Section 2: The organizational units of the National Pan-Hellenic Council shall be the following incorporated undergraduate fraternity and sorority chapters: Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, Iota Phi Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Gamma Rho, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

Section 1: The purpose of this organization shall be:

a. to serve as the governing body of all affiliate organizations

b. to promote higher standards of scholarship, a greater degree of culture, closer social fellowship and a stronger inter-fraternal spirit among the affiliate members;

c. to coordinate most activities to benefit member organizations;

d. to stimulate affiliate organizations to foster and sponsor projects which encourage educational, moral and cultural progress of the campus and community;

e. to serve as a forum for the consideration of issues or mutual interest to affiliate organizations; and

f. to educate the Tulane University population about NPHC and its member organizations.

ARTICLE III: COUNCIL STRUCTURE

Section 1: The Council shall have advisers who shall consist of the professional staff from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Programs and appointed faculty/alumni advisers by the NPHC.

Section 2: The Council shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and delegates of the member organizations.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Tulane University National Pan-Hellenic Council shall be open to the nine recognized historically black Greek organizations who are in good standing with the University and their respective local, regional and international bodies.

Section 1: Active members shall be those organizations meeting the criteria of this Constitution and have met all financial obligations and responsibilities of active members. To be eligible for membership an organization must meet the following requirements:

a. the organization must have an active charter on campus;

b. each organization must be in good standing with their local, regional and international bodies; and

c. each organization must update their chapter rolls with the NPHC Secretary once each semester.

Section 2: Inactive membership are those organizations who are:

a. currently suspended;

b. excessive lack of participation and/or violation of the NPHC attendance policy; and/or

c. not participated in an event the Council deemed as mandatory.

Section 3: To be reinstated into the Tulane National Pan-Hellenic Council, the organization must submit a letter of intent to the NPHC President and Adviser, and follow the requirements for active membership in the TU-NPHC. The governing body has final approval for reinstatement.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS

Section 1: Regular meetings of the Council shall be held at least bi-monthly at a place to be designated by the Council. The day and time of these meetings shall be established by the Council.

Section 2:

a. Special meetings may be held only after notice has been given to the President or delegate of each member organization.

b. Emergency meetings shall be any meeting that is called within 48 hours without written notice.

c. The attendance policy shall be enforced at Special and Emergency meetings.

d. Special/Emergency meetings shall be called by the President and/or Adviser of the TU-NPHC.

Section 3: No official business shall be transacted at a special meeting, except that for which the meeting has been called.

Section 4: Name of delegate must be submitted to the Executive Board by the first TU-NPHC meeting of the semester.

Section 5: The delegate or the Chapter President for that semester must be present at each meeting in order to vote at that meeting. If none of the aforementioned can be present, they must contact either the President or Secretary of the TU-NPHC at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Section 6:

a. Attendance shall be taken at the start of each meeting.

b. After one unexcused missed meeting, the chapter in question will be fined $10.00.

c. Fines obtained for missed meetings must be paid by the next meeting.

d. Fines not paid by the next meeting will result in an additional fine of $25.00.

e. One semester constitutes a complete attendance cycle.

Section 7: Quorum shall constitute at least two-thirds of the member organizations who are in good standing with the Council and the University.

Section 8: All meetings shall be conducted in accordance to Robert Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section 1: The Executive Board of the TU-NPHC shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian.

Section 2: The President shall have the following duties:

a. preside over all meetings of the Council;

b. appoint with the help of the Executive Board, all standing committees, Directors and Ad Hoc Committees, as necessary;

c. submit a written report following the term of office to be filed in the TU-NPHC files with the TU-NPHC Adviser. Format of which to be specified by the Adviser;

d. represent the TU-NPHC at all official functions of the University,

e. serve on a committee along with the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Programs upon receipt of an official complaint against a sorority/fraternity, and

f. shall vote in case of a tie.

Section 3: The Vice President shall have the following duties:

a. preside at meetings of the Council in the absence of the President;

b. be responsible for the proper functioning of the TU-NPHC standing committees assigned at the start of the term in office by the Executive Board;

c. report to the Executive Board on the standing of these committees;

d. work with the Executive Board in appointing memberships to all committees;

e. attend the chairperson's committee meetings as they see fit;

f. shall educate the Council as to issues of risk reduction;

g. shall educate chapter social chairs each semester;

h. serve as a representative of the TU-NPHC as deemed necessary by the TU-NPHC President; and

i. submit a written report following the term of office to be filed in the TU-NPHC files and with the TU-NPHC Adviser. Format of which to be specified by the Adviser.

Section 4: The Secretary shall have the following duties:

a. prepare and preserve an accurate account of all NPHC meetings, furnishing copies to all members groups within 48 hours after the meeting;

b. call the roll of each individual representative chapter at the start of each TU-NPHC meeting;

c. handle all correspondence; and

d. submit a written report following the term of office to be filed in the NPHC files and with the NPHC Adviser. Format of which to be specified by the Adviser.

Section 5: The Treasurer shall have the following duties:

a. keep accurate accounts of all financial aspects of the Council and make reports of the same at each meeting;

b. submit a written report for the minutes;

c. authorize all warrants and financial disbursements approved by the TU-NPHC;

d. devise a semester budget for the approval of the Council;

e. keep a current and accurate report of the financial status of each (Council) member.

f. present all financial records, checkbooks, and bank statements, along with a written annual report, of the previous fiscal year at the January meeting, and prepare the financial report required by the National office when required; and

g. to maintain the budgets of the individual committees.

Section 6: The Parliamentarian shall have the following duties:

a. responsible for knowing and administering Robert Rules of Order; and

b. execute Robert Rules of Order at each meeting.

c. be knowledgeable of Constitution and By-Laws of the TU-NPHC

ARTICLE VII: REMOVAL

Section 1: Any member of the TU-NPHC shall be able to initiate removal procedures of an officer of the Council on the following grounds:

a. Not carrying out duty.

b. Mismanagement or misuse of TU-NPHC funds.

c. Not maintaining the minimum required credit hours (12) or 2.0 cumulative grade point average during the course of office.

d. Inappropriate conduct and/or behavior.

Section 2: The removal procedure shall be as follows:

a. Said Council member shall contact the President of the TU-NPHC in the case of other elected officers, or the Vice President in the case of the President, and shall submit to the office a written statement including substantiated grounds for removal of the officer in question.

b. The notified officer shall contact the officer in question and state that removal procedures have been initiated against said officer.

c. At the following TU-NPHC meeting, any member of the Executive Council shall read the statement of removal intent. The Council member submitting the statement and the officer in question may answer questions. A vote on removal will occur at the next scheduled meeting.

d. A two-thirds vote of the Council will be necessary to remove the officer.

e. If a two-thirds vote is received, the officer shall be considered removed and shall be replaced according to the procedure described in Article VII, Section 4.

Section 3: Any executive member belonging to a chapter which is suspended, the removal procedure shall be left up to the Council.

ARTICLE VIII: ELECTIONS AND VOTING

Section 1: Nominations for officers shall be taken at the last meeting in the month of February.

Section 2: Eligibility

Nominees must have completed one full semester of chapter membership prior to taking office
Delegates or Chapter President for that semester cannot be a member of the TU-NPHC Executive Board.
All prospective officers shall be members of one of the active aforementioned member organizations in good standing and must be an eligible full-time student of Tulane (i.e. 12 credit hours with a cumulative 2.00 grade point average).
No chapter may hold more than two officer positions.
Nominees must have attended three or more TU-NPHC meetings

Section 3: Elections shall be held at the second council meeting in the month of March and shall serve for a term of one calendar year.

Section 4: Officers will be inducted during the last meeting of the academic year. This allows for a training and transition period between March and May.

Section 5: Officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the voting delegates of the Council with each member organization having one vote.

Section 6: If an officer position (other than President) becomes vacant, the Executive Board shall appoint a replacement. If the presidency becomes vacant, the Vice President shall temporarily fill the position until a special election can be held.

ARTICLE IX: COMMITTEES

Section 1: The TU-NPHC shall have the following standing committees: Academic, Public Relations, Service, and Programming.

Section 2: The Academic Committee shall be responsible for recognizing once each semester all NPHC students who excel academically and shall coordinate any other programs deemed necessary to enhance the academic enrichment of the Council.

Section 3: The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for all advertisement, publicity, publications and presentations of the TU-NPHC.

Section 4: The Service Committee shall be responsible for the coordination of community service projects for the Council, and working with the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils on joint programs.

Section 5: The Programming Committee shall be responsible for the planning of all-Greek social functions sponsored by the TU-NPHC, and planning any activities that are needed for fund raising projects.

ARTICLE X: FINANCE

Section 1: Dues for the TU-NPHC shall be $10.00 per semester for every active member of each member organization of the TU-NPHC who attends Tulane.

Section 2: All warrants and financial disbursements approved by the Council shall be authorized by the President and Treasurer of the Council.

ARTICLE XI: JUDICIAL PROCEDURES

Section 1: PHILOSOPHY

The Greek community at Tulane University has guidelines and agreements which serve as a framework for acceptable behavior. In order to uphold the standards that have been set by the TU-NPHC and Tulane University, the TU-NPHC established the NPHC Judicial Committee.

As part of the Tulane Greek community, each chapter and individual member shares the responsibility to act as positive members of the community. If a chapter or an individual member does not meet their obligations and violates a policy set forth by the Greek community or Tulane University, the NPHC Judicial Committee may conduct a disciplinary hearing to review alleged acts of misconduct.

Section 2: JURISDICTION

a. The TU-NPHC through it's judicial committee, has power of supervision over it's member chapters. Regulations are published in the TU-NPHC Constitution and By-Laws. Recommendations of the TU-NPHC Judicial Committee are subject to approval or modification by the Vice President for Student Affairs or designated representative. Violations of the Code of Student Conduct may, at the discretion of the Vice President for Student Affairs or designated representative, be referred to the University judicial system or to the TU-NPHC for adjudication.

b. There is no minimum number of fraternity/sorority members who must be involved in an incident before disciplinary action may be taken by the Judicial Committee.

c. There may be instances when a violation will be reviewed by the Committee, but no action will be taken against the entire chapter for insufficient grounds.

d. The TU-NPHC Judicial Committee may convene to review regulations that may be unconstitutional.

Section 3: MEMBERSHIP

a. The TU-NPHC Executive Board and one delegate from each NPHC chapter shall serve as official members of the Judicial Committee.

b. The names of the judicial delegate and alternate shall be submitted at the beginning of the semester.

c. The President of the NPHC shall serve as the Chairperson of the Judicial Committee. The Chairperson will preside at all meetings and will rule on all questions of order and procedure. In this capacity, s/he will schedule hearings, provide appropriate evidence, and witnesses, ensure that all involved have been notified of the hearing, read the charges, and summarize the relevant information for the record as the first step of the hearing process. The Chairperson shall be responsible for writing referral and recommendation letters.

d. In the case of a Judicial Committee member's chapter being involved, that member shall remove him/herself from the deliberations and decisions of that case. If the Chairperson's chapter is involved in the hearing, the Vice President of the NPHC shall serve as the Chairperson. If the Vice President cannot serve as Chairperson because his/her chapter is involved in the hearing, the Treasurer of the NPHC shall serve as Chairperson.

e. The professional staff from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Programs shall serve as the Advisers to the Judicial Committee. The Adviser is an ex-officio member and shall not participate in voting. The Adviser will witness the entire hearing process to ensure due process.

Section 4: VOTING

a. A quorum shall consist of at least 2/3 of the committee members, not including the Chairperson. There must be quorum to convene a hearing and to call for a vote.

b. In the case of a vote, majority shall rule.

c. The Chairperson of the Judicial Committee shall vote in the case of a tie.

Section 5: PROCEDURES

a. An official complaint in writing must be received by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Programs. Official referrals to the TU-NPHC Judicial Committee must be made by the Assistant VP for Student Affairs.

b. Should a hearing be deemed necessary, the involved parties will be notified in writing at least 48 hours prior to the hearing.

c. If a hearing is deemed necessary, it will take place within 3 – 5 business days.

d. Upon receipt of the official hearing notification letter, the President of the charged chapter should schedule an appointment to meet with the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Programs to review the hearing procedure and due process.

Section 6: HEARING PROCESS

a. All meetings will be closed to the public.

b. Attendance by the Chapter President or official chapter representative is required. If a representative from the charged chapter is absent from the scheduled hearing or voluntarily leaves during the hearing, the case may be heard in his/her absence.

c. Rights of parties during hearings:

1. The President of the charged chapter has the right to be present, to hear and question all witnesses, and to examine all evidence, including all written documentation presented to the Judicial Committee.

2. The parties have the right to call witnesses on their behalf.

3. The charged party has the right to have one adviser (i.e. faculty or staff adviser, etc.) present during the hearing. The adviser may not present evidence or make motions. His/her role is simply to advise the chapter but not to actively participate in the hearing process.

4. The complainant shall have the same rights as the charged (i.e., the right to call witnesses, the right to have an adviser present, etc.).

Section 7: SANCTIONS

a. The Judicial Committee has the authority to assign one or more of the following seven sanctions for violations of their codes:

1. Fines;

2. A letter of warning, specifying needed changes in behavior;

3. Assignment of special projects and/or service to be completed by the organization's membership;

4. Exclusion from Greek activities;

5. A period of probation with a time limit and specified conditions under the supervision of the NPHC and social suspension for a specified period of time;

6. A recommendation that the University recognition of a chapter be withdrawn; and

7. Other sanctions as deemed necessary by the committee.

Section 8: APPEALS

a. A letter requesting an appeal must be submitted to the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students within five business days upon receipt of the sanction letter.

b. An appeal may request that sanctions be reduced or eliminated or that the case be referred back to the Judicial Committee for further review. In the initial appeal request, the charged chapter must specify in writing the rationale for the appeal. If the requesting chapter fails to provide the necessary information to the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students within the specified time period, the appeal may not be granted, and the previous decision will be final.

The grounds for an appeal can be requested as a result of the following conditions:

1. When a sanction is grossly disproportionate to the offense.

2. When the specified procedural errors in the interpretation of the NPHC or University regulations are so substantial as to deny the accused chapter a fair hearing.

3. When new and significant evidence appears which could not have been discovered by a diligent accused chapter before or during the original hearing.

4. When the evidence suggests that the finding of a violation was arbitrary and capricious. An arbitrary and capricious violation is defined as one unsupported by any evidence.

c. Appeal Board Membership

1. The Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students shall serve as the Chairperson of the Appeal Board.

2. The Associate Dean of Students shall be a permanent member.

3. One student chosen by the TU-NPHC Executive Board shall be a member. The student will serve a one-year term. The student should not be a part of the TU-NPHC Judicial Committee.

d. Appeal procedure

1. The Appeal Board shall review written information presented at the original hearing and subsequent written statements by all parties involved regarding the rationale for the appeal. If additional information is needed to make a final decision, the Appeal Board may decide to meet with witnesses who gave testimony at the hearing.

2. Following the review of the appeal, the Appeal Board will send a letter informing the charged chapter of the Board's decision within five business days.

ARTICLE XII: ACTIVITY/PARTY SCHEDULING

Section 1: By the second meeting of each semester, each organization's dates for their respective events must be submitted in order to be included on the NPHC calendar.

Section 2: If a change is necessary, notification to the TU-NPHC must be made two weeks in advance. Involved groups will be expected to compromise and negotiate an equitable solution. Community service functions take precedence over social functions.

Section 3: If the funds from a social event are to be used for a community service project, it should be stated from the onset and printed on all publicity.

Section 4: All chapters are expected to follow the TU-NPCH and/or Tulane University social function policies.

Section 5: It is expected that the TU-NPHC will sponsor one community service event/project and one social event per semester. These events will be coordinated by the Service or Programming Committees respectively.

Section 6: It is expected that a minimum of ten percent (10%) or one member of each chapter, whichever is greater, will attend each open event sponsored by another chapter.

ARTICLE XIII: BY-LAWS

The TU-NPHC may establish by-laws to this constitution provided that such by-laws shall not conflict with the provisions herein, and further provided that such by-laws be introduced by a member of the TU-NPHC, read and passed by the two-thirds vote at two consecutive meetings of the NPHC.

ARTICLE XIV: AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote of the voting delegates of the Active group membership of the TU-NPHC at two consecutive meetings.

Adopted spring 2006.

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