Panhellenic Association Constitution

Revised October 2003

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Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Duke University Panhellenic Association

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of the Panhellenic Association shall be:

1. To develop and maintain sorority life and inter-sorority relations within our university.
2. To promote intellectual accomplishment and sound scholarship.
3. To support the University administration’s maintenance of high university standards.
4. To be a forum for the exploration of questions of interest to the college and sorority world.
5. To compile and enforce rules governing recruitment, new member periods and initiation on this campus.
6. To understand and act in accordance with the National Panhellenic Conference UNANIMOUS AGREEMENTS and policies.
7. To act in accordance with such rules established by the National Panhellenic Conference that do not violate the sovereignty, rights and privileges of member sororities.

 

Article III. Organization

1. The Duke University Panhellenic Association shall be composed of all sorority chapters in the Duke community whose sororities are members of the National Panhellenic Conference and are approved as Regular, Associate or Suspended sorority chapters. The standing of each sorority chapter will be defined by its obligations and privileges.
   1. The REGULAR membership of the Duke University Panhellenic Association shall include all chapter members in good standing of National Panhellenic Conference fraternities at Duke University. Regular members shall receive full privileges in all Panhellenic and Greek-Wide endeavors.
   2. The AFFILIATE membership of the Duke University Panhellenic Association shall be composed of all non National Panhellenic Conference members in good standing of their own Nationals. A Panhellenic associate is entitled to one non-voting seat on the Panhellenic Council and to participate, without a vote, in all committees and discussions that directly affect the Duke University Greek community.
   3. The SUSPENDED membership of the Duke University Panhellenic Association shall be composed of all regular and affiliate members in poor standing of National Panhellenic Conference fraternities at Duke University. Recognition as a Suspended member may occur as a result of failure to fulfill chapter responsibilities to the Duke Panhellenic Association or University as outlined in this constitution (e.g. failure to pay membership dues and/or fines, failure to meet recognition requirements of the Division of Student Affairs, inadequate attendance at mandatory events, inadequate cooperation with Nationals), or on the recommendation of the Greek Judicial Board.
   Suspended Members may:
   1. Appeal their status to the Panhellenic Council no more than twice per year (see Appeal for Membership Status Change: Suspended to Regular or Affiliate, Appendix D of Bylaws).
   2. Attend Panhellenic Council meetings without voice or vote.
   3. Appeal to keep chapter members on the Panhellenic Executive Council, should they already hold positions.
   Suspended Members may not:
   1. Participate in Formal Recruitment or Panhellenic sponsored COR events.
   2. Attend Panhellenic or Greek-Wide sponsored events without permission from the Panhellenic Council.
   3. Apply for Panhellenic Executive Council positions without permission from the Panhellenic Council.
2. The Duke University Panhellenic Council shall be the governing body of the Association. The council shall be composed of one delegate from each chapter represented in the Duke University Panhellenic Association.
3. Delegates to the Council shall be elected by their representative sorority chapters to serve for a term of one year that officially commences two weeks after the end of Formal Recruitment.
4. Duke University shall appoint a member of the faculty or staff to serve as the Panhellenic Advisor. The Panhellenic Advisor is invited to attend any and all meetings of the Panhellenic Association.
5. The President, or other member authorized by the President, of each sorority represented on the Duke University Panhellenic Council shall be required to attend all Presidents’ meetings. The sorority will be forgiven for one absence. Failure to attend meetings will result in a fine of $25.00 for each additional absence after the first.
6. All sororities of Duke University must be jointly recognized and approved by the Duke Panhellenic Council and Division of Student Affairs.

Article IV. Council Officers and Duties

1. The Executive Officers of the Panhellenic Council shall be: President; Executive Vice President; Vice President of Membership; Director of Administration and Order; Director of Finance; Director of Philanthropy and Community Service; Director of Programming and Special Events; Director of Public Relations; Publications Chair; and Risk Manager.
2. The procedure to be followed in the election of the officers shall be the regular Election System of the Duke University Panhellenic Association as set forth in Article II of the By-laws of this Constitution.
3. There shall be two additional officers: Co-chairs of the Recruitment Counselor pool. These officers shall be appointed by the Duke University Panhellenic Council upon recommendation by the Executive Officers.
4. With the majority vote of the Panhellenic Council, a new office may be established within the Executive Board. The President of the Panhellenic Council shall decide if the vacancy shall be filled by an appointment made by the Executive Board, or by means of a special election.
5. The officers shall serve for a term of one year, the term of office to begin two weeks after the completion of the formal recruitment process in the Spring Semester.
6. The duties of each officer are as follows:

President:

The President shall act as chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Panhellenic Council. She must schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings with the Executive Board and the Panhellenic Representatives. She must organize weekly meetings with the sorority presidents. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss relevant Panhellenic concerns such as housing, university policies, philanthropic events, recruitment and overall council relations.
The President is, most importantly, a link between the administration, faculty, trustees and Women’s Center. The President assumes a major role on university policy committees and plays an expanded role in overall university life. She is the official information source about sororities for every group on campus, although other more specialized executive officers can be asked to supplement her information.
Another important role of the President is as a liaison between Panhellenic and the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC) and the Inter-Greek Council (IGC). Time devoted to this endeavor should not be underestimated.
Most importantly, the President must determine the future direction of the Panhellenic Association. Panhellenic addresses issues that are of relevance to sororities as well as the larger Duke community. The amount of time and thought while this consumes is tremendous. The President must ensure that the Panhellenic Association adopts a suitable role on campus.

Executive Vice President:

The Executive Vice President’s most important role is as the chairwoman of the Junior Panhellenic Council, the Executive Council’s strongest and most vibrant resource. As the chairwoman, she must work with the other executive officers as well as campus groups in using Junior Panhellenic as an information, idea and action source.
The Executive Vice President is also the co-chair of the Panhellenic Judicial Board that hears judicial matters affecting the entire Greek community. She is also responsible for any Constitutional changes made to Greek judicial policies.
Overall, the Executive Vice President serves as a structural support for the President. She chairs two very important Panhellenic committees and must take this responsibility accordingly.

Vice President of Membership:

The VP Membership is in charge of every aspect of recruitment. Her responsibilities include: scheduling recruitment chair meetings: participating in the selection of the Recruitment Counselor Co-Chairs: planning the recruitment schedule: assisting the head Recruitment Counselor Co-Chairs in the selection and training of recruitment counselors, and collecting information for the Recruitment 101 booklet, and the Recruitment Handbook.
The VP Membership also has direct contact with the potential new members through the recruitment registration and recruitment process, and chairs any recruitment reform committees.

Director of Administration and Order:

The Director of Administration and Order is in charge of all administrative responsibilities pertaining to the Panhellenic Association, as well as all Constitutional issues and concerns. She must know the Panhellenic Association comprehensively as she is the ultimate reference on questions that have Constitutional bearing, and she helps orchestrate Constitutional changes. She oversees the voting process at Council meetings and helps organize elections, beginning no less than one month before the end of the fall semester, as outlined in Article II of the By-laws.
The Director of Administration and Order also keeps minutes of the Executive Council and Delegate meetings. These minutes must be copied to their respective record books. Her notes are the most detailed history of the Panhellenic interest and actions every year. She is also primarily responsible for maintaining sorority membership records, chapter leadership records, and Panhellenic numbers. She is responsible for creating and updating Panhellenic e-mail accounts (Panhellenic Executive Council, Representatives and Presidents).
Finally, the Director of Administration and Order works with the university administration to develop adequate office, storage and meeting space for the Panhellenic Council and the member sororities of the Panhellenic Association. She must also work with the Resident Advisors and the Office of Student Activities and Facilities to help the VP Membership secure rooms for recruitment.

Director of Finance:

The Director of Finance is responsible for Panhellenic funds. She must draw up a budget by March 1st of the semester she takes office. The Panhellenic Council must approve this budget. Most importantly, the Director of Finance must keep accurate records of funds, both on- and off-campus. She is responsible for writing and cashing Panhellenic checks and for issuing monthly financial reports to the Executive Council and the Panhellenic Representatives.

Director of Philanthropy and Community Service:

The Director of Philanthropy and Community Service is in charge of Panhellenic programming, as it relates to philanthropy and community service. This job includes Panhellenic-wide events that focus on particular interests such as women’s health, and Greek-wide philanthropy events. Additionally, she creates plans for speakers and Panhellenic fundraisers. She should plan one Panhellenic programming event per moth. She should work closely with the Director of Public Relations, the Publications Chair, and the Executive Vice President to publicize events.
The Director of Philanthropy and Community Service is also expected to work with each individual sorority’s philanthropy chairs in order to supplement chapter programming overall. She must work with the Risk Manager to alert chapter Programming and Philanthropy Chairs of special weeks when sororities are required to have programming (i.e. Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Sexual Assault Awareness Week). She should meet with these chairs to coordinate events.

Director of Programming and Special Events:

The Director of Programming and Special Events is responsible for organizing three primary Panhellenic events. First, she plans the Officer Transition Reception; second she organized the Celebration of Women Leaders banquet. Finally, she is the Panhellenic representative for the organization and planning of the campus-wide Greek Week.
Additionally, she is in charge of other events that may arise (such as sorority awards dinner, inter-Greek events, etc.). To successfully plan these events, the Director of Programming and Special Events will be in close contact with Duke Catering, Duke Room Reservations and the Panhellenic Representatives.

Director of Public Relations:

The Director of Public Relations’ greatest responsibilities involve interaction with other groups on campus. She must create and consistently update a list of campus student group contacts. She must become familiar with the leadership of their groups and work to design and conduct cooperative activities with them.
She is also responsible for organizing publicity for Panhellenic-sponsored events. She must design, copy and hang flyers. She must contact necessary people. Overall, she must provide constant support for the other executive members such as the Special Events chair.
Finally, the Director of Public Relations works with the President and other officers to write letters to The Chronicle to present Panhellenic views and opinions.

Publications Chair:

The Publications Chair must create a Panhellenic newsletter that is distributed over e-mail of in hard copy to every sorority member on a monthly basis. She must be in constant contact with Panhellenic Representatives to gather chapter information. She must be a person who can follow deadlines.
The Publications Chair is also closely involved with the creation of the Recruitment Handbook and the Recruitment 101 brochure.

Risk Manager:

The Risk Manager oversees Panhellenic risk management and new member education. This job includes events that focus on particular interests such as women’s health, appropriate alcohol use, and hazing. She will organize monthly meetings with each chapter’s Risk Manager to discuss women’s issues on campus and coordinate programming events that deal with these issues.
The Risk Manager will be familiar with all University and Panhellenic rules and regulations in order to work towards a healthy and safe environment for women on campus. She will work with the Director of Programming to bring in speakers and events relevant to women’s issues on campus.

 

Article V. Meetings

1. Regular meetings of the Panhellenic Council shall take place at least on a bi-weekly basis. The Panhellenic Executive Committee shall meet on a weekly basis. These meetings will occur on a day and time agreed upon by each council.
2. Special meetings may be called by the President at the request of any sorority chapter represented on the Duke University Panhellenic Council.
3. The order of business shall conform to that set forth in Robert’s Rules of Order.
4. The Chapter Presidents of all Panhellenic chapters will also meet once a week with the President of the Panhellenic Council at a date set by the agreement of said officers.

Article VI. Voting

1. The voting body of the Duke Panhellenic Association shall be its Panhellenic Council.
2. The power of one vote in formal voting shall be granted to each National Panhellenic Conference sorority chapter and approved affiliated chapters (as stipulated in their contract) of the Duke University Panhellenic Council.
3. One delegate shall cast the vote of her sorority chapter in formal voting. Alternate delegates may also cast the vote of her chapter in formal voting in the absence of the delegate.
4. Two-thirds of all current voting members of the Panhellenic Council shall be required to vote in favor of any proposal that establishes recruitment rules, establishes total chapter size, and/or admits a chapter to the Duke Panhellenic Association.
5. All other Panhellenic proposals for which a vote is requested are subject to approval from the Director of Administration and Order prior to a vote occurring.
6. A majority vote of members of the Panhellenic Council that are present at a particular meeting (assuming that there is quorum) shall be required to carry all other questions.
7. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the delegates having a vote on the Council being present.
8. VOICE: Any committee chairwomen, non-council committee members, and all Executive Officers shall have voice, but no vote.

Article VII. Executive Council and Standing Committee

1. The Council officers shall appoint all Standing and Special Committee members and their Chairwomen; meetings of each committee should occur on a bi-weekly basis.
2. Each elected delegate of a sorority and each Junior Panhellenic representative shall be a member of one Standing Committee.

Article VIII. Council Absences

1. A delegate, if they must be absent to a meeting, may ask someone to attend in their place to represent their sorority. An unexcused absence is if no one attends that Panhellenic Council meeting from a particular sorority.
2. An alternate delegate is allowed voice and vote in place of the delegate for whom she is substituting.
3. Each sorority shall be allowed two (2) unexcused absences during each delegate’s full term. Excuses will be determined at the discretion of the Director of Administration and Order who must be notified 24 hours before each meeting.
4. A fine of $25.00 shall be charged to the sorority for all unexcused absences after the first two. The fine shall be paid within two weeks of the absence.

Article IX. Junior Panhellenic Council

1. The Junior Panhellenic Council shall consist of one representative of each sorority’s new member class.
2. The Junior Panhellenic Council shall convene one month after the completion of Formal Recruitment, and will meet throughout the rest of the Spring semester and the following fall.
3. The Executive Vice President of the Panhellenic Executive Council will preside over the Junior Panhellenic Council.
4. The Council will elect leadership from within the representatives that were selected by the sororities. The officers should include: President; Vice President: and Special Events Chair.
5. The President of the Junior Panhellenic Council will attend the meetings of the Panhellenic Council. She will represent the ideas of the newly initiated sorority women. She will have voice, but no vote.
6. The Council’s objectives include discussing ways to improve the recruitment process and devising innovative ways to increase upper-class/first-year women interaction.

Article X. Unanimous Agreements and Policies

1. Fundamental Panhellenic Laws as embodied in the Panhellenic Compact and Standards of Ethical Conduct and UNANIMOUS AGREEMENTS must be observed by the Duke University Panhellenic Council.
2. All regulations and laws of the Duke University Panhellenic Council must be in accordance with the College Panhellenic Agreement adopted by the National Panhellenic Council.

Article XI. Regulations and Violations

1. Violations of any regulation of the Constitution or its related By-laws, or the Code of Ethics, or recruitment rules concerning matters other than recruitment, or the National Panhellenic Conference Unanimous Agreements (the Panhellenic Compact, the Standards of Ethical Conduct, College Panhellenic Agreements, Agreements on Questionnaires and Constitutions, and the jurisdiction of a College Panhellenic Council) shall be dealt with using the penalties established by the Duke University Panhellenic Council in conformity with those recommended by the National Panhellenic Conference (see College Panhellenic Agreements) as described in Article VI of the Bylaws.
2. Any dispute growing out of violation of Panhellenic Association rules and regulations shall be adjudicated through arbitration principles of the National Panhellenic Conference.

Article XII. Rules of Order

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting members of the Duke University Panhellenic Council; notice having been given to all delegates at least one week prior to the date set for the meeting called to amend the Constitution.