Constitution of the North-American Interfraternity Conference
(Revised April 14, 2008)
ARTICLE I. Name. The name of this Conference shall be the North-American Interfraternity Conference.
ARTICLE II. Purpose. The purpose of the North-American Interfraternity Conference shall be to promote the well-being of its member fraternities by providing such services to them as the House of Delegates may determine. These services to include, but not be limited to, promotion of cooperative action in dealing with fraternity matters of mutual concern, research in areas of fraternity operations and procedures, fact-finding and data gathering, and the dissemination of such data to the member fraternities. Conference action shall not in any way abrogate the right of its member fraternities to self-determination.
ARTICLE III . Membership. The Conference shall be composed of those men's general college fraternities which (a) were members on December 1, 19 21 , or (b) are thereafter admitted in conformity with this Constitution. Provisions may be made in the By-Laws for Associate Membership.
ARTICLE IV. House of Delegates. The Powers of the Conference shall be vested in a House of Delegates.
Section 1. Composition. The House of Delegates shall be composed of one delegate from each member fraternity, chosen by that fraternity for such term and upon such qualifications as it may determine. Each member fraternity may also choose an alternate delegate who shall represent it in the absence of the delegate.
Section 2. Voting. Each delegate present, or in his absence the alternate delegate, is vested with one vote. Each Past Chairman of the Conference shall have the privilege of a seat in the House of Delegates with voice and shall have the right to participate in all discussions, but in such capacity may not vote.
Section 3. Responsibilities. The House of Delegates shall be responsible for the broad general policies of the Conference, for electing a Board of Directors, a Chairman and a Vice Chairman as herein provided, and for instructing the Board as to activities in behalf of the Conference. All such activities shall preserve the autonomous right of each member fraternity over its own affairs.
ARTICLE V. Board of Directors. The executive and administrative powers of the House of Delegates shall be vested in a board of nine Directors from which a Chairman and a Vice Chairman shall be elected as herein provided.
Section 1. Qualification: term. As provide herein, five Directors shall be elected at each Annual Meeting held in an even-numbered year and four Directors shall be elected at each Annual Meeting held in an odd-numbered year. The term of office for each Director so selected shall be for two years. No Director shall serve more than three full terms, excluding time served as Chairman. Five Directors shall constitute a quorum. All directors shall have served either as staff members or as a volunteer for their respective fraternities . A full term is defined as two years in length.
Section 2. Eligibility. No person shall be elected or chosen a Director unless he is a member of a fraternity which is a member of the Conference with its dues paid and in good standing. For this purpose, a fraternity which has been granted an extension by the Board of Directors as provided in the By-Laws for the payment of dues, shall not be deemed a member in good standing. An elected member of the Board of Directors whose fraternity is not in standing because of failure to pay its dues and/or withdraws membership in the Conference shall have his office vacated forthwith.
Section 3. Vacancies. In the event of the death, incapacity or resignation of a Director or Vice Chairman between the Annual Meeting, such vacancy shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining Directors, and the person thus chosen shall serve only until the next regularly assembled Annual Meeting at which time a successor to the deceased or resigned Director shall be elected to fill the remainder, if any, of his expired term. The resignation of a Director shall be submitted to the House of Delegates, if assembled, otherwise, the resignation shall be submitted to the Board of Directors through the President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer). A Director chosen to fill an unexpired term may be elected for full terms following the Completion of the incomplete term.
Section 4. Duties. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for carrying out the purpose and policies of the Conference, for the employment of an President and CEO.
ARTICLE VI. Officers. The House of Delegates shall elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairman who shall serve a term of one year. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Chairman, the Vice Chairman shall assume the duties of Chairman until the next Annual Meeting. The President and CEO of the Conference shall serve as the Secretary-Treasurer, ex officio, but shall not be a member of the Board, nor vote in Board meetings.
ARTICLE VII . Committees. There shall be the following committees of the House of Delegates:
Section 1. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of eight at-large members, plus the most immediate Past-Chairman willing and able to serve as Chair. The selection of the at-large members shall be determined by criteria established by the House of Delegates. The Nominating Committee shall select nominations for and prepare and present for election, by the House of Delegates, to the Board of Directors a slate of nominees to fill all available Board positions, including the Directors being nominated for the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman. In preparing its slate of nominees the Nominating Committee shall conduct interviews with each nominee.
Section 2. Legal Advocacy Fund. The Legal Advocacy Fund shall be appointed by the President and CEO of the NIC. The Committee shall be responsible for recommending financial support of either pending or recommended litigation which supports the interests of the Conference's member organizations.
Section 3. Membership Committee. The Membership Committee shall be appointed by the President and CEO. The Committee shall be responsible for review and recommendations regarding applications for membership in the Conference, adjudication of disputes between member fraternities, and the resolution of alleged violations of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Conference.
Section 4. Other Committees. The Board of Directors or the President may form such other committees as they deem necessary to perform the work of the Conference. The President shall appoint the chairman and members of Board committees with the concurrence of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VIII. Annual Meetings. The Annual Meeting of the North-American Interfraternity Conference shall be held at such time and place as designated by the Board of Directors. The Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates shall be held at the same time and place as it may decide in annual session or by the Board of Directors or by petition signed by at least two-thirds of its regular delegates.
Section 1. Notices. Notices of the Annual Meeting of the Conference and of the House of Delegates shall be issued by the Conference not less than sixty days preceding the Annual Meeting, and thirty days preceding a special meeting.
Section 2. Registration. Registration for the Annual Meeting shall be limited to representatives of NIC member fraternities, representatives of Associate Members, representatives of North-American Interfraternity Conference Foundation member foundations, and guests specifically invited by a member of the NIC Board of Directors or staff of the Conference. A person who is not registered shall not be admitted to any official function of the Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE IX. Admission to Membership. Every general college fraternity eligible for membership in the Conference under Article III of this Constitution and under Section 1 of the By-Laws must apply to the Membership Committee no later than 60 days prior to the Conference's Annual Meeting . Admission will be granted upon two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors in attendance at the meeting when the vote is taken on a positive recommendation by the Membership Committee. In the event of the failure by the applicant fraternity to obtain the approval of the Board of Directors for admission to membership in the Conference, such fraternity may thereafter appeal to the House of Delegates, which by a two-thirds vote of the member fraternities represented at such meeting may approve the application for admission and admit the fraternity to membership in the Conference. Failure to obtain a two-thirds vote in the House of Delegates shall affirm the action of the Board in rejecting the application for admission.
ARTICLE X. Conduct: Disciplinary Action.
Section 1. No NIC member fraternity or Associate Member shall engage in any conduct or activity which is detrimental or prejudicial to the college or university community or the Conference. A violation of this Constitution or of the By-Laws shall be deemed evidence per se that the conduct or the activity is detrimental or prejudicial.
Section.2. The Conference may establish in its By-Laws Standards of Membership to be maintained by all member fraternities.
Section 3. Investigation and Hearing . The Board of Directors, through the Membership Committee, shall investigate all complaints which come to it in writing and shall forthwith communicate any such complaint to the alleged offender. Such written complaint shall specify the section of the Constitution or By-Laws alleged to have been violated and shall, in general, set forth the conduct or activity complained of. Both the complainant and the alleged offender shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to appear and be heard before the Membership Committee. The Board of Directors, by a two-thirds vote of all its members, may expel, or impose lesser disciplinary action which the Board may determine to be appropriate under the circumstances, against the offender for conduct or activity found by the Board to be detrimental or prejudicial to the college or university community or the Conference. Lesser disciplinary action may include, but is not limited to, fines, public censure, or a period of suspension of voting rights.
Section 4. Appeal. The member fraternity , or Associate Member shall have the right to appeal the disciplinary action of the Board of Directors to the House of Delegates at its Annual Meeting next following the notice of appeal. Appeal may be taken by the filing of a written notice or appeal with the office of the North-American Interfraternity Conference within sixty days from the date of the notice of the disciplinary action. The disciplinary action of the Board of Directors shall stand until the appeal shall be heard by the House of Delegates. The House of Delegates, by a majority vote of the members in attendance, may affirm or reverse the action of the Board of Directors and may lessen or increase the disciplinary action imposed by the Board.
ARTICLE XI. Dues. The annual dues of members shall be fixed from time to time by the House of Delegates.
Section 1. Payment: delinquency. All dues shall be payable in January of each year. On any amount unpaid on the first day of June next following, a charge of ten percent (10%) will be imposed. An additional charge of one percent (1%) will be added on the first day of each calendar month thereafter in which default continues, to and including the first day of December of that year. Thereafter, an additional one and one-half (1 ½ %) will be added on the first day of each calendar month in which default continues. If the charges for unpaid dues exceed those permitted by the applicable law, the said charges shall be the maximum so permitted.
Section 2. Suspension of Representation. If dues have not been fully paid for the current year prior to the Board of Directors meeting immediately preceding the Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates, the delinquent member shall be denied representation in the House of Delegates and shall be dropped from membership in the Conference unless granted an extension by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XII. Amendments. The Constitution may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of all the member fraternities entitled to vote in the House of Delegates, whether or not present at the meeting. If written notice of any proposed amendment has been mailed to all member fraternities at least 30 days before such meeting, then such amendment may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of all member fraternities present and voting on such amendment, provided that such two-thirds vote is not less than one-half of all members entitled to vote in the House of Delegates, whether or not present at the meeting. Amendments may be proposed by means of such advance written notice upon proper authorization of the governing body of any member fraternity or of the Board of Directors. Amendments may be adopted without a meeting by the written approval of two-thirds of all member fraternities entitled to vote in the House of Delegates. The Board of Directors may make recommendation to the House of Delegates regarding action to be taken on any proposed amendment.
ARTICLE XIII. Incorporation. The Conference shall be incorporated under the membership corporation laws of the state of Indiana under the title “North-American Interfraternity Conference, Inc.”