Rho Chapter Bylaws

a. Charter Members: Phi Beta Kappa members of the faculty, administration, and staff to whom the Charter was granted for the formation of the Rho Chapter of California at California State University, Long Beach (“CSULB”).

b. Resident Members: Members of other chapters who become members of the CSULB administration, faculty, or staff qualify as members of the Rho Chapter of California.

c. Members-in-Course: All members of the Chapter elected as undergraduate students. Graduate students shall not be eligible for election to Membership-in-Course.

d. Alumni/ae Members: CSULB graduates elected in recognition of scholarly achievement after graduation.

e. Honorary Members: Graduates

All five categories of members shall enjoy full membership privileges in the Rho Chapter of California, except that the privilege of voting on candidates for election to membership and amendments to these Bylaws shall be exercised exclusively by Resident Members and Members-in-Course who remain duly matriculated in a degree program at CSULB.

The officers of the Chapter shall be: a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Historian. The Chapter may choose to elect one person to serve in the capacity of Vice-President and Secretary. Officers shall be nominated from the floor and elected by a simple majority vote of all qualified members attending a designated meeting. All officers serve a term of two years. There is no limitation on the number of terms an officer may serve. In addition to such special duties as shall be prescribed by these by-laws and by resolution of the Chapter, the respective duties of these officers shall include:

a. The President shall call and preside at meetings; shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee; shall serve as the master of ceremonies at the annual initiation ceremony; shall serve as liaison to the Phi Beta Kappa Society; and is expected to be the Rho of California Chapter delegate to the Triennial Council of the Society.

b. The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in his or her absence. The Vice President also chairs the Selection Committee and organizes its work.

c. The Secretary shall record the minutes of Chapter meetings and be responsible for obtaining materials from and sending reports and fees to the national Phi Beta Kappa Society; for informing candidates, by mail, of their election; and for providing appropriate publicity.

d. The Treasurer shall keep the financial records of the Chapter and attend to the payment of its obligations. The Treasurer shall also collect initiation fees before the initiation ceremony, as well as dues and other fees.

e. The Historian shall be responsible for preserving the records and other documents of the Chapter.

The Executive Committee will be composed of the elected officers and one additional elected member who may be a Resident member or an Alumni member. The Executive Committee shall have authority to conduct the affairs of the Chapter between meetings,subject to instruction from the Chapter and save as otherwise specifically provided in these Bylaws.

The work of determining Members-in-Course, Alumni Members, and Honorary Members shall be carried out by the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee shall be comprised of five to twenty Resident Members, at least two of whom shall be Executive Committee members.

The Auditing Committee shall be composed of three members elected by majority vote at the annual meeting, one each year to serve for a term of three years. The committee shall audit the books of the Treasurer and make a report to the Chapter at the annual meeting. In the absence of a sufficient number of people willing to serve as members of the Auditing Committee, the President, Vice-President, and Historian shall audit the books of the Treasurer and make a report to the Chapter at the annual meeting.

Special committees shall be appointed by the President or the Executive Committee as required.

Arrangements for meetings shall be made by the Executive Committee. The normal order of business shall be:

a. Call to order

b. Reading of the minutes of the preceding meeting and their approval

c. Report of the President, Vice-President, and Secretary

d. Report of the Treasurer

e. Report of the Historian, as needed

f. Committee reports, as needed

g. Unfinished business

h. Consideration of communications from the Society

i. New business

j. Adjournment

At specially designated meetings, business may include:

a. Election of new Members-in-Course, Alumni/ae Members, and/or Honorary Members

b. Election of Officers

c. Setting of dues and other financial considerations

a. Meetings shall be called by the President or the Executive Committee, or may be called upon written request by four resident members.

b. Written or electronic notice of meetings shall be sent by the Secretary to all members of the Chapter at least one week in advance of the meeting. The notice shall state the purpose of the meeting and the business to be considered.

a. A quorum shall consist of 25 percent of the total number of resident members.

b. A meeting at which a quorum is not present may be considered a “working session.” When a matter is raised at a “working session,” that matter can be sent electronically to resident members, who will be asked to respond electronically.

a. Members of other chapters living in the area who do not qualify for membership as defined in Bylaw 101, Section 1, of these Bylaws may be invited to any meeting, but shall not participate in the transaction of business.

b. For all matters, all votes shall be conducted by voice or show-of-hands, unless a vote by secret ballot is requested by one or more of the members present.

c. An electronic vote by a majority of at least 25 percent of the total number of resident members will be sufficient for approval of any business conducted as a “working session.”

Members-in-Course shall be elected primarily on the basis of broad cultural interests, scholarly achievement, and good moral character.

a. Juniors and seniors enrolled in B.A. or B.S. degree programs in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics may be considered for election as Members-in-Course under the conditions set forth in Section 3 of this Bylaw. Journalism or Communication Studies majors, however, must demonstrate a program of study at least three-quarters of which is based in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, rather than in paraprofessional classes within either major.

b. Juniors and seniors who are otherwise enrolled in a program of study that is the equivalent of a liberal studies baccalaureate program may be considered for election as Members-in-Course under the conditions set forth in Section 3 of this Bylaw. Such programs may include, but are not necessarily limited to art history; the “critical theory” track in film and electronic arts; liberal studies; and criminal justice.

In addition to the candidate majoring in liberal subjects and studies as outlined in Section 2 of this Bylaw, the Selection Committee shall elect Members-in-Course based upon candidates’ broad cultural interests, scholarly achievements, and good moral character. In assessing cultural interests and scholarly achievement, the Selection Committee shall be guided by the following criteria:

a. Liberal Coursework. At least three-quarters of the candidate’s undergraduate coursework must be in the liberal arts and sciences. Almost all courses in College of Business, Education and Engineering do not qualify as liberal arts and sciences. Some courses in the College of Arts and Health and Human Services (HHS); and in the Departments of Communication Studies and Journalism do not qualify. A detailed and updated list of accepted and non-accepted courses is posted at the Rho Chapter website.

b. Minimum Number of Units. Juniors and non-graduating seniors must have completed a minimum of 75 total college units, including at least 60 units at CSULB. Graduating seniors and recent graduates must have completed a minimum of 60 total college units in residence at CSULB.

c. Minimum Grade Point Average. Juniors and non-graduating seniors must have a 3.85 minimum grade point average in all coursework completed at CSULB. Graduating seniors and recent graduates must have a 3.75 minimum grade point average in all coursework completed at CSULB.

d. Breadth. Candidates for election to Membership-in-Course must have demonstrated a reasonable breadth of coursework in the liberal arts and sciences outside of their major. The requirements of this subsection may be satisfied by having completed: (1) a minor, (2) a second major, (3) at least four upper-division courses distributed as a minimum of two classes in two different disciplines within the liberal arts or sciences other than in the candidate’s major, or (4) at least three upper-division courses outside of one’s major that are related to an interdisciplinary theme.

e. Rigor. The candidate's undergraduate record must have demonstrated sufficient rigor in courses as assessed by the sound judgment of the members of the Selection Committee. Mere completion of the requirements listed in this document shall not automatically qualify a student for election as a Member-in-Course unless the totality of the student’s academic record is rigorous in terms of upper-level courses.

f. Foreign Language Requirement. Candidates for election must demonstrate a minimum of an intermediate-level knowledge of a foreign language other than English either by: (1) successfully completing an intermediate-level language course other than English (RGRLL 201B or higher; SPAN 250 or higher; LAT 300 or higher, GRK 300 or higher, Asian Languages 200 or higher); (2) a score of 4 or higher on an AP World Language & Culture Exam; (3) four years of a single language except English in high school; (4) submission of a high school diploma verifying that all instruction was conducted in non-English; or (5) validating intermediate proficiency through assessment other than AP exam with approval or administration from an appropriate CSULB faculty.

g. Mathematics Requirement. The candidate's undergraduate record shall include at least one course in college-level mathematics, logic, or statistics, with content appropriate to a liberal arts and sciences curriculum. However, review of math courses taken will note courses taken (and grade received) and reviewers will receive list of math courses, from least to most rigorous. Reviewers will make note about rigor and emphasis will be placed on the following courses and above: MATH 109; MATH 113; MATH 114; any basic calculus course including MATH 115, 119A, 122; MTED 211; STAT 108.

h. Moral Character. In keeping with the Founders’ interest in fostering not only academic excellence but also friendship and morality, invitation to Phi Beta Kappa should be extended only to persons of good moral character.

Election to membership in Phi Beta Kappa is wholly within the discretion of the members of this Chapter, subject only to the limitations imposed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Chapter. No right to election shall adhere to any student solely by reason of fulfillment of the minimum grade point average for election to Membership-in-Course or completion of any of the other criteria specified in this Section.

Election to membership shall be by a show of hands of the Selection Committee unless a member requests a vote by secret ballot, in which case voting shall be conducted by secret ballot. Regardless of the voting procedure used, election to Membership-in-Course shall require an affirmative vote by three-fourths of the voting members present. Candidates may also be nominated from the floor at a general meeting of the Chapter; however, in such cases, an affirmative vote by four-fifths of the Selection Committee shall be required for election. Elections shall continue until ended by the passage of a motion from the floor or until a quota, determined in advance of the balloting, has been reached.

Nominations for election to alumni/ae membership shall be referred to the Selection Committee. No nomination for alumni/ae membership shall be brought before the Chapter for action unless favorably reported by the Committee. The Committee shall be guided by criteria defined in Article III, Sections 1 and 2C of the Chapter Constitution. Election shall be by secret ballot; two negative votes shall serve to reject. No more than two alumni/ae members may be elected in any year, nor may more than four alumni/ae members be elected in any triennium.

Procedures for the nomination and election of Honorary Members shall be the same as for Alumni/ae Members, except that one negative vote shall serve to reject. A statement of the qualifications of each candidate elected to honorary membership shall be sent to the Secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. No graduate of another institution having a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa shall be recommended for election unless the parent chapter has been notified and has raised no objection. No more than two honorary members may be elected in any triennium.

Since good character is a qualification for membership, any member of the Chapter found, after being given due notice and an opportunity to be heard, to have lost this qualification may be expelled from Phi Beta Kappa by a four-fifths vote of the qualified members present at a designated meeting. The name of any member so expelled shall be reported to the Secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society with a statement of the grounds for the action.

a. Provided that notice is given in the announcement of the meeting, the initiation fee for Members-in-Course and for Alumni/ae Members shall be annually determined by a majority of members attending a designated meeting. The fee shall cover, as a minimum, the registration and Council Fund payments to the Society. It may also include, as needed, the costs of events associated with the initiation ceremony and a nominal amount for the Chapter’s treasury. The Chapter shall be responsible for registration and Council Fund payments for Honorary Members, who shall pay no initiation fee.

b. Payment of the initiation fee shall be regarded as formal acceptance of election and shall be made before initiation.

Resident members of the Chapter, exclusive of emeriti faculty, administrators and staff, are expected to pay annual dues at a rate set by the Executive Committee and reported to the Chapter. In addition, assessments for special purposes may be set by majority vote of the members present at a designated meeting. Members-in-Course shall not be expected to pay any Chapter dues or special assessment fees.

Registration and Council Fund payments shall be forwarded by the Chapter Treasurer to the Phi Beta Kappa Society in accordance with Article IV of the Bylaws of the National Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Amendments to these Bylaws, not inconsistent with the Constitution and other lawful regulations of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the qualified members present at any designated meeting, either upon motion presented and tabled at the preceding meeting or special meeting, or upon condition that written notice of the proposed changes has been sent to all qualified members at least one week in advance of the meeting. All amendments shall be subject to the approval of the Senate of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.