Student OrgsSigma Sigma Sigma

Chapter Bylaws Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority

Eta Theta Chapter

Gustavus Adolphus College

Article I

Name

This Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma shall be called Eta Theta and it shall be governed by the National Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma and this chapter.

Article II

Meetings

Section 1: The regular meeting of the Eta Theta chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma shall be held once a week. Two meetings per semester shall be a Ceremonial Business Meeting. 

Section 2: The Officers shall meet at least once a week in executive session at the discretion of the President.

Section 3:Members shall attend all scheduled meetings and functions of the chapter unless excused in advance by the Vice President of Operations. A member wishing to be excused shall state her reasons in writing 24 hours in advance unless an unforeseen circumstance arises. Any unexcused absence shall cause said member to be subject to discipline determined by the Chapter Officers.

Section 4:A quorum shall be necessary to conduct business. Two-thirds of the total chapter membership shall constitute a quorum.

Article III

Dues, Fees, and Budgets

Section 1: Local dues will be set by the Treasurer after the start of each semester. These dues will amount to the approved budget over the number of members and will be divided into two payments, fall and spring, according to the approved chapter budget. Payment plans are required through the Treasurer. Dues may be paid in multiple payments as decided by the Treasurer or in full for each semester. All payments must be made by the final meeting of the relevant semester. If the amount due is not paid by the assigned due date, or within seven days after the due date, the member may be sent to the Honor Council. 

Section 2: If termination from the chapter results, or a decision to self terminate is made, or if for any other reason a member chooses to leave the sorority or Gustavus Adolphus College, the individual has 30 days from the date of the letter(s) of termination or documents stating the decision to leave the Eta Theta Chapter and/or Gustavus Adolphus College to pay the remaining amount of their payment plan not rendered to Eta Theta Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority. 

Section 3: At the time of New Member Education, a new member fee shall be collected and shall be sent to the Executive Office. Local chapter dues, set as stated in Article III Section 1, shall be collected and deposited into the chapter’s bank account.

Section 4:Prior to initiation, a determined fee and the cost of the badge shall be sent to the Executive Office.

Section 5:Any chairwoman of a committee that wishes to receive additional funds above and beyond her budget must get the permission of the Treasurer and another chairwoman to take the funds out of the other’s budget. Spending above the budget without the aforesaid permission must be paid by the chairwoman as a personal expense.

Section 6:The chapter Treasurer reserves the right to revise the budget during the year due to the ineffective usage of funds or unforeseen circumstances. These revisions must be approved by the Chapter Officers and the appropriate chairwoman must be advised of the changes.

Section 7:Any chairwoman of a committee that wishes to purchase and receive reimbursement from said purchases for events relating to their committee must get permission from the treasurer. There will be no reimbursement for purchasing items without prior approval  from the assistant manager and committee, along with the Director of Chapter Finances. 

1. As purchases are being made in any capacity, the manager of the committee will update their purchase spreadsheet so that the Director of Chapter Finances can keep track of expenses. They must also fill out the reimbursement form with receipts in order to be reimbursed.

Section 8:All active members are responsible for paying dues starting the first day of fall and spring semester. All new members are responsible for paying dues starting the last day of new member period.

Article IV

Membership

Section 1:Selection of New Members shall be made in accordance to Article II Sub article A, “Membership” of the Constitution. “Membership in each chapter shall be determined by performance, educational achievement, and criteria related to the goals and purposes of the Sorority. Judgments shall not be made based upon other factors such as individual race, color, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, or disability.”

Section 2:New members shall be added in accordance with the pledging policies of the National Panhellenic Conference as adopted by this College Panhellenic. 

Section 3:A new member shall be initiated within eight weeks of the date of her acceptance of the invitation to membership. 

1. Before being initiated, a new member must complete the following:
2. Complete all new member training on Essential Sigma and OmegaOne.
3. Pay their New Member Fee (the amount being assigned by Nationals).
4. Complete their Arc Degree Ritual.

Section 4:A new member must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale to be initiated and remain in good standing. 

Section 5:All seniors must be in good standing for points, 75 percent of points or the requirements of the special consideration, in order to receive cords and participate in senior send on. 

Section 6:If a member wishes to change their membership status to a special consideration for: academic challenges, personal challenges (including health), internship hours, student teaching, studying abroad, or financial challenges, the member must discuss this matter with the active Chapter President and active Vice President of Operations or Director of Chapter Finances. This status change must be approved by all parties and submitted into the correct docket in chapter portal 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester under consideration.

1. If an extenuating circumstance occurs within a semester, a member may discuss this matter with any trusted member of the officer board to come to an agreement on attendance and/or dues. This information will be shared with the Vice President of Operations and Director of Chapter Finances. 

Section 7:If a member wishes to change their membership status to inactive, the member must discuss this matter with the active Chapter President and active Vice President of Operations or Director of Chapter Finances. The status change must be approved by all parties and submitted into the correct docket in chapter portal 30 days prior to the beginning of the year under consideration. 

1. If a member wishes to be inactive for a semester, that is considered a special consideration, for which they should follow the steps outlined in Article IV Section 6. Chapter inactivity is only approved for 1 school year, August-August. 

Section 8:If a member wishes to be inactive during their final year of undergraduate study, they must obtain their own graduation cord that identifies them as a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma.

1. If a member wishes to be inactive during their final year of undergraduate study, they may attend Senior Send Off, however they may not receive gifts purchased with the chapter budget.

Article V

Elections

Section 1:Chapter officers shall be elected during the first meeting in November at a Ceremonial Business Meeting. The exact date shall be determined by the chapter needs. Earlier or later election requires the permission of the NCC.

Section 2:A nominating committee, or Slate Committee, shall select a slate of officers. The Slate Committee shall include a representative from each class to be elected by the members of that class by a majority vote at least two weeks before elections. Four Arc Leaders will be selected (volunteers, or by majority vote if more than four volunteers) in the spring semester for the upcoming fall new member period.

Section 3:Candidates shall be eligible according to the Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma.

Section 4:Elected Chapter Officers require a two-thirds majority vote of present members in order to be elected to a position.

Section 5:Officer training sessions shall be held of the elected officers prior to installation.

Article VI

Officers and Chairwomen

Section 1:The elected officers of the Chapter shall be Chapter President, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of New Member Education, Director of Chapter Finances, Vice President of Harm Reduction , Director of Chapter Growth, Director of Member Development, Director of Panhellenic Relations. These positions may be combined into the Minimalistic Leadership Structure, or MLS (refer to the Collegiate Chapter Leadership Structure Handbook).

Section 2:During the elections of the Chapter Officers, three Honor Council Officers will also be appointed. Honor Council is not a board position, and officers cannot be elected. These positions on the Honor Council are: Chair, Recording Secretary, and Goals Coordinator. One person may serve as all 3 positions if the chapter follows the Minimalistic Leadership Structure.

Section 3:The duties of the officers shall be as explained in the Chapter Officer manuals and the National Constitution, and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma.

Section 4:The Officer Board shall appoint managers to the following positions: 

Apparel, Social, Philanthropy, Ritual, Alumnae Engagement, Formal, Sisterhood, Senior Send on, Parliamentary, Public Relations, Closet Queen, and Community Relations. 

1. Each committee will have a manager and an assistant manager, which will be shown as the first member of the committee. The assistant manager will be second in command, and will help the manager run the committee and help plan events. 

Article VII

Chapter Housing

Section 1:Gustavus Adolphus College does not allow for Sorority/Fraternity housing. The Eta Theta Chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma will not own a House and will therefore not pay local Housing fees.

Article VIII

Attendance and Points System

Section 1:Each member must make 85% of the points each month. If a member fails to achieve 85% of the total points for two consecutive months, that member shall be referred to the Honor Council.

Section 2:Members can only gain or lose points for Sigma Official events, tardiness at chapter meetings, and special circumstances. Tardiness is defined as being more than five minutes late. Point totals will be calculated each month and will be available to all members. The Vice President of Operations will determine regular point values each year. This includes rituals, chapter meetings, campus educational, sisterhood events, social events, study hours, etc.

Section 3:Written absent notification must be sent to the Secretary by ways of etathetapoints@gmail.com at least 24 hours prior to the unattended event.

Section 4:Any event can be Sigma Official as long as all members are notified at least two weeks prior to the event. Events can become Sigma Official within two weeks of the event by a two-thirds vote of the entire chapter in good standing.

Section 5:Bonus points may be assigned by the Vice President of Operations to any ongoing campus educational or Greek event. The Secretary must notify the entire chapter one week prior to the event. The assigning of bonus points is left to the discretion of the Vice President of Operations and does not require a chapter vote. 

Section 6:If a member is excused, the member will gain 85% of the point value for each event in order to stay in good standing. Studying will not result in an excused absence for members.

Section 7:Seniors are required to make 75% of required points their senior year in order to be allowed to attend Senior Send On and receive a gift. If they do not make the required number of points and wish to attend Send On, they can appeal to Honor Council.

Section 8: All members must be in good standing according to the Executive Board in order to attend fall or spring formal. Good standing is defined each academic year and will be announced during the first meeting of each semester, and New Members will be notified during New Member Education. A member not in good standing may appeal to Honor Council if they wish to attend these events.

Section 9:Once a ritual has begun no person shall enter the room unless part of the ritual. If late you cannot enter and will not get the points. 

Section 10:All IGS/IGC events are Sigma Official, despite the amount of notice given since it is out of the control of the Vice President of Operations. Notice of events are to be given as soon as possible. 

Article IX

The Internet Standard of Conduct

Internet Use, through media including, among others, email, websites, and social networking or discussion groups, is a valuable tool for education and communication. All members of the Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority are responsible for using these media in an appropriate manner. Each member of the Sorority is responsible for seeing that she abides by the letter and spirit of applicable laws governing Internet Use. A member’s conduct on the Internet is subject generally to the Code of Conduct and must be consistent with their standard. A member whose conduct does not follow the general Code of Conduct will be first addressed by the Webmaster of Tri Sigma and secondly sent to honor council.

Section 1: Definition of Internet use

Any communications on the internet (as generally defined and understood by the general public, whether through establishment or maintenance of a website, discussion board, social networking group, page, or site, or chat room or the submission of any data, whether in graphic, video, audio or written form to any site on the internet, or the linking to any site on the internet that contains such data.

Section 2:  Standards of Conduct

The Eta Theta chapter of Tri-Sigma sorority is responsible for the Internet Use of its undergraduate members and is expected to enforce these standards of conduct in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, including, the Code of Conduct. Each member of the Sorority is expected to comply with these standards of conduct with respect to her personal Internet use, which may indicate or demonstrate her membership in Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.

1.           No chapter or member shall engage in or permit Internet use in any manner, form, or content that is inconsistent with the standards and values of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. The following represent content inconsistent with the standards and values of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority:
2. a) Any explicit or implicit reference to or promotion of illegal alcohol use or alcohol abuse, drug use, drug paraphernalia, hazing or illegal behavior.
3. b) Discussion or disclosure of any part or parts of the Ritual of Sigma Sigma Sigma, except for permissible forms of public use of certain phrases, approved by the parliamentarian committee and Executive Board of Tri Sigma.
4. c) Content otherwise inconsistent with the policies, guidelines, and procedures, of Sigma Sigma Sigma as made aware of in the code of conduct and upheld by Honor Council and Executive Board.
5. d) These examples are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all inappropriate content.
6. e) All members must keep conflicts within the sorority to be handled privately. 
7.           No chapter or member shall host, sponsor, post, or link to any inappropriate content on the Internet.
8.           Each chapter or member shall delete inappropriate content upon request by the Tri Sigma sorority PR chair , Executive Board, representing authorized representatives of the chapter in which the undergraduate member is initiated or affiliated. The Inter-Greek Senate also has the authority to request the removal of content deemed inappropriate in its representation of Gustavus Greek life or otherwise inappropriate for public display. If a member does not comply with a request to remove an inappropriate social media content, they will be subject to the Honor Council by the discretion of the PR chair, Executive Board. 
9.           No chapter or member shall engage in or permit Internet Use in any manner, form, or content contrary to any school regulation or rule. Each chapter and member shall comply with the rules, regulations, policies and standards regarding Internet Use set by its host institution.
10.           No chapter or member shall register any domain name that contains any Insignias as defined by Rule 5.2 of the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority
11. a) Any chapter or member having registered any domain name using any of the Insignias of the Sorority as of the date these standards of conduct are adopted by the Supreme Executive Committee, makes such use of such Insignias pursuant to a nonexclusive license to use such Insignias consistent with Rule 5.2. Such license shall continue until earlier of the date two (2) years following the adoption of these standards of conduct by the Supreme Executive Committee or upon the assignment of such domain name to Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority otherwise in accordance with these standards of conduct.
12. b) Upon any written request of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, any chapter or member having registered any domain name containing any Insignias of the Sorority shall assign such domain name to the Sorority at no cost to the Sorority and shall not contest or oppose any effort by the Sorority to recover any such domain name through applicable regulations and procedures following expiration of any license contemplated by these standards of conduct.
13. c) Any chapter or member registering a domain name in violation of these standards of conduct shall assign such domain name to the Sorority at no cost to the Sorority upon request and shall not contest or oppose any effort by the Sorority to recover any such domain name through applicable regulations and procedures.
14.           No chapter or member shall create a networking or social group on the Internet using the name “Sigma Sigma Sigma” or any of the Insignias of the Sorority without the written authorization of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority Webmaster, given authorization by the executive committee.
15. a) Where a chapter or member creates or maintains a networking or social group on the Internet, if said group identifies itself with Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority or a chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, membership in the group shall be limited only to members of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, unless specifically authorized otherwise by the Sorority.
16. b) Any group in violation of their standard shall result in the networking or social group being disbanded and/or ownership, control and administration of such group shall be assigned to an authorized representative of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority immediately upon request.
17. Each chapter or member joining or participating in any social networking group, discussion board or similar website, webpage or other outlet on the internet that uses “Sigma Sigma Sigma” in its name, displays any other Insignias, or purports to present a forum for discussion of matters concerning Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority or its chapters, shall be responsible for the content posted to such group or site by its members or which is posted by such member. All such content shall be consistent with these standards of content.

Article X

Amendments

Section 1:These Bylaws shall be read before November 1st of each year.

Section 2:These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the entire chapter membership in good standing. 

Section 3:A copy of the Bylaws as accepted by the chapter shall be sent to the Chapter Advisory Board following annual amending. Copies shall be placed in the National Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma files in the chapter chest. 

1. While the chapter Bylaws are not secret, they are for the use of members only and are not subject to non-member inspection. The same is true of the National Constitution and Bylaws of Sigma Sigma Sigma. In case of a request for either document, consult your NCC or Executive Office.

Section 4:  Electronic copies of both the Bylaws and Constitution will be made available to all chapter members via online sharing of the document.

Section 5:Amendments as accepted by the chapter are sent yearly by November 1 to the NCC.

Section 6:No legal contract or binding document shall be signed by any member of the chapter without prior consultation or consent with Campus Activities Office or Chapter Advisory Board, this includes multi-year contracts.