The organization, incorporated under the laws of the
State of Tennessee, shall be known as Omicron Tau Theta, Incorporated.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
A. The organization shall be a national honorary professional
graduate society, consisting of chapters located in various collegiate
institutions offering programs of career-technical education at
the graduate level.
B. The organization shall seek to improve career-technical
education by striving:
1. To foster a closer relationship in the career-technical
environment, among schools, government agencies, and communities.
2. To further the professional influence of Omicron
Tau Theta throughout universities, colleges, schools, government
agencies, and communities.
3. To promote leadership in the field of career-technical
education.
4. To promote the benefits of career-technical
education in relation to the individual, society, and work.
5. To render service to members in their professional
development.
6. To encourage research in the field of career-technical
education and to acquaint the membership with research achievement.
7. To promote the friendly and helpful association
of all members.
8. To further the general welfare of those in the
profession of career-technical education.
C. Toward the realization of the foregoing objectives,
the organization shall have the right to purchase, acquire by lease
or otherwise, hold and own real and personal property of every class
and description, and to mortgage, convey, sell, lease, or otherwise
dispose of such property.
ARTICLE III. NATIONAL COUNCIL
Section 1. Function
The Society shall be administered by its National Council,
which shall be the legislative body of the Society, and in such capacity,
shall initiate, adopt, and prescribe legislation on any matters that pertain
to the Society as a whole.
Section 2. Membership of the National Council
The National Council of the Society shall consist of
the Executive Board (Article V, Section 1.A) and one delegate (hereinafter
referred to as National Council Delegate) from each chapter in good standing.
Section 3. Election of Delegates
A. The local National Council Delegate shall be elected
at a regular meeting of each chapter, provided that such election has
been publicized as an item of business to be considered at that particular
meeting. Each chapter shall also elect an alternate delegate.
B. To be eligible for election as delegate or alternate
delegate to the National Council, a candidate must be a paid-up active
member prior to the meeting at which the candidate is elected.
C. The chapter delegate shall serve as the local representative
of the National Council.
Section 4. Meetings
A. The National Council shall hold National Council
meeting (hereinafter referred to as annual meeting) at a time and place
determined by the Executive Board. Each chapter shall be notified of
the agenda, date, time, and place of the annual National Council meeting
at least sixty days prior to the scheduled meeting.
B. Special meetings of the National Council shall be
called by the President with the consent of the Executive Board or upon
written demands of two-thirds of the Council. Each Chapter shall be
notified of the agenda, date, time and place of the special National
Council meetings at least thirty days prior to the special meeting date.
ARTICLE IV. NATIONAL OFFICERS
Section 1. Titles
A. The National Officers are elected by the National
Council at the Annual meeting of the National Council. The national
officers are President, President-Elect, Corresponding and Recording
Secretary, Treasurer, Journal Editor, Journal Editor-Elect, Historian,
Parliamentarian, Past President, Executive Director, and Advisor(s).
B. The National Officers shall take office at the beginning
of the Society's fiscal year in accordance with Article IV, Section
4 of the Bylaws.
C. Any member of the Society in good standing shall
be eligible for election to national office.
D. The President-Elect shall automatically assume the
Presidency at the end of the term of office of the President. In the
event that the President-Elect is unable to fulfill the office, a new
President-Elect shall be appointed by the Executive Board.
E. The Journal Editor-Elect shall become the Editor
of the Journal at the end of the term of office of the Journal Editor.
ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. Membership of the Executive Board
The Executive Board of the Society shall consist of the
National Officers in accordance with Article IV, Section 1. A.
Section 2. Powers and Duties
A. The Executive Board shall sponsor activities that
it deems worthy of an organization committed to professional leadership
in career-technical education.
B. It shall have the power to authorize expenditures
within limits fixed by the National Council, shall be charged with the
care of surplus funds, and shall act on all ordinary matters between
Council meetings.
C. It shall screen petitions for new chapters and shall
process those deemed worthy of consideration by the chapters.
D. It shall make provisions for an audit of the treasurer's
records and of the national office records at the end of the fiscal
year.
E. It shall have the power to accept resignations,
to make interim appointments, and to fill all vacancies in national
offices that arise.
F. It shall have the right to appoint an Executive
Director, who shall be an appointee of the Society, whose duties shall
be defined by the Board, and who shall hold appointment at the discretion
of the Board.
Section 3. Meetings
A. The Executive Board shall meet at least once a year,
and at such other times as the President or a majority of the Board
may deem necessary and expedient.
B. Expenses of the Board meetings shall be borne by
the Society's treasury as provided for in the budget and according to
specification made prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE VI. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Eligibility
A. Any person who has specifically declared and is
affirmatively committed to career-technical education and who meets
the following minimum qualifications shall be eligible for candidacy
to membership in the Society and shall be a member after being properly
initiated with the Society's approved ceremony.
1. The holding of a bachelor's degree from an accredited
institution.
2. The completion of eight semester hours of graduate
work, at least three of which shall have been in professional career-technical
education courses at an institution in which chapters of this Society
are established. The grade average of these eight semester hours
of credit shall be at least B or 85%.
3. Evidence of career-technical education as
the candidate's major field.
B. Any regular member of the career-technical instructional
staff of an institution at which a chapter of the Society is established
shall be eligible for candidacy.
C. Outstanding persons who have clearly improved career-technical
education through demonstrated leadership and support for career-technical
education through government or business and industry shall be eligible
for membership in the Society, subject to conditions prescribed by local
chapter Bylaws.
D. Honorary membership in the Society is described
in the National Bylaws (Article IV, Section 6).
Section 2. Classification
Membership shall be classified as follows:
A. Active Membership. Any duly initiated member
who has paid national and local dues for the current fiscal year shall
be classified as an active member. Any duly initiated member who had
paid national and local dues for the preceding fiscal year, but not
for the current one, shall remain classified as an active member through
November 30 of the current fiscal year.
B. Honorary Membership. Honorary members shall
not be required to pay dues or other assessments but shall be entitled
to all rights and privileges of active membership, except the right
to hold office.
C. Inactive Membership. Any active member whose
national and local dues have not been paid for one fiscal year shall
be classified as an inactive member. The right to vote and the right
to hold office shall be denied to inactive members. An active member
may regain active status by paying national and local dues for the current
fiscal year.
D. Transfer Membership. Active members of one
chapter may, upon invitation from another chapter, transfer to the newly
affiliated chapter with all rights and privileges of active membership
on local matters and paying local dues. Members would pay both national
and local dues to the newly affiliated chapter in which they now hold
active membership, and all contacts with the National Office would be
maintained through the newly affiliated chapter.
Section 3. Number of Initiations
A chapter shall be required to elect to membership and
to initiate at least one new group each year except as provided under
Article VII. ORGANIZATION, ESTABLISHMENT, AND MAINTENANCE OF CHAPTERS.
Section 4. Procedures for Admission of New Members
A. All new members shall be initiated in accordance
with the initiation ceremony as prescribed by the National Council.
B. A chapter electing a person to membership in the
Society may request another chapter to initiate the new member in its
behalf.
ARTICLE VII. ORGANIZATION, ESTABLISHMENT,
AND MAINTENANCE OF CHAPTERS
Section 1. Establishment of Chapters
Chapters may be organized in institutions offering programs
of career-technical education on the graduate level and that meet
the criteria established by the National Council. (Article V, Section
2 of the National Bylaws.)
Section 2. Active Chapters
A. All chapters that abide by the National Constitution
and Bylaws shall be considered active chapters and will have the rights
and privileges accorded to them by the National Constitution and Bylaws.
B. If the collegiate institution in which a chapter
has been established curtails or discontinues its graduate career-technical
education program, that chapter will be considered to be an active chapter
and may continue to operate as long as its active membership numbers
at least ten and meets at least once a year. The requirement for one
initiation a year and to have a sponsor who is a faculty member of that
institution may be waived by the Executive Board.
Section 3. Inactive Chapters
A. Any chapter that fails to abide by the National
Constitution and Bylaws may be suspended by the National Council. During
the period of suspension, the chapter shall be deprived of all rights
and privileges.
B. The charter of a suspended chapter shall become
revoked by a two-thirds vote of the National Council.
C. Any suspended chapter may be reinstated in accordance
with procedures outlined in Article V, Section 6 of the National Bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII. CHAPTER GOVERNMENT
Section 1. Chapter Officers
A. The officers of each chapter shall include a president,
president-elect, corresponding and recording secretary, treasurer, publications
editor, historian, parliamentarian, and advisor(s).
B. Eligibility for office shall be confined to those
members who have all the rights and privileges of active membership.
C. Chapter advisor(s):
1. The Executive Board of each chapter shall elect
the advisor(s) with appointment to be reviewed every three years.
2. The advisor(s) need not be a faculty member
of the collegiate institution in which the chapter has been established.
Section 2. Chapter Executive Board
A. Each chapter shall be administered by its executive
board.
B. The executive board shall be comprised of the officers
listed in Section 1 of this Article, the immediate past president, and
the National Council Delegate. Chapters may include chairpersons of
appointed committees as members of the chapter executive board.
C. All officers listed in Section 1 and the National
Council Delegate and Alternate shall be elected by the chapter in accordance
with the provisions of the National Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 3. Chapter Bylaws
Each chapter shall have the right to adopt chapter bylaws
in accordance with this National Constitution. A copy of such chapter
bylaws shall be on file with the National Executive Director.
ARTICLE IX. CHAPTER BYLAWS
The National Council shall have the right to establish
National Bylaws for the National Constitution.
ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
