I. PROPOSED CHAPTER BYLAWS
The name of this organization shall be the _______________
Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi at
Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary and professional organization for students of accountancy. Its stated purpose includes recognition of outstanding academic achievements in the field of accounting; promotion of the study and practice of accounting; provision of opportunities for self-development and association among members and financial information professionals; and encouragement of a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility. The organization seeks to develop its members’ professionalism through career-oriented, social, and community activities.
Section 1. The membership of
Beta Alpha Psi shall be limited to those persons who have achieved scholastic
and/or professional excellence in the field of accounting.
Section 2. The members of
Beta Alpha Psi shall be those persons who have been initiated in accordance
with the Bylaws of the Organization, have paid the required fees, and are in
good standing.
Section 3. Membership shall
be open to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, religion,
disability, national origin, or veteran status.
Section 4. Membership shall
be evidenced by a certificate of membership, authenticated by official
signatures and the seal of Beta Alpha Psi, that shall be issued to each
Student, Faculty, and Honorary initiate upon payment of the candidate fee, as
applicable.
Section 5. Membership shall
consist of five categories: Student, Faculty, Alumni, Honorary, and
Candidates. Description of each
category is as follows.
Student Members - Students at
Faculty Members - Faculty teaching
accounting at
Alumni Members - Members once
classified as student or faculty members who are no longer associated with
Honorary Members - Members who are
neither students nor faculty at
Candidates - Students at
Section 6. Candidacy Requirements
1. Must be an undergraduate student with a declared accounting major or has the intention of declaring accounting as their major.
2. Must have completed at least one year of college courses (30+ semester hours) and
3. Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 as calculated by the university.
Section 7. Candidacy Period
1. May last up to three semesters.
2. A candidate will remain a candidate until the formal requirements have been met.
3. If the formal requirements (refer to Article 3, Section 8) have not been met after three semesters, the person shall forfeit his candidate status and be moved to the inactive list.
4. Prior to candidacy, students must read the bylaws of the __________ Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi.
5. Candidate fee is $75 of which $55 will be forwarded to the National office and the remaining $30 will be kept by our chapter. The fee must be submitted with a completed application form. After the initial fee, candidates will pay a $30 fee each semester.
Section 8. Member Requirements
1. After successfully completing at least one 300 level accounting course, in addition to completing two years of college courses (60 hours +), the new member must satisfy both of the following:
a. Obtain and maintain a 3.0 major GPA (300+ level AC courses) and
b. Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA as calculated by the University.
2. Graduate students do not have to meet GPA requirements.
3. Members must review the bylaws of the ___________Chapter of the Beta Alpha Psi.
4. New members, if not prior candidates, must pay a fee of $75 of which $55 will be forwarded to the National office and the remaining $30 will be kept by our chapter. In addition, members pay a $30 fee each semester thereafter.
5. Student
members of Beta Alpha Psi who relocate from another institution, either to
complete their undergraduate program or to pursue a graduate degree, may become
members of the local chapter provided they: (1) apply for membership and (2)
meet all membership requirements for the local chapter. Candidates who relocate
from another institution to complete their undergraduate program may become candidates
of the local chapter provided they apply to the local chapter and meet the
requirements of the local chapter.
6. Students
joining who have met the member requirements must complete one semester of
candidacy with the 3.0 cumulative and major GPA requirement as calculated by
the University
Section 9. Active Members
1. To become an active member, a student must meet the National Bylaw’s requirements; plus the student must be initiated into Beta Alpha Psi.
2. To remain an active member, a member must complete a minimum of 12 professional hours and 12 service hours plus an additional 8 hours in either category for a total of 32 hours per year. An hour is defined as fifty minutes.
3. Members on campus for only one semester need to fulfill only half of the required hours in requirement (2) above.
4. Members may miss no more than one unexcused and two excused meetings per semester. An excused absence consists of an exam that takes place at the time of the meeting, a job interview, or other instance as deemed excused by the Executive Committee.
5. Missing more than one unexcused meeting per semester places the member on inactive status.
6. Members should not schedule classes during normal Beta Alpha Psi meeting times. Normal Beta Alpha Psi meeting times are discussed in Article 4. The faculty advisor must approve unavoidable course conflicts in advance.
7. All active candidates and members must attend the Beta Alpha Psi initiation banquet.
8. The Executive Committee shall determine the active – inactive status of each member. All members declared inactive shall lose all rights, privileges and benefits of active membership in this chapter.
9. Upon determination that the member has not been active, the member will be asked to forfeit his/her membership status and be deemed inactive.
10. Members who have been deemed inactive may request to be re-activated. The Executive Committee will review each request and then make a determination.
11. If the Executive Committee decides to grant an inactive member’s request to be re-instated, such member must pay a $25 re-activation fee.
12. In the event a member wants to resign from Beta Alpha Psi, he/she shall surrender the membership certificate and other Beta Alpha Psi insignia to the faculty advisor or president. The local chapter shall then forward the membership certificate to the Executive office. Initiation fees and other fees are nonrefundable.
13. A member may be expelled for conduct detrimental to the purposes or interests of Beta Alpha Psi. Charges of such conduct must be made in writing to the faculty advisor and signed by a member of Beta Alpha Psi.
a. When such charges have been made against a member, the faculty advisor must make certain that the accused member is given notice and an opportunity to be heard concerning the charges. Notice must be given to the accused member by certified mail at least thirty days before the hearing, and such notice shall include: (1) a copy of the charges made against the member; (2) the time, date, and place of the hearing; (3) an explanation of the expulsion procedures which include automatic review by the National chapter’s Board of Directors.
b. A committee of chapter members, including at least two faculty members (exclusive of the faculty advisor) of Beta Alpha Psi, is to be selected by the Faculty Advisor and ranking chapter officer to investigate the charges and make a determination as to whether or not the accused member should be expelled. The findings should be based on a presentation of the charges by the accusing member and the accused member has the opportunity to appear and explain the actions in question.
c. If expelled, the member may request a hearing before the entire local chapter in a special meeting called for that specific purpose. A majority vote of the chapter may reverse the committee's findings.
d. If the local chapter's decision is to expel the member, details of the procedures followed, the evidence submitted, and the action taken shall be forwarded immediately to the Executive Office.
e. The local chapter's decision will be reviewed at the next regular meeting of the Board. Both the local chapter and the accused member shall be notified in writing by the Director of Administration and Development of the approval or disapproval of the expulsion.
f. If expelled by the local chapter, the member must surrender the membership certificate and other Beta Alpha Psi insignia to the faculty advisor or president, which will then be forwarded to the Executive Office.
g. Candidates may also be expelled. If this occurs, the local chapter shall notify the Executive Office within fourteen days of the expulsion.
Section 10. Faculty and Honorary Members
1. Faculty and honorary members must pay a $55 one time fee that gets forwarded to the National office.
2. Once the fee has been paid faculty and honorary members will be initiated at the next initiation banquet.
3. For
honorary members who are already a member of another chapter, the fee will be
$15 for the certificate.
Article
4: Meetings for the Conduct of Business
Section 1. General membership meetings will be held the first and third Monday of each month at 6pm. If there is an unavoidable accounting course conflict during this time that will affect numerous members, the day and time of the meetings may be changed by the executive committee. If additional meetings are required during the month as determined by the executive committee or faculty advisor, members and candidates will be notified at least one week prior to the meeting.
Section 2. Members and candidates must complete a time sheet at each meeting for any activity since the previous meeting.
Section 3. Procedure:
1. President calls the meeting to order.
2. Announcements are made.
3. President introduces guest speaker, if applicable.
4. President closes the meeting by thanking the guest speaker.
Section 4. Quorum is 50% of active members. No vote shall take place without a quorum. Persons may not vote by proxy.
Section 5. Active members may vote.
Section 6. Executive Meetings are held the first and third Monday of each month at a time designated by the current Executive Committee. Meetings can be cancelled if there is no business to be conducted. A quorum is considered 75% of the officers and persons may not vote by proxy.
Article 5: Student Officers
Section 1. Responsibilities of the officers
1. President
a. Executive position, automatically on the executive committee
b. Two-semester term
c. Responsible for calling and conducting all meetings of the chapter and executive committee and reserving the meeting rooms
d. Responsible for appointing committees or executing a vote for committee members
e. Responsible for overseeing that the other officers are performing their required duties
f. Responsible for planning and organizing the spring and fall initiation banquets
g. Responsible for introducing and thanking speakers at each meeting
h. Updates the chapter bylaws as needed
i. Trains next elected president
j. Attends all meetings and banquets
k. Arrives at meetings 15 minutes early at a minimum
l. Attends Beta Alpha Psi annual National and Regional Meetings
m. Only votes in the event of a tie
n.
Any other responsibilities as needed to serve the local
chapter of Beta Alpha Psi,
2. Vice President
a. Executive position, automatically on the executive committee
b. Two-semester term
c. Steps in for the president, as needed
d. Responsible for facilitating participation at meetings
e. Monitors National office website for notices and deadlines
f. Ensures Beta Alpha Psi website stays updated and maintained
g. Trains next elected vice-president
h. Attends all meetings and banquets
i. Arrives at meetings 15 minutes early at a minimum
j. Attends Beta Alpha Psi annual National and Regional Meetings
k.
Any other responsibilities as needed to serve the local
chapter of Beta Alpha Psi,
3. Recording Secretary
a. Executive position, automatically on the executive committee
b. Two-semester term
c. Records and reports the minutes of the meetings of the chapter and executive committee
d. Maintains records concerning chapter and member attendance at all activities
e. Monitors meeting attendance as well as professional and service hours
f. Records hours awarded by the National office
g. Maintains a list of graduated members
h. Trains next elected recording secretary
i. Attends all meetings and banquets
j. Arrives at meetings 15 minutes early at a minimum
k. Attends the Beta Alpha Psi annual National and Regional Meetings
l.
Any other responsibilities as needed to serve the local
chapter of Beta Alpha Psi,
4. Reporting Secretary
a. Executive position, automatically on the executive committee
b. Two-semester term
c. Transmits reports in a prompt manner to the Director of Chapter Activities
d. Transmits a list of chapter officers within the appropriate time period (14 days of installation) to the Director of Chapter Activities
e. Submits end of year statements to the faculty advisor
f. Ensures that the chapter on-line update is completed at least annually and update the membership roster as needed.
g. Transmits any other reports required by the International Beta Alpha Psi Board and the Program for Chapter Activities
h. Prepares and updates the annual plan of activities
i. Trains next elected reporting secretary
j. Attends all meetings and banquets
k. Arrives at meetings 15 minutes early at a minimum
l. Attends the Beta Alpha Psi annual National and Regional Meetings
m. Any other responsibilities as needed to serve the local chapter of
Beta Alpha Psi,
5. Treasurer
a. Executive position, automatically on the executive committee
b. Two-semester term
c. Collects money owed to the chapter
d. Disburses money for authorized purposes
e. Ensures that candidate fees, initiation fees, and chapter dues are paid in accordance with the program of chapter activities.
f. Responsible for preparing the following year budget
g. Responsible for planning and organizing fund-raising events
h. Maintains appropriate financial records
i. Prepares monthly bank reconciliations
j. Submits list of paid candidates and initiates to the faculty advisor
k. Orders food and purchases non-alcoholic drinks for events, when applicable
l. Arranges for the chapter audit (if applicable) and prepares the tax return
m. Trains next elected treasurer
n. Attends all meetings and banquets
o. Arrives at meetings 15 minutes early at a minimum
p. Attends the Beta Alpha Psi annual National and Regional Meetings
q. Any
other responsibilities as needed to serve the local chapter of Beta Alpha Psi,
Section 2. Election of officers
1. Nominations shall be accepted for officer positions from the general student body at the last two meetings prior to installation and will not be accepted thereafter. No person shall be nominated for more than one position and nominations must be accepted in person.
2. After the nominations take place, we will have an election ceremony where each nominee will be given the opportunity to give a two minute speech followed by a two minute question and answer session. During both the speech and the question and answer session, all other nominees for that office will be asked to step out of the room. After all nominees have had a chance to speak to the general student body, the voting will take place.
3. Every active member can vote.
4. Paper ballots must be used.
5. The faculty advisor(s) and faculty present at the election will count the ballots.
6. Once the votes have been counted the results of the election will be announced at the same meeting.
7. Numbers are not disclosed after the votes have been counted.
8. A majority vote of members attending the election is needed to win any office.
9. If no majority vote, the top two voted persons will be voted on again.
10. In the event of a tie, the current president or faculty advisor(s) votes to break the tie.
11. Once officer positions have been filled, there will be a separate installation ceremony.
Section 3. Resigning from office
1. If the officer, for any reason, feels he/she is unable to perform his/her duties, he/she should resign from his/her position. The faculty advisor and president should be notified in writing.
2. Officers who will not be on campus (for example, due to an internship) must resign from their position as soon as they are aware they will be away.
Section 4. Procedures to fill a vacated office
1. If the president’s office is vacated, the vice-president shall move up to president.
2. If an office other than president is vacated, an election (as defined in Article 5, Section 2) will be held to fill the position and the newly elected officer will serve the remainder of the term.
Section 5. Procedures to remove an officer
1. An officer can be removed from his/her position by a 2/3 vote of the other officers and a 2/3 vote by the active members.
2. Need a majority of the officers present to vote.
3. The officer in question is not allowed to vote and does not count in the majority of the officers present.
Section 6. Any changes in officers must be reported to the Executive office.
Article 6: Faculty Advisor
Section 1. For the first appointment, the Accounting Curriculum Committee of Southeast Missouri State University will choose a full-time member of the accounting faculty to serve as the faculty advisor for Beta Alpha Psi. In the event a new faculty advisor is needed, the chapter’s membership shall elect the faculty advisor. The faculty advisor will be voted on by the chapter’s members as an elected position according to Article 5, Section 2. The chapter will consult with the accounting department chair and faculty regarding the qualifications and interest of a new advisor before any vote is taken. Any changes in the faculty advisor must be reported to the Executive office.
Section 2. Faculty Advisor Qualifications and Duties
1. Full-time accounting faculty member
2. Vital interest in students, their activities, and Beta Alpha Psi
3. Member of Beta Alpha Psi. In the event, the advisor is not a member of Beta Alpha Psi, the faculty member should be initiated at the first initiation ceremony
4. Prepared to devote time and effort on behalf of the chapter
5. Term will be considered indeterminate
6. Be available to assist and guide student members, officers, and committee chairs in the operation of the chapter
7. Attend and support chapter activities including executive committee meetings as well as chapter meetings
8. Attend National and Regional annual meetings
9. Provide guidance to the officer preparing reports that will be sent to the executive office
10. Oversee
that all reports have been submitted to the executive office
11. Liaison
between the International chapter, the administration of the university,
college of business, and accounting department of
Article 7: Committees other than the Executive Committee
Section 1. The executive committee shall establish temporary committees as needed. The president shall appoint the chairman.
Article 8: Fiscal Year
Section 1. The fiscal year of the chapter will end on April 30.
Article 9: Authority
Section 1. These bylaws shall be the principal governing document of the ____________Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi.
Section 2. These bylaws will be subordinate to the International Constitution and Bylaws of Beta Alpha Psi. Any provision of this document that conflicts with the International Constitution and Bylaws of Beta Alpha Psi that is currently in effect will be rendered null and void.
Article 10: Requirements for amendment to the bylaws
Section 1. Amendment to the bylaws requires a 2/3 vote by the Executive Committee.
Article 11: Policies
Section1. Professional Nature
1. No national, regional or local chapter activity shall have content that is demeaning or derogatory to any individual or group of individuals.
Section 2. Alcohol Policy
1. Beta Alpha Psi prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages at any meetings, functions, or events that are sponsored, co-sponsored, publicized, or otherwise endorsed by Beta Alpha Psi. The prohibition of alcohol applies to the following:
a. Chapter meetings, regional and annual meetings, and all other meetings/programs of Beta Alpha Psi.
b. All alcoholic products are prohibited whether provided by the chapter, by a speaker or external organization, or whether available at a charge to members and/or guests. This prohibition includes events that are co-sponsored with another organization.
2. Violation of this policy will result in forfeiture of award-status for the year or probation and/or possible sanctions as deemed appropriate by the International Beta Alpha Psi Chapter’s Board of Directors.
Section 3. No Solicitation Policy
1. Chapter activities are not permitted to be used as a conduit for the sale of products or services to students. Recruiting activities are included in this policy. Persons shall not be asked to participate in a chapter activity if their participation is primarily promotional in nature. Any presentation of an examination review program by a representative of a provider of review services is considered promotional in nature. However, a presentation regarding the content or preparation for a professional exam is acceptable. Any chapter event (other than Meet the Firms) at which the chapter permits the solicitation of its members to purchase products or services will result in the event being assigned no credit in any category of the Program for Chapter Activities.
Section 4. Anti-Hazing Policy
1. Hazing for the purpose of pledging, initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for maintaining membership in a group, organization, or team shall not be permitted under any circumstances in this chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. Hazing is defined as any intentional, knowing or reckless act, whether on or off campus, which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of any person, regardless of consent, or which violates public law or University policy. Hazing includes, but is not limited to a) any physical brutality such as whipping, beating, striking, paddling, branding, placing of a harmful substance on the body, or similar activity; b) any physical activity such as sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement, calisthenics, or other activity that subjects a student to risk of harm, or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of a student; c) any activity involving consumption of food, liquid, alcoholic beverage, drug, or substance that subjects a student to risk of harm, or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of a student; d) any activity that intimidates or threatens a student with ostracism, subjects a student to extreme mental stress, shame or humiliation, or adversely affects the mental health or dignity of a student, or that may reasonably be expected to cause a student to leave the organization or institution rather than submit to acts described above; and, e) any activity in which a person solicits, plans, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid another in hazing or intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly permits hazing to occur and/or knowingly fails to report the incident.
Hazing is inconsistent
with
Section 5. University regulations
1. This
organization will comply with all