Chapter Manual for Secretaries and Presidents
Secretaries and Presidents
Secretaries of Cum Laude Chapters. As you can see from the Table
of Contents, some basic information about the Society and its
operations is included. However, the Constitution, historical
information, procedures for applying for a Charter, order forms
and much more will be found elsewhere on this web page.
and honoring scholarship is dependent upon the effective and
efficient way in which the individual Chapters function.
and care being given by the Presidents and Secretaries of the
Chapters in this important work and are appreciative of it. They
wish to express their sincere thanks to the officers of the
Chapters for their cooperation, thoroughness and dependability in
carrying out the details of the Society's operations. They hope
this manual may make the work a little clearer and a bit
easier.
information, should be addressed to your District Regent or to the
Cum Laude Central Office.
Honorary Members
- GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOCIETY
- Responsibility for operation of the Cum Laude Society is
shared by the Officers and Regents. The Officers are: President
General, Deputy President General, Secretary General, and
Registrar General, and there are eight District Regents. All are
elected for three-year terms at the time of the Triennial
Convention. In addition there may be Regents-at-Large who are
former Presidents General and serve open ended terms. - The daily affairs of the Society are conducted at the central
office in Louisville, Kentucky, under the supervision of the
Registrar General. There all records and materials of the Society
are kept; financial affairs are handled; correspondence is
prepared for the Chapters; reports are collected; complete files
of Cum Laude members, past and present, are maintained; and
questions of operation and procedures are answered or directed to
the proper Officer or Regent. - For administrative purposes, each Chapter is assigned to one
of the eight geographical districts, and each district is under
the supervision of a District Regent. Each district has 40 to 60
Chapters. The Executive Committee, composed of the President
General, the Deputy President General, the Secretary General, and
the Registrar General, reviews current business and problems of
the Society, reviews membership applications, and plans the agenda
for the Regents' meetings. Any three Officers, in consultation,
are empowered to act on financial and investment matters between
annual meetings. - Some Chapters engage in a wide variety of activities, although
the decision of whether or not a Chapter will be "active" is left
to the Chapter. Many Chapters do sponsor lecture series, tutoring
programs, or seminars on scholarly subjects, or produce special
literary publications. The degree to which a Chapter is active in
promoting the intellectual life of the school depends upon the
time of year it holds its elections and the number and types of
other organizations and groups already functioning in the school.
If a Chapter wishes, it may include in its activities students who
are not yet members, but whose academic records and scholarly
concerns meet the standards of the Society. - CHAPTER RESPONSIBILITIES
- The officers of a Chapter are a President and a Secretary. The
President may be either a student or a faculty member. The
Secretary must be a faculty member and, for the sake of
continuity, the Secretary should be a person who is likely to be
at the school for a considerable period of time. PLEASE NOTIFY THE
CENTRAL OFFICE IMMEDIATELY OF ANY CHANGE IN OFFICERS. - Duties of Officers
- Records: The Secretary shall keep all the records of a
Chapter. These shall include the names, home addresses and dates
of election of all categories of Chapter members from the time of
the installation of a Chapter. Correspondence: The Secretary shall
carry on correspondence with the District Regent, and with the
central office of the Society, and will keep the files of such
correspondence. Notice of Elections: Immediately upon the election
of new members to a Chapter, the Secretary shall send to the
central office of the Society the form titled "Induction
Registration", providing names of the new members and all other
information requested. The names should be in alphabetical order
and be typed or printed, signed and dated by the Secretary. Such
notification must be accompanied by the payment of the appropriate
fees (see Fee Structure - below). - Elections
- Article II of the Constitution of the Society provides for
four (4) types of membership: - Charter Members: Up to twelve Charter Members may be
elected under authority given by the Board of Regents at the time
of the granting of the Charter. - Student Members: Each Chapter may elect as student
members not more than 20% of the graduating class who have
demonstrated academic excellence in the college preparatory
curriculum, choosing - (a) the whole number toward the end of the Senior Year,
or - (b) not more than 10% of the number at the end of the Junior
Year or early in the Senior Year, and the remainder near the end
of the Senior Year. - The 20% is not to be construed as a requirement that the full
number permitted must be elected every year. Classes may vary in
academic strength from year to year. Many schools elect smaller
percentages to serve better the purposes and goals of the
Society. - Should a Chapter find that they have an especially strong
class in any one given year, and this would mean electing more
than their 20% quota, the District Regent is the only person who
can give permission to a Chapter to exceed its quota of elections.
Permission must be sought in advance of the election. - Since the Motto of the Society stresses excellence, justice
and honor in the broadest sense, Regents assume Chapters will
elect to membership only students who have demonstrated good
character, honor, and integrity in all aspects of their school
life. - The definition of what constitutes an honor record and the
determination of how to select members is left to the discretion
of the individual Chapter. However, from time to time Regents may
question this definition and seek one they feel reflects more
closely that practiced in other Chapters and recognizes excellence
in scholarship more uniformly. - Faculty Members: While the by-laws provide for faculty
membership, the primary purpose of the Society is to honor
students who have excelled in scholarship. Faculty membership is
provided to give continuity to the Chapter and to help maintain
and operate it. The number of active faculty members should not
fall below three. Those selected are usually earlier members of
Phi Beta Kappa, of Cum Laude Society as students or teachers in
another school, or others who have distinguished themselves
through scholarship. Chapters that have used the Society to honor
faculty have frequently encountered internal political
difficulties that distract from the primary purpose of the
Society, namely, to honor students. The Board of Regents
recommends restricting faculty membership to a small group whose
sole responsibility is the operation of the Chapter. - Honorary Members: This category of membership is for
distinguished guests, alumni, trustees, or other friends of the
school upon whom the Chapter may wish to confer special honor. No
more than two Honorary Members may be elected in any one
year. -
contact:
SOCIETY, INC.
4100 Springdale Rd
Louisville, KY 40241
Phone: (502) 814-4361 Fax: (502) 423-0445
-
http://www.cumlaudesociety.org
E-mail: cumlaude@kcd.org
