CONSTITUTION OF SIGMA SOCIETY OF

NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

Revised August 2014
ARTICLE I
Name
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be SIGMA SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY.
ARTICLE II
Objectives
Section 1: The objectives of Sigma Society shall be:
To be of service to the university and community
To cooperate with the authorities in building a university with high standards and ideals
To prepare young women to assume leadership roles in the business and professional world
and in community affairs
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1: Membership in this Sigma Society shall be for young women who show initiative and
leadership in the university and citizenship records.
Section 2: Membership shall be by successful completion of Pledge Requirements.
Section 3: Members are required to attend all regularly scheduled meetings as well as mandatory
Sigma events.
Section 4: An excused absence shall consist of work, class, illness, emergency, SI, group project, or
just cause approved by the executive board.
Section 5: Members are to abide by the disciplinary system as stated in the Sigma Society
Constitution. (See Article VII: Disciplinary Procedures of the Bylaws)
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 1: The officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Fundraising
Chair, Service Co-chairs (2), Recruitment Co-Chairs (2), Parliamentarian, Public Relations
Chair, and Bridal Show Co-chairs (2). The organization may choose on a yearly basis
whether to participate in Homecoming activities. At this time, two Homecoming Chairs will
be selected.
Section 2: The officers shall be elected in March of the current year and installed during the
Activation banquet, held with convenience for the Sigma Society of that current year. All
officer nominees must have completed one year of membership prior to taking office on the
executive board. The runner up will fill an empty position, if there are no other runner ups
a mini election will be held. Those wishing to run must be an active member throughout
the entire election process.
Section 3: The executive board shall meet prior to meetings.
Section 4: Duties of the officers are as follows:

The President shall preside over all meetings of the Society and shall represent the Society
in student activities when necessary. She shall appoint all committees, and shall be an exofficio member of all such committees. The President shall oversee all officers transitions
and file transfers. A presidential nominee must have at least one year experience on the
executive board.

The Vice President shall assist the President and shall perform the duties of the President in
her absence and shall preside over all executive meetings. The Vice President shall serve as
chairman of the Social Event Committee and is responsible for planning informal and
formal.

The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all Sigma Society meetings and send out those
minutes to members and sponsors. The Secretary shall maintain a record of membership
and attendance by keeping up-to-date contact information and taking roll call at each
meeting, emailing future members, and shall conduct all official correspondence through
the Sigma Society email account.

The Treasurer shall collect all dues

, keep an account of all receipts and expenditures, and make financial reports to the Society
periodically throughout each semester. The Treasurer will also prepare an annual budget
for the chapter. The Treasurer shall maintain the organizations checking account and
reimburse any expenses or pay any bills incurred by the chapter.

The Historian shall maintain an accurate history of the chapter, create a slideshow for each
year, send out a newsletter to alumni each semester, and maintain the chapter scrapbook
pages.

The Service Chairs shall investigate service projects, present them to the members, and
supervise and direct the completion of the projects chosen by the club. Each month, the
service chairs are to collect the members service journals and maintain a record of each
members completed hours. The chairs are responsible for contacting the Volunteer Service
office for more service opportunities and shall preside over all service committee meetings.

The Recruitment Chairs shall get pledges actively involved and inform pledges of the
operations and requirements of Sigma Society. They shall organize and publicize both a fall
and spring rush, plan the pledge period schedule and associated activities and ceremonies,
supervise the pledge class as it completes its service project requirements, ensure all pledge
requirements are fulfilled, and inform the active chapter of each pledges status of fulfilling
requirements.

In the case that Sigma Society chooses to participate in Homecoming, the Homecoming
Chairs shall attend all homecoming meetings, keep members up-to-date on homecoming
activities, finalize float, jalopy, banner, canned art and clown ideas, keep track of hours,
design and plan all homecoming projects, acquire all materials needed for projects, find a
trailer and pomp site, make sure all paperwork and fees are turned in, find a truck and
driver for float (if applicable), oversee the building of the float (if applicable), oversee the
clowns and skit, and organize build day and walkout day.

The Bridal Show Chairs shall organize the Bridal Show and appoint and supervise the
various committees. They shall book the venue, find a decorator, organize and contact
vendors, organize and contact bridal shops, design publicity (radio, flyers, t-shirts, TV, etc.),
distribute publicity, contact mass media to publicize event, run the event, create letter to
send to potential vendors and bridal shops, hold meetings with other co-chairs, meet with
decorator, and coordinate models.

The Fundraising Chair shall organize fundraising activities (at least one per semester),
appoint and supervise various committees, call local businesses for donations, and keep
track of fundraising hours.

The Parliamentarian shall be responsible for keeping order in all meetings. She will also
keep a record of each members demerits by working closely with the other members of the
Executive Board. The Parliamentarian shall maintain the organizations disciplinary system
and contact members when needed for disciplinary issues.

The Public Relations Chair shall handle the PR needs of the organization. This includes all
event and organization publicity and distribution of publicity, maintaining the
organizations website (http://nwmsusigmasociety.wordpress.com) and social media sites,
and helping to design t-shirts covered by dues. - add

ARTICLE V
Nomination and Election of Officers
Section 1: By the last meeting in March, open nominations will be held. Prior to open nominations, a
meeting will be held to discuss nominating procedures.
Section 2: The election shall take place when convenient for the Sigma Society of that current year. A
majority, one half plus one, shall elect. The President shall abstain from voting unless there
is a case of a tie.
Section 3: In the event of an Executive Board member relinquishing or being removed from her
position, the remaining Executive Board members shall appoint her replacement. The
runner up will fill an empty position, if there are no other runner ups a mini election will be
held. Those wishing to run must be an active member throughout the entire election
process.
ARTICLE VI
Dues
Section 1: For returning members, the dues shall be $50.00 per year ($25.00 per semester) and must
be paid by the prescribed time selected by the Society. For first semester actives, the dues
shall be $55.00 per year ($30.00 the semester of initiation into Sigma Society and $25.00
the following semester.)
Section 2: Members will receive one t-shirt per active semester.
ARTICLE VII
Necessary and Proper Clause
Section 1: The Sigma Society Executive Board retains the right to make decisions using their best
judgment in the interest of the group if an issue should ever arise requiring immediate
action.

BYLAWS FOR SIGMA SOCIETY OF NWMSU

ARTICLE I
Admission to Membership
Section 1: Once pledge requirements have been met, membership invitations will be extended to
desirable pledges. Completion of requirements does not guarantee acceptance into Sigma
Society.
Section 2: The Executive Board members shall investigate the eligibility and desirability of the
proposed member.
General Pledge-ship
Section 3:
Pledges will be taken in the fall and spring semesters and will become active members
before the end of that semester
Pledges will not pay dues until they become active.
Pledges will not have any vote in the society until they become active, but they must fulfill the
requirements that an active must fulfill in the constitution, as well as pledge-ship requirements
(i.e. homecoming hours, bridal show).
Failure to complete above requirements will result in a meeting with the Sigma Society
executive board.
Pledge Requirements
Section 4: Pledges must memorize the pledge.
Section 5: Pledges must wear pledge pins before and during chapter meetings on Mondays
until activation.
Section 6: Participate in service activities:
Pledges are required to participate in 20 hours of service per semester.
Ten of the 20 hours must be completed by their activation date.
Turn in service journals with hours to the Service Chairs.
Section 7: In the situation that Sigma Society chooses to participate in Homecoming activities, pledges
are required to participate in said activities. This includes:

Participate in judged Homecoming activities (IE: clowns, banner, skit, canned art)
Work the required amount of hours on the float
Finish up any last minute details on Walk Out Day
Tear the float down on Sunday of Homecoming weekend
o If unable to participate in any Homecoming activities the member will be
required to do make-up homecoming hours. Homecoming disciplinary actions
will be decided on a situational basis by the Homecoming Chairs.

Section 8: Pledges are required to complete a pledge project assigned to them by the recruitment
chairs.
Section 9: Pledges must work together to plan one Sigma Society event. This can be, but is not
limited to, any end of the semester activity such as the Christmas party or Family Day.
Section 10: Pledges are required to obtain and turn in an absence sheet at least 48 hours in advance of
an absence. From 48 hours until the time of the event, pledges must contact the
responsible committee chair via phone call in addition to filling out the absence form. Not
following proper protocol will result in a strike.
Section 11: Pledges are to abide by the disciplinary system as stated in the Sigma Society Constitution.
(Article VII: Disciplinary Procedures of the Bylaws)

Section 12: Pledges are required to attend mandatory events and events in which the pledge willingly
signed up to participate. If a pledge cannot attend an event after committing to attend,
they must contact the President or responsible committee chair before the event. If the
reason for missing is not an excused absence the pledge is responsible for finding
a replacement for the event.
Section 13: Pledges are required to create and turn in a scrapbook page.
Section 14: Pledges are required to attend all pledge meetings. If a pledge meeting is missed, from the
beginning of the pledge process, the pledge must meet with the recruitment co-chairs.
Section 15: Pledges cannot start the pledge process after the first two pledge meetings have occurred.
Pledges will be asked to pledge the next semester.
Section 16: Pledges may participate in discussion but are unable to vote in any voting process until
they have been activated.

ARTICLE II
Continued Membership
Section 1: Remember the pledge
Section 2: Wear proper Sigma attire before and during chapter meetings on Mondays as specified.
Section 3: Participate in service activities:

Actives are required to participate in at least 20 hours of service per semester

Turn in service journals to the Service Chairs by the specified time
Failure to meet service requirements will result in a membership review by the executive board

Section 4: In the situation that Sigma Society chooses to participate in Homecoming activities,
actives are required to participate in said activities. This includes:

Work the required amount of hours on the float

Finish up any last minute details on Walk Out Day
Help if needed on Homecoming Day
Tear the float down on Sunday of Homecoming weekend
o If unable to participate in any Homecoming activities, the member will be required to
do make-up homecoming hours. Homecoming disciplinary actions will be decided on a
situational basis by the Homecoming Chairs.

Section 5: Attend events planned by pledges.

Section 6: Actives are required and turn in an absence form at least 48 hours in advance of
an absence. From 48 hours until the time of the event, actives must contact the responsible
committee chair via phone call in addition to filling out the absence form. Not following
proper protocol will result in a strike.
Section 7: Actives are required to attend mandatory events and events in which they willingly signed
up to participate. If an active is unable to attend an event after committing to attend, they
must contact the President or responsible committee chair before the event. If the
reasoning for missing is not excusable the active is responsible for
finding a replacement for the event.
Section 8: By the end of a members second active semester in Sigma Society, they must have one
daughter. This will be a first come first serve basis. If extenuating circumstances exist
where a member cannot fulfill this requirement, the Executive Board shall make the final
determination if said member will be excused from taking a daughter.

ARTICLE III
Alumni Status
Section 1: Alumni status shall be awarded to members upon reaching their graduation, student
teaching, or other commitments for her last academic semester.
Section 2: If on a leave of absence and not planning to return to the organization before her
graduation or other commitments, alumni status must be requested prior to being
considered and possibly awarded.
Section 3: For extenuating circumstances the exec board reserves the right to award any member who
requests it, alumni status.
o Upon this decision, a one page paper must be submitted reflecting her experience
while in Sigma Society and a brief explanation as to why alumni status is sought.
ARTICLE IV
Committees
Section 1: At each meeting, each chairperson shall give any necessary reports and call meetings as
needed.
Section 2: No committee may exceed the expenditures authorized by the president. All moneys
collected by any committee shall be paid to the treasurer.
ARTICLE V
Dues
Section 1: Sigma Society dues will be paid each semester. The payment date will be announced by the
Sigma Society treasurer at least two weeks in advance. Any active member who fails to pay
their dues by midnight of the date specified by the treasurer will pay an increase of five
dollars every day they are late (up to fifty dollars at the maximum). Any member that fails
to pay their dues by the first day of the next semester will have their membership
terminated. Penalties may be waived with the discretion of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VI
Leave of Absence
Section 1: A leave of absence may be granted by the board for a semester, in case of applicants illness,
travels, temporary removal from the community or university, student teaching, or other
just cause. Any leave of absence granted may not exceed two total semesters.
Section 2: A leave of absence shall only be allowed to be requested by the Friday after the first two
meetings of the current semester. Any requests after the first two week time period shall
only be for extenuating circumstances such as family emergency, withdraw from the
university, etc. All leaves of absence will be approved or denied upon the discretion of the
executive board.
ARTICLE VII
Events
Section 1: Any person under the age of 18 shall not be allowed to attend any Sigma Society social event
where alcohol is being served without a liability form signed by a legal guardian.
Section 2: Each Sigma society member is responsible for her and her guest(s) actions.
ARTICLE VIII
Amendments
Section 1: These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any business meeting of the
organization, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given in writing to all
members no later than the previous regular business meeting.

ARTICLE VIII
Disciplinary Procedures
Section 1: The disciplinary system is to be maintained by the Parliamentarian.
Section 2: Disciplinary procedures will apply to both actives and pledges.
Section 3: Disciplinary procedures will be known as the Strike System.
Section 4: Each Member will follow a three strike system.

Strikes will be given as follows:

o Receiving two warnings
o Not showing up to a mandatory event or an event in which the member willingly signed
up to participate
o Not meeting requirements for service or fundraising (a strike will be given for each hour
a member has not completed)
o Unexcused absences
o Falsification on hours
o Not appearing in front of the Executive Board after second strike
o Not meeting requirements stated in constitution
o Missing a meeting or mandatory event without following proper protocol under the 48
hour rule
Warnings will be given as follows
o Talking during meetings
o Using cell phones during meetings
o Turning in service journals later than the specified time
o Unacceptable dress before or during meetings
o Late payments
o Arriving more than 5 minutes late and/or at the wrong time to a meeting or event that
you committed to (service, homecoming, fundraising, Bridal Show) or any other
mandatory event
o Not meeting hour requirements for Homecoming (if applicable, a warning will be given
for each hour a member has not completed)
o Leaving a meeting or mandatory event early without following proper protocol
o Not paying for an ordered item within the time frame specified by the chair the item is
ordered from (i.e. shirt, sweatshirt, etc.)
Consequences
o Two warnings will result in one strike.
o The Executive Board will receive strikes for all of the above discretions.
o One strike will result in the member being notified of disciplinary action through email
o Two strikes will result in the member coming in front of the Executive Board to discuss
membership
o Three strikes will result in permanent dismissal from the organization.