Preamble

We, the social Greek fraternities of The Johns Hopkins University, with the understanding that we are contributing members of the University and surrounding communities, re-establish this Constitution.

In order to advance our intellectual, cultural, and social goals, we endow the Inter-Fraternity Council with the powers and responsibilities outlined herein. To take full advantage of its position as an administrative and legislative body, we pledge to abide by its Constitution and Bylaws, allowing for the establishment of greater cooperation among fraternities and their members towards the end of improving the individual organizations.

To change or amend this Constitution, a three fourths majority vote of the General Assembly is required. In the case of any oversight, Roberts Rules of Order shall be used.

Article I: Goals & Responsibilities

A. The governing body of all men's social Greek-letter organizations at the Johns Hopkins University shall henceforth be named the Inter-Fraternity Council, abbreviated IFC.

B. The Inter-Fraternity Council shall:

   1. Represent the individual fraternities of the Greek system of the Johns Hopkins University as a collective governing body.

   2. Uphold and promote Greek Life and the Greek system in the Johns Hopkins University and community.

   3. Serve as an intermediary between the social Greek-letter organizations, the Homewood area communities and their representatives, and the University administration and faculty.

   4. Coordinate Inter-Fraternity activities both on and off campus.

   5. Conduct hearings, when appropriate, on judicial issues related to its members or member organizations.

Article II: Membership and Obligations

A. Membership

1. The general membership of the Inter-Fraternity Council shall consist of all recognized men's social fraternities of the Johns Hopkins University and all their respective members as determined by national headquarters.

2. Those member organizations are:

Alpha Delta Phi
Alpha Epsilon Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Lambda Phi Epsilon
Pi Kappa Alpha
Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Kappa Psi
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Mu
Sigma Chi
Sigma Phi Epsilon

3. Colonies are not member organizations and, as such, shall not be granted the rights and privileges outlined herein. Because their actions reflect both on the University and Greek Life at Johns Hopkins, colonies shall be required to follow IFC policy regarding policy issues including, but not limited to, Rush, blackout, orientation, and hazing. Violations of these policies may affect a colony's ability to apply for membership in the IFC.

4. Until such time as a colony applies for IFC membership, colonies have the right to represent themselves in a non-voting capacity at all IFC General Assembly meetings. The application procedure for new member organizations may be found in the Bylaws.

B. Member Obligations - All member obligations must be satisfied for a member organization to be considered in "good standing". Each member organization shall:

1. Be responsible for upholding its own Constitution and Bylaws.

2. Be required to represent themselves at all IFC General Assembly meetings in accordance with the IFC Constitution and Bylaws.

3. Be required to pay all dues and fines in a timely fashion (see Bylaws).

4. Recognize and adhere to, in order of precedence:

 i. Federal, State, and Local law.
 ii. University and IFC rules and regulations.
 iii. IFC judicial sanctions, pending appeals.

C. Membership Rights and Privileges - Every member organization in good-standing shall:

1. Be extended the rights and privileges of all IFC member organizations.

2. Maintain the right to advocacy by the IFC and the Office of Greek Life in all public relations, judicial, and University matters.

3. Retain the right to an equitable judicial hearing where appropriate.

4. Have the right to vote in all matters brought before the IFC General Assembly.

5. Be assured the protection of all other rights and privileges within the IFC Constitution and Bylaws.

Article III: Organization

A. IFC General Assembly

1. The IFC General Assembly shall be the main governing and legislative body of the IFC. It shall be comprised of up to two representatives of each member organization, the IFC Executive Board, and the Greek Advisor. It shall be responsible for:

i. Electing IFC Executive Board members.
ii. Approving appointments of the Executive Board or IFC President.
iii. Presenting, deliberating upon, and establishing regulations and policies to promote the goals of the IFC and Greek Life in the University and surrounding communities.

2. Representation shall conform to the following:

i. Each organization shall designate two of its individual members to serve as representatives and a third as an alternate. In addition, the President of each member fraternity may serve as a default voting representative.
ii. Each member organization shall be allowed a maximum of two votes, one for each representative, in all issues brought before the General Assembly.
iii. While IFC meetings are open to the public and individual fraternity members are encouraged to participate, only the two official, recognized IFC representatives, alternate, or chapter President from each group shall be allowed to cast either of a group's two votes.
iv. Any non-presiding Executive Board member may be counted as a non-voting representative for his constituent organization (thus making his organization present for the roll), even if no official representatives are in attendance.

3. Quorum shall consist of the presence of at least one representative from 2/3 of the member organizations in the IFC.

4. The IFC General Assembly shall meet not fewer than six times per semester, at the discretion of the Executive Board.

5. Special meetings of an all-purpose or limited nature may be called by a majority vote of the Executive Board or General Assembly.

B. IFC Executive Board

1. Each member of the Executive Board must be from a different member organization. The Executive Board shall consist of:

i. a President,
ii. a Vice President,
iii. a Treasurer,
iv. a Secretary.

2. The Executive Board shall have the power to impose fines or initiate judicial procedures against members and member organizations not fulfilling their obligations.

3. The Executive Board may create ad hoc committees and shall have jurisdiction over the operations of these committees.

4. The term of office for the Executive Board begins the week following their elections and expires at the same time the next year.

5. The Executive Board is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the IFC.

6. The Executive Board has a voice in matters but does not possess a vote in the General Assembly except the President in the case of a tie.

7. The Executive Board shall meet not fewer than six times per academic semester.

8. Vacancies on the Executive Board are filled by the President's appointment and subsequent approval by vote of the General Assembly.

C. Standing Committees - There shall be two standing committees, the IFC Programming Board and the IFC Judicial Board.

1. IFC Programming Board

i. The IFC Programming Board Chair shall be elected during Executive Board elections.
ii. The Programming Board shall follow the policies, procedures, and operational guidelines set forth in the IFC Programming Board Bylaws.

2. IFC Judicial Board

i. The IFC Judicial Board Chair shall be elected during Executive Board elections.
ii. The IFC Judicial Board shall follow the policies, procedures, and operational guidelines set forth in the IFC Judicial Board Bylaws.

D. Ad Hoc Committees

1. The IFC Executive Board shall have the power to establish ad hoc committees at its discretion.

2. The IFC Executive Board shall have jurisdiction over the operations of all such committees.

3. All actions of an ad hoc committee may be considered official pending approval by the General Assembly.

4. Ad hoc committee membership shall be open to any official IFC representative.

5. The Executive Board shall appoint a Chair for all ad hoc committees from among the members volunteering for the committee.

6. No ad hoc committee may have two representatives from the same member organization.

7. Committees with particular operational procedures, such as an Impeachment Committee, shall conform to their own laws before falling subject to the above requirements.

Article IV: Officer Duties

A. Executive Board

1. The IFC Executive Board President shall:

i. Be the head of the IFC and shall serve as Chairman of the IFC General Assembly.
ii. Be responsible for maintaining contact with and representing the IFC to the Greek Advisor, the University administration, and the community.
iii. Not serve as President of his fraternity at any time during his term of office.
iv. Only vote in the case of a tie. The President shall resolve a tie in any General Assembly election.
v. Appoint a replacement Executive Committee member in the case of a permanent vacancy. Any such appointment must be approved by a majority vote of the General Assembly.
vi. Act as a non-voting, ex-officio, member of all IFC Committees.

2. The IFC Executive Board Vice President shall:

i. Serve as Chairman in the case of the absence or incapacity of the President.
ii. Work closely with the President in coordinating committees, handling community affairs, and other important issues.
iii. Oversee, but not necessarily chair the Programming Board.
iv. Oversee all fundraising efforts of the IFC.

3. The IFC Executive Board Treasurer shall:

i. Serve as Chairman in the case of the absence or incapacity of both the President and the Vice President.
ii. Maintain a record of expenditures and revenues of the IFC budget.
iii. Be in charge of collecting dues and penalties owed to the IFC in a timely fashion (see Bylaws).
iv. Produce an annual budget for his term, as well as review the previous year's budget.
v. Report to the General Assembly when requested, but no less than once per semester.
vi. Be encouraged to make recommendations on any motion before the General Assembly with regard to its financial effect on the accounts of the IFC.

4. The IFC Executive Board Secretary shall:

i. Serve as Chairman in the case of the absence or incapacity of the President, Vice President, and Treasurer.
ii. Maintain a record of all actions of the IFC.
iii. Keep detailed minutes of all General Assembly meetings, which are to be prepared and distributed along with an agenda at each General Assembly meeting.
iv. Keep an updated copy of all IFC documents and policies.
v. Be responsible for communication between the Executive Board, Greek Advisor, or University and the General Assembly.

B. Committee Chairs

1. The IFC Rush Chair shall be responsible for overseeing any and all Rush preparations, including, but not limited to:

i. Printing and distributing a Rush booklet for freshmen.
ii. Drafting a letter to be sent to parents before Spring Rush.
iii. Coordinating with the Greek Advisor, IFC Executive Board, and IFC General Assembly a schedule for both Fall and Spring Rush.
iv. Publicizing and helping to prepare any IFC Rush info-sessions during the academic semesters.
v. Helping to prepare and participate in any new member education programs.
vi. Advise in the construction, discussion, or following of IFC Rush policy by the IFC, its member organizations, or individual fraternity members, pledges, or recruits.
vii. Calling upon members of the IFC General Assembly or their constituent organizations to volunteer members for an active Rush Committee. The Rush Chair shall oversee the operations of such a committee.

2. The Community Service/Philanthropy Board Chair shall:

i. Be responsible for IFC projects of a philanthropic or service nature in the surrounding communities.
ii. Announce philanthropy opportunities for members organizations at IFC General Assembly meetings.
iii. Make himself available to act as a representative of the IFC at such events as civic association meetings and other community forums should he be called upon by the IFC Executive Board or General Assembly.

3. An ad hoc committee chair shall:

i. Serve as chairman at all committee meetings.
ii. Delegate and coordinate tasks in an efficient manner.
iii. Make a good faith effort in all research or investigations.
iv. Report to the IFC Executive Board or General Assembly at each meeting and when called upon.

C. Parliamentarian - The IFC Parliamentarian shall:

1. Resolve all disputes, questions, and/or concerns regarding procedures and regulations of the IFC Constitution and Bylaws and Robert's Rules of Order in an unbiased manner.

2. Serve as chairman in the case of a successful appeal against the President.

3. Be selected by the Executive Board from among nominations made by any official representative of the General Assembly. The selection must be ratified by the General Assembly.

4. Be a representative of a member organization in good standing of the IFC.

5. Not be a member of the Executive Board or Chair of any standing committee.

Article V: Officer Removal

A. Any official representative from among the General Assembly may move to remove any officer, including, but not limited to, Executive Board members and standing or ad hoc Committee Chairs. Such a motion must:

1. Be a written document, formally presented and read at an official meeting of the General Assembly and distributed to General Assembly members.

2. Contain a list of formal charges detailing the manner in which the officer violated IFC rules, regulations, or policies.

B. After hearing and understanding the charges, the General Assembly shall vote to create an ad hoc Impeachment Committee.

1. If the vote fails, the motion to impeach fails.

2. If the vote passes, the motion to impeach succeeds and the Executive Board must establish an ad hoc Impeachment Committee.

3.Impeachment Committee

i. Each organization shall select one of its members to represent the group to the Impeachment Committee. This representative may not be a member of the IFC Executive Board or his constituent organization's President.
ii. The IFC Vice President shall Chair the Impeachment Committee. If the Vice President is the accused, then the Treasurer shall chair the Committee. The Chair shall make regular updates to the Greek Advisor.
iii. The Impeachment Committee shall be empowered to interview and find facts relevant to the charges issued.
iv. The Impeachment Committee shall be required to come to a determination of whether or not the charges appear to be valid, and, if so, whether they may constitute a violation of IFC rules, regulations, and policies. The Committee must present its findings not more than three weeks after the issuing of the charges.
v. The Impeachment Committee may announce either of the following determinations to the General Assembly:

a. The charges are unfounded, in which case the Committee is dissolved and no officer is removed from office.
b. The charges are founded, in which case the Impeachment Committee Chair shall motion to remove the accused officer. After a limited debate, where both sides are given the opportunity to present their cases, the General Assembly will vote on the removal of the officer.