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ARTICLE I
Name and Affiliation
The name of this organization shall be the MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
chapter of THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY. This chapter is an integral part of the
national organization of THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY and shall adhere to the
policies prescribed in the National Constitution. Its Coat of Arms, Motto, Watchwords,
Colors, and Emblems shall be those of the national organization.
ARTICLE II
Nature and Purposes
This chapter shall be a non-secret, non-profit, scholastic honor, educationalservice
organization for students at MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY. Membership
therein shall not be excluded by, nor shall it exclude from, membership in any other
social, academic, or fraternal organization. Membership therein shall not be restricted by
race, sex, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, or handicap.
The primary purposes of this chapter of THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY
shall be to encourage scholastic effort and reward academic merit, to stand for and
promote worthy character and high ideals, and to foster, disseminate, and improve
education through appropriate service projects. Secondarily, this chapter shall also
engage in other worthwhile service projects, develop its members' potential for
leadership, and promote fellowship among its members. This chapter shall implement
these purposes by procedures consonant with the local situation and in cooperation with
the faculty and administration, and it shall begin its program of service as quickly as
possible after the activation of the chapter.
ARTICLE III
Qualifications for Membership
Students invited into membership in this chapter of THE GAMMA BETA PHI
SOCIETY shall be students at MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY and shall display the
qualities of Worthy Character, Good Mentality, Creditable Achievement and
Commendable Attitude. Any student, full or part time, who has completed 12 hours of
college work, excluding any pass-fail work or hours earned due to placement tests such
as CLEP or CEEB, is eligible for membership provided he or she is enrolled in a program
leading to the associate, bachelors, or graduate degree and also meets the other
requirements for membership.
Any student whose cumulative grade point average ranks within the top 20
percent of the class meets the scholastic requirement for membership.
Graduate students are eligible for membership provided they have completed 12
hours of graduate work and rank among the top 20 percent of graduate students and meet
any other criteria required of undergraduate members. An undergraduate member who
graduates in good standing may continue his or her active membership throughout
graduate school.
Students who were members in good standing of Gamma Beta Phi chapters at
other institutions and who transfer to Mississippi State University are automatically
members of the Mississippi State University chapter upon their request. Such transfer
member will be subject to the retention standards of this chapter, just as any other
member.
Each inductee must pay the one-time membership fee set by the National Senate.
He or she must also pay the local dues each year. (Local chapter dues should be paid
before or on the date of the last general meeting of the spring semester to cover the
following fall/spring school year. Other local assessments may not be made upon the membership,
but voluntary contributions can be requested.) Each inductee must take the membership pledge.
ARTICLE IV
Retention Standards
Section 1: To remain a member of this chapter, local dues must be paid each year
by the deadline set by the Executive Committee. A member must retain a ranking within
his or her class of no less than the top 30 percent. If a member should drop below that, he
or she will be allowed one semester of probation. If after that term the member still does
not meet the scholastic retention standard, he or she is dropped from membership until
the standard is met.
In accord with the nature and purposes of The Gamma Beta Phi Society,
members are expected to participate in the projects, meetings, and other activities of the
chapter. Members shall be required to obtain a minimum of five points per academic
semester. The requirements for fulfilling these five points are discussed in Section 3 of
ARTICLE IV. Failure to comply with the above standard will result in probation for one
semester and subsequent disenrollment from membership if requirements are not met by
the end of the probationary period.
Section 2: A member dropped from membership pay appeal the decision to the
State Director, and then, if desired, to the Executive Secretary. The name of any member
dropped from membership shall be sent to the Executive Secretary immediately, along
with the reason for such action.
A student dropped from membership may later be reinstated by action of the
Chapter Executive Committee, if the committee is satisfied that the student now meets
the standards of membership. A member so reinstated will not again pay the national
membership fee, but notification of the reinstatement shall be sent at once to the
Executive Secretary.
Section 3: Each member shall be required to obtain a minimum of five points
per academic semester. Two of these five points must come from education-oriented
community service point opportunities while the remaining three points shall come
from general point opportunities. Examples of community service points include (but
are not limited to) the following: tutoring, Brickfire supplies, book drive supplies, etc.
General points include (but are not limited to) the following: attending meetings,
hanging flyers, purchasing GBP merchandise, extra tutoring, extra supplies, etc. The
Executive Committee shall specify the opportunities available to fulfill the community
service points and the general points for each academic semester.
ARTICLE V
Induction of Members
Induction of new members shall take place during the Spring Semester. The
induction ceremony shall be a dignified occasion. There shall be no hazing of an
inductee - either that which would result in physical discomfort or that which would
cause mental embarrassment.
ARTICLE VI
Officers
The elected officers of this chapter of THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY shall
be: a president, a vice president, a corresponding secretary, a point secretary, a
treasurer, a historian, a webmaster, and two (2) new-member delegates.
The duties of the President shall be: to preside at the meetings; to appoint
committees; to guide the activities and administer the policies prescribed in the national
constitution and in the chapter bylaws; to be the official representative of this chapter
when necessary or desirable; to file with Headquarters the year-end Chapter Report.
The duties of the Vice President shall be: to preside at meetings when the
president is absent; to assume the duties of the presidency should the president be unable
to serve; to assist in administering the affairs of the chapter; to serve as Chairperson of the Publicity Committee.
The duties of the Point Secretary shall be: to keep the records of membership and
points; to prepare the minutes of meetings; to insure that the membership is aware of the
time and place of each meeting.
The duties of the Treasurer shall be: to collect, safeguard, and disburse the funds
of the chapter; to keep a complete and accurate record of all financial transactions; to
complete the year-end Financial Report; to order and disburse items for members such as
T-shirts, jewelry, etc.; to pass on to the succeeding Treasurer all funds remaining in the
treasury and to give to the Advisor all financial records. The Treasurer shall ensure that
all disbursements of funds in the treasury require two signatures, that authorized
signatories do not sign checks made out to themselves, and that the statements of
accounts are reconciled by a member of the chapter who is not authorized to sign for
such disbursements.
The duties of the Historian shall be: to keep charge of the chapter's crest,
pennant, charter, etc.; to keep a scrapbook of chapter functions and or operations.
The duties of the Webmaster shall be: to design and maintain the chapter website;
to keep the website content current, accurate, and in keeping with policy; to insure that
members may stay informed of chapter activities through the website.
The duties of each New-Member Delegate shall be: to assist each officer in all
matters when needed and to foster and improve communication between members and
the Executive Committee by welcoming and conversing with members before and after
all meetings. Although not an official duty, New-Member Delegates are strongly
encouraged to continue their leadership in the chapter by running for other officer
positions during future years of membership.
The officers of this chapter shall be elected at a regular meeting during the spring
term of the school year. Each New-Member Delegate will be elected at initiation. The
Executive Committee will determine the date of the election and announce it to the
membership at least one regular meeting in advance of the meeting at which the election
will occur. The Executive Committee will determine the method of nomination and
ballot-casting. The new officers (with exception of both New-Member Delegates, due to
the time of their election) shall train for the remainder of the spring semester as
follows: by serving on the Executive Committee, by assisting the current officer of
their elected position, and by helping with initiation. The new officers shall assume
their positions at the end of the last meeting of the year.
This chapter of Gamma Beta Phi shall have a full-time faculty advisor and may
have one or two Associate Advisors if the members so desire.
ARTICLE VII
Committees
The standing committees of this chapter shall be: Executive Committee, Publicity
Committee, Program Committee, Social Committee. The committees and the chairman
of these committees shall be formed and appointed at the discretion of the President.
The Executive Committee shall be composed of all officers. The chairman of the
Executive Committee shall be the Chapter President. The Advisor will be invited to all
meetings of the committee and his counsel sought. The duties of this committee are: to
see that the standards of membership are maintained, to handle all disciplinary matters, to
plan general policies, projects, and activities for presentation to the membership, to insure
that all qualified students are identified and invited to membership.
The duties of the Publicity Committee shall be: to make sure that the name,
nature, purposes, and contributions of GAMMA BETA PHI are recognized throughout
the campus and the community by full and proper use of all available media; to provide
for the publicizing of the names and pictures of all new members; to provide
Headquarters with pictures and accounts of the chapter's activities for publication in THE
GAMBET; to prepare a chapter scrapbook each year.
The duties of the Program Committee shall be: to assist the Executive Committee
in planning the nature of the chapter meetings; to secure meeting facilities and outside
speakers; to greet, introduce, and send thanks to all outside persons who take part in a
meeting of the chapter; to have all programs printed for ceremonies.
The duties of the Social Committee shall be: to take charge of all social activities
of the chapter, especially in regard to food and decorations.
In addition to these standing committees, the President may appoint special
committees to attend to and/or report upon any specific matters involving the chapter.
ARTICLE VIII
Meetings
Regular meetings of this chapter of THE GAMMA BET PHI SOCIETY shall be
held every month during the regular school year. The Executive Committee will decide
upon the time and place of meetings. Every effort shall be made to keep the time and
place of meeting consistent and to give adequate notice to members.
Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee. All members are to
be sent notification of the special meeting and its purpose for being called. Only the
business for which the meeting is called will be transacted.
ARTICLE IX
Quorum and Parliamentary Procedure
A quorum of this chapter shall be constituted by 25 percent of membership. No
action may be taken which is binding upon the membership unless a quorum is present.
The parliamentary authority for this chapter shall be the most recent edition of
ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER.
ARTICLE X
Attendance at State and National Meetings
This chapter of The Gamma Beta Phi Society will make every effort to send the
appropriate student and Advisor delegates to all State and National meetings and will
endeavor to send other members as well.
ARTICLE XII
Amending and Transmitting the Bylaws
The bylaws of this chapter may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the members at any
meeting at which a quorum is present, provided such proposed amendment in written
form has been placed before the membership at a previous regular meeting. Such
amendments may not be in conflict with national standards or policies.
Both the Executive Secretary of THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY and the
appropriate institutional administrator or committee shall be sent immediately a copy of
these bylaws and of any subsequent amendments or alterations. Each new member shall
receive a copy of these bylaws.
ARTICLE XIII
Gamma Beta Phi Society Scholarship Fund
Section 1: In May of 1995, THE GAMMA BETA PHI SOCIETY Endowed Scholarship Fund was established through the MSU Foundation and the Mississippi State University Office of Development. A $15,000 reserved corpus must be maintained, and additions to the fund may be made through fundraisers or deposits of the interest collected on the corpus. Two scholarships will be awarded to a member of The Gamma Beta Phi Society each year at the Spring induction ceremony.
Section 2: Candidates for the scholarship must: be a full-time student at Mississippi State University; be a member of The Gamma Beta Phi Society and in “good standing”; be classified as a junior or senior; have demonstrated academic achievement (minimum 3.5 GPA); be of good moral character and have demonstrated leadership ability and financial need; complete the provided application form by the deadline set by the Executive Committee. Applicants will be reviewed by The Gamma Beta Phi Society officers, who will make a recommendation for the scholarship recipients.
Section 3: If additional funds are available in the future, three or more awards may be made. Only the earnings of the fund will be available for distribution. Accumulated earnings in excess of current projected needs shall be returned to the corpus to enhance future awards. Award funds will not be given directly to the recipients; rather, the recipients’ MSU account will be credited with the one-time scholarship award.
Section 4: A copy of the full Administrative Guidelines for the fund is kept in the permanent files of the Foundation, the Department of Financial Aid, and The Gamma Beta Phi Society. If at some future time the guidelines become inappropriate, they should be modified in a manner which will assure the support of students at Mississippi State University, as close as possible, to the specifications contained in the guidelines.
Last Updated: Fall 2007