Article 1. NAME OF CHAPTER Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Phi Kappa Chapter Bluegrass Community and Technical College, KY By-Laws and Constitution The name of this chapter of Phi Theta Kappa shall be Alpha Phi Kappa. (Assigned by headquarters upon approval of chartering application.) Article 2. CHAPTER PURPOSE The purpose of the Alpha Phi Kappa Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, a student organization of Bluegrass Community and Technical College in Lexington, Kentucky, shall be the promotion of scholarship and service, the development of leadership, and the cultivation of fellowship among qualified students of this college, as is consistent with Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters and Bluegrass Community and Technical College mandates. Article 3. CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP Membership in Alpha Phi Kappa Chapter shall consist of General Member, Alumni Member, Transfer Member, Honorary Member, and Provisional Member. General Member Each candidate for General Membership must have completed 18 semester hours of associate degree work, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.70 on a 4.0 scale, and must adhere to Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters' and Kentucky Community and Technical College System s student code of conduct. Cumulative grade point average is calculated based on courses taken at community colleges within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the University of Kentucky. A cumulative grade point average of 3.60 must be maintained by a member in order to remain a member. If a General Member's G.P.A. falls below 3.60, the general member has one semester in which to bring the average to 3.60. If the General Member fails to raise their G.P.A. to the required level: A. The General Member shall have their name removed from all Phi Theta Kappa rolls. B. All privileges of General Membership shall be revoked Reinstatement can occur once the candidate meets requirements for General Membership. Alumni Member General Members shall become Alumni Members of the Society if they were enrolled at Bluegrass Community and Technical College for at least one year, are no longer enrolled
at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, and have terminated their active membership in good standing. Alumni Members shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of General Members, except the right to vote and the right to hold office. Honorary Member This chapter may grant Honorary Membership status to a person or persons who have rendered distinguished service and/or support to the Society. Honorary Members do not have the right to vote or the right to hold office. Honorary Members do not pay membership fees and are not required to be officially inducted. Provisional Member A. A provisional member of Phi Theta Kappa shall be a student who, in the opinion of the local chapter, has shown an active interest in the affairs of the Society and does not yet have the full requirements for General Membership in the Society. A Provisional Member shall not have the right to vote, hold office, or to represent the Chapter at meetings of the Society. In addition, Provisional Members shall not have the right to wear the Golden Key pin, however, they may wear a Chapter pin denoting the Greek letters of Phi Theta Kappa.. B. To become a Provisional Member: 1. The student must be enrolled at Bluegrass Community and Technical College for a minimum of 3 credit hours, which can be applied toward a certificate or degree; 2) The student must express an active interest in the Society and/or its activities, and/or provide some special service to the Chapter. Once such interest/service has been noticed by General, Alumni, or Honorary Members, it should be brought to the attention of the Chapter Executive Committee. 3) The student may be invited to attend a special meeting for the purpose of presenting themselves and their ideals to the Chapter Executive Committee, their academic intent, and why they are interested in becoming a General Member. 4) An agent of the Chapter Executive Committee will notify the student of its decision within 24 hours of the conclusion of the meeting. C. Should Provisional Membership be granted: 1) The requirements for General Membership should be met within two years; 2) The member must realize that they do not possess any rights or privileges at Chapter meetings; 3) The member may wear chapter or other Society regalia in order to demonstrate Provisional Membership, as long as such attire is obtained via the Chapter. Provisional Members cannot purchase Society attire directly from headquarters;
4) The member must realize that they also cannot partake of benefits to General, Alumni, or Honorary Members; in fact Headquarters will not recognize the Provisional Member at all; and 5) The member cannot be required to pay dues of any kind. D. Should Provisional Membership be denied, then the student will be informed as to the reason for this decision. E. Provisional Membership shall be revoked if: 1) It becomes clear to General, Alumni, and Honorary Members of any chapter or region, and brought to the attention of the Executive Committee of said Provisional Member's chapter, that the interests/ideals of the Provisional Member significantly conflict with those of the Chapter or Society in general. The decision of whether such conflict exists will be determined during a special meeting of the Chapter Executive Committee; 2) It becomes clear that the Provisional Member will not meet the requirements for General Membership within two academic years; 3) The Provisional Member discontinues academic studies at the Bluegrass Community and Technical College, or; 4) The Provisional Member does not adhere to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Code of Student Conduct or rules of good citizenship. Transfer Member A. A member from another Phi Theta Kappa chapter may transfer membership to Alpha Phi Kappa if he or she is currently enrolled at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and meets the maintenance GPA of the chapter. B. Advisors will verify the transfer member s good standing with Phi Theta Kappa International prior to his or her transfer into Alpha Phi Kappa. Article 4. CHAPTER ADVISOR(S) The Chapter Advisor(s) shall be a full-time faculty member(s) appointed by the administration of Bluegrass Community and Technical College. The Chapter Advisor(s) shall be responsible for the guidance of chapter activities and shall act on behalf of the International Society and official college administration. The Chapter Advisor(s) are responsible for the completion and submission of the Annual Report, Membership Forms, and Membership Profile Forms required by the Society Headquarters.
Section 6. Section 7. The Chapter Advisor(s) are members of the of the Chapter Executive Committee. The Chapter Advisor(s) shall not be a voting member of the chapter. The Chapter Advisor(s) shall notify members who have not maintained the membership requirements. The Chapter Advisor(s) shall be responsible for determining Chapter membership status of all Bluegrass Community and Technical College students. Article 5. CHAPTER OFFICERS. All officers must be members in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa. The Alpha Phi Kappa chapter shall have the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The duties of the officers shall be as follows: A. The Chapter President shall: 1) Call and preside over all regular business meetings; 2) Appoint and establish any necessary committees; 3) Vote only in case of a tie; 4) Serve as ex-officio member on all committees; 5) Present business to the organization; 6) Represent the organization at all times; and 7) Appoint a committee to review and/or revise the chapter constitution annually. B. The Chapter Vice President shall: 1) Perform all duties of the president in the event of his/her absence; 2) Head the committee reviewing the chapter constitution; 3) Submit to the Regional Coordinator and Headquarters reports of chapter Activities and Five-Star Chapter Update Forms; and 4) Act as Chair to the Chapter Executive Committee; 5) Keep records of all Chapter activities. C. The Chapter Treasurer shall: 1) Record all monies and comply with college regulations regarding organizational funds; 2) Keep a set of books which shall be audited by the Chapter Advisor and notarized before office is relinquished; 3) Make a report of finances at each business meeting;
D. The Chapter Secretary shall: 1) Facilitate all correspondence whether written or electronic (email); 2) Prepare and maintain the chapter scrapbook for regional, state, and international meeting and conventions. 3) Take minutes at each Chapter Meeting and present those minutes at the following meeting; and 4) Keep current files of photos, flyers, etc., and place all records in the official archives at the end of the academic year. Chapter Executive Committee A, Consists of all Chapter officers, including all Committee Chairpersons and Chapter Advisors. B. Is presided over by the Chapter Executive Committee Chairperson, the position of which is occupied solely by the Chapter Vice President, who is responsible for reporting all decisions and activities of the Chapter Executive Committee at all General Chapter Meetings. C. Must appoint a Chapter General Member to the position of Chapter Executive Committee co-chairperson to fill in for the Chapter Vice President should circumstances conflict with the Chapter Vice President performing the duties of the Chapter Executive Committee Chairperson; D. Is responsible for ensuring that the Chapter Constitution and By-laws conform to those of the International Society's, and to the rules and regulations of student organizations of Bluegrass Community and Technical College, as set forth in the Student's Code of Conduct Handbook; and E. Must meet at least once per academic year. Article 6. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Section 6. All candidates for office must be members in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa. Elections shall be held during the spring semester, at which time the new officers will be New Officers-in-Training. A special election can be called at any time by the Executive Committee. New Officers-in-Training will take full responsibility for their respective offices at the last General Meeting of the spring term. Officers shall hold office from the time of their election to the time of the next election. Nominations from the floor can be made at the same meeting as the election. A simple majority vote shall elect any officer.
Section 7. In any case when an officer must resign, the Chapter Executive Committee shall appoint a new officer to complete the term. Article 7. IMPEACHMENT OF OFFICERS If any officer fails to fulfill the duties of his/her office, or is in violation of Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters or the school's code of conduct, then he/she may be removed as follows: 1) A special meeting of the chapter, called at least fourteen days in advance, must be held to discuss the problem. 2) A vote of at least 3/4 of the total voting membership is required to remove an officer from office. Votes may be submitted through written form and email prior to the meeting where the vote will take place. 3) In cases of violation of code of conduct, the chapter advisor(s) may remove an officer from office and call for a special election to replace that position. Article 8. CHAPTER MEETINGS. All business meeting will follow the general agenda (order of business): A. Call to order B. Approval of the Minutes C. Treasurer s report D. Committee reports E. Old business F. New business G. Announcements H. Adjournment Section 2 Section 6. A regular meeting shall be held at least once each semester and shall be announced at least ten calendar days in advance. A special meeting may be called by the President, by the Executive Committee, or upon the written request of ten members of the Chapter. A special meeting shall be announced at least ten calendar days in advance. A quorum shall consist of those present at any properly called meeting. All meetings shall be governed by Robert s Rules of Order. Special committee meetings shall be called by the Chairperson of the said committee. Procedures at such meetings are left to the discretion of the Chairperson. Reports of each meeting shall be given to the members at the following chapter meeting.
Article 9. CHAPTER FINANCES A one-time payment of a fee to be sent to the International Society, Kentucky Region, and Alpha Phi Kappa Chapter must be received before induction by the Chapter Advisor(s). Receipts for all income must be issued. Finances for this chapter will be raised and/or spent by a majority vote at a general meeting or Executive Committee meeting. Documentation of approved expenditures must be submitted within 30 days to the Treasurer for reimbursement. Financial records of the chapter shall be audited by the Advisor(s) annually. Article 10. CHAPTER BY-LAWS By-laws shall be passed by 2/3 vote of the members present and shall cover pertinent topics including interpretation of the constitution. A permanent record of all By-laws shall be kept on file by the Secretary. Article 11. BY-LAW AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS. The Chapter Constitution and By-laws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regular meeting or by mail or by email vote of two-thirds of members participating, provided that the proposed amendment has been presented at least ten days prior. Any changes to the constitution and/or by-laws must be sent to Headquarters for final approval.