CONSTITUTION

and

BY-LAWSof the

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.REVISED — 1954

C O N S T I T U T I O N

and

B Y - L A W S

of the

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.REVISED — 1954

Herewith is transmitted the Constitution and By-Laws of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated,as adopted at the 39th General Convention in sessionat Detroit, Michigan, December 27-31, 1953. ThisConstitution becomes the basic law of the Alpha PhiAlpha Fraternity, Incorporated, and supersedes allprevious laws, rules and regulations.January 1, 1954

John D. Buckner, Chairman,Constitution Revision Committee.

CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that the Constitution and By-Laws which follows is the action of the 39th GeneralConvention of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incor-porated, as recorded in its proceedings.

Additional copies may be purchased from theGeneral Secretary.

James E. Huger,General Secretary.January 1, 1954

Attest:A. Maceo Smith,General President.

PREAMBLE

We, the members of this organization, in orderto promote a more perfect union among collegemen; to aid in and insist upon the personal progressof its members; to further brotherly love and afraternal spirit within the organization; to dis-countenance evil; to destroy all prejudices; to pre-serve the sanctity of the home; the personificationof virtue and chastity of woman; do enact andestablish this Constitution for the government ofits members.

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I—NAME AND SYMBOLSection 1

The name of this organization shall be Alpha PhiAlpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

The symbol shall be the Greek letters ALPHAPHI ALPHA.

ARTICLE II—ORGANIZATIONSection 1 —

The Organization shall consist of Undergraduate,Intermediate and Graduate Chapters. The term"General Organization" shall refer to and mean allof the General Offices, the Executive Council, allconstitutionally created Foundations, Commissionsand Committees; all active chapters, all of whichcollectively constitute the organic structure of theNational Organization known as Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity, Incorporated.

Section 2—•Undergraduate Chapters shall be named after the

letters of the Greek Alphabet in the order of theirestablishment, viz.: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc., ex-cept that no Chapter shall be named Lambda orOmega. When the alphabet becomes exhausted, thefirst Greek letter, Alpha, becomes a prefix, viz:Alpha Alpha, Alpha Beta, then each succeedingletter becomes a prefix in the same manner as BetaAlpha, Beta Beta, etc.

Sect'on 3—Intermediate chapters shall be named in the same

manner as undergraduate chapters with the excep-tion that Omicron Lambda shall be a prefix to thenaming of the chapter, e.g., Omicron Lambda Alpha,Omicron Lambda Beta, etc.

Section 4—Graduate Chapters shall be named in the same

manner as Undergraduate Chapters with the excep-tion that Lambda shall be a suffix to the name ofthe Chapter, as Alpha Lambda, Beta Lambda, etc.ARTICLE III—UNDERGRADUATE CHAPTERS

Section 1 —An Undergraduate Chapter may be established at

any school which has been accredited by a regionalor national accrediting agency, the seat of thechapter to be determined by the fraternity.

Section 2—The Jurisdiction of an Undergraduate Chapter

shall be limited to Undergraduate members. How-ever, Graduate Brothers may be members of anUndergraduate Chapter provided there is no Gradu-ate Chapter at the institution designated in theUndergraduate Charter or the immediate vicinity,and provided further, that there is not a sufficientnumber of Undergraduate Brothers to keep anUndergraduate Chapter active.

Section 3—A petition for the establishment of an Under-

graduate Chapter may be made by seven or moremale students enrolled in any institution which shallmeasure up to the standard of accreditation inArticle III, Section 1, of this Constitution.

Section 4—Inquiries concerning the establishment of an

Undergraduate Chapter may come from any studentof an accredited college, or from an active memberof Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and shall be directedto the General Secretary. The General Secretaryshall refer such petitions to the Committee on Stand-ards and Extension whose findings shall be reportedto the next General Convention. No UndergraduateChapter shall be established except by vote of theGeneral Convention.

Section 5—The initiation of applicants and the installation

of an Undergraduate Chapter shall be under thesupei-vision of the officer designated for that par-ticular purpose. The ceremony shall be in accord-ance with the official procedure and the Ritual.

Section 6—•The officers of an Undergraduate Chapter shall be

a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurerand such other officers as may be deemed necessary.

Section 7—An Undergraduate Chapter shall hold its annual

election at the first regular meeting in April. Thesuccessful candidates, however, shall take office atthe first regular meeting in September.

Section 8—An Undergraduate Chapter shall adopt a Consti-

tution and By-Laws for its government, which shallbe submitted to the regional Vice President forapproval. It shall be resubmitted following eachamendment or at the request of the Vice Presidentor General Convention. It shall not conflict withthis Constitution or any legislation which may behereafter enacted.

ARTICLE IV—INTERMEDIATE CHAPTERS

Section 1 —An Intermediate Chapter may be established at

any school or locality upon the petition of seven ormore active, resident members of the fraternity whopossess an earned degree but who are enrolled inany school which has been accredited by a regionalor national accrediting agency. The seat of thechapter shall be determined by the fraternity.

Section 2Inquiries concerning the establishment of an

Intermediate Chapter shall be directed to the Gen-

eral Secretary who shall refer such petition to theCommittee on Standards and Extension, whose find-ings shall be reported to the General Convention orExecutive Council. A majority vote of either bodycan authorize the establishment of such a chapter.

Section 3—The jurisdiction of an Intermediate Chapter shall

be limited to the vicinity of the school or localityas designated in its charter, upon the recommenda-tion of the Committee on Standards and Extension.

Section 4—The officers of an Intermediate Chapter shall be

a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,and such other officers as may be deemed necessary.

SectionThe Intermediate Chapter shall hold its annual

election at the first regular meeting in April. Thesuccessful candidates, however, shall take office atthe first meeting of the following September.

Section 6—An Intermediate Chapter shall adopt a Constitutionand By-Laws for its government, which shall besubmitted to the regional Vice President for ap-proval. It shall be resubmitted following eachamendment or at the request of the Vice Presidentor General Convention. It shall not conflict withthis Constitution or any legislation which may behereafter enacted.

ARTICLE V—GRADUATE CHAPTERS

Section 1—A Graduate Chapter may be established in any

city or locality upon petition of seven or more ac-tive, resident, Graduate members of the Fraternity.

Section 2—Petitions for the establishment of Graduate Chap-

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ters shall be addressed to the General Secretarywho shall refer such petitions to the Committee onStandards and Extension, whose findings shall bereported by the General Secretary to the GeneralConvention or Executive Council. A majority voteof either body can authorize the establishment ofsuch a chapter.

Section 3—The Jurisdiction of a Graduate Chapter shall be

limited to the vicinity of the city or cities designatedin its chartsr; and only one Graduate Chapter maybe established in this territory.

Section 4—The officers of a Graduate Chapter shall be a

President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, andsuch other officers as may be deemed necessary.

Section 5—The Graduate Chapter shall hold its annual elec-

tion at the first regular meeting in November. Thesuccessful candidates, however, shall take office atthe first regular meeting in December.

Section 6—A Graduate Chapter shall adopt a Constitution

and By-Laws for its government, which shall besubmitted to the regional Vice President for ap-proval. It shall be resubmitted following eachamendment or at the request of the Vice Presidentor General Convention. It shall not conflict withthis Constitution or any legislation which may behereafter enacted.

ARTICLE VI—MEMBERSHIP

Section 1Membership in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.,

shall be of five Classes: Undergraduate, Interme-diate, Graduate, Associate and Life. A member ingood standing is one who has fulfilled all obligationsof his chapter and the General Organization.

Section 2—Any male student who has successfully completed

one semester or two quarters of a regular year'sprogram in an accredited college and who has main-tained an average grade equal to or greater thanthe minimum grade which is required by that collegefor graduation wTith the Bachelor's Degree for tneone semester or two quarters immediately precedingthe consideration of his candidacy for member-ship, and who is honest, temperate in his habits, ofundoubted ability as evidenced by his scholasticattainments, and who is of good character, may bepresented by any member of the chapter in goodstanding. When the applicant has received theapproval of all the active members in attendance atthe meeting of the chapter designated for balloting,and has met all the requirements of the Ritual,General Constitution, By-Laws, and such other lawsas the Fraternity may have enacted on the subject,and has undergone the prescribed initiation, he shallbe deemed an Undergraduate member of Alpha PhiAlpha Fraternity, Inc. One negative vote cast shallprevent the admission of the applicant to the Fra-ternity. An applicant may be initiated in the secondsemester of the freshman year where the schoolpermits.

Section 3—An applicant for membership in an Intermediate

Chapter shall be a male student enrolled in an ac-credited Graduate or Professional School (Art. 3,Sec. 1) who has successfully completed one semesteror two quarters of a year's program. The applicantmust be presented by a member in good standing.When the applicant has received the approval of allactive members in attendance at the meeting of thechapter designated for balloting, and has met all ofthe requirements of the Ritual, General Constitution,By-Laws and other such laws as the Fraternity mayhave enacted and has undergone the prescribedinitiation, he shall be deemed an Intermediate Mem-ber of that respective Intermediate Chapter of AlphaPhi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. One negative vote cast

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shall prevent the admission of the applicant to theFraternity.Section 4

An applicant for membership in a Graduate Chap-ter shall be one who possesses an earned degreefrom an institution of standing as set forth inArticle III, Section 1. The applicant must be pre-sented by a member of the Chapter in good stand-ing'. When the applicant has received the approvalof all of the active members in attendance at themeeting of the Chapter designated for balloting, andhas met all of the requirements of the Ritual, Gen-eral Constitution, By-Laws and such other laws asthe Fraternity may have enacted on the subject andhas undergone the prescribed initiation, he shall bedeemed a Graduate member of that respective Grad-uate Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.One negative vote cast shall prevent the admissionof the applicant to the Fraternity.

Section 5—An Associate Member shall be a member who

transfers to a chapter of a different status becausethere is no chapter of his status in the vicinity inwhich he resides. He shall be known as an asso-ciate member of the chapter until he becomes amember of a chapter in his status. He shall beentitled to the same privileges and subject to thesame taxation as other members of the chapter withwhich he is affiliated. He shall remit, through thechapter Secretary, the correct annual Grand Taxfor his membership category as prescribed in By-Law 10. Upon graduation a member is eligible forIntermediate or Graduate status without initiation.

Section 6—A male student who is regularly matriculated in

any accredited institution and/or resides in anylocality that is specifically designated in the charterof any chapter, and who measures up to the stand-ards prescribed in Article VI, Sections 2 and 3, maybe presented by an active member of the chapter,

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and when he has received the approval of all of themembers of said chapter is a pledge of that chapter.Section 7—

The payment of the Life Membership Fee as stip-ulated in the By-Laws shall entitle a member to fullmembership in the General Organization of the Fra-ternity for life, without further payment of GrandTax. Life Membership shall confer no other privi-lege upon a member. Life Membership shall notrelease a member from financial and other obliga-tions to his chapter. A member must be financial forat least five years to be eligible for payment of LifeMembership Fee.

Section &—Founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity shall be

known as Jewels. They shall be carried on the activeroster of Alpha Chapter but shall have the fullprivilege of active members of the Chapters of theirresidence. The names of all seven Jewels shallappear upon all the official stationery of the Fra-ternity and the names of those Jewels who aredeceased shall be followed by the capital Greekletter OMEGA.

ARTICLE VII—CONVENTIONS AND QUORUMSection 1—

The General Convention shall be the SupremeLegislative Body and as such, shall have power toenact legislation for the regulation of all matterspertaining to the Organization as a whole, and notprovided for in this constitution.

Section 2—The General Convention shall consist of not more

than two delegates from each chapter, the ExecutiveCouncil, Jewels, and all Past General Presidents,sitting in regular session as hereinafter provided.Each member of the General Convention shall havea vote, the President voting only in case of a tie.

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Section 3The General Convention shall choose the place

and determine the dates of succeeding conventions.Such time and place may be determined at least twoyears in advance of any convention. The ExecutiveCouncil shall be authorized to determine such datesand site should the General Convention fail to selectat the preceding General Convention.

Section 4—One-third of the members of the Convention pres-

ent at any Convention shall constitute a quorum forthe transaction of business.

Section 5—The Regional Convention shall consist of repre-

sentatives from each chapter in a Vice Presidential!district, as determined by the Executive Council.The Regional Convention meets to discuss problemsof regional interest and to make recommendationsto the General Convention. The Pegional Conven-tion is not a legislative body. Nominations forofficers of the region may be made at the RegionalConvention. Each chapter in the region shall re-ceive, from the Vice President, written notificationsixty days prior to any Regional Convention.

ARTICLE VIII—OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section 1 —The officers of the Fraternity shall be a General

President, five regional Vice Presidents, GeneralSecretary, General Treasurer, Director of Educa-tional Activities, Editor-in-Chief of the Sphinx,General Counsel, Comptroller, and five undergradu-ate lay members, all of whom shall be members ofthe Executive Council. All officers shall serve atenure not to exceed three consecutive terms of oneyear each with the exception of the General Secre-tary, General Treasurer, Editor and Comptroller.

Section 2—

A Candidate for election or selection at a GeneralConvention shall be an active member in good stand-ing for at least two consecutive years prior to thefraternity year which includes the convention atwhich he is a candidate, provided, however, that inthe case of an undergraduate candidate the two yearclause may be waived.

Section 3—

The duties of the General President shall be topreside over the General Convention, to execute allof the laws of the Fraternity, to appoint all com-missions and committees, standing or special, exceptwhere objection is raised and sustained by a major-ity vote of the Executive Council. He shall inter-pret the Constitution. Appeal may be had from suchinterpretation of the Constitution upon objectionbeing raised and sustained by a majority of themembers of the Convention, and the decision shallbe final. The General President shall be elected byballot. Every financial member shall have one votefor election provided he follows such election pro-cedure as may be appropriately prescribed.

Section 4—

The Vice Presidents shall supervise the activitiesof all chapters in their respective regions. Theyshall be residents of the regions. They shall benominated at the regional convention or at theGeneral Convention by a member from the region.They shall visit the chapters in their respective re-gions which are in need of official attention; shallsupervise the chapters' activities concerning appli-cation for membership, re-establish inactive chantersin the region; shall investigate and correct all formsof delinquency both financial and moral in theirchapters and shall settle all controversies and mis-understandings within the region. They shall per-form such other duties as may be directed by theGeneral President and shall act for him in case thechair becomes vacant.

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Each Vice President shall have the power to ap-point Regional Directors to assist him, and be re-sponsible to him, in the performance of his duties,lie may recommend members to serve as Counsel,Editor, or Director of Education in his region toassist the respective general officer.

The regions of the Vice Presidential districts shallbe known as Eastern, Southern, Midwestern, South-western and Western Regions with the territorialjurisdictions to be determined by the ExecutiveCouncil.

Section 5—The General Treasurer shall have charge of all

monies, funds, and other securities of the GeneralOrganization. He shall be required to deposit allfunds of the General Organization within five daysafter their receipt. He shall disburse funds onlyupon written order signed by the General Secretaryand the Comptroller. He shall give an approvedbond. The amount and form of said bond shall bedetermined by the Executive Council, approved asto form by the General Counsel, and held by theGeneral President. lie shall prepare his conventionreport or, the basis of the status of accounts as ofNovember 15th. He shall consult with the Chairmanof the Auditing Committee as to form of said reportbefore publication.

Section 6—The Director of Educational Activities shall plan

and direct the operation of the Educational Cam-paign. He shall be chairman of the ScholarshipCommission and shall also attend to the routinematters pertaining to scholarships which the Frater-nity may create from time to time. He shall reporthis findings to the Convention; and shall performsuch other duties with regard to educational activ-ities as may be determined by the General Conven-tion or the Executive Council.

Section 7—The General Counsel shall represent the Frater-

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nity in all legal matters affecting the Fraternitywhen sucn matters are referred to him by the Gen-eral Piesident, Executive Council, or General Con-vention. He shall serve as legal advisor to theofficers and render written opinions when required;approve surety of officers and pass upon the legalnature of securities in which Fiaternity funds maybe invested. The office shall be allowed a reasonablebudget and the General Counsel shall be allowed acompensation for extraordinary services when rec-ommended by tne Executive Council. He may rec-ommend to the General President for appointmentas assistants, Regional Counsel with the approval ofthe respective Vice Presidents.

Section 8—The Editor-in-Chief of the Sphinx shall edit the

official organ of the Fraternity. He may publish anddistribute the same. He shall be responsible for anydisclosures through the columns of the Sphinx ofritualistic work of the Fraternity, or any breach ofFraternity or Chapter ethics.

Section 9A Comptroller shall be appointed by the Execu-

tive Council upon the recommendation of the Gen-eral President or a Special Committee. He shall beresponsible to the Executive Council to carry outthe financial mandates of the General Convention.He shall serve as Chairman of the Budget Com-mittee. He shall maintain a continuous audit ofbudgeted financial operations. He shall determinequaiterly allocations within the maximums estab-lished in the approved budget. He shall authorizeorders on the treasury for all budgeted expendituresapproved by the President. He shall not authorizeany expenditures from reserves, special or contin-gent funds without prior written approval of theGeneral President. His term of office shall run forone year from February 1 to January 31 of thefollowing year.

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Section 10—The Undergraduate lay member of the Executive

Council shall assist their respective regional VicePresident in handling the undergraduate affairs inthat region. A candidate, for this office, shall be anundergraduate member who under ordinary cir-cumstances would be enrolled in a school at hischapter seat throughout the entire term of office.He shall reside in (including school residence) andbe nominated by the region.

Section 11Unless otherwise provided, all officers listed herein

shall be elected by ballot at the General Convention.The term of office in each case, except the GeneralSecretary, shall be for one yar. The candidatesreceiving the largest number of votes cast shall bedeclared elected to office.

Section 12—All elected officers shall be installed at the Gen-

eral Convention and shall hold office until theirsuccessors are elected or selected and installed.They shall make annual reports to the GeneralConvention.

Section 13—AH vacancies occurring in the offices of the Gen-

eral Organization during the year shall be filled byappointments made by the General President, sub-ject to the approval of the Executive Council. Incase of incapacity of the General President, theorder of succession of Vice Presidents to the Presi-dency shall be determined by the active Past GeneralPresidents and Jewels in Executive Session con-vened for such purpose by the General Secretary.

ARTICLE IX—GENERAL SECRETARYAND DUTIES

Section 1 —The General Secretary shall be an active member

of the Fraternity. His term of office shall be for a

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period not to exceed three years, and he shall beelected by the General Convention. He may beremoved for cause by the Executive Council onlyin the interim between Conventions. The GeneralSecretary may be a full-time officer in which casehe shall not hold any other similar employment. Heshall receive an annual salary as fixed by the Gen-eral Convention within the limits as provided in thebudget and approved by the General Convention;and such necessary expenses of office as are withinthe limits provided in the budget approved by theGeneral Convention.

Section 2—He shall keep correct and complete books of all

accounts and minutes of the proceedings of theGeneral Convention and of the Executive Council.Within sixty days after such conventions he shallcause the minutes of the said General Conventionto be printed and three copies sent to the secretaryof each chapter with such additional copies to bedistributed to officers and the remainder availablefor purchase by interested individual members.

He shall use such books and observe such account-ing principles and practices as the Fraternity shalldesignate. No member or other person who is notauthorized in writing by the President or the Execu-tive Council to act for the Fraternity shall haveaccess to the books, papers and records of his office.

He shall have in his custody or under his controlall records of the Fraternity unless it is otherwiseprovided herein that such record shall be in the cus-tody or under the control of another office. He shallsupervise and contract for all official printing of theFraternity, unless otherwise provided. He shall re-ceive and transmit all funds of the Fraternity to theGeneral Treasurer within thirty days after receiptthereof.

Section 3Before entering upon the performance of his

duties he shall execute a bond with corporate secu-

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I

rity payable to the Fraternity as an indemnity forany pecuniary loss or loss of other property whichthe Fraternity may sustain by reason of any dis-honest act or negligence by the said General Secre-tary. The amount and form of said bond shall bedetermined by the Executive Council, approved asto form, by the General Counsel, and held by thePresident.

Section 4He shall prepare his convention report on the

basis of the status of accounts as_ of November 15of each year and shall include indication of receiptsup to that date which have been received and re-served for the ensuing fiscal year. He shall consultwith the Chairman of the Auditing Committee as tothe form of the financial part of said report beforepublication. The original of such report shall becertified by the General Secretary and sent to theGeneral President. He shall make such other reportsas the Fraternity may, from time to time, direct.

Section 5—He shall keep a record of all members of the Fra-

ternity, showing the date of initiation of each indi-vidual member, the Chapter in which said memberwas initiated, and a record of the payments into hisoffice received toward the account of each memberfor any purpose. He shall in all respects seek toconserve and promote the membership of theFraternity.

Section 6—Ninety days' notice of the time and ulace of thu

meeting of any General Convention or Special Gen-eral Convention shall be sent by the General Secre-tary to each chapter and to each member for whomGi-and Tax has been received for the current year.The columns of the Sphinx may be used for thenotice to members. The mailing or failure to mailsuch notice shall not affect the validity of suchGeneral Convention.

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Section 7—He shall prepare a list of the delegates entitled

to vote at the General Convention for the use ofthe Commission on Elections.

Section 8He shall be the Custodian of the seal of the

Fraternity and shall affix the Corporate Seal of theFraternity to all documents requiring said seal.

Section 9He shall in general perform all duties and have

all powers incident to the office of General Secretaryand shall perform all other duties as the GeneralConvention, the Executive Council or the GeneralPresident shall assign him. The General Secretaryshall be a member of the Executive Council butshall have no vote in said Council.

Section 10He shall deliver his books and records at least

once each year to the person authorized by theFraternity to audit said books and records.

Section 11 —In the event of the death, inability, or refusal to

act, of the General Secretary, the President, withthe approval of the Executive Council, shall havethe power to select a person to fill the office untilthe next General Convention and until his successorshall have been selected and qualified.

APvTICLE X—EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Section 1 —There shall be an Executive Council composed of

all elected General Officers, five undergraduatemembers elected by the General Convention, onefrom each jurisdiction, and all Jewels of theFraternity.

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Section 2—The Past General Presidents shall serve as an

Advisory Committee to the Executive Council with-out power to vote.

Section 3The Executive Council shall be the governing

body between the General Conventions except inmatters which exceed the Fraternity budget.

Section 4—The Executive Council shall make a general re-

port of its activities during the interim to the nextGeneral Convention.

Section 5—The Executive Council shall cause the financial

books of the Fraternity to be audited by a certifiedpublic accountant when directed by the GeneralPresident or the Executive Council at least oncea year.

ARTICLE XI-—COMMITTEES

Section 1 —There shall be the following Standing Committees:

(a) Committee on Scholarships and Educa-tional Activities.

(b) Committee on Budget(c) Committee on Public Policy(d) Committee on General Secretary(e) Committee on Recommendations(f) Committee on Elections(g) Committee on Achievements and Awards(h) Committee on Audit(i) Committee on Rules and Credentials(j) Committee on Standards and Extension(k) Committee on Housing

The members of which shall be appointed by theGeneral President.

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Section 2—Tlie Committee on Scholarships and Educational

Activities shall be composed of not less than fivemembers including' the Director of Educational Ac-tivities, who shall serve as Chairman. The membersof this Committee shall also serve as members ofthe Educational Foundation. It shall, after properinvestigation, determine the scholarship awards. Themembers shall be appointed by the President onlyupon recommendation of the Director of Educa-tional Activities, who shall also serve as Chairmanof the Committee.

Section 3—The Committee on Budget shall be composed of

from three to five members and shall study theexpenditures of the several departments of theo-eneral organization and shall recommend budgetsto the General Convention. The Chairman of theBudget Committee shall be an ex-officio member ofthe Recommendations Committee and of the Com-mittee on Public Policy.

He shall perform the functions of Comptroller asprovided in Article VIII, Section 9.

Section 4—The Committee on Public Policy shall be com-

posed of from three to five members. It shall repre-sent the general organization in the interim betweenConventions in relation to ail social movements andpublic questions, taking care to see that the Fra-ternity espouses only those causes which are inalignment with the ideals of the Fraternity. TheChairman shall be ex-officio member of the Com-mittee on Budget and Recommendations Committee.

Section 5—The Committee on General Secretary shall con-

sist of five members all of whom shall be appointedby the General President, not later than six monthsprior to the succeeding General Convention, theChairman of said Committee, or a Secretary selectedfrom the membership, shall send a notice to all

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chapters advising that applications of all prospec-tive candidates for the office of General Secretarywill be received. The notice shall also be publishedin the Sphinx. The Committee shall receive theapplications of all prospective candidates for theoffice of General Secretaiy and shall list the appli-cants according to their respective qualifications.The Committee shall present the names of not lessthan three or more than five of the highest rankingapplicants to the General Convention, which shallelect one of them to the office of General Secretary-Section 6—

The Committee on Recommendations shall con-sider recommendations presented to the GeneralConvention. It shall also initiate recommendationsto the General Convention and shall consider re-quests, motions and proposals involving the expendi-ture of funds not included in the functions of theBudget Committee. The Chairman shall be ex-officiomember of the Committee on Budget and the Com-mittee on Public Policy.

Section 7—The Committee on Elections shall consist of not

less than five members. It shall determine themethod and supervise the election of all electedNational Officers in accordance with rules promul-gated by said Committee and approved by the Gen-eral Convention. Nothing contained in said rulesshall be contrary to the provisions of the Con-stitution.

Section 8The Committee on Achievements and Awards shall

consist of three to five members. The duties andresponsibilities of the Committee shall be to initiatemethods for the stimulation of activity among themembers, chapters, and regions; shall develop stand-ards, and evaluate the achievements, and make ap-propriate awards for the same.

The applicants for achievement awards shallpresent to the Committee all data and materials

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required by the Committee's basis for making theawards.Section

The Committee on Audit shall audit all expenseaccounts of all General Officers, Commissions, Com-mittees, and persons having expense accounts orappropriations.

The records of the General Secretary, GeneralTreasurer and Editor-in-Chief of the Sphinx shall beexamined by an Auditor. The Auditing Committeeshall examine the report of the Auditor and makesuch recommendations or comment as deemed neces-sary. The Committee shall audit such records andmake such other recommendations as the Presidentor the Executive Council shall direct. The Com-mittee shall periodically review the accounting1 sys-tem of the Fraternity and especially its methods ofinternal control.

The Chairman of the Audit Committee shall bea member of the Budget Committee, and shall beavailable to such other committees as may requirehis services. The Chairman of the Auditing Com-mittee shall consult with the General Secretary andthe General Treasurer concerning the financial partof their annual report for the General Convention.Section 10—

The duties of the Committee on Rules and Cre-dentials are to recommend for adoption by the Gen-eral Convention the rules governing the actualconduct of the General Convention: Questions ofassembly, seating, delegate attendance, punctuality,responsibility of delegates for representation oftheir chapters, methods and qualification for ad-mission into the Convention Assembly, official en-trances and exits to the assembly room, the neces-sary officers to supervise the qualifications andidentity of persons entering and leaving the assem-bly, any necessary deviations from the rules ofdebate as outlined in Robert's Rules of Order.

The Committee shall recommend for adoption bythe General Convention the necessary rules govern-ing the business leading to the election of officers.

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Ths Committee shall in connection with the Gen-era] Secretary validate the credentials of the dele-gates. It shall verify the authority and authenticityof the credentials and the person presenting thecredentials. It shall organize the assembly, seat thedelegates, seat the visitors and assist the Presidentin the seating of the officers and visitors to theconvention.

The Chairman of the Rules and Credentials Com-mittee shall assist the President and the GeneralSacretary in the preparation of the registration, thesetting incidental to the Convention Assembly, andthe location and assignment of Committee rooms.He shall be in constant touch with the General Presi-dent and General Secretary for the efficient conductof the Convention.Section 11—

The Committee on Standards and Extension shalldetermine the standards pertaining to the_ establish-ment of undergraduate chapters. It shall investigatethe academic standing of those institutions in whichstudents are enrolled who file petitions with theGeneral Secretary for the establishment of an under-graduate chapter. The Committee shall submit areport of its findings to the General Secretary, andshall also report, with recommendations, to the Gen-eral Convention relative to such petitions for estab-lishment of a chapter. When an academic institutionis being investigated by the Committee, the Chair-man shall advise the Vice President of the jurisdic-tion in which the institution is located.

The scholastic eligibility for membership in theFraternity shall be an average .grade equal to orgreater than the minimum grade which is requiredbv that particular school for graduation with theBachelor's Degree.

Petitions for the establishment of Intermediateand Graduate Chapters shall be referred to theCommittee for investigation. The Committee shallmake its recommendation based on its findings, tothe General Convention or Executive Council,through the General Secretary, for the decisionconcerning the establishment of the chapter.

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Section 12The Committee on Housing' shall consist of not

more than five members. It shall study all phasesof chapter housing within the Fraternity and shallinitiate recommendations to the General Conventionconcerning' the Fraternity's relations to housing'problems. It shall act as liaison between the Fra-ternity and housing' corporations or cooperativesand shall conduct a continuous review of the rela-tions of the Fraternity with such bodies.

ARTICLE XII—DISCIPLINE

Section 1 —The General Convention, by majority vote, may

declare a chapter inactive when its membership isless than seven, or for refusal to pay grand taxes,or for failure to be represented at four successiveGeneral Conventions, or for violation of the Con-stitution, By-Laws or Ritual of the Fraternity.

Section 2The chapter declared inactive may be reinstated

upon application to the General President. The deci-sion of the General President when adverse to thereinstatement of said chapter shall be reviewed bythe Executive Council upon appeal by the chapter.

Section 3Each chapter shall have the power to discipline

its members. The penalty shall be censure, fine orsuspension.

Section 4—A member away from the seat of his chapter

may be reported to his chapter for conduct unbe-coming a member of the Fraternity, provided thecharge be written and signed by the member report-ing1 the same.

Section 5—•A member of any chapter of this organization

who is in school or residing at the seat of any26

chapter, and who fails to affiliate himself with saidchapter within a period of five months, after duenotification of the existence thereof, shall be deniedthe right of participating in any function under theauspices of the chapter, until he has so affiliatedhimself.

Section 6-—-When for any reason a member is suspended

from his chapter, he must refrain from wearingthe Alpha Phi Alpha Badge until the suspensionhas been lifted. Failing to do so after appropriaterequest, he may be referred for discipline to theGeneral Convention.

Section 7—Controversies and misunderstandings on a local

level arising in chapters shall be referred to theVice President of the Jurisdiction in which theyarise for appropriate action. At his discretion suchmatters are to be referred to the General President.Chapters have the right to appeal to the GeneralPresident.

Section 8—•The Executive Council shall have the power to

suspend the charter of any chapter for good andsufficient reasons, but such suspension shall be re-ported to the next succeeding General Conventionfor appropriate action.

Section 9—The power of expulsion of members is reserved

to the General Convention. When the chapter deemsthat the offense deserves the extreme punishment(expulsion), the chapter has the right to indefinitesuspension, and may refer the member to the Gen-eral Convention for expulsion. In all cases wherea chapter contemplates recommendations of expul-sion to the General Convention, it shall serve uponeach member subject to such action, written noticeof the intended action, together with a specificationof the charges against said member, at least thirty

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days before the meeting of the next General Con-vention at which time .such cases shall be heard.Copies of the notice and charges must also be sentto the General Secretary at the same time. TheGeneral Secretary shall also inform the disciplinedmember of the contemplated action. When the caseis presented at the Convention, the member subjectto such action shall have opportunity to appear indefense before the Convention Committee on Dis-cipline. In event of his inability to appear, he mayselect, or request the General President to appointa member in good standing to represent him at thehearing. The action of the General Convention uponthe report of the Committee shall be final. How-ever, a brother who has been expelled shall, aftera lapse of three years, be permitted to make a per-sonal application through the General Secretary'soffice, to the General Convention to have his casereopened and reheard for reinstatement. Uponreceipt of said application, the General Secretary'•hall notify the chapter to which the expelledbrother was a member. The application for rein-statement must set forth good and sufficient reasons,therefore, and upon approval of two-thirds of themembers present at the particular session, the ex-pelled applicant shall be considered reinstated tomembership in the Fraternity.

Section 10—In case of offense against the General Organiza-

tion, the Executive Council shall have the powerto suspend, and to recommend to the General Con-vention for expulsion the offending individual.

ARTICLE XIII—FEES AND DUES

Section 1 —The fees and dues for all classes of membership

in the Fraternity or for the establishment of anychapter shall be those fixed by the By-Laws of theFraternity.

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ARTICLE XIV—INSIGNIA

Section 1—The colors of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

shall be black and gold.

Section 2—The Seal of the Fraternity shall bear the words

"Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc." on the marginwith the words "Founded 1906" in the center. TheSeal of the Chapter shall bear the words "AlphaPhi Alpha Fraternity, Inc." on the margin withthe name of the local chapter and the year it wasestablished in the center.

Section 3 —The insignia of the Fraternity shall be (1) the

official "Badge," (2) the "Fraternity Shield," and(3) the "Fraternal Design."

The official "Badge" shall bear the three Greekletters, ALPHA PHI ALPHA, with the letter "Phi"superimposed on the letters "Alpha" and shall con-tain seven jewels. No guard shall be attached. Theofficial "Badge" shall be worn by Fraternity mem-bers ONLY.

The "Fraternity Shield" is the official emblem ofthe Fraternity. A complete description of its designis contained in the Ritual.

The "Fraternal Design" is the official coat-of-arms design approved for use on rings, sweetheartpins and other small jewelry, sweaters, fraternityhouse equipment, etc. A description of its design iscontained in the Ritual.

Section 4The Executive Council Shall designate the official

Jeweler, and he shall be instructed to make noInsignia of Alpha Phi Alpha without an order fromthe General Secretary. The Official Jeweler shallmake no other Insignia of the Fraternity.

Sction 5—No chapter or member thereof shall order a

Badge directly from the Jeweler.

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Section 6—•The General Secretary shall see to it that all

Badges are registered and serially numbered beforedelivered.

Section 7—The title of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Badge

shall be vested in the General Organization. Uponexpulsion of a member, the General Secretary shalldemand the return of the Badge. On return of theBadge, the General Secretary shall reimburse theexpelled member. Due process of law may be takento secure the Badge.

ARTICLE XV—OFFICIAL ORGAN

Section 1 —The Official Organ of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fra-

ternity shall be known as the "Sphinx" and shallbe published at such times as shall be directed bythe General Convention.

General Convention. All adopted amendments tothe General Constitution shall be submitted to thechapters for approval or disapproval. A negativevote within sixty days after submission by fifty-oneper cent of the chapters shall be sufficient to vetothe action of the General Convention.

Section 2—(a) All proposed amendments shall be filed with

the General Secretary sixty (60) days before thenext succeeding General Convention.

Section 3—The General Secretary shall send mimeographed

copies of all proposed amendments to each chapterthirty (30) days prior to the next succeeding Con-vention. Only such proposed amendments shall beconsidered by the Convention, except where it canbe shown that the General Secretary intentionallyfailed to comply with this provision or that his actof omission was caused by gross negligence.

ARTICLE XVI—AFFILIATIONSection 1 —

Each chapter of the Fraternity is authorized tomaintain an organized group of aspirants to mem-bership in the Fraternity to be known as a "SphinxClub." The chapter is responsible for the activitiesand conduct of the club which it supervises.

Section 2—The Fraternity shall hold membership and con-

form in all respects to the rules of such associationsof fraternal organizations of like purpose as ap-proved by majority vote of the General Convention.

ARTICLE XVII—AMENDMENTSSection 1—

Amendments to this Constitution shall be sub-mitted to and passed by a three-fourths vote of the

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BY-LAWS

1—Chapters shall use due diligence to determinethat members are in good standing with their localChapters before they may be admitted to meetingsor to functions of their Chapter.

2—A member before he is admitted into a meet-ing of any chapter with which he is not affiliatedshall be required to exhibit his current pass card.

3—No member may come into the sessions ofany Convention or attend any of the functions with-out a Pass Card and, if a delegate, satisfactory cre-dentials from his Chapter.

4—Each Chapter shall be required to send thename, address and current pass card number ofeach of its delegates and alternates to the GeneralSecretary at least 30 days prior to any GeneralConvention on forms provided for that purpose. Inaddition, similar information shall be sent to theappropriate Vice Piesident at least 15 days priorto any Regional Convention.

5—Notice of action upon names of candidates foradmission into the Fraternity shall be given at ameeting of the Chapter at least one week beforesuch action is to occur. The Chapter Secretary shallgive notice to all members absent from such meet-ings at least five days before such action. Thisnotice shall be in writing. Absence from such meet-ings after notification by the Secretary shall bedeemed assent in each particular case.

Before balloting on candidates, all Chapters shallbe required to prepare and forward to the VicePresident of the Jurisdiction a list of the candidatesfor certification. In addition to the names and ad-dresses of the candidates, there must be a certifiedtranscript of the current academic record of eachcandidate obtained from the Registrar of the Col-lege. The Vice President shall review the record todetermine eligibility on the basis of scholarship andwhen decided upon he shall inform the Chapter of

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his action. This shall not apply to applicants seekinggraduate status membership.

Immediately after the balloting on candidatesALL CHAPTERS shall be required to forward the"Notice of Initiation" forms in quadruplicate, list-ing the names and addresses of the successful can-didates together with the proposed date of initiation,along with the health certificates, other initiationforms and all fees for initiates to the office of heGeneral Secretary. The General Secretary shallcertify receipt of proper fees, then forward theforms to the regional Vice President for approvaland official notification to the Chapter to proceedwith the initiation.

6—No member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternityshall be a member of any other College or Inter-collegiate Fraternity, except a purely Honorary orProfessional Fraternity.

7—No person, a member of any other College orIntercollegiate Fraternity, except an Honorary orProfessional Fraternity, shall be admitted into AlphaPhi Alpha Fraternity.

8—When a transfer of Chapters is desired, amember or a Chapter Secretary shall communicatethis information to the General Secretary who willgive proper recognition to the transfer after ade-quate investigation.

9—No member, Undergraduate or Graduate, shallreceive a transfer from his Chapter while he is astudent in the institution, designated in the charteror a resident in the Chapter's jurisdiction.

10—Each member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternityshall pay through his Chapter Secretary an annualGrand Tax, said tax to be paid on or before Novem-ber 15, for the ensuing year. After November 15through August 31 of the following calendar year,there shall be added a penalty of ten per cent. Thedelinquency shall be determined by the post-markdate shown on the communication received by the

33

General Secretary. After August 31, the reinstate-ment fee shall be required in all instances wheremembers have not paid by that date. The Chaptershall forward immediately to the General Secretaryall Grand Taxes collected.

The Life Membership Fee shall be $150.00 pro-vided the total amount is received by the GeneralSecretary within any given Fraternity fiscal year.There shall be a differential in annual Grand Taxpayments for members as follows:

Graduate Grand Tax $10.00Intermediate Grand Tax 8.50Undergraduate Grand Tax 7.50

For this purpose, an underg'raduate shall be de-fined as a member who is regularly enrolled andtaking- courses leading- to his first academic degreein an accredited college or university as providedin Article III, Section 1, Article VI, Sections 2 and5. (Effective beginning' with 1954 Annual GrandTax payments.)

11—Every member who pays Grand Tax shallreceive the Sphinx and a Pass Card.

12—Members residing where there is no activeChapter may pay their Grand Tax direct to theGeneral Secretary.

13—Any member who has become inactive, butwas financial with his Chapter upon leaving, maybecome reinstated upon payment to the GeneralOrganization of a reinstatement fee plus the currentGrand Tax. Beginning January 1, 1949, the rein-statement fee shall be $1.00 if the member is notmore than the preceding year in arrears, but thereinstatement fee shall be $2.00 for all suchbrothers who have been unfinancial for two ormore years.

14—The General Secretary and the GeneralTreasurer of the General Organization shall eachbe required to give approved bonds; the amountin each instance to be determined by the financial

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responsibility of the aforementioned officers, but thebond for each shall not be less than $50,000.00.The cost of the bonds is to be borne by the GeneralOrganization.

15—The funds of the General Organization shallbe deposited in the name of the Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity, Inc., in two or more banks to be ap-proved by the Executive Council.

16—The bonds of the General Secretary and theGeneral Treasurer shall be deposited with the Gen-eral President. These bonds are to be kept in asafety deposit box, the expense to be borne by theGeneral Organization.

17—The Director of Education shall issue an-nually a bulletin setting the date for the Educationfor Citizenship Campaign.

18—General Elections shall be by ballot. Votesshall be recorded on ballots prepared for this pur-pose. Those qualified to vote for the election ofofficers shall be issued ballots according to rulespromulgated by the Election Committee. Candidatesreceiving the majority of votes cast shall be declaredelected to office. There shall be two tellers and onetally man appointed by the General President. TheChaplain of the Convention shall serve as theobserver.

19—The Charter Fees for the establishment ofa Chapter shall be $30.00 which shall entitle theChapter to the following: Charter, Seal Ritual,Constitution and History.

20—The method of amending these By-Laws shallbe by a two-thirds majority vote of the members ofthe General Convention. All adopted amendmentsto the General Constitution shall be submitted tothe Chapters for approval or disapproval. A nega-tive vote within sixty days after submission byfifty-one per cent of the Chapters shall be sufficientto veto the action of the General Convention.

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