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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Greek Affairs

Sorority PHA Constitution

Constitution of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Panhellenic Association

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Panhellenic Association of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Panhellenic Association - University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a component of the Office of Greek affairs within the Division of Student Affairs.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSES

The objectives of this Panhellenic Association shall be to:

A. Uphold the policies outlined in the UNL Student Code of Conduct in cooperation with the UNL Administration.

B. Act in accordance with NPC [National Panhellenic Conference] Unanimous Agreement and policies.

C. Further intellectual accomplishment and to foster high scholastic achievement.

D. Be a forum for the discussion of maintaining and establishing high standards in the University of fraternity community.

ARTICLE III - ORGANIZATION

A. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Association shall be composed of all members (new members and actives) of the National Panhellenic Conference authorized to have chapters on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

B. The Panhellenic Council shall be composed of one delegate from each represented chapter of the national Panhellenic Conference and any other national and local organizations, as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Council deems necessary.

C. One delegate selected by each chapter is to serve as the delegate of the Panhellenic Council for one year beginning the first regularly scheduled meeting of second semester.

D. Each delegate has the power of one vote in representing her chapter.

E. Delegates are to attend all Panhellenic meetings.  After two absences of representation within a semester, the chapter and chapter advisor of the member's fraternity shall be notified.

F. Any chapter with a membership of 40 or less will be deemed granted consideration by the Executive Panhellenic Council in the areas of recruitment.

G. There shall be an Alumnae Advisory Board composed of one representative elected by each alumnae chapter of National Panhellenic Conference fraternities represented on this campus.  These alumnae members shall meet regularly in accordance with provisions established in the By-Laws of this Constitution.

H. The University Administrative structure prescribes that there shall be an official University Director of Greek Affairs who shall maintain the Panhellenic Office and serve as the liaison person between the Panhellenic Council and Student Affairs.

ARTICLE IV - EXPANSION

The admission of new Greek letter organizations on campus shall be approved by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Association in accordance with the expansion policy.

ARTICLE V - PANHELLENIC COUNCIL OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

A. The officers of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Council shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Recruitment Chair, Public Relations Chairs, and Recruitment Guide Coordinator.

B. The officers shall serve a term of one year beginning the first regularly schedule meeting of the second semester. All officers shall be elected the group of Panhellenic Delegates.

C. To hold an office of the Panhellenic Council, the nominee must meet the following qualifications:

  1. Be enrolled as a regular undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln carrying a minimum of twelve (12) hours.
  2. Must have a cummulative 3.0 GPA or a cummulative 2.8 GPA with 2 consecutive semesters of a 3.0 GPA.
  3. Be an active member in good standing with her respective member fraternity.

D. To hold the office of President, the nominee must meet the requirements stated in Article V, Section C, as well as have previously served as either a UNL Panhellenic Delegate or as an officer of the UNL Panhellenic Council. In the event that no applications for President are submitted, the position will be open to all applicants, pending the nominee meets the requirements stated in Article V, Section C.

E. To hold the office of Recruitment Guide Coordinator, the nominee must meet the requirements stated in Article V, Section C, as well as have previously served as a UNL Recruitment Guide.

F. If a Panhellenic Officer fails to meet the requirements stated in Article V, Section C at any time during her term, she must forfeit her position. If deemed necessary by the active officers of the Panhellenic Council, a special election may be held to fill the vacancy.

G. Duties of Officers:

  1. Duties of President: The President is to preside over all regular and special meetings of the Council. The President shall preside over all regular and special meetings of the Panhellenic Presidents' Council. The President shall have the power to call special meetings as she deems necessary. She shall preside over meetings of the Executive Committee. She shall also vote in case of a tie. She will attend Staff Meetings with The Director of Greek Affairs, the Interfraternity Council President, the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council Graduate Assistants, a representative from the Multi-Cultural Greek Council, and a representative from Order of Omega and Greek Ambassadors. The President will serve as a representative of Panhellenic on the Vice Chancellor's Student Affairs Advisory Council.
  2. Duties of the Vice-President: In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall conduct the meetings. The Vice-President will be responsible for the implementation and overseeing of the Panhellenic Committees. She shall serve as the Chair for the Risk Management Council and serve as co-chair with Interfraternity Council for the Greek Risk Management Summit. She shall be responsible for all Panhellenic programming, including arranging for speakers. If, for any reason, the President forfeits her position, the Vice President shall serve as the new President. If deemed necessary by the active officers of the Panhellenic Council, a special election may be held to fill the vacancy of the office of the Vice President.
  3. Duties of the Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary shall keep minutes of the Council Proceedings, both regular and special, Delegate and Executive. As Recording Secretary, she shall keep the records of the Council. The Recording Secretary shall serve as the Chair of the Panhellenic Social Board. She shall serve as the Chair to the Panhellenic Scholarship Board and Panhellenic Delegate Academic Committee. She shall serve as the Panhellenic contact to the national Panhellenic Area Advisor. The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for all Panhellenic correspondence, the Panhellenic Green book, and updating of the Panhellenic Constitution and By-Laws
  4. Duties of the Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the general supervision of the finances of Panhellenic. The Treasurer shall keep a timely record of expenses. She is responsible for preparation of a semester budget, and following its approval by the Panhellenic Council, for providing a copy for each Panhellenic Association member upon request. The Treasurer shall serve as the Chair of the Junior Panhellenic Council and the Activities Committee of the Panhellenic Delegates.
  5. Duties of the Recruitment Chair: The Recruitment Chair shall be responsible for the year round planning of Sorority Recruitment. She shall conduct meetings with Sorority Recruitment Chairs. The Recruitment Chair will work in conjunction with the Recruitment Guide Coordinator. AT her discretion, she shall appoint an assistant Recruitment Chair. She shall serve as the co-chair of the New Member Education Board. She shall reside in Lincoln during her term, including the summer months.
  6. Duties of the Public Relations Chair: The Public Relations Chair shall serve as the chair of the Public Relations Board. She shall serve as a liaison to the campus newspaper and other publications. The Public Relations Chair shall be responsible for the Panhellenic press releases, web page, scrapbook, and photos, etc. She shall serve as the Chair of the Philanthropy Council. She shall serve as the chair of the Service committee of the Panhellenic Delegates. She shall serve as the chair of the All Greek Dance Party. She shall serve as Pan Hellenic's Homecoming and Greek Week Liaison.
  7. Duties of the Recruitment Guide Coordinator: The Recruitment Guide Coordinator shall be responsible for all Recruitment Guide activities, including selection and training. She shall serve as a liaison between the Recruitment Guide's and the Panhellenic Executive Board. She shall work in conjunction with the Recruitment Chair and reside in Lincoln during her term including the summer months. She serves as co-chair of the New Member Education Board.
  8. A Panhellenic Office shall be maintained under the supervision of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln appointed Director of Greek Affairs. This office shall keep a record of all Panhellenic materials and have available official National Panhellenic Conference communications, reports, and legislation as well as all local records. This office shall provide services to the member groups as prescribed by the best interest of the fraternity program.
  9. If deemed necessary by the active officers of the Panhellenic Council, vacancies occurring between annual elections may be filled by special elections.

ARTICLE VI - ELECTION PROCEDURES

A. Association members interested in holding an executive position will submit their names prior to the Panhellenic election meeting. An application must be submitted for each office of interest. No nominations will be accepted from the floor. No chapter may hold the same executive office for two consecutive years. No chapter may have more than one board member. Elections will take place last weekend of November.

B. At the meeting immediately preceding the Panhellenic Executive Officer Election, each candidate will have three minutes to speak about her interest in Panhellenic Executive Council and the reasons for which she is running for office. Even if the candidate has indicated interest in more than one position on the application, she will speak only once. Candidates will speak in alphabetical order for each position. The Panhellenic Vice President will moderate the speeches. Each candidate will be provided an opportunity to speak for three minutes, and then 20 minutes will be allotted for questions from the audience.

C. Applications will be made available to chapter members for review prior to the Delegate meeting at which election speeches take place. Chapter members are encouraged to attend the candidate speeches and to bring any questions they have to the meeting. After this meeting, chapters or executive boards of chapters are encouraged to provide their delegate with recommendations for voting during the elections.

D. The order of elections will be as follows:

  1. President
  2. Recruitment Guide Coordinator
  3. Vice President
  4. Recording Secretary
  5. Treasurer
  6. Overall Recruitment Chair
  7. Public Relations Chair

E. All candidates should be present during the election, and there will be time allotted at the beginning of the meeting for each chapter to ask last minute questions of the candidates. The question/answer period will be limited to 10 minutes. The last names of each of the candidates running for president will be listed on a flip chart at the front of the room. The Panhellenic Recruitment Chair will moderate this.

F. Each delegate will vote once on a written ballot during each election. If a delegate is running for office, she should bring another chapter representative to cast the vote for the office for which she is running.

G. The candidate with the most votes will win the election. If an office is uncontested, the winner must have an affirmative vote from at least 50 percent of the member chapters. The ballots will be distributed and collected by the Panhellenic Recording secretary. The ballots will be counted by the Panhellenic Recording Secretary and Treasurer.

H. The Panhellenic President will be handed the result, at which point she will either cast the deciding vote or announce the position. At this point, any candidates who indicated an interest in the next position will be asked if they want to slate down to the position. This will continue until all of the positions are filled.

ARTICLE VII - ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

A. Panhellenic Executive Council

  1. a. A Panhellenic Executive Council shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Recruitment Chair, Public Relations Chair, and Recruitment Guide Coordinator.
  2. b. The Panhellenic Council shall meet no less than twice a month during the regular academic year, unless the Executive Council deems it necessary to call a meeting.

B. Delegates

  1. Every chapter will have one representative, known as a Panhellenic delegate.
  2. Weekly meetings of the Panhellenic Delegate Council shall be held at a time and place established at the beginning of the semester. It shall be the duty of this committee to meet to organize and discuss Panhellenic business.
  3. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the members.
  4. A majority vote of the delegate members shall be necessary to fix dates, to establish regulations regarding membership selection, to grant co-sponsorships, monetary donations, and to carry out all other Panhellenic questions.

C. Arbitration Board

  1. The Arbitration Board shall be organized and shall proceed in accordance with the PH Arbitration charter
  2. If any fraternity violates any regulations of this Constitution, any of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Association membership selection rules of the national Panhellenic Conference compact and standards of ethical conduct, it shall be subject to penalties of the character prescribed by National Panhellenic Conference and the local Panhellenic.
  3. Any penalty, and the time is shall continue, is to be decided by the Arbitration Board in accordance with the powers as prescribed for said committee.
  4. Every offense and penalty must be reported by the Panhellenic President to the national Panhellenic Conference Committee on College Panhellenic.
  5. National Panhellenic Conference does not allow penalties to carry over from one year to another and discourages any type of financial penalty.

D. Committees

  1. The Panhellenic Executive Board has the power to create and dissolve committees that serve to enhance the system.

ARTICLE VIII - AGREEMENTS

A. Fundamental Panhellenic laws as embodied in the national Panhellenic Conference compact and standards of ethical conduct must be observed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Association.

B. All regulations and laws of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Association must be in harmony with the rules of procedure for college Panhellenic as adopted by National Panhellenic Conference. See National Panhellenic Conference Manual of Information.

C. All regulations and laws of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhellenic Association must be in harmony with the established principles and regulations of the university of which it is a part.

ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENTS

This constitution should be reviewed yearly and may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegate members, provided the proposed changes have been presented for consideration of the members at least one week in advance of the voting.