Be it known that Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Fraternity for College Band members, is an organization operating exclusively in the field of college and university bands, and for the following several purposes:
1. To promote the existence and welfare of the college and university bands and to cultivate at large a wholesome respect for their activities and achievements.
2. To honor outstanding band members through the privilege of membership extended as a reward for technical achievement and an 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 loyalty.
4. To foster a close relationship between college bands and to promote a high average of attainment by the performance of good music and the 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.
VISION STATEMENT:
With a dedicated spirit of unity and cooperation, we are unequivocally committed to become a world standard of excellence for band fraternal organizations.
MISSION STATEMENT:
Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternal organization that promotes the advancement of college and university bands through dedicated service and support to bands; comprehensive education; leadership opportunities; and recognition; for the benefit of its members and society.
1.101 The name of this organization shall be the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Fraternity for College and University Band members.
1.102 The Iota Phi chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi shall operate as a student service and leadership organization that shall provide assistance to the instrumental music ensembles at the University of New Hampshire through organized and concentrated service activities, in accordance with the national creed and purposes of Kappa Kappa Psi, as detailed at the begining of this document.
1.103 This document is the official constitution of the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, and shall be in accordance with and superseded by National and Northeast District constitutions of Kappa Kappa Psi, and with all University of New Hampshire rules and regulations regarding campus organizations.
1.104 Any and all references to gender in this Constitution and its appendices refer to both genders.
2. AMENDMENTS
1.201 The Constitution may be revised or amended by the chapter as needed. All amendments must be proposed as new business at a regularly scheduled chapter meeting.
1.202 After the third to last meeting of the year, any amendments must be approved by the executive board before being brought to the chapter. Any amendments rejected by the executive board may be brought up again at the first meeting of the next academic year.
1.203 Such amendments will take effect immediately after approval by three-fourths (3/4) of all Active members.
1.204 Procedure for large Constitutional Amendment Proposals:
- The proposal shall be read through in entirety once.
- Proposal needs a motion to accept and a second.
- The chapter will then vote on each article separately, with discussion preceding each vote.
1.205 Minor alterations to the Constitution necessary to correct grammatical or numbering errors do not require a chapter vote.
1.206 The Chapter Constitutions shall be supplemented by set Chapter By-Laws. The Chapter By-Laws shall contain any rules and procedures essential to the running of the chapter that are not contained in the Chapter Constitution.
1.207 Amendments to the Chapter By-Laws shall follow the procedure outlined in sections 1.204 ad 1.205.
1.208 The Chapter may suspend any section of the Chapter Constitution or By-Laws with the approval of 3/4 of the the Active Membership. The motion must stayte the duration of the suspension.
1.209 The Chapter Constitution and By-Laws shall be supplemented by the Chapter Standing Rules. A Standing Rule may be modified or suspended by a majority of the Chapter.
PART II
1. ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHAPTER.
2.101 The governing body of Iota Phi shall consist of all Active and Associate members.
2.102 The officers of Iota Phi shall be: Sponsor/Advisor (ex officio), President, Vice President of Service, Vice President of Membership, Treasurer, Secretary, Historian, Alumni Secretary, and Parliamentarian.
2.103 Each officer shall be an Active member of Iota Phi at the time of the election. The officer shall be enrolled in the University of New Hampshire during the term in office.
2. THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS
2.201 The regular election of chapter officers shall be held at the second-to-last meeting of the academic year. Officer installations shall take place immediately following the elections.
2.202 Nominations shall occur at the third-to-last meeting of the academic year. Nominations may be made in two ways: A member may:
- Submit a statement to the President declaring their candidacy for the office, or
- be nominated from the floor, providing that the member accepts the nomination.
2.203 A member may be nominated for more than one office but once elected must withdraw all other office-nominations for that year.
2.204 In order to be eligible to run for the offices of President, VPS or VPM, a Brother must have been active for at least two semesters, including that of the election, unless there are not enough active Brothers interested in running.
2.205 No Brother may hold the same office for more then two consecutive years unless deemed necessary by the chapter through a simple majority vote.
2.206 The order of elections shall be in order of the Chain of Command, President first, as stipulated in 2.301.
2.207 Those nominated for the offices of President, Vice President of Service, Vice President of Membership, and Treasurer must write a letter of intent to be read to the chapter before the vote is taken. Anyone in attendance may ask questions of the nominees.
2.208 Elections shall require a majority vote (51%) of all votes cast, and voting shall be done by secret ballot. Members who cannot attend an election can send a proxy as stated in the chapter by-laws. In the event of a tie, the president casts the deciding vote.
2.209 If no candidate receives the minimum number of votes, a run-off is held between the two candidates receiving the most votes.
2.210 A special election may be called by the President or the presiding officer to fill a vacant office at any time during the academic-year.
2.211 In the event the current President is running for any office, the right of counting the votes for that office shall be passed to the next officer in the chain of command who is not running for that office. That officer will vote only to make or break a tie.
3. OFFICERS
2.301 The Chain of command is as follows:
- Sponsor/Advisor (ex officio)
- President
- Vice President of Service
- Vice President of Membership
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Historian
- Alumni Secretary
- Parliamentarian
2.302 Sponsor/Advisor (ex officio):
The Sponsor acts as a consultant to the chapter and assists the group in its growth and development. He/She provides direction through advice, understanding and clarification. No later than one week before the last day of classes the Sponsor must be asked if He/She wishes to remain the Sponsor for the following year.
2.303 Officers must maintain a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5, and a semester GPA of no less than 2.25 for the semester prior to their becoming an officer and during each semester that they hold an office unless special exception is made by the sponsor due to necessity.
2.304 The President shall be charged with:
- Presiding at all meetings.
- Acting as Chair of the Executive Board.
- Refraining from chairing any committees or ad-hoc committees other than the Executive Board.
- Serving as a member ex-officio of all committees.
- Appointing all committees and committee chairs.
- Appointing Brothers to any other ad-hoc positions within one (1) week after officer elections.
- Co-signing with the Secretary all contracts and other instruments of business involving the chapter.
- Being the official representative of the chapter whenever such representation is required.
- Preparing and sending all reports to the relevant District and National Officers.
- Being responsible for all actions taken by the chapter.
2.305 The Vice President of Service shall be charged with:
- Preparing and organizing service projects and activities.
- Acting as the Chair of the Service Committee.
- Keeping the chapter updated on the progress of the Service Committee.
- Maintaining a detailed list of all service projects that are carried out during the academic year. The list shall remain with all other materials the Vice President of Service has in his/her possession.
2.306 The Vice President of Membership shall be charged with:
- All membership education activities for prospective members and current Brothers.
- Acting as the Chair of the Membership Committee.
- Administering membership candidate meetings.
- Instructing the Membership Candidates on their required projects, completion dates, and all necessary requirements for initiation.
- Coordinating all internal membership activities and Brotherhood retention.
2.307 The Treasurer shall be charged with:
- Controlling all monies of the chapter.
- Acting as the Chair of the Finance Committee.
- Submitting recommendations concerning financial policies of the chapter as required.
- Co-Signing, with the President, all checks for monies disbursed in an amount greater than $100, and preparing and keeping records of all finances associated with the Chapter.
- Maintaining a detailed list of all fundraisers that are carried out during the academic year. The list shall remain with all other materials the Treasurer has in his possession.
- Preparing a finance report for every meeting, including the current account balance, and a working budget.
2.308 The Secretary shall be charged with:
- Recording the minutes of all meetings of the Iota Phi Chapter.
- Maintaining a permanent record of all minutes of the chapter.
- Acting as Chair of the Communications Committee.
- Taking and recording attendance at all activities and meetings.
- Ensuring that all communications are sent to other chapters, and obtaining all communications from other chapters.
- Co-signing with the President all contracts and other instruments of business incurred by the chapter.
2.309 The Historian shall be charged with:
- Being responsible for the preservation and promotion of chapter traditions.
- Maintaining an accurate history of the chapter, along with a pictographic scrapbook.
- Maintaining an accurate family tree for all branches of the chapter.
- Serving on the web page committee.
2.310 The Alumni Secretary shall be charged with:
- Collecting permanent address information, and dispensing Life membership applications as well as NAA applications and information to all Brothers graduating or leaving the college or university.
- Supplying this information to the National Headquarters.
- Working with and promoting alumni activities, including working with the Marching Band on Alumni Band Day.
- Keeping in correspondence, via newsletters, with all Chapter Alumni.
- Submitting articles regarding Alumni Activities to the District and National publications.
- Serving on the communications committee.
- Serving on the Alumni Events committee.
- Updating the master alumni directory book.
- Working with and assisting the District Liason Chair.
- Updating and maintaining the alumni list serve.
2.311 The Parliamentarian shall be charged with:
- Acting as the chapter's Sergeant-at-Arms.
- Serving as chair of the Judicial Committee.
- Assisting the President in the smooth flow of the meeting and the adherence of parliamentary procedure.
- Having an adequate working knowledge of parliamentary procedure and of the local, district, and National constitutions and by-laws.
- Bringing copies of the chapter, district, and National constitutions and by-laws, as well as a handbook containing Robert's Rules of Order, to each meeting.
- Providing the most current version of the chapter constitution and by-laws to the webmaster.
2.312 All officers are charged with reading Robert's Rules upon election to office and for knowing the constitution. This is so that in the case of the Parliamentarian's absence that business can be conducted appropriately.
4. MEETINGS
2.401 The Iota Phi Chapter shall meet regularly with a minimum of two (2) meetings per month.
2.402 Fifty-one percent (51%) of the active membership, two (2) of which are executive board members, shall constitute a quorum. No official business may be conducted without a quorum.
3.101 Membership of the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi shall consist of seven (7) types: Active, Associate, Conditional, Inactive, Alumni, Life and Honorary Membership.
3.102 Active Membership:
- An Active member shall be a registered student of the University of New Hampshire, who has been formally initiated upon completion of a Membership Education Program, and maintains participation in no less than one university instrumental ensemble during the course of the academic year, unless the Chapter Sponsor makes exception.
- Active members must pay all national and local dues regularly and on time.
- Active members must maintain a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.25, and a semester GPA of no less than 2.00. Members must submit current semester and cumulative GPAs to the Vice President of Membership at the beginning of each semester. All such matters will be handled by the Vice President of Membership.
- For officer GPA requirements please see section 2.303 of this constitution.
- Active members must participate in all chapter rituals and regularly scheduled meetings. All absence should be dealt with in advance with the Membership Committee, and will be handled in accordance with the chapter's Attendance Policy as stated in the Appendices of this constitution.
- All active members must sit on at least one standing committee throughout the course of the academic school year.
- Any member of another chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi who transfers to the University of New Hampshire and enrolls in the university band program shall immediately be eligible for active membership in the chapter, pending fulfillment of all member dues.
3.103 Associate Membership:
- Associate Membership shall be granted to any Tau Beta Sigma member who has transferred to the University of New Hampshire in accordance with the Kappa Kappa Psi Transfer Policy as alluded to by the national constitution. Grants shall follow this procedure:
- The member shall be granted an orientation period not to exceed 30 days.
- During the orientational period, the member shall become familiar with the principles of Kappa Kappa Psi, and the operations of the Iota Phi Chapter.
- Before the end of the orientation period, the member may request associate Status.
- Associate status requires the approval of 2/3 the voting membership of the chapter.
- If the member is granted Associate Status. he shall go through the Ritual with the next class, unless a special session is held by the chapter.
- Associate Members shall have all of the rights, privileges and responsibilities associated with active membership in the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.
3.104 Conditional Membership:
- Conditional membership may be requested by any active member in good standing when the member cannot, without undue hardship, meet the requirements for active membership.
- Request for conditional status in the Fraternity by any active Brother in good standing must be submitted to the Vice President of Membership, in writing. Written requests shall include specific reasons for requesting Conditional Membership. Approval by a majority vote of the chapter, along with the sponsor's approval is needed.
- The conditional status shall remain in effect for the entire current academic semester. During this time, the Brother must pay national dues.
- Conditional status may not be maintained for more than 2 academic semesters.
- Conditional members may attend chapter meetings, rituals, fundraisers, service projects, and social events. Conditional members may not hold or run for office, submit proposals, vote, propose membership candidates, be big Brothers, or participate in rituals. Conditional members may request to go to Precinct, District, and National conventions by writing a letter to the Brotherhood, which would have to be approved by a majority vote. Conditional members may not serve as delegates for the chapter.
- Brothers cannot be requested or forced conditional.
3.105 Inactive Membership:
- Formerly active members who are enrolled at the University of New Hampshire, but do not pay members dues shall be classified as inactive members.
- Inactive members have no privileges of Fraternity membership. Inactive members may not participate in any Fraternity Business, projects or activities.
- To return to active status, said member must request in writing of the Iota Phi chapter, before one year has passed since going inactive. Upon approval by the local chapter and sponsor, and payment of all financial obligations to the National Headquarters, and the local chapter, said member shall return to active status.
- Brothers cannot be requested or forced inactive.
3.106 Alumni Membership:
- Alumni members are those members of Iota Phi Chapter who have completed their education or are no longer attending the University of New Hampshire.
- Alumni members hold the same privileges as active members, except that they cannot introduce business or vote.
- Alumni members may regain full active membership rights by registering as a student at the University of New Hampshire, and fulfilling the requirements of active membership as stipulated in article 3.102.
3.107 Life Membership:
- Any alumni member upon payment of a Life Membership contribution, the amount to be set by the National Chapter, along with an application to the National Office, shall be entitled to Life Membership privileges and may, if desired, subscribe to the PODIUM. Life membership by a member in his last academic term does not exempt a member from paying local and active membership dues.
- Life members may attend chapter and committee meetings, introduce motions and proposals, attend rituals, fundraiseres, service projects, and social events. Life members may not hold or run for office, vote, propose membership candidates, be Big Brothers or hold a ritual station. Life members wil not serve as delegates for the chapter at any time.
3.108 Honorary Membership:
- Honorary members of the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi shall possess the same general qualifications as active members, except that they shall not necessarily be enrolled in the University, nor shall they have to be musicians. They shall be generally recognized for their outstanding service to the music ensembles of the University of New Hampshire, or the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.
- Honorary members shall be put through the second and third degrees of ritual to instill upon them the ideals of Kappa Kappa Psi.
3.109 Probation, Suspension, and Expulsion
Members of the Iota Phi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi may be placed on probation, suspended, or expelled from the fraternity under the rules and regulations specified in the Kappa Kappa Psi National Constitution, articles 6.518 - 6.522 and in this chapter's by-laws. The Iota Phi chapter shall use the Policy on Reviewing in the chapter by-laws as a basis for reviewing a Brother who has warranted such action.