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Campus Government Constitution: Senate Statutes

Student Handbook 2008-2009

Preamble


We, the Greeks of Kenyon College, hereby call into being this Council to Protect, Propagate and Govern Greek life at Kenyon. We commit to uphold the Honor, Dignity and Integrity of Greeks as well as to promote Brotherhood and Sisterhood in our organizations, Cooperation between our organizations and Unity on campus. These laws shall be the laws that govern the Greek Community at Kenyon.

Article I.

Section 1. Functions

The Greek Council shall be the official representative body for the social fraternities, sororities, and societies recognized at Kenyon. Its functions shall be:

To represent the opinions of the fraternities, sororities and societies in any matter affecting their common interests as distinct from those of the student body as a whole;

To coordinate and organize social or other activities that involve or affect fraternity, sorority and society members and pledges as distinct from the student body as a whole;

To promote within the fraternities, sororities and societies a sense of purpose consistent with the educational aims of Kenyon College;

To encourage fraternities, sororities and societies in the acceptance of responsibility for the conduct and interest of their members and to seek clarification and modification of these responsibilities as the Council shall think desirable.

To further the interests and goals of the Greek community and of Greek life at Kenyon.

Section 2. Powers and Duties

The Council shall meet regularly to discuss and take appropriate action, including, but not limited to, passing binding resolutions concerning the interest and responsibilities of fraternities, sororities and societies. Resolutions concerning the general administration of the organizations and of the Council need only be passed by the General Session and approved by the President of the Greek Council. Resolutions requiring the involvement of non-Council parties must be crafted with the appropriate involvement of those parties.

Resolutions that would alter college policy must pass to the Campus Senate before final approval by the President of the College (see Article III., Section 2).

Upon passage by the General Session and approval by the President of the Greek Council, all resolutions must be sent to the Director of Student Activities, the Dean of Students and the Co-Chairs of the Campus Senate.

Greek Council shall have a representative with limited voting power on Campus Senate and a representative with a non-voting seat on Student Council.

Article II. Delegates

The membership of the Council shall consist of one official member-delegate, duly elected or appointed, with voice and vote from each Greek organization officially recognized by the Council and the College, henceforth named member-organizations.

The delegates of the Council, convened together with the members of the Executive Committee, shall be called the General Session. These delegates thus form its legislature, passing appropriate resolutions, overseeing and guiding the actions of Kenyon Greeks and Greek organizations.

A quorum shall be considered three-fourths of all member-organizations.

A simple majority of delegates present is necessary to pass legislation.

Delegates must be initiated members of the organization they represent and students enrolled at the College.

Each organization shall have one equal vote on the Council and as such no delegate may represent more than one organization.

Should a delegate fail to receive permission from the Executive Board to miss an announced meeting of the Council, the organization loses its vote for the next session of the Council. When excused, the organization's president may vote in that delegate's stead. Should a delegate miss three meetings during the course of the semester, that delegate must attend three consecutive meetings before that organization regains its vote.

The sole power to propose legislation shall rest with the member-delegates and Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations.

The power to remove delegates and officers from offices lies within the member-delegates of the Council. Should a member-delegate or an officer be judged derelict in his or her duties, a three-fourths vote of all member-delegates is required to impeach that delegate or officer and remove him or her from office.

The General Session shall be responsible for levying all dues and fines. The Clerk shall submit to the General Session a budget plan by the third-to-last meeting of each school year, or the fifteenth of April should that be first. The General Session is charged with accepting the Council's budget at the end of each school year for the following year.

The General Session shall be empowered to create its own operating procedures (by-laws) and must be the originator of the by-laws of the Greek Judiciary.

The General Session shall be empowered to retain for specific terms of appointment certain persons who may provide services for the Council.

The General Session shall be charged, with the involvement of the Director of Student Activities, with prescribing a set of sanctions for violations of Greek rules. The Greek Judiciary will assign sanctions from within those prescribed.

Any four members of the Council, along with one of the Vice-Presidents, may require a meeting of the General Session.

The delegates of the Council are responsible for fulfilling obligations and duties as described herein or as dictated by the Council and its Executive Board.

For probationary members, see Article VI.

Article III. Executive

Section One:

The executive power of the Council shall be vested in five officers: the President, the Vice President for Internal Affairs, the Vice President for Rush and Public Relations, the Judicial Chair and the Clerk. These five shall constitute the Executive Committee.

These students who are on conditional enrollment may not serve in the Executive. Students standing for election must disclose any history of Social Probation in their letter of intent.

No sitting president may be elected to serve in the Executive Committee or be appointed coordinator, nor may any person currently serving in such a capacity be allowed to continue to serve once elected president of own organization. Likewise, no student may serve as both a member of the Executive and as a delegate.

Nominations for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential offices shall be made at the third-to-last meeting of the second term or the second week in April. Nominees must be active members of a member-organization at the time of their nomination and throughout their terms of office. Elections shall be at the second-to-last meeting of the second term.

Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot, with run-off balloting to take place until one candidate receives a simple majority of all ballots eligible to be cast. Only delegates to the Council, or, in their stead, Presidents, may vote in Executive Elections.

The order of elections shall be as follows: President, Vice-President for Internal Affairs, followed by the Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations, Clerk. After the Clerk has tallied the ballots and the Judicial Chair has confirmed the tally, a run-off ballot shall be performed as necessary and if not, the out-going officers shall instate the new officers.

Only sitting members of the Judiciary or those nominated by either the President or the outgoing Judicial Chair will be eligible to be nominated for the position of Judicial Chair. Nominations may be made by members of the Judiciary or by the President. The election for Judicial Chair shall be by secret ballot, with votes cast by all members of the Judiciary. In the event of a tie, the outgoing Judicial Chair, who would not vote normally, shall cast the deciding vote. After the Clerk has tallied the ballots and the Judicial Chair has confirmed the tally, a run-off ballot shall be performed as necessary and if not, the out-going officers shall instate the new officers.

Section Two: President

The President of Greek Council shall be the chief executive of the Greek Council and of all Greeks at Kenyon and shall possess responsibility for the execution of all edicts, laws and resolutions made by the Council.

The President shall preside as chair at all meetings, regular or special, of the General Session, Executive Committee and Cabinet and shall be empowered to call said meetings.

The President shall keep regular contact, that being considered at least once a month, with the heads of campus government and relevant administrators and shall report on those meetings to the Council.

The President may pass binding edicts on Greeks for no longer than the time between three meetings of the General Session, after which the edicts must be resolved in the General Session. The issuance of an edict should occur only when a pressing issue has not yet been resolved by the Council and/or the other branches of campus government. The President of the Greek Council must distribute the edict to all member-organizations, the Director of Student Activities and the Dean of Students.

The President shall have a vote only in the Executive Committee and to break a tie in the General Session.

The President shall have the power to veto any legislation passed by a majority of the Council, given that the vote divided the Council by no more than 1/6 of the delegates. That veto may be overridden only with a two-thirds majority of the General Session.

The President and the General Session may appoint committees or commissions for the study, discussion and possible recommendation of action as necessary.

The President shall serve a full-year term.

The President shall authorize the use of all Council funds to which the Council's name shall be affixed, though he may delegate this duty as he sees fit.

The President will also discharge any other duties pertaining to this office.

Section Three: Vice-President for Internal Affairs

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall perform the duties of the President at the request of the President, or should the President be unable to fulfill them.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall oversee those committees called into being by the Council and shall, with the advice and consent of the General Session, appoint and oversee all Internal Affairs Coordinators.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall be responsible for developing a risk management policy that adheres to the expectations of Kenyon College.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall keep a calendar of all events sponsored by Greek organizations.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall meet regularly with the presidents and members of the Council's member organizations and be well-apprised of the actions and activities of the member organizations.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs is responsible for investigating accusations of misconduct by member-organizations or individual Greeks except those relating to Rush.

The Vice President for Internal Affairs shall file a report of findings and indicate whether the Council will be seeking judicial action and whether they will be seeking specific action against the organization investigated or whether they will pursue action against individuals, to the President of the Greek Council, the Clerk of the Council, the Director of Student Activities, the Dean of Students and the Greek Judicial Chair.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall serve a full-year term.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall perform all other duties and responsibilities as directed by the General Session and the Executive Committee.

The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall work with the Director of Student Activities to develop, advertise, and present an informational session to all pledges regarding hazing.

Section Four: Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations is responsible for transmitting the best possible image of Greek Life at Kenyon.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall oversee all recruitment efforts by all member-organizations.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall uphold the standards of Rush and to ensure that the rules and regulations governing Rush are followed.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall oversee the upkeep and development of the Council's website as well as any and all publications produced by the Council.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall host at least one Greek informational session for the purpose of Rush each year.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations must be able to facilitate training opportunities and resources to increase the number of Greeks.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations must keep accurate records of attendees at rush events in order to develop more effective strategies for all Greeks.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall serve a full-year term.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall perform all other duties and responsibilities as directed by the General Session and the Executive Committee.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall work with the General Session to propose, enact, and oversee a Rush monitoring system.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations shall hold a non-voting position on Student Council and a limited voting position on Campus Senate.

Section Five: Clerk

The Clerk of Greek Council shall be charged with keeping accurate records of the Council, including but not limited to the minutes of meetings of the Executive Board, of the General Session, of Judiciary meetings, and the financial status of each member-organization. The Clerk shall circulate these records to members of the relevant group.

The Clerk shall be responsible for the finances of the Council, including collecting all dues and presenting checks to the President for authorization according to the budget approved by the General Session.

The Clerk shall be responsible for preparing yearly budgets for the approval of the Council, submitted at the end of each school year for the school year following.

The Clerk shall keep an accurate record of members of organizations, all chapter officers, and shall take a roll call of the member-delegates at each meeting of the Council.

The Clerk shall be responsible for all correspondence of the Council unless instructed otherwise.

The Clerk shall serve a full-year term.

The Clerk shall perform all other duties and responsibilities as directed by the General Session and the Executive Committee.

Section Six: Judicial Chair

The Judicial Chair of Greek Council shall be responsible for the running of the Judiciary. In the case of a conflict of interest between the chair and the organization being examined, an alternate chair will be selected from amongst the remaining judiciary members.

The Judicial Chair shall be responsible for certifying the results of all elections.

The Judicial Chair shall be the original authority on interpreting the Constitution of the Greek Council and be the final authority on the by-laws of the Council. Conflicts regarding interpretation of the Constitution should ultimately be resolved by Campus Senate.

The Judicial Chair shall prepare the docket for all cases heard by the Judiciary and shall select, following the Judicial by-laws, the members of the Judiciary who shall sit during a given hearing.

The Judicial Chair shall serve a full-year term.

The Judicial Chair shall oversee the appointment of members of the Judiciary as indicated in the Judicial by-laws.

The Judicial Chair shall attend meetings of the General Session only when invited by the President.

The Judicial Chair shall perform all other duties and responsibilities as directed by the General Session and the Executive Committee.

Section Seven: Coordinators

The Coordinators shall be appointed by the Vice-President for Internal Affairs with the advice and consent of the General Session.

One may not be a Member-Delegate and a Coordinator.

There shall be six standing Coordinators of the Council, those being Greek Week and Special Projects, Academic, Housing, Safety, Social and Community Service. The General Session may, when deemed necessary, create additional Coordinators.

The Coordinators are non-voting members of the Council and shall attend only at the request of the President or Vice-President for Internal Affairs.

The Coordinators are charged with working closely with the individual chapters and the Vice-President for Internal Affairs to fulfill the chapters' obligations to the Council, the College and their national offices, when applicable.

The appointment of the Coordinators shall last for one semester only, although Coordinators may be re-selected/appointed an unlimited number of times.

Section Eight: Greek Cabinet

The Greek Cabinet shall be composed of the five members of the Executive Committee, all coordinators, the Director of Student Activities and the Associate Dean of Students with jurisdiction over Greek Life.

Article IV. Administrative Advisor

The Greek Council advisor shall be the Director of Student Activities or another administrator jointly determined by the Dean of Students and Greek Council Executive Committee.

The advisor shall facilitate the operations of all parts of Greek Life, assisting and advising all Greek organizations.

The advisor shall be responsible for articulating the College's official stance relevant to Greek Life, including any policies or procedures relevant to the Council when necessary.

The advisor is expected to attend all meetings of the Cabinet and those meetings of the General Session not determined closed by the General Session.

The advisor shall be responsible for working closely with the General Session and Greek Judiciary to determine sanctions for violations of Greek rules.

The advisor shall be responsible for bringing together the Board of Enquiry, as described herein (Article V, Section 2).

The advisor shall be responsible for serving on the Board of Examiners, as described herein.

The advisor shall be responsible for serving as the College liaison to national and international headquarters.

The advisor shall be responsible for running semesterly grade reports of all organizations' members and submitting them, as needed, to national/international headquarters.

Article V. Judiciary

Section One: Powers and Membership

The Greek Judiciary shall serve as the judicial authority for Greek organizations in violations of the rules governing Greek life. It shall consider all reported violations of its rules governing rush, pledging and initiation.

The Judiciary shall be comprised of five regular members and three alternate members. Four of the regular members shall be initiated members of Council's member-organizations, one of whom shall be selected to serve as the Judicial Chair (as noted in Article III, Section One). The fifth shall be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, staff advisor or student affairs administrator. Of the alternates, two shall be students and one shall be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, staff advisor or student affairs administrator.

No more than one member of the Judiciary may represent a given member-organization.

Judiciary members for a given year shall be selected by the Greek General Session at the end of the preceding term after the receipt of letters of intent. Those students selected to serve on the Judiciary must be enrolled students in good standing at the time the letters of intent are received and throughout their terms. Membership for the students shall be for a two-year term.

No member, advisor or student, may hear a case involving the fraternity, sorority or society with which he or she is affiliated. In the event that a situation should arise when a case should necessitate the recusal of three students, the alternative advisor may take the place of a student. In the event that recusals should lower the number of Judiciary members to four, the case is referred directly to the campus Judicial Affairs Coordinator.

Section Two: Board of Enquiry

The Board of Enquiry will be called by the Director of Student Activities within 72 hours after an alleged violation of Greek rules is reported. The Board shall consist of the Director of Student Activities, the President of the Greek Council, one current advisor and one member of the Greek Judiciary (who is then ineligible to sit in that group's hearing, should it proceed to the full Judiciary). Should the vote to authorize an investigation be a tie, the associate dean of students with jurisdiction over Greek life shall break the tie.

The Board of Enquiry will be chaired by the Director of Student Activities.

Once the Board of Enquiry shall have authorized an investigation, immediate notification must be lodged with the Clerk of the Greek Council, the president and advisor(s) of the organization under investigation, providing them with a summary report of all relevant information used to authorize the investigation. The organization may appeal to the Board of Enquiry for more information.

If an allegation of serious misconduct (one putting the lives, property or well-being of persons in jeopardy) occurs during the Rush or Pledging period and the case has been referred to the Board of Enquiry, the Board of Enquiry may suspend Rush or Pledging for that organization. Should a preliminary investigation indicate that the organization is not in fact responsible, the General Session may vote to extend Pledging for that group a number of days past the end of the Pledging period no longer than the number of days that group's Pledging was suspended. Once there is a determination that the Judiciary should hear the case, the organization in question will be expected to cease and desist all activity until the issue is resolved. If the situation severity necessitates an immediate cease and desist, this will be issued by the Dean of Students or President of the College, to be ratified by the Board of Enquiry as soon as it is able to meet. If several investigations are occurring simultaneously, or if the relevant Vice-President is a member of the organization under investigation, the Board of Enquiry may appoint Special Investigators.

If the preliminary investigation elicits information that suggests that College policies may have been violated, the College reserves the right to bring disciplinary charges against the organization and/or the individuals identified according to the procedures outlined in Article III of the "Policies, Rules and Regulations" section of the /Student Handbook/.

Section Three: Procedure

Members of the Judiciary shall be trained by the school administrator overseeing judicial action.

All allegations of misconduct, once reported, must be referred to the Board of

Enquiry. If a majority of the Board of Enquiry approves an investigation into alleged misconduct, the relevant Vice-President or a Special Investigator shall investigate the allegation, filing a written report of findings with the President of the Greek Council, the Director of Student Activities, the Dean of Students, the Clerk of the Council and the Greek Judicial Chair. Investigators are obliged to conduct investigations and file their report in a timely manner. Allegations of misconduct shall be brought forward by the investigating Vice-President or Special Investigator.

In adjudicating an infraction of the Greek laws, the Judiciary will hear all testimony according to the rights of the accused and the procedures outlined in Section 5.b. of the Campus Government Constitution. It shall determine responsibility and render decisions. When a determination of responsibility is made, the Judiciary will recommend sanctions from those outlined by the General Session. Appeals may be made to the Dean of Students; an appeal must be made within one week of receiving written notification of the Judiciary's decision.

Any person may allege a violation through his or her organization's president, the President or Vice-Presidents of the Greek Council, the Dean of Students, or the Director of Student Activities.

The Judiciary shall follow procedures for the College Judicial Board outlined in Article IV of the Campus Government Constitution and in Article IV of the Senate Statutes.

Section Four: Sanctions

The Greek judiciary will determine sanctions for organizations found responsible for violating Greek rules. These sanctions will be outlined by the General Session with the involvement of the Director of Student Activities. In the event that there exists no legislation or guidelines regarding sanctions for a certain violation, the Judiciary may, looking toward precedent, impose other sanctions as it sees fit. Sanctions must be appropriate to the violation and must be geared to educate the organization on how to better regulate its conduct.

Violations of Rush regulations will result in a minimum penalty of loss of one rush day. Serious or repeat offenders may incur sanctions including loss of all social privileges for a determined time. Violations of Greek Council regulations that occur at the end of the rush period may result in the loss of social privileges or in a curtailment of the pledge period. The General Session may delay bidding in the case of Rush violations as deemed necessary, until the Board of Enquiry is able to review the case.

Organizations violating restrictions during the bidding process may be subject to a fine of no less than $50 and no more than $200.

The Judiciary may only recommend the suspension or dismissal of an organization from the College. The decision to do so must be approved by the General Session, the Campus Senate and the President of the College. In the event that there is an alleged violation of college policy, the College reserves the right to bring separate charges.

Article VI. New Member Organizations

A Greek Organization is defined as a social organization that has a period of pledging, or conditional membership, and initiation, or the achievement of formal membership.

A Greek Organization must have the recognition of the Greek Council to exist. Should an organization fail to receive the recognition of the Council, or should the recognition be revoked, the organization must be disbanded.

Any reactivation of an inactive organization or founding of a new organization requires the approval of the General Session, the Campus Senate and the President of the College. After having met with the Director of Student Activities, a formal petition detailing why the students would like to reactivate/found the organization, what they would bring to the college and Greek communities, how they would contribute to the greater community and their belief of what it means to be Greek and to be Greek at Kenyon is required before acceptance of initiation. A representative (or representatives) must come to the Council to present their petition and after a brief question and answer period, the Council will vote to approve or deny the organization. A two-thirds majority of all member-delegates and a simple majority in three-fourths of the member-organizations are required for acceptance to grant the chapter, if returning, a semester-long probationary period or, if new, a year-long probationary period. Should either the General Session or three-fourths of the member-organizations fail to ratify the new organization, a two-thirds vote in the General Session may extend the probationary period for another year. This may be done for a maximum of three years.

To be recognized, the organization's adopted aims or actions must not violate the civil rights of members of the College, or Kenyon regulations, it must have a College advisor who is a member of the Kenyon administration, faculty, or staff, all members of the organization must be Kenyon students, and it must submit a list of members. The purpose and goals of the organization must be consistent with the values of the Greek community. The organization must have a minimum membership of ten members.

Those organizations with national affiliation who wish to exist at Kenyon College should work with the Director of Student Activities to verify that the rules governing national expansion and the expectations outlined herein are met when applying to Greek Council for recognition.

Once approved by the Council, the organization is a probationary member (i.e., non-voting member) of the Council (and thereby the Greek Community) for one semester and must fulfill the following measures before full membership is accorded:

There must be an average of 8 hours of community service completed per member, per semester;

The organization must complete a full training course with the College Substance Abuse Counselor and Educator, with all members in attendance;

The organization must sponsor at least one non-alcoholic event for the benefit of the campus (e.g., host a lecture, organize a demonstration);

Every member of the organization must have a cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.5 or above;

No member of the organization may be on social or academic probation;

The chapter must prove its ability to recruit and retain new members;

The chapter must prove that its actions do not present either legal or serious social complications for the Greek Council, Greek life at Kenyon or Kenyon College.

The return of any continuously-existing former Greek organization to the Greek Community requires that that organization petition formally to the Greek Council for reacceptance. The petition must detail how Greek recognition would affect their group and what that designation would mean for their relationship with the College. It must also explain their belief of what it means to be Greek and to be Greek at Kenyon. A representative (or representatives) must come to the General Session to present their petition and after a brief question and answer period, the Council will vote to approve or deny the organization. For their petition to be entertained, no greater than one-fourth of their members may be on academic or social probation nor may one-fourth of their membership have lower than a cumulative 2.5 Grade Point Average. A simple majority vote of member-delegates and within member-organizations is necessary for the organization to be reaccepted and after one full academic semester, the organization shall regain full voting rights.

Once a new Organization has been approved by the Council, it must receive approval from the Campus Senate and the President of the College for the recognition to be verified.

Should either the General Session or three-fourths of the member-organizations fail to ratify the new organization, a two-thirds vote in the General Session may extend the probationary period for another year. This may be done for a maximum of three years.

Article VII. Rush

Section One: Rules of Rush

A tentative schedule of rush events shall be submitted by each Greek organization to the Executive Board of the Greek Council and to the Director of Student Activities for review and approval seven weeks before the end of the fall semester. A final schedule must be submitted two weeks before the end of the fall semester. All events must comply with the College's regulations on social events (see "Policies, Rules, and Regulations," Section II.U.) as well as all other College policies governing student behavior.

Rush will begin at five o'clock p.m. the first Friday of the second semester and run until midnight ten days later. Students are invited and encouraged to meet fraternity, sorority and society members and observe and participate in fraternity, sorority and society activities during the Rush period.

Upper-class students who are participating in the Rush process are not subject to the restrictions of timing associated with Rush, and therefore, they may be rushed and pledged at any time. The Rush, bidding and pledging of these individuals will take place in a manner determined by the General Session and the Office of Student Activities.

Although there is bound to be interaction between Greeks and first-years during the semester preceding Rush, no organization or initiated member of such an organization shall engage in any form of active rush or membership recruitment prior to the formal rushing period. A membership recruitment function is defined as any event including primarily activities for first-year students or other potential members.

No first-year student may pledge a Greek organization before the official period of pledging has begun.

Each fraternity, sorority and society, its individual members and all unaffiliated students participating in Rush are responsible for abiding by the College's alcoholic beverage regulations and Ohio state law. Additionally, alcohol is prohibited at all Rush events and all activities during the Rush period where actives and Rushees may be interacting together.

During the first semester, the Greek Council shall sponsor at least one informational meeting for persons interested in rush. At this meeting, the guidelines and rules for rush will be discussed and reviewed.

During the pre-Rush period, no organization may use any form of advertising for membership recruitment. Greek Council will handle all pre-rush advertising for the member groups.

Organizations must specify their dues and assessments to pledges, actives, and prospective members, and they must handle their finances correctly. This includes specification and honest levying of dues, fines and revenues.

Should circumstances arise in which an organization is unable to keep exactly to its approved schedule, the Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations and the Director of Student Activities must be informed in a timely manner, prior to the scheduled start time, in order to avoid the appearance of misconduct.

Section Two: Bidding

After the end of the rush period, students interested in affiliating with a Greek organization shall submit their bid forms including their names, and the names of up to three groups, on a bidding form between 9:00 a.m. on Monday following the end of Rush and 4:00 p.m. the following day. The names of those students bidding an organization will be distributed to the member-organizations at a special meeting of Greek Council, which shall be convened for that day.

The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations and the Clerk will compile a list of bidding students to be distributed to the delegates of the member-organizations on the Tuesday after Rush. The Vice-President for Rush and Public Relations and the Clerk shall also provide the Director of Student Activities with a copy of the lists given to each organization.

Formal bid return will be extended to the rushees by the Greek organizations no earlier than 7:00 p.m. that Monday and no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the Wednesday directly following. It is expected that Greek organizations will respect quiet hours and all guidelines of the College in extending bids to their potential new members. Each fraternity, society and sorority will report the names of those rushees receiving bid returns to the Greek Council and the Director of Student Activities by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the Wednesday following Rush.

Any first-year student who does not receive a bid from a fraternity, sorority or society may appeal to that organization. These appeals must be made in writing to the Greek Council mailbox in the Student Activities Office and must be submitted by the Friday following Rush. Decisions will be made by the individual organizations and communicated in writing by the Vice-President of Rush and Public Relations by the second Wednesday following Rush.

Article VIII. Pledging

Section One: General

Pledging officially starts on the Sunday immediately following the end of Bidding. Specific start times will be provided to all Greek organizations and must be adhered to by all members of the organization. No pledging activities (formal or informal) may occur prior to this day/time.

Each pledge will be required to attend a training program as determined by the Greek Council. At that time, the pledge will be asked to complete and sign a pledging form and a copy of the College's Hazing Policy Statement. A pledge will not be recognized by the College until the hazing statement form is returned to the Director of Student Activities, signed by the pledge, the organization's officers and initialed by the Clerk of the Council. Fraternities/sororities/societies will not be permitted to begin their pledge processes unless all pledges have attended a training session and signed the form. No pledging forms may be signed or returned to the Greek Council either before or after the designated time on the Sunday immediately following the end of Bidding (except for upper-class students as defined in Article VII, Section One).

Should circumstances arise in which an organization is unable to keep exactly to its approved schedule, the Vice-President for Internal Affairs and the Director of Student Activities must be informed in a timely manner, prior to the scheduled start time, in order to avoid the appearance of misconduct.

Section Two: Pledge Schedules

A tentative schedule of pledging activities shall be submitted by each organization to the Greek Council Executive Committee and Director of Student Activities four weeks before the end of the first semester. The final schedule must be submitted by each organization for review and approval by the last meeting of the first semester. Events may be scheduled for any day. All formal and informal pledging activities must end by 12:00 midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and by 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Organizations must schedule a minimum of 6 continuous sleep hours per night.

All activities shall be limited to the immediate campus and recognized fraternity/sorority/society locations. For any other requests, special permission must be given by the Director of Student Activities. All efforts must be made to avoid disturbing or unnecessarily inconveniencing members of the community by a Pledge activity.

Section Three: Academics

Students may not pledge if they are on conditional enrollment or have been advised to withdraw from the College in the past semester.

Immediately after new students have pledged, each organization's president and pledge educator shall initiate discussion with the members of the pledge class to emphasize the academic standards of the College. Greek Council's Academic Coordinator will also monitor the individual organizations to ensure that pledges are offered assistance either through tutoring or mandatory study hall. The Academic Coordinator will also assist the individual organizations in monitoring the academic standing of their pledge class.

When an organization schedules the pledge initiation week, the academic responsibilities of the pledges shall first be considered. Additional study time shall be provided for pledges experiencing academic difficulties, and consideration shall also be given to a pledge involved in extracurricular functions and activities sanctioned by the College.

Section Four: Hazing

There is no justification for an insult to the personal dignity of a pledge. To abuse or punish a pledge by imposing an unreasonable task, to submit a pledge to physical injury, unreasonable physical strain, or any act a reasonable person would consider detrimental to the physical or emotional health of a pledge will be considered hazing. Furthermore, acts of hazing under the guise of group traditions, or unofficially encouraged by group pressures, are unacceptable.

In regards to hazing, Greek organizations will adhere to applicable state law and that law shall be considered of the utmost importance.

These laws are as follows:

  • Section 2903.31(A). As used in this section, "hazing" means doing any act or coercing another, including the victim, to do any act of initiation unto any student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of causing mental or physical harm to any person.
  • Section 2307.44. Any person who is subjected to hazing, as defined in division (A) of section 2903.31 of the Revised Code, may commence a civil action for injury or damages, including mental and physical pain and suffering that result from hazing. The action may be brought against any participants in the hazing, any organization whose local or national directors, trustees, or officers authorized, requested, commanded, or tolerated the hazing. If the hazing involves students in a primary, secondary, or post-secondary school, university, college, or any other educational institution, an action may also be brought against any administrator, employee, or faculty member of the school, university, college, or other educational institution who knew or reasonably should have known of the hazing and who did not make reasonable attempts to prevent it and against the school, university, college, or other educational institution.
  • If an administrator, employee, or faculty member is found liable in the civil action for hazing, then notwithstanding Chapter 2743 of the Revised Code, the school, university, college, or other educational institution that employed the administrator, employee, or faculty member may also be held liable. In an action against a school, university, college, or other educational institution, it is an affirmative defense that the school, university, college, or other institution was actively enforcing a policy against hazing at the time the cause of action arose.
  • No person shall recklessly participate in the hazing of another.
  • No administrator, employee, or faculty member of any primary, secondary, or post-secondary school or any other educational institution, public or private, shall recklessly permit the hazing of any person.
  • Whoever violates this section is responsible of hazing, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
  • The negligence or consent of the plaintiff or any assumption of the risk by the plaintiff is not a defense to an action brought pursuant to this section.

Hazing is defined as any activities that are illegal, unlawful, or constitute theft, burglary, or trespassing; the taking or the destruction of any article belonging to another person without his or her consent; or any activity that would be morally objectionable to the individual pledge. Hazing is further defined as any action potentially harmful to the individual or that would be endangering his or her life.

Any activity creating excessive fatigue, or forceful participation in extreme mental abuse or exercise beyond normal ability, such as sweat boxes, bracing, or creating rooms or areas that are uncomfortable due to temperature, noise, size, or air quality for the purpose of harassment shall be considered hazing. Additionally, line-ups, kidnapping, transporting, and/or stranding any pledge without his or her knowledge or consent, any activity involving nudity or lewd behavior, any activity that requires a pledge to obtain fewer than six hours of sleep shall be considered hazing.

In accordance with the College's regulation II.A.2.g, alcoholic beverages are prohibited at membership recruitment functions of College-recognized organizations (e.g., fraternities, sororities, or societies) or at any event where potential members are invited or required to attend (e.g., pledging, Initiation Week). Any activity forcing or requiring consumption of alcohol, food, nonalcoholic beverages, and/or other objects is hazing.

Each fraternity, sorority and society will be held corporately responsible for the actions of its individual members during Pledging.

No fraternity, sorority or society shall engage in any sort of punishment or retribution to a pledge or a pledge class for addressing any objection to the Greek Council or the College administration.

Section Five: Depledging

Any individual who depledges, or is depledged by an organization must complete a depledging form, which can be obtained in the Office of Student Activities. Depledging an organization will not be officially recognized until the completed form is properly submitted.

A former pledge must wait five weeks from the date upon which the Greek Council is notified of the action before he or she is permitted to affiliate with another Greek organization.

Furthermore, no person shall be recognized by the Greek Council as being depledged from a Greek organization until the Greek Council is assured that a mutual financial understanding has been reached between the individual and the organization.

Section Six: Initiation Week

Initiation Week shall be the final portion of pledging, lasting no longer than seven days and ending no later than the college-recognized date for the end of Pledging (unless the General Session issues a specific dispensation determining the end of that organization's pledge period).

All Initiation Week schedules (specifying beginning and ending times and place of all activities) must be submitted to the Executive Committee, which shall meet with the Director of Student Activities to review the schedules. Schedules must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the commencement of Initiation Week. The schedule will then be approved or disapproved in accordance with the guidelines to be determined by the General Session and the Cabinet. The outcome of the schedule judgments (approved or disapproved) is then reported to the organization by the Vice-President for Internal Affairs. It is expected that the organization will make the appropriate changes in the schedule to facilitate approval prior to the start of Initiation Week. If not, all pledging activities will be suspended for the organization until the schedule is approved and no additional pledging days will be granted. Violation of any of these guidelines may result in judicial action against the organization.

A properly managed Initiation Week can foster mutual respect, unity, and esprit de corps. Pledges may come closer to experiencing life in the organization by participating in a series of constructive activities with upper-class students and their fellow pledges. Pledges are permitted to reside in areas associated with their organization at the discretion of the organization, under the assumption that the living areas are clean and provide an adequate environment for sleeping.

Any and all activities must promote pledge/fraternity/sorority/society unity, serve to educate the pledge concerning the organization, benefit Kenyon, the outside community, or promote good citizenship.

During Initiation Week, at least four hours per day must be allotted for study. Pledges must be allowed to have at least six consecutive hours of sleep each night. Class cutting will not be tolerated, and the week will not be considered an excuse for academic delinquency. No pledge of any organization will miss a class directly due to a specific activity of the pledge initiation week. As during regular Pledging, pledges must be allowed adequate time to eat, bathe (etc.) and prepare themselves for their daily commitments. The Greek Council Judiciary will penalize any violations of this policy; a minimum penalty will be the loss of one day of Initiation Week (current or future). All activities shall be limited to the immediate campus and recognized fraternity/sorority/society locations. For any other requests, special permission must be given by the Director of Student Activities. All efforts must be made to avoid disturbing or unnecessarily inconveniencing members of the community by an Initiation Week activity.

Article IX. Deactivation

Any member wishing to deactivate from a Greek organization, or who has been deactivated by an organization, must complete a deactivation form, available from the Office of Student Activities. A member will not be recognized by the College as being deactivated from a fraternity, society or sorority until the completed form is properly submitted. By signing the form, the member, the organization president, and the President of the Greek Council certify that a mutual understanding has been reached among all parties.

Each fraternity, sorority and society must report its membership accurately to the Greek Council Clerk and the Office of Student Activities and it must immediately report any changes therein.

A deactivated Greek must wait five weeks from the date upon which the Greek Council is notified of the action before he or she is permitted to affiliate with another organization.

Article X. Year-End Reports

All fraternities, sororities and societies are required to submit a year-end report that includes a review of goals defined at the beginning of the year and a summary of academic, community service, social activities, and other accomplishments as well as any particular challenges faced by the organization. It should also identify any areas of improvement for the next year and a list of tentative future goals for the organization. Simultaneously, the Assistant Dean of Students for Housing and Residential Life will provide a general review of each group's use and treatment of the divisional living or themed housing space during the year, including any damage or other problems. The review shall be conducted at the end of the school year.

The reports will be due to the Board of Examiners by end of May. The Board of Examiners shall consist of the Director of Student Activities, the President of the Greek Council, the Vice- President for Internal Affairs, one current advisor to a member-organization and one member of the Senate selected by that body. The Board of Examiners shall review the report of each organization and, if necessary, meet with members of that organization to discuss the report and the chapter's activities during the year in question. If an organization is judged to be in danger of failure or is exhibiting trends the Board of Examiners deems worrisome, the Board may instruct that group to meet with the Dean of Students and, additionally, give an accounting of itself to the General Session.

After the examination of the member-organizations' Year-End Reports, the Greek Council shall submit a report outlining the activities of the Greek Council and Greek organizations throughout the year to the General Session, Director of Student Activities, Dean of Students, the Campus Senate, the President of the College and the Board of Trustees no later than the first week in October.

Article XI. Amendment

The Council, whenever two thirds of the total member-delegates deem it necessary, may propose amendments to this Constitution. A two-thirds majority in each member-organization is required before changes may be made. Proposed changes to the rules of Rushing, Pledging, or the Judiciary, must be approved by Campus Senate. All other changes must be reported in writing to Senate within two weeks of General Session passing them.

Article XII. Bylaws

Judiciary and General Session bylaws will be developed as required within the Constitution and as deemed necessary. Bylaws will be developed by the General Session or a committee selected for that purpose and will be passed by the General Session with a two-thirds majority. Affected departments must be notified of any relevant changes prior to bylaws being approved by the General Session. Amendments to bylaws must be presented to General Session and passed by a two-thirds majority.

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Section 1. Functions

a. The Media Hearing Board exists to provide a grievance process with respect to student organizations designated as media organizations. The Board has powers of removal concerning these organizations. Such organizations are registered annually with the Office of Student Activities as media organizations.

The Media Hearing Board is created by the Senate in accordance with Article II, Section 1.c. of the Campus Government Constitution. Members of the Board are appointed by the Senate in conformity with Section 2.

b. The Media Hearing Board will be appointed by Senate as needed.

c. Organizational charters, or proposed revisions to them, are submitted by media organizations to the Student Life Committee of Student Council for approval by the Committee and subsequent funding. Once approved, a charter remains valid until an organization requests approval of changes. Copies of charters are available from the assistant dean of students and director of student activities, as well as the respective organizations.

d. Charters for media organizations shall designate the principal offices of the organization, their functions, and the procedures by which the organization elects or appoints those officers. A charter describes the basic purposes and functions of the organization, including the role of the faculty advisor, if any. Standards of performance and/or responsibility may be incorporated in the charter directly or by reference (if by reference, then the document referred to shall be an appendix to the charter).

e. The leaders of media organizations may be removed from office by the Media Hearing Board. To remove a leader of a media organization the Board shall follow the procedures in Section 3.

Section 2. Membership

a. The Senate shall appoint seven (7) of its members to the Media Hearing Board, three (3) faculty and four (4) students.

b. The Board shall be chaired by a faculty member. The chair votes only in case of a tie.

c. The assistant dean of students and director of student activities and the director of public affairs of the College are ex officio members of the Board. The ex officio members shall have voice but no vote. The assistant dean of students and director of student activities provides administrative support for the Board, including maintenance of the files of documents pertaining to the work of the Board. The director of media relations provides professional expertise and advice to the Board.

d. When exercising powers of appointment or removal, a quorum shall be understood to mean two-thirds or more of the voting members.

Section 3. Procedures and Policies for the Media Board

a. Removal of the leader of a media organi-zation is always viewed as a serious event, only contemplated with the utmost reluctance. The Media Hearing Board strongly urges that disputes about the activities of media organizations be resolved informally, and it provides means listed below designed to promote such informal resolution.

b. Normally, allegations about the activities of a media organization should first be brought to the attention of the leader of that media organization, and that organization given adequate opportunity to respond to the allegations. In no case, however, is the Board precluded from directly considering allegations made against media organizations. Allegations raised about activities of a media organization must first be received by the Board in written form. Information should be sent to the assistant dean of students and director of student activities for transmittal to the Board.

c. If the questions raised in the allegations can be resolved by informal means between the assistant dean of students and director of student activities, the media organization, the faculty advisor(s) of the media organization (if any), and those making the allegations, then the matter will end there.

If the questions are not resolved in the above manner, then the assistant dean of students and director of student activities shall notify the Senate co-chairs of failure to resolve the matter.

The co-chairs shall then appoint a Media Hearing Board. No members of the Board shall be parties to the allegations or have conflicts of interest. The Media Hearing Board shall proceed in accordance with items d, e, and f of this section.

d. The Media Hearing Board shall meet as soon as practical after it comes into being. The Board shall elect a faculty member as chair from among its members.

i) The Board may decline to act on the allegations.

ii) The Board may postpone action on an allegation if, in the opinion of the Board, advice of legal counsel is called for.

iii) The Board may elect to review the allegations made.

e. If the Media Hearing Board elects to review the allegations, then a full, fair, and impartial public hearing shall be held. While the Board may invite the submission of information from any source, the Board shall always ask for information from those making the allegations, the leader of the media organization against which the allegations are directed, and the faculty advisor, if any, of that media organization. Hearings will be open to the public. The Board will meet in closed session after the public hearing to vote. The Board will report on only the numbers of yea and nay votes concerning the public report of findings described in item f.ii.

f. On the conclusion of the review:

i) the Board may decline to take any action;

ii) the Board may impose any number of sanctions on the organization, up to and including the removal of members or the leader of the organization. The removal of a member or leader may result only from a finding by the Board that slander, or libel, or legally actionable offenses, or a violation of College policies recognized by the Media Hearing Board as pertaining to media organizations has been committed.

iii) the Board will issue a public state-ment concerning the facts of the matter and its conclusions.

iv) If removal of the leader or member of an organization is prescribed in a finding of the Board, then the assistant dean of students and director of student activities shall so inform the affected individual(s) by letter, effective upon receipt of the letter. Should the leader be removed, the assistant dean of students and director of student activities will meet with the remaining members of the organization to assist in their selection of a new leader.

g. Appeals by an organization or the leader of an organization against findings of the Board about that organization or individual may be made to the dean of students. These appeals shall be in the form of a letter written to the dean of students, received by the dean within ten (10) days of the issuance of the finding mentioned in f.iii. and f.iv. The dean may uphold the decision or vacate the decision of the Board to remove the leader of an organization.

Revised and approved by Campus Senate in May 2000.

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Section 1. Functions

The Alcohol and Drug Education Program Team (ADEPT) is a campus coalition that addresses alcohol and other drug issues at Kenyon. ADEPT serves as a resource for the many student organizations having an interest in drug and alcohol education and prevention. It is a forum that seeks to stimulate awareness of use and abuse within the student body. ADEPT provides leadership in recommending policy and practice to the administration, faculty, and campus government. ADEPT was created to fulfill three basic objectives:

a. To bring a greater awareness about the problems of drug and alcohol abuse, their symptoms, and their potential solutions for the purpose of improving understanding, preventing problems from arising, and offering support, when necessary, to the College's professional staff concerning drug and alcohol matters in crisis intervention.

b. To review current policies and practices of the College and its organizations regarding the use of drugs and alcohol at Kenyon and, when appropriate, propose recommendations for changes in policy and practices.

c. To provide a forum for all those concerned to be actively involved in the formulation, recommendation, and review of drug and alcohol policies and practices.

Section 2. Powers and Duties

a.ADEPT will be a standing agency of Senate. All proposed legislation and policy amendments relating to drug and alcohol use on campus will require the opinion of ADEPT before coming to a vote by Senate. ADEPT also may propose amendments to existing policy. Upon receiving proposals from ADEPT, the Senate must then enact legislation in accordance with ADEPT, or vote to dissent. In the latter case, the final decision must be postponed until the next Senate meeting, with the interim period used for reevaluation and discussion with ADEPT. Thereafter, Senate has full power of decision.

b. ADEPT will actively sponsor or delegate activities for the College community concerning drug and alcohol awareness, chemical dependency, crisis intervention, and other relevant programs. Each year ADEPT will organize at least one student forum on drugs and alcohol.

c. ADEPT will provide financial and organizational support for the groups spon-soring drug and alcohol programs. This will include providing a forum for ideas and resource exchanges and for helping individual groups to organize their activities.

Section 3. Membership

a. ADEPT shall be composed of the following members, selected before May 1 to serve until the following May 1, unless otherwise specified:

i. Five (5) students; one of whom shall be a member of Greek Council; one of whom shall be a member of Student Council (to be elected in September); one of whom shall be a member of Senate; one of whom shall be elected at-large by Student Council; and one of whom shall be a first-year student elected in September by First-Year Council. Each of these bodies shall select its representative and report the names to Senate. None of these appointees shall be members of more than one of the represented organizations.

ii. One faculty member who shall be invited to serve by the chair of Senate to serve a two-year term.

iii. One designated member of the student affairs staff, one designated member of the campus safety staff, and the substance abuse educator and counselor to be reported to the Senate and to serve a two-year term.

b. The chair of Senate shall invite all campus organizations involved with drug or alcohol issues to send a representative to ADEPT. These representatives, having voice but no vote, will elect one representative from among themselves who shall be a voting member of ADEPT.

c. The Senate shall recognize the members of the ADEPT at its first meeting in September.

Section 4. Officers

a. ADEPT shall be co-chaired by the faculty and student affairs representatives.

b. ADEPT shall choose from among the voting membership a secretary and a treasurer.

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