Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Interfraternity Council of Washington University in St. Louis

Article II: Purpose

  1. To be the representative legislative body of the fraternity community.
  2. To act as a liaison between the fraternities, the University at large, and St. Louis communities.
  3. To build community among the fraternities
  4. To organize and coordinate programs for the entire Greek Community and Washington University campus in conjunction with the Women’s Panhellenic Association and Black Greek Council
  5. To educate the fraternity and University communities as to the values of and issues affecting Greek Life
  6. To ensure the continued existence and growth of a strong and productive Fraternity Community

Article III: Membership

  1. Membership of the Interfraternity Council shall require:
    1. Affiliation with a North-American Interfraternity Conference or National Panhellenic Council Organization
    2. Official recognition by Washington University in St. Louis
  2. The following guidelines shall pertain to colonization and recolonization
    1. All organizations desiring to colonize or reconolonize at Washington University must present to the Director of Greek Life and the executive board of the Interfraternity Council
      1. A proposed plan for colonization/recolonization
      2. Proof of St. Louis alumni support
      3. A nationally approved Constitution and By-Laws
    2. The Interfraternity Council must approve the organization by a two-thirds(2/3) majority in order to be granted colony status
    3. Once approved by a two-thirds(2/3) vote, the colony is entitled to probation non-voting representation for one year
    4. A qualified colony which has a charter from their General Fraternity and has been recognized by the IFC for no less than six months(6), may apply for voting representation on the Council. In order to categorize a colony as “qualified” an application must be adequately filled out and given to the IFC president. Upon receiving the application, a committee of eight members will be formed to evaluate the application. Upon the completion of grading, the scores and comments will be sent back to the following Council meeting to all voting members. Such representation must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council. Should the Council not approve voting privileges, the colony must wait a minimum of three (3) months before re-applying. The committee will comprise of the following:
      1. Director of Greek Life
      2. IFC President
      3. One (1) member chapter president
      4. One (1) Panhellenic Executive Board member
      5. One (1) non-Greek campus administrator or faculty
      6. One (1) Greek campus administrator or faculty
      7. One (1) non-Greek student at large

There may not be two or more representatives from the same chapter on the committee. The application is scored on a 10 point scale and includes comments and suggestions.

Article IV: Privileges and Responsibilities of Member Chapters and Colonies

  1. All chapters in good standing are entitled to the following privileges:
    1. Representation and voting rights on the Council
    2. Ability of all of chapter’s members to attend Council-sponsored events
    3. Access to all resources and programs provided by the Council
    4. Eligibility to receive partial scholarships to send a representative to the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute
  2. Member chapters may fall from good standing if any of the following occurs:
    1. Member chapter fails to comply with this constituion
    2. Member chapter fails to comply with Council by-laws, policies, regulations, Standards Code, and/or Standards Board decisions as determined by the Standards Board
    3. Member chapter fails to pay dues in a timely manner
    4. Member chapter fails to be represented at Council meetings, retreats, or any other Council event
    5. Member chapter exhibits gross misconduct that could tarnish the reputation of the Greek Community resulting in the sanctioning from any of, but not limited to, the following:
      1. Director of Greek Life
      2. Washington University Judicial Administrator
      3. Interfraternity Council Standards Board
      4. Chapters’ national organization

Article V: Structure of the Interfraternity Council

  1. The Interfraternity Council shall consist of:
    1. President
    2. Executive Board
      1. Internal Vice President
      2. External Vice President
      3. Vice President of Standards
      4. Vice President of Finance
    3. The Board of Directors as defined in the By-Laws
    4. The president or his designee of each IFC member chapter or colony
  2. Meetings
    1. Meetings of the Council shall be chaired by the President. Should the President not be able to preside, meetings shall be chaired by the Internal Vice President
    2. Regular meetings of the Council shall be held on a regular basis at a time and day to be determined by the President under recommendation of the Council
    3. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Executive Board, provided that the matters to be discussed are of emergency nature and provided that all chapters and colonies receive at least twenty-four(24) hours advance notice of the time and date
    4. A simple majority of voting member fraternities present at a meeting constitutes a quorum
    5. 1. Any member of the fraternity community has attendance and speaking privileges at regular meetings. However, only the voting representatives and officers may vote in the affairs of the Council. Others may be invited by the Executive Board or Council to appear at meetings when and if necessary.
  3. Voting
    1. Each member chapter is allowed one vote in all Council matter
    2. The acting Internal Vice President, the acting External Vice President, the acting Vice President of Standards, and the acting Vice President of Finance will have one vote on all council matters, not including elections. The President will have a vote in all Council matters, however in the case he decides to exercise his vote for any other reason than to break a tie, he must pass down the chairmanship to the next officer listed in Section V.A.1 who is a voting member. The representative from the Women’s Panhellenic Association and the Director of Greek Life do not having voting privileges.
  4. Election of Officers
    1. All officers shall be elected at a regular meeting of the Council to occur before the last day of programming in the first semester, with the exact date set by the Executive Board.
    2. The order of elections shall follow the order in which the officers are named in Section A.1 of this Article V.
    3. The policy of accepting nominations shall be determined by the Executive Board and made public at least two (2) weeks before the election meeting.
    4. Simple majority elects officers.
    5. The term of office shall be one year
    6. Installation shall occur at the first meeting following Spring Recruitment.
  5. Election Procedure
    1. Election of officers shall take place in the order in which the officers are named on the cover page of the election packet
    2. Term of Office shall be from the conclusion of men’s spring formal recruitment until the following spring formal recruitment
    3. Speeches
      1. Speeches will be given in alphabetical order by last name
      2. No candidate may hear any other candidate’s speech
      3. Time allotted
        1. President → 5 min
        2. Vice Presidents → 3 min
        3. Board of Directors and Off the Floor → 2min
      4. All speeches, even in cases of unopposed candidates will be given
    4. Question and Answer Period
      1. Any questions must be identical for all the candidates
      2. The Chair will retain the right to not permit certain questions if they do not apply to all candidates
    5. Discussion
      1. After all candidates have spoken and answered the questions, there will be a period of discussion on the candidates
      2. The time period will initially be set by the chair but may be extended at his discretion
    6. Voting
      1. All voting will be done by secret ballot, except in the case of single candidates
      2. A simple majority elects officers
      3. Abstentions will not be allowed
      4. Each chapter, in addition to the Executive officer currently holding the position up for election, will have one vote
      5. In the event that an Executive Officer is running for reelection of his current position, he shall forfeit his vote.
      6. In the case of a tie, the current’s chair will be counted
      7. In the case where more than two candidates are running and no candidate receives a majority of votes, the candidates with the least votes will be dropped and a revote occurs. This will be repeated until one candidate has a majority of votes
  6. Eligibility
    1. Each officer must be a full time student of Washington University in St. Louis
  7. Each officer shall be an active member in good standing of a chapter or colony represented on the Council
  8. The Council President shall, at the time of elections, have been regularly affiliated with the Council for no less than one academic semester. Affiliations include, but are not limited to:
    1. Chapter’s president
    2. Member of the Interfraternity Council Standard’s Board
    3. Executive Officer of the Interfraternity Council
  9. No member of the Executive Board shall concurrently serve as his chapter’s president
  10. No fraternity may hold more than two (2) Executive positions at the same time unless a position remains open after slated elections or an office becomes vacant
  11. Impeachment and Resignation of Officers
    1. Any officer of the Council may be impeached by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting members of the Council in favor of impeachment
    2. Grounds for impeachment may include the following:
      1. Failure to abide by this constitution
      2. Failure to abide by the directives of the Council
      3. Repeated failure to attend Council meetings or to fulfill the responsibilities of office
      4. Exhibiting gross misconduct violating the integrity of the Council
    3. Any officer may choose to resign by submitting a letter of resignation to the Council. Upon submission of the letter, his position becomes vacant immediately
    4. Nominations to fill an impeached or resigned office shall be accepted at the meeting during which the impeachment or resignation occurs
    5. The election to fill the vacant office shall be held at the next regular meeting of the Council
    6. Installation shall immediately follow the election with the term of office being the time remaining in the term of the vacated office

Article VI: Powers of the Interfraternity Council

  1. The Interfraternity Council shall have the power to:
    1. Regulate membership recruitment activities
    2. Sponsor Greek community activities
    3. Regulate Council finances and establish semester dues
    4. Represent the Fraternity Community and its opinions
    5. Review decisions of the Executive Board
    6. Publicize community, chapter, and individual achievements.
    7. Establish and maintain a Code of Standards and to ensure its enforcement through the Standards Board
    8. Coordinate colonization
  2. All powers of the Council are subject to:
    1. This Constitution, the By-Laws, and Council regulations
    2. Rules and regulations of the national fraternities governing the member chapters
    3. All local, state, and national legislation

Article VII: Interfraternity Council Executive Board

  1. The Executive Board of the Council shall be chaired by the Council President and shall consist of the officers listed in Article V, Section A.1. Additionally, the Director of Greek Life or GLO designee shall serve as an ex-officio member.
  2. The Executive Board shall meet routinely to administer Council business and/or periodically to consider special Council business at the discretion of the Council President.
  3. The Executive Board shall appoint all committees and committee chairmen.
  4. The Executive Board shall have the power to change a chapter’s standing under the circumstances listed in Article IV, Section B.

Article VIII: Council Advisor

  1. The Director of Greek Life or his/her designee shall serve as the Council Advisor
  2. The Council Advisor shall advise and assist the Council and its officers, but shall not vote nor have veto power over Council descisions.

Article IX: Parliamentary Procedure

  1. All meetings of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with the basic principles of parliamentary procedure
  2. Any parliamentary disputes shall be decided by consulting the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order

Article X: The By-Laws

  1. By-Laws relating to the specifics of the Council organization, procedures, recruitment, and finances shall accompany this Constitution
  2. By-Laws may be deleted or amended by a two-thirds(2/3) affirmative vote of the council
  3. Proposed By-Laws must be submitted in writing
  4. Proposed By-Laws shall be discussed and modified, if necessary, at the Council meeting during which they are presented. They shall then be tabled until the next regular meeting of the Council, where they will again be discussed and put to a vote
  5. The By-Laws may be temporarily suspended by a three-fourths (3/4) affirmative vote of the Council

Article XI: Ratification and Amendments

  1. This Constitution shall be considered effective when ratified by three-fourths (3/4) of the Chapters currently represented at the Council
  2. This Constitution may be amended by a three-fourths (3/4) affirmative vote

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