RULE 1: MEMBERSHIP
“The members, each of whom shall have one vote, shall be: (a) A delegate, elected by and from the active members of each undergraduate chapter in good standing; (b) A delegate elected by and from each alumni chapter in good standing; (c) the several Past Grand Consuls; and (d) the Grand Consul.” [Constitution –Article IV-B]
RULE 2: CREDENTIALS
Delegates and alternates of both undergraduate and alumni chapters must have been active members of said active or alumni chapter within the period of ninety (90) days preceding the Grand Chapter, shall hold credentials executed by the presiding officer and recording officers of the chapter represented and giving authority for such representation, and must be recorded on said chapter’s most recently filed annual or semi-annual report. No delegate or alternate to the Grand Chapter shall represent more than one chapter. An undergraduate is ineligible to be the delegate or alternate of an alumni chapter and an alumnus is ineligible to be the delegate or alternate of an undergraduate chapter except in situations of a senior graduating within ninety (90) days preceding the Grand Chapter. [ECR 4.08-1]
RULE 3: CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE
The credentials of each delegate and alternate shall be filed with the Credentials Committee, and the Credentials Committee, upon receipt of said credentials, shall certify to and file a list of the names of the accredited delegates and alternates with the Annotator of the Grand Chapter for the approval of the members of this Grand Chapter. This list shall be available at least six (6) hours prior to the opening business session and updated regularly for subsequent sessions. Any delegate wishing to contest the credentials of any delegate shall file a written contest with an explanation of the objection with the Grand Chapter Annotator or the Chairman of the Credentials Committee. Such appeals must be heard by the Credentials Committee in a prompt and timely manner and reported immediately to the Grand Chapter.
RULE 4: QUORUM
A Quorum shall consist of the duly certified and registered delegates from a majority of the chapters. (The Grand Consul and the Past Grand Consuls, while members of the Grand Chapter, are not included in determining a quorum.) [Statute 4.08]
At the discretion of the Presiding Officer and in the interest of saving time, registered delegates who have signed in at a business session may be counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists, unless ten percent (10%) or more qualified voters demand a manual count of delegates present.
RULE 5: RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION
An undergraduate or alumni chapter not in good standing under the requirements of the Constitution or of the Statutes shall be denied representation at the Grand Chapter.
RULE 6: OFFICERS
The officers of this Grand Chapter shall be the Grand Consul, the Grand Pro Consul, the Annotator, a Parliamentarian, one or more Kustos, and such other officers as it may elect. The Presiding Officer shall be the Grand Consul or his designee.
RULE 7: GRAND CHAPTER ORGANIZATION
The following members are designated to serve as the permanent officers of this Grand Chapter meeting: Grand Consul – Chairman, Grand Pro Consul – Vice Chairman, Executive Director – Annotator (normally the Executive Director), Parliamentarian (appointed by the Grand Consul), Assistant Annotators (normally Headquarters Staff members), Kustos, Head Teller (appointed by the Grand Consul), Assistant Tellers.
RULE 8: GRAND COUNCIL
The members of the Grand Council shall have all the privileges of the Grand Chapter except that they have no right to vote or make nominations unless duly qualified in some other capacity, pursuant to the Constitution and Statutes.
RULE 9: RULES
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, except as superseded by our Constitution and Statutes, and the rules herein shall be the rules of this Grand Chapter, insofar as they are applicable.
RULE 10: VOTING
(a) The Grand Chapter may consider and vote on any two or more proposed amendments as a unit under these rules, Robert’s Rules of Order Revised, notwithstanding. (b) Each delegate in the Grand Chapter shall be entitled to one (1) vote, which may be cast by his alternate in the absence of the delegate. There shall be no proxy voting.
RULE 11: TABLE
It shall be in order to table a proposed amendment to a pending measure. If adopted, said motion shall not carry or prejudice the original measure. A motion to table should not be confused with a motion to postpone. A motion, once tabled, can only be taken from the table at this Grand Chapter.
RULE 12: ROLL CALL VOTE
When ten percent (10%) or more qualified voters demand that a vote be recorded by roll call, it shall be taken first by undergraduate chapters in alphabetical order, and then by alumni chapters in alphabetical order, then by the Past Grand Consuls, and finally by the Grand Consul. Alphabetical order shall mean by Greek letter chapter name for undergraduate chapter and by English alphabet for the alumni chapters. Past Grand Consuls shall vote by terms of service with the first serving Past Grand Consul voting first, and the most recent serving Past Grand Consul voting last.
RULE 13: REPORTS
Reports by committees shall be disposed of in the following order: Rules, Permanent Organization and Procedure Committee, Credentials Committee and thereafter at the discretion of the Presiding Officer.
RULE 14: ORDER OF BUSINESS
The Grand Chapter shall proceed in the order of business prepared and printed by the Grand Consul and the Executive Committee, except as modified from time to time during the Grand Chapter by the Presiding Officer or by majority vote of the Grand Chapter itself.
RULE 15: RESOLUTIONS
All resolutions shall be referred to the Presiding Officer who may have the same read and referred without debate, to the appropriate standing committee for its further action, or immediately presented for deliberation by the Grand Chapter.
RULE 16: PRESENTATION OF PROPOSALS
At the discretion of the Presiding Officer, any agenda proposal may be presented and discussed by a panel or forum as follows:
Not more than five speakers for the pro and five speakers for the contra may address themselves to the proposal, with an aggregate time limit of 15 minutes for the pro side and 15 minutes for the contra side. Said speakers will talk in any sequence. After such presentation, members of this Grand Chapter may comment upon such proposal or inquire concerning the same from the floor, each such speaker being limited to three minutes, and said discussion being directed to the proposal being offered or presented. All participants from the floor shall be held strictly and firmly to the time limit prescribed. No member may move to Call the Question until each side has been given at least 15 minutes or no further arguments are made from the pro or contra side, whichever may occur first. Only members of this Grand Chapter and the members of the Grand Council shall have the right to floor privileges, and that privilege shall be limited to three minutes, unless, for reasons satisfactory to the Presiding Officer, the rule is suspended, which shall not be lightly done.
RULE 17: NOMINATIONS
The Nominating Committee shall present to this Grand Chapter at least one candidate who the Committee finds to be Qualified or Highly Qualified for each of the offices to be voted upon in accordance with the Rules for Elections, which are incorporated herein by reference. The Nominating Committee may comment on the qualifications, or lack thereof, for any candidate for an office which is subject to review by the Committee. Other nominations may be made from the floor by any member of this Grand Chapter in the manner provided in the Election Procedures for Grand Chapter.
RULE 18: SEATING
The first row of the delegate section of the Grand Chapter meeting room shall be set aside for Past Grand Consuls. The second and succeeding rows of the delegate section shall be set aside for the certified delegates or alternates from alumni and undergraduate chapters. Delegates shall be seated by province designation, which will be denoted by signs posted on the convention floor. Provinces will be arranged in alphabetical order. Grand Praetors should sit with the delegates from their respective provinces. Other Sigma Chis are invited to sit in the rear sections of the Grand Chapter meeting room.
RULE 19: MANNER OF COMPUTING VOTES
On all matters acted upon by this Grand Chapter requiring a percentage vote for approval or disapproval, the percentage of votes shall be based upon the requirements specified in the Constitution and Statutes (i.e. changes to the Constitution require a three-fourths vote of the members voting on a proposal [Constitution Article VI-A]; changes to the Statutes require a majority vote of the members voting on the proposal [Statute 9.02]). “Except as otherwise provided in the Constitution or Statutes, action of the Grand Chapter shall be by a majority of those duly certified and registered delegates voting.” [Statute 4.10] Each candidate or proponent and opponent of a governing laws change may have an observer present during the vote count. The numerical results of all votes, except elections, shall be reported to the Grand Chapter. Elections vote totals shall be reported to the candidates in the manner specified in the Rules for Elections for Grand Chapter.
RULE 20: AMENDMENTS
For all proposed amendments to the Constitution or Statutes the person or persons offering such amendment shall provide the Presiding Officer with a written copy of the same before a vote is taken, unless this rule is excused by the Presiding Officer.
RULE 21: EFFECTIVE DATE
All amendments to the Constitution and Statutes shall be effective upon the adjournment of the Grand Chapter, unless otherwise designated in the proposal as adopted.
RULE 22: ELECTIONS
Elections, including speeches, nominations and balloting, will be conducted according to the Rules for Elections incorporated herein and made available to all delegates and alternates in their registration packets.
RULE 23: ORDER OF ELECTIONS
Prior to holding elections, the chair will request additional nominations from the floor. Having done so, the chair will then entertain a motion to close nominations. If an office is not contested, the chair may proclaim the election by acclamation.
The order of elections shall be:
a) Grand Consul
b) Grand Pro Consul
c) Grand Quaestor
d) Grand Historian
e) Grand Tribune
f) Grand Trustees (9 of 18 in the following order)
1) Atlantic
2) Canada
3) Mid-Atlantic
4) North Central
5) Northeast
6) Pacific
7) Rocky Mountain
8) South Central
9) Southeast
g) Grand Praetor (in the following order):
1. Alabama Northern
2. Alabama/Gulf Coast
3. Boston Harbor
4. California Bay Area
5. California Central Valley
6. Central
7. Central Florida
8. Central Kentucky
9. Central Pennsylvania
10. Central Texas
11. Connecticut/ Western Massachusetts
12. East Illinois
13. East Michigan
14. East Tennessee
15. East Texas
16. Eastern
17. Eastern North Carolina
18. Eastern Virginia
19. Florida Sun Coast
20. Grand Canyon
21. Hudson Valley
22. Kansas
23. Kentucky/Tennessee Lakes
24. Los Angeles Coastal
25. Mid Atlantic
26. Mid-South
27. North Atlantic
28. North Central
29. North Florida
30. North Georgia
31. Northern Illinois
32. Northern Indiana
33. Northern Missouri
34. Northern Ohio
35. Northern Texas
36. Northwestern
37. Northwestern New York
38. Oklahoma/Arkansas
39. Ontario
40. Oregon
41. Rhode Island
42. Rocky Mountain
43. Saint Lawrence
44. South Carolina
45. South Florida
46. South Georgia
47. Southern
48. Southern California
49. Southern Indiana
50. Southern Missouri
51. Southern Ohio
52. Southwestern
53. The Big Sky
54. Utah/Nevada
55. West Illinois
56. West Michigan
57. West Virginia/Pittsburgh
58. Western North Carolina
59. Western Pennsylvania
60. Western Virginia
61. Wisconsin
h) Alumnus Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee
i) Grand Praetor Member of the Executive Committee
j) Grand Trustee Member of the Executive Committee
k) Undergraduate Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee
RULE 24: CONDUCT DURING GRAND CHAPTER
Brothers shall conduct themselves at all times with fairness, decency and good manners and any contrary conduct or actions will be immediately brought before the EC for review and action.
The Rules Committee respectfully urges the Grand Chapter to adopt these proposed rules.
In Hoc,
Chairman
Committee on Rules, Permanent Organization and Procedures