In order that those in the profession of Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering, who as a result of academic attainment or achievement in Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering practice and having exhibited qualities of leadership and character that bring credit and honor to their profession, may establish closer bonds for mutual benefit, the Constitution of this Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering Honor Society is hereby established.
Section
1
The name of
this chapter shall be ALPHA EPSILON, and hereafter shall be referred to as the
"Chapter".
The motto of
this Chapter shall not be made public, but with the rituals and other elements
of secrecy, shall be handed down traditionally.
This Chapter
shall consist of active, alumni and honorary members.
The name of the chapeter shall be: Alpha
Epsilon, The Ohio State University Chapter.
The general
government of the Chapter shall be vested in the Convention and the Executive
Council, in accordance with the following provisions of this constitution.
The Executive
Council shall have control of affairs pertaining to the Chapter, as a whole, but
shall maintain a democratic society.
The National
Convention:
(a) The chapter
may elect and send one delegate to the national convention on an annual basis,
as long as monies allow.
(a) The
Executive Council shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and graduate student representative. The Executive Council shall be
active, alumni or honorary members.
(b)
The nomination of Executive Council members shall be submitted to the Executive
Council at least two weeks preceding the election. Any unsuccessful nominee for
higher office can be considered by motion from the floor for a lesser office.
(c) Nominations
shall be made during the meeting preceding the annual FABE scholarship banquet
and an electronic ballot will be sent out by e-mail to all members and
initiates.
(d) The new
Executive Council shall be announced the night of the annual FABE scholarship
banquet during the initiation of the new members.
(e) The new
Executive Council shall take office immediately following the initiation of the
new members.
(f) Vacancies
in the Executive Council shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members
of the Council. The appointed members shall serve until the next election.
(a) The
Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected and hold office as provided in Section
4 of this article.
(b) The
Secretary shall:
1.
Keep
the official copies of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Chapter, the seal of
the Chapter, and all official documents belonging to the Chapter.
2.
Conduct
the correspondence of the Chapter and transmit to the chapters written materials
pertaining to the Chapter.
3.
Transmit
exact copies of the Constitution and Bylaws and other Chapter material to the
National Executive Council upon request.
4.
Supply
to the Chapter President a quantity of membership certificates for its
initiates.
5.
Prepare
and present a written annual report to the Executive Council the meeting held
preceding the annual FABE scholarship banquet.
6.
Maintain
a record of the names and initiation dates of their members of all chapter.
(c) The
Treasurer shall:
1.
Keep
financial records of the Chapter in a business like manner.
2.
Collect
from the chapter all monies due to the Chapter for fees, dues, jewelry,
materials, and other supplies furnished to them.
3.
Pay
the expenses connected with any event or meeting coordinated by the Chapter.
4.
Present
an audited report of the activities and financial condition of his/her office
with recommendations to the Executive Council at least one month before the
annual FABE scholarship banquet, which report shall also be made to the Chapter.
proceeding
Membership
shall be based upon scholarship, leadership, and character. Membership shall
consist of three classes, namely, Honorary, Alumni, and Active.
(a) Honorary
members shall be selected on the basis of successful achievements in
Agricultural Engineering.
(b) Active
members shall be undergraduate and graduate engineering students enrolled in the
academic department.
1.
Juniors
shall have a minimum cumulative scholastic rank in the upper quarter of the
college class in which enrolled.
2.
Seniors
shall have a minimum cumulative scholastic rank in the upper third of the
college class in which enrolled.
3.
Active
members may be chosen from among graduate students in the academic department in
which the Chapter resides who would have met the requirements for membership as
undergraduates at the institution they attended, had the organization existed
there at that time.
4.
Graduate
students not eligible for membership as undergraduates will be eligible after
the completion of at least seven semester hours (ten quarter hours) of graduate
course work with a minimum grade point average equivalent to 3.25 on a
4.00-point scale.
5.
Alumni
members of a chapter are those who (1) have been active members of the chapter,
(2) attained at least a baccalaureate degree, (3) and have left the institution
where initiated into the Chapter. A member may be an Active member of one
chapter and Alumni member of another if he or she transfers the graduate work to
an institution that has a chapter of Alpha Epsilon.
Section 1
(a) The Chapter
shall hold at least four meeting per quarter of a business, literary, or
technical character.
(b) Meeting
times shall be coordinated to fit the majority of the members schedules at the
start of each quarter.
Disciplining of
a chapter shall be by suspension or by revocation of its chapter.
If twenty
alumni members or three chapters report in writing an instance where a chapter
has acted in violation of the constitution or the best interest of the Chapter,
the chapter shall be required to give the Executive Council reason why its
charter should not be suspended. The Executive Council may in its judgment
suspend the charter and at the next Convention, the Council will make a detailed
report of the complaint against the chapter and the chapter response. The
official chapter delegate, and other members may plead the chapter's case. The
chapter may be expelled or reinstated by three-fourths majority vote of the
total number of chapters.
The Method of
discipline of members shall be suspension or expulsion.
For continued
and inexcusable absence, not fulfilling his/her assigned duties, failure to meet
his/her financial obligation to the chapter or for other just causes, a member
may be suspended or expelled by a majority vote of the active chapter members.
An amendment to
the Constitution may be presented to the Executive Council, and if approved by a
three-fourths vote of the members present, shall be amended to the Constitution
of the Chapter.
Any chapter
which fails to report its vote to the Executive Council within eight weeks, not
including regular college vacation periods, shall forfeit its vote to the
Executive Council which shall then have authority to vote for the chapter.
The Executive
Council shall hold at least one meeting a quarter. Minutes of these meetings
shall be kept and turned over to the succeeding council.
Minutes of the
Executive Council Meetings shall be kept by the Secretary. The Executive Council
shall, on its own initiative or by request prepare legislation, amendments,
proposals for changes, etc., for the good of the Chapter.
Such material shall be transmitted to the chapter by the Secretary.
The Executive
Council shall submit a report at each meeting before the annual FABE scholarship
banquet containing the following items:
(a) The
transactions of the Executive Council over the past year.
(b) All
recommendations for the good of the Chapter which it may see fit to make..
(c) All
petitions for charters.
(d)
Recommendations, if any, for the revocation of Chapter members that have
previously been terminated by the chapter.
The Secretary
shall:
(a) Construct a
list by the second Monday in October of the names and mailing addresses of the
officers and active members and advisers of the chapter and subsequent changes
of membership and advisers, which may occur during the year.
Present the list to the Executive Council and upon approval mail it to
the National Secretary.
(b) Send a copy
of the Chapter’s Constitution and Bylaws amended to date when sending the
other material in Section 4.
The Treasurer
shall:
(a) Construct a
document that describes the financial condition of the Chapter by the second
Monday in October and present it at the following Chapter meeting.
(b) Send a
statement showing the financial condition of the Chapter semi-annually to each
member of the Executive Council.
(c) Maintain a
suitable bank balance in the amount to cover the ordinary business of his/her
office.
The election of
Active and Honorary Members shall be by secret ballot by the active members of
the chapter and shall be held within one month after the submission by a
membership committee of a list of eligible students. At least a three-fourths
vote of members present at the election shall be required for membership
approval.
Each candidate
shall be required to read the Constitution and Bylaws of the Chapter.
Pledge
assignments shall be permissible and they shall be of the nature of challenging
the intellectual and mental abilities of the candidate with the objectives of
acquainting the candidate with the ideals of Agricultural, Food, and Biological
Engineering.
Each initiate
shall be given a certificate of membership and a copy of the Constitution and
Bylaws.
Chapter
initiation fees are to be determined by the chapters, but a one time national
initiation fee of ten dollars ($10.00) will be required for each new initiate.
Honorary members are exempt from all fees.
The colors of
the Chapter shall be black and gold.
The badge of
the Chapter shall be a watch key shaped as shown in the figure.
On the obverse
shall be engraved the symbol shown in the figure; on the reverse shall be
engraved the initials of the owner, the name of the chapter and the year of the
member's initiation.
The official
key shall be worn only by members of the Chapter.
Jewelry,
bearing a replica of the official badge of the Chapter, to be worn by members,
shall be limited to a ring, a recognition button and/or a tie clasp. Jewelry, as
specified in this section shall be standardized and approved by the National
Executive Council and shall be purchased only from the official jeweler.
The certificate
of membership shall be as shown below:
The certificate
of membership shall be obtained from the Secretary and Treasurer of the National
Executive Council and shall contain the following information: ( 1 ) The name,
Alpha Epsilon; (2) State and chapter designation; (3) Picture of Alpha Epsilon
key; (4) Be it known that having earned distinction through high scholarship and
qualities of leadership and character that bring credit to the profession of
Agricultural Engineering, (Name) is hereby declared and certified a member of
Alpha Epsilon (Date) . (5)Signed by the President of the Executive Council,
President of Chapter, Head of Agricultural Engineering Department and faculty
adviser, (6) contain the official seal of Alpha Epsilon.
An amendment to the bylaws may be presented to the Executive Council, and if approved by a three-fourths vote of the members present, shall then be amended in the Constitution of the Chapter.