EMS Jr. Beta Club By-Laws
Our By-Laws
By-Laws of the East Middle School Chapter of the National Beta Club
Time and Place of Meetings
The time and place of meetings of this chapter of the National Beta Club shall be decided upon only after consultation with, and upon approval of, the Club Sponsors and Executive Committee of East Middle School.
The school term of East Middle School will be from mid-August through the first week of June.
Article II
Quorum
A quorum of the membership shall be constituted by a majority, to exceed 50%, of the membership. No action may be taken, which is binding upon the membership, unless a quorum is present. However, certain matters, such as a discussion of means of taking in new members, the presentation of program, etc., may be carried on at a regular or special meeting without a quorum being present.
A quorum for the Executive Committee shall be the presence of five members.
Article III
Standards of Membership
Standards of membership in East Middle School chapter of the National Beta Club must conform to the general features as laid down in the National Constitution, the East Middle School Constitution and By-laws and, in all cases, must be approved by the Executive Committee.
The grades from which the members may be drawn shall be the sixth through eighth.
To qualify for membership in the EMS Junior Beta Club, a sixth, seventh or eighth grade student must earn all As and Bs on all subjects on the report card for a full nine-weeks and for the last semester of the previous year. In addition, the student must exemplify strong character and maintained role model behavior throughout the last school year to make them eligible for membership in the EMS Junior Beta Club. If a child has an out-of-school suspension, they are not eligible for Beta Club. If an administrator places a student in AISI for two full days, they will be placed on probation and on the third day in AISI the student would no longer be eligible for Beta Club membership.
Article IV
Induction of Members
The induction of new members into the membership of this Chapter of the National Beta Club shall be one of dignity appropriate to the ideals of the organization.
Article V
Administrative / Disciplined Actions
Each member must attend at least two-thirds of our monthly meetings, complete ten (10) personal service hours per semester and participate in at least one full member service project. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in as many projects as possible since this is the key to leadership development within our organization. A member of this chapter of the National Beta Club will be placed on probation if he/she is absent from two-thirds of our monthly meetings without the prior approval of the board sponsor. A member will be given written notification of being placed on probation after two regular consecutive meetings have been missed without prior approval by the Club Sponsors. In all cases, those placed on probation will receive written notification and actions required for reinstatement.
A member of this Chapter of the National Beta Club will be placed on probation if his/her grade point average for any course, for the previous 12 months, falls below an eighty-five (85). All members will report their grades to the Club Sponsors at the end of each quarter.
A member of this Chapter of the National Beta Club will be placed on probation for failure to attend one of the two scheduled, volunteer days per year or failing to provide their 10-hour volunteer certification each semester.
Probationary members are encouraged to continue to fulfill the membership requirements of maintaining As and Bs, modeling excellent behavior, attending meetings, and completing service hours. Probationary members may not run for or hold leadership positions or attend the state convention.
Loss of Membership
A member may be dropped from membership for moral or disciplinary reasons that are deemed sufficient by the unanimous vote of all six members of the Executive Committee.
Article VI
Service Projects
As soon as possible after its activation in the Fall term of the school year, the Chapter will undertake a program of service which will be of benefit to the community. The project shall be decided upon only after consultation with, and upon approval of, the membership.
At a minimum, East Middle School National Beta Club will sponsor two service days per year, one for the Fall term and one for the Spring term.
Within thirty days of the end of each semester, members shall submit their semester record of service. The member must complete ten hours of service per semester from his/her own personal efforts. Paid service, such as baby-sitting cannot be recorded on the service log sheet. The Service Log Sheet shall record the number of hours and the type of service performed for the semester. Both the student and the parent shall sign the Record.
Article VII
Executive Committee
The executive committee of this chapter of the National Beta Club shall include: a president, a vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer, and three grade level members at-large, who represent the membership of the East Middle School chapter of the National Beta Club.
The duties of the president shall be: to preside at the meetings; to appoint the committees of the chapter (unless otherwise provided for in the by-laws); to represent this organization when necessary; and to administer the policies as laid down in this constitution and its by-laws.
The duties of the vice-president shall be: to preside at meetings when the president is absent or incapacitated to perform the duties of the office; and the duties of the second vice-president shall be to assist in administering the affairs of the chapter-serving on such committees as are designated in the by-laws and to be in charge of the monthly Beta program.
The duties of the secretary shall be: to keep a record of membership; to record the minutes of the meetings, and to carry on the necessary club correspondence.
The duties of the treasurer shall be: to keep a record of all financial matters pertaining to this organization and to pass on to the treasurer succeeding him all records and funds remaining in the treasury.
The duties of the members at-large shall be: to arrange for publicity for any activities or special features of club operations or any of its members in local and state newspapers on radio or television and to look after the entertainment features of the social meetings of the club - such as decorations, refreshments, and special features of entertainment.
Article VIII
Local Dues
The local dues of this Chapter of the National Beta Club shall be $5.00 per year. There is a total Middle School Division membership fee of $20.00. This includes a $15.00 National Beta Club induction fee, and $5.00 local dues. These fees are due when a student is selected to become a member of the East Middle School Junior Beta Club.
How does this affect students at East Middle School?
All sixth graders that qualify for membership in the Middle School Division must pay $20.00 at the beginning of their first year at East Middle School.
Any seventh or eighth graders who have not previously been a member in the Middle School Division must pay $20.00 at the beginning of the first year that they join the East Middle School Junior Beta Club.
Any seventh or eighth graders who are already members of the Middle School Division must pay $5:00 at the beginning of each subsequent year that they are in the East Middle School Junior Beta Club.
Article IX
Amending the By-Laws
The By-Laws of this Chapter of the National Beta Club may be amended by a four- fifths vote of the Executive Committee, provided such amendment is placed before the club at a previous meeting.
The By-Laws will be reviewed yearly to determine if amendments are necessary.
Adopted March 7, 2014
Amended November 17, 2014