Constitution and Bylaws

of the Kentucky Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta
The Honor Society of Agriculture

Adopted 1954
Revised 1965, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1998, 2006

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I -- Name and Purpose

Sec. 1. The name of the Chapter shall be the University of Kentucky Chapter of the Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, hereafter referred to as Chapter.

Sec. 2. The mission of the Chapter is to encourage the advancement and improvement of the agricultural sciences and industries. Specific objectives are to:

Encourage high standards of scholarship and leadership in agricultural science and education.
Encourage high quality achievement, professional ethics, and devotion to service of those entering and working in agriculture.
Render service that will benefit agriculture and promote a better understanding of agriculture by the general public.

Sec. 3. These objectives shall be implemented by conferring membership, as an honor, on those students in the College of Agriculture and the School of Human Environmental Sciences, hereafter referred to as College (unless otherwise stated), and in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering of the College of Engineering, hereafter referred to as BAE Department, who have shown exceptional ability in their studies, and on those individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the cause of agriculture. The Chapter also may recognize merit by means of scholarships and appropriate awards.

ARTICLE II -- Organization

Sec. 1. The Chapter is chartered by the International Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, hereafter referred to as Society.

Sec. 2. The Chapter accepts in full the provisions in the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society.

ARTICLE III -- Membership

Sec. 1. The membership of the Chapter shall consist of those members of the Society who may affiliate with the Chapter and those members who may be elected into the Society by the Chapter.

Sec. 2. There shall be four types of elected membership in the Society-student, faculty, professional staff, and alumni.

Sec. 3. Student members may be chosen from the students of senior classification in the College and in the BAE Department. Graduate students majoring in these or related areas also are eligible for student membership.

In any academic year, eligibility for undergraduate students shall be limited scholastically to the upper fifteen (15) percent of the combined number of students having senior classification in the College and BAE Department. To be eligible, undergraduate students must have a GPA standing of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 basis). Only students deemed eligible under Article III, Sec. 3 of the Constitution shall be considered when calculating the upper fifteen (15) percent of the students having senior classification.
Senior classification shall include all students who have completed at least 90 credit hours as well as those students who graduated the semester preceding the one in which membership is to be bestowed. At least 45 of the credit hours completed shall have been received from the University of Kentucky.
Graduate students shall be eligible for student membership when they have completed at least fifteen credit hours of graduate level courses at the University of Kentucky with a GPA standing of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 basis) in all graduate level courses. They must have demonstrated outstanding ability to do advanced study.

Sec. 4. Faculty and professional staff may be elected to membership from those who have served on the University of Kentucky faculty or professional staff for at least three years and have shown exceptional ability in their endeavors in agriculture or related sciences, and who hold a position in the ranks of teaching, research, extension, public service or professional staff.

Sec. 5. Alumni members may be chosen from the graduates of the College or BAE Department at the University of Kentucky or at other institutions offering comparable degrees, who have rendered signal service and outstanding leadership in agriculture or human environmental sciences. They shall have been graduated at least five years.

Sec. 6. Election of nominees shall be by affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members present at the Annual Meeting of the Chapter.

Sec. 7. The active members shall be those members who have paid annual dues as required by the Chapter.

Sec. 8. The officers shall come from the active membership.

ARTICLE IV -- Officers

Sec. 1. The elected officers of the Chapter shall be Past-president, President, President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President shall succeed to the office of Past-president and the President-elect shall succeed to the office of President for a term of one year each. The term of office of the Secretary and of the Treasurer shall be two years. The Secretary shall be elected in even numbered years and the Treasurer in odd numbered years to provide continuity of administration.

Sec. 2. The elected officers shall be chosen by secret ballot at the Annual Meeting of the Chapter from a slate presented by a nominating committee and nominations from the floor. The elected officers shall assume their duties at the close of the Initiation Banquet following the Annual Meeting at which they are elected.

Sec. 3. A Historian and a Publicity Officer shall be appointed annually by the Executive Committee. (To ensure continuity, those accepting these offices should expect reappointment for several years.)

Sec. 4. The government of the local Chapter shall be administered by an Executive Committee, except for the election of officers, election of new members, and the levy of assessments or dues.

Sec. 5. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and the immediate Past-president.

Sec. 6. If the office of the President becomes vacant, the President-elect shall act as president and serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to appoint a Secretary or Treasurer to fill any unexpired term. A special Chapter meeting shall be called to nominate and elect a President-elect should a vacancy occur in that office. (See Article V, Section 1 of the Constitution).

ARTICLE V

Sec. 1. The Annual Meeting of the Chapter shall be held during the second semester of the academic year to elect officers, elect new members, and transact such business as may be required for the Chapter. Transaction of necessary business and election of new members also may take place at any called meeting when deemed necessary by the Executive Committee or upon the petition of twenty-five (25) percent of the members in good standing of the Chapter. The date of the Annual Meeting shall be set by the Executive Committee. A written notice of any meeting shall be sent to all active Chapter members at least seven (7) days before the scheduled date of the meeting.

Sec. 2. The members present at any Annual Meeting or at any duly called business meeting shall be considered a quorum.

Sec. 3. In case of any controversy over parliamentary procedures, Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I -- Duties of the Officers

Sec. 1. The President shall:

Preside over the Chapter meetings.
Call and preside over the Executive Committee meetings.
Preside over the ceremonies for the initiation of new members.
Appoint all committees necessary for the functioning of the Chapter including the appointment of the Nominating Committee and Auditing Committee.
Administer the affairs of the local Chapter in a manner which shall be a credit to the aims and objectives of Gamma Sigma Delta.

Sec. 2. The President-elect shall:

Assist the President in matters pertaining to the activities of the Chapter.
Assume the role of the President in his or her absence.
Succeed the President at the expiration of the President's term of office.

Sec. 3. The Secretary shall:

Maintain the proper contact with the International Society officers with the assistance of the President.
Draft the minutes of the Chapter meetings and present them at succeeding meetings.
Draft the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings.
Maintain the membership lists of the Chapter. Transmit to the International Society the list of and initiation fees for the new members each year.
Carry out the duties required for correspondence connected with the operation of the Chapter.
Send to all active members notices of and agenda for all meetings as directed by the Executive Committee.

Sec. 4. The Treasurer shall:

Collect all dues and assessments from the members and new members.
Have charge of all Chapter funds and disburse them as approved by the Executive Committee.
Keep a record of all funds collected and disbursed by the Chapter.
Prepare a report on the financial condition of the Chapter and present it at the Annual Meeting or any business meetings.
Submit the Treasurer's records to the duly appointed Auditing Committee.

Sec. 5. The Historian shall:

Keep such records as deemed necessary to give an accurate account of the history of the Chapter and make such reports as the Executive Committee finds necessary for publicity and promotion of the Chapter.

Sec. 6. The Publicity Officer shall:

Provide website, display, newsletter and other media with items of public interest, such as new members, award winners, and other activities of the Chapter or Society.

ARTICLE II -- Elections and Awards

Sec. 1. Election of Officers:

Election of Chapter officers, with the exception of the Historian and Publicity officers, shall take place at the Annual Meeting.
The President shall appoint a committee to nominate candidates for the offices of the Chapter. This committee shall present at the Annual Meeting a list of nominees in print form to serve as a ballot. The committee shall nominate two or more candidates for each office, and additional nominations shall be accepted from the floor.
Officers shall be declared elected by a simple majority of those members present.

Sec. 2. Nominations and election to membership in the Society by this Chapter shall be done in the following manner:

The President shall appoint a nominating committee composed of three members of the Chapter, plus the Executive Committee, which shall act as ex-officio members.
The nominating committee shall, before the Annual Meeting or a called meeting, prepare a list of eligible senior and graduate students as established by Article III, Section 3 to be considered for election. This list shall then be distributed at the time of the announcement of the meeting. Nominations shall then be made from this list by the active members of the Chapter.
Nominations of faculty, professional staff, and alumni may be made, as outlined in Article III, Section 6 of the Constitution, by any of the active members of the Chapter.
Election of the nominees at a meeting shall be by a three-fourths majority vote of those present.
Those elected to membership shall be notified in writing by the Secretary and they shall be instructed to indicate their acceptance of the invitation and to pay the required initiation fees.
New members of the Society elected to membership by the Chapter will be initiated at a meeting of the Chapter to be held shortly after their election.

Sec. 3. Selection of award recipients:

The President shall appoint all awards committees, with approval of the Executive Committee. One committee will consider selections for the outstanding sophomore, junior, and senior student awards, the Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Alumnus Award, and the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Service Award. A second committee will consider nominations for the Gamma Sigma Delta Master Teacher Award. A third committee will consider nominations for the Outstanding M.S. Graduate Student Award and the Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate Student Award. The President will appoint appropriate committees to select recipients of other awards approved by the Chapter.
Outstanding sophomore, junior, and senior students, and an outstanding alumnus will be selected from those areas of the University where undergraduates are currently eligible for membership in Gamma Sigma Delta (See Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution). The outstanding alumnus must be a graduate of the University of Kentucky and, at the time of selection, must not be a full-time faculty or staff member of the University. The sophomore, junior, and senior students who are selected shall have the highest accumulative scholastic standing, including transfer credits, at the end of the semester preceding the Annual Meeting. When two or more recipients are equally qualified on the basis of GPA values, the selection committee shall select the student with the greatest number of credit hours at the University of Kentucky. In cases where GPA and credit hours do not differentiate between potential recipients, the students shall be selected on the basis of leadership and activity in student organizations. The Awards Committee may select a recipient for the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Service Award.
A sophomore shall be any student who has completed at least 30 but not more than 59 semester credit hours. All the course work shall have been taken at the University of Kentucky.
A junior shall be any student who has completed at least 60 but not more than 89 semester credit hours. At least 30 credit hours shall have been completed at the University of Kentucky.
A senior shall be any student who has completed at least 90 semester credit hours before the semester in which the honor is to be bestowed. At least 60 credit hours shall have been completed at the University Kentucky.
The sophomore, junior, and senior awards shall consist of a certificate, and an appropriate stipend paid to each recipient. The amount of the stipend shall be determined by recommendation of the Executive Committee and approved by the membership.
The recipient of the Outstanding M.S. Graduate Student and Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate Student Awards shall be eligible for membership in Gamma Sigma Delta and shall be selected on the basis of:
(a) grade point average for all graduate credits at the University of Kentucky (as outlined in Article III of the Constitution),
(b) evidence of creative contributions in research, teaching, and/or extension, and
(c) leadership and service.
Students who receive the M.S. degree at the University of Kentucky in December also may be considered for the Outstanding M.S. Graduate Student Award during the following semester. A five member committee shall be appointed by the President to select the recipients of these awards. All committee members shall be members of the graduate faculty of the College with no more than one member from any department.
The outstanding alumnus and agriculture service award recipients shall be presented with certificates of merit. The recipients of the Outstanding M.S. Graduate Student and Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate Student Awards shall be presented with certificates of merit or plaques.
The recipient of the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Service Award shall have made signal contributions to Kentucky's agriculture. This award shall be restricted to persons not eligible for the Outstanding Alumnus Award. A graduate of another college of the University of Kentucky, a graduate of another university, or a person without a degree from a unit of higher learning shall be eligible for this award.
In accordance with the International Rules, a committee composed of the President, Secretary, and the Dean of the College may nominate a candidate for the International Distinguished Achievement in Agriculture Award.
The Committee for the Master Teacher Award shall be appointed not later than sixty days after the beginning the fall semester. The Committee will follow the procedures outlined under "Guidelines for Selection of Master Teacher Award Recipient." The Committee will consist of:

(1) Two faculty members of Gamma Sigma Delta who have received the Master Teacher Award. Emeritus members of the College of Agriculture teaching faculty may be appointed to serve on the Committee if a previous award winner is not available.

(2) Chancellor of Alpha Zeta.

(3) President of Agricultural Student Council (if the person in items 3 and 4 is the same, then the vice president from either organization may be appointed).

(4) One recent Gamma Sigma Delta alumnus (last four years) or graduate student from the College.

ARTICLE III - Membership Dues

Sec. 1. The annual local membership dues shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and voted on by the membership at the Annual Meeting. A two-thirds affirmative vote by members present shall be required to approve the dues. Dues notices shall be sent by either the Secretary or Treasurer and paid on a calendar year basis. Both faculty and alumni members are required to pay dues to be active members of the Chapter.

Sec. 2. The Chapter initiation fee (which includes dues for the current academic year and initiation fees prescribed by the International Society) shall be set by the Executive Committee and paid to the Treasurer before initiation.

Sec. 3. A Chapter member in good standing may become an inactive member upon making a written request to the Secretary. The member making the request may be reinstated by paying current dues without paying a reinstatement fee.

ARTICLE IV - Amendments

Sec. 1. The Constitution may be amended by a three-fourths affirmative vote cast by members present at any business meeting, if written notice of the proposed amendment(s) has been circulated to the members not less than fifteen (15) days before the meeting date.

Sec. 2. The By-Laws may be amended by a three-fourths affirmative vote cast by members present at any business meeting, if written notice of the proposed amendment(s) has been circulated to the members not less than seven (7) days before the meeting date.

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