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PREAMBLE
We, the members of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor
Society, in order to make the Criminal Justice professions and their practitioners
more effective; to recognize scholastic achievement and excellence; to encourage
research and the dissemination of knowledge so acquired to all members of
the professions; to inspire a just pride in their work; and to apply scientific
practices and techniques within the Criminal Justice fields, do hereby submit
ourselves to be governed by the following Constitution.
ARTICLE
I: NAME
This organization
shall be known as Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor
Society, Alpha Phi Chapter.
ARTICLE
II: PURPOSE
The purposes of the
Alpha Phi Chapter shall be to recognize and promote high scholarship among
students actively engaged in collegiate preparation for professional services;
to keep abreast of the advances in scientific research; to elevate the
ethical standards of the Criminal Justice professions and to establish
in the public mind the benefit and necessity of education and professional
training.
ARTICLE
III: MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be
granted to those individuals who have declared their major, minor, or
equivalent in Criminal Justice fields in pursuit of a baccalaureate or
graduate degree at a college or university accredited by the appropriate
regional accrediting agency and holding a chapter charter. A minimum of
four courses of the above course work must be in the declared Criminal
Justice major, minor, or equivalent. A prospective member shall submit
an application form to one's chapter officers or faculty advisor(s) for
approval. This application must be submitted prior to an applicant's last
two semesters before graduating in order to receive consideration. An
approved application shall require the signature of the student and the
verification of academic eligibility by the local chapter advisor(s).
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Section
1: Regular Membership
Regular membership
shall be limited to both undergraduate part-time and full-time students
who have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, a 3.2 grade point average
(determined on a 4.0 scale) in Criminal Justice fields, who are in the
top 35% of their class, who have completed one third of the units or credit
hours required by the institution for graduation, and who are of good
moral character. Currently enrolled graduate students are eligible for
membership based upon their undergraduate major or based upon their enrollment
in a graduate program in Criminal Justice. Graduate students shall have
completed at least 12 hours of graduate work with a 3.4 grade point average
in their major and have a minimum of 3.4 cumulative grade point average.
Any Alpha Phi Sigma
member who transfers, due to graduation or other reason, from another
college or university shall be accepted into the Alpha Phi Chapter provided
national requirements are met. Upon entry to the Alpha Phi Chapter, the
new student shall pay the Alpha Phi Chapter fee. After one term, the member
shall be subject to all rules, regulations, and requirements of the Alpha
Phi Chapter. It will be the Alpha Phi Chapter's responsibility to notify
the national office of any acceptances. No new certificate of membership
will be issued unless specifically requested and paid for by the new member.
All applicants shall be notified in writing on the official letterhead
of the Alpha Phi Chapter, of their acceptance or rejection. A copy of
the Alpha Phi Chapter's constitution shall be promptly forwarded after
acceptance.
Regular membership
may be suspended or revoked upon three fourths (¾) affirmative
vote of the total active membership of the chapter, upon breach of the
Oath of Membership (Article IV of the Constitution).
Failure to maintain
the academic requirements as defined in Article III of the constitution
will be grounds for revocation of membership.
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If it should occur
that a regular member's grade point average falls below the requirements
set forth in Article III of the Constitution, it shall be the responsibility
of that member to report to the Executive Committee such a deficiency.
At such time, the member shall be placed on probation without loss of
privileges, for one semester. If, at the end of probationary period, the
member has not re-established one's academic eligibility, the member will
be asked to resign one's membership. Failure to submit a voluntary resignation
under these conditions will result in revocation of membership.
Upon revocation of
membership, the member's name shall be stricken from the rolls of the
local and national chapter.
Section
2: Alumni Membership
Alumni membership
will be granted to all regular members upon that member's graduation from
an accredited college or university. The alumni membership is renewed
on an annual basis, contingent upon dues payment.
Section
3: Probationary Membership
Probationary membership
shall be granted to both undergraduate part-time and full-time students
who have not met the regular membership requirements but are very close
to meeting the criteria. Prospective probationers shall submit a probationary
application form to a chapter officer or faculty advisor(s) for approval.
Upon completion of the minimum criteria for a regular membership, those
probationary members shall be granted regular membership along with all
other privileges outlined in the local and national constitutions. The
probationary member has the responsibility of monitoring their own progress
towards regular membership and is further responsible, but not limited
to, completing a regular membership application when applicable. If for
any reason a probationary member is unable to attain the regular membership
criteria or decides they no longer wish to participate, then all rights
and privileges associated with probationary membership are forfeited.
All donations and membership dues are non-refundable.
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ARTICLE
IV: HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
The purpose of Honorary
Membership is to recognize outstanding professional achievement and service
to the Criminal Justice field by persons not eligible for regular membership
in the Society. It is intended to be viewed as an honorable recognition
of service by the recipients to enhance the potential of the Society in
meeting its basic objectives by expanding the membership base into the
non-academic community.
To preserve the status
of Honorary Membership, no more than two such awards may be granted in
any given academic year.
A nomination for Honorary
Membership shall be signed by no less than three active Alpha Phi Chapter
members in good standing and shall include, in addition to a biographical
sketch, a detailed explanation of the achievements or services to the
Criminal Justice field that warrants the award.
Presentation of the
Certificate of Honorary Membership will be made at a function conductive
to the honor of the event. Honorary members shall enjoy all the privileges
of active membership with the exception of the right to vote and the right
to hold office. A current mailing list of honorary members shall be maintained
by the Secretary of Alpha Phi Chapter. Honorary members will not be required
to pay local fees and dues.
ARTICLE
V: OATH
I, (state your name),
a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, The National Criminal Justice Honor Society,
do hereby submit myself to be governed by the Constitution, Bylaws, and
duties therein. It is my mission to make the Criminal Justice professions
and their practitioners more effective; to encourage research and the
dissemination of knowledge so acquired to all members of the professions;
to inspire a just pride in their work; and to apply scientific practices
and techniques within the criminal justice fields. Bearing these words
in mind, to the best of my ability, I will execute the society's purpose,
in order that I may better serve human kind.
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ARTICLE
VI: OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Officers shall consist
of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, or, a
Secretary-Treasurer. These officers will be elected annually at a time
deemed appropriate by the organization. The Alpha Phi Chapter officers
and advisor(s) shall comprise the Alpha Phi Chapter Executive Committee.
ARTICLE
VII: DUTIES OF ALPHA PHI CHAPTER OFFICERS
Section
1: President
The President shall
open each meeting of the society by taking the chair and calling the members
to order. The President shall enforce on all occasions the observance
of order and decorum among those present. The President shall make certain
the formation of all committees, and, if there are no volunteers, the
President shall appoint the committee members. The President can appoint
Ad hoc Committees whenever necessary to conduct and facilitate the business
of the Society. The President shall be responsible for appointing the
committee chairpersons. The President shall be the chairperson of the
Executive Committee. The President shall conduct all elections. Special
meetings may be called by the President. The President shall decide when
each Alpha Phi Chapter newsletter shall be published by the Secretary.
Section
2: Vice President
The Vice President
shall perform all the duties of the President during his/her temporary
absence. The Vice President shall notify all applicants, in writing, or
their acceptance or rejection into the Alpha Phi Chapter membership. Furthermore,
the Vice President shall oversee the distribution of membership certificates,
cards, and pins. The Vice President shall obtain and coordinate all meeting
locations. The Vice President shall retrieve all applications from the
designated advisor to be delivered to the Treasurer. The Vice President
shall maintain a record of all applicants and checks that accompany the
applicant's application. The Vice President shall maintain the minutes
of Alpha Phi Chapter during any temporary absence of the Secretary. The
Vice President shall be chairperson of the nominating committee for Alpha
Phi Chapter officers.
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Section
3: Secretary
The Secretary shall
be the recording officer of Alpha Phi Chapter and shall be the custodian
of all records except those specifically assigned to others. All records
shall be open to inspection by any member of Alpha Phi Chapter at any
reasonable time. The Secretary shall maintain accurate records of the
Constitution and other relevant documents of Alpha Phi Chapter including
a directory that shall be made available to all active members and alumni.
The Secretary shall be the secretary of the Executive Committee. Specifically,
the Secretary shall receive a copy of all applications and checks that
accompany the applicant's application from the Treasurer. The Secretary
shall maintain a record of each individual check from every applicant
and shall send out a separate check from Alpha Phi Chapter to the National
Officer for each new member. The Secretary shall be responsible for publishing
the Alpha Phi Chapter newsletter on at least a semi-annual basis. The
exact time for each newsletter to be published shall be determined by
the President.
Section
4: Treasurer
The Treasurer shall
receive all money due to Alpha Phi Chapter. The Treasurer shall maintain
Alpha Phi Chapter's monetary accounts. The Treasurer shall submit a financial
report to each meeting of Alpha Phi Chapter or when called upon by the
President. The Treasurer shall receive all applications and checks that
accompany each applicant's application from the Vice President. At such
time, the Treasurer will maintain a record of all applications and checks
received. The Treasurer will sign all checks that are produced from the
Alpha Phi Chapter's accounts.
Section 5: Officers Must be Regular Members of the Chapter
Only individuals who are regular members of the Alpha Phi Chapter are eligible to serve in the capacity of President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer. Probationary or Honorary members cannot serve as Officers of the society.
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ARTICLE
VIII: MEETINGS
Section
1: Regular Meetings
Regular meetings shall
be determined each semester to be held at the most convenient time for
the academic schedule. The Vice President shall coordinate all regular
meeting locations. A simple majority of the active members shall constitute
a quorum.
Section
2: Special Meetings
Special meetings may
be called by the President at any time. All rules for the regular meetings
apply to the special meetings.
ARTICLE
IX: ADVISOR(S)
The advisor(s) of Alpha Phi Chapter shall be selected by the officers of Alpha Phi Chapter. The advisor(s) must be selected from the criminal justice faculty at the University of Houston-Downtown. The advisor(s) tenure shall be subject to annual renewal by the membership of the society. The advisor(s) shall be (a) non-voting member(s) of the Executive Committee, except in the event of a tie, then the advisor shall cast the tie breaking vote.
ARTICLE
X: AMENDMENTS
This Constitution
may be amended at any Alpha Phi Chapter meeting by a simple majority vote
of all attending active members. Each active member shall receive one
vote.
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