We, the members of the Philanthropic Literary Society at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in order to advance the higher
ideals of citizenship, develop the arts of debating and oratory, promote the
welfare of the University of North Carolina, encourage literary arts,
facilitate the interchange of ideas, and cultivate lasting friendships, do
ordain and establish this constitution of the Philanthropic Literary Society
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Article I. Name
This organization shall be officially known as the Philanthropic Society at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Whenever confusion cannot
result, it may be referred to as the Philanthropic Society or Phi Society.
Article II. Motto
The motto of the Philanthropic Literary Society shall be "Virtus,
Libertas, et Scientia," "Virtue, Liberty, and Knowledge."
Article III. Purpose
The purpose of the Philanthropic Literary Society shall be the realization of
the aims set forth in the Preamble of this Constitution and the ideals expressed
in the Motto.
Article IV. Membership
Section 1. Membership in the
Philanthropic Literary Society shall be regulated in accord with the laws of
the Joint Senate of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies.
Section 2. The Philanthropic Literary
Society may, at any time bestow honorary membership upon members of the
community at the society’s discretion.
Article V. Meetings
Section 1. The Philanthropic
Society shall meet at the call of the President or of a majority of the
active membership, or at regular intervals as determined by the Society.
Section 2. The Philanthropic Society
shall hold a regularly scheduled business meeting once every session, prior
to the elections of the Joint Senate. The Society shall elect its officers at
this time, and shall then select its candidates for the offices of the Joint
Senate by the same procedure.
Section 3. Attendance at the Business
meeting shall be mandatory.
Article VI. Quorum
A quorum shall consist of a majority of the active membership. A quorum shall
be necessary before any business may receive the final approval of the Philanthropic
Society, and shall be necessary before the Philanthropic Society may hold a
regular meeting.
Article
VII. Officers
Section 1. The officers of the
Philanthropic Society, in order of their ascendance to the Presidency, shall
be the President, President Pro Tempore, and Secretary-Treasurer.
Section 2. All officers shall be
elected by majority vote and secret ballot at each business meeting. The new
officers shall be inaugurated at the close of elections. Each officer shall
serve until his successor is inaugurated.
Section 3. The duties of the
officers shall be as follows:
3A. The President
1. The president shall preside over all regular meetings
of the Philanthropic Society; shall call the meeting to order at the stated
time; shall announce all business in its correct parliamentary order,
properly state each motion, and give the results of the vote.
2. He shall at his discretion call to order, fine, or
admonish any member, and shall decide all questions of order and
interpretation of the Constitution.
3. He shall call executive sessions of the Philanthropic
Society when necessary, and shall appoint special committees when necessary.
4. If the President vacates the chair, he shall call the
President Pro Tempore to the chair; the other officers shall be called to the
chair in the order of the ascendance to the Presidency.
5. He shall be authorized to fill temporary vacancies in
the administration.
3B. The President Pro Tempore
1. The President Pro Tempore shall assume the duties of
the President in the absence or upon request of the president.
2. He shall organize discussions, invite guest speakers,
and encourage debates by members of the Society.
3. He shall be responsible for parliamentary procedure
used during the meeting, and he shall enforce the Constitution and By-Laws of
the Philanthropic Society and any other internal resolutions passed by the
Society.
3C. The Secretary-Treasurer
1. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep a record of the
attendance of members and visitors, and keep the current membership roll in
order of seniority.
2. He shall call the roll at the commencement of each
meeting and determine the presence of a quorum and shall tabulate all votes
of the Phi Society.
3. He shall at the request of the President notify all
members of all sessions of the Philanthropic Society.
4. He shall make and keep accurate, complete, and
up-to-date minutes of all meetings and transactions of the Philanthropic
Society, and shall read at the opening of each regular meeting the minutes of
the last meeting and shall submit them to the President for his signature. At
the opening of each executive session the minutes of the preceding executive
session shall be read.
5. He shall read and record all bills introduced before
the Phi Society, and keep a volume of internal resolutions passed by the Phi
Society, and shall pass it on to his successor.
6. He shall be in charge of the finances of the Phi
Society, keep true and accurate financial records, collect all fees, fines,
and assessments, and report on the condition of the treasury if requested at
each regular meeting.
7. All accounts approved as correct shall be paid by the
Secretary-Treasurer, and no one else. He shall pay out money only when
instructed to do so by the Society. In every case, he shall be required to
obtain and file receipts for all payments. He shall keep a book of bank
receipts with stubs attached, and shall give a receipt to every member who
shall pay money to the Society.
8.
He shall at the end of his term, submit to the Phi Society a minute account
of the condition of the treasury, and shall submit all books to the
inspection of the Phi. At the end of his term he shall turn over to his
successor all funds and records pertaining to the treasury.
Article VIII. Impeachment
Section 1. A bill of impeachment
for gross malcontent in office listing all charges, may be brought by any
five members against any officers, and in case the President is impeached,
the President Pro Tempore shall preside.
Section 2. The merits of all
impeachments shall be adjudged by the Society, and a two-thirds vote of the
members present shall be required to convict.
Section 3. The President shall appoint
a committee to inquire into any charge of impeachment.
Article IX. Society Pins and Emblem
Section 1. There shall be a pin
known as the Phi Society pin that may be worn by any member of the Society
who desires to purchase it.
Section 2. A model of the pin
shall be kept by the Secretary-Treasurer as the permanent property of the Phi
Society.
Section 3. The emblem of the Phi
Society shall be a Maltese cross with its arms joined by a circle upon which
there shall be written "Virtus, Libertas, et Scientia" and in the
center of which there shall appear the Greek letter Phi.
Article X. Parliamentary Authority
Each session, the President Pro Tempore shall select an edition of Robert’s
Rules of Order to be the parliamentary authority that shall govern in all
cases not specifically covered by the Constitution, By-laws, or Standing
Rules of this Society.
Article XI. Amendment Procedure
All proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be presented to the
Secretary-Treasurer at a regular meeting of the Phi Society, who shall read
them before the Society. The floor shall then be thrown open for discussion.
A two-thirds majority vote at two consecutive regular meetings shall be
necessary for adoption of the amendment.
Article XII. Legality of the Constitution
Section 1. This Constitution shall
become the law of the Philanthropic Society upon its adoption at the second
reading by a two-thirds vote of the members present and shall supersede all
previous Constitutions of that Society.
Section 2. The By-laws of the Phi
Society shall supplement the Constitution and be second to the Constitution.