Standing Rules

Standing Rules

Revised: November 2008

  1. CONDUCTING CHAPTER BUSINESS VIA OLB MAILING LIST

    1. All official Chapter business and communications, including voting ballots, shall be sent to the membership via the OLB mailing list in standard e-mail format so that all of the OLB membership will be able to receive and read it.
      1. Excluded from use for Chapter business are graphics and all stationery.
        1. Special messages from committees such as Social and Program announcements may include graphics.
      2. Specially designed web pages containing Chapter business may be used as a secondary source, if so desired, as long as the same information is sent by e-mail as stated in section “A” above.
      3. For non business communications, the membership may use HTML fonts, designer stationary, and special web sites as long as they do so with the understanding that some members may not be able to receive or access such information.
    2. All Committee and Officer reports shall be e-mailed to the President by 5:00pm Eastern Time of the Saturday preceding the Chapter meeting, or at the discretion of the President.
      1. The agenda for the upcoming Chapter meeting shall be sent to the OLB list by the President the day prior to the meeting.
      2. Each Officer, committee chair, and any appointee of OLB shall post a year-end report at the May meeting. The report should include a brief outline of activities, any expenses which have been reimbursed by the Chapter, and any expenses/items donated to the Chapter.
    3. The President shall post the Opening Ritual to the list and call the meeting to order.
    4. During the course of the meeting, 3:00pm Eastern Time Sunday through 10:00 pm Eastern Time Tuesday, all members are asked to keep all posting limited to Chapter business.
    5. All members shall send their name as listed on the membership roster (not e-mail address), to the Secretary and the "designated assistant" followed by the word "PRESENT" listed in the "Subject" line prior to the closing of the meeting.
      1. By sending her “PRESENT” to the Secretary and her assistant, a member commits to read all Chapter business and participate fully in the meeting.
    6. In the event the first Sunday of the month should fall on a holiday weekend, the Chapter meeting shall start on the second Sunday of the month. The change of the meeting date shall be announced by the President no later than a week prior to the regular meeting date.
    7. In the event that the server is down, and the Chapter is unable to conduct business on the first Sunday of the month or the first scheduled day of the meeting, the Executive Board shall postpone the meeting until the server is running and in good order. The President shall then submit the Opening Ritual, notifying all members that the meeting has begun.
    8. The Secretary shall post the minutes of the previous month's meeting following the posting of the Opening Ritual.
    9. The President shall post the Closing Ritual at 10:00 pm Eastern Time on the Tuesday following the opening of the meeting.
    10. The President shall post the results of any ballot on motions which were made during the meeting or other voting as soon as possible after the close of the voting period..
    11. Before the close of the meeting, the President shall invite all members to share in "Chapter Chatter" items to be posted after the Closing Ritual and to continue throughout the month.

  2. ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR ON LINE CALLED MEETINGS

    1. Call to Order and posting of agenda
    2. Opening Ritual
    3. Officer's reports
    4. Committee reports
    5. Unfinished Business and Motions
    6. New Business and Motions
    7. Announcement of Program of the Month
    8. Chapter Chatter announcement
    9. Adjournment
    10. Closing Ritual

  3. CHAPTER YEAR

    1. The Chapter year shall consist of 12 meetings, May through April.
      1. The Executive Board may cancel a meeting if said cancellation is in the best interest of the Chapter.
    2. The Chapter birthday is January 5th and shall be acknowledged with a special celebration sometime in the month of January.  It is the responsibility of the Social Committee to plan the celebration as our January social.  The birthday celebration shall be posted on our web site
    3. Founder's Day shall be celebrated each year.  The Executive Board is responsible for planning the Founder's Day celebration which will serve as our April social.  Founder's Day celebration should be posted on our web site.

  4. MEMBERSHIP
    1. Membership of this Chapter shall be limited to 75 active members. Inactive members of the Chapter will be placed on a waiting list at the time they want to return to an active status if the Chapter's active membership has reached 75 members.
    2. Membership shall be made up of members of Beta Sigma Phi listed with International as Active, Leave of Absence or Member-at-Large status. A member must stay current with her International dues and may not be a member of another on line chapter.
    3. All applications for membership shall be made through the Vice-President. A vote of acceptance is not required.
    4. A member shall be placed on inactive status if she is considered "Unexcused" and does not respond "Present" to three consecutive meetings.  
      1. A member in good standing may request a "Leave of Absence" by which she is set to “NO Mail”  from the OLB list for a period of up to 3 months for such reasons as health, vacation, etc. If the time needs to be extended, the approval of the Executive Board will be needed. Such a member will need to make arrangements where her Special Sister obligations are concerned. 
      2. Members may be excluded from membership and the OLB mailing list by unanimous vote of the Executive Board if they exhibit any behavior unbecoming a Beta Sigma Phi. To be excluded, there must be 5 requests sent via e-mail to the Executive Board requesting removal of the member with reasons explained. The Vice-President shall notify the member of the action taken and reasons for removal. The List Administrator shall be notified by the Vice-President to have that member's name deleted from the OLB mailing list.
    5. Members whose accounts repeatedly bounce list mail shall have their membership placed on "inactive" status until such time as they can be contacted either by e-mail or snail mail.
      1. If contact fails to correct the problem, they shall be removed from the membership.
      2. If the problem occurs repeatedly over a six month period, the Executive Board may elect to remove the sister from the membership.

  5. OFFICERS

    1. Elective Officers
      Officers of this Chapter shall assume the same duties as in a Land Chapter in addition to the following:
      1. President: The President shall direct meetings of the Executive Board held via a method agreed upon by the members of the Executive Board.
      2. Vice President: Shall keep all members names, members numbers and e-mail addresses current.
        1. She shall accept applications for membership, check with International to assure that any sister wishing to join OLB is current in her International dues, notify the membership of new members and members who become inactive in the Chapter.
        2. She shall do a yearly check with International to assure that all members are current in their International dues.
        3. She shall conduct pledge training for all new pledges to OLB.
      3. Secretary: Shall e-mail minutes of the meeting to all members for review. She shall notify the Executive Board when a quorum has replied to the monthly reports of business. She shall e-mail a copy of any correspondence to the membership when directed to do so by the Executive Board.
      4. Treasurer: Shall e-mail a receipt to the member sending money and a copy of the receipt to the Vice President. A sister expecting to be reimbursed for expenses must have prior approval of the Executive Board and must submit a voucher to the Treasurer requesting payment.
        1. The books and records of the Treasurer shall be closed for audit 5 days after the end of the May Chapter meeting. Originals or copies of all records shall be mailed, at Chapter's expense, via U.S. Postal Service to a person selected by the Executive Board and to the Incoming Treasurer to audit the books. The audit shall be completed prior to the June Chapter meeting.
        2. At the completion of the audit, if the Chapter does not have its own checking account, the outgoing Treasurer shall write a check for the balance of the Chapter's funds and mail it to the incoming Treasurer.
        3. The Treasurer will set up the Chapter's bank account so that the President and Vice- president shall have signing privileges. In the event the Treasurer can no longer carry on her duties either the President or Vice President will contact the bank regarding transfer of funds, if needed.
    2. Qualifications, Nominations, Elections, and Installation of Officers
      1. Qualifications:
        1. All officers of the Chapter shall be in good standing with OLB and International.
        2. Candidates for Treasurer shall submit personal/business references to the nominating committee for approval.
        3. A member may run for re-election to office to a maximum of two consecutive terms. After being out of office for one year, she may run again for the same office if she wishes.
      2. Nominations:
        1. Nominations shall be made by the nominating
          committee. 
        2. Nominations from the membership shall be accepted by the nominating committee  until February 15.                   
        3. Nominees and their qualifications shall be submitted to the membership via the OLB mailing list by February 28.                    
        4. A candidate for office may post to the list her qualifications, BSP history, offices held, and a brief statement concerning her personal goals for the office and the Chapter for the coming year. Other Chapter members are restricted from advocating the election of any candidate, but are free to post questions regarding a candidate's qualifications to the OLB e-mail list, with responses to be posted there as well.                    
        5. A final slate of nominees shall be submitted to the membership via the OLB mailing list for a vote at the March Chapter meeting.
      3. Elections:
        1. The Teller Committee will count the votes and report the final results to the President, who will inform the membership.
        2. Any tie votes will be re-submitted to the membership as soon as possible with the same procedures of voting and notification.                    
        3. In the event that the nominated slate of Officers is not contested, the Secretary may cast a vote to elect the slate.
      4. Installation:
        1. Officers shall be installed at  the May meeting before the Closing Ritual is posted. The incoming President shall then post the Closing Ritual and open the list for Chapter Chatter.              
        2. The newly-elected officers shall be installed via e-mail by posting their response to the installation rituals.                    
        3. The out-going President shall conduct the installation or appoint someone to act in her place.

  6. EXECUTIVE BOARD

    The Executive Board of OLB shall consist of the following: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and List Administrator.
    1. The List Administrator shall be a non-elected position, and be appointed by the President to serve on a year to year basis and shall be responsible for maintaining the OLB mailing list.
      1. The List Administrator shall inform the President of all passwords and information needed to keep the OLB Mail List functioning smoothly.
      2. Assistant List Administrator
        1. An Assistant List Administrator shall be appointed by either the President or List Administrator to assist the List Administrator as the need arises. This person shall not have a position on the Executive Board.
    2. The Executive Board, after a majority vote, reserves the right to request the resignation of any Chapter Officer that is found not to be performing the duties of her office.
    3. The Executive Board may appoint the past President of the Chapter to serve as an Ex Officio member of the Board. In this position she will serve as an advisor to the Board because of her knowledge of the Chapter's recent history. This position does not carry any voting privileges on matters that come before the Board.
    4. The Executive Board is responsible for  completing the Chapter Yardstick and submitting it to the International Office  prior to June 20th.  Yardstick may be submitted on  line.

  7. COMMITTEES & OTHER APPOINTED POSITIONS 
    1. Committees shall be appointed by the Executive Board. 
    2. Members shall inform the newly-elected President of their interest in serving on a committee via e-mail immediately after elections.
    3. Members may join committees at any time of the year with Board approval.
    4. The committees shall assume the same duties as in a regular Chapter committee unless otherwise specified. All business shall be reported by  the chairman on the OLB mailing list. 
    5. Standing Committees:
      1. Program
        1. Shall choose program topic for the monthly program.
      2. Social
        1. Shall plan a cyber social function to be posted to the list each month.
      3. Special Sister
        1. Shall be responsible for selecting Special Sisters
        2. Shall provide online reminders and ideas.
      4. Sunshine
        1. Shall be responsible for greetings sent to members via e-mail. 
        2. Cyber cards shall be sent or regular cards mailed to a sister on the occasion of  sickness, death of an immediate family member (including parents), engagement, wedding, and birth or adoption of a child.
        3. The committee shall report significant events in the lives of sisters to the membership as soon as possible.
        4. Members learning of significant events in the lives of sisters shall report them to the committee as soon as possible.
        5. The Sunshine Committee shall post a list every month of members who have birthdays, anniversaries and special days during that month.
      5. Teller Committee
        1. Shall be responsible for counting all votes via e-mail and reporting the count to the President.
      6. Historian
        1. Chapter Historian for OLB may consist of one person or a committee.
        2. The Historian shall compile and update past and present history of OLB.
          1. This information should include: OLB Charter (copy), list of charter members, date when OLB was formed and its first meeting, officers for each year & members serving on committees, list of Woman of the Year and Valentine Queen, a record of when each member joined OLB and a memoriam list of sisters who have passed away.
        3. This data shall be kept in e-mail format on the computer of the committee chairman and backed up on a floppy disk for safe keeping in the event of a computer failure.
          1. At the close of the Chapter year, the chairman shall e-mail all OLB history information in "plain text" format to the incoming Historian with a copy going to the incoming President of the Chapter.
          2. As part of her monthly report at Chapter meetings, the chairman may send some "OLB History" to share with the members.
      7. Legacy Committee
        1. Shall be responsible for sending greetings to Legacy members of OLB.
        2. Shall maintain an updated list of Legacy Members and their sponsors.  A release form must be signed by the sponsor, and kept on file by the committee, granting permission to release information via the OLB List.
        3. A birthday card and one other card of the committee?s choice shall be mailed to Legacy member. Cards can be bought or hand made and cost of card plus postage will be reimbursed.
        4. Legacy Day shall be celebrated by any means the committee deems appropriate.
        5. The Legacy Committee will post a list every month of legacies who have birthdays.
    6. Other committees shall be appointed as needed by the President with  the approval of the Executive Board.
    7. Other Appointed Positions
      1. Web Page Designer
        1. The Executive Board shall appoint the Web Page designer.
        2. The Web Page designer shall inform the President of all password information that is needed to make updates to the OLB website.
        3. The Web Page designer shall nominate a capable assistant(s), with the approval of the President. In the event that the web Page designer is unable to perform her duties, the President will authorize the assistant to perform the duties of the web page designer until such time as the designer is able to resume her duties.
      2. Parliamentarian
        1. The Executive Board shall appoint two or more members of the Chapter to serve as Parliamentarians.
          1. The appointees shall have an intimate knowledge of Roberts Rules of Order and be experienced in interpreting them.
          2. The Parliamentarians shall advise the Board on correct procedure as it pertains to the By-Laws and Standing Rules of OLB.
          3. The Parliamentarians shall advise the Board on sorority Traditions as needed.

  8. ATTENDANCE
    1. A member commits to e-mailing her "present" to the Secretary and a second person specified for each monthly meeting. She commits to reading all Chapter reports, participating in monthly programs, voting on motions, and in electing Chapter officers, Woman of the Year and Chapter Queen.
    2. A member shall be excused from meetings or the deadline to post
      "Present" for the following reasons:
      1. Out of Town
        1. Members knowing in advance that they will be out of town shall notify the Secretary prior to the meeting date with their explanation to be excused.
      2. Illness 
      3. Hardware problems
      4. Server problems
        1. Server and/or hardware problems shall be reported to the Secretary as soon as possible and will be counted as an excused absence
    3. A member is permitted 3 consecutive absences from Chapter meetings. When, at the time that the 4th meeting is held, the member does not send in her "present", she shall be contacted and asked to give a more complete explanation of her absences. If her explanations are not in compliance with our Standing Rules in the opinion of the Executive Board, the member may be dropped from membership by vote of the Executive Board.
    4. A member may report her “present” to the Secretary for up to five days after the posting of the Closing Ritual with an acceptable excuse for tardiness.
      1. A member whose computer has crashed, has a virus problem, or a problem with her ISP shall notify a member of the Executive Board as soon as possible. She may request another member to contact the Executive Board on her behalf.
      2. A member reporting technical difficulties as stated above is to be considered "excused" from meetings until the problem is corrected and she can contact the Executive Board.
    5. Make up rules for perfect attendance
      1. Official OLB members will be allowed to make up a missed meeting with an on-line chapter or a land chapter to count towards perfect attendance. Our member will participate, as appropriate, in the business meeting and must participate in the program of the Chapter visited. The OLB member will submit documentation of attendance from the Chapter she visited to the OLB Secretary.
        1. The member is encouraged to share the program of the Chapter she visited with the members of OLB.
      2. A land chapter member or other on-line chapter member may attend a meeting of On-line Beta to make up a meeting, if there is an available spot on our e-mail subscription list. She will be allowed to visit for 7 days (Sat-Fri). She will be encouraged to participate in our program. Our Secretary will provide the visiting sister with documentation of attendance for her cyber or land chapter.
        1. A sister shall be limited to attending no more than 2 meetings of OLB per year for the purpose of a make up meeting. Requests for attending additional meetings shall be at the discretion of the OLB Board.

  9. VOTING

    1. The Teller Committee shall e-mail a ballot to the membership at the close of the monthly meeting. The ballot shall contain all necessary information for voting.
    2. The choice of a vote of "YES" to approve, "NO" to disapprove, or "ABS" to abstain from the motion shall be placed on the ballot next to each item.
    3. The voting period shall be six days from the date the  ballot is posted to the OLB list.
    4. If there is not a majority reporting their votes to the Teller Committee, the President may resubmit the motion for a vote at the next meeting, requesting the membership to reply. If a majority again does not reply, the motion shall be ruled defeated by the President.
      1. All OLB members in good standing are eligible to vote in the election for new officers, Woman of the Year and Chapter Queen.
        1. Members who know that they will not have a computer available to them during the voting periods for the above mentioned elections may request an early ballot from the teller committee.
      2. Other items voted on, such as changes in the Standing Rules shall require an affirmative majority vote of the members that  were present at that last meeting.

  10. OLB AND BETA SIGMA PHI INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET

    1. The Executive Board must approve all information that is placed on the Internet concerning the Chapter.
    2. A member must give permission before her e-mail address or other personal  information can be posted on the Internet.
    3. No homepages shall contain information about the Chapter without Executive Board approval.
    4. Any OLB internet site approved by International and the OLB Executive Board shall be submitted to link to The Beta Journal.
    5. The OLB mailing list is a private list and its e-mail address shall not be part of any addressed or forwarded e-mail to any person outside of Online Beta.

  11. SPECIAL SISTERS
    1. New Special Sisters will be assigned during the month of June. Each sister wishing to participate must request the assignment of a Special  Sister by the Special Sister Committee. If no request is received by the Special Sister Committee, no Special Sister will be assigned.
    2. By participating, a sister commits to taking part in Special Sister exchanges for the entire year. If circumstances require withdrawal from Special Sister participation, a sister will give the committee one month's notice.
    3. Special Sister responsibilities begin July 1 and go through June 30.
    4. The Special Sister program will be separated into two lists.
      1. List A: Special Sisters will exchange cyber greeting cards and  cyber gifts for all holidays and other special occasions.  One actual  gift (value $10 - $15) will be sent during the December holiday season; other  small gifts (hankies, bookmarks, tea bag, etc.) MAY be sent, but one  gift is required. Members may elect to have a special sister in her own  country if that is a concern.  
      2. List B:  Special Sisters will send only cyber cards and cyber gifts for holidays and  other special occasions.
    5. A new  member choosing to participate will be assigned a Special Sister from the list  of her preference.
  12. TRADITIONS

    1. Special Recognition: Woman of the Year
      1. The President shall name a committee to coordinate the selection of  the Woman of the Year. The committee  may consist of only the current Woman of the Year.
      2. Members may submit nominations to the Committee beginning at the meeting in March. Nominations must state reasons for the submission. Nominations will be compiled and submitted to the membership for a vote at the April meeting. 
        1. A sister may not be selected Woman of the Year in two consecutive years.
      3. The Committee shall tally the votes following the April meeting, and  will release the results to the membership as part of our Founder's Day program, with a copy going to International as soon as the result is official.
      4. In the event that the vote is a tie, all of the members tied will be honored.
      5. With her permission, a photo of the Woman of the Year may be submitted to the Torch and The Beta Journal.
      6. A gift to recognize her selection as Woman of the Year  will be selected and sent to the honoree as soon as possible. The gift and mailing costs shall not exceed $25.00. If the honoree wishes, she may elect to receive the WOY Circle Pin and/or On line Bar from the International Gift Catalog. Any remaining funds from the $25.00, may be returned to the Chapter or spent on a small gift depending on the wishes of the honoree.
    2. Chapter Queen
      1. The President shall name a committee to coordinate the selection of the Chapter Queen. The committee may consist of only the previous year's Queen.
      2. Nominations from the membership shall be sent to the committee during the month of January.
        1. A sister may not be selected Valentine Queen in two consecutive years.
      3. Candidates will be presented at the February meeting for a vote by the membership.
      4. The Committee will present the Queen to the Chapter and notify International as soon as the results are official.
      5. With her permission, a photo of the Queen may be submitted to the Torch and The Beta Journal.
      6. A gift to recognize the new Queen shall be selected by the outgoing Queen and sent as soon as possible after the announcement. Gift and mailing cost shall not exceed $25.
        1. A crown pin / brooch shall be sent unless the new queen has other preferences.
    3. The present WOY and present Queen shall consult the Treasurer to determine how much is available to be spent on the new honoree's gifts. At no time shall the cost of each gift with shipping charges exceed $25.

  13. AMENDMENTS

    1. Amendments to the Standing Rules of On Line Beta shall require a majority vote of the membership present at a meeting.

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