The Bylaws of the Missouri Beta Chapter
of the Tau Beta Pi Association
Last Amendments Made December 2017
Bylaw I – General Information
1.01 Bylaws - These bylaws shall govern the proceedings of the Missouri Beta Chapter in all matters not specifically provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Tau Beta Pi Association.
1.02 University Regulations - The Chapter shall conform to all rules and regulations of the Missouri University of Science and Technology as they apply to recognized student organizations on campus.
1.03 Conflict of Rules - In the event of a conflict between the Constitution and Bylaws of the Tau Beta Pi Association, Inc., and the regulations of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, the rules of the University shall prevail and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be notified of the circumstances of the conflict.
1.04 Abbreviations - Abbreviated references herein to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and to the various Bylaws of the document shall be made in the form illustrated by the following examples
a. C-III, 1 - National Constitution Article III, Section 1.
b. B-IV, 5.02 - National Bylaw IV, Section 5.02.
c. MBB-I, 1.04 - Missouri Beta Bylaw I, Section 4.
Bylaw II – Chapter Government
2.01 Election of Executive Board - (a) The executive board officers of this Chapter shall include but not be limited to a President, Vice President/President Elect, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Candidate Coordinator, of whom must be active members of the Chapter. (b) The election and transition of officers shall take place no later than the week before the regularly scheduled final examinations in the semester prior to that for which the officers are being elected to serve. (c) A new Chapter executive board shall be elected each spring and fall semester. (d) The President shall have held the position of Vice President in the semester prior to that in which he/she will serve as President. (e) The Corresponding Secretary shall have been an active member (e.g. officer, committee chairman, committee member) in the semester prior to that which the elected Corresponding Secretary shall take office.
2.02 Advisory Board - (a) The Advisory Board of the Chapter shall consist of the President, Vice President/President Elect, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and at least four Tau Beta Pi alumnus members elected to advisory positions by the Chapter, one of whom holds the title of Chief Advisor. (b) The duties of the Advisory Board shall be those outlined in C-VI, 7(b). (c) One alumnus member of the Advisory Board and the Chief Advisor shall be elected in the spring semester, and follow a four-year rotation as stated in C-VI, 7(a).
2.03 Terms of Office - (a) The term of office for the Chapter Officers shall be one semester, with the exception of the Treasurer, who shall serve for one year beginning in the fall semester and being elected at the end of the spring semester. This is to allow for less frequent transitioning of the bank account. (b) No member shall be eligible to hold the same office in the Chapter for more than two terms consecutively.
2.04 Duties of the Officers - (a) The duties of the officers shall be those as stated in B-V, 5.03 with the exception of the Vice President/President Elect duties. The Vice President shall be at least responsible for learning the duties of the President and planning the officer elections and transitions at the end of the semester. The Vice President will be named to the office of President for the following semester. (b) In the event that the Vice President/President Elect cannot complete their duties, a special election shall be held at the first meeting of the following semester to elect a new President.
2.05 Installation of the Officers - The Chapter Officer Installation Procedure given in the President's Book shall be employed to install the new officers. The newly elected officers shall be formally installed at the election meeting.
2.06 Position Vacancies – (a) Any vacancies in the Executive Board must be filled by an election for that office at the next possible meeting of members. (b) Any vacancies in the offices of the Advisory Board shall be filled by nomination at the next regular meeting, with election taking place at the following regular meeting.
2.07 National Convention Delegate – (a) The Chapter President shall be the voting delegate of the chapter to the annual National Convention of the Association, as paid for by nationals. (b) In the event that the President cannot attend, an alternate delegate shall be chosen from the executive board based on which officer has held a position the longest and on the desire of the officer. (c) The chapter may choose to allocate funds to additionally send the Vice President to the National Convention as a non-voting chapter delegate. (d) Any other officer may attend the National Convention provided that he/she raises or provides funds for the trip.
Bylaw III – Scheduling and Meetings
3.01 Semester Schedule - (a) The first General Member Meeting of each semester shall be held within three weeks of the start of the semester. This meeting shall include members’ assignments to committees. The second General Member Meeting shall be held at the time of the plaque social to vote on the election of candidates and to settle any other chapter business. (b) The first Candidate Meeting shall be held within the first five weeks of the start of the semester. (c) The schedule for the semester at hand shall be set within the first two weeks of the term and presented to the executive board for approval.
3.02 Executive Board Meetings – (a) Meetings of the executive board should occur regularly for planning, communication, organization, and progress reporting throughout the semester, as included in the proposed schedule. (b) Any Executive Board decisions may be voted on by a majority of the quorum.
3.03 Special Meetings - Special meetings may be called at any time by the President, any alumnus member of the Advisory Board, or upon written request to the President by a minimum of 20% of the active members of the Chapter.
3.04 Advisory Board Meetings – (a) The President shall call a meeting of the Advisory Board at one point during each semester to discuss Chapter activities for the semester. This meeting may be substituted for an email exchange in the event that the board is unable to meet. (b) Additional meetings of the Board may be called by any of its members or upon written request to the Chair of the Board signed by 20% of the active members of the Chapter.
3.05 Notification of Meetings – Members, candidates, officers, and advisors shall be notified (by Orgsync, website, flyers on campus, E-mail list serve, or in person) of the time, place, and purpose of upcoming meetings.
3.06 Conduct of Meetings - "Robert's Rules of Order" shall be the parliamentary guide of the Chapter in all matters not covered in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association or in these Bylaws.
3.07 Quorum – (a) A quorum for the consideration of all Chapter business shall be a majority of the active membership of the Chapter. (b) A quorum for Executive Board meetings shall be a majority of the officers and a quorum for an Advisory Board meeting shall be five members of the Board.
3.08 Active Membership Status - (a) An active member of the chapter shall be defined as any properly initiated member that has:
(1) Attend the two General Member Meetings to vote on chapter business and
(2) Become a member of a committee and attended all committee meetings and events.
(b) The Recording Secretary shall keep a list of active members based on report of involvement given by the committee chairmen and based on the members’ attendance to General Member Meetings.
(c) A member shall become inactive only under the provisions of B-VI, 6.05, and the Corresponding Secretary shall file the necessary information regarding changes in the number of active chapter members and reasons thereof with the National Office within two weeks of this change in accordance with said bylaw.
Bylaw IV - Committees
4.01 Standing Committees – (a) Standing Committees may be established by the Executive Board as necessary. (b) Any new committee may be deemed necessary by majority vote.
4.02 Committee Chairs – (a) In conjunction with the formation of any Standing Committee, a Committee Chair must be established as an elected officer position. (b) All the responsibilities of the committee chair must be clearly defined by the agreement of the Executive Board.
4.03 Appointment of Committee Members – The President shall decide on the size of each of the committees and shall appoint its membership except as given in B-V, 5.02.
Bylaw V - Election of the Candidates
5.01 Time of Election - (a) Election of new members shall be held in the Fall and Spring semesters after the list of eligible names has been made available and the candidates have made significant progress towards the completion of initiation requirements outlined in MMB VI. (b) The meeting for the election of candidates for initiation by vote of the Executive Board and active members must occur no later than one meeting prior to the initiation ceremony. At this time, those candidates not elected to join must be notified of their ineligibility.
5.02 National Rules for Membership - All provisions of C-VIII and B-VI shall be strictly followed.
5.03 Degree Programs - Scholastically eligible undergraduate and graduate students in the curricula listed below shall be considered for membership in the Chapter. Students inducted into Tau Beta Pi will remain eligible members even if University policy eliminates their major of study during their enrollment. Future students who enroll in new engineering majors created by Missouri S&T that are not listed below may be inducted into Tau Beta Pi as long as both 1) the new engineering major and 2) the enrollee meet the guidelines outlined in the national eligibility requirements discussed in C-VIII, 2.
Aerospace Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Ceramic Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Engineering Management
Environmental Engineering
Geological Engineering
Interdisciplinary Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering (Graduate Program)
Materials Science and Engineering (Graduate Program)
Mechanical Engineering
Metallurgical Engineering
Mining Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Petroleum Engineering
Systems Engineering (Graduate Program)
5.04 Transfer Students – (a)As provided in C-VIII, 2(k), transfer students shall be eligible for consideration at the third regular election after their registration or at the second regular election provided consent of five-sevenths of the Advisory Board is obtained. Transfer students may join no earlier than their second semester at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
5.05 Graduate Students, Alumni, Faculty Members, and Others - The membership committee shall periodically consult with the chairs of the various engineering departments to determine the names of graduate students, alumni, faculty members, and others who may be eligible for membership under the provisions of C-VIII, 3-6.
5.06 Uncertainty of Eligibility - The cases of students whose scholastic eligibility is in doubt because of irregularities in standing or curriculum shall be determined by the Advisory Board of the Chapter.
5.07 Changing Scholastic Eligibility Requirements - The Chapter may elect to specify scholastic requirements higher than those stated in C-VIII.
5.08 Eligibility Evaluation of Undergraduate Candidates - The eligibility evaluation of undergraduate candidates shall be performed by the following process:
(a) Letters or emails shall be sent to scholastically eligible undergraduate candidates inviting them to an introductory-type meeting.
(b) At this time they shall be informed that as candidates, they will be required to participate in a Chapter Workday, complete an electee quiz, community service, participate in an interview with an officer, and construct a plaque.
(c) At the Election Meeting, the membership committee shall make recommendations based on the candidates’ participation in the required activities, promptness, and overall attitude.
5.09 Eligibility Evaluation of Graduate Candidates - The evaluation of graduate candidates shall be performed in the following ways:
(a) Eligibility will be determined according to C-VIII, 3. In addition, a letter from a Tau Beta Pi faculty member stating that the candidate is of high standing and possesses the exemplary character of a Tau Beta Pi member is required.
(b) A candidate packet shall be provided to the graduate candidate.
(c) The graduate candidate shall take and pass an electee quiz covering the National Constitution, National and Local Bylaws, and Chapter History to meet the requirements of B- VII, 7.03. This quiz may be completed during any of the activities scheduled for the undergraduate candidates.
(d) The graduate candidate shall either attend workday or write an essay of no less than 500 words about how their research or advanced education will improve the world. The requirement meets the requirement set out in B-VII, 7.
(e) The graduate candidate is not required to construct a plaque. The candidate must attend initiation, pay the regular initiation fees, and attend one other activity of the Chapter.
5.11 Voting Procedures - The voting procedures for the Election Meeting shall be as follows: