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