Alpha Phi Omega National Convention Phoenix '96 Proposed Legislation (by Committee) Alumni Awards Chapter Operations Finance Leadership Development Long-Range Planning Membership National Organization I National Organization II Nominations Publications/Public Relations Rules & Credentials Scouting Service Time and Place

Legislation for the National Organization II Committee Submitted by Alex Kohr, Service Vice President, Zeta Theta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-1 Amend by changing all instances of "National" to "International" Rationale: Because we are not only in the United States, but we are also in the Philippines and will possibly be in Canada shortly. Submitted by Alex Kohr, Service Vice President, Zeta Theta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-5 Amend by changing all instances of "National" to "International" Rationale: Because we are not only in the United States, but we are also in the Philippines and will possibly be in Canada shortly. Submitted by Henry Marx, Epsilon Mu, University of Maryland at College Park National Organization II Reference #: A-21 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 1. Membership. Amend by striking the phrase "or chapter advisors," after "...who shall be active members," and before "one Alumni Voting Delegate..." Rationale: We are a fraternity of undergraduates. It is important that we continue to be an organization run by our students. Advisors should do what their titles indicate: advise. Only active members who are students should be voting delegates. Submitted by Aaron Wendt, Interchapter Relations Officer, Xi Delta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-22 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 1. Membership. Amend by inserting the words "in good standing with the chapter." after the words "active members" Rationale: This proposed amendment is linked to the proposed amendments to the National Bylaws, Article III, Section 2 and the Standard Chapter Articles of Association, Article III defining In Good Standing. Active members who fail to meet their obligation to provide Service to humanity cannot be allowed to make decisions affecting the Fraternity as a whole. Without a displayed commitment to the Fraternity's Cardinal Principles, members not in good standing must not have a hand in guiding the Fraternity into the next century. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-23 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 1. Membership. Amend by adding the following after "may observe but may not participate in floor debate," "except for nonvoting members who have authored the proposed amendment, bylaw or resolution being voted on at that time." Rationale: Allowing the nonvoting author of the current item to represent the item in debate will help the floor understand the letter and reasoning of the item better, and may make the debate more efficient. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-24 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 1. Membership. Amend by adding the following to the end of the paragraph: "All chapters must either send at least one representative to the National Convention or notify the National Office at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the Convention of their inability to attend." Rationale: Within reason, mandates chapter participation in the National Convention. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-25 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 6. Powers and Duties of the National Convention. Amend by adding the following paragraph at the end: "The National Convention shall record the minutes of all committee and legislative sessions, including vote counts, and shall have them available in a timely manner for any member to review. Non-initiated members many not review minutes concerning rituals, however. Rationale: Ensures that all members can be fully aware of what transpired at the convention, even though it is impossible to see everything. Members can learn from reading the debate materials. In case of failed or controversial legislation, review of the minutes can help improve future motions or revisions to proposed legislation. Excerpts may be used to teach convention operations and parliamentary procedure applications to new members. Vote totals can help track voting trends in various fraternity subject areas. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-26 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 6. Powers and Duties of the National Convention. Amend by adding the following: "Voting power not solely restricted to National Conventions as described in this section, may be exercised at Sectional Conferences, according to the guidelines in Article X, Section 3. Rationale: Allows more efficient use of voting sessions at Nationals by allowing localized voting at Sectionals on select legislation, motions, etc. Also allows more immediate action in appropriate legislative circumstances. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-29 Article IV - National Conventions, Section 8. Summer National Service and Fellowship Event. Amend by adding the following: The National Fraternity shall hold an annual nationwide service and fellowship event during the summer. The event shall last at least 3 days and straddle a weekend. The location of the event shall rotate as follows: Even-numbered years: The convention region diametrically opposite that which would be hosting the National Convention that December. Odd-numbered years: Either of the two convention regions that won't be eligible to host in the preceding or following even-numbered years. The event shall be held between June 1 and August 31 each year, and each subsequent conference must be held at least 7 days before or after the anniversary of the preceding year's conference dates. The conference shall be sponsored by the brothers and staff members of the host convention region. The purpose of the event is for service and fellowship only. The only business that will transpire will be to choose the time and place of the conference two years hence by National Convention- style voting. The first conference will be held in the summer of 1999, and the National Convention in December, 1998 will vote on the time and place of the 1999 and 2000 national summer events. Rationale: This event is designed for those brothers who may have trouble going to a National Convention during Christmas week and for those who want more national service and fellowship opportunities and on a more frequent basis. The host convention region is in charge of running a service and fellowship oriented event that lasts at least 3 days and spans at least one weekend, with no upper limit, to allow for a full conference-like experience. The constantly changing time and place allows for almost anyone to attend, regardless of location and bad holiday or family- event weekends that could affect the decision to attend an occasional event always held on the same date in any given year. The summer season will allow for outdoor activities, better sightseeing, and safer travel. Since many of the attendees would have had major difficulty attending a National Convention, and to keep the National Convention legislative sessions from being bogged down by summer event concerns, the time and place voting will be done in a session at the summer event in a similar fashion as National Convention voting. Submitted by: Robert E. Lee Correll, IV, Region III Director John Conover, Jr., Region III Extension Coordinator Lee Peters, Section 84 Chair Jamie Conover, Section 81 Chair Michael Leahy, Zeta Beta Advisor National Organization II Reference #: A-30 Article V-National Officers, Section 1. Elected National Officers. Amend by adding the following words, "Registered delegates entitled to vote, representing chapters in attendance at the..." at the beginning of the first paragraph. Amend by striking the first word, "The" from the first paragraph. Amend by adding the following words, "Registered delegates entitled to vote, representing chapters in attendance at the" at the beginning of the second paragraph. Amend by striking the first word, "The" from the second paragraph. Rationale: This amendment will place the authority to elect all National Officers into the hands of the chapters. Additionally, sitting members of the National Board of Directors currently have an unfair advantage over non-members of the Board during these elections, because they may vote for themselves. Submitted by Teri Sheets, Region 10 Director National Organization II Reference #: A-58 Article IX - Chapters, Section 16. Authority of Chapters. Amend by adding the following sentence at the end of the paragraph. "In the event that the rules, regulations, or policies of the educational institution at which the chapter is located are more stringent that those included in the National Articles of Incorporation, the National Bylaws, or the Standard Chapter Articles of Association, the rules, regulations and policies of the host institution shall prevail. Rationale: This proposed addition has always been the implicit policy of Alpha Phi Omega and the National Board of Directors. However, the lack of an explicit policy has led to some confusion for some chapters, petitioning groups and host institutions. Host institutions increasingly want to ensure that their rules and regulations take precedence over those of the Fraternity where conflicts exist, and having an explicit policy statement incorporated into the National Bylaws will provide this reassurance. In addition, this explicit policy will provide clearer direction to chapters who are unsure of whose policies take precedence. An explicit policy on our part will help to take some of the guesswork out of the process and allow chapters to develop programs that meet the Fraternity's goals and objectives, while complying with their schools' policies. Submitted by Jeff Thomas, Section 79 Chair National Organization II Reference #: A-59 Article X - Sections, Section 2. Sectional Leadership. Subsection 1. Sectional Chairman. Amend by inserting the following paragraph prior to the first sentence: "The Sectional Chairman shall be the administrative director of the section represented. The Sectional Chairman shall ensure due observance of the National Bylaws and Standard Articles of Association and shall maintain the standards of the Fraternity throughout the section. The Sectional Chairman shall facilitate communication among the chapters in the section and between the chapters in the section and the National Office." Rationale: To define the role of Sectional Chairman and to define the scope of sectional leadership in language consistent with that of regional leadership. Submitted by Jeff Thomas, Section 79 Chair National Organization II Reference #: A-60 Article X - Sections, Section 2. Sectional Leadership. Subsection 1. Sectional Chairman. Amend by inserting the words "or until their successors have been elected and qualified" after the word "term" in the first sentence. Rationale: To ensure proper tenure and transfer of authority where conferences occur at intervals of greater or less than exactly one year. Submitted by Matthew Troth, Section 14 Chair National Organization II Reference #: A-61 Article X - Sections, Section 2. Sectional Leadership. Subsection 1. Sectional Chairman. Amend by adding the phrase "belonging to that Section that are" between the words "chapters" and "present" to the first clause, so that it reads, "The Sectional Chairman shall be elected for a one-year term by the majority vote of those chapters belonging to that Section that are present and voting at a Sectional Conference. Rationale: This clarifies that chapters attending a sectional conference that are visiting from another section may not vote in the Section Chairman election. Submitted by Robert E. Lee Correll, IV, Region III Director and Region III Staff National Organization II Reference #: A-62 Article X - Sections, Section 3. Section Conferences. Amend by striking the last paragraph. Rationale: Current practice is that the host chapter(s) select a Student Sectional Conference Chairman. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-63 Article X - Sections, Section 3. Sectional Conferences. Amend by adding the following: "Any voting not expressly described in Article IV, Section 6 as falling under the sole voting power of National Conventions may be done by Sectional Conferences, provided that eligible motions, proposals and items of legislation are submitted to the National Office no later than 60 days prior to the first sectional conference eligible to vote on them. The National Office shall submit all proposals to the Chapters and Section Chairs no later than 30 days prior to the first voting-eligible Sectional Conference. The results of such voting at each Sectional Conference shall be forwarded by the respective Section Chair to the National Office. Once all conferences have voted and the results reported, the National Office shall publicize the results." Rationale: Allows more efficient use of voting sessions at Nationals by allowing localized voting at Sectionals on select legislation, motions, etc. Also allows more immediate action in appropriate legislative circumstances. Submitted by Richard E. Vehlow, Epsilon Zeta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-64 Article X - Sections, Section 3. Sectional Conferences. Amend by adding the following: "All Chapters must send at least one representative to the Conferences in their respective Sections. In the event that a situation renders it impossible for a Chapter to be represented at a Section Conference, that Chapter must contact and confer with the Section Chair or appropriately designated Fraternity Staff prior to the start of the Conference. Rationale: Mandates Chapter participation in Sectionals, to ensure the smooth operation of all Sections. Submitted by Matthew Troth, Section 14 Chair National Organization II Reference #: A-65 Article XI - Regions Amend by adding the following section as Section 3: "SECTION 3. REGIONAL CONFERENCES. A Regional Conference may be held at a time and place determined by the chapters in the region, subject to the approval of the Regional Director. A Regional Conference may formulate recommendations and propose amendments for the consideration of the National Convention or the National Board of Directors. Each Region may elect or appoint a Student Regional Conference Chair to assist the Regional Director. Rationale: At the 1994 National Convention, several proposals were made that called on Regions to address certain issues at the Regional Conferences. However, these were not allowed on the convention floor as there is no bylaw provision for Regions to meet outside of a National Convention. The wording of the proposal is based on the wording of the National Bylaws providing for Sectional Conferences, with one main difference: there is no wording for a mandatory annual conference for the Region. This will allow Regions to meet and address Regional business as needed without violating our National Bylaws. Submitted by Matthew Troth, Section 14 Chair National Organization II Reference #: A-66 Article XI - Section 2. Regional Leadership Amend by adding the following as a paragraph between the Second (ending with "...Office.") and Third (beginning with "Nomination and election...") Paragraphs. "For administrative purposes, regional staff members may be appointed by the Regional Director to serve concurrently with the term of the Regional Director. The Regional Director shall define their duties. Rationale: There is currently no provision for a Regional Director to appoint regional staff, though it is common practice. The wording is based on the wording for the clause on sectional staff. Submitted by Yale M. Zussman, Life Member National Organization II Reference #: A-70 Article XIII - Amendments, Section 2. Procedure for Amendment. Paragraph (2) Amend by striking the words "by the proposer of such legislation." Rationale: I am the sponsor of the proposal that led to the adoption of the second paragraph of this Section in 1994. It was my intent at the time to both open up the process of renewing our Fraternity's constitutional documents and establish a firm mechanism that would ensure that interested brothers could be heard at Conventions, even if they could not attend. The six words I would strike were not part of my original proposal since they have the effect of closing out brothers who cannot attend the Convention. Submitted by Alex Kohr, Service Vice President, Zeta Theta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: A-71 Amend by changing all instances of "National" to "International" Rationale: Because we are not only in the United States, but we are also in the Philippines and will possibly be in Canada shortly. Submitted by Teri Sheets, Region 10 Director National Organization II Reference #: A-77 Article XVIII - Authority of Chapters Amend by adding the following sentence at the end of the paragraph. "In the event that the rules, regulations, or policies of the educational institution at which the chapter is located are more stringent that those included in the National Articles of Incorporation, the National Bylaws, or the Standard Chapter Articles of Association, the rules, regulations and policies of the host institution shall prevail. Rationale: This proposed addition has always been the implicit policy of Alpha Phi Omega and the National Board of Directors. However, the lack of an explicit policy has led to some confusion for some chapters, petitioning groups and host institutions. Host institutions increasingly want to ensure that their rules and regulations take precedence over those of the Fraternity where conflicts exist, and having an explicit policy statement incorporated into the National Bylaws will provide this reassurance. In addition, this explicit policy will provide clearer direction to chapters who are unsure of whose policies take precedence. An explicit policy on our part will help to take some of the guesswork out of the process and allow chapters to develop programs that meet the Fraternity's goals and objectives, while complying with their schools' policies. Submitted by: Submitted by Milton D. Smith, Alumnus, Kappa National Organization II Reference #: R-2 Proposal: I move that the National Fraternity cause to publish, on an annual basis, the names of each National Committee and its constituent members. Rationale: The National President appoints many Brothers to serve on the various committees of the National Fraternity. These committees include, but are not limited to, the Board of Trustees, Membership, Finance, Scouting, International Relations, Diversity and Publications. The list of committees also include special task forces and ad hoc committees established by Convention action. Passing this motion further serves the Fraternity in Service to its members by making the Brotherhood aware of the scope of activities that the Fraternity partakes in order to strengthen the Fraternity. I believe this will encourage the Brotherhood to contribute more ideas, time and service to the Fraternity. Other than in Convention years, these committees are largely forgotten, even though their work continues Convention to Convention. An ideal publication for such a listing would be in the Torch and Trefoil. Submitted by John Grossi, Section 94 Chair and Jason Rolfstad, Section 21 Staff National Organization II Reference #: R-4 Proposal: We move the following be added to the Pledge Manual on page 9, between paragraphs 2 and 3 In 1950, Alpha Phi Omega became international with the chartering of Alpha Chapter - Phillippines at Far Eastern University in Manila. There are currently 225 chapters in the Republic of the Phillippines as well as a quarter of a million brothers in a separate National Organization. Rationale: There are many brothers of APO Phillippines in the US. I've run into "brods" and "sisters" (their usage) from the Phillippines on the street because I'm wearing my letters. Our pledges should at least be aware of the existence of the chapters in the Phillippines, as they are as likely to have encounters with them as I am. Submitted by Alex Kohr, Service Vice President, Zeta Theta Chapter National Organization II Reference #: O-2 Rituals, Toast Song and Other Publications: Amend by changing all instances of "National" to "International" Rationale: Because we are not only in the United States, but we are also in the Philippines and will possibly be in Canada shortly.