Alpha Phi Omega - Section C3
Alpha Phi Omega - Section C3 Bylaws
The below policies were adopted by the chapter voting delegates at the 2015 Section C3 Conference on April 11, 2015, hosted by Alpha Phi chapter. The bylaws were most recently updated at the 2019 Section C3 Conference held April 6 2019 at McKendree University.
Preamble
We, the chapters of Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity, that are located in Section C3 as defined by the national fraternity, do hereby adopt these policies to foster interchapter relations, to further enable cooperative relationships between our respective programs of leadership, friendship and service, and to set forth the standards by which Section C3 business shall proceed.
Purpose and Policy
This business and objectives of Section C3 shall be conducted under the policies, principles, and provisions set forth in the National Articles of Incorporation, National Bylaws, the National Risk Management policy, the Standard Articles of Association, and any other applicable organizational and/or governmental regulations.
Membership
Section C3 shall be made up of all active chapters and petitioning/interest groups within in the boundaries established by the National Office of Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity.
Article I – Section C3 Conference
Section 1. Time. The Section C3 Conference shall take place the first full weekend of April on a yearly basis. The purpose of the conference shall be to provide and promote leadership development, section networking and fellowship, and to conduct the business of the section.
Section 1a. Easter. In the event that Easter occurs during the first full weekend in April, the Section C3 Conference will take place the weekend immediately following. The Section C3 Chair, in consultation with the Regional Chair and the host chapter, shall give due notice to the chapters of Section C3 and to Region C.
Section 2. Place. The host chapter of the Section C3 Conference shall be determined at the previous year’s Section C3 Conference. Chapters interested in hosting the Section C3 Conference shall prepare a bid to host the following year’s conference. This bid shall be presented at the prescribed time during the Section C3 business meeting. The chapter who receives more than half of the delegate votes at the Section C3 business meeting shall win the bid to host the next year’s conference. In the event that more than two chapters bid to host the conference and no chapter receives a majority of the votes cast, the chapter who receives the lowest vote total will be removed from consideration, and a run-off election will take place between the top two bids. In the event that no chapter presents a bid, the Section C3 Chair, in consultation with the Region C Chair, will appoint a chapter to host the Section C3 Conference. This appointment must be announced within 5 days of the section business meeting.
Section 3. Conference Chair. The chapter hosting the next year’s Section C3 Conference shall elect or appoint a conference chair or chairs by the end of the spring semester in which they have bid for the conference.
Section 4. Responsible Party. The Section Chair is responsible for the planning and execution of the annual Section C3 Conference.
Section 5. Conference Registration Discount. In recognition of the one-time costs that those seeking membership bear as part of joining Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity, and to promote greater cooperation with the fraternity’s National Pledging Standards, each Section C3 Conference will provide a discount of at least 40 percent of the active registration cost to those who, in the same semester as the Section C3 Conference, have entered into pledge membership.
Article II – Section C3 Business Meetings
Section 1. Time & Place. Section C3 Business Meetings will take place during the Section C3 Conference. Additionally, Section C3 Business Meetings may also take place during the Region VIII Conference or the fraternity’s National Convention as desired and/or needed.
Section 2. Meetings. The Section C3 Chair or two-thirds of the chapters of Section C3 may call for a meeting.
Section 2a. Quorum. A majority of chapters in good standing is needed to conduct business during Section C3 business meetings.
Section 3. Voting Delegates. All chapters shall select two brothers to serve as voting delegates of the chapter during all section business. The selection of a chapter’s voting delegates shall be according to the methods prescribed in their respective chapter bylaws, constitution, or operating procedures. Only chapters in good standing as of the beginning of the section business meeting shall be allowed to vote. If a Chapter is in good standing and has only one delegate registered, that delegate shall have the authority to cast both votes.
Section 4. Time & Place of Section Chair Election. The Section chair election may only take place during the business meeting at the Section C3 Conference.
Section 4a. Section Chair Election Proceedings. During Section chair elections, and section business, the chair of the meeting shall follow Roberts Rules of Order, Newly revised, except that chapter caucusing shall be allowed prior to voting. A brief Q&A time between the delegates and the candidates may be allowed at the discretion of the brother moderating the election.
Article III – Awards & Recognition
Section 1. Sectional Recognition Certificates. Sectional Recognition Certificates are given annually at the Section C3 Conference, at the discretion of the Section Chair, to those brothers or Chapters in the Section who have provided outstanding service to the Section over the past year. There is no limit to the number of certificates given.
Section 2. Section C3 Service Award. The Section C3 Service Award is given annually at the Section C3 Conference. It was established to recognize those chapters that excel in providing service to their campuses and communities. The traveling plaque, upon which the winning chapter's name is inscribed, is a testament to the incredible tradition of service which so many chapters in this Section share. It is presented annually at the Section Conference to that chapter in Section C3 who has provided the greatest number of Service hours per brother during that year. To be considered for the award, the chapter must be in attendance at the Sectional Conference, and must present a listing of Service hours and total membership to the Sectional Chair, or to the member designated by the Sectional Chair, before lunch on Saturday. The breakdown of figures shall be as follows: for Fall Semester, it’s the total number of service hours performed divided by the total number of actives and total number of pledges. For the spring semester (up to the point of the Section C3 Conference), it’s the total number of service hours performed divided by the total number of actives and total number of pledges. The Section Chair along with the Section C3 Committee shall tabulate the results. This award shall be presented by the Section C3 Chair to the winning chapter at the Section C3 Conference banquet.
Section 3. Section C3 Man-Mile Award. The Section C3 Man-Mile Award is given annually at the Sectional Conference to the Chapter that brings the most number of brothers the most number of miles to attend the Sectional Conference. The winner is computed by taking the number of brothers in attendance at the Conference times the number of miles from that campus to the campus of the Conference host. The host Chapter is not eligible for this award. The Chapter with the highest score wins the award. This award shall be presented by the Section C3 Chair to the winning chapter at the Section C3 Conference banquet.
Section 4. Section C3 Road Warriors Award. The Section C3 Road Warriors Award is given annually at the Sectional Conference to the Chapter that does the most traveling in the year between the Sectional Conferences. This award is intended to encourage inter-chapter relations and travel. The winner is computed by taking the total sum of number of brothers in attendance at a given event times the number of miles from that campus to the destination campus for each road trip taken by a chapter. This award shall be presented by the Section C3 Chair to the winning chapter at the Section C3 Conference banquet.
Section 5. Gang’s All Here. The Section C3 The ‘Gang’s All Here’ award is given to the chapter that has sent the largest percentage of active brothers to a Sectional Conference using the highest calculated score from the equation: Number of active brothers plus pledges in attendance divided by the number of active brothers plus pledges in the chapter. This award will be presented by the Section C3 Chair to the winning chapter at the Section C3 Conference banquet.
Section 6. Section C3 Fellowship Paddle. Section C3 Fellowship Paddle was established to promote fun and friendship between brothers of different chapters within our Section. Only Chapters in Section C3 may hold the Fellowship Paddle, after they meet the following criteria necessary for retrieving it: a) A chapter seeking to retrieve the Fellowship Paddle shall contact the chapter that currently holds it, at least one week in advance of the time they will appear to get the paddle b) At least five brothers or 40% from the retrieving chapter must be present to claim the paddle c) The chapter holding the paddle shall conduct some type of fellowship event for the brothers of the retrieving chapter at the date and time established between the two chapters d) At the end of that fellowship event, the retrieving chapter shall be presented with the paddle to take back to their campus e) The retrieving chapter shall then paint their name and the date upon the paddle. If necessary, the chapter hosting the fellowship event shall do their best to provide accommodations for the visiting chapter.
Section 6a. Restrictions. No chapter may retrieve the fellowship paddle from the chapter who retrieved it from them. The paddle may not be retrieved when school is not in session.
Section 7. Section C3 Railroaders. Section C3 Railroader is awarded to active brothers of Section C3 chapters by a unanimous vote of all active Railroaders and the Section C3 Chair at a special meeting during of the Section C3 Conference.
Section 7a. Qualifications. This award is given to brothers who exemplify the spirit of interchapter relations within Section C3.
Section 7b. Restrictions. Pledges and advisors are not eligible to receive this award. Alumni are not eligible to receive this award, unless they were undergraduate active members of their respective Section C3 chapter in the semester immediately prior to the Section C3 Conference. Only current Railroaders who are undergraduate active members in their chapters may cast votes for new recipients.
Section 7c. Presentation. Current Section C3 Railroaders will present the Railroaders Awards to the recipients at the Section C3 Conference banquet.
Section 8. Distinguished Service Key. The Distinguished Service Key is the highest award the Section can bestow upon one of its members. The DSK is an all-encompassing award that is given to those who have demonstrated all aspects of Leadership, Friendship, and Service. These brothers have dedicated themselves to bringing Section C3 to the forefront of Alpha Phi Omega. These brothers represent what the Section views as possessing the true spirit of Alpha Phi Omega. There are two possible methods for awarding a DSK in Section C3.
1. While at a regular business meeting of the Section, any voting delegate may nominate an individual brother of the Section to be considered for the DSK. At that point, the delegates shall go into an executive session for the discussion and vote concerning the DSK. Only those brothers chosen by their chapters to serve as voting delegates for the Conference shall take part in and vote during the executive session. In order for a brother to be awarded the DSK, he must receive a 2/3 majority of the votes of those delegates present and voting. Once the executive session is completed, the delegates shall resume the regular business of the Section meeting and if appropriate, a chosen delegate(s) shall be responsible for securing the award from the National Office and the presentation of said award at the next appropriate Section activity.
2. Outside of a regular Section business meeting, any chapter in Section C3 may initiate the DSK process, except that nominations may not originate from a nominee’s home chapter. The chapter initiating the process must writing to and/or contacting each member chapter of the Section to nominate a brother for the award; failure to contact each chapter invalidates the nomination. The letter to each Chapter should include the name of the nominee, a detailed rationale for the nomination, and the name of the chapter sponsoring the nomination. Each member chapter shall then be given a specified amount of time in which to respond to the nomination, with a ‘yes’ vote supporting the awarding of the DSK, or a ‘no’ vote not supporting the nomination. Responses to the nomination must be sent to the Region VIII Chair to tabulate the votes. Each chapter gets one vote. A majority of the chapters must respond in order for the vote to have merit. If a bare majority (for example, if nine votes are possible, then five votes would constitute a bare majority; yet if 10 votes are possible, then six votes would be necessary for a bare majority, as five of ten votes wouldn’t be a majority) of Section C3 chapters respond by the deadline, then any "no" vote causes the nomination to fail. If more than a majority of chapters respond, then a 2/3 majority is necessary for the nomination to pass. The sponsoring chapter is then responsible for securing the award from the National Office and presenting it at the next appropriate Section activity.
Section 9. Hon. John K. Ottenad Fellowship Award. The Hon. John K. Ottenad Fellowship Award shall be awarded annually to two brothers within the section: one active and one alumni, advisory or honorary. This award shall be bestowed upon those who go above and beyond in exemplifying the principle of Fellowship. These recipients will have shown throughout the section that Fellowship is a necessary component of this fraternity in the development and success of fraternity functions, programs, and values.
Section 9a. Nominations. Nominations for this award shall be sent to the section chair either before the section meeting in writing or may be submitted to the Sectional Awards Committee at the Sectional Conference. The section chair, or one designated, shall select a nomination committee comprised of up to representatives from 2/3 of the chapters represented at the Section Conference during a special meeting. After deliberation of nominees, the committee shall present the section chair with, at most, 3 options for each the active and alumni recipient.
Section 9b. Selection. The Section Chair, from the list of brothers presented to him/her by the nomination committee, will select an active and alumni recipient to receive the award. The award shall be presented by either the current Section chair or the most recent recipients of the award at the Sectional 49 Conference Banquet.
Section 9c. Presentation. The Hon. John K. Ottenad Fellowship Award shall be presented in the form of a certificate, signed by the section chair, and a pin displaying the image of a forget-me-not. The forget-me-not, the fraternity's flower, as often used as a symbol for alumni members shall represent the connection between active and alumni members, and the bond we all share in Fellowship, among our other principles.
Section 10. Jim Roach Servant Leader Award. The Jim Roach Servant Leader Award shall be awarded annually to two brothers within the section: one active and one alumni, advisory or honorary. This award shall be bestowed upon those who go above and beyond in exemplifying the principle of Leadership. These recipients will have shown throughout the section that Leadership is a necessary component of this fraternity in the development and success of fraternity functions, programs, and values.
Section 10a. Nominations. Nominations for this award shall be sent to the section chair either before the section meeting in writing or may be submitted to the Sectional Awards Committee at the Sectional Conference. The section chair, or one designated, shall select a nomination committee comprised of up to representatives from 2/3 of the chapters represented at the Section Conference during a special meeting. After deliberation of nominees, the committee shall present the section chair with, at most, 3 options for each the active and alumni recipient.
Section 10b. Selection. The Section Chair, from the list of brothers presented to him/her by the nomination committee, will select an active and alumni recipient to receive the award. The award shall be presented by either the current Section chair or the most recent recipients of the award at the Section C3 Conference Banquet.
Section 10c. Presentation. The Jim Roach Servant Leader Award shall be presented in the form of a certificate, signed by the section chair, and a pin unique to the section. It is symbolized by a a tree. The tree is symbolic of the impact that strong leadership leaves. It starts small in the planting but can grow to be very large and beautiful.
Section 11. The Allen Taylor Heart of Service Award. The Allen Taylor Heart of Service Award shall be awarded annually to two brothers within the section: one active and one alumni, advisory or honorary. This award shall be bestowed upon those who go above and beyond in exemplifying the principle of Service. These recipients will have shown throughout the section that Service is a necessary component of this fraternity in the development and success of fraternity functions, programs, and values.
Section 11a. Nominations. Nominations for this award shall be sent to the section chair either before the section meeting in writing or may be submitted to the Sectional Awards Committee at the Sectional Conference. The section chair, or one designated, shall select a nomination committee comprised of up to representatives from 2/3 of the chapters represented at the Section Conference during a special meeting. After deliberation of nominees, the committee shall present the section chair with, at most, 3 options for each the active and alumni recipient.
Section 11b. Selection. The Section Chair, from the list of brothers presented to him/her by the nomination committee, will select an active and alumni recipient to receive the award. The award shall be presented by either the current Section chair or the most recent recipients of the award at the Sectional 49 Conference Banquet.
Section 11c. Presentation. The Allen Taylor Heart of Service Award shall be presented in the form of a certificate, signed by the section chair, and a pin displaying the image of red heart. The symbol of the heart is often connected with passion, love, desire, and emotional ties. That is exactly the connection that members of our fraternity to service. To serve others is to display love. To serve others is to love ourselves.
Article IV – Dues
Section C3 Dues were instituted and approved by the chapters of Section C3 at the 2002 Section C3 Conference, hosted by Alpha Phi chapter. Dues were instituted to help defray the costs associated with delegate support at National Conventions, as well as to provide support toward costs associated with sectional conference recognition. As of the 2018 National Conference, the section dues and the method in which they are used are all within the national bylaws as a part of the AMDs that chapters submit.
Section 1. Restrictions. Chapters who are not on record with the National Office as having submitted the annual dues payment by the end of the last business day preceding the Section C3 Conference, which to say as not being in good standing, will not be allowed to vote at the Section C3 Business meeting. It is the responsibility of the Section C3 Chair to verify this prior to the opening of the Section C3 Conference.
Section 2. Notice of Payment. Section C3 Chair shall give notice of dues payment to chapters no fewer than four weeks prior to the Section C3 Conference.
Section 3. Account Status. The Section C3 Chair shall provide a summary of Section C3 financial matters at the Section C3 Conference, as well as at the conclusion of the fall semester. Funds may be spent from the Section C3 account with the National Office at the discretion of the Section C3 Chair for Section C3 -related expenses.
Section 4. Outside Accounts. Section C3 may not administer its own account with any financial institution.
Article V –Policies
These policies of Section C3 may be amended by 2/3 of the voting delegates during the business meeting of the Section C3 Conference. Policies shall be maintained by the Section Chair, and included as part of officer handbooks/binders as requested. The only circumstance by which the Section C3 Chair may amend these policies without a vote of the chapter voting delegates is to correct minor grammatical/spelling errors.
Article VI – Section C3 Volunteers
The Section C3 Chair has discretion and authority on how to organize Section C3 volunteers as they see fit, and may create and fill offices without the requirement of such offices being codified in these policies. The Section C3 Chair shall serve a term of one year and the term length of any appointed volunteers is up to the discretion of the chair.