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National Constitution of Alpha Epsilon
The Honor Society of Agricultural,
Food, and Biological Engineering
Adopted December 11, 1963, by delegates from Missouri Alpha,
Minnesota Gamma, Illinois Delta, Arkansas Epsilon, Indiana
Zeta, and Virginia Eta Chapters at the Palmer House Hotel,
Chicago, Illinois, as amended February 11, 1974, December
19, 1978, January 23, 1985, and March 20, 1987, January 29,
1992, and July 16, 1996.
National Constitution of Alpha Epsilon
Preamble
In order that those in the profession of Agricultural, Food,
and Biological Engineering, who as a result of academic attainment
or achievement in Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering
practice and having exhibited qualities of leadership and
character that bring credit and honor to their profession,
may establish closer bonds for mutual benefit, the Constitution
of this Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering Honor
Society is hereby established.
Article 1
Name, Motto
Section 1
The name of this society shall be ALPHA EPSILON, and hereafter
shall be referred to as the "Society".
Section 2
The motto of this Society shall not be made public, but with
the rituals and other elements of secrecy, shall be handed
down traditionally.
Article 2
Organization of the Society
Section 1
This Society shall consist of chapters which have been, or
shall be, established and maintained only in degree-granting
colleges which are accredited by the appropriate national
accrediting agency. The first chapter shall be designated
by the Greek letter Alpha the second by Beta, and so on. The
name of the chapter shall be preceded by the name of the state
in which it is located.
Section 2
The general government of the Society shall be vested in
the Convention and the Executive Council, in accordance with
the following provisions of this constitution.
Article 3
Government of the Society
Section 1
The Convention and the Executive Council shall have control
of all matters and affairs pertaining to the Society, as a
whole, but shall not interfere with the internal affairs of
any chapter, except in matters of discipline as hereinafter
provided.
Section 2
The Convention shall meet annually and shall be presided
over by the Executive Council. Each chapter may be represented
by one or more delegates at the meeting and, if represented,
each chapter shall have one vote. Each Executive Council member
shall also have one vote. A quorum shall exist when at least
one-quarter of the active chapters are represented at the
Convention. No chapter or delegate may vote by proxy.
Section 3
The Convention:
(a) Shall elect the Executive Council and may adopt rules
for the conduct of its business and such other matters as
may properly come within its jurisdiction and are not hereinafter
set forth.
(b) Shall consider and vote on all petitions for new charters
and the abolishment of chapters.
(c) Shall levy such assessments upon the chapters as may
be necessary for its own support and that of the Executive
Council.
(d) Shall be the final Court of Appeal in all questions of
interpretation of the constitution and Bylaws and in all matters
of discipline.
(e) May enact general Bylaws for the Society.
(f) May amend the Constitution and Bylaws as set forth in
Article XI of the Constitution and Article VI of the Bylaws.
Section 4
(a) The Executive Council shall consist of a President, Vice-President
and Secretary-Treasurer. The Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer
shall be elected at the annual Convention and the Vice-President
shall assume the office of President after one term as Vice-President
The terms of the President and Vice-President shall be limited
to two years and that of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be
5 years. Members of the Council shall be alumni or honorary
members of the Society or active members who have been members
of the Society for at least one year prior to their nomination
for office.
(b) The nomination of Executive Council members may be made
by any Chapter and shall be submitted to the Executive Council
at least two months preceding the election. Any unsuccessful
nominee for higher office can be considered by motion from
the floor for a lesser office.
(c) In submitting nominations, a chapter shall vouch for
the willingness of its nominees to serve actively on the Executive
Council, if elected.
(d) The Executive Council shall transmit m each Chapter Secretary,
nor later than 90 days prior to the Convention, a list of
all nominees with personal information relating to each.
(e) The new Executive Council shall take office immediately
following the Convention at which they are elected. They shall
serve until their successors are duly elected and installed.
(f) Vacancies in the Executive Council shall be filled by
appointment by the remaining members of the Council. The appointed
members shall serve until the next Convention.
(g) The Executive Council shall have its official headquarters
at the office of the Secretary-Treasurer.
Section 5
(a) The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected and hold office
as provided in Section 4 of this article.
(b) As Secretary, the Secretary-Treasurer shall:
- Keep the official copies of the Constitution and Bylaws
of the Society, the seal of the Society, and all official
documents belonging to the Society.
- Conduct the correspondence of the Society and transmit
to the chapters written materials pertaining to the Society.
- Transmit exact copies of the Constitution and Bylaws and
other Society material to prospective chapters upon request.
- Supply to each chapter secretary a quantity of membership
certificates for its initiates.
- Prepare and present a written annual report to the Executive
Council at the annual convention.
- Maintain a record of the names and initiation dates of
all members of all chapters.
(c) As Treasurer, the Secretary-Treasurer shall:
- Keep financial records of the Society in a business like
manner.
- Collect from the chapters all monies due from them to
the Society for fees, dues, jewelry, materials, and other
supplies furnished to them.
- Pay the expenses connected with the official publications
of the Society and for the expense of the annual Convention.
- Present an audited report of the activities and financial
condition of his/her office with recommendations to the
Executive Council at least one month before the annual Convention,
which report shall also be made to the Convention.
Section 6
Upon the dissolution of Alpha Epsilon, the Executive Council
shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of
all liabilities of the organization, dispose of all assets
of the organization " exclusively for the purposes of the
organization in such manner, or to such organization or organizations
organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational,
religious, or scientific purposes as shall, at the time qualify
as an exempt organization or organizations under section 50
1 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1 954 (or the corresponding
provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law),
as the Executive Council shall determine. Any of such assets
not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common
Please of the county in which the principal office of the
organization is then located, exclusively for the purposes
or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall
determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for
such purposes.
Article 5
Establishment of Chapters
Section 1
A Chapter shall be established after acceptance by the Convention
of the petition for a charter. A charter shall be granted
only by a three-fourths majority vote of all chapters.
Section 2
(a) A petition for the establishment of a chapter may be
made by students and graduates of recognized Agricultural,
Food, or Biological Engineering curricula at any college,
provided they are eligible for membership under Article VI.
Agricultural, Food, or Biological Engineering curricula are
those that meet the criteria of the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology (ABET). Specifically, the curricula
must emphasize the application of engineering and the basic
and applied sciences to agricultural, food, or biological
systems. These program criteria apply to engineering programs
including "agricultural", "food", "biological", "biosystems",
"forest", and similar modifiers in their titles. The petition
shall be addressed m the Secretary-Treasurer of Alpha Epsilon,
and shall be received no later than eight weeks prior to the
annual Convention The petition shall pledge a willingness
to subscribe to and obey the Constitution and Bylaws of the
Society. It shall contain a certified statement from the head
of the petitioning Department attesting to the eligibility
of each of the petitioners.
(b) The petition shall be accompanied by an official statement
describing the grading system used in the institution. If
the institution at which a Chapter is desired does not employ
one of the usual alphabetical or numerical percentage systems
of reporting grades, the petitioners may present a plan for
determining the rank of the student under the system used
at the institution. This plan, having been adopted for the
chapter at the institution and approved by the Society, shall
be followed until amended by the Society.
Section 3
Upon approval of a petition by the Convention, the petitioners
shall submit each chapter copies of the petition, a proposed
chapter constitution, and other pertinent material, for study
and discussion by the Chapters. This material shall reach
the chapters within eight weeks following the Convention at
which the petition was approved. Within eight weeks, each
chapter shall advise the Secretary-Treasurer by letter, of
its acceptance of rejection of the petition.
Section 4
When a petition for a new charter is approved by a sufficient
number of existing chapters, the Secretary-Treasurer shall
prepare an official copy of the charter, and a copy of the
Constitution and Bylaws. The President shall appoint a delegation
to deliver these documents, initiate the new members, and
install the petitioners according to the rituals and ceremonies
of the Society.
Article 6
Government of Chapters
Section 1
Subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society, each
chapter shall have full control of its own affairs. It shall
enact a chapter Constitution and Bylaws for its own guidance
in all matters not herein fully set forth.
Section 2
The chapter offices shall be president, secretary, treasurer,
and others as deemed necessary by the local chapter.
Section 3
Officers shall be elected at least annually from the active
members.
Section 4
The chapter shall have at least one faculty adviser, to be
elected by a majority vote of the active members.
Article 7
Membership
Membership shall be based upon scholarship, leadership, and
character. Membership shall consist of three classes, namely,
Honorary, Alumni, and Active.
(a) Honorary members shall be selected on the basis of successful
achievements in Agricultural Engineering.
(b) Active members shall be undergraduate and graduate engineering
students enrolled in the academic department in which the
Chapter resides.
- Juniors shall have a minimum cumulative scholastic rank
in the upper quarter of the college class in which enrolled.
- Seniors shall have a minimum cumulative scholastic rank
in the upper third of the college class in which enrolled.
- Active members may be chosen from among graduate students
in the academic department in which the Chapter resides
who would have met the requirements for membership as undergraduates
at the institution they attended, had the organization existed
there at that time.
- Graduate students not eligible for membership as undergraduates
will be eligible after the completion of at least seven
semester hours (ten quarter hours) of graduate course work
with a minimum grade point average equivalent to 3.25 on
a 4.00-point scale.
- Alumni members of a chapter are those who (1) have been
active members of the chapter, (2) attained at lead a baccalaureate
degree, (3) and have left the institution where initiated
into the Society. A member may be an Active member of one
chapter and Alumni member of another if he or she transfers
the graduate work to an institution that has a chapter of
Alpha Epsilon.
Article 8
Meetings
Each chapter shall hold at least four meetings per year of
a business, literary, or technical character.
Article 9
Chapter Disipline
Section 1
Disciplining of a chapter shall be by suspension or by revocation
of its chapter.
Section 2
If twenty alumni members or three chapters report in writing
an instance where a chapter has acted in violation of the
constitution or the best interest of the Society, the chapter
shall be required m give the Executive Council reason why
its charter should not be suspended. The Executive Council
may in its judgment suspend the charter and at the next Convention,
the Council will make a detailed report of the complaint against
the chapter and the chapter response. The official chapter
delegate, and other members may plead the chapter's case.
The chapter may be expelled or reinstated by three-fourths
majority vote of the total number of chapters.
Article 10
Member Disipline
Section 1
The Method of discipline of members shall be suspension or
expulsion.
Section 2
For continued and inexcusable absence, not fulfilling his/her
assigned duties, failure to meet his/her financial obligation
to the chapter or for other just causes, a member may be suspended
or expelled by a majority vote of the active chapter members.
Article 11
Amendments
Section 1
An amendment to the Constitution may be presented to the
National Convention, and if approved by a three-fourths vote
of those delegates present, shall then be submitted to the
chapters. The amendment shall become effective only when ratified
by three-fourths of the active chapters.
Section 2
Any chapter which fails to report its vote to the Executive
Council within eight weeks, not including regular college
vacation periods, shall forfeit its vote to the Executive
Council which shall then have authority to vote for the chapter.
BylawsArticle 1
The Convention
Section 1
The Annual Convention shall be held during the Annual Meeting
of ASAE, The Society for Engineering in Agriculture, Food,
and Biological Systems.
Section 2
The Executive Council shall arrange for the facilities required
at the convention and announce these arrangements to the chapters
eight weeks before the convention.
Section 3
(a) The secretary shall keep the minutes of the meeting and
shall prepare two copies of the official report of the Proceedings
of the Convention.
(b) These copies shall be signed by the President and Secretary
of the convention and shall be filed and kept permanently
in the offices of the President and of the Secretary-Treasurer
of the Society.
(c) The report of the Proceedings of the Convention shall
be reproduced and copies shall promptly be transmitted m the
chapters and to all newly elected officials.
Section 4
Each chapter shall send one member as its official delegate
to the Annual Convention.
Article 2
The Officers
Section 1
The Executive Council shall hold at least one meeting a year.
Minutes of these meetings shall be kept and turned over to
the succeeding council.
Section 2
Minutes of the Executive Council Meetings shall be kept by
the Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive Council shall, on its
own initiative or by request prepare legislation, amendments,
proposals for changes, etc., for consideration by the chapters.
Such material shall be transmitted to the chapters by the
Secretary-Treasurer.
Section 3
Communications from the Executive Council shall be acted
upon by the chapters within one month, not including regular
vacations, from the time of their receipt. Should any chapter
fail to report its action or vote on such a communication
within eight weeks, from the time of mailing, not including
regular college vacations, such failure shall be construed
as giving the Executive Council authority to act and vote
for the chapter.
Section 4
The Executive Council shall submit a report to each regular
annual convention containing the following items:
(a) The transactions of the Executive Council since last
convention.
(b) All recommendations for the good of the Society which
it may see fit to make.
(c) All subjects brought to its attention by the chapters.
(d) All chapters subject to discipline.
(e) All petitions for charters.
(f) Recommendations, if any, for the revocation of chapters
and the withdrawal of charters.
Section 5
The Secretary-Treasurer of the Society, acting as Secretary
shall:
(a) Obtain from the Secretary of each chapter in October
the names and mailing addresses of the officers and active
members and advisers of the chapter and subsequent changes
of membership and advisers which may occur during the year.
(b) Obtain from the secretary of each chapter items of news
interest
(c) Receive a copy of each chapter's Constitution and Bylaws
amended to date.
Section 6
The Secretary-Treasurer of the Society acting as Treasurer
shall:
(a) Send a statement showing the financial condition of the
Society annually to the treasurer of each chapter.
(b) Send a statement showing the financial condition of the
Society semi-annually to each member of the Executive Council.
(c) Maintain a suitable bank balance in the amount to cover
the ordinary business of his/her office.
Article 3
Election of Chapter Officers
The election of Active and Honorary Members shall be by secret
ballot by the active members of each chapter and shall be
held within one month after the submission by a membership
committee of a list of eligible students. At least a three-fourths
vote of members present at the election shall be required
for membership approval.
Article 4
Initiation
Section 1
Each candidate shall be required to read the Constitution
and Bylaws of the Society.
Section 2
Pledge assignments shall be permissible and they shall be
of the nature of challenging the intellectual and mental abilities
of the candidate with the objectives of acquainting the candidate
with the ideals of Agricultural, Food, and Biological Engineering.
Section 3
Each initiate shall be given a certificate of membership
and a copy of the Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 4
Chapter initiation fees are to be determined by the chapters,
but a one time national initiation fee of ten dollars ($10.00)
will be required for each new initiate. Honorary members are
exempt from all fees.
Article 5
Insignia
Section 1
The colors of the Society shall be black and gold.
Section 2
The badge of the Society shall be a watch key shaped as shown
in the figure.
On the obverse shall be engraved the symbol shown in the
figure; on the reverse shall be engraved the initials of the
owner, the name of the chapter and the year of the member's
initiation.
Section 3
The official key shall be worn only by members of the Society.
Section 4
Jewelry, bearing a replica of the official badge of the Society,
to be worn by members, shall be limited to a ring, a recognition
button and/or a tie clasp. Jewelry, as specified in this section
shall be standardized and approved by the Executive Council
and shall be purchased only from the official jeweler.
Section 5
The certificate of membership shall be as shown below:
The certificate of membership shall be obtained from the
Secretary-Treasurer of the Executive Council and shall contain
the following information: ( 1 ) The name, Alpha Epsilon;
(2) State and chapter designation; (3) Picture of Alpha Epsilon
key; (4) Be it known that having earned distinction through
high scholarship and qualities of leadership and character
that bring credit to the profession of Agricultural Engineering,
(Name) is hereby declared and certified a member of Alpha
Epsilon (Date) . (5)Signed by the President of the Executive
Council, President of Chapter, Head of Agricultural Engineering
Department and faculty adviser, (6) contain the official seal
of Alpha Epsilon.
Article 6
Amendments
Section 1
An amendment to the bylaws may be presented m the National
Convention, and if approved by a three-fourths vote of those
delegates present, shall then be submitted to the chapters.
The amendment shall become effective only when ratified by
three-fourths of the chapters. Chapter ratification shall
consist of approval by three-fourths of the active members.
Section 2
Any chapter which fails to report its vote to the Executive
Council within eight weeks, not including regular college
vacation periods, shall forfeit its vote to the Executive
council which shall then have authority to vote for the Chapter
as it may think best.
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