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Bylaws

ARTICLE I. NAMES AND OBJECTIVES

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston.

Section 2. The purpose of this organization shall be to further fraternal spirit and cooperation among all members, to aid all active chapters of Chi Omega in their educational pursuits, to uphold the ideals and purposes of the Chi Omega Fraternity, and to further provide funds for donations to recognized, charitable institutions and scholarships.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership shall be open to any initiated alumna of Chi Omega Fraternity. 

Section 2. Members whose current dues are paid shall be considered members in good standing and shall receive all rights, benefits, and privileges of this organization, including the privilege of voting on Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston business.

ARTICLE III. DUES

Section 1. The annual dues shall be evaluated by the Executive Board and are payable beginning on April 1st, during the membership drive for the following year. The fiscal year of the organization runs June 1 through May 31. 

Section 2. All Board members must pay their dues by the first Board meeting of the fiscal year.

Section 3. Seventy-year members and first-year graduates shall not be required to pay dues but shall be considered members in good standing.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

Section 1. Names of Executive Officers of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston shall be: 

President(s)
President(s)-Elect
Past President(s)
Vice President-Kaleidoscope Chair (s)
Secretary
Treasurer
Communications Chair (s)
Membership Chair (s)
Recruitment Chair (s)
Parliamentarian (appointed position)

Section 2. Election of Officers   

  1. A Nominating Committee consisting of the immediate Past President(s) (who shall be the Chair), current President(s), President(s)-Elect, the Vice President-Kaleidoscope Chair(s), the incoming Recruitment Chair(s) and two additional members elected by the Executive Board shall recommend the name of at least one candidate for each office to be filled . Additional nominations may be made from the floor. 
  2. Officers shall be recommended at the March General Board meeting and elected at Eleusinia or the next general meeting by the majority favorable vote of active members present.
  3. Each officer shall be installed in office at the May General Board meeting following the election and shall continue in office one year or until her successor is duly elected and installed, unless otherwise specifically provided in these bylaws. 
  4. Vacancies in office shall be filled by the President with the approval of the Executive Board with the exception of the President, Vice President-Kaleidoscope Chair and President-Elect; these officers shall be filled by the reactivation of the Nominating Committee. 

Section 3. Duties of Officers   

  1. The duties of officers and co-officers shall be such as their titles imply and the bylaws state.   
  1. President (or Co-Presidents)
    1. Is/are the chief executive officer(s).
    2. Shall preside at, and facilitate all business meetings of the Executive Board, General Board, Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston, and Chi Omega Kaleidoscope (COK).
    3. Shall appoint all special Committees and all standing Committees chairmen, unless the Committee or Chairmanship thereof is elective.
    4. Shall serve as ex-officio member(s) of all Committees. 
    5. Will serve as the primary contact(s) for communications, and she/they will approve all communications (both printed and electronic) of the organization before they are distributed to the membership or posted on the website.
    6. Will stay in communication with the Director of Alumnae, Executive Headquarters, and will be responsible for authorizing the update of the officer roster when changes occur.
    7. Shall have signing authority on any bank accounts held by the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston. 
    8. Shall appoint a Parliamentarian who will serve on the Executive and General Boards.
  1. The President(s)-Elect
    1. Shall serve as the Night Owl Liaison(s) and shall take office as President (or Co-President) the following year. 
    2. May attend any Committee meetings and work with the President(s) to observe the functioning of the Executive Board, General Board, Kaleidoscope Board and to become acquainted with the membership at large.
    3. Shall perform the duties of the President(s) in the absence of that/those officer(s). 
    4. Shall have signing authority on any bank accounts held by the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston.
    5. Shall work with the New Members of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston to encourage them to participate in the Alumnae Association events.
  1. Immediate Past-President(s) 
    1. Shall act in an advisory capacity.
    2. Shall act as Chair(s) of the Woman of the Year Committee.
    3. Shall serve as Chair(s) of the Nominating Committee.
  1. Recruitment Chair(s)
    1. Shall act as Chair(s) of the Recruitment Committee.
    2. Shall be responsible for overseeing the processing of Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs) regarding Potential New Members, from the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston. 
    3. Shall treat requests for information from active chapters equally and respond in a timely manner.
    4. Shall educate the alumnae on the importance and practice of writing RIFs and Letters of Support.
    5. Shall oversee updates of recruitment information on the local website annually.
  1. Secretary 
    1. Shall record and keep complete minutes for the meetings of the Executive Board, General Board and general Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston.
    2. Shall record the new officers installed in the May minutes to facilitate officer transition.
    3. Shall record non-budgeted expenditures approved by the Executive Board.
    4. Shall conduct the general correspondence of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston.
  1. Treasurer 
    1. Shall have custody of all funds of the organization, shall collect dues and attend to expenditures as authorized by the Executive Board and keep a complete record of all financial transactions.
    2. Shall serve as the Key Executive of the financial accounts and have signing authority.
    3. Shall be responsible for updating the bank and financial records each May following new officer installation.
    4. Shall maintain a complete and accurate record of all receipts and disbursements and give reports at Executive Board and General Board meetings.
    5. Shall present a budget to the Executive Board and General Board for approval annually, before May 31st.
    6. Shall file the appropriate paperwork with the IRS.
    7. Shall pay Houston Area Panhellenic Association dues.
    8. Shall pay non-budgeted items, upon approval by the Executive Board, once she receives the Check Request Form.
  1. Communications Chair(s) 
    1. Shall provide general communication to the membership.
    2. Shall be responsible for the distribution of all newsletters and notices of meetings.
    3. May submit items to the Editor of The Eleusis.
    4. Shall oversee the Calendar, Website, Social Media, Eblasts and Newsletter sub-committees.
    5. The Membership Chair(s) shall oversee the planning and execution of the annual membership drive and maintain the membership database.
    6. Shall encourage member participation in Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston activities and reach out to prospective members.
    7. Shall coordinate any changes in membership status with the Database Committee.
  1. Vice-President(s)-Kaleidoscope
    1. Shall act as Chair of the Chi Omega Kaleidoscope Committee.
    2. Shall sit on the Chi Omega Kaleidoscope Board.
    3. Shall perform the duties of the President(s) in the absence of the President(s) and of the President(s)-Elect.

ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The Executive Board shall determine the general policies of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston, approve all offices which become vacant during the year, approve all expenditures not included in the budget and act on all matters requiring special consideration. 

Section 2. A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A board member unable to attend shall notify the President of her absence and send her report as necessary to be read at the Executive Board meeting.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall be comprised of the President(s), President(s)-Elect, Past-President(s), Treasurer, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Recruitment Chair(s), Communications Chair(s), and Kaleidoscope Chair(s) and will meet a minimum of two (2) times per fiscal year but not in the months of June and July, at a regularly-scheduled time and place.

ARTICLE VI. GENERAL BOARD

Section 1. The Affairs of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston shall be conducted by a General Board composed of the officers and Chairs of the standing Committees set forth in these bylaws. 

Section 2. The General Board shall meet a minimum of four (4) times per fiscal year but not in the months of June and July, at a regularly scheduled time and place. On failure of the President(s) to provide for such regular meetings, the responsibility is upon the President(s)-Elect, Vice President(s)-Kaleidoscope Chair(s) and Secretary, in that order, to convene such meeting for that month, on notice of time and place to be posted on the website.

ARTICLE VII. STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. Personnel

  1. There shall be the following Standing Committees whose Chairs are elected under the same provisions made for elections of officers and whose respective committee members are appointed by the Chair of each respective Committee, unless otherwise specifically provided in these bylaws:
    1. The Chi Omega Kaleidoscope Committee shall consist of the Kaleidoscope Executive Board and the Kaleidoscope Committee.

(1) The Chi Omega Kaleidoscope Executive Board, as defined in the Chi Omega Kaleidoscope Bylaws, is charged with approving the business and financial decisions and charity selections regarding Kaleidoscope. The Kaleidoscope Executive Board shall determine the general policies of Kaleidoscope, approve all expenditures not included in the budget and act on all matters requiring special consideration.

(2) The Kaleidoscope Committee shall take charge of any fundraising activities undertaken by Chi Omega Kaleidoscope. The Kaleidoscope Committee shall plan and execute all philanthropic fundraising programs with all net proceeds to be donated to recognized, charitable institutions and scholarships.

    1. The Recruitment Committee shall research Prospective New Members and assist in recruiting for any Chi Omega chapter.

(1)  The recruiting chapter shall obtain the approval of this Committee on the Recruitment Information Form for each Prospective New Member. Only Committee approved RIFs will be forwarded to recruiting chapters.

(2)  This Committee shall be composed of a Chair or Chairs who shall be responsible for selecting her/their Recruitment Committee.

    1. There shall be the following Committees, the Chairs of which, are appointed by the President:

Database Committee
Chow Omega Committee
Night Owls Committee
Communications Sub-Committees
Eleusinian Committee
Scholarship Committee
Membership Committee
Programs Committee
Chi O Cares Committee
Welcome Back Event Committee
Woman of the Year Committee

The President may appoint chairs of additional committees that reflect the specific interests of the general membership.

  1. There shall be the following Chairs who are appointed by the President but do not have a committee:

Chaplain
Mothers’ Club Liaison
Panhellenic Liaison and Panhellenic Alternate
Parliamentarian
Psi Zeta Liaison
Center For Pursuit Liaison
Philanthropy Liaison

  1. The Chaplain shall be responsible for providing the invocation for all General Board and Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston Membership meetings/socials.
  2. The Following sub-committees will operate under the direction of the Communications Chair(s): Calendar, Newsletter, Eblasts, Website, Social. The Communications Chair shall review and ensure coordination of all Sub-Committees. 
    1. Calendar Chair shall add information to our online calendar and send out notifications.
    2. Website Chair shall update website information as needed.
    3. Social Media Chair shall update the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston’s social media accounts with information from the calendar and shall add pictures post-event. 
    4. Newsletter Chair shall gather information and pictures from events and shall compile a minimum of 4 newsletters (September, November, February and May/June).
    5. Eblast Chair shall distribute eblasts to membership on an as-needed basis. 
  3. The Eleusinian Committee shall make arrangements for the annual Eleusinian Fundraising and Founders’ Day celebration.
  4. The Welcome Back Event Committee shall plan and execute an event for the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston membership.
  5. The Membership Committee shall work with the Membership Committee Chair to plan and execute the annual membership drive.
  6. The Database Committee will maintain the membership database by coordinating with all committees.
  7. The Mothers’ Club Liaison shall be an initiated Chi Omega in good standing and shall attend all meetings of the Mothers’ Club and shall perform liaison duties.
  8. The Night Owls Committee shall plan all events for the evening alumnae group known as the Night Owls.
  9. The Panhellenic Liaison shall attend all meetings of the Houston Alumnae Panhellenic Association (HAPA) and shall report any pertinent business of HAPA to the members of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston. The Panhellenic Alternate shall perform the duties of the Panhellenic Liaison as needed. The Liaison is also responsible for locating an officer to serve on the Panhellenic Board when officer rotation come to Chi Omega.  The General Board must approve the Liaison’s recommendation prior to assignment of the Panhellenic Board officer position.
  10. The Parliamentarian shall advise the presiding officers on procedural matters in the conduct of all Executive Board, General Board and meetings of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston and be responsible for any Bylaw revisions.
  11. The Programs Committee shall provide a minimum of two meetings for the benefit and enjoyment of the membership. The committee shall select the meeting places, obtain the hostesses, provide the food and beverages and do anything else that is deemed necessary.
  12. The Psi Zeta Liaison shall keep the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston members informed regarding the activities of the Psi Zeta Chapter at the University of Houston.
  13. The Chi O Cares Committee shall apprise the membership of special events occurring in a sister’s life (ex. Birth of child, marriage, illness, entrance into the Omega Chapter.) 
  14. The Scholarship Committee shall work in conjunction with the Executive Board and the Chi Omega Kaleidoscope Executive Board and shall direct all activities necessary in the selection of scholarship recipients.
  15. The Center For Pursuit Liaison shall coordinate volunteer opportunities for Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston alumnae members.
  16. The Philanthropy Liaison shall coordinate volunteer opportunities for Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston alumnae members, and/or their families, that are focused on opportunities outside those at the Center For Pursuit.
  17. The Woman of the Year Committee shall annually conduct a nomination and selection process to honor a Chi Omega, who has provided noteworthy service within the Chi Omega Fraternity, the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston and/or the greater Houston community.

ARTICLE VIII. MEETINGS

Section 1. The General meetings of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston may be held August through May at the discretion of the President. 

Section 2. The day, time and place of each general membership event shall be fixed by the appropriate  Committee Chair, approved by the President(s) and published on the website at www.chiomegahouston.com. 

Section 3. Executive Board and General Board members of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston can transact business with a majority favorable vote of all members present at the meeting where voting takes place. 

Section 4. Meetings shall be open to Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston members in good standing. Guests may be invited to specially designated social functions. 

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

These bylaws may be amended at any General membership meeting of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston with a majority favorable vote of all members present at the meeting where voting takes place. Notice of the proposed amendments must be presented at the preceding General Board meeting by reading the proposal and by furnishing a copy thereof to the Secretary for incorporation into the minutes, or by sending a copy of the proposed amendment through email to each member in good standing at least a month in advance of the time of voting on such amendment.

ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION

In the event of the dissolution of the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston, any monies remaining after all bills have been paid would be donated to recognized, charitable institutions and scholarships.

Adopted – March 2020

Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston
Houston, Texas

Contact Us
president@chiomegahouston.com

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