Constitution

Mu Alpha Theta Chapter 3383

CONSTITUTION

Article 1. Purpose

Section 1.     The purpose of this organization is to promote scholarship in, and enjoyment and understanding of, mathematics among the students at Brighton High School.

Article 2. Name

Section 1.     The name of this chapter shall be the Brighton High Chapter of Mu Alpha Theta, or BHS Mu Alpha Theta.

Article 3. Sponsor(s)

Section 1.     The organization shall at all times have at least one designated sponsor.

Section 2.     The primary sponsor will be informed of all club meetings and activities. At least one sponsor must be present for all meetings and activities that take place at Brighton High School.

Section 3.     The sponsor(s) will check the validity of grades for membership into the club.

Section 4.     The national secretary-treasurer must be kept informed of the current sponsors’ names, e-mail addresses, and the school’s address.

Section 5.     The primary sponsor is responsible for obtaining approval from the Brighton High administration for all activities and meetings. However, the sponsor may request that an officer write the request to be submitted.

Section 6.     It is the responsibility of the sponsor to update the BHS Mu Alpha Theta wikipage. However, the sponsor may request that an officer assist.

Article 4. Executive Board

Section 1.     The Executive Board is defined as the group of all sponsors and all officers, having authority to transact all routine business and select new members of the chapter.

Section 2.     Decisions made by the Executive Board are made by simple majority but must include at least one sponsor.

Section 3.     All votes taken among the members of the Executive Board will be by open ballot. Votes require a simple majority and at least one sponsor unless specified otherwise in this document.

Article 5. Membership

Section 1.     Students are classified as members or associates at high schools.

Section 2.     Any student at Brighton High School is eligible to apply for membership after having completed four semesters of college preparatory mathematics, providing his/her mathematical work was done with distinction and he/she is currently enrolled in a mathematics class. College preparatory mathematics is defined to be any math course at the Algebra 1 level or above. On the 4-point grading scale, distinction shall mean at least a 3.0 grade point average in all college preparatory mathematics classes; averages are determined from semester grades.

Section 3.     Associates are Brighton High School students in grades 9 through 12 who have completed Algebra 1 and are currently enrolled in either Geometry or Algebra 2, providing their mathematical work was done with distinction. On the 4-point grading scale, distinction shall mean at least a 3.0 grade point average in Algebra 1 and in their current mathematics course. Associates are not members of Mu Alpha Theta but are likely candidates for membership. Associates do not pay the initiation fee but are eligible to be listed with the National Office, should they wish to participate in Mu Alpha Theta national math contests. While they are not entitled to vote nor hold office in their BHS Chapter, they are entitled to attend and be heard at meetings. A student may remain an associate for only one year and then, if eligible, must be inducted as a member of Mu Alpha Theta. Any student who is not eligible to be made a member will be deleted as an associate.

Section 4.     All students who apply for membership and meet the requirements outlined in this constitution shall be accepted. No student will be denied membership on account of race, religion, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual preference, and/or physical disability.

Section 5.     Students who were members of another high school chapter of Mu Alpha Theta will be made members of the BHS Chapter immediately upon enrollment verification from the National Office.

Section 6.     Membership applications will be distributed and collected during the first and last four weeks of the school year. Qualified students will be inducted as members in an induction ceremony held during the first nine weeks of school.

Article 6. Duties of Members

Section 1.     Attendance at meetings is imperative. For this reason, members are expected to attend monthly meetings, with 1 merit being awarded for each meeting. The Executive Board may determine to award more merits for meetings lasting substantially longer than 30 minutes.

Section 2.     Members will earn merits for participation in club activities. One merit is earned for each 30 minutes of club activity unless otherwise determined by the Executive Board and announced to the club members in advance of the activity.

Section 3.     With prior approval of the Executive Board, students may earn merits through services that promote the learning of mathematics. Such activities may include helping in the organization of mathematics contests, tutoring in math without compensation, and/or leading the monthly meeting activity. Students may earn up to 2 merits per math competition in which they participate, as deemed appropriate by the Executive Board.

Section 4.     A member will be defined as being “in good standing” if they maintain distinction in their mathematics work, help with at least one club activity, and earn at least 50% of available merits each year. Upon receiving a written explanation from the member about extenuating circumstances, a unanimous vote of the Executive Board can keep a member in good standing without meeting these requirements.

Section 5.     At the end of each school year, merits will be totaled and math grades verified. Membership may be revoked if the student does not stay in good standing with the club, as defined above, or in good standing with the school. There is no appeal process during the same school year.

Section 6.     If any current member is found guilty of cheating in a math class or participating in any other behavior deemed to be academically dishonest by the committee of senior level math teachers, he or she shall have their membership revoked from the Brighton High School Chapter of Mu Alpha Theta.

Section 7.     Revocation of membership only applies to the BHS Chapter of Mu Alpha Theta; once a student is a member of the National Mu Alpha Theta organization, he/she is always a member of that organization. Revoked members may petition the officers the next school year for re-admittance to the club. A unanimous vote of the Executive Board is required to rejoin.

Article 7. Meetings

Section 1.     The BHS Chapter shall meet regularly at a specified time that is agreeable to the officers, the sponsor(s), and the school administration.

Section 2.     Meetings are open to all interested persons.

Section 3.     At regular meetings, the program shall consist of a mathematical presentation (e.g., talk, film, etc.), mathematical enrichment and recreational topics, as well as conducting any necessary BHS Chapter business.

Section 4.     In all matters of conduct not specifically addressed in this constitution, the BHS Chapter shall be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article 8. Officers

Section 1.     The BHS Chapter officers shall be the following: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer.

Section 2.     Election of officers shall take place during the final regular Spring meeting by secret ballot. The results will be tallied by the Executive Board. Only members in good standing are allowed to vote. Members must be present at the election in order to vote, or have submitted their ballots to a member of the Executive Board before the election is held. A simple majority of these is required to win. In the event of a tie, the decision will be made by vote of the Executive Board excluding the candidate.

Section 3.     The term of office is one school year. An officer’s term of office starts when election results are announced. It is expected that the out-going officers will spend the last weeks of the school year training the in-coming officers. Officers will be officially sworn in at next induction.

Section 4.     The qualifications to be elected to an office are (1) to be a member, at either Brighton High School, or with another high school chapter as verified by the National Office, for at least one school year prior to the year for which they are running, (2) to have earned at least 65% of the available merits for that year, (3) to have maintained distinction in all their mathematical work, (4) to complete an application within the deadline established by the Executive Board.

Section 5.     Before being placed on the ballot for officer election, students who have met all qualifications to run for an elected office will be interviewed by the Executive Board. By unanimous vote of the Executive Board, if a student is deemed unfit for office as a result of the interview or as evidenced by prior work for the club, the student will not be placed on the ballot.

Section 6.     If an officer position is vacated, each officer has the option to move up to the next higher position. Once any such movements are completed, the Executive Board shall appoint a member to fill the vacant position based on service to the club. Such a member should fulfill all qualifications to be an officer excluding the application.

Section 7.     After the first semester of each school year, officers will be evaluated to determine if they are still meeting the qualifications to be an officer. Any officers who are not meeting these requirements may be removed from office by unanimous vote of the rest of the Executive Board. Officers removed from office remain members of the club and must then meet requirements as a member in good standing by the end of the school year to remain a member of the BHS Chapter.

Article 9. Duties of Officers

Section 1.     The President shall be the chief executive officer of the BHS Chapter. He/she shall preside at all business sessions. It shall be the duty of the president to direct the activities of the organization from planning to implementation. He/she shall may appoint committees and chairpersons as necessary. He/she will serve as liason with BHS administration, along with the primary sponsor, and with other clubs.

Section 2.     The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President at times when the President is absent. He/she shall submit school announcements and otherwise contact members about meetings and activities. He/she will also serve as liason with the yearbook staff and broadcasting class in order that they may include BHS Mu Alpha Theta in each.

Section 3.     The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings. This includes but is not limited to meeting minutes, member attendance, and merit totals. He or she shall, with the approval of the sponsor, certify the names of new members, forwarding these to the National Office within one month of initiation.

Section 4.     The Treasurer shall handle all money belonging to the BHS Chapter and shall maintain an accurate record of financial transactions. This includes but is not limited to National and BHS Chapter dues, fundraisers, and competition fees.

Article 10. Insignia and Fees

Section 1.     New members will be presented with a certificate of membership and a membership card at the induction ceremony.

Section 2.     Members in good standing during their senior year will receive a Mu Alpha Theta cord to wear at graduation and a Mu Alpha Theta sticker on their diploma.

Section 3.     Students who have been a member in good standing for one full year will receive a token of acknowledgement at the induction ceremony at the beginning of their second year.

Section 4.     Officers are awarded Mu Alpha Theta buttons/pins at their swearing in during the induction ceremony.

Section 5.     Dues are $30 per year of membership and required of all members. These are due before each year’s induction ceremony. For first year members, $10 is sent to the National Office and covers the costs of certificates and membership cards. All remaining money goes to the BHS Chapter and covers the cost of all insignia noted with remainder to be used for competitions and meeting activities as deemed appropriate by the Executive Board.

Article 11. Constitution

Section 1.     Concurrence of two-thirds of the members in good standing shall be required to accept this constitution.

Section 2.     Any amendment to this constitution must be presented by a member in good standing in the form of a motion during a business meeting. It must then be placed on the table until the following meeting, at which time it will become effective provided it is passed by a two-thirds majority of the members in good standing.

Section 3.     The BHS Chapter constitution must not violate any stipulation of the National Mu Alpha Theta constitution.

Section 4.     Any decisions regarding membership and election of officers made prior to the implementation of this document but in contradiction to it may be upheld per the discretion of the primary sponsor if not in violation of the National Mu Alpha Theta constitution.

 Section 5.     Under extenuating circumstances, with a unanimous decision of the executive board, pertinent and temporary exceptions to the constitution may be made, provided all exceptions are in the best interest of the club and its members, no exceptions are made which contradict the national constitution, and all such exceptions are presented to the club at at the first meeting following the instance of the exception.

NOTES ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

2014-2015 school year change

Article 6. Sections 5 & 6.

Last sentence of Section 5 and all of Section 6 moved to new Section 7.

Article 6. Section 6.

New section six becomes:  “If any current member is found guilty of cheating in a math class or participating in any other behavior deemed to be academically dishonest by the committee of senior level math teachers, he or she shall have their membership revoked from the Brighton High School Chapter of Mu Alpha Theta.”

2016-2018 school year change

Article 10. Section 5.

“Dues are $20 per year” …changed to “Dues are $30 per year.”

2018-2019 school year change

Article 8. Section 2.

Last sentence “In the event of a tie, the decision will be made by vote of the Executive Board.” changed to “In the event of a tie, the decision will be made by vote of the Executive Board excluding the candidate.”

Article 8. Section 4.

Remove entirely:  An officer may not hold the same office for more than one year.

Following sections were renumbered.

2020-2021 school year change

Article 2. Section 5.

Section 5 was added as:  Under extenuating circumstances, with a unanimous decision of the executive board, pertinent and temporary exceptions to the constitution may be made, provided all exceptions are in the best interest of the club and its members, no exceptions are made which contradict the national constitution, and all such exceptions are presented to the club at at the first meeting following the instance of the exception.

2024-2025 school year change

Article 10. Section 3.

"Students who have been a member in good standing for one full year will receive a patch at the induction ceremony at the beginning of their second year." 

The word "patch" was changed to "token of acknowledgement."