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    The Eta Kappa Nu Constitution

    PREAMBLE

    That those in the profession of Electrical Engineering who by their attainments in college or in practice, have manifested a deep interest and marked ability in their chosen life work, may be brought into closer union so as to foster a spirit of liberal culture in the engineering colleges and to mark in an outstanding manner those who, as students in Electrical Engineering, have conferred honor on their Alma Maters by distinguished scholarship, activities, leadership and exemplary character and to aid these students to progress through association with alumni who have attained prominence, we do hereby ordain and establish the following Constitution.

    ARTICLE I

    NAME, SYMBOL, PUBLICATION
    Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Eta Kappa Nu Association.
    Section 2. The symbol shall be the early form of the Greek letters Eta, Kappa and Nu. Use of the symbols HKN shall be permitted.
    Section 3. Colors of the association shall be navy-blue and scarlet.
    Section 4. The emblem of the Association shall be the Wheatstone bridge.
    Section 5. The official publication shall be called THE BRIDGE.

    ARTICLE II

    MEMBERS, CHAPTERS AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
    Section 1. Membership shall be by election and induction.
    Section 2. Chapters of the Association shall include College chapters, an Eta chapter, and Alumni chapters.
    Section 3. Legislative powers shall be vested in a Convention.
    Section 4. Policy determination and advisory and judiciary powers shall be vested in a Board of Directors.
    Section 5. Administrative powers shall be vested in an Executive Council (EC).

    ARTICLE III

    COLLEGE CHAPTERS
    Section 1. A College chapter may be established at any school which awards the degree of BEE, BS in EE, or the equivalent, and which meets the requirements of a recognized regional or professional accrediting agency.
    Section 2. The petition for a College chapter will require approval by the college and by each member of the Executive Council.
    Section 3. A faculty advisor shall be designated by the chapter. He shall be a member of Eta Kappa Nu and a faculty member in electrical engineering of the school in which the chapter is installed. He shall serve as liaison officer between the chapter and the college.
    Section 4. Active membership of a College chapter shall consist of its undergraduate and graduate student Eta Kappa Nu members at the school, regardless of prior chapter affiliation, who signify their intent of remaining or becoming subject to the bylaws of the College chapter.
    Section 5. Whenever it appears that there will not be a sufficient number of students on the campus to maintain an active College chapter, a chapter shall elect a trustee committee to consist of three or more members of Eta Kappa Nu, who shall assume custody of chapter assets until reactivation of the chapter.

    ARTICLE IV

    ETA CHAPTER
    Section 1. To provide for membership of qualified undergraduates and graduate students of electrical engineering in schools which meet the same degree of accrediting requirements as for College chapters and where no College chapter of Eta Kappa Nu exists, there shall be a chapter known as Eta chapter.
    Section 2. A branch of Eta chapter may be established by unanimous action of the Executive Council, with approval of the college concerned.
    Section 3. The Executive Council shall function as the officers of Eta chapters. Eta chapter shall have no vote in the Convention.

    ARTICLE V

    ALUMNI CHAPTER
    Section 1. To provide for strengthening the furtherance of the aims of Eta Kappa Nu by alumni members, an alumni chapter may be established in any locality, upon petition of at least five members, and subject to the unanimous approval of the Executive Council.
    Section 2. Except as specifically provided herein, an Alumni Chapter shall have no power to confer membership in Eta Kappa Nu, nor shall it be subject to any assessment or dues, other than by a vote of its own members.

    ARTICLE Vl

    MEMBERSHIP
    Section 1. Induction to membership in Eta Kappa Nu Association shall be in one of two forms: Member or Eminent Member.
    Section 2. To be eligible for induction as a Member, a candidate must be at least one of the following:

    1. An undergraduate or a graduate student at an institution having a College chapter or a Branch of Eta chapter. Upon installation or reactivation of a branch of Eta, or of a college chapter (not preceded by an Eta branch), there may be inducted those graduates of the institution who: l. were graduated less than two years prior to the induction or reactivation and 2. would have been eligible for induction had there been an Eta Kappa Nu chapter (or branch) when the graduate was in attendance at the institution .
    2. A member of the instructive or administrative staff of any school which meets the same degree and accrediting requirements as prescribed herein for a College chapter.
    3. An electrical engineer who had done meritorious work in the practice of the profession and allied pursuits.
    Section 3. Undergraduate candidates shall be selected from those students in the Junior or Senior class who are pursuing courses leading to a Baccalaureate or equivalent degree in electrical engineering.
    1. Juniors who have a cumulative scholastic rank in the upper quarter of their electrical engineering class may be elected.
    2. Seniors who have a cumulative scholastic rank in the upper third of their electrical engineering class may be elected.
    Section 4. Graduate student candidates shall have been graduated from a school of recognized standing and shall possess substantially the same scholastic and other qualifications required for undergraduate membership.
    Section 5. Induction as Eminent Member is reserved for those individuals who, by their technical attainments and contributions to society, have shown themselves to be outstanding leaders in the field of electrical engineering, and great benefactors of their fellowmen.
    Section 6. College Chapters will confer membership in Eta Kappa Nu. Alumni Chapters will confer membership in Eta Kappa Nu only as provided in Section 2.C. of this article, and subject to the approval of the Executive Council. The Board of Directors will confer membership and Eminent Membership in Eta Kappa Nu.
    Section 7. Members who have heretofore been elected to diverse classes of membership shall continue to hold their certificates as issued with all rights and privileges as heretofore.
    Section 8. Any exceptions to the provisions of Article VI must be made on an individual basis and have the prior approval of the Executive Council.

    ARTICLE Vlll

    BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the following members of HKN, elected by the chapters.

    1. The President, the Vice-President, elected annually and the Executive Secretary, elected triennially.
    2. From each geographical region, fixed by the Board of Directors, one additional member may be elected on alternate years to serve a two-year term. A Board member may not be reelected. Nominations of candidates from each of the regions shall be made by the College and Alumni Chapters of that region, or by a member of the Executive Council, but the election of the candidates shall be by all of the Chapters of the Association. If a Board member becomes unable or unwilling to serve, the remaining members of the Board may appoint a protempore member to serve the unexpired term.
    Section 2. In the event the result of the annual election is not determined by July 1, the directors shall continue until their successors are elected or appointed.

    ARTICLE IX

    EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
    Section 1. The President, Vice-President, and Executive Secretary shall constitute the Executive Council.
    Section 2. The Executive Council is responsible for the administration and the execution of the Statutes and other acts of the Convention and of such policy as is established by the Board of Directors.
    Section 3. The Executive Council shall manage the funds of the Association in conformity with fiscal policies established by the Board of Directors.

    ARTICLE X

    FEES AND DUES
    Section 1. Any chapter may fix assessments. dues or fees by a majority vote of its members, except that any local induction fee of a College chapter shall be subject to approval by the Executive Council.
    Section 2. The Convention shall have power to fix and levy a per capita tax on each inductee and/or active member of a college chapter or a branch of Eta chapter, for expenses in the conduct of the business of the Association.
    Section 3. Any per capita tax of a member of the Eta chapter shall be the same as that fixed by Statute for members of College chapters.
    Section 4. Eminent Members will not be subject to assessments, fees or dues.

    ARTICLE Xl

    TRUST FUND
    The Association shall be empowered to establish trust funds separate from other funds, by legislative action, or by action of the Board of Directors. Such funds may be for a specific one or a combination of the following purposes: religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational. Such action must have the unanimous recommendation of the members of the Executive Council prior to submission to the Convention, and approval of at least three-fourths of the College and Alumni chapters.

    ARTICLE Xll

    AMENDMENTS
    Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution shall be submitted for ratification by three-fourths of the College chapters.

    ARTICLE Xlll

    STATUTES
    Section 1. The Association, through Convention, may further regulate itself by statutes not in conflict with this Constitution.
    STATUTES

    TITLE 1 - ASSESSMENTS
    Each college chapter shall be assessed the sum of $40 for each of its inductees to defray the cost of a certificate, a copy of the Constitution and a two-year subscription to BRIDGE magazine for each inductee, for expenses of the Board of Directors, and for the expenses of chapter services, including conventions and visitations.

    TITLE 2 - ASSEMBLED CONVENTION
    Section A. The cost of holding an assembled convention shall be borne by the Association.

    TITLE 3 - INSTALLATION EXPENSE
    The EC shall have the power to decide all questions of expense incident to the installing of new chap-ters; provided, however, that no assessment be placed on the charter members of the new chapter in ex-cess of the amount per inductee provided in the Constitution and Statutes.

    TITLE 4 - THE BRIDGE
    Section A. THE BRIDGE shall be published at least four times in the college year.
    Section B. The staff of THE BRIDGE shall be composed of an editor and a BRIDGE correspondent from each chapter, and such other staff members as may be appointed by the EC.
    Section C. The subscription price to THE BRIDGE shall be determined by the EC.

    TITLE 5 - EXPENSES
    The Executive Secretary shall reimburse any member of the Board of Directors for out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of HKN, when approved in advance by two members of the EC.

    TITLE 6 - COLLEGE CHAPTERS
    Section A. A petition for the establishment of a college chapter may be made by no fewer than eight undergraduate students who are qualified for membership. It shall be accompanied by the written consent of the President, the Dean of Students, the Dean of Engineering and the Head of the Electrical Engineering, of the petitioning school, or their equivalent.
    Section B. College chapters shall be installed by the President, or by a deputy appointed by him.
    Section C. Charter members of a new chapter shall include all the petitioners duly inducted and any other members inducted at the installation ceremonies whom the petitioners desire to be distinguished as charter members.
    Section D. Officers of a college chapter shall be a President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, BRIDGE Correspondent and Treasurer. When the occasion makes it desirable, any two of these offices may be combined by the chapter and assigned to a single member.
    Section E. Duties of the officers shall be as follows:

    1. The President shall exercise such jurisdiction over the chapter as is usually accorded the position. He shall preside at all meetings and shall call special meetings at the request of not less than five members or whenever he deems necessary.
    2. The Vice-President shall, in the absence of the President, assume his duties. He shall succeed to the presidency in case of resignation or disability of the President.
    3. The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings and shall issue notices of all special meetings.
    4. The Corresponding Secretary shall have charge of all correspondence of the chapter, except that pertaining to the Treasurer and the BRIDGE correspondent's office.
    5. THE BRIDGE correspondent shall submit reports of the chapter's activities to THE BRIDGE and perform all other duties pertaining to THE BRIDGE, including publicity for the chapter.
    6. The Treasurer shall collect all dues and be in charge of all chapter funds, which he shall pay out only on order of the chapter, signed by the President and the Recording Secretary.
    Section F. A quorum for the legal transaction of chapter business shall consist of at least one-half of the total active members of the chapter. Student members pursuing a cooperative program or off the campus on an industrial assignment at the time of balloting shall not be counted in the total membership for the purpose of determining a quorum.
    Section G. By-laws adopted by a college chapter for its government shall not conflict with the Constitution or Statutes. Such by-laws, and all changes thereto, must be approved by each member of the EC. In the event of enactment of any future amendments to the Constitution or any new Statutes, with which the chapter by-laws may become in conflict, such conflicting by-laws shall thereby become void.

    TITLE 7 - MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS
    Section A. A junior means any enrolled student in an accredited course in Electrical Engineering who has completed one-half of the scholastic requirement for the bachelor s degree. A senior means any enrolled student in an accredited course in Electrical Engineering who has completed three-fourths of the scholastic requirements for the bachelor s degree, provided that in five-year undergraduate courses no student is eligible for membership until he has completed one term or semester of his third year.
    Section B. Candidates for membership to HKN, in addition to having the required scholastic rank, must be of unimpeachable character, have ability to make use of the knowledge and information acquired, have capacity and willingness for hard work, and have a genial nature and ability to work in harmony with all sorts of men.
    Section C. The approval of the faculty advisor of the nominating chapter and of the Head of the Electrical Engineering Department of the college shall be a condition prerequisite to eligibility for induction of non-student members.
    Section D. A graduate student may be nominated to membership by any member of HKN, provided he has completed the equivalent of one-half of one academic year of full-time study in the school wherein is located the college chapter or branch of Eta, into which the graduate student is proposed to be inducted, and further provided that such study is generally applicable to an advanced degree in electrical engineering. Such nomination shall require endorsement by the Head of the Electrical Engineering faculty of said school.
    Section E. Nominations to eminent membership may be made by a college chapter, an alumni chapter, or by any member of Eta Kappa Nu. For election, the candidate must receive the approval of the Board of Directors, and the approval of three-quarters of the college chapters.

    TITLE 9 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    Section A. The President, Vice-President, and the Executive Secretary shall be the chairman, vice-chairman and secretary, respectively, of the Board of Directors.
    Section B. Vacancies on the Board of Directors, including the officers, may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining board members. Members may be so appointed only for the unexpired portion of a term of office, and such appointment shall be subject to confirmation at the next Convention, if the appointee is then still in office.
    Section C. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the interpretation of the Constitution and Statutes. Any such interpretation by the Board of Directors shall, at the request of any chapter, be subject to majority approval by the next Convention.
    Section D. The Board of Directors shall determine the policies of the Association.
    Section E. The Board of Directors shall determine the compensation of the Executive Secretary for his services, and may enter into a pension contract with the Executive Secretary on behalf of the Association, and subject to the approval of the College chapters.
    Section F. The Board of Directors shall have the power to remove any member from the EC for good and sufficient cause.
    Section G. The Board of Directors shall have access to all records of the Association and may call at any time upon a national officer or any college or alumni chapter for a written report on any of their activities.
    Section H. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a year as soon as feasible after July 1, and at such other times as agreed upon by a majority of the Board. A newly-elected Board of Directors otherwise taking office on July 1 may meet during the immediately preceding June with the powers of office, provided the outgoing Board of Directors has so authorized.
    Section I. Visitation to College chapters may be made by a member of HKN, preferably a director, appointed by the President.

    TITLE 10 - EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
    Section A. The Executive Secretary, under the direction of the EC, shall prepare an annual operating budget for consideration and approval by the Board of Directors. The EC may, in conformance with established fiscal policies, and with the aid of investment counsel, invest and re-invest in the name of the Association, funds of the Association in bonds, stocks or other securities. The Executive Secretary shall execute such transactions with the written consent of each member of the EC.
    Section B. Nominations and eligibility for national office shall be as follows:

    1. The Board of Directors shall nominate a single candidate for each of the offices of President, Vice-President, and Executive Secretary.
    2. Groups of no less than five College chapters, each group including no less than one chapter from each geographic region may nominate individual candidates for each of the offices of President, Vice-President, and Executive Secretary.
    3. Eligible for the offices of President and Vice-President are past members of either the Board of Directors or the former Advisory Board.
    4. Eligible for the office of Executive Secretary shall be any member of HKN.
    Section C. Terms of office and election of the officers shall be as follows:
    1. The term of office for the President and for the Vice-President shall be one year.
    2. The term of office for the Executive Secretary shall be three years.
    Section D. Election of officers shall be by the annual mail convention.
    Section E. On July 1, next succeeding the annual mail convention at which the elections were held, the newly-elected President and Vice-President and the Executive Secretary shall take office. The newly-elected officers otherwise taking office July 1, may meet during the preceding June with the powers of office, providing the outgoing Board of Directors has so authorized. In the event the result of the annual election is not determined by July 1, the incumbent officers shall continue until their successors are elected or appointed.
    Section F. Vacancies shall be filled as follows:
    1. Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be filled in accordance with Title 9.
    2. During the period of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the duties and responsibilities of the President until a successor is elected or appointed, provided, however, that he may vote only one of the two offices.
    3. During a period of a vacancy in the office of the Vice-President, the President shall assume the duties and responsibilities of the Vice-President until a successor is elected or appointed, provided, however, that he may vote only one of the two offices.
    4. If the office of Executive Secretary becomes vacant, the appointee shall be titled Acting Executive Secretary.
    Section G. The duties of the offices shall be as follows:
    1. The President shall be responsible for the coordination of the work of the other members of the EC and of all general executive duties. He shall be responsible for the appointment of all committees which are to serve during his term of office. He shall have charge of and prescribe at the Convention and shall preside at all meetings of the EC and of the Board of Directors. He shall install new College chapters, either in person or by official representation. He shall sign all membership certificates and charters.
    2. The Vice-President shall assume any duties assigned to him by the President. He shall preside in the absence of the President.
    3. The Executive Secretary shall keep a record of the Convention and shall send an official report of all business transacted by the Convention, including a canvass of the vote of any election to each chapter and to each director. He shall keep a record of the minutes of the meeting of the EC and of the Board of Directors and send a certified copy of these minutes to each Board member. He shall keep the seal and shall have executed and shall issue the charters for the new chapters, the membership certificates, copies of the Constitution and the emblems. He shall stimulate college chapter and alumni interest and activity. He shall have in his immediate charge all funds of the Association and shall pay out money upon the order of the convention, signed by the President, or when the Convention is not in session, if so directed by the President and the Vice-President. For his services he shall receive compensation He shall give an approved bond, the amount of which shall be fixed by the EC.

    TITLE 12 - DISCIPLINE
    Section A. Each chapter shall have the sole power to discipline its own members.
    Section B. The Board of Directors shall have the power, upon recommendation of the EC to suspend the charter of any chapter for good and sufficient reasons, but such suspension must be sustained or the action reversed at the next succeeding Convention.

    TITLE 13 - BY-LAWS
    The Board of Directors may adopt by-laws, not in conflict with the Constitution or Statutes, for the governing of the Association.

    BY-LAWS
     ARTICLE I

    MEMBERSHIP AND OBJECTIVES
    Section 1: As defined by the Constitution of Eta Kappa Nu, the Board of Directors (Board) shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, an Executive Secretary and members elected from each geographic region.
    Section 2: The duties of the Board are to further the objectives of Eta Kappa Nu as defined by the Constitution. The Board of Directors shall determine the policies of the Association.
    Section 3: The purpose of these Bylaws is to document the activities to be performed each year by the Board. The rules, procedures and organization of activities in these Bylaws have the additional objective of providing stability in the administration of the Association. The changing Board membership and its infrequent meetings require assignment of duties to provide continuity of action.
    ARTICLE II

    ORGANIZATION AND SCOPE
    Section 1: The Board of Directors shall be governed by such parts of the Constitution of the Association as apply to the conduct of its meetings and nothing in these Bylaws shall be construed as conflicting with the Constitution.
    Section 2: The terms of officers shall be as follows:

      President - One year
      Vice-President - One year
      Executive Secretary - Three years
    Both fiscal and administrative year begins July 1.
    Section 3: The President shall be the executive officer of the Board of Directors. He shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Association and shall preside at all meetings of the Board.
    Section 4: The Vice-President shall be the Junior Executive Officer. In the absence of the President, he shall assume the duties of that office.
    Section 5: The Executive Secretary shall maintain the National Headquarters, keep the records of the Association and perform such duties as required including those outlined in the Constitution, Statutes, and Bylaws.
    1. In the absence of both the President and the Vice-President. the Executive Secretary shall act as Chairman protempore of Board meetings.
    2. The Executive Secretary shall collect all revenue due the Headquarters Office and shall pay all bills which are authorized by the Board. He shall deposit the funds of the Association in banks designated by the Board, and shall be the custodian of all property belonging to the Association. When a proposal to buy or sell securities is authorized by the Executive Council and signed by the Vice-President and President, the Executive Secretary shall buy, sell, and use as directed, bonds, stocks, and other capital assets owned by the Association.
    3. Before assuming office he shall be bonded. The amount of the bond shall be the total assets of Eta Kappa Nu as shown by the auditor s report at the start of the fiscal year, rounded to the next higher even $10,000 (Ten thousand dollar) figure. The period of the bond shall be three years.
    4. The Executive Secretary shall make notes of the proceedings of the Board and shall maintain a record of these proceedings. He is responsible for relating precedents and offering advice relative to the administration of the Constitution and Bylaws whenever pertinent to matters under consideration.
    5. The Executive Secretary shall keep a record of the Association s Convention and shall send an official report of all business transacted by the Convention, including a canvas of the vote of any election, to each Chapter and a copy to each Director. He shall keep a record of the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Council, and of the Board of Directors and shall send a copy to each Board member. He shall keep the seal and shall have executed and shall issue the charters for new chapters, the membership certificates, copies of the Constitution and the emblems.
    6. He shall stimulate College Chapter and Alumni Chapter interest and activity.
    7. For his services, he shall receive compensation, the amount of which shall be fixed by the Board of Directors.
    8. The Executive Secretary shall arrange and pay for an annual audit of the Association s accounts, and shall mail a copy to each Board member.
    Section 6: The Executive Council shall consist of the President, Vice-President, and Executive
    Secretary. The Executive Council is responsible for the administration and other duties as defined in the Constitution. In addition the Executive Council shall appoint an editor of THE BRIDGE, which appointment shall be subject to approval by the Board of Directors. The editor shall be responsible for the execution of the editorial policy and the publication of THE BRIDGE. The Executive Council shall determine the editorial policy subject to approval by the Board of Directors.
    Section 7: Committees to further the objectives of HKN and perform needed duties shall be appointed by the President at the Summer meeting of the Board. It is desirable that a newly elected Junior and a Senior member be named to each committee; the Junior member often retains the same committee assignment the following year, when he becomes the Senior member. Other members should be added, as dictated by the expected activity and importance of each committee s function during the next year. The President is exofficio member of all committees. A partial list of committees, to be modified at the discretion of the Executive Council, follows:
    1. Constitution and Bylaws
    2. Eminent Member Recommendations
    3. Finance and Investments
    4. Outstanding E.E. Award Committee (Award Organization Committee; A member of N.Y. Alumni Chapter as Chairman)
    5. Movie Production and Distribution (A member of Chicago Alumni Chapter as Chairman)
    6. Outstanding Student Award (A member of L.A. Alumni as Chairman)
    7. The Bridge (Publication, procure articles and advertisements; Executive Secretary as Chairman)
    8. Regional Meetings and Visits to Chapters (Executive Secretary as Chairman )
    9. Publicity
    10. Expansion
    11. Chapter Award
    12. Ritual (Eminent Member and Undergraduate Initiations.)
    At Board meetings the chairman of each committee shall present a brief report of the committee s activities. This may be delegated to one of the committee members. To permit considered review, it is suggested that the members making reports mail a copy to each member of the Board at least two weeks in advance of meetings.
    ARTICLE III

    PROCEDURES
    Section 1: Election of an Eminent Member will require six affirmative votes of eligible members of The Board of Directors. All other motions considered by the Board of Directors will require five affirmative votes.
    Section 2: An officer may be removed for cause by the Board at a regular meeting, upon a two-thirds vote of the total Board membership, provided that a copy of the motion for removal shall have been mailed to all Board members including the officer involved at least two weeks before the meeting. Such officer shall have the right of defense.
    Section 3: Proxies A member of the Board who cannot attend a meeting may vote by proxy signed by the member himself, and filed with the Executive Secretary before the meeting occurs.