Interfraternal Constitution

See below for the IFC Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE INTERFRATERNITY CONGRESS

Adopted December 2nd, 1987

Updated November 7th, 2023

Article I

NAME

This organization shall be known as the Interfraternity Congress of Case Western Reserve

University and shall be hereinafter referred to as the "Congress."

Article II

PURPOSE

It shall be the purpose of the Congress to:

Act as the legislative and judicial body in matters pertaining to Greek affairs.

Act as a forum for the exchange of ideas and the initiation of action between individual Greek Organizations, between the Greek system and the University community, and between the Greek system and the community at large.

Foster amicable relations amongst all Fraternity men at Case Western Reserve University.

Hold member chapters accountable for their actions and hold them to the highest interpretation of the lofty ideals on which their organizations were founded.

The Congress shall be the only student group on campus that may make decisions concerning the Fraternity system as a whole.

Article III

MEMBERSHIP

In order for any undergraduate Fraternity or colony to be recognized on Case Western Reserve University campus, they must also receive recognition as an organization by their respective National Headquarters.

The members of the Congress shall be all chartered undergraduate Fraternities and colonies on the Case Western Reserve University campus. The Congress shall be composed of voting and non-voting members.

A voting member shall be any duly recognized Fraternity having a group of active Members who are undergraduates at Case Western Reserve University.

A non-voting member shall be a recognized colony or any chapter whose voting privileges have been removed.

A member Fraternity may lose the Congress' recognition by a unanimous vote of all representatives present at a Congress meeting, with the exception of the member in question.

To remain a member in good-standing with the Congress, an active chapter must maintain a chapter grade point average of at least 3.0. Failure to remain in good-standing with the Congress will result in the following:

The Scholarship Chair and Chapter President must meet with the Director of Greek Life or their designee and the Greek Community Education Consultant to develop a scholarship plan and track the academic progress of the chapter.

Two consecutive semesters without being in good-standing will result in the Chapter losing voting privileges for one semester.

Three semesters of not being in good-standing will result in the chapter being referred to the Interfraternity Congress Judicial Board.

All officers of a member fraternity shall have earned a minimum GPA of at least a 2.5 in their previous academic semester. This requirement or one greater should be included in all chapter constitutions or bylaws.

Article IV

EXPANSION

Colonies shall be considered in the following manner:

A prospective colony shall be defined as a group of undergraduate students seeking to become a chartered Fraternity.

To obtain recognition as a colony, an interest group must complete the following requirements:

Provide a written request to the Director of Greek Life and President of the Congress, which must include the following: a completed roster, a Constitution and Bylaws, a copy of their new member manual and program, an alumni advisor roster and contact list, and any other information that is requested by the Director or the Congress.

Have a membership of one-third the average chapter size, as determined by the Greek Life Office.

Have a chapter grade point average at or above both the "All Fraternity Average" and "All Men's Average" from the previous semester, as determined by the Greek Life Office.

Provide proof of the minimum required insurance as determined by Case Western Reserve University.

Send a delegate to an informational meeting of the Executive Committee before the presentation to the Congress.

Present to the Congress and obtain a two-thirds vote of approval of the Congress' membership. This will only occur after the other requirements have been fulfilled.

A colony will be a probationary member of the Congress for at least one semester from the date of its recognition. As a member of the Congress, the colony must abide by all rules of the congress set forth in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Congress.

A colony will lose the Congress' recognition if the colony fails to meet the requirements set forth in Article III Section 4b. The colony must petition the Congress to regain recognition.

Following the mandatory probationary semester, colony recognition shall be terminated after four semesters. Any colony not gaining chapter status in this period must petition the Congress to regain recognition.

To obtain status as a chartered Fraternity chapter, a colony must complete the following requirements:

Have a chapter grade point average at or above the "All Fraternity Average" and "All Men's Average", as calculated by the Greek Life Office.

Have a chapter membership equal or larger to the average chapter size, as calculated by the Greek Life Office.

Have a functioning alumni board.

Give an oral presentation to the Congress

Obtain University approval.

Obtain a two-thirds vote of approval of the Congress' membership.

Maintain all requirements needed to obtain Colony Status.

Article V

OFFICERS

The officers of the Congress, elected from among the members of the fully recognized Fraternities, shall be President, Vice President of Administration, and Vice President of Recruitment.

Three Vice Presidents of Citizenship, The Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Marketing and Communications will be elected jointly by the Congress and the Panhellenic Council. These positions will be elected from among members of the fully recognized chapters of either body. They will be ex-officio members of both Executive Committees

The officers of the Congress shall constitute the Executive Committee.

The Greek Community Education Consultant (GCEC) shall be selected through an interview process conducted by members of Greek Life Office and the Interfraternity Congress and serve as an ex-officio member on the Executive Committee.

The officers of the Congress shall have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and be in good standing with their respective chapter in the semester prior to assuming office and throughout their term of office.

The positions of President and Vice President of Finance may not be held by individuals from the same chapter.

The term of all officers shall begin with the last Congress meeting of the fall semester. The term for all officers shall be one year.

The interim period between elections and the first meeting under the new administration shall be a briefing period during which the former officers shall instruct the officers-elect as to the most efficient, effective, and responsible way to fulfill his new duties.

In the case of a vacancy on the Executive Committee, nominations and elections shall occur at the first opportunity during a regular meeting of the Congress.

In the case of the President's inability to perform the duties of his office, responsibility shall descend in the following order: Vice President of Administration, Vice President of Recruitment.

The membership of the Executive Committee of the Congress shall not be considered as the representatives of their respective Fraternities.

Article VI

ELECTIONS

The election of officers each fall semester shall be facilitated by the Slating Committee as follows:

The committee shall consist of five (5) members. Those members shall include:

The Slating Committee Chair

The chair shall be appointed by the President and approved by a majority vote of the Panhellenic.

To be eligible to be Chair a candidate must have previously held one of the following offices: chapter president, chapter first vice president, any office of the Panhellenic, or an executive office in Order of Omega, Lambda Eta Mu, or Gamma Sigma Alpha.

A member of the Panhellenic Judicial Board to be appointed by the Vice President of Administration.

Three (3) collegiate members from chapters unrepresented on the committee. These members are to be appointed by the Chair.

This committee shall be approved by the General Body prior to any elections.

The term for this committee shall be one (1) semester.

The Chair may take recommendations for committee membership from chapter presidents or representatives.

A member of this committee, in the event of mid-term elections, may run for the vacant position with:

The consent of the Chair, only if a replacement committee member is appointed before the committee's duties need be completed for that election.

A member of the committee may be removed by the Chair for cause if approved by the Executive Committee.

The duties of the Slating Committee will be hereafter listed:

Prescribe guidelines pertaining to the election of Panhellenic officers.

Said guidelines will aid the general body in selecting a candidate and discourage campaigning and political activities.

Assemble and determine these guidelines at the start of each semester.

Report these guidelines to the General Body.

Conduct interviews:

For each election, the committee will schedule interviews with each candidate that intends to run for the position in question.

Candidates may apply for multiple positions, but may only receive a recommendation for one (1).

Elections will open four (4) weeks before resumes are due to the Committee.

These candidates must submit a resume and letter of intent to the Chair and the Director of Greek Life or their designee at least one (1) week in advance of their interview with the Slating Committee.

The necessary information for that resume will be qualified in the guidelines established each semester.

Interviews must be conducted at least 3 days before the day of elections, on that given weekend.

The candidate may provide up to two (2) letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation must come from sources outside of the Panhellenic Executive Committee and Slating Committee, and be sent to the committee by the date of their interview.

Final deliberations must be done at a closed meeting of the Committee and must conclude at least three (3) days before the election. If a candidate has failed to be interviewed before said time, they may not run for the position.

Interviews are open to community members to attend, however, questions and answers must come only from the candidates and committee members.

Interviews must have a minimum of four (4) of the five (5) members present.

Once all interviews have been conducted, the Slating Committee may, if so desired, recommend one or more candidates. If the Committee does not recommend a candidate but finds them suitable to hold the position, they may indicate as such with a statement of suitability instead. If so desired, the committee may also elect to recommend none of the candidates and/or declare none of them suitable and provide reasoning.

Final recommendation deliberations are conducted in a closed meeting.

All five (5) members must be in attendance for final deliberations.

The vote to approve a recommendation must be unanimous.

Notify each candidate of the committee's decision directly after the deliberation

If the committee determines two (2) or more equally qualified candidates desire the same position, the committee may recommend a runoff election on the floor, and provide all relevant information from the interview process.

Procedure for Election of Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Marketing

The same procedure for election will be followed for the Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Marketing but will be done in conjunction with the Panhellenic Slating Committee.

Interviews must have at least two (2) members of the Election Committee and two (2) members of the Panhellenic Slating Committee present.

Final deliberations for these two positions must be done at a closed, joint meeting of the Election Committee and the Panhellenic Slating Committee, with at least four (4) members (2 from IFC and 2 from PHC) in attendance.

Candidate Reports for jointly elected positions will follow the following procedure:

Once all interviews have been conducted, the Joint Election Committee must meet to assess and agree on candidate suitability.

Final candidate deliberations are conducted in a closed meeting.

At least four (4) members (2 IFC, 2 PHC) must be in attendance for final deliberations.

The Joint Election Committee must submit a brief written assessment to be read aloud after speeches have been given, with an objective assessment of each candidate, which may include, but is not limited to, past experience and interest level. At the end of the assessment, the Committee may, if so desired, recommend one or more candidates for the position. If the Committee does not recommend a candidate, but finds them suitable to hold the position, they may indicate as such with a statement of suitability instead. If so desired, the committee may also elect to recommend none of the candidates and/or declare none of them suitable, and provide reasoning.

Voting for these two positions will follow the joint voting procedures outlined in Article VI Section 6.

Order of elections shall be: Joint Positions (Three Vice Presidents of Citizenship, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Marketing/Communication), President, Vice President of Administration, Vice President of Recruitment.

Article VII

MEETINGS

Regular meetings of the Congress shall be held once every other week during Academic Year.

All meetings of the Congress shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, except where specified otherwise in the Constitution or Bylaws.

A simple majority of the voting member Fraternities of the Congress shall constitute a necessary quorum for the transaction of business.

The Vice President of Marketing and Communication shall be responsible for distributing an agenda for and to the General Body at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting start time. Minutes from the General Body and Executive Council meetings will be made available to the General Body representatives no more than 24 hours after the meetings occur.

The Executive Committee of the Congress shall hold weekly joint meetings with the Executive Committee of the Panhellenic Council during the Academic Year.

Special meetings of the Congress may be called by the President or at the request of three or more members of the Congress. The Congress shall be given sufficient notice of special meetings.

Absences from meetings of the Congress by either of a chapter's representatives within a calendar year shall have the following consequences:

The first absence of a member Fraternity shall result in the issuance of a written warning to that chapter.

Second and subsequent absences during the same semester shall result in a letter being sent to that Fraternity's national organization notifying them of the situation.

Any more than two absences in the same semester from Congress meetings shall result in the automatic suspension of that chapter's voting privileges for at least sixteen academic weeks.

In the event of a member chapter missing more than three meetings in any given semester, the President of the Congress shall be responsible for bringing that chapter before the Interfraternity Judicial Board.

Absences from meetings of the Congress by probationary members shall result in a loss of probationary status.

The President of the Congress has the prerogative to excuse absences in accordance with policies established upon his election to office.

Joint Body Voting

At a joint meeting with the Panhellenic Council of Case Western Reserve, a community wide motion may be introduced in business, to be discussed and voted on by all member organizations of both groups acting as one body.

The necessary quorum shall be constituted of a simple majority of all member organizations of both congresses.

The voting process and success shall follow Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, with both groups acting as one body. This is done so that a vote is passed or declined as a community rather than as a Panhellenic or Interfraternal matter.

Sorority votes would be weighted by multiplying each sorority vote by the value obtained by dividing the number of voting IFC chapters by the number of voting Panhellenic chapters.

For business that calls for joint changes to bylaws, a motion will pass with a 2/3 vote in favor of the motion.

For business that calls for joint changes to constitution, a motion will pass with a  vote in favor of the motion.

For all other joint business, a motion will pass with a simple majority vote in favor of the motion.

Article VIII

REPRESENTATION

Each member Fraternity of the Congress shall be represented at meetings of the Congress by one representative chosen by the member Fraternity and the chapter president.

The designated Representative and chapter president must be students of Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Art, or the Cleveland Institute of Music and eligible chapter officers as determined by the Office of Greek Life.

Each member Fraternity of the Congress shall be entitled to one vote per chapter.

The representative to the Congress has the responsibility to act as a representative of his organization's opinions.

A representative may be allowed a proxy.

A proxy will have all the rights afforded the representative.

The use of a proxy will not count as an absence.

The use of a proxy will be noted in the minutes.

If deemed necessary by the member Fraternity, the president may replace his chapter's representative without pre-approval of the President of the Congress.

He will be afforded all the rights of the representative.

His presence will be noted in the minutes.

Article VIII

PRESIDENT'S MEETING

The president of a chapter must attend the president's meetings held by the President of the Congress.

If a president cannot attend a meeting, his absence may be excused by the President of the Congress. Otherwise, the unexcused absences will have the same consequences as for the chapter's representative at meetings of the Congress as outlined in Article VI, section

Article IX

DIRECTOR OF GREEK LIFE

The Director of Greek Life, and their designees, shall work closely with the Congress and the Executive Committee to promote smooth relations among the Greek organizations, campus administration, and the community.

Article X

ENFORCEMENT

Any infraction or violation of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Congress shall result in the violating chapter being brought before the Interfraternity Judicial Board, with the President of the Congress, or his designee, acting as complainant.

Article XI

AMENDMENT

This Constitution may be amended at a Congress meeting by a three-fourths vote of approval of the Congress, provided the amendment has been presented at a Congress meeting at least one week prior to the time of voting. Changes which would require a corresponding change to Panhellenic governing documents in order to maintain consistency between those documents shall be approved under the joint voting procedure.

This Constitution and all amendments thereof must be approved by the Vice President of Student Affairs and/or his/her designee.

Article XII

RATIFICATION

The ratification of three-fourths of the member Fraternities of the Congress, with each fraternity having one vote and voting in roll call vote, is required to establish this Constitution for the Interfraternity Congress of Case Western Reserve University.