Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity
Beta Kappa Chapter
Bylaws
Ratified March 8, 2000
Amended March 19, 2003
Last Revised February 1, 2004

Table of Contents:

• Article I. Governing Documents and Amendments
• Article II. Attendance
• Article III. Dues
• Article IV. Officers
• Article V. Setup Procedure
• Article VI. Financial Procedure
• Article VII. Chapter Relations
• Article VIII. Recital
• Article IX. Housing

1. Governing Documents and Amendments
   
   The Beta Kappa Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity recognizes two governing documents in addition to these bylaws. They are the National Constitution of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity and the General Regulations for Collegiate Chapters. When in conflict these documents supercede the chapter bylaws.
   
   Alterations to these bylaws may be suggested by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the chapter. However, amendments must be presented in writing, and require a reading at two chapter meetings. Amendments require a two-thirds majority of members present and voting for ratification.
   
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2. Attendance

1. Attendance is required at non-social events including meetings, recitals, rehearsals, and rituals.
2. The executive committee has the power to recommend consequences for excessive absences to the chapter. Consequences are passed by a simple majority of the chapter.
   

3. Dues
   
   The National Fraternity assesses dues every semester for active members. Assuming each member meets his commitments as per article V, the Beta Kappa Chapter will pay ten dollars for each active member provided the chapter remains in good financial standing as determined by Article VI. Additionally, the National Fraternity assesses a fee upon initiation. Chapter dues paid by each member cannot be changed without a two-thirds vote of the chapter.
   
   Dues and fees are to be paid to the treasurer by October 15 or February 15. If dues and fees are not paid by these dates, members will be placed on financial probation. Members on financial probation will lose their right to vote at chapter meetings (although attendance will still be required as per Article II). Further, the chapter will not pay for entertainment for members on financial probation, also members on probation will forfeit the $10 the chapter would have paid towards dues. If dues and fees are not paid for a second semester, the member may be suspended or expelled, upon the decision of the chapter. Dues may be deferred by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee for active members in financial distress.
   
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4. Officers

1. Elected Officers
   Annually, the chapter shall elect the following slate of officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Warden, Alumni Secretary, Historian and Fraternity Education Officer, as dictated by the National Fraternity. In addition to these officers, a Music Director, Jazz Summit Chairperson, IFC Representative, Jr. IFC Representative, and Setup Director as dictated in Section three, paragraphs, 1, 2, and 3 shall be elected. Officers elected in the fall elections take office on January first of the New Year, and shall be formally installed at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the chapter of the New Year.
2. Committees
1. Executive Committee
   The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, IFC Representative and Warden will comprise the executive committee. The duties of the executive committee shall be as follows:
• To administer chapter discipline (e.g.: suspension)
• To fill vacancies of Webmaster
• To prepare an agenda for the next chapter meeting.
• To fill standing and ad-hoc committees as necessary
• Other duties as required by the chapter
2. Bylaw Committee
   The bylaw committee will be comprised of one senior, one junior, one sophomore, and two others appointed by the Executive Committee. The bylaw committee will be appointed at the beginning of each semester.
3. Jazz Summit Committee
   The Jazz Summit chairman shall assemble a committee consisting of himself, the setup director, and additional members as needed. This committee is charged with organizing Jazz Summit.  

3. Duties of Officers
   Setup Director:
   Eligibility

• Any active Sinfonian who has participated in setups.

Duties

• Filling out and submitting time sheets in accordance with the policies of Coe College
• Presenting to the chapter all setups requested by the faculty
• Informing everyone of the specific time and date of each setup
• Acquiring an adequate knowledge of the required logistics of each setup
• Contacting the appropriate faculty members with questions before presenting setups at each meeting
• Obtaining a copy of each member's schedule for each semester
• Organize a cleaning crew weekly for the chapter room.

Jazz Summit Chairman:
Eligibility

• Any active Sinfonian who has participated in at least one Jazz Summit as a Sinfonian

Duties

• Contacting and working with the festival coordinator to determine the level of Sinfonian involvement in the festival
• Presenting to the chapter the requests made by the festival coordinator
• Acting as a liaison between the chapter and the festival coordinator
• Performing other duties as required for the festival
  

Music Director:
Eligibility

• Any Sinfonian who is an experienced vocalist or a music major. These requirements may be suspended by a 2/3 majority of the chapter.

Duties

• Prepare and direct recitals as per Article VIII
• Schedule and direct weekly rehearsals
• Organize and direct at least one Mills Music Mission
  

Webmaster
Eligibility

• Any active Sinfonian who has a knowledge of HTML is eligible. This position is appointed by the Executive Committee for an indefinite term.
• Non-Sinfonians may fill this position if no Sinfonians are eligible.

Duties

• The Webmaster shall maintain and update the chapter's web page.
  

IFC Representative
Eligibility

• Any active Sinfonian

Duties

• Attend IFC and executive committee meetings.
• Report back to the chapter on IFC events.
  

Junior IFC Representative
Eligibility

• Any active Sinfonian.

Duties

• Assist the IFC Representative in his duties.
  

Rush Chair
Eligibility

• This office is held by the FEO.

Duties

• Plan, organize, and carry out spring and fall rushes.
• Present a rush plan for the next semester by the end of the current semester to the chapter for approval.
• Oversee the development of potential probationary members.  

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5. Setup Procedure
   
   Setups are a vital part of the life of the Beta Kappa Chapter. Not only are they an irreplaceable portion of our chapter's income, they are also a vital service to the music department.
   
   Attendance is required by all members of the chapter at all events relating to the homecoming showcase concert, including the initial setup, all dress and technical rehearsals, the concert performance and the strike following. Anyone not able to attend a setup must contact the Setup Director immediately. The Setup Director must be present at all setups and strikes, unless he is unable to attend in which case he shall appoint a setup foreman. The setup foreman will then assume the responsibility for the logistics of the setup or strike.
   
   Personnel for events in Sinclair Auditorium shall be determined in the following way:

• Upon receiving a request for work in Sinclair Auditorium, the Setup Director shall consult the schedules of the chapter members. He shall then select the time when the most chapter members are available, avoid extremely early or late time whenever possible.
• At each chapter meeting, the Setup Director shall report the exact time and date of each known event for the next week (setup, stage managing request, et al), as well the number of crewmembers required.
• The Setup Director shall contact the members one day prior to the setup/strike.

Since setups and strikes are so vital to the operation of this chapter, special emphasis is placed upon them. Each man is required to pull his own weight in chapter affairs. Extreme lack of attention will be dealt with as excessive absences, by the Executive Committee as per article II.

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6. Financial Procedure
   To facilitate the continued financial health of the chapter, the chapter shall follow this policy:
• The chapter shall establish a "Special Funds" account and shall administer it in this way:
0. Funds shall only be available by a two-thirds majority vote of the chapter and a 80% vote of the executive committee
1. Deposits to this account shall follow the following schedule:
• 10% of all setup checks
2. When account assets reach $1,000, the chapter shall move the account to a financial institution outside of the college
3. This fund is intended for large scale projects
• The chapter shall establish a budget each semester to control spending. Budgets shall be controlled in the following manner:
0. The following officers shall be allocated a budget
• Fraternity Education Officer
• Secretary
• Warden
• Music Director
• Historian
• Alumni Secretary
1. Officers may spend from their budgets with the approval of the president and treasurer
2. Allocated budgets exist from the moment they are allocated to either when they are used up, or the end of the semester in which they were allocated.
3. At the beginning of each semester, Officers must submit a budget to the executive committee. Budgets are subject to approval of the executive committee and upon their approval will be presented to the chapter where they will require a simple majority vote for approval.
• The chapter budget shall include a fund for General Entertainment purposes. 25% of each setup check will be deposited into this fund.
0. Items designated for the entertainment budget shall require a simple majority vote of the chapter and shall be presented at any chapter meeting before the event
1. The following items shall not be considered entertainment
• Rush activities
• Official receptions or dinners
• Founder's and Chapter Day celebrations
• Expenditures of more than 50% of the chapters current balance must be approved with a two thirds majority vote of the chapter
• No chapter funds shall be used to purchase alcoholic beverages
• Any funds not otherwise allocated shall be considered the "General Fund"

If the chapter should attain "Bad Financial Standing", the following procedures take effect:

• Bad financial standing shall be defined as when the General Funds of the chapter (excluding "Special Funds") fall below what the chapter owes to the National Fraternity for the current semester's personnel reports.
• Each expenditure must be passed by 2/3 majority vote of the chapter with a specific cost included with the motion
• All standing budgets are suspended until good financial standing is retained
• Payments to special funds accounts are suspended until good financial standing is retained
  

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7. Chapter Relations
   Communication is essential internally and externally. Therefore:
• Meeting minutes must be distributed via electronic mail before the Executive Council Meeting. One hard copy must be placed on file in the chapter room
• Agendas shall be sent out 24 hours prior to the weekly chapter meeting.
• The Alumni Secretary must send out 3 editions of a newsletter per academic year. Once each for spring, fall and summer.
  

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8. Recital
   The National Fraternity requires each chapter to present a recital once per year. This recital is generally to be held in the spring semester, with the date set by the end of the fall semester. In accordance with the purposes and ideals set forth by the National Fraternity, all music performed on the Phi Mu Alpha recital must be of American origin.
   
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9. Housing
   
   Section 1a: Housing Commitment
   All active members of this chapter are required to live on the fraternity floor on 2nd Floor East Wing Greene Hall. Fraternity members are not permitted to take part in the college room draw. The only exception is if a member is a Resident Assistant, is married, is not eligible for on-campus housing (e.g. is a part-time student), has never taken part in the Residence Life program (e.g. lives with his parents off-campus) or has been expressly excuse from living on the floor for personal reasons by the Executive Committee. Should a member of the chapter choose not to live on the wing, he must find a substitute to live on the wing, this can only be done if the wing is already filled by chapter members.
   Section 1b: Special Requirements
• The President MUST live on the wing.
• The Setup Direction is also strongly encouraged to live on the wing.
  

Section 2: Room Draw
The following is the procedure for deciding who will live in which room on the fraternity's Greene Hall wing:

• If a resident of a room, during the previous academic year, made improvements (e.g. a loft) during his occupation of the room, the resident and his roommate (may be the same roommate as the previous year) may elect to occupy the room for the next year superceding room draw.
• When a room is chosen, both the chooser and his roommate take the room.
• Seniors will choose their rooms first followed by Juniors and Sophomores respectively.
• Within each academic class, the members are ordered by which initiation class they were in, with the earliest initiation class choosing first.
• If two or more members are within the same academic and initiation classes, numbers will be drawn to determine room draw order.
• Should there be more members in the fraternity than room spaces, the upperclassmen may forfeit their opportunity to live on the wing until the wing is no longer filled to capacity.
  

Section 3: Conflicts 

Section 3a: General Conflicts
If there is a conflict regarding room selection, the matter will be taken to the Executive Committee for resolution.

Section 3b: Special Case
In the case of two current roommates who do not wish to room together during the next academic year, who have both made improvements to the room, and want to live in the room, whomever would draw first, would get the room.

Section 3c: Appeals
An appeal may be taken to the faculty advisor who has final say on the issue.

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