Bylaws of

Chi Chapter

of Beta Alpha Psi Fraternity

Oklahoma State University

Article I: Name of the Organization

The name of this organization shall be the Chi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

Article II:  Objectives and Purpose of Chi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi

Chi Chapter is a local chapter of the Beta Alpha Psi national honorary and professional fraternity for students majoring in accounting.   The general purpose of this fraternity is to encourage scholastic and professional excellence in the field of accounting.   Specific objectives include:

(a)   recognition of outstanding academic achievements by Oklahoma State University  accounting students;

(b)   recognition of professional achievements of outstanding Chi Chapter alumni;

(c)   promotion of  the study and practice of accounting through professional programs and through provision of opportunities for self-development and association among members and practicing accountants;

(d)   support for the program goals of Oklahoma State University, the College of Business Administration, and the School of Accounting;

(e)   support for community programs through provision of professional and non-professional volunteer service; and

(f)    encouragement of a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility in all accounting students.

Article III: Membership

A.    To qualify for membership in Chi Chapter of Oklahoma State University, a student must:

(1)    be enrolled in at least nine hours at Oklahoma State university

(2)    be pursuing, at the time of pledging and initiation, an undergraduate or graduate degree in accounting.

(3)    have completed the first upper division course in financial accounting;

(4)    have a 3.0 out of 4.0 grade average in all upper division accounting courses, of which at least  three hours have been taken for credit at Oklahoma State University;

(5)    have either (1)  a 3.25 out of 4.0 overall grade point average in all university-level classes, or (2) have a 3.5 out of 4.0 in the last 30 hours completed at Oklahoma State University.

(6)    satisfactorily complete the pledgeship requirements of Chi Chapter, which include various activities such as attendance at professional and pledge meetings, tutoring, community service, and other activities directly at accomplishing the goals and objectives of Chi Chapter as stated in Article II above.

B.    A member's  active status may be revoked if they fail to meet the continuing membership requirements of Chi Chapter for two consecutive semesters.  The Executive Committee of Chi Chapter will make this decision based on information provided by the Membership Chair.  No vote is required of the entire chapter.   A member who has been declared inactive is not allowed to participate in chapter activities and will not be recognized as an active member at the annual banquet.

C.    A member may be permanently expelled only under the Provisions of Article XVIII of the National Bylaws.

D.    Student members of the Chi Chapter who are no longer accounting students or no longer associated with Oklahoma State University shall be designated as alumnus members.  Graduate students in their fifth year of school may choose to be re-designated as alumnus members.

1. The outstanding pledge and outstanding member each semester will be given a scholarship award of $200 in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments.

Article IV:  Meetings for the Conduct of Business. 

A.    All decisions except election of officers and changes in the chapter constitution or bylaws will be made by the Executive Committee of Chi Chapter, the composition of which is defined in Article V.

B.    A quorum for election of officers or changes in the constitution or bylaws shall consist of 50 percent of the current membership, excluding pledges.  Persons may not vote by proxy.

Article V:  Composition of Executive Committee

A.    The Executive Committee of Chi Chapter shall be composed of the following:

President—presides over executive and professional meetings, delegates duties to and monitors the activities of other officers, and maintains contact with the vice presidents. The president also acts as a communication liaison between the officers and the faculty advisor, oversees the selection of new officers, and makes sure that chapter goals and initiatives are met.

*     Vice President of Professional Activities—responsible for the professional activities of the chapter. This officer works cooperatively with other professional officers in planning and implementing activities throughout the year. Other duties include implementing the Faculty and Student Spotlight programs at each meeting as well as overseeing the annual Beta Alpha Psi/School of Accounting Banquet. The vice president also assists the president in the performance of prescribed duties and, together with the V.P. of Service, acts in the president's place in the event of absence or incapacity.

*     Vice President of Service—responsible for the service activities of the chapter, overseeing a group of officers with duties in this area. Other duties include introducing guests, such as firm representatives and faculty, at each meeting as well as overseeing the annual Fall Fun Fest, normally held in September. This officer also assists the president in the performance of prescribed duties and, together with the V.P. of Professional Activities, acts in the president's place in the event of absence or incapacity.

Business Student Council Representative—responsible for actively serving on the Business Student Council (BSC) and acting as Chi Chapter’s liaison with that organization. Duties also include the requisitioning of funds from BSC for chapter activities. The BSC Representative should provide timely reports to the chapter on the current activities within the Spears School of Business and the BSC. This officer must be willing to attend all BSC meetings (held every other Tuesday evening at 5:30 pm) and other activities as required for membership on the Council.

Campus Recruiting—responsible for campus recruitment events, including the initial distribution of pledge applications at the beginning of every semester and any other recruitment events held on campus. Working concurrently with the publicity chair, this officer develops and implements ideas for recruiting students into the chapter.

Database—updates all computer files such as membership, attendance, alumni, and other pertinent files.  The DBA provides letters, reports, and lists to other officers as requested.  The DBA also records attendance figures of members, professionals, faculty, and guests for the purpose of reporting activities to the National Office.

Fundraising—plans and coordinates activities to raise funds for Chi Chapter operations.  The officer is also responsible for planning and coordinating the Fall Fun Fest.

High School Recruiting Chair—responsible for planning and carrying out visits to area high schools. This would be a good position for a student who commutes from Tulsa and could more easily visit Tulsa area schools.

Historian—responsible for taking photographs at all chapter meetings and events during the semester, organizing pledge and officer group pictures, updating the chapter scrapbook, and maintaining the Chapter bulletin boards. This officer must be willing to attend ALL chapter events or arrange for another member to take photographs of any missed events.

Membership Chair—responsible for encouraging continued, post-initiation member involvement and to promote the interest of members who are not officers. This officer should also review records of member involvement in order to oversee the selection of membership Chapter Awards each semester.

Newsletter Chair—responsible for preparing the chapter newsletter, The Asset, for each chapter meeting and for preparing an alumni newsletter each semester. 

Pledgeship Chair—oversees all pledge activities, including the pledge requirements program and initiation. This officer also serves as a liaison and first contact of the chapter for pledges, making them feel like a welcome part of the larger group. This person will be responsible for developing a strong mentoring relationship with pledges, serving as a source of input for pledge concerns and representing pledge interests in the chapter. This officer is responsible for reviewing records of pledge involvement, guaranteeing that pledges meet their requirements, and choosing the Outstanding Pledge each semester.

Program Chair—makes arrangements for securing speakers at professional meetings. Duties include initial contact and follow-up (thank you letters), procurement of any necessary equipment for speaker presentations, and introduction of the speaker(s) at chapter meetings. The Program Chair also prepares and mails the fall and spring agendas of professional meetings to Beta Alpha Psi Associates.

Publicity Chair—responsible for publicizing all Chi Chapter activities, using media such as Society Squares in the Daily O’Collegian, flyers, Spears School of Business Headline News for Undergraduates, etc. Such publicity includes announcements prior to chapter meetings and activities and press releases when appropriate after newsworthy chapter events.

Regional/National Meeting Coordinator—responsible for coordinating the arrangements for officers to attend the Beta Alpha Psi Regional and National meetings each year.

Service Chair—responsible for organizing and scheduling all of the chapter's community service activities, including programs like reading buddies or Head Start.

Site Visit Coordinator—responsible for setting up site visits to enterprises of interest to chapter members and coordinating those visits.

Social Chair—responsible for planning all of the chapter's social activities. Such activities include socials held during the semester as well as post-meeting socials. This officer is also responsible for designing and securing annual Chi Chapter shirts for the chapter.

* Treasurer—responsible for recording the financial records of the chapter. The treasurer also reconciles the chapter's records with University Accounting monthly and provides a monthly report to the Executive Team concerning the chapter’s financial position. This officer must develop and oversee the annual budget in addition to applying for outside funding from sources such as the Activity Fee Allocation Process (AFAP) and Student Government Association Co-Sponsorship. Finally, the treasurer is responsible for preparing the records for the university audit and any required outside audits.

Tutoring—schedules tutoring sessions and ensures enough members and pledges are at the sessions to assist students. The tutoring chair will receive a graduate assistantship for performing his/her duties, so applicants for this position must have been admitted to the graduate program.

Webmaster—updates all computer files such as membership, pledgeship, officer, alumni, and other pertinent files, providing reports and lists to other officers as requested. As Webmaster, this person is also responsible for maintaining the website and updating it continually (collaborating with the historian for photographs). He or she must update the alumni portion of the website as well.

* Required full year positions

B.    Election of Officers

(1)    The president, vice-president, and treasurer shall be elected each March by a majority vote of  a quorum meeting.

(2)    The remaining officers comprising the Executive Committee shall be slated by a selection committee composed of the entire outgoing Executive Committee and the Faculty Advisor.

Article VI:  Faculty Advisor

A.    The Executive Committee of Chi Chapter will provide a nominee for faculty advisor to the Head of the School of Accounting.  If the department head and the nominated faculty member both accept the appointment, then the faculty member will serve in the position of faculty vice-president (advisor) for a three-year period.

Article 7:  Fiscal year, financial records, and financial audit

A.    The fiscal year of Chi Chapter will end on April 30.

B.    The financial records, an income statement, a balance sheet, and a statement of cash flows shall be provided by the Treasurer to the Internal Auditor and Faculty Advisor by June 1 following the end of the fiscal year.

C.    The Internal Audit and his/her committee will conduct a year-end examination of the chapter's financial statements.  A report on this examination shall be provided as part of the year-end report to the National Office.

Article VIII:  Authority

These bylaws shall be the principal governing document of the Chi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi.  These bylaws will be subordinate to the National Constitution and Bylaws of the Beta Alpha Psi Fraternity.  Any provision of this document that conflicts with the National Constitution and Bylaws of the Beta Alpha Psi Fraternity that are currently in effect will be null and void.

Article IX:  Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws

The constitution and bylaws of the Chi Chapter may be amended by a majority vote at a quorum meeting.