Interdisciplinary Studies International Honor Society Constitution and Bylaws

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF

Alpha Iota Sigma

THE INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES HONOR SOCIETY

Preamble

The founders of Alpha Iota Sigma in 2012 included representatives from the following institutions: Michigan State University, Oakland University, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Holy Cross, SUNY Potsdam, Baylor University, University of Texas Arlington, and Franklin University. That same year, the Board of Directors of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies confirmed the establishment of Alpha Iota Sigma as the first national honor society for superior students of interdisciplinary studies.

Article 1

Purpose

The mission of Alpha Iota Sigma is to recognize the academic scholarship and achievements of interdisciplinary students at the undergraduate level.  As a national honor society, Alpha Iota Sigma

• promotes the benefits of interdisciplinary work;
• provides a forum to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among students, faculty, and local community members;
• investigates and encourages methods of interdisciplinary learning;
• enhances understanding and application of interdisciplinary knowledge among the general public;
• creates a sense of community among interdisciplinary students and graduates of interdisciplinary programs.

Student members of Alpha Iota Sigma advance this mission by

• motivating their peers to excel in interdisciplinary scholarship;
• fostering connections between their academic coursework and the larger community through civic engagement projects;
• encouraging honors graduates to be leaders in addressing the complex problems of contemporary society with the highest intellectual, ethical, and moral standards.

Article 2

National Council

Section 1.  The National Council shall be comprised of student representatives from member chapters.  The Secretary/Treasurer of each chapter shall automatically be a member of the National Council.

Section 2.  The National Council shall appoint faculty co-coordinators with one nominated by the Board of Directors of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies and another by the National Council. Both will be responsible for coordinating

 the yearly national meeting held in conjunction with the annual Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference. The term of office of each shall be four years, and coordinators are eligible to succeed themselves for two additional terms.

Article 3

New Chapters

Section 1. To be eligible for consideration for a chapter of the Society, an applicant shall be a four-year institution of higher education and must be a member in good standing of the accrediting association of the region in which it is located.

Section 2. The loss of an institution’s membership in a regional accrediting association shall automatically suspend the chapter until such time as accreditation is regained.

Section 3.  Each chapter shall be coordinated by a Faculty Sponsor from the chapter’s institution. In order for a chapter to be considered for the membership, the faculty sponsor must submit in writing to the National Council, details of the

program(s) seeking chapter membership including IDS courses, programs, and faculty.

Section 5. A charter may be granted to an applying institution by a two-thirds vote of all the members of the National Council.

Section 6.  Chapters must adhere to the Alpha Iota Sigma Constitution and Bylaws, maintain institutional membership in AIS, and send at least one representative to the yearly AIS Conference to participate in the annual meeting of the

National Council.

Article 4

Individual Student Membership

Section 1. To be eligible for membership in Alpha Iota Sigma the student must

1. be currently enrolled in an Alpha Iota Sigma member college or university,
2. be majoring in an interdisciplinary program  as noted in the chapter application,
3. hold a GPA of 3.3 (local chapters may establish higher GPA standards),
4. present to the National Council two letters of recommendation with at least one     

         Section 2.  Chapters may also require the following:

a.   present  an interdisciplinary writing sample of which the student applicant is a sole or co-author,

b.   provide a written justification for the interdisciplinary content of courses taken,

c.   provide an essay speaking to the importance of interdisciplinary study in the chosen major.

Article 5

Chapter Officers and Duties

Section 1. The chapter officers will be the President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer.

Section 2. The President will call meetings, preside at meetings, appoint committees, and provide general supervision of the affairs of the society in consultation with the Faculty Sponsor.

Section 3. The Vice-President will assist the President and assume the responsibilities of the President in case of his/her absence.

Section 4. It will be the duty of the Secretary/Treasurer to collect all dues and assessments of members; to pay bills sanctioned by the society; to keep an account of all receipts and expenditures (with the assistance of the Vice-President); to

keep and read minutes of meetings; and to report on the activities and financial status of the chapter at each regular meeting and at the yearly meeting of the National Council.   (Additional duties may be assigned as necessary.)

Article 6

Election of Chapter Officers

Section 1. Officers for the following year will be elected at a regular spring meeting and formally installed by the incumbent officers.

Section 2. Officers will be elected by a majority vote of the chapter.

Section 3. If officers do not return to school, new officers will be elected to fill the vacancies at the next meeting.

Article 7

Chapter Meetings

Section 1. There will be at least one regular meeting of the chapter each term.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or at the request of the Faculty Sponsor.

Section 3. A quorum will consist of a majority of the chapter’s active membership.

Article 8

Induction, Fees, and Assessments

Section 1.  Each new chapter shall pay to the National Council a one-time installation fee within two weeks of the induction.

Section 2. In addition to the required national dues, the chapter may require any local dues as deemed necessary or appropriate.

Article 9

Induction and Installation of New Members and Officers

Dignified and worthy rituals for induction of members and for installation of officers shall be used by each chapter.

Article 10

Fees

Section 1. The installation fee for a new chapter shall be fixed by the National Council*.

Section 2. The induction fee for each new member shall be fixed by the National Council**.

Article 11

Amendments

      Section 1. The Articles of this Constitution may be amended, revised, or altered in whole or in part at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members of the National Council, provided such a proposal and a notice of the proposed

       vote are given to each member in writing at least one month prior to the vote.

Article 12

Bylaws

Section 1. Additional bylaws may be adopted at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of the active membership.

        Section 2. Each chapter may adopt such bylaws as are not in conflict with the national Constitution.  The National Council must approve the bylaws of a local chapter, with a further right of the local chapter to appeal National Council decisions

        to the AIS Board of Directors.

Section 3. Each chapter will keep an accurate record of each member and his/her accomplishments in the field of the interdisciplinary studies up until graduation from the IDS program at that institution.

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Current Fee Structure

Chapter Installation Fee     $50

(one time, payable within 2 weeks of chapter installation)

 Member Induction Fee       $30

(one time, payable within 2 weeks of induction) 

Chapter Annual Fee            $30

(payable annually – due October 31)

As approved November 2012

AlphaIotaSigma_bylaws_November2012_final.pdf