All officers except the student vice-president
shall be members of the faculty or staff.
SECTION 2. These officers shall be elected by ballot at the last regular meeting of the spring semester. SECTION 3. The term of office for the president, the vice-president, and the student vice-president shall be one year. The term of office for the secretary, treasurer, and public relations officer shall be three years. The terms of the secretary, treasurer and public relations officer shall be staggered such that only one position is electable each year. SECTION 4. Any other necessary officers shall be appointed by the president. SECTION 5. In the event the chapter president is unable to complete his/her term for any reason, the Vice-President shall immediately assume the Office of President. Should vacancies occur in the offices of vice-president, student vice-president, secretary, treasurer or public relations officer, the President shall appoint, with confirmation by the executive committee, a member to complete the unexpired term. Such appointment shall not preclude the appointed member’s later nomination and election to a full term. SECTION 6. The duties of these officers shall be those usually performed by such officers. The duties of the public relations officer shall be to serve as historian, to provide public information for the local chapter, to report chapter activities to the Editor of the Phi Kappa Phi Journal, and to cooperate with the editor in collecting suitable material for publication. SECTION 7. The executive committee shall be composed of those persons currently holding the six elective offices and, in addition, the immediate past president. The committee shall serve under the chairmanship of the President of the Society. It shall be authorized to assist and counsel with the President, and to act upon all matters of the local chapter except those which are specifically assigned by the by-laws to certain persons and committees. | |||
ARTICLE II | |||
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SECTION 1.
There shall be not fewer than four regular meetings of the chapter held
each year, two in the fall semester and two in the spring semester.
SECTION 2. Special meetings may be called at any time by the president, and shall be called on petition of ten members. Notice of special meetings shall state the purpose for which such meetings are called. SECTION 3. A quorum shall be one-third of the active membership of the chapter, except that if the chapter has an active membership of thirty or more, a quorum shall be ten. | |||
ARTICLE III | |||
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SECTION 1. The membership of the Society shall comprise active and inactive members.
SECTION 2. The active membership of the Kansas State Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi shall comprise each year those members who have paid the national and chapter dues of the Society for that school year, and life members exempt from dues. All other members shall be considered inactive members. Only an active member of the Kansas State Chapter may hold any office or serve on any committee of the Chapter or serve as a chapter delegate at any convention of the Society. Only active members of the Kansas State Chapter in residence may hold office. Any active member of the Kansas State Chapter may vote. The phrase in residence shall apply to any person who is officially connected with Kansas State University either as a regularly enrolled student or as an active member of the teaching, administrative, research, or extension staff. These members who are in residence are expected to maintain an active membership in the Kansas State Chapter of the Society. | |||
ARTICLE IV | |||
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SECTION 1.
There shall be three committees on membership: a committee on
membership for undergraduate students, a committee for graduate
students, and a committee for faculty and all other nominations.
SECTION 2. The appointments to these committees shall be made by the president with the approval of the Executive Committee. The committees shall be so constituted as to represent the undergraduate Colleges and the Graduate School. SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of these committees to recommend persons eligible to membership in the Society, such recommendations to be made according to the requirements of the constitution of the Society and these by-laws. SECTION 4. The chapter may elect to membership only such persons as have been recommended by the committee on membership. SECTION 5. Eligibility for selection to membership by the KSU Chapter shall be confined to the following categories: | |||
| (a) | Any student of sound character enrolled in any
of the Undergraduate Colleges (Agriculture, Architecture, Planning and
Design, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education,
Engineering, Human Ecology, and Technology and Aviation, who falls in
either of the two following groups within each of the individual
colleges: | ||
| 1. | Students who are within
the upper ten percent of
those enrolled for the last year of study (i.e., seniors in four-year
degree programs, fifth-year students in five-year degree programs) and
having also earned at least 24 semester hours at KSU for resident
graded credit with a grade point average (as documented in the most
recent version of the official honor book issued by the Registrar) of
at least 3.400. Students enrolled in dual-degree programs shall be
considered as members of the class in the college of their primary
major field of study. | ||
| 2. | Students who are within the upper 7.5 percent of
those enrolled for the second semester of the next-to-last year of
study (i.e., juniors in four-year degree programs having earned at
least 72 semester credit hours, seniors in five-year degree programs
having earned at least 105 semester credit hours and having also earned
at least 24 semester hours at KSU for resident graded credit with a
grade point average (as documented in the most recent version of the
official honor book issued by the Registrar) of at least 3.700.
Students enrolled in dual-degree programs shall be considered members
of the class in the College of their primary major field of
study. | ||
| (b) | Any student of sound character who is a candidate
for the D.V.M. degree enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine or
former veterinary-medicine student of sound character who has been
awarded the D.V.M. degree subsequent to the last previous election of
members, who has completed at least 38 semester hours in residence, who
has a grade point average of at least 3.5 in veterinary-medicine
courses at KSU, and whose grade point average is in the upper ten
percent of all students in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The
total number shall not exceed ten percent of the students receiving
D.V.M. degrees during the given academic year. | ||
| (c) | Any student or former student of sound character
who is or has been enrolled in the Graduate School and satisfies one of
the two following criteria:
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| 1. | Graduate students who are candidates for the
Master’s degree or former graduate students who have been awarded the
Master’s degree subsequent to the last previous election of members,
who have completed at least 15 and no more than 36 semester hours in
residence, who have a grade point average of at least 3.800 in graduate
courses at KSU, and who grade point average is in the upper ten percent
of the Master’s candidates expected to receive the Master’s degree
during the fiscal year July 1 to June 30. In case more than ten percent
of the number of students expected to receive the Master’s degree have
a maximum attainable grade point average and are otherwise eligible for
membership, those having the largest number of credit hours (up to the
maximum) completed at Kansas State University shall be given preference.
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| 2. | Graduate students who have been admitted to candidacy for the
Ph.D. or Ed.D degrees or former graduate students who have been awarded
the Ph.D. or Ed.D subsequent to the last previous election of members,
who have completed at least 30 semester hours in residence, who have a
grade point average of at least 3.800 in graduate courses at KSU, and
who grade point average is in the upper ten percent of the Ph.D. and
Ed.D candidates expected to receive these degrees during the fiscal
year July 1 to June 30. In case more than ten percent of the number of
students expected to receive the Ph.D. and Ed.D degree have a maximum
attainable grade point average and are otherwise eligible for
membership, those having the largest number of credit hours completed
at Kansas State University shall be given preference. | ||
| (d) | Anyone in residence who is an active member of
the teaching, administrative research, or extension staff of Kansas
State University, who is holder of an earned academic degree from a
four-year collegiate institution or university of recognized standing
and who has been rendered worthy of membership based on scholastic
records and/or outstanding achievements, provided the individual has
been an employee of the university for at least three years and has
attained at least the rank of associate professor. Such a person shall
be nominated by two active members of the Society on the nomination for
membership blanks provided by the secretary. The two members making the
nominations shall come from different Colleges of the University. Such
nominations shall be submitted to the committee on faculty membership.
The number of faculty members elected by the chapter shall not exceed
two percent of the number of undergraduate and graduate students
selected by the chapter during a given academic year; however, the
chapter shall be allowed to select at least four faculty members per
year irrespective of the two-percent
rule. | ||
| (e) | If the chapter wishes to elect to membership in the Society a
faculty member who does not hold a collegiate degree, the prior
approval of the National Board of Directors must be obtained prior to
such selection. | ||
| (f) | The chapter may elect to membership alumni from any class of
five or more years’ standing. These should be persons whose achievement
since graduation have been outstanding and who scholastic records while
in college were high, with an increasing emphasis on the former as the
period since graduation becomes longer. The number of alumni selected
by the chapter shall not exceed one percent of the number of
undergraduate and graduate students selected by the chapter during a
given academic year; however, the chapter shall be allowed to elect at
least two alumni per year irrespective of the one-percent
rule. | ||
| (g) | With the prior approval of the National Board of Directors in
each case, the chapter may elect to honorary membership in the Society
one person each year who has had no connection with Kansas State
University in the manner described in the previous paragraphs of this
section. Such person, to become an Honorary Member of the Society,
shall have attained outstanding eminence in some academic, creative, or
intellectual endeavor. | ||
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SECTION 6.
Any active member of the Kansas State University chapter of Phi Kappa
Phi may become a life member by making a single payment to the National
Society. Life members shall be exempt from the payment of national dues
and assessments. To remain active local members, life members shall pay
chapter dues.
SECTION 7. Upon retirement, active members of the Kansas State University chapter may be nominated to the National Executive Director as Emeritus Members. An Emeritus membership fee shall be paid by the member to the National Society. Emeritus Members will be exempt from all other national and local dues and assessments. SECTION 8. Initiation fees for Honorary Memberships sponsored by the Chapter shall be paid by the Chapter. | |||
ARTICLE V | |||
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SECTION 1. Candidates may be elected in the fall and in the spring.
SECTION 2. Election to membership shall proceed as follows: Ballots shall be prepared with a list of the names of all candidates nominated by the committees. Such lists shall be made available to the active members of the chapter not less than one week before the meeting. Opportunity shall be given for the full discussion of the qualifications of the candidates. SECTION 3. Approval of three-fourths of those present and voting shall be necessary for election. | |||
ARTICLE VI | |||
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SECTION 1. The initiation of new members shall take place at meetings which are specified for that purpose.
SECTION 2. The form of initiation shall be that prescribed by the General Convention of the Society. | |||
ARTICLE VII | |||
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SECTION 1.
The initiation fee shall be the national initiation fee plus annual
dues for one year of the Kansas State University chapter. These fees
are to be paid before the candidate is initiated.
SECTION 2. The regular dues for active members shall be $6.00 per year in addition to the national dues. By a two-thirds vote of the members present, special assessments which the requirements of the chapter shall necessitate may be levied. | |||
ARTICLE VIII | |||
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SECTION 1.
These by-laws may be amended at any regular meeting with a quorum
present, by a three-fourths vote of the members present, provided
written notice of the proposed amendment has been given at least one
week before the meeting to the secretary, who shall at once mail copies
of the amendment to all active members of the chapter.
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ARTICLE IX | |||
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SECTION 1.
At any regular meeting of the chapter with a quorum present, any
provisions of these by-laws may be suspended temporarily by a
four-fifths vote or those present.
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