Sample By-Laws for a New Chapter of Tau Alpha Pi

College of Technology

Preamble

The Tau Alpha Pi chapter at the College of Technology is organized to provide recognition of high scholarly achievement among technology students at the College.  These by-laws are a minimal set of guidelines intended to complement and to utilize the constitution and by-laws of the Tau Alpha Pi National Society.  Further, these by-laws operate in concert with the regulations and policies of the College of Technology and any other local governing or academic body

The preamble should define the role of the chapter and acknowledge the purpose of the chapter and the chapter's membership within the Tau Alpha Pi honor society.  The by-laws should not contradict either Tau Alpha Pi's constitution, the policies of the institution or any other academic affiliations of the institution such as the regional accreditation body or the state university system, if applicable.

Article I: Meetings

Chapter meetings shall be held at least once per academic period.  They are to be scheduled at a time convenient to the membership and all members are to be notified at least one week prior to the meeting.

Tau Alpha Pi chapters are to meet at least once every academic period (e.g., semester, quarter) to induct new members or conduct other new business.  Chapters can meet as often as the members wish but must be publicized to the current members.

Article II: Nomination and Election of Officers

Chapter officers shall be elected by the chapter once per academic year.  Selection will be made by a nomination and voting process conducted at a well-publicized meeting.

Each chapter shall determine how many and what titles to give its officers.  The officers should be named by title in the By-Laws.  Common titles are President or Chair, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Other positions can be created as needed or fewer officers can be used, whichever is most appropriate for the chapter. 

Voting can take place at any time of the year but most commonly at the beginning of the academic year with the new officers taking their roles immediately or at the end of the academic year with elected officers taking their roles at the start of the next academic year.  A voting process should be defined in advance (e.g., open vote, voice vote, silent ballot).

Article III: Duties of the Officers

The President is responsible for scheduling and conducting meetings, including drafting agendas and publicizing events.

The Secretary will keep the records of the chapter and be responsible for maintaining contact with the National Office.

The Treasurer will keep the financial records of the chapter and is responsible for making regular reports on the financial status of the chapter.

These titles and duties are fairly common among chapters.  Some contingency should be made if one of the officers is not able to fulfill his or her duties for whatever reason, either selection of a new officer or assumption of duties by another officer.  At least one officer must be designated as the contact person for the National Office of Tau Alpha Pi and will be responsible for forwarding names and induction fees for new members.

Article IV: New Members

At the completion of each academic period, the Chapter Advisor will determine which students have met the academic requirements for membership in Tau Alpha Pi.  The list of eligible students will be provided to the Chapter President.

New members will be inducted at a well-publicized meeting of the chapter.

Each chapter must define which technology programs are to participate in the local chapter and what academic standard will be used to determine eligibility.  Tau Alpha Pi requires that only the top 25% of the class be eligible and that a certain number of academic credits be attained.  These guidelines are in the Constitution.  The chapter may impose other requirements as befitting to the institution such as election into the society by the current members, completion of certain courses, etc.  These requirements must be approved by the Board of Directors. 

The induction ceremony for new members should be conducted at a meeting of only current Tau Alpha Pi Members and the inductees.  Some chapters hold banquets or other ceremonies.   Inductees are to be presented with their certificates and pins at their induction ceremony.

Article V: Chapter Activities

The members shall consider and develop activities in the spirit of Tau Alpha Pi and appropriate to the goals of the institution.

Chapter can undertake a wide variety of activities in the spirit of promoting and recognizing excellence in Engineering Technology.  The specifics should be left up to the members but common activities are fund-raisers, tutoring programs, and social activities.  The Tau Alpha Pi Journal will contain many descriptions of activities conducted by other chapters which can be used for inspiration.

Other articles can be added as appropriate for the chapter.  This sample should only serve as a guideline to help the drafting of the local by-laws for new chapters.  Many thanks to the California Eta chapter whose by-laws serve as the model.

For more information:
Warren Sallade: e-mail w.sallade@asee.org, or 202-350-5762