AGS Bylaws

BYLAWS OF ALPHA GAMMA SIGMA, INCORPORATED
(Revised, 1984. Amended, 4/2002; 4/2006; 4/2009; 8/2011) ARTICLES
Article I: Name and Purpose
Article II: Membership
Article III: Chapters
Article IV: State Organization
Article V: Meetings
Article VI: Officers, Duties, and Elections
Article VII: Apportionment of Funds
Article VIII: Parliamentary Authority
Article IX: Amendment to the Bylaws

ARTICLE VI. OFFICERS, DUTIES AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. The State Advisory Board Officers

1. The elected officers shall be:
   
   1. The President
      
   2. The Vice-President (who shall also be President-Elect and Regional Chair of the Vice-President's own region)
      
   3. The Vice-President Elect (who shall be Regional Chair of the other region)
      
   4. The Secretary
      
   5. The Treasurer
      
   6. The Vice-Treasurer
      
   7. The Chair of Scholarships and Awards
      
   8. The Vice Chair of Scholarships and Awards
      
   9. The Secretary of Extension and Eligibility
      
   10. The Collector of Permanent Records and
       
   11. The Secretary of Intercollegiate Relations
       
2. The appointed officers shall be:
   
   1. The Parliamentarian
      
   2. The Handbook Editor
      
   3. The Editor of the State Advisory Board Directory (short title: Directory Editor)
      
   4. The Historian and
      
   5. Other officers as designated by the President with the consent of the Advisory Board
      
      

Section 2. Duties of State Advisory Board Officers

1. The President shall:
   
   1. Preside over meetings of the State Advisory Board
      
   2. Appoint committees and committee chairs as necessary, including a Nominating Committee.
      
   3. Prepare and distribute the agenda for each meeting of the State Advisory Board.
      
   4. Have the right, but not duty to serve as ex officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
      
   5. Call special meetings of the Executive Board when necessary.
      
   6. Perform other duties applicable to the office of President.
      
2. The Vice-President shall:
   
   1. Assume the duties of President in the absence of the latter, and prepare to assume the office of President the following year.
      
   2. Perform the duties of Regional Chair for one of the Regions as outlined in Paragraph "g" below.
      
3. The Vice-President Elect shall:
   
   1. Prepare to assume the office of Vice-President the following year.
      
   2. Perform the duties of Regional Chair for one of the Regions as outlined in Paragraph "g" below.
      
4. The Secretary shall:
   
   1. Record and publish minutes of State Advisory Board Meetings.
      
   2. Maintain correspondence for the State Advisory Board
      
   3. Mail bylaws ratification ballots to chapters in good standing within one month of Advisory Board approval of a proposed amendment, announce the postmark deadline for returning the ballots as one week before the next Advisory Board Meeting, receive and tally ballots, and report the results of the election at that meeting.
      
   4. Update and distribute copies of the Bylaws at the next Advisory Board meeting after any amendment to them has been ratified.
      
   5. Update the Rules of Order and the Standing Rules each time the State Advisory Board effects a change in them.
      
   6. Perform other duties appropriate to the office of Secretary as designated by the President.
      
5. The Treasurer shall:
   
   1. Maintain the financial records of the society.
      
   2. Collect dues, scholarship contributions and other assessments from the chapters.
      
   3. Include with the requests for the above payments as a reminder to submit Permanent Membership and State Honor Roll reports for the previous academic year to the Secretary of Extension and Eligibility.
      
   4. Report chapters delinquent in the above payments to the Secretary of Extension and Eligibility within one month after the final deadline for payment has passed.
      
   5. Maintain supplies of official jewelry items, gold seals, and Permanent Membership certificates and conduct their sale to chapters in good standing.
      
   6. Maintain supplies of State Honor Roll Certificates and distribute them to chapters in good standing.
      
   7. Make authorized expenditures.
      
   8. Make expenditures for the general operation of the organization, without prior authorization by the Advisory Board, provided each such expenditure does not exceed the amount to be set by the Advisory Board in a Standing Rule.
      
   9. Prepare an annual financial report for distribution at the spring meeting.
      
   10. Keep the Vice-Treasurer informed of procedures relating to the Treasurer's office.
       
   11. Assign duties to the Vice-Treasurer as needed and appropriate.
       
   12. Perform other duties appropriate to the office of Treasurer.
       
6. The Vice-Treasurer shall:
   
   1. Be prepared to take over all duties of the treasurer in case the Treasurer becomes unable to serve.
      
   2. Perform duties of the Treasurer as the Treasurer may request.
      
   3. Be authorized to write checks on the Advisory Board's account, but only in cases where emergency requires that checks be written at a time when the Treasurer is either absent or otherwise unable to write them.
      
7. As Northern and Southern Regional Chairs, the Vice-President and the Vice-President Elect shall:
   
   1. Preside at the Advisors' meetings at the Regional Conferences.
      
   2. Make certain that the chapters assigned to host the Regional Conferences have begun preparations for them at least six weeks before their scheduled dates.
      
   3. At the Regional Conferences, receive corrections to the State Advisory Board Directory from advisors present.
      
   4. Immediately after the Regional Conferences:
      
      1. Provide the Secretary of Extension and Eligibility with a list of chapters that sent delegates and advisors to their Regional Conferences.
         
      2. Report to the President of the Board of Trustees the names, college names, home addresses and Social Security numbers of the newly elected student members of that Board and their alternates.
         
      3. Transmit corrections to the State Advisory Board Directory to the Directory Editor.
         
8. The Chair of Scholarships and Awards shall:
   
   1. At least three months prior to the State Convention each year, prepare and distribute to all active chapters the information necessary to make application for the Alpha Gamma Sigma scholarships and awards available that year.
      
   2. With the assistance of the Vice-Chair of Scholarships and Awards, appoint an equal number of advisors from each region to read and evaluate the applications.
      
   3. With the advice and consent of the Advisory Board, prepare a set of Standing Rules for the following:
      
      1. A list of documents that need to accompany the applications for the various AGS scholarships or awards;
         
      2. Directions to applicants and their advisors for preparing and mailing to the Chair of Scholarships and Awards the documents necessary for application;
         
      3. Criteria to be used by the readers in judging scholarship and award applications;
         
      4. A committee consisting of the Chair and Vice-Chair of Scholarships and Awards and an equal number of advisors from each region who will numerically combine the rankings of all the readers and, from this consolidated list, will designate the winners of the various scholarships and awards;
         
      5. A plan for one or two suitable ceremonies at the State Convention for recognizing all applicants and for distributing the monetary awards to the winners.
         
   4. Receive applications for scholarships and service awards from chapters in good standing, screen them for eligibility, and mail copies of them, together with proper instructions, to the readers.
      
   5. Notify chapters whose good standing is in question.
      
   6. After each State Convention, provide a list of the names of that year's recipients of scholarships and awards to the Secretary to be permanently filed with the minutes.
      
   7. Immediately after the State Convention, send a report to the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees and the Treasurer of the State Advisory Board that includes the names and Social Security numbers of the recipients of all scholarships and awards.
      
   8. Evaluate the process and recommend needed changes to the Advisory Board.
      
9. The Vice-Chair of Scholarships and Awards shall:
   
   1. At the direction of the Chair of Scholarships and Awards, help that officer in carrying out the duties listed in Paragraph "h" above.
      
   2. Be prepared to perform the duties of the Chair of Scholarships and Awards in case that officer is no longer able to serve.
      
   3. Assist in evaluating the process.
      
10. The Secretary of Extension and Eligibility shall:
    
    1. Maintain a file of active and inactive chapters including college name, chapter name, date of charter, and in case of active chapters, the name(s) of the current advisor(s).
       
    2. Maintain a file of the current bylaws of all chapters, active and inactive, and advise chapters when their bylaws are not in accordance with those of the State organization.
       
    3. Receive Permanent Membership and State Honor Roll Reports from the chapters.
       
    4. Receive from the Treasurer and the two Regional Chairs the reports necessary for determining the good-standing status of the chapters; and, using the criteria listed in Article III, Section 6, compile a list of chapters in good standing and mail copies to the Chair and Vice-Chair of Scholarships and Awards as well as to all active chapters at least three weeks before the chair of the committee is to mail out the yearly announcement.
       
    5. Receive requests and correspond with California Community Colleges regarding the establishment or reactivation of chapters of Alpha Gamma Sigma.
       
    6. In accordance with Article III, Sections 1 through 6 of these bylaws, provide new and reactivating chapters with all the necessary information, forms and instructions.
       
    7. Report new and reactivating chapters to the State Advisory Board.
       
    8. Present charters to new and newly reactivated chapters at the Scholarship and Awards Ceremony at the State Convention.
       
11. The Collector of Permanent Records shall:
    
    1. Act as custodian of the archives of Alpha Gamma Sigma, Incorporated, insure that they are kept in a safe place, and, at each spring meeting of the State Advisory Board, present a report, either orally or in writing, concerning their content, status and location.
       
    2. Request the following and file for reference:
       
       1. Permanent Membership and State Honor Roll reports from the Secretary of Extension and Eligibility;
          
       2. Copies of the approved minutes of the State Advisory Board meetings from the Secretary;
          
       3. The list of names of recipients of Alpha Gamma Sigma scholarships and Awards for each year from the Chair of Scholarships and Awards.
          
       4. Copies of obsolete Advisory Board Directories from the Directory Editor;
          
       5. A list of the names of the officers and other members of the Board of Trustees for each year, including the years of the term of office of each, from the President of the Board of Trustees;
          
       6. Copies of the approved minutes of the Board of Trustees from the Secretary of that Board; and
          
       7. Copies of all tax returns from the Treasurer.
          
    3. Keep on file any other information, documents, or photos that might be of use in the compilation of a "History of Alpha Gamma Sigma."
       
12. The Secretary of Intercollegiate Relations shall conduct correspondence with four-year institutions to solicit scholarships for Alpha Gamma Sigma transfer students and shall publish an updated list of such scholarships annually and distribute copies to the chapters.
    
13. The Parliamentarian shall:
    
    1. Answer questions concerning parliamentary procedures.
       
    2. Point out serious breaches of parliamentary procedure if and when they occur.
       
14. The Handbook Editor shall:
    
    1. Review the handbook each year and update if necessary, incorporating useful suggestions and information submitted by members of the State Advisory Board.
       
    2. Maintain a supply of copies of the handbook sufficient to meet demand, and conduct sales of such copies to the chapters.
       
15. The editor of the State Advisory Board Directory (short title: Directory Editor) shall:
    
    1. Update the State Advisory Board Directory annually and distribute copies at Advisory Board meetings.
       
    2. Using data from the Directory, provide mailing labels for Advisory Board members to use in mailings authorized by the Advisory Board including announcements of State Convention, Fall Advisors Meetings, Regional Conferences and available scholarships and awards.
       
16. The Historian shall:
    
    1. Write a narrative report of the activities of Alpha Gamma Sigma during his or term of office.
       
    2. With the aid of the Collector of Permanent Records, make certain that interesting facts concerning the history of Alpha Gamma Sigma are periodically presented to the membership.
       
       

Section 3. Elections

1. The State Advisory Board
   
   1. The annual election of the State Advisory Board Officers listed in Section 1, Paragraph "a" of this Article shall take place at the spring Advisory Board meeting.
      
   2. The Nominating Committee shall consist of four Advisory Board members, two from each region, appointed by the President.
      
   3. Terms of office shall be for one year beginning July 1.
      
   4. The officers in each of the following pairs shall not be from the same region:
      
      1. The Vice-President and the Vice-President Elect, and
         
      2. The Chair and the Vice-Chair of Scholarships and Awards
         
   5. Except for the cases of the Vice-President and the Vice-President-Elect, to whom these Bylaws assign the duties of Regional Chair of their respective Regions, one person may fill no more than one Advisory Board office simultaneously. This rule may be suspended by a two-thirds vote of the Advisory Board for any one academic year in cases where, after genuine search, it has been proved to be impossible to find enough willing and qualified candidates to comply with it.
      
   6. A vacancy in an Advisory Board Office, other than that of President or Vice-President, occurring between elections shall be filled by an officer pro tem appointed by the President until a special election can be held.
      
2. The State Advisory Board of Trustees
   
   Nominations to fill vacant positions on the State Board of Trustees shall be made by that board and shall be presented to the State Advisory Board for election.
   
   

Section 4. Board of Trustees of Alpha Gamma Sigma, Incorporated

1. The Bylaws of the Board of Trustees of Alpha Gamma Sigma, Incorporated, contain all the pertinent information concerning the officers of that board and their duties. It also specifies that all its members with the exception of the two student members are elected to membership by the State Advisory Board. The two student members, one from each Region, are elected by the General Assemble of Delegates at the two Regional Conferences. Each of these bodies shall, at the same time, elect an alternative to service if their first choice becomes unable to do so.
   
2. The Board of Trustees administers the scholarship funds of Alpha Gamma Sigma, Inc, and represents AGS, Inc. in all matters having to do with these funds.
   
   

Section 5. Principal Office of the Corporation
The principal Office of the Corporation shall be in the County of Orange, State of California, as provided in the Articles of Incorporation.

Section 6. The General Assemblies of Delegates

1. The officers of the General Assemblies of Delegates at the Northern and Southern Regional Conferences shall be the President and the Recording Secretary (or the representative) of the chapters hosting the conferences.
   
2. The officers of the General Assembly of Delegates at the State Convention shall be the President and the Recording Secretary (or their representatives) of the chapters hosting the convention. If general agreement cannot be reached concerning which chapter's officers are to serve, drawing from a pack of cards shall decide.