board_orders.md

ΛΑΝ Board Orders

NOTES ON FORMATTING: For quality of diffs, please use one line per logical . terminated sentence. This means that diffs are on a sentence by sentence basis and thus easier to read rather than being paragraph by paragraph which can hide exact textual changes.

Board Order I. Purchasing and Reimbursement Policy

Article I. Purchasing and Signature Authority

• The Treasurer holds purchasing and signature authority for the Fraternity.
  • Contracts must be approved and signed by the Treasurer.
• Owners of budget line items are extended purchasing authority for purchases directly related to the respective line item.
  • This authority may be extended to applicable committees and other members.
• The Sponsor and Co-Sponsor of a purchase proposal are granted purchasing authority for the proposed purchase upon approval.
  • Specifics regarding the execution of the proposed purchase are expected to be outlined in the purchase proposal form.

Article II. Purchasing Policy

• This policy covers all purchases using Fraternity funds, regardless of purpose or amount. The Fraternity is not liable for purchases that do not follow this policy.
• Purchases are considered “covered by the budget” if the purchase in question directly relates to a budget line item, as determined by the Treasurer.
• The purchase owner is the individual(s) who holds the purchasing authority for the respective purchase.
• Purchases are subject to the following restrictions:
  • Purchases are only to be made by or with the approval of the purchase owner.
  • Purchases are only to be made for legal goods and services.
  • Purchases may not create a conflict of interest with the purchase owner.
  • Purchases covered by the budget in excess of the allocated amount for the line item are subject to Treasurer approval.
• Purchase owners are responsible for securing Fraternity financial assets while in their possession. These assets include -- but are not limited to -- cash, check, cards, passwords, and PIN numbers.
• Receipts or other proof of payment for all purchases must be submitted by the purchase owner to the Treasurer within 5 business days from the date of purchase.
• Purchases not paid in full by the Fraternity are subject to the reimbursement policy outlined in Article III.

Article III. Reimbursement Policy

• This policy covers all purchases paid partially or in full by a Member with purchasing authority in which a reimbursement using Fraternity funds must take place.
• Reimbursement requests, along with proof of purchase, must be submitted by the purchase owner to the Treasurer within 5 business days from the date of purchase.
• Reimbursements shall only be issued for purchases that were valid as outlined in the purchasing policy prior to the purchase.
• Reimbursement payment shall be issued via a payment method sanctioned by the Treasurer.

Article IV. Purchase Proposals

Purchases not covered by the budget in excess of $50 must additionally go through the purchase proposal process as described below. Purchases less than $50 not covered by the budget are only subject to Treasurer approval.

1. An active member (sponsor) and co-sponsor make a copy of the Purchase Proposal Form and fills out the appropriate sections (down to Follow up date).
2. The sponsor presents the completed proposal form to Treasurer for approval.
   1. If the proposal is rejected, the Treasurer will inform the sponsor of adjustments to be made. The proposal can be resubmitted to the Treasurer once corrected.
   2. If the proposal is approved, the process will continue as described below.
3. The Treasurer will present the purchase proposal to the Board at an officer meeting.
   1. The Board can veto the purchase proposal by a ⅔’rds vote. If vetoed, the proposal must be recreated and must go through the entire purchase proposal process again.
   2. In the event of the need for an immediate purchase, the Board may vote unanimously to immediately approve the proposal with no presentation at a general meeting. Such approvals are frowned upon and should be immediately disclosed and justified to the general membership through email and in the next general meeting.
   3. If the proposal is not vetoed, the process will continue as described below.
4. The Treasurer will briefly present the purchase proposal at a general meeting.
   1. The general membership may initiate the veto process by support of three active members.
   2. The general membership may veto the purchase proposal by a simple majority of those present. If vetoed, the proposal must be recreated and must go through the entire purchase proposal process again.
5. The purchase proposal is executed as described in the proposal form.
6. The Treasurer will follow up with the proposal sponsor to ensure it is properly and fully executed.
7. If the purchase is not properly executed as described in the purchase proposal, the Treasurer will take steps to correct the situation (including, but not limited to, cancellation of the purchase proposal).

Board Order II. Dues

Article I. Definitions

• For the purposes of this Board Order, “membership dues” refers to any monetary amount required for active membership.
• An individual’s “financial standing” refers to the overdue balance owed by the individual to the Fraternity. The overdue balance includes, but is not limited to, dues, fees, and merchandise purchases.
  • Individuals in “good financial standing” do not have any overdue payments.
  • Individuals in “bad financial standing” have at least one overdue payment.
• This Board Order extends, but does not override, applicable policy defined in the Bylaws.

Article II. Amount

• The Treasurer shall set a membership dues amount for all eligible members.
• The membership dues amount may include fees as approved by the Board.
• The membership dues amount, including any fees, may not take officer, pledge, or other organizational status into account.

Article III. Notification

• The Treasurer shall notify all eligible members of the membership dues amount and deadline via email and at the first general meeting of the semester.
  • The duration between the notification of membership dues and the associated deadline must be at least four weeks.
• The Treasurer shall set a separate deadline for pledges to pay their membership dues.
  • This deadline must take place before the conclusion of the pledge process.
  • Pledges must be notified of the membership dues amount and deadline by the second pledge meeting.
  • This deadline serves as a final deadline for any initiated members in the case of extensions, as described in Article V.

Article IV. Payment and Refunds

• Membership dues must be paid via a payment method sanctioned by the Treasurer.
• Initiated members are eligible for a full refund of any paid membership dues less any third party processing fees until midnight (CDT) of the actives-specific dues date.
• Initiated members are responsible for any remaining dues balance if a refund is not requested by the deadline defined above.
• In the event of a personal, financial, family, or other such emergency after the deadline specified above, the Board may unanimously vote to grant a full refund less any third party processing fees.
• Terminated pledges are eligible for a full refund of any paid membership dues less any third party processing fees.

Article V. Extensions

• Members may, at the approval of the Treasurer, extend their individual membership dues deadline by establishing a plan to make payments over time.
• Extension requests must be submitted in writing to the Treasurer prior to the actives membership dues deadline with dates for which specified amounts are to be paid.
• The extension may not exceed the pledge membership dues deadline.
• Members who have been granted an extension may retain active status while in good financial standing.
• Members who fail to adhere to their payment plan are considered in bad financial standing and become inactive.
• Members who become in bad financial standing for any other overdue payment also become inactive.
• Members who have failed to adhere to their payment plan or who have become in bad financial standing for any reason must pay all overdue balances to return to good financial standing and active status.
• Members in bad financial standing after the pledge membership dues deadline are barred from attending the end-of-semester event, including as a guest.
• In subsequent semesters, members in bad financial standing are required to return to good financial standing by paying all overdue balances before becoming eligible for active status.

Article VI. Authority of the Treasurer

• The Treasurer may make exceptions to this Board Order in the event of organizational financial difficulty or individual emergencies.
  • Such exceptions must be documented and reported to the Board.

Board Order III. Nonprofit Qualifications

In the event the Fraternity makes a donation or other contribution to a non-profit organization, the nonprofit in question must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
• Any contribution would not create a conflict of interest with any member of the Fraternity.

Board Order IV. Election Process

• Elections shall occur on the second to last General Meeting of the semester.
• Applications for the election shall open 2 weeks before the election.
• Applications will close at the start of the third to last General Meeting of the semester.
• Discussions of the candidates will occur on the third to last General Meeting of the semester.
  • During that meeting, all elected positions will be discussed in order, as described by the Bylaws.
  • Each candidate of the current position will have 5 minutes to give a speech.
  • After each speech is given, all candidates of the position must leave the room and the rest of the membership will have 5 minutes to talk about the candidates.

Board Order V. Risk Management Duties

For the purposes of this order, 'Risk Management' refers to the elected Risk Management Officer and/or the active members who have been designated (by the Risk Management Officer) to assist with the task of risk management at a particular social event.

The following is a list of things that all RMs should look out for/do while on duty:

• Illegal substances of any kind.
• Fire in the fire pit, stove or anywhere else.
• Destruction/damage of house property.
• Anyone accessing the fridge, or food on the shelves in the kitchen.
• Non-LAN members accessing the second floor, or back house.
• Over-intoxicated or aggressive behavior.
• Appropriately marking the underage people attending the social events.

In the event that the law enforcement authorities show up, RM’s should alert each other (and possibly other officers nearby) as quickly as possible. A "senior" RM, who shall be appointed by the Risk Management Office prior to the start of the event, will be the point of contact with the authorities. All other RM's will obey the messages from the senior RM, and will assist in taking care of the people at the event.

Board Order VI. Pledge Agreement

As part of the pledge process, each pledge must agree to and sign a copy of the Pledge Agreement.

Board Order VII. Service Requirements

Article 1. Required Hours At the beginning of every semester, the current standing Vice President of Service will set the minimum number of required service hours for that active semester. This number will be broadcasted to the active membership on all applicable mediums of communication.

Article 2. Consequences for Lack of Compliance Members who do not meet the minimum requirements for service will face consequences such as but not limited to:

• Written warnings
• Not being permitted to attend formal events
• Event suspension

Board Order VIII. Intoxication Strike Policy

In order to maintain the safety of all Lambda Alpha Nu members, this board order proposes to establish a policy that outlines the consequences of unreasonable intoxication. The threshold for “unreasonable intoxication” being passed will be determined by the Vice President of Standards (and if necessary, the standards board) on a case by case basis. Please note that this is not intended to discourage having a good time at events, it is merely a system that is set up just in case a problem arises, so that we can apply rules evenly and fairly.

This system will operate on a cumulative “strike” basis, meaning that each offense will result in an increased measure of discipline. These strikes do not go away. The strikes are as follows:

(First Strike) The member in question will have a talk with the Vice President of Standards about your actions and measures they will take to ensure that it does not happen again. (Second Strike) The member in question will have another conversation with the Vice President of Standards, along with being unable to drink at the next event that they attend where alcohol is present. (Third Strike) The member in question will be asked to no longer drink for the remainder of the semester, and will also have to complete Alcohol Basics, an alcohol safety course (the completion of which must be verified with the Vice President of Standards) before being allowed to drink again. Any further incidents warranting a “strike” will result in the member being banned from consuming alcohol at any Lambda Alpha Nu event for the remainder of their time in the organization.

Failure to comply with any of the terms of each “strike” will result in the examination of the case by the Vice President of Standards and the Standards Board, with the recommended severity of the punishment being expulsion from Lambda Alpha Nu.