"Integrity and Excellence in Engineering"

PREAMBLE

      The New York Xi Chapter of Tau Beta Pi was granted in 1967.  In the spirit of the Association, the New York Xi Chapter seeks to mark in a fitting manner those in the engineering community who demonstrate scholastic excellence and exemplary character.

Bylaw I

Basis and Use

      SECTION 1.01.  Purpose.  The purpose of these bylaws is to explicitly define the principal activities of the New York Xi Chapter (herein referred to as the Chapter) of the Tau Beta Pi Association (herein referred to as the Association).

      SECTION 1.02.  Interpretation.  At no time shall these bylaws be interpreted in a manner contrary to the intent and purpose of the Association as defined by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

      SECTION 1.03.  Suspension of Bylaws.  These bylaws shall not be suspended except within written consent of a majority of the Advisory board.  See Const. Art. VI, Sec. 5 and Association Bylaw V, Sec. 5.03 (d) (6).

Bylaw II

Election of Chapter Officers 

      SECTION 2.01.  Election Periods.  Election of the Chapter officers shall be held at the first business meeting of each spring semester. 

      SECTION 2.02.  Transition.  The elected officers shall take office following the spring initiation ceremony.  During the transitional time between election and initiation, the incoming officers, referred to herein as officers-elect, must work alongside the present officers.  This shadowing technique will provide additional training and better continuity of leadership.

      SECTION 2.03.  Procedure.  The Chapter shall follow Bylaw V of the Constitution of the Association in regards to this election.  Additional procedural information is available under the Chapter Officer Installation Procedure as outlined in the President’s Book.

Bylaw III

Chapter Finances 

      SECTION 3.01.  Chapter Accounts.  The Chapter shall keep a regular savings account for the purpose of ordinary chapter operations.  The President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Chapter shall have access to this account for the purposes of deposits and withdrawals pertaining to day-to-day chapter activities.

            (a)  A budget of the estimated expenses of the Chapter for the next college year shall be prepared in March or April by the officers of the Chapter in accordance with Association Bylaw V, Sec. 5.04 (c).

            (b)  The President and the Treasurer of the Chapter shall register their signatures with the controller’s office of the College after their election.

      SECTION 3.02.  Initiation Fee.  Each electee of the Chapter must pay the initiation fee of $70.00 (seventy dollars) prior to being initiated.  With the exception of circumstances indicated in Const. Art. VIII, Sec. 10, absolutely no prospective member shall be initiated without the proper payment of dues.

            (a)  The President and Treasurer of the Chapter shall be held primarily responsible for the enforcement of this regulation.

            (b)  In the event that an electee is unable to obtain funds to pay the initiation fee, the electee may apply for a student loan as outlined in Const. Art. XIII and Association Bylaw XIII.

      SECTION 3.03.  Additional Member Dues.  Should the expenses of the Chapter indicate that supplementary funds be collected to cover expenses, the officers shall be able to request additional dues through a vote at a regular meeting of the Chapter.  See Association Bylaw V, Sec. 5.04 (a).

      SECTION 3.04.  Financially Recalcitrant Members.  According to Association Bylaw VI, Sec. 7, an active member is required to pay all applicable dues, assessments, and fines of the active members of the Chapter.  If at any time the Chapter discovers that any active member is or has been financially recalcitrant, a registered letter informing said member of this fact shall be mailed to the member by the Corresponding Secretary of the Chapter.  If after a waiting period (not to exceed one month) there is no response to this initial notice, a final notice will be mailed.  This notice shall inform the recalcitrant member that disciplinary action including possible suspension or expulsion from Tau Beta Pi will be a result of neglect of this notice.  Should the member respond to this notice and agree to meet the requests of the Chapter, immediate payment of the dues in question must be arranged.  However, if the member does not respond or responds in an inappropriate manner to this notice, the Chapter is required to pursue action as outlined in Const. Art. IX, Sec. 5.

Bylaw IV

Election of Members

      SECTION 4.01.  Undergraduate Student Eligibility. (a) To be eligible for election, the candidate shall be a student pursing a regular, undergraduate engineering day curriculum of the institution meeting as defined in Const. Art. VIII, Sec. 2 (a).  Specifically, the recognized curricula are Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering.           

            (b)  Seniors who are in the upper fifth of the class and who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.200 out of a possible 4.000 shall be eligible for membership.  Juniors who are in the upper eighth of the class and who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.400 out of a possible 4.000 shall be eligible for membership.  At the beginning of each academic semester, the Chapter officers must secure from the office of the Dean of Engineering a current list of the cumulative grade point averages of the undergraduate Engineering students in the Senior and Junior classes.  In the event that grade point averages must be kept confidential, the advisor(s) of the Chapter must review the material from the Dean and provide a final list of eligible students to the Chapter officers.

      SECTION 4.02.  Graduate Student Eligibility.  (a) The Chapter shall follow the requirements of Const. Art. VIII, Sec. 3 with regards to graduate student eligibility.

            (b)  A graduate student must be enrolled in at least one of the following accredited programs:  Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering.

      SECTION 4.03  Eligibility of Other Candidates.  All other eligibility matters shall be pursued as outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

      SECTION 4.04.  Character Evaluation.  (a) (1) The Chapter officers shall establish a committee for the purpose of conducting personal interviews for each of the eligible students.  This committee shall be composed of at least four active members of the Chapter, each member representing a different discipline of Engineering within the college, and shall be known as the Interview Committee.

                  (2)  Each eligible candidate is required to attend a personal interview as well as present a resume and photograph to the Interview Committee.  Based on the personal interview and resume, the committee shall judge whether the eligible student is permitted to pursue election. 

                  (3)  The manner in which these interviews will be conducted will be left to the discretion of the Chapter officers and the Interview Committee.

            (b)  In order to be considered for election, eligible students must also participate in chapter events, so that all members may interact with said students.  At the time of notification of eligibility, the eligible students will be provided with an information packet including dates of chapter events.  The exact number of events that the eligible students will be required to attend shall be determined by the Chapter officers before the start of the semester. 

            (c)  In addition to attendance of regular chapter events, eligible students, at the discretion of the Chapter officers, may be required to polish of the bent and to provide a written a petition consisting of signatures from both faculty and current members.

      SECTION 4.05.  Election.  If an eligible student meets both academic and character requirements, they shall be considered for election.

            (a)  At the Election Meeting, the Eligibility Code shall first be read. 

            (b)  The names of the candidates that are eligible shall be submitted to the Chapter membership in groups by the Chapter officers along with the officers’ favorable recommendation for each candidate within the group.

            (c)  A Chapter vote will be taken on the remainder of the group.

            (d)  Each candidate removed from the group who did not receive a favorable recommendation from the membership committee shall be considered separately after all the groups have been voted on.  Each name shall be presented for discussion and voted on before the following name is considered.

            (e)  After all names have been considered and voted on, there shall be a second individual ballot for each candidate who failed election on the first ballot.  No candidate who fails on the second ballot shall be considered further unless 25% of the members present so request.  No candidate who fails election on the third ballot shall again be considered at this election.  The candidate shall be considered again at the next election if eligible.

Bylaw V

Chapter Activities     

      SECTION 5.01.  Activities Committee.  The Committee shall be responsible for the planning and execution of at least one event within each of the following categories:  community/liberal culture, University/ College, profession/engineering, chapter/social, education/professional development.  The President of the Chapter shall create and disband Activities Committee(s) as outlined in Association Bylaw V, Sec. 2. 

      SECTION 5.02.  Required Activities.  (a) The Chapter shall conduct two induction dinners during the academic year, one during each semester.  The dinner shall take place within the last six weeks of the fall and spring semesters, after the electees are formally initiated into the Chapter.  Specific details about the nature of the dinner and the possibility of a joint dinner with another student organization are left to the discretion of the Officers of the Chapter.

            (b)  The Chapter shall continue to confer with the proper authorities in regards to the mounting and display of the four-foot Chapter aluminum Bent.  The Chapter is responsible for the correct display of the Bent in an appropriate section of the School of Engineering.

            (c)  Following an event, Chapter officers shall meet to prepare the appropriate Chapter Survey form.

      SECTION 5.03.  Other Activities.  In the pursuit of other Chapter activities, the Chapter shall be guided by the letter and spirit of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

Bylaw VI

Adoption and Amendment of Chapter Bylaws 

      SECTION 6.01.  Adoption of Bylaws.  These bylaws shall be considered officially adopted when they are ratified in toto by both a three-fourths majority of the total active membership of the Chapter and a five-sevenths majority of the Advisory Board of the Chapter.  This vote may be conducted in person at a general meeting or by vote via email.  The President and Recording Secretary shall confirm the results of a vote and distribute information to current members.  These bylaws shall take effect immediately upon adoption.

      SECTION 6.02.  Bylaw Amendments.  These bylaws may be amended only by agreement of both a three-fourths majority of the total active membership of the Chapter at a general Chapter meeting and a five-sevenths majority of the Chapter Advisory Board.  The Corresponding Secretary of the Chapter shall send a copy of the amended Bylaws to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association according to Association Bylaw V, Sec. 3 (d) (6).