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Constitution

Constitution of the Alpha Kappa Delta Chapter (Epsilon of PA) of the University of Pennsylvania

Established: Spring 2017

Updated: January 31, 2017

Preamble

We, the founders of Alpha Kappa Delta (Epsilon of PA) of the University of Pennsylvania, hereby establish ourselves as the first international sociological honors society at Penn to create a strong community within the Sociology Department among the undergraduate and graduate communities, while incentivizing academic performance of the highest caliber.

ARTICLE I. Name and Purpose

  1. The name of this organization shall be Alpha Kappa Delta of the University of Pennsylvania, hereafter referred to as AKD.
  2. The purposes of AKD shall be:
    1. To create a strong community within the Sociology Department among the undergraduate and graduate communities;
    2. To incentivize academic performance among undergraduate and graduate Sociology students.

ARTICLE II. Membership

  1. Eligibility:
    1. Must be a sociology major or a graduate student in the sociology program;
    2. Have accumulated at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA and at least a 3.4 GPA in sociology courses for undergraduates and at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA for graduate students;
    3. Have completed at least four regular sociology courses prior to initiation for undergraduates or at least one semester of graduate study for graduate students.
  2. Active Membership:
    1. Members must attend at least two events or meetings per semester.

ARTICLE III. The AKD Executive Board

  1. The AKD Executive Board shall be comprised of the following officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
  2. All officers of the board shall be responsible for:
    1. Fulfilling their position-specific responsibilities;
    2. Attending all board meetings and general board meetings and ensuring prompt notice to the President and/or Vice-President (at least one week in advance) if he/she experiences schedule conflicts or in the case of emergencies and/or unforeseen illness;
    3. Delegating tasks when they are unable to complete the duties of their respective positions and following up on the completion of these tasks;
  3. Attending the transition meeting with the newly elected board at the end of the term and providing advice/consultation as needed
  4. Terms of Officers:
    1. All terms will begin at the beginning of the academic year and end in May of that academic year.  Officers must run for a full year term but considerations will be made for officers who are studying abroad if they run on a double ballot. Officers in all positions may run for re-election.
  5. Impeachment of Officers:
    1. Any officer who does not meet the requirements of his or her office may be impeached. The officer in question will be notified of the charges prior to a closed board meeting, during which the members will discuss the issue and that officer will have the opportunity to speak in defense. The board must unanimously vote in favor of the removal to officially impeach the officer. See Article V, Section D for guidelines on filling the vacancy.

ARTICLE IV. Elections Guidelines

  1. Scheduling:
    1. The application for board positions is made available at the last GBM of the Spring semester.
    2. Elections are held during the last board meeting of the Spring semester.
  2. Application
    1. There will be two different applications, one for returning applicants and one for new applicants, with the purpose of gauging experience and interest respectively.
    2. Returning board members will be anonymously evaluated by their fellow board members.
    3. Applicants may apply for multiple positions but will be considered in the order listed in Article III Section A.
    4. Applicants studying abroad must run alongside someone on a double ballot.
  3. Deliberations
    1. Current board members must read through all applications and anonymous evaluations prior to the board meeting.
    2. Re-applicants will not read their own evaluations unless they request to do so after elections.
    3. Deliberations will begin with the President position and move down the line in the order listed in Article III Section A.
      1. The deliberation time may be extended at most two times.
    1. A total of 7 minutes will be allotted for deliberation of each position.
    2. A current board member can motion to have the deliberation time extended by an amount of 30 seconds multiplied by the number of candidates running for that particular position.  
  4. If an applicant is on the current board, they must step out of the room while the position they applied for is being discussed.
  5. Every current board member must cast a written, anonymous vote.
    1. Board members re-running for a position will submit their ballot prior to stepping out of the room.
  6. Votes will be counted by the current President to prevent bias, and all elected officers will be announced after each round of voting.
    1. In the event that the President is on the voting ballot, the next non-running board member according to Article 3 Section A shall count the votes.
  7. In order to win, a candidate must garner the simple majority of the votes.
    1. This step will be repeated until one candidate manages to garner a simple majority of the votes.
    1. If no candidate receives a simple majority of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes will be taken out of the race and the board will cast a second round of votes.
  8. In the event of a tie, the board must continue deliberating the candidacy of the tied contenders for an additional 3 minutes. If, upon a revote there remains a tie, the current Executive Directors must cast an additional, tie-breaking vote.
  9. In the extraordinary circumstance that there is a vacancy on the AKD board, the current executive board will:
    1. Follow the elections guidelines to fill the vacancy as soon as possible.
    2. The newly elected officer will hold the position until the next election.

ARTICLE V. Amendments

  1. Procedure for Amendment:
    1. Proposed amendments will be presented in writing to the AKD board members and will be discussed at a meeting before a vote is taken. The general body may also submit a petition of 5 active members to propose an amendment. The promoter of the amendment will be allotted 5 minutes to explain the rationale of the proposed amendment. The board will be given 5 minutes to question the promoter. Following the questioning, an open discussion of 5 minutes will be granted to the board.
  2. Ratification:
    1. A three-fourths vote of the board is needed to ratify an amendment after an amendment has been approved by the club membership.

ARTICLE VI. Review of Constitution

The Sociology Department shall review this constitution at least every three years and ratify amendments as they arise. The Sociology Department reserves the right to review this constitution at any time.