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Constitution of the

Interfraternity Council

of Coastal Carolina University

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Preamble

We, the Fraternities of Coastal Carolina University, in order to

create the means for a representative form of self-government,

aid in the growth and development of each fraternity, maintain

good relations with the College and the surrounding community.

These goals can only be attained through our cooperation. Thus,

the Interfraternity Council, as set forth in this constitution and

bylaws establishes governing rules, regulations and policies to

achieve its end in the betterment of the fraternal system at

Coastal Carolina University.

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Table Of Contents

Article I: Name and Purpose 4

Article II: NIC Standards 4

Article III: Membership 4

Section I: Types of Membership 4

Section II: Status of Membership 5

Section III: Expansion/Colonization Procedures 5

Article IV: Officers/Elections 6

Section I: Rank 6

Section II: Nominations 6

Section III: Elections 6

Section IV: Officers 6

Article V: Executive Board 8

Section I: Executive Council 8

Section II: Duties and Powers 9

Article VI: Meetings 9

Section I: Meetings 9

Section II: Representatives 10

Section III: Voting 10

Section IV: Quorum 10

Article VII: Community Standards Committee 10

Article VIII: Finances 10

Section I: Operations 10

Section II: Fines 11

Section III: Allocations 12

Article IX: General Provisions 12

Section I: Robert’s Rule of Order 12

Section II: Amendments 12

Section III: Risk Reduction Guidelines 12

Section IV: IFC Officer Removal 12

Section V: Jurisdiction 12

Section VI: Support of the National Panhellenic Council 13

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Article I. Name and Purpose

Section I. Name

It shall be the purpose of this Council to:

1. Act as the governing and advising body of all North-American Inter-Fraternity Conference (NIC) recognized men’s social fraternities, the Fraternity Leadership Association (FLA), and other fraternities recognized by inter/national organizations.

2. Promote and standardize the recruitment and new member activities of said fraternities.

3. Promote positive inter-Fraternity competition in scholarship, service, athletics, and any other

events that may be deemed advisable for the betterment of the participants, fraternities, the University, and the community.

4. Encourage cooperation and harmony among member fraternities.

5. Provide educational programs and services for the member fraternities.

6. Serve as the liaison between University administration and member fraternities in matters of

common interest.

7. Act as the judicial board for violations of the Inter-Fraternity Council Constitution, Bylaws, Policies and all standing documents.

Article II. NIC Standards

Section I. Obligations to NIC Standards The leadership of the North-American Interfraternity Conferences 75 member fraternities passed a set of standards that will propel fraternities to be who we say we are. These standards call upon fraternity and campus leadership to create some changes to today's fraternity and asks each member to live to the highest standards of fraternity membership. As members of the NIC, here at Coastal Carolina, we herby commit to uphold these standards during our time at Coastal Carolina University. To view the list of all NIC Standards, visit the NIC national webpage at, http://www.nicstandards.com.

Article III. Membership

Section I. Types of Membership

Upon IFC and University approval, all North-American Inter-Fraternity Conference and Fraternal Education Association shall hold membership in the IFC. The two (2) types of membership in the IFC shall be the following:

1. Associate Membership (pertaining to an Inter/national affiliated organization that has not

received the full charter from the Inter/national organization but has University recognition).

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2. Full Membership (pertaining to chapters which have the charter from their Inter/national headquarters and University recognition).

3. Only recognized fraternities with Full Membership are eligible to vote and/or hold IFC office.

Section II. Status of Membership

A. In order for any fraternity to continue as an active chapter on The Coastal Carolina University campus, said fraternity must be in good standing with the IFC.

B. To maintain good standing status, a chapter must meet the following requirements:

1. Meet the requirements set forth in the Scholarship Policy (Article II of the Bylaws).

2. Be in good standing with the chapter’s Inter/national headquarters.

3. Be recognized through the Office of Student Activities and Leadership.

4. Be current with all document requests from the University and the IFC. This provision includes, but is not limited to Grade Release Forms, New Member Programs, Updated Rosters, and any other documents required by the IFC or the University.

5. Be no more than ten (10) days delinquent on all financial obligations to the IFC.

6. Adhere to the IFC Constitution and Bylaws.

7. Follow all local, state, federal laws, and policies of Coastal Carolina University.

8. Adhere to Coastal Carolina University’s Student Conduct Code.

9. All active members must be full-time registered students with Coastal Carolina University, or dually enrolled students with at least six (6) hours registered per semester at Coastal Carolina University.

10. All chapters must participate in the accreditation program through the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life every year.

11. If a chapter falls under 20 active members for two consecutive semesters, your chapter must

meet and work the IFC Vice President Of Recruitment. At this time if no improvements are still being made, the IFC will begin to discuss the removal and recognition of that chapter in the IFC at Coastal Carolina University.

C. Chapters not meeting the requirements in Article II, Section II B, will be informed of their failure to

perform at an acceptable level. A meeting with representatives from the chapter, the IFC Advisor, and a representative of the IFC Executive Board will take place to determine an appropriate course of action from the chapter.

D. Both Associate and Full Members must meet the requirements set forth in Article II, Section II.

Section III. Expansion/Colonization Procedures

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A. The IFC adopts the NIC Standard that no institution should deter the expansion by withholding membership in the IFC.

B. Only one (1) group per council per year may expand at Coastal Carolina University; exceptions may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. A waiting list for interested inter/national organizations will be administered and maintained by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

C. Only Greek letter organizations affiliated with inter/national organizations may apply and

expand at Coastal Carolina University. Greek letter organizations with a formerly active

chapter status at Coastal Carolina University, who are now in good standing, may be given first

consideration over groups who do not have a prior history at the institution; however, this

does not guarantee their expansion at Coastal Carolina University.

D. Expectations for colonization can be found in the University’s Expansion Policy. Article IV. Officers/Elections Section I. Rank

The officers of the Council in order of rank shall be President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Membership Development, Vice President of Recruitment and Vice President of Communications and Finances. Section II. Nominations Nomination of officers to be elected will occur no later than the last week of October of each fall semester.

A. Nominations will be delivered orally.

B. All potential candidates will be required to complete the IFC Officer application and may submit a resume.

Section III. Elections Elections will occur at the second to last meeting of the fall semester. Newly elected officers shall undergo transitions at the last meeting of the fall semester.

A. All candidates for executive positions may not hold the office of President or Recruitment chair of their fraternity once elected.

B. All candidates for executive positions are required to be in good standing with the University i.e. may not have outstanding judicial or academic integrity cases with the University.

C. All candidates for executive positions are required to have a minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.8.

D. Other Election procedures will be as described in the Bylaws Article I, Section II: Election Procedures.

Section IV. Officers

A. Duties and Powers of the President

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1. He shall be the presiding officer at all regular meetings of the Council. 2. He shall chair the Executive Council. 3. Serve as an ex-officio officer of all Council committees. 4. He shall have the power to create and remove any additional committees he deems necessary. 5. He shall act as the office representative of the Council. 6. He may call a special meeting of the Council at his discretion. 7. He shall see to the enforcement of all Interfraternity Council policies. 8. Maintain a complete and up-to-date notebook that will contain a copy of the current

Constitution, By-Laws, and policies; current correspondence and materials received from various University officials and organizations; and minutes from all Council meetings during the academic year.

9. Meet weekly with the IFC advisor to discuss issues related to the Interfraternity Council. 10. Oversee the transition of responsibilities to the newly elected Executive Council. 11. Facilitate a relationship with each chapter president.

B. Duties and Powers of the Executive Vice President

1. In the absence of the President, he shall perform all duties and functions of that office. 2. He shall serve as chairman of the Community Standards Committee and ensure that the

judicial process is followed as prescribed by the Constitution and Bylaws of IFC. 3. HE shall be responsible for communication with member chapters regarding sanctions and

explanations deriving from the judicial process. 4. HE shall be responsible for hearing and aiding member chapters disciplinary complains be

they from the University, the IFC, or other organizations. 5. He shall be responsible for representing disciplinary complaints and all issues accurately to

the IFC and applicable administration. 6. He shall be responsible for publishing a semester report on fines, judicial actions, and

disciplinary actions taken within the jurisdiction of the IFC. 7. In the absence of judicial hearings or other defined business, he shall aid the Community

Relations Chair in outreach and relationship building with the Campus Community. 8. He shall assist the Director of Fraternity & Sorority life in educating the member chapters

around risk management. 9. He shall perform all duties assigned to him by the President.

C. Duties and Powers of the Vice President of Membership Development

1. He shall be responsible for creating and conducting a successful New Member Education

Program each semester. 2. He shall create and conduct two programs designed to educate the members of the

Interfraternity Council each semester. 3. He shall conduct meetings with the New Member Educators and Member Development from

each member fraternity once a semester to help facilitate membership development in the fraternity community.

4. He shall have the ability to make educational programs mandatory for member chapters such that each chapter has 85% of their roster present.

5. He shall work with the Panhellenic and MGC representative and FSL Student Coordinators to organize any philanthropy or community service events.

6. He shall work with the Panhellenic and MGC representative and FSL Student Coordinators in the planning of events such as the Role model Reception, Greek BBQ, Homecoming, Greek Week, and other programming that the body provides.

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7. He shall be responsible for promoting scholarship within the Greek community. 8. He shall work to form committees for special events/needs. 9. He shall carry out all duties assigned to him by the President.

D. Duties and Powers of the Vice President of Recruitment

1. He shall prepare a full recruitment plan, including dates and rules by the end of the previous

semester. The Council must approve this plan by a two-thirds vote. 2. He shall work with a committee to organize the marketing plan and PR for the IFC organized

recruitment week. 3. He shall organize a minimum of 2 IFC pre-recruitment events prior to chapter recruitment

events. 4. He shall enforce the Recruitment Policies set forth by the Council. 5. He shall have the power to levy fines based on the policy of the Council. 6. He shall perform all duties assigned to him by the President.

E. Duties and Powers of the Vice President of Communication and Finance

1. He shall receive all moneys payable to the Council and shall make all payments for the Council,

and enter them into permanent record. 2. He shall be responsible for all funds of the Council. 3. He shall be responsible for creating a budget for each semester to be approved by the council

by the second to last meeting of the preceding semester and to make regular reports of the state of the finances of the Council relative to the budget.

4. He shall be responsible for the accurate recording of all monetary fines and dues assessments. 5. He shall be responsible for maintaining the financial policies of the Council and shall fully carry

them out, including prompt notification to any Fraternity that has incurred a debt. 6. He shall have the power to work out payment plans with member fraternities subject to their

approval by the executive council. This can include the waiving of late fees. 7. He shall keep an accurate record of the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the

Council and make them available to all Council members. 8. He shall maintain records of all paperwork of the Council. 9. He shall conduct all correspondence of the Council.

10. He shall post announcements pertaining to meeting times and locations as well as agendas. 11. He shall maintain up-to-date records of all pertinent information, including rosters of all

member Fraternities. 12. He shall be responsible for publicizing all IFC events. 13. He shall create opportunities for interaction with other campus organizations. 14. He shall work with the Univeristy, PHC, and MGC to keep the Greek section of the website up to

date. 15. He shall maintain the Coastal Connections and other social media pages for IFC. 16. He shall aid in chapters utilizing Coastal Connections and other social media pages. 17. He shall work with the rest of exec to publish press releases. 18. He shall carry out all duties assigned to him by the President.

Article V: Executive Board Section I. Executive Council

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The Executive Council shall consist of the IFC President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Membership Development and Programming, Vice President of Recruitment, and Vice President of Communication and Finance. The Executive Council shall be chaired by the President. Section II. Duties and Powers Duties and Powers of the Executive Council are as follows:

A. The Executive Council shall meet at least once prior to every meeting of the Interfraternity Council. B. The Executive Council shall consider all matters of vital importance to the Council. Minutes shall

be kept of all matters decided upon and read at the next regular meeting of the Council. C. It shall have the power to levy fines against any Fraternity. D. A majority is necessary to pass any course of action of the Executive Council. It shall not have the

power to decide any matter unless a majority of its members are present at the meeting. E. It shall have the power to enforce the policies of the Interfraternity Council as it sees fit.

Article VI: Meetings Section I. Meetings

Regular meetings of the Council shall take place at times to be scheduled by the President. The President may also call a special meeting at any time.

A. The IFC shall meet bi-weekly during the regular academic year except during final examination week.

B. The Executive Board of IFC shall meet once every 2 weeks to conduct business and to prepare for the regular meeting. 1. Executive Meetings are closed meetings to executive members only. Guests may be admitted

by invitation from the president or by another Executive Board member with the President’s approval.

C. All regular meetings of the IFC shall be open to any fraternity undergraduate member or interest group by approval of the President.

D. Special meetings of the IFC can be called at the discretion of the President. E. Special meetings may also be called by two thirds of the IFC representative, with 24 hour notice to

all other members and officers.

F. The president may cancel general meetings with proper notification to all fraternities.

G. The Regular bi-weekly meetings shall consist of all the Elected Officers of the Council and the Delegates of each member fraternity.

1. The Delegates must be designated by their respective fraternity to represent the chapter.

2. The Delegates may not be an Elected Officer of the Council.

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3. The Delegates shall be composed of one Senior Delegate and one Junior Delegate.

4. The Senior Delegate will have the power to and will be expected to cast a vote for his fraternity. Section II. Representatives

Every fraternity on the Council is required to have two representatives at every meeting of the Council. Chapter presidents are welcomed to attend IFC meetings but do not count as the chapter’s two representatives.

Section III. Voting

Voting privileges are extended to all Regular Member Fraternities in good standing. One vote is allocated to each Fraternity. Elected Council officers do not vote. In the event of a tie the President has the power to break the tie. Associate Member Fraternities do not have a vote.

Section IV. Quorum

A quorum of 2/3 of all Regular Member Fraternities in good standing is required for a vote of the Interfraternity Council to occur.

Article VII: Community Standards Committee Section I. Community Standards Committee

A. This committee shall consist of the appointed Board Member of every member Fraternity and shall be chaired by the IFC Executive Vice President.

B. The committee will be made up of two delegates from each member fraternity.

C. The committee will be trained each calendar year.

D. The committee will hear all cases based on violations of the IFC Constitution, Bylaws, policies, and all other standing documents.

Article VIII: Finances Section I. Financial Operations

A. FISCAL YEAR. The fiscal year of the Coastal Carolina University IFC shall be from July 1 to June 30 inclusive.

B. CONTRACTS. The signature or the approval of the President, Vice President of Housing and Finance and the IFC Advisor shall be required to bind the Coastal Carolina IFC.

C. CHECKS. All checks issues on behalf of the Coastal Carolina IFC shall be approved by the President, Vice President of Communications and Finance, and the IFC Advisor.

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D. PAYMENTS. All payments due to the Coastal Carolina Interfraternity Council shall be forwarded to the IFC Vice President of Communications and Finance who shall record them.

1. Checks for payments shall be made payable to Coastal Carolina University.

2. IFC will impose a $25.00 charge on all bounced checks.

E. MEMBERSHIP DUES. The amount of chapter dues shall be determined semesterly by the Interfraternity Council by its last meeting of each semester. Any revisions of chapter dues will be effective for the upcoming semester. Chapter dues shall be assessed by the number of active members at the time the invoice is distributed.

1. Chapter dues for initiated members are currently set at $10 per member initiated member.

2. Chapter dues for new members who are still associated with the member fraternity at time

of invoice is currently set at $20 per member.

3. Each chapter shall be billed for these dues one week after the conclusion of IFC’s organized recruitment week.

4. These dues shall be payable by two weeks after the billing date unless a payment plan is approved by the Executive Board prior to the payment due.

Section II. Fines

A. If a chapter’s IFC dues become overdue, a fine of $50.00 up to a week late will be imposed. An additional fine of $50.00 per week will be due until the Interfraternity Council receives payment.

B. Chapters without representation of two consecutive IFC meetings will be assessed a fine of $50.00, and will lose their voting rights at the next IFC meeting.

C. Chapters without representation at mandatory IFC sponsored events, as voted on by Interfraternity Council, or chapters that fail to turn in mandatory paperwork will be assessed a reasonable fine at the discretion of the IFC Executive Board. The amount of the fine will be specifically defined when the mandatory event is announced or the mandatory paperwork is distributed.

D. Failure to pay a fine within 2 weeks of the distribution date will result in loss of voting privileges until the fine is paid.

E. Failure to follow the procedures outline in statement will mean the fine is considered late.

F. Notification of fines will be delivered via email, via invoice in the chapter mailbox in the Office of Student Activities and Leadership or hand delivered to the IFC delegate.

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G. If there is a legitimate reason why the due date of the payment cannot be met, it should be reported to the IFC Vice President of Communications and Finance no later than 48 hours prior to the due date so that a grace period may be extended.

H. Fines that are $20 or more may be appealed. The appeal should be filed using the Fine Appeal Form. The Fine Appeal Form must be submitted to the Executive Vice President within 48 hours of the fine being issues. Judicial Board hearings to hear fine appeals will be held once a month.

Section III. Allocations

A. A simple majority vote must be taken for the Council to spend money in excess of $500. Smaller amounts may be approved by the Executive Council and reported to the general body at the next meeting. Money allocated in the budget may be spent with the authorization of the officer it is budgeted for, or with the authorization of the President if it is not under the jurisdiction of any other officer.

Article IX. General Provisions Section I. Robert’s Rule of Order

The regular meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order with the order of business conducted as follows:

A. Roll Call B. Reading of the Minutes of Previous Meeting C. Reports of Officers D. Old Business E. (Nominations and Election of Officers) F. New Business G. Advisor Report H. Chapter Reports I. Announcements J. Adjournment

Section II. Amendments

Any Article or Section of this Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the membership in good standing. Section III. Risk Reduction Guidelines A set of Bylaws and any additional policies such as Risk Reduction Guidelines and Expansion Policy shall be established to operate alongside this Constitution. It shall contain all policies of the Interfraternity Council and the specifics as to the implementation of them. These should be revised at least every two years. Section IV. Officer Removal Any elected officer of the Interfraternity Council may be removed from his office by a two-thirds vote of the membership in good standing of the Council.

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Section V. Jurisdiction The Jurisdiction of the Interfraternity Council shall be defined as covering all Interfraternity activities and those Interfraternity activities covered by the risk management agreement. Section VI. Support of National Panhellenic In accordance with the North-American Interfraternity Conference, we as an Interfraternal Council move to ban all Fraternity-chapter women’s auxiliary groups (i.e. “little sisters”). No females may be allowed to go through any sort of pledging process, purposely observe ritual of a fraternity, or participate actively in the selection of new members at Coastal Carolina University. Any fraternity found in violation of this policy will be subject to a judicial board. Any current auxiliary groups must be disbanded immediately. We as Coastal Carolina University’s Interfraternity Council wish to put this in writing to show our support of the National Panhellenic Council passing a recommendation that sorority members refrain from participating in men’s fraternity recruitment, passed at the NPC national meeting, October 22, 2010.