Alpha Omega Delta Constitution

Alpha Omega Delta Constitution Αλφα Ωµεγα ∆ελτα Preamble Believing that all men are social beings and that the friendships of college men are lasting ones, we the men of Alpha Omega Delta, do hereby seek to promote these associations through a social fraternity with a concentration on academics and community which will uphold the true standards of brotherhood and do hereby establish the following Constitution. Article I – Name, Meaning, & Founding Principles Section I - Name The name of this organization shall be the Alpha Omega Delta Fraternity. Section II - Meaning The Name of this Society is derived from a two-fold origin in the meaning of our Greek letters. The first two letters emanate from the passage in Revelations 22:13 which reads, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end”. The second, the Delta, comes from the mathematical notion of change. As Alpha and Omega represents the very extent of our Universe, its massive expanse, the whole with all of its complexities, we, too, understand the changes that occur within our Universe, its power for continuity and its power for change.

Section III – Founding Principles Honesty Responsibility Human Dignity Wisdom Article II – Mission It is the mission of this Fraternity to make well-respected college men who will be academically geared, community oriented, and able leaders of the world exemplifying honesty, responsibility, human dignity, and wisdom. Article III – Emblem, Motto, Badges, & Flower Section I – Emblems The emblems of this fraternity shall consist of a badge, a coat of arms, a system of colors, a system of Greek letters, and a flower. Section II – Colors The Colors of Alpha Omega Delta shall be Regal Purple and Old Gold. Section III – Motto The Motto of Alpha Omega Delta shall be “Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat.” Translates from Latin to English as, “Fortune Favors the Bold.” Section IV – Flower The Flower of Alpha Omega Delta shall be the White Rose. Section V – Coat of Arms Under Development… Section VI – The Badge & Pins

The badge and pins of Alpha Omega Delta shall consist of four parts: 1. All active brothers of Alpha Omega Delta shall be given the Badge at the Initiation Ceremony in Delta Stage. The Badge shall display the Coat of Arms of the Alpha Omega Delta. 2. The Gold Pin shall be given to Brothers who display a high degree of academic excellence. A high degree of academic excellence is determined henceforth as having a 3.2 G.P.A. during the immediate previous semester. 3. The Regal Purple Pin shall be given to brothers who display a high level of Leadership within the Brotherhood and/or the Community. A high level of Leadership Excellence is determined henceforth as having displayed initiative to volunteer, willingness to participate, understanding roles and assignments, selflessness when working with others, and/or assisting when no requirement is present. Article IV – Executive Council Section I – Purpose & Structure The Executive Council shall hereby be created to govern over all and any matters affecting the welfare of the Alpha Omega Delta Fraternity. The Executive Council shall consist of five active Brothers holding the following Officer Positions as a part of the Council, and the whole of the Brotherhood compromising the entirety of the Executive Council. The Officer Positions shall be composed as follows: 1. President – shall be the primary ambassador for the Fraternity to the campus and the community. The President shall be responsible for creating the biweekly meeting agenda. The President shall be responsible for monitoring

internal and external affairs. The President shall reside over the Initiation Ceremony of this Fraternity as the Master of Ceremonies. The President reserves the right to assign tasks and create committees if not met within the proper guidelines of Article IV, including the Vice-President Officer Positions, and the Executive Council in relevance to the governance of this Fraternity. The President will hold the power to veto Executive Council decisions only once during a specific matter. Executive Council may override veto with a 2/3 vote. 2. Executive Vice-President – shall be responsible for assisting the President. The Executive Vice-President shall be responsible for patrolling the internal affairs of this Fraternity. The Executive Vice-President shall be responsible for making sure all Officer Positions, hereby defined as the President and Vice-President Officer Positions on the Executive Council are fully fulfilling their assigned tasks and responsibilities. 3. Vice-President of Finance – shall be responsible for maintaining and overseeing Fraternity funds. The Vice-President of Finance shall be yielded the power of approving or rejecting a proposal for the use of Fraternity funds. If rejected, the Executive Council may override the negation of the VicePresident of Finance with a 2/3 vote. If the motion to approve fund by the Council is by a 2/3 vote said the Vice-President of Finance shall not reject motion. The Vice-President of Finance must provide the Executive Council a biweekly report of financial records during the regularly scheduled meetings. 4. Vice-President of Membership – shall be responsible for properly coordinating

the pledging process of Alpha Omega Delta. The Vice-President of Membership, in reference to the process of pledging, shall coordinate all pledges. All rituals and ceremonies shall be the responsibility of the VicePresident of Membership, which are relevant to the pledging process. Letters of Interest and approvals of Initiation must be signed and approved by the Vice-President of Membership. If a potential pledge is not approved the Executive Council may override the denial with a 2/3 vote. However, the Council cannot make a decision to override the rejection of a potential pledge that has failed to meet basic eligibility standards. 5. Vice-President of Programs – shall be responsible for organizing events, fundraisers, mixers, community service activities, etc. that are beneficial to Alpha Omega Delta, the Campus, and the Community. Vice-President of Programs, Membership, and Finance are to work in association together as to attain, when possible, common goals and needs. Article V – Elections Section I – Nomination Guidelines All voting members are eligible for nomination and election to the Leadership Council. No member shall hold more than one office at a time. Section II – Nomination Procedures Nominations procedures are outlined as follows: 1. Nominations shall be made by any voting member, and must be seconded by another member. 2. Nominations will open up on the meeting prior to the election

meeting. 3. Nominations will close during the election meeting. 4. Nominees must be present to accept nomination. Section III – Elections Elections procedures are outlined as follows: 1. Elections will take place during the Election Meeting at the end of each academic year. 2. Only voting members shall cast ballots for election. 3. Nominees must be present at time of election. 4. Nominees not present at the election meeting will lose their nomination. Section IV – Special Elections Special Elections procedures are outlined as follows: 1. In the event of a vacancy, a special election will occur to fill the vacancy, using Article V, Section I, Section II.1, II.4, Section III.2, III.3, and III.4. 2. Nominations shall take place at a regularly scheduled general meeting 3. Elections shall take place at the next regularly scheduled general meeting.

Section V – Election Procedures

The Election process is described as follows: 1. All Officer Positions shall be elected by majority vote (50% +1) of voting members attending the election meeting using the open ballot method. 2. The open ballot method shall be the process in which the votes are counted and read aloud during the election general meeting by the President detailing each Brother’s vote and to which candidate the vote was cast. 3. If there are more than two candidates running for a position, the candidates will enter an instant run-off. Voters will rank their preferences for the position. If a majority vote is not attained during the first vote, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes is dropped from the ballot. Votes will be recounted as if the dropped candidate had not run. This process will be repeated until a candidate receives a majority of votes. Article VI – Membership & Brotherhood Section I – Pre-Requirements Brotherhood shall be acquired only by male persons, 1.

Who are currently enrolled students at the Santa Rosa Junior College;

2.

Who have and maintain an accumulated 2.5 GPA;

3.

Who have a minimum of 6 units in said semester;

4.

Who are likely to be intellectually, morally, and socially benefiting to Alpha Omega Delta;

5.

Who have been fully initiated in accordance with the Pledging Process of The Fraternity, as outlined in Article VI.

6.

Who are in good standing with the college

7.

Who fully understand that the mission of Alpha Omega Delta is to create and perpetuate brotherhood.

Section II – Requirements 1.

Brotherhood shall be maintained only by male persons who have met all pre-requirements as outlined in Article V, Section I.

2.

All those who do not meet Brotherhood requirements, as outlined in Article V, shall either be Student Members, Honorary Brothers, or be non-participants of this Fraternity.

3.

Active Brother who fail to meet Article V, Section 1.1, Section 1.2, Section 1.3, Section 1.4, & Section 1.6 shall be made aware of their infractions. If infraction is repeated for a second time during the span of one academic semester, said Brother shall be duly warned again. If a Brother fails to meet and maintain said requirements of Article V, Section for a third time in same academic semester, the Brother shall be brought to the Executive Council and put up for evaluation.

4.

If infraction is found to be egregious, said Brother shall be put on a 1month probation period, in which he will be evaluated for the duration of the time period, and verify that no relapsing has or will take place. If infraction is found to be mild, said Brother shall be warned again, if occurrence is repeated, proceed with 1-month probation period as outlined in this section and move forward to Article V, Section III.5

5.

The official evaluation report shall be written and submitted by the Vice-President of Membership to the President at the end of the 1-

month probation period. The official evaluation shall be presented at the next general meeting available after the 1-month probation period has been completed in the presence of the Brotherhood. 6.

The Brotherhood shall vote to either ban indefinitely the Brother or to readmit him by a simple majority vote to the Brotherhood as having proven his loyalty and dedication to Alpha Omega Delta.

Section III – Honorary Brothers 1.

The status of Honorary Brother is procured for those who do not necessarily meet the pre-requirements of Article V, Section I, but is considered to bring honor and be of benefit for Alpha Omega Delta.

2.

To be considered for Honorary Brother status, a person of interest must be invited by a Brother of this Fraternity.

3.

The President of Alpha Omega Delta shall grant permission to said person of interest to become a pledge, and hence, to undergo the rituals of the Pledging Process as stated in Article VI, Section I, Section II, and Section III.

4.

The Fraternity shall cast a 2/3 vote to approve a person as an Honorary Brother during the Acceptance & Initiation Meeting.

5.

If approved by a 2/3 vote, the Honorary Brother shall be initiated according to the Pledging Process of Article VI, Section IV. Honorary Brothers shall be granted all rights and privileges of a regular Brother.

Section IV – Student Members 1.

Students wishing to participate and be members of Alpha Omega Delta

at the Santa Rosa Junior College are welcomed. All students enrolled at the Santa Rosa Junior College are open for membership of Alpha Omega Delta. 2.

Members, who have failed to complete or not begin the Pledging Process as outlined in Article VI, shall not have voting privileges during Alpha Omega Delta meetings. Voting privileges shall be granted only to Brothers who have completed the Pledging Process of Article VI upon initiation into Alpha Omega Delta.

Article VII – Pledge Process The Pledge Process shall be divided into 4 distinct stages compromised of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, & Delta Stages, described as such: Section I – Alpha Stage 1. The Letter of Interest – shall be a written statement by those interested in pledging to Alpha Omega Delta. The Letter of Interest shall state why the potential pledge is interested in becoming a pledge. Letters shall be completed within one week of Open Registration and delivered to VicePresident of Membership. The Fraternity shall determine the date of Open Registration during a general meeting. 2. A Transcript of Grades shall be handed in within one week of Open Registration to Vice-President of Membership, to determine eligibility. 3. A Class Schedule for semester enrolled person intends to pledge shall be handed in within one week of Open Registration to Vice-President of Membership.

4. A Filing and Processing Fee shall be exacted by this Fraternity to cover costs of Pledging Process, which shall be set by the President, and collected by the Vice-President of Finance. Section II – Beta Stage Person who has been screened and approved by Vice-President of Membership as having met all eligibility standards of this Constitution and successfully completed the Alpha Stage shall be deemed a Pledge. A person who has completed the Alpha Stage shall be a Pledge continuing into the Beta Stage. 1. The Learning – Shall consist of two parts with a duration of two weeks: a. Pledge shall learn Alpha Omega Delta’s Constitution, its rules and regulations. b. Pledge shall learn the entirety of the Greek Alphabet. 2. The Rose Parade – The Pledge shall be given the unique flower of Alpha Omega Delta, the White Rose, and shall wear the flower for the duration of the two-week period of the Beta Stage. 3. The Test – shall be an examination of the Pledge’s knowledge in reference to The Learning he has undergone. The Test shall be compromised of two parts: a. First, there shall be a 20-question portion with questions based on the Alpha Omega Delta Constitution. b. Second, there shall be a written portion. Two questions shall be addressed: i. First, the Pledge shall answer in essay form what goals he has for the Fraternities future, including what kind of changes

Pledge would like to see accomplished. ii. Second, the Pledge shall be tested on his knowledge of the Greek Alphabet. c. The Test shall be administered by the Vice-President of Membership and shall be scored in unison with the President and Executive VicePresident. 4. Pledges that have completed the Rose Parade without fault, and have scored a passing grade of a 70% or higher on The Test shall hereby continue on to the Gamma Stage. Section III – Gamma Stage 1. The Fasting – A Pledge shall surrender, for a 2-week period of time, a specific food item that is relevant to that Pledge’s diet. This shall be a demonstration of loyalty and dedication. 2. The Honorarium – A Pledge shall choose a piece of important literary merit to memorize and recite to the established Fraternity during a regularly scheduled Fraternity meeting. Literary piece may be a portion of literature, prose or poetry, that must be, at least 2 minutes in duration, and to be approved by the Vice-President of Membership before recitation to Fraternity. Must be completed within the one-month period the Gamma Stage is to last. 3. The Event – Shall be an event organized by the Pledge Class, meaning all pledges of said semester. The event shall be a demonstration of teamwork and cooperation put forth to host an event relevant to the community at-large. The Event shall be overseen by the Vice-President of Programs & Vice-President

of Membership. Pledges shall have the entirety of the one-month period of the Gamma Stage to complete this task. 4. With the successful completion of Gamma Stage, a Pledge shall be eligible to the final Delta Stage, upon which a Pledge shall be eligible to be initiated as a Brother into the Alpha Omega Delta Fraternity. Section IV – Delta Stage 1. The Proselytization – shall be the Initiation Ceremony, upon which the newly converted Pledge shall be ceremoniously knighted as Brother of this Fraternity. The Initiation Ceremony shall consist of the Oath of Faith & Fidelity in the sight of the whole Brotherhood of Alpha Omega Delta. The Proselytization shall grant the new Brother full voting rights for Alpha Omega Delta. The Oath of Faith & Fidelity shall be administered by the President of the Fraternity. 2. The Harvest – The new Brother, upon completion of The Proselytization, shall be given The Badge bearing the Fraternity’s Coat of Arms. 3. The Dinner – shall be a gathering of the whole Brotherhood to celebrate into the fold the new Brothers of Alpha Omega Delta.

Article VIII – Finance & Dues Section I - The funds of this Fraternity shall be obtained by dues to be paid by Brothers to Alpha Omega Delta on a monthly basis. The total amount the dues shall consist of shall be established concurrently by the Executive Council. All dues shall be collected by the Vice-President of Finance within the first week of each month.

Section II - Those who fail to pay dues on time as determined by the Executive Council shall be reprimanded by a late fee, as amount of late fee shall be determined by the President. If dues are not paid within two weeks of date assigned for dues to be paid, and situation has not come to a reasonable understanding and conclusion in the view of the President, the Executive Vice-President shall follow accordingly the laws of Article V, III.4, III.5, & III.6. Article IX – Impeachment Section I - Any member of the Executive Council, hence identified as the entirety of the Brotherhood, who fails to fulfill his respective duties, or who fails to abide by this Constitution, its laws and regulations, may be removed from his Officer Position, and/or Brotherhood Active Status. Section II - The Procedure for Section 1 will be outlined as follows: 1. A written grievance will be presented at a general meeting by a voting Brother outlining the failure of duties. 2. At the following general meeting, both the Brothers presenting the grievance and the officer in question will be given an opportunity to present their respective case. If either party is absent, he loses the chance to explain his case. 3. The Executive Council will discuss the grievance and proceed with a vote on the grievance. 4. A two-thirds (2/3) vote will be necessary for the removal of an officer from the Executive Council and/or Brotherhood Active Status. Article X – The Rituals

Section I – The Rose Parade Once a month, as designated by the President of this Fraternity, Alpha Omega Delta shall host the Rose Parade on campus. The Rose Parade shall consist of the wearing of the Alpha Omega Delta flower, including the Navy Blue Sports Coat with the Badge, or Coat of Arms, to campus. Article XI – The Oath of Faith & Fidelity I, Insert Name Of Brother, do solemnly swear, as a Brother of Alpha Omega Delta, to uphold its Constitution to the fullest, its laws and regulations, its rituals and ceremonies. I will fulfill the promise of developing myself as a college man, both as a brother and a human being, in which I pledge to improve my intellect, better my morals, and positively influence those around me. Article XII – Rule of Order The rule of order governing over this body shall The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice Sturgis. Article XIII – Amendments Section I - A constitutional amendment may be proposed by any voting Brother of Alpha Omega Delta. Section II - Amendments must be written and distributed to all voting Brothers. Section III - At the next regularly scheduled general meeting, the general Brotherhood shall discuss and vote on the proposed amendment. Section IV - The amendments must be approved by a two thirds (2/3) vote of all voting Brothers present. Article XIV – Ultimate Authority

Ultimate authority over any interpretation or application of this constitution, as a whole or in part, shall be decided by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting Brothers of Alpha Omega Delta Fraternity.

Drafted & Edited 03/16/09