The Bylaws of the Senate of

The Mu Psi Chapter of

Sigma Alpha Mu

Mission Statement

The Senate of Sigma Alpha Mu has been established to promote accountability and to maintain a balance of authority. The Senate will hold members accountable for their actions serving as a judicial board. Likewise, it shall ensure that all chairpersons and members of the Executive Council are performing at a satisfactory level. In addition, the Senate shall audit the Exchequer if such a need arises. Lastly, the Senate will always promote and purvey a positive attitude.

Article I

Name

The general name of this body shall be the "Senate of the Mu Psi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu," hereinafter referred to as the Senate.

Article II

Purpose and Role

The Senate shall serve the fraternity in a number of different capacities. First and foremost, the Senate shall serve the fraternity so as to hold all members accountable. The Senate shall also provide a balance of authority to avoid concentrations and abuses of power. The Senate shall also in times of need serve as an auditing committee to assist or investigate the financial condition of the fraternity. The Senate, however, is restricted to the guidelines of the Blue Book and the Constitution and bylaws of the Mu Psi chapter.

Article III

Human Dignity

The furtherance of fraternal values and the maintenance of the dignity of the fraternity men are constant goals of the Senate and the Mu Psi chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu. The concepts of enhancing human dignity and fostering personal development provide for a foundation for our ideals and ritual.

The Mu Psi chapter strives to serve a vital role in educating and developing all fratres by serving as a compliment to the university experience. Therefore, the Senate of the Mu Psi chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu shall strive to recognize and respect the importance of human dignity and will fervently pursue any perpetrators who impose on this policy.

Article IV

Membership in the Senate

Section A: Basic Requirements

To be considered a full member of the Senate or an alternate, a fratre must:

1. Be a full-time student at Miami University, Oxford campus.
2. Be a member in good standing with both the local and international Fraternity.
3. Comply with the duties outlined herein.

Section B: Requirements of all Senators

1. Abide by all regulations, policies, decisions, and actions of Miami University.
2. Abide by all regulations, policies, decisions, and actions of the Mu Psi chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu.
3. Maintain attendance at 90% of all Senate meetings and 100% of all Senate hearings.
4. Participate in mandatory fraternity functions.
5. Pay all dues and fees required by the Exchequer of the fraternity by the completion of the designated academic year.
6. Encourage accountability, scholarship, service, and leadership among the Senate and all fraternity men.

Section C: Privileges of the Senate

All Senators shall be privileged to:

1. Attend one Executive Council meeting per month unless the particular meeting is refused by the President
2. Receive 20 points for full participation and 10 points as an alternate
3. Between all Senators, each has the option of occupying a parking space regardless of points if the Senator lives in house.
4. The Senate shall collectively offer two wildcard bids, pending the approval of the Rush chairs.

Article V

Good Standing

As mentioned in Article IV, Section A, number 2; good standing shall be defined herein:

1. Have all dues outstanding accounted for by either payment plan or special arrangements with the Exchequer of the fraternity.
2. Have at maximum one fraternity violation as defined by a Senate hearing.
3. Maintain a grade point average of at least a 2.5, or achieve a grade point average greater than 2.8 in the previous semester.
4. Be in good standing as defined by the Blue Book.

Article VI

Senate Operations

Section A.

Judicial Board

The Senate’s primary function is to promote accountability. Therefore, the Senate shall convene as needed to serve as a judicial board for the chapter. The Senate shall have the authority to hear presentations from all fratres including both the members of the Executive Council and fellow Senators. All men associated with the fraternity are subject to hearings at the request of the Senate. Hearings will be conducted as the need arises in strict confidence of the Senate.

To schedule, recommend or request a hearing, any man associated with the fraternity may do so by submitting a written complaint. The complaint must outline a particular incident(s) that in his opinion is worthy of consideration. In addition, the complaint must be signed. The Senate will then collaboratively decide whether to hear the case or not. Here, it is the Senate’s responsibility to set precedence on acceptable behavior for the fraternity. If the complaint is to be heard, the hearing will proceed in the manner noted herein. If the complaint is not to be heard then a concise written reply will be returned as to the reason the complaint was denied. Again, all transmissions will be and remain in strict confidence of the Senate.

Once a complaint has been accepted for a hearing, the following procedures must be applied.

1. All parties involved will be issued a letter requesting their appearance. The letter will indicate the reason for the request and a convenient time for the hearing. All complaints will be heard in the chapter house. If the time is a cause for conflict, then the requested fratre must meet with Senate to agree on a better time.
2. Each involved fratre will be permitted to bring one witness although it is not required, who can speak briefly on the matter.
3. Each involved fratre and witness will speak in private to the Senate for no longer than five minutes with a question and answer session to follow.
4. The Senate will then dismiss the parties and convene in private for a decision.
5. Once a decision has been determined, each involved fratre excluding witnesses will be provided an explanation as the Senate sees the complaint, a reason for their decision, and a sentence.
6. Behavior worthy of complaint is listed herein but is not limited to such acts.

1. Damaging or destroying fraternity property.
2. Fighting either with other members of the fraternity or non-associated men.
3. The selling of or use of drugs in the house.
4. Stealing from other members of the fraternity.
5. Shaming the house in the public eye
6. Missing an excessive number of house meetings
7. Negligent payment of dues
8. Committing Rape, Sexual Assault or Sexual Harassment
9. Bringing firearms or any other weaponry into the chapter house
10. Missing mandatory house functions without a valid excuse*.

* The excuse must be provided in writing, at least 24 hours prior to the mandatory function.

This remains a partial list. Any complaint deemed worthy by the Senate could be added to this list. This is a minimum of offenses that will be heard by the Senate.

1. The guilty party may make an appeal if a written appeal is submitted to the Senate within one week of the decision. The appeal must include a reason for the appeal and one additional witness that differ from the first witness, who can speak to the incident in question.
2. The Senate will reply with a time for the appeal and at that point will question the second witness and review or ask new questions of the fratre seeking an appeal.
3. The new and final decision will then be decided after a final private discussion between Senators.
4. The sanctions or penalties assigned will then be final and enforced by the Executive Council and the Senate.
5. If said sanctions or penalties are not completed in a timely manner, the individual fratre will face heightened disciplinary action deemed appropriate by the Senate.
6. The ultimate penalty shall be expulsion from the fraternity.

Legal penalties, sanctions or warnings afforded to the Senate

1. Reduction of points
2. Loss of voting privileges
3. Loss of good standing
4. Loss of social privileges
5. Retract parking spots
6. Programming assignment
7. Attendance at various events
8. Cleaning assignments
9. Kitchen duty
10. Expulsion

These are merely several of the repercussions possible depending on the findings of a hearing. The primary focus for the Senate regarding repercussions shall be to issue penalties that equal the infractions. Unusually harsh punishments can also be appealed by the process listed in Article VI section A to the Executive Council. The Council’s decision will be final.

Section B

Consistency of the Senate

The Senate shall be comprised of four undergraduate fratres headed by the Vice-Prior of the fraternity. The senators shall serve for the duration of their undergraduate careers at Miami so long as they meet Article IV sections a and b. In addition, two alternate Senators will be elected by the house to serve one-year terms.

The Executive Council shall nominate and endorse candidates for the position of senator. All voting members of the chapter are then able to nominate candidates from the floor. All candidates are required to speak for at most three minutes. The speech will then be followed by a series of questions the candidate is required to answer. Following the question and answer session, all candidates will leave the room and all voting members will move into executive session and discuss the candidates. A secret ballot will be the means of voting and a candidate needs 50 percent plus one. The candidate cannot simply obtain the most votes. The field must be narrowed so that a particular candidate can receive the designated number of votes.

Section C

Roles of the Alternate

The two alternate Senators shall be allowed to attend all Senate meetings, but shall only be allowed to discuss the issues during hearing deliberations. They may not vote. If a current Senator is the subject of a hearing then both alternates may be included in the hearing. However, only one of the alternates will be permitted to vote on the complaint. The voting alternate will be decided by the rest of the Senate minus the individual whose complaint is being heard by the Senate.

Section D

Additional powers of the Senate

The Senate in addition to acting as the judicial board shall hold members of the Executive Council and all chairpersons accountable to their responsibilities. Upon the request and second of any voting member of the fraternity, the Senate may review the officer/chair in question. Otherwise, each officer/chair will be reviewed each semester. The Senate will investigate the extent to which the officer/chair is/has operated in a level satisfactory to the health of the fraternity. The Senate shall evaluate the officer/chair and make positive remarks as well as constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. At the time of the review, the Senate in addition to the Exchequer shall negotiate salary adjustments as well. It is also to the discretion of the Senate any further criteria to be included in the reviews. The reviews will then be distributed to the respective men and published publicly for the first house meeting of each semester.

The Senate shall also audit the Exchequer in circumstances of need to be determined by the Senate and published publicly at the succeeding house meeting.

In addition, the Senate shall act as a private body. All documented information will be kept in a locked file cabinet and only the Senate and Executive Council will have viewing privilege. The President, in accordance with the Blue Book shall be an ex-officio member. However, no one else may be present for Senate meetings and the President is not permitted at actual Senate hearings. In addition, the Vice-Prior may only vote to break ties and no Senator may serve as a witness in a hearing.

Section D

Removal of Senators

Senators shall be removed in the event that they are not meeting or exceeding Article IV sections a and b. The vote of removal will be brought before all voting members of the fraternity. Removal requires 80 percent vote of all voting members of the house. The Executive Council will then follow the outlined procedures for replacing an open senate position.

Article VII

Amending the Bylaws

An amendment may be proposed at any time by a member and added with a 2/3 vote of approval by all voting members of the fraternity.

Article VIII

Ratification

The above bylaws require a 2/3 vote of approval for ratification. Upon approval the bylaws will become official immediately. Also upon approval, all fratres will be subject to the rules and regulations as set forth by the bylaws.