These Bylaws shall govern the proceedings of this chapter in all matters not expressly provided for in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Tau Beta Pi Association, Inc. (hereafter referred to as the Association)
This Chapter shall conform to such rules and regulations of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (hereafter abbreviated as NMIMT) as may apply to honor societies.
In the event of conflict between the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association, and the rules and regulations of NMIMT, the rules of NMIMT shall prevail, and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be notified of the circumstances of the conflict.
Abbreviated references herein to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and to the various Bylaws of this document shall be made in the form illustrated by the following examples:
C-VI, 1 — National Constitution, Article VI, Section 1
B-V, 5.02 - National Bylaw V, Section 5.02
NMGB-I,4 — New Mexico Gamma Chapter Bylaw I, Section 4
The Chapter shall be composed of members chosen among eligible students and alumni on the basis of distinguished scholarship or professional attainment and exemplary character, as enunciated in C-VIII and in the Eligibility Code of the Association.
The Chapter shall have full control over its individual affairs, subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association, which control shall be exercised by the active membership of the Chapter and its Advisory Board. An "Active member" of this Chapter shall be defined in NMGB-VII, 3; and only active undergraduate and graduate-student members, as defined therein shall have the privilege of voting on new members and on amounts of the initiation fee, dues, fines, and assessments as described in NMGB-VI. A student may become inactive only under the provision of B-VI, 6.05. An inactive member may become active under the provisions of B-VI, 6.05(b) or upon receipt of a written petition and its approval at a regular business meeting.
The officers of this Chapter shall be: President; Vice President; Recording Secretary; Corresponding Secretary; who shall be active members of the Chapter; Treasurer, who may be an active member of the Chapter or a member of the faculty; and at least four Association alumnus advisors (Advisors), preferably elected from among the faculty of the engineering departments. Additional officer positions may be created at the discretion of the President.
The Advisory Board of the Chapter shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, and four alumnus members of the Association. The Chair of the Advisory Board shall be elected by its members at the first Board meeting of the year.
Alumnus members of the Advisory Board shall serve four-year terms, as specified in C-VI, 7. All other officers shall serve for one year or until their successors are duly elected and installed.
The duties of the officers shall be those as prescribed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association, and those prescribed in these Bylaws or by Chapter action.
The President shall be this Chapter's delegate to the Convention of the Association. The other officers shall be alternate delegates, in the order given in NMGB-II, 3.
Officers are required to perform the following:
The President shall see that each officer is provided with specific duties for which each is responsible. The President shall regularly report to the Advisory Board.
The President shall run all officer and general meetings. In meetings in which the President is not present, the Vice President shall take responsibility.
The Vice President shall oversee and organize the initiation process each semester.
The Corresponding Secretary shall serve as the Secretary of the Advisory Board.
The Corresponding Secretary shall file all reports to Tau Beta Pi Headquarters.
The Treasurer shall maintain all chapter accounts and financial records.
The Recording Secretary shall notify all current members and Advisors of the time, place, and purpose of each Chapter meeting well in advance of the meeting.
The Recording Secretary shall maintain minutes for every officer and general meeting.
The President and Vice President shall pay a courtesy call on the NMIMT Dean of Engineering and Student Government Association President early in the fall term to discuss ways in which the Chapter may be of service to the College. The substance of such discussion shall be reported to the Chapter at the next Chapter meeting.
The President shall cooperate with the Director(s) of Tau Beta Pi District 13 and shall encourage the Chapter members to participate in the District's activities.
The following regular meetings shall be scheduled and held once each year: Organization, Election of Officers, and Installation of Officers.
The following regular meetings shall be scheduled and held once in the fall and once in the spring semesters: Discussion of Election Procedures, Election of Candidates, Initiation of Electees, and one general meeting of a social, literary, or technical nature.
Special meetings may be called at any time by the President, any Advisor, or upon written request to the President signed by 20% of the active members of the chapter
Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised 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.
The first meeting of each semester shall be held within two weeks of the start of the semester.
The officers shall present a complete calendar of the regular meeting of the Chapter for the semester to the active members for their approval no later than the second meeting of the semester.
Notices sent to the active members and Advisors announcing meetings shall clearly state the time, place, and the purpose of the meeting.
Business meetings, other than the Election Meeting, shall last no longer than two hours, unless extended by an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the active members present. The order of business at these meetings shall be as follows:
Roll Call
President’s report
Reports of officers
Unfinished business
New business
Adjournment
The President shall call a meeting of the Advisory Board at the beginning of each semester to discuss Chapter activities for the semester. The minutes of each Advisory Board meeting shall be read at the following regular meeting of the Chapter. 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 in the Chapter.
A quorum for the consideration of routine business shall be a majority of the active membership of the Chapter. A quorum for the following shall be two-thirds of the active membership: election of new members, changing the initiation fee or Chapter dues, passing an assessment on the members of the Chapter, amending the Chapter Bylaws (and for approval or disapproval of a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the Association), and election of officers. A quorum for an Advisory Board meeting shall be five members of the Board.
Election of new members shall be held in the Fall and Spring semesters as soon as possible after grades for the previous term become available.
All provisions of C-VIII and B-VI shall be strictly followed.
Scholastically eligible full-time undergraduate students in the following curricula who have attended NMIMT for at least two semesters shall be considered for membership in the Chapter: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mineral Engineering, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering.
Scholastically eligible graduate students in the following curricula who have attended NMIMT for at least one semester shall be considered for membership in the Chapter: Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management, Engineering Mechanics, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mineral Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering.
Part-time and special students, pursuing equivalent curricula to those named in Section 3, may be considered for membership in this Chapter, subject to the provisions of C-VIII,2(a); however, no such student shall be considered more than twice as a junior or more than twice as a senior.
Scholastic eligibility for election shall be defined by C-VIII, 2.
The cases of students whose scholastic eligibility is in doubt, because irregularities in standing or curriculum, shall be determined by the Advisory Board.
The Chapter may elect to specify scholastic requirements higher than those stated in C-VIII. In such an event, those requirements shall be added to NMGB-IV, 5.
The Vice President 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.
The exemplary character evaluation will be performed as follows:
a. A list of scholastically eligible candidate's shall be evaluated based on exemplary character. Peer and resume review by active chapter members shall be used to evaluate eligible candidates.
b. Eligible candidates shall email resumes prior to the election meeting.
c. Eligible candidates shall come to the election meeting to meet the current active members.
d. Active members shall stay after the eligible candidates leave and anonymously vote on the electees with given reason.
The voting procedures will be performed as follows:
a. At the Election Meeting, the Eligibility Code shall first be read.
b. The election of senior candidates shall precede the election of junior candidates. Each name shall be presented in alphabetic order by last name for discussion and shall be voted on before the following name is considered.
c. After all names have been considered and voted on, there shall be a second individual ballot, to be taken in the same order for each student who failed election on the first ballot.
d. No student who fails election on the second ballot shall be considered further at this election unless twenty-five percent of the members present so request.
e. No student who fails election on the third ballot shall be considered again at this election. He or she may be considered again at the next election if he or she is then eligible.
The President shall direct the Vice President to have sufficient letters of notification of election prepared in advance of the Election Meeting. These letters should be signed by the President, addressed to the electees, and mailed within six days of the Election Meeting.
All members shall keep the election results in absolute confidence so that no candidate shall learn of his or her election except by means of the official letter; likewise, no candidate shall be informed of the details of the vote, especially concerning the personal matters discussed at the time of voting.
At the first meeting of electees, the President shall explain the requirements, objectives, and activities of the Association and of the Chapter. Those electees desiring to accept election shall formally state their acceptance in writing or in an email addressed to the President.
Each electee who refuses initiation for financial reasons shall be interviewed by the Advisory Board, as required by C-VIII,
Each electee shall be required to take part in an activity recommended or approved by the Chapter officers to foster a spirit of liberal culture. This activity may take the form of a project and/or the writing of an essay, as specified in B-VII, 7.01 . They shall also be required to read the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and these Bylaws.
The Chapter may assign additional duties to electees, subject to the provisions of B-VIII, 7.02.
The President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and all other officer positions shall be elected at least six weeks prior to the end of the spring term. New positions may be created and elected at any time provided a brief period of nomination is given. Advisors may be elected at any time.
Nominations for officers shall be made by active members. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the Election of Officers Meeting: any active member may nominate one candidate for each office. A report of the nominations shall be made by the Recording Secretary and documented in the meeting minutes from the election meeting. The Officers will be selected by majority vote of active members at the Election of Officers Meeting.
The Election of Officers Meeting shall be held at least six weeks prior to the end of the spring term. Officers-elect shall be formally installed at the last meeting of the year. The Chapter Officer Installation Procedure given in the President's Book shall be employed to install the new officers. During the period between the election and the installation, each Officer-elect shall work closely with his or her officer counterpart to learn the duties and responsibilities of the office. Transfer of financial records between the former and newly elected Treasurer is contingent upon an audit as required by NMGB-VI, 8.
Any officer not fulfilling his or her duties or any conflict between two officers should be directly reported to the Advisory Board for mediation. If this mediation process fails, an officer may be removed from office by a unanimous vote of the Advisory Board.
If any office becomes vacant between regular elections, the President shall redistribute the responsibilities of that position among the current officers until the position is filled. A special election may be held at the next Chapter meeting to fill the vacancy, provided at least one week has passed in which members may submit nominations. The officer elected shall serve until the next regular election.
The expenses of the Chapter shall be borne by the initiation fee and by such dues and pro rata assessments as may be voted by the chapter. A majority vote of the active membership shall be required to change any fees or dues or to levy any assessment. (See NMGB-II, 2) Within one week the Corresponding Secretary shall inform the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of any changes in amounts of the Chapter's initiation fee, dues or assessments.
The initiation fee for all initiates shall be determined by a majority vote at the first regular meeting of the semester, payable in advance of initiation, to the Chapter Treasurer. This amount covers the national initiation fee as determined by the Association, the national Convention assessment fee, the cost of one initiation banquet, and the operating expenses of the local Chapter.
Shortly after the Election of Officers Meeting, a committee composed of the President, President-Elect, Treasurer, and Treasurer-Elect shall prepare an operating budget for the next year. The budget shall be submitted to the Chapter for approval by a majority vote at the first regular meeting in the fall semester. The budget shall include a recommended amount for the initiation fee to be charged during the year. Any additional expenses not provided for by the adopted budget must be approved by the Chapter, except that the treasurer shall be authorized to advance to the Convention delegate a sum sufficient to cover expenses he or she expects to incur in attending the annual Convention of the Association.
The Chapter shall use the official bookkeeping system of the Association. The Chapter may implement any addition to the official bookkeeping system for Chapter use only.
There shall be at all times a balance of at least $100.00 in the Chapter treasury. A sum of no more than $50.00 may be kept in petty cash by the Treasurer.
Expenditures in excess of $20.00 shall be made by check, signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the President. Expenditures of less than $20.00 may be made from petty cash by the Treasurer.
The Chapter's fiscal year shall be June 1 to May 31.
Immediately following the end of the fiscal year, the Treasurer shall audit the Chapter's books. Further, the Treasurer and Treasurer-elect shall file the Internal Revenue Service's Form 990.
No part of the net earnings of the Chapter will insure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, members or officers of the Chapter or to any other individual.
It is the intent of this disciplinary Bylaw to impress the membership with the seriousness of purpose of this Chapter and of the Tau Beta Pi Association, and to enable the officers and dedicated members of this Chapter to accomplish necessary business in a manner not inconvenienced or encumbered by a lack of interest on the part of a few members.
Discipline shall be in accordance with C-IX, 4-5. Section 3
Once a member has been initiated, he or she will be granted active member status. This status can be retained by completing one of the following options in a given semester:
Actively participate as a member of a committee, as defined by the appropriate committee chair
Attend at least three regular meetings and participate in two events defined and approved by the Advisory board or a majority vote by the active members.
Participate in four events defined and approved by the Advisory board or a majority vote by the active members.
Exceptions may be made by appealing to the Advisory board or a majority vote by the active members. If a member loses active member status in a given semester, he or she may regain such status by completing one of the requirements in the next semester.
Only active members may have the privilege of wearing the Tau Beta Pi stole at graduation commencement ceremonies. Members must retain active status for all semesters after initiation in order to have the privilege of wearing the Tau Beta Pi cords at graduation commencement ceremonies. Exceptions may be made by appealing to the Advisory board or a majority vote by the active members.
All permanent records of the Chapter shall be kept current and up-to-date.
The initiation equipment shall be maintained in good order and in a secure manner by the Vice President, and the Ritual and its related materials shall be kept up-to-date under lock and key.
All records and an inventory of all physical equipment owned by the Chapter shall be turned over to the new officers at the Installation of Officers Meeting.
The Charter of this Chapter shall be prominently displayed at a location on the campus determined by the chairman of the advisory board.
All records of this Chapter shall be open for inspection to any member of the Association and to any official of the University upon request provided the material does not contain any personal information of other members or non-members. Additionally, the Ritual may never be inspected by non-members.
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any three active members of the Chapter. A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the President and signed by the members proposing it.
These Bylaws may be amended by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the active membership of the Chapter, subject to the approval of the Advisory Board, as provided in C-VI, 7(b).
The Corresponding Secretary shall send a copy of the Bylaws as amended, to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association within two weeks after an amendment is adopted.
Voting on proposed changes to the Chapter Bylaws shall be done by meeting quorum of active members. The meeting shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order. Voting shall be done by raising of arms and decided by majority vote. The decision to send a proposed amendment to the Chapter Bylaws out for vote shall be considered as routine business.
In the event of dissolution of the Chapter, the residual assets shall be distributed to the Tau Beta Pi Association, Inc., a corporation organized and operated exclusively for educational and scientific purposes and exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Any of such assets not so disposed of shall be distributed to a Federal, State, or Local Government for public purposes.
These Bylaws were adopted by vote of this Chapter and its Advisory Board and become effective on 3/11/1985. They were last amended on 8/30/2016.