Portland State University Chapter (Chapter #218)
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Inc.

Constitution and By-Laws

Article I - Name, Purpose, Authority

Section A. Name. The name of the organization shall be the Portland State University Chapter (hereinafter cited as the "Chapter") of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Inc. (hereinafter cited as the "Society").

Section B. Purpose. The purpose of the Chapter is to foster the objectives of the Society, and specifically to promote the pursuit of excellence in higher education, and to recognize academic achievement and the outstanding scholarly endeavor of students, faculty members and others associated with Portland State University by election to membership, by publicly honoring those elected, and by such other means as the membership of the Chapter may deem appropriate, such as by the conferring of scholarships and awards.

Section C. Authority. The Chapter shall be governed in accordance with the By-Laws of the Society, a non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Michigan, with any and all amendments thereto which may be made from time to time. In addition, the Chapter shall operate in accordance with the laws of the State of Oregon, the ordinances of the Oregon University System, and the rules and regulations established for such organizations by Portland State University. The Portland State University Chapter received its charter from the Society and was formally installed on February 15, 1980.

Article II - Membership

Section A. Eligibility. The following and no others shall be eligible for election to membership in the Society:

1. Any undergraduate student of sound character in any department, school, or college of Portland State University if he/she: (a) has been registered for at least one (1) year (forty-five credit hours Portland State University course work completed) AND (b) is enrolled in the third quarter of his/her junior year and ranks scholastically in the upper seven and one-half (7 1/2) percent of his/her class, OR (c) is a senior and ranks scholastically in the upper ten (10) percent of his/her class. Rank in class is determined by Portland State University grade point average, with Phi Kappa Phi membership extended to transfer students whose cumulative grade point average (including all non-PSU course work completed) equals or exceeds the minimum requirement for PSU graduation with high honors, (i.e., combined cumulative GPA of 3.75).
2. Any graduate student of sound character who is a candidate for an advanced degree if he/she: (a) is ranked scholastically in the upper ten (10) percent of the graduate enrollment for the academic year in which he/she is elected, AND (b) had an outstanding undergraduate record, AND (c) has been registered as a PSU graduate student for at least one (1) year (minimum of thirty-five [35] credit hours of course work completed) OR is in the final term of residence as a graduate student. Also eligible for election on the basis of his/her graduate student record is any former student who, being otherwise qualified for election, is an alumnus having received an advanced degree subsequent to the last previous election of members by the Chapter.
3. Any member of the faculty or administrative or research staff of Portland State University whose scholastic record and/or outstanding achievement has rendered him/her worthy of membership.
4. Any alumnus of Portland State University from a class of five or more years' standing whose scholastic record prior to graduation, and outstanding achievement following graduation, has rendered him/her worthy of membership.
5. Any alumnus of Portland State University whose graduate or undergraduate degree was awarded between June, 1975 and June, 1980 and whose academic record at the time of graduation would have qualified him/her for election to membership.
6. Any person not connected with Portland State University as described in the previous paragraphs of this section but who has attained outstanding eminence in some academic, creative, or intellectual endeavor, and has prior approval as an honorary member by the Board of Directors of the Society.
7. Any member who has served the Society in an outstanding manner and has attained outstanding eminence in some academic, creative, or intellectual endeavor, and has prior approval as a distinguished member by the Board of Directors of the Society.

Section B. Limitations. The provisions of Section A above are subject to the following limitations:

1. The total number of graduate students elected to membership within an academic year shall not exceed ten (10) percent of the total number of graduate students registered in the semester in which they are elected.
2. The total number of faculty members or administrative or research personnel elected to membership within an academic year shall not exceed two (2) percent of the number of students eligible for membership in the Chapter that year. These faculty, administrative or research personnel shall have been associated with Portland State University for at least five (5) consecutive years and, in the case of faculty members, shall have attained the professional rank of at least associate professor at the time of election.
3. The total number of alumni members elected to membership within an academic year shall not exceed one (1) percent of the number of students eligible for membership in the Chapter that year. Alumni members shall be elected under the provisions of sections A.4 and A.5 above.
4. No more than one (1) honorary member shall be elected in any one academic year.
5. No more than one (1) distinguished member shall be elected in any one academic year.

Section C. Election of Members.

1. All elections to membership shall be by ballot either at a regularly called meeting of the Chapter at which a quorum is present, OR by ballot mailed to active Chapter members.
2. An affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the active Chapter members responding shall be necessary for election to membership.
3. Only active members of the Chapter who are faculty, administrators, or research personnel at-Portland State University shall vote in Chapter elections of faculty, administrative or research personnel members.
4. All persons elected to membership in the Society shall be notified forthwith by letter by the Chapter secretary, and upon acceptance, shall be publicly honored in an appropriate manner.
5. A report of the election of new members shall be made within thirty (30) days to the Executive Director of the Society by the Chapter secretary.

Section D. Membership Categories.

1. Active Members--Affiliated. Members who have been elected and initiated into the Society, are affiliated with the Chapter, and have paid local and national dues for the current year.
2. Active-for-Life Chapter Members. Members who have been elected and initiated and have paid the required Active-for-Life chapter and national membership fees to the National Society, or have been accorded this status by the Board of Directors of the Society.
3. Active Members-Unaffiliated. Members who have been elected and initiated, and have paid Society dues, but not Chapter dues, for the current year. Such members shall be returned to affiliated status when chapter dues are paid for the current year.
4. Active Members--Emeriti. Members who have been elected and initiated, have retired from professional duties, and have been recommended for this status by the Portland State University Chapter or approved for this status by the Executive Director of the Society. Upon payment of a one-time fee these members are granted life membership in the National Society. Annual Chapter dues shall be waived by the Portland State University Chapter and such members granted active membership status in the local Chapter.
5. Distinguished Members. Members who have served the Society in an outstanding manner, have been nominated, and their memberships funded, by one or more members of the Board of Directors of the Society or by one of the Chapters, and have been accorded this status by the Board.
6. Honorary Members. Individuals, not previously members of the Society, who have achieved outstanding eminence in some field of academic, creative or intellectual endeavor, have been nominated and their memberships funded by one or more members of the Board of Directors of the Society or by one of the Chapters, and have been accorded this status by the Board.
7. Inactive Members. Members who have not paid the Society's dues for the current year. Such members shall be returned to active status when the Society dues for the current year are paid.
8. Charter Members. Members of the National Society who have participated in the organization of the Portland State University Chapter and have been accorded the privilege of signing the Charter through the acceptance of their petition by the Board of Directors of the Society.

Article III - Officers and Executive Committee

Section A. Officers. The officers of the Chapter shall be a President, a President-Elect (who shall also serve as the Public Information Officer), a Vice President (who shall be a continuing undergraduate or graduate student at Portland State University and shall also serve as the Chapter's Program Coordinator), a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Except for the Vice President, all officers shall be either faculty members or administrative or research personnel of Portland State University who are active members of the Chapter and of the Society.

Section B. Election of Officers. All officers shall be elected at the final business meeting of the Chapter prior to the end of the academic year. Election to all offices shall be for terms of one (1) year. With the exception of the President-Elect, officers may be re-elected to serve additional one (1) year terms, not to exceed three (3) consecutive terms of service in any one Chapter office. The President-Elect shall serve for one (1) year, and shall serve the following year as President.

Section C. Executive Committee. The officers listed in Section A above shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Chapter.

Section D. Vacancies. Vacancies that occur on the Executive Committee may be filled, pending the next regular annual Chapter election, through the election of qualified Chapter members by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Executive Committee.

Section E. Duties of Officers, Executive Committee.

1. President. The President shall call and preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Chapter, shall appoint such committees as necessary to carry out the work and objectives of the Chapter, shall vote on behalf of the Chapter in Society councils and. on referenda, and otherwise fulfill the duties of chief executive officer of the Chapter.
2. President-Elect. The President-Elect shall assume the duties and responsibilities of the President when the President is unable to fulfill them, whether by absence, incapacity or other cause. As Public Information Officer the President-Elect shall be responsible for the dissemination of information regarding Chapter activities to campus and public media, as appropriate, and to the Executive Director for the Society newsletter.
3. Vice President. The Vice President shall serve as a full member of the Executive Committee, performing, with the exception noted in E.2 above, all such duties normally associated with the office of Vice President. The Vice President shall also serve as the Chapter Program Coordinator, assuming responsibility for the development and coordination of such academic and cultural activities as are deemed appropriate under the objectives of the Chapter.
4. Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for conducting the correspondence of the Chapter in all matters relating to Chapter business and shall maintain a complete and up-to-date file of such correspondence. The Secretary shall report on the election of new members and officers when so required by the Chapter and the Society, and shall maintain an up-to-date roster of the members of the Chapter. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording all Chapter activities, including minutes of Chapter meetings, and for keeping complete, accurate, and up-to-date records of the Chapter.
5. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be the fiscal officer of the Chapter, shall be responsible for the receipt and disbursement of Chapter monies and in consultation with, and with the approval of, the Executive Committee may invest Chapter funds in interest-bearing accounts or instruments. The Treasurer shall maintain complete, accurate and up-to-date records of all financial transactions of the Chapter, and shall report on the financial status of the Chapter when so required by the Chapter and the Society.
6. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the supervision of annual and long-range planning of Chapter activities, for electing delegates to general and special conventions of the Society, and for bringing matters of concern to the Chapter and to the Society to the attention of the Chapter membership. The Executive

   Committee shall have jurisdiction over matters pertaining to the Chapter that are not specifically provided for in this Constitution and By-Laws, or in the By-Laws of the Society.

Article IV - Meetings

Section A. Frequency and Notice. At least two (2) business meetings, and at least one (1) initiation meeting of the Chapter shall be held in the course of an academic year. The initiation meeting shall be held in the latter part of Spring Quarter, annually. All active members of the Chapter shall be duly notified of such meetings by the Secretary at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled meeting date.

Section B. Quorum. Ten (10) active members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of Chapter business. Except as otherwise provided herein, a simple majority vote of active members at a meeting where a quorum is present shall be sufficient for the transaction of Chapter business.

Section C. Procedure. The parliamentary procedures set forth in Roberts' Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the business portion of all Chapter meetings.

Article V - Fees, Dues, and Assessments

Section A. Initiation Fees. Each newly elected member shall, before initiation, pay to the Society through the Chapter Treasurer an initiation fee established by the Society, such fee entitling the member to a membership certificate, a standard badge, a one-year subscription to the Forum and a Phi Kappa Phi Newsletter, and covering the first year payment of National Society dues. In addition the newly elected member shall, at the same time, pay an initiation fee established by the Chapter, which shall include first year's dues for active membership in the Portland State University Chapter. No initiation shall be valid unless the required fees have been paid and the candidate has been duly initiated.

Section B. Active Membership Dues. All active members other than those newly initiated shall pay annual dues in such amount as may be assessed by vote of the Chapter together with an amount established by the Society's Board of Directors.

Section C. Active-for-Life Chapter Membership Dues. Active-for-Life Chapter Members shall make a one-time payment in such amount as may be assessed by vote of the Chapter together with an amount established by the Society's Board of Directors.

Article VI - Endowment Fund(s)

Section A. Establishment and Purpose. A permanent Endowment Fund, or Funds, may be established by the Chapter by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the active members constituting a quorum at a regular or special meeting of the Chapter, or responding to a mailed ballot. The purpose of such Fund, or Funds, shall be to derive income which shall be used solely to implement the activities and objectives of the Chapter.

Section B. Gifts and Grants. The Chapter may accept gifts and grants to any Endowment Fund, or Funds, that it has established, or for other specified purposes, such as scholarships, that are consistent with the objectives of the Chapter.

Article VII - Amendments to Constitution and By-Laws

Section A. Amendments. This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the active members present and constituting a quorum at any regular meeting of the Chapter, provided that the proposed amendment, or amendments, is promulgated to the active membership of the Chapter at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting at which the amendment is to be presented for adoption.

Section B. Limitation. All amendments to this Constitution and By-Laws are subject to the authority provided for in Article I, Section C, above.

Article VIII - Effective Date of Constitution and By-Laws

Section A. Effective Date. This constitution shall become effective after the approval by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the active members present and constituting a quorum at a regular meeting of the Chapter, and on the date of approval by the Society's Board of Directors.