Table of Contents

By-Laws of Pi Chapter

Mu Beta Psi, National Musical Fraternity Formerly Mu Upsilon Alpha

Article Ⅰ — Chapter Name

Section 1

  1. The Chapter of Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity located on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey shall be called Pi Chapter.

Article Ⅱ — Purpose

Section 1

  1. To provide service, fellowship, and leadership to the musical interest on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (hereinafter referred to as Rutgers) and the surrounding community.

Section 2

  1. To honor those outstanding individuals who have devoted their time and effort to the musical interest of Rutgers and the surrounding community.

Article Ⅲ — Membership

Section 1

  1. Any member of Pi Chapter, regardless of classification, is a Brother of Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity.

Section 2 — Qualifications for Admission to Membership

  1. Membership will be open to all students with with an interest in serving the musical interests of Rutgers and the surrounding musical community, and conform to standards set forth in the National Constitution, Rutgers policies, and Pi Chapter policies.
  2. Prospective members will possess good character, responsibility, and leadership.
  3. Selection of prospective members will comply with federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, handicap, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, and religious affiliation. Compliance with these laws entails that membership benefits and the election of officers will not be made on the basis of these factors.

Section 3 — Membership Standards

  1. A Member (herein referred to as Brother) will be termed Active if they pay each semester's dues by a date set by the Treasurer, has significant musical interests, attends a minimum of 75% of business meetings per semester, completes a specific amount of Service per semester and serves on at least two (2) assigned standing committees.
  2. Brothers will remain Active for duration of the calendar year.
  3. Active Brothers are entitled to the right to vote at business meetings.
  4. Active Brothers must receive a 2.5 GPA or above each semester.
    1. Failure to receive a 2.5 or above for one (1) semester shall result in a warning and mandatory study hours for the following semester.
    2. Any Brother who fails to receive a 2.5 for two (2) consecutive semesters shall automatically be made inactive.
    3. If any academically inactive Brother wishes to become active again they must show proof of improved academic performance before the Brotherhood may vote on their status.
    4. Active Brothers not currently enrolled in an educational program are exempt from academic requirements.
  5. Absences may be excused and not counted towards inactive status for National Business.
  6. If a Brother is made Active after twenty-five percent (25%) of meetings have passed, they must attend fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) meetings.
  7. A Brother will be termed Inactive if they fail to meet any of the enumerated requirements for Activity, is voted so by two-thirds (⅔) of the Active Brotherhood, or is voted so by two-thirds (⅔) of the Executive Committee.
    1. Brothers termed Inactive will remain inactive for the duration of the semester.
    2. Inactive Brothers are not entitled to vote at business meetings, hold a position, or take a Little, but are still welcome at all Fraternal events and openly express opinions on business matters.
    3. A Brother not meeting the previously stated requirements or those stated in the Brotherhood Standards Policy will have their activity status undergo a review by the Executive Committee, who will hold a meeting overseen by the President. The review will consist of a holistic discussion of the Brother’s current infraction as well as past behavior and overall representation of the Brotherhood. The vote will be cast by secret ballot, requiring a two-third (⅔) majority to be accepted.
  8. If a Brother chooses to go inactive for any reason they must submit a correspondence to the Executive Board (hereinafter referred to as E-Board) stating their intention.
    1. Any Brother that decides to go Inactive is responsible for dues as outlined in Article Ⅹ Section 2.
  9. The use of ethnic, racial, alcoholic, and sexist content in party themes, social media posts, t-shirt designs, event flyers, etc. is prohibited.

Section 4 — Reactivation of Inactive Brothers

  1. No Brother may be made Active after fifty percent (50%) of meetings have passed.
  2. Before reactivation can commence, all financial obligations, service requirements, and other incurred penalties must be satisfied.
  3. A Brother must be in attendance at the business meeting that they are to be nominated for reactivation. A formal vote will be taken at the next business meeting that the Brother attends. The Brother will be allotted two (2) minutes to speak to the Brotherhood before leaving the room. Discussion and a secret ballot vote will follow, requiring a simple majority (50% + 1) vote to carry.
  4. If a Brother ended the previous semester as Inactive for any reason, they may be reactivated as described in 2. above.

Section 5 — Honorary Membership

  1. The candidate must show a strong dedication to the musical interests of Rutgers and the surrounding community.
  2. The candidate must be nominated during a business meeting with reasons stated for the nomination. The candidate will be voted on at the following meeting after discussion has been held. The vote will be cast by secret ballot, requiring a two-third (⅔) majority to be accepted.
  3. Honorary members are not entitled to the right to vote at business meetings, hold a position, or take a Little, but are welcome at all Fraternal events and openly express opinions on business matters.
  4. The two types of Honorary Members are Honorary Brothers and Functional Honorary Brothers.
    1. An Honorary Brother may not be introduced to the secret orders of Brotherhood and may attend business meetings only on invitation.
    2. If the Brotherhood would like to instruct an Honorary Brother in the ways of our order before deciding if they should be made a Functional Honorary they may do so at any time.
      1. The vote will be cast by secret ballot, requiring a two-thirds (⅔) majority to be accepted.
      2. The Member Educator will be responsible for instructing said Brother over the course of several weeks.
    3. To become a Functional Honorary Brother, one must first be voted as an Honorary Brother and be a member of the Rutgers Community. A Functional Honorary Brother is entitled to the same rights and privileges as Inactive Brothers. They may be introduced to the secret orders of Brotherhood, which they are entrusted not to disclose.

Article IV — Officers and Other Positions

Section 1

  1. The elected officers shall be: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Alumni Secretary, Historian, and Member Educator.

Section 2 — Duties of Officers

- The President shall:

  1. Call and preside over meetings and secure a meeting location.
  2. Supervise the progress of the Executive Committee.
  3. Preside over elections.
  4. Prepare and present a “State of the Fraternity” address to be read at the last meeting of their term of office.
  5. Vote at Brotherhood meetings only in the event of a tie.
  6. Be the designated official representative of the Fraternity for OFSA, university, and/or other external correspondence.
  7. Supervise the progress of all standing Committees, excluding the Ideals Committees.
  8. Represent the Chapter to the National Board of Trustees:
    1. Appoint a substitute if travel to a Board meeting is impossible
    2. Report important details of Board meetings at the next regularly scheduled business meeting.
    3. Be responsible for presenting any university mail to the appropriate officer within one week of obtaining it from OFSA mailbox.
    4. Review and co-sign all checks and other financial obligations with the Treasurer.
    5. Oversee the completion of the Annual Report with the Vice President.
  1. The Vice President shall:
    1. Assume the duties of the President in their absence.
    2. Provide intervention/warnings before a review of a Brother's active status. Notify Brothers if activity status is under review and/or should their activity status change.
    3. Supervise the progress and be a participating member in the Ideals Committees.
    4. Co-Chair the Annual Report Committee with the President.
    5. Appoint an acting Sergeant at Arms if no current or former Sergeant at Arms is available to carry out the duties of the office.
      1. Prepare the mid-semester and end-semester evaluation for the Executive Committee of all positions within the Fraternity.
  2. The Treasurer shall:
    1. Keep accurate and neat records of all financial transactions.
    2. Prepare a financial statement for each Brotherhood meeting.
    3. Be able to report on the financial state of the Brotherhood upon request.
    4. Procure and take responsibility for all regalia.
    5. Chair the Fundraising Committee.
    6. Manage any and all bank accounts with President.
    7. Manage Paypal and other Nationally approved money handling services.
  3. The Recording Secretary shall:
    1. Record all the minutes of each Brotherhood meeting.
    2. Prepare them for reading at the following meeting and make them neat and accurate for historical purposes.
    3. Keep the Brotherhood meeting attendance record.
    4. Take a summary of all major points of Executive Committee meetings.
    5. Notify members absent from meetings of any duties appointed in their absence.
  4. The Alumni Secretary shall:
    1. Maintain a contact list for all alumni.
    2. Contact and maintain positive relations with Alumni Brothers.
    3. Report weekly on the status of alumni.
    4. Send a summary of the minutes to the alumni listserv.
    5. Coordinate the alumni picnic.
  5. The Historian/Webmaster shall:
    1. Maintain the Brotherhood archives.
    2. Post all relevant information during meetings as requested by the Brotherhood.
    3. Compile a photo album of Brotherhood activities to be presented at the end of the scholastic annum.
    4. Oversee the online content of muupsilonalpha.org and pi.mubetapsi.org as needed, as well as any social media accounts held by Mu Beta Psi, Pi Chapter.
    5. Maintain all listservs, including those for the Active Brotherhood and Alumni Brothers.
    6. Chair the Documents and History Committee.
    7. Prepare and maintain an activity sheet/calendar of events for the Brotherhood.
  6. The Member Educator shall:
    1. Assume the role of Member Educator during the Education process and will be responsible for the Education, teaching, and initiation of all Members-In-Training, herein referred to as MITs.
    2. Chair the standing Ritual Committee
    3. Present a schedule for the education process no later than the first official business meeting of the previous semester.
      1. The proposed schedule must have at least two scheduling options.
      2. The proposed schedules may not be voted on before the second to last meting of the prior semester.
      3. The schedule will be voted on at the following meeting and requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to be passed.

Section 3

  1. Other elected positions will include Parliamentarian, Member-at-Large, Publicity Manager, and Sergeant at Arms.

Section 4 — Position Duties

  1. The Member-at-Large, herein referred to as MAL, shall:
  2. Serve as the Chapter's delegate to the National Convention.
  3. Attend and represent the Chapter at meetings for the National Executive Committee.
  4. Be responsible for maintaining contact with the National Organization and that their deadlines are met.
  5. Prepare and distribute a seasonal Brotherhood contact sheet.
  6. Organize inter-Chapter travel.
  7. Organize Pi Chapter's National Convention efforts when the National Organization has denoted it is Pi Chapter's year to host.
  1. The Sergeant at Arms shall:
    1. Allow admittance into meeting after members provide proper credentials.
    2. Help maintain order during the meeting and if needed physically remove unruly members at the request of the Vice President.
    3. Be elected at the first business meeting of each new semester.
    4. Have their duties carried out by the most recent Brother to hold the office of Sergeant at Arms on a temporary basis, should the current Sergeant at Arms not be present at a business meeting.
  2. The Parliamentarian shall:
    1. Be the Brotherhood authority on all parliamentary procedure.
    2. Make judgments on procedures of order and indicate infractions when they occur.
    3. Oversee the election process.
    4. Chair the Constitution and By-Laws Committee.
    5. Be required to attend all Executive Committee meetings as a non-voting advisor to the committee.
    6. Have interpretive power over current policies should disputes arise.
    7. Have knowledge and access to all National, university, and Chapter policy.
    8. Suggest changes to policy to the Brotherhood.
    9. Have a record of all policy changes over the years.
  3. The Publicity Manager shall:
    1. Organize and publicize all rush events and other recruitment events, with the support of the Member Educator.
    2. Publicize Fraternity events.
    3. Be in charge of maintaining all recruitment advertisements such as flyers and posters.
    4. Be responsible for the movement of information from other organizations to the Fraternity by directing said information to designated members within the Fraternity.
    5. Be responsible for updating any and all social media accounts held by Mu Beta Psi, Pi Chapter.
  4. The Professional Fraternity Council Delegate shall:
    1. Be elected on a semester to semester basis.
    2. Attend all meetings called by the Professional Fraternity Council.
    3. Bring back any information from the Professional Fraternity Council to the Brotherhood.

Section 5

  1. When necessary, if the Brotherhood determines that an elected Officer on the Executive or Advisory Board requires an assistant, with the exception of President and Vice President, then they may elect a Brother-Elect.

Section 6 — Position Duties

  1. The Brother-Elect shall:
  2. Work as an assistant to the primary elected official.
  3. Assumes all the same responsibilities as the primary elected official.
  4. Act in place of the primary official if they are not present at meetings or other Fraternity events.
  5. If the primary elected official is not present, the Brother-Elect may vote in their place at E-Board meetings

Section 7 — Elections

  1. All candidates for a Fraternity Office must be Active Brothers at the time of the election
  2. No member of the Executive Committee will hold more than one Executive Office.
  3. The minimum number of officers will be President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Member Educator.
  4. No Brother may run for the offices of President, Vice President, and/or Member Educator if they have not experienced the Education process as an Active Brother.
  5. The candidates will submit their letters of intent to the Executive Committee at least one (1) week in advance of the election for their review.
  6. The President will officially announce all candidates.
  7. Nominations from the floor or un-reviewed candidates may be made before the election only if no one has submitted a letter of intent for an office.
  8. At the close of elections, if there are no candidates for a given office, the present Executive Committee will appoint an individual to fill the vacancy within three (3) weeks of the election.
  9. If a candidate has lost an election, they will have the opportunity to run for two (2) other offices provided they have mentioned their desire to run for another office in their letter of intent.
  10. The President and Parliamentarian will supervise the election process.
    1. The President and Parliamentarian will tabulate the results, unless an incumbent officer is a candidate, in such situations, the incumbent officer will not help tabulate.
    2. The next officer in the line of succession will tabulate the results in place of an incumbent officer.
    3. If the Parliamentarian is the incumbent officer, any former Parliamentarian will aid in the tabulation.
    4. The election will be called at least one (1) month before the election date.
  11. Elections will be held on the second-to-last meeting of each scholastic annum.
  12. A quorum of two-thirds (⅔) of the Active Brotherhood must be present for an election to be held.
  13. At the beginning of an officer election all candidates will leave the room:
    1. In alphabetical order by last name, each selected candidate will enter the room individually.
    2. Each candidate will give a strictly timed 5 minute speech with no competing candidate present.
    3. The selected candidate will face questions from the Brotherhood for a Finite period of time.
      1. The total amount of questions and answer time will not exceed five (5) minutes for each candidate.
      2. The presiding officer will call for questions from the Brotherhood by show of hands and create a written queue during the questions and answer period.
      3. The most recent Brother to hold that position who is not an incumbent candidate is required to ask a question of the candidate.
        1. This question will be the same for all offices and all candidates.
      4. A minimum of three (3) questions must be asked and answered regardless of time elapsed.
  14. The election will then enter a strictly timed period of Pros and Cons for each candidate with no candidates present.
    1. The first Pros period will not exceed two (2) minutes.
      1. The presiding officer will call for positive comments from the Brotherhood by a show of hands and create and written queue. The presiding officer will maintain this queue during the entire pro-con session.
    2. The Cons period will not exceed four (4) minutes.
      1. The presiding officer will call for negative comments from the Brotherhood by a show of hands and create a written queue
    3. The second Pros period will not exceed two (2) minutes.
  15. Officers will be elected by a simple majority vote (50% + 1), as determined by a secret ballot of Active Brothers present at the election. If a candidate is running unopposed and does not receive a simple majority vote (50% + 1), nominations for this position will be taken from the floor.
  16. If more than two (2) candidates are running for an office and no candidate receives a simple (50% + 1) majority, the election procedure will be as follows:
    1. If the candidates are not separated by at least one-third (⅓) of the votes they are all brought before the Brotherhood again for one (1) additional question.
      1. The question should be from the next person in the presiding officer’s queue.
        1. If the presiding officer’s queue is empty, they are to ask for a question from the floor
        2. If there are no questions from the floor, the presiding officer and the Brother who most recently held the office who is not running as a candidate for the position will alternate asking questions of the candidates until a Brother from the floor has a question, or a candidate gains a simple (50% + 1) majority.
      2. If the separation between candidates is more than one-third (⅓) of the votes the candidate with the lowest vote total is removed from the ballot.
      3. If Article Ⅳ Section 7.17.1 is repeated twice without any changes in candidacy, the next vote, and the ones thereafter, will result in the removal of the candidate with the lowest vote total from the ballot, until the election for a particular office is reduced to two candidates, in which the procedure shall follow Article Ⅳ Section 7.R., or when a candidate receives a simple (50% + 1) majority.
  17. Once an election for a particular office has been reduced to between two (2) candidates, each additional vote requires another question to be asked of the remaining candidates.
    1. The procedure shall follow Article Ⅳ Section 7.17.1.1.
    2. This procedure is to be repeated until one candidate attains a simple (50% + 1) majority.
  18. If a vote of “no confidence” receives a simple (50% + 1) majority of the vote, the candidates are dismissed and new nominations must be taken from the floor. New elections for the position with the new candidates are then held immediately.

Section 8

  1. The newly elected officers will take office at the official changeover ceremony. The term of office will remain until the changeover ceremony of the following scholastic annum. Changeover will be held on the last meeting of each scholastic annum.

Section 9

  1. The order of succession will be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording/Rutgers Secretary, Alumni/Corresponding Secretary, Historian, and Membership Chair.

Section 10 — Expulsion from the Executive Committee

  1. An Executive Committee member may be removed from the office for failure to meet the standards of Brotherhood and the duties of that office.
  2. Any Active Brother may submit a letter detailing the officer in question’s negligence, which must be signed by at least four (4) other Active Brothers.
  3. The procedure to remove an officer will follow the procedure of the Disciplinary Committee as laid out in Article Ⅷ, Section 2 and Section 3 excluding Section 4, Paragraph 2.

Section 11 — Vacancies from the Executive Committee

  1. Should any vacancy occur in any office except for the Presidency, a special election will be held at the next meeting to fill the office.
  1. Should a vacancy occur in the office of President, the Vice President will become interim President for two (2) regular business meetings. Nominations will be taken at the first meeting and the election will be held at the second meeting. The new President will take office at the following (third) meeting.

Article Ⅴ: Committees

Section 1

  1. The Brotherhood will have ten (10) standing committees that will function throughout the scholastic annum. They are Executive Committee, Advisory Committee, Music Committee, Service Committee, Brotherhood Committee, Fundraising Committee, History and Documents Committee, Bylaws Committee, Scholarship/Annual Report Committee, and the Rituals Committee.

Section 2 — Description of the Committees

  1. The Executive Committee shall:
  2. Be responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the Fraternity, as well as ensuring that all necessary obligations are fulfilled towards OFSA, Rutgers University, and Mu Beta Psi National Offices.
  3. Be chaired by the President.
  4. Consists of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Alumni Secretary, Historian/Webmaster, and Member Educator. The Advisory Committee is invited to all Executive Committee meetings and may participate in closed aspects of the Executive Committee meeting. The rest of the Brotherhood is invited to Executive Committee meetings but may be asked to leave during closed aspects.
    1. Parliamentarian and Advisor do not hold a vote in the Committee
  5. Advise and assist the President on Fraternity affairs and fulfill any and all other specific responsibilities mentioned in the Bylaws and other Chapter, university, and National policies.
  6. Meet as called by the President at least once per month during the regular scholastic annum.
  7. Render all decisions by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of all its members.
  8. Be subject to override by a two-thirds (⅔) majority of all Active Brothers.
  1. The Advisory Committee shall:
    1. Consist of the Parliamentarian, Sergeant at Arms, Publicity Manager, the MAL, and the Advisor.
    2. Serve as the advisors to the Executive Committee and maintain order in business meetings.
    3. Be chaired by the Advisor.
  2. The Music Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for promoting the ideal of Music throughout the Brotherhood.
    2. Be chaired by the Music Chair.
    3. Schedule and coordinate performance opportunities at Rutgers University.
    4. Schedule and coordinate performance and musical appreciation opportunities outside Rutgers University at least once per semester.
  3. The Service Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for promoting the ideal of Service throughout the Brotherhood.
    2. Be chaired by the Service Chair.
    3. Prepare a service plan each semester and keep the attendance record at service functions.
  4. The Brotherhood Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for promoting the ideal of Brotherhood.
    2. Be chaired by the Brotherhood Chair.
    3. Be responsible for planning a Brotherhood retreat each semester.
    4. Be responsible for planning Brotherhood social activities.
  5. The Music Committee, Service Committee, and Brotherhood Committee will herein be collectively referred to as the Ideals Committees.
  6. The Fundraising Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for developing and carrying out fundraising activities.
    2. Be chaired by the Treasurer.
    3. Assist the Treasurer in making decisions.
  7. The History and Documents Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for maintaining and adding to the historical archives.
    2. Be chaired by the Historian/Webmaster.
    3. Update all Mu Beta Psi webpages.
    4. Publish The Scarlet Fanfare once per year.
  8. Scholarship/Annual Report Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for maintaining Brotherhood academic records and filing OFSA compliances.
    2. Be co-chaired by the Vice President and the Scholarship Chair.
    3. Be responsible for establishing Fraternity study hours.
    4. Help Brothers find appropriate scholastic aide.
    5. Making sure the Fraternity remains in good standing with OFSA.
  9. The By-Laws committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for maintaining the By-Laws and all its appendices, and drafting amendments thereof as requested by the Brotherhood.
    2. Be chaired by the Parliamentarian.
    3. Review the By-Laws at least once a semester and suggest revisions when need be.
    4. Review and suggest potential revisions to all other Chapter policies with the support and input from associate officers/positions/Chairs.
  10. The Rituals Committee shall:
    1. Be responsible for maintaining and revising all New Education procedures.
    2. Be chaired by the Member Educator.
    3. All Active Brothers are obligated to serve on the Committee.

Section 3 — Selection of Ideals Committee and Scholarship Chairs

  1. Ideals and Scholarship Committee chairs are to be selected following the regularly scheduled annual elections. They will be chosen by the incoming Executive Committee based on letters of intent. Ideals and Scholarship committee chairs must be selected by the start of commencement ceremonies.
  1. Executive committee members may not serve as Ideals Committee chairs.
  2. Brothers may submit letters of intent for more than one Ideals or Scholarship Committee chair position; however, no Brother may serve as more than one Ideals or Scholarship Committee Chair.
  3. Should no letters of intent be submitted for an Ideals or Scholarship Committee chair, the Executive committee must select a Brother to fill the vacant position by the start of commencement ceremonies. Should the selected Brother decline their selection, the Vice President will fulfill the duties of the vacant position until such time as a suitable and willing Brother is found to assume the Chair.

Section 4 — Committee Participation by Active Brothers

  1. All Active Brothers are required to serve on any one of the Fundraising, History and Documents, or Scholarship/Annual Report Committee as well as one Ideals Committee.
  1. Brothers are permitted to serve on any standing committee of their choice, except the Executive and Advisory Committee.
  2. To remain Active, a Brother must make significant contributions to their respective committees each semester. It will be the responsibility of the committee chair(s) to inform the Vice President of a Brother’s failure to contribute.
  3. President and Vice President will participate in committees as described in Article Ⅳ, Section 2.

Section 5 — Expulsion and Vacancies of Advisory and Ideal Committee Chairs

  1. Expulsion and Vacancies of Advisory and Ideal Committee Chairs
    1. The Executive Committee may review the performance of an Advisory or Ideals committee chair at its discretion.
    2. The Executive Committee must review the performance of an Advisory or Ideals Committee chair upon receipt of a letter submitted to the President, Vice President or Parliamentarian signed by three (3) Brothers
    3. Advisory or Ideals chairs may be removed from office after a performance review by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote of the Executive Committee.
    4. Should a vacancy occur in a committee chair position, the position must be filled within one (1) meeting based on letters of intent to the Executive Committee.

Section 6 — Ad-Hoc Committees

  1. Ad-Hoc Committees
  2. Ad-hoc committees may be created at the discretion of the Brotherhood.
  3. Any Brother may serve on any ad-hoc committee.
  4. The executive committee will appoint chairpersons of ad-hoc committees.
  5. The President will supervise the progress of all ad-hoc committees.

Article Ⅵ — Advisor

Section 1

  1. The Brotherhood Advisor will be a designated member of the Rutgers University Community and will serve as a consultant as needed.

Section 2

  1. The Brotherhood Advisor may not be present during a business meeting. The meeting must be adjourned (permanently or temporarily) in order for the Advisor to address the Brotherhood.
    1. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, the advisor may attend meetings if they are an Honorary Brother.
    2. If the Advisor is already a Brother, or has been made a Functional Honorary Brother, they may attend any regularly scheduled meeting.

Section 3

  1. If the Advisor is deemed worthy of the Brotherhood, the process of Honorary Membership may be utilized.

Section 4

  1. The Advisor must have the rank of Assistant Professor or above at Rutgers University.

Section 5

  1. The Chapter may have up to two designated Advisors at one point during the year.

Section 6

  1. The Brotherhood Advisor must be nominated during a business meeting with reasons stated for the nomination. The candidate will be voted on at the following business meeting after discussion has been held. The vote will be case by secret ballot, requiring a two-thirds (⅔) majority of the Active Brotherhood to be accepted.

Article VII — Disciplinary Procedures

Section 1

  1. Disciplinary proceedings may be brought against any Brother by three (3) members of the Fraternity with reasonable grounds for the accusations. These accusations will be brought to the attention of the President, Vice President, or Parliamentarian via a written letter, signed by all three (3) accusing Brothers. The aforementioned officers will then summon the Brothers Court.

Section 2

  1. If the President, Vice President, or Parliamentarian is either an accused or a defendant, the Executive Committee will appoint a member of the Brotherhood to perform the duties of the aforementioned office for the duration of the disciplinary procedure. The officer in question will not participate in the Executive Committee decision. An appointment by the Executive Committee may be overturned by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the Brotherhood, whereupon a new appointment will be made. This new appointment will be subject to the same conditions as the previous appointment.

Section 3 — Brothers Court

  1. Brothers Court
  2. The Brothers Court will handle all necessary disciplinary procedures.
  3. The Brothers court will be chosen by the President, Vice President, and Parliamentarian. Selections will be made to create a committee with as little bias as possible. It is understood that the chosen Brothers will act in a reasonable manner and maintain the confidentiality of the investigation. Failure to do so will result in removal from the Court.
  4. The Brothers Court will be comprised of the President, who will serve as the chair, a Brother of the eldest member-in-training class of which there are at least two (2) Active members, a Brother of the youngest member-in-training class of which there are at least two (2) Active members, and two other Brothers chosen randomly. The members of the committee may not be the defendant(s), accuser(s), Vice President or Parliamentarian. The Vice President and Parliamentarian will serve as advisory members.
  5. The Brothers Court will conduct a confidential investigation to determine the validity of the accusations and to choose an appropriate course of action. The investigation must include separate interviews with both the accuser(s) and the defendant(s). There is no time limit to the investigation, but it is expected to be conducted in an expedient and unbiased manner. Depending on the severity of the accusations, the Court can choose to impose a punishment of their own or to bring the matter to a trial in front of the Brotherhood. Any Court decision will be made by four out of five (4 out of 5) vote. Any decisions of the Brothers court can be overturned by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote of the Brotherhood. A one-week waiting period is required between presentation of the decision of the committee and any discussion as to the manipulation of the decision.

Section 4 — Punishments

  1. Punishment options, listed in increasing severity, include, but are not limited to, the following: apology/reprimand, inactivity, suspension, expulsion.
  1. The Brothers Court has the power to impose all punishments except expulsion. Expulsion can only be imposed if a trial is conducted before the Brotherhood. Heinous violation of the standards of membership will be the only grounds for expulsion.

Section 5 — Trial Procedures

  1. Trial Procedures
  2. The President and Parliamentarian will oversee the trial procedure.
  3. The Recording Secretary will formally read all charges. The Vice President will present the Brotherhood’s case. The defendant will answer in their own defense. The defendant will depart the meeting with the Brotherhood debates.
  4. The Brotherhood will vote by secret ballot. A two-thirds (⅔) majority of those present is necessary to determine the verdict.
  5. If found guilty, the Brothers Court will recommend an appropriate punishment. It requires a two-thirds (⅔) majority to approve the punishment. Expulsion requires a two-thirds (⅔) Brotherhood vote and is not reversible.
  6. The defendant will be brought in to be informed of the Brotherhood’s decision.

Article VIII — Business Meetings

Section 1 — Schedule

  1. A regular meeting of the Brotherhood will be called at least twice per month during the regular academic year.
  1. Special or emergency meetings may be called by the President when deemed necessary.
  2. Meetings will be called at a time and place specified by the President with at least five (5) days notice, unless the meeting is an emergency or needed to discuss any other pressing matters.

Section 2 — Parliamentary Procedure

  1. Parliamentary Procedure
  2. If there are less than fifty (50) Active Fraternity members in a year, quorum is fifty percent plus one (50% + 1). If the Active membership is greater than fifty (50), then quorum will be twenty-six (26) members or twenty-five percent plus one (25% + 1), whichever is greater. A quorum rule may be set aside by the President for extreme monetary appropriations only, with the approval of two-thirds (⅔) majority of Active Brothers at a meeting.
  3. Active Brothers may not vote if they arrive after officers’ reports have been completed.
  4. Non-members may attend only with prior approval of the presiding officer.
  5. Order of business and all other procedures not covered in this article will be decided in accordance with the forms laid down in Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition. In the case of a question as to procedure, the Brotherhood Parliamentarian will be consulted. The Parliamentarian will base their judgment on their interpretation of Robert’s Rules of Order. Their judgment will not conflict with Robert’s Rules of Order. Their judgment will then be final. Robert’s Rules of Order may be temporarily suspended if there is a definite need to do so. This is done either by two-thirds (⅔) majority or in times of emergency, by the President. Upon suspension, final parliamentary authority and judgment rests with the Parliamentarian.

Article IⅩ — Budget and Finances

Section 1 — Budget

  1. A budget of anticipated revenues and expenditures must be drafted by the Treasurer prior to the beginning of the upcoming semester. Estimates for the budget will be determined on the basis of monies allocated to the previous budget, an underestimation of expected revenue, an overestimation of expected expenditures. If expenditures exceed revenue, the Treasurer must draft a revised budget.
  1. The budget for the Fall Semester will commence on the first day of the Fall semester and will end on the last day of winter break. The budget for the Spring semester will commence on the first day of the Spring Semester and end on the last day of the scholastic annum.
  2. Monies will be appropriated to each Committee and/or Executive Committee member as determined by the Treasurer.
  3. The budget is required to be presented to the Brotherhood at the first meeting of the forthcoming semester. The budget will be voted on at the first meeting following its presentation. A vote of two-thirds (⅔) will be required for ratification. If the budget is not ratified by the Brotherhood, the Treasurer must draft a new budget. The modified budget must be presented to the Brotherhood by the next meeting.
  4. If a committee chair/officer expects to exceed their own appropriated budget, the Treasurer will attempt to compensate within the budget each semester. If it is not possible, a vote of two-thirds (⅔) will be required for that committee chair/officer to draw upon the general account to make up the difference.
  5. If the Brotherhood is expected to exceed the budget during the semester, it will be the responsibility of the Treasurer to plan for revenue enhancement.
  6. The fiscal year begins on April 1st and ends on March 31st.

Section 2 — Dues and Member-in-Training Fees

  1. Dues and member-in-training fees will be voted on concurrently with the budget, requiring two-thirds (⅔) vote.
  1. Dues and member-in-training fees will be based on the expected number of Active Brothers and members-in-training for the current semester. If the actual number of Active Brothers and members-in-training is less than the expected, the Treasurer will recalculate dues and member-in-training fees.
  2. Any Brother that completes a Dues contract will be responsible for the entire amount of Dues.
    1. If a Brother goes Inactive after one-third (⅓) of the meetings have passed that has completed a dues contract they will be responsible to pay the entire amount for dues.
    2. Any Brother that goes inactive on or after the second meeting of the semester will be responsible for National Dues.

Section 3 — Use of Funds

  1. The officers of President and Treasurer will be the only authorized people to withdraw funds.
  1. All funds will be kept in a bank account or other money management software, approved by the National Organization, under the name Mu Beta Psi- Pi Chapter. All tangible cash will be stored in the Treasurer Cash Box and deposited into an account as soon as possible.
  2. Unlawful misuse or abuse of Brotherhood funds will be grounds for expulsion.

Article X — Maintenance and Ratification of these By-Laws

Section 1

  1. These are defined statutes that are necessary and proper for implementing the requirements set forth in the Constitution and/or that are not prohibited in the Constitution.

Section 2

  1. The Parliamentarian will be permitted to make changes to the By-Laws in order to correct grammatical and typographical errors, so long as the changes do not alter the underlying meaning of this document.

Section 3

  1. All proposed amendments will be directed toward the By-Laws Committee where they will be reviewed and clarified for presentation to the Brotherhood.

Section 4

  1. The amendment must be submitted in writing at a Brotherhood meeting in order to give notice of the proposed amendment at least one (1) week prior to a vote. The amendment requires a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote of the Active Brotherhood for ratification. The amendment will take effect immediately.
These By-laws were adopted on October 7th, 2007.
The last revision of this document was approved on April 24th, 2022.