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Psi Chi Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE PSI CHI CHAPTER OF the University of Mary Washington (“the Institution”)

 

ARTICLE I. | NAME

The name of this organization shall be University of Mary Washington (UMW) Psi Chi Chapter, a local unit of Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology, hereinafter referred to as the Chapter and the Society.

ARTICLE II. | PURPOSE

The purpose of Psi Chi shall be to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology.

ARTICLE III. | MEMBERS

Section 1. Student Members. Student members shall be students enrolled in undergraduate psychology programs at the time of induction. Only student members shall be entitled to hold chapter office.

 

  1. Undergraduate Students may apply for membership if they have:
  2. declared their psychology major,
  3. completed at least 12 credit hours in psychology beyond PSYC 100 at the institution,
  4. because the 35% cutoffs cannot be obtained, a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater on a 4.0 scale, and
  5. a minimum 3.4 or greater GPA in psychology courses is used to demonstrate excellence among peers.

 

At least every two years the Chapter Faculty Advisor shall verify that the GPA criteria are consistent with the top 35% for each class. For the purposes of determining eligibility of undergraduate students via cumulative GPA cutoffs at UMW, Psi Chi defines class as sophomores, juniors, and seniors across the Institution based on earned credit hours.

 

  1. Undergraduate Transfer Students who enter UMW with junior standing may apply for membership if they
  2. entered UMW with at least 60 transfer credits,
  3. are a declared psychology major,
  4. have completed 9 credit hours in psychology beyond PSYCH 100 at UMW and at least 12 credits in psychology beyond PSYCH 100 in total,
  5. have an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher (both at UMW and combined with transfer grades),
  6. have a major GPA of 3.4 or higher (both at UMW and combined with transfer grades).

 

Undergraduate transfer students who are already members of Psi Chi through another institution may transfer their Psi Chi membership to the Chapter, but they are not required to do so.

 

  1. Graduate Students are not currently eligible for membership in the Chapter as UMW does not currently offer graduate degrees in psychology.

 

Section 2. Alumni Members are Psi Chi members who are no longer current students. Alumni members shall be entitled to attend chapter meetings, participate in chapter activities, apply for relevant awards and grants, and have access to other Psi Chi resources. Alumni shall not have the right to vote in chapter elections. Alumni members do not have the right to serve as chapter officers.

 

  1. Alumni Inductees are individuals who graduated before the Institution’s Psi Chi Chapter was approved or installed. They must have met the Chapter’s current membership standards based on their final transcript to be inducted as alumni members of the chapter. Alumni who meet these criteria must apply to the Chapter’s Faculty Advisor for review.

 

  1. Faculty Members of the Institution and other psychologists who are full-time employees at the Institution and hold a masters or doctoral degree in psychology or a psychology-related field may become alumni members of the Chapter upon election to membership and induction into Psi Chi. Faculty members who are already members of Psi Chi may transfer their Psi Chi membership to the chapter, but they are not required to do so.

 

Section 3.  Membership in Psi Chi is open to qualified candidates of any age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, national and/or ethnic origin, or ability status.

 

Section 4. Prior to induction, each prospective member shall pay an induction fee as determined by the Society, which shall entitle the inductee to lifetime membership without payment of further dues or assessments to the Society. All student and alumni members shall pay chapter dues as established by the Chapter.

 

ARTICLE IV. | EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Chapter and the Chapter Faculty Advisor.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the Chapter between its business meetings, set the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Chapter, submit all reports required by the Society in a timely manner, and shall perform such other duties as are specified in these Bylaws as well as the Constitution, Bylaws, and rulings of the Society.

Section 3. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the Co-Presidents or by any other members of the Executive Committee.

Section 4. Executive Committee members, other than the Faculty Advisor, are each entitled to one vote in any situation, regardless of whether they cover another officer’s duties (see Article V).  The Faculty Advisor shall serve as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee and will only vote in the specific instances detailed in these Bylaws.

 

ARTICLE V. │OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of the Chapter shall be 2 Co-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Fundraising Chair, and a Social Media & Marketing Chair.  The officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws, the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society, and the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter, and shall fulfill other such duties and requirements as may be determined by the Society.

 

  1. The Co-Presidents are responsible for working closely with the chapter advisor.  They are accountable for submitting grant applications, awards, scholarships, and chapter activity submissions to the Psi Chi Central Office, as well as submitting votes on behalf of the chapter for Psi Chi elections. They also plan and run the officer and all-member meetings. In addition, the Co- Presidents fulfill any necessary duties that may be required.

 

  1. The Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at officers’ and all-member meetings and subsequently sharing those minutes with the officers or chapter membership. The Secretary also manages the chapter’s email account and is responsible for sending email updates to the members and officers as well as the Department of Psychological Science through the department office manager. The Secretary is responsible for managing paperwork related to inductions and working with the chapter advisor to make sure eligible inductees submit their online applications. Additionally, the Secretary helps to fulfill any necessary duties that may be required.

 

  1. The Treasurer manages all of Psi Chi’s monetary concerns. This includes keeping an accurate and up-to-date detailed record of the chapter’s expenses. The Treasurer is also responsible for depositing the funds the chapter receives from new member dues, power card sales, and monetary chapter awards. The treasurer is also responsible for buying Psi Chi related items and reimbursing member’s expenses. The Treasurer serves as one of the signers on the chapter’s bank account and works with the chapter advisor as needed to deal with the bank. Additionally, the Treasurer helps to fulfill any necessary duties that may be required.

 

  1. The Fundraising Chair is primarily responsible for organizing the creation and selling of the Psi Chi Power Card. This involves recruiting members to visit businesses to ask them to be on the Power Card, keeping records of how many Power Cards are sold, e-mailing members about selling Power Cards or returning them so they can be sold in the future, and creating a networking strategy to sell Power Cards to different sectors of campus. Additionally, the Fundraising Chair helps to fulfill any necessary duties that may be required.

 

  1. The Social Media and Marketing Chair is in charge of managing the chapter’s social media presence and advertising events both online and on campus. The Social Media & Marketing Chair updates the Facebook page with any pictures from events and with information on events. The Social Media & Marketing Chair also manages the chapter’s Twitter and Instagram accounts as well as any other social media outlets the chapter opts to use. The Social Media & Marketing Chair is in charge of taking pictures at events where this is desired or arranging for someone else to do so. The Social Media & Marketing Chair is also responsible for making and posting flyers in the Department of Psychological Science and around campus to advertise for Psi Chi events. In addition, The Social Media & Marketing Chair helps to fulfill any necessary duties that may be required.

 

Section 2. At the first all-member meeting after the Spring Induction Ceremony, the Officer positions will be discussed and the timeline for the election of Officers will be outlined. Members are encouraged to self-nominate through the week of the April all-member meeting. Members may also nominate other members for Officer positions. If this occurs, one of the Co-Presidents will converse with the nominated member to see if they are interested in the position. Those who wish to run for an Officer position must submit a 250-word self-statement introducing themselves and explaining why they would be a successful Officer. The list of candidates and their statements will be shared with the members via an email from the Secretary. Members vote by signing out a secret ballot from a current Officer or the Faculty Advisor. Votes are counted by the Co-Presidents’ unless one or both are running for an Officer position for the coming year, in which case the Secretary and/or the Treasurer will take over the counting duties.

Section 3. The officers shall be elected by ballot to serve for one year or until their successors are elected, and the term of offices shall begin on July 1st following their election. In the event there is only one candidate for an office, the election may be held by voice or email vote.

Section 4. No member shall hold more than one office at a time. No member shall serve more than two terms in the same office.

Section 5. Should one of the offices of the Co-President become vacant, an election will be held to fill the vacancy. The need for an election will be announced by email in advance of the next all-member meeting. Voting will take place at the scheduled all-member meeting or a special meeting as needed based on the date of the next regularly scheduled all-member meeting. Current Officers may run for this position. Should both Co-President offices become vacant, the position will be temporarily filled by the Secretary. The procedures for a new election will follow the same format used if one office of the Co-Presidents becomes vacant. A vacancy in any other office shall be filled by the Executive Committee with the approval of the Chapter Faculty Advisor. Should all Officer positions become vacant, the Chapter’s Faculty Advisor may appoint current student members to fill those vacancies until the next scheduled election.

Section 6. Officer Abandonment. Any Officer who does not attend Executive Committee or chapter meetings regularly or fulfill the duties of office may be deemed to have abandoned the office and be replaced by majority vote of the other members of the Executive Committee. The Officer in question must be informed in advance of the Executive Committee meeting at which this vote may take place. The Officer may present extenuating circumstances to explain absences, but the vote may proceed if the Officer does not present or attend. All other members of the Executive Committee must vote, including the Faculty Advisor, in order to affirm the Officer has abandoned the. If the majority of the other members of the Executive Committee vote to affirm the Officer abandoned the position, the Officer removal process described below in Section 7 is not necessary.  If the Office is recognized as having abandoned the position, the subsequent vacancy shall be filled according to the procedures detailed in Article V, Section 5.

Section 7. Officer Removal. Any member of the Chapter may request that an Officer be removed by making the request in writing to the Chapter’s Faculty Advisor and/or any member of the Executive Committee, excluding the Officer in question. The request must include the name of the member(s) making the request and the reason for the request. The remaining members of the Executive Committee will vote on whether or not to present the proposed removal to the Chapter. If they vote no, the matter ends there. If they vote yes, the Officer facing removal must be notified in writing of the pending action, the reasons in the original request, the Executive Committee’s decision to proceed, and the date, time, and location of the Chapter meeting where the case will be presented and vote taken. The Officer must be given the opportunity to resign or to present justification to the Executive Committee in writing or in person for not proceeding. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, they may vote again about taking the matter to the Chapter after hearing a response from the Officer. The Officer must, again, be provided the opportunity to resign before the matter is presented to the Chapter. If the Officer does not resign or convince the Executive Committee to drop the matter, one of the Co-Presidents (or another member of the Executive Committee, typically the other Co-President, if it is a Co-President whose removal is being considered) will present the case supporting removal of the Officer at a regular or special meeting of the Chapter, and the Officer in question will be given equal time to present the case against removal. The Chapter Faculty Advisor must be present at a meeting called to remove an Officer. If removal of the Officer passes by a two-thirds vote of the members present (including the Officer in question, if present), the vote to be taken by secret ballot, this will result in an immediate end to the term of office. Any member removed from office by the Chapter may not run for chapter office in the future. If the Officer refuses to respond or resign, the Officer will be deemed to have abandoned the office.

 

ARTICLE VI. | CHAPTER FACULTY ADVISOR

Section 1. The Chapter shall have a primary Chapter Faculty Advisor who is a member of Psi Chi, holds a doctorate in psychology (or a closely-related  field), and who is a full-time member of the faculty of the Institution. The primary Faculty Advisor, who is chosen from the faculty by consultation among the Officers and the Faculty, may be inducted into Psi Chi when selected as advisor if she or he meets the faculty member eligibility requirements stated under membership. Faculty Advisors will generally serve 3-year renewable terms.

Section 2. The Chapter may also have a Chapter Co-Advisor who is also a member of Psi Chi, and holds a masters or higher degree in psychology (or a closely-related field), and is a full-time or part-time member of the faculty of the Institution.

Section 3. The Chapter Faculty Advisor and Co-Advisor shall assist the Chapter in fulfilling its purpose and the requirements of the Society.

 

ARTICLE VII. | MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular Meetings. The Executive Committee and the Chapter Faculty Advisor shall determine the number of regular meetings to be held during the year and shall distribute a schedule of these meetings to each active member.

Section 2. Special Meetings.  Special Meetings can be called by one of the Co-Presidents, the Executive Committee, or upon the written request of one quarter of the active members of the Chapter. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call, and business shall be limited to that which is stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least three days’ notice shall be given.

Section 3. Quorum. Those members present and eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

 

ARTICLE VIII. | COMMITTEES

The University of Mary Washington’s Psi Chi Chapter does not have any permanent Standing Committees. The Executive Committee may create Special Committees at their discretion, and these committees can be made into Standing Committees based on a Chapter vote. The Chapter does annually organize six Committees for the sole purpose of organizing the Chapter’s Annual Psi Chi Research Symposium at the end of the Spring semester. These Committees are filled, ideally, by those not serving on the Executive Committee.

Section 1. The Scheduling/Program Committee consists of two members with a two-year commitment. One member, typically a senior, chairs the Committee and is responsible for recruiting a current member, typically a junior, whom he or she will mentor to be in charge of the Committee the following year. The Scheduling/Program Committee is in charge of organizing and preparing a schedule of presentations as well as the paper program for the Psi Chi Symposium.

Section 2.  The Judging Committee consists of two members with a two-year commitment. One member, typically a senior, chairs the Committee and is responsible for recruiting a current member, typically a junior, whom he or she will mentor to be in charge of the Committee the following year. The Judging Committee organizes a schedule for faculty members to attend and judge the presentations at the Psi Chi Symposium. In addition, the Committee is responsible for creating the spreadsheet, prior to the event, so that scores may be calculated for each presentation. All responsibility for the spreadsheet is then turned over to the Faculty Advisor.

Section 3. The Moderating Committee consists of one to two members responsible for developing a schedule for moderators and setup/clean up volunteers after the symposium program is finalized. They recruit members to fill these slots and prepare a final list of volunteers to be shared with the Executive Committee for use during the Psi Chi Symposium. In addition, the Moderating Committee works with the Faculty Advisor to prepare a list of moderating instructions and to arrange for a stopwatch and time cue cards to be available for use. They are also responsible for emailing all volunteer moderators with instructions prior to the event.

Section 4. The Certificates/Awards Committee consists of two to three members that use a template provided by the Department of Psychological Science to create participation certificates given to each presenter at the symposium. In addition, in the week prior to the event, the Committee hosts and tracks departmental voting for faculty superlatives. Certificates are created for each of the winners by the Awards Committee and are presented at Psi Chi Symposium.

Section 5. The Publicity Committee consists of two to three members responsible for advertising the symposium. This includes the creation and distribution of fliers, as well as any other modes of advertisement deemed appropriate. In addition, the Publicity Committee updates the list of administrators who receive the Psi Chi Program and, subsequently, delivery these programs.

Section 6. The Reception Committee consists of two members responsible for working with the Faculty Advisor to order food for the closing reception of the symposium. In addition, the Reception Committee must be available for at least thirty minutes before the anticipated start time of the reception through at least thirty minutes after the anticipated end time to facilitate setup and cleanup.

 

ARTICLE IX. | PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, the Constitution, and Bylaws of the Society, and any special rules of order the Chapter may adopt.

 

ARTICLE X. | AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Chapter by a two-thirds vote, provided the amendment has been submitted in writing at a previous regular meeting or has been submitted in writing to all active members of the Chapter including the Chapter Faculty Advisor(s) at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered. These Bylaws shall not be in conflict with the Constitution and Bylaws or rulings of the Society. Any amendment of the Constitution and Bylaws or rulings of the Society affecting these Bylaws shall cause this document to be amended automatically to concur with such amendment.